Seeing Old Clients -- Competitive Water Skier!

I love seeing old clients in social occasions.

In a client relationship, we look for houses or condos, sometimes for months, and our experience is built around buying a new home. We crunch numbers, look in damp corners of basements and the tops of hot attics, check out wells and septic systems, and put in offers to buy. We often get a lunch or two out, but our relationship is business. We often find out important personal details of their lives, but not always, since we are focusing on buying a home. Don't get me wrong -- we have lots of fun -- but we are assisting people in the largest investment of their lives, so we must always retain a professional relationship first.

After the home is purchased, we stay in touch with emails, letters and calls. But occasionally, we get to see our clients at parties and other social events. And we often find out interesting facts that we didn't know when selling them a home.

Last night we saw our clients Susyn and Denis at a party. They bought their home in Essex five years ago. Over the years we've talked about improvements to their home, gardens planted, rooms painted. They love their home and it was a great move. Then last night I found out that Susyn was a competitive water skiier! Not only did she compete, she competed in pyramid skiing! Yes, she climbed on the legs and then shoulders of her brother and father and skied around the lake! She can do trick skiing too -- spinning around in circles while on skis or on one ski. Wow! What a great fact to learn about a client. It brings us closer together because now we know more about Susayn and we can enjoy our relationship in a brand new dimension!

This is what I love about real estate. It is a business, yes, but it is an opportunity to make new, life long relationships. And every once in a while, find out that a client was a competitive water skiier!