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Pulse: Readers tell us how agents have helped them

If it’s January, it’s Agent Appreciation Month at Inman. Join us all month to celebrate all that agents do, and come together with us virtually at Inman Connect, Jan. 26-28. Craving total access? Take advantage of our Agent Appreciation Sale and save 50% on your Select subscription.

Pulse is a recurring column where we ask for readers’ takes on varying topics in a weekly survey and report back with our findings.

This January, we’re celebrating agents and the work they do. Not only is it good practice to show gratitude for their hard work, it also goes a long way in making them feel valuable, recognized and sincerely appreciated. Which is why, last week, we reached out to our readers with a simple request — tell us about a time another agent helped you in some way. 

When was the last time a colleague, coach, mentor, friend or even an agent acquaintance went the extra mile to save you in a bind? What did they do? We asked, and you answered — with a handful of incredibly positive stories. What’s more, we’d also like to ask our readers to continue the conversation in the comments section. We’re looking forward to hearing more stories of kindness. 

  • The buyer arrived 5 minutes early to the home showing reservation while I was running 15-20 minutes behind schedule. I notified the listing agent of my timing problem, and she didn’t hesitate to offer to show it to my buyer on my behalf. The listing agent had no less than 10 other families waiting and could have easily turned us away — the same way many other listing agents have done when you miss your showing reservation. The kind gesture restored my faith in other Realtors. It reminded me that other true professionals are going through this pandemic, and those good ones [will] lend a helping hand.
  • I had just started out in the business and was working with a buyer to purchase a horse farm. We were down to the wire, and my buyers had sold their previous home and needed to get into another property. It was a Saturday night. My buyers had some questions, and I could not get in touch with my broker. My buyers were standing there crying, not knowing what to do, and I was ready to cry myself, too. The phone rang, and it was the seller’s agent. I broke down crying and explained the situation to her, and she guided me through it step by step. I was so grateful for her help. I have since become more confident in my dealings with customers and other agents in that when we get new agents in our office, I try to mentor them and make myself available for any problems they might need guidance on.
  • Our baby came three months early, and we had planned to initiate the homebuying process during those last few months of pregnancy. After I got out of the hospital, she was still in for another four months. I called our agent, explained our timeline, and by the time baby girl was discharged, we had purchased a new house to welcome her home. Obviously, there’s more than just one person involved in any sale, but the extra time and care our agent gave us made the whole thing fairly easy in a difficult time.

What did we miss? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Editor’s note: These responses were given anonymously and, therefore, are not attributed to anyone specifically. Responses were also edited for grammar and clarity. Inman doesn’t endorse any specific method and regulations may vary from state to state.