The House I Talked Them Out of Selling
Part of an ongoing series of stories from our team: The moments, big and small, that shaped how we work and what we believe.
I still think about that kitchen table in Evanston.
A husband and wife had called me to list their home. Their new build was nearly finished, the possession date close at hand, and a big chapter was waiting for the family on the other side of the move. It was the kind of call most agents are glad to get, and I came ready for it.
I walked through the house, asked the questions I usually ask, and listened while they told me where they were headed next. Then, before I had even opened my presentation, I found myself setting it aside. One question had been turning over in my mind the entire tour, so I finally asked it: did they actually need to sell this house in order to close on the new build?
They looked at each other for a moment before they answered, and then they told me no, they didn't have to.
That was enough to make me close my folder. Instead of moving into my pitch, I asked whether they had ever thought about keeping the place, putting a good tenant in, letting it appreciate over time, and holding on to something that could grow into real security for their family. The idea had never once crossed their minds.
Every other agent who had sat where I was sitting had offered them the same encouragement, that it was a great time to sell, and it wasn't hard to understand why. There is a sign for the lawn and a commission cheque waiting on the far side of that advice, and most people in my business are trained to keep their eyes on both.
So I never finished my pitch, and I never asked for the listing. The couple decided to hold on to the house, and they still own it today. Agents kept calling for years, begging for the listing.
This is the part I think a lot of people in my business miss. The family at that table didn't need another salesperson. What they needed was someone willing to tell them the truth even when the truth would cost them the deal.
That day the honest answer was that they shouldn't sell, so that is exactly what I told them.
I won't pretend the choice came free, because there was a commission I could have earned that afternoon. But that same family has been sending us referrals ever since, and I have yet to find a listing anywhere worth more than the trust of people who feel safe handing you the ones they love.
We haven't grown as large as we have by chasing contracts. Plenty of people in this business do exactly that, and I understand why anyone bracing for a pitch would assume we're the same. The truth is that we are willing to walk away from any deal that isn't right for the client, and we put honesty ahead of everything else.
Take care of the families in front of you. That's the principle I've built my business on from the very beginning, and it hasn't changed. It's also the culture we've built across our entire team. We love what we do because we get to help people through some of the biggest moments of their lives. Our priority has always been, and always will be, taking care of the family in front of us.