Last week a buyer contacted me to ask if I could start working with him as a buyer’s agent.  He was  about to cancel a pending transaction that was falling apart on all sides.  This buyer was mad at the sellers, mad at the agent and completely frustrated with the entire experience.  In addition to a number of other mishaps, the appraisal came in short.   I was sad to hear of such a mess and excited to know that I was about to start working with a high-$$ buyer.  Yippee!

But the more I listened to the story it became apparent that the chain of events in this transaction could have occurred to any agent at any time.   The deal was salvageable if all the players would calm down. I asked the buyer if he really still wanted the house if his deal could be saved.   His answer was ABSOLUTELY YES!  I asked if he would like me to call his agent to see if I could “help” to put things back together.  The buyer was completely shocked.   He couldn’t believe I would offer to step in “for nothing”.

I was not acquainted with the agent but took a deep breath and picked up the phone. It was risky to be perceived as an intruder in their deal.   Fortunately other agent was very gracious and receptive to my call - also very relieved that this deal could be saved.   The agent expressed his gratitude that I’d reach out “for nothing” to help keep their deal together.   We agreed that this is a small town and we can never have too many friends in this business.   The next morning the buyer called me with the good news; he’s thrilled that he’ll be closing on the property!
It felt good to do the right thing and I’m happy for everybody involved.  Better yet, I think my good deed was returned today.   That agent is showing one of my beautiful listings.   I can’t wait to hear the feedback!