Selling real estate can be an amazing journey full of ups and downs.

Quite often, you can sell a home for your clients and the process can be very quick and seamless.

Other times, it can be a process that is like a roller-coaster.

It’s hard to express how difficult it is when a valuation comes in low, or the home has building and pest issues that the owners were unaware even existed, or even worse, the buyers are trying to negotiate the price down based upon building and pest issues that are quite minor but they are blowing up out of all reasonable proportion…or perhaps it’s just when a buyer seems keen as mustard after numerous inspections and then disappears off the face of the planet.

Sometimes, it’s these sort of sales where you get to know your sellers very well and you get the ride the emotional ‘high’s and low’s’ with them.

For me, it’s these sales that are the most satisfying when they finally sell.

I’ve just been on a journey with one lovely couple whereby it’s taken many, many buyers, a few crashed contracts and countless disappointments along the way but when we finally placed the ‘SOLD’ sticker on their sign, the sense of accomplishment was immense….and felt by each member of my team!

It’s also these sort of sales where you get to know your sellers very well and some of them become great friends.

I’ve been to countless birthdays, house-warming parties, Ramadan celebrations, births, funerals…you name it!

I can’t tell you how hard it is to have seller pass away right in the middle of the process of selling their home and over the years, this happened to me several times.

But the happy moments provide some of the great highlights of our profession.

My only regret is that I’m often working long hours and don’t get to catch up with as many people as I’d like to.

Some of these sellers come from all walks of life and you get to know a lot about their jobs and businesses.

I can be a bit of a practical joker and if I pick the right client, I do wind them up at times…but every now and then, I get a pranked a lot better than I can prank myself.

Around seven years ago, one particular seller of mine was a real joker and took great delight in winding me up.

He first invited me around to his home to tell me why he wasn’t going to list his property with me and as he’s reading me his well-prepared list, my jaw must have hit the floor.

After ten minutes of sharing his ideas, I was starting to silently fume as all of his suggestions were so far from the truth, it wasn’t funny…and I remember thinking, “why has he invited me around to tell me this?” Couldn’t he have just called me?

He then roared with laughter as he shared with me that he was just joking and was always going to list with me. His wife played along pretty well too so I had no idea.

This set off a chain reaction of phone calls where our conversations would go along these lines…

Me: “Hello Michael speaking”

Seller: “It’s Mark here. Where the hell are you? I have 4 groups of buyers waiting to come into the open home and you’re not here!”

Me (in a terrified panic): “Are you serious? But I had the open home noted for 12:00 – 12:30 PM…NOT 9:00 – 9:30 AM”

Seller: “Well you must have made a mistake! You better get here fast!”

Me: “I can’t believe I did this! I’m so sorry..I will….”

Seller: “Just joking! I had you there didn’t I”

So my comeback was long these lines…

Seller: “Hi Mark speaking”

Me: “Mark..it’s Michael! We have big issues here at your building and pest inspection. They’ve found a massive termite nest in your home and the termites have eaten their way right up to the roof trusses. It’s not good.”

Seller: “You’re not serious are you?”

Me: “I am!”

Seller: “Really?”

Me: “Yes”

Seller: “Oh Sh*t. I cannot believe that. How much do you think it will cost to get it fixed?”

Me: “The building inspector is telling me around $70,000”

Seller: “F*** me!”

Me: “Haha…got you back! It’s all good!”

Seller” You p**** Michael! I’ll get you back!”

It was my seller that had the last laugh…and it took almost 6 months after his home settled.

I was picking up some of my open home directional signs whilst parked on the side of the road at a busy intersection on a Saturday.

All of a sudden, a police car pulled up behind me with lights flashing and siren blaring.

I looked up and the Police officer approached me and told me to place my hands on the roof of the car.

I remember looking at him and asking him if he was serious.

He told me that he was.

So there I’m standing with my legs spread, hands of the roof of my well sign-written car, dressed in my suit, at the busiest intersection in the area…absolutely mortified and had no idea what I’d done wrong.

I was told not to turn around.

So I stood there for around 30 seconds with my back to the officer trying to figure out what was going on and out of the corner of my eye, I could see the other Police Officer jump out of his car and approach me.

He had has Police cap on pulled down over his face and I could sense him walking up to me slowly.

Just as he approached me, he said quietly, “It might have taken me 6 months, but I told you that I’d get you back”…and then I heard a bellowing laughter from him.

I turned around to see my previous seller (Mark – who was a Police Officer and just happened to spot me on the side of the road as he was driving past) almost wetting himself with laughter.

It was certainly the last laugh and to this day, I’m still wondering what many of the local residents of Warner (who were driving past at the time) must think of me.

Until next week, Happy Listing & Happy Selling!