What Real Estate is All About

Sometimes we forget what business we are in. It's easy to be caught up in listing and showing and negotiating and settling. But that's all just the mechanics of our business. Today I got a delightful reminder that we really do is make dreams come true.

A few months ago, I wrote about a house that was a "disastrous, dirty, cluttered, smelly, mess" and could only be sold after it was stripped bare – carpets, appliances, window treatments, everything had to go. The buyers didn't think they could ask for that, but the sellers were delighted to take their "stuff" with them, and both ended up happy. The young couple who bought the home then painted, replaced flooring, did over the kitchen and bathrooms, and enjoyed their five-bedroom brick home for five years.

Last fall we put this home on the market and it found new owners, a family with two young children. This house that was once a disaster area has become a family's dream home…again. They are so happy and wanted to show me how they are doing with their own decorating. The children's rooms didn't need any change – the girl's room is pink and white with a colorful border, and the boy's is Spiderman-blue. Colors in the bathroom they share work for both children.

New landscaping has made the front more inviting, and wicker furniture makes the front porch a pleasant place to relax. Inside, the still-new kitchen is warmed by decorative accessories above the cabinets. Some new furniture and a carpet remnant make the dining room inviting, and now the owner isn't bothered anymore by the parquet floor that she doesn't much like. The family room with its brick wall is warmer now with the sofa and comfy pillows. Some of the rooms, like the living room, are still a work in progress, but you can see that this is a warm and welcoming place.

I am so proud of putting this family in what turned out to be their dream house. Knowing they are happy and that they wanted to share that with me – it was a feel-good day!

And that is the business we are in.