Real Estate Success by Sonny

 Building the Dream! A Story About Fulfillment

Andy and Kimberly had reached a point in their lives together where their basic needs were met, and they were looking forward to a life where they could pursue their self-actualization goals. (See Maslow's Theory of Motivation.) Those goals included spending time with family, relaxing, and enjoying their hobbies and church. For Andy, his hobby was most centered on having a wood shop in the garage that met his needs so that he could enjoy building things and using his excellent carpentry skills to create.

As I write in my book, The Architecture of the Real Estate Practice, an agent must be careful not to project their ideas about what is good and what is not on their clients. I couldn’t build a simple table and had no skills in the areas that Andy was a master. I wasn’t particularly interested in woodshops. Most importantly, I needed to take the time to understand what was important to them and put that first in all my dealings with them. As I write in my book,

“Clients at the self-actualization stage tend to be fully aware of their need for satisfaction. They tend to be less concerned about other needs as they have already met those needs and are more concerned about realizing their potential.

Maslow is reported to have said, "What a man can be, he must be," Maslow explained this when referring to the need for people to achieve their full potential as human beings. This may be described as utilizing talents, capabilities, and potentialities and realizing the satisfaction of reaching that point of achievement in their lives. Said another way, they could be ready to enjoy just living and experiencing rather than working to achieve other things less important to them at the time.”

With Andy and Kimberly, it was all about finding a home with a suitable garage, being close to their children, and providing a comfortable backyard for backyard outings with grandchildren. As we began our search for the right home for them, there was a limited supply of homes on the market, but after about two weeks, a house came on the market that seemed to be the perfect fit for them.

We toured the home, and Andy spent most of his time looking at the garage. While the home was mostly what they wanted, it certainly wasn’t the perfect home. It was close to the children, Zeke and Jasmine, which meant spending lots of time with the two grandchildren. Andy was a tall, strong, incredibly fit man who was serious about religion, family, and carpentry. After some discussion, they decided, and we were on our way to writing an offer.

People who know what they want and are willing to focus on the big goals find it easier to find a home and make it work for them. This was the case with Andy and Kimberly. While the seller was responsive, they didn’t get everything they wanted, as it mainly was a Seller’s market at the time. But Andy and Kimberly reacted in a “fairness doctrine” mode, and we were able to secure the home.

Soon, Andy began building out his garage to meet his dream goals. One day, about four months after they moved in, I dropped by to visit, and Andy proudly asked me to look at his shop (garage). I took the time to listen to Andy and, for most of the time, did not understand half of what he told me as it involved special saws, drills, and other equipment. I listened carefully as he beamed, telling me everything he could build in his new shop. Time with clients is essential. The most valuable gift an agent can give to a client is their time and attention.

Several years later, Andy would confide in me that he was ready for a new challenge and asked me to help him find a new position to return to work. He was getting bored and wanted to use his many skills in other ways. I was pleased to help him by providing ideas and suggestions for work he could do in the real estate and related industries. Andy trusted me, and I admired him. Achieving a stage of Self-Actualization sometimes doesn’t last. It is not unusual for people to evolve and find new endeavors that will challenge their creativity and intellect.

There was no doubt that Andy and Kimberly were

“Raving Fans” and the family connection and great relationships forged with the family were richly rewarding—more rewarding than the compensation we earned. Money comes and goes, but long-term relationships provide value beyond financial measure.

Our relationship with this family continued to grow. In my next blog, we will return to Steve and Channing, who connected us to this wonderful family, and see what change looks like in a large family that has evolved and needs help navigating the roads ahead.