“Good to see you, too,” Mrs. Potter said. “And no trouble at all.”
“Great,” I smiled. “Before we get started, I’d like to introduce you to Flint Black. He’s a new real estate agent, so he’s shadowing me today to see how we do things.”
“Nice to meet you, Flint,” Mrs. Potter said and extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Flint returned with a kind smile.
Meanwhile, Mr. Potter was studying the entryway and the rooms he could see from where we were standing. I could already tell by the look on his face that this was not the house for them. Truthfully, I didn’t think they would like it, but Mrs. Potter wanted to see it.
“Well, we’ll let you get started. Let me know if you have any questions,” I said and moved to the side.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Potter said and followed her husband into the living room.
Flint followed me to the kitchen. “I’m going to guess five minutes, maybe seven at most, before they’re ready to go. This isn’t the house for them.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s a skill I’ve developed over time. The Potters like newer houses. This one looks great from the outside, but old houses come with quirks and oddities that I know they won’t like. For one thing, Mrs. Potter likes large closets, and the closets in thishouse are tiny. The plumbing is old and noisy, and there are a handful of windows that will have to be replaced if they want to be able to open them.”
The Potters returned to the kitchen six minutes later. “This is a lovely home, but I’m not sure it’s the one for us. Where to next?”
“The next one on the list is about ten minutes from here. Would you like to follow us there?”
“Yes, that’ll be fine. Lead the way.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon traveling from one house to the next, viewing a total of five.
“That’s kind of exhausting,” Flint said when we were back at the office.
“It can be,” I laughed. “The Potters are great to work with. I’ve had some clients who want me to walk them from room to room and do everything for them. One time, I had a lady who wanted me to get in the bathtub so she could gauge how well she’d fit.”
“Did you do it?”
“I did, but I drew the line when she wanted to take pictures.”
“What is wrong with people?”
“A lot,” I answered flatly.
“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” he asked.
“We’re meeting the Finleys at nine. I have three properties to show them. They said they like to take their time, so we’ll probably be finished around noon. Then we have to meet the Potters again at one, and I have four properties lined up for them.”
“What are the Finleys like?”
“I haven’t met them in person yet, so your guess is as good as mine.”
“Should I meet you at the office again?” he asked.
“Yes. Be here by eight-thirty,” I told him. “I think that’s all for today. I can reply to any emails from home.”
The Finleys were clearly expectingme to be alone and did not hide their displeasure at Flint’s presence. I wasn’t sure what their problem was, but I tried not to dwell on it.
They rushed through viewing the first house and seemed overly anxious to get to the second property.
“Is it just me, or was that weird?” Flint asked.
“It wasn’t you,” I said. Our interactions with the Finleys were awkward and stilted, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Most of my clients were pleasant and somewhat excited to look at potential homes. The Finleys acted like it was a task they wanted to cross off a list.