Today's Real Estate by Jay Lough Hayes

TODAYS REAL ESTATE IN A NUTSHELL

Contributed by: Jay Lough Hayes, Sales Representative

Re/Max Rouge River Realty Ltd. 705-772-1025

FAMILIES DO BUY HOMES - EVEN AT CHRISTMAS TIME!

After selling real estate for 33 year, I have too many stories to tell the grand children (if and when I get grandchildren) but one story stands out above the rest. Let me tell you why…

About mid December one year, I had a call from a gentleman looking to purchase the perfect home for himself and family. I must have showed him over 2 dozen homes. This home had to have just the right feel, a garage, the proper school district, a finished basement, 3+ bedrooms, immediate possession and all for a fantastic price. Well, I persevered and as luck would have it, the vacant, ideal family home came to market. My buyer walked in the door and said, “This is it.” Without discussing this with his wife, he put in an offer, the sellers accepted with the usual conditions, (financing, home inspection) and his wife loved the home as much as he did. The financing and home inspection conditions were met just before Christmas and because of the holidays, I think we had ‘til December 30th for the wife to see through the home and give it her “I love it”!

Christmas morning at 9am my buyer called to say he wanted to share his Christmas surprise with his loving wife. They would meet me at the home in an hour. “Hey, this is Christmas morning, I’m with my family” but, he persisted saying this was his only gift to his wife; he was so excited he could hardly contain himself.

I looked around seeing my family playing with freshly unwrapped toys and boxes and figured I

wouldn’t be missed if I slipped out for just a few minutes. I called the listing agent with my Christmas request and was met with the obvious “It’s Christmas morning”. Oh really? Who knew? She called me back with the ‘go ahead’. My family, used to me leaving for business at all hours any day understood as I wrapped a coat on over my PJ’s and climbed into my cold car. Christmas spirits climbed as I drove over to show the Mrs. her one and only Christmas gift. I could not believe my eyes when I reached the house. Mr. Buyer had shoveled all the snow from the front door, the sidewalk and the double paved drive. He had also purchased 12” wide red ribbon, wrapping the entire house all the way around complete with a huge bow. The perfect gift, beautifully wrapped!

Mrs. Buyer was instructed to ‘cover her eyes’ as she got out of their car. Mr. Buyer ran around to open her car door and help her out of the car. With her hand over her eyes and one arm supported by Mr. Buyer (who had also grabbed a picnic basket from the back seat), we all proceeded up the lovely clean walkway, into the house.

Perhaps Mrs. Buyer was expecting something else, something different this Christmas, but even as Mr. Buyer poured champagne for the three of us

in their new would be living room, she just stood there. Finally she started to cry. Tears of joy you ask? Nope. She was so angry that she could hardly contain herself. That was when she announced to the three of us she was leaving Mr. Buyer, who I had come out in the cold on Christmas morning for. She told him right in front of me, what he could do with his new home, champagne and Christmas present. Before she gave him the 50 reasons why, I decided now was a good time to check the turkey in my own oven. Their day was certainly not going to get any better so I ushered them outside to continue their Christmas discussion as I went back to my own home. and family.

It was that day I realized that, yes, families do buy homes close to Christmas every year. But I won’t be leaving mine on Christmas morning for work ever again.