The Difference Between "One" and "Two"

When we were living in Tulsa a few years back, we had hopes of moving to Tulsa then.  I had been in contact with a Real Estate Agent then, but things didn't work out for us and we moved to Singapore.  This agent who I will call "One" stayed in touch with me continuously for a while, then I didn't get e-mails from him for a while.  When we finally got our good news that a package was indeed coming for us to move to Oklahoma, I searched and searched for "One's" name and phone number, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it. 

So we we resorted to calling a different agent, whom I will call "Two", in Tulsa in hopes of getting a head start on the Real Estate there and working with her to get the place of our dreams.  She set us up with a personalized website, which we marked our favorite houses, took notes and anticipated looking at when we finally made our house hunting trip to Tulsa in mid April.  We were going to work with this agent; she seemed friendly enough and we looked forward to working with her.

A couple of weeks ago, I randomly get an e-mail from "One", who had been using my old e-mail address because I didn't update him when we sold the house.  How in the world an e-mail got through my old address I will never know.  It has been deactivated nearly a year!  Anyway, I messaged him that we had sold our home, lost his e-mail address and though we had finally found out we were indeed moving to Tulsa, we had found another agent because I had no idea how to get in touch with him.  I apologized profusely for losing his e-mail address.

"One" sent an e-mail immediately back that said it was no problem at all, but he would be happy to be on standby should we need him.  He wished us good luck in finding our place and hoped we loved our new Realtor.  He asked that I let him know what place we picked and to keep in touch - we might need him in the future.  It was a very pleasant e-mail and left me with a sad feeling.  I had let him down, but he had been so positive for our future. 

This week, we received the moving package details.  It is a great moving package, but because of reimbursements, we must only use one of 3 companies.  "Two's" Real Estate company was not a part of the company plan.  Steve and I were not looking forward to letting "Two" know we could not use her, but he finally did it  yesterday, telling her thanks for all her help, but we regretted that we could not use her.  It was a disheartening feeling, and he was careful to tell her we really appreciated everything she had done.  With a heavy heart, he sent the e-mail and we discussed that it was a shame we couldn't use her - we had gotten comfortable with her and now we had to start over again.

We didn't get an e-mail like we expected, but we figured she might be out of the office so it was no big deal. Last night, I e-mailed "One" and told him the exact same thing - we cannot use "Two" because her company was not on our approved list of Real Estate Companies, but sadly, neither was his company. Again, I sent the e-mail off with a heavy heart, but I owed "One" the same explanation I have "Two". He had stayed in contact with me (minus the times his e-mail bounced) for nearly 5 years!!

I still have not heard from "Two". I do know however, that she got Steve's e-mail, because out of suspicion, after not receiving our morning update, I went to our "Prospective Property" site she gave us, and guess what? We were removed! Not a single word from her; not a suggestion of how we could get around this obstacle, and not a blessing to move on, not a 'kiss my grits' note... not a single peep. She just hit "Delete" and we were GONE!

So I double check my e-mails (dang, Facebook causes a landslide of e-mails in my IN box) hoping I overlooked her dismissal, and guess what; I found an e-mail from ONE - and none from "Two"!

One's e-mail says:

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"It's good to hear from you! Thanks for thinking of me again on your move. Typically, the relo companies just want a referral fee of 25% paid to them. If this is the case, I will be happy to pay it as well, and you will still be able to get your closing costs, ect... paid.  You might want to mention it to them, if not, that is ok.  

I can also help you find an agent in an approved company if you need assistance.

I would love to work with you.   Thanks again for the opportunity to help you! Good luck and let me know what you decide."

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So that, my friends, is the difference between "One" and "Two".

We still cannot work with "One", but I will definitely feel good about passing his name on. He has offered to pay for something he should not feel obligated to pay for, he has offered to help us find an agent in a company we CAN work with if we move on. What more could we ask for in a good Real Estate Agent?

Maybe things happen for a reason.  Common courtesy goes a long way - and lack of it... well, it is just unprofessional, don't ya think?

Moving on...