I looked in my office mailbox this morning and found a thank-you card with a $50 gift card to Chili's.

The card was sent by a lady I worked with a few weekends who was looking for a home to lease for her brother.  Rebecca called pretty last minute and sounded in a big hurry to find something that would work.  I did some research, found some houses, met her in Oak Hill and drove her around for a few hours showing houses.  Rebecca found one that she felt was suitable and I was to show her brother that weekend.  I got an email the next day telling me that Rebecca's brother went to Craigslist, found the perfect house and had already made a deal with the owner to least it.  That was disappointing.

What a nice card this was to get.  It turned my initial disappointment into a smile.  Many people will use a real estate agent like a tour guide, never understanding the time and effort we put into our work and not showing much, if any, loyalty.  Rebecca wasn't like that.  While looking at houses she asked if leases paid well.  My answer was an honest no.  This deal, if it had been done, might have paid me around $300.  There were several reasons I helped Rebecca.  One was she needed the help.  She didn't know the area and had to be in an area served by a specific middle school.  Another is that I knew if Rebecca was pleased with my level of service, she may be the source of a future referral.

So getting the gift card told me that Rebecca was not only happy with the level of my service, she also appreciated that I got no immediate benefit.  That made a good start to my day.