What if the greatest opportunity for our success lies in how much we are able to serve the world (people) around us?
I know that, for me, many of my “big breaks” have come from the least expected places – stepping out to say hi, asking someone if I can help, generally just going out of my way.
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I was in the backyard of my primary residence this past March, raking up all the leaves I had left to rot over the winter, in attempts to get the property ready to sell. I was listing it FSBO, and in a time crunch to have it listed mid-March with a significant to-do list remaining. The pressure was on.
Busy at work, I hear someone say, “You tore that thing down!” An older gentleman and his dog had wandered through the gate and into the backyard. He could always be seen taking very slow walks through our neighborhood, and had previously introduced himself to me as St. John, an awkward handshake with his paralyzed right hand. We were barely acquaintances.
He was referring to the metal awing that used to cover the back patio. I had ripped it off the house and the aluminum sheets and frame were in the bed of my pickup. I paused from my work to engage him in conversation. “I have the same kind of awning on my house,” St. John said, “but some panels have holes in them. I couldn’t have some of your sheets, could I?” “Of course you can!” I replied. “I am just going to recycle them. Have as much as you want.” “How much for them?” “Oh goodness, I was just going to get rid of them. You don’t have to pay me anything.”
“Well, I don’t have any way to get the metal over to my house… You wouldn’t be able to bring them over, would you?”
Of course I was able… But it hurt to think of laying down my rake and taking up another chore, completely separate from my agenda in preparing my property for market. I was very busy. But St. John reminded me of my grandfather.
“I sure can,” I replied. He was thrilled, and told me where his house was. He and his dog walked back over to his house and I met him there in a few minutes.
I ended up unloading all of the metal sheets into his backyard, leaving only the frame in my truck bed. When I was done he again asked how much, and I replied that I expected nothing – to which he responded by handing me a $100 bill. That is very helpful… “Wow, that is extremely generous of you!” I said.
We stood there in his driveway chatting for a moment, and St. John became very engaged in conversation. I could tell he was hungry for companionship, and I could also feel my humongous to-do list at the house pulling at me… But I decided to not be in a hurry, and listened intently as he told me about his life, when his wife died, his son, his son’s job… how long he’s been in this neighborhood… the friend who used to live next door but is out of state and will most likely sell his house… I was already listening, but obviously my ears perked up at that.
St. John said he would see if he could find his friend’s phone number, and we shook hands goodbye.
Although I didn’t hear from him, later that week I noticed a pile of trash and furniture in the front yard of the aforementioned house. A guy was out front scraping paint from the trim, and when I jumped out and asked if he lived there, he motioned for me to go inside. Another gentleman was working within, and a conversation with him revealed the owner, that he was getting ready to sell the house and how much he wanted for it.
I knew the numbers for my neighborhood, and immediately knew that this was a profitable scenario. I knew a cash investor with very specific criteria, and this house lined up perfectly. I got the owner’s contact.
That afternoon I was speaking with him, and the next day he met me at the property. We agreed verbally on a ballpark price and set up a date for my customer’s contractor to look at the property.
It ended up that I had underestimated the repairs needed – by $10,000. I thought I had lost the deal, but I was able to negotiate with the seller to drop his price by another $10k.
We put it under contract at $52,000 and I assigned to my customer for $3,000.
This was the first time I had ever made money in real estate. Every one of those 3,000 dollars was incredibly inspiring, eye-opening – my passion had become a reality.
I am glad that I didn’t get too caught up in what was most important to me – raking leaves. I am glad that I allowed myself to linger with St. John and lend him my ear, not hurry back to my agenda. I am glad that I valued him over what I had going on.
I didn’t know it, but when I laid down what was best for me in exchange for honoring this elderly man, who didn’t have much to give me, I profited much more than I could have on my own.
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I have heard it said that wealth isn’t money, but that it is time – or freedom. I would go even further: what if true wealth is the ability to be a blessing to the people we meet, the ability to give to those who have “nothing” to give back to us?
I have decided that is the rich life that I am pursuing.
