I met with a Christian realtor tonight and had a completely different experience than I have been having with the realtor I first approached. Lately, she has been pressuring me to sign an agreement that seems a bit hinky to me. I mean, have you ever heard of having to pay a non-refundable retainer to a realtor that also cannot be applied to the commission?

This new realtor came with a marketing plan, photos, and all the papers I would need to sign from the get go. Nothing was hidden. Nothing was put off until later. She brought me the comps in the area and talked about my idea of a listing price. Really, I felt so relieved in the process.

However, it turned out that her visit was not about selling my house. The visit was not about me at all. It was about her. In just a few weeks, her children and grand children are heading off to the mission field. She was worried for their safety, for the well-being of the children growing up as third-culture kids, and for the closeness of her family being so far away. For about an hour this evening, I spent the time encouraging her in the Lord, talking about my own time in the field, about the rightness of the call of Christ for all their lives, and about how she could use the skills displayed in my marketing packet (DVD, flyers, website) to keep her family close and connected with each other. Reach out and touch with new technology!

We ended the evening in prayer. I prayed for her family and her feelings and the way God is working in all their lives. She prayed for the right time to sell and the right buyer and my health...Before she left, she broke down in tears and thanked me for being such an encouragement to to her...

She refused to sign any agreement until after I have the surgery and know better what my future plans should be. Now, what kind of realtor is that?