I met a potential first time home buyer at one of my listings.  He was very excited about the house.  He loved the location, the condition - even the price!  So, we went to a lender to obtain a mortgage prequalification letter.  After about an hour of discussion, white board teaching and many questions, the lender asked the buyer to sign a form.  It was only then we learned he couldn't read.  He told us how his high school 'used' him to get to the basketball championship for his region and hadn't bothered to teach him to read.  He said they 'fudged' his grades so he could stay on the team.  I was upset that this could have happened, but also impressed with what this man had accomplished in spite of it all.  He was in his 50's and was enrolled in a reading class, but had a long way to go.  Yet, here he was, ready to buy a home of his own.

To make a long story short, the lender was able to qualify him because of his long work history and the amount he had managed to save towards a downpayment.  This was the most difficult escrow I've experienced.  I invested six hours one day reading the purchase agreement, disclosures and other documents to him. He obviously needed a much higher level of support than any of my previous clients ever needed.  However, I was thrilled to do it!  

I could never come up with words to accurately describe how I felt when this man turned the key in the lock of his very own home for the first time.  Let me just say, there were tears all around!  I've visited him a number of times since his move-in date.  He is the proudest, happiest homeowner I've ever met and I am absolutely thrilled to have had the privilege of playing a small part in his great achievement!

Ok, I'm willing to go the extra mile for my clients.  I've helped paint kitchens, taken trash to the curb, supplied pizza for cleaning day, etc.  However, I discovered (the hard way) that there is definitely a limit to my services.

While standing in the garage of a home my buyers were having inspected, we were 'visited' by a bold little gal who, although she was smaller than me, scared the heck out of me - much to the amusement of my clients!  You see, they were actually 'used to' black widow spiders -  as in:   'they're no big deal'.  Having moved to Stockton, California from Connecticut, my only exposure to these critters was from tv shows that used them as icons of fear (rather effectively, I might add).

My home inspector, being the prankster that he is, picked up a jar and asked me if I wouldn't mind capturing this lovely creature (who, by the way, was so big she should have been paying rent).  He said it would be nice if I would capture it and release it somewhere away from the house.  He is indeed an opportunist - when he saw how white my face was, he knew he could generate a few good bellylaughs at my expense.  (He also knew that when my hands stopped shaking, I would see the humor in his comments).

All's well that ends well.  My client's walked away from that deal (not because of Miss Spider), and selected an unoccupied home nearby.