For those of you who have followed my blog over the last 15 years or used to read my real estate column in The Denver Post you know that during the month of December I do not write about business. We have 11 months of the year to talk business, and this is the one time of year that I try to write about something that may be more meaningful, moves you and speaks about the human condition.
Back in 2012 in Denver, my mortgage lender Andy Jorgenson introduced me to a young family looking to purchase their first home. The father’s name was Francisco and along with his wife they had three small children. They didn’t have much money; they had always rented and never had a home to call their own. Francisco and his family were U.S. citizens from Mexico. He worked long hours, working many jobs, and they managed to save enough money for a down payment. Andy had gotten them into a down payment assistance program with the state of Colorado. So, after working with them for some time to get them qualified Andy turned them over to me to help them begin their search to buy a home. When I met them for the first time, they were extremely grateful that I would help them in their home search. They were very pleasant and happy people to be around. Francisco spoke good English and we could have a good conversation. Everyone else in the family spoke very little English but we all managed to get by.
Every house I took them to look at seemed to be even better than the one we had just seen. I wasn’t particularly impressed by any of them, but then again, I was biased. I looked at homes for a living, and they were looking at homes through an entirely different set of lenses. For them, this was a dream come true. For them this was going to be their first house. For them this moment and this opportunity was everything.
Not too long after that we found a great house for them. I navigated them through all the contingencies, and it was approaching time for closing. Since Colorado is a table funding state, both the buyer and seller meet on the day of closing at the title company, sign papers, and exchange keys. In this case, possession of the property is given to the buyer after the documents are signed, the title company has received the money, and the keys are handed from the seller to the buyer. I explained the closing process to Francisco and his family, and I instructed them to meet me at the title company at 10 a.m. I gave him the address and told him all they needed to bring was their identification.
I got up that morning and headed off to the title company just like it was any other closing, much like hundreds I had done before. I parked my car and walked into the building. As I walked into the glass reception area of the title company, I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to see.
Sitting in the waiting room for the closing was Francisco, his wife and their three children. All of them had dressed in their Sunday best clothes. Francisco had on the only suit and tie he owned, the same for his son. His wife had on her prettiest dress and so did the girls. I walked in the room, and they all stood up with a look in their eyes like this was the best day of their entire life. I tried to hold back the tears as I hugged each one of them. They were all so happy and Francisco was so proud that he was going to be able to provide them a home. We went into the closing, and everything went smoothly. They handed him the keys and I hugged them all goodbye.
A lot of times people think real estate is just a deal or it’s just another transaction or it’s just another investment or it’s just another part of the portfolio. I’ve participated in a lot of those types of transactions over 15 years and almost 1,300 sales. This one was different. In fact, it’s been 10 years since Francisco bought that home and there’s not a year that goes by that I don’t think about them and what they taught me that day. Real estate is more than a transaction, it’s more than a deal, it’s more than just the next sale, and it is more than just a fix and flip. For Francisco, it was everything.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. Thank you to each of you who have supported us here at The Hawai`i Team over the last year. Your friendship, your kindness and your business are so very much appreciated. The referrals that you send to us here at The Hawai`i Team are the very lifeblood of our business and there would be no Hawai`i Team if it weren’t for you. So thank you very much from my family to yours and may God bless you.
Mele Kalikimaka and Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou
Dan Polimino
Dan Polimino is the owner of the Hawaii Team in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i. He and his team are the luxury residential experts for the Big Island. If you are thinking about buying or selling in Hawai`i, then please reach out to us at team@thehawaiiteam.com or call 808-913-0899.
