Is it raining men? Nope, but it is raining inside! Sarah Gustafson, a REALTOR® of 10 years in Holden, MA, opened the door to a beautiful home she was showing to clients just to find it was...raining? Not only that, but the listing agent called shortly thereafter to find out if her clients were still interested in the house! Um, no thank you! Listen in to find out why you must know where your water main is, and how she protected her clients from buying a potentially hazardous home. 

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Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 00:45 – Introducing Sarah; a Holden, Massachusetts REALTOR® of 10 years and introvert who used to manage trade shows for companies
• 03:30 – Sarah’s CSIRE story
• 03:40 – She was showing a house to clients in the wintertime in the down market; many foreclosed homes were vacant in the winter
• 04:00 – She noticed a stream of water coming from the garage; she had a feeling the pipes had broken in the house
• 04:40 – They opened the door from the garage to the house and water was pouring from the second floor to the first floor; a kid asked, “Why is it raining in the house?”
• 05:22 – She called the listing agent and she asked, “What do we do?”
• 05:40 – Sarah told her what to do and she had no idea what Sarah was talking about
• 06:15 – Afterwards, she called back and asked Sarah if her clients were interested in the house; Sarah wanted to know when the rehab/renovation would be complete
• 06:42 – She said the sellers had taken care of it but that was impossible with the amount of damage that was incurred
• 07:00 – Sarah said she’d never show or recommend the house; she would disclose the flood to anyone who asked
• 05:55 – The lessons
• 06:00 – Agents and homeowners: Know where your water main is
• 07:55 – Realtors need to be honest and transparent
• 08:30 – There would be a liability issue if mold grows in that house because it was incorrectly repaired
• 09:00 – A professional rehabilitation is required when a home floods
• 09:35 – As a realtor, you need to disclose everything
• 10:30 – Sarah’s biggest surprise when working with REALTORS®
• 10:40 – How much it has helped her grow personally and professionally compared to a corporate environment
• 11:08 – The association world taught her that she is an introvert; she learned how to work with extroverts and manage her own alone time
• 11:36 – Introverts do well when they’re out, but need to recharge alone
• 11:55 – Her leadership journey has included learning how to deal with different people with different personalities
• 12:45 – How to contact Sarah
• 13:00 – SaraGRealtor.com

3 Key Points

• Know where your water main is!
• Be honest and transparent about every property.
• Volunteer to grow and learn more about yourself 

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder