Real estate is truly about the relationships you make with people. I know it sounds cliche, but in my experience, it’s true. The industry allowed me to reconnect with one of my best friends. It’s also how I met my wife.
Early on in my career, I made a lot of phone calls. I had a stack of phone numbers of For Sale By Owner listings. I’d go through the stack, calling people I didn’t know and offer to extend my services and list the house for them. For about six months, that was my method of drumming up business.
One particular day I came across a familiar name. I paused. He was an old classmate of mine! We’d gone to high school together! I hadn’t seen him in ages. We drifted off and went our separate ways, but now I held his phone number in my hands.
Or maybe just someone with the same name. There was only one way to find out. I dialed the number.
“Hello?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Hi. Is this Matt from Hudson’s Bay High School, Class of ‘96?”
“...Yes.”
“This is Mike McCray! How have you been?!”
I wouldn't have gotten in touch with him if not for that. We talked for a good long while, catching up. From that one phone call, I gained a lasting friendship. You can’t put a price on that. We agreed it had been far too long since we’d seen each other and we should hang out soon. So we did. To this day, Matt is one of my closest friends. He’s been there for all the big moments of my adult life. He was even in my wedding party.
Speaking of my wedding party, the most impactful aspect of my life also stemmed from a work call.
I had just joined a new brokerage, and every week at the same time, my phone would ring. On the other end was a woman in the Philippines. She also worked for the brokerage and would ask about my closing numbers.
I hadn’t expected to have these recurring calls. In the beginning, I was short with her, bordering on rude. The stresses of work and daily life were getting to me, and I recognized that I should probably do some work on myself. I ended up talking through my problems with other individuals and gaining new perspectives and insight. I came to realize these weekly calls were just coming from another person trying to do her job.
The next time she called, I apologized for our previous exchanges, but she insisted there was no harm done. From that point on, I looked forward to getting calls from her. Our calls became more frequent and lasted longer. Sometimes we'd remain on the line after hours, business forgotten, as we turned our attention to other topics.
When I had a business trip to Thailand coming up, I mentioned it in conversation.
“You should visit me while you’re here!” She responded.
That had been exactly the response I was hoping for. I ended up visiting her a few times over the year—we even took a trip to Vietnam—and then she visited me.
Not long after, she made a permanent move to Washington, where we were married and are currently living out our happily ever after.
These relationships came from a couple of phone calls. I wasn’t getting any financial gain from Matt or my wife. I was just forming connections. That’s what I do. It’s the reason I’m good at what I do. You need to understand a person before you can help them find what they’re looking for. I look forward to doing that for you!
I met my first ever client because she was waiting on me at the Olive Garden. It was an eye-opening experience because I realized how my relationships with clients could form. I didn’t need to force anything. They could develop organically. Since that first sale, I’ve focused on getting to know people. In my role as an agent, I listen, remain involved, and solve problems for my clients.
In my office, I have a fleet of pictures hanging on the walls. They’re all people I’ve had the pleasure of working with, standing in front of their new homes. It serves as a daily reminder of why I do what I do. It doesn’t matter if I’m handing the keys over to a new home buyer or if a listing has sold for above asking price. I love this job.
I’ve made a lot of wonderful memories doing this, and I plan to make many more. I look forward to the ones I’ll make with you!
With gratitude,
Mike McCray
REALTOR® – Team Lead
