Clients: #theoneswiththe sweetdaughter

Typically my pet names for my clients are not so generic-sounding, but there is nothing generic about this sweet couple, Kevin and Amanda, and their precious daughter, Holly. 

I met Amanda and her Dad in 2013, in the middle of winter, to show them a foreclosure in Darien that they were interested in.  Once we made it past the ice skating rink that was the driveway, we made our way inside.  This house was rough, but Amanda looked at it with stars in her eyes.  I could tell her Dad only saw repairs, money, time...as did I.  We got down to the basement, walked about 5 feet and all of a sudden we got that sinking feeling....  No, literally, the basement floor was like totally caved in and we all were sinking into the ground below us.  Well, foundation problems are pretty much a deal breaker unless you know what you're doing and have the funds (and then twice the funds) to rectify the problem.  We left, but Amanda said she wanted to continue the search, and that I would eventually meet her husband and her daughter. 

Kevin and Amanda LOVED "charm" and "character" (which can be hard to find in a client these days).  Amanda always had a smile on her face, and so did their daughter Holly.  Over our THREE year search I had eventually met Amanda's Mom, Dad and Brother, as well as Kevin's Dad and his brother, and Kevin had gotten a couple promotions which helped to increase their search price.  We had written offers on four homes, two of them we got under contract, but all of which their family members and I didn't feel were quite right.  Though we all voiced our opinions (and sometimes mine was VERY CLEAR), Kevin and Amanda wanted what they wanted.  When we all eventually made the decision to call it quits on the third home we had a contract on--a short sale we had been waiting out for 9 months--the very next day, the perfect cedar-sided cottage, with radiator heat and a huge backyard, came on the market.  I mean, it was like the universe said "it's time" and plopped this right in front of our faces--even some of the furniture was so perfect for their style we could hardly believe it wasn't a dream. 

We had to fight for it, and beat multiple offers, and then keep ourselves on top when other offers with higher purchase prices came in after we were already under contract, but it was ours and we weren't letting it go!  When Kevin and Amanda finally closed on their sweet little home in Downers Grove a month later it was such a bittersweet day!  I was so happy we had finally found their perfect home, and their families felt it was the perfect home for them, too, but I was pretty bummed that I wouldn't be seeing their incredible little family three times a week anymore.  They told me they felt the same way!!  Amanda said it was going to be weird not texting with me everyday, and seeing me during lunch for random showings :)