Everybody has funny work stories. Combine your real estate career and your family and there’s
bound to be a laugh or two. Check out these hilarious stories sent in by working realtor moms
across the country:
- Today photos were being taken at my new listing. My stagers are fantastic and arrange their photographer to show up when they’re finished for a smooth flow to the process. I came to check out the furniture and see the listing all finished. I set my new baby down on the rug to go grab my water. When I came back my stager told me she was pretty sure she needed a diaper change (my stager is also a new mom). I picked my little one up and there was poop allllllllll over the light-colored rug, and up my kid’s back. The whole house had been photographed except the living room - my luck. The photographer said, “good thing I can Photoshop!”. Oops!
-Katie M, Denver, CO
- I have been thinking and I still haven’t come up with anything because my kids are angels... Okay, no, they aren’t! A month ago, my daughter climbed in the driver’s seat while I was picking up an earnest money check from someone and cranked the car and locked me out. She was dying laughing while I was tugging on the door handle!
-Teah H, Rossville, GA
- My kids were 12 & 13 when I started in real estate so.... what I heard most was “’Is this the last house? Can we go home now? Lol!"
-Melissa F, Wildwood, GA
- Lol...How about my toddler throwing up on the babysitter (who happens to be a colleague’s daughter) while I’m working?! Goodness knows there’s plenty of material to work with!
-Adrienne G, Chattanooga, TN
- I’ve had moments of chaos in houses with my kids and the buyer’s kids together that we had to reel them in a few times. Just last week, 5 kiddos were playing hide and seek in a vacant home. Almost closed the house on my own kid.
-Brittany C, Wildwood, GA
- I recently had the opportunity to work alongside Lisa Paller on a transaction! It was a great experience and look forward to working with Lisa again in the near future! During one of our many phone conversations, she mentioned that she was working from home and her kids were with her and that if I heard them crying in the background she wanted to apologize in advance. This obviously wasn’t a bother to me, as I had been a young mother at one time selling real estate with my boys at home.
The following day, we were on another call when Lisa made the same statement, apologizing if I heard her kids in the background. I shared with her that she didn’t need to apologize, and if she needed to call me back at a more convenient time, that would be fine. She continued the call, but I felt lead to share with her a harrowing experience I had as a young mom on a call with another real estate agent.
The story I shared with Lisa was of the time my boys were 10 & 2 years old. I was 2 years into my real estate career, and happened to be in the middle of a lengthy negotiation with an agent {who thankfully I’ve never worked with since} who was telling me of how much experience she had in the real estate industry; and how she had stopped closings on behalf of her client’s best interests, and planned to do the same with our transaction should it have to come to it. I was confused. Did I miss something? Yes, we were in the midst of a negotiation, but…was there something that would result in this transaction not closing due to an inaction or vice versa on our end??? Honestly, I had no idea what this woman was referring to. So we continued the conversation for another 30 mins of random non-relevant accounts of her past real estate dealings. When all of the sudden, my boys broke out in WWIII; I had to put her on a brief hold because my 2-year-old decided that scaling the staircase on the wrong side was a great idea! My older son, knowing I was on a “work call” tried to take over the situation only to make a bad situation worse. My 2-year-old started screaming “What the Hell! What the Hell! What the Hell” at my older son, who then tried to cover his mouth. This escalated the situation further by my younger son biting my oldest son! It was on! They were yelling, screaming, fighting, slapping, you name it they were doing it! What was happening?!? I’m on a CALL!
Let me pause right here and say, my boys NEVER fought! My older son was always helpful and patient with my younger son, and my younger son loved his older brother, and was always wanting to play with him. But of course, only when I was on a work call would the wheels come off! If I had to be on a work call, that’s when someone would need my attention. Never. Failed.
After returning back to the phone call, the agent told me that if this transaction wasn’t important enough for my full attention, she would advise her client to find another property. I’m sorry, what? Did I miss something??? Again, I was frustrated that this agent had literally taken almost an hour of my time rattling about a bunch of nonsense, and the idea that I had to take a moment to be a mother was insulting to her and her client. I was so angry! How dare her! My work was never neglected, but my kids were by her incessant talking!! This lady was bothered that I had to put her on hold for less than a minute to be a mother, but she felt it was totally appropriate to make empty threats towards me and my client while babbling about her glory days as an “all-star realtor” (Her words. Not mine). Thankfully, the transaction closed a few weeks later without any hiccups!
What bothered me more than the other agent saying what she said to me that particular day, was that I didn’t stand up for my position of a mother. I apologized to her. Repetitively. I was mortified that my kids would act like that in the first place, but specifically while I was on the phone for someone else to overhear it! But they were kids! Kids are unpredictable. I vowed that day that I would not apologize for being a mother and putting my boys first. I would be both a realtor and a mother {not in that order}.
The reason I became an agent was to place a better focus on my time with my children. To allow for the flexible schedule, with better compensation for the time I put into working for my family.
There is no role more important that being a mother. It’s a thankless job, that has no start or stop time. We work around the clock caring, nurturing our family, it’s an instinct that is created within us.
Let’s be honest, since that particular experience there have been hundreds of times where I have been on the phone and my boys need my attention. I have trained my boys to be respectful of my time if I am on a work call or any call for that matter; however, if I deem necessary that I should interrupt a call, or even cut a call short due to my kids needing me, it is what it is. I won’t apologize for being a mother.
Today my boys are 19 and 10, and I look back at that memory and miss them being rambunctious little kiddos. I often wonder, did I spend too much time when my kids were younger trying to build my real estate career? Should I have spent more time and focus on them instead? These are the concerns every mother with a job, career, or outside focus wonders once their children get older. There will always be another day, another client, property or opportunity to be the fiercest realtor in the business; but being a mama cannot wait!
So, to all you amazing mamas out there struggling to take client calls, send emails, and make snacks while listening to Coco Mellon for the 10,000th time this week! I see you! You rock! Keep going!
-Autumn B, Ooltewah, TN
- The Sign vs. The Stomach Virus
My daughter has pooped her pants at three of my listings (so far) this year. My favorite time was in the Spring. We had all just been up half the night with a family stomach virus. The kids seemed to be doing better and I really needed to get a sign and Supra up before listing a property that afternoon, so I strapped them in their car seats and drove off. About a mile from the house, my older daughter starts screaming. This is pretty standard but then it turned into hysterical sobbing. I quickly pulled into the driveway of the house to realize she had pooped her pants the last leg of the journey. I’m changing her in the trunk of my car when my younger daughter starts projectile vomiting in her car seat. By the time I cleaned up the kids, neighbors were staring, and everyone was crying (myself included). I slammed that sign in the ground, snapped that Supra on the front door and booked it. Moral of the story: Maybe wait a day or so before taking puking kids to work with you. As to which house it was, a mom will never tell!
-Lisa P, Chattanooga, TN