The Key to Their Dreams

“And the winner of this year’s ‘Top Performing Real Estate Agent’ should come as no surprise. For the third year in a row, please congratulate Melissa Browning!” The emcee of the annual awards banquet announces as Mel walks to the stage accompanied by applause and murmurs.

“How does she do it?” “Who did she sleep with?” “Why can’t I get her clients?” Are just a few of the comments whispered among the attendees. Mel knows they’re jealous, but she doesn’t care. She knows she helps people find the home of their dreams and that’s precisely why she got into this business.

From the age of eight, Mel wanted to work in real estate. Her mother was an interior designer and her father was an architect. She loved listening in on her parents’ meetings with clients. They would spend hours together discussing how many bedrooms they needed, why they wanted granite countertops and why all the rooms needed to have nine foot ceilings. Even at that age she recognized that some of the design options were frivolous and people had a hard time distinguishing between wants and needs. But she also recognized that her parents helped these people make their dream home a reality. They may not be able to afford the hardwood flooring in the bedroom and have to compromise on carpeting. Or they may have to live with a redwood deck instead of a flagstone patio. But, her parents did their best within the budget.  

She even got to tag along to the unveiling of the new house on occasion. The buyers would always be overjoyed with the final product, sometimes even breaking down into tears. Her parents would look at each other with a sense of relief and accomplishment. Mel knew she wanted to experience that, too.  

Once, when she was about 12, their next-door neighbor moved into assisted living and put her house on the market. Potential buyers would sometimes show up before their agent got there, so Mel would wander over and just casually start talking about the house. “Oh yes, that IS a new fence. Mrs. Hardwell just had that installed last spring,” or “You have a little girl? She’ll love the bedroom at the back of the house! It overlooks the rose garden and has window seat. Mrs. Hardwell used to let me hang out in there on rainy days.”  

She may have just won the state’s highest honor of her profession, but Saturday morning, Mel was right back to work. With her reputation of selling the most difficult houses in record time, she had more leads than she could handle. The advantage of having too many leads was that she could be selective about who she signed. Most agents jumped at the chance to list a million-dollar property. As far as Mel was concerned, they could have them. She loved the challenging properties…the ones that had harvest gold appliances or shag carpeting, a leaky roof or cracked windows. As long as the “bones” were good, there wasn’t a house she couldn’t sell.

This morning she was showing a 1960’s ranch to a young couple with two kids and a third one on the way. She had just met them yesterday afternoon for the first time. He was an up and coming estate attorney and Amanda wanted to stop teaching seventh grade to home school their children. They had some very specific needs and Mel was sure this house would meet them all.  

Mel always got to the showing a few minutes before the client so she could turn on lights and open window coverings. The instant she slid the key in the lock, the magic began. She welcomed her clients at the front door to “their new home.” The couple held hands with their little ones and as they stepped through the door. They told family members later that it was like they walked into a fairy tale.  

The table in the foyer had a vase of fresh-cut peonies, Amanda’s favorite flower. The kitchen was open to the living room, allowing her to prepare meals while keeping an eye on the kids.  The master suite had been expanded to include a small office separate from the rest of the house that afforded plenty of privacy for business phone calls. The three additional bedrooms were located off a bonus room perfect for a classroom and activity space. They couldn’t have designed a house that better fit their needs. They wrote the offer then and there.

That afternoon Mel met another potential buyer. Jason had recently accepted the Executive Chef position at a very successful restaurant in town. He was staying in a tiny room that an old lady rented out of her Victorian house on main street. While he loved being within walking distance of his restaurant, he did not enjoy having to prepare his meals in a microwave. He also preferred not having to share his bathroom with a kitty litter box. “And the whole house is musty and drafty! You gotta help me get out of there,” he pleaded. She immediately had a place in mind and they set a time to meet the next day.

Saturday evening Mel drove to a little cottage on the north side of town. She knew it better than most houses she listed. She walked past it everyday on her way to and from elementary school. The 87-year-old owner recently passed away and the children wanted to put it on the market. Mel had prepared herself for a home that would probably need a little TLC, but even she was a little shocked by the condition. What had once been a quaint front porch was now rotting away. The front door was ajar so she let herself in and called out to let them know she’d arrived. The only thing she was greeted by were spider webs and a musty smell. As she wandered through the small rooms, she found peeling wallpaper, worn carpeting, and a kitchen that hadn’t been updated since the 50s.  

Mel stepped out on the screened in back porch and nearly tripped on the broken step. There she found one of the kids with his head in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He was startled when Mel called his name. “Oh, hey Mel. I didn’t hear you come in.” His hair was disheveled and he looked concerned. “I swear, I had no idea it had gotten this bad.”

Mel put a hand on his shoulder and reassured him. “It could definitely use a little love, but the structure is sound. It’s a great neighborhood. I’m sure I can sell it in no time.”

He looked up a little shocked, “Ha! Not exactly the response I was expecting. You really think we can sell it?”

She smiled gently, used to the reaction, “I have no doubt.”

Sunday evening came and she was waiting outside the brownstone for Jason. She slipped the key into the door and Jason later told people, it was like he walked into another world. The first thing he saw was the gourmet kitchen with a 6-burner Viking range and sleek cabinets. They moved to the living room where he found cathedral ceilings and a fireplace, then the huge tiled en-suite bathroom upstairs, no kitty litter smell, and a two-minute walk from his restaurant. He made an offer on the spot.

Monday morning, Mel was back in the office for an appointment with another new buyer. First-timers were still her favorite.

“So the biggest priority is that it’s in a good school district. We want to start a family soon. The house doesn’t have to be huge or fancy. We like simpler things, but we don’t have a handy bone between us,” Lisa said laughing. “It will have to be pretty much move in ready.”

“Basic starter house…got it. But if you could get your dream house, what would that look like?” Mel liked to get her clients to play this little game. It helped her figure out what was really important to them. They often didn’t know themselves until they say it out loud.  

“Well, I guess it would be nice not to have to deal with carpeting since we both have allergies. And we do love to cook, so a big kitchen would be great. I’ve always wanted to little garden in the back yard,” Lisa looked at her husband dreamily while he nodded in agreement.

“I think I have the house for you. Do you have time to look at it now?” Mel asked. 

They hadn’t even considered looking for a house on the north side because it was known to be a pricey area. But Mel talked them into checking out this cottage she thought would be perfect for them. She told them to drive by the school and playground around the corner from the house while she opened it up. She inserted the key and everything flashed bright white for a split second. In the next instant the porch that had been falling down just yesterday was freshly painted and the window boxes were filled with bright flowers.  

Lisa and her husband parked at the curb and were already all smiles. When Mel welcomed them inside, they found a small but bright foyer painted a sunny yellow. She heard Lisa whisper to her husband, “This is the exact color I would have chosen.”

The tiny living room that had been covered in peeling wallpaper was now painted in a warm neutral color and was opened to the kitchen. The 1950s cabinets and appliances were now completely updated. The three bedrooms were on the small side, but had the same freshly refinished hardwood flooring that ran through the rest of the house. Not a sign of the smelly old carpeting that was there just yesterday. They stepped out the back door onto the deck that he thought “would be perfect for a grill.” Two steps down and they could see the vegetable garden.

“OK, but it’s way out of our price range, right?” Lisa asked excitedly.

“I wouldn’t show you something you couldn’t afford. It’s listed right in the middle of your range,” Mel showed them the listing she had printed.

“I don’t understand how you did this. It’s got everything we needed plus everything we wanted! It’s in one of the best school districts. It’s move-in ready. How did you find this place?!?” Lisa was beside herself.

Mel explained that she used to live in the neighborhood, so the owners’ kids listed it with her when she passed away. It had only been on the market for a day, so not many other people had seen it yet. But she was sure it wouldn’t last long. 

“She must have really loved this place. It’s so bright and cheerful and smells like Spring. I don’t think we need to look at a single other house. This is like a dream come true,” Lisa said while tearing up.

Mel was relieved it was a rhetorical question. Even she didn’t understand how it worked. She had always know that it wasn’t about finding the right house for the buyer. It was finding the right owner for the house. And when she did that, the houses that needed a little love were transformed into exactly what those buyers needed and wanted. All it took was the turn of a key.