Cultivating Relationships Beyond Finance

Many years ago I was coming off the James River after a day of kayaking and received a call from a prospective buyer, Blair. I knew right away that I liked him-- he was charismatic, jovial, and had a laugh that you knew came with a twinkle in his eye! Our first call lasted a little over two hours and I am pretty sure that by the end of the conversation we were not even discussing mortgages! We moved forward with his transaction without so much as a hiccup. 

Believe it or not, we did not actually meet until his closing since everything is so streamlined these days. With the loan application process available online, sometimes you never meet your clients face to face at all. When we finally did meet, it was like two friends who hadn’t seen each other in awhile.

To this day, Blair is one of my buddies. He is a great sounding board and has become more than my past client; he is truly a friend. I love watching his family grow and checking in with him to see where his new jobs are taking him (he’s a consultant.) I cheer him on whether he is running a race or coaching one. The greatest thing about my job is cultivating relationships beyond finance.