She’d make up some more chamomile lotion to send to Aunt Moira, as well. As thoroughly modern as she was in some aspects of her life, Sophie never forgot to honor the hands she had learned from, in the best of witch tradition.
…
Lauren heard the muted buzz and knew the doorman had let the Greenleys up. She’d wanted to let them walk up as a couple this time to get a feel for what coming home together might feel like. The weather had cooperated, a crisp and sunny morning that did wonderful things for the lake view and big windows.
“Kate, Mitch, welcome back.” Lauren opened the door for her clients. “I hope you’re feeling better today, Kate. Did Mitch bring you breakfast in bed?”
“You think I let him in the kitchen?” Kate laughed, all smiles and bubbly energy. “I’m no culinary genius, but he’s dangerous. He buys a mean bagel, though. We’re set to go.”
“Let’s pick up where we left off, then, and head back to the master suite. There’s a bathtub with a view I think you’ll love, Kate.”
Lauren led them into the simple but surprisingly warm space. There were bamboo floors and restful green walls, and Shoji screen doors covered the closet & bathroom entrances. “It has a bit of a Zen feel, I think, but still fits with the modern look of the main space. Cozier, though.”
Kate sank to the floor in the middle of the room. Lauren wasn’t surprised. She had long since figured out this was how her client ‘tried on’ a space in her head. What she didn’t expect was Mitch to join his wife, back to back, cross-legged on the floor, computer on his lap. “Lauren, give us a minute, will you?”
“Sure. I’ll be at the dining room table if you need me.” A lesser realtor might tremble, but Lauren recognized the signs of a client shifting into decision mode. Excellent. They’d toured most of the available downtown condos in the Greenleys’ price range, and she very much wanted to get them matched up with a home. The big commission would be nice, but mostly she loved to succeed at the challenge of putting people and places together.
Sitting down at the table, she pulled out her Macbook and started to deal with email backlog. Being a good realtor was all about timing, and she knew how to wait when necessary, how to gently push when that was necessary.
It didn’t take long before Mitch and Kate walked over to join Lauren. She closed her computer. “Now that you’ve had a chance to talk, what do you think?”
Mitch tapped his fingers on the table and looked at his wife. “We’re almost there. We really like this place and the property you showed us on Tuesday. As you keep reminding me, nothing will hit everything on our wish list, but I think we have two really great choices. The real-estate market is pretty quiet right now, so we’d just like to take another day or two to make our decision.”
Lauren was surprised. Truthfully, she’d expected them to walk out of the master suite with a decision made. They’d had that ‘turning point’ feel about them, and her instincts weren’t often wrong. One of her best talents was knowing when a client was truly ready to buy.
She looked at each of them carefully. Was one of them putting on the brakes? That wasn’t the vibe she was getting, but always possible. “Do you really feel like you have two choices that could make you happy, or do we need to keep looking?”
“They both feel like solid possibilities,” said Kate, and then seemed to find her own words funny. “That sounds like something Mitch would say. It’s a big decision. Maybe it’s just something we need to try on for a couple of days. It’s the same feeling I get when I need to let a design percolate for a bit. Usually something good comes of it, so I’ve learned not to push when I have that ‘almost, but not quite’ feeling.”
Saying all the right realtor speak to calm client nerves, Lauren did a gut check. Like Kate, she trusted her instincts. This client was ready to buy. Once clients got to that point, they usually felt a click with the right place. ‘Solid possibilities’ wasn’t a click.
The Greenleys had been very clear about what they wanted, and she’d found them good options. They’d likely be happy with either property, but neither one