SILENT BUT PRESENT…

Twelve minutes of silence and suddenly I’m on a milk carton.

I silenced my phone for twelve minutes and someone thought I died. That’s the kind of world we live in.

By the time I checked it, I had: Two missed calls
• One “Hey???”
• And a voicemail that started with, “Are you alive?”

Yes. I was alive. Just stuck in a crawlspace, swatting cobwebs and questioning my life choices. Mainly the one where I agreed to inspect a 1960s Water Heater (and for the record – it is not a HOT Water Heater) with a flashlight from Dollar Tree. I was one spider bite away from becoming a headline: “Local Realtor Dies Heroically Doing What He Hates.”

This is real estate.
One moment you’re calming a first-time buyer mid-breakdown, the next you’re doing a tactical military roll under a house to see if that weird smell is mold or just Summertime in Georgia.

📱 Respect the Ring… and the Silence

Look, I respond fast.
Usually faster than the Fed can hike the rate.
But I also believe in something radical: focusing on one thing at a time.

If I’m with you, at a showing, in a negotiation, or knee-deep in mystery insulation, you’ve got me 100%. Not half-texting, not distracted, not whispering “uh-huh” while mentally writing an email.

I silence the phone so I don’t mix you up with the client I’m working with who is buying a house with koi pond in the living room. (Yes, that happened. No, the fish weren’t included.)

Being Present Is a Full-Time Job

Let your phone go quiet for ten minutes and watch people spiral:

“He’s mad.”
“She’s flaky.”
“They’ve clearly joined a commune and renounced humanity.”

Nope. Just handling business like an adult.
Or more likely, trying not to fall through attic rafters while calling out, “It’s fine! Just checking for squirrel droppings!”

Silence isn’t a snub. It’s a strategy.

Real Estate: Therapy With a Lockbox

People think real estate is all about showing houses.
It’s not.

It’s about talking folks off emotional ledges while explaining earnest money for the 12th time and politely pretending not to hear “But Zillow said…” without blacking out.

You don’t hire me just to open doors.
You hire me to make sure the whole thing doesn’t come unhinged, with you hanging from it.

And for that, I occasionally need quiet concentration.
Even if it’s only long enough to eat a sandwich that’s been on the front seat of my car since 10am.

Final Thought

Yes, I’ll respond.
Quickly, thoughtfully, and probably with a little sarcasm.

But if I’m quiet for a minute, just know I’m out here:

- Solving a problem
- Talking someone off the Zillow cliff
- Or trying to wedge myself out from behind a broken water heater without swearing on speakerphone

I’m not ignoring you. I’m just 5 minutes and one Dollar Tree flashlight away from solving your problem.

Real estate is equal parts service, speed, and stress management (yours and mine).