I have to say that in all the years I have been in the real estate business I have marveled at the people I have met and continue to meet and what I learn from them.
I was not blessed to have a college education so I have looked at meeting and learning from clients as my post high school education. The nice thing about this is that I never stop being educated and it is awesome.
I received yet another great opportunity to be educated and meet an awesome client last Friday and he has touched my soul in a way that is hard to describe.
I sell a lot of land which is mostly farm and development land. This man calls me last Thursday and asks me about a farm I have listed. I give him the price, we chat, and he decides to come into my office the following day to write an offer.
The moment he walked into my office and sat down I felt a connection as good as any other I have ever had with a client. Having been raised on a farm we talked about crops, crop prices and much more. I asked him about his family, occupation, recreation and dreams also known as F.O.R.D. This really opened him up to me and it was one of the best meetings I have ever had.
This buyer wrote a cash offer on the farm that morning and it was accepted within hours by my seller (I was a limited dual agent). Before my buyer left my office he asked if I had any other land for sale and I said I had one I was working on and would call him later. I phoned him later in the day about the 2nd farm and he agreed to meet me the following day to write an offer on the 2nd farm which has also been accepted.
I visited this mans Dairy the following day and I felt I was looking at the most amazing farm operation I have ever seen, and I have seen some amazing farm operations in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and California. This operation was hands down the most sophisticated and well run operations I have ever seen. Everything was computerized and so well organized.
I again asked him about his family and this time he told me that he had two boys that wanted to work at his dairy but that they would have to work for another Dairy for 2 years before they could work for him. This intrigued me and I asked him why he did this.
I could tell it fascinated him that I asked that question. He leaned forward in his chair and told me this story:
I said he went to a seminar years ago where the instructor told the class that if your children are going to work with you on your dairy, farm, or any business they must first work for someone else for 2 years.
1. He said the 1st benefit is that they learn what it is truly like to be an employee knowing that you could be fired at any time. They also need to learn what it is like to respect another's equipment and operation. They could easily neglect these lessons in life if they worked for you right out of school and never knew what it was like to be an employee.
2. The second benefit is that your children will have a whole new respect for employees that they would never have if they had not worked for someone else as one. The instructor emphasized they would treat employees with a much better attitude and respect. He said his goal was to help his sons become first and foremost good human beings and secondly, good businessmen.
I could have listened to this man for hours! So you see, my success cannot be measured simply by the number of closed transactions and the size of my bank account. The education and wisdom I have received from these kind of clients cannot be measured in dollars and cents. It is simply PRICELESS!

Chris - Thank you very much...This man has impacted me like I never expected. I wish everyone else were so blessed.
Awesome George! I am trying to throw my kids a bone to make extra cash as my "assistants" but this is a GREAT philosophy that I should consider.
Have a great day!
George,
I gave you a 5 on this post. The lesson here is simply the greatest I have ever heard ! We can all use your experience and gain from it ! I just have to ad that this man is a teachable man and is open to so many new and exciting ideas thus has made him the man he is today and the business he has. He is passing this on to his children and his children will learn to be just as teachable ! If he remained closed minded and ran his business the way he thought not receiving such great insight he could have missed the boat. For me the lesson : stop talking so much and listen !
George, thanks for sharing this story. As parents, we sometimes want things to be easier for our kids than it was for us and give them opportunities or things that we didn't have growing up. It's only natural. However, learning to work hard for what they have in life is a very important lesson. Smart man.
Bryant - Yes, he is very successful and quite the man
Stephen - thanks and it is amazing and I feel blessed he came into my life
Paula - Thank you so much my friend
Maureen - He is a fascinating man and I feel blessed
Melissa - Thanks for the 5 and for always being so supportive of me!
Kelly - Yes, working hard and learning the lessons of life is so very important
Vincent - Thank you very much...he is awesome
Bill - The money is secondary in my opinion. The education is amazing!
Bridget - Thank you for your kind comment. I have been bless and touched in more ways than I can explain.
Kathleen - Thank you very much. I feel blessed beyond words
Faina - I cannot ask for more
Vicki - Very true...I am blessed and amazed
Missy - Thank you so very much. I feel I have been touched by the hand of God
George,
We get to meet so many different personalities in real estate and it is nice to learn from them. Thank you for passing on some great advice from a special client.
Rita - Very true and I was blessed
Michelle - You are welcome
AWESOME post, George.......
and so true about the children working for someone else for 2 years......
I am impressed!!
We are NEVER too old to keep learning....
=-)
George, I learn something new from you every blog. Thank you for sharing what you learned with us--you're an asset here on AR. Don't ever change.