A Little Bit of Kindness Goes a Long Way By Lesley Geary
Margo and Jarren Smith spent six months looking for their first home in Hilliard, Ohio, a leafy suburb northwest of Columbus. Just when they thought they might never find that perfect house in their price range it appeared.
“The minute I saw it, it was like falling in love,” says Margo Smith of their find. “The house has this amazing backyard and four bedrooms, which we really needed for our triplets, two boys and a girl, and it is just so nice.”
However, finding that perfect house did not end the fairy tale. The Smiths had been working without an agent and when they tried to make an offer on their dream house, they found the selling broker to be “totally unprofessional.”
“She tried to tell us that we couldn’t get our own agent to help us and made it so difficult for us,” Smith says. “There were so many times that we almost threw up our hands and walked away even though we loved the house.”
That’s when Smith’s aunt and uncle stepped in: their neighbor, Jeanne Cousino, is an agent with HER Real Living in Powell, Ohio. Right away, says Smith, Cousino took control of the situation.
“Jeanne was incredible,” Smith says. “She was very professional, very businesslike and firm with the other agent. She never got angry and didn’t bring up any of our frustrations. She just went about it in a very professional way, making sure that everyone was happy. So it ended up in both of our favors.
“I just can’t say enough good things about our Real Living agent,” Smith adds. “Since we were first-time buyers, we really didn’t know much and Jeanne helped us through everything. She just did a wonderful job. Just awesome.”
Once they got to closing, Smith says they hit a glitch with the mortgage, but Cousino worked hard to make sure the transaction was complete.
“Jeanne worked late that night, got everything fixed and we closed right on time the next morning,” Smith says.
What’s more, Smith says working with Cousino has been an excellent experience for her on a personal level as well.
“For me, I love being a stay-at-home mom with my kids,” Smith says. “But Jeanne is such a good mother and professional businesswoman; she showed me a great example of another way of living that could be open to me and other women.” |
