Agent Lady team member Brittany Loeffler writes about the reality of buying a home in Philadelphia through a series of short stories.
Relocating
It was something James and his wife only had a couple of days to talk about. It had been a crisp autumn day when James’s boss, Mr. Richards, called him into his office. James sat down across from Mr. Richards, admiring the various awards he displayed on his walls. James had been at the company for four years now. He thought he had proved himself to be a hard worker and earned a positive reputation. “James, I’ve taken notice of your leadership and accomplishments here over the past few years. I must say, I’m impressed.”
“Thank you, Mr. Richards.” James had a good feeling about the direction of this conversation.
“Which is why I want to run something by you. We are opening a new office out in Philadelphia. I wanted to give you an opportunity to be the supervisor of your department. Of course, it would come with a pay raise.”
“Oh my, well, thank you sir. This is such a pleasant surprise. I’m honored.” James felt himself falling over his words with excitement.
“You’re very welcome. You obviously deserve it. Now, this does mean that you and your family will be relocating. Are you okay with this?” Before James could answer his boss went on, “The company will obviously help you with the move and use all of our resources to make this a smooth and pleasant transition.”
“Wow, well it’s definitely something I need to talk to my wife about.”
“Understandable. Please let me know your decision by the end of the week. Feel free to knock on my door at any time with questions.” The two men stood up, shook hands, and James walked back to his office.
Friday approached quickly and they still had not made a definite decision. With three children in school, it would be difficult to uproot them. “They’re young enough for it not to affect them too much,” James argued. “Think of what we can do with this raise, Sweetie. Think of the house we can buy.” After more conversing, James was able to walk into his boss’s office and accept the position.
“That’s absolutely fabulous, James. You’re going to be great in this role. Now, as for the relocating process,” Mr. Richards dug in his drawer for a business card. “Give this real estate agent a call. She has helped some of our other employees relocate to Philadelphia. She’s one of the best from what I hear. Do you own your home or are you renting right now?”
“We are renting a house from my mother-in-law.”
“Great, then you won’t have to worry about putting your house on the market. This will make it much easier.” James took the card and promised to call the agent later that day. “Good luck.”
Later that night, James gave the Philadelphia agent, who referred to herself as the Agent Lady, a call. She was sweet and enthusiastic on the phone and assured him that she was experienced in helping families relocate to Philadelphia. Growing up just outside of the city, she was familiar with the area and could help them find the best place to fit their needs. They set a date to meet the next weekend and take a look at some houses.
It was a four hour drive from Connecticut to Philadelphia with traffic on the Jersey Turnpike. The kids were getting anxious from sitting in the car for so long, but once they arrived in Philly, they were excited to be in the city. Cars and taxis congested Broad Street. James and his family walked by a street performer playing the saxophone just outside the Academy of Music. They made their way to Agent Lady’s office and sat down for their buyer consultation.
It was a successful meeting to getting to know each other and James was confident that they had been recommended the best real estate agent possible for their situation. She then took them out into a neighborhood referred to as Bala Cynwyd, a name he was going to have to memorize the spelling of, to show them some beautiful stone homes. James and his wife fell in love with the second one they walked through. It had a gorgeous layout and modern kitchen, but still had some character from its early days.
That evening they went back to Agent Lady’s office and put in an offer on the house. “Congratulations, you just put in your first offer. You’re one step closer to becoming a home owner. Oh, and welcome to Philadelphia.” Agent Lady shook their hands and they made their way to their hotel.
About Brittany: Brittany is the super organized (and awesome) marketing assistant that helps home buying and selling clients have the best experience possible. She also shares her creative side by writing compelling short stories about the home buying process that are loosely based on actual client situations.
