Answer Anyway
I had a deal fall apart this week.
Everything was lined up. We were clear to close. Then—24 hours before closing—the buyers got a survey back on their rural property. Neither their agent nor I knew they had ordered one. We didn’t require it for the loan, but the buyers felt like they wanted to get one anyway.
But once it showed up, it changed everything.
Because there was a problem.
The surveyor said he needed to go back out and confirm a few things. So we pushed closing to later that day, hoping it would all be resolved.
It wasn’t.
Turns out the house was 14 feet over the property line. Not a fence. Not a shed. The bedroom and a bathroom were over the line! You can’t just move that.
So now the title company, attorneys, Real Estate agents and property owners are working through an easement agreement. If all goes well we’ll close in about 10 days.
So what does this have to do with being a Real Christian Businessman?
Everything.
When this all surfaced, everyone started calling me. The buyers. Both buyer’s agents (a husband-and-wife team). The seller’s agent. The title company. Even people internally asking, “Why aren’t we closing this loan?”
Everyone wanted direction. Everyone wanted answers. Everyone thought I should somehow fix it.
Now, once we go under contract, the loan officer does act like the quarterback, helping move everything toward the finish line. But in this case, the survey wasn’t required by us. Once it existed, it became a title issue that had to be resolved before we could move forward, not a loan issue.
Still… the calls kept coming.
I could have ignored them. I could have said, “Why are you calling me? I can’t fix this.”
But I didn’t.
I answered the calls. I returned the texts. I listened. Then I listened some more.
I didn’t have solutions. But I showed I cared. Because at the end of the day, this situation could derail a family getting into their home.
In reality I didn’t want to respond that way. I wanted to step back and let everyone else figure it out and call me when it was done!
But that wouldn’t be compassion.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” — Col 3:12 (ESV)
As a Real Christian Businessman, we’re called to something different.
Sometimes leadership isn’t fixing the problem.
Sometimes it’s simply being present when people are frustrated, stressed, and looking for help.
This week, if you find yourself in a situation you’re only indirectly involved in, don’t ignore it. Take the call. Listen. Show that you care.
Because sometimes people don’t need an answer.
They just need someone who will answer anyway.