Ben reached out about a client going through a hard closing
A realtor named Ben reached out a while back. He had a client whose closing hadn't been easy. Not every closing is. There were delays, some stress, a few moments that probably felt bigger than they should have. By the time the deal closed, Ben wanted to give her something that wasn't just a nice gesture. He wanted something that would still mean something a year from now.
So he asked me to paint her house.
I worked from photos of the property, the arched door, the two-tone stucco, the palm just off to the side. I mixed my greens a little warmer than usual, thinking about how much this house probably felt like relief by the time she got the keys. There's something I like about painting a house I'll never walk into. I don't know her kitchen or which room gets the morning light. I just get the outside, the part she'll pull into every day, and I try to paint it like it already knows her.
When it was framed and ready to go, Ben sent it along with a note of his own. That's the part I don't get to see, the moment it actually lands in someone's hands. I just have to trust that it does.
This isn't the first time a realtor has come to me for a closing gift, and it won't be the last. I keep a standing offer for exactly this. If you're a realtor in San Diego looking for something more personal than a gift basket for a buyer, seller, or client leaving a home they loved, I'd be glad to talk through it.
If that's you, or someone you know, here's where to start.