My mouth was getting dry, and I could feel the hesitation creeping up my throat. Just when I thought my call would go to voice mail, he answered. “Good afternoon, this is Jim”.
“Hey Jim, this is Michael calling, how are you doing?”
“Doing great, how can I help you?”
“I just called to let you know that Shannon and I have decided to buy the new construction. So we won’t be needing your services for this purchase.”
There was a brief pause as he reacted to the news. Mortgage brokers work on commission. Losing our relatively small transaction probably won’t make very much difference in the long run, but every fisherman regrets the ones that get away. Jim, a VP at Swain Mortgage Company in Westerville, had been great to us, spending several hours educating us on the mortgage market, and setting our expectations for the purchase ahead. In the end we simply couldn’t walk away from the cash incentives the builder was offering for using their mortgage partner. Still, I felt as if I were betraying a family member.
“Okay. Well, I did know you were leaning that way,” he answered, “thanks for calling and letting me know.”
“It’s no problem. I just wanted to tell you that we really enjoyed meeting with you, and would definitely recommend your company to our friends and family. And we will certainly consider using you for our next purchase.”
Another awkward pause, this time by me. “Uhm,” I stammered, “do we owe you for the credit reports or anything else?”
“No, the cost is small enough that I will just go ahead and pay it. But that was very nice of you to ask.”
There really wasn’t anything left to say. “Okay, thanks again, Jim.”
“Thank you for calling to let me know, and good luck with the new house.”
—Michael