Rural Area Agents: Cover All the Bases for Residential and Commercial Clients

Hometown real estate agents are quintessential multitaskers, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of their rural communities. Here at Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®), we recently heard an entertaining tale of a REALTOR®, working in a one-traffic-light town, who exemplifies that "do what it takes" spirit.

The story goes that the REALTOR® stood in the street outside a seller's home to flag down a pickup truck. Frantic to conclude the final walk through with her buyers, the agent sifted through her purse, coming up with $48 as payment to convince the driver to remove a 200-pound, 1950s wet bar from the basement of the seller's home. The unit had become a serious point of contention between buyer and seller, and the buyer refused to sign off on the walk through until the behemoth bar was removed. The driver agreed, but not until the agent and buyer helped lift the bar onto the truck, which they did, and then, happy and sweat-laden, went to closing.

Not everyone is so inclined to close a deal, but the story got us thinking about adaptability as a contributing factor in an agent's rise to success, and how that adaptableness lends itself to a rising phenomenon in real estate, one that is steadily inviting traditionally residential agents to assume a variety of roles in their own right. Insiders refer to this larger than expected group as "resimercials," although Emily Line, director of commercial services for RPR, refers to them as "hometown heroes."

"These are the folks that juggle multiple obligations in terms of servicing the diverse needs of their communities," said Line. "They are from rural areas—professionals plugged into their communities who have a vested interest in attracting small business, in addition to meeting the needs of homebuyers."