When I started as an OSC (Online Sales Concierge) a little over a year ago, I expected that I would impact people’s lives by helping them find their dream home. What I didn’t expect was the way they ended up affecting mine.
A little back story…I have only been a U.S citizen for a few short years. I didn’t have a traditional upbringing in the best kind of way. I was originally born and raised in Olsztyn, Poland, and my family decided to relocate to Canada when I was around 9 years old. I spoke no English and felt a bit forlorn for a bit but was quickly welcomed and made comfortable by our wonderful community and other immigrants that resided in our neighborhood. At 13, my family once again relocated, this time to Yuma, AZ. Again, I felt out of sorts. Again, it didn’t last long. Yuma has this robust and wonderful Hispanic community, and it did not take long before my friend’s mom practically adopted me. They taught me to read and write Spanish, taught me about their culture, we bonded over learning recipes in the kitchen. I had such different backgrounds, but I found so many similarities in our cultures, and it was the warmest feeling. It felt like home.
Fast-forward to starting my work as an OSC with Shared Drive. I had no idea how diverse a prospect list I would encounter in my leads. I have had Canadian snowbirds looking for a winter home and be able to share jokes about the harsh Canadian winters and the lack of good Poutine and Tim Horton’s doughnuts. I’ve also had a surprising number of Polish buyers. Eastern Europeans can sometimes communicate a bit differently. Still, for me, this direct style is quite familiar, and I could make them comfortable and provide information in a way that was familiar for them. My last name is usually a great conversation starter with this group. I’ve also had the pleasure of being able to translate in both Polish and Spanish for some of my customers, establishing a relationship of trust and, most importantly, comfort.
I’ve been able to bond in such a special way with my multicultural buyers. We remain in touch. We talk about how their builds are progressing, how their families are doing, who’s child just graduated college. These are people I have never met in person, but they have made such an imprint on me and made me love what I do. We may all be different, but we share such similar experiences. I am so grateful that I can now give back that warm and fuzzy feeling of comfort to someone who perhaps feels a bit lost in this crazy world of real estate and is looking for just a little touch of home.
