Top SF Realtor POV: If I Had My Way

by Cynthia Cummins

Cynthia is owner and founder of Kindred SF Homes and a top San Francisco Realtor. Check out RealEstateTherapy.org for refreshing reflections on the meaning of home and for more best real estate advice (since 2013).

Reading time: 2 minutes

It doesn’t begin with an inventory of which windows need replacing and whether or not to paint the exterior. It doesn’t begin with a spreadsheet of must-haves, nice-to-haves and bonus features. There is time (later) for all of that.

Instead, every home search or sale begins with a guided visualization and is followed by a long conversation. That is, if I had my way.

I’d meet my clients in a quiet place free of distractions and noise. We’d silence our phones. We’d sit without speaking and close our eyes. 

We’d start by breathing. “You don’t need to change anything about the way you’re breathing,” I’d say, “yet please notice the breath coming in and going out of your body.”

We’d stay that way for a few minutes. Breathing and noticing.

“Now, softly scan your body, starting at your feet, for any place that feels constricted or pulsing or activated, and breathe into that place. Let the air fill that area. Give it your breathing attention. Slowly inhale. Slowly exhale. Take your time, but let it be easy. Just notice it.”

I would cruise around my own interior, checking my jaw, my sternum, my hands, my forehead, my neck. I’d follow my own instructions and breathe into those tense spots. I’d silently count to 60, resisting the urge to rush to a conclusion.

“Where, in your body, do you register the sensation of being at home in yourself? Don’t think about it, but rather feelwhere home lives inside you. Don’t exert to answer. Let your body-mind drift and settle wherever the current lands you. Softly. Place your focus there and breathe into where you feel a sense of home.”

We’d continue in this way for a bit longer, and then we’d talk. First we’d share thoughts or discoveries that arose during the visualization. More prosaic talk would follow. 

With sellers, I’d review timelines, tax matters, needed repairs, comparable sales and competing listings. With buyers I’d discuss the search process, financing, market conditions, escrow and their wish list.  We’d all talk about costs, fears and worries.

I would listen carefully, then retreat to reflect on the meeting. Within a day, I’d return with a writing about their scenario, further questions and a proposed plan of action. They’d decide if I was the best agent for them, and we’d be off and running.

Yes, it sounds rather woo woo. But wouldn’t that be an ideal beginning? We’d take a holistic and grounded approach to a huge, life-changing, earth-moving journey. We’d use that clear vision and intentional plan to find the best pathway to home.

Now. Who wants to give it a whirl?

Photo Credit: Levi Bare