Every closing is special. Each one represents a new chapter for a buyer, a bittersweet goodbye for a seller, and the happy conclusion to a journey we Realtors have walked together. But every now and then, a closing comes along that I’ll never, ever forget.

Several years ago, I was representing a delightful seller with the most charming little home. She had sprinkled her own sweet touches throughout the place, so it didn’t take long before a Realtor brought us a buyer. I did not meet the buyer until the closing.  She was a cash buyer and cash closings usually move along swiftly, but this one had a unique twist I’ll never forget.

We were all gathered at the closing table—my intelligent, capable, middle-aged seller beside me, the older, sweet little buyer with her agent across the table, and the attorney at the head of the table guiding us smoothly through the process. Pens scratched across paper, documents slid from one end to the other amidst smiles and niceties. Everything was moving along beautifully when suddenly, the buyer set her pen down, leaned forward in eager anticipation, and asked in the calmest, most thoughtful voice:

The room went silent. Time stood still.  We agents exchanged wide-eyed "deer in headlights" stares, while the attorney looked as if he’d just been turned into a marble statue.

Without missing a beat, my seller smiled and said cheerfully, “Oh yes, there certainly is!”

You could have knocked me over with a feather, but the buyer’s face absolutely lit up.

“Is it a man?” she asked eagerly.

“Yes!” replied my seller.

“Is he friendly?”

“Oh, absolutely wonderful,” the seller exclaimed!

At that point, the attorney finally remembered how to breathe, cleared his throat, and calmly asked, “So… everything’s fine? Everybody all good??  Shall we continue?”

The buyer gave a contented little sigh and said, “Oh yes! It will be so nice to have a man around the house again!”

And just like that, everything was back to normal....uh, I guess as opposed to paranormal.  Papers were signed, hands were shaken, and the closing was complete—proving once again that in real estate, you never know what boo-tiful surprise might be waiting around the corner.