The Listing I Won at the Checkout Register

This is the story of a listing I won at the checkout register at the Town Market in Pine Level, North Carolina, on a Monday morning — while I was holding a gallon of milk and trying to beat my daughter and grandson arriving at our home.

The Recognition

I was doing what I do most weekdays: squeezing in a grocery run between meetings, team time, showings, and family events, when a lady I didn't recognize walked up to me and said the eight words every small-town REALTOR® lives for:

"Are you the blonde realtor on the billboard?"

Later That Same Day: Bread & Bottle

Later that exact same day, my husband Andy and I went to grab dinner. I walked in, said my hellos to all the locals, turned around — and there was Jenny. Same lady. Same day. Different location.

We both started laughing. This is what happens in a town of 3,000 people.

We talked for another hour at dinner. Her husband was there. We ended up connecting on a human level in a way you cannot manufacture through any amount of cold-outreach marketing.

The Call, That Night

Jenny called me later that night after dinner. I was at her house the next morning, pen in hand, at the kitchen table, walking through what would eventually become a listing presentation.

One grocery store encounter. One dinner. One morning. One kitchen table. One listing.

The Lesson

I did not "close" Jenny at the grocery store. I didn't pitch her. I didn't hand her a business card.

What I did was:

1. Be a real person in my town, consistently, for many years.
2. Make content (Marsha House & Company) on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube about the places and people I love — because I love them.
3. Be recognizable as the person who actually lives where she works.
4. Show up, in person, within hours when someone said, "We're thinking about selling."

That's not a marketing funnel. That's a life.

You should hire the realtor who has been in your town long enough that people recognize them at the grocery store. Looking to make your next move — your best move? Contact our team and let us go to work for you.