I didn’t really know Shirley Clarke that well, I actually only met her at Realtor Open Houses or to stand and applaud her accomplishments at the awards banquet held each year by the MLS Board.
Being relatively new to the B.C. market six years ago, I was eager to see if what separated the good from the average was the same in B.C. as it had been in Alberta.
Shirley was on the phone in the first house that I went in to, talking away to clients about school catchments, underground streams and culverts, set back requirements etc, while at the same time acknowledging every single person that entered the house with a wave. Yep, the same things separate the good everywhere. She was quick, well able to string a few syllables together, sincere, well informed and the ability to impart every morsel of information with a true enthusiasm. Clearly Shirley loved her job.
Honestly, my thoughts after my first meeting with Shirley, were that I had better be on the top of my game if I was fortunate enough to be called to the same table for a listing.
Yesterday I had another thought; I wonder if Shirley's name is on a sign outside the Pearly Gates yet, you know it's only a matter of time.
What a loss to our profession.