The Yellow Phone: One of My Favorite Real Estate Moments

Years ago, I was holding an open house in Scripps Ranch for another agent in my office. It wasn’t a fancy listing (quite the opposite, actually). The home was being sold through a trust, and nothing had been updated since it was built in the 1970s. The backyard slab was cracked, the kitchen outdated, and nearly every surface needed attention.

But then came a couple who didn’t flinch at the flaws—they lingered, walked slowly, and looked around with possibility in their eyes. This was the home they had been dreaming of. It was within walking distance to the school they hoped to enroll their son in, had a downstairs room for their in-laws, and the backyard was perfect for their two dogs. More than anything, it would be their first home together.

They asked me to represent them. After losing out on more than ten homes with other agents, they were tired, discouraged, and unsure if they'd ever find “the one.” But this house (flaws and all) was it. They made an offer, with one small request: the mustard-yellow rotary phone mounted on the kitchen wall had to stay.

That phone became an inside joke between us. “I don’t know, Jim,” I’d tease, “they may not fix the cracked foundation, but at least they’re throwing in the yellow phone.”

They eventually won the home, renovated it, and built their future there. Then one day, years later, I got a voicemail from an unfamiliar number. When I hit play, I heard my client’s voice. He was calling to thank me while standing in their beautifully remodeled kitchen… on that same yellow rotary phone.

That call reminded me why I do what I do. It’s not just about houses. It’s about helping people find a place where their lives unfold.

I’ll never forget that yellow phone.