Devin is a genuinely thoughtful and clever real estate agent, and you can see it in his eyes. He pays attention to the details, always listening closely to what you want in a new home, and you can actually see him listening. If a hiccup develops in the process because of market conditions or something unexpected from the inspection, you can see him seamlessly transition to begin troubleshooting. Devin’s problem-solver eyes came out a few times during our home purchase. It ended well and is still such a happy memory, largely because of Devin: with every plot twist, he jumped into the research (for us, about the vagaries of Hawaii’s electrical code), exhausted his vendor list for creative ideas and, on a couple of occasions, literally "threw his back into it" to get us into the home we wanted.
Before transitioning to real estate, Devin owned the spinning studio that my partner and I preferred over all the others on the Island. As an instructor, Devin was super conscientious of the other riders getting the most out of the experience and feeling successful and invigorated by the journey, and he was very attentive and expedient about addressing any issues or questions so their ride in the next class felt even better. On the drive home from Devin having taught his last spin class, I turned to my partner and said, “He is going to be a great real estate agent,” and he is for all of the care and attention that made him a great fitness instructor, but he is actually an even better real estate agent because it brings out more of his resourcefulness.
We closed on the house at a fair price, largely because of Devin’s experience framing the best offer to match different market realities. His duty to us had technically ended at closing. But Devin’s measure of duty runs deeper than the shallows of a job requirement; it springs from a strength of character that preternaturally compels him to pitch in. On Move-in Day, when my partner and I tried to disassemble the king-sized bed from our old place, we discovered the bolts were stripped (likely years before, during the free install), and not being “tool guys,” we had no idea what our next steps should be. Instead of Googling an answer, we reached for something better — Devin. We asked Devin to help us problem solve over the phone, but pretty quickly in the conversation, having probably sensed how clueless and helpless we were, he said, “I will be right over.” Devin sized up the disassembly and, in less than an hour, sweated out the removal of the stripped bolts. He helped us carry the disassembled parts of the bed down the three flights and load them into the moving truck before wishing us well with the rest of the move.
But our helplessness as new homeowners knew no bounds, so we were not quite done with Devin yet. After all, we still had a king-sized headboard that needed to reach the fifth and top floor of our building. There was still so much that could go wrong, and it did, in the stairwell atop the third railing. The headboard just would not clear it. We tried for over an hour, and instead of Googling an answer, we again reached out to Devin. But he did not pick up. Dripping with sweat, my partner and I both laughed (though really wanted to cry) and said, “Devin’s smart: I wouldn’t have answered that call either.” Defeated and with no recourse, we left the headboard stuck in the stairwell and ordered take-out. Luckily, around the same time, Devin called us back. My partner handed me the phone, not wanting to explain our pathetic story, but as I stumbled through it, Devin interjected, “How early in the morning do you want me to meet you guys?” As he had done the day earlier and just as quickly, Devin sized up the situation and figured out that the headboard would have to be hauled over the outside breezeways floor-by-floor. After Devin safely roped up the headboard, that is exactly what we did, and my partner and I have been sleeping comfortably ever since.
My sister, who is a real estate agent in Connecticut, has confirmed that what Devin did for my partner and me is way beyond what a typical real estate agent would ever do. But I did not need this confirmation: Devin’s conscientiousness is so deeply ingrained in his character that after spending just a little bit of time with him, you quickly see Devin is an extraordinary real estate agent exactly because he is an extraordinary person.
