Marvin & Rico （1）: What Clients Really Want from an Agent
It was a Tuesday afternoon at the coffee shop when Marvin the Monkey spotted Rico the Rooster.
Both looked exhausted. Marvin had been house-hunting for weeks. Rico had been trying to sell his coop for months. They hadn’t met before, but they recognized each other’s pain the way only strangers in a coffee shop can.
Marvin slid into the seat across from Rico.
Marvin: “You look like you’ve been listening to a rooster crow at 3 AM for a month.”
Rico (not even offended): “Forty-eight days, actually. And you look like you’re considering moving back into a tree.”
Marvin: “I’m on house #48.” (He stares blankly at a napkin.) “House #42 had a pool filled with concrete. House #47 had an ‘active geothermal feature.'”
Rico: “A volcano?”
Marvin: “A volcano.”
Rico: “…Did you make an offer?”
Marvin: “I thought about it. The location was good.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
Rico: “At least you’re looking. My agent put up a ‘For Sale’ sign and took a nap. I can hear him snoring from my front porch.”
Marvin: “Wow. That is something else, isn’t it?”
Rico: “Tell me about it.”
Marvin set down his coffee.
Marvin: “Look, I don’t need magic. I don’t need fireworks. I just need someone who communicates. Is that too much to ask?”
Rico: “No. I don’t expect my agent to reply in three seconds. But three days? By then the house is gone. The buyers have aged. The market has shifted.”
They realized, to their mild annoyance, that they wanted almost the exact same things.
- Someone who communicates
- Someone who knows the neighborhood
- Someone with patience
- Someone who markets the property
- Someone who negotiates
- Someone who solves problems
Marvin (summarizing): “So, we both just want a competent, hardworking professional.”
Rico: “Exactly.”
Well, here is the Good News:
Agents like that do exist.
They might not wear capes.
But they will communicate clearly. They’ll know their stuff. They’ll be your therapist through the emotional rollercoaster. And they’ll fight for your best interests—even when it’s not the easy path.
If you already have someone like that? Great. Hold onto them.
If you’re still looking…
Give me a call. Let’s see if I can be the agent you’ve been looking for.
Juli Lanphear /603-387-5175/ info@julilanphear.com / www.julilanphear.com
Marvin & Rico characters and stories@julilanphear2026 All rights reserved
