Watching Chickens, Thinking Houses

First of many observed parallels

The chickens have astonishingly distinct personalities-a trait that never seemed to be evident in either children’s books or on farms growing up. Perhaps that was my lack of observation and perhaps it was because there only ever seemed to be brown or white chickens...but with this flock, it is wild.

Take Goliath, for example. She is a BBT hen who happens to think she is a chicken (she came in our lot of chicks and we just kept her!). She purrs when she is happy-she has no idea how much space she takes up on the roost-and she is the first to herd her sisters into the run when a predator is nearby.

Sophia is a love. She loves snacks and being close to her humans-and as a golden Phoenix, she is fairly predator-proof with her speed! The other Golden Girls roam independently too, they just aren’t as atttached to snacks.

Warlock loves the ladies. We have no confusion about biology in this house-the chickens keep it real. Each rooster has his own ladies-and if someone crosses a line, it’s ON.

They remind me of houses in some ways. The fact that they fulfill a specific function (protein) is similar to houses fulfilling a function (shelter) but it is the most basic and lacks all the depth of individualism. 

There is one house in Charlotte that I have personally sold 5 times over the years-it is kind of wild to consider but is a natural progression of 23 years in full time practice in the same area with a consistent marketing strategy. The house itself has the same floor plan, same neighbors, and (shockingly for Charlotte) the same schools. However, each time I have sold it-it has a different story. There are new upgrades, new repairs, new maintenance-and most importantly-new humans involved each time. This leads to a different strategy and implementation to serve well. It also means I can’t operate on auto-pilot, which is definitely a risk after gaining a certain level of expertise.

Realtors®️ are often maligned by the public but what I am describing is one of the most valued job functions we perform-we take note of the individual and the individual house and create a case study for that time and place. Apps and AI just aren’t equipped for understanding nuance. Might they be one day? Perhaps-and I hope it is a long time away-but even then, there is a care that comes from thoughtful noticing.