THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE TWO OFFICE FLOORS

Once upon a time, a broker was finally about to end a long dry spell.

The deal was huge: two entire floors of an office building.

The buyer was serious, negotiations were well underway, and because of the size of the purchase, they were asking the developer for a bigger discount than the published rates.

But the numbers still weren't where the buyer wanted them.

So the owner of the buyer's company decided to step in.

Instead of continuing the negotiations through the broker, he contacted the owners of the developer directly. Apparently, they knew each other.

A few days later, the broker received some good news and some very bad news. The deal was pushing through. But without him.

The buyer and developer would now deal directly with each other.

The broker protested. He had brought the buyer in and had already spent considerable time working on the transaction.

The broker coordinator sympathized, but said there was little they could do. The owners of the two companies had already taken over the negotiations themselves.

The broker knew he couldn't win that fight.

So he walked away and watched what could have been one of his biggest commissions disappear.

The end...?

Then something happened that nobody saw coming.

COVID-19.

Offices emptied. Businesses changed their plans. Deals were cancelled, postponed or completely rethought.

Years later, the broker learned something interesting.

Those same two office floors that were supposedly being bought after he was removed from the transaction? They were back in the developer's inventory. Apparently, the sale never made it to the finish line.

Sometimes you lose the deal. Sometimes the deal loses itself.