2019, Union County
It was supposed to be a simple closing. A first-time buyer, young couple with calloused hands and dreams bigger than their savings account. I'd spent three months guiding them through the maze of pre-approvals, appraisals, and inspections. But when we got to the contract, I missed a single clause—a tiny oversight in the financing contingency that would have cost them their down payment.
I saw the look in their eyes. Not anger, but that quiet terror that comes when you realize the ground beneath you might not hold. I went home that night and sat on my porch until the stars came out, wondering if I'd betrayed them.
But the next morning, I built a new system. A checklist that lives on my desk, a ritual of triple-checking every line, every number, every promise. Because a mistake without a recovery plan is just a liability.