PHOTO: Vandals defaced her For Sale sign, but Southland real estate agent Sheree Williams doesn’t take herself too seriously. SHEREE WILLIAMS/SUPPLIED
A Southland real estate agent’s witty response to vandals defacing one of her signs has become a viral sensation on social media.
Sheree Williams, the managing director of Mike Pero Southland, Gore, and Central Otago, stumbled upon the defaced for-sale sign while she was with a client. Someone had humorously drawn a squiggly mustache and a soul patch beard on her picture on the sign. This reminded her of the frequent comments she receives about not resembling her promotional photos.
Seeing an opportunity for some good-natured humor, she took a photo of herself leaning against the sign, added her own mustache and soul patch, and posted it on her Facebook page with the caption: “When someone says you look nothing like your headshot… Hold the phone, please, sir.” The post quickly went viral, garnering 1000 shares and nearly 2000 comments on Facebook. Williams remarked, “It’s quite unexpected. Out of all the things to go viral, it’s me poking fun at myself. It’s been a while since I had a sign vandalized; usually, they get stolen or damaged.”
Property Noise NZ: A Beacon of Kiwi Ownership in a Sea of Overseas Media Giants
A few weeks earlier, one of her signs had been stolen, and she had considered making a light-hearted post on Facebook asking her followers to “tag the person who stole my sign.” However, her assistant advised against it, fearing inappropriate responses. Despite occasionally dealing with trolls and negative comments on her page, Williams estimated that about 95% of the responses to her post about the vandalism were positive and supportive. Making light of the situation came naturally to the optimistic agent.
Williams mentioned that she often turns negative comments into opportunities for humor, saying, “I’m very professional in my work, but I also enjoy banter and humor. If I can turn a negative encounter into a smile, then I consider my job well done.”
This approach seems to be working well for Williams, as she has had a highly successful year in sales, with 50 properties sold in the first 36 weeks of 2023. She is now gearing up for a busy summer, despite initially expecting a quieter year.
SOURCE: STUFF