When you have the right tools, you can do just about anything.

The tools in the kit today included four organic lollipops, a Lilo and Stitch dvd, and a new MacBook Pro laptop (with a wonderfully vibrant battery).

The task? Back-to-back showings of my home for rent in Chicago's East Village at 1917 W Race.

My companions? Assistants Jackson (who turns 4 in three weeks) and Lucas (age 2).

The result? Full-priced offer with October 1 lease start for a family relocating to Chicago from Tucson.

The point? With the Mac humming beautifully on the coffee table in this luxury home's living room, bleating the dulcet tones of a Disney film, Jackson and Lucas found themselves entertained, allowing me to show a property to two interested parties on a holiday weekend.

Now I know there are folks who intone the "I Sell Real Estate" mantra among my Chicago counterparts who would, will and do take umbrage at the presence of any unrelated party at a showing. But at the end of the day the point of the exercise is to accommodate party a's access to party b's premises in a timely manner. The surfeit of inventory all too often has a "one and done" quality - meaning that if I prove difficult for party a's access, there may be no tomorrow for seeing party b's premises.

Which would be a disservice to my client, party b.

And face it, sometimes showing requests are made for times that otherwise are problematic to "fly solo."

Like when I am picking up Jackson from school. Or on a holiday weekend that is my wife's first foray away from the kids since they became welcome and adored members of our family.

Bottom line? Today my sons Jackson and Lucas were perfect assistants, charming two parties who came to see my listing while watching a movie on the new Mac laptop. And not that they were the light shaft that caused the flower to bloom, but neither was their presence a deterrent to an interested and qualified party in making a full-priced offer.