On a Positive Note

I helped three different families get rental homes this month. That was awesome. They were gracious and polite. All of their situations were different. All of them showed kindness and saw moving into a new house as a necessary adulthood move. Though I would rather not handle rentals, I do like working with folks who want help.

She's Still Homeless

Well... guess who contacted me after three quiet weeks and wanted to see a home? In case you would have picked anyone other than Mrs. Worrier, you haven't been reading along. That's ok. Welcome to my blog.

Anyway, all I said to her was, "You still haven't found a home?" I didn't offer to help or suggest that she is causing her own drama. But the answer, of course, was no, they are homeless. They are living in seedy motels and her "lungs hurt" because of all the smoking going on in the other rooms. She also told me they are "broker than broke." I am guessing they have burned a few other bridges, given they have family in town who aren't taking them in. That is so sad.

I thought about inviting a couple of her older ones over to hang here for a while one afternoon, just to get them out of that horrible situation, but it would probably come with a dose of Mrs. Worrier. And I just have a bit too much snark at this moment to deal with her.

My heart aches for her and her family. There is nothing I feel like I can do, because all help offered tends to feed her ego instead of resolving her housing issue. I don't mean that as a slam, just an observation. I don't give alcoholics vodka either. I understand the position her husband is in. He doesn't want to be estranged from his children, and to oppose her would do so. Narcissism is a terrible illness. The whole situation is just screwed up and makes me hope for some normalcy in their lives. Hopefully they will find that peace.

Happy Dance

I got my first commission today!!! Woot!!!

It was for a rental. So you know, groceries and a full tank of gas, but still!

A commission!!!

Moving On

To the surprise of nobody other than my clients from Saturday, the sweet folks who could not fill out an application did not get the home of their dreams. I honestly feel it is for the best. I think financially it would have been a stretch at the very least. Given their level of maturity, I am thinking managing an entire home might have also been too much. As a former landlord, there is no way I would have rented to them.

When finding out they were denied, the woman (who is about 25) said, "I don't know what we are going to do..." I didn't know either, but my first thought was to make better life choices. However, nobody asked me.

I did find a place on Craigslist and send it to them. It is a two bedroom duplex in a reasonable price range. I hope they check it out. I won't get paid, but I also won't spend more time showing them the three homes on the market in Gold Canyon just to have them most likely be denied.

The Post Break-Up Phone Call

I just got off the phone with El Jefe. He called to tell me he just ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A and there were a million kids there. Then he mentioned that he found a bookkeeper, because he was looking for one. From there he told me a fun story about an argument he got into with a home inspector, which brought hysterical laughter from both of us. It was just like old times.

We talked for 13 minutes. When we finished our chat, I sat back, wondering why he really called. My best guess is that I hurt him by leaving. We have been in this awkward text message, lets-recycle-the-same-old-jokes phase of our friendship lately. Maybe this was an olive branch.

El Jefe and I have been friends for years. He mentored me and trained me when I first became an agent. When I worked for him, I had a really great commission split set up and he knows what I am spending on signs, advertising, errors and omission insurance just about covers what I was paying him--all of which he provided.

To me, it felt like that phone call one gets a few months after a break-up, where the ex is just checking to see how things are going, but they really want to know is why did the whole relationship end. Because it pretty much was exactly like that. In this case, he didn't ask why I left. And I didn't elaborate. I don't mind leaving that as the elephant in the room. He wouldn't like my answers anyway. But it was fun to talk to him again.

Adulting 101

I have rented out three, possibly four--but not likely--rentals in the month of February so far. And what is really cool is that the three (or four) folks I have dealt with have been realistic, nice and fun to be with. By the way, none of them have been the Worriers.

But, let's fast forward to the possible fourth renters. These folks came to be through the sign in front of my listed Gold Canyon rental home (which has been rented!). They were looking for a place and I showed them one on Saturday. The couple is "engaged" and have been a couple for what appears to be six months--which looks to be about how far along the woman is in her pregnancy.

Anyway, I left these guys after showing them the home and said I would be along an hour later to grab their application. The guy had to go back to work and left his betrothed with the task of filling out the rental application. Unfortunately, the girlfriend didn't quite grasp the intricacies of answering questions such as: name, address, birth date, bank name, type of car, etc. So, an hour after I left them, I returned and helped her fill out the application using the hood of my car as her desk.

It seems to me that filling out a rental application is a minimum requirement for being an adult. And, because I would never want anyone to be writing a blog about Polly or Buckaroo not understanding how to do the above, today I sat down with them and showed them what needed to be done. Honesty, I thought this was a no-brainer, but I have a different perspective. Both kids did fine, with them agreeing it was tedious and slightly overwhelming but not difficult once they got going.  But this poor girl! Oh good grief!

As a former landlord, I have judged many based on how well they fill out the rental application. Sloppy handwriting that I have to bring in a cipher to read tends to get passed aside. Can't remember your current address? Not sure how much you make per hour/month? I am moving on. My philosophy has always been a rental application is a first impression to an owner. If you can't bother to put your best foot forward on this, I can only imagine what I would be in for if I agreed to rent a home to you.

I recognize adulting is a skill that doesn't come as easily to some as it should. But how I wish my sweet client had done a better job at filling out her rental application. She was judged on her skills in filling this out. I know this, because the owner called me a few times, asking for some basics she missed. And the last time he called he made a comment that he wasn't sure these folks were a good fit if they couldn't handle answering basic questions on three pieces of paper.

Back to School

On my bucket list has been getting my GRI designation. GRI, by the way, stands for Graduate, Realtor Institute. It is a national (or international) designation that is not easy to get. However, it is a great tool to learn as much as I possibly can to help me help others.

The process includes 12 intensive classes, of which there is an examination after every class. Less than 20 percent of agents ever attempt it. I was told if getting my broker's license was like getting a master's degree, a GRI is like getting a Ph.D. in real estate. Today after my head stopped spinning, I realized why people don't do this. Even with as much as I know, it is obvious I have a lot to learn.

Last December I got a random e-mail offering me a scholarship for one class. This was in the middle of my "should I stay or go," phase (which you are welcome to read about in the December 2017 archives). For grins, I applied for the scholarship and was the recipient. At the time I thought perhaps I was the only one who applied. When I got to class today, I found out, nope. There was a whole room full of folks who weren't so fortunate. Anyway, I had this class paid for. Which is pretty cool. The rest of my classes won't be free. In addition to the free class today, at lunch names were drawn and I won a free Cutco knife. So, bonus.

Today's hours of intensive study was on the financing process. I am not a loan officer. Nor do I have any interest in being one. Especially after today's class. I got many nuggets of info, including one major headache from sucking in all of the information. Our class was taught by a retired marine turned loan officer named Jimmy. He was dynamic and interesting but the entire experience was more of a boot camp type process, with a bit of "hey, here's how you market yourself" kind of sales motivation thrown in for good measure. I have to say I learned a lot. After class I got to go home and take the exam (we have 48 hours after the class to do this). I passed, so now I only have 11 more classes to go.

The Kindness of Others

One of the awesome things that happened when I started the ol'e brokerage last month were the people who offered to help me.

• My loan officer of 12 years (who is back in good standing) is willing to partner on any advertising. 
• El Jefe keeps tabs on me, and is letting me advertise his listings. 
• Mrs. Hufflepuff has stayed in touch (I saw her today, actually) and has given me a lot of useful guidance. 
• My other loan officer, the Bulldog, has a vacant home to rent and gave me the listing so I could advertise. (I need a better nickname for her, as she is a delicate thing, but Dang! if you need a loan officer who is willing to do what is tough, the Bulldog is your gal).
• A property manager friend just sent me a bunch of documentation that I will need for my rental listing. I had no idea I needed this stuff until I saw it. 
• Scott, the Graphic Artist, charged me nominally for my logo, telling me he will charge me more when I make it to the Bigs. 
• Randy, my local mailbox store owner, has been printing color flyers for me and said the same as Scott. We will talk about him charging when I am no longer a new small business owner. 

Sixteen years ago, the first real estate company I worked a had zero cooperation or motivation to help others. (Sans El Jefe and Ronnie, who both took me under their wings). It was frowned upon by management to work together. My former broker, back when I was new, after calling her because I had trouble, said, "Do what you want. Don't call me." That cost me $400. El Jefe never once treated me this way. In fact, he has told me to call any time. One time when I worked for him, El Jefe wanted to do some sort of sales contest, but Ronnie, Senora and I were against it. We didn't want to compete against each other. We were already motivated and we wanted to help each other be the best we could be.

When I left El Jefe, one of my greatest fears was I was going to just float along without direction. This hasn't been the case. I am so grateful for the kindness and generosity I have gotten from so many people. My goal is to pay this forward when it is my turn to mentor.

A New Reader

Well, a soon to be new reader. Welcome to the newest citizen of Portland Oregon! I am looking forward to meeting you and spoiling you.

Couragment

Encouragement

Discouragement

I have gone through the roller coaster of emotions this past month. This isn't a complaint, just an observation. I have a sales listing, which will probably never sell--not a gripe, just a fact. It is an over-priced stigmatized home. I took it because it is a repeat client and a referral from someone I respect. These things happen. My client understands her situation. So, I am not too worried.

I have a rental listing which I held open this weekend with Jane. Jane picked up a client (go Jane!). I had someone walk in and ask me to run comps on their home. I got a lovely e-mail Sunday morning from her. I only wish I was making this up. "Those are some damn good numbers. I'll send this to my real estate agent and list with her as promised."

Additionally, I was looking for a mentoring group at the end of December and had put one together. We met once in January. It didn't go so well. I have been in mentoring groups before, and they were awesome. This one was four folks on different train tracks, going four different directions. Oh well. If I look for coaching, I am sure I will find it.

El Jefe has asked me if I want to come back. I don't. However, he told me I could advertise his listings. I will once my couragement changes back to positive.

Songbirds

I admit it, the idea of my children leaving the nest makes me sad. I know it will happen. But I am not ready. I am not sure I will ever be ready. Polly is starting to assert herself. Her adulting cracks me up, but she is learning. As she has gainful employment, I don't spend as much time with her as I do with Buckaroo these days. But I know that time is limited too.

Lately, when Buckaroo and I are driving somewhere, we play a game. He picks a song he wants to hear, no matter what it is and blasts it through my phone (it is always MY phone). Then I have a turn as well. Buck's taste is eclectic, as is mine. Today was Peter Paul and Mary, AC/DC and Guns and Roses. I countered with the Barney Theme Song and he threw back at me Weird Al Yankovik. I pulled out the "D-Backs Swing" (baseball time can't come soon enough people!) and from there he lobbied with the Star Wars theme song, which lasted about 370,000 minutes.

What I love about this game is that he talks to me. If you have ever had a 15 year old boy in your life, you know how difficult that can be. He tells me about why he likes this or that. He has opinions and interests. Also, he is a self-taught musician and has an amazing ear for music. This time is precious. It flies by too fast.

Polly also has a passion for music. She loves to sing. She is also a self-taught musician. This week she has a solo at Church. Stage fright is her biggest concern, and we keep telling her it takes time and she can overcome it. Obviously her choir director has faith in her too. And to be fair, Polly is putting an end to the idea that one knows they are in a Catholic church because the choir stinks. She is actually pretty good.

Today I suggested she could sing the National Anthem at a Diamondbacks' game as a solo this season.* "I am not ready to sing in front of 10,000 people." I explained the stadium holds 50,000. "Yea, but let's face it, we are talking about the Diamondbacks."

Also today, she was passionately telling me about how her her vocal chords work when she has a cold--like right now. I was in my bedroom. The shower water was heating up. She followed me as I got a towel talking about how different shaped uvulas can make different sounds. She followed me as I gathered my clothes, obliviously and enthusiastically sharing how her range is different than most (she can go three octaves). Finally, I said I need a shower. No problem! She just continued chatting with me through he closed door.

This time in my life--their lives--goes by way too fast. I just want it to slow down a little bit more. I am not ready to miss this.



*Trivia: My kids have sung the National Anthem at a Diamondbacks' game about four times. But they were much younger and as part of a larger group. 

Nothing is Enough

I am the first to admit, professional victims make me twitchy. Many, many years ago, back when we were dating Marty, brought his brother's then girlfriend (now wife) and I to Tucson. The car ride was three hours each way. And for the entire time--all six hours--the girlfriend whined, whined, whined. Though it has been a while, here are the three topics I remember that triggered me. For all I know, these were the only topics she covered. Because she wasn't in solution mode, and was only in "poor me," mode, she never stopped talking.

• She came from a broken home and that was why she had "issues." (her parents had divorced a year prior, when she was 24)
• She grew up poor.
• There is too much traffic and the snowbirds need to stop driving on the road when she is driving to work...

And that is about the point where I lost my patience.

Since then, this woman has hated me because I wasn't understanding and supportive to her plight. Nor did she ask me (or Marty) about anything about our lives, as she might have been interested in finding out she wasn't the only one in the car with divorced parents who grew up poor--and didn't feel like they had "issues." So, it wasn't just the traffic thing that put me over the edge.

As a side note, Marty's parents weren't terribly keen on me and I could tell they were hoping I was just a passing phase. But when this chick came along I was suddenly golden and have been ever since. I won favorite status by default, but I will take it.

We all know a professional victim or two. For the most part, I stay away from such folks because I have no filter and less patience.

Mrs. Worrier is currently the czarina of professional victims. I am watching this train wreck unfold and questioning how in the world she would want to live this way. Nothing is good enough--including her children, which she told me in front of them. It broke my heart. She can't work because she has health issues, can't trust her teenagers and a litany of other reasons. She can't do this. She can't do that. Her husband doesn't make enough. Nothing is new and pretty enough.

Nothing is enough. Isn't that really the mantra of every professional victim?

According to Marty, my late Texan mother-in-law would say, if you walk near a pile, some of it will stick to your foot. I am starting to think Mrs. Worrier is my pile. Though she is great blog fodder, she is trouble. And I don't have the patience for it.  I am giving her until Sunday.

WWWHHHHHHYYYYY????

So Mrs. Worrier called me. She and the Mr. were turned down for a home this week. The company gave two reasons: 1) credit and 2) rental history.

For whatever reason, the fact they had credit challenges did not bother her. But the rental history! You see, they lived in a family home for 16 years. Then they moved into another rental and lasted 10 months. There were lawyers involved. There were non-disclosure agreements signed. It was ugly. Around the first of December, the Worriers got a sizable chunk of money for their trouble and then spent every single dollar. That actually kind of makes me queasy. I am talking a dollar number with at least five places to the left of the decimal.

Today when I spoke with her, she asked why would this new company turn her down because of rental history, especially with a non-disclosure in place. I explained that the former company cannot talk about the incident (and probably doesn't want to, given the property management company legally lost). But, if asked about them as renters, they would have an opportunity to answer accurately. For example, perhaps this new landlord asked if the Worriers paid on time?

"Why would this new company ask about that?" And that is the point I started pounding my head into the palm of my hand. Why indeed? When I was a landlord that was the first question I asked about potential tenants. Everything I needed to know from this teensy inquiry, "Was the rent on time?" pretty much stemmed from this particular question. And, if the answer is no, then I could guess the rest.

Mrs. Worrier, instead of answering me, just fussed and whined about their non-disclosure agreement and what might have been said in a conversation I WAS NOT PART OF. I told her I could not speculate what was discussed, and perhaps her cell minutes might be better spent calling her former property management company and ask what was said. That didn't mollify her. Of course.

Instead, she had lots more "whys" that I couldn't answer. Why didn't they rent to us (again, credit and rental history and probably six other better qualified applicants)? Why did they turn us down for rental history (call your former property management company)? Why did they think we wouldn't be good renters?

There were also a lot of "do you think" type questions: "Do you think they only want to rent to people without pets/who are Mormon/are willing to sign a six year lease/raise water buffalo/are secretly zombies? No. I think the owner wants to rent it out to folks with better credit and probably better rental history. However, what I really told her was I wasn't going to speculate and she needed to move on. Because they aren't getting this place.

Actual Chat With Mrs. Worrier Today

Mrs. Worrier was turned down for a home today (did I mention she is living in a hotel by the airport?). We were talking. And I should remind those who don't know me, I have no filter. Anyway, this happened.

Mrs. Worrier: Did you ever see someone go through this many homes?

Me: No I fire them before we get this far.

Why I love Rentals

For those of you who are maddened by why I still handle rentals when I loathe them so much, there are a few rays of sunshine. Such as:

1. I like to help people. Most agents don't handle rentals for the reasons I mentioned prior (plus a million others I didn't mention). However, there is nothing like a "Thank you, nobody else would return our call," from a grateful family. This grateful family tends to come back time and time again. They have friends too. All of their friends also need places to live. I have on more than one occasion helped a grateful family, got several referrals and then helped that same family buy a home. All because I was willing to drive over to a home one evening and open the door when six other agents wouldn't even return a phone call.

2. Free advertising! I just took a rental listing last Friday. My sign is proudly displayed in front of this cute home. My phone number is on the sign. So is my e-mail address.

3. Prospects: I am holding my rental listing open next week. Only one family can rent it. But there may be a few who can buy instead. There are also neighbors who will show up, wanting to know if I can help them. I have had pretty good success with this method. Two hours of open house has bought a lot of gallons of milk for Buckaroo and Polly. It also helped a few people buy their dream home a few months later.

4. When all goes well, it is easy work. What does all going well look like? First, the prospective and truthful tenants actually do believe the market is hot and there are multiple applications for properties. Second--and this is a biggie--the agent who listed the property actually CALLS ME BACK! Seriously, I want to reach out to some of these landlords and say, "You know the guy YOU HIRED to rent out your home? Did you know he doesn't work Friday through Tuesday? How many prospective tenants did you miss out on because he is too busy to answer a text message/phone call/e-mail?" Third, the prospective tenants don't need to see 16 homes but realize the market is limited. That helps. A lot.

5. When I don't have any other sales going on, it is better than nothing.

So, though I belly ache, I handle rentals because it is part of the business. I would like to think, that when I help others Karma will help me out with the rest.

His Way

I saw Diamond Jim on Thursday. I am under the impression--and I hope to be wrong--he is getting his affairs in order.

I am told he recently found out he has limited kidney function, which had decreased 30 percent since October, and if his kidney function decreases any further he will be on dialysis in a few weeks. Knowing this bit of extra information makes sense why he back-pedaled from moving. He doesn't want help. Heck! He doesn't even want to discuss this with anyone outside of his family. Most of what I am learning is from his children who are having a tough time coming to terms with his behaviors. For me, it makes sense. He is living his life his way.

I can respect that.

Why I Hate Rentals

Disclaimer: I am well aware there are a few of you who read this blog that I have helped find a rental or a renter. You may have even referred family and friends to me. Thank you. This is NOT about you or your family and friends. I promise. 

Realtors hate rentals for a plethora of reasons. First, generally, renters lie about their background and only after the agent has shown them six places do they reveal they may have a teensy murder conviction they really didn't want to mention. Of course, any seasoned agent has asked upfront about background, evictions, convictions and credit. It is amazing how many prospective tenants in the past 15 years have forgotten they served time, had been twice evicted or neglected to mention that their car was being repo'ed as soon as the tow truck driver could find them. 

Second, renters often look for a rental without having the necessary funds to secure the house when they find a place. For example, if one were looking to move by March 1, they would need to immediately pay the application fee, which ranges from $50 to $100 (or more). This is what landlords charge for background/eviction/credit checks. Each landlord charges a different amount. So, a prospective tenant, not knowing if they even have a chance to rent the home, needs to pay this upfront. If they aren't selected for that particular rental home, they will have to pay it for the next property. 

If they are selected, then there is the earnest deposit to take the property off the market (usually it is the security deposit). At move in, there are other deposits such as pet and cleaning, and of course, the rent. It blows me away how many folks want to just "look at homes" without even having the application fee in their checking account. One couple recently asked if the owner would just waive the application fee or let them pay when they moved in. Then, they wanted to know if the owner would let them break down the deposits throughout the lease. What kind of message do you think that sent when there were three other people who were willing to cough up the $80 right there and then? 

Third, in addition to not telling the truth to the person who is there to help them (me), and demonstrating poor money management skills, they often have unrealistic expectations. Yes, a casita or a wine cellar would be lovely. Yes, a balcony overlooking Camelback Mountain would be great to sit at and drink tea on a spring morning, but if your FICO score is 490 and your budget is $1,200, most likely you are getting 1,400 square feet in Chandler. 

Which brings me to point four: I am not a tour guide. I handle rentals because Buckaroo has a strong grocery addiction. The $100 I make (did I mention rentals pay very little?) for the 37 hours of work will reimburse my gas, as well as buy me a few gallons of milk and a few other nutritional items that will instantly go inside of the kid. He is 15. He eats all the time. All.The.Time. 

Then there is point five: potential renters know more about the market than agents do. Because they have gone on Zillow and read three articles written in other markets about the "right way" to negotiate with greedy owners, tenants don't want our advice. They don't believe us when we say that the market is hot. There is a lack of inventory. Homes have multiple applications. The last time they moved was 2011 and at that time there were plenty of homes and landlords would happily negotiate a lower rent, because they were thrilled to have a tenant. Of course, the reason they moved in 2011 was because the landlord lost their home to a foreclosure, but I digress. 

And finally, realtors hate rental clients because they are ungrateful. Agents are the Labrador retrievers of vocations. We want to please others. We want to serve. And nothing sets us off like a crabby, ungrateful tenant who needs to tell us and all of social media that they had to "settle" because they don't feel like we did our job. (To be fair, I have had some outstanding rental clients, but generally, most aren't that nice). Buyers are thrilled with their homes. Sellers are grateful to move on. But rental clients as a whole, after lying to us, tend to blame us for their poor choices. It is a no-win game. 

The only person I ever met who had any love for rentals is El Jefe, and perhaps that is only because he was trying to sell everyone else, in a Tom Sawyer fashion, that helping people find a rental home is a great way to make a living. One gallon of milk at a time. 

I Am Sensing A Theme To This Week's Posts

So, Saturday afternoon, Jane and I were holding my listing open. I had sent out 500 post cards, advertised where I could and was waiting for the throngs of folks to show up and just want to buy my client's home.

Though we did get some traffic, it wasn't as many as I was hoping for. And frankly, most were just obnoxious--as if it was their God-given right to walk into a stranger's home and I was in their way. I am just sick of rude people.

Here's a tip folks, when you walk into someone's home--open house or not, it is SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME--how about acting like you were raised right? The strangers walking in the door expect US to be polite. One might think some reciprocity might be in order.

One man I met at the door, I introduced myself and stuck out my hand for him to shake it. He pushed my arm out of the way and barged in! I didn't feel threatened. Nor did I trip him--but I really wanted to. Another woman argued with me about how she didn't need to sign in. I did remind her of the sign at the door which said, "In order to view this home, guests must sign in." She barged out, letting me know what she thought of me, but not before stopping and grabbing a bottle of water I had put out for guests.

Agents know people who walk into open houses don't want to be sold. But we still have the responsibility to protect our seller. We also have a responsibility to make sure the strangers walking through don't help themselves to anything laying around that doesn't belong to them. We ask guests to sign in for our safety. Our sign in sheet even says, "If you would not like to be contacted, please check this box." We will leave you alone if you ask us to. Trust me, we don't want to call them any more than they want us to call them. We just want to sell the house. Honestly, we can think of 378 better activities to do on a Saturday afternoon than hang around someone else's home for four or five hours.

Open houses used to be kind of fun. Neighbors would come in. I would run comps and chit-chat about the real estate market. Now it feels like a place for the ugliest of the ugly to get a free bottle of water and complimentary refrigerator magnet.

Mrs. Worrier Update

Good O'le Mrs. Worrier. Sunday afternoon she sent me a text. She was being kicked out of her in-law's home in Prescott and on her way back to Phoenix with the five kids and the dog. "Please say a prayer we don't have to sleep in our van tonight."

Sure thing... But I happen to know your husband is staying at a hotel, so surely some arrangements can be made. However, all I said was, "Will do."

One would think if someone is this desperate they will figure out a way to find living quarters. But no. She also wanted me to check on a $2000 a month home to 1) see of the owner would take less (I didn't even ask) and 2) would the owner change their mind on the no pets (didn't ask this either). I did let her know it is owner-managed, so she doesn't need to worry about evil property management companies. But I didn't offer to show it to her.

To be fair, I am not available to show Mrs. Worrier a home until much later this week. My week is very crowded with productive tasks such as laundry, homeschool Wednesdays, knitting and possibly Mr. Reader Number Two coming to dinner (yay!). And let's not forget I have a few recorded Diamondbacks' games from last season still sitting in the que that I might need to put on. So, no.

I honestly think the only way Mrs. Worrier will find a place to live is if she finds it herself. It has to be on her terms. I am going to go out on a limb here and predict it will be with an inexperienced landlord who thinks they are helping the Worrier family and then will be continually taken advantage of.

People have asked why don't I fire her. Actually, I am not sure I haven't. I write about her more than I physically deal with her. In the past two and a half months, I have shown her and her husband four homes (last week's was PERFECT except two level-three sex offenders live right across the street, both for crimes against children--I really can't blame her for turning down that one). I do answer her calls and texts. Once in a while if she asks, I look up a house for her. If I am sufficiently motivated, I agree to show her a house, but I have only been sufficiently motivated four times since early November. To be fair, I am truly not very engaged. She comes from a community that gives me a bit of business so I would rather keep everything on positive terms.

But I really don't care if I find her a house. I work at my best when there is some gratitude as part of the deal. Don't we all?