Awkward Questions

Last week a former client put me in touch with her bestie. Bestie's husband has a job interview and they may be moving to the Valley. Could I help them? Sure thing.

I should preface this by saying this was a phone call, which was probably good, because once it went South, I was able to get off the phone. Based on what she told me (her husband would be working 40 miles East of Globe but wanted to live in the Valley. He could commute, she assured me), I suggested Gold Canyon, Mesa or Gilbert. She wanted reasonable schools. Those were the closest communities to where her husband's job would be that would touch the Valley and met her criteria. Personally I think the commute would get old in about two days, as it still at least an hour and a half away from where his potential job would be.

After we pleasantly talked for about ten minutes Bestie threw this at me, "My husband and son are black. Will they fit in living in any of those cities? We need to live in a neighborhood that has blacks so my son won't be alone." In 2018 I am getting a flagrant fair housing trap thrown at me. Whether intentional or not, (let's hope not), if I even begin to answer that, the fines are outrageous and my errors and omissions insurance doesn't cover the amount of money I would have to pay out if I said something to even suggest I understood what she meant.

And frankly, why would her son be alone? Never mind.

I am not sure where to go with this person, but I will wait to see if I get a return phone call.

Then there is Ginny. Ginny found her dream investment opportunity and threw it at me. "Is this a good investment?" she asked. I can't answer that either. A good investment to me may not be a good investment opportunity to her. I don't make those decisions for other people.

Buying property, especially when one is from another state (like Bestie) or trying something completely different (like Ginny) is a vulnerable experience. As someone in sales, I desperately want to be the people pleaser and answer everything I can to help them be as comfortable as possible. Yes Bestie, there are blacks, Samoans, Asians, whites, leopards, zebras and space aliens in Mesa. HELL NO what you are looking at is a terrible investment, especially if you don't know what you are doing--which you don't, Ginny. But I can't. It is like raising children in some ways. We may know what is best, but they need to find out for themselves to make the lessons stick.