Humpty's Last Fall

Humpty had a radio show and a few enemies. Apparently.

So Polly has wanted a big-time, blow out party for as long as she has known her buddy Nikki. Nikki's mother, who just happens to be Polly's former girl scout leader, also throws amazing blow out parties. They are theme-based and no detail is spared. I know this, because I have gone to several: Candyland, Monster High, Mardi Gras, Movie Night (which includes canisters of film and a concession stand, as well as theater seating in front of the garage--the movie screen) and several more I just can't think of in the past ten years. Generally at these parties there are about 50-100 people and everything from the food, to the wardrobes of the family members to the water bottles are themed. Everything. And, even though Nikki's mom is brilliant (BRILLIANT!!) at this kind of thing, I am not.

I have been putting this whole big-birthday bash request thing aside for a few years for a myriad of reasons, including it was a big scary undertaking and I just didn't know how. And finally, Polly went to Nikki's mom and cried, "Help my clueless mom please!!!" And thus, a party was born, with the details taking up most of my spare time this past month.

Anyway, Polly had a Sweet 18 party. Nobody RSVP'd, but I had a good idea who all was coming. In the end, we had about 30 folks (of the 40 I was expecting). Most were family and Polly's friends, with a few surprises thrown in. Most were in costume or variations of costume (I wore an apron as the "baker") and we solved the heinous murder of Who Killed Humpty Dumpty. And I have to tell you, I had a blast!

Because there were characters, my brothers were slated for roles. The older of the two was Old King Cole. All week he was telling me how he ruled his kingdom ("Those who disobey will go to the dungeon and listen to Yani") He had a one-up-man-ship contest with the King of Hearts, played by Buckaroo ("Yes, I see anyone can get a title these days..." OKC said to the KoH. "Apparently so, Your Heiney." KoH quipped). Then they retired to the House of Cards (the room decorated for the King and Queen of Hearts) and listened to the Fiddler's Three playlist and shared Old King Cole's bubble pipe.

My other brother was Rumpelstiltskin who was busy looking for gold and trading the guests for whatever he could find. Polly was the lead detective, C.A. Taper, the Candlestick Maker. Oh yes, my New York, Italian, sister-in-law was Queen Grimhilde who just happened to be the queen who killed Snow White. ("You give away one poison apple and you get a bad rep forever. What is wrong with you people??"). QG also happened to be the murderer but tried to blame it on the Candlestick Maker.

We had two White Rabbits. Two Miss Muffets, both who played their roles differently. Two Jack and the Beanstalks and Two Red Riding Hoods, one who turned into a Goth Bo Peep, because our original Bo Peep was called into work and couldn't make the party. There was an Alice, Old McDonald, The Old Woman, A Blind Mouse, and her little sister, Fairy Princess. Fairy Princess and The King's Man (my 5 year old nephew) got a long pretty well and now have a tentative play date next time nephew is over. Even my dad came as Rapunzel. There were others as well, but I am still recovering so I don't remember off hand. I am told it was a fun party. Buck tells me he doesn't ever want a costume murder-mystery party, which I am totally ok with.

Some photos of the party props. The weird egg thing is from Miss Muffet, who just happened to be Humpty's biggest fan. She made an action figure.

It Costs Zilch

Yesterday I took an all day class. It was tedious, but it isn't the point of this post.

Realtor Jeff--who happened to be teaching the class--had a client who bought an investment home somewhere in the Phoenix metro area. The investor bought a home at auction for $250k, and decided for some reason he didn't want to flip it. The home, fixed up, was worth around $400k. So, he hired Jeff to sell it for what he paid: $250k.

Jeff in turn calls one of his investor clients who had been hounding Jeff for the deal of the decade. Jeff says, "I have a great deal for you. This home is for sale for $250k but is worth $400k once you flip it. Are you interested?"

What does the investor do? Does he ask to see the property? Does he ask for more information? Does he ask for sales comps? Nope, he immediately logged on to Zillow, which told him the house is worth $263,000 and what kind of stuff is Jeff smoking?

The guy missed out on the opportunity and Realtor Jeff found another investor who flipped the house for the mid-$400ks. The second investor may have looked at Zillow, but he also let Jeff do his job.

I recognize I am dogging the Big Z a lot lately, but only because I am seeing more and more consumers decide this is the gold standard of real estate knowledge. It isn't. It is a database with a few extra features. It has a purpose, but it doesn't replace common sense and true knowledge.

Z is free. You get what you pay for.

Elections

The local realtor board held elections last Friday. I was encouraged to vote. I didn't. I have watched these folks for years, wondering what the elections were for. I still don't know. Maybe I should join a committee and find out why we needed a President, President Elect, Vice Prez, Secretary, Chairman and other folks who I am sure are very important. Probably. I should also find out what they do and why. Probably.

It is really sad. I should have an inkling why they exist and I don't.

A Different Kind of Busy

When one is ready, the teacher will appear. At least that is the truth, according to some fortune cookie somewhere.

A few months ago, it became clear to me that real estate--at least the way it looks in my life now--is not a permanent path . Will I move to another brokerage? Another state? Teach? Work a corporate job? Sell commercial properties? Get involved in some committee somewhere? I don't know.

Will I still sell homes? Probably. I don't see it going away. And that's fine.

Recently, every person in my pipeline just dried up. I am out of leads--which is weird for the first time in 15 years not even to have any prospects in an e-mail drip. Even Dee and her Merry Band of Felons are out of the house buying business for the moment.

Two years ago, when our family business was going down hill, I was forced to take six months off. I went back to work with gusto. Here I am, a year later on an unscheduled sabbatical. Now, I know as I write this, someone could come to me tomorrow and want me to sell their home. That would be fine. In fact, someone I know is thinking about hiring me next month if Zillow doesn't work out. So, there is always opportunity. I welcome opportunity.

In the mean-time, I am chilling. It is actually the first time in 15 years my income hasn't been totally necessary. Having an accidental business that sucks one's savings and life force has that affect. There may not be any elaborate vacations in our future, but we aren't starving either.

I have a few projects I am working on. First, I am parenting Buckaroo in an attach parenting style I never expected he would need. I was once told teenagers are harder to parent. There is some truth in that. I am also mentoring Polly, who is maneuvering through young adulthood. She is not one for new and change but is handling it gracefully. And, I am loving this phase of my children's lives. I have time, as I am not distracted by urgent phone calls every ten minutes from some buyer who wants to know what happens if the seller decides not to leave the ceiling fan (it's in the contract). There are no text message from tenants either--which is even better.

In addition to mom-duties, I will be starting a project soon I hope to write about. Not teasing, just not ready to divulge. But, let's just say it came from the life experience of the last 15 years.

For now, I am discovering time for yoga, making home cooked meals and a clean house. These are nice benefits that come along with being a different kind of busy.

Bad MLS Picture

Looks like someone got a drone recently.

Here is the verbiage that goes with this outstanding picture. I am not sure which house is for sale, but if I had to guess, I would say the one next to the solar paneled roof house.

"Rare find! Huge lot on a cul-de-sac with no neighbors behind. A 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath 2723 sq ft 2 story home."

By the way, "no neighbors behind" is real estate code for, "backs major road."

Discounted

The last time there was a boom market, discount brokerages started slithering out from under their rocks enticing sellers with such rhetoric as "You don't need to pay those high fees" and "Do you really need a real estate agent to sell your home?" When the market went bust, so did those brokerages. There was still work for agents who stuck with the business. Not much, but some.

As we all know, history happens. Often. And once again the discount brokers/open door/offer pad/zillow (yes Zillow) are all competing for the unsuspecting buyer or seller's business. They use the same techniques as, "Why pay all those fees?" and "Do you really need an agent? What does that person really do for you anyway?"

Those "fees," by the way, are for such things as advertising and getting other agents to show the seller's home. Buyers (at least ones who work with scrupulous agents) don't tend to pay real estate commissions, so they don't have the "realtor fees" these commercials scare buyers into thinking they have to pay. What is really going on, at least for discount brokers (like the one whose name rhymes with purple sticks) is these are licensed agents, just like me, who are either agreeing to work for less money (I checked a couple of listings, the buyer's agent is still getting a reasonable commission). Or, the sellers are being told by the selling agent, "I usually charge $X but for you, I will make it $Y."  When in truth, they charged $Y all along. Why would these agents want to work for this company? Leads. Or at least perceived leads.

There are other companies who are asking the sellers to bypass using an agent all together and just saying "here is my price." Those are well and good for a seller, if they know what they are getting into. Typically "my price" changes once the negotiations start. "Oh, I see you have a broken stove knob: I need to ask you to take $2000 off the price or we have no deal." I have been told an Open Door/Offer Pad buy closes for about 25 to 35 percent less than what a seller would have gotten using a real estate agent. When they flip the property, the price tends to be higher than market because the house is now all fixed up and fancy-looking.

Plus, the owner of one of these brokerages just happens to owns a solar company, so every listing now comes with a solar panel lease--whether the buyer wanted it or not. And if there are solar panels, has the roof been certified since the panels went up? Please tell me these companies mention this to unsuspecting and unrepresented buyers. They may want to have this information before a buyer drops a quarter-million on their new home.

For a buyer to use these companies--especially an unsuspecting buyer who doesn't know anything about real estate law or local building practices--I don't see this going so well. Does the buyer know they (by law) have a ten day inspection period? Oops... not aware? Bummer. Does the buyer know that there are some building products in specific homes they should avoid? Darn. Does the buyer know about expansive soil? Superfund sites? Oh well. Did someone bother to ask if the home was actually insurable? Drat. Does the buyer know Arizona isn't a buyer beware state? That might be an interesting tid-bit, don't you think? How about the home builder? Some home builders are more equal than others. A buyer takes risks buying into some subdivisions built by questionable builders. No matter, the buyers love the kitchen and they think they saved thousands!

I am waiting for a lawsuit that will inevitably come from some lack of disclosure. Because, it is going to happen.

I am told next month I am supposed to give a listing presentation to someone who is thinking about using me or Zillow (Zillow now has a nifty feature where sellers can list their home by themselves and wait for a buyer to put in an offer. No fuss! Someone--presumably at a title company--writes up the paperwork and both parties sign). I have given this a great deal of thought, and I am not sure how to respond to this listing presentation. Yes, I have references. Yes, I know what I am doing. Yes, I can write a contract and negotiate in my client's best interest. Yes, I can keep my seller from jail and yes, I can advise my buyer from hopefully making a terrible mistake. No, I am not some world-wide database with a bunch of "how to" stories written by those who don't do this for a living for the seller to skim. Instead, I pay for my data on the multiple listing service (which Zillow steals) and I have a blog.

The general perception is agents don't work for their commissions. Or, they are overpaid. The last sale I had (the tenant in place sale), if I had been paid weekly would have come out to $6.37 an hour, before I calculate my expenses. It just so happens I saw one payday at the end of the sale instead of a weekly pay check (which also includes working nights and weekends, babysitting a passive aggressive tenant as well as negotiating contracts during funerals and convalescing with the worst case of strep throat I have ever had). I made a bit more than that hourly on the Margarita sale. I am not complaining. When I get a few homes to close in the same month, my bank account smiles and I write a check to the IRS for their take. Otherwise, the money goes to feed my teenagers.

The real issue as I see it is that real estate agents have no perceived value in today's world. Anyone can go to the Internet and gaze at pretty homes. Anyone can Google "how to negotiate with a seller" and cross their fingers the sellers didn't read the same story. But the true practice is different. Yes, I show people homes, but I also explain the laws. I share with them which home builders to avoid and why. I tell them what I know and what they should know. My job is to help my clients spend their money wisely. I am to be a good steward with their investment. But at the end of the day the market is demanding change. And change is what they are getting. At least until the next down market.

Cancelled

A while ago I wrote about a home where the owners had been in contact with me to sell. I had spoken to the husband on Tuesday, he said, "We are listing it with you in August." Two days later the wife wrote me and said they hired an agent and it was for sale and may I please drop dead. Ok, she just implied that last part. I had originally sold them this home and as I recall, the wife was a nightmare when they bought it.

Then I posted the self-righteous bad MLS pictures of the house on this blog, because I am that kind of bitter. I also watched the listing, as the price dropped $25,000 from its original asking price. It needed to drop another $15,000 in my opinion. Given they didn't get an offer, I am guessing the general public agreed with me.

The MLS description of the home started off with how close the house was to Interstate 17 and also mentioned there were solid wood doors inside. Don't believe me? Here is the text:

"NORTH PHOENIX CLOSE to Hwys 17 and 101 * NO HOA * SINGLE STORY * Wanted: NEW OWNERS to make it their Home! * RV GATE * 2 CAR GARAGE * HUGE almost 10k sq.ft. LOT * Sought after DEER VALLEY SCHOOLS! * Beautiful solid natural wood interior doors *"

The listing never mentioned the bedrooms, bathrooms or kitchen. Nor is there a mention of the living room or family room. Also, in the private remarks of the listing--the area only other real estate agents see--it said owner was unwilling to allow a lockbox, and therefore they were going to be home for all showings (and subsequently follow the buyers around). The self-righteous brat in me just can't imagine why this place didn't sell immediately.

Anyway, the listing was cancelled this week. Polly asked what exactly "cancelled" meant in this context. I explained the agent was fired. Or, perhaps she fired them.

Actually, I am quite certain most of the reason this home hasn't sold has more to do with the owners' life choices and less to do with their agent--but I guarantee I could have written better prose and my pictures would have been more attractive. But then again, I would have been the one who would have been fired. I haven't heard from the owners, nor do I expect to. I wish them all the best. Well, actually, I wish the husband all the best. I wish the wife just rode her broom into the sunset.

She's 18 Today

Polliwog has grown up. 

Planning For Work

There are two phases of a real estate professional's job. Working and looking for work. The looking for work takes about six months or so of open houses, marketing, hand shaking, talking to people and then suddenly, if all that works right, a client appears!

The working part usually only lasts for four to eight weeks (sometimes less in this market). It consists of looking at the three homes available that meet my buyer's criteria. Having them not believe they will be in a bidding war, and then have me write a low-ball offer (no matter what Zillow says). Once they lose out on the first home, they become more realistic and actually get an offer into escrow. If I represent a seller, it consists of a few other things but the process doesn't take as long.

At the moment, I am don't have any active clients. I have a lender who wants to partner with me for some advertising. I have Scott, my graphic artist, ready to tackle my sorry web site. I also have a few lookie-loos right now who may, possibly, maybe want to buyer or sell when the time is right. I am ok with that.

I closed four homes in six weeks. Honestly, that's a lot for a small time frame. I was gone part of that time and I was sick. Neither of my challenges slowed down my clients' needs. So, to be fair, I could use a mini-breather. Buck and Polly are starting school and that comes with its own types of challenges. There are also life-things that need to be addressed and now there is time. In addition, I have a few behind the scenes real estate business items (accounting, taxes, filing) to take care of. I should be complete with that stuff in plenty of time to hit up Mrs. Hufflepuff or El Jefe and ask them if I can hold their homes open in a few months.

Lunch with El Jefe

A few weeks ago I got an invitation to a designated broker appreciation lunch at the local realtor association. I hate stuff like this. But, in my quest to be more sociable, I asked El Jefe if he was going. He was, actually, my second choice but Mrs. Hufflepuff, though the owner of her company, is not the Designated Broker.

Anyway, El Jefe said "no way in hell. I have a life." And as far as I was concerned, Fate sealed my decision. I could pass on the whole ordeal guilt-free.

Two days after El Jefe turned this opportunity of a lifetime down, he changed his mind, and thought it might be fun. So, I was once again going. All this week, I intermittently texted him with messages like, "Are you sure you aren't changing your mind?" El Jefe knows me well enough to read that as, "I don't want to go, but you said you are and now I am stuck, so get me out of this nightmare," and not a question of his integrity.

El Jefe didn't change his mind.

The lunch was a bland carb-loaded, over-cooked pasta kind of catered thing, with the only good vittles being the ice tea. The company was good, as El Jefe and I sat by ourselves swapping war stories. He asked when I was taking Ronnie--his agent--my friend. I told him I wasn't and he was happy to hear it. He wanted to know if I have been active. Yes. Then, I found an agent with a buyer for a listing he has coming up. So, there was networking.

There were speakers, one of whom said something along the lines of, "there are a lot of challenges right now," 18 times from the moment I started counting. Another was an attorney who told a horror story that got El Jefe to snort ice tea through his nose and exclaim to the entire room, "Holy S***, does E&O (malpractice insurance) cover this?" To be fair, El Jefe only said what the rest of us were thinking.

And by the way, the answer is No. If a seller independently counters to two buyers and both buyers accept the counter offer, the seller has sold the house twice and there will inevitably be a lawsuit as one buyer will be seriously unhappy (the agent used the wrong form and not the form that would have covered this--glad it wasn't an agent under my brokerage).

There was also a designated broker in the room who asked questions that frightened everyone else, as they should be basic items he learned in real estate school. El Jefe whispered to me, "I hope he doesn't have agents under him." Turns out he does. And they sell real estate too.

All in all, I enjoyed my time with El Jefe. I am glad I went. But I could have done the same thing at a more convenient time and with better food if I figured this out sooner.

I'm Going with Alien Abduction

I find it interesting at times the amount of manufactured drama that buying or selling brings. For example when a buyer puts an offer in and then doesn't hear from the seller right away, there often is a running dialogue that goes something like, "Why aren't they responding? Did another offer come in? Do they want more money? What don't they like about my offer?"

When the seller does respond, perhaps with a counter-offer, and then the seller doesn't hear anything from the buyer's side, there can be words like, "We wanted too much." or more likely, "How dare them think our precious house isn't worth what we say it is worth, if we get this into escrow they are nuts to think we will fix anything..."

Most of the time, we agents are in the background, shaking our heads, commiserating. Then our clients think we are in collusion with the other side. Nope, we think all'y'all need to stop over-dramatizing.

Sometimes the seller doesn't get back to the buyer because they are waiting for a better offer. But mostly because the real estate agent hasn't had time to write up the counter offer because they are too busy dealing with the seller's manufactured drama. Sometimes the buyer's side hasn't responded to a counter offer because they aren't sure if they want to go forward and just need to think. Sometimes they are pissy because how dare the seller reject their perfectly reasonable low-ball offer! At any rate, most of the time by the time the home lands in escrow the two parties have already jumped to major untrue and unrealistic conclusions about the other party and nothing the other agent and I can say will change their perception of reality. Nothing.

I am representing a seller right now. She used to be an Arizona real estate agent. She is selling a rental home. Nobody is moving out. Nobody is moving in.  However, the sale will now close one day later than expected. I don't consider this a big deal, because nobody is moving. However, she wants to know why? Why will it close later? Loan docs have been ordered. Everything is done. Why?????

So, I asked the other agent. The reason is simply because the underwriters had a condition that needed to be met. It took a day longer to send out some form. The form has been sent. Now everything is set to close. But, just one day later.

That wasn't enough for my seller. Why? Why did the underwriter take longer? Didn't they know what they needed two weeks ago? I have no idea. I represent the seller, not the buyer. I just don't know and asking won't change the reality. It will close when it closes. And furthermore, it doesn't really make a difference in the grand scheme of things.

I spent all day Tuesday fielding calls from my (normally sane and--make no mistake about it, thoroughly wonderful) seller who had manufactured all sorts of scenarios about this sale. Maybe the buyers were backing out? Doubtful, we close this week. They would be in breach of contract. Maybe the buyers don't have the funds for the down payment? Doubtful, they wouldn't have gotten this far in the sale without proof of down payment. Maybe the buyers were abducted by aliens over the weekend and lost track of time?

Possible.

My "I don't knows" were countered with "please find out." That's all well and good but none of my investigations satisfied her curiosity or make this sale close a day earlier. Sometimes reality is boring and unsatisfying.

My Baby

Buckaroo starts Fire Fighter/EMT/First Responder--whatever you want to call it--school today. I am not ok with this. But, I am proud of him. I just wish he had picked something slightly safer.

Flying Away

A couple of years ago, my kids went to school for about six months. It was hard on them. It was harder on the family. I struggled with the idea because I was in a tough place with the business flittering off into the ether and not really having a plan of what to do next.

When the whole "school thing" came to a screeching halt six months later it was kind of a relief. One of those reasons I was happy about it (other than not having to wake up so damn early every day) was that I had a purpose again. Those were vulnerable times for me, not gonna lie. With my identity of business owner and homeschool mom removed, I didn't know what to do with myself. Between the two, I missed homeschool mom a heck of a lot more. Fortunately, so did the kids.

Sadly, I am sort of here again. This time, Polly isn't coming back. She is starting her senior year of high school as a college student. She has done this before, but this time, she is taking it on with much more purpose and maturity. Frankly, it is easier to classify her on as a high school student because we can keep her on our insurance. Once she is officially in college, then there is the whole "full time" student thing we have to contend with. Or, I have to get her labeled as disabled, because at this time, Polly cannot handle four classes at once. The health insurance is necessary too, because she has a chronic condition that requires (expensive) medication until who knows when.

In addition to the fact she won't be homeschooled again, she reminds me in her words and deeds that she is almost 18. Now Polly and I have a great relationship. But she speaks her mind at times when she probably shouldn't. I guarantee I did the same thing at her age.

I am proud of her. My baby has blossomed with a beautiful spirit. I can't complain.

But Buckaroo is also leaving me part-time. His schedule is such that I am not sure how much schooling we can really get into our homeschool day. He is taking a pretty intensive program, requiring a lot of physical and mental preparation. There is extensive studying and understanding. Part of me feels like he should have (and he could have) waited one more year. Technically he is expected to be a Junior to do this program. Just as Polly is currently a perpetual Senior, Buck just skipped a grade on paper so that he could be in this program.

Buck also has a ton of other activities and no driver's license, so for the moment we will be spending a lot of time together. When will I have time to be a real estate agent? No idea. That's fine too. I see myself driving to golf, guitar, more golf, wrestling, krav maga, chemistry class, and more golf, plus other weekly appointments and his actual school each week. This leaves little time for algebra and reading. But he will be getting all the Science he ever hoped to have out of the way. Plus, I will get at least car time with my son. Just for a little bit longer.

RESPA

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act is a very boring topic. However, it is necessary. A 1974 law, it states the buyer gets to know what they are spending their money on everyone is to disclose  any affiliated relationships between the third parties helping them.

For example, if a licensed loan officer had a real estate license and handled both the loan and the sale, the buyer would be informed their agent made money in both cases. I am over-simplifying, but that is the gist--money and gifts do not pass hands for those of us who play in the real estate industry.

What this truly means is real estate agents and loan officers do not get kickbacks from each other or anyone else. Anyone. That is, unless they want to be in a heap of trouble. This is as simple as an insurance agent going to lunch and picking up the tab for a loan officer. Each better pay for their own. Or a title officer giving a thank you gift to real estate agent. It better be a pad of paper with the title officer's name and company embossed all over it.

There are no referral fees between industries (the exception is a real estate brokerage giving another real estate brokerage a fee for a referral, but not giving Mary Doe money because their best friend's sister wants to buy a home). Or at least, that is the rules that have been in place for 44 years.

Recently I have run into a few folks (credit repair companies, home warranty company representative and a loan officer) who have forgotten these rules. This disturbs me. Not only is it illegal, but it really sheds my profession in a bad light. Sales people, real estate agents in general, already have a reputation as shady. I consider it a personal mission to raise the bar of professionalism for my industry. The credit repair chick was offended when I told her I would not take a referral fee--it is illegal. "Perhaps a gift card then..." she replied. Perhaps I won't be working with her. I am certainly not going to pay her for clients either.

Shucks, I'm Busy

I got a call Monday from a friend of a friend. I know this woman, but I would hardly call her an acquaintance. Anyway, she owns a home in Gilbert (it is currently a rental) but lives back East. They want to sell next year.

She started our chat with, "Every time I buy or sell a home, we have a bad experience." Then she wanted to know what I charged for a commission and if it would be a bad experience working with me if she chooses to hire me. Fortunately, she didn't really care about what she asked me, because she proceeded to recite from from all articles on Zillow, et. al., talking about how to keep your agent in line. She also told me she thought realtors were over-rated, but it might be worth giving me a chance if I can play by her rules.

She ended this exchange with the news she and her husband were coming in town in a few weeks. Was I available to meet?

When A Plan Comes Together

Once upon a time, like July 9th, I received a reasonable offer on a home I have listed. This was after several unreasonable offers. The catch was I was at Midway Airport, about 10 minutes from my plane boarding. I called the agent, went over the terms and conditions. Then, I called my seller and she gave me her counter offer. Then, walking on the tunnel as I was boarding the plane, I looked like someone out of Central Casting with phone in my hand, negotiating this deal, as I called the agent back, and said, "This would be the counter offer if I were able to write this down right now." The agent texted me right before I buckled my seat belt and said, "Write it up. We have a deal."

Fast-forward a few hours later. I had landed and was beyond jet-lagged. I had pretty much be awake since 1 a.m. Arizona time. I had slept like garbage in Michigan for the previous five nights. It was an emotional trip that had drained me physically, emotionally and spiritually. That day, I had eaten about 300 calories and was hopped up on caffeine and the joy of seeing my family.

Let me ask you: if I were negotiating your one-third of a million dollar sale, would you want me writing a contract right then and there under those conditions?

The buyer's agent totally understood and told me to get some sleep. We had a verbal agreement. He and I were good. My client signed the papers the next day. However, the buyers were losing their minds because we did not respond right away and what if someone snatched up their home? The buyer's agent assured him, it wasn't happening. We had a verbal agreement. But, the buyer felt a lot better once he had a signed offer.

There is this rule in Arizona called the Statute of Frauds. We also euphemistically call it the "four corners rule." If it is between these four corners of this piece of paper, it is legally binding. Anything else isn't. However, sometimes life just doesn't work that way. This transaction is a great example. I had strep throat and was pretty much down and out for 10 days. Then, my seller didn't like the list of repairs the buyers asked for. Then the buyer didn't sign off on my seller's response to the list of repairs. Then the buyer's agent's small son was rushed to the hospital and nothing got signed. All the while, the other agent and I were saying to each other and our panicking clients, "No worries. It is taken care of."

And it was taken care of. I knew when the buyer's agent said, "We are good to go," he meant it. He believed me when I said it. Would a judge agree? Probably not. In fact, the other agent and I probably would have been looking at a bigger issue. However, it never crossed my mind it was a problem. I doubt it crossed his.

Part of what I do requires me and my colleagues to tell the truth. I rarely run into a sleazeball--though they exist. And they tend to show their true colors early on. That's why I knew from July 9th on, I could say, "I have some odd circumstances. May I get this to you in the morning?" and it wasn't a problem.

At this time, I have all my paperwork (got the last bit today). The buyer's agent's son got home from the hospital today. And we are all set to close next week.