Unlocking Karma

My Saturday was so disturbing that I am still somewhat aghast people like this exist. And worse, there are those who aren't emotionally strong enough that they will allow these kinds of abusers to thrive.

Saturday morning my home inspector called to tell me he couldn't get into the house my buyer needed an inspection on, because the keys were missing. I called the agent, who proceeded to say "Not my problem." In fact, he said it was my problem because my buyer was doing a (contractually agreed upon) inspection.

Let me get this straight: A home you are responsible for, and your seller is entrusting you with, does not have keys? THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM. The agent suggested he didn't know where the keys were. Because he was out of town, I offered to swing by the owner's home and pick up a spare.

No. That won't work. (I don't know why).

He then said it was the appraiser's fault because the appraiser was at the house earlier in the week and didn't put back the keys. "Well call the appraiser," I stupidly said.

He said he didn't have the appraiser's number. He said it would be a "waste of time." He said he gets "too many phone calls" and how would he know which number it is anyway?

"What kind of agent doesn't take notes?" I may have said. Marty said it was a snotty remark. Whatever. I had a home inspector who was standing outside in a questionable neighborhood and couldn't do what was contractually obligated. I also had an agent who was out of solutions and too bad because--and I am not making this up--it was all MY fault.

Finally, after he found out I would not be pushed around (nor would I hire my own locksmith) he agreed to call the locksmith.

My home inspector tells me the locksmith had the agent on speakerphone when he arrived. The agent was telling him, "Yea, I have the key, I just went out of town." That is a far cry from the gas-lighting I had received an hour earlier, and when I found out, I was none too happy.

But as we all know, nothing in life happens without purpose. The locksmith (on speaker phone for my home inspector to hear) told agent for the honor of him stopping what he was doing on a Saturday morning and rushing over to a scary part of town, it would be $250. My home inspector said it then got interesting.

When the agent pointed out that HIS locksmith charges only $50 for this service, the locksmith replied with, "Yea, I don't see your locksmith. But give him a call. I have better things to do. I am leaving."

At which point, the agent had to hire him back. For $300.

I graciously took the receipt and sent it to the agent. For his records, of course.