Learning Experience

I came back from my two weeks out yonder, simply exhausted. I may have slept a million hours my first two days, but I am still banking half a million hours sleep every day since. I have thank you notes to write to my hosts, and I can hear Bonus Mom in my head gently reminding me every time I sit down that this needs to be done. Ok. After I blog. I promise.

Today my listing is supposed to close. I have heard nothing suggesting it isn't. But then again, I slept until noon and have been awake less than 45 minutes.

This listing is a bit different for me. I took it at a deep discount--something I am not proud of. Essentially I worked for $26 a day. I know this because I calculated it. My client, who was quite kind, has been great to work with. That alone is a huge relief because as a rule of thumb, the greater the discount the bigger the jerk of  a client. I am glad this one worked out. She was a family member of someone I had helped three different times. The sale was mine to loose.

But, crazy dog who hated me aside, I worked hard for this one. It is too bad I didn't fight harder for my pay check. I didn't discount my service or my actual job, just what I agreed I was worth. The only one who felt under-valued in this whole ordeal was my ego. Some day when I am not so tired and ready for another nap, I may process this a bit more. Perhaps I should have walked away? Perhaps it was an easy $26 a day in my pocket? Either way, I won't make this mistake again.



And now off to write my thank you notes.

Professionalism

I got a call from someone who said they worked for XYZ Realty. This woman went on to first congratulate me on my, "real estate career." She then talked about how awesome XYZ Realty happens to be. She said they have, "reasonable commission splits," and if I want to work for a professional company with a mentorship program to, "help me" get my career on the "right path," they would love to schedule an interview with me.

Would Tuesday or Wednesday of next week be good for me?

"Wait? Are you looking for people to help mentor new agents?" I asked, because I am always open to the right opportunity if there is a leadership and training component involved. Never say never, right?

"No, we help you," this girl said. "We want to help you to be as successful as possible," she added.

"Well, I am the designated broker and a real estate certified instructor, so I am not sure I would be..." and then this chick hung up on me.

Client Care

Sometimes my job makes me look like a glorified babysitter. Thanks to the internet, most clients don't think agents really work hard or do anything anywhere. But then again, sharing the day to day details don't make great fodder for them either. I am hired and expected to use my understanding of Arizona and Federal real estate law, lending practices and an array of other trivial knowledge to make sure my clients are protected. It doesn't sound like much, but it can make or break a sale. Here's an example.

This week, I got an e-mail from the loan officer about my closing. The e-mail said the buyer would sign loan docs (that were already dated) for Monday June 29 and wasn't that great news! However, it's a problem. We are supposed to close June 29. So if the buyer signs that day, we aren't closing that day. And though there are those (like the loan officer) who might say, "no big deal," it really is a big deal.

My seller is using the money from her house sale to buy a house also scheduled to close on June 29. Maybe that seller is also using that money to buy a house as well. Who knows how far this string of buyers and sellers goes--all based on a June 29th closing. This is a chain reaction of possible life-altering decisions with a lot of strangers, all whom have some stake in this working out right. And all of this is based on a promise to close on June 29.

Even if we aren't talking about multiple transactions that may affect several people, what about something as small as the seller has to keep the water, electricity and insurance current on the house until close of escrow. If this is set to close on Monday and she has already turned off everything based on this date, what happens if it doesn't close? Right now it is so hot that the water not running for a day can make or break the plants. What if the place gets burglarized or if (Heaven help me for saying this) the place catches fire when the insurance policy is cancelled. At any rate, my seller needs to stay protected. And don't laugh, it happens.

What if the buyer has all his worldly belongings packed in a Uhaul and has taken the day off from work to make this move happen on Monday but now is homeless because of these loan docs? Where is he putting all of his worldly belongings? Where is he and his family living? He WON'T be living in my seller's house if he doesn't own it.

Anyway, the wrong date on loan documents is a problem, even if it is unintentional. The buying side may have also caught this but I didn't ask--though they are pretty competent and I've enjoyed working with them. Instead, just I wrote to everyone saying, "Please clarify will the buyer be closing on the 29th as well?" Well, apparently someone took a better look at the buyer's scenario and now know the loan docs were redrawn for June 27 signing.

The buyer and seller know nothing about the wrong dates on the loan documents. I have no reason to tell my seller and probably couldn't do so without sounding a bit bombastic. It is just the regular care agents take on a normal basis. It just doesn't look like anything spectacular. And that's part of the reason agents aren't valued by the public. Something so small isn't remarkable enough to share with the world when it goes right.

Meaningless

I got an e-mail from the local realtor association, telling me my company made the "Honor Roll." That is, all my agents paid their dues on time, there are no ethics complaints against any of my agents and all of my agents have their continuing education up to date.

It really isn't difficult to be on the "Honor Roll" when you are a company of one.

Random Adventures

I walked into Mrs. Meadow's home Monday morning, purse still slung over my arm and suitcase in the other hand when she said, "Last night around two a.m. the dogs started barking their 'snake bark.' I looked outside and there was a rattler, right outside but I needed the flashlight to find it. The rattler is dead now. I threw it over the fence and I think it became someone else's dinner. It's hard to hold the flashlight and kill the snake at the same time."

Then she added this little gem: "So if they start barking tonight, you can hold the flashlight while I kill it." (For the record, there was no "flashlight holding" while I was there.)

I love visiting her. I can't wait to go back again. Hopefully during snake hibernation season.

__________

I was so tired from my travels I slept 16 hours yesterday. I need another 16 hours and I might be rested.

__________

Marty got word yesterday that his job is safe for this month. His boss is not guaranteeing anything further than through mid July.

June Adventures

I have been home for the past 60 hours. I leave again in two hours. This time to visit Mrs. Meadows for a couple of days. Back-to-back trips are exhausting--and I haven't even left for my second trip yet. I am glad I opted not to teach this past weekend. I was busy enough with laundry and preparing Father's Day brunch for the family. However, being gone for part of this week is a nice distraction from Friday's upcoming layoff notice (though round isn't as emotionally intense in the Sunshine household).

By the way, I have another client. Or I think I do. We set up an appointment to see some new-builds NEXT weekend. I explained that I couldn't represent them if they went without me. They said they understood and not to worry. They wouldn't do ANYTHING like that. Ever. But, they decided to go look this weekend anyway. What would it hurt? Ugh. Well, for starters, I can't answer the upcoming millions of questions about the contract and the process if they go forward. They are on their own.

By the way, they are repeat new-build clients of mine. So, it isn't as if this was brand-new territory for them. They are great people and hopefully this will all work out the way it is supposed to. I like this builder, so there's still a chance my folks will be able to have representation from me. We shall see.

Updates in the Recent Adventures

I am sitting in Boise right now, playing on my computer--the first time in a week (spoiler: sometimes I write my blogs ahead of time). Marty did not get even a mere interview in Polk County. That works for me.

Jane is trying desperately to convince me to move to Idaho. I would like to take a breather from looking at major life changes just for a little while. If only Marty's job situation was a bit more calm, then we could take that breather.

But, just for fun, Jane and I looked at model homes this week. She is suggesting I can write off my trip now (Note: if you happen to be a tax attorney and read this post, I won't be doing that). Nor did I like like the houses I saw. But I do like the area. I could see myself living here. Someday.

On a side note, Jane and I found a historical marker in Oregon. It turns out I am related to the man  who died*. Pretty cool.

*When my father retired in 1998, he researched my family genealogy. He made it back to the 1500s.  I am related to Samuel Champlain and Sacajawea's husband's family (and her son).

Alfred

Many, MANY years ago, when I was a new agent, I had a listing in Goodyear. I got a sign call from Alfred, who had a property in that neighborhood. He wanted to know what his home was worth. And thus, a friendship was born. Over the years, Alfred has kept in touch--he lives in Santa Barbara, CA. His job is kind of a fun one, he works for the Wayne family in a service capacity.

At one point, young Master Wayne had a home in Chandler. I sold it. That's the only money I have made from my friendship with Alfred. But that doesn't stop him from calling--or me from calling--once in a while to say hello and catch up.

Currently, Alfred's plan is to "flip homes" in the greater Phoenix area. I have told him it probably won't happen, as we don't have a depressed market. But it isn't stopping me from looking. Once in a while I send him wholesale properties that would cut me out of the buying side of a sale, with the idea that if he were to buy it, fix and flip, I would get the sale end eventually. I also send him foreclosure notices, so if he wants to purse that aspect he can.

So far, nothing has come of his intentions. That's fine. Perhaps one day something will. In fact, if Marty gets laid off and we end up moving (groan), I intend to call him first and let him make an offer on my house. In the meantime, Alfred is fun to talk to and makes me smile.

Note: turns out I've written about Alfred before: https://adventureswithrealestate.blogspot.com/2019/05/alfred-is-leaving-bat-cave.html

Adventures in Idaho

As it turns out, Jane is in Vegas visiting her daughter for a few days. I am flying in there today to meet her. Then the two of us are driving back to Idaho, with a side trip to Tahoe--she's never been. This is the first of the three (or four) potential trips I am taking this summer. Hopefully.

I Would Have Preferred Polk County Missouri

One of the Many Critters to be Found in Polk County

The other day, Marty casually said, "That job I just put in for in Polk County looks really interesting." As I had no idea what he was talking about, I said, "job?"

"Yes," he replied--a little too enthusiastically for my taste--"how would you feel about Polk County?"

Now then, thanks to Google, I now know there are 12 Polk Counties in the United States. The one he was referring to was in the smack-middle of Florida. My answer was simply, "You know I will agree to live anywhere for five years."

But between you and me, it appears this Polk County has all of the unfortunate aspects of a swamp and none of the benefits of a beach. And truly, that is half my problem with Florida: swampland and the subsequent critters that go with it. I am not a fan of critters. If you add no beaches in sight, I see no redeeming value of Polk County Florida whatsoever. And frankly, Marty knows my opinion of Florida.

However, since we have just been through a lay-off, I stupidly asked the next question, "Why are you still applying for jobs?" Especially jobs in undesirable places?

Well, it turns out I have misread the tea leaves. It turns out there will be layoffs EVERY MONTH for the next several months. I thought there was one more lay-off coming towards the end of the summer. And, with only one more round to go, Marty was probably going to be ok when that lay-off came. But apparently, that's not the sadistic way Marty's company is playing the entire lay-off game. So, the odds have changed.

Right now, I am too focused on my upcoming adventures this month (two trips in the next two weeks plus teaching, a family party and a real estate closing). So, I have decided not to pay too much attention to Marty's next round of lay-offs or somewhat potential job interviews in Polk County.

Time is of the Essence

When I taught two weeks ago, we were running short on time. Once in a while, there was some point that really needed more explanation and would make much more sense to a class of more experienced agents (these guys were rookies). I would joke, "Well, when you take my advanced class, we cover that in greater detail."

Anyways... I was asked to write an advanced class. I spent all afternoon Monday writing an outline for an advanced class. I am calling it "Time is of the Essence" and it is all about the ways a party can get out of the contract or be in breach if they don't follow the timelines in the contract.

Today I am meeting with my title rep, Sarah, and I plan on picking her brain for areas where agents are not so savvy and miss potential breaches or the loopholes to get out. I need material.

But, here's an example of what I mean: say a buyer has an extra-large truck that won't fit into a garage. The HOA documents come out in the middle of the sale, saying that the buyer cannot park their extra-large truck in the driveway. Is the buyer stuck in the sale? Nope. They have five days to back out, citing disapproval of the HOA's covenants, conditions and restrictions. I am shocked at the number of agents who do not know this is an option and would tell their clients they are just out of luck they are spending one-third of a million dollars (or more) but have nowhere to park their truck. (true story).

Now then, I have absolutely no idea if Beth will like the direction I am going--I've never written a class before. Once I have her initial blessing, I have to firm it up, and put it in the right format for the Department of Real Estate. Then the class has to be approved. But the hardest part is done--just coming up with that "Advanced class."

The Builder Warranty

Friday morning, Mr. Dee called me. The garage door broke at the new house Thursday night. Now, when I say "garage door," I don't mean the 36" door leading from the garage into the house. Nope. I mean that big thing that needs to go up and down, giving the lucky recipient a place to park their car. However, when the garage door broke, there was no way to close the garage door at that point, which was kind of a problem--especially in the neighborhood where this house is located.

Anyway, for those of you playing along, you may remember I caused all sorts of trouble this past week to get the builder/seller to commit to a two-year warranty on the property. Who knew it would be needed so quickly?

As it turns out, the selling agent was super-cooperative (I wasn't sure what kind of reception I would get when I called her). She hunted down the CEO of the construction company. Someone on behalf of the seller was at the home within the hour. They fixed the issue immediately with a, "Yes Sir," to Mr. Dee, topping it off with a, "please let me know if you need anything else."  The garage door was fixed and Mr. and Mrs. Dee are happy once again.

Feedback

I got the feedback from the students in last week's contract class. It was all positive--which was nice to hear. It is hard to teach the 10 page purchase contract, much less doing this over the computer. So it looks like these students learned something.

My students last week were all pre-licensees (this six hour class is required before they can practice real estate). Plus, like every online class, there was a secret mole from the AZ Department of Real Estate present. I don't know who the mole was for that class, but either they didn't fill out the post-class survey or they were one of the folks who said nice things.

She Obviously Doesn't Read My Blog

When I called Dee on Wednesday to tell her we closed and she now is the proud owner of a new home, she said, "You make this look easy."

Nice words and very much appreciated. Maybe someday I will tell her about the behind the scenes. Or, maybe I will just blissfully forget.

Finding A Cure

As of Tuesday night, I still hadn't received the builder warranty information. And frankly, I was perplexed. How hard was it to put the seller contact information down on a piece of paper, telling the buyer who to call in the unlikely event a pipe (on a brand new home) bursts sometime in the next two years? The selling agent assured me there was a "package" coming my way and all was good. She would have it to me that night.

At the same time, Tuesday night, I called Dee. "Do you want me to continue championing this?" I asked. "If we delay closing, they will have to redraw your loan docs and you may have some significant fees associated with this." Dee said she understood and wanted me to continue. She also said she would walk away from the sale, no matter what, if she didn't get this. Fair enough. So, with nothing else on my calendar Wednesday morning, I pulled out the big guns, warmed up my Big Girl Designated Broker Voice(tm) and then nobody was happy.

In Arizona Real Estate, we have this little document called a "Cure Notice." In simplistic terms, a Cure Notice alerts one side of a transaction something in the contract isn't exactly being followed by the other side and and please fix whatever teensy issue might be happening. Thankyouverymuch.

In real-life terms, a Cure Notice is the ugliest of the ugly. It tells an agent their side has screwed up royally and there is hell to pay. It allows the aggrieved party to cancel the contract if the colossal screw up isn't resolved in three days. And by the way, getting one of these notices is considered a huge insult--a professional slap across the face, if you will. They are handed out sparsely and one never wants to be on the receiving end.

I have never been on the receiving end of one. However, one time when I was representing the buyer there was a loan officer who was causing all sorts of trouble, and I expected the selling agent to issue a cure notice--and was shocked when one didn't come. That said, I have issued four cure notices in 17+ years in the biz, the latest one was Wednesday morning. It went over as well as one could imagine. But it wasn't like the other agent hadn't been warned.

About ten minutes after the cure notice went out, cc'd to everyone involved in this sale, along with directives from me to the title company saying, "We will not close on this sale while this is an issue and we expect the seller to act in good faith," I got a single slip of paper with the warranty information. It was the same slip of paper I had been asking for since April 25. I guess threatening to to make this sale go away finally made it real.

Adventures of a World Class Bitch

I have used my Big-Girl Designated Broker Voice(tm) more in the past week than I have in the two and a half years as a designated broker. And frankly, my throat is starting to hurt.

Last Thursday night, I got word, only because I called and finally got hold of Dee's loan officer that that loan documents were at title A WEEK EARLY. This is fine and good--after all, who doesn't love efficiency?--but Dee was out of the state. We were originally scheduled to close on the 9th. And--here's the best part--the loan docs were dated for a June 1 closing. Nobody mentioned closing early to me, the seller or Dee. In fact, title didn't even bother to say they had the loan documents. And certainly nobody mentioned to anyone they were dated for a June 1st closing.

Friday morning I got in touch with the title officer, who asked why my clients couldn't come in and sign the loan documents right then and there. Well, there are a few reasons. First, I hadn't even reviewed the closing documents because title hadn't bothered to send them to me. I had no idea if they were right and if my clients should sign them. And second--follow along here--Dee and Mr. Dee were OUT OF STATE because they thought they were closing on June 9 because that's what the contract says.

In addition to this madness, the contract states that the seller is to provide the buyer with a two year warranty on the property. Pretty simple stuff. Except nobody is able to get anything in writing from the seller. I have been asking for this warranty info since the end of April.

As it stands now, Dee and Mr. Dee have signed the loan documents. Closing has been moved to June 3. And as of this writing, we still do not have the warranty information. I have been in touch with everyone who are still taking my calls and e-mails at this time demanding this stupid warranty information.

And better yet, I have instructed title to delay closing today until my buyer has that warranty information.

Oh yea, the selling side, the loan officer and the title people think I am a bit cranky. I am. And if they did their jobs correctly, I might be a more pleasant human.

The Millennial Kids

Given what horrid clients I attracted into my life last year (Inga, Liam, Landon and Dawn--but mostly Dawn. No wait! Inga was the worst. Or was it Dawn? Ok, they all were awful.), I am so wonderfully blessed not to have the same kind of dynamic in 2020. In fact, I might actually like what I do if I could just clone almost everyone I have met professionally this year (there are fleeting exceptions).

Anyway, I had these millennial kids earlier this year as buyers. They were moving here from another state. Then the world changed and now they aren't moving. However, they left a lasting positive impression.

This past week I got an e-mail from them. They would be happy to reimburse me for what they owe me for my time. Then they thanked me for helping them learn about the city and said a few other niceties. Gotta tell you, acknowledging me at all was thanks enough. As far as what they "owe" me, I will settle for them having a beautiful and joyful life.

Sally's News

My Broker Pal, Sally, has some news! She is starting a brokerage.

Like Today!

She even got an office space and is looking to bring on agents. At this moment, I am not terribly interested in joining her brokerage but I am so happy for her!