It was a $500 Trip Charge

I think one of the big reasons I am burned out on the whole real estate thing is because of stories I just read on the AZ Realtor Forum--the super-secret Facebook site where agents can get together and work through issues. Here's the latest: 

This past Sunday (Labor Day weekend, mind you,) Mary went to show her vacant listing only to find out her seller's AC is on the fritz. The seller is out of state. Mary called her sellers to let them know this will need to be remedied. 

Now then, pop quiz time: who owns the house? The sellers. 

Who owns the AC? The sellers. 

Whose responsibility is it to get the AC fixed? The sellers. Even if they are out of town. 

However, Mary, who feels it is always right to go the extra mile, said she can be available on Tuesday to meet AC guy at the house, let the dude in and he can fix the problem. Of course, the sellers have to pay for this. 

But that wasn't good enough. Nope. The sellers demanded Mary meet the AC guy at the house Sunday  night of a holiday weekend--the earliest he could come is after 9 p.m., let in this stranger to a dark and vacant home where he will miraculously fix whatever is wrong and go on his merry way. 

Mary, who is night blind and lives miles away, asked if perhaps a friend or family member could do this. Otherwise, as she mentioned prior, Tuesday would work when she could meet the AC guy at a reasonable hour. The seller said no. She didn't want to "inconvenience" the neighbors or friends. The seller would rather pay the weekend charge and inconvenience her agent instead. 

Mary asked if she could put a combination key box on the property so the AC guy could let himself in. Nope. That was not an option. As far as the sellers were concerned, Mary was to babysit the AC guy in a vacant home late on a Sunday night. 

Here's where I get cranky. My attorney doesn't cook my food. My doctor doesn't fix my car. My AC guy doesn't cut my hair. They have boundaries. Most reasonable folks wouldn't think of asking the above to do any other tasks other than what they are paid to do. But clients expect real estate agents to be indentured servants. 

IT ISN'T MARY'S JOB TO SIT AT A VACANT HOME ON A SUNDAY NIGHT AT 9 P.M. TO WAIT FOR SOME STRANGER TO SHOW UP. And frankly, Mary should have set that expectation from the beginning. She is making it hard for the rest of us to look professional when she is willing to whore herself out. Pardon me, I'm annoyed. 

There are times I will do extra for my clients (remember Ruby the passive-aggressive standard poodle?). I've let in my fair share of vendors, at reasonable hours around my schedule, mind you. But I let my clients know it isn't part of my scope of service.

As agents, if we wish to be taken seriously, we need to stop trying to solve other people's problems and focus on what we are being paid to do. I understand this ruffles feathers of clients and agents alike, but it doesn't change the fact we have responsibilities and need to set boundaries.