Day 23

In Day 23 in the Realm of Marty's New Boss: Today, New Boss publicly chewed out one of Marty's co-workers in a staff meeting. 

In other news, I am finding more and more motivation to become flexible in my work search. 

Inflexible

So I've been browsing the o'le job board looking for something that sorta matches what I am pretty sure I can do. It is difficult because I don't know what I can do. Plus, I only have worked for someone else for about two years in the last 23. Therefore, I am my own set of references. 

Additionally, I am rather fussy about what I want to do and where I want to work. I hate city driving. And I have a perfectly good office located in my basement. So, why increase the my carbon footprint just because someone wants to see my adorable face every day?  

There are a few openings at the Arizona Department of Real Estate that I am more than qualified for. In fact, the person I know there has an opening right under her that she sent me. "Does it allow me to work from home?" I asked. Nope. But we can carpool, she countered. I suspect I would be required to wear shoes too. 

There are other jobs that have shown up that would be good matches. A real estate affiliate is looking for a copy editor to write listing prose (You know the, "Stop the car! This gorgeous three bedroom gem is a must see," and all the other types of hyperbole one writes in a MLS listing). They are willing to pay me as long as I agree to work in their office. I can write (and have written for the past 18 years) the same catchy MLS verbiage from my basement. But in this case, my basement is a deal-breaker, which doesn't seem fair because their office probably doesn't have ice tea on demand and my kitchen helper (Marty) does.   

There is a also a few real estate transaction coordinator jobs that I saw. One happens to be for an acquaintance of mine, who I know would be willing to grant me an interview if I called him and told him I applied for his job. Unfortunately, they also want someone in the office. Now then, the job is 100 percent digital and does not require human interaction. The only reason to go into the office is to be a team player, which, let's be fair, is not part of my winning qualifications. 

I think what I really need is to work on being more flexible. Then I can go back to searching through job boards. 

Liz

 Liz is my very favorite escrow officer. She has been doing this aspect of Arizona real estate long enough that I can swear she knows what she is doing. Liz does have one teensy annoying habit that must be remedied. She likes to take days off when I have a home in escrow. 

Thursday morning, as I was enjoying my breakfast in North Phoenix, an e-mail came in from Liz's replacement. It was sent to a bunch of folks. It was demanding Dee--the buyer--to please investigate and find out why her lender hadn't sent the mortgage money (we call this "the wire") so that the loan can fund and the house can close.  

There are so many things wrong with this e-mail. First, there were two random strangers who were cc'd on this e-mail who are not a party to this sale. I have no idea who they are and they had no idea what this was about. I'd be almost ok with the error, but there was a lot of personal info that was sent in that e-mail that these strangers didn't need to be privy to. 

Second, nowhere in this e-mail was the lender cc'd--you know, the guy who could tell us where the money happened to be. 

Third, it was escrow officer's job to take care of this--not to pass it along as a random errand to the buyer. And if escrow needed to ask anyone to do this (they didn't need to--because it was THIER JOB TO DO SO), it should have been me, the agent. 

This e-mail was straightened out by me calling the loan officer and asking him to directly contact the escrow officer. "Liz? She's great. Why is she looking for this?" The loan officer asked me. 

"Nope, she's on vacation." 

"Oh no," he said with the horror I was feeling. 

This money issue got resolved and I suspect the communication issue of the e-mail going to random strangers was also addressed, because the escrow branch manager stepped in and sent a few other e-mails shortly afterwards. 

Because we were still missing the money (this time the bank swears they sent it but the escrow officer couldn't find the wire), I called over and chatted a bit with Liz's boss. "Liz is not allowed to go on vacation again." I said. And given the weariness in her voice, I suspect I wasn't the only one who felt that way.  

I'm Not Making This Up

In Day 14 of the Reign of the New Boss, Marty Sunshine tells me his new boss informed the folks he now manages (Marty's team) that the last group he was in charge of was a "bunch of primadonnas" who didn't like change. 

In other news, there are no homes for sale. Marty is working from home and I need to find a hobby or a part time job. Or both. 

Transition

We are in Day 13 of the Reign of Marty's New Boss. And, I'm already done. So are Marty and his co-workers. There are thirteen of them in his department and I'm guessing resumes are flying through cyber space at a record speed.  As for me, whenever Marty mentions a job req in a different city, I've started googling where the Trader Joes, Costco and Catholic Churches happen to be.  

Random Adventures

It is really hard to get excited about selling houses when there is only 3,190 single family homes for sale in Maricopa and Pinal Counties combined. In my particular zip code there are only 10 active sales--and none of them are within one mile from my home. So, yea.. Yay real estate. 

In other news, Polly's former co-worker, Babs, wants me to help her find a rental for under $900 a month. She'd prefer $800 a month, because $900 is kind of stretching it. I told her the stark reality and she wasn't deterred. She needs a "nice" place to live in a "good" neighborhood--whatever that means. I sent her the one house I found and I'm pretty sure the price is a typo. 

Also in other news, John's Sun City house appears to be under contract. Someone apparently doesn't mind the lack of flooring. And I'm pleased to hear that. John is a nice guy and I think he will be a lot more at peace once his home is sold.  

John's Back

There are several pictures of this room on MLS. 
Several.

 Remember John? He's my brother's friend who needed to sell a home in Sun City. Through the course of the past several months it became apparent that I was not the agent to help out John. Actually, I figured that out from the very beginning, but I love my brother and I hung on for a while. 

Anyway, I found an agent to help out John. Luke is top-notch. Plus, I was straight-forward with Luke  about what kind of crazy he was signing up for. He would have found out anyway, so why beat around the bush? 

It took eight months, but Luke listed John's house this week. The house still doesn't have carpet--the pictures show a dirty and ripped carpet pad. However, John doesn't think it is an issue. According to John, the house looks like a, "model home." I saw the pictures, I don't agree, but whatever, Luke is a saint.  

As you might have gleaned, John called me. He wanted a reality check on his agent, Luke. First, Zillow says John can get $100,000 more for his house than what Luke priced it for. What did I think? I thought I was going to have an ethics complaint written up if I answered this question (it was priced competitively). 

John also said that he was concerned that--and I'm not making this up--Luke would withhold higher offers and give John only the (hypothetical) lowball offers. And then, Luke would somehow be the buyer of this house, flip it to one of the higher offers and make a killing. What did I think? I think I was getting a headache. 

And finally, John's sister's friend, who went to real estate school in Ohio or Iowa but never got his license, felt that, without meeting Luke or knowing anything about the poor guy, Luke wasn't working in John's best interest. What did I think? I thought that Luke isn't making enough commission on this sale to cover his future therapy bills. 

I did talk John off the ledge. Luke is fabulous. It doesn't serve anyone for Luke to not give John the highest and best offer. Plus, Luke has to disclose if he is the buyer of the home. And don't even get me started on what I think of Zillow. I also told John that I would immediately be calling Luke to share with him what he and I discussed because if I didn't I could be brought up on an ethics complaint for talking to Luke's client, because I am not at liberty to really give John real estate advice at this point. 

When I called Luke to tell him John called me, all Luke said was simply, "I figured he would call you." 

Hopefully Luke will get this home sold sooner rather than later to some buyer who doesn't mind a dirty, ripped carpet pad holding down the floor. And when it sells, I am crossing my fingers Luke and I will still be friends. 

Ronnie

Ronnie was my mentor years ago. She and I became friends. When I left 21st Century, to join El Jefe, she came too. When I left to start my own brokerage, I invited her along. But the timing wasn't right and El Jefe offered her something I can't--a property management division. 

Anyway, Ronnie and I stay in touch. We have lunch about once a month. Ronnie wants to leave El Jefe and is looking around for somewhere to go. We talked briefly about her joining my brokerage and adding a property management division. I'm not against it. But with Marty's job (once again) in flux right now, I'm not open to a lot of big changes in my brokerage. 

I did hook her up with my Broker Pal, Sally, for an informational interview. Ronnie and I also discussed a few other places she might look at going. Ronnie doesn't want to keep changing brokerages. I can't say I blame her.

As we were parting yesterday, I said, "You are welcome to use me as a reference." 

She laughed and said, "I already do." 

So It Begins

Marty Sunshine has a new boss. Again. His company seems to get rid of the good ones and throw bad ones into manage Marty's group. Since 2016 his team, which hasn't changed, has had five bosses. Additionally, Marty's department, which has been working together for years and knows what they are doing, is less than impressed with this latest guy. 

New Boss--in his second week of his reign, took it upon himself to go all Machiavelli and brag in their staff meeting how he has already written one up one of the teammates. And isn't it grand? This way they will all, "know" how to act. And nobody else better step out of line.

Of course, Marty's team--did I mention they have all been working together for years and know how to do their jobs?--is less than impressed. In addition to knowing how to do their job, this team also knows how to act professional even while working from home. They also know how this will play out. And to be fair, so do the spouses of Marty's team. In fact, I'm thinking about starting a support group for the significant others who once again have to live with someone enduring another bad boss. 

I've said a few wife-things like, "this is a great opportunity to model for the kids," and "let's leave work problems at work...," as well as other such veiled threats. Of course, "at work" for the past year has been in my family room, but the message has been received. 

Yesterday, the resume was dusted off. Marty probably wasn't the only one who threw his resume up on the job boards. As much as I hate this level of transition, this time it might be necessary. And honestly, I can't say I blame him. Life is too short to work for unpleasant dictators. 

MLS Pictures

Just because the market is tight, doesn't mean that agents should skimp on their duties to their clients. One of their duties is to market the homes they are selling in the best possible light. And I should also add that real estate photographers charge less than $200. I get it, phone pictures are easy and buyers are frantic, so anything goes, right? 

Every picture tells some story. Some of those stories are simply the agent doesn't have the good judgement not to post some of the pictures they took. 

 A cheap sink with water splashed inside it. Why not wipe up the water before taking the picture? Are you letting the buyer know the house has running water? 

I can't unsee this. MOVE THE TOILET BOWL CLEANER before the picture is taken!

It is so simple to just move a couple of things around or crop a photo. 
Do the boxes need to be in this picture? 

Could the agent manage to have gotten this shot without the dead potted plants? 

Put the potty seat down. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. And not mine alone. Many agents I know complain about these types of pictures. Incidentally, if I am taking a picture of a white bathroom, I sometimes will put up colorful towels or a shower curtain to offset the white. In this case, the seller didn't provide a shower rod or a towel bar, anyway. 

Look, some agent figured it out! 

While we are on the subject of bathrooms, Hey agent! Move the paper towels. 

Ok, I'm done. 

It is very difficult--VERY--to take a photo of an empty room. Often it looks like the agent/photographer just took a picture of two walls, because essentially that's what they did. To be fair, most of my empty room pictures look exactly like this. 

And sometimes the outcome with furniture isn't much better. This picture might have been better taken at an angle with the chair moved out of the way. But, nobody asked me. Plus, I don't have a listing right now, so I have no room to talk. 

Incidentally, this is a decent photo of an empty room. It conveys spaciousness and shows all the world it is indeed a room. So, it can happen. 

Speaking of empty...

And I am not sure full is much better in this case. 

Here's a nice kitchen--and a lovely one at that! The photo tells us the counters are granite, the cabinets have been painted cocoa, the appliances are stainless, the ceiling is vaulted and the floor is tile. There's a little bit of greenery and wall ornament to add a cozy vibe. As a buyer, I could see myself in this kitchen cooking pork chops and sipping on iced tea. 

I give this picture an A-. 

Why A-? Because they didn't move the trash can (right bottom corner). Argh!!! 

And here's the trash can again. But gorgeous floors! 

And finally, I go back to this: every picture tells the buyer something. And sometimes it tells the agent more than they need to know. For example, this photo tells me there is a sizable snake cage so I will never, ever, set foot in this house. 

 

Grievance Committee Meeting--The Landlord Addition

Nothing gets a fire under my seat more than my monthly Grievance Committee meetings. And oh my! This month was a doozy. 

A few items to note: if you are a landlord, please do not break your tenant's window, stick your arm into the property, grab the security camera sitting inside the window and throw said camera into a fountain. The entire interaction might be caught on video and stored somewhere to be used against you. 

If you are a tenant, using words like "embezzling," "extortion," and "harassment" to describe your experience with you--Mr. Tenant--then not paying your rent and then claiming the property management  company is out to get you, may not make your case sound so credible. 

And finally, if you are a property management company, might be a good idea to put everything you are doing with your landlord in writing AND THEN get your owner to agree to the contract before you act on their behalf. Otherwise, your landlord--in this case your client--might be a tad pissy when they find out you withheld funds that they feel are owed to them. And just because you, Mr. Property Manager, re-write your contract and omit a new contract is in place (and again don't get your landlord to sign off on it), doesn't mean the contract is valid. In fact, it is truly only an essay at that point.  

April's Grievance Committee

 This is my third year on the Association's Grievance Committee. This month we were more than busy. Apparently there are a lot of unhappy folks out there and a few unethical agents. Together they had nothing better to do than fill out copious amounts of paperwork and submit them to the Association. The by-product is that you get something to read about. 

My case that I peer reviewed was a contract case. The buyer felt the seller didn't reply to something in a timely manner. The seller did reply. They answered, "No." which is in the boiler-plate of the contract. Answering "no" is a perfectly reasonable answer. However, the person making the complaint didn't agree with the seller's "no" response. We dismissed this part of the complaint. However, we did nail the seller on another Code of Ethics issue that arouse. 

The fun case--and to be honest, we see these way too often--was the buyer's agent who was mad her clients lost out on a house. The agent cited lots of articles, that namely boiled down to the agent's clients didn't get the house of their dreams. I got a bit animated in this one, and actually swayed a few folks to my point of view. My thought was this was a frivolous case and it was based on the conditions of the market and less on the actions of the selling agent. Sorry the buyers didn't get the house. But it isn't an ethical issue not to sell the one house on the market to every buyer that comes along.

And finally, to the buyers who decided to come to town three days before their home closed, break in and move into the home they would own in a couple of days: you stink! Your agent was cited for an ethical violation for your criminal breaking and entering.  And worse! You said your agent knew this and let you in the property! You lied, throwing your agent and their livelihood under the bus. 

You didn't own the property. The Phoenix metro area has hotels, hostels, campgrounds and Air BNBs, you could have stayed at. You lied to your agent, the seller and to the police and caused a lot of headaches for your own self-interests. Fortunately, your agent stood on her own two feet and appealed this code of ethics violation and a potential fine and license suspension. We dismissed it today because SHE did nothing wrong--you did. Imagine how much better your karma could have been if you hadn't done something so shady.   

I'd Rather Stay Polite and Professional

Well now, here's a new one: Dee's loan underwriter is requiring some pretty stupid, outrageous, idiotic,  f#$(! ridiculous unusual conditions for Dee's loan. Plus, this same person refuses to return my calls and apparently only allows one e-mail conversation per month that is written in shouty, bold caps because she is a, "professional."  

Condition 1: The bank wants the entire (ENTIRE) contract re-written excluding the seller's name from the contract. Why? Because they have decided the seller isn't really the seller. The seller really does own the house. I pulled up the title report AND a copy of the deed proving this but haven't heard back if this was enough proof. 

Condition 2: Half of the home is owned by an LLC. The lender wants every member of the LLC to sign the purchase contract (but not the seller who signed the contract--are you following here? No? No worries. We don't get it either). It isn't good enough to have the managing partner of the LLC sign the contract. Nope. 

I have written well thought-out, and polite e-mails stating things such as, "I would love it if you would call me please so that we can avoid any further misunderstandings..." and "I am unsure as to what exactly you are looking for, because the contract is fully executable and signed by those with authority to sign such contract." 

Meanwhile, the other agent and I are banging our heads against the wall, trying to read the minds of this particular underwriter. In addition, I have called Dee's loan officer who took this loan and used my best, "I am so confused, could you help us so that we are all on the right track..." He's at a loss too. Plus the underwriter is ignoring him as well. 

Additionally, I pulled out my crystal ball and dusted off my underwriter-to-English dictionary and tried to figure out what she wanted. I think--and this has been verified by the other agent that I'm on the right path, because she is the only one who will discuss this with me, even though SHE isn't the one getting the loan--I was able to take care of Condition 2 with a Power of Attorney, drawn up by Title and signed by the seller. By the way, I represent the buyer. 

My Big Girl Broker Voice is getting a work-out on voice mails. And make no mistake, everyone has a boss so I don't mind escalating this if necessary. And also, please know, I am not opposed to going from polite and professional to all Karen if necessary, but I'd rather not.