I Was Supposed to Work Today

Steve's house is closing today. He is signing in a few hours and then he gets keys. The new build process is so different than a buyer purchasing a pre-existing home. When the market is hot like it is now, the builders want the agents as far away as possible. Only through pestering do I actually get updates from the parties who are working with my client. 

However, the builder has my client's ear and I more than one builder has marginalized what I, and every other agent, do. Simply, my client is told we aren't needed because the builder knows what they are doing, so come to them and them alone with questions.  

And that is precisely what Steve has done. Except the time he needed contract clarification. Then he came to me. 

Last week Steve had questions about his loan. I had no idea who the loan officer was and couldn't reach out. The builder incentivizes Steve to use their mortgage company--which he did. The builder also pays me to step away--which I didn't. 

Last week, I reached out to the title office to get some details--which I always do at this point in the transaction. I also reached out Monday and Tuesday too, because they weren't excited to talk to me last week and it took some prodding. In addition to FINALLY reviewing the settlement statement, I found out that I am not welcome at Steve's signing today. Why? Because there is a big bad virus on the loose and people who catch this bug have a 99 percent recovery rate and therefore, I needed to be as far away as possible because the title office told me they would not let me in the building. 

"What if we sign outside and all wear our happy little masks?" I asked. Nope. 

"What if my client insists I come?" They will refuse to sign him and then he is is breach of contract. 

Finally I called Steve and asked how he would like to handle this. I don't miss my clients' signings as a rule. I offered to wait in the car in the parking lot just in case he had questions. He said it was fine. He had already signed "a bunch of stuff" this week electronically (really????) and it was just a few more forms. He did promise to call if he had issues, though he didn't say who he would call. 

I'm Not Making This Up

 As of today there are 3,451 single family homes for sale in Maricopa and Pinal County. To give you a reference: we have 5 million people in the Phoenix metro area. 

Here's proof. 

So Glad THAT Was Resolved

Steve called me at 9 p.m. Friday night. He had a question about his loan. Now then, I sell houses, I don't do mortgages. So, I did what seemed like the most reasonable scenario: I told him to call his loan officer. After all, the loan officer is privy to that information and I am not. 

Steve however, did not feel that was a reasonable solution. He told me it was "late" and he didn't want to "bother" the guy. Therefore, he called me. 

I tried my best to walk him through his question. From what he was telling me it sounded like his actual taxes and insurance were higher than originally estimated. However, the best way to find out the true answer was to call his loan officer. 

Saturday morning I followed up with Steve. He did not call the loan officer. Instead, he called a friend of his who has a commercial real estate license in another state who said it sounded like the taxes and insurance were actually a bit higher than originally estimated. His friend's answer satisfied Steve enough that he didn't feel the need to double check with his loan officer just to be sure. 

I Worked Yesterday

 I did! I really did! 

Steve--you might remember him--is closing on his new house. It is a lovely place and will be much lovelier once he adds furniture and other basics. 

Yesterday, Steve had his builder walk-through. It was supposed to be about two hours. However, no battleplan ever outlasts the enemy. And yesterday was no exception. 

Generally a new-build walk-through consists of a builder rep going through the empty home while the buyer (and his agent) look for dings in the paint, cracks in the windows and other minor issues that might need attention before closing. For this particular honor, the buyer (and his agent) use blue painter's tape to mark these imperfections so that the builder and his representatives can fix the transgressions prior to closing. The blue tape is also useful for such activities as taking a wide swath, sticking it across the master bathroom wall and writing, "Install Mirror!!!", which Steve's home was unfortunately missing.  

In yesterday's case, I brought my own roll of blue painter's tape--a trick of the trade, after doing this for so many years. It was almost gone by the time we were done. It isn't that Steve's home has zillions of imperfections, it is because Steve brought his parents along for this ride. 

I should say, I think Steve's parents are wonderful people. I like them even better after seeing what kind of man they raised in Steve. They are kind and loving to their son. They want the best for him. And even though they are on the far side of 80, it is obvious they still have a strong attachment to making sure things are perfect for their son. Therefore, more blue painter's tape than I would have thought humanly possible was used for all sorts of things like smudges on the windows. There was a (possible) dent in the brand-new stove. The door hinges were dirty. The outside stucco was uneven. The watering system watered for too long or too short the amount of time for the plants outside. Of course, Steve doesn't own the house or the plants yet, but his parents seemed to gloss over that tid-bit. And though this seems petty, I don't blame Steve's folks one bit. I'm glad they were there giving us another set of eyes, because they did find several significant issues (significant as in cosmetic--which is what we were looking for).  

Anyway, these delightful people just have their son's best interests at heart. The construction supervisor seemed to understand that. Steven and I did too. Plus, lucky for Steve, he had a good four hours to kill doing this walk-through. As for me, I enjoyed talking to them. It was a nice distraction from the lack of socialization I've had lately. I would have even been ok with another four hours of Steve and his folks. But next time I really would like to sit down at some point. 

Lauren

My girlfriend Lauren called me. She found a house that was simply perfect for her. Perfect! The house in question was in the right neighborhood, great schools, the right number of bedrooms and bathrooms. It had all the upgrades she ever wanted. In fact, it was the house directly behind her home, not to mention the exact floorplan of her home. 

And, when could she buy it?  

This is why I'm the world's worst sales person. I had to break the news to Lauren. There is little inventory. Most sellers will not allow for buyer contingencies, which means the buyer has to sell their home first--which is something Lauren and Mr. Lauren would need to do. She is most likely going to be in a bidding war with three other buyers--if the house is really still active on MLS. So, she would have to sell her house with no take-backs, and then hope she was the winning offer on the new house. What if she wasn't? What then? Not that it would stop me from helping her, but I wanted to make sure she knew the realities of the situation. 

Plus, this fabulous home she was looking at is the exact same floorplan as her house. 

"But this one is upgraded..." she said. 

Lauren is right. The house she is looking at is upgraded. In fact, it is way too upgraded for the neighborhood. But she too can have that same level of upgrades by taking out a loan on her home for far less than she is going to spend on buying a new  property. By the way, for grins, I ran comps. This house is still active on the market because it is $100,000 overpriced for the neighborhood. However, I doubt that will stop some buyer who is more desperate than Lauren. When I showed the comps to Lauren, she agreed the price was steep. However, she admitted she was planning on offering a "low ball" (in this case, somewhat reasonable) offer.  

I'd love to help Lauren out. She'd be a great client. I love her and her family. I want them to be happy where they live and do what is right for her and her folks. But this move doesn't make sense. Even she conceded that it would be a better strategy to just fix up her home at this rate than mess with potentially being homeless. 

Happy Birthday

Today is my brokerage's third birthday. 

After the bankruptcy, I wasn't sure I wanted to start another business. I'm grateful for my dear friend who encouraged me to go for it. 

Thank you, Dear Friend. 

There are 3,835 Single Family Homes for Sale

The past several months have been transitional times around the ol' Sunshine manor. We have done some major purging of stuff and things we don't need after living in the same house for 18 years. This past weekend, after double-checking with my brothers, I even sent my grandmother's antique dishes to a place where someone else might find a way to love on them. My mother would be horrified to find out we didn't want these family heirlooms. We aren't ungrateful, we just don't need them. 

I am tired of keeping what I don't need. I will never have a dinner party that requires crystal plates. I know this because the last several years' worth of dinner parties have been with plastic plates and flatware I re-wash to use for the next dinner party. My sister-in-law mocks me for being so cheap. Yet, she doesn't host the quarterly dinner parties, does she?  

This purge also goes for books. Bonus Mom is turning in her grave at the number of books that have gone to that special book farm where we must never, ever visit them again, lest they follow us back home. Marty is vacillating between being slightly unnerved at my sudden change of behavior and overjoyed by how many books I willingly parted with.  

In addition to books and dishes, there have been more homeschool and craft supplies, clothes, trinkets, jig saw puzzles, extra sewing supplies, do-dads, old electronics, kid toys and much, much more. It is as if once I started the purge, I haven't be able to stop. 

The one area I would really like to purge is my office. However, I don't know how much I can get rid of until I make a major commitment one way or another to real estate. Recently. I donated a ton of office supplies I no longer need to to St. Vincent de Paul, but I still have so much more. I know decisions need to be made in this area of my life. And maybe I will make the decisions. Given the lack of home inventory, maybe the decision will be made for me.