Fixed It

Dear Agents,

In this age of easy photo cropping, I ask you, why is this dude in this MLS picture?

Sincerely,

Me




P. S. It took less than one minute for me to change this photo.

Today's Bad MLS Pictures

To be fair, sometimes, we as real estate agents, have to work with what we have. There is only so much coaching, cajoling, and downright tough love we can give when we sell homes. I sold a hoarder home once. It was a lot easier once my clients moved out and the home was professionally cleaned. Most homes don't have hoarders living in them. They have the folks who have different ideas of clean and tidy. As a homeschooling mom, I often tell people my home is "homeschool clean." Those who homeschool know exactly what I mean. Those that don't, know exactly what that means once they walk in (the dishes aren't done, the laundry probably isn't either. The bathrooms are clean, but there are books and papers in three different rooms).

Anyway, this is to preface, we agents aren't always on the same page with our clients when we explain what "show-ready" is supposed to look like. And yes, this home is actually active in the MLS. It has been on the market for two days. In the private remarks that only us agents can see, it says, "owner wants home sold NOW!" It also says in the same private remarks the AC doesn't work.








This last photo is kind of on the agent though. That is a mirror. The agent could have made sure the person wasn't standing in his line of sight when he shot the photo.

Up From Here

We just paid off our second debt that was not included in our bankruptcy. It is a wonderful feeling.

Now saving for a car.

Rental Hunting

So I have these clients who are repeat renters. And once again they are looking for a rental home. They are sweet folks. But drama seems to follow them everywhere. Granted, if you look at the drama for their last rental home, it wasn't their fault (and will make excellent blog fodder if I ever get around to writing about it). We all know folks like this. Essentially nothing is their fault, but somehow the Universe considers them a chaos magnet.

Today I showed the Mrs. a rental home. It is 2,400 square feet and $1800 a month. It is situated on an acre. And, it was built, and tastefully decorated I might add, in 1968. She called the house "old." Which I thought was a bit of a stretch, as I happened to have been born that same year.

The house in question still had the same wallpaper from 1968. It had the same appliances from 1968. It probably hadn't been maintained since 1968. Though I am no expert on these types of things, given all the deferred maintenance, I am guessing it has the same electrical and plumbing from 49 years ago too. And by the way, my client knew how old the home was and had looked at interior photos when she called me asking to see the house.

To be fair, this home, fixed up and without a ton of necessary maintenance needed, would probably rent for closer to $4000/month. It is in a million dollar neighborhood. And yes, it is the ugliest home on the block. But I am guessing the original owners of this home owned the block and subdivided out the land as time went on. My clients aren't million dollar people. They are folks who need a home now and need lots of space. The rental market is tight enough, but it was obvious to see why this home wasn't renting for $4000 a month.

Instead of embracing the quirky charm of the house (and it has quirks), Mrs. Client asked me questions: did I think the property had toxic mold? Did I think the landlord would replace the carpeting (No, I didn't. If they were going to replace it, they would have done so already)? Did I think the landlord would remodel the kitchen (No)? Did I think the landlord would replace the stove (It works fine, just like any other stove)? Did I think there was a problem with the plumbing, electrical, AC, windows and foundation?

And my favorite question of the day: Did I think the house was a fire hazard?

What does one say to that? If you think about it, every home is a fire hazard. Homes in Arizona are mostly made of wood. There are flammable materials throughout a home, including cabinets and carpet. Additionally, if one were to put the wrong electrical wires together it might cause a spark. But my answer was simply, "It seems to be standing to me."

The truth is I can't legally venture an opinion. I am not an expert on electrical, plumbing, interior decorating (my friends can guarantee this last one). Saying "It is safe" could land me in court. Saying, "It looks like a fire hazard to me," could also land me in court. There is a no right answer . Real estate agents are vague for a reason, simply because we are not allowed to have opinions if we want to keep our license. That's why blogs were invented.

The clients put an application in. The Mrs. sent me sixteen different e-mails, all containing one or two pages of said application and supporting documentation. I suggested they consolidate the e-mails so I can submit one nice, neat application. The Mrs. didn't think she could do that. She didn't know how to attach more than one document in an e-mail. I thought about not dealing with this, and just letting her look like a clown to the owner. But that would mean I would probably be showing them more homes that might have potential issues. And I don't need to be a chaos magnet either.

Today's Bad MLS Pictures

Every picture tells a story.

This is a real-life real estate picture for a $380,000 home for sale. What is the agent selling? An RV gate? Trash cans ? Ladder? Weird blue circle at the bottom of the picture?



Another home. This is how the picture looked in the MLS listing today. A lovely kitchen, as you will see, if you tilt your head.



Same home, different room.



Different home. Boxes for sale?



Different home. I am not sure what this is supposed to mean. A pass through from the sink perhaps?





Different home. I have no words.



Another home. This one in the $345k range. What are they selling? A shed or an unlandscaped yard?



Which brings up this question: if there is a shed, why aren't the tools in the shed? Do people not realize their address is on the internet??



And finally:



Same home, apparently the owner has a thing about bringing the outside in.



This last home, by the way, was my childhood home. I used to climb the orange tree in the front. My dad put up that ghastly paneling in the 1970s. Otherwise, the home I grew up in looked nothing like this.

And the Angels Rejoiced from the Heavens...

...as did I from Mesa, when I got word a half-hour ago that the homeless Veterans were no longer homeless.

(whew)

(The Other) Veteran's Day

This morning I met with the Veterans at the title office and witnessed them signing their home loan documents. At this point, barring anything else that can go wrong, they will be the proud owners of their home later this afternoon.

Of course, a stampede of wild buffalo haven't gone through the title office. Yet.

So there's still time for something else to happen.