Never Happening

Doug and Carla's condo is in the "coming soon," section of the Multiple Listing Service. That means, agents can see the listing, but it isn't active. Not being active means 1) the home is not available to the general public and 2) agents can't show the listing. Why? BECAUSE IT ISN'T ACTIVE! 

There are many reasons for a "coming soon" status. For example, what if the owners need to clean? What if there were monsoons and the patio roof needs repair? What if the photographer hasn't taken pictures just yet and the agent needs to get all of the marketing in order for that one, good first impression? Those are just some of the more reasonable answers but there's also what if the owner's mother-in-law needs to move into an assistive living center and that won't be ready until next Friday and in the mean-time, the owner's do not want anyone to disturb the family dynamics? So, no showings until Mama is moved. What if the owner is in a domestic abuse situation and is fleeing for her life and needs a few days to scoot out of town? All of these scenarios and more have crossed my path. But in the case of Doug and Carla's condo, it is really only the first three reasons. 

Before 7 a.m. this morning, I got a text from some uptight and entitled agent asking what was wrong with the scheduling program. She couldn't schedule a showing for my listing. And would I please fix it rightway, K? Of course, the only way to "fix it" would be to make the listing active.

I explained the home wasn't available to show and would be going on the market next week. At that time, I would be happy to have her show her clients this fabulous condo! Please, stay tuned! And then I thanked her so much for her interest in showing the property. 

That didn't go over well. She told me she has a  "busy" day and it was today or never. Ok then. Never it is. 

When it Rains

Doug and Carla's cute little condo is slated to go on the market next week. The pictures have been ordered. The sign and lockbox are on the property. I'm doing my level best to generate attention and excitement. 

And then, Doug calls me.

You see, Doug's downstairs condo has a roof leak. True, the roof issue is on the patio, but you can't miss it. Front and center. Plus, because it is on the outside of the unit, this issue happens to be the responsibility of the HOA and not Doug, so he is at the mercy of someone who isn't invested in this little drama to get back to him and fix the problem. 

Doug offered to "clean it up," and we could all pretend it didn't happen. And as much as I would love to take Doug up on his kind offer, we both know there is a pressing problem. 

I didn't have great words of wisdom for Doug when he called, other than call the HOA, bypass the person answering the phones and talk to the one who can make this repair happen. Hopefully this will get cleared up sooner than later. 

 

Behind the Scenes

One of the more obscure jobs of real estate agents is to poke around and try to glean information from other agents. Case in point: Doug and Carla's listing isn't on the market yet. One of the reasons why is there is another unit for sale in their complex. And I wanted to know what it sold for prior to listing theirs. This helps me price Doug and Carla's more competitively. 

It turns out, the agent who has that listing is the same agent I bugged months earlier when I was looking for a home for Dee. She had the house that was being fixed up and wasn't on the market at the time. I dutifully called every week until she let me show it to Dee. And then we put an offer in on it, making sure there wasn't a bidding war.* It is safe to say, this agent knows my name.

Anyway, I've been talking to this agent for the past couple of weeks. She told me her first offer was for $27,000 over asking price--for a 2 bedroom, 900 square foot condo?! Yep. That offer fell through. So, there was another offer for $15,000 over asking price. They were waiting for the appraisal to come back and it would close next week. She said call her back and she'd tell me what the 900 square foot condo appraised for--just to help me with my pricing.  

Yesterday I found out the condo appraised for the $15,000 over asking price! So, that means it isn't unreasonable to market Doug and Carla's condo at the higher value. Had we not waited, they probably wouldn't had gotten as much for their place. And, had I not poked around and had this relationship with this agent, I wouldn't have been able to find this information out until after Doug's condo was on the market. 

 *Then the house caught fire three days after Dee closed on it, but that's another story. 

Julie

Last month, while I was away chasing off large desert cats, Julie called me. She got my name from a friend and was thinking about selling her house. We talked and agreed I would immediately get back in touch with her when I was in town. 

So, immediately when I was in town, I called her. And I left a message. And I called the next day. And the next. At that point, I pretty much decided Julie didn't really want to talk with me. That's ok. Sometimes its a good fit, sometimes it isn't. 

Fast forward a month. Julie called once again and left a message, asking me to call her back. She said she is interested in selling her house. I called back, left a message. I called my friend, thanking her for the referral and said "I hope Julie calls back, I would love to help her." Then I waited two days and called once more, again leaving a message. 

I don't consider myself a pushy sales-type. But dang! If you are calling me, it's impolite for me to ignore you. And I am the one who looks bad if I don't follow up.  

At this point, I think I've reached out enough. If Julie is truly interested, she can call me. Two can play the hard-to-get game. 

Doug and Carla's Bargain

Doug and Carla will be moving into their rental soon. They asked for a two year lease, as they figure it will take that long to get their goals together and get to the point where buying a home again is in their future. That's all well and good, but the landlord "sprang" something on them that--even though I told them they should expect it prior to them signing the lease--they didn't expect. 

You see, the landlord told them they would extend a two year lease with a provision the rent goes up $100 a month starting in the second year. To me, this is a no-brainer, to Doug and Carla this was an outlandish attack and they would not stand for such a thing! 

Now then, you'd think my job would be to open doors to pretty houses, smile and pass out keys to the homeless. And yes, I do that too. But I am also part psychologist, voice of reason and life coach. 

As I explained to Doug and Carla: they are talking about $1,200 a year to not move next July. That means, no Uhaul, no new deposit on utilities, no begging  friends (once again) to spend a sweaty Saturday in the Arizona heat, helping move all their worldly belongings from point A to point B. It means they aren't spending late June through July looking for another place to live, where the rent will probably be higher than the $100 and once again Doug's past will have to be sold to another sympathetic landlord. There is no new security deposit. No new cleaning deposit. No new schools for Doug and Carla's kids to get used to. 

Prices aren't going down so they will have to pay more to live somewhere next year. After all, there will still be a shortage of rental homes. Besides, they got this place at a screaming deal (thank you El Jefe).  Plus--if they stayed in their cute little condo, they would be paying significantly more a year from now because of increases in HOA and taxes. So, they shouldn't be surprised the landlord also has these expenses. 

I can't put a price on convenience, but I see agreeing to pay a bit more for next year's lease to be worth more than they bargained for.  

Adventures in Living

You know that movie, Groundhog Day where the main character re-lives the same day over and over? Yea... I'm kind of doing that with a bit of the Twilight Zone mashed in, just to make life interesting. 

This week I've driven across town multiple times to take Dad to the doctors. I've had the same conversations with my brothers, sister-in-laws and mother about Dad's health and I'm pretty sure I haven't said anything new. However the communications specialist in me figured out different words to use to say the same thing. 

My own health has been weird. I mean, who actually looses their hearing for 24 hours out of nowhere? (I can hear fine now. I have no explanation). 

Additionally, my mother, who has been hospice trained, has given me great advice that was relevant when Dad was at his worst. He's doing better now, so the advice isn't as beneficial. Plus, Mom can only sustain altruism for so long, as evidence that she called me and asked if Dad was ready to give up his computer because she had a friend who needed one. Additionally, I sent her an e-mail about my weird hearing loss. She wrote back, and all she said was she's been taking pictures of covered bridges. Well, at least something is normal.* 

In addition to life-drama, there's real estate. I have a house in escrow I haven't gotten around to writing about. It is a new-build. It isn't exciting. The builder is offering a commission that will cover the cost of a tank of gas for what will be for months' worth of work and my liability. But it is better than nothing. Some builders aren't even offering any commissions at all to agents these days. Wait until the market tanks and they are begging agents to bring in buyers. 

I also have Doug and Carla's listing that will go live in a couple of weeks. That's kind of a fun story that will have to wait until I get Dad's next round doctor's appointments scheduled. 

*Please don't judge my mom. I can handle her better when I know what to expect. She's back to being quirky. That's ok. It works for her. 

Adventures in Grief

Today is the anniversary of Bonus Mom's death. It is 3:23 a.m. and I can't sleep. So, I'm here writing about Adventures in Grief. 

There's so much I want to say about Bonus Mom, she was a kind, loving person who took me in at my most vulnerable. She molded me into the adult I am today. She showed love in ways that are hard to explain--like getting up early while I was in labor, driving across town and holding my hand when Buckaroo was born. That is the only time in the years I knew her that Bonus Mom got up before 8 a.m. 

I could use Bonus Mom right now. She could advise me how to help my father, whose health is precarious. She could tell me how to help and guide my young adults, who don't need me but need, well, something. She could tell me all sorts of things that I wish she were here to help navigate me through. 

A friend once explained the the grief never goes away. But the raw upset eventually blossoms into happy memoires. My memories are happy. I just wish she was here to make more.