First of all, for those of you who read my funnier blogs, this is not as funny as it pertains to my real estate business. I just thought I should throw one in every now and then about that since I have the blog on my web site and not everyone wants to know about my hilarious and perfect personal life!
Okay, so thank goodness every day isn’t like yesterday or I wouldn’t stay in this business but become instead one of the senior greeters at Walmart. However, I guess there are days for those poor souls where people come in and shoot daggers at them with their eyes. Well, today in my business with the internet, text messaging and cell phones we don’t usually see someone “shooting daggers” with their eyes but trust me we feel it – DEEPLY.
A short version of yesterday begins with being deep within the 30th day of an ongoing extension for a closing due to the wonderful new guidelines set up by the government for mortgage companies and banks loaning money. The sellers who admittedly have been gracious to extend the contract (although if the truth was known are LUCKY as can be to have a contract on their very “Homespun” house) had to do nothing to try and get this done except of course wait. I on the other hand have had to take the “bull by the horns” and take over the responsibility of the buyer and getting him a loan who had been turned down by almost every other lender around. His buyer’s agent was incapable of doing anything but call me every few hours to tell me he REALLY needed grocery money for the week and why wasn’t I getting this done. Well, because he had chosen a mortgage broker who lead us down the primrose path but couldn’t get the loan through and now I had to beg, plead and promise all my business to someone who could. So, now I have the responsibility of the seller, the buyer, and his agent depending on me for groceries. And the seller tells me no one has a “sense of urgency” to get the deal done. Biting the hand that feeds not just you but everyone SIR???? Thank goodness this was on the phone or I would have had a real sense of urgency!
Next I speak to the agent who has waited until the last day of an option period to get me the request for repairs. And while the appraisal was suppose to be in – well it isn’t. Even after I walked the very nice, talkative appraiser through the house for hours, the appraisal still didn’t get in until days after the sellers needed to make decisions on future housing – and whose fault is it – Yes, you guessed it – MINE!
All this time while I am in my study, my house is becoming a fortress as I have this paranoia that I am going to be killed by one of these maniac sellers and have the security company putting in every extra alarm known to man while the locksmiths are there installing all the latest and greatest super duper devices so that no one can break in. I am about to become a hermit, have my gun with me at all times and sit in my house waiting for someone to come and get me – I’ll show them!
Well, what was that next email to bounce into my inbox – oh, yes, another last minute, last day request due back the next day on another home asking for $13,000 worth of repairs. No problem to try and work that out and get bids in and negotiate it out. Looking at my phone I am on my 42nd phone call of the day with 10 text messages and now 58 important emails. Anyone need me to stop and give them a pedicure or something?
Oh, a break, with two of my nine year old grandchildren emailing me – “Bebe (the name they call me as I always told them I would never respond to anything starting with Grand unless they just said I was GRAND) I have skype now, want to get on? Not now I said and next email from my little guy in Scotland reporting snow now fallen up to a grown-up’s knees. Gosh I hope he has gotten taller since the last time I saw him.
By now I actually see myself in a circus act standing up against a wall with my body drawn on it like in the movies where someone has died in that spot. I see some of my clients taking turns throwing huge daggers at me luckily missing any really critical organs. I question why I do this to myself since this has to be one of the most stressful jobs in the world holding such awesome responsibility for people’s lives. Then I remember, it is because most of the time I still love what I do as much as I did from the beginning 28 years ago. I still have the passion and the tenacity to walk through the “fires” of today and come out unscathed and meet all of the LOVELY people I work with most of the time who I truly care for. The ones that continuously refer business to me, become my best friends, are always saying nice things about me, and are there whenever I need a lift – thank God MOST of the people around me are those for whom I feel blessed to be able to represent and call my friends.
