Phones

When I used to go to the page here in blogger to post, it would automatically show my reading list. Now I get some dumb blogger list. I have to manually change it just as I did when I started this post to Normal instead of paragraph. I wish there was a way I could save it the way I want it. Do you all have the same issues? Or is it crazy Peg?

We have a busy weekend. Realtors begin showing up at our home on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I have to finish my office painting and clearing it out. 
Then we will make a choice.  I'm leaning towards one of them already but am hesitant.

I have such disdain for realtors. Example. The man next door.

His house went on the market on a Friday for previews. They held all contracts until Sunday night and by Monday a decision was to be chosen. 

It was busy as hell next door. People coming all day every day and sometimes pounding on the door after hours. It was crazy. 

They got over 18 bids. All over asking. 

His asking price was $524 900 and he got 618,000.   

His house is shit. So I was very happy. 

But 6% of $618 is $37,080. (but my math sucks)

So each realtor (buyer and seller) gets $18,540.  

The realtor was there on all 3 days for the open house hours. 

She sat in the kitchen I was told by the current tenant.  

The realtor paid for photographs and no video. That was it. 

Was that worth $18,540?  

Great gig if you can get it and I don't think it takes much to get it.

We considered since we need all the money we can get being in our bad situation that we'd try to do this ourselves and then get a real estate attorney but we chickened out. 

You can now list yourself on the MLS for only like $500. 

Normally if it's a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) then realtors will keep away their clients because they aren't making money. But in this market, all buyers are going on Zillow and Realtor.com and finding places themselves. So there is that. But losing 37K doesn't appeal to us when we are in this quagmire.

There is a new company called Houwser. 

They charge you a flat $5,000 fee for showing your home, doing the contract, all marketing, and taking the photos and videos - just all the things a realtor would do but for a normal price, unlike a traditional realtor. 

We will still have to pay the $3% to the buyer's agent. So instead of 37K we'd pay only the 18K.  I'd like that.  I am leaning towards that but Rick is hesitant.  We shall see. What would you choose?

When he sees the number he may change his tune. And if the guy who is coming is a dolt, then I know Rick will have something to say about his sales skills. So not only do I deal with all this shit but I need to handle Rick too.  I know that sounds mean. But sometimes he can be so stubborn that he can't see the trees through the forest. He knows that and he also knows my job is to make him see all sides when he does not wish to. Ah, just add the job to my list these days. 

I should have been a realtor. You can make a very nice 6 figure salary around these parts for not a lot of effort. In my previous career, I worked around the clock. I was in different time zones. I would work late into the night and start real early. I was on a plane, train, or by automobile. It was fast-paced and contracts that were done were millions of dollars on the line. I felt I worked my ass off for my high pay and all the money I generated for the company. I am certain most realtors would say the same. 

However, I have just never met one who does a lot of that work. I've hired several and all were worth nothing. The last one I did my own negotiating because she didn't think I should go that low. Guess what we got it for what I countered with and the dumb realtor thought was an insult. I think she just didn't want to get less money. She wasn't taking care of us only her pocket. Around here they are fat and happy because it's always been so easy in this market where we live. 

Maybe this area just makes it awful for the rest of the world's realtors who do work hard.  That could very well be the case.

The woman who was my neighbor when I moved in (2000) became a realtor. She told me she couldn't cut it. She in fact hated it. She worked for 6 months and made 100K. But she hated it so much she walked away. She told me it was easy, don't listen to them whine about all the work. They must never have worked in another corporate field. That made me laugh. She said she was bored and the people got to her, they whined a lot, co-workers and customers. That made me laugh. But she agreed with me she did make obscene money for the little work she had to do. Now when I deal with realtors here in the office you all know that I have said they are dumb. 

Most, not all. The things they say to me blow me away. "Do you need lights in the bathroom to do your job?" 

Yes, I was asked this. I wanted to say, "oh heck no we don't need no stinkin' lights we can do this in the dark" but of course, I did not. 

I was asked this one on Monday - No bathroom window, inside bath, just dark with no electricity or lights. She couldn't understand for the life of her why we couldn't do it. She was in a hurry she told me 3 times. I explained that 1. we need power for the equipment, 2. I would think you'd want us to be able to see what we are fixing and we too would like to see what we are fixing. (would you trust a hairstylist to do their precision in the dark?)

What a moron and I get realtors like this daily. 

My favorite recently was this doozy, 'why did we expect to be paid after we finished the job?'  

What? I wasn't sure I heard her correctly. But she said it again. 

I asked if she got her commission after she sold a house. Why of course she says with attitude. Do you pay your plumber before he leaves? She says of course. 

I said, "We expect paid when we are completed with our job too. 

But if for some reason you can't do that we certainly understand and we can reschedule your appointment for another time that works better for you." 

Do you all see how ready I am to retire? 

I never in a million years would have said that previously. 

But she finally understood. She actually said, "Oh I see now" 

How didn't she see that before? Get your haircut and walk out without paying and see what happens to you sister. 

Someone will be chasing you with scissors.

 

So my mantra of 'I dislike people immensely' is still intact. 

Will it change after I no longer have to answer the phones? 

God, I hope so. 

Ya'll know when this is over I will not be answering my phone for at least a month!