Yesterday

Derby Day started out well. I got lots of flower pots planted, as is my tradition. Anticipation built as I eagerly awaited the race and all the celebration and pomp. But it ended so tragically that I turned off the TV as soon as the race was over. I just couldn't stand to watch the awarding of the famed blanket of roses. How can one celebrate while one of its racers, who came in in second place, lay dead on the track. It made me wonder if the race had become too big, too hyped, too commercialized. Are the trainers and owners pushing their horses, their athletes too hard? Has too much money become involved? Too much "riding" on the race? I may have watched my last Kentucky Derby.

The first clue that The Derby had become much too much was when the announcer, as the beautiful horses were parading onto the field, could barely get all the sponsors names out of his mouth before all 20 horses were onto the track. I lost a bit of my wonder and innocence yesterday. These gorgeous creatures, God's creatures, were supposed to be lovingly trained and cared for, pampered, by their owners and trainers. These award winning athletes deserved to be groomed and loved. Yes, race horses are workers and money makers, but you never heard about them racing for 3 years then being put down because they outlived their usefulness. Horses are "put out to pasture".

But now, in this time of big money, big business, big sports, even an innocent animal becomes just another pawn. Steroids has destroyed baseball and its players and now the whip has destroyed a beautiful horse. I wept.

Taxman

Ah yes. Tis the season. But not to be jolly; to be grumpy.

I just finished doing my taxes, and boy are my arms tired. Gee those commission checks look good coming in but those taxes look horrible going out. You always think you're going to have one more good commission to count on before tax time. I guess I was fortunate that I did have one come in but it raced back out again due to aforementioned household disasters.

Realtors are considered independent contractors. They are not employees; the commissions they earn have not had taxes or social security held back. Therefore, you are instructed early on to always hold back 10% of each check for taxes and to make your own social security payments. Good in strategy, bad in practice. This is a very unpredictable business. One never knows if one's last commission will indeed be one's last commission. So spend it if you got it. Then as far as that independent crap goes, there is no such critter when you are working for a living, and who isn't? We like to think that we are in charge of our own destinies but when push comes to shove we are always at the mercy of something. From market fluctuations to plumbing disasters to personal relationships, all we can do is hang on for dear life and hope that, even though the gods may be crazy, they can also be merciful.

And, not to put too fine a point on it, a sales person's broker holds a big key to a realtor's success. Yes, I know we get out what we put in, but a good broker can either promote his or her agents or they can sit and watch. And back to that independentt thing; let me explain how that independent relationship works. My broker holds my license. He can keep me working for him or he can send my license back to the state at which time I am set adrift. A salesperson cannot work without a broker on which to anchor their license. Also, all listings belong to the broker. I do the leg work and go out and get a listing. But it is not my listing, it is his. Same goes for a sale. I make the sale on his behalf. After a closing, I return to the office with a fat check in my hand then hand it over to him. What does he do with that commission check? Anything he wants to. He can give me half, which is customary, or he can keep the whole thing. Does that sound independent? Nah.

Where am I going with this? Give to your broker that which is your broker's, give to God that which is God's, and give to Caesar that which is Caesar's.

My broker has my license, my God has my soul and Caesar has my pocket book, my credit card, my checkbook, my first born....

So my advice for those who die, declare the pennies on your eyes.

What Goes On

It's been a quiet time in my hometown of rural Wilmington.

Winter is winding down and spring is in the air. The cold months are always the slowest but even when it is cold, if the sun shines the phones ring. It hasn't been too bad this winter despite the "soft" market. (I don't know why they call it "soft" when realtors have to work harder just to break even.)

I've had some relatively productive leads. The hard part, though, is trying to hang onto them. People that want to see a property or even call you just because they have been pre-approved for a loan (yeah!), will soon disappear although you, as a realtor, have tended to their needs.

Listings are a dime a dozen. It used to be that all you wanted were listings. Now, however, a listing is the hardest part of your job. There was a time when, if you had a listing, all you had to do was sit back and watch it sell. But now, with the soft market, listings can languish for months. I used to almost never get a listing. But, surprise surprise, I got a call generated from one of the many prospecting letters I have sent out over the winter. And it was just up my alley. A 100+ year old Greek Revival home that is lovingly updated with a fabulous garden. (Of course the garden doesn't look like much now, but I saw pictures.) My new client and I have so many things in common it is almost uncanny. I met her years ago while working at the public library. We knew each other in passing but I never new much about her. Now I get to market her home in the fashion in which I am accustomed.

I have heard around the office, not once but several times, the statement that an agent would give up all their listings for one buyer. The market is glutted with homes to sell, but if you have a buyer (hopefully that doesn't have anything to sell) and if you can hang onto them and if you can find a seller willing to negotiate (getting more difficult all the time) and the buyer can get financed (again, getting more difficult all the time) then just maybe you will make a sale. There are a lot of "if's" in that statement, you will notice. But an "if" doesn't make it impossible, just harder.

BTW, I lied about it being quiet in Wilmington. At least in my neck of the woods things have been crazy. All in one weekend, the sewer backed up in my basement and the old antique furnace gave up the ghost. My home has survived, I am now living in the 21st century with heat, A/C and an appropriate place for my waste to end up. Oh yeah, and the siding blew off the end of my house in a wind storm. I'm so sick of workmen that right now that if my roof blew off, I would get up there and fix it myself.

And that's the news from rural Wilmington, where the workmen are gone, the market has dried up and this realtor has survived (so far.)

All Together Now

Oh woe is me. I had to work aallll weekend. Wah. A continuing theme with me is, "I don't have anything in the pipeline/Why do people keep calling me at home so I can sell a house."

This past weekend, I felt as though my life wasn't my own, which it wasn't. It was my client's, which is as it should be. When one is in the middle of negotiations, in this case the results of a whole house inspection, it behooves all to get things wrapped up as quickly as possible lest some other problem rear it's ugly head. And GET IT IN WRITING. Duh. Duh? You would be amazed at what some brokerages try to do without having it in writing. Now, yes, this is a small town and there is still such thing as a gentleman's agreement. But small town or not, have you ever watched Judge Mathis? The disputes are real, the courtroom is real and it is full of friends suing friends and relatives suing relatives because of a gentlemans's agreement. Ultimately what happens is that when the whole sordid thing is over, there is not a gentleman standing.

So my negotiations this weekend centered around what the buyer(the other guy) and my seller would agree was the responsiblity of the other party. Initially, the buyer's agent said they wanted A and B. My sellers said that they would do A but that their contractor said B was not necessary. Weellll, the buyer's agent hadn't put anything in writing so I did. I typed in what was requested and what my seller's were willing to do. And, lo and behold! The sellers wanted MORE! (Please sir, I'd like some more.) You want more, you want MORE!?

Yep. So now the buyers wanted to send over their contractor. Okay. A fact finding mission for their own edification. Or so I thought. But not wanting to stir a pot that doesn't yet stink, I advised my people to let the buyer's contractor take a look. What was I supposed to do? I knew that the buyer's could walk because they didn't want to buy a pig in a poke. And, lo and behold! They, well, you get the drift.

To make a long story short, all is now thankfully signed and delivered. A little more money out of my seller's pocket but it has kept the deal together and everybody is slightly happier. The buyers get the house they want and the sellers can get the heck out of Dodge.

A realtor(r) told me once that if everyone at the closing table isn't mad, then he hasn't done his job. That sounded just horrible and insensitive at the time. But now, having gotten a whiff of the shoe being on the other foot, I can see where one just doesn't want to stick around to see if the other shoe will drop. It is best to keep truckin' and try to cut everyone's losses.

Won't I be surprised when the closing finally comes, and it will, and someone stands up at the table, bangs their large brogan on it and yells, "Order! Order!"

I'll take a ham on rye.

Roll Over Beethoven

All Things Must Pass

This blog seems to be leaning a bit more towards the Beatles lately. It's not necessarily because I don't have anything better to do, because I do. But it is becoming more apparent that the more creative I have to be ( such as thinking of ways to drum up business) the more creative I am.

So I am dipping my toe into the waters of video making. This is my first attempt, so please bear with me. As my creative juices start to flow, there is no telling which way they will go.

The moral of the story is, keep moving. Don't let the grass grow under your feet. If you can't do exactly what you want (like sell houses), then do something. The more you do, the more you will do. Keep the universe stirred up a bit. A rolling stone gathers no moss. Or is that The Beatles...

So in this case, The Beatles help me to gather no moss. They are the background music of my life. And even though the housing market is down, this too shall pass.

I'm Happy Just to Dance with You

Bob, the secretary treasurer of the Clinton County Board of Realtors, sometimes needs Robin, the assistant to our broker, to help him with his secretarial tasks. Gee, I guess that's one secretarty helping another. Is that like one hand washing the other? Anyway, Robin must have had too much coffee that afternoon and decided to dance it off. We are a strange lot.

This week, despite the cold, the wind, the snow, the rain, we have actually had 8 homes get accepted contracts. The place is starting to feel like a real estate office again. But as you can see, we still have time for fun and games.

My one and only listing just suffered a whole house inspection in preparation for the closing next month. I say "suffered" because the inspector goes over the house with a fine tooth comb, pokes at sore spots with a stick and crawls around on the floor, and under it, with a magnifying glass. Quite a humiliating experience for the poor house. "And he invariably comes up with something, which is his job. Now we have to deal with these issues which could ultimately cost the sellers more money. Whole house inspections are always the "touchiest" part of a sales contract but we must push forward knowing that this too shall pass.

So in the meantime, let us dance.