Florida has suffered from no rain for
months, which keeps the Snowbirds happy, but for those of us who live
here (most of the year) it's been a long dry spell. So after this
long drought, we were pleased to see it rain hard almost all day
Thursday and even overnight into Friday morning. And Friday was the
day that I had a closing in my own neighborhood between a really nice
couple from Maine and a neighbor I had recently come to know as a
seller for whom I was the listing agent.
I listed that house about 6 weeks ago,
and the market being what it is, I had a showing there nearly every
day—sometimes 2 or three showings the same day until a buyer was
found. My seller was a bit difficult from the very start, and would
not agree to leave the home when there was a showing. He felt that
he could answer any question a buyer might ask, and he had no place
to go anyway, plus his dog apparently didn't like riding in the car.
Left at home the a barking dog wanted
to jump up on every visitor, we did manage to have the dog caged for
showings. But my lister, living alone with no one else at home—well,
he liked to talk. My opinion was if his dog didn't scare away
buyers, he might easily talk a buyer out of buying his house. My own
conversations with him always seemed to come around to his getting a
deal on this item or that. He would wax eloquently about his
conquests on Craig's list, or how he took care of his own pool with
acids and chemicals he would be leaving in the garage for the buyers.
It became evident that if the house
were going to sell, I could not have him and the dog at home by
themselves. And because they wouldn't leave, I would have to
accompany any showings and act as a buffer between him and any agent
or client who wanted to see the property. This is NOT the way we
Realtors would like to run our business, today a real estate agent
usually puts a lockbox on the front door, and when a showing is
requested, tells the owners to go for a drive, or go shopping (or
some similar suggestion) so the house can be shown in peace and
quiet.
The electronic keys that we Realtors
use unlock the house are smart keys and tell the listing agent which
Realtor was the one that accessed the house and at what time of day
they went in. About the only thing they don't monitor is how many
people came through at the showing. So when a Realtor makes an
appointment to see a house, the listing agent knows who is coming and
when, and when the electronic key is used, it confirms that agent
opened the door and at what time. This provides a good sense of
security to home owners and limits the liability a real estate agent
would assume if he or she let “just anyone” into a home. But we
had no lockbox for this home, or even a key for the Realtor because
he was always there.
But again, that was not my biggest
problem. My biggest problem was the inability to provide a good
showing environment. I would arrive for showings early to be sure
the place was straightened up and turn on the lights. My lister would
follow me around his house turning off the lights I was turning on.
I would move the dog's food and water bowl out of the way to the
garage, and part-way though a showing, it would magically be back in
the traffic pattern. But it was a nice house, well priced, and soon
enough a buyer came forward.
Once the buyer was found, he became
worried about the home inspection. “What if they want me to fix
things—I'm not going to,” he told me. More Realtor headaches come
from this sort of attitude than almost any other. I work hard for my
clients, and frankly I want them to do their part. But this seller
made this a difficult transaction.
The bad news was the home inspector
found a half dozen issues that needed correction, and the seller was
good to his word, he wouldn't make the repairs. The good news
was the buyers understood that the total expense to make the
corrections was minimal and agreed to accept a sofa bed in trade
instead of demanding the repairs. So, as they say, “all's well
that ends well.”
And back to the rain. Some years ago I
was a party to a sale of several churches. The other agent was a
Native American, full-blooded Wampanoag Indian, and chief of his
tribe. There were many spirits with us the day we closed the
transactions with the Methodists and Presbyterians, and it was
raining hard with thunder and lighting as we met to finalize the
transaction. My Indian friend asked for a moment to “bless” the
proceedings, and time was granted by the several ministers and clergy
in the room, who normally would have handled this religious aspect
but were upstaged that day. My Indian friend went on to ask for
blessings on the parties and to say that Native Americans see rain as
a blessed omen, it signifies cleansing and rebirth. This week at our
closing I was able to take a moment and share the Shaman's
thoughts--if not quote his exact words--that luck and good fortune,
and a complete cleansing will favor the home and it's new owners.
For the seller, he's starting again
too, this time in Delaware, and we all wish him well.
Dane Hahn is a real estate professional
practicing in Sarasota and Charlotte counties. He can be reached at
942-681-0312 or by email at dane.hahn@gmail.com.
See him on the web at www.danesellsflorida.com
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