Actual real estate brokers are pretty well versed on lots of topics.

There is the usual legal, financing, marketing, copy writing skills we pick up on. We get pretty good at handling folks that are on a happiness scale...well they are not on that happiness scale. We wade right into situations with real estate buyers and sellers in a divorce, that have recently lost a loved one. We try to deal with folks in a forced sale, that lost their job, that have juvenile delinquent kids with emotional problems that do damage with power tools to take out their frustrations or to get attention. We run into the evicition of a tenant that owns a pitbull...three of them that are behind the mountain of garbage, hiding, waiting, hungry for a fresh, juicy Realtor. 

In our travels, we run into some pretty interesting cats. We talk about a myriad of topics on the way to and from real estate.

When listing a place, you learn about the career of the retiring folks, you see the hanging pictures, diplomas, citations for a long life of public service. We deal with new buyers starting out with young families. A real estate broker runs into transferring government employees or corporate workers climbing their way up the ladder or forced to relocate back to family with health issues needing their attention. You form relationships, friendships with many people you list with, sell to and rub shoulders with thru the real estate closing.

     Had a fellow that was a recently retired airline pilot for 737's who came in this morning to thank us for the recommendation of a carpenter that he said both he and his wife puddled up and eyes watered when the process of building was done. They enjoyed the company of the carpenter who did a first class job and was a stickler for every detail. Just what he needed as a pilot. His wife was a stewardess.

In his visit today I asked him about the pilot who died at the controls recently and does that happen often? He said six months ago the FAA raised the mandatory retirement age of commercial pilots from 60 to 65. This pilot that died was 61.

He further indicated NASA did a survey of pilots and concluded that pilots that did retire at 60, has a whopping majority that died at 61, one year later! He also said if a pilot gets an OUI, they lose their pilot's license. Period. And when I asked about the news you hear about booze in the system of some pilots when tested and why that happens he said it was the tension of flying thru weather, getting all hyped up and attending to the details and at the end of the flight, late at night, some think they have to drink to settle down to sleep. Our talk had nothing to do with real estate now after the purchase he made from us but due to his expertise, I got a glimpse into what it is like behind wheel in the cockpit. He further said all the pilots on a international flight, like the Air France plane that went down, are equally skilled at flying because all three pilots take a turn in the different legs of the flight. On domestic flights, there are two pilots. From the media reports, you get the impression one guy is the pilot for the entire flight, and the other pilots have been in the simulator but a kid in the coach section out back with Xbox game skills could do just as good a job putting the flaps up, the landing gear down.

     Why quiz the people we deal with? You learn alot, it shows you care about them. It helps us understand all the people, all the walks of life we run into and to know a little about this, little about that and maybe be a better conversationalist. I let him go by asking one more question regarding the awful trade towers 911 accident with a pair of planes hitting the building in New York City, if that would be pretty hard to do. He said at 500 miles an hour and that a building is a pretty small target to line up for. Iit was incredible that one or both did not just graze the twin trade towers and do tons of collateral damage all along a New York City downtown boulevard. He said you could slow to 150 if you dirtied it up, whatever that flight lingo means but said it was tragic but still quite a feat of flying when you realize how much space you need to turn something way way bigger than a single engine Piper cub. He was making a statement on the technical aspect from a flying not Hollywood perspective based on his experience behind the wheel.

Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers - Maine, Full Of Interesting, Special Hard Working People.