It Ain't Over Til It's Over --- and Not Even Then

Contrary to what some people think, being a Realtor/Broker is not a cushy job! Even back in the 80s, when many of us were writing contracts on the back of our cars --- so worried that we wouldn't get our offer in before the 10 people in front of us --- the process was fraught with landmines you couldn't anticipate.  Well, I wish I had taken more time to enjoy those days because it's a whole lot more difficult now.  I call it the "Everyone's P_ _ _ed Market."

Sellers believe they're giving their homes away, and swear up and down when the inspection report comes back, "I'm not doing a damned thing to this house. They can go buy another house!" Buyers, on the other hand, believe they're still paying too much, and rant, "There's a whole lot of homes on the market, so if they're not gonna fix anything, we'll just find a Seller who will." Then the haggling begins.  Both Buyer and Seller believe their attorneys are behind the scenes working hard to get them the best settlement.  Wrong.  Any good Realtor knows she can't depend on the lawyers working the kind of hours we do to settle these disputes.  I hear far too often from attorneys, "You know, I don't make the kind of money you do on a closing. I'm really working for nothing." My answer always is, "You've got three choices: (1) call one of the attorneys who only does closings, has an office that runs like a well-oiled machine, and belongs to the local country club, and ask him how he does it; or (2) charge more for your services, or (3) stop doing closings.  Two good Realtors are far more likely to avoid contract explosions by going back and forth between the parties before tempers flare, and one party walks.

But, even when you think all issues have been settled, you'll inevitably get the frantic late-night phone call telling you, "We're wondering if we paid too much for the house,"  Or, "My wife doesn't think she can deal with having a pool with three little kids." Or --- and this is my current favorite --- "We need to re-write the contract so my clients won't know what I paid for the house. Maybe we can write a seperate contract, and say we paid $300k for the furniture."

Don't get me wrong --- I love my job.  I'm just getting tired of hearing how cushy it is.