The Highs and Lows of Real Estate
as best described by Gnarls Barkley (aka Cee lo Green)
Crazy
"And I hope that you're having the time of your life
think twice
that's my only advice
Come on now,
Who do you, who do you, who do you
Who do you think you are?
Ha, ha, ha!
Bless your soul
You really think you're in control?"
I've loved this song since it came out many years ago and the words continue to have great meaning for me.
My real estate business? I started out fresh with the best of intentions. I was sure I could make each year a banner year. With all the education I absorbed from participating on ActiveRain for the last decade and all the experience I picked up by just being on the streets, I was ready for real estate success.
There's an old saying - Man plans and G-d laughs.
Right off the bat, I picked up a wonderful client who found me through my blog. She was a dream to work with but, alas, her crazy attorney wasn't. Apparently, he wasn't fond of real estate agents and told my client as much. When I attempted to call at the beginning, he cursed me out and hung up on me. He refused to speak to me for the entire 9 months of the transaction. It was very difficult to be kept in the dark.
Then I received a referral to a unique little space in a co-op building with a crazy, dysfunctional Board. Two studio apartments, one on top of the other, were joined together as one with a circular set of stairs. No permits! The owner, who had previously been a board member, told me none were required at the time work was being done. While this sounded more than a little strange to me, it was also impossible to believe that no one noticed the demolition involved in this renovation. My involvement in this transaction ended abruptly.
I spent time showing some terrific young people who were so excited about moving into a Nassau community until the husband was offered a crazy (good) job promotion overseas in London. Several months later, they changed their mind about the move and called me back. Things were looking up.
After Hurricane Sandy devasted the south shore of Long Island, buyers became afraid to buy near water because the crazy, mandated Flood Insurance premiums were so out of control and could run to the thousands each year. So unlike the rest of the country, where business was booming, the homes of the south shore just sat and attracted little attention.
Trust me, I worked haard!! but it wasn't enough. There are just so many things that are out of our control. Early on, it wasn't in the cards. Who knows? Maybe next year will be my best year yet!
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