The San Fernando Valley: Awkward Moments during a Real Estate Showing

 The San Fernando Valley: Awkward Moments during a Real Estate Showing!

Many people who do not know what Realtors do all day have a misconception and if I might say a false perception of what we do all day. In some respects it reminds me of what people think of Covert Agents for the government. It is humorous in a weird way.

( Photo to follow )

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The parallels are uncanny: people think being a Realtor is a glamorous job, looking at homes all day, just as they think that being Spies is a glamorous job. The reality is far from this perception. On a side note  the Covert Operator does not want to be recognized and wants to blend in and there are humorous moments when they almost get noticed; the Realtor on the other hand most Realtors want to be seen and noticed but they do not get notice no matter what they do…. so how could they be similar?

In my perception both are professional and are very focused they both research, spend a great deal of time investigating trying to figure out what the best solution is to the various challenges. A Realtor clearly wants to find the best property for the buyer at the best price. Internet research, knowledge of the neighborhood, schools, market places, libraries, post offices and I could go on and on. They want to be able to communicate to the buyer if they are not familiar with the neighborhoods as if they lived here all their lives and blend in. Just like Spies want to blend in and not be noticed. So up to this point there is clearly a parallel between both professions. They both have boring research skillsJ!

The average person thinks of both professions as glamorous.  Well let me continue to dispel this false perception from my perspective.

1. I am up late researching listings and communicating with my buyers and potential buyers on the internet.

2. I get up early and read, respond and delete a hundred and plus emails and communicate with my buyers and sellers as well as potential buyers and seller.

3. I set up appointments to see properties.

4. In my spare time I review existing listings and want to know my inventory. In a fast market that is not always the case….

5. So I am even on Google trying to learn trivia that I was not aware of.

Now with that said if you Google ‘The Porn Capital of the World’ you might be surprised that the San Fernando Valley of California pops up! (and feel free to test me on thisJ). So you can imagine where these mundane post leads to!

 I was out with a relatively shy and conservative male buyer. We were looking at one bedroom Condominiums and Townhomes since that is what the budget allowed.

I took my electronic lock box opener (Supra) and opened this particular unit in Sherman Oaks. We walked past the powder room, then the galley kitchen to this high ceilinged living room with a great balcony. My buyer loved it we were making buying sounds of uhs and ahs …clearly a well maintained unit. Now we decided to go up to the open second level which housed the bedroom area. There was a California King Sized Bed with three stands with Cameras Zoomed in on the Bed.

The good news was that no one was “working”, the bad news was the listing agent did not warn anyone. The comments were in the private remarks “… bring your fussiest buyer, no preview needed, show and sell. The seller is moving out of town and she is motivated, bring me an offer…” Had I known what we were facing I would have prepped my buyer and asked him if he wanted to see the place….Anyway once we got over the awkward moment we quickly left. I asked him what the feedback was and his answer was, he loved the unit but could not live here knowing what the previous owner was doing here as a business. Awkward, but that is all in the day and life of a Realtor.

Our Career is not as glamorous as some people perceive it sometimes it is just plain awkward! On a side note this was submitted for an Active Rain Contest about Awkward moments in our daily activities. Clearly some were more awkward than othersJ

If you are a consumer who is considering buying or selling a home, investment real estate, vacation homes, or beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Playa Vista, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu. Feel Free to give me a call at 310.486.1002 or email me at homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites athttp://www.endrebarath.com Your Pet Friendly Realtor. I contribute a portion of my commission to Local Animal Rescue Organizations.