So I'm minding my own business in the world of Real Estate one day when the phone rings. It's another agent from my company who doesn't work my area and he's got a referral for me. Super! We work out the details and I call the seller up to make an appointment.
Upon arriving, I discover that the previous listing agent is a friend of mine from a different company and that the house is a nice looking trailer with good curb appeal. "Interesting", I thought as I knocked on the door. Upon entering, I met Mr. Seller and the former Mrs., who was also selling the place. It seems that these grandparent aged people had gotten divorced and had a court order to sell the place and split the profits. It hadn't sold previously, so they wanted a fresh start with a different agent and company, yadda, yadda yadda. So I take the listing and in the middle of filling out the paperwork he lets loose of an "F bomb" directed at his former wife. "Hmmm. No love lost here," I think. He isn't hateful to her, just more one of those older kind of guys who now has health problems, has lost his marriage, has to sell his house and has lots of frustration in his life. At least that's kind of what the picture looked like to me.
Fast forward to several months later. We have an accepted contract and a closing date. Due to the market, the selling price isn't great, but they're still going to make some money, which is good. In the meantime, Mr. seller has gone out and purchased an RV, which he plans to live in. And, for some reason, he has to pay the thing off on the day of closing. This is not a good idea! If you're selling your house, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER arrange a payment for some big purchase like another house or an RV on the day of your closing. If you do, Karma or Murphy's law or the Real Estate wicked witch will come along and make sure that your closing will be delayed over the weekend or for another week or just,,.indefinitely or the deal will die for some goofy reason.
When it was discovered that our closing could possibly be delayed, Mr. Seller got...uh...shall we say, a bit upset. Okay he got a lot upset. He had to pay for that RV that day or he would lose his big deposit for some reason. I kept telling him to call the RV dealer and explain what was going on, but Mr. Unreasonable couldn't or wouldn't do that. It was "F bomb" city and my ears began to melt off my head. And the funny thing was, it wasn't angry "F bomb" cussing. It was just "I'm screwed if this doesn't close" F bomb cussing. It was like living a rated R movie!
Well, it all worked out in the end, but not without having my broker and the owner of the title company present for the closing just in case something went a little sideways and the "F bomb" machine fired up. I was concerned that the little closer girl might melt in her shoes if he let loose, so having some backup was a good thing. Especially because the owner of the title company was a lawyer. Thankfully, all went well and there was no need to put the heavy hand on the situation. A few days later, I got a phone call from the previous Mrs. thanking me for all I had done to help them (her) out. I believe it was the most grateful thank you I have ever received.
This situation begs the question of helping others. Call me odd, but I am wired in such a way that I enjoy helping buyers and sellers accomplish their goals. Helping someone sell their home so they can move into their next phase of life is rewarding. But occasionally you come across situations like this, where the help you offer is met with ignorance or a lack of appreciation or respect or...the "F bomb". When this happens, I tend to try to work through the situation rather than to just throw the towel in immediately. However, there are times when tossing a deal is a must.
I guess it is up to each of us to figure out where that line is at. For me, in this situation, knowing that the sell would help the poor lady and really, even the cusser, made it worth sticking to the deal. And sensing that he wasn't cussing at me, but rather at the situation also made me able to stay with it.
But I sure was glad when the deal was done! Anybody know where I can buy some good wallpaper glue?
Originally Posted at: My Owasso Home
Bob...
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