Cheap Foreclosures in the Moonlight
It happened again last week. I bumped into a family at a restaurant and upon learning my occupation, the wife approached me with that dreamy look in her eyes and said “Real estate... you must have so much flexibility!” I begrudgingly admitted “Yes, I do.” I didn’t elaborate. I didn’t want to encourage or discourage her, as she had "the look" in her eyes. You definitely know when someone wants to get their real estate license when they approach you and mention the “flexible hours" or tell you that they “love looking at houses.” I suppose the desire has to originate somewhere.
However, that day I felt it best to say nothing more. After all, it was Sunday afternoon, and she and her family were enjoying a nice brunch after church and probably about to retire to an afternoon and early evening of game watching 
activity. My husband and I, on the other hand, were being “flexible.” I decided to close my open house 15 minutes early so we could make the last seating for lunch. After that, we had to figure out how to do our weekly grocery shopping, and complete BPO pictures before darkness hit as we did not have enough daylight to do both. We were just discussing whether we thought our perishables might make it through the proposed trip when I bumped into this happy group. In the end, we opted to complete the assignment and possibly eat canned and freezer burned food until our flexible schedule would allow shopping next Sunday.
As I went through the next week, I reflected on all my flexibility. I 
called short sale lenders at 8am because that is when they are most likely to answer the phone. I skipped lunch so that clients who could sneak away at lunch to view properties could still make it home in time to have dinner with their kids that evening. Each day I ate dinner at 4pm or 8pm because many of my clients got off work at 5pm and I needed to be flexible and show them houses. And after 8pm, I stayed up writing offers, so that my clients could e-sign them that evening before the next day’s demands. That weekend, I held an open house and still managed to show homes with disgruntled tenants and day sleepers, as well as empty REOs that required bank pre approvals and signed mold waivers just to view.
Indeed, flexibility is also required when trying to find "a deal" for your clients too. That same week, I had a client who was willing to drive two hours to view a home that same night, a juicy foreclosure deal that popped up at the last minute. So I had to be flexible and show this home in the evening. We had to play Marco Polo to find each other in the dark on the street and then I suddenly realized that the home was actually already being shown -- it's just that there was no electricity. The other real estate agent kindly offered me his flashlight for the viewing. Fortunately (and sadly), I was prepared and went back to my car to retrieve my own flashlight.
I love what I do; however, I wonder if people understand that flexibility sometimes means looking at cheap foreclosures in the moonlight.
Tni LeBlanc is an independent Real Estate Broker, Attorney, and Short Sale Agent. She has successfully completed short sales with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, CHASE , GMAC, Seterus, IndyMac, CitiMortgage, Green Tree Servicing, Specialized Loan Servicing, HomEq Servicing, Wachovia, Coast Hills Federal Credit Union, Select Portfolio Servicing, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and others.
* Nothing in this article is intended to solicit listings currently under contract with another broker. This article offers no legal or tax advice. Those considering a short sale are advised to consult with their own attorney for legal advice, and their tax professional for tax advice prior to entering into a short sale listing agreement. Tni LeBlanc and MInt properties are not affiliated or endorsed by any lender.
Copyright© 2013 Tni LeBlanc *Cheap Foreclosures in the Moonlight*
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