I worked in the trenches for 15 years in Washington and 15 years in Arizona, and found so much humor that I couldn’t resist telling some of it! Read “Murder on Lake Haverly” for some of the funny things that happened in rural Real Estate. I changed the names to protect the guilty.
In the “Old Days” of real estate, we worked our asses off for those commissions. They were a % of the sale price, usually 6 or 7%, split between the selling and listing agents. The percentage sounds like a huge commission, but the prices of a moderate home ranged from $20,000 to $100,000; we were not getting rich, and we paid all of our expenses.
Add to that, there were no lock boxes, no computers, no cell phones; we really did have to move our tushes to make a living. And the truth is, it was truly the “wild, wild west, just shy of gunfights at the OK Corral.
One of my first chances at a would-be sale was to a nice old couple arriving in a used Van and as sweet as pie to “the newest new person.” I got the “lead” from my floor time and was thrilled. Those were more often guaranteed sales. They told me what they were looking for and that they were ready and qualified to buy. I questioned them and determined they could indeed be qualified, so I looked for several homes to show them.
We did have an MLS system and would get sheets of listings printed and distributed to us at MLS meetings. Picked them up in my VW Van and squired them to all the listings I could find. They fell in love with one and had me write the contract to purchase their dream home. In those days we actually wrote the terms of the contract! When I put the contract in front of them to sign, they informed me that since they were also Realtors, they expected to be given “Part” of the commission I would receive as Selling Agent!
When I asked my Weiner Broker if that was true, he laughed and told me they had tried that scam before. He thought it was hilarious I had worked my ass off and would only get a % of what I should have. To say I was pissed would be an understatement! My question to him was, “I have to present their offer to the seller, don’t I?”
Still laughing, he said, “Yes, you do.”
I thought to myself, “I have to present it, but do I have to work hard to get it accepted!” That was one contract I did not get their lowball offer accepted. The listing agent recognized the name because it was those old farts’ favorite game to play on new realtors, and smiled as he changed it to the inflated sale price his client wanted, not my lowball offer.
It sounds like a thankless job, but I loved every minute of it. Over the years, I have watched the miraculous changes to the profession, and “it ain’t the same no matter that much more $$$ can be made; it is not even close to being as much fun!”
That’s all for today. Be nice and look up my books at www.brendacolbathbooks.com. After you try Murder on Lake Haverly, try “Option”; there is more murder, laughs, and love affairs.
Have fun and laugh at life a little; it makes living it more acceptable……