Back when Real Estate was in its infancy, it was so much more fun than it is today! This was before lockboxes, cell phones, computers, and huge mortgage conglomerates on every corner. Applying for a loan meant sitting in front of a Mortgage Banker and answering questions about your ability to repay.
Of course, many large Real Estate companies were involved in the building trade and other activities. Some were honest and some not so much, but they all survived.
At one of the MLS meetings at a local restaurant, I assisted one in doing the right thing by catching him picking up ALL of the cash tips the realtors left for their servers. I greeted him and stood beside him as he held a fistful of bills. He wasn’t even a little embarrassed as he said, “I was just going to take this to the server so it wouldn’t get stolen.” I said, “Great idea. I will just walk with you; it is so good of you to protect the servers from theft. As you know, they work really hard for their tips!”
Other realtors had seen him split the tip money between the waitresses and himself, and we were onto his game. What could he do to me? He wasn’t my broker, so he couldn’t fire me. Even if he was, he would hardly let a high producer get away.
When we finally got pagers, we were thrilled! The office could get a message to us in minutes. We began to think we really were stepping into the 21st century! We had so much fun playing with them. They delivered a rather loud voice message, and it was sometimes embarrassing, because everyone could hear every word of our message. One day my good friend Karen sent me an embarrassing one, and at most any other time would be fun; unfortunately, I was writing a contract. The message went something like this: “Brenda, Harbor Freight called, and your Black & Decker Vibrator has arrived.”
Every year, the Title Companies held an Open House for Realtors with alcoholic drinks and snacks, which we all enjoyed. Some more than they should. Mikey thought it would be hilarious to hide all the phones. The little darlin’ unplugged them all and hid them in closets. On Monday morning, when they opened the door to dozens of ringing phones and no one could answer them, it wasn’t so funny. To say the Title Company employees were angry would be an understatement! Mikey thought it was hilarious until he realized the Title Company was the one that closed his deals and issued the commission checks!
My good friend, Denny, the fastest lock picker in our office, came in handy when the seller left the door locked during our MLS tour. Note of interest: lock boxes had not been invented! The person in charge had keys to all the vacant homes but forgot this one. My friend had left the house locked. We arrived at a locked door, with a dozen or more realtors waiting outside. Denny said, “No problem, and got down on his knees and proceeded to pick the lock. Just as he succeeded, the door opened, and the owner stood there with a towel around him, fresh out of the shower, which is why he didn’t answer our knocks. Denny just looked up and said, “Hello, we are here for your MLS tour.”
That same Denny helped me study for my Broker’s License, and I passed the first time. He let me borrow his tapes with questions and answers to study while I drove from Washington to Oregon to get the seller’s signature on closing papers. In those days, anything was possible.
At another Christmas party the MLS threw for all the Realtors, Denny and Skip really thought I would let them talk me into going outside to see the swimming pool bathed in moonlight. After listening to much coaching from them, I finally laughed and said, “Guys, I haven’t had enough to drink to trust you two to throw me into the pool!” The party gave us tickets for drinks, and my hubby never drank, so guess who used the tickets?
It was funny that even though Shirl never drank, friends would remark, “Boy, your husband sure had a good time at the party.” He would be the one with a lampshade on his head for a laugh. For our 65 years together, it has been fun; he makes me laugh!
Just wanted to remind you of one of my favorite books. My daughter asked me, “Mom, why don’t you write a story about my imaginary playmates I had as a child?” I said, “Okay, what are they, and what are their names?” She answered, “I only remember their names: Ning, Dog, and Boss!”
That is how and why the series called Sleep Travelers, “The story of Ning, Dog, and Boss,” was born. This had been a labor of Love. I created the books to help parents spend time reading to their kids and give them the gift of loving to read. I used dialogue between the animals and the kids to show the fun of learning how the animals lived and to allow the animals to leave their cages and join the kids on their adventures. I had so much fun writing her story that I decided to allow the group to go on another Sleep Adventure, and that is why the Amusement Park was born. It is available in eBook and Paperback at your favorite online bookstore.
Thank you for reading my blog and have a good day…..
