Dirty Laundry

 

Yes they are among us. In my recent personal endeavors I have discovered a number of “member only” social media forums where people go to trash other people, or talk in private about other people with people like themselves. Call it what you will. I call it Dirty Laundry. I call it childish. If no one else is going to say something or post something about it, it might as well be me. Like me or leave me, I am what I am.

A couple of the forums that come to mind are back-ended chat rooms with member invite only to get in and socialize about other people. Another recent one that comes to mind is Whisper app. Where you can go on and write whatever you want to anonymously, and without repercussion. WOW. Really? Long gone are the days when if you had a problem with someone you tried to talk about it with them. You tried to find a common ground for sake of business and human decency. Now if you don’t like something about someone you can just join this forums, and tell the world about how you don’t like that person etc. Cyber Bully much? How about slander? Ring a bell? It is like high school on-line. I guess I am just old school, but it never once occurred to me, that if I was dealing with someone I did not like, that I would smile to their face just to beat a path home, and caps lock them to death in private forums. I generally tried to rationalize with the person agree to disagree, and try to keep a peaceful common denominator in mind, and just not hang out with them in my spare time. After all, maybe YOU aren’t someone else’s cup of tea either. I mean who would I be to go on and talk about someone else, when I am sure people call me opinionated and blunt, which by the way is a fact. I guess my whole point is this.

When you have a bad day, go home, have a drink, talk it out with your spouse, and let him/her vent back, then get up off your duff, and go for a walk! Take your kids for a walk or to disc golf or throw them a baseball, and forget about the things that irritate you most, because you just might be the topic of conversation in someone else’s house. Don’t fall into the trap of dirty laundry. Because my friends, if they talk about people with you, then they will talk about you. Dirty Laundry. Don’t be a victim, stand out from the crowd. Go left when everyone else is going right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0xr31XbSOU This video says it all...lol

 

The Window

So, this one is about me. You are going to laugh, and I am going to shake my head silently at myself for even daring to share this story, but hey... when we clock out and leave our work place we are people too.

I had had a long day. It was a Texas summer and we were in the middle of what we call "Turn" or student turnover. From May until late August, is when we get all of our leasing traffic here in Aggieland. I had fourteen appointments earlier in the day, in the hot Texas summer. I had one couple I had been working with come into to last minute right as I was wrapping it up. My clients wanted to see a two story home to rent while her husband was here working on his Master's. I immediately left and met them at the property, only to find out the lockbox had drawn its last breath. Not wanting to disappoint my clients I contacted the management company that had the property and explained to them what was going on. They referred me to the maintenance lockbox on the back door that had a combo code. "That is our only key, just put it back when you are done or we will be locked out", the receptionist explained. It should have been a foreboding. I opened the lock box, and unlocked the back door, and walked through the house and opened the front door for my clients. We toured the entire home, and I laid the key on the kitchen counter, and pulled out necessary forms. I came up short on one, so I ran out to the car to retrieve it. I headed back into the home stepping over stuff the maintenance team had left out to get the home in ready condition. I handed everything to my clients. It was about 7:00 p.m. by then and they wanted to take the forms with them to fill out and I was going to meet back up with them after they had dinner. My client asked for an extra form for her records. They were following me out the front door, and I told them just to leave the house open, and I would close up, as I handed them an extra paper. Then my client said, "Oh I just locked up for you." I tried to keep a calm face and thanked him for locking the only key to the home inside the home. I wasn't mad, but the wheels were turning on who I could call to get in the home. I walked them to their car and waved goodbye. The minute they were out of eye shot, I sprinted back to the house, and pressed my face against the front window. Right there on the kitchen counter were my keys, my cell phone, and the only key to the house. Locked tightly up inside. Crap! I had no idea what to do. I didn’t even have a phone to call someone to get in the house! I did what any sleep deprived leasing agent would do. I began running around the house like a crazy woman trying to open windows. Surely maintenance men had left just one tiny little window open! Well they didn't. I sat down on the nice covered patio a moment trying to think of something. Then I spotted a ladder leaned against the house that the maintenance man left out. I propped the ladder up and began going up and down the ladder looking for an open window. I found one. The little narrow window above the kitchen sink. I rolled my eyes. Of Course. I looked around and then went for it. I shimmied through the little window, landed in the kitchen sink, and straightened my silk blouse and linen shorts. Real Estate 007. I went over to the kitchen counter and grabbed my phone, and then my keys. Only to realize the door key was missing! I heard the front doorbell ring, and I opened the door. My client stood there a moment quietly assessing the ladder, the open kitchen window, and probably my disheveled appearance and he held up the key, "I accidently stuck this in my pocket". I looked at him and cracked up laughing. He looked over at the ladder and started laughing, "You crawled through the window didn’t you, wow, you are resourceful." I locked up the house and told him how he had locked my keys and everything inside, and I had no choice. Long story short....I got invited to dinner with them.

So yes...Realtors can jump even the most awkward hurdles for their clients

 

4 bedroom 2 bath with CHICKEN?

I think any Realtor or Tenant can relate to this one... It is awkward to show an occupied home. Let me clear this up once and for all. Showing an occupied home is awkward for both the RESIDENT and REALTOR!

We had a Realtor in our office that went to go show a very nice four bedroom brick home we have in a renowned neighborhood. It was supposed to be an easy show. We called our tenants the night before the appointment to give them plenty of notice, and we made our appointment. The next morning an agent in our office Carolyn left the office coffee and business cards in hand. She pulled up to the well kept, beautifully landscaped brick home with rock accent, and started her showing with her future clients in tow. The house showed beautifully, nice wood floor entry opening up into a soaring living room with high quality berber carpeting, and vaulted ceilings. (You get the picture). Once Carolyn got through showing her clients the interior of the home, it was time to take them outside and show them the backyard, and sew up the showing. She opened the door to the back yard showing off a privacy wooded fence. "This is the covered patio and the fenced yard sits on a quarter acre city lot, and includes lawn care. Over here is a nice sitting area, and some shade trees, and a chicken." Yeah I said chicken. Carolyn looked again and repeated chicken. The current residents had domesticated a rooster, and they had left it running around in the back yard. The rooster had wandered up during the showing of the back yard looking harmless, and started to peck at Carolyn's sandal clad toes, as she was trying to overcome the oddity of a domesticated rooster living in a suburb. She nudged her foot at the rooster pecking at her feet. Apparently this was a territorial rooster. The rooster began flapping its wings at our agent, and she began to back up under the patio. The rooster followed, flapping its wings and hitting Carolyn, and pecking her toes. Are you laughing yet? Well apparently this particular rooster had anger issues, and would not quit coming back, he began to peck at her sandaled toes, and slap her more ferociously with its wings, and Carolyn's clients had to swoop it up and throw it off of her so they could run into the house. I know you think this is totally fiction, but it is the truth. Those clients have come back to us time and time again, and they always ask us if we have anymore homes with pet chickens in them! HA! Hope you enjoyed one of our many ventures of real estate.

 

Perspective

 

I used to have no idea what this word meant. I mean I knew what it meant literally, but I didn't know what it meant in terms of "real world". I had no idea this one word could change your life forever, and make you step back and re-evaluate your life.

Perspective [pəˈspɛktɪv]

n

1. a way of regarding situations, facts, etc., and judging their relative importance

I have learned in my latter years (I refuse to say older), that everyone is entitled to their opinion or perspective of something. I realize now how different people apply this differently in their lives. I used to think when everyone graduated, that they would all set goals achieve them, and look for the good and others, and lift them up. I believed that you helped the less fortunate, and told the truth no matter the outcome. I assumed everyone around me was doing the same thing. I see now everyone was taught similar things, but it is all perspective on how they applied it in their lives. I see more and more people lifting themselves up, while stepping on the backs of their peers. I see more and more people that talk about doing great things, but are actually doing nothing. I now see the difference between the people talking and the people doing. I understand that everyone’s life is of unique perspective to the individual living it. I often pray for simpler times, and kinder hearts. I think as humans everyone gets too big for their britches, we all make mistakes. You, me, some other guy, a cashier, you name it. I think everyone needs to put this into perspective:

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha

Don't forget your roots, and don't forget compassion :)

 

Me? Blogg? Did you mean to say frog?

So... I had never heard of blogging. To be honest, when someone close to me explained blogging, I totally thought she was saying frogging. HA. Now that I have educated myself on what the heck this frogging thing was that she spoke of, I enjoy it. I owe that person a BIG thank you for introducing it to me. You know who you are.

I have recently started to blog, to promote myself as a person...and a Realtor, I guess you could say...but honestly...more as a person. I also had an alterior motive to blogging...I recently went back to school in my spare time (ha ha yeah right what spare time) and I have all english classes left. My professor seems to think I have a knack at writing, (although my grammar and spelling can be something to be desired with auto correct) so she suggested I start blogging, to switch gears and stretch my writing legs. Must be working so far, as I am averaging a very high grade, on top of work, kids, and the other regular stuff. I have to say I like to write a few short story lines here and there, it also brings alot of positive insight to my life. So I say FROG ON!

Knock Knock M.I.A.

True story. I went to go show a condo once. It was located in a strip of attached condos, with alleyway parking. Very cute little condo with tons of parking. This particular day I was meeting a client over there to show it. I arrived ten minutes early, and walked the property. I opened the door, and cracked the blinds to let some sunlight in. Then I stood expectantly on the front porch and waited on my client. The appointment time came and went. I thought no problem, maybe they caught some traffic. So I walked around the perimeter of the entire condo to kill some time, and to inspect its overall appearance. I walked back to my place by the front door. Ten minutes late. My cell phone rang, and one of the receptionists from the office called to tell my my client said they were on property and I wasn't. I explained to my client I was standing in the front door way. After a moment I began to walk around to see if my client would spot me and come to me, so I stood on each possible corner of the condo for five minutes. Needless to say, it resulted in twenty minutes after the appointment time, and no client. Deciding not to give up I went into the alleyway parking area and began knocking on random cars windows, and asking total strangers if they were here to meet me to view the home. Yes, this happened at lunch time, so tons of people were home for lunch. I had to have looked like a lunatic. People were looking at me crazy, and saying no and double taking as they went into their condos bolting the deadbolt behind them. I knocked on every door in the parking lot. No Client. Finally giving in I called the receptionist back. I asked if my client had contacted her, she said yes a few more times stating I wasn't at the very place in which I stood at that very moment. I whipped around. There was no one but me outside, and the lawn care guy with a leaf blower that was looking at me strangely. My incoming call beeped on my cell phone and I flashed over. It was my Client! I opened my mouth to apologize and ask where they were so I could meet them. My client cut me off, "We called the wrong Agent." My client was giggling, "We are in Austin and we have a Realtor here that has your same name, and apparently Austin and the B/CS area have a same address location! We are so sorry, but we have some condos we want to look at with you next week in the B/CS area, and we will just add the one you are standing at right now to the list!" HAHAHA. Happened to me, but hey I tried to find my M.I.A. client by old school knocking, my real estate instructor would have been so proud!

Poetic Justice Realtor style

There once was a Realtor who wore high heeled shoes
They were so high she walked like gumby too
She tossed her hair to and fro
Sure to be the spotlight in her home show

Her client made a joke and she giggled and slipped
He grabbed her arm before she could trip
She decided to remove her shoes so she wouldn't fall
Even though to her client it could be an unprofessional call

Instead he laughed and sighed
"I wonder how you worked up so high"
The realtor said at the end of the day I am just like you
But sometimes we are human and trip and stumble in our shoes


***This is totally about the time I almost fell out side after a rainstorm while showing my client a home, I had to take off my muddy heels to commence the home show, and my client was all the more appreciative that I was just like him in the human sense.

 The moral: We all are people, and we all stumble and fall, its the people that pick us up that mold your lives

:) Heather Dunlap