Years ago when I was just starting out, a kind and far more seasoned colleague took me aside and said, “The most important relationships you’ll ever have in this business isn’t with your Buyers and Sellers, it’s with the other Agents!”
To be honest, I’m not sure I initially understood or agreed with her advice at the time. Coming from the school of "scrappy," and married to an appellate attorney who enjoys a good debate, I was encouraged to be an advocate first and foremost. I was taught it's not our job to be friends with our competitors; it's our job to BEAT the competition - or is it?
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Cliff and I are heading back to the mountains this weekend to check on the cabin. When we were there a few weeks ago, it took my husband an hour and a half to dig down to the water main while I carved a path to the doorway. This weekend, we will undoubtedly be addressing other concerns. Turns out that owning a cabin (even a small one) is not for the faint of heart . . . or lean of pocket.
"My toilet's leaking," the email said, "I didn't see anything about it in the disclosures."
I understand (I do). It's upsetting to spend millions on a house only to immediately run into nonfunctioning appliances, leaking toilets, or leaning fences as soon as the moving truck has delivered your contents and then departed. (Thank goodness I purchase home warranties for my Buyers.) However, whether the Sellers knew OR didn't know about a particular defect in a house prior to selling is a hard point to prove . . . "Are all those trucks for our house?" Cliff said, looking out the window on Tuesday morning. (Hardly.)
Like many households, we suffered water damage as a result of the recent "atmospheric rivers" that required some fairly extensive repairs, and we'd been waiting for the crew to return after the extended holiday break. (Everyone deserves some time off but let's get back to work fellas.) Even so, our two handymen didn't account for the three trucks, one LARGE trailer, and several orange cones outside. (A van, a truck, a trailer, OH MY!) |
AuthorJulie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 18 years and has published more than 775 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. Categories
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