Why Does It Stress Me So?

I decided to get my real estate license after buying a home here in Middle Tennessee.  I was very disappointed in my agent and felt I could do a much better job than her.  I’ve carried that with me until this week when I finally realized that everyone loves to pile hate on real estate agents.  Everyone wants to find a reason to complain.

Let me be clear that I’m not talking about our beloved Aunt B. or other blog buddies and acquaintances.  Something else entirely came to me through the grapevine that I found … what’s the word … petty?  It was a comment that belittled me because I don’t only sell McMansions, but also sell homes under $150,000 to people. 

In one sense I should be encouraged because – by law and by my own moral obligations – I will treat EVERY client the same whether it’s an $20,000 land deal or a half million home.  But on the flip side, it really aggravates me that someone would be so pretentious to judge me because I don’t only work with the nouveau riche.

I wonder if they’d be impressed if they knew of my ancestry to Uchtred MacDowell, whose great-great-great-great-great something was probably born to one of the many illegitimate daughters of Henry I of England.

Enh. Probably not even though somewhere down the line of Uchtreds, one married King Fergus of Galloway in Scotland.  I wish I’d named one of my children Uchtred.

Goosebumps? Not This Time…

Aunt B. has proven that my goosebumps theory is flawed. Hard to believe, I know.  Aunt B. has also proven Lesley’s theory true that just because a house is mighty purty thanks to monumental efforts of a house-flipper, it doesn’t make it a good house.

We brought a friend with us today because it’s always good to have someone without a dog in the fight and nothing to gain to give an honest, brutal opinion.  And her friend brought a great big ol’ attitude* (normally I would’ve eaten breakfast before we left, Mack, but I had to get the kids to school in time to pick up their report cards. Sheesh.  Rolls eyes.)  *Updated to clarify that his attitude was a good thing except when he snarked on me about breakfast!!!

Mack hated the first one because it just didn’t feel that it had been well-cared for.  He hated the second one not because it was too small (my only criticism), but he didn’t like the neighborhood (though it’ll likely be gentrified in about 5 or 10 years… or not) and he didn’t like the fact that the siding was put up directly on the frame and not on any wood sheathing or other material separating the frame from the siding. I was horrified – I tell you – horrified.

But the third one was the one that Aunt B. originally fought hard to keep from falling in love with because it is definitely pretty fantastic.  She’s talking with her brother and others who she holds dear.  I’m talking with her lender – crunching numbers and questioning why she’s not talking FHA loan with her where they’ll pay $5000 in closing costs if Aunt B. takes a two-hour class as a first-time home-buyer. 

Aunt B. is mulling it over.  I’m gently pushing people to find a way to make it work.  Maybe we’ll know something in a day or two or three.

36 Houses, 4 Swiss Cake Rolls & 5 Plumbing Tests Later

When you tour homes, you sometimes reach the point where you must test to see if the plumbing of the house is functional.  What do I require when I test the plumbing?  Toilet paper, hand soap, and a towel to dry my newly washed hands.  The good news is the plumbing has always worked for me when I tour homes.

I pulled together the sheets of houses that Aunt B. and I have looked at in the last couple of weeks.  After 36 houses, four Swiss Cake rolls, cheesey peanut butter crackers, grapes, assorted drinks, a couple of fast food lunch breaks, a dining experience at Panera, and five plumbing tests, we may again be closing in on something wonderful. 

Actually, there are three wonderful homes if you must know the truth.  My favorite has been totally remodeled, but it’s a tad on the small side … which is what I originally told B.   However Aunt B.’s favorite is the perfect size with the perfect size yard (and a fence for her dog whose pseudonym is “Mrs. Wigglebottom” – which by the way I think is one of the most delightful things about B – she has a pseudonym for her dog).  The only two things against this house is 1.) the washer/dryer are outside in a room off the carport. Personally, I think that lends to the charm of the home especially since it doesn’t get THAT cold here in Tennessee.  And 2.) The price is just a teeny-weeney bit higher than where we’re comfortable.  But after running the market comparison, there’s a chance – about 70:30 – that we can get her price.  The monkey wrench is that the home has been on the market for nearly a year and I wonder if the sellers are just being incredibly stubborn with their price for it to be on the market that long… that’s where the 30% comes in.

But for B’s readers’ pleasure, here are some pics of her favorite:

Here’s the carport which by the way will be an awesome place for when she has parties:

And my favorite home (the smaller one):

We’re going again tomorrow to look with her brother (pseudonym “The Butcher”) and friend (“Coyote“).  I hope they love the homes as much as she does.

This Business of Buyers

I’ve been so blessed these past few weeks to have some wonderful clients.  The sellers I have are very sweet considering their homes seem to be just sitting there in this challenging market.   We’ve had a couple of really strong showings but the buyers just haven’t made that final step to write contracts.  But it WILL happen.

My buyers have been pretty amazing, too.  Without going in to much detail about them (privacy yadda yadda yadda), am I allowed to have three favorites?  I went with Aunt B. today – a prolific, witty, astonishingly normal person – and she proved that house hunting could be joyful!  I loved pointing out the good, the bad, and the ugly because she was very open minded.  She heard my words and digested them to her own benefit.

So yes.  It’ll be interesting to see which house she chooses – she’s very close!

This Business of Writing

I’ve spent a little time this spring moping around a bit as I’ve overanalyzed the downward trend in the housing market.  A little time moping, a lot of time analyzing.  I’ve also been working very hard on the site I began a couple of years ago called This is LaVergne.  It’s a hyper-local blog that brings news to readers, along with the opportunity to question, comment, and communicate.  The site has generated a lot of interesting discussions, but it’s also broken some area news:  Barbara Walters’ recent visit to Middle Tennessee and the story that affect everyone… the invasion of the giant mosquito (aka crane fly).

I was also invited to write for a major web site called Banks.com.  I am currently serving as the author of the real estate section of this site – you can read me here.  I’m working on that site for at least a month with the possibility of extending the contract longer.  I accepted a short contract just to verify that the time I take writing for it won’t hurt the time I spend with clients.  So far the balance has been good.

I also write for the always fun Shakadoo site at Shak and Jill.  I think my favorite part is when I feature bad MLS photos.  It never ceases to amaze me when real estate agents put horrendous photos online – or NO photos – and think they’ll sell the house with that kind of strategy.

So stop by some of these other sites every now and then to say hello.  I’ll be writing a big post later this week on this site about the housing numbers for April, so stay tuned here too!