Multiple Real Estate Deals
A reminder of what life was like last year… (not that it’s too different this year)
It had been one of those weeks. Those who are Realtors will totally understand… and sympathize.
I was juggling multiple real estate deals – trying to keep all my balls up in the air without letting anything drop is so much more than a full time job.I start work before 8am each day and am frequently still getting details ironed out at 10pm. At the very least, I’m catching up on paperwork. You know the stuff; Editing photos for listings, researching details for listings or comps for buyers… paying bills… getting multiple real estate deals files up to date… returning the emails that I didn’t get to during the day… working on marketing materials… The list goes on.
This week I added 3 inspections to the list. One included a pool (not too common!) and while the inspector was “casual” about appointment times, the seller was stringent regarding scheduling AND wanted to be there. Oh boy! Everyone seemed to have high radon test results. Several wanted to throw in negotiation for the sellers furniture this week also. Understandably, my buyers and sellers had other stuff going on in their busy lives that we needed to schedule around. This included travel to different time zones and changeable work hours and resulted in a last minute Power of Attorney and the random amendment to change the name of a Trust or alter deadlines. With a thousand little things going on, my brain was in overload!
But not to worry, one of those deals was all set to close this week – 29 days early. That would certainly free up some time and brain space. 🙂 The best laid plans!
The problem started 24 hours prior to closing. Actually my seller was already at the closing table, signing his side ahead of time. The Buyers Agent informed me we had an “issue” with underwriting. A receipt for work done that the underwriter needed to be worded differently. (the joys of lending in 2013.) Long story short, when given no other choice, the underwriter decided it was not the problem they initially thought it was and the loan was approved. Closing was set for 1:30pm and Land Title got figures an hour or so beforehand. Bless them!
Just when you think all is good in your world again (and you can turn your attention to the next deal) you discover, between loan approval and closing, that a random person has parked their truck-camper in the Sellers driveway. The Buyers are demanding it be towed as the contract does say no personal possessions to be left at the property after closing. Oh, joy!
As the problem-solving Listing Agent that I am, I braved the road re-finishing crew to get to the Sellers house no less than 3 times that afternoon. I then discovered that you can’t have a camper towed off private property unless the police are involved. Only to find the police can’t order it either, but they do send you an officer, if you’ll just stay put a while.
Perhaps this isn’t long story short after all. Sorry!
After running the plates, the officer informed me it was the neighbors camper. Since he wasn’t home, we called him and explained that it’s really not cool to park your vehicle in someone else’s driveway. He agreed to move it… later. (I’ll take what I can get.) Meanwhile the Buyer calls me from the closing table. He has had a change of heart and instead of insisting in no uncertain terms that the vehicle be towed (which was his position an hour earlier) he was now insisting that it didn’t get towed! That works for me. 🙂 You see, the Buyer was smart and once he sat down in an air conditioned room and took a few minutes to think about the situation, he probably saw it like this:
1. It was not the sellers fault a neighbor took liberties and parked there without permission.
2. The buyer will be living there a long time to come and starting off the neighborly relationship with a dispute is not in their own best interests.
3. With the road being refinished, the neighbor likely had to move it off the road in a hurry and assumed that a vacant house was a good temporary solution.
It was a stressful day for all involved, but in the end we got there.