Would you please bother us?

 🙋

“I didn’t want to bother you. I know how busy you are…”

We hear that from past clients, friends, and even family, all the time.

But, at that point, it’s too late. And we are not talking about it being too late for us to make money…

We are talking about mistakes having been made, and regrets seeping in. And, at that point, there is nothing we can do to help.

So, it just occurred to us that it would probably help if we just reached out to you, to let you know that you can and should call us. Anytime. For any real estate need or question. Before you find yourself in the same position as some other folks.

We know how busy you are, so we won’t go into every detail, of every scenario we have seen happen in this e-mail.

Here’s a short list, just to give you an idea…

But please, if you want more insight on any of these, give us a ring, or reply to this e-mail, and will be happy to get into more detail with you.

1. You just want to go see a house that is on the market…

(Yes, even if you aren’t serious about buying it. We won’t be pushing you to buy the house. We will be protecting you from making any regrettable decisions. Unfortunately, we hear from people after they got swept up in the moment and bought a house, and they are feeling regret, or have questions about the process or their decision. At that point, we can’t chime in. Because another agent represents them.)

2. You want to know how much your home is worth.

(Yup, we know all about all of those websites that show you the value of your home. And we know how inaccurate they are. Whether you are just curious, are wondering if it makes sense to sell, or need to get a handle on your net worth…just call/text/email us. We will give you an accurate value of your home. Our pleasure. Not a bother at all.)

3. You are considering a home improvement project.

(Almost any project you choose to do will certainly raise the value of your home. But, will it raise the value more than it cost you? Better to know whether or not it is money worth spending before you even start.)

4. You are thinking of refinancing.

(Being in the business, we get to know who the good lenders are, and who the not-so-good ones are. We hear way too many horror stories from people about the process being horrendous with such-and-such bank. Or that they felt duped because they were quoted one rate, and were ultimately given a higher rate. Just call/text/email us, and we will be glad to give you the names of some people we would trust handling your needs.)

5. You don’t even work in my area.

(Even if you live hundreds of miles away, we can help… before you decide to buy or sell a house. We can’t chime in once you are represented by an agent. But if you call us before, we can remain involved and add our two cents, as long as we have referred you to the agent you use. And we can really help find you a great agent in your area. It’s not always the one with all the signs and sales! Let us do some digging before you just hire anyone.)

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Like we said, this is not a thorough list. We just wanted to give you a sense of some things you may not have wanted to “bother” us with, that we would never consider to be bothersome.

So, would you please “bother” us? It will only bother us if you don’t!

A Cautionary Tale About Love, Scorn, And Real Estate

This story isn’t new, but it’s epic. Although its origin and authenticity can’t be verified, its message shouldn’t be ignored. So that you don’t miss it, here are the three main takeaways:

1. Men: Don’t cheat on your wives.
2. Women: Don’t get mad; get even.
3. Everybody: If you’re buying or selling a home, and it mysteriously smells like dead fish, you’ll now know the likely source of the stench.

After 37 years of marriage, Jake dumped his wife Edith for his young secretary.

His new girlfriend demanded they live in Jake and Edith’s multi-million dollar home. Since Jake had better lawyers, he prevailed. He gave Edith, his now ex-wife, just 3 days to move out.

She spent the 1st day packing her belongings into boxes and crates.

On the 2nd day, she had two movers come and collect her things.

On the 3rd day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When she finished, she went into each and every room and stuffed half-eaten shrimp shells into the hollow of all the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

When Jake returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell.

They tried everything — cleaning, mopping, and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even replaced the expensive wool carpeting.

Nothing worked.

People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit.

Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.

A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they couldn’t find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local Realtors refused to return their calls. Finally they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.

Edith called Jake and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were the sign the papers that very day. She agreed and within the hour, his lawyers delivered the paperwork.

A week later, Jake and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home… including the curtain rods.