If You Want It Done Right, Do It Yourself!

I love the real estate business, I really do…..but sometimes I wish I could do the entire transaction myself. I know, I know….one of the things we all LOVE about the real estate business is “working with people” or “meeting new people”…you know…it’s over rated! lol! It seems like there are so many people involved in the real estate transaction it inevitably gets “mucked up”….

Case in point was the last deal I blogged about in my Confessions category…..Local Bank had terrible service, didn’t care about the clients needs, gave me a ton of excuses and we ended up closing a week late and no one was willing to say “I screwed up”. Well, 3 days after closing this deal rears it’s ugly head once again….

Apparently, Local Bank didn’t instruct the Title Company to collect for the Windstorm insurance. See, here on the Texas Gulf Coast you have to purchase, and pay a year’s premium in advance, for at least 2, if not 3, insurance policies. You need Hazard (in case of fire), you need Windstorm (in case of hurricane) and you may need Flood (if you are in a flood zone). So Local Bank told the Title Co. to collect the money from the buyer for the Hazard and the Flood but forgot the Windstorm. So 3 days after closing Mr. Buyer has to send a check for over $700 to the insurance co. Not a huge deal, especially since he was going to have to pay it at closing anyway, but just another example of incompetence I have to deal with on a regular basis. Just one more stress and unpleasant experience for MY CLIENT!

It gets better…..

Seller’s agent contacts me today….they lost the Option Fee check ….(in Texas, the buyer can purchase what is called an Option Period. Basically you are purchasing the unrestricted right to terminate the contract for any reason. Price the buyer pays and days the buyer purchases are all negotiable. In this instance, the buyer paid $50 for a 10 day Option Period.) so now Seller’s Agent wants my buyer to put a stop payment on this check and write another one….incidentally, this check was turned in with the contract, oh, I don’t know….3 WEEKS AGO?! And by the way, this deal is CLOSED.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not perfect. I have screwed up a few things on some deals…..I bought a survey for a client once because I incorrectly read my sales contract…that one cost me over $400…..but you know what? I said “Yep, I screwed up. Let me make it right.” and we did. There was no trying to wriggle out of it…there was no “Well, will you just seeeee if he might pay for it?” NOPE, we screwed up and we made it right…..

That is what burns me about this….this is an agent who, until recently, I had a lot of respect for. We had done some deals in the past and this agent was always efficient and right on top of things….this deal really left a bad taste in my mouth. Every time I asked for something it was “I am so busy…blah, blah, blah” or “My phone is ringing off the hook and I just haven’t gotten to it, blah, blah, blah” or “I am having so many personal problems right now”….you know, we ALL have personal problems!! We are ALL busy! I can’t even believe this agent, again who is experienced and who I had a great deal of respect for, isn’t going to just say “You know Mr. Seller, I screwed up. I can’t find the check. But here, let ME write you a $50 check and make this right.” BLOWS ME AWAY!

So again, sometimes I wish I could just eliminate all the other players in these deals and just do the damn thing myself…..at least THAT way if there was a mistake, SOMEONE would step up and take some damn responsibility!

–Lisa