Small caravan today. A house in Dedham that needs a lot of updating. Interesting decor--swords everywhere--real swords, pictures of swords, biker posters, etc. A few other nice houses in Westwood and then on to the luncheon houses. Two luncheons today. The first one is in Needham. Wow. You should see this one! The neighborhood is stunning. We were early so we drove through for a bit and it was fantastic. Then we went into the house. We guessed that it must be about two million dollars---close--it's $2.6 million. The owners were supposed to leave for the duration of the luncheon but just planted themselves in the living room and wouldn't budge. Lunch was only OK so just had some fruit. Then on to the next luncheon in Medfield. I had already been to this house but wanted to see it again since the listing broker won't let anyone show it unless they've been through it and I wanted to make sure she knew I had seen it. This one is even more fantastic and is less money--$1.4 million. It has an AuPair suite and a solarium with the most breathtaking view. My favorite part is the basement. Just off the full bath is a sauna and then behind the wet bar/kitchen area is a real wine cellar that is temperature controlled and jam packed with wonderful bottles of wine. There had to be about 500 bottles of wine in there. The basement walked out to the yard through French doors. The pool is right out there and the view from the entire back of the house stretches for miles over wooded lot. The Charles River also runs behind there somewhere though you couldn't see it now that all the trees have filled in with leaves.

Quiet day on the desk. I just missed an "up call" for a million dollar house....

Missed the big walk on the new "Leonard Zakim/ Bunker Hill Bridge" today. Good thing I didn't go--I never would have made it to work on time. I guess their were lines and a long wait just to get near the bridge to walk across. Would have been fun though.

Met with potential seller today. Probably the nicest person I've ever met. He'll consider selling his house in order to help out some other people. Otherwise, he'll stay where he is since he likes his house and the area. He can't meet with me tomorrow to discuss price because it's the opening of "Star Wars."

Also got a call from my neighbor--she's considering selling her house and had received my postcard so she gave me a call. I would hate to see her move but would love to sell her house.

Received an email from someone I had met when I ran an Open House. They want to buy a house in Norwood. Unfortunately, there is only one in their price range and it's been on the market for quite a while for a good reason. It's a small, run down "cottage" on a very busy street.

As the World Turns....

Seller A lists his house with Listing Agent A.
Buyer A puts in an offer and it gets accepted.
Buyer B puts in BUP offer.

Buyer B finally explains that he wants this house really bad for his mother etc. (I know this isn't important to the story exactly but bear with me further). Buyer B lives in the house immediately behind this house and he is buying it for his mother. (And Thank God I didn't mention to him about the mess in the backyard of the house behind this one!!)

Buyer B's Agent (me) (Agent C) didn't immediately know that Buyer B's house was in the back and had originally been told that he liked the area, etc so Agent C got creative and made cold calls to other residences on that street to see if they would consider selling. One says yes, this is Seller B. He would consider selling to accommodate the situation--other than that, he'll prefer to stay where he is.

At this point, a lot of other people somehow got involved--Buyer B's friend, a builder, talks to Agent D to see what she can do to help Buyer B get this house. Agent D talks to Agent A and Agent B (who represents originally Buyer A).

Agent D then calls me to say that Buyer B will come up with extra money to give to Buyer A if they could swap houses (seller A and Seller B's houses).

This was my day..... Stay tuned to find out who gets which house and how much Buyer B has to pay Buyer A in order to get Seller A's house.

The only house on caravan today is an 18 million dollar home. Would I love to sell that house! This house is HUGE! The basement is around 6,000 square feet--you could literally drive a car around in it. In fact, the listing broker said that that is one of the purposes in case the buyer is a car collector, they could store them in the basement. God forbid they park them in the 6 car garage. The liquor closet is bigger than my bedroom, the crafts room is a round room with a domed ceiling and has a small room off the side where there will be a sink and cabinets for supplies. The more experienced brokers said that this house is way overpriced--that it should only be listed at about 8.2 million.

Wrote up my dilemma from yesterday (above) and ran it past my manager. She has no idea what to do and agrees that it is all very confusing so she faxed my letter to the attorneys to see what they suggest. I'm not a very patient person so near the end of the day and I hadn't heard back from her, I called our attorney myself. He understood what I was saying and mentioned that the Cambridge office does this sort of deal all the time and explained the different options and how to proceed. Then I called the manager at the Cambridge office to see how they handle it. Now I think I know how to handle this. They also both laughed at me when I mentioned that this would be my first sale. They said that from now on everything will seem very easy. Now the question is--can I pull this off?

Met with my potential seller this morning for the above mentioned deal. I was hoping he would sign the listing agreement and I could get this show on the road but he had enough time to think about this and has realized that he is in a power position and wants more money for his house should he decide to sell. I have such a headache... He will run the paperwork past his attorney and then we will meet back up Monday evening.

Went for a nice walk around Millenium Park in West Roxbury and then did a little shopping at Frug's.

Had a weird flashback today while doing the TV Guide's crossword puzzle. One of the clues and answers was "Sha Na Na." Years ago (possibly during high school or right after) I was dating this guy, and one day he suggested we go hang out at his house (well, his parent's house). We get there and he said he wanted to show me something (hey, get your mind out of the gutter!). I sat on the couch and he told me to close my eyes until he was ready. Finally, he said to open them, just as some music started. At that point, he began to lip synch to Sha Na Na and dance around as if he were them. You have to remember, this was before anyone ever heard of Karaoke. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry, though I do remember being very embarrassed--either for him for doing this or for me for dating someone like him. The worst part was that he was totally serious about lip synching to Sha Na Na and thought he was really being cool. I'm not sure why Sha Na Na was the choice but I suppose that's not the biggest issue or question, now, is it?

Oh yeah, one more thing--I received an invitation to a Presidential Dinner in Washington D.C. Not sure how I got invited but it said that I would be representing Hyde Park. Now if I could just come up with $2500.00 for the ticket. And find a decent date....

Trailer for Sale or Rent.... Rooms to Let--50 cents....

Well, I got an official listing to sell a house today. Unfortunately, this is the house mentioned a few days earlier so the contract is written in such a way that he will only sell to one of two people, it's not up for general sale. If neither of those people buy it, then he will stay where he is. BUT, this is the farthest I've gotten so far.

Because of the complexity of this deal, I spent all day on the phone with our attorney's and the trainer as well as some other people to figure out how to do this. I was warned to tread very carefully since I run the risk of being sued if something goes wrong. Oy. I have such a headache.

I Got It! I Got It! ...... I Don't Got It...

That was quick. Looks like the deal might not go through after all. The seller had figured out that he was in a power position and has asked to list the house about $60,000 higher than expected or higher he should. My buyer isn't interested in spending that kind of money, especially when someone else will actually get that house (if anyone can even follow this at all!). The deal isn't officially dead but at this point, I don't see it happening. At least not the way I had envisioned it. Now, the story might be that my buyer just wants to buy out the other buyer's Purchase and Sale. That means that the other buyer will come out ahead financially but will not have a house. He will have to start his search all over again. Now I just need to find out what his decision will be. Personally, I think he should take the money and run, but that's me.

The Saga Continues....

Well, we simplified the deal. Forget about House number 2. My buyer just wants to buy out the other buyers Purchase and Sale (as mentioned yesterday). Ran that past that buyer's agent--my buyer is willint to pay $10,000 to buy the P&S. That buyer came back and countered with $30,000. My buyer laughed but said he would pay $15,000 cash to close the deal. The other buyer finally just said no. Wow. Someone is willing to turn down $15,000 for doing nothing but backing out of a deal and starting the home search over again, which also means he could buy a little bit better house now that he has another $15K. That's basically getting 115% return on your money in a few short weeks for doing nothing. The stock market doesn't even do that. The funny thing is if you actually saw this house. The paint has been peeling for years and literally flakes off periodically. The wood underneath is probably rotten, the kitchen is the original kitchen from 1950, there is no garage, the 2nd floor is an unfinished attic (though it has potential as it has a normal staircase leading up to it and has a high ceiling). Looks like I lose 2 sales and am back to square one. That was a lot of work for no money. Now I get to tell the owner of House #2 that the deal is off. Hopefully he'll be happy. I sure hope my buyer isn't a jerk--the other buyer will have to live right by him--hope there are no hard feelings....

Just 2 houses on the caravan today--a small, cute house in Westwood, and a large contemporary house in Canton.

Day Off. Whew.

Talked to my buyer's lawyer today. He is drafting up the appropriate documents and will fax them to everyone by this afternoon so we can more forward. I made sure he also put in this document (to be approved by my buyer, of course) that my buyer pays my commission if this goes through. We'll see.

Worked the desk this morning. The other person seemed to have forgotten she was supposed to be on the desk so I had her assistant put in a quick call to her to get in to the office. Luckily our manager never noticed.

Received the fax TODAY from the lawyer regarding the "dilemma" and am now just waiting for it to be signed by all parties. Meanwhile, I got a call from the other buyer's broker. Apparently he is thinking of backing out and just taking the house after all. AACCCKKK!!!

Meanwhile I did get 2 calls while working the desk. One is in the $350K range while the other is in the $900K range. Let's hope I sell someone something soon. Especially since I heard that the summer months are extremely slow. Maybe I should just try to see how long I can go without a paycheck. It's already been about 6 months.

My old company, AspenTech, finally had their layoffs. It's horrible to start hearing the names of former co-workers and friends on the hit list. My old boss was laid off as well. Of course, they did finally hit some of the people who should have been let go a long time ago. Especially the one originally from Seattle. She convinced the company to transfer her to New Jersey and have them pay for her apartment, which they agreed to do. She was supposed to be there a year but then extended it. Her mother was supposed to live in her house in Seattle but within a few weeks decided to move into a home for the elderly. So, this person was able to rent out her house in Seattle as well as live for free in New Jersey. Some people just know how to work it, don't they? She's also the one that would always sleep through meetings or usability test sessions, if she even bothered to show up. Usually she was out jogging or shopping.

AND.... a "friend" of mine mentioned that he just bought a house.....without my help!!! Sigh....

The Buyer A/B situation still hasn't ironed itself out. Buyer A is still thinking of backing out and keeping the house. I have 3 words for him--MAKE A DECISION! We're almost out of time since the closing for either one is June 11th and my buyer's bank is calling him constantly trying to figure out what to do. I did hear a rumor that the restaurant behind these houses, Fontaine's, is up for sale and the 99 might buy it. This could have something to do with why my buyer wants the house but I'm not sure and haven't heard if this is definite. There certainly isn't enough parking for a 99 restaurant so they could possibly buy up some of the property around there. We'll see.