And It’s Not Even A Monday

It’s an “Are You Kidding Me?” Kinda Day.
You’ve had them, right?  And all I can think of is all the times I have heard someone say, “I would love to be a real estate agent.  I LOVE looking at houses!”  ~ if only you knew….

So here is how my day has gone down… I’m a mom, so at 7:15 I left my house to take my preteen to an ortho appointment.

We returned and I got her off to school by 9, at which time I called a prospective client who had reached out to me for the first time at 6:30 last night saying she wanted to get together before she left town Friday morning… Um, OK.  We didn’t connect last night… so I called and left a message at 9.

I checked email and did a few things before walking a couple blocks to another client’s home to get their dog… They have a showing scheduled from 9:45-10:45, and the owners can’t get the dog out of the house, so insert me.  I mean, I need the house to sell, and this is important.  Besides, I could use the excerise.  I get Macy, the lab and bring her back to my place.  The owner warned me, I will need to bring “doggie bags”and not the kind for left overs from a restaurant.  Sure enough… we used TWO on a two block walk! Great.  I roll my eyes and mutter to myself “The glamorous life of a real estate agent….HUH!”

I add her doggie bags to the stash in my garage where I keep those wonderful smelling treats my own dogs leave.  I introduce her to my dogs, and while they like her, she’s not so fond of them.  So she chills with me in my office.

It’s nearly 10 now, so I try reaching that prospective client again.  Another message.  This time, I follow with a text.

I start poking around checking on listings that might be options for my buyers, following up with clients on homes I’ve shown, trying to get feedback from agents who have shown my listings… Meanwhile I get an alert that the agent showing the house 2 blocks over has accessed the lockbox.  Good.  It’s 10:21.  I should be able to return the dog as scheduled at 10:45.  I continue on through my to do list, while Macy looks at me expectantly.  I try to explain, it won’t be long.

10:50 hits and I grab the leash and Macy and I head back to her house.  Along the way I get a call on behalf of my prospective client saying her phone is dead, asking if I can come to the house.  Sure.  As soon as I get the dog put up.  I tell her it should be a few minutes.  By the way, good thing I still have doggie bags… Macy really does like to “go” while she’s on a walk.

I arrive at the house and attempt to open the lockbox.  It reads “ERROR”.  WHAT?  Macy whines wondering why I haven’t opened the door yet.  I try again.  “ERROR” the red light blinks.  I don’t get it.  It’s been used twice in the last hour with no issues… and now this?  Come on.  I have a dog on a leash in one hand, my phone (because I am using an app to open the lockbox) in the other, and somehow am also holding a bag of poop, because… you know… I am a glamorous real estate agent.  Oh – and in my fourth hand (yeah), I am holding the lockbox… shaking it. poking it, rubbing it like a lantern trying to get it to work.  Nada.  I call Tech support.  To do the do the voodoo that she tells me to do I will need a 5th hand and I simply don’t have that, so I drop the poop bag on the porch.  Press 1-2-3 and say the magic words.  Nothing.  Try again… 2-4-6 “Tada”.  Nope.  

She tells me it needs to be re-calibrated, but I will need my Sentricard to do that, and of course I don’t have that… so she helps me get the lockbox off the door using a secret code, and now I must head back to my house 2 blocks away with a very confused Macy, a lockbox, lockbox shackle, and my phone… and I have to get this thing fixed within a couple hours so the next agent can show the house.  And OH YEAH – remember – I need to rush over to that other house.  It’s already been 30 minutes.  I should have been there by now.

I run home, throw Macy in my office, who begins to yelp and whine when I lock her in… grab what I need to go to my appointment.  The lockbox has to wait.  While on my way to the next appointment, I remember – THE POOP BAG!  It’s by the door.  Oh gosh.  I must get that before the owners or the next agent gets there.  Oh sheesh.  No time to do it now.  That, too, must wait.

The appointment goes well.   Well, mostly.  The market is now saturated with inventory… so, you know… But I can still list the house, and I can still sell it, I just expect it to sell for a little less, and take a little longer.  OK, maybe it didn’t go “good”.  But it went.

I rush home, update my magic lockbox card and get ready to call tech support to recalibrate the lockbox – whatever that means.  While I am waiting on my card to be renewed, guess what?  Yeah, the lockbox opens just fine.  I have no idea.

I look at the calendar.  It’s not Friday the 13th.  It’s not even Monday. Sigh.

I grab Macy, the lockbox, key, shackle, and phone – and, of course, more poop bags.  I have learned about her.  This time, she doesn’t want me to hold the leash.  Maybe she doesn’t trust  me to leave her at her house when we get there.  She insists on holding the leash herself.  We argue.  We struggle.  I get really frustrated with her.  She gets even more frustrated with me.  We’re about to have a stand off.  Finally, we reach a compromise, and make it home.  Not before… you know.. more “gifts”, which she presented as my phone was ringing.  I don’t know why I answered it… but I did.  Someone who wants to see a property.  I don’t have my schedule, can’t answer her questions about the property, and it was a completely unhelpful call.  I am sure she had no idea she was reaching me while I was picking up dog poop… all in the line of “dooty”…. so she is probabably slightly annoyed at me.  Sigh.

I arrive and… OH OF COURSE… the owner is home now.  He got home and his dog wasn’t home and he didn’t even call.  Hmmm… OK.  I ring the doorbell.  Nothing.  I knock.  Nothing.  I put the lockbox on, stick the key in the door, and viola – NOW he’s at the door.  Hello, dear seller.  Are you missing anyone?  Here she is… oh, and she made some presents for you… a whole bunch of them!

Now for the rest of my day… helping a former client appeal an appraisal for a refinance, getting things in order for weekend showings, a listing going on the market this weekend, ordering brochures, installing a lockbox, printing & delivering flyers, and putting the listing agreement together for the new listing.

How many houses will I get to look at today?  NONE.  It’s still a pretty good gig, and I like it…..poop and all….but there is a whole lot less “looking at houses” than you’d think.  Just thought you should know.