I lead the glamorous life…

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You all think real estate is Beemers and golf outings during the day.  I know you do, but really real estate is more glamorous than that.  Seriously…so much more glam.  In fact, I am wearing my Vera Wang and Jimmy Choos as I type this.   I will share an only slightly embellished true story with you to demonstrate the sheer sophistication of being a real estate agent…

 

It was a cold, clear day in Salem, Oregon.  I sashayed down the stairs in my typical taffeta real estate attire ready to sell houses that day.  I popped down the top of my dark red convertible because as you know all real estate agents have one in the rainy Pacific Northwest.  The wind and rain droplets whipping at my hair left me undeterred even as  the “drowned rat look” overtook me.  The 80′s were on my side and Aqua-net was in my glove compartment.  I was armed and ready for good big hair.      Whizzing around the corner turns in the south Salem hills while jamming to iTunes, I was deeply aware that I looked cool.

 

I pulled up to the house, not even slightly frazzled at being 15 minutes late.  My clients know that being “fashionably late” is what its all about.  I located the key box on the garage door, daintily pulled out my supra iPhone to open it, and voila…the lovely sound of a key box opening.

 

While working on my hair flip, I felt a mystic force at play as it pulled the black case holding the key right out of my hands and heard the sound of metal bouncing off cement.  Gasp! The sound was as horrible as a Justin Bieber Christmas song.  I watched in slow motion horror as the key did a perfect swan dive (easily a 10 by the judges)  into a deep dark abyss.  That really didn’t just happen, did it?  Don’t make me get on my hands and knees and ruin my Vera Wang or worse…break a nail!  I squatted down and swatted away the leaves in the crack thinking it probably did a nice soft landing on the leaves.  Couldn’t see the key.  Probably need to take my Versace shades off, I thought.

 

Must. Maintain. My. Elegance.  There were only words of Glee entering my head at this point and I almost broke out in song.  I casually cleared away the leaves trying to find where the key had landed.   As I don’t subscribe to the Boy Scouts motto of be prepared as that is for lesser agents, I wasn’t prepared.  What’s up with the Boy Scouts making me feel guilty at a time like this?  I vowed never to buy any more of that really good chocolate covered popcorn from them, no matter how cute or nice they look.  Someone had to pay for this force of evil that had me looking like a frantic Lindsey Lohan digging for crystal.  No way I was calling the listing agent to grovel and tell them I dropped a key in a crack black hole leading to Middle Earth.  Glamorous agents don’t do that.

Little did I realize that my buyer clients were a walking Ace Hardware.  I was handed Leathermans complete with needle nose pliers to grab the key. The key was too far down and the pliers too big.   Two more tools later, I still didn’t have it.    Thwarted.     I had to suck it up and walk miles, you know the “I walked 10 miles in the arctic blizzard to go to school when I was a kid” kind of miles,  in my stiletto Jimmy Choos to a neighbors house to see if they had a hook I could borrow.  I sheepishly knocked on the door as I said “I’m a really cool and amazingly glamorous real estate agent.  Forget everything else I’m about to tell you after that, okay?”  Armed with a long camping stake and cursing the days of my youth where I failed to win at Operation,  I was able to snag the key after several attempts and pull it out.  My Precious.

 

With key firmly grasped in my palm, we walked into the house.  The highly unpleasant scent greeted us and despite my best efforts to convince them that a house with a kitchen was a good buy, they wanted to leave.   30 minutes digging out the key.  5 minutes touring the house.  1 minute spraying my hair with Aqua-net.

I truly lead the glamorous life.

Categories: Real estate humor

Rising to new lows

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A glowing recommendation.  It’s what everyone wants in their business.  Who doesn’t want to be acknowledged as being good at what they do?   Gallup released their latest poll about feelings about different industries.  What’s up with this touchy-feely stuff anyway?  Feelings, schmeelings…

I’m incredulous that in this current time of real estate turmoil, that the real estate industry didn’t make the top 5.  What’s up with that people?

The top 5 were

  1. Computer Industry
  2. Restaurant Industry
  3. Internet Industry
  4. Farming and Agriculture
  5. Grocery Industry
The bottom 5 were:

  1. Banking industry
  2. Health-care industry
  3. Real estate industry
  4. Oil and gas industry
  5. Federal Government
I have to say that I was surprised that the banking industry was thought of more positively than the real estate industry.  Seriously?  I didn’t think an industry could sink lower than the banking industry these days, so I guess congrats to the real estate industry for rising to new lows.   Only 23% had positive thoughts about the real estate industry.     Sweet, I was tired of working weekends anyway.  I think at this point we just need to figure out how to get people to hate us more.  You know really go for broke and try and be thought of as worse than government.  This is not a challenge easily won people.   This will take a true group effort.
So here are my suggestions about how to keep consumers from liking us more.
  1. Continue to have low entry standards.  Why pay a dime a dozen when you can get agents for a mere penny per thousand?  Forget about going through the effort of requiring more from real estate agents when everyone hates us anyway.     Revel in our mediocrity, I say.   By the way, I think mediocrity goes well with a nice Chardonnay, maybe with some hummus and tortilla chips.
  2. Continue with bad marketing.   Let’s face it, it is much more fun for consumers to guess what is in the photos than it is for them to be helpful.  I mean if we take a good picture of the kitchen, what are we supposed to say when we walk into the kitchen with a buyer?  I much prefer the current method of “remember that super dark blurry blob on the MLS.  That is what we are looking at now, the kitchen.  Bet you never would have guessed that, huh.”    It gives me something to chit chat about with my home buyers instead of standing there looking like I have nothing to say, so I appreciate that some of my peers are looking out for me that way.  I like being an expert.
  3. Continue to over solicit.  There is nothing more refreshing than a Facebook or Twitter stream filled with self promotional goo.  Goo isn’t just for amoebas anymore.  I feel so loved to have listings shoved in my face all the time.  Who can resist the charms of such enchanted engagement?   Personally, I’m thinking of using the water balloon slingshot method of delivery for my business cards to people that have never heard of me. They say that the first impression is the most important, you know.
  4. Continue to offer nothing of value.  Why learn to calculate current inventories when pulling numbers from down under is so much more fun?  I’m calling 3 months inventory in Salem Oregon just because I can.  I think it sounds impressive to say “Salem has 3 months of inventory.”  If I lower my voice when I say it, I’ll sound more expert-like too.  Cool, huh.  Taking the time to calculate trends and such…eh, that’s for people who know how to use a calculator.  I just figured out where the kitchen is in a house, don’t ask me for more than that.  Sheesh.
  5.   Whatever, this list is too long anyway and I’m tired.
So in summary, I’d like to thank the Academy for this incredible opportunity to be thought of so poorly.  I couldn’t do this without you guys.  I’m touched beyond belief and rest assured I will give it my all until we are thought of more negatively than the government sector.  You can count on me.
Hugs and kisses to you all.

Categories: Real estate humor

Who doesn’t want to live in a sky box?

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You can’t ask for better news than this! The Statesman Journal announced today that Salem kicked the yellow and green behind of Eugene and stole the Emeralds to our city. With a brand spanking new downtown stadium, even!  Complaints have already come in to the city regarding our city noise ordinance that requires that the city shut down by 7:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Local officials have reassured me that there won’t be any late night games.  Games will just be held on those increasing furlough days for state workers and will definitely be shut down by 7:00 so as not to ruin’s Salem’s reputation as a quiet city.

Beer Googles will have super cheap Frito Lays of their choosing and cheap beer.  It’s all good!”

Eat Salem has been chatting with local restaurateur David Rosales of La Capitale and Andaluz fame. I’m personally excited to attend the opening of his new restaurant Sockaroni at the new stadium. I think that David can probably make a better marinara sauce than I can buy at the store from Newman’s Own. It’ll be tough though, ’cause that’s good stuff. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that David can pull it off!

On the real estate side of things, those sky boxes are going to go up for sale as luxury condos. Developers aren’t worried about Salem’s sagging condo market. “Who doesn’t want to live in a sky box?” developers recently stated. “We’ll have some great standard features such as a Kegerator, Popcorn machine, Foosball table and beanbag chairs, and a high flow toilet.  We’re going to call them ConBoxes! The HOA dues will be really reasonable at $400 a month.”

We are also starting a PB&J cart just for our ConBox owners.  Grab your lunch as you head off to work.

Personally, I think the PB&J cart will rock the food cart scene. This truly is exciting news for the city of Salem, and you all know which lucky Salem real estate agent is going to list and sell those ConBoxes, right?  It is still a few years out from development, but you can go ahead and contact me now to make a reservation for your own ConBox.

Categories: Real estate humor


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