Who’s been shitting on my lawn?
I write better when I’ve been drinking…alcohol that is. The ideas come in such rapid succession, I seem to be able to make them so much more interesting, and I feel at least, that I am so much more eloquent.
But here I am, hopped up on decaf and anger. Not rage, but a deeper, more seething anger at the general injustice of the world. Someone has been systematically and regularly shitting their dog on my front lawn. The vile mess has been exacerbated by the non stop rain we’ve been having, turning the lawn into a patchwork of overgrown and dead, light green and dark, mushroom riddled grass and clover. I’m not a lawn nazi per say, but this is just a bit over the top. I have my suspicions but I have yet to catch the offender red-handed.
Suspicion is such a funny thing. It’s so intangible, yet so real. Take for example a real estate transaction I was recently involved in. My client had me write an offer on a home where the commission was listed at 3% but as “variable”, quite out of the ordinary for a non-distressed sale as was the case. When I inquired as to the rational, the listing broker told me they were looking for an offer over an above a certain amount. They then went on to tell me verbatum that I would received a full commission if I presented an offer at a given price. When asked to put this in writing, the agent hedged and told me they’d get back to me. (Yes, the red flag went up.)
Upon presentation of the offer at the price they had reported would garner a full commission, I was told that I would instead receive 2.5%, per the listing. Here’s where the suspicion comes in: I believe that the broker is in fact charging the seller a full commission and simply gouging me to pad their commission on the listing side.
Can I prove this? No. Am I a greedy bitch for not “being grateful”, as he put it, for the commission I will receive? Maybe, but this is not about the money. It’s about integrity, honesty and loyalty, all of the things this agent is bound by under their licensure. It’s interesting to note that this agent is the principal broker at their brokerage firm.
When things like this happen, the usual route taken by myself and brokers like me, those who are work hard, are busy, have families and lives to get on with, is to just let it go. And, I too will let this one go when I’m finished burdening my poor reader with the tale.
But these actions aren’t without far reaching ramifications. As a broker, given the choice, I will opt to not work with this agent again. They have proven themselves to be untrustworthy and that is far too risky for real estate transactions, especially in this market. Aside from the fact that this agent gives all of us a bad name, their reputation within the broker community will render them unable to serve any client, buyer or seller effectively.
Update:
On my recommendation, my buyer and I looked at a lovely home around the corner, made an offer as the first one, had it accepted and voila! Done deal. 30 day close, everyone’s happy. Except of course the broker and seller on the previous deal. They’ve since changed their listing notes to reflect that a 2.5% commission will be paid…maybe. They also marked the “variable” box indicating that could change. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Interestingly enough, the shitting on my lawn has stopped. I was out late the other night, enjoying the magnificent Central Oregon night sky (a true spectacle!), and met my neighbor and his dog coming up the street. Right time, right place. I nodded hello. He has since changed his route.
