When I temporarily moved in 1990 back to Minneapolis from California, I thought maybe I would take a regular job, you know, a salaried position, while I looked after my mom who had cancer. I applied for a marketing director position at the electric company. One of the questions asked of me in my third interview was: Is the customer always right?
Let's just say I didn't get that job.
See, that's why I am cut out for real estate. Because I don't have to lie to anybody.
A client referred a potential buyer to me last week. This was an investor who wanted to take his pension plan and cash it in on real estate. He had read about the bazillion of homes on the market and the desperate banks. He wanted to capitalize. Which was all well and fine with me. I can deal with that.
I spent a few hours showing him potential homes that met his criteria. I mentioned that I got into the business in the 1970s representing investors, not home buyers. That I would write the offer, get it accepted, and then assign the offer to the investor. He barely blinked an eye.
As we talked more, I showed him the statistics for the area he targeted in Natomas. REO inventory was at the three-week mark, meaning it will take about 3 weeks for the REO homes he targeted in Natomas to sell. There are multiple offers on the great ones and, sooner or later, it happens to the not-so-hot homes as well.
He said he did not care about my statistics, as though somehow they belonged to me alone and had no bearing on the market. It was pretty clear to me that regardless of what I said, he would discard that information, because after all, he read how depressed the market is in the Sacramento Bee.
Later on he called to say he had gone to West Sacramento with a different agent to look at homes there. Every home he wanted to buy had four or five offers. He was astounded. He asked me to keep my eye out for a good deal for him. Regardless of where it is, except now he doesn't want Natomas. Maybe I will and maybe I won't. What do you think I will do? :)

Photo: Big Stock Photo
Buy it yourself if you find that truly great deal!? :)