Such a glam job – Fall version of being a Realtor®

Well, I wrote a winter version and a spring version of why being a Realtor® is such a glamorous job. Never did get those flowers planted that I mentioned in the spring version.

So here goes the Fall version.

Late this afternoon I received a call from a client who was on his way home and realized he left his key at the home they’ll be moving to. Would I mind getting the key out of the lockbox and putting it in a certain place so he could get in. This is about the 3rd or 4th time I’ve had to run to their home to do this. We joked that we’ve lost count, and I’m not sure what they did when there was no lockbox on the door to save them.

We had strong winds overnight and it’s been gusty all day, so when I got there, the yard sign had fallen over. This happens often during strong winds when the signs are flat against the west winds. It’s been fairly dry here, so getting the sign back into the ground was tough. Our signs are pretty heavy with a hefty steel frame.

I first hoist the sign up then try to drive it into the ground like a pile driver, trying to find a section soft enough that the sharp pointed ends can penetrate. Once I get a sign started, I then remove the bottom strip and jump on the lower rail repeatedly to get it secured into the ground.

Up … down … up … down … up … down … OUCH!!!!  

I just drove the sign into the top of my foot. I won’t go into details, but it was ugly. Fortunately, I carry Band-Aids® in the car and was able to temporarily fix it until I got home.

I finished working on the sign and able to get it into the ground enough to hold it until the next rain or the next strong wind.

As I was driving home, I noticed another broker’s sign blown down. It was the sign of one of those flat-fee, minimal service brokers. I wonder if that agent will come out to put his sign back into the ground … or is that one of the seller’s chores. Hm-m-m-m.

I remember a similar situation with a seller in my neighborhood who accidentally locked himself out one Sunday night about 8:30. My doorbell rang and upon opening it, there was a man with his 2-yr old in a stroller. He sheepishly told me who he was, where he lived and what had happened. He wondered if I would mind opening the lockbox so he could get in the home. He also had listed with one of the flat-fee agents, and since that agent lived in another city and since it was a Sunday night, he knew better than to try to get his agent’s help … not with all that money he’s going to “save”. I drove to his house and removed the key for him. It was the right thing to do, even if he didn’t want to pay “all that money” for a full-service agent.

So here I sit – blogging – with my throbbing, well-bandaged foot elevated, knowing that my clients … and their signs … are well taken care of for another day.

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