Trey's Blog: December 2007

That's right , Khris and I just celebrated 32 years together. We got married in one of the oldest Church's in Texas located in of all places..... Swiss Alp, Tx.   If you don't know where that is it is between LaGrange and
Shulenberg. Anyway it was fun !  When the  Fritz Auff country Club ran out of Beer we went to the old Cottonwood Inn. in LGrange.  I recall they ran out too. After that I don't recall. If you know LaGrange ....beer is a popular  item in the community.. just look at their heritage. 

Anyway here we are 32 years later.  I honestly believe we were meant to be together. We have made it through lots of ups and downs in life and business. Our advise...." Never stop talking to each other."

Oops! Well you know  something.....later I realized we just finished 32 years, we are beginning our 33rd!  

We all get in a hurry. But sometimes you have just got to slow down and read the fine print.

You know,  there are lots of people involved in the real estate transaction business.  Realtors of course are  just  of one of many.. Then you have your inspectors, your appraisers, lenders, underwriters, insurance reps, repairmen, surveyors, utility departments,  stagers, attorneys, title company's,( with several different divisions), and a whole host of others. Now what are the chances of something going wrong with that many folks involved in one little ol' transaction?

Pretty high chance of something going wrong.

Now Whose job is it to keep it all together?  We are the self anointed. The Agents are of course.  Today in analyzing a closing statement I noticed the title company had doubled the commission. Sounds great! But you can imagine what some sellers would say if they caught the error before the agent or  the title company closer caught it. So I called and reported it the second I caught it and then immediately let the seller know I had caught this awful error. Then later in the day we found several obvious and not so obvious errors on an appraisal. Took care of that too.

kEEP THOSE EYES OPEN!

If you are new in the business have your broker, trainer, or mentor look over documents and proof read with you. It is well worth a few minutes effort.

I am so grateful for the privilege of helping clients and fellow agents in the Brazos Valley,  and that privilege seems even more meaningful as our company begins celebrating 30 years of service to the community . It is hard to believe.... it seems like  just yesterday that I was taking my license training classes and exam.  Recently I drove past the first property I listed. It looks better today than it did back then.

The one thing I cherish more than anything in this business after all this time... is is the privilege of working with agents. Watching them grow and develop and knowing that some how , I may have played a part in their personal success, almost makes me feel a litle bit warm and fuzzy. Well maybe just  a little. Yes some of them are my competitors now , but that's ok too. They are no different than myself. They just want to be successful in their profession,  and I don't mind saying many of them have done so.

Here is to Realtor Success in the new Year!  

Is it just me or what? OK Christmas fell on Tuesday this year so lots of offices closed on Monday and Tuesday. And I suppose some closed on Christmas Day, Tuesday, and the day after, Wednesday.  AND some closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And I know a few that cut out on Friday, and aren't back yet.  Counting the weekend that equals 6 days total.  I believe in celebrating Christmas and love the spirit of the holiday greatly. And there are certainly those amongst us that deserve a break after a long year of hard work. But one thing I have come to realize is that the ones that tend to stretch out the holiday the longest, are usually the ones that seem to think every day is a holiday for the majority of the year anyway..

Now that being said...since New Years Day is on a Tuesday should you take off only Tuesday...or what about  Monday and Tuesday , or  how about Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday?   Add Saturday and Sunday to it,  and it becomes another 5 day holiday! Yipee!

Well . I enjoy cooking and experimenting a little. We have this Japanese persimmon tree in our backyard . It takes 6 months for the fruit to mature. I am not kidding. Plus you need a couple of frosty nights to make them hurry up on the ripening.  The wait is worth it however. There is nothing worse than a green persimmon and nothing sweeter than a ripe one. Well,  last night I got busy and baked some persimmon bread and made two persimmon pies and then put the rest in a fruit salad. What a unique taste sensation! if you are tired of the same old stuff throw in some persimmon. 

I have eaten wild persimmon and they are not bad, but the domesticated trees are a great backyard investment. They are compact and very hardy. Plus they resemble a tree with Christmas Decor since there are no leaves and the large fruit is fiery orange in color. From a distance you would swear the fruit was Christmas ornaments. A nice touch to any winter landscaping! And they are very edible.

Merry Christmas

I am one of those last minute shoppers and I admit it. I went in to the office this morning until 10 AM, then headed to everywhere I intended to go  to shop.. Now I really don't shop .  Must be a man thing. I know what I want to get everyone and if they are out of those items I improvise. Christmas is supposed to be fun so I don't let the crowds bother me either. I like to enjoy the moment and visit with people in the stores. Anyway I got done with everything in 2 hours including my wife.  Generally speaking if it glitters and is shiny she likes it. This year our immediate family decided to sponsor two lesser privileged families and it was so fulfilling. I can't imagine how much joy will be in  those 2 households this Christmas.  I just wish we could see and hear  both of them on Christmas morning. My wonderful daughter came up with the idea. It made my Christmas a Joy. 

I really love Texas Aggie Basketball and today is one reason why. My Dad and I went together. It was a beautiful day and the Aggies just plain did everything right.  88 to 66 right against UC Irvine in this afternoon's game.  And Joseph Jones had 0 fouls! I realize the hard schedule begins in Lubbock when we meet Tech and begin Big 12 play, but I think we are almost ready folks. This Aggie team is strong and getting more polished with each game.  And we have a coach that really seems focused and enthusiastic. Things are clicking for the Aggies.

Oh yeah... and the Horns were defeated by Michigan State ,   capping my already great day with a wonderful finale.  Thanks Michigan State!

They call and say politely  :"Good morning sir! The reason for my call is quite simply we need to verify your present street address for our records as we are updating them in regards to your Internet website registration.  Would you please do that for us?"  ( the caller seems friendly enough)

Then I Ask" Why can't you simply email me that request since you are an Internet firm?" Surely that is more appropriate for such a high tech firm as yours."

The solicitor responds   " Sir ordinarily we certainly would do so , but unfortunately our system is presently tied up while we are updating the most sophisticated and up to the minute virus protection. This is for all our benefits sir!"

My response is " I don't believe you." and hang up on him.

He will probably call back.

Well now. I have gotten this same call once a week for the last month.  It is getting old. Does he think I am going to buckle under pressure or what?

I SMELL A RAT?  Am I correct?

I am a reasonably laid back individual . Just ask anyone who knows me. My Texas Draw is slow and I know that. But it has always been my preference to put the brain into gear before the mouth, so here we go. I am thinking very slowly and typing even slower.

Lately I have noticed some interesting practices in our profession that cause me to ask questions.

• Why would any agent in their right state of mind, think it is OK to hand their card to another agent's client in front of the other agent?   I am seeing and hearing about  it more and more.
• Secondly why would an agent do this out in the field, and even more so, why would they even remotely think it is OK at the closing table? 
• And  Is it appropriate for agents to solicit other agents at the closing table in front of clients, to come work with or for them ?
• Did I miss something in my up bringing? Or... Are these kinds of behaviors now acceptable?
• To myself, this shows a lack of respect for the clients and others involved in the closing. Do they really care about or even want to hear about our other personal business matters at the closing table?

What do you talk about at the closing table?