Incompetent Thursday

Yesterday was a bad karma day. My ego was beaten down and I once again wonder why I am involved in anything real estate related. Or conversely yesterday, in a half-full kind of way, it was a good blogging day. You decide.

While Mario was getting pissy at me because I told him I was unhappy with my one showing for the entire month for my move-in ready home--which has had the same rental amount for 10 years (though he insists I was the one who overpriced it), I was also being called all sorts of names including "incompetent" by clients of mine because I can't rent out their home.

The clients wrote a long letter to my broker lying--mind you--about about the rental listing I have. They said (among everything they complained about) that I put in "smokers welcome" in the listing and left that way in MLS for more than a week. Incidentally, I believe the very first time in my entire life I ever wrote "smokers welcome" was in the sentence prior to this. The truth was, I did not check the box that said "non-smoking home" and they caught that. It was changed within an hour of them telling me.

My clients are stressed. They have two vacant homes. Mind you, they had reliable long-term tenants in one home and asked them to leave last month because... well, actually I don't know why. I never understood that one. My broker doesn't either. The long-term reliable tenants were flabbergasted too. But nevertheless, they now have two vacancies.

I have two vacancies as well. Both of my homes have mortgages. Theirs don't. But I digress...

The home in question where my "incompetence" was oozing will be a lovely home once the work is complete. They bought a fixer-upper that needed a ton of work and even more updating. My clients weren't willing to update, so the 1992 gray-blue counter tops and the brass fixtures are staying in this luxury home. We did finally convince them to paint the cabinets but they don't see any reason to replace the 1992 appliances.

However, the work isn't complete, because the clients haven't paid the contractors who are doing the construction. That's kind of a priority. So, the pictures I have on MLS are of the lovely exterior (which looked lovely when the picture was taken--they don't want to pay for landscaping or watering either) and the staircase. There are no kitchen and bath pictures. In fact, I was told (by them) the home was move-in ready and what exactly was the hold-up??

Here is the move-in ready proof:

















What really bothers me is that I was politer than I really wanted to be to Mario and he was his usual self. I was politer than I wanted to be to my abusive clients too. For that matter, I have bent over backwards for my clients and yet I am incompetent. I have shown this home four times this week alone--even looking like the above picture and begging the prospective tenants to use their imagination of what this kitchen could look like.

My home in Alabama I am asking Mario about is quite nice. In fact, it is probably my nicest home. It is move-in ready by their standards and I pay my bills. I know Mario's job is tough. I am doing the exact same job on the other end. However, I am not sure I am the one who is incompetent.