It was quite remarkable seeing the temps jumping over 26 degrees from the time I left home this morning, to mid-afternoon when seeing it 16 degrees. From yesterday’s wicked below zeros with the wind making the chill even colder, having it in the teens today, was more than tolerable.
My first order of business, was to meet a buyer out at a home for her final walk-thru before our 9:00 am closing at FCB. I didn’t have a very good feeling when pulling up and seeing the steps and sidewalks not having been shoveled, but thankfully I keep a shovel in my car, so I went and grabbed it and scooped before the buyer arrived.
When I unlocked the side door and noticed all the dirt on the floor, my suspicions were confirmed. I could tell the buyer was not happy with what she saw, and I didn’t blame her a bit because yours truly was even more vocal about its condition.
There has to be something wrong with people who either rent or own and believing it’s just “Ok” to haul out their personal belongings and not clean up after themselves, and today was yet another confirmation that such mentalities, spans every age group.
I told a colleague of mine today that the home looked more like a rental that a naughty monkey dirtied up and walked out of, rather than it being a homeowner’s who’d lived there for a number of years. The oven was filthy, the inside of the refrigerator was disgusting, the toilet bowl was growing mold, and just about everywhere we looked, we noticed all the more willful neglect.
When later thinking about it, I believe if I were that buyer, I would’ve insisted on a $250 credit at closing because cleaning stoves and refrigerators take hours. Some of the landlords charge an automatic $75.00 to exiting tenants if their stovetops and ovens aren’t clean, and if they’re overly filthy, their charges go up.
Remembering back when I sold my mother’s home some years ago, I was determined that it be cleaned from top to bottom after its repairs and updates were made to where I’d comfortably believe there wouldn’t be any negative back-lashes from whomever purchased it. I had to laugh to myself when one of the professionals in our City happened to notice the fotos I took of it and saying at the time, “That basement looks like you could eat off the floor.” I laughed a little when replying, “Considering the work I put into it, I’d say you could.”
A number of months later while getting groceries in Fareway, I ran into the father of the person who purchased my mother’s home, and when he saw me, he motioned for me to come closer. My instant knee-jerk reaction was that he was possibly preparing me for an ear-full of complaints he had regarding her home.
I was relieved when he said, “Mr. Chodur, as well you know, my wife and I’ve purchased a number of homes, and always had things to do with them after we closed, but the one you sold my daughter, required absolutely nothing done to it since she moved in, and I want to thank you for doing such a good job.”
Believe it or not, I actually became teary-eyed when he said that because all those laborious hours and money spent working on it, came rushing back to mind, and when but one human on the “outside”, happened to actually take note of it, became a humbling experience. All I could say to him was, “Thank you, and I’m glad your daughter and grandson are enjoying it, because my mother wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
Yes, people are different when knowing some just can’t step out of themselves and understand that it’s downright shameful when not considering how others feel when being left with someone else’s mess to clean up. It may sound a bit Biblical when remembering the line, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”, which makes me now wonder how today’s sellers would’ve reacted if the tables were turned on them.
We got the home closed, and I apologized again to my buyer for the inconsideration of another Realtor’s sellers. Oh well, it was a bad thing done, and everyone took note and moved on. Let’s all hope karma has been watching and preparing for her kick-backs.
My late morning appointment took me over to a nursing home in Britt to get signatures on some documents. The people working there were exceptionally friendly and especially one particular young gentleman who was smiling from ear to ear with his uniform and hospital hat comically placed on his head. I teased him a bit when saying, “Oh how I wish I’d brought my camera with me and taken a picture of you because I’d use it one of my daily articles.” He got a good laugh out of that.
I got the docs signed and decided to stop at one of their local cafes and have a salad. They just happened to have a salad bar, so I paid the money and created my own. It wasn’t even close to the best I’ve had, but while driving away, I figured I’d given a little support for their local businesses, while also chiding myself about how fussy I am regarding the quality of food being served when eating out. Yes, I certainly am an Epicurean brat.
It was a pleasant drive to and from Britt, and thankful for it because it gave me time to get un-wound from this morning’s walk-thru on that filthy home.
Tonight’s one-liner is: The warmth of compassion is the vital element for growing plants and the souls of children.
