1) Today I had what must surely qualify as the most awkward experience I’ve ever had with a prospective client. I sat down and glibly outlined my marketing program, and then gave them my price opinion, which was $350K. The wife developed a facial tic.
“So … I’m sensing that I came in lower than you were thinking,” I suggested.
“Yes. Yes. You. Did.”
“Would you like to tell me what you had in mind?”
A long pause. “We think our house is worth between $550 and $600,000,” she said.
I literally had no idea what to say. If they really think that, they’re insane. I have an excellent pricing sense, and I’ve never been even close to that far off. The one time in my entire career that I underpriced a house, I was off by $10K. Not $250K.
“OK. Well, I guess I’ll leave, then,” I finally said, as cheerfully as I could. For all I know, they’re still sitting at the table in shock.
2) After weeks and weeks of applying for part time jobs, it seems that I am actually being considered for one … a part time customer service position at a local Netflix call center. At $13 per hour, it pays far more than most jobs of its type. The up side and the down side is that the shift is from 4 AM to 9 AM, which is great because it wouldn’t interfere with my regular work day (on the days when there is any work to do) but isn’t so great because I’d have to get up at 3 AM. I really, really don’t want to have to do this, but I’m sure I waste 20 hours a week worrying about money, so I suppose I might as well do it, if they offer.
3) Some of you may recall, from a post early last year, that I have an odd little condition called atrophic dysphonia, which causes me to become hoarse very quickly when I am singing; basically the problem is that I don’t make enough noise on a daily basis, so my vocal cords are underdeveloped. There are plenty of days when I don’t speak for more than ten minutes total. The only cure for this is to exercise the vocal cords in whatever manner I can devise; this is on my mind now that I am singing again, as I am unable to speak after fifteen minutes of singing. The last time I worked at this, I got up to an hour of singing after a couple of weeks of … well, of talking to myself all day. I can’t figure out what else to do.
January 31, 2008 at 9:26 pm |
1. A lot of people think their houses are worth more than they really are. Is your area in a bit of a recession? Are home values declining, like they are here? If so, they were the ones out of line. We listed our last house for 50K less than our tax assessment, and sold it for 100K less than that first listing. Sucks, but that’s the economy. We’re just both deliriously happy we don’t have that house anymore, we really didn’t care what the offer was.
2. Call center work can be fun. I had a PT job like that once, doing market research for Farm Journal. It was the most interesting job I’ve ever had. You might like it, or at the very least, it will give you some more topics to write about.
3. You need a real life friend with whom you can converse. Maybe you should call one of your internet friends and chat on the phone. Just a thought.
January 31, 2008 at 10:22 pm |
I’m thinking the call center job would be an excellent way for you to strengthen your vocal chords. And I’m with pandemonic – it could be very interesting.
February 1, 2008 at 12:08 am |
Pan –
1) You’re every realtor’s dream reasonable client.
2) I’m sure it would be blog fodder from here to Eternity.
3) I do have several friends I could talk to, but I just don’t enjoy talking on the phone … it’s my least favorite way to communicate. I did come up with the bright idea that I could read aloud the stuff I see onscreen, which would give me plenty of exercise, wouldn’t take any extra time, and wouldn’t involve the phone.
Trured — Amazingly, that hadn’t occurred to me until you pointed it out. Pay and an added benefit! Hurrah!
February 1, 2008 at 1:05 am |
oooooh….DAVID….
Why don’t you read your blogs aloud, and put a file on? I, for one, would love that!
February 1, 2008 at 2:03 am |
The price/mis-price question is interesting. I have two comments in regard to this.
1a) When my wife and I went to sell our first house (the duplex) we feared the worst. We (and the barely extended family) bought it as a family home. A duplex is superb for an extended family: close and distant at the same time. But we also had a big yard for a garden, a bluff over a preservation area that was gradually eroding in a way that eventually might be dangerous, a beautiful, large cedar tree that was leaning in a way that eventually might be dangerous, and a house with various faults that might eventually be a lot of trouble.
The best buyer would be another extended family like ours. The worst (but most likely) buyer would be an investor who rents houses. Landlords don’t like big yards that need maintenance, don’t like potential problems that will potentially cause problems, etc.
We set a conservative price.
The real estate agent we hired, said, “You can get more money than you are asking. The market is very good right now.” (Several years ago, of course.) At his advice, we raised our price.
The first prospective buyers were landlords. The looked at the house and said, fairly curtly, “We don’t want anything to do with it.” We were very depressed.
A landlord came. He wasn’t a tyro–he had already owned rental houses for years. We showed him all the problems. We showed him the big yard. We showed him the bluff. We showed him the drainage problems. We showed him the potential problems in the house.
He made an offer (slightly under what we asked, but way ahead of the price we had originally planned to ask before the broker advised us otherwise). The investor said, “You have 24 hours to accept. If you do, I won’t ask for an inspection by a home inspector. It will be a deal.”
We accepted, made a nice profit, moved to an island. As far as I know, the landlord is still happy. I drive by and look at the tree once in a while. It hasn’t fallen. The bluff hasn’t caved in.
1b) I teach computer classes. Frequently, many of the students have no idea where they are. They sign up for classes way ahead of their capabilities. They sign up for classes way behind their capabilities. I try to gently try to guide them into some evaluation of themselves about where they really are. Some come to accept it; some flail and struggle wildly in disagreement with obvious reality.
2) I had a friend in a similar situation who took a similar job, working for Harry and David taking phone orders. It worked out for her. People can be really obnoxious on the phone. (I am one of those people.) But it’s probably easier than having to deal with them in person.
3) Similar to what fluffy says, starting posting some of your blogs as podcasts. Throw a few songs in.
February 1, 2008 at 4:13 am |
If you do start reading the stuff on screen aloud, can we start submitting things that we think would be especially fun/silly/or bizarre for you to read then?
I think it would be most effective if you used voices. Like a one act play.
February 1, 2008 at 4:14 am |
And you can record that, so we can be amused by it!
win-win.
February 1, 2008 at 6:50 am |
Mr. Random — You had a good experience with a sale. That’s nice.
To everyone, regarding the .wav file idea … I don’t have the technology for it. And even if I did … I’d miss writing “written” blog posts. I couldn’t read these aloud successfully as podcasts … spoken word writing is quite different from regular writing, as I can assure you from my years of competitive speaking. I’d miss writing to be read.
February 1, 2008 at 8:34 am |
You could call me and sing to me. I could handle that.
February 1, 2008 at 8:36 am |
Offer your blogs both ways, both as written and as spoken. Charge for the spoken ones. Those who really love you will pay. Those who are cheap will read for free. Worst would be you won’t get paid by anybody (where you are now) and you will have evidence that nobody loves you but your mother, where you are most of the time and need to get over but you need to get over that anyway.
February 1, 2008 at 12:17 pm |
Mr. Rochester, you can get a really neato little digital recorder for about $50. Then you can plug it right into your computer and turn it into a wav file. It’s so easy, even a dummy like me can do it.
I like amurin’s idea of us submitting outrageous things for you to say outloud. That idea is a keeper.
February 1, 2008 at 12:26 pm |
1) Some people don’t understand that their house isn’t worth a dime unless someone wants to buy it.
I very seriously doubt you under-valued their house.
2) If you’re good, you’ll get better hours in no time. The added benefit of working your voice should make it worth it.
3) Talk to the cats, silly man! Mine love it when I sing to them.
February 1, 2008 at 12:44 pm |
My life would be complete if I could listen to you read Don Quixote to me (us). *Sigh* I’ve missed you so. FTL, jen P.S. I hope you find your new job right for you and that it provides much to blog about.
February 1, 2008 at 1:51 pm |
I find working with people so frustrating at times. Especially if they are in a state of denial.
I will cross all my fingers and toes in the hopes that something suitable comes up for you!!
February 2, 2008 at 1:59 am |
I’m often asked to give ballpark estimates on the fly, something I hate doing. Unless I have plans to work from, and time to ruminate, it can have no basis in reality. Still, an educated guess is possible.
But it always results in the same reaction as you got.
I looked at a job two and a half years ago. After outlining to me all the magnificent remodeling ideas they had, the husband asked me to ball-park it.
I replied that they were probably looking at close to $500,000 worth of work. The wife’s eyes got as big as hubcaps, and they both stammered that they would “be in touch”. I know what that means.
Needless to say, they never called back. A week ago I chanced to be driving past their house and noticed they have done absolutely nothing to it so far.
I’m quite certain their dreams outstripped the reality of their pocketbook.
February 4, 2008 at 1:21 am |
Dude, I didn’t know you were a singer. Singing in close harmony, a capella, is pretty much my favorite thing to do, only occasionally surpassed by sex and eating.
February 4, 2008 at 2:06 am |
Ah yes, Don, singing has been the torment and heartbreak of my life. I’d much rather have sex.
February 4, 2008 at 9:37 am |
You could have vocal sex. Oh. Sorry. The last comment distracted me.
I was going to say… IM with people online, and say everything you type, aloud. And those with whom you IM can imagine you doing that, and it will be amusing for them.