Random Thoughts...

AC, BABY!!

Okay...that doesn't quite have the same ring as "VEGAS, BABY!!" but I'm still excited. After working my tail off since mid-February, things have slowed down enough that I am heading up to Atlantic City for a week. Now, it won't be all pleasure, as I do have about 15-20 hours of work that I am planning to do while I am there (I mean, I'm going to have to take some time away from the poker table, right? :) ), but I am excited. It's also cool that I am going to be able to bring a few clients and friends up there with me. Basically, I just did an exchange through my timeshare and different people are going to come up for 1-2 days at a time. We are staying at the FantaSea resort that is part of Atlantic Palace (right on the strip in the picture above; the picture of the roulette table is just attached and, trust me, I gave up trying to win money at roulette long ago :) ) and I'm looking forward to some long sessions of cards.

BRAC LINK

A colleague sent me the following link last week, and I thought it was worth posting here, as the BRAC is (and will continue to be) a major influencing factor on my job for the next few years:
http://www.co.anne-arundel.md.us/BRAC/index.cfm

MY COMPETITION

So, here's a story from the busy season...

A friend refers a friend of his to me because she wants to buy a house. We meet up for the first time in late June/early July. It turns out that she had been working with another Realtor and he was decidedly not helpful. However, she had signed an exclusive right to represent contract with him, and that contract said that she needed to give him 30 days notice before their contract was cancelled. I told her, "Look...ask him for a release, and you'll likely get it; otherwise, we can just wait to look at homes in mid-August (when the contract expired)." She says she'll just wait, but changes her mind the next week and says she would like to go out sooner. So, she contacts the other Realtor, who I'll call "Fred." Now, Fred says, "Sure...I'll get you a written release." Ten minutes later, he calls her back and asks her to ask me to call him. She calls me, and I say, "I guarantee you that Fred wants a referral fee, which is just stupid; I won't give him one." My client agrees that a referral fee would be ridiculous and inappropriate, but can't figure out how he would try to even say he had earned one. So, anyway, I call Fred and explain to him who I am...

So, let me pause to say that I was prepared for Fred to stammer a little and awkwardly ask me for a referral fee. I would have heard him out as to why he felt he deserved one and then politely said that I felt the situation didn't call for a referral fee and would have declined his request. Instead of a stammering agent, instead Fred snapped at me, "Okay...this is how we are going to roll..."

Suffice it to say, "patient-Greg" was replaced by a different Greg and I cut Fred off before the second "l" in roll fully got off Fred's tongue. "Fred, I'm telling you now that you aren't getting a dime from me for my client's transaction." "Well, you must care more for yourself than your client...making her wait and everything." "Fred, a referral fee is uncalled for in this situation, and my client has the right to find another Realtor who will give away thier money if she thinks I am being unprofessional." 5 minutes later, Fred gave up trying to guilt me out of money that he had no rightful claim to, most of which he tried to establish himself as this big professional (which is a joke, because I looked up his stats, and he had done like 3 transactions in the past 2 years).

So, anyway, I fill my client in on the results of my conversation with Fred, and advise her to contact Fred's office manager. She does, and that gets her nowhere. I advise her to contact the regional manager for the brokerage. She does; within 5 minutes, she got a written release from Fred's office manager. Yep...some of my colleagues are real smart.

WEDNESDAY'S 6.5 HOUR SETTLEMENT!!

A story for another day! Suffice it to say, it was crazy. :)

Have a great weekend, and remember to turn back the clocks on Saturday night-Sunday morning!

Peace,
Greg