Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Job Obstacles of an Everyday REALTOR

Postal workers are not the only people who have to weather all types of obstacles in performing their jobs.  Living in South Texas, I run across many opportunities to put myself in uncomfortable and even awkward situations because a client wants to see a house or several. 

Job obstacle number one...Showing in the summer puts me out in the 100° plus heat quite often.  
Job obstacle number two...Showing land means I take my boots (jeans preferred except when it's super hot, but a necessary evil) or take my chances with fire ants, nettles, burs, and too many other perils to mention.  

Job obstacle number three...Of course on any given day, it could rain. I've sloshed through rivers running just outside my car door after pulling up to the curb in front of the subject house.  I've wrestled with my umbrella whilst getting in and out of my car, only to give up and just know I'm getting wet. It's much better if it's also cold! 

Snow?  Sleet?  Um, not so much down here, but in February, it can definitely be icy or freezing.  This is especially fun when showing vacant homes with no heat.  And speaking of vacant homes, you will not always have lights, so one of my best friends is my phone flashlight app.   

Just last night I showed a couple of houses after dark.  Our time changed recently, and when we "fell back," it made scheduling showings for humans who work until 5 or 6 PM especially tricky.  In the current market, waiting until the weekend means finding a slew of homes you want to see then finding out that at least half are under contract by Saturday morning showing time.  So, last night, I showed houses by flashlight.  Spotting the signs and addresses in the dark is part of the game.  After navigating my way to the front door, I can hold the flashlight between my teeth or have my lovely buyer hold it for me while I open the lockbox. Then, we cross our fingers that there is electricity to the home!  It's a nice bonus to be able to see at least the interior of the home without handheld light.  

Those are the basic obstacles, but there are dogs, both loose and barking.  There are animals in the homes that I have to block from running out the door when we come and go.  There are nosy neighbors, alarms I can't figure out, strange smells, home oddities, bugs, and doors/lockboxes/windows/cabinet malfunctions that make me look like a monkey to my buyers. Thank goodness I have a sense of humor! 

The next time you hear this famous slogan, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."-US Postal Service, perhaps you'll also think of me...your friendly, neighborhood REALTOR!  We work hard to make things happen.  Would I change it?  No way!

Dawn Ham
RE/MAX 360 
www.DawnSellsTexas.com