Crying Homeowner...really.

[Larry Lyke]

Geez, Austin --

It isn't fair to blame us Yuppies for everything...

I was Realtor to the Yuppies. They were the best possible clientele ... almost as easy and trusting as farming a church for Clients.

Even as the churches preached against gentrification of THEIR neighborhoods, the Yuppies were plunking down whatever it took to buy the Queen Annes around the church. But nary a BMW would be seen in the church parking lot on Sunday morning.

It was a heady time...

I think back to all the 30x60 houses they bought from me. My approach to this class of people was pretty much that: "This house has so much to look out at. Mary's 30x60 house only has front windows and back windows -- You can reach out the side windows and shake hands with her neighbors..." Remember, it's not money; value is in status. That's MV that anyone can recognize.

When anybody EVEN hints at suing me, my ONE and ONLY response is "Bring it on..."

 

[Daniel Williams]

Austin,

I like your analysis but your delivery is a bit harsh! I agree about "know it all" homeowners. Heck down here in SoILL the COUNTY can't get the GLA correct....how could a sales agent! 8O


Lee Ann,

I was also born in 1960 (just turned 42 :? )......and my Dad was Okie....born and bred. My granparents founded the town of Perkins.

Sign me.....Born in 60's....NOT a yuppie :!:

 

[Blue1]

Dee Dee,

People get in situations because of their own decisions. At some point, those decisions cause certain consequences. In this case, bad consequences. You were never a part of those decisions and, because of your ethical standard, you won't be a part of any future decisions this individual makes. In other words, it's not your fault this person is losing their home. I know you know this but sometimes it's good to hear it from someone else. You did the right thing.....

 

[MarkRichmond]

Hi Austin,

Why did you come to the conclusion that the woman hated men?

Maybe she hated being told the truth about the size of her house.

Maybe she believed the agent "friend" because she wanted to believe it and it affirmed her belief that she paid a fair price.

Maybe you are bringing your own personal bias into your analysis of what happened and why she reacted that way to you.

Do you think if you had come in $10,000 over her purchase price she would have called and yelled at you and not believed you, because you were a man? This is faulty reasoning.

 

[Austin]

Dear Friends: You are all accusing me of bashing women; so let me put this in perspective. Every single one of the people from this area that have called and lambasted me are women. In the case I mentioned above, the client was going to sue me for reporting the wrong GLA and not giving credit for an illegal use. Did she sue her woman-Realtor friend that perpetrated a fraud on her? No way.
Now my latest episode from last week: Same neighborhood. I knew what was coming before I got started, so I go to the tax assessors office and research every sale within one block of the subject property. Both houses beside the subject had sold within the last 18 months. The highest sale price in the vicinity was one of the houses next door to the subject and it sold for $103,000, and had 400 square feet more than the subject. The average price for the area was around $90,000. I do the appraisal and come up with $95,000; the subject had 1,900 square feet, 400 sf less than the one next-door and identical in style. Not one hour after I turn the appraisal in, the phone rings. It is an irate woman. “Do you want me and my children to live on the streets,” says she. Then she tells me that she and her first husband purchased the house in 91. He moves in with another woman leaving her with the kids to raise. Her new husband has her in court and is trying to put her on the street. If I don’t raise the appraised price to $105,000, it’s on the cold streets for her and the kids. Beside that, the roofers are coming next week and she needs the money to pay them and she is going to spend the borrowed money to make at least $10,000 improvements in the house. Then she tells me that the house next door is identical to her’s and it sold less than one year ago for $112,000. I says, “Lady, the house next door sold for $103,000, and it is not identical to yours, it has 2,300 square feet.” She says, “ well she told me $112,000 in the supermarket one day.” She gave the banker the same sob story and he gave her my cell phone number to get her off his back. Is this a solicitation for a fraudulent act or not?
I got a call about a year ago from some woman in Charleston, SC. She started the conservation off by saying she lived up the street from me when we were kids and she was just getting over a bad divorce. She remembered me very well but I had absolutely no recollection of her. Big mistake on my part! She wanted an appraisal on some land she just inherited. Any time a woman calls me up and says I remember you from 40 years ago, don’t you remember me; I just inherited a fortune, and just got divorced, when can we get together and go for a walk in the forest, I get edgy. To make a long story even longer, I got screwed alright, out of a $550 fee because she claimed she never received it in the mail. She sold the land 30 days later at my appraised price. Now who is the gender charlatan I ax you ladies. I rest my case. The bottom line is that there is a gender bias underlying these experiences, and the bias did not originate with poor old Austin.

 

[KD247]

Austin,

I'd love to have a beer with you some day! Between your hard-science (?) statistical approach to appraising, and your stream-of-consciousness writing style, you have more personality than any hundred appraisers I've ever met.

I don't think I've ever agreed with much of anything you've ever said, but I've never been bored!

Koert

 

[aprazer]

Here's my recent crying homeowner story.

New client-asks for us to do building loan inspections on a new home. On every inspection the work needed for the next draw is not complete. This requires repeated trips at the busiest time of the year. Builder lies to lender-Appraiser doesn't know what he is looking at, Appraiser is lying-he did not even go into house(interior photos are submitted for each draw).

Needless to say I am not thrilled with the builder. Homeowner seems like a nice guy-even though he is building a house twice the size of all others on the street. (mental obsolescence?)

So when the homeowner calls for the next inspection instead of the builder, I think maybe this will go okay. He is interrogated to make sure all work is done-assures me everything is in place.

Pull up to the house and the owner comes running out to greet me with a big smile(RED FLAG). Seems overly nice to me(RED FLAG#2). Step into the house-15% of the drywall is in place(should be done). A loud discussion ensues. Seems homeowner has elected to do some interior finish on his own to save some bucks. Lender did not read builders contract completely-and is not aware of this. Homeowner is out of money. When I ask what he expected I would tell lender-he suggests I angle the photos to only show the drywall in place. We're talking about 10 sheets in a 2,500 SF home.

A louder discussion ensues. Now homeowner says-'you were my last hope-I don't know what to do. I failed my family, lied to builder and bank, please-please-please." Starts crying. Continues to plead and keeps crying. He begins to realize this isn't going anywhere, changes tactics and we come to the big finale.

This is when he takes out his wallet and I explode. I can honestly say I have never talked(screamed)at a borrower in this fashion, but this was just too much. First to assume I would doctor the photos and the inspection, and then to think a bribe would solve the whole thing. Unbelievable.

Can't wait for the next inspection.

 

[Dee Dee]

Hi Austin,
Looks like this thread took a bit of a turn, but believe it or not I think I understand where you're coming from. 8O
I think the problem has nothing to do with women disliking men in general, but more from women being taken advantage of for many generations BY men. Before you turn purple, hear me out....
The entire concept of women owning their own homes, making their own financial decisions, owning things solely in their own name, etc...has really only come about in the last generation. Of course there are exceptions, but being taught how to handle big financial decisions hasn't exactly been something traditionally passed from mother to daughter. In a father to son scenario, the boys are taught to hold their ground, not be taken advantage of and if someone is stupid enough in business that you can get an edge, then do it!
So, we're faced with today's woman who has to find out things the the hard way. When it comes to financial decisions it is usually a male who is giving his input, and that increases the odds that the person who will take advantage of you is a man, thus reinforcing the male-hater attitude.
Unfortunately, as I see it, more women would rather assume that men are out to cheat them rather than educating themselves for their own protection. Women will huddle together with others in the same boat and become allies in their common ignornace. This, to me, is an insult to women-kind.

Dee Dee
"Ginger Rodgers did everything that Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels!"

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Now Austin,

In reality, gender has nothing to do with this. As with everything, there are good and bad and this includes genders.

I have just as many reasons to hate men as you do to hate women. I just keep thinking that I can't be the only one that thinks like I do. Being bitter doesn't help anyone, least of all you.

 

[Farm Gal]

and my other $0.02...

The other part of the problem:

In many families I see the woman becoming the financial manager: with all the responsibility but none of the final say-so, cause guess what... HE earns more than she does...

And when the payments on the Big Screen TV, the stereo from hell and the jet-skis and snowmobiles and ATV's and other gotta have 'em consumer toys (notice that most of these are 'boy's toys) all add up to more than they earn, it winds up being HER fault that they are in the hole... and she has to sort it out or the marriage tanks.

Then she figures out (or is told) that the nasty mean ole appraiser stands between her and the $$ she needs to float the boat another few months, years, whatever...

I have a friend who is a supurb manager of finances (professional: it's what she does for a living...) who has been advised by 'their' shrink and marriage councillor to hand 'him' all the books financial decisionmaking etc. She now has to ASK PERMISSION to spend any amount over ...figure under $20.00... and here's the kicker: innclusive of any expendatures for HER business which brings in just under 50% of the family income... and do you think he is handling this well??? Ranting and raving that it is all HER fault...

Personally were I in her shoes I think hubby would need to watch his back, they carry a large quantity of life insurance.

Don't worry: my spouse is safe: he could give a rip about $$ and we don't HAVE any insurance!!