Archive for October, 2007
Whose Fence is it Anyway? These Ladies Mean Business — Episode Eight!
Here’s one for the books (or crooks?).
Neighbor Sam wants his fence repaired by the builder because there are some cracked slats, miss-cuts, and warped pieces/slats.
Fenceman/builder says, “Okay, we’ll come out and fix them.”
Sam complains that they missed a number of damaged slats.
Fenceman/builder says, “Oh no, we only repair the slats that front-face your property, not ones that back-face your property and front-face your neighbor’s.”
“What?”
Amazingly so, this was the logic explained to Sam. Because the fence is in effect two sided, with alternating sides facing Sam’s property — that is, the slats were alternately fronting his property. One eight foot section had the slats hammered to the supports with the fronts facing his property (no supports visible), while the next eight foot section front-faced the neighbor’s property, while they back-faced Sam’s property with the supports showing.  You get the picture (I hope)?
Sam was incredulous — he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but it was true. The fenceman/builder would only replace the slats front-facing his property, but damaged slats that back-faced his property were only replaced in the neigbor’s requested it?Â
But These Ladies Mean Business, and although we didn’t bother to fight the slat war, we won the support war, by demanding that all “front-facing” supports that were crooked or cracked or marred, be replaced as they were front-facing Sam’s property.
There’s more than one way to straighten a fence when These Ladies pick up a “hammer”…and use it!
These Ladies Mean Business — Epsiode Seven
It’s been a while since we wrote about our escapades as two women Realtors who take on all kinds of rather odd and sometimes unbelievable situations in our business.
Here’s the corollary to the short sale, lady in the shower story. Let’s call this guy Brutus.
Brutus has a pretty nice house, a bit messy, and the yard is a disaster — this is all from the outside. The inside is a different story!
Strewn about the house are stacks of legal papers and assorted bed linens, and a fair amount of “whatever.”
We’ve been assigned this house as a bank-owned property (REO), and we’ve got to do a trash-out and documentation of contents, along with an assessment of damages and repair needs.
At this point we’re all business — bring in the “skip loader” — let’s get this place ready to list.
We do our duty, staying in contact with the bank and summarily get the house ready to list.
Ring, ring, ring. It’s the former occupant. He’s heard there’s been some activity in the house (you know, neighbors talk), and he wants to come in the house and pick up some of his belongings. Oops, there are none left, and pursuant to policy, we’ve had the house locks re-keyed and the house secured.
He is incredulous. “Why can’t I go into my house?”
“Ah, it’s not your house. The bank owns it. You hadn’t made a house payment for six months and they decided that was long enough.”
“I don’t think it’s fair,” he says.
“We’re just doing our job, and if you enter the house you’ll be charged with trespassing. It’s no longer your property and you have no right to enter it.”
Ouch — sometimes “Meaning business” is tough on these ladies, but it’s our job…and we do it well (and compassionately up to four months, but not six).
