Some People Aren’t Worth It

  Sometimes you run into those people in your lifetime who you just can’t quite understand how they have survived this far. Whether it’s because they’re mind-numbingly dumb, or they take 1st place in the rude race, or they are 100% certifiably crazy. In real estate I come across just about every kind of person there is. And of course that includes the adorable, kind, smart, fun, and/or courteous types! And I totally heart those kinda peeps!
I’m not sure if it’s unfortunate or fortunate that I meet and interact with some complete wackos, actually. It’s tragic how small or psycho people can be, but boy oh boy, does it make for some fun dinner conversations with my hubby. It’s almost like a game to see who brought home the best ridiculous-idiot story. I usually win, but only because I cross paths with so many more people than he does at his 9 to 5. It’s a numbers game, really.

My engineer husband has had a lot of good stories about coworkers over the years, from the boring guy who bought 3 different Acadias in a year and complained about each one, to the guy who brings his cup of coffee & donut into the bathroom stall and places them by his feet while he does his business, periodically taking sips  & bites and setting them back down, to the guy who took on foreign exchange students like they were a dime a dozen just to make them in-house slave labor for chores and babysitting his 9 biological kids (can you say @$$hole??).

While his stories are good, it seems like there are different species of people in the real estate world. Maybe it’s because all walks of the earth buy and sell property, and maybe it’s because it only takes 2 weeks of real estate “school” to become an agent. And before I go further, please know- I have amazing clients who I adore and I have worked with agents who I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I have great respect for those clients and agents. But let’s be honest, the crazies and butt-knockers are the colorful group of folk who keep us on our toes. Not to mention they keep us laughing, because at some point you get totally past the fact that these guys are complete @$$ hats and you start taking a much more laid back and goofy approach when dealing with them. Because it comes down to: you don’t want an ulcer and they aren’t worth it.

Some years back I met a couple at an open house and we had a great rapport (I kill it at open houses for some reason. I’m just that loveable.), and I followed up with them afterward like a good little agent. They decided they wanted to see some homes with me – yay! So I did what every good little agent should do before trapsing around town, burning gas and daylight, and inconveniencing homeowner after homeowner to show a bunch of houses – I politely suggested the couple get pre-approved for a loan through a lender. Simple enough…NBD…ain’t no thang…the norm…par for the course…whatevs…Right?

Well, I received a phone call back from the wife cussing up and down and relaying choice words her husband had for me as well. How dare you question our finances? We probably have better credit than you do! You think you’re better than us??

Woah. 

So, this was the first red flag that should’ve tipped me off that maybe, just maybe, I should kindly release this couple back into the wild to go devour their young and continue on with my rainbows-and-butterflies life. But noooooooo, Realtor Rachelle didn’t want to have these people thinking she was being condescending, nor did she want to lose out on the possible business. So I did what I thought a good little agent should do- I wrote an apology letter explaining my intentions were not to be insulting and that obtaining a pre-approval letter was totally standard. And I continued to market to them.

The wife called me some months down the road and told me she was impressed with my persistence and she appreciated my letter, and they were ready to look for homes with me- yay again! I thought I was #winning. Little did I know I was gonna wanna #blowmybrainsout by the end of our time together.

Throughout the course of our working relationship, she turned out to be the reason I found an app to copy all my text message threads onto my computer so I could keep a record of our conversations and her constant harassment. And by harassment, I’m not talking she just shot me a message once a day to check in, or that she just called with a quick question every so often – I mean she hounded me relentlessly about anything and everything all the time, via text and phone. And she was a talker – I never had a phone conversation under 15 minutes with her, and the calls occurred multiple times per day. When I look back I think she must have been bored and lonely, but at the time I wanted her to lose her ability to speak and to develop a life-threatening allergy to her phone.

She’s the reason I tell every other client who has ever apologized for being a pain or felt bad for being needy that I’ve always had worse. Newsflash: if you think you’re being a burden, you’re probably not! It’s the ones who are totally clueless about how ridiculous and plentiful their demands are who make me wanna down a box of wine on a Tuesday night. I don’t. But I want to.

At one point, this chick even sexted me. Yup, that happened. It was by accident, but it happened. It said something like, “Thanks for dinner. Can’t wait to give you your dessert. Grrrrrr”.  Yes, it actually said “Grrrrrr”!  She’s saved in my phone as “Crazy HerName.” I also have a “Batsh*t Crazy” in my contact list but I’ll get to her another day. It got so bad that at one point I finally cut my losses and referred her to another agent in my office because I couldn’t take it anymore. Within 24 hours she made the other agent’s team member cry. Seriously. And then the other agent and Crazy HerName got in a shouting match. For realsies. And then, Crazy disappeared and, if there is a God, was never heard from again.

This jerkface made me cringe every time I heard my phone ring or receive a text, she stressed me out day after day, she was rude and overbearing, she didn’t respect me as a person or a professional, and she definitely wasn’t worth my time or emotions. Over the course of our business relationship the couple did purchase a home through me before the last bit of sh*t hit the fan while their previous home was listed. Was the commission check worth it? Any of it? HELL. NO. I have a choice in who I work with and the kind of treatment I tolerate. I focus on my mental and physical health for the benefit of myself and my loved ones. Limiting the amount of crazy and negativity in your life is necessary in order to avoid slipping and stooping down to a level you aren’t proud of. Don’t allow someone to push you to a breaking point. Have standards and live your life, even if it means cutting loose from people or things that only bring you down. The people and things that bring you joy will not only do exactly that, they will thank you.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net