Last week, our office hosted a training given by an estate planner/attorney. He was this old white guy who, based on his stories and professional recommendations, you could tell had seen a lot. First, he said that property should never have kids on title, esp property that you live in and will rely on in the future for your own needs. He said, just leave it to the kids AFTER you die, bc if you’re still alive, things can get messy. He also said in general not to leave any responsibilities to any adults under age 35. In his experience, humans just don’t have the emotional maturity or capacity to handle heavy shit and to make important decisions… although, he did say you have to know the personality of the child. Some kids are born 35 y/o. I thought it was an interesting comment though. He also gave multiple examples where he talked about the flexibility of trusts: you can disseminate funds on an installment basis to the kid who can’t control his spending and then you can give larger amounts in full to the responsible kid. I’m not saying this scenario is us, but it’s interesting to see that from a lawyer’s perspective, the complexity and drama that is my family is not unique… In fact, he practically made it seem like this bullshit is the norm and not the exception. He had all kinds of other examples too: say so and so is a druggie, or so and so is a drunk, or s/he does stupid things bc she’s not mature… Man, what a mess. I just sat there in class thinking, I wonder what’s the true extent of dysfunction this dude has witnessed!!! He must have a daily crisis about the future of humanity!

Yeah, it was funny bc I walked out of there thinking to myself, I hope to God I don’t see half the dirt he has seen bc it would really turn me into a big time misanthrope. And then I had an open house in Menlo Park. I actually have a wonderful relationship with the list agent and she reached out to me to host again after they reduced the price. Bc of the listing’s proximity to Stanford, I had really good luck finding strong leads before, you know, like THREE doctor couples and such. Of course, this was also the same property where I met the lady with five properties to sell (her name was on NONE of the deeds) and the old white dude who was supposedly trying out for the Golden State Warriors. Yes, the visitors definitely ran the gamut. So this time, traffic was ok.

This one Asian lady came in and from the get go, she was super standoffish. I gave her a flyer, summarized the house, and she basically told me she just wanted to have a look first. It’s like, yeah. I’m just briefing you for 20 secs then by all means, look on your own. Anyway, other people came in and I chatted with them. Then this lady goes upstairs and comes back to the kitchen area. My lender asks her if she’s working with an agent and she gives this weird laugh and repeats a few times, “That’s the top secret,” Huh? What the hell does that mean? So then I ask her, “So what do you think? …Is this something that falls within your price range?” She smiles and says, “Well, I wouldn’t be here if it didn’t.” Then a few seconds later, she turns and tells me, “You’re so rude. You’re so rude.” I’m totally perplexed. Huh? So then I thought maybe she found it rude that I was asking about money. So I respond saying I didn’t ask you for a specific number; I just asked if this is within a range. Then she gets more annoyed and goes off about how rude I am. She says she has “never met anyone so rude in her life.” WHAT???? I look at my lender like, wtf is happening and my lender is confused too. I was seriously NOT registering how she was reacting. Then she asks for my card like she is going to report me to my broker or something. I eagerly give it to her bc I have no idea what her deal is.

Well the incident really pissed me off and after I got home, I poloed my friends to weigh in. Interestingly, my friend M suggested that maybe my comment implied that she couldn’t afford the house… So here’s the thing. At open houses, you get EVERYONE. People who are serious buyers, people who are just passing by, curious neighbors, hobbyist open house surfers… Typically, when I ask that question, people reply that they are preapproved for XYZ. Or that they want something nicer. Or it’s beyond their budget but they were curious. It’s NBD. And honestly, most of the people don’t know the list price until they get inside and get the flyer so people come in not even knowing whether or not it meets their criteria for price. I dunno. It was just crazy to me. Seriously? That question made me the rudest person she’d ever met in the world??? Where the fuck is she living, under a rock? And why be so offended and insulted? Why do you give a shit whether an agent thinks you can or cannot afford something? I didn’t even have that intention… Frankly, I have seen enough incognito rich people and super flashy poor people to know that how someone looks is never a definitive indicator. Ugh. Anyway, she just really ruined my day. I’m telling you: I see all kinds in this business. People suck.