Still Growing Up

These are the posts I hate to write. You know, the posts that show that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to doing business. If I don’t write it, however, then I won’t learn from my mistakes. So… ugh… here we go:

Yesterday, my real estate agent Prius called me and I didn’t pick up, so she left a message. The message stated that she was still unsure of whether I’m getting bank financing or not. Everyone seems aware of my situation except her. So I called her back and told her that I want owner financing. At around 6pm, she called me and put me into the conference call with Condi, who is the listing agent. (Btw, the listing agent is the one who advertises the property and has direct contact with the seller. Prius, the real estate agent, is the one that’s responsible for getting a buyer and showing the property. I was confused about this.) We all talked about the deal. Condi said she believed the deal will get done because of the size of the down-payment, and asked what interest rate I’m looking for. I told her that I want to get the deal done as soon as possible, so I don’t want to pay interest but I’m open to negotiate. Condi agreed and said that the seller also wants to get the deal done as soon as possible, and needs the house to sell to pay off debts. She also said that this is the closest it has come to selling, so the seller is excited about getting the deal done. This means that I have a good shot at a no-interest deal. Condi said that she will let the seller know of the situation this morning so the negotiations can begin, and that was the end of it. So… where did I screw up?

We could have had this conversation a week ago! Prius called me last week Thursday but I didn’t pick up the phone. I was pissed off that I hadn’t been able to get a hold of her until then, and decided not to pick up the phone as some stupid kind of revenge. I even wrote about it in a post called The Little Things, and I was so proud of myself for making her feel what it’s like to call and not get a response from someone she’s doing business with. What kind of immature baby boy bullshit was that? All that it did was delay negotiations by a week which means it will take longer to close the deal. Ugh, I felt like such a little kid and I still feel pretty stupid today. Roger Dodger needs to grow the hell up, and fast.

I understand that Prius is a moron. I get that. But in the business world, there are a thousand Priuses and a thousand companies like Ferret Real Estate that do business in an unprofessional manner. The fact is that those businesses will have something that I want, and I’ll have to go through them to get it. So I have to be professional even when they don’t have to be—yes that sucks, but it’s a case of the haves and the have nots. I’m not at that level where I can blow off business calls. I don’t have people clamoring to do business with me. When I do, then I can act the way I want. But now? Who am I really? I’m a dim-witted negro security guard in an almost all-white town living in a batcave, who’s close to getting a property that will make almost three times the profit that my current two properties make. Who am I not to pick up that call?

In any business situation, the lines of communication must stay open until I get what I want. It’s the same rule with tenants. I’m professional with them because they have the money I need to pay my mortgages and buy more properties. I have to keep things professional. And even after this deal is done, I can’t go on Angie’s List and bash them like I wanted to. What if they have a property that I want in the future? Why sabotage future deals just because I need to vent? I’ll have to find another way to vent. I’ll have to find another way to let out my frustration. That’s good self-control, and that’s ultimately good business practice.

P.S.: Learning this lesson, I’m also going to give O’Malley, the company that I bashed on Angie’s List last week, another chance. Maybe not now, but sometime next year. I should have called them back. They have the highest rating in Smalltown for doing handywork and want to test them out before I write them off completely. If they no-call no-show again then I know they’re garbage, but a second chance has to be given.