Here’s a new one!

I’ve never been involved in multiple offers with a scheduled offer presentation on a Sunday, but I suppose there is a first time for everything.

Here’s a minute-by-minute account of the frustrating process…

Before I delve into “the day that was,” perhaps a bit of background first…

When an “offer date” is set for a property, it’s usually on a weeknight, and usually around 7PM.

Monday isn’t the most popular night, and Friday is exceptionally rare.  So most offers are ‘kindly’ reviewed on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings around 7PM when everybody is off work and when the largest proportion of buyers are able to attend.

My clients, Chris and Dominique, were interested in a west-end property that was slightly over their price ceiling.  We noticed that offers were scheduled to be reviewed on Sunday afternoon at 12PM, and we figured perhaps this might impact the price in our favour.

I can only offer my own opinion on the subject, but I think it’s foolish to hold offers on a weekend when many buyers/Realtors are up at their cottages for one of the best-weather weekends of the short Toronto summer.  And to not detail the exact time of the offer presentation on MLS is another mistake, but I digress.

Offers were being reviewed at noon on Sunday, and this is how our afternoon played out.

12:10PM – Pull up in front of the house, late, of course.  My clients were there early so it made them feel like I was even more late than I actually was!  I blamed the Honda Indy for my troubles.  My clients are trying to calm their 18-month-old daughter, Tamara, as picks through a selection of apples and oranges.

12:15PM – I lay the offer out on the hood of their car and have them sign.  It’s not every day that you get to sign an offer on the hood of your car, so perhaps this house is “the one.”  Signing documents at your desk is sooooooooo overdone!  The hood of the car is boiling hot and an uneven surface, so it makes signing FUN!

12:20PM – We survey the competition.  There is an agent walking her clients down the street.  She is about 50-ish with blonde hair and they are about 30; the same age as my clients.  We immediately start to draw comparisons.  Can they afford to buy this house?  They look small town.  Perhaps their offer isn’t competitive.

12:25PM – A ‘guy’ wearing a green shirt exits the house and looks both ways before crossing the street.  Great example for Tamara!  He’s carrying a leather brief AND gets into a big grey Lexus, so clearly he is a Realtor.  He sits in his car, but doesn’t turn the car on.  Interesting.  It’s 32-degrees and yet he doesn’t feel the need for A/C.  He is a better man than I.

12:30PM – The listing agent calls me to come present my offer.

12:31PM – That was the fastest offer presentation of my life.  It was weird.  They didn’t ask a single question, nor did they read the offer out loud.  They just flipped over the pages, one at a time, and then said, “Great, thanks.”  Is that good or bad?

12:32PM – My clients are shocked to see me exiting the house.  Did I forget a pen, or something?  Nope.  It was just a record-setting review.  We proceed to walk the baby-stroller up and down the street while waiting for our fate.

12:40PM – An orange car pulls up in front of the house.  And when I say “pulls up” I mean it literally – the car is on the sidwalk, with two wheels almost on the lawn and the other two wheels about a foot lower as they touch the road.  A woman in an orange shirt gets out of the car and sprints up the driveway.  Did she mean to match her shirt with her car?  Cute, I guess.  Even though I am guilty of doing EXACTLY what she has done with her car, I can’t help but think, “Wow, the nerve!”  It’s like when all the cars are lined up for the on or off-ramp, and “that guy” drives to the front and merges in at the last second.  I’ve done that a thousand times, but every time somebody else does it, I honk and yell “Don’t let him in!  What an ass!”

12:45PM – Green shirt is still in his car, and blondie is still walking up the street.  Her clients have left; perhaps to go get a coffee or clear their heads.  What are we waiting for?

12:50PM – Orange shirt-lady exits the house, gets in her orange car, and drives away.  She doesn’t park up the street like the other three agents have done.  Perhaps she was told that he offer wasn’t strong enough?

12:55PM – My clients and I are talking about cars as we walk blocks and blocks away from the home.  We’re almost at Dundas.  I surmise that the BMW 3-series are perfect for “today’s 20-30 something Toronto dick-heads,” and they agree.  It’s what a friend told me once, and I’m so glad I didn’t buy one!

1:00PM – It’s so goddam hot out.  I’m wearing shorts and a polo, but I’m sweating like Roger Clemens in front of a grand jury.

1:05PM – We circle back to the home, and blondie is still standing on the sidewalk, clutching her folder.  She is far too poised for our liking.  She doesn’t look nervous at all.

1:10PM – Green shirt is still in his car, and we notice that he has Oakville licence plates.  Maybe he’s an out-of-town agent and he represents two clients who are clueless about the Toronto market!  We’re dreaming at this point.  Dreaming about every single competing agent having a crummy offer.  But it’s terribly awkward given that green shirt and blondie are BOTH in plain sight as we pace up and down the block.  At least orange-lady has left the fray.

1:25PM – Green shirt makes a move.  He goes back into the house and stays there for about ten minutes.  Given that I was in the house for one minute, this represents a short eternity!  What is he doing in there?

1:30PM – Little Tamara is walking up and down the lawns of houses on the street while the rest of us watch.  I say, “Tamara, go knock on the door and ask them what the hell is taking so long!”  I shouldn’t have said “hell” in front of a toddler.

1:35PM – Green shirt leaves the house and walks up the street.  We study him carefully.  He looks upwards – perhaps to the Heavans?  Perhaps he’s upset with the real estate Gods?  He lacks the confident swaggar that he once had.  He gets in his car and leaves.  YES!  Perhaps they’ve told him that his offer is no good?

1:40PM – We stand on the east side of the street while blondie is on the west side with her clients.  A phone rings – HER phone!  She nods, and then makes her way towards the home.  She doesn’t even go inside, as we see an arm extend from the threshold and hand her a small envelope.  It’s the cheque!  It’s being handed back to her!  They didn’t get the house!  She walks down the front steps and approaches her nervous clients.  We watch them.  They display the typical “WOW” look on their face as she whispers something to them, and then she hands them back their cheque.  They shake hands, and depart.  Blondie gets in her white Mercedes and drives off, and the young couple get in their station wagon and head in the opposite direction.

SAME TIME – We like our chances.  Green shirt has left, blondie and her clients have left (and we saw them take their cheque back so they clearly didn’t get the house), and orange-shirt-and-car-lady was in and out in a couple minutes.  If I had to guess – I’d say we’re looking good.  I think that they told the other agents, one-at-a-time, that they didn’t get the house, and now we’re the only ones that remain.

1:42PM – My phone rings.  It’s the listing agent.  Oh-em-gee, OMG!  This is it.  I think we got it.  Yes, definitely.  The conversation goes as follows:

“Hi Lucy.”

“Hi David.”  (strange pause).

“Listen…..”  (that word being used to start a sentence is never good).  “…..I didn’t know if you were still hanging around….”

I already know the outcome.  But I’m upset at the lack of sensitivity and common courtesty, so I interject, “Hanging around, where?  Outside the house?  Yes, we’re here! We’re outside – myself, my clients, and their child.”

Hanging around?  Really?  Were we supposed to simply assume that our offer was no good and just retreat home?

“Well, yes, I didn’t know if you were still waiting, but we’ve accepted another offer.”

Wow.  No “thank you,” no “good luck,” nothing.  Just end of conversation.

“Thanks Lucy, congrats to you and your clients!”

Chris and Dominique are pissed.  Even Tamara is upset as she spits milk all over the ground…..and herself, in the process.

In the end, we were an after-thought.  They didn’t call us last because we got the house – they called us last because they completely disregarded us at the onset!

Well, every agent has his or her way of dealing with offers, and this one was strange.

From the Sunday offer date, to the “hanging around,” it was an odd one.

But that’s not just another day in real estate – it’s every day in real estate.  There are never two days the same…