Visits and offers!

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Hot 35 degrees - managed to stay out of worst of it

Slightly later start.  Today's clients I asked to meet me in the supermarket car park, where the temptation to run off is lesser.  I found a man of about my age with a lively small boy who was just desperate to throw himself into the path of passing traffic.  The boy's mother was sitting in the car.  We said a quick hello and then they followed me down into the mountain village where I had set up two houses to visit.

The first house is one I have have had on the books for about three years and this is only the second visit I have ever done.  The owners bought with my former agency and paid a price which they could now only achieve by employing a time machine.  The house appears small from the outside and is sandwiched in between two minor roads.  Part of the garden is behind the house and part is slightly up the road.  It is very basic inside but has good bones and four/five bedrooms.  I currently have it on the market for 135000 euros which is about 30% down on where it started.  I fully expected, although didn't say to today's people, that if they were to offer around 110000 euros, they would get it.  The small boy was corralled in the garden with his mother and I went around the house with the man.  The lady then came in, when he had run off a bit of his energy and fallen over a few times, and he ran around the house and enjoyed testing out the echo potential of the various rooms.  I had forgotten how wearing are small children.  They remind me of badly behaved dogs.  I was very surprised to find that they absolutely loved the house.  I nearly put my foot in it when I thought that the man was the kid's grandfather; but I think I got away with it.  We then went and saw another house that no one likes and, true to form, they didn't like it either.

The day was heating up so we went down to the river and to SJ's tea room on her lawns where the boy could dig in the sandpit and hopefully not cast himself on the waters, we could all have a drink and I could see if they were in the mind to make an offer.  The lawns were fairly full of people but we found a spot under a tree and the lady and I went to the loo. On coming back, I found the man talking to a couple of women who also lived in this area. Oh yes, said one, it rains a LOT here....  especially in April - it rains all the time.  You don't get green without rain.  I said I had lived here eleven years and rain was all comparative with what you were used to - they sounded like they were from Essex, parts of which are dryer than the Sahara.  Felt like poking them with red hot needles and gave them my Shut the Fxxx up look.  They were very annoying and kept saying negative things so I asked them if they would be interested in selling up because I could come and estimate their houses.  They then said they loved it here so I blocked them out with my back and talked the people through the buying process and got an offer, miserably low, of 95000 euros.  I said I would see what I could do and went away, thinking bugger, that is one hell of a gap to bridge but, happily, another offer on the grid.  It is the Summer Sales Challenge and one guy is running ahead of me.  I need two more offers before the 31st to get joint top place.

Got home and felt seriously boiled.  OH went back down the rental unit.  Got two calls from recruitment consultants.  RJ has sent out his CV without modifying his telephone numbers, prat.  Looked at what he had applied for - random selection absolutely all over the country. If he is serious, I will need to intervene.  Wonder if he has had a falling out with his current employers or is just desperate for a change of scenery.  Shame it is so isolated where he is - the atmosphere in the kitchen is very tranquil and he gets on very well with the Head Chef. This, after his three years in the industry, is the exception rather than the rule.

Rang the buyers of the contemporary house and, progress, they had been promised the report by Monday but there was a problem with the power of attorney.  Rang the anglo french company and actually managed to speak to a partner who said they would be emailing it out at the end of the week.  Said he had been concerned that the power of attorney would be applied to both the compromis and the Acte.  Not, however, concerned enough to contact the notaire, who has yet to hear a dicky bird from them.  Texted and emailed the sellers who are currently out in Cuba to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary.  Good on them - these days this is a bit of a record.

Spoke to various notaires and got the compromis organised on every dossier and out to the buyers.  Extremely good news  - the lady owner of the fabulous house in our town, whom I have been trying to contact for weeks, finally rang me up.  I have, so far, spoken to her renters and her neighbours, asked about her in boulangeries/chemists/mairie, left a letter in her letterbox and hassled her by Trip Adviser and Booking com.  Persistence pays.  She wasnt answering her phone but I still have a week before the HK guy is back.  

Rang the owners of the little house where I have just got the offer and the owner was thrilled until I told her the price.  She said they had paid a lot of money and it wasnt possible to accept this price and unfortunately, they want near to the current asking price.  Went back to my people and they said they would go up another ten grand but it is not enough so that one is dead in the water.  Oh well.