Help Me Sell A House

Fbailey story number 472


Help Me Sell A House


I said, “Will you help me sell a house?”

Tonya asked, “What’s in it for me?”

I replied, “How about twenty percent of what I make off the sale?”

Tonya counter offered, “How about half?”

So I had to explain to her that I was a licensed realtor and that I maintained an office, advertised, got exclusive listings, and lined up clients. For that I needed to make at least eighty percent. Besides I normally close on all of my deals alone, however this couple is different.

A little reluctantly Tonya agreed to the twenty percent. Then she asked about the client and about the house.

I explained to her that the husband is a Harvard graduate in business and moving here to become the Vice President of Marketing for a local business. His wife is a Southern Belle complete with a Georgia accent and blue blood.

I told her that we had two days to prepare for the showing and Tonya asked to see the house right away.

I took her over to the old Thompson Estate on Ridge Road. She had passed that home on a few occasions and had always wanted to see the inside.

When I pulled in the driveway she got out and walked out into the middle of the yard to get a feel for the place. We walked around the entire outside of the house looking in windows, checking out the landscape, and looking the house over. Finally, we went inside and she inspected each and every room, including the closets. Then she wanted to stick around for the sun to set.

As it started to set Tonya took me out to the Jacuzzi. She sat on the edge with her feet in the water telling me how romantic a beautiful setting like that made her feel. As we watched the sun go down Tonya started telling me what we should do to prepare the house to be shown. She suggested some fresh flowers, fresh fruit, towels, and some Champaign. She then explained that the fruit would look good sitting on the kitchen counter and the fresh flowers would help mask the odor of the unoccupied house. Sitting in the Jacuzzi and watching the sunset was the selling point. The Jacuzzi had several features that only the more expensive models have, such as an entertainment center, heated towels, and a built in refrigerator. So having towels in the heated bin and Champaign in the cooler would clinch the deal. Okay.

I had made the appointment for ten in the morning on Wednesday so I picked up Tonya at nine. She looked fantastic but she was wearing a little too little to suite my needs.