Friday, December 23, 2011

The Christmas Closing


'Twas an hour before closing and the agents were tense,
to close Christmas Eve just didn't make sense.

But the seller was booked on the 6 o'clock flight
and had warned "THERE WILL BE A CLOSING TONIGHT!"

The agents agreed because business was dead,
and visions of commission checks danced in their heads.

The loan was approved by the lender's good grace,
Everyone knew 'twas a borderline case.
The buyers divorced, remarried again,
Divorced once more, and now were just friends.

The loan package complete to the closer was carried,
With instructions to close before they remarried.

The title commitment arrived via UPS,
From page One through Sixteen, a terrible MESS!

An improper legal, 3 judgments, a lien,
But a few lines on page seven, looked pretty clean.

The title was cleared and the closing was set,
But to finish today was not a sure bet.

The closer dashed in waving her HUD,
It was covered with whiteout, coffee and crud.
But down in the corner you barely could see,
that the buyer still owed a buck thirty-three.

So the closer extracted a bill from her compact,
And the agents agreed to the rest on the contract.

To add some interest, the seller revealed,
to everyone's horror - the well wasn't sealed.

And, oh yes, he wanted to change the disclosure,
His mother just died of RADON EXPOSURE!

Everything else in his house was O.K.
(his cracked floors and walls were always that way)

About that time the buyer chimed in,
"we'd like to continue, but before we begin,
I noticed these papers - I'm likely to blame,
But I gave my agents the wrong legal name,
And one more thing I had hoped to avoid,
Does it really matter if I'm self-employed?"

About this time the closer exploded.
She pulled out a gun and said it was loaded.
Everyone froze and sat there amazed,
She frothed at the mouth and her eyes were both glazed.

More rapid than eagles, her curses they came;
she bristled and spouted and called them BAD names.
"THE CLOSING IS OFF, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR??
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL - NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

Author unknown

My Comments: This poem has been around for several years and I love it!  Title commitments now arrive via email and a closer should never extract a bill from her compact in a closing.  The ending is quite rough, and because closers do experience much stress, they should never be allowed to carry guns!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good closing!

Patti St. Louis
“Accentuate the Positive!”
713-824-8484
Business Development Representative
First American Title Company/Attorney Owned Closing Office and
The Law Firm of John Roger Cox & Associates, P.C.
http://about.me/pattistlouis

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Holidays...To List or Not To List?


Several years ago while working for a title insurance company in The Woodlands, Texas, Donna walked into my office to sell her services and asked if I network.  More on that another time…

Most of my networking opportunities today are with REALTORS® in The Woodlands and surrounding areas.  REALTORS® are a large source of my title insurance business and we are constantly sharing ideas and strategies.

Yesterday, while attending my BNI chapter meeting, a REALTOR® asked for my advice and it led to a discussion about sellers wanting to take their home off the market during the holidays.  What a joyous time to show off a home!  We have always said that buyers who want to look at properties during inclement weather are normally very serious buyers.  The same can be said of buyers that look during the holidays.  There may be fewer showings during the holidays, but the showings a seller does have will likely be worth it.  I was one of those buyers during December 2008 and there were very few homes on the market in my desired area and price range.

There is an obvious advantage to keeping a home on the market when history shows that many sellers will pull theirs off, especially with interest rates as low as they are.  Even during the holidays we see new buyers rotating into the market, and a home off the market is just that, off the market.  And for those that do not want the inconvenience of preparing for showings while getting ready for and during holiday gatherings, it is acceptable to allow specific, limited showing days and times.

A serious buyer is a blessing and there will be increased competition on the market after the holidays and unknown interest rates.  Let’s encourage current and prospective sellers to showcase their homes during the upcoming season.

This is my first blog post, so be easy on me :)

Patti St. Louis
"Insuring This Land is Your Land"
http://about.me/pattistlouis