Evil communication corrupts good manners. I hope to live to hear that good communication corrects bad manners.
Benjamin Banneker
The Internet, for all the good it does (I, for one, can't imagine a life without it) has not been without its downside. I really think that the cloak of anonymity it provides causes some people to think they are exempt from all accountability for their actions. Let this be a wake up call to some of you: just because you can surf the net without being detected (and even that is not a guarantee) it doesn't transfer over to being rude in public. We can still see you picking your nose in your car, you still hurt our feelings when you scream at us and yes, we know it is you when you are yelling into your cell phone at the library!
As you know, I recently placed my house on the market.Now, if you've ever listed a house, you know that the first people to investigate are the Looky Loos--most likely your neighbors who are just dying to either A. See the inside of your house or B. See how much it's selling for so that they can get an idea of how much their property is worth. Okay, we'll give you that. You're not fooling anyone, but we'll acquiesce on the point that it is human nature to be both greedy and curious. Heck--I've done it myself!
What I can't understand is the rudeness...no...the downright anger of some people. I've never seen anything, except maybe a wedding (and I know all about those) that brings out the emotions in people. And I'm talking about people that have nothing to do with the sale of the house! I'm gaining a new respect for real estate agents--who now rank up there with junior high school teachers in terms of being deserving of combat pay. My agent, Diane Peltier of Keller Williams, had been fielding more calls than I could have ever imagined on my property. Some people kindly admit that they are just curious and have no intention of buying, but others are downright hostile. One man, cowering under the anonymity of the telephone, bullied her into explaining "where the heck she got THAT price from" (the price is right in line with the house's appraised value and this man has absolutely no idea of the amount of remodeling and updating that has gone on inside the house) and proceeded to berate and yell, finally hanging up on her in spite of her polite responses to his questions.
Is this man interested in buying? Of course not--he is a neighbor on the other side of Sloan's Lake with an ax to grind. Wow! Here I was thinking I was simply selling my beautiful home so that I could downsize and give someone else a turn at pursuing their life and dreams inside its protective and beautiful walls. Instead, I think I've created the new talk of the neighborhood.
Kind of gives new resonance to the term "get a life"!! Gosh! Let me save many of you the trouble of calling and hassling my real estate agent. The house is listed for $424,900 with 3% back to the buyer with a full price offer. It is gorgeous inside and I will be very sad to leave it, but it is time. The hardwood floors gleam, the basement stairs are steep and scary, there's a patch on the kitchen ceiling where I once overflowed the bathtub above it and the gas fireplace lends a charm that I've not seen in any other home. I've married people here, had arguments here and drunk many glasses of wine here (sometimes after the arguments). I've laughed myself silly within its walls, hosted my family and friends for Thanksgiving here and pondered my life into the wee hours of the morning--sometimes while up to my neck in bubbles in the clawfoot tub. Nothing creaks (except the owner) and the faucets on the bar sink in my pantry are reversed. My favorite thing about the house is looking out the window watching the seasons change over Sloan's Lake. My least favorite thing is the pigeons that sometimes gather on my roof. You can see more details at http://www.lyssabeths.com/ .
You can still call us if you're just curious--it's kind of flattering, actually, but if you can't be pleasant--leave Diane alone!
No comments:
Post a Comment