Tales from CRE Tours
A career in the world of Commercial Real Estate can become a strange mixture of day-to-day occurrences. It’s no secret that a combination of meeting new people, touring unfamiliar buildings, and hankering for a deal can result in many unsuspected stories.
Tripping on Deals by Hillary Taatjes Woznick
Hillary Taatjes Woznick has been immersed in CRE since she obtained her license in 2009. She shares a tour story involving an untimely injury:
“I was heading to a showing when I tripped on a curb while texting. I fell and popped my elbow out of the socket, leaving me helpless and laying on the sidewalk, unable to get up. Another broker saw me on the cement and asked if I was mugged. I said, “My client is coming in 5 minutes to tour this building, can you show it?” as I held up the keys.
After dragging myself to my car, I found out that the competing broker showed my client the building, wrote a full price 5-year offer, and I was never there. My lesson learned from this story is to just keep going! And stay friends with the competition. You never know when you will need their help!”
More on that Later by Kara Schroer
The next string of tales comes from Kara Schroer, a broker out of our Kalamazoo office:
“The time a dog pooped in the lobby of my listing mid-showing; the time I arrived to my showing with a dead person under the carport; the time someone offered me $10k cash in a suitcase if I closed the deal in a multiple offer situation; the time a car ran through the front of a building we closed just 8 hours prior; the list goes on and on.”
Contact Kara at karas@naiwwm.com to hear more about these great stories!
Knock Out First Impression by Bill Tyson
Bill Tyson began his career in Commercial Real Estate in 1985. Included in his rich collection of stories is the following:
“About 20-25 years ago, I was showing a very old and dilapidated 5-6 story downtown building to a potential developer. We started on the first floor and worked our way up each level. There was no working elevator or power and lots of broken windows, but the developer wanted to lead the way.
At about the 5th floor, several birds (pigeons I assume) came flying down the staircase and just about knocked us down. The client was so startled, he let out a scream and quickly turned and ran down the remaining stairs and out the front door. He left me in the dust. When I got down to the main level, he was long gone – I never heard back from him.
Several years later, another developer took the project and it’s now completely renovated and fully occupied with residential and commercial tenants. I assume the birds moved on.”
NAI Wisinski of West Michigan thrives in the local and global market due to each agent’s wealth of knowledge and experience. Although a career in Commercial Real Estate can often bring unknown risks, the reward is much greater, and makes for a great story to share!