The Premise

Hello Everybody!

My name is Conor Dunn, and I am a real estate agent. 2 months ago I made the leap into the unpredictable world of selling and buying houses, and I could not be more excited about it. I work in Danville, CA at Coldwell Banker on a team with my father Mark, and over the course of the year, I will be keeping a diary of my experiences, both good and bad (hopefully more good than bad.) With my introductions out of the way, I will share a quick story from a few weeks ago and be on my way...

Tuesday, October 7th.

I got up early on a Tuesday to make my way out to Antioch, CA. The reason for the visit was to check on a bank owned property (REO) that had been through a foreclosure a month earlier. Our job, as a real estate team, is to try and sell this property on behalf of the bank. I was there on that particular day to check the status of the house and just get a general feel of what we would be trying to sell.
As I pulled up to the property, I noticed some tape on the windows and a yard that hadn't been kept up in quite sometime. I have since learned that when owners know they are about to get evicted, they suprisingly stop caring about the house the live in. As I opened the door, I was treated to the wonderful smell of cigarrette smoke combined with rotten milk and cat pee. As I tromped through the house holding my breath I almost slipped out of my shoe because it was stuck to the floor. Did the owners have a maple syrup fight in the entry way? The world may never know. After that, 3 bedrooms, 3 disasters. Bedroom A had writing all over a blue walls that had been half heartedly painted recently. Bedroom B had a matress in it and clothes thrown everywhere. Lastly, there was some sort of explosion in the Master Bedroom. It appeared that a chicken had exploded in the Master Bedroom. Well either that or someone put an M80 into a pillow, because there were feathers everywhere, floor to ceiling feathers. I made my way out of the bedrooms and into the kitchen. I ran through the kitchen as I covered my mouth guarding from the rotten food smell. I thought I had escaped nausea until I ran into the garage. There was a water leak that had soaked every piece of junk the tenant had, and the smell was overwhelming. As I fought the urge to pass out, I diligently finished up my inspection of the home and headed to my car,but not without almost stepping on a dead rat in the driveway. Apparently the smell of the garage was too much for him. Being a real estate agent is the best.

Conor