Notes to Realtors

I suppose I should say that I understand that it is your job to tell me what is wrong with my house, but to the Kansas City/Leawood/South Johnson County realty profession, I have this to say:

1. I don't care if you don't like the colors in the house. Tell your client to make an offer that would include repainting whatever room(s) they don't like.

2. If you must leave a comment and your client doesn't like the house, just say they don't like it. Period. I'd rather hear that than some excuse.

3. Be careful about comments that will likely personally offend us. We've lived in this house, raised kids in the house, and it has been our home. Remember that.

4. Don't comment on the tidiness of the house. You'll called an hour before and wanted to see the house. Rightfully, we could have said no - but you may have the person who falls in love with our house, and we are not going to pass that by. With a housefull of boys, we did our best - but you may have caught us at a weak moment.

Is my disdain too obvious?

Welcome to Chi-Town

Ten . . . hours without power

Nine . . . phone calls to plumbers at one a.m. (no one called back)

Eight . . . inches of rain that fell in Chicagoland

Seven . . .days and counting and still no visit from the insurance adjuster

Six . . . days before the Disaster Services crew arrived to pump out water and attempt to dry out the basement

Five . . . inches of standing water in our newly finished basement (carpet laid the day before the storms!)

Four . . . hours of sleep we got the night of the storms

Three . . .tornado warnings that sent us to the basement (before it flooded)

Two . . . new hot water heaters

And a heavy duty new sump pump, with battery back up

Welcome to Chicago . . .