The Real Estate Giveaway
Disclaimer: I do not own in any capacity any part of CSI or the characters much to my dismay. If I did, Grissom would be shacking up with Sara every night. I do admit to having an active imagination…
CHAPTER 1
Jeff Donnley sifted through the pile of papers that had collected in his printer. He'd been a real-estate agent in Vegas the last 15 years and was known by those who had used his services as a casual man who didn't push as some agents did.
He went over the notes that he'd made while talking to a woman on the phone a couple of days before. She'd been specific about what she and her husband were looking for in a home. They wanted to be off the beaten path in a quiet, perhaps older, neighborhood. They wanted a large lot with plenty of privacy and a fenced-in yard – or one that lended itself to fencing. A pool wasn't necessary, but would be a welcome feature.
They hoped to find one that had been updated in the last ten years, but would consider those that were in very good shape and do that themselves later on. They wanted four bedrooms, an outbuilding with electricity and a good school zone. They did not want new construction, certain neighborhoods or given school zones. She had a price range in mind, but didn't need names of mortgage brokers and said that this would be a cash transaction when they found the right place. She did want the names of a couple of inspectors so that she could look into references for them. She didn't seem to be on a time-constrained schedule as some clients were, so he concluded that children weren't of school-age yet. There would be a dwelling to sell after a move, so he wouldn't have to worry about contengency contracts for anything the couple chose.
It struck Jeff that she had done some resesarch of her own before even considering calling. He asked how she had chosen him and she said that she'd had a couple of acquaintances that had used him and spoke well of him, but did not elaborate with names.
And so he found six listings that might fit the requirements, for which he had printed information sheets. Cross-checking with the listing agents occupied most of his afternoon – and he made notes according to what they told him in the margins on each house detail sheet.
Jeff called the woman around five and let her know what he had found. They went over the details of where the homes were and the advantages and disadvantages of each might be – though he had never shown any of these particular homes before. They settled on looking at five of them – one was a little farther out than she was looking for. When his day ended, he tucked the folder into his briefcase as the couple would be meeting him at the first house on the list Friday morning around nine.
He left the office to go out and have a drink with anothe prospective client, little knowing what tomorrow would bring for him.