Hopes dashed

Last night I received a phone message and email from a lady out-of-state who told me she needed someone to clear out a family member's home - a hoarder - and ready it for sale and contacted me on a referral from someone who found my website, Handy Ande. I confirmed that I will work with hoarders. So to get started I gave her some advice and local contacts she needed before contracting with me to do the work. I figured if I showed her how helpful and motivated I am she would seal the deal before March 1.

As a result I was in high spirits for the first time in a very long time. This would mean someone thought me worthy of hiring, a big project in my realm of competency, a reason to get out of bed in the morning, an income, and a place to park for the duration of the project. I spent a few hours exchanging emails with her instead of packing for tomorrow's loading, but it was for a good cause.

Then... she followed up with an email that broke my heart. She thanked me for all the advice, that she didn't want me to go by the house and check it from the outside, that she had friends who would do that, that she would take it from here. And goodbye. I was crushed.

From what I could figure out, from re-reading her emails, she thought I was a licensed realtor who would do all the clearing out, junk removal, cleaning and sanitizing, storage of useful items, painting, repairing, staging with rented furniture, advertising and selling for the standard realtor's commission. I know that won't happen. No realtor in this area will do it for a pittance.

First of all, the home in its present state isn't worth $100,000. It's a stigmatized property that nobody will even look at unless considerable work is done first. Even if it could sell for $100,000 the agent's commission would only be $1500, far less than that after the costs of advertising, office expenses paid to the broker, etc. No agent is going to do a month's work, plus sell it, for $1000 or less.

I can tell you what will happen because it has happened before many times to me. She will later discover that I was the best person to handle this challenge and she will come back to me after others have disappointed her and she has wasted time and money trying to find someone who will do it cheap, but poorly. They always come back to me after they have hurt my feelings to ask if I will do it for nothing or for dirt cheap.

I won't. I take these things personally. Insult me or treat me as less than the professional I am and you've lost me. I don't do well having my hopes raised and then dashed. Once the damage has been done, I can't summon up the interest to do the work at any price.

It's not about ego; it's about not being kind or considerate of another person's feelings and circumstances. I won't work for people who feel entitled to slave labor from me. Another story for my book.