"Through the years I have found that there is no substitute for dedication and hard work."
-Pete Torrey
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Above and beyond...
Just when I thought I had seen it all in my experiences in real estate,
I came across something new. A client put a new roof on his vacant house
on Walnut Ave. in Walnut Creek. In the course of tearing off the existing
material, "Oliver", the curious cat belonging to the neighboring Zuppan
family, climbed up into the attic area of the home. He apparently got
"roofed-in" by the workmen. Six or seven days passed with the Zuppans
desperately looking for "Oliver." The weather was extremely hot so it must
have been 120 degrees or above in the attic. Neighbor Andy Huang thought
he heard a cat meowing and called the Zuppans. Late one evening I got a
call from Ben Zuppan who asked me if I would open up the home and check
for his lost cat. I raced over with a flashlight in hand and we opened
up the attic. A frightened and dehydrated "Oliver" reluctantly staggered
in the waiting arms of his owner. How he survived for six or seven days
in those conditions is anybody's guess. Ben Zuppan reports that "Oliver"
is doing fine but is still just as adventurous as ever. Has he used up
all of his nine lives?
The Loma Prieta earthquake that hit the San Francisco Bay Area was the
worst disaster I had seen in my real estate career.
For my senior citizen neighbors who did not have earthquake insurance it
could have been devastating. Their home sustained so much damage that I
told them that selling it would be foolish. What would they buy?
Where would they go?
Very frequently we advise a client not to buy or sell real estate if it is
not in his or her best interest at the time. We may advise them instead to
remodel, re-roof, or refinance. Some people may not think that this makes
good business sense but we call it quality service. Our customers know, we
were here for them yesterday, we are here for them today and we will be
here for them tomorrow.
We don't just sell a house; we sell a housing program that meets all our
clients' needs.
I helped my neighbors arrange for structural engineers and proper trades
people so that repairs could be made at reasonable prices. As I have learned
over the years, things aren't nearly as bad as they first appear. The San
Francisco Bay Area has almost returned to normal after this natural disaster.
I still haven't sold that home, but my neighbors are happy. I know they'll
call me when the time is right.
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