by Kelly Holm
As she was finishing up her breakfast, her phone rang. It was Molly.
“Morning, Molly, what’s up?” She asked as she rinsed out her cereal bowl in the sink and placed it in the dishwasher.
“I thought you might like to know that I got a call from Dex Walker.”
“Really; what did he want?”
“He’s decided to put in a full price offer on the Glenda Ridge Road property.”
“That’s great. I can’t believe Dex finally chose something; I must have shown him every available property in the area.”
“He said he wanted to talk to you before you present the offer, and of course, he wants all of this done this morning.”
“Of course, he does, don’t they all want it done immediately? Ok, change of plans; I guess I’ll swing into the office before my showings. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
As Larisa hung up the phone, she thought about her day; it was going to be a challenge. She had to deal with Dex Walker, who could be very difficult; then afterward she had to show Francisco Silva properties. She hoped that she would be finished in time for her appointment with Dr. Blackmore, she couldn’t cancel again.
When she got to her office, she immediately pulled Dex Walker’s file. She wanted to have all the property information in front of her in case he asked her about something. I wonder what you have up your sleeve this time Dex, she thought as she dialed his number.
Dex Walker was what Larisa thought of as a regular client. He buys a house, lives there a year or maybe two, and then sells it and moves; sometimes across town, other times he ventures into new and upcoming neighborhoods. Larisa has found several homes for him over the past seven years.
Every once in a while, he pulls a zinger and asks for something extra to be included in the sale; like a piece of furniture or maybe a piece of art. The request always comes with an ultimatum, such as, ‘get it thrown in with the house or the deal is off.’ She really hoped this time would be different.
“Good morning, Dex, Molly said you’ve decided to put in a full price offer for the Glenda Ridge Road property.”
“Yes, thanks for calling me back so quickly. I want to put in a full price offer for the property, but there’s a catch.”
Why is there always a catch, Larisa wondered as she sighed.
“What’s the catch?”
“I want that signed and framed poster of Dark Horses that they have hanging in the family room.”
“Excuse me, you want what?”
“I want that Dark Horses poster.”
“You want the framed band poster?”
“Yep, I want the house along with the signed and framed poster; without the poster, we have no deal.”
You’ve got to be kidding me, Larisa thought.
Larisa thought about his request and how the seller might react. She had heard many crazy requests over the years, some of them coming from Dex himself, and she knew this one could go either way.
“Are you sure you’re willing to walk if you can’t get the poster?”
“Yes. I want that poster. I’ve been looking for it for years, and I can’t find it anywhere.”
“Why, is that poster so important, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Because it’s the last one Dark Horses did with Jimi Strums in it, and this one is signed by all the original members.”
“Ok, I understand, but you’ve looked at so many homes, and this is the first one you really liked. Would you be willing to purchase the poster if the seller doesn’t want to give it to you?”
“Maybe, but I would prefer it was included. I really love that poster and how it was framed; it worked perfectly in that room. Plus, like I said, it was signed by all the band members, even Jimi Strums, the original bass player who was killed in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.”
“Ok, I’ll put it in the contract and see what they say.”
“I’m counting on you to make this happen.”
“I’ll do my best. Do you have a plan B in case they don’t want to part with the poster?”
“Nope, they’ll part with the poster if they want to sell the house,” he said with confidence.
“Alright, I’ll give the seller’s agent a call and get the balls rolling.”
“Sounds perfect; let me know when it’s done.”
Larisa hung the phone up and sighed, she had no idea how she was going to make this happen. What am I going to do if the seller doesn’t want to give up the poster, I can’t lose this sale over a stupid poster, she thought.
Then it hit her, I could call Ariana Montrichard, maybe she knows if the band has any of these signed posters in storage. Then perhaps I could just buy one, get it framed, and the problem would be solved, she thought.
Larisa thought it would be best to wait to call Ariana until she heard back from the seller, just in case the seller happened to be ok with parting with the framed poster. It was a strange request; but was it really that much different than if she was asking for a piece of art, she wondered. She drew up the contract with the Dark Horses poster contingency, crossed her fingers, said a little prayer
then sent the contract over to the seller’s agent. Within minutes
her phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Larisa, it’s Raine Meadows, I just read the contract you sent over. Seriously… your buyer wants a framed poster of a rock
band?” she asked in a superior sounding voice.
“Yep, and he’s willing to walk if he can’t have it. I know it’s a crazy request; any idea of how your clients will react?”
“They aren’t going to like it, but I’ll do my best. Would your client be willing to pay for the framed poster?”
“I suppose that would depend on the price, but he really wants it thrown in with the house.”
“Ok, I’ll get back to you as soon as I hear back from my client.”
“Thanks, Raine, I appreciate it. Good luck.”
Larisa tied up some loose ends at the office and left for her showing. She picked Mr. Silva up at his hotel and drove to the first property on the tour. At first, Mr. Silva only wanted to see actual houses, but Larisa sent him some condo listings too just to see what his reaction would be; she thought it might be a better fit for him. When she picked him up, she was surprised that he only wanted to see the three condos.
Mr. Silva was very polite and to the point. He was an older gentleman, maybe in his early sixties, but his personality was very young minded. His hair was silvered and thinning, but he was able to style it so it wasn’t overly noticeable. He was dressed in a pair of nicely fitting jeans with a button-down shirt.
As they pulled up to the first condo building on the tour, Mr. Silva said,
“This one is my favorite, I know I said I wasn’t sure about condos at first, but I love this one. What was the list price again?”
“This one is listed for $3.15 million. It’s the largest of the three I’ll be showing you today at 1700 square feet. You’re
walking distance to the beach and downtown Santa Monica.”
“How much is the HOA each month?”
“This one is $1500 a month, not too bad. There’s a doorman, a very nice gym on the property, and the pool is amazing it overlooks the ocean. They also offer 24-hour concierge service.”
“I really like the location of this one. I like being close to the restaurants and definitely the beach. Did you know that I surf?” He asked, sounding more excited every minute.
“No, I didn’t know that you were a surfer. Well, this condo is very close to several great surfing spots; one of the best could be right out your front door, the breakwater between the Venice and Santa Monica Piers; and you’d also have Zuma and Topanga beach in Malibu that are great too.”
“That’s encouraging. I really want to find a place that’s near great surfing.”
“Shall we go inside and take a look at the unit?” They walked inside the twelve-story building and took the elevator up to th
e tenth floor.
“I can’t wait. If it’s as nice as the pictures, we may not need to see any others.”
When they walked into the condo, Larisa was impressed. It was just as beautiful as the photos were; laid out like a New York loft, with a decorative red brick accent wall, beams on the ceiling and another wall of full windows which showcased an incredible, unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean, and the Santa Monica Pier.
“I don’t think there is any reason to see anymore…” Mr. Silva said abruptly as he turned to leave.
Larisa was disappointed he didn’t like it; she was sure he would. She immediately thanked the agent and turned to leave. Once they stepped out into the hallway, she asked,
“What was it that you didn’t like, just so I know and can tweak the other properties more to your liking?”
“Are you kidding me? I loved everything about this one. That was just one of my negotiating tricks,” he said with a smirk.
“Interesting; well, it worked on me; I thought you hated the place.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted the other agent to believe. I want to put in an offer on this one.”
“You do? But you didn’t even see the entire unit or the grounds.”
“I saw the photos online; and I just knew when I walked in and saw that magnificent view of the ocean, this is the one.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to see any of the other properties, even if just to compare?”
“Yes, I’m, sure.”
“Ok. Well, the condo is listed at $3.15 million, what would you like to offer?”
“I think $3.15 million is a little high, I would like to offer something beginning with a two…”
“I agree that they are a little high, I thought more around $2.8 or $2.9 million would be closer to reality.”
“Ok, I’ll leave that part to you; just get me the lowest price you can.”
“I’ll do my best,” she said, as they both got into the car.
Larisa drove Mr. Silva back to his hotel and then went back to her office to prepare the offer and to contact the listing agent. Mr. Silva was thrilled when she called to let him know that she was able to negotiate the price down to $2.75 million.
As Larisa was finishing up the paperwork for Mr. Silva, she got a call from Raine Meadows.
“Hi, Raine, I hope you have some good news for me.”
“I wish I did. My client is quite upset that your client wants that poster of Dark Horses. Apparently, he values it very much, and will not sell it with the house or by itself.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Larisa sighed.
“So, where does that leave us?”
“I’m not sure. My client was very adamant about walking if he can’t get the poster with the house. Are you sure your client won’t part with it?”
“Yes, I’m sure; they made it crystal clear to me that they have no intention of parting with that poster.”
“Dammit.”
“So that’s it, your client is trashing the whole deal over a silly rock poster? Can’t he just go buy one himself?”
“Apparently this one is special because of the signatures. One of the band members is deceased now, and the poster has his signature on it along with all the other original members.”
“Oh, so that’s why it’s so important.”
“This is so frustrating… hold on… I have an idea that might just solve our little problem, let me make a quick phone call, and I’ll call you back.”
The last thing Larisa wanted to do was to call and ask Ariana about the poster, but she also didn’t want to lose this deal; so, she swallowed her pride and quickly dialed Ariana’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Ariana, it’s Larisa; I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“No, it’s not a bad time, I was just hanging out and playing with little Keith. It’s so great to hear from you. How are you?”
“I’m good, how are you doing?”
“I’m doing ok, but it’s been crazy! Zak and the guys left last week for a month-long tour of England, Germany, and France. I really wanted to go, but Keith is still so young, so we didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“That’s too bad, how are you getting along by yourself?”
“It’s harder than I thought it would be; I think I might need help, but Jules, and her husband Kurt, have been great and have been helping me out a lot.”
“I thought you were going to hire a nanny.”
“I am; I just haven’t found anyone I like enough yet.”
“Well, if you ever need a babysitter, give me a call. I’m not far, and I’d love to hang out with little Keith.”
“That’s so sweet of you, thank you; I might just take you up on that one of these days. So, what’s going on with you?”
“Oh, you know, just working like crazy. They say the market is slow, but apparently, no one told my clients; I’ve been swamped. It’s a blessing and a curse, I guess.”
“Don’t you have an assistant?”
“Ya, but she’s pretty new to real estate, and sometimes she’s more work than help. Don’t get me wrong; she’s great, just a little green if you know what I mean.”
“I hear you; my last assistant was a work in progress, she knew very little about photography, and when I’d ask for a specific light, she just looked at me like I asked her to dance with a polar bear or something.” They both laughed.
“So, I have a huge favor to ask you.”
“Sure, what can I do for you?”
“I have a difficult client that saw a framed poster of Dark Horses, one of the last posters with Jimi, and it was signed by all the guys. He saw this in a house he wants to buy, but he won’t buy the house without the poster.”
“Really, people really do that? I thought that was just something on TV to make the show more interesting.”
“Oh, they do it alright; my client is a seasoned pro at it,” she said, as they both laughed. “So anyway, I spoke with the seller’s agent, and of course, the seller won’t part with the poster, so I find myself in a rather difficult spot.”
“How can I help?”
“Well, I was wondering if maybe the band would have some of these signed posters in storage somewhere, and I could just buy one off you and have it framed for my client.”
“It amazes me how far you are willing to go for a client. Are you talking about the poster with Zak on his bike and the other guys are standing around him?”
“That’s the one. I guess my client wants it because Jimi is in it, and it’s signed by all the original members.”
“Sure, that makes sense. I remember that photo shoot, it was supposed to be shot on the beach, but it started raining so hard that we had to run for cover. The closest place was this arcade, and it was just such a cool looking place, we decided to shoot right inside the doors using that as the backdrop. Roger thought it would be a cool marketing idea to have the guys’ sign it, and then we sold them as promotional items along with T-shirts. Let me call Roger and ask him if we still have any left. Can I call you back in a few minutes?”
“Sure, thank you so much for taking the time to help me with this.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. I’m happy to help.”
Larisa crossed her fingers and even said a little prayer just to add some luck. About ten minutes later, Ariana called back.
“You are in luck; Roger said they have a few of them left at the warehouse in West Hollywood.”
“And they are signed by all the members, including Jimi.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank God, Ariana I owe you huge. How much do you want for one of them?”
“Oh, please, you are a friend, there’s no charge. I’ll have him drop one off here, or do you need it immediately? I could have him courier it over to you.”
“If you don't mind having it couriered over, that would be amazing, and please reverse the charges to me. I don’t know how to thank you; you just saved this deal fo
r me.”
“I’m glad I was able to help. So, when are you going to stop by and see us? I barely saw you at the concert the other night,
there were so many people there.”
“Thanks again for the tickets, the seats were amazing. I had a blast.”
“You know, me, Jules, and Sierra are having a girl’s night on Saturday, would you like to join us?
“This Saturday?” she asked as she quickly ran through her schedule in her mind.
“Yep, we’re just going to hang out and pamper ourselves with facials, manicures, pedicures, and massages. I’ve hired a company that comes to the house and creates a mini spa. We’ve done this before, and it was a blast. So, can I count you in?”
“That sounds amazing, and yes, you can absolutely count me in. I can’t wait.”
After she hung up the phone, she called her client, Dex Walker back.
“Hello, Dex?”
“Did you get me the poster with the house?”
“Not exactly…”
“What do you mean?”
“Well the seller is fine with everything; except he won’t part with the Dark Horses poster…”
“Shit, I was afraid of that; well, I guess its back to the drawing board. When do you think you could have a new group of houses for me to look at?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“I told you, no poster, no house…”
“Luckily for you, I have a good friend who knows the band's manager, and long story short, I can get you a signed poster.”
“No, shit? Signed by everyone, including Jimi Strums?”
“Yes, signed by everyone, including Jimi Strums. It’s not framed, but I can ask the seller who he used to frame it and have the same place frame this one the same way.”
“And the seller will pay for the framing?”
Larisa sighed, “If they won’t, I will.” It always amazed her how some of these clients would pay millions for a house, but they won’t shell out a couple hundred for framing a silly rock poster.
“Well then, we have a deal, Larisa.”
Larisa was thrilled, she had shown Dex Walker several homes, and there was always something wrong with them. It was very exhausting, and she was so happy to have found him something that he liked.
