do i owe her an explanation?

It’s been one eventful month.

the job . the guy . the property . they are all interrelated. which makes decision very difficult. the uncertainty that lies ahead makes it impossible to plan for – something that goes against every grain in my body.

Interestingly the job seems to be the only one that seems to have room for planning and strangely I have been dodging that conversation. Conversation about my plans for the next financial year. Conversation about my geographical focus (should I choose a regional route). Conversation about my base.

I suppose the last – i.e. the base – is the unsettling one. The one that I have been dodging. But between me and you, of the three, I am least preoccupied with the job.

the guy – we shall not dwell into it.

Much of which is up to him. It’s a decision he has to be able to live with.

I live with the consequences of the decision.

Is that fair? I don’t know. I really am trying not to even think about it.

Now the last one –  the property. sigh!

It had all started off as a very simple proposition. I would get it. It doesn’t break the bank. Then, I’ll figure the next course over the next 2-3 years with a 3 year game plan of sorting out logistics. Sorting out the job flexibility and/or a means for sustenance.

Besides, there really shouldn’t be any stress with this one.

It was 2 decades ago since I first went there and decided I was going to build there. 2 decades later, it is pretty much in its state with little progress … and some occasional (once in the bluest of moon type of occasional) transaction. And in terms of transaction, it’s really between the senescence and the middle-aged … a set of 2nd generation buyers if you’d like… with almost no gain if one were to consider inflationary rates.

So, when I started my ‘search’ a month ago, I discovered a few illuminating truth about the area in addition to the above;

• 9 out of 10 real estate agent have less than 2 plot of land to sell
• 6 out of 10 real estate agent have never been to the area
• 10 out of 10 women estate agents can not navigate their way around the area
• 1 agent seems to be extremely active

Hence, most of my dealings was with the 1 agent at the bottom of the list. But things got increasingly ‘fishy’ as days crept by. And by that I mean;

• prices sky-rocket by 25-40% the moment I confirm interest
• within 2 weeks the said agent sold 3 out of the 7 parcels she showed me
• I lost out on the better bargained lots coz I am slow to confirm
• all of the sellers are firm about their prices

… being a cartographer in my past, past, past live (based on my ability to figure out the parcels and phases of parcels of land with rubber trees without a map over an area of 1,111 acres), I soon recognised all the online listing from the photos and was able to locate parcels on my own when told of the lot numbers without an agent.

Hence today when I was told that a lot number I was going to confirm was available at 15% less than what the agent had told me the owner was willing to part with while I was house hunting in another suburb with another agent I had met just an hour and a half earlier, I decided to drive to the plot of land and got the recently acquainted agent to confirm with the seller.

Over some blessed Indian food from a nearby Indian temple, I closed the deal.

Word got out to the agent some time between the drive and the Indian lunch who called me frantically with the promise of a 5% discount.

The seller had obviously told the agent that he has a keen buyer.

I’m sorry but for a difference of 10%, I cannot be fault for not having any sense of loyalty. After all, I’ve not had a very good sense over the 1 month of being jerked around by the agent who had repeatedly assured me that my best interest is in her heart.

The seller’s primary interest is to cut-loss with a tight deadline. The seller I had learned while viewing his other property (coincidentally) was migrating in 6 weeks time. The seller I had learned while feeding mossies at the parcel of land was happy to transact at no lost-and-no gain.

Frankly, I think it’s my day. Frankly, I think the Indian morning prayers had done the new agent well. And being an extremely staunched Hindu who is about to go for a pilgrimage on Mount Kailash, today was her day… within 6 hours she had a deal.

As for the agent, well, I’ve been receiving accusatory hate whatsapps based on her hunch that I had concluded the deal with someone else. The messages had come in before I had signed the dotted line. Before I had issued out a cheque.

I’m contemplating calling the agent … but am I compelled to?

She had after all ditched two of my previous offers … later I had found out that one of the buyer had not been able to raised funds. As for the other incident, there was no other buyer. It was a ploy to get me to raise my offer that backfired.

Having said all of that,  do I owe her an explanation?

Regardless of the past. Regardless of what she had or had NOT done.

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