The market is heating up and so are tempers!

You are not going to believe the first part of this story but the second part you will. This weekend, one of our RE/MAX Gateway agents placed a townhouse on the market for sale in Centreville, VA for $250,000. If you have been reading my previous blogs at www.scottymacsblog.com you would know that this segment of the market is extremely competitive with upwards of 15 contracts on houses that are in good condition. Well, this property fits this description and we received 7 contracts which are what our sellers were prepared for but what happened on Saturday was completely unexpected. As you can imagine, to receive 7 contracts, you need to have a lot of activity to produce these results. An agent, who was showing the property, had removed the key from the lockbox, locked the door and proceeded to show the house. Another agent arrived to show the house shortly thereafter, knocked on the door, opened the lockbox, found it empty and proceeded to ring the doorbell. The first agent opened a second floor window and told the second agent they would have to wait until they finished showing the property to see it. When the first agent opened the door, the second agent attempted to walk into the house. As the second agent walked into the house, the first agent grabbed the second agent by the throat, lifted them up, slammed them twice against the wall, threw them to the floor and proceeded to kick them out of the door while slamming the door against their legs. Luckily, for the second agent, a third agent pulled up and proceeded to call 911 as well as the owner of the property to inform them of the situation. Shortly thereafter, the owner got home, saw an ambulance driving away and two police cars in front of their townhouse. We are awaiting the results of this assault and will keep you posted. By the way, agent number one is male, agent number two is female. Unbelievable but true.

The second story is also true but is more believable, our market is going strong. Inventory levels continue to decline, demand is on the rise, we have multiple offers in virtually every price range and we are experiencing appraisal issues. This is adding to frustration levels of agents in our area. However, it does not mean we need to resort to violence. We as agents need to respect other agents, and protect the public. We need to be courteous, professional, and keep our emotions in check. By controlling our emotions and giving the right advice and acting responsibly we will raise the standards of agents in our industry. Get it? Got it? Good.