Where’s that screaming coming from? Todd Urbanski, a REALTOR® of 20 years and the President of the Minneapolis Area REALTORS® association, tells the story of having to evacuate an entire neighborhood - all because of an incorrectly installed yard sign. Listen in as Todd shares crazy stories of lime-green carpeting, homemade bidets, and vandalized waterlines (discovered after the whole house is built, of course) - and even tells the story of unexpectedly selling his own home to the clients who were a perfect fit.  

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone, and never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting leighbrown.com. If you’re tired of doing real estate alone, enroll in  Leigh Brown University and be sure to use your special “CSIRE” discount code at checkout for $10 off your subscription. 

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:45 – Introducing Todd, a Minneapolis, MN REALTOR® of 20 years who is a very active volunteer, coach, and advisor
• 02:50 - He lives in the snow and goes to more snow to ski on vacation
• 03:35 – Todd’s CSIRE story
• 03:50 - He used to knock on the doors of expired listings; at one house, a woman said no because she wanted to go with a discount broker
• 03:05 - He was a volunteer firefighter at the same time; two hours later, he’s at home having dinner when his firefighter pager goes off
• 05:04 - The address sounded familiar; it was the same home he had just been to and the discount broker was putting a sign in their front yard
• 05:20 - The broker had hit the main gas line that fed the whole neighborhood; it was making a screaming noise that you could hear a half-mile away
• 05:55 - He made sure the homeowner saw he was there; the neighbor across the street made the call
• 07:25 – Takeaways and lessons
• 07:30 - Check to see if your area has a service where they can check for gas lines before staking a sign in the yard
• 07:35 – Another CSIRE story
• 07:40 - he was representing new construction; he represented the buyer and seller
• 07:50 - Someone went into the house and drilled 23 little holes in the copper right before the sheetrock was due to be installed all around the house
• 08:00 - Everything else was installed: cabinets, carpeting, trim, etc; they turned the water back on seven days before closing and suddenly there was a leak
• 08:20 - More leaks emerged and they figured out what was going on; they had to pump the pipes with air and listen for whistles to plug
• 08:50 - The buyers still wanted the house; it was a unique conversation 
• 10:00 - Another CSIRE story
• 10:15 - He was touring a home in St. Paul that had a homemade bidet in one of the bathrooms
• 11:08 - A seller had a 70s 3-level with hunter orange side chairs, lime-green carpeting, and plastic on the couches; someone wanted it
• 12:30 - The buyers wanted the pool table but she didn’t want to give it to them; her husband had passed and she connected the pool table with memories of him
• 13:04 - She lived in the home for another 10 years 
• 13:25 - Another CSIRE story
• 13:45 - he was showing homes to a couple but every house had something they didn’t like; he told them he knew what they wanted but it wasn’t on the market
• 14:00 - He called his wife and told her that his buyers may want to buy their house; they had already discussed moving within the next couple years
• 14:40 - They loved it, sat at his kitchen table, wrote a purchase agreement, and sold the house that night in 2006
• 15:20 - When they closed on their new house the market was about to turn; they couldn’t predict the market, of course
• 16:20 - How to contact Todd: by email at [email protected] or call (612)865-3644

3 Key Points

1.)   You get what you pay for. 

2.) People become deeply connected to their home and belongings so be understanding.

3.) Check for gas lines!