Do you smell smoke?—Wally Conway did. While one Jacksonville realtor was busy working about the house painters being able to finish their work, Wally was busy extinguishing an electrical fire that almost took a house up in flames…  

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

• 00:30 – Today’s guest is one of the best known home inspectors in the United States, Wally Conway
• 00:45 – Home inspectors see crazy things, but they also HEAR crazy things
• 01:05 – Kids Say The Darndist Things?
  • 01:15 – Well after 22 years, 30,000 homes, and 60,000 agents, Wally also knows that Real estate agents say the darndist things as well
• 01:36 – The craziest thing Wally has ever seen was in the Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville
  • 03:20 – No buyer at this point, just painters and the listing agent
  • 03:35 – “Hey Wally, I smell smoke”
  • 04:00 – Fire was coming out of the electric meter can
  • 04:25 – You CAN’T secure the power, if you do, the painters won’t be able to finish today
  • 04:55 – If we don’t cut the power, there will be no house to paint
• 05:40 – Should you or should you not inspect a home before listing?
  • 05:55 – Homes inspected before listing sell faster and closer to the asking price
  • 06:33 – As the agent, you never want to be the one to tell the home owner “your baby is ugly.”
  • 07:20 – MrHomeInspection.com or www.gohomepro.com 

1. Inspect before you list—it’s the safe bet.
2. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, never forget it.
3. If you’re a realtor, never lose sight of the BIG picture.

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Snakes, raccoons, dead cats?!—Those are just a few of the unsightly critters home inspector, Jeff Baker, has run into during the course of his career. Listen as Jeff takes the CSIRE audience through the oft overlooked UGLY side of home inspections.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

• 00:30 – Today's guest is Leigh's FAVORITE home-inspector in the Charlotte, NC market…please welcome Jeff Baker to the show
• 00:38 – Leigh and Jeff have done at least 1,500 inspections together
• 01:01 – He's not cheap, but he IS honest which is priceless
• 01:53 – The UGLY side of home inspections
• 01:59 – A lot of times, the ugliness is due to animals
  • 02:10 – Cats under the foundation
  • 02:52 – Motionless fur...andddd possibly decomposing
  • 03:33 – New tub, new panels, but in one corner the panels were separating
  • 04:04 – Move the panels and, sure enough, there were 3 dead cats…the cats were getting into the house but couldn't figure out how to exit the house
• 05:15 – Another incident with animals in the house
  • 05:24 – A family of possums
  • 05:41 – A family of raccoons
  • 06:00 – SNAKES!
• 07:35 – Circling back to the cats—the home owner told Jeff, "I was wondering where those cats went!"
• 08:10 – Call Jeff at 704-728-9610

1. If you're doing your own, preliminary home inspection—keep your eyes OPEN!
2. Home inspections are rarely fun.
3. More than anything, look for honesty in a home inspector.

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Snakes, raccoons, dead cats?!—Those are just a few of the unsightly critters home inspector, Jeff Baker, has run into during the course of his career. Listen as Jeff takes the CSIRE audience through the oft overlooked UGLY side of home inspections.  

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

• 00:30 – Today’s guest is Leigh’s FAVORITE home-inspector in the Charlotte, NC market…please welcome Jeff Baker to the show
• 00:38 – Leigh and Jeff have done at least 1,500 inspections together
• 01:01 – He’s not cheap, but he IS honest which is priceless
• 01:53 – The UGLY side of home inspections
• 01:59 – A lot of times, the ugliness is due to animals
  • 02:10 – Cats under the foundation
  • 02:52 – Motionless fur...andddd possibly decomposing
  • 03:33 – New tub, new panels, but in one corner the panels were separating
  • 04:04 – Move the panels and, sure enough, there were 3 dead cats…the cats were getting into the house but couldn’t figure out how to exit the house
• 05:15 – Another incident with animals in the house
  • 05:24 – A family of possums
  • 05:41 – A family of raccoons
  • 06:00 – SNAKES!
• 07:35 – Circling back to the cats—the home owner told Jeff, “I was wondering where those cats went!”
• 08:10 – Call Jeff at 704-728-9610

1. If you’re doing your own, preliminary home inspection—keep your eyes OPEN!
2. Home inspections are rarely fun.
3. More than anything, look for honesty in a home inspector.

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Think working as a home inspector is a cake-walk?—tell that to today's guest, Russ Hensel, who's been forced to endure some pretty brutal inspections including one where the home owner decided to punch him in the face.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

• 00:30 – Today's guest is a very highly regarded home-inspector—Mr. Russ Hensel out of Southwest Florida
  • 00:50 – "If it needs an inspection, we do it."
• 01:27 – The Craziest thing?—people with the nicest houses are the WORST to do inspections for, they take everything personally
  • 02:20 – One home owner punched him in the face
  • 02:43 – What do you do then?—he's an 80 year old man, you can't call the cops on him, and you can't hit him back!
• 03:30 – Don't let your clients assault the home inspector!
• 04:00 – A home inspection ISN'T a personal attack, but people WILL take it that way—mentally prepare for it
• 04:50 – In Florida, there are a ton of retirees and retirees LOVE to try and fix-up their own homes
• 05:26 – Russ doesn't believe in pre-inspections
  • 05:54 – Get a licensed HVAC, roofer, and electrician to check out your house pre listing
• 06:40 – The purchaser needs to realize, every time you pull the home inspectors attention away from the inspection, you increase the odds of something being missed
• 08:15 – Buyers—don't pester your home inspector, Sellers—don't take comments on your property personally
• 08:50 – BestInspector.com

1. Not that we should have to say this, but don't punch your home inspector in the face.
2. Rather than do a pre-inspection, just hire licensed roofers, plumbers, electricians, to come out and check out your property.
3. If you're distracting the home inspector with questions, you're increasingly the likelihood of something being missed.

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Think working as a home inspector is a cake-walk?—tell that to today’s guest, Russ Hensel, who’s been forced to endure some pretty brutal inspections including one where the home owner decided to punch him in the face.  

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

• 00:30 – Today’s guest is a very highly regarded home-inspector—Mr. Russ Hensel out of Southwest Florida
  • 00:50 – “If it needs an inspection, we do it.”
• 01:27 – The Craziest thing?—people with the nicest houses are the WORST to do inspections for, they take everything personally
  • 02:20 – One home owner punched him in the face
  • 02:43 – What do you do then?—he’s an 80 year old man, you can’t call the cops on him, and you can’t hit him back!
• 03:30 – Don’t let your clients assault the home inspector!
• 04:00 – A home inspection ISN’T a personal attack, but people WILL take it that way—mentally prepare for it
• 04:50 – In Florida, there are a ton of retirees and retirees LOVE to try and fix-up their own homes
• 05:26 – Russ doesn’t believe in pre-inspections
  • 05:54 – Get a licensed HVAC, roofer, and electrician to check out your house pre listing
• 06:40 – The purchaser needs to realize, every time you pull the home inspectors attention away from the inspection, you increase the odds of something being missed
• 08:15 – Buyers—don’t pester your home inspector, Sellers—don’t take comments on your property personally
• 08:50 – BestInspector.com

1. Not that we should have to say this, but don’t punch your home inspector in the face.
2. Rather than do a pre-inspection, just hire licensed roofers, plumbers, electricians, to come out and check out your property.
3. If you’re distracting the home inspector with questions, you’re increasingly the likelihood of something being missed.

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Summary:

Meet Kamal Cheeks, the man who's reinvigorating the metro Detroit real estate market one property at a time. Listen as Kamal takes us through dark days of Detroit real estate, when properties were selling for as little as ONE DOLLAR, to the brightening horizon of today's market.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:30 – Today's guest is one of the leading realtors from Detroit…please welcome Kamal Cheeks to the show 00:44 – Also the current president of the Detroit Association of Realtors 00:55 – Focused on preserving property rights in the Detroit area 01:05 – Detroit has been through some craziness unlike anywhere else in the nation 01:20 – Currently in the recovery stage, but struggling still 01:45 – Defining how Detroit is struggling 02:05 – The majority of properties are WAY less than you'd see across America 02:25 – Brick, 3 BR houses are selling for $500 to $1000 in property auctions 03:00 – How a foreclosure auction works 03:10 – Many of these bids are sight unseen—it requires a lot of caution 03:37 – Hire a realtor to do the due diligence 04:05 – In one block you can go from a nice neighborhood to what amounts to a demilitarized zone 05:00 – What due diligence looks like in Detroit 05:20 – Always serve a realtor who knows Detroit, specifically metro Detroit 07:35 – When shopping for property in Detroit, find a realtor that is plugged-in politically as well 08:30 – Right now there is a ton of money being invested in Detroit because the market has been so depressed 09:49 – Talking about the "Dark Times" of Detroit 10:08 – Tax foreclosure homes were selling for (literally) $1 10:35 – The Detroit Association of Realtors partnered with the Wayne County Treasurers Office to help get these homes sold 11:55 – Whatever doesn't sell in the September auction goes to the October auction 13:00 – Get in touch with Kamal via Facebook, or Google the Detroit Association of Realtors, or call him at 586-298-1229

3 Key Points

• Don't quit on Detroit!
• 3 and 4 BR brick homes are STILL selling for as little as $500 to $1000.
• If you're going to shop around Detroit, you NEED to partner with a realtor who's familiar with the metro area. This is a MUST.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Summary:

Meet Kamal Cheeks, the man who’s reinvigorating the metro Detroit real estate market one property at a time. Listen as Kamal takes us through dark days of Detroit real estate, when properties were selling for as little as ONE DOLLAR, to the brightening horizon of today’s market.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:30 – Today’s guest is one of the leading realtors from Detroit…please welcome Kamal Cheeks to the show
00:44 – Also the current president of the Detroit Association of Realtors
00:55 – Focused on preserving property rights in the Detroit area
01:05 – Detroit has been through some craziness unlike anywhere else in the nation
01:20 – Currently in the recovery stage, but struggling still
01:45 – Defining how Detroit is struggling
02:05 – The majority of properties are WAY less than you’d see across America
02:25 – Brick, 3 BR houses are selling for $500 to $1000 in property auctions
03:00 – How a foreclosure auction works
03:10 – Many of these bids are sight unseen—it requires a lot of caution
03:37 – Hire a realtor to do the due diligence
04:05 – In one block you can go from a nice neighborhood to what amounts to a demilitarized zone
05:00 – What due diligence looks like in Detroit
05:20 – Always serve a realtor who knows Detroit, specifically metro Detroit
07:35 – When shopping for property in Detroit, find a realtor that is plugged-in politically as well
08:30 – Right now there is a ton of money being invested in Detroit because the market has been so depressed
09:49 – Talking about the “Dark Times” of Detroit
10:08 – Tax foreclosure homes were selling for (literally) $1
10:35 – The Detroit Association of Realtors partnered with the Wayne County Treasurers Office to help get these homes sold
11:55 – Whatever doesn’t sell in the September auction goes to the October auction
13:00 – Get in touch with Kamal via Facebook, or Google the Detroit Association of Realtors, or call him at 586-298-1229

3 Key Points

• Don’t quit on Detroit!
• 3 and 4 BR brick homes are STILL selling for as little as $500 to $1000.
• If you’re going to shop around Detroit, you NEED to partner with a realtor who’s familiar with the metro area. This is a MUST.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Summary:

"Real estate is a sink or swim industry" according to Nancy Minor, real estate extraordinaire for the Metro Atlanta area. Listen as Nancy shares her more than 30 years of experience, and that hilarious time her first high-priced showing went underwater…literally.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:33 – Today Leigh welcomes Nancy Minor! 00:43 – 8 agents pushed Leigh to get Nancy's story on the show 01:59 – She has been in real estate for 30 years 02:15 – Nancy's story 02:25 – Got a call offering to work with the company's president 02:44 – Nancy did everything to show off 03:15 – She got a client to preview a prestigious neighborhood 03:30 – Being a new agent, Nancy never had shown any high priced homes before 04:35 – Neighborhood agent got a page – Nancy was left with her buyer 05:22 – The dark room 05:42 – She flipped on the light and whoops! She's under water! 06:10 – Client had NO idea what happened 06:35 – Popped up laughing hysterically 07:13 – Gracefully stood up and walked away calmly 08:01 – It was hysterical 08:16 – The showings must go on! 08:26 – Clients didn't purchase 09:14 – 3 weeks later… 09:25 – Nancy received a Snorkel from her client! 10:02 – The seller was appalled on what happened and put a lock on the door 11:11 – There's always a new story 11:17 – Leigh's takeaways from Nancy's story 12:35 – Contact Nancy Minor at 404-955-SOLD

3 Key Points

• Be cautious when entering dark rooms.
• The showings must go on –whether soaked or dry.
• Real estate is a sink or swim business.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

Summary:

Meet Nobu Hata, a former real estate agent who's turned to the dark side…just kidding. Nobu actually makes realtors life's better for everybody involved in the home selling/buying process by working as they Director of Member Engagement for the National Association of REALTORS®. Sit backand relax as Nobu shares a supernatural experience from one home-showing "hell" never forget.

Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:40 – Leigh welcomes Nobu Hata to the show 01:02 – How Nobu got out of real estate 01:59 – Nobu's crazy real estate story 02:25 – It was cold, dark, and Nobu was on his last of the day 02:38 – The third story of the home was a finished attic 02:47 – Immediately, when we walked into the home Nobu had a bad feeling, a feeling that only increased as he moved upstairs 03:23 – Nothing happened, the showing finished, and Nobu walked out only to realize he left the light on in the attic 03:46 – He went back up to the attic to shut the light off and, as he was flipping the switch, he saw a man 04:15 – Quickly, Nobu turned the light back on, but the man was gone 05:03 – Nobu sent a feedback to the agent 05:18 – Mel, the ghost 06:02 – Nothing on Google about the home 06:25 – Nobu shares his friend's ghost story 07:23 – Ghost in a house is not a material fact—so it cannot be disclosed 07:38 – Haunting disclosure in Minnesota real estate forms 08:28 – Are you a listener with a crazy story to share? Ping Leigh at www.crazyshitinrealestate.com

3 Key Points

• Once you're in, you're IN.
• Trust your instincts and that supernatural feeling—go with it.
• When in doubt, don't go alone into the dark.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music

In Episode #2, Leigh invites her dad and real estate inspiration, Darrell Thomas, on the Crazy Shit in Real Estate podcast! Listen as they discuss the formidable floating interest rates of the late 1970s early 1980s, the regulations impeding the industry, and why consumers are no better today than they were 40 years ago.

• 00:20 – Introduction for episode #2
• 00:34 – Everybody meet Leigh's dad, Darrell Thomas!
  • 00:50 – Leigh's dad's background
  • 01:12 – He has no enemies and no grudges
• 01:33 – 1978, one of Darrell's first real estate transactions
  • 01:50 – Interest rates going through the roof, home loans were practically only accessible through Savings and Loans companies
  • 02:07 – What was a crazy interest rate?—21% with 10 points
  • 02:40 – That's the ONLY money that was out there
  • 03:20 – Quadplex investment property for a client, couldn't find someone willing to front the money
    • 03:33 – Enter the wrap around mortgage
  • 04:!0 – This was landline only or face-to-face only business
• 05:05 – If it's not in writing, it never happened
• 06:12 – Back then, a home sale was a single page contract—it was that easy
  • 06:31 – The business has changed DRAMATICALLY in the last 40 years
• 07:05 – Does the real estate industry offer consumers more protection today? Or is it just more regulation?
  • 07:11 – More Regulation
• 07:29 – There were shysters and crooks back then, and there are shysters and crooks now
• 08:24 – How to get in touch with Darrell?
  • 08:28 – [email protected]
• 08:53 – Darrell is a veteran of the US Army
• 09:00 – If you're a realtor with some crazy shit to share, please visit crazyshitinrealestate.com and get in touch with Leigh, she'd love to have you on the program!

1. If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.
2. If you always look out for the client's best interest, people recognize that and it pays dividends.
3. You can't fix stupid.

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives
• Cover Design by Two Minds Design
• Original Music by Rimsky Music