Real estate is a bit like baseball. It seems easy enough until a person takes a shot at explaining the intricacies of the respective fields.
Training a new agent how to use the various contracts such as the Purchase and Sale Agreement, Confirmation of Agency Status, Disclaimer, Lead Based Paint Disclosure, the various releases, disclosures are as confusing as why a foul ball is a strike unless it isn’t on the would-be third strike.
Then there can be 99 fouls balls, as the kids say.
It’s a shame there are no umpires in real estate and no rules similar to baseball.
In baseball, for example, the pitcher and the manager are often ejected from the game if a pitcher throws at a batter intentionally.
It would be refreshing to have a real estate agent and his broker kicked out of a transaction after they delivered a brushback offer.
And the balk seems to have the same ramifications. If a pitcher balks, i.e., makes a motion towards the plate then tries to throw to a base and pick off a baserunner, the baserunner gets a another base.
If a buyer balks, says he will accept a counter offer, then counters again, the ump would allow the seller to advance to another buyer.
It is not unusual for a buyer to whiff on his first transaction then knock the ball out of the park on the second at-bat.
New agents often swing and miss on their first offer, but come around on the second opportunity after becoming accustomed to the delivery of the opponent, or the seller.
Taking the baseball theme a bit further, Vanderbilt alumnus David Price, who along with fellow Commodore and Rutherford County native Sonny Gray was this week selected for the MLB All-Star Game, tossed a real estate curveball last year.
Price had contracted to purchase the home of one of the Kings of Leon that was listed for more than $3 million.
After the inspection, he shook off the deal and terminated his contract. It is reported he slid safely into home, building a house near his hometown of Murfreesboro.
Although not a baseball player, an athlete who also makes a living with his arm, Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota, recently purchased a unit in the Icon for more than $1 million.
The unit is one of the penthouses and offers a downtown view.
Having the professional sports teams fuels the real estate market.
A number of Titans have remained in town after their retirement, with names such as Frank Wychek, Neil O’Donnell, Blaine Bishop, Eddie George and Kevin Dyson appearing in tax records. Even former assistant coach Jim Schwartz has a house here.
The success of Coach Tim Corbin and his Vanderbilt Commodore baseball team may have the same affect and Vandy grads have a penchant for scoring homes in Nashville.
Tune in the All Star game Tuesday and watch your neighbors throwing heat. If their agents handled their contracts well, the All Star appearance should be able to fund a swimming pool or an investment property.
Sale of the Week
In this real estate market with all of its multiple offers, skyrocketing prices, cars with out-of-state plates and buyers with cell phones with faraway area codes, there is a calmness in Bellevue.
For those who are associated with the aforementioned strange numerals, be they phone or car, Bellevue is a zip code away from Belle Meade, West Meade and the Warner Parks.
A home at 7347 Rolling River Parkway in Rolling River Estates just off of Old Harding Road has sold for $244,000 by the loquacious Sarah Milligan of Crye-Leike Realtors, who can show a house better than anyone in the business.
This 2,345-square-foot home includes four bedrooms and two baths, all on the main level.
Milligan says the property features “new gutters, new exterior paint, newer windows, updated laminate wood floors” – thanks for the clarity there – “and expanded kitchen, and a flat, fenced, half-acre yard.”
Most Realtors refer to laminates as “hardwoods’ these days.
The house was built in 1975, the year things began to ring in Bellevue.
Paul Warner of Keller Williams represented the buyer and secured $5,000 in allowances from the seller.
His buyer will be able to utilize the neighborhood park, pool and tennis courts for a mere $43 per month.
At just over $100 per foot, this is half the price of 12South or East Nashville and 60 percent of West Meade.
Hurry over before they open a few nightclubs.
Richard Courtney is a real estate broker with Christianson, Patterson, Courtney, and Associates.