"The Real Estate Seesaw" by Lorraine Lalli

89 pages; Published by Lorraine Lalli ©2011

Every profession has inside jokes and stories people can appreciate. Sometimes, there are things that happen, and you can tell those stories to people outside of that profession. If you have ever bought or sold a house, or attempted to, you probably have some stories about your process. Some may be funny; some might not be so funny.

Lorraine Lalli has spent over 35 years in the real estate business. She's certainly learned a thing or two over that time. Some anecdotes and learning experience may have been shared in her office when breaking the ice with a new client or reassuring one who is having a difficult time with the buying or selling process. Now everyone can have a good chuckle or at least feel grateful things weren't as bad for them with Lalli's book "The Real Estate Seesaw: A Humorous Glimpse into the Ups and Downs of a Real Estate Career".

Working as corporate secretary, Lalli decided to take the broker's exam and obtained her license. What has happened since then is a long career assisting people in what will be the biggest purchase of their lives. Along the way, she has encountered a few bumps and challenges that have contributed to making this book possible. Lalli once looked at a house that looked like it barely survived a frat party and looked meticulous the next day. She thought there was only one person in the house. Was there really?

She also ran into someone who wanted her to list the house immediately. This prospective client, a man, was going a nasty divorce. His girlfriend had left him, and he was estranged from his daughter. He absolutely needed to sell the house post-haste. When Lalli arrived to save the day, he had second thoughts, but no such doubts when her manager, a man, arrived on the scene? What had happened? Did the seller not like women?

Lalli's humorous stories also include wearing a mink coat while showing a house to a vegetarian buyer in a well-to-do neighborhood. A buyer needing references and asking if said references, "need to be alive." She'll also tell you the importance of Saint Joseph and let you in on some of the inside language and terminology when it comes to working as a broker.

There have been plenty of changes to the business thanks to evolving technology. Things that were exclusively available to just agents and brokers are now there for everyone thanks to Zillow, Redfin, and Trulia, just to name a few. Sit back and enjoy the stories Lorraine Lalli has to share. She has some good ones.

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