If a client looking over her shoulder and saying, “I hope my husband doesn’t think you’re my boyfriend,” isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is! Luckily, Tim Ogle, a long-time REALTOR® and Air Force retiree was armed and connected to people who could help and poke fun at him a little bit, too. Listen in to find out how Tim handled a drunk, suicidal, and thieving client – and why this crazy story may not be over yet.
Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting leighbrown.com.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 01:00 – Introducing Tim, a REALTOR® since 2006 when he retired from the Air Force
- 01:07 – He started as his wife’s assistant, but that lasted 2 week until she fired him; they split the business up, he took buyers and she took sellers
- 02:22 – Advice for husband and wife teams: Know and set specific job descriptions
- 04:30 – Tim’s CSIRE story
- 04:35 – It started with a client who wanted to go out to look at homes; she had to be prequalified first
- 05:00 – She called 5 minutes before the appointment at their satellite office and canceled because her car broke down; she asked if he could pick her up
- 05:30 – He went to her house and her teenage daughter answers the door; he picked up the client and they drove to the first house
- 06:00 – On the drive, the woman said, “I hope my husband doesn’t think you’re my boyfriend’; her speech becomes slurred
- 06:30 – She appears very drunk and reveals that she’s in an abusive relationship; she said she wants to find a home so she can divorce her husband and move on
- 07:10 – She said she wanted to end her life and had taken pills with a fifth of vodka; he calls 911 and starts towards the hospital
- 08:00 – He’s armed and cannot enter the hospital with a concealed weapon; she’s freaking out and tries to exit the car on the interstate
- 08:40 – He couldn’t say he was armed in front of the suicidal woman, which is why he asked the dispatcher to have law enforcement meet him at the hospital
- 09:00 – Police never arrived at the hospital, so he took her in; people knew him because he had worked for the fire department
- 10:00 – He secured his weapon and came back in to make a statement; he thought that was the end of it
- 10:30 – A few hours later, he gets a call from someone at the fire department who says, “What kind of a shit-magnet are you?”
- 11:15 – The woman had tried to take an officer’s gun; around town, that officer would refer to the woman as Tim’s girlfriend as a joke
- 12:00 – Fast forward two years and one of his agent’s car got stolen; the agent’s purse was on a desk and someone had taken her wallet and car keys
- 13:00 – The same woman had come back and stolen the car; she called the agent to apologize while Tim was there and he recognized her name
- 13:14 – He called 911 and gave the woman’s name and address; while she had the car, she got it detailed and got an oil change using the client’s credit cards
- 13:50 – She came back with the car and the police showed up; it was the same officer that called the woman Tim’s girlfriend
- 14:15 – She spent some time in jail; since then they’ve moved from Nebraska to Arizona
- 14:40 – The woman moved to Arizona a few months after they did; the story may continue
- 15:30 – Lessons from Tim’s story
- 15:38 – It’s good that Tim had connections from his life before real estate; it’s also great how Tim acted quickly and helped her
- 16:50 – Have a safety protocol for yourself and your clients; you don’t know what could happen in vacant homes or with strangers
- 17:45 – The first time you meet a client, it must be at the office
- 18:30 – How to contact Tim and Team Ogle: com or on Facebook
3 Key Points
- Have a clear, well-defined job description – especially when working with a spouse!
- Have safety protocols in place for yourself, your team, and your clients.
- Your client’s health and safety comes first.
Credits