Listing appointments are (as ‘Forrest Gump’ says)…”Like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get”.

Over my seventeen year real estate career, I’ve been fortunate enough to appraise some of the most breathtaking properties in the country but on the other hand, I’ve seen some things that are also breathtaking….but not necessarily in a positive way.

Back in my first year in real estate (2001), I remember being referred to someone that owned a unit in Vulture Street, South Brisbane.

The owner was an investor who lived interstate and he asked me to go and appraise this unit for him.

I contacted the tenant and the only time he could allow me to come in was at night time.

It was the middle of Winter and raining on this particular night so it was freezing cold.

I remember trying to find the street number (if you know Vulture Street, the numbering system is a little peculiar) and I had to park a good distance away.

I walked from the footpath up a flight of external stairs into the darkest property I’ve ever seen at night.

There was a number of overgrown bushes that were covering the entrance and as there was no moonlight due to cloud cover (and back in the day there was no nearby streetlight), it was absolutely “pitch black’ to the point that I couldn’t even see the stairs at my feet – I just had to take each one slowly and ‘feel’ my way up.

For some reason, I had a strange feeling that I wasn’t safe.

The area has changed significantly now, but back in 2001, this was a reasonably unsavoury part of the city to be in at night.

As I found my way to the top of the stairs, there was just enough light to see a dishevelled ethnic man sitting on the ground with a newspaper open across his lap.

He stopped and looked straight at me, clearly as agitated by my presence as I was with his.

I remember thinking that there is no way he could have been reading the paper in the dark so what was he even doing sitting there…and whilst there was a small amount of cover in a little covered entrance way, the sound of raindrops hitting his newspaper was rather eerie.

He was dressed in a large coat and I didn’t know whether he had something underneath this coat…a knife or a gun or who knows what else?

I started to walk past him and he didn’t take his eyes of me as I went past.

My immediate instinct was to run straight back past him, jump in my car and head home.

In saying this, I can vividly remembering thinking about what I was going to tell the owner the next day…”Sorry I was scared and ran away so I couldn’t appraise your unit” – that would hardly be making the impression that I wanted to my potential seller.

So inside I walked.

The building was like an old ‘boarding house’. It had a narrow corridor running down the middle and units to either side.

As I walked in, there was another man standing outside a door…and really doing nothing – just standing there pretending to look pre-occupied but he had nothing to be pre-occupied with.

He couldn’t have looked more suspicious if he tried.

Like the man outside, he was also clearly agitated by my presence and didn’t take his eyes off me as I walked past him.

By now, my heart was beating out of my chest and as I walked past the second man, it occurred to me that he was standing between me and front door of the building so if he attacked me, I had no way of getting out.

I was truly terrified but trying to tell myself that the situation was not as bad as it seemed…although every cell in my body was screaming ‘get out of here’.

Little did I know at the time that this was only the start of my sheer terror on this rainy Winter’s night.

Next week, I’ll finish this story and tell you how things took an even more unexpected turn.

Until then, Happy Listing & Happy Selling

 

 

My ‘Feature Property Of The Week’ is 13 McKenzie Place, Warner

 

5 Bed / 3 Bath / 3 Car

Offers Above $699,000

Open Home – Sat, 4 Nov 10:00AM to 10:30AM

A stunning upmarket two-storey ‘Plantation’ home that is bound to suit many families. Comprising of 5 spacious bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 separate living spaces, a fabulous gourmet kitchen complete with full Butler’s pantry, a double lock-up garage plus an extra single bay shed with easy aide access, room to house a boat or caravan and a sensational outdoor alfresco with a sublime outdoor kitchen, this home truly must be seen to be appreciated. There’s ample room for an in-ground swimming pool and features galore including air-conditioning, solar hot water, a security system and a kids’ cubby house. Idyllically positioned at the very end of an attractive cul-de-sac, you’ll find it difficult to fault this one – even a ‘Negative Nigel’! Brand new to the market, be quick if you think that this one may be your new home!

Details

 

Did You Know?

  • In 2017, ‘The Michael Spillane Team’ still average a figure higher than 100% for the ratio of the final selling prices compared to the original list prices of the properties sold.
  • Michael’s daughter Lilliana is well-known for her love of ponies. Even at a ‘Trick or Treat’, she’d rather dress up as a pony than anything else. Michael needed a costume as well so he quickly raided his ‘props box’ and came up with this quirky outfit. As Simon put it, Michael was the ghost of the sheriff that Bob Marley shot

Fun Fact….

  • Halloween Was Originally Called “Cabbage Night” In Certain Towns

 

Quote Of The Week….

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Listing appointments are (as ‘Forrest Gump’ says)…”Like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get”.