Marcy Larkins

Sometimes relationships drive my efforts more than the money.  I got a call from a woman I’ll call, Marcy Larkins, to discuss solutions to her foreclosure problem.  Marcy was a character if there ever was one.  She was the sweetest, sub 5 foot, Filipino woman…and from the very beginning I felt like I was working with the grandma I never had.  Just one big ball of unrelenting love.  You know, the kind of person that would sing your praises even if you were a convicted axe murderer?

It dawned on me this week that everyone at the firm throws me the impossible stuff because they know I don’t really matter anyway.  They don’t mean it in a malicious way, its just that I am an intern, and they’re in the game solely for the money.  Marcy was pretty typical for the type of client that we can’t help.  She owes too much on her home to sell it for full price and still pay the fees.  Oh yeah, Marcy doesn’t want to move out of the house either!  Because the house has too much sentimental value because she raised her kids there!  OK Marcy, sure thing.  Marcy stops into the office nearly everyday when she gets off of work at a local snack foods company; because I made the mistake of saying that I would continue to ruminate on ideas that would allow us to sell her home to an investor that will allow her to rent the home at something close to her current mortgage.  Yep, even though there is no profit in the deal.  I was trying to be nice.  Whenever Marcy see’s Jeff Potts, Mr. Oslund, or anyone else at the firm, she stops them and tells them how wonderful I am and how she is so confident that I will help her escape the situation.  I felt really bad that I wouldn’t be able to help her, especially because rather than just saying goodbye at the end of our pointless meetings, she stands in front of my desk with this uncomfortable silence waiting for me to stand up so she can end our meeting with: “Big Hugs!”  Marcy comes from a family of huggers!

One day, just trying to make small talk, I mentioned to Marcy that it was too bad that she didn’t have any relatives that could buy her home and rent it back to her.  We had exhausted this conversation so many times I considered it small talk to bring it up again.  But on this particular day Marcy offered that she had an estranged son named Ivan!  Ivan had moved to Vancouver and had minimal interaction with the family, primarily because he didn’t care for Marcy’s now deceased husband, his younger, less responsible brothers father.  Marcy assured me that Ivan wouldn’t help because he was detached from the family. The long and short of it is that I reached out to Ivan and he was willing to help.  In fact, Ivan was relieved that circumstances created an save face and yet reconcile with his family.  We’re still working on the details of the transactions but it should be fine.  I find it amazing how many times my CRES knowledge has intersected my business dealings of late?  I’m sure the only reason why this deal is still on my desk is because I felt an emotional attachment to the client.  Marcy said she is going to give me a big box of sugar-free snacks for my “babies” as a closing gift. I tell her over and over that the clients don’t give closing gifts to the broker; I have told her multiple times that my “babies” are 17 and 18 year years old.  Grandma’s….