Top 5 behaviors of 2009: “I sell my Ferrari and BMW with 80% discount, but I am still a smecher”

"Ilia, I have a super offer for you or a client of yours". "Hello, what happened?" "Check your email. You have time until Monday morning at 11.00". "To do what?" "There is a very well known friend of mine who decided to sell two of his cars for a very low price, 60% under their value". "But you know, I don't deal with cars, I am into Real Estate". "You may have someone, check and have a look. But please don't say this to someone if you are not sure he has money cash".

One of the usual 15 – 20 emails I receive per hour was also this email of his. He is a collaborator of mine in Real Estate, but he is more flexible than me. So,

he entered into car business too? "Let's see" I thought and clicked on his email: One Ferrari and one BMW 7 series were available for sale "in the price you buy just the BMW today. Pay for this and receive a Ferrari for free!"

I found the buyer, but… "the owner is ill now"

You know how it is with opportunities, you have to act fast, if you don't want to find out that it was sold to someone else. Even during the crisis, there are still people able to pay cash whatever amount, if the price is really low. Many of my clients came to my mind, but I called just one of them, who has a… shocking cash liquidity and more deposits than… many small banks have. He replied to me in the same evening, informing me that he can buy the cars right away, but he needs more information about them. I called my connection but he informed me to wait until Monday, "because the owner is ill now".

"I did not transmit the offer, I wanted to buy an Audi"

On Monday morning I called him to find out more. He was upset. "You know… this stupid sold the cars to someone with even higher discount finally. And I was trying to sell them with 50%". "But wasn't he ill?" "He was but it looks like he didn't want to wait either". "But I told you my client is ready to buy". "Yes, but I did not transmit this offer to him. I had another one who promised to buy with higher price. So I could keep the difference for me and buy an Audi I want". Neither I fought with him, nor I got shocked by his words. Life goes on… "mergem mai departe"…

"I sell my Ferrari and my BMW with 80% discount, but I am still a smecher"

The world is very small and the owner of these cars continued liquidating assets throughout the year. So, I met him for a land he had and while talking, I realized that this was the gentleman who sold his two cars few months before. "Don't you know me?" "From where?" "Don't you read the tabloids?" "Sorry, no time for it". "Anyway, it is a pity you don't, I was there very often throughout the last years". The discussion returned to properties, but after a while he switched again, to cars this time. "You know, I have driven almost half of all the best cars which exist today in the world". "And why did you have to sell that Ferrari and that BMW?"

"You can not understand, this is me. I buy anything I want, whenever I want. I had six cars last year". "But now you are out of money, as you say". "Yeah, so what? I buy it with 10, I sell it with 20, I buy it with 10, I sell it with 2, it doesn't matter. As long as I find someone to sell, I am always ok". "But you lose money like this, don't you?" "No, no. I sell my Ferrari and my BMW with 80% discount, but I am still a smecher. I don't want to wait for the best offer, who comes first is the winner. Who is late, he will take… (showed me with his hands but I can not describe here) And soon I will have another idea and I will make more money again. There are always suckers out there" he said and he exhaled some smoke up in the atmosphere, before he took his glass of expensive whisky in his hands again.

"Easy come, easier go"…

Honestly, I find this guy "interesting" to talk to and deal with. Although I am sure that many people are crying because of him, during 2004 – 2008 the biggest part of society praised his ability to make easy money, tricking others. It is the same part which makes fun of him today, as he sells non stop (unfortunately for him, most of the times he does not even find a buyer, at any price). Probably he does this due to the debts to loan sharks ("camatari"), I heard many stories of people borrowing money so as to… go to expensive vacation (for example). Some others like him decided not to sell at all, but to file for insolvency instead, or simply to disappear (calling it "vacation to Bahamas").

An English proverb says "easy come, easy go". In Romania of 2009, where some people did not respect and care about money, this became "easy come, easier go". And "we did not hear the fat lady singing yet" = the show has more episodes to attend…