16 “brides”, the owner, my client and me sitting around a table for 6 people – part 2

Part 2

(To read part 1, click here)

16 brides, the owner, the client and me, sitting at a “table for 6 people”

The room was not big. The table could roughly host 2 people on each side, plus one guy at each of the two table “heads”. The two collaborators of mine were sitting across from each other and we asked them to move from one side, in order for us to be on the other one. We were offered water and we waited for the owner…

But this was not meant to happen so fast. After 2 minutes, a gentleman came, opened the door, saluted the other 2 and sat down. He did not bother introducing himself to us, he just spoke to them in Romanian.

– “Is he the owner’s lawyer?” my client asked.

– “He doesn’t look like it”…

In 5 minutes another 2 gentlemen entered the room. They were more polite as they told us “buna seara”, then they introduced themselves to the other 3 and sat down.

I asked the guys I knew…

– “Who are these 3 gentlemen?”

– “We have the property through these guys, they have the relationship with the owner”.

I wanted to leave, but my client was having fun…

In another 6 – 7 minutes, the door opened and one more guy entered. This continued for one more hour, so around 19.30 we had 16 guys in the room. Each of them was entering and introducing himself to the others, as he was their connection to the owner. The last one who entered was definitely richer than the other 15, plus he did not need to introduce himself, they knew him.

“It is not our fault”

– “What is going on?” I asked my collaborators.

– “It is not our fault! We knew that this guy speaks with the owner (pointed at one of 14), we did not know that he speaks through this guy, who speaks through that guy, who speaks through the guy there in the corner… who has the connection through the last one who came, the famous Mr. …”

– “So why did they all come here?”

– “In order for them to be present at the deal. We all have agreements for our commission and we need to be sure that no one will play games behind our back”.

– “Did it cross through your mind that the gentleman here, my client, looks at us and thinks that he has arrived at the circus?”

– “Why would you say that?”

– “Look around you. You are 16 people! There are no more seats for people, some of them smell like hell and the room is not big. Shouldn’t this make us feel that the client will have to pay a price plus commissions for 16 people? Plus the owner has not arrived yet.”

– “Why are you like this? We have to protect ourselves, why don’t you respect this fact?”

My client interfered:

– “Ilia, never mind. I love being around these 16 brides, that impatiently wait for the groom to come. Just tell them that if the owner does not appear in the following 10 minutes, I am out of here”.

The owner did not wait for me to say this. He opened the door exactly when my client finished speaking…

“When you decide on the price, let me know”

Once the owner entered the room, all the 16 intermediates stood up and prepared themselves to salute him. It was nice to see them shaking hands with him, while introducing themselves and praising the famous Mr. … who accepted them to be part of the deal…

The discussion was a “typical” one. The owner had too many offers by others, he was not sure he wanted to sell, he did not want to deliver the property with all problems solved. Mr. … described the property’s huge potential, explaining that the owner is tired of counting his money, this is why he might think about selling. But with the right management and investment… this “place is a goldmine”.

I had transmitted a price and asked for this to be confirmed.

– “No, no, who told you about that? This was three months ago, the price changed last week” Mr. … interrupted me.

– “Ok, so what is the price now?”

– “Let us ask the owner. My friend, what is your price tonight?”

– “I am not sure, I need to think about it… how much more are you willing to offer, in order for us not to lose time and negotiate without a reason?”

– “But the property is already expensive and the cost of renovation is high…”

– “Yes, but in 2 years the price will be higher”

– “Ok, then wait for 2 years and sell it then”.

– “I can do that, or I can sell it to you today. This means that you have the property 2 years earlier and you have time to make more money with it”.

– “So what is the price?”

He mentioned a price, but this created a big scandal in the room. One by one “the brides” started talking to each other, then to Mr. …, trying to explain that this price was not enough to cover their needs and expectations. For 10 minutes they behaved as if we were not present, they continued talking as if they were alone.

My client could not wait anymore and stoop up to end the comedy:

– “When you decide on the price, let me know” he said and turned his back. I followed him and exited the room. The lady was still busy with a gossip magazine, so we found the way out ourselves.

“Finally, some fresh air” he commented when we left the building and added “even for a Muslim it would be difficult to marry 16 brides at once. Isn’t it so, Ilia?”.

Brides without a groom = no wedding

I was lucky that my client had a sense of humor, thus he was not so upset because of the situation. He invested in another property found by me, plus one more though another company. We still talk and laugh about this story, which he narrates to several friends of his, when they express their wish to enter the Romanian Real Estate market.

Mr. … called me the next day and proposed a meeting in order to “avoid all these people”, and  provide me some “super deals, off market” but I did not meet him again. This is why I did not become rich by selling these deals (but also I avoided having problems with the authorities, as he had).

I met some of the intermediates present around that table again but nowadays I think that 80% of them have changed profession (now some are working on… “green” energy, I guess with the same success and seriousness).

The owner sold the property for a high price, without having the property’s papers in order (to a client who was consulted by a very famous company and he is still crying for the money he lost). He lost most of his millions in other investments, Real Estate ones, but not only (ladies etc.).

Now I hope you understand why, when a collaborator tells me that “he speaks with the owner of the property”, I insist on talking directly to this owner before I invite my client to meet him…