So we all have those moments of impulse buying that leads to the purchase of something we really don’t need which can turn into something we don’t want to deal with and then something you will practically give away to be finished and walk away with a lesson learned.
Well, in September of 2008, I thought it would be cool to own a little piece of downtown Perry, so I purchased a 3500 square foot commercial building – Great Idea, I know that is what everybody is thinking. I had no plan for what to do with it, just thought it would be neat to have a building with so many unlimited possibilities. I leased it to a party that taught Karate – short lived, about a year, then I leased it to an Artist, that turned it into a clothing store, that soon became a thrift shop, which then became a huge storage building that rent couldn’t be paid on time and then vacancy. Vacancy led to personal storage for my family, then my wife’s family, then employee’s, then friends, then reality set in and pure costs were calculated – BAD FINANCIAL DECISION.
That leads us to July of 2014 and we decided to put the building up for sale. Who you sell with is very important and I will write on that topic at a later date. We have had it for sale for practically half of this year, many tire kickers have looked at the property, and then we got the offer with a closing date of this Friday, the 21st of November, YEAH!
Then I left work late yesterday evening and just happen to randomly stop by and check on things and it sounded like a water park was located in the back of the building. There was no laughter or warm weather that would surround a water park, so you guessed it, A WATER LEAK of epic proportions.
Panic set in, frantically I ran back to access what my ears had told my brain only to reinforce it with what my eyes would tell me – It was coming out of the wall much like it must have looked in the boiler room of the Titanic that faithful night – all I could think was DAM, I need a DAM!
I ran out to my vehicle to search for tools, any tools at this point, I found a pair of pliers in the door. I started trying to pry the water meter lid through the frozen remnants of the weekend storm. It was not looking very promising and then one of my neighbors just happens to be returning to their building to close up, I asked for a small bucket of scolding hot water and luckily that did the trick. I was able to shut the water off and stop the spread of water.
I speculated about 500 square feet to be under water and quickly called the listing agent to report the great news. I asked him to inform the potential buyer of the issue and ease their minds that I would have repairs starting tomorrow.
Our listing agent called me early the next morning to let me know that the potential buyer would like for me to pay for the appraisal and attorney fees and that they would be backing out of the contract – in very kind words I let him know I wasn’t paying to let the fish off the hook. I told him to have them meet me at the building this morning and I would put the sale of sales on them.
They met me at the building this morning, great folks, in their mid 70’s with absolutely no plan for the building other than to use it as storage. I convinced them that this was only a setback and assured them that I would restore the property to as good condition. They were very thankful that I was so forward and honest about the whole situation. The deal is still going to take place, it will cost me a couple of extra thousand dollars, but the real estate will have a new owner by the weekend – AMEN.
If I have learned anything in my lifetime it all comes down to a simple truth, “As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap” – karma does exist and whatever you put out, will come back and sometimes in greater abundance.
This reminds me of one of my favorite Bible Verses: Luke 11:9
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Tommy Milligan, Short and Spiky