Is it True That You Get What You Pay For?

When you get crummy service people often repeat that you "get what you paid for." They mean you didn't pay enough to get good service. There are some things that if you pay enough for people to fawn over your every need, they will. My husband hates being fawned over. I don't mind it so much because I don't expect people in the service industry, for example, to behave like real human beings. My expectations are lower than that. There is a big difference, though, in the type of service you get when you are willing to pay more for it.

In real estate, it's somewhat different. You can't really pay much more for superior service over bad service. You can get both for basically the same price. It's especially true when it comes to a Sacramento short sale agent because the money never passes through the seller's hands and it doesn't really end up in her pocket. In those situations, potential customers choose an agent based on impression of that short sale agent and that agent's reputation. I get many referrals for my Sacramento short sale business and favorable reviews on Zillow, so I would say I am doing the right things.

Every so often I run into a client who thinks all real estate agents are the same. These types of clients believe an agent is out for one thing and one thing only. They have no idea what they are talking about, but unfortunately their mouths are still moving. They don't realize that we Sacramento short sale agents put up with a lot of abuse by the sheer nature of our job. We don't welcome their abuse. I will fight to the death for my sellers, but if one of them suddenly goes off the deep end, I cancel my association with them. I can't lessen the quality of my service -- it's not in my makeup.

It's rare that I have to cancel a listing but it sometimes happens. Maybe once every couple of years, I end up with a nut-job. Some years more, some years less. They still receive quality service, though. I would not throw a nut-job under the bus any more than I would purposely deliver bad service to anybody. That's not who I am. You can't pay me more to make me perform better. There is no menu of discount services and no Red Carpet menu. There are no second-class citizens in my short sale world.

Just sellers who need to get out from under an overwhelming obligation without personal liability. Sellers who need to sell a home a Sacramento quickly, efficiently and for a price the short sale bank will accept.

Having said all of that, I will admit that I am enjoying perks from the hotel where my husband and I are staying in Hawaii. We have a room on a premium floor, which means we get free snacks, a free breakfast, complimentary beverages and an unparalleled ocean view. The thing that I did not realize we get is private breakfast dining. We don't have to sit in any of the plethora of restaurants on the property and mingle with other regular guests.

Instead, we get to stand behind Mr. Hog-the-Toaster while he hovers over the counter waiting for his crummy bagel to pop up. This guy is so comfortable in our private lounge that he has mistaken the room for his own kitchen. You can't get around him to pinch a slice of fresh salmon off a tray because his big ass butt is in the way. You can say "excuse me" and it falls on deaf ears. The guy really is in his own kitchen in his mind. The place where he ignores his wife and kids, I suppose, where he stands in front of the refrigerator with the door open and stares, lettting all the cold air out, driving up his utility bills, and he plainly does not give a crap.

I give a crap about things nobody else cares about. For example, we had to change rooms yesterday. Seriously. OK, I know what you're thinking. Stop laughing. Our bed was on the wrong side of the room. It did not offer a view of the ocean. Everything was on the wrong side of the room, and it did not feel right. The TV credenza should have been located on the opposite wall, but it wasn't. The hotel switched our rooms for the one next door. I am much happier now. I suspect my husband is, too, although he might not admit it. And I'm not talking about his being happy because I am happy. I mean honestly and openly happy and content. If that doesn't describe a vacation, what does?

Below are photos of the grounds. I hope you enjoy my view from the Big Island. Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub