Chuck Capan, REALTOR® Licensed In IL. - Moline Homes Quad Cities Real Estate

Red flags went up at first when I opened this morning's email.

>>Hi there,

>>I am interested in viewing one of your properties, could you please call me on my foreign mobile +882 135 502 99 to setup a time. As I am travelling at the moment I am unable to pickup emails regularly so please call.

>>Kind regards,

>>Liz Casey

>>Mobile: +882 135 502 99
>>Email: lizcasey@zapak.com

I ran a quick check on zapak.com. They are out of Mumbai (aka Bombay) India. This is not totally off the wall for me. I have several listings whose owners are from India, I have one listing the owner is from Bangladesh.

I call my good friend, Susmita, to see what she thinks. Susmita is from Nepal.

Yep, she says, make the call. Even though the country code is not correct (India is 91) since it is a mobile phone it could be correct.

Well I can't make International calls from my cell or office phone. So I go to that Universal International Communication Centre aka the local Quick-Shop to by a calling card.

hhhmmm...call cannot be completed as dialed...882 is the code for satelite phones...darn my card will not call sat-phones.

Let's check Google...ah there it is...LOTS of agents got the same email. Florida, Chicago, Arizona.

ha ha the joke is on me. I'm out $5.00. Guess I should have gone with my first instinct...delete the email.

So...

If anyone wants to make any calls in the US or International you can have what is left of the calling card.

Call 1-800-473-8975 when prompted enter PIN 578 805 3376
Then 1+area code+phone number for US or Canada
Or for calls to other countries
Dial 011+country code+city code+phone number

Enjoy!

It is not totally official, yet. It looks like my broker will be coming up with the policy asking us to stay away during the whole house inspection. The wording will be something along the lines of "Go to the home, make sure everyone is there, make any necessary introductions, leave.

This is one time that I am ahead of the game. I really do not think it is my place to attend home inspections.

Do you think otherwise? If you do let me turn it around.

Say you are at a listing appointment but the home inspector is there too.

You are going over your skillfully prepared CMA...halfway through the inspector yells out "hey I've found two breakers in the panel that are double tapped!

Two minutes later the inspector says " looks like the electric sub-panel is wired incorrectly"

As you go over the marketing plan with the seller the inspector butts in "hey, you want me to take some air samples? You may have a mold problem!!"

The client is paying the inspector, let the inspector do his/her job.

If your client really wants you there...go but keep your mouth shut.

I'm really proud to be working for Number 1! This market share graph is for all properties.

With 2 games scheduled at 11:00 AM I go one way my wife goes the other. Just as we back down the driveway at 10:00...on come my wipers. Girls softball already canceled.

Weatherman says last night "a few passing storms, 30% chance of rain, most of the rain will be North of the Metro." yeah right

By 10:15 we are seeking shelter in the dugout. Moderate rainfall...the sky looks like it will be going on for a while. The game is called off...we start calling parents hoping to head them off before they depart.

"Can you come at 1:00 on Sunday? We need to reschedule."

Looks like we can get 10 of 13. Pretty cool...we played one game this year with 8. Then an injury and we are at 7 for one inning.

As we head for the van I recall Charlie Brown saying "Where is everyone going? Are you gonna let a little rain stop us from playing?" "Rats."

2 opens on Sunday...I'm gonna miss my first game. rats

hey the sky is getting lighter...maybe we can get up to the batting cage