North Side Real Estate Queen--One Contender For The Throne

Above are two pictures of my real estate agent,
Juley Viger, or (as I've often described her)
"the only agent who will give me the time of day."

Juley has been great for her friendliness and
flexibility when dealing with a colorful buyer
of modest means (like me) looking at North
Side properties. Don't blame her for the
content of this blog. Juley is just trying to
sell houses in a tough market.

When I had less funds than I do right this minute,
Juley was willing to submit my low offers while
I tried to scrape together slightly more funding.
We worked out, together, what sellers would
be open to hearing my low offers instead of
turning red in the face and seething.

Sometimes I call up real estate agents for sellers and
talk them out of door codes when Juley is busy,
and she has never busted my chops over that,
since I'm open with her about it and I make it
clear I'm not trying to cheat her out of a
commission...there's just times I want to go
look at houses without waiting around for an
appointment, and I feel like I don't want
to waste her time, especially when the sellers
are willing to do that.

Besides, like one seller's agent put it so
well, when I promised to lock up securely behind
me:

"I don't care what you do with that place."

I call this a "remote showing." If you're looking
for a house on the North Side, you might find this
is becoming something of a trend on the North Side,
even if nobody is talking about it very openly.
Well, here you go. The secret is out. I'm sure
most of the showings are still "standard," right
now, but who knows what will happen as this
market drags on?

Imagine if you could provide your ID, maybe
pass a background check, and get a big list
of North Side door codes. Look at houses all
day, on your own. This is my idea. I want
credit, since money is unlikely.

Yes, the idea all began that time at 2125 Lyndale Ave. N. when
Juley didn't want to enter a house known to have
a squatter who repeatedly broke down the front
door but, hey, would you? I told her she could wait
in the car, but considering the proximity to
The Biggest Liquor Store In The Known Universe,
that didn't seem like a good option, either.

But then Juley got the word...there is no door
code because somebody keeps bashing down the door.
So I told Juley "Why would you need to go with
at all?"

Let me tell you, entering that house with nothing
but a big sturdy boardand a flickering cigarette lighter
was not as much fun as it sounds.

(Yeah, I forgot my flashlight that time. Sometimes
when the listing says "bring a flashlight" it ends up
being "well, a cigarette lighter, at least")

Besides, who needs an agent who knows the door
code when the door has been kicked in? You don't
need an agent. You just need a blunt object and
a sense of adventure.

But, really, if you're looking for a house on the
North Side, I'd recommend Juley. For one thing,
she cares about selling people a future home.
She doesn't want to be the instrument of
slumlords or flippers. She's willing to work with
your unique needs, like my desire for a house
with graffiti and bullet holes so I can try my
hand at turning around a neighborhood.

Sometimes I have to tell Juley stuff like "No, really,
that wasn't a joke. Bullet holes are a big plus."

So if she can work with MY unique needs, imagine
what she could do for a NORMAL person.

Judging by the number of houses available on the
North Side, nobody has found a way to dominate
the market as far as being a buyer's real estate
agent. There is no "king" or "queen" of the North
Side, not yet.

But maybe Juley could be one "contender for the
throne."

She looks the part, wouldn't you say?