Marty and Max: Navigating real estate alone can be perilous, especially if something goes wrong

On my first flight as a licensed pilot, Mad Dog, a legend in aviation, guided me while holding the map open across the windshield obstructing his view. I briefly looked down to check my instruments and when I looked back up through my windshield, my gaze was met by a pilot with a blonde mustache and Ray Bans who was leveling his twin-engine plane directly in front of me. Immediately I slammed the plane into a nosedive while his propeller and wing nearly grazed our windshield. Mad Dog was screaming on the radio “YOU BLEW YOUR AIRSPACE!”  I asked him if any other airplanes had ever been that close to him in the air. He replied, “Not that I know of”. He was one cool cucumber. It was close enough that, after we landed, we were inspecting our plane for damage. 

We flew on to McAllen, TX to purchase my Twin Engine Cessna 310K – this day was supposed to be an exciting milestone, but by this time all the fun had run out. Mad Dog did not take over and although my nerves were shot, I was the left-seat pilot for the day whether I wanted to be or not.

On our trip home we crossed the final mountain range and were ready to land, but when I pulled the switch for the landing gear, the three gear lights were all red – meaning we either had bad lights, or we had no landing gear. Not a gamble either of us wanted to take. I called my bride, who was teaching at Awana that night, and asked her to drive to the end of the 35 runway, park facing the opposite end, then watch as we approached and flash the car’s lights three times if there was no landing gear, and once if we had landing gear.  She said “WHAT?” and then my phone died. 

Mad Dog instructed me to switch seats with him, and I said, “WHAT?!”  He bluntly responded that the insurance company would pay more if he was the left-seat pilot.  We approached the airport and my bride flashed her lights twice. 

As it turned out, we had landing gear, but only halfway down. On impact, they would either fold up, skid, and cause a crash – or lockdown, roll, and allow us to land safely.  We spent some time burning off fuel and as I looked down I could see a line of cars heading to the airstrip and a crowd forming on both sides of the runway. MadDog had me climb into the back seat and he killed the engine and bumped the propeller in hopes of saving it. As we neared the runway, the nose was high, the wheels were dangling, and the prop was not spinning. On impact, the back two wheels locked in as we rode a wheelie. The front wheel was folded in and was not going to make it and we were about to slam the front of the plane into the runway. The crowd flocked to the plane as we came to a near stop and as the front end came down, the crowd caught the front of the plane, locked the gear, and gently set us on the runway.  Not a scratch.  When I exited the plane I kissed the ground and was thereafter known by my new aviation nickname, Lucky.

Truth is, most anybody can fly and land in good weather and clear skies. As the challenges increase, and the weather decreases, this is where experience is essential.  Kobe Bryant’s pilot had over 8,500 hours of flight time, but less than 70 hours in instrument/bad weather flying and many of those hours were simulated.  

Many sellers feel they get a better deal by talking their realtor into a lower rate or get a better deal by selling the home themselves. When folks share this with me, I have questions.

“Yeah, but did you increase your equity?" or "Yeah, but did you walk away with more money?” 

The real estate transaction comes down to one number and it’s not due to the seller’s agent. The only number that matters is the net due the seller. 

Locally tens of millions of dollars in real estate offers failed to close last year due to failed due diligence, water, sewer, and missed timelines resulting in terminated transactions or sellers making additional mortgage payments. In flying you don’t have a problem until the wheels leave the runway. Likewise in real estate, most deals don’t start falling apart until after both the offer and acceptance. Do ya’ feel lucky? 

When times get tough it is paramount to have the peace of mind to partner with a Mad Dog that will keep you safe in the worst of situations. You never know when the real estate skies will darken or when you will have a crisis that requires a seasoned pro or your luck may just run out.

For more information, contact Marty Walker at marty@21goldchoice.com or go to TheMaximusTeam.com. This article was not written by and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Coeur d'Alene Regional REALTORS®