“Yeah, you go ahead and I’ll be right up.” Aldridge brushed past me and took the steps two at a time.Would you stop being ridiculous,I ordered myself. It was just Aldridge. There was no need to get spun like a top.He has a girlfriend which means the last thing he’s checking for is you.My heart seized up with the realization I was selling him a house he was going to fuck another bitch in. Not that it mattered because I was completelyover him. I hadn’t thought about Aldridge in years, and when I happened to see him on TV or online, I was just glad he was doing well. He deserved to be happy. Just because we didn’t work out didn’t mean his life needed to go to shit. I mean it would’ve been better in this moment if he’d gotten traded to Bulgaria rather than Vegas. Was that possible, international trades?
Clearly this house was a bust. I needed to find him his forever home and close this deal and then I’d never have to see Aldridge again unless it was at a basketball game. On second thought, I could just forgo basketball for the next three to five years or at least until he was traded to another team.
I made my way to the stairs but Aldridge was already heading down. “Save yourself the trip. The second floor is worse than the first.”
“That’s because you’re seeing how it is and not how it could be.”
“It has a smell.”
He wasn’t lying. I’d hoped the air fresheners I’d plugged in earlier would mask the distinct smell but no such luck. “It’s been loved.”
“How much is this monstrosity going for?”
I swallowed hard preparing myself for Aldridge’s dramatic reaction. “Four point five.”
“Million?” He tilted his head and shouted.
“Yes.”
“Is it crack? It has to be crack.”
“It’s a seller’s market.”
“For four point five I want all the amenities, an AI butler, and a happy goddamn ending every fucking night.”
“Are you done?”
“No. For four point five million I want Elvis himself to jump up out of the grave and sing ‘Love Me Tender’ between bites of a peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich.”
“So what you’re saying is you’d like to pass on this property?”
“I want to erase the existence from my memory.”
I chuckled.
“Why did you show me this place?”
“To help you with your expectations. And to see if you could make out a diamond in the rough.”
“You’re saying this place is Aladdin?”
“Every home has potential. It just takes the right buyer to see it.”
“This home would take a considerable amount of money, a sanitation crew, and possibly a séance to make it livable.”
Fucking drama queen. I’d forgotten how over the top he was.“Okay, let’s check out the neighborhood.”
Aldridge pushedthe passenger seat of my BMW all the way back and it was still a tight squeeze. Touring the neighborhood was just as important as touring the house. You could hate a home but love the surrounding area. If you were on the fence about a property, the vibe of the neighborhood could tip the scale. I found neighborhood tours especially helped clients who were new to Vegas. How do you decide where to live if you don’t know anything about the area?
With Aldridge in tow, we headed to the heart of the neighborhood just minutes from the Bovine house. I parked in a nearby lot next to the local coffee shop Brewed Awakenings. Exiting the car, I pointed in the direction of travel. “Before youcommit to any house, you always have to try the local coffee shop. If you hate the coffee, you’ll end up hating the home.”
“Are you dropping realtor secrets?”
“I think it’s common sense.”
“You may be right. I didn’t test out my local coffee shop in Kansas City. And the day after moving in I tried it and the coffee was bitter and the staff was rude. Needless to say, I never went back and would often have to drive to a different café several miles away.”
“And that’s an inconvenience. Most people are looking for walkable neighborhoods. If you have to hop in your car for a coffee and bagel, it sort of defeats the purpose.”
