Opportunity’s Knock

            Yesterday I was hot dirty and tired when I looked up from my smoothing the sand I was leveling preparing the pad for concrete when I looked up a man was standing near the edge of the trench.  He asked what I’d charge to level his back yard, but I had to explain that the Bobcat parked there was not mine but a friend of the homeowner. The man went on to explain that he ha just purchased a property a few blocks away. He was surprised to learn that I was building an ADU of about 1200 sq ft. He asked what I was charging and then said I should come over and look at his place. I did and found out he was an investor new to the area and was looking to clean his property up. I ask him if he was going to flip it or hold it and allow someone else to make the payments. He said he was undecided but wanted to know if I thought that he could add an ADU on his property. I told him that I believed it to be possible but I like to use SPM architect. He is local for the area and well known. It told him about the one I was building a he wanted more information. I explained how we worked together in the past and he wanted to move forward.

            I called the architect and a meeting his been set for the near future. The fees will be lower if he goes with the existing plans adapted to his site. The city has already approved them so they should be quicker going through plan check. Its quicker to build a unit the second time and the hidden surprises are known. I have received an email from him he is interested in purchasing more properties and doing the same with them.

            A man walks down the driveway to the ADU I’m starting to build to see if I could level the back of his lot. I had to tell him that to move that amount of soil in Riverside CA required a permit and approved set of plans. It has grown into a house to remodel, and another ADU to build plus a client to help find properties in the area.

I was hot, dirty, tired when the man approached. I could have walked him to the curb of the property. I could have only answered the question he asked. I am in business to help people by solving their home ownership needs. By taking a moment to talk with the man I learned that opportunity was knocking at my doors and windows. Only a handshake was exchanged but when we meet again it will be in a more controlled setting where agreements and commitment will take place.  Someone said, “I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have.” Some say this was said by Thomas Jefferson others claim it was by Coleman Cox. It doesn’t matter who said it first. What matter is that it appears to be true. When opportunity knocks you have got to be prepared to switch roles, or positions and answer its knock. I do go out and pursue projects but its nice when the project come looking for me. Do not become so emersed in the project you’re doing that you loose sight of the big picture.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.