This is one of my fun real estate stories. I was thrilled a couple of years ago when one of my clients gave me a Jacuzzi. She had twin boys, about 18 months old, and was concerned about safety issues. I, of course, insisted on paying for it but she would have none of it, so eventually I conceded and ended up with a Jacuzzi on my back patio. That was the start of it all.

Anxious to get it hooked up, I consulted with an electrician who promptly informed me we would have to upgrade our electrical service before he could install the Jacuzzi. That was OK. We had an older home and an electrical upgrade would almost certainly be a good selling point if we ever did decide to sell it.

While we were waiting for the electrician to finish the job, we started visiting Spa stores. We made a lot of amazing discoveries, like the importance of having a good, solid pad for the Jacuzzi to sit on, and the possibility of having it surrounded by a large gazebo, large enough, that is, to house all of our exercising equipment. Of course, my husband would settle for nothing less.

This presented a problem, as it would mean the Jacuzzi would have to go on the opposite side of the house to where I had planned… the side with no access, rather than walking almost entirely around the house to get there. I questioned the wisdom of this, but hubby assured me that would not be a problem. Working out would be such fun that he would make the walk, rain or shine, even after dark in the winter. And so we proceeded.

I am not one to say I told you so, but as I predicted the Jacuzzi was rarely used and there was only one solution. Knock a door through the wall on that side of the house to make access easier. So, we got the permit, hired a contractor to install the door, the landing porch, the exterior light, and everything else that was required to comply with the building codes and get our permit finaled.  And finally it was done! We had our beautiful glass door, our beautiful gazebo, filled with exercise equipment and the Jacuzzi.

But there was only one problem. We had never used that side of our property. In the interests of conserving water and also our own energy in terms of maintenance, we had fenced off that part of the yard and left it fallow. Once a year we would hire somebody to cut down the weeds and rototill it. But now that we had this fancy new door and this fancy new gazebo, we really needed to landscape that part of the yard and integrate it into the rest of the setting. And so we did it.

But there was only one more problem. Hubby still refused to use the gazebo, much less the Jacuzzi. After much probing it became obvious. We needed a TV in the gazebo, with a satellite feed. Then he could watch all of his favorite sports events while working out in our fancy new home gymnasium. So, for Christmas I bought him one of those fancy new TV to go wireless televisions. And he bought himself a membership in one of the local fitness clubs.

Ah well, about $20,000 later our free Jacuzzi all set up and ready to go. If and when we ever do sell the house, I am sure the new owners will just love it!!

©2006 Lynne Mercer

     As a local real estate agent with over 20 years of experience, I have had my share of interesting, exciting, and satisfying transactions. One of my favorites, however, occurred early in my career.

    I started selling homes in Palo Alto and the surrounding communities in the early 1980's. Those of you who were around back them will probably remember that interest rates had skyrocketed, to as high as 18 or 19% for a first mortgage. That made selling real estate more than a little challenging, and homes tended to stay on the market a long, long time.

     I was sitting on an open home one Sunday afternoon when a young couple came by. They were looking for a home in Palo Alto. With four school aged children, they were especially interested in moving into a community with good schools, and Palo Alto was "it".

     There was only one problem: They had essentially no savings! They had met a number of agents at other open homes who had told them it was hopeless, but I was young and naive, and eager for business, so I told them I would work with them. And there was one thing in our favor: Creative financing was in. So, we calculated what they might be able to afford, looked at the few homes in Palo Alto they could qualify for, and they chose one. This home was an Eichler, in pretty rough condition and owned by a crusty old investor. But it had been on the market for months and I had a genuinely interested buyer.

     I wont bore the readers with all the details, but after several weeks of negotiating, we had a deal and I had two very happy clients. The house was barely habitable, but they had a vision and I am happy to report they are still in that same house. It has been completely remodeled (but maintaining the original Eichler character) and we have become close friends as well. Now that is why I love to sell real estate!