At the end of last weeks post, I claimed that Week 5 would be titled, "How Much is All This Going to Cost Me?"

Looking back over the week, it seems I more aptly should have named Week 5 - "How I Plan to Sit and Wait for Unanswered Phone Calls and Emails from Tradespeople Who are Apparently Too Busy to Get Back to Me About Doing a Quote". 

If I have conveyed my words properly, you should be able to sense the frustration I feel.

As a real estate agent in Lethbridge, I pride myself on returning emails and phones calls promptly (and when I say promptly, I mean that unless there are extenuating circumstances or I am with clients, you can expect your call returned within 10 minutes and emails responded to within the hour). It's no secret that real estate is a competitive industry and this competition has taught me that if I want a seller or buyer to choose my services, I have to offer AMAZING customer service. Not just good, or good enough, but "over the top, how can I exceed your expectations" kind of service.

So forgive me if I feel that 2 business days is too long to wait for a phone call to be returned. Or that 5 business days is too long to wait for a response to an email. Call me crazy.

In the past 3 years, I have renovated my kitchen, two bathrooms, my entire basement and replaced my roof. I have waited patiently for tradespeople who showed up late, showed up drunk, or just flat out no-showed. I have paid exorbitant prices for services that were necessary (you unfortunately can't tell a leaking roof to "hold out" until the building boom is over and the market forces of supply and demand have shifted). 

All the while, I kept a smile on my face, paid every bill on time and in full, and referred the services of those who did a good job for me. 

Well, I'm not smiling right now. This project is important to me, but so is getting value for my dollar. So, if need be, Weeks 6 - 36 might be titled, "How I Am Still Waiting for the Market, with Respect to the Trades Related to the Housing Industry, to Shift in My Favour".

At that point I might think about writing a post entitled, "I Would Like to Have My Attic in Lethbridge Re-Insulated. If You Would Like the Job, Please Submit Your Tender in A Sealed Envelope and I Will Contact the Winning Bid at my Leisure". 

If you are reading this and are a roofer/insulation specialist in Lethbridge and you would like to earn my business, please feel free to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Join me next week on my journey to Recycle This House and to find out if my smile has returned.

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