Chapter 24
24
M argo peeked in on Carley to see how she was settling in and getting familiar with the software and files. "How are you doing?"
Carley looked up from the computer screen and grinned. "I'm doing well, I think. I managed to log in. I've checked the seven properties that Logan has under contract, and I even managed to click into them to see what the status was on each one."
Margo laughed. "I knew you'd be good at this. You're smart with computers and with your administrative skills. This is a piece of cake. As soon as we have the opportunity, I'll get you through some of the actual realtor-type business."
"That sounds wonderful. Thanks, Margo."
Margo's cell phone rang. Quinn Kurtz was on the screen. "Hey, Quinn, how are you doing?"
He chuckled. "I'm doing well. How are you, Margo?"
"I'm doing well. What can I help you with?"
"Well, as it turns out, the first three units in my barracks project are ready to be sold. I was hoping you would like to be the listing agent on those."
"Oh absolutely. I just hired my sister, Carley, as a realtor. She doesn't have her license yet, but she's learning, and I'll bring her over to take a look at them as well. It could be one of her first big projects. We'll work on them together."
Quinn chuckled. "Well, that's two for the price of one. I can't beat that, right?"
"That's right," Margo chuckled. "What's a good time for us to come over and take a look at what you have?"
"I'm here now. I'll be here for another two hours. We're shoring up some work in the upstairs. Those aren't quite ready yet, but I'm working with Jared on them now, and I can give you a better update on timing for those when you get here."
"Great!" Margo glanced at Carley and held her hand up.
Carley nodded.
"We'll leave here now and be there shortly."
"Great, Margo, thanks. I'll see you in a little bit." Quinn ended the call and Margo looked across the office at her sister. "Did you hear any of that, or most of that?"
"I heard some of it. I think I heard Quinn's voice, and he's got something for sale."
"Yes, the first three condos in his barracks project are ready, and we are the listing agent on that."
"Oh, how exciting!" Carley’s smile lit up the room.
"So, here's what I want you to do. Go to the file room. Did Addison show you all of that?"
"Yes, she did."
"Okay, awesome. Go to the file room and bring up five Listing Contracts, a Property Condition Report, the Well Water Report, and the Sewage Report. Then let me know when you're ready. I'm going to use the restroom."
"Okay."
Carley hustled out of the office and across the hall to the file room. Margo grinned. She hadn't seen Carley this excited in quite a while, and then she felt bad for not paying attention to her sister's sadness. She had just stuck her head into work, so she didn't realize how unhappy anybody was, including herself.
She used the restroom, washed her hands, and came out to find Carley waiting. "I'm so excited about this. I brought extra of everything in case I make a mistake."
Margo laughed. "Well, actually, what we're going to do is go through the listing. You will hand write information in, then we’ll then bring it back to the office and type it up, so everything is neat and clean. I didn't know if you were quite ready for that in front of a customer, even one who is a friend, so I thought we'd come back and do it ourselves. Then, we can send it to him as an e-document to sign. He's done this before and is perfectly comfortable with it, so this is great practice for you."
"Excellent! I'm so excited. I can't believe my first day we're able to get a listing."
Margo smiled at her sister's excitement. "You're good luck, Carley."
Her sister hugged her quickly and kissed her cheek. "You're good luck, Margo."
Oh, her heart swelled. She grabbed her purse from her desk and strode toward the back door. As she neared Addison's desk, she said, "We'll be gone for a little while. I don't know if you heard all this hustle and bustle."
Addison grinned broadly. "I did. That's good news."
"It is. So we'll be back around lunchtime. Will you be here?"
"Actually, I have lunch plans with my mom. Is that okay?"
"Perfectly okay, Addison. I just thought we would treat you to lunch. How about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow works."
"We'll have lunch; just the three of us, so we can get to know each other a little better. How about that?"
"Thanks, Margo. That sounds great."
Margo grinned and turned toward the door. Carley was right next to her.
As she backed out of her parking space, Carley asked, "Can you tell me a little bit about where everything is in town? Since I'm not from here, I probably should know a little bit more."
Margo glanced at her sister and nodded. "I forgot about that. Okay, sure. Margo's office was located on First Street. She pulled out of the driveway and turned left on First Street. Then turned left on Main Street. "So to the left here is the grocery store. I think you're familiar with that."
Carley laughed. "I am. I've been there a couple of times."
"And on the right here is the ice cream shop. Next to the ice cream shop is the insurance office. Next to that is the laundromat. And then next to that is the nail salon. That's where I always go."
"Oh, I'm gonna have to try them. Your nails always look awesome."
Margo grinned. She was beginning to feel pretty darned special, and it had been a long time since that feeling had been in her head.
"Next to the grocery store on the left is the barber shop and then Williams’ Hardware."
She continued down Main Street, "And right at the end of Main Street, is the old barracks. So, we drive straight into the barracks. I'm going to have to ask him if he's changing the name. He was going to get rid of the barracks name, but I'm not sure if he did."
They pulled into the parking lot next to Quinn's truck. Just as she parked, Quinn stepped out of the main door. He waited for them to each get out of the vehicle and sauntered towards them.
"Hello there, ladies."
Margo grinned. "Hi, Quinn."
Carley was more enthusiastic. She couldn't stop smiling. "Hi, Quinn. I'm really excited for this opportunity."
He chuckled. "I am too. Well, come right in. Let me show you what we have here."
They stepped into the front room of the first building. It was open and bright. There was a pool table in the middle of the room. The back wall was a line of cabinets with a countertop. To the right of that was a refrigerator, and there was a sink next to the refrigerator. A dishwasher was below the counter next to the sink. "So, this is the common area." Quinn started his tour. "Any condo owner will have access to this area. Once we have the condos full enough, the owners will then vote on an association board, and the association will be responsible for keeping track of this. Eventually, you won't walk right into this area because if somebody wanted to rent it out for a private party, that wouldn't be very private. There will be glass walls here that create a little bit of a hallway, but it'll be open and bright."
Margo nodded. "You've done a nice job here, Quinn."
"Thank you. We're very happy with how it's turning out. It's been a lot of work, but it's coming along."
"I'll say."
Quinn moved toward the hallway. Margo and Carley were right behind him. To the right of the hallway was the first unit. "There will be four units down here on the first floor and six units upstairs. That's because the upstairs doesn't have a common area. Down here are all one-bedroom units. Upstairs are all two-bedroom units. Those will be ready in about two months. Right now, the three units down here are finished, and the far one at the end should be ready shortly. I'll say a few weeks."
Carley looked around and smiled. "It looks really nice here."
Quinn nodded. "Thank you." They meandered through the condo. He showed them the kitchen, the amenities, the showers, the bathroom, and the bedroom and then walked them down to the next one. He continued with his tour. "Each of these units is identical, and, of course, when someone buys, they're welcome to change it up however they want. But for selling purposes, all the walls will be white. All the kitchens will have beige and copper granite counters and white cabinetry. From there, it's up to the individual buyers what they want."
Margo nodded. "That's great, Quinn. It looks very nice. Do you think there'd be the opportunity to change some of the units up for a little variety when showing them?"
Quinn looked at her and cocked his head to the side. "I hadn't thought of that."
Margo nodded. "Well, if you wanted to have a couple of the units with dark cabinets and maybe a lighter granite, it doesn't have to be anything big, just a little variation in how the kitchen looks, mostly. Kitchens and baths are so important."
"Okay, well, I think that shouldn't be a problem. Let me talk to the architect about that, and we'll get that scheduled for the upstairs units since these downstairs ones are already finished. And since I have two more buildings to remodel, it shouldn't be a problem at all making changes over there."
"Perfect."
They finished their tour and then sat down in the common room at the small folding table. The regular furniture had not been delivered yet.
Margo let Carley write out the Listing Contract. She did a nice job asking all the questions of Quinn, who was very patient with her. Carley wrote it up.
Margo smiled at her when she was finished. Carley glanced at Quinn. "We're going to take this back and type it all up, then I'll email it to you to e-sign it."
He chuckled. "That sounds good. I'll watch for it.
Margo stood and hugged Quinn. "Thank you, Quinn. May I ask what you've decided to call these condo units and this association?"
He chuckled, "Well, we've just decided to keep it The Barracks. I know that sounds different and maybe uninviting, but I've asked the staff over at the Sandbar and my own employees, who are all veterans, and they all like the idea of just keeping it The Barracks. It speaks to former service members. So that's what we're gonna do."
"Fair enough. I think that sounds great. That also helps when looking for buyers, which shouldn't be that hard."
They exited the building, and on their way back to the real estate office, Margo said, "Are you up for lunch?"
Carley chuckled. "Oh my gosh, yes! I would absolutely love that. Actually, I'd like to buy."
Margo turned down Main Street and turned left on Sunset Beach Road. She parked her SUV and excitement ran through her at seeing Jace.