I nodded.
“They needed certainty more than they needed maximum price. Sometimes timing is more valuable than money.”
“Well, congratulations. This puts you well ahead of your quarterly targets. And speaking of that cabin, the address looks familiar. Isn’t that near where your family has their place?”
“Very near,” I said. “Actually, it might be exactly where my family has their place.”
Jennifer looked confused for a moment. Then understanding dawned.
“Wait, you mean?”
“I mean, I need to make a phone call to the property management company we use for the Lake Tahoe properties. They’ll need to conduct an inspection and notify any current occupants about the ownership change.”
The property management company, Alpine Lake Services, was efficient and professional.
When I called to discuss the newly acquired cabin, the manager, David Chin, was familiar with the property.
“Beautiful place,” he said. “The previous owners mentioned there might be family members who assumed they had permanent access. We’ll need to clarify the situation and establish proper rental procedures going forward.”
“What’s the standard protocol for that?”
“We do an immediate inspection to assess any damage and establish baseline conditions. Then we notify anyone currently on the property about the ownership change and rental requirements. If they want to continue using the property, they’ll need to go through our booking system like any other clients.”
I checked my calendar.
“How soon can you do the inspection?”
“We could have someone there this afternoon if needed. Is there some urgency?”
I thought about Marcus’ social media post, which was still collecting likes and supportive comments.
“There might be. The current occupants seem to believe they have permanent rights to the property.”
“Understood. We’ll handle it diplomatically but firmly. Property rights are property rights.”
That afternoon, while I was in a client meeting, my phone started buzzing repeatedly. Text after text, call after call.
I ignored them until the meeting ended, then checked the flood of messages.
Marcus:
“What the hell did you do?”
Mom:
“Call me immediately. There’s been some kind of mistake.”