“Be like a duck, paddling and working hard in the water, but what everyone sees is a smiling, calm face. ~Manoj Arora To many, being a realtor looks glamorous—like something straight out of an HGTV episode. Stylish showings, big commissions, and happy handshakes at closing. But the real action? It happens in the messy, unscripted chaos between signing the purchase agreement and closing day. This week alone, I had one house where the inspector drained the tub, only to have water spew from the shower and toilet, flooding the hardwood floors—just as the buyers walked in. Thankfully, they still wanted the condo, and the seller agreed to cover the repairs. At another inspection, the sewer inspector couldn’t get the access cap off, so he hit it so hard it cracked—cue another contractor, another estimate, and another delay. Different property, same week: the window flashing wasn’t installed correctly, and we had to negotiate a price reduction to keep the deal alive. These aren’t HGTV mo...