– Today’s episode isn’t just crazy, but heart-breaking, too 00:44 – Leigh introduces Brian Whitta 01:00 – Brian is located in Findlay, Ohio 01:14 – He got his license in 2005, but has only been full-time for the past 3 years 01:37 – A micropolitan is an honor bestowed upon a city when they are not tied to a metropolitan area 01:54 – The criteria for receiving the honor includes having growth projects – Findlay is the world headquarters for Marathon Petroleum, Cooper Tire, with the largest dishwasher manufacturer plant, Whirlpool 03:04 – Brian’s story starts with Bob, a family friend who asked him some real estate questions 03:11 – Brian went to Bob’s house and the questions were about the sale of their home 03:24 – Bob had medical issues and they were considering moving to a condo unit 03:36 – Mary was adamant about their moving to the RIGHT condo 03:44 – Both Bob and Mary are nearly 80 years old 03:51 – The first day of their house being listed, they had 5 showings 03:57 – One agent quickly submitted an offer above the list price 04:04 – The appraisal was low and the couple decided to not go through with the sale 04:12 – The couple already had a condo in mind, but they couldn't make the sale go through 04:34 – Bob needed to sell the house for the sake of their health; so, the other agent and Brian negotiated a reduction in their commission to help with reducing the closing costs 04:48 – They made the sale go through 04:54 – The seller of the condo decided they wouldn’t pay a realtor 05:04 – Brian and the other realtor needed the proceeds from the sale of the house to cover the costs for the purchase of the condo 05:14 – Bob and Mary decided they would pay Brian for the purchase of the condo 06:27 – At closing, the attorney mentioned about the option of wiring the proceeds to Bob 06:48 – Brian interrupted the attorney because they were supposed to get a cheque 07:23 – The attorney explained the benefits of the proceeds being wired as opposed to receiving a cheque and Bob and Mary agreed 07:56 – At 9am the following day, Bob called because the proceeds were still not in his account 08:20 – The title office assured them that the wire transfer would come that day 08:28 – At 11, Bob called Brian because the money wasn’t there yet 08:42 – Bob didn’t call at noon so Brian thought things were okay 08:50 – At 2pm (wire cut-off), he got a call that the money still hadn’t arrived 09:02 – Brian called the title office 09:20 – The owner advised that the wire had already been made at the account number Bob provided 09:47 – The owner read the email to Brian and provided the account number, the address, the names of the parties involved, and the dollar amount 10:18 – Brian told the owner that this was not Bob’s email address or his bank account numbers 10:25 – The owner said he’d call back and hung up 10:44 – Brian called his attorney and called Bob back regarding the wire fraud 11:39 – Brian informed them the title office is liable for the loss 11:48 – At 8pm, the office informed them the wire couldn’t be stopped and that it went through 12:02 – They were on hold for the closing 12:22 – After 13 hours, Brian got a call that the money was rejected and had been returned 12:57 – The title office and bank fraud department coordinated with each other 13:12 – The owner of the title handed over the cheque and they were able to close the condo 13:21 – They later learned one of the emails of the transaction was hacked 15:30 – Processes and policies do not eliminate the risk for fraud 16:00 – Wire fraud is NOT only in big markets, it can happen anywhere 17:24 – It takes a different level of care to look after elderly clients 18:21 – Call Brian at 419-701-4040 18:31 – Connect with Brian on Selling Findlay 19:18 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in real estate  3 Key Points There is a different level of care and concern needed to support your elderly clients. Be vigilant with fraud by having your policies and process in place, but remember, it can happen to anyone. Going the extra mile—in this case, negotiating a reduction in commision—is just part of getting the job done and looking out for the interests of your client. Credits Audio Production by Chris Mottram Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives Cover Design by Two Minds Design Original Music by Rimsky Music