$500 for six minutes

or that is what it feels like.

The "valuer" who came yesterday was here for just six minutes - to value the house. I timed him because I had another appointment.

I had already fitted in with his "request" for a time and then a change of time. He arrived at the front door, ignored the bell and banged loudly instead. 

When I answered it he looked me up and down and said, "I'm the valuer. Are there any dogs?"

I said "No" and rather wished there was a vicious Rottweiler on the premises. He already had me feeling uncomfortable.

No, he did not want me to accompany him through the house. He preferred to do it alone. I left him to it. There was nothing worth stealing and all he was carrying was a fancy mobile phone which obviously doubled as a camera and notebook.

He went through the house, out the back door and around the house. I waited to hear if he would open the door to the workshop or the garden shed. It would have been possible to hear him do both. He did not. I observed. He did not even walk to the far end of the yard. 

He came back in, took a picture of the view out of the front window and said, "I'm off now."

Before I could say anything he had gone out the front door. I looked at my watch. If I am generous with my timing he was on the premises for six minutes.

After that he sat in his top of the range and very fancy Mercedes with personalised number plates. He was talking on the phone. I doubt he was dictating into it because at one point he seemed to find something amusing enough to laugh.

Perhaps he is really a very nice person who was having a bad day. I don't know. I just didn't feel comfortable with him - and that was before I found out about the Mercedes and the personalised number plates.  He was one of those people I felt uneasy about from the moment he banged so aggressively on the front door. His abrupt manner did not help.

I thought of the time and trouble taken by the first real estate agent who came to look at the property. Yes, she was a former patient of Middle Cat. Yes, she wanted to be able to sell the property one day. I know that it was all part of her job to be pleasant but I also believe she was genuinely interested. There was a young male real estate agent who, like others, was offering a "free valuation". He had been talking to the neighbours and I watched him with their dog. It took to him and he was playing fetch with it while he spoke to them. I felt quite at ease with him. Both of them left detailed reports when I told them that yes the place would be on the market in the future. I know most of the information is available to them due to online resources but they also took into account all the bookshelves and they went into the sheds and looked around. They asked questions. 

I will be interested to see what sort of report the valuer writes. Will it be detailed? I don't see how it can be. Will it be as sparse as his office accommodation? I looked at that when I checked on him before we agreed to have him visit. His "office" is in a row of shops and shared with other businesses. My guess is he owns all the businesses. I wonder if he charges them for valuations as well?