Learn From My Mistakes

Short story of how I break life chaos into small, solvable problems - 2 min read.

A few years ago, we got termites chewing our house.

Pesky bugs I knew nothing about until we moved into a typical American home made of paper with some optional wood. A delicacy for termites.

The good news: I suspected their presence at the very beginning of their all-you-can-eat feast.

No idea what to do next, so I called our friend, a real estate agent.

“Alex, no worries. I had the same issue. Sending you the phone number of a guy who fixed it for me right away.”

The guy had a conflict, so his partner came for a “free inspection and quote” the next day.

After examining the house, he confirmed termites and suggested a plan:

• A chemical trench around the house. Termites travel through soil, so they’ll hit the treated zone and the whole colony will wipe out.

• Spot treatment in the visible area.

• Four to six poisoned termite baits around the house as preventive care.

Total: $1,400.

After the first shock passed, my brain restarted.

I challenged the need for the baits. If another colony comes, they have to cross the trench first.

Isn’t he sure the chemicals are effective enough?

He did not expect logic to show up and agreed the baits were overkill here (I still need to learn when a trench is not enough).

Price without baits: $1,100.

He added a referral discount and rounded it down to $1,000.

Then came the classic close: “How do you want to pay, cash, check, or card?”
I insisted that big home expenses get discussed with my wife first.

Luckily she wasn’t home. “I’ll call you later, buddy.”

Research mode on.

I Googled the top three local companies with strong ratings and enough years in business to be trustworthy.

I asked for ballpark quotes first. No on-site visits yet.

No baits. Just a trench and a local massacre.

Numbers came back: $700, $600, $550.

Interesting…

Lesson #1: don’t ask for a recommendation. Do your homework.

Needless to say, I was happy with the results. And yet here I am saying it.

But.

A few days earlier, I had saved a line from Cate Hall (former lawyer and pro poker player) to my swipe file:

So I went back to the $550 contender and said, honestly, I’m considering other offers, but if they can do it for $400, we have a deal.

The trick: I was ready to hear “no.”

We landed on $450.

Interesting…

Lesson #2: it does not hurt to ask if you’re nice.

Quality worry time. You get what you pay for, right?

I asked what chemical they use and whether there’s a warranty.

They use Termidor (rated to protect up to ten years; I fact-checked) and offer a two-year warranty.

If termites pop up again, they reapply the treatment. No charge.

I was convinced.

Lesson #3: asking questions beats assuming.

The funny part: I was ready to pay $1,000 because a thousand feels tiny next to the cost of a house.

Turns out it was a $450 problem with two emails and three questions.

Till next time.

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