Open House

Growing up in a real estate family, Suzy Trotta swore she'd never go into the business. She majored in German in college, earned a master's degree, and juggled part-time teaching jobs for a couple of lean years. She even started and stopped writing a few times, then did what she swore she wouldn't: She became a real estate agent.Twenty years later, she has stories. Plenty of them."Usually they start when I come home and tell my husband, 'You're never going to believe what happened today,' " Trotta said.And in the past two decades, the author of "Open House: Mostly True Tales of Crazy in Southern Real Estate" has seen a lot that's hard to believe.The buyer with an unnaturally close relationship with her rooster.The seller who gave Suzy a tour of the house and let her go through her listing presentation before asking, "How can we make sure my husband's stalker can't get in the house?"The old dragon lady agent who wears all animal print and lots of gold lame, drives a big white Cadillac, and strikes fear into the hearts of new agents everywhere.They're the stories she tells people at the closing table or home inspections. They can be sad, funny, heartwarming, and yes, crazy."Yes, one time a guy really did call and cancel the money wire to his closing after all the paperwork had been signed," she said. "Was it illegal? Absolutely. Why did it happen? Because at that point in my career I would work with anybody."The collection will appeal to people who love real estate, hate real estate, and enjoy good yarns. (Trigger warning: she sometimes uses salty language.) It also offers a candid look at the business for anyone looking to become an agent.Her most-important piece of advice for the latter?"Trust your gut and Google people because you never know when they've been in an armed standoff with a SWAT team," she said. "And if you're only doing something for the money, maybe you shouldn't be doing it."This book offers a behind-the-scenes tour as a Southern real estate agent navigates a career helping people buy and sell homes. This open house is sometimes funny, rarely glamorous, and always entertaining.