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This is one of those posts I didn’t want to write. I almost didn’t write it. It’s too difficult, and it’s not about real estate, at least not in the strictest sense. Better to talk about termite inspections or market trends, I thought. But as important as those things are to our clients, they seem just too trivial today.
Last Thursday, a subset of the San Diego Castles Realty team got together for a little workshop, the subject of which was how we might best dominate the real estate universe by deploying our shiny iPads.
To be honest, it was more of a “How do I turn it on?” session for some in attendance. And while we evolved to topics like electronic signing and other productivity applications, it was inevitable that we eventually found ourselves watching Randy do pirouettes in the middle of Panera’s main traffic aisle as he demonstrated his SpinCam prowess. (Note: Panera has free WiFi, and we are a low-budget bunch.)
Jeff rolled his eyes. Randy likes to get his geek on, we agreed. And we laughed. It was the last time I saw Jeff.
Jeff Weinberger, our newest team member, best friend of and soon-to-be buyer’s agent for our own Randy Bragdon, passed away unexpectedly and suddenly this past weekend. He was 37 years old.
The last time we spoke, he talked about how excited he was that he finally received his date to take the real estate licensing exam. After months of preparation, he knew that rotational crops do not convey, and he was able to use “chattle” in a complete sentence (we tested him). He was ready. And we were so excited for him.
Mostly, we were excited for us. Jeff was just the kind of agent we pride ourselves on associating with: Wicked smart, honest, ethical, nicer than nice, and possessing the perfect blend of snarkiness and sarcasm that I so admire. He had a fabulous career ahead of him. If only.
I have rewritten this post a half dozen times, grasping for the right words. And having left a thousand words on the cutting room floor, I have finally settled on this simple thesis. I miss Jeff, and I know that the world — certainly my world — is less complete with his passing.
I ask that all three of our readers send any unused prayers along to his family and his friends. While Jeff is at peace now, they need strength.
