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Way Under Contract [Paperback]

Charles Sobczak (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)


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Book Description

November 2000
Way Under Contract uses black comedy to address a very serious issue: over development in the sunshine state. Although the story takes place on a fictitious barrier island in Southwest Florida, over development is effecting nearly every community in the United States.

The setting? Shoreside Island Realty, which is an office like any other. There is a young sweet receptionist, an ice cold sales manager (often referred to as the "form nazi"), and numerous real estate agents on the make for the "deal of the century." Meet sleazy Jason Randazzle, who thrives on using tasteless sales tactics in order to get a listing, or Linda Hinckle who find herself painting by numbers in order to close a sale, or Adam Bartlett, the multi-million dollar producer who gets caught up with the underhanded developers of the Sanderling project. Meet their clients, obsessive Mildred Lee, who had been tracking every tropical depression just waiting for "The One," or Mr. Grinstead, who engages in a personal battle with his home's termites while his wife sits in a psychiatric hospital or the Hazeltons, who held "PhD's in how to look at houses by never find one to actually purchase." There are numerous other characters who you will love, hate and die laughing at as you watch their lies and schemes unfold in the face of Emily, a category five hurricane. In the final chapter, "God Bats Last," Emily puts all the lies and deception into proper perspective.

While Way Under Contract is a work of fiction, what has happened to Florida's wildlife is not. Forced by bulldozers to retreat in silence, they search for anyplace to call home. With the purchase of this book, you can help. $1.00 of the proceeds from Way Under Contract is donated to the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) for land aquisition. Collectively, we can make a difference.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Way Under Contract" proves the point that the rich are different from you and me..." -- Harold Hunt, The Cape Coral Breeze

...Sobczak infuses each of the four hundred pages with humor and insight into real estate, the occupation of many... -- The Island Sun, Priscilla Friedersdorf

...a funny quirky novel about a Florida real estate deal in which an unexpected hurricane becomes a major partner. -- Publisher & Editor of Real Estate Intelligence Report, July 2001

I really enjoyed reading Way Under Contract. It was as if I were there. Keep up the good work! -- Patrick D. Smith, author of

Novel about money-hungry agents & land-hungry developers; but more than that, a call to the environmentally minded to do something. -- Review, St. Petersburg Times, April 15, 2001

Sobczak is superbly insightful... He writes as well as you can imagine someone who is also dying of laughter. -- Review, The Book Reader Magazine, CA, Summer 2001

Sobczak thought it fun to depict the story of Florida realtors, but he never knew the stir it would create. -- Review, Naples Daily News, June 8, 2001

From the Publisher

WINNER of the 2001 Patrick D. Smith Award for Florida Literature

Patrick D. Smith is the author of Florida's best selling novel "A Land Remembered." The award, which goes to works which focus on Florida issues and/or Florida history, honors authors for both the literary content of their book and whose works best exemplify Forida history.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Indigo Press, LC (FL) (November 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0967619947
  • ISBN-13: 978-0967619941
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,013,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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4 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A humorous story exposing the real estate world!, March 14, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Way Under Contract (Paperback)
I'm a realtor and this book nailed the multitude of personalities, motivations, and quirky characters that inhabit the real estate world. From the legal forms we routinely deal with (and often don't understand ourselves), to the greed, selfishness, and foibles of buyers, sellers, investors, and lawyers -- this book covers it all. The descriptions of what can go wrong in a real estate transaction are barely far fetched at all. Any realtor who's been around the block a few times will find familiar stories in this book. The author's apt descriptions are funny and right on the mark. Ultimately though this is a story about redemption, learning to care about the world around us, and understanding our limited place in the universe.
I give this book a "thumbs way up."
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Way Under Contract- a Sanibel story, November 24, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Way Under Contract (Paperback)
I took this book with me on a business trip last spring. I could not put it down. I think it is a wonderful tale of the life of the real estate crowd on Sanibel. I loved reading a story about a place close to my home and close to my heart.
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5.0 out of 5 stars "A Real Eye Opener", May 18, 2010
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This review is from: Way Under Contract (Paperback)
This book certainly gave you a idea how some realtors work. What made it such a good book, was the selection of a few customers, what they had going on in their lives to make wanting to sell or wanting to purchase so interesting. The ending held you in suspense,right to the last page.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
It was a cacophony of phone lines: some ringing, some being answered, some being dialed and some being put on hold. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Shoreside Realty, Mildred Lee, Linda Hinkle, Shoreside Island, Jennifer Willow, Adam Bartlett, Jason Randazzle, Sam Goodlet, Elinor Braun, Barbara Silberman, Sanderling Condominium, Tom Loggins, Betsy Owens, Decorating Hut, Big One, Vince Cricket, Dale Anderson, Osprey Greens, Ralph Galano, Loretta Snyder, United States, Eugene Boyle, Charles Harris, Palmetto Court, Scott Lindsey
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