In spite of it being terribly windy and cold today, one of my office listings sold. I’ve been working with these particular buyers for a very long time; actually too long to admit. Sometimes these extended processes are meant to be and for good reason. There are those few buyers in our market that have more specific needs than the average, and living in a smaller market area, the type of homes that are a near fit, don’t arrive on the market that often, and when some of them do, they’re usually over-priced and out of reach. As chance would have it, the home they purchased was a new listing of mine.
With it being the sixth of December, I’m now doing my countdown on the time left when the sun starts marching back north and the days start growing longer. You may think me a bit sacrilegious when mentioning how it’s not just the idea of Christmas that makes me happy, but also the fact that the days are starting to grow longer. It’s no wonder there’ve been a few more negative words being printed and spoken during these cold days and exceptionally long hours of darkness. It’s always to be expected.
It’s not very happy the wind is still blowing after the sun has gone down. This of course means it’s going to be blowing all night. On the up-side, at least those of you who have pine trees near your home, you’ll almost consider the ocean to be outside your bedroom windows when hearing the wind creating whispers in the pines. Several of my clients just returned from sun and fun, and I was quick to remind them to wear enough to guard themselves against the chill since they’ve not grown accustomed to our weather.
The office calls were far greater that expected today considering the bitterness outside. I even had to run over to Clear Lake and show a vacant home that didn’t have any heat or electricity on. I teasingly said to the buyer, “You know, this is considered Realtor abuse.” He laughed and said, “I thought all houses that are listed have at least heat and lights provided.” Unfortunately, he didn’t know it was a bank repo. While walking thru it and getting a good look and the home’s condition, I couldn’t help but wonder how the previous owner could make un-necessary improvements on it, yet leave important things like shingles get to be so worn and likely leaking. I’m actually glad it was cold in there because whomever lived there before, had animals, and if it were warm inside, the carpet stains would’ve been giving off a much stronger odor.
I was walking thru a vacated building yesterday with its owner and said, “The tell-tale signs of dysfunction is evident nearly everywhere. There are holes punched in doors, creepy graffiti painted on some of the walls with self-destructive notes written to the world, little piles of cat litter, cigarette butts, shards of glass, greasy countertops, and sticky door knobs. While walking out I said to the owner, “If these walls could only talk, there would be volumes of “The Dark Side” stories told.”
While in Clear Lake, I took the above photo showing the Alberta clipper’s effect on the water. It almost felt like I was standing at the shore of Lake Superior.
