Thank goodness the sun finally came out and ended up being above zero nearly all day today. It certainly showed by the number of people out and about because it appeared as if half our population suddenly awakened from a deep hibernation. Thinking I was going to run my vehicle thru the car wash, that idea went out the window when seeing lines of cars waiting to get the salt and road grime off their cars.
My early appointment this morning took me to Clear Lake to meet with a dear client, and while driving there, I encountered all the many patches of ice on the roadways. There was a big F250 riding my tail until he found an opportunity to pass. He was certainly in one heck of a hurry and for whatever reason, he hit his accelerator all the harder just as a subtle signal to me that I wasn’t driving fast enough, and just for the record, I was going the speed limit. I not so endearingly refer to those monster pickups as “buck” trucks. Thank goodness he didn’t have one of those disgusting metal “scrotums” dangling from his tailgate. Whenever seeing overt signs of a male’s masculinity being proudly exhibited, I’m of the belief their owners are noticeably laking in that department.
Before I drove back, I decided to stop and take the above photo of the lake’s winter-scape. Whenever in the near future there should be a pleasantly warm day and the ice is still frozen solid, I may don my walking boots and take a stroll out onto it. Believe it or not, I’ve never walked a frozen river or lake, which gives me cause to wonder if it “feels” any different than walking on an iceskating rink.
Thank goodness I didn’t dally too much while over there because I was almost late for my mid-morning appointment, but when I pulled up to the house, I said to myself, “Oh Mercy!”. The photos online did it too much justice to where I think the buyers really didn’t even want to go inside. While walking thru it, I continued to internally thank myself for not taking un-realistic photos of interior and exteriors of homes I list for sale. It’s not fair to buyers and/or their Realtors because it becomes a waste of time for everyone.
I’m still not sure where our market is going this year due to all the fewer homes coming on since 2019 arrived. Let’s stay hopeful it’s all weather related and once the Spring thaw arrives, the buyers will be out in full force and hopefully many of them will be current owners looking to step up in size and price, which will open up the market for our first time buyers.
My public open at 689 – 15th St. SE wasn’t as good as I’d expected. For sure that home is under the radar of first-time buyers because it’s now priced properly and offering all the updates most are expecting. The real bonus of that home is that it has never had any water in the basement–even during our flooding. When seeing what the rental market is like, the mortgage payment would certainly be cheaper than rent. 903 – 12th St. NE is another one that should’ve sold months ago. I think that monster evergreen tree out front makes it look like a cracker box. Big trees near homes seem to always distort their perceived size from the street. Been down that road many times myself until I finally realized I have to consider the size of close-by trees.
The rest of my afternoon was spent returning emails and text messages until it was time to call it quits for the day. I did make a few stops at stores to pick up supplies and groceries. Judging by the traffic on the west-side, I’d say there were all the many more on their Saturday night outings.
Tonight’s one-liner is: One may sometimes tell a lie, but the grimace that accompanies it tells the truth.
