Nearly my entire morning was spent with first of the month bill-paying, accounting, and getting updates on files that’ll be closing in several weeks. It must have been one of my days of being super-focused because when I looked up at the clock, I was shocked when seeing it was almost noon.
Yes, the market is moving along very quickly and I’ll be interested to see how our already weak inventory will be holding up these coming summer months. I’m certainly confused over what’s really driving our market conditions because there’s not been any noticeable economic growth in North Iowa, but all the more working age people out spending money like they have their own printing presses.
What surprised me the most, was seeing that Mexican restaurant out near Menard’s very busy late yesterday afternoon, to the point their parking lot was spilling-over full. On a Sunday afternoon of all times, because that’s usually been our weekend periods when people stick closer to home and cook for themselves.
One of the people that I was showing homes to on Saturday, mentioned how one of his co-workers was complaining about the real estate taxes she has to pay on the nearly new and very expensive home they recently purchased. He said to her, “Didn’t your banker bring you up to speed regarding the yearly costs of real estate taxes on your home?” He said she didn’t give him a clear answer which meant she and her husband must’ve been so caught up in the hype of buying, that their yearly tax expenses didn’t sink in until it was too late.
Not so long ago, a young gentleman and his wife purchased an exceptionally expensive acreage which gave me a jaw-drop when knowing their ages and their estimated incomes. If I were them, I’d be having sleepless nights over that financial ball-and-chain I allowed myself to get locked into for 30 years.
It appears to being all the more commonplace for those in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s to reach as high as they can for what their bankers say they can “afford” now, instead of gradually saving and working towards those extra creature comforts. For example, the buyer of one of the Prairie Place on 1st condos that I recently sold, mentioned that it will be the very first brand new home he’s ever owned because he’s always felt it was better to be thrifty in his younger years. Well, he’s now going to be able to live quite comfortably without any financial worries. Isn’t that the way it should be when finally being able to enjoy the fruits of one’s labors in those golden years?
After my long mid-day appointment, I discovered I had some phone calls to return when I arrived back at my office. One of those return calls was with a prospective buyer who’s moving all the closer towards making an offer on a home I recently showed him. I emailed him all the answers to his questions, so hopefully they’ll be to his satisfaction.
I really had a good laugh today when comparing family dynamics with an exceptionally intelligent woman who has walked similar life paths as mine. She was talking about one of her sisters and her father who were the type who always had to have as much attention as they could get whenever in a room of people. My laughter started when she said, “They were both the type who could suck every bit of oxygen out of a room due to their need for attention.” Oh how well I could compare similar personalities within my own immediate family. I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m in the midst of such personalities and be sure to say, “Please stop talking so much because you’re sucking all the oxygen out of this room!”
As chance would have it, something caught my eye at a distance today which caused me to pause for a closer look. Knowing it wasn’t a turkey because of the way it was standing, I grabbed my camera and zoomed in on it. I could hardly believe I was seeing a blue heron standing there in such a fashion. Well you can be sure I did get a photo of it which I’m sharing with you this evening. I’d say it’s a classic shot of a true blue heron, and all the more special when knowing we now have a thriving restaurant on the north end with the name, “The Blue Heron” Isn’t it cute?
Tonight’s one-liner is: I call architecture frozen music.
