Wednesday has already come and gone, and it’s still raining! I don’t even want to see what this remaining week’s forecast is supposed to be, for fear it’ll get me all the more anxious about the possibility of flooding in our area. Without a doubt, the flood of 2008 made a believer out of me regarding the amount of damage flood waters can do in a very short period of time.
The first appointment I had this morning was to attend one of our monthly Realtor meetings which was being held on the 3rd Floor of the Chamber of Commerce Center in our Downtown. Every time I go to a meeting that’s being held in the upstairs of that building, I can’t help but notice how dirty those metal hand railings are, and today was no exception. I’ve got to the point where I won’t even hold onto them when walking up or down. It amazes me that someone in charge over there hasn’t noticed and had them cleaned. I think some people are so possessed by their inner worlds that they don’t even notice their peripherals.
One of the banks supplied a light breakfast which was kind of them, but since I normally have something light early in the morning, all I had was a small glass of orange juice. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying what was served because I noticed some going back for second helpings.
Part of today’s program was the annual election of an in-coming officer of our Board of Realtors which was one more reason I wanted to attend today’s meeting so I could cast my vote. I believe the person that was elected will do a fine job on our Board, which is why I was prompted to walk over and give my blessing.
Without a doubt, I’d say today’s gray skies and endless drizzle was having an effect on our general population. It seemed nearly every phone call was on the negative and complaining side. Even when I did a walk-thru on a home that was supposed to be vacant at noon, I found there still personal property having been left behind which will have to be disposed of. I’m beginning to wonder if many of the parents of these young people made any attempts at teaching their children personal responsibilities while they were living at home. Today was the second time this week I’ve seen a careless walking away from living quarters and taking no ownership of the condition they were left in. Some day, there’ll be hard lessons learned that’ll end up being all the more costly for them.
After visiting with the owner of 413 – 19th St. SE, I decided to host a public open house this coming Saturday from 1:00 – 3:00 PM. We’ve been getting a number of showings on it, and I believe hosting an open house, will spur all the more interest. For sure, it’s very hard to find a home in its condition under $90K. The owner is pretty much finished up on the little “to do’s”, so it will be shining its best come Saturday. As chance would have it, I have a second showing on it later Saturday afternoon which I hope goes well.
My afternoon was cut short because I had to head out of town for an appointment to take pre-listing photos. In spite of it being a gray day, I was delighted to find it wasn’t raining while I was there, which enabled me to get the exterior shots. Now that I’ve seen the home completely ready for viewing, I’d say it’ll sell more sooner than later once it hits the market.
Since I didn’t have an appointment after that, I took my time zig-zagging blacktops all the way back to Mason City. Today’s good look at the evolving landscapes of North Iowa, was a grim reminder of how times really have changed with farming. Without a doubt, I’d say over 60% of the old homesteads I remember from my youth, are completely plowed under to where a person wouldn’t even recognize there were once building sites in those fields.
Another annoyance I had today, was seeing all the hog confinements scattered about with no houses present which were likely belonging to a handful of big farmers. After today’s “good look”, I fully understand why some of our Counties are creating more restrictions and moratoriums on future animal confinement build-outs. If any of you really want an eye-opener, take an afternoon drive around Wright County, and there you’ll see what un-restricted hog and chicken farming looks like. It’s kinda creepy seeing all that automation and very few if any people working.
Tonight’s one-liner is: Aim above morality and be not simply good, but good for something.
