Having not watched our weather forecast, it came as a surprise when seeing the rain arrive in buckets. Of course I got myself fully drenched by the time my three showings were over, but I guess that’s the price I had to pay for my having not paid attention. I’d say by the time these rains stop, we’ll be drought-free for a while. I’m sure my tomatoes and peppers are sucking up all the moisture they can, and after looking at them early this morning, I’d say they’ll be providing a bountiful harvest later this summer.
Another early morning to office provided me more time to work on files and finish up on last month’s accounting. I also had time to do all the research needed for my broker’s opinion on a home I looked at earlier this week. I prepared a rough draft, edited it, and then sent it to print. One copy was mailed to the owner, and the other, hand-delivered to an attorney’s office.
I know some believe broker’s opinions are nothing but “weak” appraisals, but I do my best to get as many comparable sales to support the values I place on those homes. I also make mention of any negatives, just so all parties understand the reason for my pricing. No matter what anyone tells you, a broker’s opinion or a full-blown appraisal, cannot be used as a hard and fast number, because home valuing is not an exact science. Believe me, I’ve butted heads with appraisers in the past who’ve thought their values were cast in stone, when in fact they were simply one person’s opinions. What I’ve always liked to tell people, is the fact that a property’s value is whatever an educated buyer is willing to pay, and what an arm’s-length seller is willing to take. That’s it.
One of my clients asked that I stop out to look at the home they’ve been working on, and when I got there, I was shocked to see how much they’ve done to it since I was last there. I couldn’t have complimented them more regarding the amount of work they’d done on it. I’d say in about three weeks, they’ll be ready to place it on the open market. The upgrades they’re making, will certainly help it to sell quickly, and hopefully our market will still be on a burn when it does get listed. It’s turning into a cutie.
With about an hour to kill, I decided to drive over to St. Paul Lutheran and run thru the music I’ll be playing for them next Sunday. Fortunately, there’s only one hymn I’ll have to practice, as it’s yet another one I’ve not heard or played. Before leaving, I sat down to their pipe organ and ran thru a few hymns, just so the old girl gets a little work-out once in a while, along with me keeping myself familiar with her keyboard and pedals.
On my way to work this morning, I stopped and picked up my sold sign from the front yard of a closing I had several days ago, and then drove over to 515 S. Vermont and placed my “Saturday Open House” rider on the top of my yard sign. I do hope it’s not raining tomorrow afternoon, because if it is, there’ll not be that many people showing up.
Before this afternoon’s unexpected rain started, I did manage to get the grass cut behind my office, as well as some weed pulling and trash picking in the back alley. Every time I see such littering going on in our Downtown, I internally bristle because for me, it’s a form of giving Mother Nature the middle finger. It’s plain and simply rude and crude of those naughty monkeys.
Of the three showings I had late this afternoon, only one of them was a possibility. I think my buyers are finally understanding valuation after now having viewed at least ten homes. Thank goodness I was able to talk them out of making an offer on several lipsticked pigs which were grossly overpriced considering how poorly built they were. Yes, you can cover up a number of sins with cheap paneling, thin linoleum squares, and gallons of inferior paint. Thank goodness they’ve finally started listening to me.
As much as I wanted to get some outside work done tomorrow morning, I don’t think that’ll happened due to the amount of rain we received today, so I’ll just have to find something else to do. One errand I have early in the morn, is to drive past a home that’ll be coming on the market, just to see if it has room to install a fence for a large dog, as I have some out of town buyers who’re looking for a home offering several “must have” features. While in conversation with them today, they did assure me they’re ready to purchase something.
When visiting with the seller of 207 N. Hampshire this afternoon, I assured her I’d be taking new photos of it once all the furniture is moved out next week. We’ve had two offers on it already, but unfortunately we couldn’t come together on price, so maybe the third offer will be the charm. There’s no question it’s in a great neighborhood which is paramount in both good and bad market times, so if we can get it more presentable “online”, I believe we have a good shot at getting it sold soon. It’s enclosed front porch is the perfect size for enjoying bug-free evenings. Since I’m a fan of East Park, that home is located around the corner from one of its entrances, so if you know anyone who’s into walking, please tell them about it.
On my way home, I couldn’t help myself when seeing more plants deeply discounted, so I stopped and picked up five good-sized pots of ornamental grass which I used to have in my flower garden of many years ago. Now that I know how to control those choking weeds, I’ll be creating a border with them. By the way, have you noticed how many businesses are now using ornamental grass in their landscapes? First Citizens Bank has a nice presentation of them, but I do hope their grounds person knows how to keep them looking nice year-over-year.
Tonight’s One-liner is: Your subconscious’s goal, is to recreate unresolved childhood issues, and then hopefully mend them.
