For the strangest of reasons, not long after crawling out of bed this morning, I had to keep reminding myself from time to time that it’s Saturday instead of Sunday. Just as I was pulling up to my office this morning, it started raining lightly, which I thought to be terribly odd since our weather forecasters were saying we wouldn’t be seeing any rain for at least a week or more. So much for the predictions coming from the mouths of professionals.
I didn’t have any set appointments for today, so the bulk of my morning was spent putzing at office where I was catching up on the little things that usually get set aside due to their low priority status. One of my great seek and find missions, caused me to search high and low for a small white pail that contained various door knobs which has come in use from time to time whenever someone is in need of one or even a set.
My search must’ve taken at least an hour, but still no door knobs. I then paused a moment and thought, “Hmm… I wonder if they were in one of the pails I didn’t dig in deep enough when having only looked at what was at the top.” With that thought in mind, I walked right over to the pail I thought they were in, and wouldn’t you know, I found them one layer down. I then pulled out two of them being a near perfect match for a home I have listed which is missing both knobs on a bedroom closet door. Thank goodness I found them, so tomorrow morning I’ll be heading over to that home and installing them. It’s always those little things that buyers get bent out of shape over, which is why I do try to take proactive steps to get them remedied more sooner than later.
The remainder of my day was spent doing some outdoor work, and by the time I was finished, I was completely drenched with perspiration. I knew I was going to be sweating heavily, which was why I brought plenty of water with me. That early morning rain, coupled with no breezes and a very hot sun, made for a genuine dog day.
When I returned to office, I changed into my office clothes and proceeded to return several calls that had come in while I was away. One of the callers asked if I would go out and look at a home belonging to one of his relatives which he’s been thinking about buying, and since I was free at that moment, we agreed on meeting at the house in a half hour.
He was already waiting for me when I got there, so I proceeded to give the home a good looking-over. After I was finished, I pointed out the positives and negatives of the home which he was glad to hear. I gave him a ball park price on what I thought it would sell for, and then asked what he thought it was worth. It came as no surprise we were within a ten thousand dollar price point difference, as most times family members usually have a pretty good idea what a home is worth, so my trip out there was just to give him a professional’s confirmation of value.
I did forewarn him that if there are a number of family members involved in the decision making process, there’ll likely be other agents called to look at it for their opinions. Of course I also mentioned that oft times an agent will give a higher price, just in hopes the sellers will list with that office. Over-pricing a listing just to get it, has been going on for many years, and in spite of it being frowned upon, it’s still happening. We call it “Buying a listing” because they’ve basically “bought” it with the higher estimated sales prices they’ve provided. You can be sure I’ve lost a number of listings over they years to agents who’d done exactly that, but when the dust finally settled, those homes ended up selling in the price points I’d originally given them.
I’m still waiting for a home inspection report to get sent to a buyer of one of my listings, and when reading the last text from that buyer, it’s supposed to be emailed yet today. I fully understand why some want home inspections, but far too many times, those inspectors blow those little non-critical things on a home, completely out of proportion.
Just today, I shared some concerns an inspector had on a home which caused the buyers to walk, and when later having a professional tradesperson look at them, they were judged to be just fine. Yes, our State really needs to force those inspectors to be fully licensed before they can go crawling thru someone’s home.
When hearing how hot it’s going to be this coming week, you can be sure I’ll be watering my tomato and pepper plants. They’re both doing well, and now beginning to set fruit which makes it even more important they have enough moisture. There are two rows of my favorite tomatoes that look picture-perfect and wanting to keep them that way. Now that we’re on the down-hill slide of our month of July, there’s really only a good month and a half for them to provide all I’ll be needing. Those heavy-duty wire tomato cages I purchased are doing a good job at keeping them erect, which means I’ll have fewer tomatoes on the ground which is a bad thing, because it offers more of an opportunity for them to rot.
The one hill of cucumbers I have growing, are now supplying me with fresh cucumbers which I use to make a combination cucumber, sour cream and onion salad. I like it so much, I could make a complete meal out of it. Believe me, fresh cucumbers are twice better tasting that what you’d find in a store or even at a farmer’s market. Unless vegetables are picked the day they’re used, they begin to lose their taste and texture. Yes, I am a bit of a spoiled brat when it comes to certain foods.
I can tell the wind has changed directions, so we may possibly have an enjoyable evening outdoors, and if the our skies are clear, there’ll be a full moon for us to howl at.
Tonight’s One-liner is: Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails.
