I was happy to see our temps having not reached higher than in the mid-eighties today because yesterday was definitely a hot one to remember. As much as I would’ve liked being outdoors today, I was pretty much confined to office other than several errands I had to run.
I did manage to get all my research done on the home I previewed yesterday, so all I’m waiting for, is a return phone call from the seller. After getting a good look at the comparable sales, there’s no question our market has had a tremendous spike these past two years and still no end to it in sight.
There were other Realtors showing four of my office listings today, which tells me the market is still chugging along. I spoke with the seller who’s working on getting 240 – 7th St. SE more presentable, and it looks like it should be ready for new photos this coming week. I mentioned it to another Realtor today, who may have a “flipper” in mind for it which would be good news for me. Unless I’ve lost my eye for un-polished gems, I’d say the average buyers are missing the boat on that one.
My Noon appointment was to meet some prospective tenants out at the acreage I have for rent on Spruce Ave., and by the sounds of it, I’d say they’d make great long-term tenants for it. Hopefully they’ll call tomorrow to say they have their ducks in order and ready to rent it. Like most, I’m sure they want to get themselves situated before the cold weather arrives.
I had to make a trip over to one of the offices at the courthouse today, and since I’d not been there in some time, I was delightfully surprised to see they hired some smiling employees since I was there last. I couldn’t help saying, “You know this department has always been considered the sour apple in this building, so I guess you must’ve heard and started sweetening yourselves up.” I’m sure I made a lasting impression by the time I walked out of there, which I believe was a good thing. What really gets me sometimes, is the way in which our public servants treat the people who’re paying their salaries, and that goes for those appointed and elected officials as well. It doesn’t take any more energy to be nice than it does to be ornery and dismissive.
On another note, I spoke to one of the “powers that be” in City Hall yesterday and was delighted to hear that a person would be able to build a single stall garage on my listing at 207 N. Hampshire which has been eating on me since I listed it. It seems every time we have to deal with bureaucracy on just about any level, there are nearly always unnecessary hoops to jump thru. Oft times I wonder if they create such barriers to justify their high-paying positions. Anyhoo, I’m just glad we have the green light on it so I can pass it on to prospective buyers.
While visiting with a client this afternoon who lives on an acreage, he mentioned how much he and his family are working at being less dependent on our gas and electric suppliers. He and his wife have been investigating all the aspects of geothermal and solar panels. I did mention that I’d recently heard that if you’re building a new home in Germany, solar panels are required. Now that makes sense.
It sounds like they’re readying themselves for this next year’s delivery of baby chickens which they’ll be raising for meat and eggs. They’ve got their new garden area staked out and already fenced to keep out those smorgasbord munching deer which have become a blight on North Iowa. After he left, my mind was taken back to the time when our family was very much self-sufficient during the years we lived on the big farm. There’s no question we always had more than enough good food to eat which was homegrown. I’m glad to see more of our young getting back to the basics, and perhaps it will become a trend for all Americans.
Some days ago I was visiting with another young man who’s very much into the specialty meats when telling him about those heritage breeds of hogs and beef cattle which have become the craze. They take longer to raise because they’re fed natural feeds and grazed on pastures which have been deemed organic.
His first concern was how to market them because of the meat inspections that must be done before it’s sold. My answer was to have enough buyers lined up before sending one of the animals to a local butcher. I know of several budding young farmers who’re doing just that. Wagyu beef is not only the most popular, but also the most expensive beef in the world. The Jamon Iberico breed of pigs is likely the most expensive pork which must have an out of this world flavor considering its price per pound, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe there are several specialty hog farmers raising them in Iowa. Lastly, the Bresse Gauloise chicken has been long-considered the best tasting chicken, and sometimes even considered fit only for the tables of royalty.
Now if some of our forward-thinking and very industrious young acreage owners would start making long-term commitments to raising and marketing such “boutique” meats, we may find it to be another draw to our State. Just remember, Iowa has some of the most fertile soils in the world, so why don’t we make better use of it instead of planting miles and miles of corn and soybeans.
If they’re not into raising animals, then I’d say our young wanna-be small farmers must start investigating how to create cash crops from specialty grains, vegetables and fruits. Just remember, if there’s a burning desire, there is a way.
Tonight’s One-liner is: I’ve got to confess I am a pragmatic optimist.
