We finally had a near-windless day and loving it to the point I was finding every excuse I could to be out enjoying it. I’m sure many of our retirees were out scratching in their gardens and flower beds. While out and about, I did notice some vegetable gardens having been newly tilled, so it looks like the planting season has finally arrived.
My first out-of-office appointment was to go out and take a look at a home I’ll be getting listed once the seller has her new home’s remodeling done, and unfortunately there was no timeline given by the contractor. I didn’t have any suggestions for improvements because she’s quite the fanatic when it comes to keeping her home clean and presentable.
While visiting with her about pricing, I had to remind her that even though her one bedroom home is larger than most two bedrooms we have in out City, it’s going to be the hard fact that it only has one. I did some research before I arrived, and the price she’s thinking of asking, is within spitting distance of today’s market value. It’ll likely sell quickly because it has all the bells and whistles. Since it has a main floor laundry, I’ll wager the new buyer is going to be an older couple or single person.
I ended up being there longer than I’d expected, and mostly because I wanted to hear how things have been with her since the death of a loved one. I can tell she’s still not over it, and all I could do was mention how in such cases, all we can do, is take one day at a time. She’s also now seeing the true colors with some of her relatives, which is making the healing process more difficult, which made me sad.
By the time I was finished, it was approaching lunchtime so I headed down to Wendy’s to grab a small bowl of chili and head back to office for a quick lunch. I always have to laugh to myself when opening it because sometimes it’s full and other times it’s about two-thirds. They just started doing that these last six months, and as much as I’d like to say something to them, I’ll have to keep quiet because I could likely become one of their “marked” customers.
After getting myself caught up on phone calls and reading today’s news, it was time for me to head over to my pre-listing appointment. I got there before the seller arrived, so I did a quick walk around the property, just to get a “feel” for the neighborhood, and just as I got back into my car, the seller arrived.
Since I’d never been in the home before, I asked for a nickel tour, so off we headed. I was informed that the cleaning person wasn’t yet finished which became very evident once I had a good look its entirety.
Once the tour was over, we sat down so I could go over the valuation numbers I’d pulled, and once again, I wasn’t surprised to find the seller thinking it was worth considerably less. Yes, since the first of the year, the sale prices have ended up being noticeably higher, and mostly due to the lack of inventory. I went on to mention that in the price range of $300K to $500K, there is only one available home for sale in this City. As much as I didn’t want to believe it, the facts don’t lie.
Since having worked with the seller some years ago, we caught each other up on the happenings in that gap of time, along with making some soulful suggestions on things that should be done to the home before it’s listed. I was internally thankful my tips were well-received. Now if everything gets done in a timely fashion, I’m hoping to have it on the market come Monday. I can only imagine how many showings there’ll be scheduled the day it’s disseminated out into the cyber-universe.
After I left, I met one of my buyers out at a property so she could have me take a photo of her standing behind my sold sign with a big smile on her face. She’s not a big Facebook poster, but did want to share it with some of her relatives and close friends. It couldn’t have been a better day to take an outdoor photo.
My last appointment of the day was to meet my buyers for their final walk-thru on the home I sold them which is closing first thing tomorrow morning. Without a doubt, they’re exceptionally excited about it, and truth be told, I’m likely just as happy because they’re hard workers who’ve had some tough times these recent years, so good for them. Believe me, they’re not the type who’d be saying, “If it’s free, it’s for me.”
While out inspecting my rock garden, I caught a glimpse of something moving, and after getting a closer look, I grabbed my cell phone and snapped a photo of it which I’m sharing with you tonight. Now if that’s a frog, then I must be very ignorant when it comes to varieties of frogs in our area because I’ve only known of one type, and what I photographed this afternoon, was not it. I’ll say one thing, it sure has quite the camouflage markings. Seeing that frog was just another reminder that we must slow ourselves down enough to see all the more diversity Mother Nature has to offer.
I felt so sorry for that poor old widow in Ukraine who lost nearly everything she owned after her home was destroyed by a Russian bomb. Seeing that painfully lost look on her face and reading the translation of her words, nearly brought tears to my eyes. More than once she said, “I wish my dead husband would rise out of his grave and see what those Russians have done to our home.” Yes, her pain was felt thousands of miles away.
Tonight’s One-liner is: Wicked thoughts and worthless efforts gradually set their mark on the face, and especially the eyes.
