These rising temperatures are definitely not what we’re needing right now, because we’re most certainly long-overdue for additional rain. Of course our hazy smoke-filled upper atmosphere had me feeling as though I was coming down with something due to a scratchy throat and watery eyes.
There were some pressing issues I had to deal with at office early this morning which I managed to get taken care of before I had to head out of town on a pre-listing appointment at an acreage.
Thank goodness I left about 15 minutes early, because I managed to get a bit lost, and only due to my having followed the online directions I was given. That’s all it took for me to get turned around, was turning left instead of right at one corner. Thinking I’d written the wrong direction, I made sure to check it when I returned to office, and wouldn’t you know, the internet was wrong. Thank goodness the owner was willing to help me get back on track and get there in time. There’ll be no more depending on internet directions from here on out.
When I got there, I was given the full tour of the home’s interior, and then proceeded to walk thru each one of the buildings. As we were walking back to the house, I had to insist that it’ll be very marketable, and only because of the number of acres, the condition of those big buildings, and of course the house itself.
They were very receptive to my suggestions as to the improvements there needed to be made before I officially list it, and only because of the way in which our general public crawls thru all the online photos and narratives before making any inquiries on homes and acreages that are for sale. They mentioned an amount they’d like to get out of it which didn’t seem out of line, but I couldn’t agree with them until I get some additional research done on recent acreage sales in their area. If I can find similar recent sales that support such pricing, then there’s no doubt it’ll sell quickly, and only because there just aren’t that many livable acreages for sale in North Iowa. I’ll have absolutely no problem driving those extra miles to show it.
When I arrived back at office around mid-afternoon, I had a number of phone calls to return, and after I had those taken care of, I proceeded to get caught up on the news feeds. There was one interesting article which was a spinoff of an interview with a real estate investment pundit who happened to be correct when predicting the 2008 financial crisis. I smiled to myself when he mentioned how this ‘irrational exuberance’ which began when the pandemic hit, is still going strong, and in spite of our interest rates continuing to climb, they’re still at it because many are wanting to take the plunge and buy out of fear our mortgage rates are gonna continue to climb. He believes our home values will drop a good ten percent once summer is over, so we’d better prepare ourselves for at least that much of a correction. It may not sound like much, but you have to remember, a ten percent slash would make today’s $100K home worth only $90K.
Just for kicks I went online to see how many homes are posted on the Sheriff’s Sale website, and there I found only two, and one of them I distinctly remember having sold not much over a year ago. Since I’m familiar with that home’s district, I was shocked at the time when seeing how much it sold for. Well, that’s going to be the first of many which will end up going back to the bank, and later sell for a deep discount. That’s the third foreclosure this year of homes that recently sold. I’m now wondering if the listing and selling agents of those homes were made aware of them. Personally, I’d have a ‘pang’ of shame running thru me if I were them. I think yours truly still holds the record on how few homes ever went to foreclosure. Over all these years, I’ve always cautioned buyers about getting in over their heads, so I guess that’s the ‘mother hen’ in me.
I just remembered a conversation I recently had with a person who’s son had a stroke and now battling his way back to being physically and mentally self-sufficient. She went on to say how he believes the general public would be more understanding if he had visible scars to prove the suffering he’s been going thru. For whatever reason, I suddenly said to her, “Please tell him there are those of us who’re capable of recognizing the scars within.” She was actually quite moved by my words and assured me she’d pass them along to her son.
Speaking now about those invisible scars, I could go on for hours on the subject, because unless our general public starts stepping out of their selfish little boxes and learning to ‘see’ the invisible scars of others, we’ll continue on down the dark paths we’re on. Most definitely scars within are also the by-products of child abuse, spousal abuse, chronic anxieties, drug abuse, loneliness, long-term neglect and the list goes on. So the next time someone quietly shares one of their invisible scars, do try to be a little more empathetic. Some years ago I was told by an elderly woman in a demanding voice, that she’d received all the professional help she needed to ‘fix’ herself, and when sharing those words with another, I got a laughable kick-back when told, “I think she’d better go and ask for her money back because she’s definitely not fixed.” I couldn’t help agreeing.
One of my friends has been in counseling for some time, and I know she’d agree that it’s not what’s learned from those sessions that’s important, but rather the putting into practice those suggestions, which is likely why she’s definitely on the mend. Yes, those internal scars are there for life, but at least nearly all of them can be coped with as long as there are understanding friends, relatives and support groups who’re always there to fall back on whenever there’s a bump in the road.
Tonight’s One-liner is: Those who blindly rush forward to integrate are lost.
