Over-all Demeanor

Alas the sun broke out of our extended cloud cover, but with it came the north wind which really cooled things down to the point where I think there were some who had their furnaces turned on. I fear we’re going to get our first frost in the lowlands because they’re expecting a low in our area of 37 degrees overnight. Being a bit more familiar with “lowlands”, a five or six degree difference is not uncommon. Oh well, the month of October is upon us and Jack Frost will be here before we know it.

One of my morning appointments was to go out and take a look at a home that’ll likely be coming on the market if the sellers are able to get the home they want. They’re a young couple who’re looking at any and all out-of-town possibilities, and it appears they’ve found something.

After giving it a good look-over, I’d say once they move out and get a few cosmetic updates done, it should sell as long as it’s priced within the range I gave them. It’s another one of those homes that’s much larger than it looks from the street.

I didn’t even ask why they were wanting out of our City for fear they’d say something that would confirm a few of my suspicions which oft times revolves around our school system. For some reason, it seems all the more parents are finding school-related problems with their children, and now wanting them in smaller districts where the classroom count isn’t so large. For sure the demographics of our City’s public schools have certainly changed over these past 20 years.

It’s no wonder why the private schools in our City are growing in spite of how expensive they are, but I guess those parents must feel those extra costs are worth it. I heard something not long ago that shocked me, and if it’s true, I’d say there are parents out there who’re are willing to make even personal religious sacrifices so they can afford those tuition costs. What I heard, was that there are some families who’ve decided to turn Catholic just so they don’t have to pay the higher non-Catholic tuition costs at Newman. For some reason I believe such mindsets being border-line wrong because any forms of faith-embracing shouldn’t be for financial convenience purposes only.

The concrete contractor was out in the back alley of my office today and busy pouring more concrete. With as fast as our weather’s changing, I’m not so sure they’ll have everything poured before the hard frost arrives. For sure it won’t be until next Spring when Commercial Alley finally gets back to normal. I was expecting a mess to be made with Alliant Energy’s burying of those monster electric lines, but I didn’t think it would be so extensive and long-lived.

I was pretty much tied to the office the remainder of my afternoon with more computer work, accounting, and setting appointments for tomorrow and into the weekend. If things go as planned, I’ll have two and possibly three new listings this coming week which is fine by me because my office inventory is dropping again. My appointment tomorrow afternoon is another pre-listing meeting with some sellers who want my opinion on some things they want to do to their home before they list it.

One of my long-time clients stopped by today for a chat, and for some reason he was being a bit “dark” with his outlook regarding the River City Renaissance project.
He believes we don’t have the “texture” of residents that’ll be financially supportive of it. I was left a little speechless when he said, “The next time you’re in a grocery store or super-mart, pay closer attention to the people who’re there shopping, and be sure to get a good look at what they’re driving, what they’re wearing, what they’re buying, and above all, how their over-all demeanor appears.”

He went on to say how he believes our society as a whole seem to be under all the more financial/societal pressures because they’re not appearing as though they’re enjoying their lives very much right now. I couldn’t help agreeing with him because I’ve also noticed how much more disheveled and unkempt our community as a whole is appearing. He did get a little wicked when saying, “I won’t be surprised if that River City Renaissance project ends up creating a bigger River City backwash of humanity.” I chided him by saying, “Since we’re already into it so deep financially, we really have to work at making the best of it, and if it fails, then we can’t be blamed as it being our doing.”

Irregardless what anyone says, I still believe Mason City’s redemption will be if we can turn it into a hotspot for retirees because we already have the resources to make it happen. If I were the head of our City’s development department, I’d be pushing for generous enticements to get more of the 55+ crowd to relocate here. Perhaps some day our “powers that be” will come to the realization before it’s too late.

Tonight’s one-liner is: A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.

Joe Chodur

About the Author | Joe Chodur

Firstofall....JoeChodurreallydoesn'tliketalkingabouthimselfbutthisiswhatwehavefoundoutabouthim.

JoeChodurbeganhisrealestatecareerin1981duringthe...read more about: Joe Chodur

View page.