The streets and roads were exceptionally slippery today with the ground temperatures warmer than the surface creating the nastiest of walking and driving conditions. It wasn’t surprising to find cars off the roads due to people likely not driving more slowing. I did see something on the weather channel predicting sleet in the coming 10 day forecast. Sleet storms in the past were a rarity but in these past 15 or so years, they’ve become more common. I’m noticing the market starting to slow and likely due to Thanksgiving being near and our first heavy snow. I consider myself fortunate in the continued sales my office is experiencing. I hope it keeps up until the first of the year and then picks up from there.
I had a real good chat with a young gentleman at my open house today who’s likely in that 25 – 35 age bracket. We somehow found ourselves on the subject of perception of homes in their present states. I said, “Many people in your age group and younger have a more difficult time when attempting to envision something different than what you’re looking at.” He gave me a bit of an odd look and must have thought me strange so I went on to say, “For example. I can look at this kitchen where we’re both standing and in my mind envision or “see” what it would closely resemble should I be a prospective buyer and interested enough to do a kitchen make-over.” I went on to say, “It’s really not so much your fault in not being able to envision, but rather the fault of society in general. Everything is all there before us in neat little finished packages when watching TV or on the computers or tablets. Yes, we see before and after programs of the make-over types, but the program was already created. The core fault lies with the families rearing children and not encouraging and sometimes demanding the creative areas of their brains to get working.” I could tell he was a little bit saddened after I said that so with a smile I said, “It’s never too late for people to change the way in which they look at the world. Seeing something as it stands and able to study it piece by piece is easy, but the real job of the brain comes when in looking at what’s before you and begin looking past what is there and seeing what could be.” I’m glad he stopped and I was able to share some encouraging thoughts with him and likely he’s spending the rest of the day attempting to make the creative section of his brain start working. We must always remember whenever soulful advice is freely given without strings attached, those words can sometimes go straight to a core and not be fully understood until possibly years later. Most recently someone gave me advice that didn’t kick in until months later.
I had an appointment this afternoon to show a ranch home I have listed to a delightful young couple I’ve been working with and when they got out of their car I hollered, “I missed you, and I’m sure you thinking I’m just trying to patronize you, but I’m not.” Later when his mother arrived I said, “Some buyers are just buyers, a few are tedious, and all the fewer are just plain delightful like you.” I did get a good laugh out of them when showing the wide open basement. I said, “In these politically correct times, you’d have room down here for a He Cave and/or She Cave.” While driving away, I decided I’m going to start being more gender specific and not refer to man cave again.
