I couldn’t have been more prepared for today when knowing how stacked my appointments would be, and thankfully I made it to every one of them on time. My first showing began as early as 8:30 am, and my last one ended a little before 5:00 pm.
My early appointment was with a delightful young couple I’ve been working with, and unfortunately they just didn’t feel up to all the immediate work that home needed. I knew as we were walking out, it wasn’t a “fit” for them when saying, “I can tell you don’t have even the least bit of a warm and fuzzy feeling over this home.” The husband gave the nod of my statement being correct, so back to the waiting game for something to come on the market in their price range.
Around mid-morning I had an appointment to show a real fixer-upper for the second time to a family who knows what it takes to turn a neglected home around. We spent a good amount of time there, and as we were leaving, they threw a number out as being the one-time-only amount they’d pay for it.
Around noon I received a text back from the listing agent saying a higher offer was accepted, so I called the buyers to let them know they didn’t get it, but assured them I’d be on the look-out for another diamond in the rough, and you can be sure their numbers are growing in our community.
I’ve always had a good relationship with them because of how conscientious they are about bringing homes back up to speed with good materials and exceptionally professional work. They’re just the opposite of the growing number of “flippers” we have in North Iowa who prefer to make cheap cosmetic upgrades, but leave hidden and oft times lingering big-ticket issues un-noticed due to their clever glamorizations.
I had just enough time to grab something light for lunch and then head off to my public open house at 415 – 1st St. SE just so I could get all the lights on and doors unlocked before it began. It was a delight seeing so many people in attendance, and I’d say there were at least three couples showing some serious interest.
There was one particular young couple whom I believed would be the perfect fit for the home. It made me smile when seeing how many people spent a great deal of time out on its party-size deck. I did mention that most homes in that district don’t possess large fenced rear yards as it has, which allows for a safer containment of children and pets.
By the time I closed up for the day, I discovered there’d been twelve separate groups of people in attendance, and just as I was walking to my car, a gentleman pulled up and asked if he could look at the home, and since I had to be at another showing in less than ten minutes, I handed him my card and asked that he call me for a private showing due to my already having a scheduled appointment. Hopefully he didn’t take offense by my refusal to open it after closing time.
While I was showing an extended family homes that began after my open house, one of the sisters mentioned the “Irish Twin” relationship she had with her other sister who just happened to be in the group. There was a great deal of sharing done just after my having informed them that my deceased sister and I were also Irish twins. It sounded like their relationship is similar to the one I had with my sister which brought back all the more heart-felt memories.
While driving away, I could “hear” my Irish twin saying to me not too long before she passed, “There are too many of my siblings that think that just because I don’t argue or disagree with things they’re talking about, I’m automatically on their side.” What became exceptionally clear to me today when speaking with another set of Irish twins, is that they must have some sort of extra special connection to each other that’s unreachable by others. It’s no wonder I cried more over her death than I’ve ever cried over another person’s.
Unless there’s another home that comes on the market before my buyer pulls the trigger, I’d say she’s found one today that’ll fit her needs. Since this is her second time here in our City to look at homes, she’s now getting a better grasp on our City’s housing prices and neighborhood dynamics. I’ll be on the phone to the listing agent on Monday to get some answers to a few questions my buyer has given me.
In spite of being on a tight schedule, I did make time to stop by a home and take the above photo of a clump of beautiful poppies in bloom. It seems coincidental that I noticed them and then compelled to share a photo with all of you tonight, because just last night I spoke about the Wizard of Oz. Believe it or not, when I see poppies in bloom, The Wizard of Oz comes racing back to mind.
I’m sure we all have a few naughty monkeys stirring up our lives that we’d like to send down that yellow brick road and take a long nap in that field of poppies on the way to Oz, along with being in hopes the good witch doesn’t make it snow any time soon. Don’t you think most all naughty child-like minds only need a good long nap to fix their attitudes?
Tonight’s one-liner is: There is nothing in which people more clearly betray their character than in what they laugh at.
