Every Little Thing

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

And he came early this year for me. I just found out that one of my co-worker agents bought the house across the street from where I live. The link at the bottom of this posting will take you to the picture of this house and the accomanying post.

That house across the street has been an eyesore and a symbol of what inner city Wilmington is coming to. Old houses, usually owned by absentee landlords (Wilmington is 50% rentals), sit empty collecting cockroaches and squatters. They continue to deteriorate and sometimes sit there for years.

Then someone comes along (probably not from around here) and sees the potential in this diamond in the rough and makes the decision (from the heart and not the head) to renovate the home and bring it back to its glorious roots.

Another scenario is that someone comes along, buys it for a song because it is a piece of crap but essentially solid, puts a bit of money and sweat equity in it and becomes the next landlord to own it.

Yet another scenario is that someone buys it, moves into it as is and it remains an eyesore only this time with the added bonus of brightly colored toys strewn about the yard and punctuated by weekly shouting matches between significant others in the front yard. This is the worst case scenario. There is no landlord to complain to and the eyesore has just become an earsore also.

The last scenario is the one that has become my early Christmas present. Granted, it is not the optimum solution because the time for restoration has long since gone. But in this case it is the best that can be hoped for. The house will be torn down and a new, nice little ranch will replace it. Yes it will be rented but so are several others on the street that are owned by the same person.

So yes, Virginia, there are still some signs of life in this small town. It seems to have lost its way when it comes to a sense of pride in its appearance, but where there is life there is hope.

Merry Christmas and Happy Halloween.

http://housecents.blogspot.com/2007/09/being-for-benefit-of-mr-kite.html

Besame Mucho

Once more, I've let my emotions get the better of me. It has been pointed out to me that my last post had a cynical air about it. Sorry about that. If you have been with me from the beginning of my blogging career, you are aware of the ups and downs. And, being the passionate person that I am, my feelings seldom stay on my sleeve; they leap forth into the ether that is the internet.

The deal did fall through. After having the whole family look at the home, they withdrew their offer. Ce la vie. Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. The future's not our's to see, que sera, sera. (It's easier to be philosophical about these things with the advent of time. However, at the time, I think I said a few dirty words in my head while understanding noises came out of my mouth.)

But we must move on.

I had a closing this week. One of my easier ones and with a couple of the nicest people. I hope to be able to keep in touch, but I always say that. My first encounter with them was the result of a "cold call" coming into the office to see a couple of condos. I set up the appointment and, since my foot was just recently out of a cast and I couldn't drive, the couple had to pick me up, tote me to the condos then deposit me back.

Sometimes its just the smallest things that can make a difference. When I got into the car with these perfect strangers I said, "Who is your favorite Beatle?" The woman looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "I don't think I've ever had anyone ask me that before, but I guess it must be Paul. He's the cute one." At which time I reached into my purse and pulled a business card out with Paul's picture on it and handed it to the woman. I truly think that by doing this I stood out amongst the other realtors that they had looked at houses with. They called me back when it was time to look at something else and the rest is history.

Of course, sometimes my schtick backfires.

I met a young couple at a farmhouse in the country for a showing just recently. They got out of the van with a few kids in tow. I walked up to them, introduced myself and asked, "Who is your favorite Beatle?" Again the puzzled expression. After an uncomfortable silence had passed between us, I said, "You know. The Beatles? The singing group." "Ohhhh,"was the reply. "I thought you meant there was a bug on me."

Ce la vie.

Your Mother Should Know

I have experienced a few deal breakers in my career. Just when you think everbody is happy, boom, the hammer comes down. Sometimes you can get people calmed down, sometimes you can't. It must resemble getting cold feet right before the big wedding day. What if, what if, what if.

The biggest deal breaker, with contract negotiations as well as marriages, is family. Once the family gets involved its almost like the blind men and the elephant. Everybody has a different idea of what "it" is and, even though all may be right in their own way, all involved are also wrong. And the ones who should actually be making the decision feel obligated to listen to the wisdom of their elders, usually with disasterous consequences. Okay, maybe not so much with marriage, but sometimes we just have to make our own decisions.

It is natural for someone when making a life changing decision to want a second opinion. But speaking as a realtor, do not, and I repeat do not get the family involved. Yes, they do have your best interests at heart but no matter how much they love you, they are still your worst critic. The exception would be your Uncle George who is a retired contractor and you need to know if the uneven floors will be a problem in the future.

So be specific. Ask specific questions of specific people. Don't just say to Aunt Sally, "So, what do you think?" because I guarantee she will tell you, and I guarantee you will not like it.

Need another opinion concerning a home that you love and just can't make up your mind? Ask a friend. They will be straight with you but also affirming. They will hold your hand and be with you no matter what you decide.

If you love a house and it meets most of your requirements (a house cannot be everything to everybody) then just hold your nose and jump in.

Your family will always throw you a life preserver when you are drowning. But as you are looking over the edge into the pool, your family will be stuffing your bathing suit with bricks!

Wait

The day has started out right. Even though it is a little dreary outside and rain is forecasted, it is bright and sunny in my own little mind.

I got an email from my people who put in an offer on a nice home then split for their vacation. I have been reticent to call or email them just for the heck of it so I have been waiting for an opening. Even knowing that they want to bring their family through the home (always a scary proposition) when they return, you still never know if they will forget all about the house; out of sight out of mind.

But I got an email from them this morning. Yeah! They still want to see the house again this weekend. This gave me the opportunity I was looking for. I emailed them back that the showing is set up and that I should have an estimate soon for the siding on the home. This situation with the siding has me antsy because having a maintenance free home is high on their priority list. If the estimate that I have procurred for my people comes in too high, we might be in trouble.

This experience has been a "hurry up and wait" situation. The potential buyers wanted to put in a bid quickly to, in essence, save their place in line. Now the sellers are in limbo waiting to see how everything plays out. I think my people will come around to trusting me when I am able to give them a figure on the siding.

So many factors, so much time, so little known. I think I've talked myself into being in a bad mood after all.

Rats.

You Know My Name (Look up the Number)

Okay, you asked for it. Well, not really, but here it is anyway. My first "real" ukulele.

My actual first uke was purchased from ebay for a mere pitance. It lasted about as long as you would expect. Not very.

I came by this one by a happy accident. It is a 1950's Harmony in quite nice condition. I had been sick for about 3 years and was financially embarrassed when my ebay uke fell apart. I had no money to replace it. I was a frequent visitor of http://fleamarketmusic.com/ and had posted a few times. I asked if anyone knew of a way to fix my uke because I was unable to buy a new one. About a week later, a big box came in the mail. I had no idea what it could be. After pulling out a bunch of newspaper, I extracted the above vintage ukulele. I burst into tears. (For those musicians out there, you know how it feels to love an instrument and the joy it brings you to play.) Down in the bottom of the box was a note from the gift giver-a stranger from the Flea Market Music bulletin board. He swore me to secrecy and said that he did it just because he could. I have never forgotten that kindness and will always cherish my 1950's Harmony.

The old Harmony is retired now. But she has about 6 other ukuleles to keep her company.

I became a realtor(r) shortly after I was back up and healthy again. Hence the moniker "Ukulele Realtor". I always have a ukulele close by, even in my office just in case someone asks me to play. (No one ever has:>)

Whenever I do an open house, I take along my "go to" uke-a pink Flea. She's light weight and fun to play and keeps me company when no one shows up to visit my open house. Maybe I am scaring the customers away......

Always remember the kindness of strangers and pass it forward whenever possible.

Photograph

Sometimes, in my travels throughout the county, doing my own real estate stuff or that of my supervisor, I have the priviledge of coming upon the unexpected picturesque scene. And, being a bit of an amateur photographer as well as a ukulele player (I am so gifted), I pause to take a nap, I mean a SNAP!

This stark tree was at the corner of a strange property that consisted of a single wide mobile home that had been added on to, various tumbledown outbuildings and was smack dab in the middle of nowhere except for a highend subdivision right beside it. Huh? I thought someone would gobble it up for building sites but no. It was purchased as a home.

I haven't been by there for 2 years. The market was hot then and has long since cooled off. If that property had been purchased by a developer, boy, would he have been in for a rude awakening. Sometimes things do happen for a reason.

There Is a Place

A little known factoid about presenting an offer on a property on the behalf of your client is that it can suck.

Case in point. While on phone time last week I got a call from a couple wanting to see one of Bennett Realty's listings. I showed them the home on Saturday and they put in an offer on it on Tuesday, the day before they were to leave on vacation. We opted to get the offer put in as soon as possible just in case someone else should come along and want to make an offer. However, I was not overly concerned because the home had been on the market since May and there had not been much interest.

Guess what. Now someone else wants to show it.

Call me superstitious but I have always held to the notion that as soon as you want something, someone else is going to want the same thing.

The price of the property is not the big bug-a-boo. The problem lies in the contingencies and the fact that now my people are out of town. They want estimates for new siding so they can decide if the home can be made maintenance free at a price they are willing to budget for. I am responsible for setting up the appointments for the contractors to give estimates, no problem. But as we all know, these things do not happen overnight.

If this new showing should result in another offer, then we would be in a multiple offer situation. At that point, both parties would have the chance to give their best offer but cannot know the offer of the other party. I called and explained this to my clients and, as previously alluded to, they really do not know me and really have no reason to believe me.

And that is just the feeling I got when I got the response, "But how do we know there really is another offer." What do I say? "Trust me"? Yeah, right.

Stay tuned.