326 - 1st St. NW, Mason City, IA

There's no question we're all muttering under our breaths, "Get me the Yell out of this frozen tundra!", and rightly so because today was another finger and toe numbing experience while outdoors, and believe me, it didn't take but a few minutes for a person to really feel it.

As much as I would've liked to remain barricaded in my office all day, I had appointments which took me out in it, and my first one was to make quick run to a bank, and then head over and check on a home that's in the process of being readied for the market, and since I knew I wouldn't be there long, I left my car running, just so I wouldn't be crawling back into a cold one.

Due to these recent sales, I had file preparations and emails to send out to respective parties. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm very thankful for the amount of business my office has generated these first weeks of January, along with remaining hopeful it will continue.

My mid-morning appointment took me to my new listing located at 326 - 1st St. NW here in Mason City, just so I could get all my photos taken, room measurements and notes jotted down. My last task was to get my sign secured in the frozen ground. Tonight's photo is of my new listing, and if you'd like to see all the photos, just click on the main photo and it'll create a slideshow for you.

Just for the record, it's a foreclosure which is why the home doesn't look at all presentable, but if you look closer, you'll see all the many recent upgrades which are big ticket items. All the windows have been replaced with good thermal units, the exterior siding is vinyl, the wiring is up to date, and its furnace being high efficiency with central air. I was amazed at how few if any cracks were in the walls and ceilings which is going make quick work at getting them painted.

Considering its listing price being a mere $54,900, I personally know it wouldn't take more than a good cleaning, the removal of all its floor coverings and replacing them with new. It wouldn't surprise me if it has hardwood floors on the main, which would help to reduce the expense of having new carpet installed.

Yes, the appliances have to go bye-by and likely there'll be some unknowns once it closes, but considering how low a person's payment would be, that would be nothing compared to being plugged into a $100K thirty year mortgage like so many are doing. Whatever happened to starting out on the cheap, instead of having a heavy financial millstone around one's neck?

Another feature I like about it, is its close proximity to our Historic Downtown which allows for short walks to all those seasonal activities that take place. Truth be told, I've sold a number of homes in that four block area over the years, and yes, there are some "hairy looking" homes in that area, but sooner or later, they'll be getting cleaned up. That home could be coined as a "market contrarian" because of how many view districts as they are now, instead of what they may possibly be in the future.

After I got back to office, I busied myself with getting it loaded into our MLS and then disseminated out into the cyber-universe. In spite of the bitter cold, I was glad the sun was shining brightly so I could get some good photos of it. With everything said, I do hope you pass this diamond in the rough on to all your friends and relatives who're thinking about taking on a project this coming Spring.

I had a surprise visit from my dear old friend who's well into his 90's, and the first thing I said to him after he walked in was, "What are you doing out on a day like this?" He insisted it's been too long since he was last at my office, so we had a good long chat about our real estate market, the olden days of Mason City, along with a few more stories he was happy to share about some of the things his long-deceased colleagues had done so very many years ago.

Since he was a educator for many years, there've been many humorous stories told about things his students had either said or done. I know I've mentioned this before, but I must add again how much I set him out as my idol, and the reason being, he's never gossiped or said any nasty things about anyone the entire time I've known him, which I find remarkable. I also admire his determination to stay both physically and mentally fit. He did mention today how much harder it is to keep himself busy during these cold days. Yes, his visit was the highlight of my day.

My last appointment was after closing hours which took me out on a showing of a home which was recently listed. I internally knew it wasn't going to be a "fit" for the buyers I've been working with, but as I've learned many years ago, if they want to see something, I show it, and even if I'm near-certain it'll be a dead-run. In spite of it not being something they'd be buying, it was a good comparable for the others they've recently viewed. I continue to assure them that their new home hasn't yet arrived on the market.

Oh how happy I was to be finally home and out of the wind and bitter cold. It sounds like we've got a few more days of this, so do stay safe and out of Old Man Winter's icy grip.

Tonight's One-liner is: I believe the way to keep a friendship, is to respect that everybody's different.

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