Not Live to Eat
When leaving for work early this morning, I found the air cool and a great deal of moisture on the plants and grasses which is one more indication that our summer is starting on the downward slide towards Fall. You can bet I was enjoying that 60+ degree air as much as possible before the sun started warming everything up.
My first appointment was to show a home at 8:00 am which just so happened to be the very same I had listed a number of years ago. The buyer was already there waiting for me when I pulled up, and while walking up to the house, the first thing I said was, "I had this home listed way back when, and one thing I do know, is that it's an exceptionally well built "mid-century modern" home.
What really impressed me, was seeing the tastefully upgraded kitchen, and all of the blonde woodwork and doors having been stripped and varnished a more desirable color. I couldn't believe how well the owners had tricked-out the lower level to where they'd even added an egress window and created a 4th bedroom.
We didn't find anything glaringly wrong with the home other than it having a single rather than a double attached garage and no room for expansion which the buyer dismissed as being a non-critical item on her list of wants. Other than a change of room colors and possibly the removal of some built-in cabinetry, it was about as close a fit as one would expect in this turbulent sellers' market.
By the time I was ready to close up shop for the day, my buyer had that house purchased, and none too soon because I'm sure there were others scheduling times to see it. I'm exceptionally happy for my buyer because she's been an absolute peach to work with, and since I've shown her a number of homes these past months, I'd say she's fully aware of what the market values are of homes in her given price range. There was one particular home on which she'd offered I wasn't very keen on because of its quirky floor plan, lack of storage, and being in a district of homes which has valuations all over the map. Yes, I'd say today's purchase is going to be a good long-term "fit" for her.
I did finally get all the title documents I needed for tomorrow's closings, so yours truly was able to get himself down off his anxiety ladder which had him nearing the top rung. You can bet I was making the necessary seller calls for them to come to my office and sign their transfer docs, and by the time 2:00 pm arrived, all of them were signed and notarized, and the reason being, most of our lenders do not want sellers attending the closings, which creates more beforehand signing to be done. I suspect that once the vaccination for the China-virus is over, most Realtors will have grown accustomed to getting those docs signed and not requesting their sellers to be on-hand at closings.
I'm now noticing that more people are getting used to not shaking hands which is OK by me, which will most likely be another standard of greeting and dismissal that'll go by the wayside. Truth be told, there are some whom I internally writhe when being forced by etiquette to shake their hands, while with others, it doesn't bother me a bit, and in fact I oft times find it pleasurable. Irregardless, don't be surprised in the coming years, to find yourselves considering it a bit odd when seeing people extending handshakes.
A young gentleman whom I've known for about five years, stopped by my office with his young tyke. As much as he's talked about him, today was the first time I've seen him since he was born over two years ago. What a cutie! I kept asking the little man, "Where did you get those big blue eyes and rosy cheeks?", and every time I asked, he'd give me a big smile and squeeze his daddy's arm all the more. Since I know the parents well enough, there's no doubt they'll do an excellent job of rearing him to adulthood. After getting a good look at him, I said to his father, "His looks are definitely a blend of the two of you because I don't see a sharp likeness of the either in him." He laughed and said, "Yeah, it's funny because some people say he looks like me, and others saying he looks like my wife." How many times have we all heard that before?
When just now looking at my appointment calendar, I'd say my weekend is booked solid, which is going to make for an extended work week for me. I won't be complaining as long as it's a productive one, because there've been past weekends spent showing homes to buyers which didn't amount to much, because they were either casual lookers, or others with over-priced homes to sell. In this market, all buyers had better be pre-approved and ready to buy a home that fits their needs, because more sooner than later, it'll be sold. I still can't imagine what's going to happen over in Clear Lake once our market slows down because there's been some radical spikes in their selling prices.
Believe it or not, I noticed several Japanese beetles munching on some flowers in the Downtown today, which is telling us they're everywhere. I do hope our residents are taking active steps to stop their breedings by trapping them, because if they're not, we're going to have one heck of a lot more next year. I'm just glad I don't have rose bushes because their leaves must be a sort of candy for them. As if growing beautiful roses isn't hard enough, we now have those devils creating all the more problems for them. I'll have to look and see what the lifecycle is of the Japanese beetle, just so I'll not be fretting over them until our first frost arrives. I've noticed them breeding, so hopefully the females die after they lay their eggs. We'll see.
I'm sure you read the recent news about people in our Country getting seeds sent to them from China which they didn't order. I guess it's causing quite the stir which is warranted because we don't need any more invasive plants growing here. This craziness must end.
Tonight's one-liner is: We must all eat to live; not live to eat.
original post ... https://niowarealty.net/life/2020/07/30/not-live-to-eat/