Sherry Lee Cox, REALTOR(R)/ Broker/ Certified Foreclosure Specialist/ePRO

This past weekend, my husband, myself and our two Jack Russell Terriers took a trip up to see family in Concord. We were there for a dinner to meet the agent I referred my parents to who sold their ranch property in Suisun on Friday, a family reunion on Saturday, and a trip to Gualala on the coast Sunday where my parents are considering buying vacant land for a place to park their trailer so they can "get away" from the city on occasion.

The dinner with my parents' agent and his wife turned out really nice. Both were really friendly, and the agent had a great sense of humor, so I can see why he got along with my parents so well. My parents' escrow turned out to be a bit of a nightmare, because there was a cloud on title, but the agent did a great job of navigating through it and trying to keep my parents calm during what turned out to be a 75-day escrow instead of 30.

The family reunion was a picnic on the foothills of Mt. Diablo, which is near our old stomping grounds. Good conversation, great food but lots of yellow jackets. They were more interested in the fried chicken than us, fortunately.

Lastly, Sunday was the trip to Gualala. The drive through Marin County and then up Highway 1 was beautiful, and we didn't run into much traffic. Highway 1, though, had lots of curves and cliffs, so it took us 3 hours to get there from Concord. We had my two Jack Russell Terriers in the car and my mother's poodle.

Her dog was an angel, as was my older dog, but the younger Jack "Jesse" howled most of the way on Highway 1 driving us all a little crazy. All I can figure is that she wasn't enjoying the rock-and-roll of the car on the turns.

We looked at a few properties in Gualala that didn't quite fit the bill, had lunch outdoors at a nice restaurant in Anchor Bay and then came home. We wanted to take a different route home in the hopes that my dog would settle down, but when we asked the waitress, she said, "Believe me... Go back the way you came." I guess the other route is even more windy. This time we hit a ton of traffic in Marin County. Bumper to Bumper... By the time we got back to my parents' home, it had been 11 hours since we started our adventure. Needless to say, we were all exhausted...

Monday morning we started our trip home. Thankfully, no traffic as we left around 11:00 am. When we reached the oil rigs north of San Miguel, we breathed a sigh of relief... 30 miles to go, and we'll be back home in Paso Robles... No more heavy traffic, peace & quiet, no more hordes of people... Hallelujah! It's so good to be home:)

The 17-day contingency period is a very important protection for the buyer. Activities during this period may include obtaining a loan, reviewing disclosures, an appraisal, desired inspections and any other matters that may affect the purchase. Allowing the buyer this inspection period helps to insure that the buyer will be happy with his/her purchase and hopefully will not feel inclined to sue anyone after close of escrow.

During this 17-day period, the buyer has the right to cancel the contract and receive back the deposit. The contract does not require a reason to be given for the cancellation. In fact, it is probably best not to give a reason. You can simply use CAR's (California Association of REALTORS) Cancellation of Contract to cancel the agreement.

If the buyer fails to remove contingencies in writing, the seller may have the right to cancel. However, before cancelling, the seller must serve the buyer with CAR's Notice to Buyer to Perform up to two days before the 17-day contingency period ends.

Once the buyer has been served with this document, the buyer has 24 hours to remove contingencies, or the seller may cancel. Remember, though, that if the seller cancels the contract after serving the above document to the buyer, the agreement requires that the deposit go back to the buyer.

One common mistake made by sellers is when they are completing repairs requested by the buyer. Before agreeing to making repairs, it is best to require that the buyer remove any contingencies. Otherwise, the seller may make the repairs at great expense only to have the buyer cancel and then have the deposit returned to the buyer.

If you have any real estate questions or general questions about San Luis Obispo North County, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.

Hi All!

My mother and step-father have just sold their 100+ acre ranch, moved back to the city in the SF Bay Area, and are looking for a lot 1/2 acre+ , 1 acre or more preferred, in either the mountains or near the ocean in California with a river nearby, but must have trees and a little privacy. Their desire is to be able to park their trailer for a weekend or a month at a time and enjoy the outdoors, so probably no CC&R's. Lot should be within a 4-hour drive of SF Bay Area.

Water and electricity not a must, but a well-maintained road is desired. Manufactured home okay, too, as long as it is on owned land with no monthly fees, minimum of 2 bed/1bath. Maximum list price of $225,000. Please contact me if you have any listings that fit this criteria. Step-father is avid hunter and fisherman, so you probably know what he is looking for... Serious buyers, so worth the effort!

Look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your time!

Sherry Lee Cox

Realtor/Broker Associate, ePro, SRES

Keller Williams Realty North County

If you have a property for sale that meets this criteria, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.

By way of a little history, the 17 years before getting involved in Real Estate were spent deposition reporting and 5 years as the owner of a deposition reporting service, which is still in existence today.

After my husband retired, I had the opportunity to stay home for 4 years and enjoy our new ranch, but being on a fixed income, I knew the time would come when I would have to go back to work. That came sooner than later...

I decided to go into lending. That was a fairly good income during the heavy refinance period but slowed way down after about 3 years, and when my last broker decided to close their doors, that's when I knew I needed to find a new career.

What to do now? Well, why not sell real estate? Right out of the frying pan and into the fire... Doesn't look hard, you make a lot of money (ha-ha) and you don't have to go to school long to get the license. After 36 months of full-time school to get my Certified Stenographic Reporter license in California, this seemed like a piece of cake. How was I to know that I was getting in just at the time the market was about to tank?

Well, long story short, I do very much enjoy listing, selling real estate and representing buyers. I enjoy my clients, and I am very confident in representing their best interests. I already had my broker license before I began selling real estate, but since the market has been slow in the last 2 years, I have spent my free time obtaining my ePro, SRES, notary license and next week ABR designations.

The lull in the market has also allowed me to complete many, many weekly trainings in our Keller Williams Realty Office. Truly, the training never ends with KW, and that has been very important during the lull times when I didn't have a transaction in process. Keeps me fresh on the ever-changing market, legal updates and correct real estate forms.

One thing that they don't teach in real estate school that I think is very important is how much it costs to actually succeed in real estate. I know, some people will say you don't need money to get launched in this business, but I beg to differ. This is probably one of the reasons so many new licensees fail in the first year. Not only do you have to survive for a long period of time with no income; having all of the bells and whistles that listing prospects expect (800 Call Capture, Visual Tour, Top Producer, Home Feedback.com, etc.) costs an astounding amount of money. Add to that marketing, and you have a financial burden that is hard to maintain, even if you are doing fairly well in the business; never mind gas prices, auto maintenance, medical insurance, car insurance, office supplies - I could go on and on. You know what I am talking about...

When I first started selling real estate, my husband called my job "HGTV Live." Could have killed my husband of 30 years!?!? He had the same impression as most of the public of real estate agents being equivalent to car salesmen. Not to put them down, by the way... We all strive to make a living...

Well, he has developed some respect! Knowing the long hours I work, the cost of maintaining my business, the continuous training hours I put in, and the phone calls to ease the minds of clients in escrow, has taken his opinion of real estate agents from HGTV Live to one of a business professional. Now, I know that doesn't apply to all agents, but for those of us who take our business seriously, we truly are professionals in every sense of the word.

If you have any real estate questions or general questions about San Luis Obispo North County, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.

The grand opening of Two Little Birds Bakery in Paso Robles took place on Friday. The bakery is conveniently located at 1210 Park Street near the city park. Lauren Galena is the proud owner and plans to offer homemade goodies from baked goods to cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies, breads to muffins, croissants and cinnamon rolls. In addition, the bakery will offer Joebella Coffee, expresso and blended expresso drinks. A big welcome Two Little Birds! I bet this bakery is going to be a real hit with the locals and tourists. Can't wait to try the cinnamon rolls...

If you have any real estate questions or general questions about San Luis Obispo North County, please contact me via email, call me at (805) 235-0234 or visit my website for more information.