Dedra Lipscomb Daphne and Fairhope, AL Real Estate

What a lovely cottage located on approximately 1.9 acres. This cottage is a rare find in Silverhill, and has been updated and cared for meticulously by its owners. Once inside you will find two full bedrooms, two baths, a sleeping loft, den and garden room with dining area.

Dressed up like a storybook cottage

Warm den with a pot bellied stove and split brick floors

Lovely, roomy updated kitchen

Beautiful land, a lovely escape from the world

This home is located on a dead end street, almost at the end. There is quiet and serenity awaiting you here in this little cottage paradise.

Busy, busy, busy, that's where. I have had tons of Real Estate work to do since my return from the field trip early this month. And on the way home, I picked up my new little foster family. Since they are growing, I am beginning to have some extra moments, once again, so I though this would be a good time to introduce them to the world. They have taken all and then some, of my mornings, lunches and evenings, but they are well worth it. They are rescue kittens with their mother, who is a very, very good mother. For at least four weeks, I walked with her saying, "Please take me to the babies. Please show me the babies. Where are those babies?" And then, she brought us the babies.

Without further ado, meet Angel-Baby, who finally, finally brought her babies to us to care for.

What a sweet cat this is. She is calm and quiet, and grateful. She loves her new digs.

This is Crinkle on the left and Silverado on the right. Sweet kittens, they are, but are afraid of real quick movements, still. They are getting there. Just this morning Silverado climbed my leg...granted she was after a little green mouse I was holding, but still - progress is progress. Crinkle, well Crinkle is a big boy, but a scaredy cat. All that girth and no...., well, backbone. Yes, that's it, backbone. He's coming around.

This is E.F. Kitten. Because, when E.F. Kitten talks, everybody listens. Most likely to get into trouble. Most likely to cuddle up to me, too.

And finally, we have Piper. What an adorable little minx Piper is. Piper is most likely to find the teeniest, tiniest hiding place in the world.

Even though, given my druthers, I would not encounter kitty litter first thing in the morning, it has been such a heartwarming adventure to foster this precious family. Now that they are older, I am beginning to have more spare time, more time to come home to Active Rain.

And I know, I owe you all pictures of DeSoto Falls. I'm getting there. In the meantime, between Real Estate and fostering, my times is still a little limited. (See above!)

So Saturday morning, we left Birmingham for Gadsden, Alabama, in search of an early morning stop to watch the Alabama Football game with an 11:30(ish) kickoff. We found a delightful eatery in downtown Gadsden, with no less than 10 television screens, and a great menu. Lunch, football and a great crowd at Jefferson's, right smack dab in the middle of Historic Downtown Gadsden. We were pleasantly surprised to find this gem of a town, as neither of us had been anywhere near Gadsden in 30 years or more. We left there about midway through the 3rd quarter, as we had serious sightseeing to do.

We headed northwest toward Guntersville, one of our true destinations on this field trip. Then we drove the western edge of the Lake to Scottsboro. We didn't spend a lot of time, as this was truly a road trip/field trip, so I have some photos, but not nearly as many as I will have when we go back. And go back to spend time, we will. The Guntersville/Gadsden areas are a surprisingly scenic destination, with so many leisure and cultural activities to choose from, it is definitely worth a visit.

Enjoy these photos of the Guntersville Lake area.

From the town's edge looking east

Homes and boathouses on the eastern shore of the lake

Sailboats in the distance

The bridge heading north on the road which we will travel to Scottsboro before turning east again.

We found these lots for sale on a small cul-de-sac of six lots which overlook the North end of the lake and the Tennessee River. This really must be the very best view on the entire eastern shore of the Lake. Notice the stones just under the soil. I don't what kind of rock this is, but it is everywhere.

Breathtaking. Truly. Looking southwest.

Looking West.

Looking northwest.

Large stones at the edge of the land overlook the river and the lake. There is a tugboat and barge coming up the river.

Just a spectacular drive and views are breathtaking at every turn. Next up - Desoto Falls.

Many times, consumers get confused when they call to see a house, and all they want to do is see the house, When an Agent shows up with a piece of paper explaining Agency Laws and Consumer choices in the matter, they will often balk, and refuse to sign anything. There is a difference between the RECAD Form and an Agency Agreement, and it pays to know the difference. Generally, the RECAD Form is nothing more than an acknowledgment that the Agent informed the Consumer of the Agency Laws in the State of Alabama, and it will be in the RECAD file when the Real Estate Commission comes calling to do an audit. All agents are required by law to do this first, even if the Consumer never becomes a client. They remain a customer until such time as Agency is established. The differences between customer and clients relations is for another day.

The State of Alabama requires Agents showing property, listing property for sale, or representing a buyer in a transaction, to explain Real Estate Agency to all parties involved. While it is not required to agree to or sign any type of agency relationship document at this point, there is a document that should be signed once the Agency rules are explained. For simplicity's sake, most of us refer to this as RECAD - Real Estate Consumer Agency Disclosure. This form is simply an acknowledgment that Agency was explained to the Consumer.

In Alabama there are three types of Agency relationship that an Agent and Client may enter into. Single Agency, Limited Consensual Dual Agency and Transaction Broker.

First, Single Agency means that the Agent/Brokerage Firm represents one party in a transaction. The party may be either a buyer or seller, but not both. The Agency relationship is created when the Exclusive Right To Sell a listing or a Buyer's Agency Agreement is entered into. Whether Buyer or Seller, the Agent/Brokerage Firm only represents one party to a transaction in Single Agency.

Next, is Limited Consensual Dual Agency. As it states, it is an agreement in which all parties to a transaction consent to representation by an Agent/Brokerage Firm. It is a limited agreement, because the Agent at this point is limited in the Actions he or she may perform. All fiduciary responsibilities remain the same, but other abilities of an Agent are limited at this point for both parties. For example, Buyer and Seller are negotiating the price of the property. Buyer makes an offer through the Agent, and has confided to the Agent that this is not their best offer. Agent presents the offer to the Seller, but under no circumstances is the Agent allowed to convey that this is not the potential Buyer's best offer. That confidence must be kept. The reverse is also true. As the listing Agent, there may have been a conversation about price wherein the Seller has confided to the Agent that they will accept X amount as their lowest selling price. In Limited Consensual Dual Agency, the Agent may never indicate in any way to the potential Buyer that the Seller will consider a lower offer based on the previous conversation.

Finally there is Transaction Broker. A Transaction Broker is simply a party to the transaction as a paper pusher. The Transaction Broker will often be working with For Sale By Owners to assist in the paperwork required to get a deal to closing and may be assisting in other requirement of the transaction. Often, people who have participated is lots of Real Estate Transactions prefer to do their own negotiating, but don't want to deal with the details of getting a transaction to closing. That's where a Real Estate Professional can step in and work the deal strictly from the paperwork position.

Once your Agent has explained all these Agency Relationships to you, they should have a Form ready for you to sign. All that form is is an acknowledgment that you were given an explanation of the Agency Laws. You don't have to sign it, but we are required to keep them in our files and it is nice to not have every single one say, "consumer refused to sign." If your Agent did not provide you with one, you should ask where it is. And don't be afraid to sign it.

A Mosaic is a complete picture composed of many, many individual pieces of material. The economy is the financial picture of our nation, composed of many, many individual parts. The Real Estate industry is a huge portion, a huge piece of that economic picture.

In the first article, we looked at the agent and the brokerage firm as a piece of the real estate transaction. But the picture isn't complete if you stop there. Once a transaction has begun, there are several interests that get a work order. A home inspection is ordered. The Title Company, (in my state, this could be an attorney's office or a Title company with an attorney on staff), receives an order. And a lender receives a request for a loan application. These three businesses are put back to work within 24 hours of a contract having been accepted.

The Home inspectors are either individuals self-employed or are franchised inspection firms. Either way, that one job order contributes to the doors staying open a bit longer. The inspector receives a fee, pays his or her bills, and salary, and contributes right back to the economy by staying in business.

The Title company or Attorney's office received a work order and an entire staff continues to be employed. Overhead is paid out, taxes and salaries are paid and the economic cog does not lock up when these businesses stay open.

A Loan is applied for. Another business remains afloat. Overhead and salaries and taxes are paid into the economic grind. There is potential to earn interest on a new loan. There are underwriters and loan officers who are still employed, because of the real estate transaction that is taking place.

This one transaction, repeated across the nation, is fertilizer for economic recovery. It isn't just a sold house, or a piece of land sold, or a commercial property leased. It is one small piece of the economic recovery process and Real Estate is integral to that recovery. Real Estate isn't the complete mosaic of our economy, but it might just be the primary colors in the mosaic.