My Mother is a flower freak! A day without flowers, is like a day without sunshine!
This is a very barren time of year in Roanoke, Virginia. Her orchids have stopped blooming. The hyacinths I gave her are bloomed out!
We had a very nasty, very cold winter, but just had our first snow last Sunday. Mom, who is 88 3/4, has been very depressed! She couldn't get out.
She was able to get out on her own for a couple of days. That made her happy, but the flowers!!!!
Here is a picture of my Mom and Rick, my significant other, at Virginia Safari, an animal drive through park, close to Roanoke.
We have so many flowers in our yard, but the bloom time is a month or so away!
Today, I picked up a pot of tulips in bud for her. She said that I needed to save my money!
Seven bucks made her VERY HAPPY! I didn't even have to buy her a card!
Bad News Travels Fast!
No News is Good News!
We need to spread the good news about the tax credit to both buyers and sellers!
I held an open house at one of my listings Sunday. It was the first snowfall of the year! I expected to be the Maytag Repairman. Much to my amazement, 12 groups came through during a 2 hour open house! The roads were covered with snow. I tried to sneak out early. Driving in the snow scares me. Two more couples showed up.
I came armed with a hand-out on the tax credit.Some people knew about it, but didn't know the details. Some were unaware of it. One lady said, "I will believe it, when I see it!". They all took a copy of the flier.
We all need to take a pro-active stance on letting people know about it!
(P.S. I closed on a sale last week. After closing I discussed the credit with my buyers. The information on the credit was a real benefit to them. There income will exceed $150,000 next year. Now they can file this year and have money toward a kitchen remodel!)
My significant other just had a physical. His two brothers and an uncle all have prostate cancer. It scared him! Great news is that his prostate is fine, but he has type 2 diabetes.
He will be tested again, but he knows that he will have to totally change his eating habits.
I have been Googling diabetes diets. They are very strict!
Do any of you have suggestions on a way to make it less strenuous?
Could he have a bit of ice cream once a week? Beef Stroganoff with noodles, once a week?
I would really appreciate all input! He can be very stoic! Stoics are a pain in the assets to their women!
Thanks for your help!
Barbara
This is a closeup of a letter box in a circa 1898 house in Old Southwest, Roanoke's Premier Historic District!This box allows letters and other documents to go directly into the foyer of the home. It it was built into the front door. I took this photo and used it in all my promo's on the property. Please feel free to use without permission!
"Eliminate the negative! Latch on to the affirmative, and look out for Mr. In-Between! " A paraphrase from an old Johnny Mercer song!
Yes, things are tough! But the light at the end of the tunnel has been re-kindled!
Rates are great! Prices are low! There are buyers out there who actually have decent credit, income, and may even have a down payment! There are programs out there that can help all these people, even if they are marginal--FHA, VA, USDA, and others that may be regional. Plus, we have the first time buyer credit!!!
Buyers and Sellers are afraid! All the gloom and doom of the media have terrified them! Real estate is local! What is happening in Roanoke Virginia doesn't relate to Manassas, Virginia! We didn't have the crazy appreciation, nor are we having crazy depreciation!
There are actually sellers out there, who are not upside down! They were conservative and still have a lot of equity!
The pool of buyers and sellers has diminished! Now you have to be a good fisherman to find an edible fish! Concentrate on those who CAN!
It will take more work than before. For quite a few years a buyer could get a loan, if a lender put a mirror under their nose and the mirror fogged up! A friendly agent could make a lot of money and still be clueless!
That is gone--Thank Goodness! Now, we need to go back to more old-fashioned ways of doing business. Marginal buyers can still make it, if they work hard enough! There are sellers who can afford to both buy and sell!
Agents can make this happen, but it takes more work! It also takes knowledge.
There is another song that comes to mind. It was called "High Hopes!" I think it was Sinatra and Ron Howard!
Here is the ram!
Here is the dam!
I am not going to check the lyrics on this, but I think it said something to the effect of this. "Once there was a silly old ram--thought he'd poke a hole in the dam. No one could make that ram, scram--he just kept butting that dam! Cause he had high hopes! He had high hopes! He had high apple pie in the sky hopes! Life is just a toy balloon..." That is all I can remember about the song without researching it.
All I can remember!
This is the bottom line. If you are a buyer with stable income and you don't have a terrible credit history, you can buy! If not today, sometime soon! You just need to check things out! Rates are great and there are lots of different programs! Don't just give up, if one person tells you, "No!"
I send this message to buyers, sellers and real estate agents: Don't give up! If one person tells you, "No". it doesn't mean that all will. Be persistent and persevere!
Sincerely,
Barbara
Barbara has been selling homes in Roanoke, VA. and surrounding counties in Virginia for over 27 years. Her special love is Historic Homes. Barbara gives special attention to both buyers and sellers!
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