Rhode Island Realtor ~ Karen Hurst ~ www.stonehurstrealty.com

No this is not a photo of the short sale.

This sale was a great duplex in West Warwick, RI with an inground swimming pool!

Helping people get out from under their upside down mortgages, does make you feel good, even though it is a ton of work!

Waiting, negotiating, waiting, waiting, more negotiating...There are so many ups and downs in a short sale, on both sides that it really takes its toll on a Realtor, the Sellers and the Buyers!

When all is said and done, you know that the best scenario has just happened.

In this particular case, I showed this to a potential buyer on a Sunday back in April. He was studying to be a Realtor and had already begun an internship with another Broker. He definitely wanted this house! And he was ready to put in an offer.

He was a young, first time buyer and this was a short sale. I already knew it was going to be a long drawn out affair and that he would need some hand holding, so I told him to call his Broker and then come back and look at the house again. Well, he did and this week we closed on it.

My Seller no longer has to worry about being shadowed because of a foreclosure. Yes, it was sad to lose the house but they are now safely in another place and managed to get through losing it without a major amount of trauma.

The buyer is now the happy owner of a duplex!! And the bank, well, let's just say they don't have to worry about it anymore.

This was a win/win situation. I can't say I like Short Sales, but I promise to do them well!

I guess I am feeling the need to write a post on the last day of 2011. I am not even sure what I want to say but there is definitely something in the air at the end of a year that makes one a little nostalgic.

2011 has not been the best year I can remember and I am not nostalgic about seeing it go. I noticed in New York they had a "good riddance" day for 2011 and I wish I had attended.

Real Estate wise, this has been probably the busiest year I have had. And while I suppose this should be a good thing, I find that I have been so immersed in Real Estate that the rest of my life has actually suffered a great deal. And to top it all off, busy does not necessarily equal prosperous!!

I chose this photo "save the dunes" for this post because I am trying to convey a little year end message, not only to you, but to myself!

The dunes at a beach (this particular one is Green Hill beach in South Kingstown) are something that we simply "expect" to be there all the time. The fact is that they are "washing away" daily and if left unprotected, they will simply be gone. Of course everyone knows what will happen next, the ocean being the way it is, will simply overtake what was once a glorious place to be!

Well, as in life, if we don't "save the dunes", life will simply swallow up the important and most memorable parts of our lives. As corny as it may sound, or seem, those everyday things are what makes us who we are and what keeps us feeling "normal". Without the dunes, we are helpless against the tide!

Yes, I tend to go nautical when I write. I just can't help it, being from the Ocean State, but I do like to repeat the quote "you can't change the tide, but you can adjust the sails"

Here's a heartfelt wish for all my AR and FB and Twitter friends, and my offline friends:) as well.

May 2012 and beyond be your "save the dunes" year. Peace is by far the most important feeling you can achieve and I sincerely wish that for all of you.

Are you thinking of living in Warwick Neck, Rhode Island?

Warwick, Rhode Island was settled in 1642. It was considered the first white settlement (meaning other than Indians) on the western side of the Narragansett Bay. Originally it was named Shawomet which means a spring, but then it was changed to Warwick, in honor of the Earl of Warwick. Now, Warwick consists of many villages, one of which has an area called Shawomet, in Conimicut. As you may have guessed, most of Rhode Island names were originally Indian! The main tribe was the Cowesetts who were a part of the Narragansetts.

Warwick Neck is yet another village of Warwick, Rhode Island. It looks like a very wide peninsula, surrounded on three sides by Narragansett Bay. On one side of the neck is home to Warwick Cove which consists of loads of marinas. By boat, coming into the Cove you can see the Warwick Neck Country Club where weddings are held. It has a private membership which includes dining, tennis, golf and much more and is by invitation and sponsor only. A little further up the Cove and still on Warwick Neck is the Seaview Country club sitting right behind Harbor Lights Marina.

The tip of Warwick Neck is the Warwick Neck lighthouse, which is currently occupied by a Coast Guard family. This website has a very good description of the history of the Lighthouse. Directly to the right of the Lighthouse is Briarcliffe Ave, a waterfront neighborhood, which ends with a farm, named Camelot! There are still sheep being raised there and it sits on the Western side of the neck giving it incredible views of the Bay.

Maxwell Mays a famous Rhode Island artist had a home in Warwick Neck which was just recently on the market. I recently got to show one of my buyers this home, and as I love history and art, this was a definite high point for me. One could almost picture Mr. Mays painting here. He owned several homes throughout Rhode Island. I am guessing he used them as muses.

The Aldrich Mansion has a wonderful history. It is said that Nelson Aldrich was "kicked out" of Newport Rhode Island's well to do summer mansion colony and he built what was originally known as "Indian Oaks", now Aldrich Mansion. Weddings are held there now but it is famous for its beautiful marble staircase. There was also some type of Underground Railroad leading from the Great Tower at one time. One can see straight down Narragansett Bay, across to Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and several bridges from the Mansion,

There are so many things to write about Warwick Neck, and Rocky Point Amusement Park, would have to be included, although it is closed now. It was one of the major attractions for years, but started out as a small camp site in the 1850's.

Warwick Neck has an ambiance that is hard to describe. It consists of many historical homes that have been in the family for generations and many newer luxury homes. The history of Warwick Neck lends to its charm and the affluent residents try to keep it as private as possible. This is where you want to live. It is not a place to ride around in, as every road leads to the water and is pretty much set up as private.

There are several homes on the market right now in Warwick Neck, but they do not stay on the market for long, even in this latest economy due to the exclusivity, and approximation to the Bay. The range starts at around $400,000 and waterfront is listed up to $3,000,000.

The other day I took a photo of a Stone home that I really like in Warwick Neck, because I always thought it would be a nice office space for Stonehurst Realty. Both photos came out with Rainbows so I could not use them in this post.

Okay, this photo has absolutely nothing to do with the topic. I just liked it. I took this in Warwick Neck for a blog post that I am doing.

My question is to Realtors and to Buyers. I had a Buyer call me on one of my listings. Actually he found me on Zillow!!

He is fully qualified and is a first time homebuyer.

The listing he had called on had already been at highest and best and we were not taking any more offers.

I asked if he was working with a Realtor and he said that he has spoken to several Realtors and they ALL just want to send him emails of houses that he can already find himself on the Internet.

He then asked if I had anything different from those other Realtors to send him. I said not really, except that had I been working with him, I would definitely have called him regarding THIS house that he missed because those other Realtors are just sending emails. He also said that those Realtors did not inform him of THIS house!

We left it that if I have something I think he would like, I am to call him.

My question to other Realtors is "What would you have said"? I have not really figured out how to tell someone that I am not like other Realtors. That I would definitely have followed up when the perfect house for him showed up. That I would have actually represented him.

My question to Buyers is "What would you rather I have said that would make you want to work with me"?

This may sound like a strange question, but at what point does it sound like you are tooting your own horn?

Realtors do NOT have a good track record in the general public. I feel like I am fighting to defend my honor all the time.

*note this post is for the general public. My question is to anyone who has any anwers"

On first day of spring, we took a ride along Rhode Island's coast once again. I love going in the spring because we get to see so many beaches without all the summer crowds.

We decided to ride up to Misquamicut Beach and then lazily travel back torwards Charlestown, RI.

After riding by the Atlantic Beach Park and many closed for the winter cottages and neat little restaurants, we headed over to Weekapaug. Watch Hill is just south of Weekapaug and we will take that trip on a warmer day.

If you ride by Spray Rock Road, (where this house is located) you come to a dirt road that takes you through a few private beaches. One is Shelter Harbor, Weekapaug Fire District, and the one I absolutely fell in love with, Quonoquonchaug Barrier Beach!

I have been to many beaches in my lifetime and living on the Coast of Rhode Island enables me to always be watching the sea, which is my favorite thing to do:) But, I have to say that this beach is the most perfect beach in Rhode Island. My husband was laughing at me as we walked along the waters edge and I kept exclaiming. "This is the perfect beach"! Even the stones are perfect, the smell, the air, the freedom, the emptiness" I cannot even begin to bring you there.

Because it is a private beach, about the only time you would be able to see it is in the winter months, but you really should make it a priority! Unless you are a resident or vacation renter, and you have a "button", you will not be allowed to park in the quaint little parking lot overlooking Quonoquonchaug Pond.

I picked up "the perfect stone" and took it home with me. What better way to celebrate the Spring Equinox after the Super Moon! I promised to return the stone in 20 years, back to the most beautiful place I have ever been priviliged to be.

It's going to be tough to find another beach in RI to beat this one, but I am going to continue to blog about the beaches along the Rhode Island Coast.

If you think you would like to live in Weekapaug, the houses range from $400,000 to a few million. Most of the roads are private in Weekapaug, only to residents and guests. Many of the homes have the same families throughout generations and many of the rentals are similar in that respect.

If you are looking for the quintessential ocean neighborhood, then Weekapaug would be it.

Don't forget, I am also a Buyers Rep and can take you on a tour of any of these homes that are on the market if you should decide to come to Rhode Island and enjoy our Coastal heritage!

I wrote this blog for Ocean Home Magazine and it is also included on my Rhode Island Coast blog.