S Emo

We had a luncheon at our office this week and I supplied a fabulous pizza - YUM YUM (if I do say so myself!) Especially good for those of you who have outgrown the traditional pizza combos! We ate mine far too quickly to capture it on film so this is a reasonable facsimile :0) I melted my cheese more and the onions weren't so caramelized but other than that - Yum!

[I doubled this recipe but kept the blue cheese at only 8 oz and it was more than enough so feel free to cut it in half. The doubled amount made 2 cookie sheets of pizza that I cut in triangles]

(if you don't love blue cheese as I do, goat cheese is gorgeous with it too!)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 pounds yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 large sweet apple, peeled and cut into thin wedges
Coarse salt
All-purpose flour
3/4 pound store-bought or homemade pizza dough (I make mine in my bread machine)
8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over low heat. Add the onions, cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring frequently until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Stir in the apple, season with salt and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 14-inch round. Transfer the dough to a large baking sheet and brush the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Scatter the caramelized onion-apple mixture over the top, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Scatter the cheese and nuts on top. Bake on the lowest rack in the oven until the crust is crisp and the cheese has melted, 12 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy !

Susan Emo, Salesperson, RE/MAX Riverview Realty Ltd - Brokerage

613 382 2211

~Susan Emo, Kingsotn,Gananoque, 1000 Islands, Ontario~

Are you like me and the 'New Year' begins the first Tuesday after Labour Day? TOMORROW!!!!

It's a brand new school year and the fever hits me every time unlike when I was a child, and I dreaded having to say goodbye to my fun-filled summer. I get so excited and invigorated just thinking about it now. The adrenaline is flowing and I'm actually excited about going to buy new pens, markers, folders, etc. How sad is that? And don't get me started about getting that new fall wardrobe!!!! Whoo Hooo!

I did mention that I do not have children? I guess that eliminates the stress a parent must feel when getting them back into routines and I don't get the moaning and groaning that we gave to my parents - tee hee. My Mother was wrong when she said 'wait til you have children'!!

I have found that I do much more business in September and October than I do in July and August. Don't get me wrong, I've been busy the past couple of months but there is just something about the autumn that gets to me and many many others.

It is almost like an electricity in the air that jump starts everyone after a long, hot, hazy and humid summer that slowed everyone down to slug speed. If it could be put off til tomorrow, it was. And this year was worse than most, weather-wise.

I am heading out to the shops this afternoon and I am getting all new 'school supplies' . . . paper, coloured markers, hi-liters, white out, folders, files, notepad, poster board and maybe even a new briefcase/computercase/portfolio/carrier bag.

I am even cleaning out up my two offices - I've been quite lazy in putting things away and instead of become the master of piling! I want to start Tuesday with a clean desk, fresh new calender, new goal poster (most important) I am even going to write a "What I did during the Summer" essay!!!! [Stay tuned for that post my friends!]

I'm looking forward to a nice long weekend but I'm more excited about starting the final quarter our year on Tuesday even tho Sept 1st was this week! Are you like me?

Susan Emo, Salesperson, RE/MAX Riverview Realty Ltd. Brokerage
Kingston,Gananoque, 1000 Islands Region, Ontario

613-382-2211

Kingston, Gananoque, 1000 Islands Region

It is tomato season again here in Canada and I would like to make some tasty salsa to save for the winter months when tomatoes have all the flavour of wood!

Do you have a tasty recipe you could share? Or possibly you have a chili sauce or spaghetti sauce recipe you would be kind enough to pass on?

Thanks,

Susan Emo
Sales Representative, RE/MAX Riverview Realty Ltd. - Brokerage

613 382-2211

BODY PARTS GO MISSING

GANANOQUE, ONTARIO: Organ Thieves

"You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves. Well....

My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick. The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine?

"You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves. Well....

My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago.

I went to sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick.

The replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine?

I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans. And then the thieves struck again.

My butt was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear-end to the thighs they had stuck me with earlier. But my new butt was attached at least three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favor of long skirts.

Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was fixing my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper arm swing to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush. This was really getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a time. What could they do to me next?

When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey neck, I decided to tell my story. Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee! Those 'plastic' surgeons are using REAL replacement body parts -stolen from you and me! The next time someone you know has something 'lifted', look again - was it lifted from you?

THIS IS NOT A HOAX. This is happening to women everywhere every night. WARN YOUR FRIENDS!

P. S. Last year I thought someone had stolen my Boobs. I was lying in bed and they were gone! But when I jumped out of bed, I was relieved to see that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them hidden in my waistband"

~author unknown

** more comments can be see at Susan Emo/ Gananoque/ Leeds County

TOUR GUIDE OR REALTOR??

There are days when I feel the public just doesn't understand what we do or why we do it. From the people who just want to tour Open Houses to the ones that can't grasp the concept of a Buyer's Representation Agreement.

Of course we love nothing more than to spend hours showing people through listing after listing to have them decide they're just not ready or worse, go back to their brother-in-law or Auntie to prepare an offer for them. NOT! If I never hear the words "we want to sleep on it" again, I'll die a happy woman! You know exactly what will happen the next morning when you call . . .

"Congratulate us, we just put in an offer on that ranch you showed us yesterday! Isn't that exciting!!!??!!"

Why yes, "exciting" is exactly the word I was thinking of! Now don't get me wrong . . . I know there are personality types that need to think things thru and are unable to make a quick decision. I am not referring to those special few.

I'm talking about the ones I used to have that just loved the pleasure of my company for hours on end. I would find them exactly what they wanted and then find out they had Auntie Agent draw up an offer or worse, the listing agent draw up an offer for them. AFTER having the process explained to them over and over, in many different ways, I would cringe to hear them say, "oh were we not supposed to do that?"

Please note I said "used to". No more! I am the one agent locally who will not allow anyone to infringe on my time any longer without signing a Buyer's Rep Agreement. Now in saying this, I will tell you I have had a few 'Buyers' walk away from me but that only confirms my belief - they had no intention of buying thru me in the first place and I saved some precious time - mine! I can see absolutely no reason for a Buyer to not sign something that can only protect them unless they plan to provide someone else with the commission from their purchase.

In our part of the world, we have many agents from communities close by who advise their clients to have us, the local agents, show them thru the homes and to provide them with all the local information, only to have them run back to them to draw up the offer. It has happened over and over again. I honestly believe that the Buyer is totally unaware of what they are doing to us. I've even had cards sent to me thanking me for being 'nice enough to help them find their new home'!!

We can not be seen to negatively comment on another realtor can we? It would be me taken before our Ethics committee!

I now go to great lengths to fully explain our business to prospective purchasers. We do what we do with an expectation of compensation at the end of it, regardless of how long it takes to find their perfect place. They need to know this. I swear many believe we do this as a hobby or out of the goodness of our heart! I let them know that I will help them find their next home in many different ways and I provide them with a Buyer´s Package (thanks to Rick DeLuca and his Idea Club) to increase my credibility and show my competence. As he says, "It makes the process of buying a home MUCH MORE SERIOUS." Some of his quotes that I now use faithfully, are below:

"If we find a home today that fits all your needs, are you in a position to make the decision whether to buy it?"

Get them pre-qualified to determine their motivation. (Only appropriate in mid to low price ranges)

Home Buying Process ? explain how home purchases take place in your market area vs. the market they may be moving from. It is amazing how different they can be!

I now make sure they know the following: (I never assume)

"Whether You Find A Home By: ads, word of mouth, signs, Open House, Internet, I CAN SELL ANY OF THEM TO YOU!"

Explain to them the "How I Work For You" flyer that is in their package:

HOW I WORK FOR YOU

1. Tell me your most important considerations in selecting a home.

2. I will search for homes by...

Reading all ads of homes for sale

Checking homes on the Internet

Driving through selected neighbourhoods

Calling for sale by owners

Contacting expired listings - when permitted

Checking my company listings

Searching other real estate office's exclusive listings

3. I will be glad to make appointments to show you those that interest you.

or

Give you the address and you drive by to check the area and exterior. You call me if you would like to look inside.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

I absolutely ask them for the 3 most important things a home absolutely must have in order to even consider living in it.

I'm not too interested in their entire wishlist at this point. I need to khow the short answer. When I give them the address and they don´t drive by within 24 hours, they are not very motivated. They are no longer my top priority!

Hopefully, this is what seperates me as a professional Realtor from a Tour Guide!