Setting Goals.

Why setting goal is so important in our life?  From Supplement Expert's blog:

On the best sunny day, the most powerful magnifying glass will not light paper if you keep moving the glass. But if you focus and hold it, the paper will light up. That is the power of concentr...ation.

A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, "Where does this road take me?" The elderly person asked, "Where do you want to go?" The man replied, "I don't know." The elderly person said, "Then take any road. What difference does it make?"

How true. When we don't know where we are going, any road will take us there.

Suppose you have all the eleven soccer players, enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?

Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals?

RADON causes LUNG CANCER.

We had a speaker this morning at our office who is a termite inspector, building inspector and Radon inspector.  He got his training on Radon in Colorado where it's a real problem due to the mountains and basements.  He says after learning what he did, he thinks it's well worth the cost to have your house tested, because it can be remediated if Radon is found, and if you have it and don't test, a loved one may end up with cancer.  YUCK!!

I'm concerned because I have a basement.  But he said that's what people think, that only basement's have this problem.  But he said actually any slab house is just as at risk.  He says he sees less in pier and beam homes if the foundation footing has adequate ventilation.  (Mine have been plugged up with spray on foam - I will get that removed.).

He said the newer the home, the more likely there is some radon because the new homes are built under such strict codes they are so air tight the gases build up and can't get out.  He said it is very important to periodically open the windows and let the gases go out of the house.  He says carpet is a bad thing too as it allows things to hide down in it and germs, etc. are still floating inside the house.  I open my bedroom window when I sleep when it's warm enough, but the rest of my house doesn't get much airing out.  After today, they will.

He had a new heater/air conditioner put in his office that has a certain type of light which kills germs, etc that goes through his filters.  He said the light bulb costs about $100 and it was probably several hundred to have it installed, but he said to keep everyone in his office well and working, it paid for itself.  His HVAC man was hesitant to do it, but he asked him "How much does each sickness cost once you go to doctor and get meds.  It will pay for itself in no time."  He is very pleased with his system.  I can't remember the kind of light he said, but I'll try and find out.

Here was something else he said that surprised me.  Remember, I'm not a "lover" of granite.  I prefer marble.  But he said that he can't put the testing equipment near granite counters as they give off Radon.  Good news is that it's not the poisonous kind of Radon, the "alive" Radon.  Frankly, I'd think any Radon would be bad.  I wouldn't want to take a chance, so I'll stick with my laminate counters and marble bath counters. 

He also said it's bad in sunken living areas, which my son has.  Other things wrong with that type of construction:  1.  As the foundation settles, the pipes under the sunken area get broken  2: and when they leak or break the water from those and the bathroom leaks in the wall between can cause termites to be drawn to your house.  YUCK, again. 

Well, I learned alot today about Radon, granite, sunken construction, termites, plumbing and other things, but the #1 thing he said.  If he had his way, builders would go back to building pier and beam homes.  I agree.  I love mine.

Gross Income Used For Mortgages??

Just read an interesting article about how GROSS income is not a good way to decide whether a person can afford a mortgage.  It brought to light the fact that bills people pay aren't even considered among those bills that get reported to credit agencies. 

For instance, the number one bill paid is car payment as that is how people get to work and it will get repossessed if not paid.  Then they have to have gas to run the car, and child care for their children while they are working.  See the point.  There are alot of non-credit agency type bills that will get paid before the house.  The house gets paid if everything else gets paid first.

I'd never thought of it that way as I'm old school, and I budget the house payment first.  I have a real "fear" of living on the street as the little old "bag lady".  So that's the first thing I get paid each month.  Maybe I'm weird, if this is not the way most people do it. 

Read another great article recently from an investment firm who said be sure you pay your car first as it's how you will get to work whenever the dollar goes crazy and is worth next to nothing.  You can also live in it.  Ouch!!  another person who puts a car before the house. 

So if you are interested in this concept, I'm copying the address for the first article.  Let me know what you think.  http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/blogs/hearing/gross-is-for-kids-not-ability-to-repay-1034058-1.html

My 9 reasons for Buying a Home Rather Than Renting

Just received an email from a lender that most have gone up to 3.5% on 30 year conventional loans due to the weekly unemployment numbers.  He is keeping his at 3.375%.  If you need his name, email me at westwinds4jc@aol.com. 

I'm glad to see unemployment go DOWN, as more people can now afford houses, if they have a job.  I want people to have the American dream so that they aren't throwing away rent money.  If you have a house you: 

1.  get to pay property taxes and take them off your income; when renting you get to pay the landlord's property tax with increased rent, and he gets to take it off his taxes.

2.  get to paint any room any color you want, such as my son did a eggplant purple dining room.  If you rent, the landlord chooses the color, and it's usually white.

3.  You can hang anything from the walls and ceilings you want.  If you rent, the landlord probably has rules about that too.

4.  You can add a chandelier with pink flamingoes.  Not if you rent, unless you want to give it to the landlord when you move.

5.  Plant trees and flowers and have a dog and cat.  If you rent most like no CATS as their odor is hard to get rid of.  My daughter was told by her landlord that they are to maintain the trees and yard as they found it, and even though a tree died, they aren't allowed to plant one to take its place, and they had to get landlord to remove it when it started tilting toward the house.  Boys weren't allowed to go outside and play until landlord found the time to cut it down.  He also forbade a dog in the backyard. 

6.  Pay interest on a loan and take it off taxes.  If you rent, you pay the interest on any loan the landlord has on the property through increased rent.

7.  A steady payment.  Get it set for 30 years.  With rent, it usually goes up every year or so.  No way to budget in advance.

8.  Feel the pride of ownership.  Nothing like knowing this is my house (along with the banks) rather than feeling like you are borrowing your living space from someone else.

9.  changing that ugly linoleum in the bathroom that's curling for some nice ceramic tile.  My daughter's bathroom linoleum is gross!!  But her landlord is in love with it. 

My daughter, a realtor, knows all this, and now that their student loans are all paid, their credit score will go up, and they plan to buy asap.  9 years of renting and they are finally going to be able to buy and get rid of the white walls, the nasty carpet, the ugly lineoleum, get a dog, plant some trees, and get some tax write-offs.  Life is good for the homeowner. 

A Little About A Lot of Things.

Interest rates are staying low but inching...no millimetering upward.  30 year conventional is 3.375%.

I learned from my kids that you can't refinance unless you have paid down 5% of your original note; doesn't matter if you had a good equity.  Their house is about $145,000 value, and they paid $100,000 in foreclosure sale for it in July.  We figure they've paid it down to about $97,000 as they just got a 15 year note.  So they have to pay down $2,000 more in principal before they can refinance at a lower interest rate and get a home equity loan for fixing a few things they want to do.  Not bad for 23 year old kids, huh!!  So proud of them.

I listed a huge 4400+ home this week.  Originally 6 bedrooms, now 5, as they took down a wall and opened up a large living/dining area.  It has 2 living areas downstairs and a huge sunporch which would be great for a pool table or hot tub.  It has 3 bedrooms downstairs and 2 baths, and upstairs another full house of 2 br, office, landing that is huge enough for another office, large open la/dining and another kitchen.  Perfect home for 2 families, and that's what lived here.  Two families, and one was a quadriplegic so downstairs are the mechanism for lifting a disabled person and a shower that's about 5 x 5 to accomodate a wheelchair.  This house has a large covered patio, wheelchair accessible, and two extra lots; one on each side of the house.  Build a shop and a pool, or another house on the north, as that lot is about 88 x 115.  All for $174,000, as we need to sell it fast before it is foreclosed due to medical bills.  Aren't banks totally without heart!!  These people tried to make payments and they wouldn't take partial payments and said they wouldn't talk about refinancing until they were 3 months in arrears, so they paid medical bills with their money for 3 months and then tried to refinance and the bank said  no, because now they had no closing cost money.  This is THE national bank we all hear about not having a heart, and I'm afraid it is so, even though my mortgage is with them and I bank there.  I may change all the banking part to a local bank after this. 

I want to share a devotion and comments I posted today on facebook and on my momsdementia.com blog where I cover things about my mom's Vascular Dementia.  This is about God and his love for us.  So if you are not interested in hearing about how God wants to hear from you, then stop reading right NOW.

"Sue Lawrence gave me a devotion book that I am really enjoying. Today's was about Psalm 145:18. "The Lord is nigh unto all them who call upon him." The writer said he had just finished reading a book explaining prayer, and how the Lord is always waiting to hear from us, longing to hear from us, ready to listen to us. He was cynical and thought, "Oh, yay, the creator of the universe wants to hear from a nobody like me. That day was a particularly busy day for him at work, lots of deadlines and projects. The phone interrupted his schedule and he picked up the phone and answered in a tone that said, "Get on with it and let me get back to work." Then he heard his son's voice . Attitude changed. His son was on his way to work in his car and was telling his dad about his newest project, about his friends, etc. They visited for over 10 minutes and when the phone call ended, the dad realized that he had been longing to hear from his son, just as God longs for us, his children, to call him and visit, and spend time talking. He knew then what the verse meant, and he understood more about prayer.

I've had the busiest 5 days in real estate this past week I've ever had. One day I didn't even eat until 6 p.m. That day my son DJ and his wife offered to go with me to eat as Jerry was already at church, and I so enjoyed the 'down time' to just listen to them and tell them about my life. It was special. Yesterday I decided I was NOT going to miss my pickleball so I quit at 4 and went to play for 2 hours. Just before we started a new game, the phone rang for the second time, I jerked it to my ear and said "This is Judy, what can I do for you." in a tone that was not very welcoming. My son, Jeff, answered, "Well, for one thing, don't yell at me." Oops. Then he invited Jerry and me to go bowling, which later was cancelled and changed to supper at Mr Gattis. Jerry knows I don't ever put my kids off if they want to spend time with me. So we went, and had the added surprise of having Cierra, Brandon, Charli, and Derek all together for a meal and visit. I so enjoyed listening to Jeff's exercise stories, DJ's comments about bump, set, spike being the way to play volleyball, but sometimes you see an opening and it's right to just hit it on over; to watch Cierra care for and love on that baby girl, Charli, and to see Brandon being his usual -in his words - not cute but handsome self. To hear Jerry share the story of his near fall at PD Canyon, and just share in everyone's lives. So this devotion today was right on for me. God too wants those kind of phone calls, those special sharing times with his children. Have you given him a call today? He's waiting . . and hoping . . ready to listen as long as you want."

Budgets, Spending, No Pay for Congressmen

Just read where the Congress passed a bill allowing them to keep going further in debt until May, and borrowing, and borrowing.  How stupid is that.  We need to get our government on a budget and live within our means like "real families" have to.  And to top it off, they pulled a stunt!!  Here's what the article said about the stunt:

"It includes something of a stunt -- a provision to force the Senate to write a budget by suspending lawmakers' pay unless they pass a spending resolution. The "No Budget No Pay" provision is largely symbolic, since Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash) already has pledged to write a budget -- something that the Senate has not done for nearly four years, largely for political reasons.
The passage of the debt ceiling legislation would stave off until May 19 or later another showdown over paying the country's bills and would ultimately raise the debt limit by whatever new bills the nation racks up over the next 90 days. It's not quite a blank check, but analysts believe it would allow the Treasury Department the leeway to build a new cushion before the new deadline."

Is anyone else as tired of these type of games with NO work getting done, as I am.  I wouldn't oppose dissolving this bunch of lunatics and re-electing new people, maybe elect accountants rather than lawyers.

Mortgages and Dodd Frank Act

Here's an email report I got from a mortgage lender.  It shows that in the near future, buying a house and attaining the American Dream may be next to impossible.  What is my purpose to put it here.  1.  Show how out of control the government is on regulating everything; 2.  show that if you ever plan to own a home, you had better do it pretty darn quickly.

"When the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law in July 2010, it contained 848 pages.  From there, the regulations it proposed had to be made into 'rules' that the financial industry would follow.  These rules would be released over time.

So far the rules and regulations have grown to 8,843 pages, and the regulators have only addressed 30% of the Bill.

The first of the rules regulating the housing market, the Ability to Pay/QualifiedMortgage (QM) rules has now been released, and while some believe it will help stabilize the housing market, others have reservations.

The 43% Debt to Income limit (DTI) is overly inclusive because it includes jumbo loans.  These are loans made to high income individuals who can well afford a higher DTI.

The rules calls for a three percent point and fee limit--which is also overly inclusive because it includes compensation for loan officers plus affiliated fees.  In addition, capping fees at 3% could cause banks to reject low balance loans as 'not worth it'.

The Avalanche is coming...

Seven more rules are scheduled for release by January 21, and more will come by mid year.  Already various rules and regulations are overlapping...causing confusion and doubt in the banking industry.  The fear is that these regulations will make mortgage lending too restrictive, and result in a housing market in which only the very wealthy may apply.  Many analysts fear that first time buyers and middle class will be cut out of home ownership. 

A second 'unintended consequence' of these regulations is lenders leaving the credit markets.  When it simply becomes too cumbersome to abide by the regulations, banks will invest elsewhere.

At a time when America is facing a severe debt crisis and should be cutting expenses, American taxpayers have now paid an untold number of regulators to write 8,843 pages of regulations--with at least twice that many still be to written. 

But that doesn't seem to be enough spending.  Since all this leads to confusion, the Mortgage Bankers Association has called on the White House to create yet another regulatory agency--a 'housing policy coordinator'.  This agency would be charged with evaluating the downstream effects and unintended consequences of the regulations being put forth.

While some regulations were in order to prevent the kind of abuses that led to the housing crisis, the 'cure is beginning to look more harmful than the disease'.

Will the new regulations help or destroy the American Dream?  We'll find out as new mortgage lending regulations are imposed over the next 6 months.

For now Dodd-Frank appears to be a monster that once fed, will continue to grow beyond all reason."

I too wonder if the health law with it's many intrusive parts will add to this conglomerate of unadulterated growth in rules, regulations, and stifling of the economy.  We'll see.

Home Warranty Woes

Once upon a time there was a realtor who bought an upgraded warranty from a national warranty company.  At first, things went well.  Her warranty went into effect on December 1 of that year, and on the 15th her heater started sounding like the motors exploding on the Titanic.  She called the company, and within hours a repairman was out.  He said the part that was needed would come from a town 2 hours away and as it was Tuesday, he'd get it and install it when it came in.  Luckily this realtor had a second heater due to this being a two story home, so with space heaters and every light on in the house for warmth they thought it would be NO PROBLEMO.  However, no one expected a part from 2 hours away to take 7 days.  After a call to the salesman who sold her the warranty, the part appeared hours later, was installed and all was well....for a few months.

Then in the summer a number of things had piled up and the salesman had said since they were small items to save them for one trip for one $60 fee.   Realtor called warranty company about her microwave that sparked from a broken shelf holder each time she tried to use the microwave;  about a plug in the bathtub, where you flip a handle to make it stop up the water, and down to drain (it had broken) and about a cold water faucet in the kitchen that was hard to turn.  They said fine, they'd send an A-1 plumber out and a First Rate electrical appliance person out, and it would be $60 each.  So much for what the salesman said. 

The microwave repairman came in, opened the door to the microwave and said, "It's the broken shelf hardware that's sparking.  I'll order the part," and he left, never to be heard from again.

The two (2) plumbers showed up to fix the faucet and drain.  They were there in and out for the whole stinking day.  They were working tandem on the faucet, and instead of fixing the cold water handle, they broke snap in two the hot water handle (why were they turning it?)  They spent many hours under the sink.  (It was the faucet that was hard to turn - would a shot of WD40 have helped?  - wish the realtor had thought of that before calling).  The two men left 3 times to buy parts.  It takes two men to pick up those great big old handles, and plugs for the bathtub.  After they worked all day they informed the homeowners that they couldn't find the faucet handle, so would have to order it.  They left the bathtub all screwed together looking good.  

Next morning the realtor pulled the plug handle to run water, and low and behold nothing happened.  It drained out.  It was not fixed.  She stuffed a rag down the drain so she could hold water long enough to take a bath, went to the Dollar Tree and bought some little plastic hole plugs and continued taking baths.

A week went by with no repairmen coming with ordered parts.  But low and behold in the mail one Saturday morning came a bill.  A bill--what for.  It appeared the microwave repairman forgot to ask for his $60 for opening the door to the microwave, making a pronouncement and leaving.  The two plumbers who worked all day destroying the plumbing sure didn't forget theirs.  Well, the realtor has a little bit of a temper - she got it from her father.  She called the national phone number for the warranty company and was told by an uppity young fella that "She should read her policy.  Hardware on the microwave was not covered."  He then explained that she owed the $60 for the man walking in her door.  Let's say the temper-ridden realtor let off a little lava as her volcano exploded!!  She informed the young man about everything that had happened, that she sold these warranties to new home buyers based on her opinion of what companies were good, and she would never, ever sell another one of theirs.  He asked to be excused and disappeared for about 10 minutes.  He came back to the phone not so uppity, and apologized profusely for what had happened, and he assured her that he personally would make sure the plumber would be out on Monday to fix the faucet and bathtub, and that he'd get a microwave repairman out, but she'd still have to pay the $60.  All appeared to end well that started disasterously (is that a word?).

So Monday came and went, and came and went and came and went and came and went, and after a month of no repairmen, using a plastic plug and cutting her hand on the broken handle on the hot water, the realtor called the lovely, always helpful, salesman and told her that she'd never use their company for buyers ever again (or sellers, as she usually bought a policy while it was listed for the sellers to protect them against inspectors --that's another funny story).  The sweet and always helpful salesman (did I mention that this sweet salesman is one gorgeous blonde with long legs and easily a Miss America?)  called back and said repairmen would be there in the morning.  Of course, once she got involved that is exactly what happened.  Oh, yes, realtor made her promise it would not be the A-1 great plumbers from before.

So the next morning the new plumber arrived, put down a rug outside her front door, put baggies on his shoes, and commenced to assess the situation.  He determined there was NO faucet handle that would fit the 7 year old faucet and a new system  would have to be bought.  The realtor met him at the local Home Depot and picked out a faucet that looked remarkably like the old one, except without pearl white handles.  After she left him, the warranty company said that was an upgraded faucet and would not be covered.  Only a plain jane faucet is covered.  Realtor called the gorgeous salesman who is always helpful and explained that their A-1 plumbers broke the faucet which was an upgraded faucet as it was put in by realtor and new husband 7 years earlier when they remodelled their kitchen.  As usual the salesman got on the phone and got the purchase approved.  (they should just let the salesman run the company - she's the only person there that has people skills).  The plumber then came back and installed the new faucet perfectly and fixed the plug handle in the bathtub and even fixed a problem with the toilet that wasn't mentioned earlier.  He left the house cleaner than he found it (obviously he should be considered a great substitute for a housecleaner), and ARE YOU READY FOR THIS - he said the company had waived the $60 fee.  He advised this was the first time ever he had heard of that happening, and he was wondering how she pulled that off.

The microwave repairman, also a different one, came, saw, got part, and fixed the microwave in one morning, and left without wanting $60 - again it had been waived.  Again, she was asked how she'd pulled that one off.   Obviously it was the leggy blonde salesman that had made it happen.  She should run for President!! 

All is well that ends well, right?   NOT.  The warranty ran out, the realtor decided not to renew and to not deal with this company again.  NOT END OF STORY. 

Realtor has a house listed that the owner had their own warranty. Owner moved 9 hours away and Realtor took on the task of house babysitter.  Not a hard thing, as this is a great house and Realtor enjoys babysitting great houses.  She let the floor man in everyday for a week while all the floors were refinished, in an amazingly gorgeous manner.  She helped the owner paint a room in a nice neutral color.  She arranged for the hubby to be available to let sprinkler man in to repair the sprinklers, and she even got hubby to be the yardman for this super nice home.  And after the holidays, the home sold, and an inspection was performed.  (Remember some day we will cover those too.). 

The morning after the inspection the voicemail arrives that the inspector left the day before.  (another blog about phone companies that never send voicemails the day they are left is a subject for later).
The voicemail said he was at the house and that he had finished his plumbing inspection but now there was a leak from the washing machine hot water hook-up that he could not get stopped (Funny but there hadn't been a leak there before the inspection.  Hmm, me thinks the inspector did something to the spout!!  He further states he turned the water off.  Realtor calls the seller, who says, "I'll just call my warranty company."  Woe is me, but realtor at that time didn't know that the warranty company was the same one she had used before.  Ouch,  deja vu is about to happen.

The seller, who is as nice as the salesman and just as leggy and beautiful, asked the realtor to let the repairman in that the warranty company was sending.  But realtor had to work that day so she asked her hubby to let them in.   He stayed home all day and never got a call.  Seller said they tried and he wasn't answering.  Realtor called him and he picked up immediately.  Seller checked and the plumber probably wrote the number down wrong, although nice seller tried to say she must have given it to him wrong.  You will see in a minute why realtor believes the plumber wrote it down wrong.

About 7:30 p.m. the A-1 plumber calls, did you catch that!!  Same plumber as had been at her house and broke her faucet handle, was the seller's plumber too.  He could not come that day, but would next day.  Oh, sure.  Been there, done that.  So next day hubby stayed by phone again all day, and around three-thirty seller called to see if they'd come yet.  Realtor called hubby and he said no.  Realtor explained to seller 9 hours away that they had plans to go out of town to see son coach, so seller gets on horn and gets plumber to call hubby.  Realtor gets home from work, hubby takes shower and plumber calls.  So Realtor goes to house to let plumber in and read a great book loaned to her by another seller.

Realtor waits at the house for about 30 minutes.  The plumber had said he was going by his shop to pick up hose bib (or something like that).  When he finally gets there he says, "I'm here but now I have to wait until warranty company calls that this is covered under the warranty."  Did they call him to fix it; wouldn't they check that before calling.  Obviously not.  Time is running out to leave town to go to bball game.  Realtor is anxious and says, "What if it isn't covered?"   He says it would be $85 to fix.  That's just $15 more, surely seller will want it fixed for that.  Realtor calls seller, and she agrees that it's worth $85 to fix so get him started now and then he can get the ok from warranty company.  He goes to mudroom to fix and phone rings, and low and behold (don't you like that phrase) the warranty company calls and the drip is not covered by the drippy warranty. 

Realtor says well, the seller was willing to spend the extra $15.  Hold the hatches, the A-1 plumber explains that now it's $85 to fix but he still gets the $60 for coming out when it wasn't covered by the warranty, because he gets that no matter what (remember the microwave guy who came, opened door and got $60.)   So Realtor isn't so sure gorgeous, patient, seller is willing to pay $145 for a .50 hose bib.  She calls seller and lets plumber explain it.  Seller although patient isn't stupid or a person one will run over.  She tells him to fix it, and she'll give him a credit card.  No way.  They don't take them.  (Where is this company operating that they take no credit cards!!)  So he says he'll run over to her house and pick up a check.  Ha, Ha, he'd forgotten she lives 9 hours away.  So he agrees to take her address and bill her $85 and Realtor will pay the $60 since seller has reimbursed her in advance for that.  Seller in the meantime can call warranty company and yell at them.  No, way.  Not her.  She has more class than Realtor, she reads the policy and sees it wasn't covered.  But she is still angry they didn't determine that before sending a $60 man to the house.  They tell her that is because she didn't talk to a person but an automated phone system (Remember the Realtor only dealt with real people and she still got the same treatment.) 

So plumber is to fix the problem.  Then he annouces he brought a 3/4 inch hose bib, and he needs a 1/2 inch one and is going to Home Depot.   Wait, No, Please.  Remember the 3 trips he made to Home Depot at Realtor's house.  Will she ever see him again.  Will he be back today or a month from now.  Realtor calls hubby and tells him she is stuck in deja vu land.  He laughs.  Plumber returns, and fixes the problem.  Yipidee Doo Dah.  Yipidee Day.  My oh my what a wonderful day.   NOT SO FAST BUB.

Plumber nonchlantly announces he's going outside to turn on water.  Realtor continues reading her book and then...gurgle, gurgle, rooarrrrrr.....spew.  Water explodes out of the wall hitting the wall 10 feet away and flooding the mudroom - yes on the newly refinished floors.  Realtor runs screaming out the door yelling, Stop, Stop, Stop, Stop at the top of her voice.  Plumber looks up as she rounds the fence to the alley screaming stop!!  He runs toward her to only find that the mudroom is now a fountain of water as if we were at the Wishing Fountain in Rome.  He screams, the handle must have been in open position.  What.  He didn't know which direction was on and which was off.  Oh, yes, he's an A-1 plumber.  Realtor is freaking out!!  Newly refinished floor, newly painted wall, all being soaked.  When he turns the water off, it's not leaking and plumber says, "Well, at least it's fixed."  Realtor is standing in water not knowing what to do.  Plumber says, "I have a towel in my truck."  Let me say here that the water has run from the mudroom to the kitchen and up around the eating bar on more refinished floors.  In the mudroom its at least 1/2 inch deep, and he's gone for a towel.  Realtor knows that will not do.

Realtor calls hubby, and asks him to asap grab as many towels as he can, a mop and get his buns over there.  Then she notices that the plumber is cleaning the water with his jacket.  He forgot he had the boss's truck and he didn't have a towel.  Realtor goes to garage and finds a roll of paper towels and a flat mop and she uses it to push water toward back yard and the plumber wrings out his jacket, sops up water, wrings out his jacket, sops up water, and Realtor uses the whole roll of paper towels and there is still water everywhere.  What is she going to do.  She is so afraid the water will get under the linoleum (newly refinished) and buckel the floor, so she goes to her car which is a disaster filled with many items, and finds a red table cloth used for staging, and between the two of them gets all the water absorbed and dried.  Hubby is called not to come, he was just leaving the house.

Plumber gets his $60, gives Realtor a receipt, takes gorgeous seller's email address and leaves.  Realtor calls seller as she drives home and sends her into fits of laughter as she relates the story of Deja Vu, and when Realtor gets home, hubby and realtor decide no way to get to bball game, but they deserve a treat.  So off to On the Border they go and enjoyed a very quiet, dry dinner. 

So the moral of this story.  Even if the salesman is a gorgeous, awesome, can-do person, who looks like Miss America, if she has an A-1 plumber, go for a B-2 plumber, and do NOT renew your warranty with this company. 

The Housing Market Has Gotten Busy

Ever since Christmas ended, we've seen a huge change in the housing market in Amarillo.

1.  Our inventory is way down.  We need more listings.

2.  Our buyers are out looking.  I had over 40 people come to an open house on Sunday.  No one showed up the first 15 minutes so I went outside and started shoveling snow off the sidewalk, but once the first lookers came, there was not a time that someone was not in the house.  At one point I have 4 separate groups working their way through the house; luckily it was a large 2541 sq ft 4/2/2/ home with 2 living areas, 2 patios, and lots to see in the backyard on a pretty day.  So they were going outside and just circling each other.

3.  I got 2 offers on one house on Friday, and before they could make their 10 a.m. best offer on Saturday, I had another realtor call saying she had someone interested; and while we were waiting to hear from her, another realtor called and said she had a veteran who was interested in the house and wanted to go up in the attic to see if walls could be removed.  So we waited another full day before sending in our counter on the one we chose from Friday to deal with.  Then this morning I got word that 3 other realtors showed the house Sunday afternoon.    I tell you buyers have come out of the woodwork. 

4.  Although our inventory in Amarillo is low, realtors at Prudential Ada Realtors have taken 6 new listings this past week.  Our office might single-handed make it a goal to put inventory back out there.  I am not one of them, as I've been too busy handling the offers and showings on one listing and setting up the open house and holding it on another to go out and try and get more listings.  I've always felt I needed to take fewer listings and keep my "sale" rate high.  I've only had 3 listings not sell, and one of those I had a contract offer after the listing ended for a good price, and gentleman had decided not to sell as he had renters.  So let's say 2 listings!!  So I concentrate on selling the ones I get and not making it a goal to have the most listings.  I've found that 4 is the most I can handle and give them the attention they need.

5.  Interest rates took a tiny step up, so people may have seen that and decided not to stay on the sidelines any more. 

So after a month of nothing moving and everyone getting ready for the holidays, we see the real estate heating up again.  Hoping this will be the best year for real estate in the past 4!!

Generation X and Y Survey About Home Ownership

There are 105 million Generation X and Y adults out there, and they are educating themselves about home ownership.  They want to make sure they can get a loan,  what it will cost them, what is the best neighborhood and what are the prices there, and also what are the interest rates.  They are willing to do their homework before making a purchase.  Then if they see there is a need, they are willing to work two jobs, eat out less  or move in with parents to save for the closing costs and down payments.  They are NOT the me generation.  They do NOT believe home ownership is their right, but a privilege.

Here are some findings from a recent survey of this age group. 

.  75% believe home ownership is the new BLING, that it is the sign of success over great vacations, fancy new cars or wearing designer clothing.

.  69% believe the right time to buy is when you can afford the house and not change your lifestyle.

. 61% believe the right time to buy is when they land a great job.  (Unfortunately, banking requirements require you to have that "great" job 2 years before giving you a loan.)

. 69% believe that they are alot more knowledgeable about buying a home than their parents were at the same age.  They feel the 2008 housing downturn caused more information to be available and "out there" in front of them, so they study to find the best interest rates, the best neighborhoods, the best loans, so they are prepared when they call a Realtor.

It is good to know that these are responsible adults, not the "me" generation.  I find it also interesting that they like to go see homes with other people, that they wants mom and dad's approval, and their friends' approval, and they are interested in realtors giving as much information as they can.  The previous generation wanted to look at homes with no one there to give an opinion or information, they were the latch key generation, but Generations X and Y want the approval of their peers and elders, and they respect authority. 

Personally, as a realtor with Prudential Ada Realtors in Amarillo, Texas, I love working with this age group.  They actually listen to me when I explain the process, and they are a joy  to have  as clients.