Let It Pass

The other day I heard a cowboy say “There’s an art to turning your hat into the wind”.

And like any true cowboy his statement includes practical and enlightened advice.

No cowboy wants to loose his hat while horseback and so one learns the right angle to keep said hat upon said head..

But I think there’s something else to it.

As far as we humans have advanced and figured out how to control so many things, we still have no way to stop the wind. It’s truly an unstoppable force of nature.

So when life’s got you headlong into a stiff wind, turn your hat just so and let it pass.

Remember, the wind can’t blow forever. (Wyoming might be the exception)

And as the incomparable Henry Ford said; “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

With gratitude.

What Are Buyers Looking For?

Low to no inventory.

Yep, that is the current state of affairs in the real estate market. We have way more buyers than we do houses.

So what are buyers looking for?

Well anything at this point because they can’t be picky, but here are the most common things I hear:

  • At least 3 bedroom

  • Under $500K

  • Something that doesn’t need a ton of work

  • Master bedroom

  • Second living room

If you are curious about selling and what your home might be worth please reach out. I will listen to your needs and goals and give you sound advice.

You get what you pay for

I was about 12 years old and needed a new pair of boots. My mom was busy so my dad took me shopping.

Now I know some of you dads out there might be good at shopping with your pre-teen daughters. My dad on the other hand embraced the mentality of “what’s the quickest and cheapest” method.

Next thing I know we are pulling up in front of a large discount retailer. We quickly cruised over to the shoe aisle and before I knew it I was walking out the door with a cute but inadequate pair of boots.

Week one went great, lots of compliments and comfort was decent.

By week two the fake leather was peeling off and I had blisters on both heels.

Lesson learned - You get what you pay for!

Somethings in life do not benefit from cutting corners on time or money.

Same thing goes for real estate agents. Are there agents out there that will sell your home for a discount? Sure there are, you’ve probably seen the commercials on TV.

But...you get what you pay for. This is likely your most valuable asset, not a time to cut corners and go with the cheapest option. Time to go with the BEST option whatever that might be.

Remember cheap boots make for miserable feet!

***Side note - these are not said boots. They didn’t last long enough for a photo op!

Dealing With Junk

“Mama told me there’d be days like this!”

Have you ever felt like this?

Days you wanted to put a trash can on your head and shut out the noise?

Well for this little gal, raking leaves makes her want to escape..

There are days my job is really tough. Days that I want to go back to slingin’ lattes at Big Shooters Coffee, where I had a job that didn’t keep me up at night.

However, every challenge teaches me more about the business and more about human nature.

I always remind myself that each one of us is dealing with our own “junk” and extending kindness and grace to each other goes a long way.

With gratitude.

Grateful

I really love my job. I know lots of people feel that way but for me there are so many gratifying aspects of real estate.

And testimonials like this are what keep me coming back on the hard days.

If we have worked together in the past just know that I value our relationship and your trust in me. I am forever grateful.

With gratitude.

I wish I were big

“I wish I were big.”

If you haven’t seen the movie BIG or not seen it in awhile it’s worth a watch.

And even though this movie is over 30 years old, kids still want to be big and adults still want to be young again.

Is this the curse of being a part of the human species

That you always want what you don’t have.

How many times have you heard the following from someone older or younger than you.

“No need to grow up too fast.”

“You’ve got your whole life in front of you.”

“I can’t wait to finish school, move out, get married, have kids, retire, fill in the blank.”

In the movie BIG, Tom Hanks soon discovers that being big is not all it’s cracked up to be. That maybe adulting is not that much fun.

I wish I could get my kids to understand this, but I know they won’t because I too wanted to be big when I was little.

And now that I’m big, being little again sounds kinda nice.

Maximize Your Chances

How to pick the right offer when selling your home.

This might come as a shock, but the highest price is not always the right offer to accept when selling your home. There are other major factors to consider.

How is the buyer paying for your home?

Cash or loan?

When do they want to close?

Are they flexible if you need to stay in your home for a month after closing?

Do they have any major contingencies, such as having to sell another home before buying yours?

When evaluating offers, I present my sellers with a spreadsheet of the nuts and bolts of the offer and then we talk about the pros and cons of each offer.

Here’s a quick test, which offer would you pick?

Offer A: $20,000 over asking, buyers have a small downpayment and need possession the day of closing. Property will need to appraise for the over asking purchase price.

Offer B: $5000 under asking price but buyer is cash, can close in 15 days and will rent back to you for 30 days after closing.

The goal isn’t always to accept the highest offer, but to maximize your chances of getting to the day of closing.

Trivial Pursuit

Okay I have to brag a little here.

We were playing Trivial Pursuit the other day and I got this questions. Mind you I have not read this book since my sophomore year of high school.

But there it was - the name came to me just like that! And for an old lady like me, that is impressive.

Okay, no Googling - does anyone know the answer?

Life Is A Journey

I recently saw a picture of myself and something strange happened.

I felt love for the woman I saw in the photo, like I would for a close friend.

In fact when I saw the photo I said, “gosh I love her”. And I don’t know that I have ever felt that way when thinking about myself.

This post is not intended to be some ego trip.

Its been a journey to get to a place where I could look in the mirror and be happy with who and what I see.

Self love is something that gets beaten out of us from an early age.

You’re ugly.

You didn’t do well on that math test.

If only you were like so and so.

Your legs are too hairy, your eyes are squinty and you’re too tall.

We all have a negative narrative in our heads and for some of us its been on repeat for years.

I don’t know the time or place when the soundtrack stopped but it was probably subtle and gradual.

And somewhere along the way I started to sing a new song. Slowly at first - “You’ve got this. You can handle hard things. You are a good mom, wife and friend. You care. Not everything is your fault.”

Until the moment when I saw myself, separate from me, and felt real love for the person looking back. And I saw a glimpse of what our Creator sees in all of us. That He loves us so much and He delights in us. That we are His treasure, each one of us. And I remind myself that it is a gift to see with His eyes. So much beauty and love.

Life is a journey, we don’t always get to choose the path. But in moments like this I know its all going to be okay.

With gratitude.

You Will Not Go Homeless If You Sell Your House

“But if I sell my home now I will be homeless!”

I’m hearing this sentiment a lot these days. Everyone knows the market is bananas and many sellers are putting off selling because they worry about finding a replacement property..

But what if I told you I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve to ease the transition and stress involved with selling and buying in this HOT market?

  1. Seller Contingency - Once your home goes under contract you have a specific time period to find another home. If you can’t find another house to buy you can get out of your contract.

  2. Rent Back - After closing you can rent the home back from the buyers. This is typically calculated to cover their new monthly mortgage payment and can last up to 60 days.

  3. Extra Long Closing - Contracts are taking longer than normal anyway because we are experiencing an appraisal backlog but it’s not uncommon for parties to agree to a 90 day extended closing.

All three of these strategies give some much need and valuable time to find your next home so you don’t end up homeless.

Have questions Leave them in the comments.

Paddidle

Padiddle and other strange things we humans do.

At some point in high school I picked up padiddle.

What is padiddle you might ask?

Padiddle is what you do when you pass a car with a head light out. You say padiddle, kiss your hand and tap the headliner of your car.

Totally weird, but it’s engrained in my DNA and I CANNOT pass a car with a headlight out and not do it.

Stupid human tricks, I know!

Other things we do in my family:

When returning from a trip, say “Home again, home again, jig, jig, jig”

If you are walking with someone and you need to walk around something that splits you up you MUST say “bread and butter”.

We have more but I don’t want to steal anyone’s thunder.

What weird things/habits/sayings do you have and who taught them to you? This should be fun!

$2 bill story

THE $2 BILL

I have always carried a $2 bill in my wallet. Like since I was 16 years old.

I’m not even really sure why.

Maybe as a good luck charm.

Maybe because the art is so beautiful.

Maybe because it's fun to look at because it's so unusual and not very common.

I have asked myself if I would spend it if I had no other money to my name and I think the answer is no.

Because some things have more value in their distinct beauty than their actual face value.

Do you carry a $2 bill in your wallet?

I would love to hear your $2 bill story.

Your Team of Superheroes

Team work makes the dream work.

In order to have a great experience when buying a home you need to have a team of superheroes on your side.

  1. Real estate agent. Someone you trust, who has your back and understands the market and area.

  2. A rock star lender who understands mountain properties, is easy to communicate with and delivers on time.

  3. An experienced home inspector who is knowledgeable and takes the time to explain the findings in your inspection report.

  4. A title company who is responsive, accommodating and precise.

You don’t have to do this alone.

Bright Side

Looking on the bright side.

Here’s what I do when I am having a total crap day.

Pull up those cool videos that do the zoom out of the universe. You know the ones, it starts on your street and progresses to the next solar system in the Milky Way, or something like that!

When I feel like my problems are insurmountable I like to remind myself that I am just a speck in the universe and whatever I am going through is likely transitory.

Buying A New Home?

You bought your first home! You were feeling like you were on Cloud 9.

You had so many great ideas on your Pinterest board to make this place your own. From the cubbies for coats and boots to the chalkboard walls in the kids rooms.

But now several years have gone by and nothing has changed.

Your space is feeling cramped and tight and you are dreaming of a new home.

But how could you swing it?

Everyone knows this market is nuts!

Your current home would be sold in a heartbeat and finding a replacement would be impossible!

Prices have gone up so much, it wouldn’t make sense to buy a new home.

Does this sound like you? If so, we need to talk.

I’ve got systems and strategies for helping sellers become buyers, even in a market as crazy as this one. Just like playing chess, each move is calculated and planned Check mate!

What If?

The “what ifs”.

They are sneaky, pervasive and plentiful.

Especially when you have experienced something traumatic.

“What if I had gone another way home, what if I hadn’t said those hurtful words, what if I had made a better choice.

Did you know the what if’s can haunt you even when things turn out okay?

You nearly had a head on collision and your mind will still bring up the what if’s even though you are unscathed.

It’s very difficult to stay out of the rabbit holes of what if’s and there is nothing good to find there.

So when those nasty “what if’s” show up in my head space I kindly ask them to leave for I am blessed beyond measure and have no time for them.

Being Tall

I was the tall kid.

And it didn’t real phase me until fifth grade.

That’s when I suddenly realized I was taller than most of the boys and nearly all of the girls.

I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. I just wanted to be short and tiny like all my friends. I struggled finding jeans that didn’t look like I was wearing capris all the time. I hunched down and tried to hide.

The worst was picture day when we had to line up by height. There was only one boy taller than me. One girl and I constantly argued about who was shorter. Who would stand next to Matt, me or her?

It was humiliating. And so pointless. As if I had control over my height.

My daughters are tall - go figure.

And I have yet to hear any of the negative soundtracks that played in my mind on repeat from them. I’m so grateful, maybe being tall is now cool.

And I love being tall now, though I still struggle finding jeans that are long enough.

Things to Think About

Have you inherited a certain skill or talent from a long lost relative?

Well, let me tell you a little story and then I would love to hear yours.

We recently visited Galveston, Texas and I always knew that I had family history in that part of the country. Back in the 1860’s one branch of the Schayers immigrated to the United States through the port at Galveston from Germany.

So while on our trip I did a little Googling.

And while I did learn a bit about my Texas ancestors, I learned something amazing about my great grandfather.

Milton Schayer was born in Colorado but moved with his family to Galveston when he was 10. He came back to Colorado after the horrendous 1900 flood and hurricane that pretty much destroyed the city.

But here’s the part that got me, in his short biography online I found this: “Milton wrote a weekly syndicated column titled Things to Think About, which appeared in the Jewish News in the Rocky Mountain Region, and a number of East Coast newspapers.

“Things to Think About”…. I would say that just about sums up the things I like to write about!

I feel a kinship with this man who I never met, my grandfather’s dad. And I hope that he would find some of the things I write about to be thought-worthy.

With gratitude.

Just Say Sorry

Have you ever been the recipient of an apology that sounds something like this: “I’m sorry, but…”

Okay, this is not actually an apology.

The “but” nullifies the sorry.

Because an apology like this is riddled with excuses. Don’t be this person.

If you are going to say sorry, say it. No strings attached. Because a sorry with a BUT is worse than no sorry at all.

Just my two cents.