Thursday, January 29, 2009

A busy guy!

I've been as occupied this morning with "office work" as I ever was when I was actually doing it for a living in a real office. It's amazing how all those old traits and skills just come back without even trying to conjure them, they're just there. I'm a fixer by nature, efficient to a fault. Responsive. Ask me a question and I'll answer it fast, even if the answer is "I don't know." I'll tell you that immediately, with a promise to get back to you. And if I have a job to do, I don't stop until it's done and done right, because I basically "don't like" work and do it so it will be over with.

I have to admit it's kinda fun.

All this activity, of course, has to do with real estate. What else? We're in touch with an agent in Delaware and we need her to look into some things for us. We need to know the details on the settlement of the land sale, like how much of a bite out of our proceeds the fees are going to take. (Knowing that is definitely not fun, but we need to know.) The agent handling the sale of this house and his business partner need to come here with some staging advice. Busy, busy, busy. And I haven't even done my Thursday chores yet.

We will be off-task as far as the house project is concerned for two weekends in a row in February while we do real estate business: settle the land sale and empty the trailer in Delaware (and probably shed a final tear or two), and then the following weekend go to North Carolina to meet with an agent there and look at property. It will push back the timing for marketing the house, because there's still the kitchen to drywall and paint, but so be it. We're taking care of business. And the change of scenery will be good, even if it is all about business.

Off to the races.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ralph,

Talk about a quick pick up, dust-off and get back on - you and Steve are an example to all of us. Keep on moving!


I share with you the "got to finish this" syndrome. I wore many hats at my last job, so anyone who dropped "a something new" made my job that much more of a challenge.

The weekends away sound great and hopefully brings some new dreams as well as being able to truly start this over.

Respectfully and kindly said, I'm not too sure how I feel about "real estate staging" with baking scents etc. Those who have been house shopping are aware that it is staged and I wonder if they work this into their criteria? I like a home to look neat and lived in. If I sense this, I would be more than halfway there. While I do appreciate the pristine etc. I sense that some of my thinking comes from two friends who look at a house and then start talking about changing the windows, doors, knocking down etc. I say, why not buy the house you want - they say, part of the process is this!

Anyways, all of the post has a good sense of moving forward with optimism and careful thought.

Keep going!

Ralph said...

Hiya, Linda! I'm on board with the notion that people have to imagine themselves living in a house and too many personal touches get in the way of that. Our house is already very pretty to look at, and what we're after is fine points like how many books to leave on the shelves and especially plants: Most of our plants, which live happily outside most of the year, are stuffed into the two rooms where the most sun is. They're ugly the way they are now, but it's functional. Some will have to be stored; others can stay as accents. Which?

The agent is talking about scents and setting the dining room table and I admit to being slightly squeamish about that and will discuss more....still, this is his business, he's a top seller in the area, and a part of me says "who am I to second guess?" It costs me nothing to put a few plates on the table and make the place smell like cinnamon.

Anonymous said...

Jeesh. OK if I tell all my friends the real estate market is picking up?

Ralph said...

And it's all on account of two guys in Arlington, Z&M! Market is up, prices are down. That's good news for a purchase, bad news for a sale...we'll see where this leads us....