Sunny Monday

[Colliemom]

Morning all. Another steak of mild weather here in northern Michigan. Temp is 32° Here at my place. Supposed to be partly cloudy and low 40’s today. Yesterday was a gem. Sunshine and not a cloud in the sky and all the way into the 40s. It was a beautiful day to take the dogs for a walk. I just put my wind pants on over my fleece pants, exchanged my warmer winter coat for another jacket, head band over my ears and off we went. Shed the headband before we got home, didn’t need it. The county plow truck just came through and left a nice layer of sand/salt behind him. That will break down the ice on the roads from the freeze and thawing going on. With the next day or two of warm weather this road will be down to bare pavement. Great for walking.

Off to Petoskey and hobby Lobby this morning. Will be a nice drive. It’s 50 miles. First I need to put the trash out and then I’m going to take off. Will have lunch out as well and then Mosey back home.

Beth, sounds like you are enjoying your trip to the rally. Hope you and Martha have a wonderful time. Tina, hope the Puppy evaluation party went well. I know Rowan came out on top.

Time to be off and running here. Have a great day everybody.

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning gals!

I worked yesterday but it was quiet due to being Super Bowl Sunday. My knee was really hurting, even with the knee brace on, so I was glad it wasn't too busy.

Got home and turned on the game which was already in the second quarter. I didn't really care who won at first but kind of started pulling for Kansas City. It was a great game as far as being anyone's game right up til the end! Those are the fun games to watch. I haven't watched football for so long and there are new terms and new rules, etc, that I have never heard of. None of the commercials really impressed me. Afterward, I watched some funny shows until it was time to head to bed.

I think I have mentioned before that the newer minister of my church gets too much into the Quantum Physics and scientific aspects of spirituality, and is very arrogant, and has pretty much lost my interest. Well, this week something went down at the church and he was thrown out. He supposedly sent everyone a scathing e-mail about the church but I never got it so am not sure what happened. I watched the YouTube video last night of the service and at the beginning of the service, some people in the congregation started a fight and had to get escorted out of the church. Such drama! Not sure what all is going to happen now. They have 3 assistant ministers who are really good, so will see if one of them takes over now.

I texted my agent again about why my house isn't generating interest. He said things are slow right now. I have heard from several people in the park about how the houses around them have been selling right and left. I also asked about doing an open house. He said he would bring over an Open House sign and I could have my own anytime I want. What is this guy even doing to earn his hefty commission??? I think I need to ask to cancel the contract. Will look into how to do that without causing a big issue. So frustrating!

I have a few small tasks to take care of today but nothing too strenuous. Looking forward to hearing all about Martha and Beth's Mardi Gras GTG!

Have a good day!

[Bethers]

Barbie, I suggest you try to find out the realtor some of those sold properties used. I can't believe he just wants you to do the open house. It's his job to do it and promote it!

Martha, I had to go back and look. I was thinking we had a lunch and dinner. Oops. My bad. I guess I'll be stopping at a grocery for sweets of some kind. I rarely drink wine but do like Moscato, especially pink Moscato. If the winery tomorrow has any I'll simply get a bottle for us to share. Whenever we choose.

Nice long walk here this morning. Ty really hates water. I don't force him closer. But it's a beautiful morning. I'm going to break the parking rules later. It's going to be windy with possible rain tomorrow, so as long as there's room, I'll turn my rig sideways and get the car hooked back up. Better to do without rain and wind if I can.

[MandysMom]

Good morning Sue and Barbie and all who follow. It's a sunny 52° at almost 9 am. Expecting breezes but no rain this week. So fence building commences around an hour from now, hopefully. We had our own little Super Bowl party, just the two of us, with some snacks and boneless sugar free ribs for dinner, as game ended. It was a tight game but, the Chiefs pulled it off. We were happy fans. Next few days are reserved for fence building supervision, so not sure what else I'll get done. My treadmill began making a vibration as I finished a 40 min walk Thursday, so tech will be here Friday to investigate. I really count on my indoor walks each day, so I hope it a easy fix. Meanwhile I dance!
Barbara I know there is a way to break that contract, when it's for cause, but you may have to do some research. I did it back in 1986, after a realtor was not doing her job! Keep notes on calls you have made and notes on inaction and conversations. Does the guy have a supervising broker or company you can complain to in writing?
Sue, how close are you to Huron, where the object was shot down over the weekend?
Beth and Martha, have a fun time! We expect a photo!
Have a good day and week everyone.
Velda

[Acadianmom]

It's sunny and 74 today. We are suppose to get rain tomorrow and Wednesday but I don't know what will happen in Texas. I need to get things loaded today so I don't have to do it in the rain.

This morning I was taking my son to get an injection in his back. Sugar and I usually have scrambled eggs and I drink 2 cups of coffee for breakfast. I didn't eat or drink anything this morning and headed out. When I got to my son's house I was so dizzy I was afraid I was going to fall down. I've never had that happen before. We made it to the surgery center without me passing out. There was a coffee shop there so I got a cup of coffee and put 6 packs of sugar in it. I felt better after that. I guess I need coffee to get my motor running.

Barbie, like Beth said, find out what realtors are having sales. Around here other realtors can sell properties even if they aren't the ones that listed it. I can't believe he told you to have your own open house. Who does he think will show up if it's not promoted.

Martha

[OregonLuvr]

Good afternoon. Time for lunch...already. Well since I have been awake since 3:30 for no good reason and had breakfast early I guess it is time to eat. Martha make sure you eat something even if it is just a couple of crackers or a bit of cheese until you can get a decent meal.

It is 46 out now and cloudy. Forecast is for temps to plunge.....17 tomorrow morning and 1-3 inches of snow. Not sure I believe that part but it will be cold.

I dont watch much football but I usually turn on the super bowl. Then turn it off halfway thru as I dont like to watch games where one team is so far ahead, that makes it boring to me. But this game was a true nail biter right to the end. I was not rooting for a particular team but I am happy for the Chiefs. Halftime show was not my cup of tea. I used to love half time but anymore it is not a bit good. Even the commercials are mediocre. But my nacho was good and my Baileys and coffee even better ha ha

[Cudedog]

I texted my agent again about why my house isn't generating interest. He said things are slow right now. I have heard from several people in the park about how the houses around them have been selling right and left. I also asked about doing an open house. He said he would bring over an Open House sign and I could have my own anytime I want. What is this guy even doing to earn his hefty commission??? I think I need to ask to cancel the contract. Will look into how to do that without causing a big issue. So frustrating!

Barbie, it is an easy thing to go on Zillow (I do this all of the time), select for your area (name of town/city) select for type of listing (home, condo manufactured, etc.) and then select for "sold" listings.

You should end up with a list of manufactured homes that have sold in your area, their addresses, their photos, their description, the price that they sold for, and the date that they sold. You could even put together a spreadsheet of information to present to your realtor.

If you do this you can find out for yourself if properties in your area "have been selling right and left", or if "sales are slow right now".

I follow what real estate is doing fairly closely (it is a hobby, and Zillow makes this easy).

From all that I have been reading, it would seem that real estate is in a bit of a slump, and is expected to get worse before it gets better.

But this is just overall, and generally.

Do the Zillow thing to find out exactly what is happening in your specific area (areas can be different).

Then you can either decide to give your realtor more time (if you have researched and documented that sales in your area are slow), or you can decide to attempt to get out of your contract (if you have researched and can document that sales have been "happening right and left", and he has been doing nothing).

Once you know what, where, when and for how much, you also can then locate the names of the realtors that have done this selling.

I also agree with what others have said. Trying to do an Open House on your own is pointless without the involvement of your realtor. And, YES, this is partly why you will be paying him the Big Bucks: for doing his job.

Good luck!

When I sold my home several years back, I had several prospective realtors come to my house for an "interview" (done by me) before I signed. If they were "too busy" to come, they were off my list. If they didn't have the right answers to my questions, they were "gone". If they were newly licensed as realtors, I didn't even ask them to come for an interview.

I think I maybe interviewed five. I chose a woman who got the job done, in a relatively short period of time. And I would only sign the contract for the minimum required listing time, which I think was three months. When the realtors would protest at so short a listing (all of them did!) I replied that if things were going well after the three months period, I could always update my listing for a longer period (LOL - by "longer" I always meant for an additional minimum three months, only!).

What seems to happen sometimes is that many realtors only get excited when a listing is about to expire. The rest of the time they seem happy to "coast" along, without putting much effort in.

Anne

[Cudedog]

PS to above:

Barbie, read your contract. There may be some provision in there regarding whether - or not - your realtor is required to do an Open House for you.

Real Estate contracts, at least in California, are mind-numbingly boring and very confusing. My contract was about 15 pages of typed contract, all in about a size 8 font. I needed a magnifying glass to be able to read it.

Even so, I refused to sign the contract the day it was presented to me, instead I insisted to have a few days to read it over. I refused to budge on this.

So I read the thing, every boring page of every boring, confusing word and every boring, confusing term. It took me more than a few hours to read and digest my contract. Those things I didn't understand, I asked about before I consented to sign. Some things I had to ask about more than once.

Reading my contract was worth it in the end. Saved me a lot of hassle and misunderstanding in the long term.

Anne

[JudyJB]

Martha, it would not hurt to add some protein to those crackers, like maybe peanut butter. Protein will last a lot longer than extra sugar in coffee. In fact, you might want to get some of those packaged peanut butter crackers, or some small packets of cheese, and grab them as you go out the door. I make the same mistake myself, especially when I want to get on the road and get to my next stop. I tell myself I will grab something to eat on the way, but before I know it, the time flies, and I get shaky. I will put some cheese in a cup with some crackers and nibble on it as I drive. Helps my blood sugar, and I often will add a glass of milk to go along with it, or at least make sure I have some ice water to drink.

I left Tucson this morning for Picacho Peak, which is a few miles north. I had to drop off a FedEx package and stop at a Camping World to buy a couple of things, so I did not eat anything until a late lunch, not good for me! I had planned to stay here at Picacho for three days, but they are having a water problem, so I had to bring water and will stay for only one day. I have two days at Catalina in Tucson because I have an appointment to get an oil change and to get my backup mirror checked. The part on the rear back of my motorhome is not connecting wirelessly to the display, so I am hoping it is just a loose cord or something. It is only maybe four years old, so should be working right.

The problem the campground is having with water is that their well is producing water, but it is not drinkable, so they are having water brought in by truck each day. Hence, they are asking campers to bring water in. One shower and restroom building is working, but they are hoping people will use the water they bring in because it is so expensive to truck water in. Apparently, the cost of a new well or other permanent solution is horribly expensive. This is a very popular state park, so it is almost always full.

Also, we had some rain last night, and by morning we had rain, drizzle, more rain, sleet, and finally hail by 2 pm! Still cloudy so likely more rain this evening. And temps have dropped from 76 yesterday to low 50s! Brrrrr. At least desert is getting badly needed rain, and there is actually grass growing between the cactus.

[Bethers]

It got windier this afternoon than predicted so I'll hook the car up in the morning. I've enjoyed it here. My first couple times here was with Jean (Sparkle). She absolutely loved it here. She was trying to talk me into buying a lot that could hold two RVs. I was almost convinced but before we got back to look seriously her cancer was diagnosed and that ended that. I didn't drive over to the area she was looking at. Not quite on the beach, but close. I doubt there is anything available now and I'm sure the prices have gone up if there is. Meantime this is a great free respite. It can get cold in the winter but it can also get hot lol. I hadn't run my generator for a couple/few months so I did an hour last night and am again now for a short time. My solar is working perfectly so could do without, but I know how important it is to exercise the generator.

I, also can be bad about eating. I try to find power bars I like and also the peanut butter or cheese and crackers to have on hand mainly on driving days, but they come in handy most any days.

Judy, I always travel with close to a full tank of water. You never know when you'll need it. My tank is probably smaller than yours but I still make sure I can go up to a week if necessary. I was workamping at a beautiful, private park on city water when the city shut down the water to everyone in that area, park included, due to a contamination. They had no water to bath houses, etc. I lived normally lol. Well, shorter and fewer showers, but water was back and I didn't run out. That was back in 2007 and I've tried to make sure I keep my tank full since. In Arizona water is in dire straights, so I predict there will be more problems like Picacho is having.

[JudyJB]

My problem with traveling with water is that it adds to the weight of my rig. I got new and better shocks in California this year, but my rig is overweight, and I have done what I can to toss or give away things. I have only 1,300 pounds of CCC in this big rig and do not want to overload the frame any more than I already am. The new shocks help, but I may need to get my springs replaced and possibly strengthened when I get back to Ohio. I could not afford the $5000 they wanted in California for this, beyond the $3,200 I spent on truck shocks and a front end alignment there, and I also want to get a second and third opinion on what to do.

The problem that I did not know about when I bought my motorhome is that they use the same frame on this big one and for smaller Cs, so the smaller ones actually have more CCC because there is not as much weight on the frame. So, I dump my grey and black tanks before I go anywhere, even to the store, and I never drive with more than a half tank, and usually only a quarter tank of fresh water. I hate to even carry a full tank of gas because of the weight!!!

A lot of my storage is not even full. I have even given away stuff that does not weigh much such as extra pillows, sheets, and blankets. One thing is that I have a fairly heavy printer, and this past Saturday I ordered one that will weigh only 5 pounds, compared to the one I have that weighs 20 pounds, which is perfectly good and works well but is bulky and heavy. I am also looking at replacing some leveling boards with lighter pine because they are so heavy!! My bike on the back does not help the weight problem.