Sh#t Happens and then you have to Clean it out

One of my listings went under contract in less than a month. (WooHoo!)

It's an older brick home built in the fifties with lovely huge Oak trees and spanish moss that sways in the breeze from the branches. It has a huge built in pool, a pond with a waterfall and pomegranite trees and other unusual plants and trees.

It also has 2 septic tanks and the buyer is going to do an inspection on the Septic system. I have had other contracts that have had septic systems but I don't remember an inspection being done.... I guess they will have to pump out the tank to inspect it. So not just the cost of pumping it out (About $400 or so) then add the cost of inspecting the tank and drain field.

Geesh could there be a worse job?

Summer's End

Jamie starts school on Monday- can you believe it - she is going into 3rd grade!? Yes we in Florida start school when it's still in the nineties. I don't get it, something about the FCAT (Florida state testing) but that is over and now we are on to Common Core!

Every summer goes by faster and faster. We didn't do much this year. Since we went on a cruise in March and our refrigerator died this summer we just didn't do the big vaca. Mike took Jamie to North Carolina to pick up his mom and she came and stayed for 10 days. Then they took her home.

Early in the summer Jamie, my brother and some friends went to Orlando and stayed a couple of nights and went to water parks two days in a row. Good times.

I also took Jamie to visit my good friend Diana who now lives in Orlando. Jamie was a bit disappointed that we didn't go to any of the theme parks while we were there. Just visited. Well we took the inevitable trip to Walmart (Why do I always forget something when I go away?); we took her two adorable toy Yorkies on a walk and took Jamie to a huge McDonalds inside playground. And games....My daughter has become quite the gamer. Dianas' man played Sequence with her, we all played Ingenious more than once (Love that game!) and Diana played a memory game called Enchanted Forest with her a couple of times.

I also worked over the email and phone while there. As a Realtor barely a day goes by without some sort of work that needs to be done. In this case one of my favorite customers decided to make an offer on a house they have been thinking about for months...turns out it has an active contract on it so it was a lot of busy work for naught. Which is a lot of what we do as Realtors...busy work for naught.

I'm doing ok this year with my third year in the business. I have about $875,000 in production and $360,000 in written business (3 transactions that are in the process of moving towards closing). If all three close I will be farther ahead than last year and the year before so there's that. Ok but not setting any records.

I used to get a little sad at this time of year when I lived in Michigan. Ok let's put it out there - I got depressed, sometimes for the entire season. October through April in Michigan were grey and dreary with snow sleet and cold.  I do have SAD (seasonal affective disorder) as I don't have the issue here in Florida. Fall and Winter are the glory days here in Florida. It gets cooler and you feel comfy outside. I see evidence of 'Spring Fever' here in Fall. Everyone is so happy that it's not so Hot anymore and you can clean out your car, take a walk or shoot some hoops without dying in the heat and humidity.

I feel bad about Robin Williams. Wonder why depression kicked him for a loop, and I am able to deal with it. Depression is such a serious disease, and I don't think it's taken seriously in this country. I hope his death brings awareness to it. You could see he had it beneath the surface. It's a shame, he had so much to live for (Mrs. Doubtfire 2!! would have been great) and he had a great family and friends.