Surreal

I love being a real estate agent! I get to look inside other houses all the time. I love to see the way the floor plans fit into the exterior.

Today I had a very odd experience showing a house. I received a call from a client requesting to see a particular house in Bountiful. He laughed as he asked about it because he knows our family, and he realized that this house was where my father grew up! My parents were living there when I was born, too, and moved out when I was three.

It was a very surreal experience as we opened the front door. It was so familiar even though I didn't really remember much of it. I remembered the basic floor plan, and I noticed that the shag carpet had mercifully been removed from the dining room. I couldn't remember which bedroom was mine, though. My brother had a vivid nightmare involving the basement bathroom window, so just looking at it made me laugh! I showed my friend the back of the bathroom door where I decided to play school with lipstick in the middle of the night. I don't remember it, but the picture sure is funny!

My parents are out of town, but we called my dad and talked to him about it. He asked about the pool in the backyard. My grandmother was practically a fish, and she loved that pool. We have old family movies of my dad and his siblings helping to build it. It was a lot smaller than I remembered! Sadly enough, it had has been sorely neglected. My dad asked if there was water in it. "Yes," we replied, "rain water!" It has been used as a garbage and yard waste dump. My first memory is being taken out of that pool to get my diaper changed. Another early memory is standing on the back patio having my mom tie on my swimsuit.

My client liked a lot of things about the house. It might be his favorite yet. How strange and cool if he buys it! Either way, I'm really glad I had a chance to go look around.

Commentary on the Real Estate Market

As most of you know, I am a real estate agent. There is an awesome website out there called www.LovelyListing.com that features odd and amazing listings. I have a link to it in my sidebar, but I just HAVE to include a copy of this post in my main blog.


Dear Countrywide, I am Fine. Hope You Are Well.

i

Aww, look! Another happy Countrywide customer, so pleased with their experience that they wrote them a thank you letter.

Note to furriners: Countrywide is pretty much the evilest villain in the American financial crisis. It has the twirliest moustache, the creepiest hunch, the darkest eyebrows. Booo! Hiss!

Found by: SC

You can't see it very well in this picture, but on one wall it says, "Thank you" and on the other wall it says "Countrywide." Obviously, these people were less than happy with the service they received from the bank! I think you can see it better if you go straight to the source.

Why I love my jobs

I have 2 jobs: Mom and Realtor.

I love being Mom because there are no better rewards on the planet! There is just nothing like lying in bed with your baby on a lazy Saturday morning and smiling at each other--especially if your spouse is there, too! I like tickles, giggles, snuggles, and hugs, all of which are right around when you want them. I know yesterday I was complaining, but that is part of any job. There are good days, and there are not so good days. Days when you think you have the best job in the world, and days when you think you do not want to ever go back to that job.

Kandy said something quietly the other day, and I made her repeat it. Sheepishly she admitted to saying something about wishing she didn't have sisters. I'm sure she was expecting a lecture about needing to love her sisters all the time. Instead I told her honestly that there are moments I wish I didn't have kids. I sure wouldn't trade them for anything!!! But Ben and I say that sometimes we wish we could just visit the newlywed phase again.

Anyway, I also love the joy in watching my children accomplish something. I love watching them grow and become independent. With a busy day in real estate and Ben gone, they made their own lunch! They help each other and encourage each other. And there is no sweeter sound than my baby's laughter.

I like being a Realtor because I get paid to look at houses. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I've seen houses that make me drool, and I've seen houses that send me running and screaming for my hand sanitizer. There is also great satisfaction in helping people find a new home. When I get a house under contract or closed, there is a great sense of accomplishment. I love that my paying job allows plenty of time for my kids and family. There are spurts of wild and frenetic activity, but there are large lulls, too. If I don't want to answer my phone, I don't have to. I love having a reason to associate with other adults to discuss things other than sleeping, potty training, and losing teeth.

And speaking of jobs, I really should back to work on both of them!