Just because

Weekend highlights

On Fri Ron & James arrived at about 12:30. Spouse took the day off work and I wasn't on phone duty so the 4 of us went to lunch together, then I headed back to work. Mike & Clark arrived at about 4:30, just after I got home from work. We enjoyed cocktails on the screened porch as we began to catch up on the goings-on in each others lives.
Pictured above are Mike & Spouse.
Pictured above are me, Ron, and Clark. (Please note that my flip flops match my shirt.)

That evening the 6 of us had dinner at Saketumi, which was fabulous as always.


Once back at the house we decided to go for an after dinner walk and wound up making a stop at Dairy Queen. A Peanut Buster Parfait was calling my name!


Sat morning we all had coffee on the porch and chatted a bit. Then we walked over to JD's Filling Station for breakfast, and I headed off to a property showing appointment and then to sit at an open house. Spouse and the guys went to the farmers market and browsed some of the antique shops and boutiques downtown, then headed back to the house for naps and reading. I got home at 3:45 and we visited on the porch for a while. That evening we had dinner at Hobos and then went to the Legends show at the Blue Moon. Coincidentally I was performing as Neil Diamond that evening so Ron & James and Mike & Clark got to witness my celebrity impersonation. Jack and Joe P were there and Joe P took this video:

After the show I ran into my friends Marty & John and Deb & Greer who stopped in to see the show. The audience was great and very receptive to the show. Afterwards the 6 of us walked to the boardwalk and got ice cream at that crazy ice cream place. I got beer flavored ice cream and rum raisin... YUM!!

Sun morning we returned to the Blue Moon for their legendary Sun brunch where we were joined by Joe P.I had eggs benedict with lump crab, sausage links and fried fingerling potatoes and coffee. It was a wonderful, relaxing brunch. Once back at the house the 4 guys packed up their gear and headed home. Spouse & I met up with Joe P, Steven & Thad, Robin, and 1 of the Bobs at the beach. It was a bit overcast but we had a great time relaxing and talking with our friends. That evening we all met up again for dinner at the Tuscan Grille. There was much discussion of the mystery of the ceramic banana. Anne Marie said it was not her, and I'm very skeptical of it being the nephews, so the mystery deepens.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

The offer I wrote last Sun for my clients from CT became ratified on Tuesday! That's ratified contract #4 for me. I am really enjoying my new career! No more counting the days until Fri.

Our longtime friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James are coming today for their annual weekend visit with us. They aren't particularly concerned with going to the beach (which is fine), so we usually just spend a lot of the weekend talking, eating, and enjoying each others company. I'm eager to see them again, and have arranged to get off work early on Sat and be off on Sun.

My friend Jared sent me this:
I can't believe I've never heard of this, but I just learned that there's a Cadillac parade in Leland VT this month. They are attempting to set a world record for the highest number of Cadillacs in a parade: at least 102. Sure wish Big Ella and I could be there!

Speaking of cars, my friend Kathryn knew I'd appreciate this story about the 40th anniversary of the Ford Pinto. Naturally I have a Pinto story too. A family friend had a powder blue Ford Pinto hatchback when I was about 14 years old. I kind of had a crush on her so 1 day when she came over to visit my family I offered to wash her car for her.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Just because

Feast all week

I mentioned that my clients Donna & Stan own a Polish deli in Brooklyn and were kind enough to bring me an entire shopping bag full of goodies last weekend.

Among said goodies were a bag of chocolate covered prunes and a bag of chocolate cream candies. I began nibbling on them immediately, as they were quite delicious.

I also received a box of Chrusciki, a light Polish pastry dusted with powdered sugar, also called Angel Wings. I shared some of these with my colleagues at work, then brought the rest home.

I also received a package of peanut butter cream wafers dipped in chocolate, similar to Little Debbie Nutty bars, which are an all-time favorite of mine. Those were gone within a couple hours.

I received 2 packages of pierogies and a package of cheese blintz which I fried and ate on Tues. I used a tablespoon of strawberry preserves, a dash of triple sec, and a dash of water to make a strawberry sauce to pour over the blintz. Mmmm...

Also among said goodies was - not 1, not 2, not 3, but - 4 foot-long smoked kielbasa. So Mon evening Spouse & I took the kielbasa over to Steven & Thad's so Steven could grill them. Spouse sauteed an onion and a bell pepper which we put on top of the kielbasa in sub rolls. I squirted a little horseradish-mustard on mine for good measure and OMG was it delicious!

Ever since Sat afternoon I've been eating and nibbling from the goodies delivered by my generous clients, but I'm not complaining!

Mystery of the porcelain banana

Yesterday I was doing laundry and when I opened the cabinet in the laundry room to get the detergent, on the shelf next to the bleach was a porcelain banana.

I was taken aback for a moment, wondering who in the world (or in my life) would place a porcelain banana in our laundry room cabinet. The possibilities began to trickle into my mind...

Was it Spouse's nephews? They love to play jokes on people and do silly, unexpected things. But a porcelain banana just didn't seem like their style. Beside, it didn't seem likely that they'd have access to a porcelain banana or that they'd even think one was that funny.

Was it Anne Marie? She told me the story of the traveling shirt that is being mailed to bloggers who then wear the shirt and post photos of themselves in it on their blog. But there didn't seem to be any connection between the traveling shirt and a porcelain banana, nor had I seen any mention of a traveling porcelain banana on any blogs I frequent.

So it remains a mystery, the mystery of the porcelain banana!

Weekend highlights

My blogger friend Anne Marie arrived about 5:30, bearing gifts of wine and chocolate creams. She and Spouse & I visited for a while, then went to dinner at Saketumi with Steven and Joe P. (Thad was in PA visiting his mom.) After dinner we rushed into town because I was afraid I was going to be late for my guest performance as the 2011 Rehoboth Idol in the Blue Moon Divas show. Spouse dropped off me and Anne Marie and then found a parking space. I and sang "Sweet Caroline" in the 1960s themed show. Steven & Joe P joined Spouse and Anne Marie for the show. It was Anne Marie's 1st time in a gay bar and her 1st time seeing drag queens in person. I didn't know this until we were driving home. We definitely widened her horizons that night!

Sat I went to work, as usual. My couple from CT returned and brought me a shopping bag full of food! They own a Polish deli in Brooklyn and brought me wonderful candy, pierogies, blintz, chocolate, and 4 huge kielbasi. That was so nice of them! Then I showed them a boatload of homes they'd selected off the internet. That evening Spouse & I went to Jason's birthday BBQ at 5:00 and then went to Diane's birthday dinner at a Japanese hibachi place at 7:30. Anne Marie decided to pass on the birthday festivities (eventhough she was welcomed at both) in favor of exploring downtown Rehoboth Beach and the boardwalk.

Sun I had hoped to be off work to spend a little time with Anne Marie (and because I haven't had a day off in over a week) but my clients from CT wanted to see a house we'd missed the day before, as well as a 2nd look at their top 2 favorites. So I bid Anne Marie goodbye and headed into the office. As it turned out, my folks wrote an offer on 1 of the houses! That evening Steven & Thad, Joe P, and Bryan came over for dinner. Spouse made meatloaf, cheesy scalloped potatoes, a mixed bean dish, and Coca Cola cake, all of which were delicious. After dinner we sat around and visited. It was a great way to conclude the weekend.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Its been a busy week at work, and the week isn't over yet. Today I met a couple from NJ that is retiring and moving here soon. Today we found a home they really like and although they didn't write an offer today, I know they're thinking about it. Tomorrow my couple from CT is returning and I have a marathon of homes to tour with them. They picked the homes via the internet and I gave them additional info and my own take on them.

My virtual friend and frequent blog commenter Anne Marie is visiting this weekend. She had a work-related thing not far from here so she decided to visit. We're going to dinner at Saketumi and the Divas show at Blue Moon afterward. Sat I work all day, then we're going to 2 birthday dinners, then the Legends show. Sun morning Anne Marie leaves and I may have to go into work for a while, depending on how my marathon of home showings goes on Sat.

Hoping everyone has a great weekend!

Just because

Another birthday

Tonight we had dinner at Pickled Pig Pub for Kim's birthday.

Kim's birthday isn't actually until this coming Sat, but we celebrated it tonight because Kim was off work tonight. Kim is the manager of Saketumi and works Fri & Sat nights.

Joining us were the Bobs, Steven & Thad, Ron, Jim, and Joe P. We had a great dinner and nice conversation.

Spouse's birthday was last Wed, Spouse's sister-in-law Karen's birthday is today, my friend Jason's birthday is tomorrow, Spouse's niece Anna's birthday is tomorrow, our friend PW's birthday is Fri, and our friend Diane's birthday is Sat.

That's a lot of cake!

Just because

Weekend highlights

I worked from 9-5 on Sat, then came home and rehearsed my routine for the Legends show that night. Spouse & I had dinner at home, then I went to the Blue Moon to perform as Neil Sedaka in the Legends show. Jack, Alisha, and Joe P came, and Joe P took these videos of the 4 songs in my medley:



After the show I changed into my street clothes and hung out for awhile with a few friends. One of the bar backs who works there stopped me and said "Every week you're the best. It doesn't matter who the other legends are, you're always the best." I was so stunned by this totally unsolicited and generous compliment that I didn't know what to say. I just replied "Oh... thank you!"

Sun I worked from 9-4. It was rather quiet for the 1st 3 hours but then I got a call from a guy asking about 1 of our listings. He said he owned the house across the street but his good friend who was visiting was thinking about buying a 2nd home. I knew the home was empty so I offered to show it to them. I also found 2 other homes in the same community around the same price that were also vacant so they could make some comparisons. When they showed up I learned that Sean & Mike live in Philly but own a 2nd home here, and their good friends Kevin & Andy were interested in a 2nd home too. They liked all 3 homes I showed them but felt the 1st one offered the most space and ability to update it and create equity. I met up with them later that evening to show them info about comparable home sales and review the sellers disclosure. We also talked about the elements of making an offer and having a home inspection. We agreed to meet up again on Mon.

Then I joined Spouse, Steven & Thad, Alisha & Jack, and Joe P at Cracker Barrel for dinner. Apparently while they were all at the beach together earlier that day (while I was working) they had talked about having meatloaf. Our waiter was surprised when all 7 of us ordered meatloaf!
After dinner Spouse & I relaxed at home and watched the campiest of camp classics "Mommie Dearest" on cable.

This morning I met up with Kevin & Andy and Sean & Mike and showed them 2 other homes, just to confirm that they had picked the correct 1. We returned to the home they liked the most and they signed the contract! It was presented to the sellers who countered their price. My clients countered the sellers counter offer, and the sellers accepted it. Hurray - ratified contract #3!!!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of items too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

A friend sent me this article about a fantastic Plexiglass Pontiac. You gotta see this!

My buddy Jared sent me this ditty:

Its long been suspected that having a pet is good for your health. Now its no longer just a correlation between the 2, there's an actual cause and effect. Check it out here.

Tomorrow night I'm performing as Neil Sedaka in the Legends show. The weather has been SO hot and humid I hope I don't melt on my way from the car to the bar!

I'm scheduled to work Sat & Sun this weekend so no beach time for me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Celebration

We had a lovely time last evening at Spouse's birthday dinner at Saketumi!

Steven & Thad agreed to pick up the Happy Birthday balloons for me, and Bryan picked up the cake from the bakery. That way Spouse & I could arrive together without me having to stop along the way.

In addition to Spouse & me there was Steven & Thad, the Bobs, Joe P, Robin, Bryan, PW, Chris & Jason. As usual, we all had delicious food and impeccable service.

When we returned home we watched another couple episodes of "True Blood" on DVD. It was a terrific evening.

Happy birthday!!

Today is Spouse's birthday!! Today he catches up with me and we are the same age for about 3 1/2 months.
Yesterday he suggested that we both take off work today, which I was happy to do since I didn't get to be 'off' on Sun, and because I didn't have any appointments scheduled for today. I thought maybe we go to the beach together and anything else he wanted to do. Unfortunately, I had to go into the office this morning for a while, and when I returned and asked Spouse what he wanted to do today, he suggested running some errands and going shopping. I would have preferred going to the beach but since it was his birthday, I agreed. Afterall, there would still be time to go to the beach after doing what he wanted. But after we returned he said he wanted to take a nap. I decided to do some laundry while he napped. Not exactly the way I wanted to spend my day off, but since it is his birthday I said he could call the shots.

You may recall that last year I really did a bad job of celebrating his birthday, so this year I made sure I made up for it. This morning I gave him his gifts: a black shirt with white pinstripes from his favorite store Kenneth Cole, and a Kenneth Cole gift card so he could pick out something else he wanted. This evening we're meeting up with 10 friends for dinner at Saketumi (his choice). I am picking up 'Happy birthday' balloons and Bryan is picking up the decorated cake for me and bringing it to the restaurant.

I think we'll have a very nice time this evening!

Just because

Weekend highlights

As usual, on Sat I worked. A couple whom I'd shown property to a few months ago returned. Their house in MD is under contract now so they were ready to resume their house hunt here in DE. I showed them 4 homes they'd viewed online, but they were not very forthcoming with feedback. I sort of had to ask them directly "what did you think of that home?" which is unusual since most clients normally speak their minds as they are walking through the homes. That night we ditched 'the family' and had dinner with Steven & Thad. After dinner we tried to go to boardwalk for a sweet treat but the traffic on the Ave. was just too bad. So instead we got ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery outside of town. I got Birthday Cake Remix, which is cake batter ice cream with sprinkles, fudge, and a brownie all mixed in. It was deliciously decadent.

Sun I was supposed to be off work and Spouse & I were to go with Steven & Thad to Ikea, Trader Joe's, and King of Prussia Mall. However, my clients from Sat called me Sat evening and requested a 2nd showing on Sun morning of 1 of the homes I'd shown them. Additionally I had a few others to tell them about, so I had to let Spouse and Steven & Thad go on the day trip without me. After the 2nd showing my clients finally divulged to me how much they liked the home and decided to write an offer on it. By the time it was written up, explained, signed, and double-checked, it was after 2pm. I was starved so I grabbed a quick lunch, went home to change clothes, and headed to the beach. It was almost 4pm when I got there but I did run into a few friends so I had someone to talk to most of the time. I left at 5:45 when I learned that Spouse was home. He was VERY happy to hear about the offer on the house. That evening we had dinner with 'the family' at the Green Turtle. I wore my new t-shirt that Spouse and the kids got me in Wildwood on Thurs: I don't know why I think its so funny, but I do! After dinner we drove into Rehoboth Beach so the kids could have some fun playing boardwalk games. It was a gorgeous night so Spouse's mother and I enjoyed sitting on a boardwalk bench watching people. Then we returned home and had a slice of Dairy Queen ice cream cake (for Spouse's upcoming birthday) on the screened porch. It was a lovely end to the family's visit.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Like most of you, I was shocked and VERY unhappy about the Netflix subscription changes to go into effect Sept 1. Netflix is discontinuing the subscription we have where you can stream films and get DVDs by mail for $9.99 per month. In Sept you have to choose streamed films OR DVDs by mail for $7.99 per month. If you still want to stream and get DVDs by mail you must pay for both subscriptions at $15.99 per month. To clarify, in order to keep what I'm currently getting for $9.99 per month I will have to pay $15.99 per month. I guess they are banking on subscribers opting to keep what they have and pay the extra $6. per month. Sure they'll be pissed for a month but will soon forget about it. Afterall, Americans have extremely short memories. But I think I will just select the DVDs by mail subscription for $7.99 per month since their streaming library is minuscule compared to their DVD library.

My friend Joe P sent me this cute video from the tv show Australia's Got Talent. He's not a bad singer. Enjoy!

While most of you have already enjoyed your Pride celebrations in June, Pride is celebrated in Sept here in DE. I'm SUPER EXCITED that this year's Pride celebration headliner is Taylor Dayne!! I've been a big fan for years and saw her in concert in the early 90s. I hope she performs all her hits because that's what I'll be expecting. She was a guest judge on 1 season of RuPaul's Drag Race but didn't perform.

Spouse's family is still here. They were originally going to leave tomorrow but they're having such a good time they decided to stay 2 extra days so now they're leaving on Mon. Spouse & I have had plans to go to Ikea with Steven & Thad on Sun and basically be gone all day. The family doesn't care. They'll go to the beach and we'll go with Steven & Thad. The visit has been pretty good, with the exception of 1 night when everyone except me stayed up late watching a movie. I had to get up for work the next day but was kept awake until almost 1am by their noise. But other than that its been fine.

I have a busy day planned tomorrow at work. I'm showing a property to a couple at 9:30, then showing 4 properties to a different couple at 10:30. This is our prime season and its been as busy as I've expected.

Here's hoping everyone has a great weekend!

Listen to your realtor

If you listen to the "news" channels and national reports you'd think the real estate market is still in the toilet. But as a realtor I routinely remind people that national real estate conditions do not necessarily reflect local conditions. Real estate markets are very regional.

National real estate statistics will lump the entire nation's data. Perhaps that's interesting to some people, but its not really relevant to what's going on in your community. If you are buying or selling in San Francisco, do you really care what the market is like in Detroit?

Some cities/markets have a high rate of foreclosures causing the prices to decrease. Other cities/markets have a shortage of inventory. The law of supply and demand says that when supply is low, prices are higher.

To make sound real estate decisions you need to be aware of what's going on in the market where you are buying or selling, not necessarily what's going on nation-wide. A licensed real estate agent can provide you with data regarding how many homes have sold in your area, how many days on the market, and for how much of the asking price. Isn't that what you really need to know?

A few months ago I worked with a client who was very specific about the style and location of the home he wanted. To back up my first hand knowledge I also researched the multiple listing service (MLS) and advised him that the supply of that style home in that particular location was very low. After a few homes that were 'close, but no cigar' a new home popped up on my hot sheet that was practically perfect. I notified him and he made arrangements to return to the area to see the home. As I expected, he loved it. We spent an hour and 45 minutes touring the bungalow and yard, talking about furniture placement and possible future updates to the home. I provided him with the sellers disclosure and comparable home sales in the community. He wanted to sleep on it, and I advised him not to wait too long. This was the only home that met all his criteria and there was no guarantee another would turn up. A week or so later I notified him that the house was under contract. He seemed genuinely disappointed and it took all I had not to shout "I told you so!" He should have listened to his realtor.

Recently I worked with a couple relocating here from another state. They were not very familiar with the area so I spent some extra time orienting them and sharing the pros and cons of the communities in which we toured homes. They expected this to be the 1st of 2 or 3 visits to the area before finding a home they liked enough to buy, but after touring 10 homes in 2 days, they were interested enough to make an offer on 1. I learned that another buyer was also submitting an offer so I advised my clients not to start out with a low price with the idea that they'd negotiate up to an acceptable price. When multiple buyers are submitting offers, the best strategy is to go in with your best sale price and contract terms. My clients could not seem to get out of the mindset of a price that was lower than what they were willing to pay, despite my warning that they may not get an opportunity to negotiate the price if the seller accepted the other offer. They didn't listen to their realtor and offered less than they were actually willing to pay for the home. The seller accepted the other offer.

Human nature often causes people to feel responsible for getting the best deal they can, when in reality they should look to their realtor for advice on submitting the best offer they can. Realtors are not there just to unlock doors! We're there to share community and market info and strategies that will help buyers make informed real estate decisions.

A strong offer is not just about the highest price. Contract terms and financing can be important factors too. Being flexible with the settlement and possession date can be important to families who are trying to move before or after the school year starts or ends. A buyer putting down at least 20% is often more attractive than a buyer putting down less than 20% because there is less chance that the loan won't be approved when the buyer is borrowing less money. Price is just 1 component of a strong offer.

Obviously not every realtor is a good one, just like not every doctor or lawyer is a good one. But realtors are licensed and are ethically bound to represent their clients' best interests, so do yourself a favor and listen to your realtor.

Just because