We've been here in New Hampshire for a week and a day visiting with Betty and her family, having a good time. Coming from Key West, as we do, we're finding the nights to be cool, bordering on cold.
We drove to Tilton, New Hampshire today to visit a relative of Janet's employer Katha Sheehan, the Key West Chicken Lady. Glenna, the Chicken Lady's aunt, and her husband Walter are both in their 80's. They were very gracious toward us, sharing the information they have about Katha's father and his ancestors. Glenna suffers from the onset of Alzheimer's, but she was a trouper and managed to give us some useful information. We're sure that Katha will be excited when she sees what we've found.
It's Bike Week in Laconia this week, and Tilton is in the vicinity of Laconia. We saw many bikes and bikers all through the area, all apparently enjoying a fine (but cool) New England day.
Key West, as you might or might not know, is an island that is two miles wide by four miles long. We rarely have any reason to leave the island, and when we do it's most often to travel only a short way away. When we come 'home' to New England, it always strikes me that going somewhere involves a lot more driving than we are used to, and seems to take a very long time. We went to Lowell, MA yesterday to do some genealogical digging on Katha's behalf. 65 miles. Tilton today, 45 miles. Tomorrow I'll go to littleton, MA to spend the day with my Mom; 77 miles.
I think I miss my bicycle.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Resolution
I received news on Thursday that there was some resolution to the situation with Daisy and her home. Daisy went to the title company on Thursday to pick up her check for the sale of her home. The amount was minus the agreed upon expenses between her and the snake. She has two weeks after picking up her check to move out of her home.
The attorney helping Daisy out was relaying information to her through me because last week Daisy did not even have enough money to pay her phone bill and it was turned off. Daisy would go to the library daily to get any email news I would send her. The attorney told me on Wednesday evening to tell Daisy to go to the title company on Thursday, sign a tax transfer declaration form, obtain a copy of it, and pick up her check. He wanted to emphasize that she will see an amount on the tax transfer declaration that she did not get for the sale of her house, however she was to sign it or she would not receive her check. After she had her money, he intends to go after the snake with Daisy but didn't want to jeopardize her situation any further.
I spoke with Daisy after she got her check. You could hear the relief in her voice. She told me that she had not slept in several nights worrying about this whole debacle and once she had her check she felt so much better. Her phone was turned back on as she went around town paying miscellaneous bills and she began re-making plans to move. Her closing on the home in our area is Monday and soon she will be able to put all of this behind her.
The attorney helping Daisy out was relaying information to her through me because last week Daisy did not even have enough money to pay her phone bill and it was turned off. Daisy would go to the library daily to get any email news I would send her. The attorney told me on Wednesday evening to tell Daisy to go to the title company on Thursday, sign a tax transfer declaration form, obtain a copy of it, and pick up her check. He wanted to emphasize that she will see an amount on the tax transfer declaration that she did not get for the sale of her house, however she was to sign it or she would not receive her check. After she had her money, he intends to go after the snake with Daisy but didn't want to jeopardize her situation any further.
I spoke with Daisy after she got her check. You could hear the relief in her voice. She told me that she had not slept in several nights worrying about this whole debacle and once she had her check she felt so much better. Her phone was turned back on as she went around town paying miscellaneous bills and she began re-making plans to move. Her closing on the home in our area is Monday and soon she will be able to put all of this behind her.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Over the river and through the woods.....
Tomorrow evening I will finally be visiting my grandmother in celebration of her 88th birthday. My Grammy (my Dad's Mom) moved back to her home of New England with the assistance of two of her children after many years in Florida and the past couple of years in New Mexico. She went to New Mexico to be with one of her sons and his wife who took excellent care of her. But, Grammy began to suffer from increasingly poor health and the family concensus was that she would be better off closer to three of her other children who live in Massachusetts. Grammy always said after she moved to Florida that she would not want to ever live in New England again because she hated the cold but I am sure she is pleased to be so near her family now.
She lives with Aunt Betty now and receives frequent visits from her many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who live in this area. I am one of many grandchildren and for a multitude of reasons, I have not been down to Mass to see her since she came back.
Tomorrow is the perfect occasion to go being her birthday and all. Many of my extended family will be there as well so it will be nice to see them too. Grammy loves chocolate covered cherries and as long as they are allowed on her medical regimen, I am sure she will enjoy the box I will be bringing.
Grammy has slowed down quite a bit in the past few years but I feel very fortunate to say that I have many wonderful memories from my childhood of Sunday dinners at Grammy and Grampy's with all the Aunts and Uncles and Cousins present. Dinner was always followed by a grand game of cards and once I was old enough, I was allowed to join in as well. It really is a shame that my children have not been able to experience the same kind of family visits that I had as a child. Our family just isn't as large as Grammy's and those we do have live so far away. I'll just to have to continue to pass on the stories from those days so my kids will know how it once was.
She lives with Aunt Betty now and receives frequent visits from her many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who live in this area. I am one of many grandchildren and for a multitude of reasons, I have not been down to Mass to see her since she came back.
Tomorrow is the perfect occasion to go being her birthday and all. Many of my extended family will be there as well so it will be nice to see them too. Grammy loves chocolate covered cherries and as long as they are allowed on her medical regimen, I am sure she will enjoy the box I will be bringing.
Grammy has slowed down quite a bit in the past few years but I feel very fortunate to say that I have many wonderful memories from my childhood of Sunday dinners at Grammy and Grampy's with all the Aunts and Uncles and Cousins present. Dinner was always followed by a grand game of cards and once I was old enough, I was allowed to join in as well. It really is a shame that my children have not been able to experience the same kind of family visits that I had as a child. Our family just isn't as large as Grammy's and those we do have live so far away. I'll just to have to continue to pass on the stories from those days so my kids will know how it once was.
RAIN
After a splendid Memorial Day weekend, we had a steamy week with temps hitting the 90's and the past two days it's done nothing but rain. Temperatures have hovered in the low 50's. It has been raw and cool; days for which New England is famous. This type of weather lends itself to few activities save movie watching, fire building and internet surfing. We natives here know well that if you don't like the weather, just wait because it changes so frequently. Thank goodness the Red Sox are on the road because at least they haven't been rained out.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Controversy
Upon arriving at the office this morning, I quickly got filled in on a controversy brewing. Apparently one of our agents was meeting with her sellers last evening when they told her that their neighbors told them something disturbing. Their neighbors have their home listed with another agent in another agency and the two neighbors are very good friends. The neighbors with the other agency said that their agent told them that our company consistently underprices homes and that we are solely responsible for the downturn in the Dover market. If this was not so serious, it might be funny. First of all, anyone with any sense understands that the real estate market is a commodity market and is driven strictly by supply and demand. When inventories build, prices have to go down and currently inventories are building. If her statement even had a shred of truth to it, then our company with its "low prices" would be responsible for dwindling inventories since our homes would sell so quickly. The problem is that it is agents who overprice homes who are partially responsible for growing inventories. Buyers buy when there is a perception of value and sellers sell when buyers buy, plain and simple.
The other problem with her comment is that it is highly unethical to speak disparagingly of another agency and its business practices and this is according to the NH Association of Realtors Code of Ethics.
Our broker has been out of town for the week so a call was placed to his boss who is the manager for all the Maine and NH offices. I heard from reliable sources that he, in turn, placed a call to the other agent's broker informing her of her agents comments. It will be interesting to see what the fallout from this incident is, if any at all.
The other problem with her comment is that it is highly unethical to speak disparagingly of another agency and its business practices and this is according to the NH Association of Realtors Code of Ethics.
Our broker has been out of town for the week so a call was placed to his boss who is the manager for all the Maine and NH offices. I heard from reliable sources that he, in turn, placed a call to the other agent's broker informing her of her agents comments. It will be interesting to see what the fallout from this incident is, if any at all.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Lull Day
Today seems to be somewhat of a "lull day". Meaning that nothing much is happening or pressing at the moment but that could all change in a matter of minutes. I got to the office this morning just after 9am and began checking the email, making some phone calls and getting paperwork faxed that needs to be faxed. I have two deals pending closing in early June and I am hoping to get another buyer that I am working with into a house before June is done.
It's nice to see that my Dad has chimed in on my blog with his two cents. Even though he sometimes writes about Key West issues which are of little interest to me (politics and such), I always enjoy reading when he writes about the more mundane items such as canary eggs and bicycle thefts.
I have been working on a particular deal which has completely taxed my burgeoning real estate career. I met a buyer that I'll call Daisy through an internet lead back in March. She was looking to buy a small house or double wide mobile home to downsize in her older years. We established contact, assessed needs and began looking. As we got to know each other better, we signed a buyer-agency agreement which means that I am working for her and she is my client. We hit it off very well and enjoyed each other's company while looking at houses. She explained to me that she had lost her husband nearly a year ago to cancer and had the family home under agreement in the western part of the state. It was set to close April 1st so she felt comfortable looking for a place and making an offer once she found something she liked. She would be a cash buyer and not require financing due to the proceeds she would get from the sale of her home. Daisy found the perfect place, made an offer, it was accepted and she was on her way to moving closer to her daughter and simplifying her life.
All was going very smoothly until the closing day for her current home came and went. She was told by the man who made the deal with her that it would be just a couple days. He had a myriad of excuses for her to hold her off. Several days went by and still no closing; she had now missed a deadline for a second deposit on the home she hoped to purchase with her proceeds.
In the meantime, I asked if I could speak to this man buying her house. He called me and went on and on with exucses while he hadn't closed yet, but bottom line was that he could not give me a definite day. I had to keep in close contact with the agent for the seller and explain the situation to her. Tell her that Daisy still wanted the house but was being stonewalled by this
wheeler-dealer man. I began probing further as did the agents for the sellers. As it turns out, Daisy told me that back in October this man had her come into his attorney's office and sign over the deed to him "so he could pay the taxes" for her. Daisy assumed it was all on the up and up since it was being done in an attorney's office in front of a notary. Daisy never received any monies at that time nor has she up to date.
I asked Daisy how she met this "shark". She explained that back in the fall just a few months after her husband's death, she went to a car dealership to attempt to sell one of her cars so she would have enough money to pay the property taxes. This is where she met "the man". He told her that he was a real estate agent and could easily find a "buyer" for her house and he would pay her taxes and she could live there as long as she needed to until she was ready to move. He also promised to make repairs to the home in anticipation of selling it.
The agent for the seller looked up the deed for Daisy's property and found that it had been drawn up back in October but registered just two weeks ago. Amazingly, it now said that Daisy had sold her property to a Garret Brock, who she did not know and to whom she had never signed her property over. She had signed it over to "the man" back in October. The "man" had offered to pay Daisy 250K for her home and sold it to Garret for $325K according to the tax transfer stamps on the deed.
Meanwhile, an attorney working for the seller's agency called me after he got wind of the situation. I had been keeping the seller's agent updated all along. He introduced himself to me and said that he smelled a rat and it sounded like an elderly lady was being taken advantage of and that " got his Irish up". He offered to help and asked me if he could speak to my client Daisy. Daisy agreed to call him to discuss her situation and he has been handling things since then.
It now looks like Daisy will get her money for the sale of her home. The details are being worked out by the attorney and she may be able to finally move on like she had intended. There were other improprieties in this situation such as "the man" not really being a real estate agent yet portraying himself as one, the deed possibly being forged from the original one Daisy signed to the one recorded which indicates she sold the house to this Garret person.
I spent two nights with very fitful sleep thinking about Daisy and what was happening to her . It made me very upset and anxious to think about this "man" taking advantage of an older woman in a difficult situation. I am very thankful that people did step forward and do the necessary to help Daisy finally get her money and allow her to move on as she wanted. It's not completely resolved yet but hopefully by week's end we will have the answer that we hope for.
This whole scenario just points out what can happen when one attempts to sell or buy real estate on their own. Without the backing of a reputable company, one is at great risk for being taken advantage of by "sharks" or not completing the transaction correctly. According to the National Association of REALTORS, people selling by owner typically net 16% less than if they sold with a REALTOR. Most for sale by owners (FSBO) sell on their own in order to save the commission, however at 16% less they are losing the 6% comission plus an additional 10%. Daisy sold for 250K when the home was actually worth 325K but if she had been represented by a REALTOR she would have netted 305K even after the 6% commission.
It's nice to see that my Dad has chimed in on my blog with his two cents. Even though he sometimes writes about Key West issues which are of little interest to me (politics and such), I always enjoy reading when he writes about the more mundane items such as canary eggs and bicycle thefts.
I have been working on a particular deal which has completely taxed my burgeoning real estate career. I met a buyer that I'll call Daisy through an internet lead back in March. She was looking to buy a small house or double wide mobile home to downsize in her older years. We established contact, assessed needs and began looking. As we got to know each other better, we signed a buyer-agency agreement which means that I am working for her and she is my client. We hit it off very well and enjoyed each other's company while looking at houses. She explained to me that she had lost her husband nearly a year ago to cancer and had the family home under agreement in the western part of the state. It was set to close April 1st so she felt comfortable looking for a place and making an offer once she found something she liked. She would be a cash buyer and not require financing due to the proceeds she would get from the sale of her home. Daisy found the perfect place, made an offer, it was accepted and she was on her way to moving closer to her daughter and simplifying her life.
All was going very smoothly until the closing day for her current home came and went. She was told by the man who made the deal with her that it would be just a couple days. He had a myriad of excuses for her to hold her off. Several days went by and still no closing; she had now missed a deadline for a second deposit on the home she hoped to purchase with her proceeds.
In the meantime, I asked if I could speak to this man buying her house. He called me and went on and on with exucses while he hadn't closed yet, but bottom line was that he could not give me a definite day. I had to keep in close contact with the agent for the seller and explain the situation to her. Tell her that Daisy still wanted the house but was being stonewalled by this
wheeler-dealer man. I began probing further as did the agents for the sellers. As it turns out, Daisy told me that back in October this man had her come into his attorney's office and sign over the deed to him "so he could pay the taxes" for her. Daisy assumed it was all on the up and up since it was being done in an attorney's office in front of a notary. Daisy never received any monies at that time nor has she up to date.
I asked Daisy how she met this "shark". She explained that back in the fall just a few months after her husband's death, she went to a car dealership to attempt to sell one of her cars so she would have enough money to pay the property taxes. This is where she met "the man". He told her that he was a real estate agent and could easily find a "buyer" for her house and he would pay her taxes and she could live there as long as she needed to until she was ready to move. He also promised to make repairs to the home in anticipation of selling it.
The agent for the seller looked up the deed for Daisy's property and found that it had been drawn up back in October but registered just two weeks ago. Amazingly, it now said that Daisy had sold her property to a Garret Brock, who she did not know and to whom she had never signed her property over. She had signed it over to "the man" back in October. The "man" had offered to pay Daisy 250K for her home and sold it to Garret for $325K according to the tax transfer stamps on the deed.
Meanwhile, an attorney working for the seller's agency called me after he got wind of the situation. I had been keeping the seller's agent updated all along. He introduced himself to me and said that he smelled a rat and it sounded like an elderly lady was being taken advantage of and that " got his Irish up". He offered to help and asked me if he could speak to my client Daisy. Daisy agreed to call him to discuss her situation and he has been handling things since then.
It now looks like Daisy will get her money for the sale of her home. The details are being worked out by the attorney and she may be able to finally move on like she had intended. There were other improprieties in this situation such as "the man" not really being a real estate agent yet portraying himself as one, the deed possibly being forged from the original one Daisy signed to the one recorded which indicates she sold the house to this Garret person.
I spent two nights with very fitful sleep thinking about Daisy and what was happening to her . It made me very upset and anxious to think about this "man" taking advantage of an older woman in a difficult situation. I am very thankful that people did step forward and do the necessary to help Daisy finally get her money and allow her to move on as she wanted. It's not completely resolved yet but hopefully by week's end we will have the answer that we hope for.
This whole scenario just points out what can happen when one attempts to sell or buy real estate on their own. Without the backing of a reputable company, one is at great risk for being taken advantage of by "sharks" or not completing the transaction correctly. According to the National Association of REALTORS, people selling by owner typically net 16% less than if they sold with a REALTOR. Most for sale by owners (FSBO) sell on their own in order to save the commission, however at 16% less they are losing the 6% comission plus an additional 10%. Daisy sold for 250K when the home was actually worth 325K but if she had been represented by a REALTOR she would have netted 305K even after the 6% commission.
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