There are turkeys all over Plymouth MA! One day this last week, I was on the way to a client's home and a rafter/flock of turkeys was calmly causing a trafiic jam. When I got to the the house, the clients knew exactly where I was talking about on the roadway.

Well, if these turkeys were in Texas where I grew up, they would have a lot less feathers. And there'd be a pot of boiling potatoes ready to be mashed, and Cape Cod turnips cooking. Not to mention the tangerine encrusted jello chilling in the jello mold just waiting to be tuened over onto a serving plate. And some green beans would be steaming next to a bowl of chopped pecans for garnish and flavor.

Then, when I was on my way back home, a different flock cause another slowdown. The members of the second rafter weren't as stocky and proud as the first ones were. They looked they were marathon runners rather than couch potatoes.

I grinned at the way both rafters were so very non-chalant. In Texas, they know the range of your weapons and they are fast! If Ben had been the winner of the national bird contest, there would probably be many more traffic jams like those.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When we have taken gratitude and humility before God out of all the schools and off all the coins, what will happen to the monuments like this one in Plymouth, MA? The "National Monument To The Forefathers" is located on a hilltop on a quiet side street in Plimouth.

The inscriptions are chiseled in stone and include the list of Mayflower passengers, a quote from Governor William Bradford recognizing God, and a statement of gratitude that reads, "Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labor, sacrifice and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty."

The quote from Governor Bradford reads, "Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by his hand that made all things of nothing and gives being to all things that are. And as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation: Let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise."

My thoughts after all this time, God is still God. Thanks to those who so long ago risked everything to arrive here with the faith and vision and hope that I am a beneficiary of!

A short while ago I noticed a pretty woman sitting on a bench outside my Cape Group real estate office . Of course I notice pretty women, but this one had cameras and light screens and a crew all around her. It was like a version of Cape Cod's Next Top Model.

I watched for a few minutes and then asked what the pictures would be used for. It turns out that this was for the Appleseeds Clothing store catalog. They chose a few more locations on Main Street in front of a few different shops and restaurants.

I asked how they chose Falmouth. They knew about Falmouth from previous research. However, they like to have a portfolio they can look through that show cases possible locations in any US town for a "shoot." So if you want your town considered, get a portfolio together.

If you get the Appleseeds Clothing catalog, now you'll know where they took the pictures. Come to Falmouth and take your own!

Here they are setting up another shot outside the Firefly.

I recently met Dave O'Connor of O'Connor Painting in Plymouth, MA. He has been painting real estate for decades. I have included a few pictures here so you can see some of the finished work he has done. Whether you need a whole house painted for selling or just some professional touch ups, he and his crew take pride in doing it right and on time.

Dave also has a "secret" formula and method for brightening weathered shingles. Power washing should be done correctly so the shingles aren't damaged. The formula for brightening shingles needs to be strong enough to brighten the shingles without hurting the shrubs and plantings around your house, too. The O'Connor Painting crews know how to brighten your shingles correctly and carefully.

If you are in the Pine Hills, Plymouth, or Manomet, areas and need a painter, Dave O'Connor comes with a professional reputation.

Before                                                   and          After

Do you want to be "seen" on MSN real estate - possibly? If you have bought a condo, or helped a buyer buy one, at an auction, this reporter would like to interview you. Her focus is in a few particular markets, so read her request below.

Jane Hodges is a freelance writer working on a story for MSN real estate. Here is her description of who she would like to talk to:

I'd like to interview home buyers and individual investors who have purchased a condo at auction for an upcoming MSN Real Estate story. I need to find people who have attended auctions of entire condo buildings (not courthouse auctions of individual condo units) for interviews regarding the purchase process. I'm most interested in finding buyers who are in cities where auctions are a newer phenomenon (Portland, Seattle, NYC, Philly... vs. the obviously 'distressed' markets like California, Las Vegas, Florida, etc.) but am open to sources anywhere in the US. I'm also interested in talking to real estate agents who have worked with or are working with client(s) on buying at auction.

She may be contacted at: janehodges@hotmail.com with the subject line Real Estate: Condo Auction Buyer

Happy selling and listing!

This is an interesting development. If you ever wondered how much of what you do online is available for review, here's one example of what is available. Did you forget what a site was orwhen a chat online was? Now you can research it and see - if you did it inside your g oogle account. Go ogle now offers you the opportunity to review the "records" they have been keeping on you.

This is the new Goog le Dashboard. You can go to this page and see what the new Goo gle dashboard is. If you use gmail, you login to your account, and look under Personal Settings for Dashboard. Click to the right on view data stored with this account, and you'll go to a second sign in page for added security. Once past the second sign in, you can see all the places that you have been, the chats, the stuff that you have done while signed into your google account.

The extent of the goog le tracking only covers what you have done while "inside" your google account. So, if you want to keep a longer record of your internet activities, sign into your goo gle mail and do all your searching and chatting and stuff inside.

Preliminary CC&IMLS Statistics for October 2009

Single Family | #Sales | Median | $Value | DOM

• October 2009 | 330 | $336,700 | $154,029,292 | 150
• October 2008 | 296 | $337,250 | $155,716,315 | 157

Condominiums

• October 2009 | 79 | $260,000 | $20,972,155 | 224
• October 2008 | 79 | $259,500 | $21,961,262 | 192

All Sales

• October 2009 | 431 | $184,528,417
• October 2008 | 393 | $183,596,997

The Information shows an uptick in volume!

Here is a concise explanation of the benefits, tax advantages, tuition gifts and other subsidies that are planned for people in the US without permission. I watched the video below and kept waiting for the "april fools" punchline or the saturday night live cast to break in. You can't make this list up. Here is the youtube of the CNN report about the new bill.

If you don't want to watch the video, here is what the bill includes:

• No taxes for people who are in the US without permission
• People who are in the US without permission would be able to claim an earned income tax credit from US taxpayers
• English is not required for people who are in the US without permission, until nine years after an application for amnesty
• In state tuition would be provided for people who are in the US without permission
• All emigration procedings would be stopped and allow any people who are in the US without permission to apply for amnesty
• If people were in the US without permission and got deported, they could now get amnesty
• Temporary Visas will be renewable indefinitely
• Priority given to Mexican citizens for admission to the US
• Legal status 24 hours after applying for it, regardless of whether a background check is complete.
• Imigration attorneys for imigrants to the US will be paid for by the US taxpayers
• If a gang member says they aren't a member anymore, they will receive amnesty
• Us will give money to the Mexican government so they can try to convince Mexicans to stay in Mexico
• Top priority for eliminating borders between the US, Canada, and Mexico
• Border fence shortened from 800 miles to 200

Of course, these benefits are all for people who are not US citizens. Am I missing something?

If you need something different for Thanksgiving to spice up the usual cranberry sauce, take a look at the selection at Tihonet Market Village in Wareham, MA. They are actually the world's largest cranberry grower. I tried their cranberry vinaigrette salad dressing - very good!

During the growing and harvest season they have tours. I saw a few bogs still being harvested, but the tours have now ended for this year. They have some good pics on their site though.

The market area is open all day for food and cranberry specialties like the salad dressing I mentioned. I forgot to look but you can probably get cranrasins there too. It is a quite and peaceful place for soup and a sandwich if you're in the area.

The prices are reasonable, under $7.50 for the most expensive - 1/2 a sandwich and a cup of chowder! I'll be up there again today and might just have to stop again.

Should you get a septic inspection?
It is extremely important to have a proper, thorough, inspection of the septic system components if you are buying a home with a septic system. Unfortunately for many home buyers, the typical brief septic inspection tells you very little about the real state of the septic system. In my state, the tank is uncovered and viewed, and the scum level and depth is noted. A diagram is drawn indicating the location of the components. Septic inspections for the sale/purchase of a home is a limited visual inspection to determine the condition of the septic field and function of the sewage disposal system.

In some parts of the country, septic inspections are paid for by the sellers and in others, the buyers have to do their own inspections. As part of the home inspection process, in my part of the country sellers provide the septic certification. My state requires an inspection before a closing can occur. It does not require a functioning system, only a test. In other states, the inspection is optional. When the system is not functioning properly, the parties negotiate a correction acceptable to the parties involved.

The importance of a septic inspection.
If the house has a private septic system it should definitely be inspected by a professional septic contractor. An improperly functioning system can be a messy health hazard.  If you are already working with an agent, ask the agent for names of local, dependable home and septic inspection companies, then contact several companies or visit their company websites to learn what services are offered and to ask about rates. Sometimes yu can arrange to have a septic inspection company present on the same day as the home inspection which makes it easy to attend both inspections. If the septic inspection is scheduled on a different day from the home inspection, you may want to be there. In my state, a records kept of past inspections and pumpings, so you can check on the history of the system before the inspection.  Also, if you have a private well and a septic system it is be a good idea to have a water test as well as a septic inspection. In my state, most lenders will require a well test anyway.

The septic inspection should be completed and reported to the parties early in the negotiation process. Both the buyer and the lender have an interest in the operation of the existing system. Occasionally a repair or repacement is necessary. Banks usually won't lend unless the system is good or scheduled to be made good. In my state, a system can be repaired upto two years after title changes to a new owner. How the system is corrected and when is left up to the parties involved. My experience is that lenders will "hold back" an amount equal to one and a half times the estimate for the fix. Once it is fixed, the bill is paid from the held back funds and any excess is distributed according to the agreement between the parties.