My picture is gone from AR and it looks like everyone else's is, also.  This is a tough week for me and technology.  My email disappeared and my backup restored 4500 emails I did not want.  Do full moons effect computers and software?

I tend to get overextended this time of year and do try to get some help from my husband from time to time.  I purchased some candy for his father and asked my husband to wrap it and mail it. He sort of agreed to do this, but the candy just sat there.  I finally wrapped/addressed the package and asked that he post it.  He did go to the post office but the lines were too long for him.  His solution was to take a whole package of stamps out and glue them all over the box. 

The next day, our condominim complex office called and said the postal worker would not take the item and it had to be metered.  My husband put up a fuss and so yours truly took the package to a Pack and Ship.  The clerk looked at the package and I explained that the multitudes of stamps was the work of my husband.  It was his way of completing a distainful task.  In examining the package, she started to laugh.  She said, "This is in violation of Federal law because it looks like the work of a unibomber."  The stamps plastered all over the box did look like the work of a crazed person.  I managed to have the present metered and sent on its way.  I hope his parents enjoy the effort!  This has a been a week of complicated tasks gone wild. 

We have an office in a very upscale shopping center in Naples, Florida.  Some of the shops in the complex include Tiffany's, St. John's, Apple, Ralph Lauren, etc.  The center's location is in the heart of a wealthy community.  Leads from this office tend to be very productive.  Agents enjoy working at this office. 

This week I had a couple come in and they said they were looking for a condominium under $100000.  That is not a typical dollar figure for this setting, but I was happy to give them some general information. If they were serious, my plan was to refer them to another agent.  (I have spent too much time with a few low end deals that take way too much energy to get involved with this project.) They had already scoped the area and they had some opinions about what they were looking for.  The woman stated that, "I do not want to be in a development that has Blacks or Mexicans living in it."  I almost fell down on the floor.  I thought she might be a federal agent and I looked at her accordingly. She went on to say," We are only here for 6 months of the year so we want to be with other people who are like us."  I restated that for her, "So you are interested in a community that has snowbirds - right?" 

I was still shocked that she had made such racial comments.  I knew this was not a long term relationship but I was trying to find a way to show them the door, when she said, "How do commissions work on the sale of a house?" I told her she did not have to worry about that because the seller paid those costs.  She went on to ask if they did not have enough money for the home could they have some of the real estate commission.  I told her in the price range that she was looking at the commission is minimal and the work very extensive.  It made no business sense to cut the commission for such an effort.  Between the first statement and last, I helped them to the door. 

Did I handle that OK?  Should I have booted them out the door after the first rude remark? I am beginning to think instead of ignoring their initial comment I should have challenged it or told them I could not participate in such a ridulous search.  What do you think?

I do not think people understand how much realtors do for the community, and with Christmas just around the corner, the pressure is on to help as much as is possible.  We do this because we want to, but from food drives to toy collecting, I have to pace myself and give to organizations that mean a lot to me.

Locally, there is a home for challenged children that is on my donor list.  They ask for unwrapped toys for infants to teens. I do not have children of my own so going to the toy department is a bit overwhelming. 

Yesterday, I decided to recycle my youth and focus on Barbie dolls.  I found a Barbie doll that is sold with a dog and his toys.  The package looked very cute, until I noticed the dog came with his own droppings.  In addition, Barbie had a pooper scooper to clean up after her pet.  I am sure that is a teaching tool, but it was too much information for me.  I picked up the next Barbie and dog ensemble and found in that setting you could give the dog water and he would relieve himself on cue.  On that note, I picked up a basic Barbie with some clothes and moved on to the game area, where I found Gassy Gus.  A few more minutes in the toy area and I was on overload.  I left knowing I need to go back and complete this mission.

OK, I admit I need help with toys that are reasonably priced and appropriate for a variety of ages.  I am calling on the AR network to suggest playthings for this holiday season.  I will look forward to your ideas, so I am better prepared for my next outing!

This is a true story and I think it is simply fun! 

A woman from our golf club said that her daughter and son-in-law were married at Wynn's Casino in Vegas.  It was a place that both of them really enjoyed and the wedding was a blast.  (If you have ever been there, the setting is very special.) The casino did everything to make the day unforgettable. The event cost a small fortune, but it was outstanding! 

Within a year after the ceremony, the newlywed gave birth to a beautiful little girl.  The couple struggled with what to name the child. They wanted a name that was rather unconventional but totally positive.  The father finally set upon the notion that "Wynn," after his favorite casino, would be absolutely perfect.  (He is very conservative, but he likes to gamble and play the golf course. I do not want to make him sound too far out there.)

The parents took a picture of the baby and sent it to Ms. Wynn with an explanation about the origin of the baby's name. Ms. Wynn mailed back a cashmere baby sweater and hat with a charming letter.  She had  baby Wynn's picture blown up and placed on the hallway of  the employee's lounge and every time the couple goes to the Wynn with Wynn they are treated like "rock stars."  (Plus, there is always a special present for Wynn at the counter.) 

Moral of the Story: Do take that extra time to name your child or grandchild.  It could pay off on many levels!

Not all foreign nationals are out to get us.  I wish the government could figure out that there are people from other countries who want to live here peacefully, spend a lot of money and pay our taxes.  We make it so darn difficult, from mortgage constraints to visa restrictions to a lack of extended health plans.  I know many super talented English citizens who would love to own real estate here and spend vacations on our soil.  Many of them do find a way to settle here, but we do not exactly make it an easy process.

One of our golf members lived in the United States for 35 years.  He was a top executive in an oil company.  He was British and no one in the states could fill his job. The day he retired, our government notified him that he was to return to England to live.  He would only be welcomed back into the country for 6 months a year.  He had to go back to a land he did not know and start a new life.  He struggled to get a US Visa. He would have much preferred to settle here and have one luxury home.

I am working with an English couple who are trying to obtain a mortgage for a vacation home.  This too is a burdensome process.  I have found lenders willing to work with them, but it was no easy task.  Another couple decided not to buy here because to cover their English health insurance, the costs were prohibitive.

I am not naive.  I do understand that there are some very nasty people out there who do not like us.  But last I checked, we do have some allies and I think we should start treating those citizens like we are buddies, not as if they are part of the evil axis.  We need to look at our policies and find ways to let talented foreigners enjoy our part of the world.

I have English customers in town looking for property.  The husband had to stay home, but the mother and two teenage daughters are here looking at real estate and enjoying the Florida sunshine. We have narrowed down the search to one development.  Yesterday, we had 7 homes to look at and my customer wanted to walk to all of them since she was staying in that area.  It was a gorgeous day and it was fun to see the neighborhood by foot.  (I am sorry to say, I would have driven the group to the homes without thinking.  So many of my customers are not walkers, I forget about this outstanding option.)

In walking through the neighborhood, the youngest girl observed all of the homes with American flags out in front proudly presented to the world.  She was surprised because she said you never see English flags in front of British homes.  She seemed to like the idea.  Her older sister commented, "The flag waving in front of the property means that they are prejudiced, right?" I was taken aback because she was so mature and sincere but obviously confused about the word she selected.  Her mother quickly corrected her and said the word she was looking for was "patrotic."  Her daughter than asked what "prejudice" meant.  Her mother explained that being prejudice is when you do not like someone without knowing them because of their sexual preference, skin color, etc.  A good discussion followed. 

It is nice to see the flags out in front of the homes.  The British should consider adding their flag to their homesites.  It is a good reminder of where we are and where we came from. 

I have European buyers looking for a home in a gated community here in Naples, Florida.  They have school-aged children, so they will only use the house during summer/winter breaks. They want to rent the house out during high season to offset their expenses.  They will purchase a home with at least 3 bedrooms and a pool, which makes it an ideal rental property. 

They have pretty much decided on the community they want.  One of the big draws to this area is that the Home Owner's Association allows 7 day minimum rentals 52 times a year in one neighborhood and 12 times a year with a 30 day minimum in most of the other areas, so the properties are easy to lease.  This rental information came from our MLS.

Unfortunately, agents have not been verifying the rental information.  All of the 12 times a year with a 30 day minimum have been changed to 4 times a year or 3 times, per the developer.  I went through the communities with the builder's rental agent and he gave me the correct information.  That is a very different picture and greatly limits our viewing, which will not please my customer.  REMINDER:  DO NOT TRUST THAT THE LAST AGENT POSTED THE INFORMATION FOR RENTAL POLICIES CORRECTLY.  VERIFY THE RENTAL INFORMATION AND OTHER POLICIES BEFORE YOU POST.  THIS MAKES ALL OF OUR JOBS A LOT EASIER.

Last October, I had a customer who was in the process of buying a single family home, when the stock market crashed.  I had written in a three day rescission period for him to review the home owner's association's financial postition.  (He was concerned about the health of the community.) During this review period, all heck took place in the world and the stock market fell to a record low.  It was really touch and go as to whether the buyer wanted to proceed or not on the contract.

My customer said,"What if the stock market does not come back?  I have already lost so much money.  I cannot afford to have the whole system fall apart."  I would like to take credit for the solution, but my customer found the answer to the problem.  He had me draft an amendment that said, "He would pay X amount more for the home if the stock market were over 9000 points on October 31,2009 and he would owe nothing more if the stock market were under 9000 points on Halloween. 

The world looks better today.  The stock market and our economy seems to be going the right direction.  My customer will most likely have to pay more for the home at the end of the month but he is in a better financial position and he protected himself from a catastrophic situation. It was a very cool amendment!

There is a band called, "They Might be Giants," which are pretty popular and they like to write songs about science.  During an interview  the DJ asked the band if they could write a ditty about anything and they said they could so the DJ gave them the title of one of my stepson's (Dan Sheehy) physics research paper to play with and they did a number of silly variations on a theme of "Quantum Decoupling Transition in a One-Dimensional Feshbach-Resonant Superfluid." Heaven and Dan's group of scientists only know what this means.  His stepmother has no clue on the inner meanings of this paper.

In one of the sonnets, they decided "decoupling" was about a man and woman breaking up and the song reflected that sadness using this quantum phrase.  The paper is rather obscure and it sounds like it was picked because the DJ felt it was "dense" and very non-lyrical.  (Dan is a professor at LSU. He specializes in theoretical high temperature superconductors.  He thinks in a dimension I cannot imagine.)   Another person heard this clip and wrote a song using many paragraphs from this same paper.   Do give it a listen to because it is pretty funny!  This is about as far as one can be from real estate, but it is a fun diversion. Physics is another world and his papers are off the charts! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIXRXMMlZBM