Gary's Blog

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Thu, 15 May 2008 00:56:16 -0500

Do you believe in Ghosts? I'm not sure if I do...but then I don't think I can be hypnotized either. I do love magic and magicians or illusionists.

What about haunted houses? If you believe in ghosts then you believe there are haunted houses. Some of the phenomena generally associated with haunted houses, including strange visions and sounds, feelings of dread, illness, and the sudden, apparently inexplicable death of all the occupants, can be attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning. It has been proven that in some extreme cases of suicide or accidental death preceded by the occupants witnessing paranormal activity were actually victims a failing gas furnace or improperly installed gas water heater.

This brings me to the topic of stigmatized properties. An attorney friend of mine called me last week and asked me what I knew of stigmatized properties. The best explanation I could offer is ...a property that is mentally distressed. Distressed in the mind of the beholder, whomever that may be. A property being stigmatized has nothing to do with its habitability or use or operation of its systems. It has to do with desirability based on certain occurrences or happenings in or around the house and these occurrences could effect the value of the property.

For example. Would you want to buy a home where the previous owners had committed suicide or murder or both? Of course not...lets face it this property will possibly never sell if these facts are disclosed, yet the suicide and/or murder has nothing to do with the usage of the home itself. The doors still open, the furnace still works, the appliances all function, everything works. This home has been compromised by unfortunate happenstance and no amount of decorating, staging or aggressive pricing or incentives will help it sell anytime soon.

The key here is "If the details are disclosed". This brings me to the question my attorney friend had. Do I as a licensed Realtor have to disclose these facts? My answer is that disclosure is the responsibility of the seller of the property. If a buyer were to ask me straight forward "Did anyone commit murder or die in this home?" I would have to answer them honestly. However, do I automatically offer these seedy details to every buyer that calls on or looks at this home?

There was a case of a rape that occurred in an upscale neighborhood near Cincinnati a few years ago. The new buyer had just moved in when the next door neighbor revealed why the previous owners decided to move. The wife and daughter were raped inside this house. The new buyer was appalled and sued their real estate agent, the listing agent, the lender and the title company. They sued everyone involved with this sale. It was dragged out in the courts for several years and their buyers agent ended up filing bankruptcy and leaving the real estate business. The court decided on the side of the defendants that the rape had nothing to do with the habitability of the property and no one did anything wrong. It was a day late and a dollar short for some of the defendants. This is a lesson worth learning. Anyone can sue you for anything legitimate or not. It is best to do whatever you can to avoid going to court. Everyone loses. No one wins.

God bless you and pray for our troops.

Sometimes you have to say "NO" other times "THANK YOU"

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:11:28 -0500

My home in the blizzard of 2008. My Neighbor Bill being a good neighbor as usual.

Remember the blizzard of 2008? It was only a couple of weeks ago, how could you forget that much snow. One thing I always remember in times like this...You cannot change the weather and we have to work together and help each other to get along. My neighbor Bill is a very good neighbor. As soon as the snow stops coming down he gets his newest toy.His Craftsman 18 horsepower Mucho-macho super-duper turbo charged high velocity snow blower out of his garage and visits all of us neighbors and clears off our driveways. Well it doesn't do any good to try and offer him anything more that a cup of piping hot chocolate and a neighborly THANK YOU. And that is something I have learned to do. When someone does something nice tell them How much you appreciate it. Nothing more nothing less. Just a nice friendly thank you from the heart always works best.

I have been taught a few basic rules of life. To be happy and get along on this earth I have to know when to say THANK YOU and when to say NO. If I am uncomfortable about a situation. Like today trying to work out the final steps of a closing that is to happen this coming Monday. After the final walk thru the buyers noticed a lot of marks on the walls that were not there before the owners moved out. Someone came through and did a terrible job with a touch up paint brush. It really looks bad.

Now the home is in the hands of a relocation company. We simply asked the relocation company to pay a professional painter $1,006.20 to come in and fix the damaged walls by repainting. The relocation companies answer was they would pay $335.00, the listing agent will pay $335.00 and the selling agent (ME) would pay $335.00.

Nice try but no deal. I was very uncomfortable having them volunteer my hard earned money to fix their problem. The listing agent was very grateful for my position. I gave her the confidence to stand up to them and tell them NO we Realtors were not going to be taken advantage of like that. I hear of too many instances that Realtors chip in to pay for things to get fixed or whatever just to get the deal to the closing table. If I caused the problem I will be the first to try and fix it even if I have to pay. But not in this situation. I simply said NO. The listing agent said THANK YOU to me. That really felt good. And guess what...The relocation company said OK we will pay the painter. How easy was that. And my buyers are very happy. They continue to have confidence in my service because I demonstrated integrety.

Please call me if you need help around the house or maybe to buy a new house. I will gladly say THANK YOU! Gary Rossignol, the Realtor with integrety. 513-777-2402 email Gary@GaryRossignol.com

That final walk-through is always very important

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:28:35 -0500

I had a great birthday present from Mary Jo my loving wife of many years...well we met in High school. That's right, I married my high school sweetheart. And we are still sweethearts. She knows how much music means to me so for my birthday present she took me to listen to one of my favorite bands, "The Blue Wisp Big Band" a 16 piece jazz band at the Blue Wisp Jazz club downtown Cincinnati. They only play on Wednesday nights from 8:30 p.m. till 11:15 p.m. What a fun time. I was totally enthralled with each arrangement they played. From Duke Ellington, Freddie Hubbard, George Gershwin to Thelonius Monk. This is an amazing group of musicians. This was one of my best birthdays yet. Thank you Mary Jo.

Earlier today I was renegotiating a sale scheduled to close this coming Monday March 31st. The situation is the owners have been transferred and have already moved so the relocation company now has ownership of the home. The last time my buyers were in the home the owners still lived there and had all their furniture in place and was my buyers third time through. The home looked as nice then as it did the first time.

We scheduled our final walk-through for late yesterday and I am glad we did. Usually we wait till 48 hours of closing. That didn't fit the buyers schedule is why we went early. After the owners moved someone came through and removed all the little nails that held up all their pictures and drapes, did a terrible job puttying the holes and spot painting all the walls in almost every room. They used the right color paint. However the rule of thumb is you cannot spot touch-up a wall with flat paint a couple of years old without the spot sticking out like a soar thumb. Now there are shinny spots in various places on most all the walls throughout the home. And where they patched holes...the white putty is bleeding through. Obviously a painter didn't do this job. Regardless of the price and this home sold for $307,000.00 this cannot be over looked. Someone has to stand up and take responsibility to repaint the walls so my buyers, who incidentally are first time buyers, can move in without having to spend extra money or time. They specifically wanted to buy a home they could just move into without doing any work. The listing agent says my buyers are a little picky...Well, Duh...Yes they are. But they should be. This is not what they bargained for. They were expecting to move in without painting the entire interior of the home.

So the moral of this story is to always, always, always do a final walk through in plenty of time to correct any problems. As it is turning out. I called a very good painter friend of mine, he cleared some time the end of this week and we hope the relocation company agrees to pay him to come in and paint the walls correctly. Of course the relocation company has to get a couple of estimates and are reluctant to spend the extra money, but someone has to make this right or there may not be a closing on Monday.

So if you ever need the name and number of a good painter just call Gary Rossignol at 513-777-2402 or email me at Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

If you want the right person on the job call me always first.

What is Market Value?

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:49:43 -0500

This is my yard at 2:00am Sept 12, 2003 This is my yard at 10:00 am Sept 12, 2003

OK, this looks a little funny. I didn't think so when I drove down my street late that night and saw my front yard TP'd...WOW! My neighbor called one of his friends on the local police force to stop by and assess the situation. The first thing the officer asked was..."do you have any teenagers in the Lakota Band?"

Well, yes we had two daughters and this was an act of LOVE so they say. It was my youngest daughter Stephanie's 16th birthday and boy did we get it. This was four years ago. She is now 20 years old and a sophomore at UC. Actually she is in Florida on spring break this week and today she called me to wish me a happy birthday. My second daughter Jennifer who is 21 years old and a Junior at Ohio College of Art and Design called me and said Happy Birthday also. My oldest daughter Aimee (mother of my two grandchildren Brianna 8 and Andrew 6) was with us on Sunday for Easter and My Birthday.

The point of this post is "Does all this toilet paper change the value of my home?" Well...

I had a client email me today. Megan was concerned about the market value of their home. She was worried that with the feds lowering the rates would decrease the value of her home. She continued to explain how they have replaced the blown water heater, replaced a bad window, repaired some leaking plumbing and gutted and water proofed their family room. Her question was how much would these repairs increase her market values to allow her to refinance from her ARM heading to 12% interest rate to a fixed rate loan.

Many people don't understand the difference in needed repairs and enhancements to your home and the effects to its value. First of all lets look at what determines market value. The definition of market value I was taught was what buyers were willing to pay and the sellers were willing to sell for. That is Market Value. I continued to explain that replacing the water heater didn't increase the market value any more than a new furnace, roof or an air conditioner would. These are all mechanics that make a home worth market value when working properly. I did give her a few pointers of what they could do to increase the market value. Remodeling an existing kitchen to more updated, modern fixtures and appliances, solid surface counter tops, upgraded cabinets and hardwood flooring. Updating the older bath with new fixtures and cabinets and tile flooring. Adding an additional room or finishing a walk out basement into a comfortable living space. Landscaping the yard with new plantings, flowers and Rock gardens, enhancing the walkways and flower beds and pruning existing trees. Not with toilet paper...LOL. Then I really worked my magic. I said call me tomorrow and I will refer you to a couple mortgage lenders that will help you refinance while the rates are at or below 6%. She has a "broken ARM" that is ready to jump to 12%. All I can do is offer solutions.

Our job as Realtors are to solve problems. I can lead people to a nice home of their dreams. They can choose to buy or not. If they do that is their choice. I cannot convince anyone to buy a home they do not like. We really don't sell anyone anything except our services. And that is what I continually try to instill in my clients. Call me. I have or will help find a solution to your problem.

Fortunately, I have many clients like Megan that do rely on my services as a problem solver and they continue to call me and refer others to call me. Thank you all for your continued trust in my services. Call me, always first.

You can contact Gary at 513-777-2402 or email at Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

We Realtors need to be ready for anything.

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:11:55 -0500

The Big Mac Bridge in Cincinnati.

The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge was dedicated in 1981 as the river crossing for I-471. The bridge is the easternmost of the city's downtown bridge group. However, many locals, including traffic reporters, ignore the bridge's official name and instead call it "The Big Mac Bridge"

I took this photo in the fall of 2007 from Mt Adams overlooking Cincinnati and Newport Kentucky.

I have been working with a very special buyer. He is very special because he is physically challenged, cannot walk and uses a three wheel electric scooter to get around with no problems. I will call him Dr J. in my story. He is a practicing & teaching physician at the University of Cincinnati. He has a fantastic system with his custom van that allows him to drive anywhere at all and roll out the ramped side door in his electric scooter.

He called me a couple of months ago wanting to buy a new or newer condo in Northern Kentucky. I prefer to not let a bridge keep me from helping my buyers so I have acquired my license in Kentucky as well as Ohio for many years.

He presently lives in an older single family home and wants a change. We can go out and look at the possibilities like any other buyer except I have to make sure there are no more than three steps to get into any property we are looking at. With only three steps we will use his portable 4 ft ramp. That makes it very easy. I have been helping him on 4 trips looking to date and have his system down quite well.

This past Saturday was no exception. Everything was going smooth and we had just finished looking at the 3rd and last property of the day. It was a brand new condo in Ft Wright, Kentucky. We met the builder at the model and he took us through the entire condo. It was most all on one floor except the lower level and they assured us they have one in the finishing stages with an elevator. That will work just fine.

As we were leaving through the garage where there are three step from the garage floor to the entrance of the condo we had Dr J's portable ramp. He doesn't like to go down the ramp forwards...he prefers to go down backwards. He says his weight is better distributed. There was a very small bump at the top of the door just before getting onto the ramp. His back wheels finally reached the ramp over the small bump and down, backwards he began. Something startled Dr J and he took his finger off the throttle and his back wheels automatically locked up and his front wheel lifted off the ramp up over Dr J's head and almost landed on top of him where he fell flat on his back on the garage floor. The builder and I grabbed the scooter before it landed on top of Dr J but he was already hurt. His head was bleeding from the back where his head hit the concrete.

All I can remember is what I have always been taught. Never move an injured person that has had a dangerous fall. That could cause further damage or neck injury. I immediately called 911 and continued to carry on a conversation with Dr J. A neighbor that was walking by had witnessed the accident, ran and got a couple of blankets. It only took 7-8 minutes for the life squad to arrive and then we got out of the way.

It was strange...the doctor was the patient and the Realtor just followed good advice and did nothing more. I didn't want to try to do anything I didn't know about. It's funny because I am usually very squeamish around the sight of blood. In fact it makes me very uncomfortable. But in this case it didn't even dawn on me. God gave me the strength to stay right there and help as best as I could.

So you just never know how a perfectly fine day will turn out. We need to always be ready for anything.

Dr J went to the emergency room at the hospital. I knew how to drive his scooter and get it into his van having watched him do it many many times. That is where I was able to be helpful. I got his van to the hospital. His wife and friend came to the hospital and sent me on my way. I was very grateful to speak to Dr J yesterday and wish him a happy Easter. He was at home doing just fine planning on going to work on Monday.

Everyone needs Legal Insurance...Here's why.

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:07:07 -0500

I have a confession to make...I drive a little fast sometimes when I'm alone. As a result I have received a couple of speeding tickets the past two years. But you know what...it didn't cost me much at all. Best of all NO points and NO increase in auto insurance. How did I do that you ask? It's easy...I have legal insurance.

You wouldn't think of driving around town without auto insurance or go out into the world without health insurance would you? Of course not. Then why not carry legal insurance? It's less than a dollar per day to have your own lawyer on retainer for whatever reason. Especially if you are self employed, or coach a ball team, or have children in school, or have a pet, or live in a neighborhood, or drive a car or get up and breath everyday. You should consider Legal insurance.

Most people don't think about it until it's too late.

When I got my speeding ticket I just called my law provider and under title two they assigned an attorney familiar with the jurisdiction where I received the ticket and the attorney represented me through the whole ordeal. 90% of the time my attorney will work out an arrangement with the prosecutor to lower the offense and I then pay court costs maybe a fine and usually NO points against my driving record. That is worth the membership in itself. In fact title two will cover any moving traffic violation as long as it isn't drug or alcohol related.

Are you getting ready to rent a house or an apartment as a landlord or a tenant, leasing a car, need to set up an LLC, someone owes you money or annoying you in anyway. Want to avoid going to small claims court or just have a question to ask. Call your Pre-Paid Legal provider. Under title one you can call your Pre-Paid Legal provider with any legal question as often as you need. They will never tell you to stop calling. In fact they will make three phone call's or write 3 letters on your behalf for any situation that requires their help. They will review up to 10 page contracts and best of all will prepare a full-blown will for you and your family and update it each year for you. This is all part of the membership. Under title three they will represent you with trial defense services if you ever get sued for any reason.

Have you ever been faced with an IRS audit...well title four of Pre-Paid Legal will provide the legal support you need through the whole affair.

This must cost a fortune you think! Not at all...$26.00 per month. That is it. No contracts and you pay month to month and can cancel at anytime.

If you want to know more about it go to my website www.GaryRossignol.com and click on the Pre-Paid Legal button and view the video or call me 513-777-2402 or 800-670-2402. I will be happy to answer any questions or help you get signed up with your own personal Pre-paid Legal insurance.

May God bless you this and every day.

Helpful referrals makes the world go round...a little easier.

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:35:07 -0500

I had a client friend call me the other day and said he was in need of some roofing work. He didn't know who to call and remembered that when he bought his home two years ago I told him if he needed anything to call me. I have a list of professionals to refer to him. Another client called with a tax question. His wife started a home-based business and wanted to know how much, if anything they could write off on their taxes.

These were both very good questions and if you are a first time home buyer or new to the area who can you call and who do you trust. The yellow pages (book and on line) are full of so called professionals...but are they really? I don't want to experiment or try someone if I didn't know they would do a good job. I just want the job done and done right the first time at a fair price. That is what we call referrals. If I refer someone to you I have already experienced their service or have tried their product. I can with confidence tell you they did an outstanding job for a reasonable price. Or they may be a little pricey...but they do exceptional work, or they do an OK job and are very economically priced.

I have a list of service companies in practically every aspect of home repairs that I have personally used or have witnessed work they have done on others homes and come with raving reviews. I am always happy to refer these individuals or companies to whoever is in need...all you have to do is ask me.

So if you need an estimate for a roof repair or replacement, you need to have portions of or your whole house painted. You need an electrician, plumber, window repair, carpeting, lawn care, car repair, appliance repair, new tires, you need a good dentist, eye doctor, attorney for an estate. You have an antique widgett that needs appraised or a tree stump that needs grinding. Whatever your problem...call your REALTOR...Me.

I am always pleased to share my secret stash of professionals to help you out of your situation. In return I hope they would refer me to someone in need of my services. That is what makes the world go round.

For a ready list of professionals go to my website www.GaryRossignol.com and click on the "Helpful Phone Numbers" button. If you don't find what you need just call me 513-777-2402 or toll free 800-670-2402.

On the other hand. If you know of a professional I don't have on my website, call or email me their information so I can share that to those in need. My email address is Gary@GaryRossignol.com.

May God bless you today and everyday.

Professor Gary...I love to teach what I know best!

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:15:22 -0600

Mary Jo jokes and calls me teacher Gary. When in all actuality I am an honorary professor at the University of Cincinnati adult evening college called "Communiversity". This little fling has been going on for more than 10 years. Wow it is fun, keeps me abreast of the real estate market, latest trends, new technology and helps me appear as an all round authority in the real estate arena. The course title is "Guide to Home Buying". And that is precisely what I do. Present a thorough, precise, authentic look at the entire process of buying a home in today's market. I don't claim to Know it All. So I have a few friends in the industry help me out. I have a mortgage lender talk financing, credit and all the types of loans available; a home inspector walk the class through a visual presentation of a home inspection. I have an appraiser explain what role the appraiser plays in the transaction. We then finish with a real estate attorney. They discuss and provide all the scary papers that you "sign your life away" on. Oh...and we don't want to forget title insurance. We even end the class role playing an actual mock closing.

What do I add with all these guest speakers? My portion is devoted to what I know best. Why do you want to buy a house versus rent for the rest of your life. How to take advantage of the tax benefits and how it effects your future financial situation. What forms do you need to be aware of and what exactly does a real estate agent do. I especially discuss the advantages of working with one agent...the Buyers Agent when buying a home. I provide the students with copies of all the disclosures and discuss all the forms with detailed explanations including the contract to purchase.

My students all rave about the class. They feel very confident to go out into the world and take that big step. Fulfill the American dream and become home owners. They are all armed and dangerous because they know all the right questions to ask and know who they can call on in all aspects of the home buying process. Especially me. I am always available to help them. Many of my students end up being teachers pet and letting me help them after class do the real deal.

The University of Cincinnati continually ask me to return as the honorary professor and to continue teaching the class because of the favorable remarks. You see there is only one test in the class. Do I pass as the authority on real estate and provide a welcome atmosphere for the UC students attending to feel like they got their money's worth. Yes...they pay for the privilege to attend this class. The cost is $59.00 per person. That is for 5 weeks. Usually 5 Tuesdays in a row from 6:30 p.m. till 9:00 p.m.

My next class will begin on April 1, 2008 and end on April 29th. For more information about the class go to http://www.uc.edu/ace/noncreditreg/browseclasses.aspx?classid=_xx12 or call me at 513-777-2402. If you are a Realtor that is interested in starting your own class feel free to call me 800-670-2402 and I will be happy to give you some pointers on starting your own class.

If you are my friends, family or clients please tell everyone you know about my class. No one should go out there and try to buy a home with out the proper knowledge or representation. That little mistake will cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you are not a first time home buyer, you still need to know what the market trends are like and how to get the best deal in todays ever changing market. Do Not Try This At Home on Your Own. Let a professional help. Like ME!

God bless you today and everyday.

They say it happens in three's...I hope not!

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:14:03 -0600

My wife Mary Jo and I were having lunch Sunday with my mom who is 86 and at the retirement home. Mary Jo mentioned to mom that her sister-in-law Janet's dad Joe VonHandorf died the other day. Mom quickly remarked "well, Aunt Lillie died also". That is the first we had heard about that. So as soon as we got back home Mary Jo looked it up and there it was Lillian Dawes age 89 died on Feb 28, 2008.

Our dilemma was that both funerals were on the same day. In fact both visitations were at the same time, earlier this evening Monday 5:00 - 8:00pm. We decided after discussing the various ways to attend that we would both go to Aunt Lillie's visitation in Lawranceburg, Indiana tonight and Joe VonHandorfs funeral in Covington, Kentucky tomorrow morning.

As we entered the funeral home we met Lillie's son-in-law Sam. He explained how Vivian, Lillie's daughter found Lillie at peace in her chair at home just shortly after she died. Lillie was a strong woman up to the end. She insisted on living alone and taking care of herself. Vivian was at peace with her mothers death as painful as it was.

Mary Jo and I had an opportunity to visit with relatives we hadn't seen in a long time. My only living uncle on my moms side Russell was there. I hadn't seen him for 5 -6 months. There were cousins and second cousins I hadn't seen for 10 - 15 years and some, never. Of course we didn't have much to talk about...we hardly knew each other.

Why is it we only see our relatives at FUNERALS? Do we live such busy lives with our business, children, committees, church, and such...we don't have time for our own blood relatives? That is a real shame.

As Mary Jo and I were leaving we noticed one of my closest cousins when growing up, Bob drive in. We waited for him and his wife to meet us there at the entrance. We chatted for a few minutes and along came his older brother Tom. I hadn't seen Tom for 7-8 years. In fact I hardly recognised him. His daughter asked me if I had been on the family website. Well, no I haven't and I feel very guilty about that and for not staying in touch better.

I am reading a great book. Robert Maurer, Ph.D's "One Small Step Can Change Your Life". I highly recommend reading this book. He explains The Kaizen Way concept. If you have any situation that needs to be handled, loosing weight, stop smoking, a messy desk or relatives that you haven't stayed in touch with. The Kaizen Way explains how small steps become giant leaps by not trying to tackle something head on and never getting around to it because it is so overwhelming.

So I have decided that tomorrow I am going to look up the family website and log-on and begin staying in touch. If I just call one relative a week...that would be better than not talking to them for years and years, maybe at funerals. It is good for the soul and who knows maybe someday they may need my help.

A friend of mine says deaths come in threes. We only know of these two. I hope he is wrong.

God bless you all and bless all your relatives. Call on one this week and say Hi.

The coop agent was GOD

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:02:24 -0600

We all have or had one of those listings that you thought wouldn't or didn't sell. Especially in todays market that is not an uncommon occurrence. With this situation it involves a long time friend of mine that I had helped buy their new construction home 4 years ago. This was to be their last move, so they thought at the time. If fact when the Mr called me 3 years ago (1 year after moving in) and asked my opinion on them having an in-ground pool installed I told them at the time, "I hope you plan on staying there for a long time and get enjoyment from it, because an in-ground pool is not an easy sell in the Greater Cincinnati area". Well guess what, 6 months ago the Mr called me and said "Come out and list our home, I took a new job in Florida". Oh well, and it has become quite a problem. In fact we could have sold their home 5 times in the past 5 almost 6 months if it wasn't for the pool.

This is a gorgeous one piece fiberglass pool with all the bells and whistles. The special optic lighting system and the flower box water fall makes this pool very attractive. But to sell it in the middle of winter was near impossible. My friend was working through Cartus Relocation and of course all the referral fees are in place and they have their pet Realtors they were recommending to my friend. He wanted to be a loyal friend and stick it out with me. Of course my assistant wife and I worked extra hard to find the buyer, but to no avail.

Last weekend we were facing the end of our 2nd 90 day listing period and the seller was considering taking the advice of the relo company and listing with one of their favorite companies. So I basically could fight it and guilt trip my friend into re-listing with me for another 3 months or accept the inevitable and let it go. I conceded to the later and truly accepted the fact that another agent would need to step in and take over where we had left off. I composed a very loving email and sent to my seller friend, client basically giving him the go ahead to list with another company. My thoughts were "If a different Realtors sign in your yard makes the difference in you selling your home and you and your wife can get back together again (My friend and his wife had never been apart this long before) then so be it. In fact if there is anything I can do to help your new agent get up and running quickly with photos or what every I have, just let me know."

That Saturday morning I received a call from a neighbor that lived down the street. He said his best friends mother wanted to buy his home and he wanted to buy a larger home...one with a built in pool. Could I show him my listing. Well of course I made time and met with this gentleman and he absolutely loved the house. As a matter of fact he made plans to meet with me the next day (Sunday, the last day of my listing period) to write an offer to purchase. He did call me on Sunday and we met and he made his written offer with my assistance and I got it accepted by the sellers that evening.

WOW...now that is a real God thing.

I truly believe in God and his powers to help us if we surrender to his will for us. That is exactly what I needed to do was to surrender to Gods will for me and not try to push my will on anyone or any situation. With all my powers I couldn't get anyone to want to buy this home. This gentleman had been driving by this home for almost 6 months. It wasn't until the right time to come that his interest was peaked enough to go forward.

I got the full deal on this transaction. But you know what. I was only the listing agent. God was the coop selling agent on this transaction.

God bless you all

Who is this blogging good for anyway?

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:57:01 -0600

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the positive comments about my eye surgery. Everything went great. I am now 20/20 in both eyes. I still need to use drops every two hours and wear a plastic patch at night, but that is a piece of cake.

Question...How do I get my blog available for friends and family and clients to read along?

I thought this was for that purpose, so everyone can read about the personal side of this Realtor. That although I eat, drink and breath real estate...that I do have a personal side to me. Something to try and personally connect to the general public.

Any advice? Am I in the wrong blog site?

On another point...Sex offenders!

Although I am grateful to the public ability to search for sex offenders to avoid buying a home near one. The problem I am experiencing is there are so many of them out there...it's hard to find a home free of some kind of registered sex offender. This is the second home this buyer has found and loves and wants to buy...but there are sex offenders in the neighborhood. Two totally different neighborhoods. I'm afraid these buyers are going to get discouraged and give up soon. Where do all these sex offenders come from? I have never seen so many in my life. I cannot dream of what gets into so many people to end up labeled a sex offender.

That's it for now.

Gary Rossignol, ABR, CRS, e-PRO

I'm Having eye surgery tomorrow

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:25:26 -0600

Well, here is my next entry to my blog. Thanks for all the comments from my new blog family. That was encouraging to say the least.

About 4 months ago I decided to have lasik surgery because I was tired of wearing glasses all the time. I have worn glasses since before I can remember. My mom says I was wearing glasses at age 5. I'm 56 now. WOW that is a long time. So I investigated the possibilities and was referred to a particular eye surgery facility and scoped out the best doctor. I finally did it...however the astigmatism in my left eye didn't take to the surgery. I was left very blurred in the left eye for the past 4 months. Tomorrow I go in and have the left eye enhanced. It is basically the repeat surgery as before in just one eye.

For fun, as a hobby (expensive hobby) I play music. I play clarinet in our local community orchestra "West Chester Symphony Orchestra". We perform 6 - 8 times a year. My other musical adventures are with my Rock-N-Roll band "BlueStone Ivory" Check us out at www.BlueStoneIvory.com. I play Alto, Tenor & Bari Sax and flute in this band. We play 60's & 70's classic rock...THE GOOD MUSIC.

We play a gig Saturday night so I was a little concerned with the surgery and playing my horn but the doctor says to not blow with my eyes and I should be OK.

Does anyone else play music? Any kind at all. I would like to hear from you.

So if anyone is ever in the Cincinnati area look us up. We play most weekends somewhere in the city. If you like Chicago or Blood, Sweat & Tears you will like my band.

I'll blog back after my surgery

Gary Rossignol, ABR, CRS, e-PRO

Going to lunch with the old ladies

Gary Rossignol (RE/MAX Unlimited) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:23:30 -0600

Hi,

This is Gary Rossignol's first ever attempt at blogging. I am very new at this so please bare with me. Mark Boyd incouraged me to do this so here goes.

I don't have much time today. I am meeting with my mother who is in a nursing home and her 2 sister-in-laws for lunch today. My mom is 86 yrs old and can't walk. She is confined to a wheelchair. So we like to get her out once a week or so to keep her active as possible. Her one sister-in-law lives in Ft Wayne Indiana and they haven't seen each other for several years. It should be a great time this noon time for all of us. Her other sister-in-law lives in Harrison Indiana. She hasn't seen her for a couple of years either. Both of my mom's brothers have since passed on. So mom's sister-in-laws are widows. I know how to get mom in and out of the car and her wheel chair so I volunteered to go and help. They said I can go and help with mom if I go to lunch with them. So...I am going to lunch with the old ladies. It should be interesting.