Have you ever met a well digger?
Well, neither have I. So it's hard to gauge how cold the guy gets. Especially in specific parts that may just be best left described as where the sun doesn't shine.
And while the sun seems to be shining today, old Sol is having little impact on the mercury here in briskly felt Chicago.
And so the reference to the well digger and that part of him that is oh so cold.
Somewhere along the way my relationship with cold soured. The least intimation of chill and my extremities become dull, blunt ice chunks. Specifically my fingers and toes. My doctor at Northwestern once hypothesized that I likely had frostbite when I was a kid. Maybe so. Not that the southside of Chicago was akin to the Tibetan plateau, but I recall several instances frozen in time like the time I made the three block walk from a nearby pond where we played hockey all winter long.
The whole scene played out not unlike some written by Faulkner as I hobbled home wearing ill-sized figure skates that dulled with each step I took home. And with no ankle support and even less warmth my feet splayed out awkwardly and painfully the whole way home. As with my toes were my fingers, achieving a specific bluish white that true cold fosters.
To this day I regard gloves with suspicion. Think about it, each finger stands alone, unable to huddle with others to catalyze the warmth of community.
Ah, community. As I envision my ever-chilled appendages seeking warmth amid the community of their brethren digits so too do I and my clients seek community with respect to the Chicago real estate that we buy.
And so with my clients Brian and Liz we submitted an offer moments ago for a home in Bucktown. Meanwhile my client Mike is lined up to become my Edgewater neighbor with his closing next week for a brick two-flat across the street from me and my family. And my clients Bob and Carolyn are ready to close on their large three bedroom condo adjacent to Loyola University.
In each instance my clients (personal friends one and all) made selections rooted in their sense of and desire for community. And so for Liz and Brian a key element was the new Pulaski International Baccalaureate elementary school. Mike wanted a brick multi-unit with easy access to the Waldorf School. And Bob and Carolyn wished to keep close to the St. Gertrude parish where they enjoy so many friendships and a spiritual nexus.
In each instance the process commenced with the wide arc of a search that led to a narrowing and finally a decision that gave consideration to the community mentioned above along with parameters that include size and price. Once we identified the right place what I call the metric process commenced.
The metric process is simply (or maybe not so simply) consideration of the desired property through the prism of current market value. A value snapshot is geographic (between a half mile and one mile), it is like-minded (similar lot size, home size, finish quality), and it is time-wise (closed transactions between today and no more than six months back). The point of the exercise is first to apprise ourselves of where we likely will land and second it is persuasive as it intends to persuade the seller as to the value we perceive.
Truth be told, I engage in the same exercise when I list clients' homes in the Chicago market. It would be a profound disservice to not crunch numbers and bluntly inform my clients as to how the market is doing and how this performance likely impacts their homes' values.
Ironically, while outside it may be as cold as an unnamed part of a well digger, whoever he is , the market is a bit warmer at least when it comes to homes selling for the right price.
Want more than anecdotes when it comes to finding your new Chicago home at the best price? Call me at 773.848.9241 and we can begin the conversation toward finding your new home.
Comments (0)Subscribe to CommentsComment