Brad Holly's (bradshomesearch) Blog

What is Fall?

Brad Holly, Portland Metro Realtors (Portland Metro Realtors) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:08:04 -0800

Another installment of some short stories written by a friend for just some light reading. What is a fall day like? Let me share with you. I step outside my house onto the porch and breathe deeply. The smells of fall are all around me. The woodsy wet leaves in my front yard from the morning dew. The pine from the trees just beyond my driveway drifts lazily into my nostrils. I close my eyes as the wind brings the smells beyond my yard. Someone has a fire going in their fireplace. I can smell the crisp cold air from the lake just outside of town. It smells clean and fresh. I can hear the faint sound of a distant dog barking to greet the day. The wind through the trees makes a sound as if rushing water were tumbling over rocks. I rub my hands up and down my arms to get some more warmth. I throw my scarf around my neck and the faint smell of fabric softener drifts past. I look out on the yard and the road beyond and all around me fall is here. Leaves stick to one another as they fall from their homes above. The deep orange and the dark red of the once soft and supple green leaves are a stark contrast. As a wind gust comes along the leaves take flight into the morning sky. They flutter back and forth until falling in a different spot among the others. While underneath the growing pile of leaves it is warm. Worms and other bugs retreat from the bitter cold wind and know that the leaves offer a warm blanket that envelopes them in soft comfort. The gray sky occasionally has a bright spot as if the sun were fighting to break through. The clouds hold their own and keep the light dim. I wonder where these clouds came from. Were they from a distant land where the leaves aren't so red and orange? Were they from the ocean that is beyond where I am? Have they seen the landscape of this great country and poured out their moisture upon the deserving crops in the mid west? Who knows. They are clouds that have seen me and are moving on to the next backdrop. The wind is not so bad, but I am thankful for my warm long johns I am wearing. The soft sweater that my mom gave me last Christmas hugs my body and warms my soul. I look down to make sure my shoes are tightly laced and step off the porch. The crunch of the gravel and leaves under my feet as I walk are just louder than the wind blowing in my face. I turn my head down and begin to walk down the road. Life is good. **For the ActiveRain police, these shorts are posted here with complete permission from their author!**

Happy Halloween (A day late)

Brad Holly, Portland Metro Realtors (Portland Metro Realtors) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:17:10 -0700

Going to bed in the fall was always my favorite. I would brush my teeth and wash my face. The mint from the toothpaste would always make my mouth feel cold. It was inevitable that I would wake in the morning with dried toothpaste at the corners of my mouth. I never knew how that always happened. I would go into my room and kneel with my mother. We would say our prayers and I would crawl into bed. Do you want a story tonight, she would ask. Tonight I did not. I wanted to be alone. My story was better most of the time. She leaned over to kiss my forehead. Her gold cross grazed my face and I could feel her kiss on my head. The smell of my mother was of the lilac soap she used. I can remember it to this day. She would tuck the covers around me and walk to the door. She would turn around and smile as she said goodnight baby and slowly closed the door. I didn't sleep with a nightlight so the only light in the room came from the moon outside my window. The tree that I had spent countless hours in during the summer was slowly losing its leaves. The branches of the tree are thick and strong. As the long branches spread out from the trunk, they became thinner and bent in awkward directions. I often wondered if the tree was old and that was the reason for the crooked branches. My grandmother was old and her legs and arms reminded me of this tree. The leaves were a deep red and dark orange and yellow. During the day the tree looked like it was on fire, but at night in my world, the shadows concealed most of the color that usually burst forth in morning rays. There was very little wind tonight which made things easier for me. The wind always obstructed my view out the window. The leaves would get caught up in a whirlwind of dust and other debris from the yard. When the rain would fall the wind would always blow the rain drops into my window. The sky was always covered so the bright moon I could not see. But tonight that was not the case. The moon was bright and large. I almost had to squint my eyes for the brightness it reflected from the day's sun. There were dark spots on the moon as well as bright. I imagined the dark spots to be huge cities. What sort of creatures lived on the moon? I imagined great cities with big buildings. The creatures were generally good in nature, but spent a lot of time looking down at us on earth. Their idleness sometimes would cause them to fight among themselves. I rolled over to my side to look at the moon and imagine if I were there. What sort of reception would they give me? My mind wanders to the moon until I hear something. There is a noise that didn't come from outside my window, or did it? My mind instantly comes back to my room and I hold my breath to wait for the noise again. There it is. It sounds like it is coming from outside. Who could be out there? Who WOULD be out there? I lay very still as if weighed down by bricks. The air in my room has suddenly become oppressive. Did someone steal the air? Why can't I breathe?! For the rest of the story...click here! These are stories that have been passed on to me by my wife. The writer is a friend of hers and I have complete permission to post these stories. There are many more to come so enjoy! Brad

Do you want fries with that?

Brad Holly, Portland Metro Realtors (Portland Metro Realtors) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:19:17 -0700

Recently I was reading through the monthly newsletter from our local Realtor association when I stumbled upon an article written by a local principal broker. It was too long to reprint here but the main point was that one night he stopped by a local convenience store and discovered one of his agents working there. I believe he used the word embarrassed and then went on to explain how he felt this was wrong and that the agent was giving up, etc. I would have to say that I disagree with this. My thinking is if this agent truly was giving up, he would have gone back to a normal 8-5 job and not dealt with the stress and headaches that are a normal part of this job. Instead, to me, this agent is giving up his free time to earn some extra income while we all struggle with this current market so that he will have survived it and be ready to go when it picks up again. I guess, according to his boss, that his two options are quit the business or quit making payments on his home etc so that he is not "quitting" (if that makes sense). What good would that serve? Most likely make him the next statistic in the foreclosure side of things. Sure, it may be awkward if one of his clients rolled in and saw that. I like to believe that we are all adults and we all understand what is going on in the world and that these clients would understand...to the point that it does not interfere with his work for them. Obviously if service is suffering then it is not going to work out or needs to be reevaluated. I'm really curious to see the responses out there. Where do you fall? Is this completely unacceptable to have a second job in this situation, or this is an agent stepping up and getting done what he needs to?

I love this about kids!

Brad Holly, Portland Metro Realtors (Portland Metro Realtors) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:15:50 -0700

This post has absolutely no useful information in it so if you're looking for that or in a time crunch, move on to the next post. I was working from home today and just having a horrible morning. Nothing was going right and I was becoming more and more frustrated. My 2 1/2 year old daughter was home with me but luckily she fell asleep for a nap before adding to my frustration. I received a text message from my wife asking if I could pick her up early. (She rides the bus downtown for work but the first buses don't run out downtown until later so she needed a ride). I pack up my daughter and we head out for "pick up mommy" adventure. The local Costco is right on the way to the highway and I need gas so I swing by there to find the lines 8 cars deep (selling gas for $2.29 which is unheard of in this area). As I decide to pay more and head to the station across the street, my frustration level goes through the roof as I'm waiting to turn left at a four way stop. The lady to my left wants to go straight to get in line for gas. Apparently my left turn signal does not click with her that I'm going the opposite way. She proceeds through the intersection and blocks me from making my left turn. Grrr. So I'm finally on the road and just stewing by now. The conversation that follows is what cheers me up! Daughter: "Daddy, we going to go get mommy! We go get ice cream"Me: "I don't think we're going to get ice cream this time sweetheart"Daughter: "I want pink ice cream. Daddy, you want pink ice cream?"Me: "No, I don't want pink ice cream but thank you."Daughter: "Ok daddy, I share mine...you can have twoooo bites"Me: "Two bites! Thank you so much"Daughter: "Yeah...you and mommy have twoooo bites, but that's it!" I know it's really nothing but talk about just melting away my frustration level. I was smiling and just remembering all of those times when you're having a horrible day and a two minute conversation with your children can turn things around 180 degrees. I find it hardest to remember this when she is the cause of my frustration for whatever reason. So the next time you're having a really bad day, grab your child and just start talking...chances are you'll be smiling within minutes and ready to move forward with a better day! Brad

Beautiful Ranch on Corner Lot! $229,900

Brad Holly, Portland Metro Realtors (Portland Metro Realtors) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:57:24 -0700

Feedback, the easiest five minutes of our jobs!

Brad Holly, Portland Metro Realtors (Portland Metro Realtors) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:56:07 -0700

We've all been there before. You walk into a home and there is any number of things that automatically negatively influence your opinion of the house you are viewing (whether as an agent, or a buyer). It could be a strong odor of fish; I had this happen once with a listing of mine. In their defense, someone called for a last minute showing and dinner had already been prepared so there was no getting rid of that smell in time. It could be a home that hasn't been cleaned recently, overly cluttered or just a really weird layout that leaves you wondering what the architect was thinking. A lot of us are good at being "brutally honest" with our clients about what needs to be done to make their home show ready, but some of us aren't. This is where feedback can come in very handy. To the buyers out there, I would encourage you to be specific and describe to your agent the actual reasons you don't like that home. Don't feel bad and don't pull any punches, if it's not right for you, it's not right for you, but let us know why? Tell us that do to the clutter you had a hard time visualizing yourself in that place. Tell us that the floor plan was too strange and would never work for you. Tell us that the large amount of kids running around outside would never work for you, or conversely, tell us that the lack of kids in the area wouldn't work for you either. To the agents out there, take the five minutes that is needed to give this important information to the listing agents. I remember a time when I would continually check for showings and immediately send email requests for feedback. I'm not exaggerating in that my response rate was somewhere in the 30-40% range. Phone calls work to but most of the time we get a voicemail, leave a message and don't receive a return call. I recently discovered the wonders of an automated feedback system. I love this system and its capabilities (all of which are for another post). It can login into my showing system, and automatically email agents a short, 7 question survey. Sadly, my response rate is still around 40%, but fortunately it's saved me some time in not writing numerous individual emails. My biggest beef is why someone can't be bothered for 5 minutes of their time to provide this valuable information that they will be requesting of us when we show one of their listings. I remember once where I returned home from some showings and was greeted by an email from an agent who had shown a listing of mine a couple of hours earlier. SHE emailed ME with the feedback and was very specific as to the reasons her clients didn't like this particular home. I was floored and so appreciative for that. This information is essential to us, and to the other agents involved in the process. I would much rather tell my client that the amount of kids running around outside is why they didn't like your house. Can they change that? Of course not, although seeing an attempt to change it would be quite funny. Maybe a sign posted that there will be no playing outside between prime showing hours, etc. So, here is my challenge to you! Buyers, be specific about what you like and dislike about a home and verbalize it to your agent. Agents, take the five minutes to return a phone call, and email, or fill out a survey to provide this valuable information. Remember, the five minutes you spend may provide that turning point that the other agent needs to get some changes to get their listing sold. More importantly, that agent my take the five minutes that you need to get your turning point and get your listing sold. We're all working together out there and it's time to remember that we all need each other!