Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor: February 2007

It may be true but the price of admission ain't CHEAP...!! 

Today is " Ticked Off Tuesday " on my local radio station. This morning one of the callers complained about the high price of concert tickets, brought to mind my thoughts of the Areosmith show a few months ago.

Coming of age in the 70's, me and the boys saw many shows.  In the heyday of the New Haven Coliseum (recently imploded) the top bands were always coming to town.

During what I consider the height of Areosmith's popularity "Toys in the Attic" I became burnt out on the music.  While in high school one of my many jobs was working in the cafeteria of UNH, during my all day Saturday & Sunday shift the college station kept side one of the album on continuous repeat play.

Getting back on track, my wife never saw the group so for her birthday I got tickets to the show at the Mohegan Sun Casino.  Two Tickets & Dinner.... about $350.00

To keep costs in perspective I often gauge prices by the Minimum Wage.  Back in the day we paid about triple the minimum wage to get Floor Seats.  Fast forward to the Areosmith show, with the minimum today around $7.50 it cost me 16 hours of wages per seat.  Since I forgot when they were actually going on sale I purchased the tickets on the second or third day when a commercial jogged my memory.

My view from the TOP.... Image my shock when we arrive at our seats, last row on the far right side of the stage... These were computer selected - Best Available!  

Do you ever STOP to think of your prospects reaction when you email them a new listing?  I try not to interject my own thoughts about particular street names to prejudice a buyers decision but often wonder - What were they thinking when the named this street?

One street I tend to point out while driving couples through town is "Lovers Lane".

Don't know why but it just strikes me as a silly place to live and raise a family.

I may say something like "How about living at 101 Lovers Lane"?  The wife may snuggle up to her husband with a suggestive little whisper, a witty husband once said "I'm well beyond lover 101, got anything on the 200 block?"

Lovers Lane may be cute but others just seem odd.  Would you like to see the house on North Roast Meat Hill Road?  Sounds like a great place to be fat, dumb and happy.  Certainly get your share of exercise every time you write the return address. Fortunately North Roast Meat is in a neighboring town where I generally do not travel.  I have enough difficulty with some of the names in my area.

Can I interest you in  Martleshamheath  Lane? Yea, you heard right, north of the circle off Dorset Lane out Rockland way. 

  I like simple names, short and sweet, but there are exceptions.  I ain't never gone down Gay Street and I especially wouldn't get there via Ben-Dover Way hitting the stiff right on Dipstick Drive..  ( not that there is anything wrong with that )

So... I'm curious to know, What are some of the strange, silly or stupid names in your part of the country?

In case you missed the BEGINNING this turned into this three part series...

Although there were no requests after the inspection, the appraiser had a number of objections.  The roof from the front looked pretty good, why the back was like this I never understood.   A few stairs without handrails in place, and when I came to siding they neglected some space.  Lets not forget the peeling paint, the list was so long I felt a bit faint.

I talked to the seller about fixing some stuff, he thought the appraiser was being to rough.  It was unfortunate we got stuck with this hard ass, but he makes the rules and I'm out of gas.  He finally agreed to a few repairs but that left me with a little despair.

On to the buyers agent, a pretty young blond with plenty of energy of which I was fond. She had an idea to settle this mess, I wasn't receptive I must confess. The buyer and seller both with no cash, she suggested we pay from our own personal stash.   Her next suggestion was providing labor to paint, thought to myself she must be a saint.

One late summer morning I get a call, this deal will be closing after all.  It's 11 am they're signing at one, I said thanks for some notice this continues my fun.

To make a long story short the buyer's agent did do some work, a little scraping and paint, another appraiser review. After a month of delays she deserved nothing but praise.

Oh by the way, I'm happy to say.... There was enough money so we both got PAID!

In case you missed the BEGINNING of my listing from hell...

Continuing on with my inspection day plight, I needed some answers to make this work right, wonder if my sellers already in flight. Gave him a call with no luck at all.  The next number I dialed was the one on the sign, attorney gone for the day, my luck's running fine.

Buyer's Agent showed up, the inspector was here, no one showed any fear.  Everyone's willing to continue ahead, the commission will be due, the payment I dread.  If there is no money to pay, maybe I should kill this deal today.  

The inspection process got underway, the minutes ticked slowly, I couldn't stay.  My seller's attorney was in a closing that day, his office was not very far away.  I jumped in my car, drove down the street, kick up my feet in a waiting room seat.  The receptionist informed me the attorney is not here, I headed for home to grab a cold beer.

Shortly after five the phone rings for me, the seller's daughter noticed the tree, wondering why her father hadn't a clue before hopping a plane and off he flew.  Thought to myself the guy certainly knows, he left everyone holding the hose. Told her I was searching for answers but coming up short, lock the doors tight, pretend it's a fort.

Now with the inspection done, it was time to move on for appraisal fun.  Did I neglect to say, buyer was going FHA!

Sorry but have some work to do, have to end here with part two.

Mine was a brick ranch that looked kind of cute, it sat in a town outside my normal route.  An entry level home, I priced it to sell, three months later I called it my listing from hell.

The road was quite busy which was easy to see, but some other facts were discoveries to me.  First was road flooding from minimal rains, took several days for puddles to drain. Also an airport was nearby, ensured plenty of noise up in the sky. 

Inside it offered some challenges too, the owner was friendly but wanted nothing to do. I went on vacation and let the place stew.

After a week it was ready to show, a quick offer came in - unacceptable low.  A few weeks later, the offer was greater. The owner accepted, we had a signed deal, took my wife out for a celebration meal.  The next day was kind of a pain in the neck, buyer never came up with the deposit check.

The third time around happened later at night. After loosing two deals my seller put up a fight.  His getting tough made negotiations rough. Stubborn and tired my seller decide to sleep on it, the buyer got nervous and took a fit, withdrew the offer not willing to wait, Oh what a night ain't that just great.

Three months after listing, negotiations again. My seller gets meaner not willing to talk, fortunately for us the buyer didn't walk.

Now the horror of inspection day!  I arrive before three to find a new sign out front on the tree.  Blindsided by this I hadn't a clue - my seller left town, what should I do?  

It's always fun to reminisce, anyone else got a story like this?

Makes a Man Healthy, Wealthy and Wise!  well... Two out of three Ain't Bad....

I have always been an early riser but lately it is getting a little crazy and I need to readjust my internal clock.  Could be the newness of the ActiveRain community and once the novelty wear off I'll be back to normal... 

Got me thinking... I know my sleep pattern does not coincide with the rest of society. Typically I am up by 5:00am ready to go after about 6-1/2 hours rest. Waiting for the paper to arrive and waiting for the rest of my world to wake up.

This business is filled with adrenaline junkies, how much sleep do you find "normal" as a Realtor?

Did you ever really look at how your home is taxed?  Prices everywhere seem to be rising so fast that we often feel we are falling behind instead of seeing financial improvement with annual wage increases. The cost of Gas, Electricity, Food... all Up-Up-Up... Taxes are no different, inching up over the years.

With the help of the Internet you can do your legwork to determine if you are paying more than your fair share.  The Town of Madison does a great job explaining the PROCESS and Property Assessments are easy to FIND.

In Connecticut you have until February 20 each year to file a PETITION to APPEAL the Assessment. Time is running out but you may want to make note in case you are hit hard with revaluation later this year.

  Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

Breaking News!!   With today's housing market people looking for a Rent sometimes feel left out.  We have just added a new feature allowing you to search for rental properties using the same tools available to buyers.

Here is a link to rental properties in New Haven County.  They are sorted by price and you will land on page 10, about half way through the listings.  You can scroll along the pages and pick any listing for more details.

For custom searches in specific towns or other Connecticut counties  Click Here 

If you see something you like and want to arrange a showing let me know.   Dan Cummings 203-672-2455

OK Guy's... We have arrived!!!  Down to the wire... 24 hours...

Another "Hallmark Holiday" is here!

Is there anything new after all these years..?  

First we have the ABC's... Anniversary, Birthday & Christmas, those are the big three. Going into March it would be nice to call Valentine's Day the final of four, but many of us know Mother's Day is around the corner at the beginning of May.  Arrggg!!!!.. we need some ideas...

It seems the early years and the later years are the tough ones...  In the middle we learn from our past mistakes and find the time & energy to be creative and undertake the Shopping Mission...

Call the florist for a delivery,  stop in the local jewelry store and drop a few bucks, maybe a bottle of her favorite fragrance or a daring nighttime outfit she'll never wear....  It all sounds familiar year after year...

So Ladies here is a chance...Any Ideas...???      Thanks in Advance 

 Contact Dan Cummings - The Running Realtor for help with Real Estate.

Just added a new running route to my training plan for my first half marathon and thought this link might be useful for others. 

Not sure how I discovered it but last year I stumbled into America's Running Routes and have used it ever since to keep track of my distance and give me a graphic illustration of the elevation changes on my runs.  It also works great for travelers who want to keep fit.  You can search over 100,000 routes that people have input so you can find a run in Melbourne Beach or Leeds, Maine.