I'm Gonna be a Schram!

A Schram...no "berg." Just don't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Buyer's Market Schmyer's Market

I'm quite certain my readers abandoned me long ago, but I have nothing else to do on this Saturday night, so thought I'd dust off the blog and spill out some recent news.


So here's a brief recap since I last wrote for those of you not up to speed:

Passed the Series 7 test and started a second and full-time job as a financial advisor.
Rented out my condo in uptown.
Moved in with my boyfriend (and his roommate) while we try to sell their house.
Oh, and just found out I wil be moving to to a wonderful house on 12 acres in Waconia, MN to start a vineyard in approximately 3 weeks (which I wil get to later).

Other than that...not too much. :)

I can think of a million topics to write about right now, but one in partcular sticks out to me. While the dire media tells us...houses prices are falling, falling, falling...we're headed for a recession...buyer's market...home sales down....let me give you a few examples of why MY recent experiences in real estate tell me otherwise.

Situation/Client #1: Without complicating it too much, the jist of this situation is that I wrote an offer for some clients last October to buy a house. Since that time, and while under contract, the seller has decided she doesn't want to sell. This would be fine if both parties were laid back or if my clients recognized there are other homes on the market, but no. They want the ONE house (out of the 250 that fit their "criteria") that the seller is unwilling to give up. So, now I am stuck in the middle of a legal battle while both buyer and seller consult attorneys and send letters back and forth arguing the validity of the purchase agreement. Most sellers are dying at the chance to get a nibble on their house...and this lady refuses to sell it (after having had it on the market for 6 months). And my buyers want what they can't have. So much for that buyer's market.

Situation/Client #2: I have set a personal record of "second showings" with this particular buyer. I've shown this couple about 100 house (slight exaggeration) and every time they find one they really like, we go look at it for a second time (you know, to bring the parents through, yadda, yadda), and then find out that an offer has just been accepted on the house before we are even able to make an offer. This has happened approximately FOUR times in the past two weeks (no exaggeration). So much for that buyer's market.

Situation/Client #3: Showed several downtown condos to some buyers moving from Denver. After spending several weeks with them, I found them the least expensive brand NEW condo in Minneapolis that fit their needs perfectly. Others that compared had already sold for OVER one hundred thousand dollars MORE than what this one was listed for. It was a GREAT buy and incredible investment. They thought about it over a weekend and decided they are going to rent because they were concerned the market wouldn't turn around and they would lose money. WHAT? They basically would already have ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS of equity once the market turns around (which it will) and would be able to get it at an incredibly low interest rate. But what do I know. I'm only a realtor who knows the downtown Minneapolis market. Think people aren't influenced by the media? Prime example.

Situation #4: Lastly, the situation involves me and the house in Waconia. Dating back to mid-December when boyfriend and I found a house and land that we both love and seemingly PERFECT for what we would want (see image above). And price was right. Charming house, room to grow, lake views, great soil for grape growing, incredible acreage, and next to a grassy airstrip where his pilot brother can fly his family in from Wisconsin to visit. Not to mention it's close to my sisters and parents which gives me a handful of babysitters when the time comes! :) We were dealing with a bank which was complicated and S.L.O.W. We made an offer December 12th, found out the day after Christmas that another offer came in (so much for a buyer's market), so we increased our offer, waited, waited, and WAITED and were asked to make our VERY best offer about three days ago. Once we did, we found out we came in higher than the other offer! It was a long and frustrating road, and we may have to live on ramen noodles for a few years and spend some more Saturday nights at home (ahem) based on how much we increased our offer over that time. But I don't care...it's totally worth it. I'm starting a vineyard with my honey...who else can say that??! And even though I can't grow a plant for the life of me and don't know a thing about grapes other than I like to eat them and drink them, at least I have some marketing, sales, and financial planning skills to bring to the table.

Sorry, went off into my lala land. But as you can see, I have no good examples of this being a "buyer's market." While rates may be low and there is a large inventory of homes on the market, I think that simply there are not many sellers with enough equity in their home to be able to sell at a price that makes the buyer feel like they are getting the great deal the media is telling them they should. And those that are priced well are often bank owned or relocation properties where the prices are so great that they get multiple offers, which drives up the price again.

That's my take at least.

Any and all welcome to Waconia for some wine...anytime after Feb. 25th. But I don't want to jinx it. Keep your fingers crossed for a smooth and successful closing!

Dumpster Diving

Hello! Remember me? I know it has been a while. It's not that I haven't had anything interesting to write, just haven't taken the time to write about them. But, a couple of interesting things happened to me recently that seemed to fit some old themes of this blog.

First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to my wing man and former blogger, Laura. Hey, Laura! Some of you may remember reading Laura's blog "Braced for Impact" last summer. She, with me, wrote about her single girl tribulations and adventures. Due to lack of content for her blogging theme, Laura stopped blogging last August, about the time she met someone special, who was then referenced as "The Sleeper." Now, just short of a year later, they are engaged!! Yeah! (See Laura, I hate to say it, but I told you so)! Some of you may be wondering how this fits into my title. Rest assured, Laura did not find her now fiance in a dumpster....but she sure found a treasure! Laura, I'm so, so happy for you, but remember that you'll always be my wing man.

Secondly, I'd like to give you a brief update on the progress of my handyman skills. You wouldn't believe how far I've come from the days when I was clumsily trying to use an Allen wrench! But after spending the last several months making weekly trips to Home Depot and most weekend days spent on the BFs house projects, here are just SOME of the things I have learned:

1. There is a special tool made just for opening paint cans and special stuff for removing wallpaper! Who knew?
2. There are like 64 different types of paint finishes (ie. you can't just order one can of blue paint. You have to decide if its eggshell, or matte, or glossy, or whatever).
3. How to use a sander, a power drill, a staple gun, and a paint sprayer.
4. Disposable feather duster work much better than brooms in removing cobwebs from ceilings
5. ALWAYS remember to wash paint brushes when you are finished using them!
6. Kaboom (as seen on TV) works wonders in removing scum and rust from showers
7. How to lay laminant kitchen tiles (and even how to cut the corners around the moldings)!
8. That to keep a good garden, you have to water the plants every day and dead-head them or else they die.
9. That I'm not a very good gardener.
10. I like Menards better than Home Depot.

Now, how does dumpster diving fit into all of this? In the condo building I live in, the dumpsters are in the garage and I walk by them each day to enter the building. Occasionally, I'll see something sitting out there that looks to still be of good value and condition and I wonder why someone is throwing it away. I eyed up a nice black golf bag a few months ago and passed it up only because, well... I don't really golf, don't own clubs, and don't know anyone who needs a new bag. The next day it was gone and I later found out my friend who lives upstairs took it and gave it to her boyfriend. For the past couple of weeks there has been a wooden stand-alone closet sitting by the dumpster. I figured it would be picked-up by someone or would be gone that first week on garbage day. Apparently, the garbage man won't pick it up if it's not actually IN the dumpster, so it has continued to sit there. Today, I noticed it still there. Thoughts going through my head: It's pretty cute. It just has a little wobble and needs a new paint job. Why is someone getting rid of this? Can I really take something from a dumpster? I could sure use some more closet space...

At about 10:30 this morning, after looking at my over-flowing closet in my bedroom, I threw on a baseball cap and went to the garage to haul that closet up to my place. I wanted to go at a time not a lot of people were around and go incognito. I mean, what would people think if they saw one of their neighbors dragging something inside from beside the dumpster?! Using my new skills, I re-nailed a nail that was missing that had given it its wobble, WD-40ed one of the squeaky wheels and took some leftover paint from the accent wall in my room, and an hour later I had this super cute refurbished extra closet for my room! And we all now how I could us more hanging space! It's a literal use of the phrase "One person's junk is another person's treasure!"

Thanks for reading all of my closet related blog entries. I'm really not that obsessed with my closets and don't spend as much time working on closets and rods and racks as this blog might imply. But, when you got a theme, you just gotta go with it, right?

Hand-Me-Downs

As the youngest in my family, I grew up getting a lot of hand-me-downs. Whether it was clothes from my cousin or the old make-up my sister left behind when she went to college, there was always something. Sometimes the hand-me-downs kind of stunk, like when I had to play the flute in band, because we already had a flute from when my older sister played and my parents didn't want to buy a new instrument. I really wanted to play the trombone. I quit the flute after 7 months. But sometimes the hand-me-downs weren't so bad, like when I got to drive the Chrysler LeBaron convertible in high school after my mom was through with it. (This was especially good since my older sister was left to drive the rusted out conversion van after my dad got a new car). Hey, it's not my fault the convertible just happened to be the available car at the time!

Hand-me-downs have transferred into my adult life as well. Especially since I am single, and people think that I must not have kitchen supplies. I'm not sure if they think this because I haven't yet had the chance to register for dishes and omelet pans, and skillets, but rest assured, my kitchen is stocked from hand-me-downs as well as new items. And I have three sets of measuring cups to show for it!

My mom is always trying to pawn things off. Not only on me, but on all of her kids. Christmas dishes, knick-knacks, pillows, you name it. And as nice as they might be to have, since I'm not doing a lot of Christmas dinner entertaining in my 750 sq. ft. condo, I don't have much use for Christmas dishes. No more kitchen dishes or appliances for me. Nothing! At least until I get a bigger place, because quite frankly, I just don't have any room. My cupboards and closets are already packed. My aunt's wok is stored away in my coat closet and my placemats are kept under my bed. So, no matter what the item, I have to say "no" because I have NO where to put it!

So, when my brother called the other day to offer me up something he needed to rid of, this should have been my answer, right?

Bro: Hey, how would you like to be the recipient of a couple hundred dollars worth of booze?
Me: Okaaaaay....what do I have to do?
Bro: Nothing. I've got like 25 bottles in my car right now...I'll just drop them off.

Suddenly my kitchen looked a lot more spacious! So, as a result of my brother and sister-in-law having two rebellious teenage sons in their house, I am the recipient of my their hand-me-down booze. I mean, I really only took it to help them out and because I sincerely care about the safety of my nephews.

Do you think that I magically have room for all of these bottles? No. Am I complaining? No. Even though I now have a good excuse for not cooking since I have no counter space to do so, at least I now have a good reason to throw a party. While I did have a small stash of booze to host my book club before, I am now ready to host a fraternity party. So, in order to prevent me from becoming a raging alcoholic, let me tell you here, that my door is always open for a drink. With an inventory of approximately 18 bottles of wine, 20 bottles of hard alcohol, 4 bottles of champagne, and a variety of beer, I should have some thing to wet your palette.

But, better hurry up! I'm not going to wait until I hear you knocking. And if I'm drunk next time you see me, hopefully that means my nephews aren't. I'm just doing it for the kids. Oh, and to free up more kitchen space.

My Celebrity Hair

Most people who know me, know that my hair style has not changed dramatically over the years. There were the few times in college that I cut it above my shoulders, the occassional home highlights, and the playing around with bangs every couple of years. But for the most part, my hair now is not really that different from when I was in kindergarten. Very long. Straight. Brown.

When I was younger, I took advantage of having long hair to style. My mom and sister would often put it in side ponytails, frenchbraids, and even upside-down french braids. Sometimes I'd even try to put cornrows in myself and braid my entire head. Now, seeing me with my hair anything but down is rare. Unless you catch me after a work-out when it's in a ponytail.

But next Tuesday, the 27th, if you local Minneapolis people watch the Fox-9 morning show from 7-9am, you can see me get my hair styled like a red carpet celebrity at the Oscars. Yep, I am going to be a hair model (it's a promo spot for a St. Paul salon)! So while you are watching the Oscars on Sunday night and admiring the hair-dos of Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet, you just might be able to see the same hair-do styled on yours truly on television Tuesday morning. But, if you do tune-in, try not to notice my split-ends!

Now, excuse me....I have to go deep condition my hair.

How the Handyman Whore Found Her Stud with a Stud Finder

Let me take you all back to last summer when I did a post called "I'm a Handyman Whore" inspired by my repeatedly falling closet rack. Well, you guessed it...last week it fell again. I've lost track of how many times this has happened, but this time I was beside myself in knowing how to handle the crisis. So I called my boyfriend to the rescue. For a guy who had "tool chest" on his Christmas list, I figured THIS was the man for the job.


Yesterday, my studly new beau knocked on my door with a big 'ol toolbox in one hand and drill in the other. (He might've been wearing a toolbelt without a shirt and some rugged carpenter jeans too. Or, maybe that was just my imagination). After clearing out the piles of clothes still on hangers on the floor in my closet, he looked at the wall where about six different holes exist from the brackets ripping out. Then he looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked, "Who put this in before?"

Uhhhhhhh.....how do I answer that? So I filled him in on the delinquent "handymen" who've helped me with my closet. Afterall, it's kind of a joke now anyway. And, I figured it would give him a challenge.

So he reached into his toolbox and pulled out a tool that I had never seen any of the others use for this task before. A stud finder. Sliding it across the wall, he found studs about an inch to the right of where the last brackets had been placed. In five minutes time, he had securely drilled the brackets into the studs and my clothes were hung back on the rack without even a wobble. I'm sure he was wondering how I could've had several males help me with my closet over the course of the last year and half, and not one of them ever bothered to find a stud, but he never said it if that is what he was thinking. And the best part was, he didn't tell me he thought the rack fell because I had too many clothes! He said I just had to find a stud...and I did.

Now, I realize it has only been a day, but I've got a good feeling this rack is going to stick. I'll just have to wait and see if it withstands the test of time. But, I may have found my handyman hero! What a stud.


Are you all gagging yet?

That's Weird!

Okay, I didn't specifically get tagged to do the weird meme, but when I saw the open invitation, I figured that would be the perfect thing to get me out of my blogging slump. Why? Because I'm weird!

1. I have to put vaseline on my heels before I go to bed every night. I truly believe my itchy heels are a reason I can't fall asleep at night.

2. I have two fake teeth. When I go cosmic bowling, they don't glow in the dark like the rest of my teeth, so I look like some sort of freaky vampire.

3. I eat my cereal with a huge spoon. And I pour the extra milk from my cereal into my coffee.

4. I laugh randomly. I sometimes think of something funny that happened or something funny someone said 24 hours before and I burst out laughing about it at really opportune times...like when I am by myself walking around the lake, in a meeting at work, lying in bed at night trying to fall asleep, or in the car with someone when we aren't talking about anything. I keep thinking I'll grow out of this, but I'm beginning to think this might be a life-long condition.

5. Before I got better about switching purses and cleaning them out regularly, you'd often find 9 tubes of lipstick and 10 pens in the bottom of my purse.

6. I coordinate my haircuts with my oil changes. Usually every three thousand miles on my car is a good indicator that I need at least another inch off my hair.


You can do this post if you are weird, otherwise tell me something weird about YOU in the comments.

Please excuse my absence...

...I had to deal with some personal matters.