Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easter and Costco!
Happy Easter and Passover!
I love this time of year, I actually think that of all the holidays I celebrate Easter is my favorite. My grandmother always made us new clothes...she was a great seamstress. We had massive amounts of food and of course all kinds of candy and lots of colored eggs. I always loved flowers and in the spring the flowers are at their prettiest.
When I lived in Ohio, Easter was a signal that spring had come, it just seemed like every year exciting things were just waiting to happen. Living here in Naples it seems strange to me because spring has a different meaning to me....it signals a time that my snowbird friends are or will soon be heading back up north for the summer. Easter in Naples signals that the real estate season will be winding down, just when I am ready to kick it up a notch!
The real estate market has been brisk in the Naples area. A report was recently in the Naples Daily News that sales were up 50% over the same time last year. Yeah!! It has been so rewarding to see and hear more people be more positive about everything in their life.
I keep saying I am not going to participate in "the depressed economy"; I am going to remain upbeat and create my own economy! That may seem foolish to some but I just don't care to be focusing on all the doom and gloom. I read recently that "if you want to change your life and how you feel then change your thoughts....so I just choose to be positive!!
So did having Costco in my title throw you? Well about 2 weeks ago I went to lunch with a bunch of ladies from Pelican Marsh (the community I live in) and at my table they were all talking about going to Costco. I was the only one at the table that didn't have a Costco card! Actually, I just didn't have the desire to go to Costco...I don't like to shop and I certainly don't like to go to the grocery store. My husband has been doing 99% of the grocery shopping for years! But I was intrigued by my friends excitement and I had to check out what the fuss was all about.
Well ladies if you are reading this I am now a proud Costco card-carrying member. I was in the store for 3 hours today!! I couldn't believe all the employees hawking all kinds of food and I was just in awe of how excited they were...it was like being at the fair and being enticed to get the cotton candy. I laugh now, but when I first got there and heard people shouting out I thought there was a fight somewhere.
So what does Easter, Costco and real estate have in common?? Well not much EXCEPT this might just be the time of the year for you to step out of the box and try something new. Go somewhere new, read something new, eat something new, live somewhere new, open your mind to new thoughts and just revel in this wonderful awesome time of the year that God has given us!
When I lived in Ohio, Easter was a signal that spring had come, it just seemed like every year exciting things were just waiting to happen. Living here in Naples it seems strange to me because spring has a different meaning to me....it signals a time that my snowbird friends are or will soon be heading back up north for the summer. Easter in Naples signals that the real estate season will be winding down, just when I am ready to kick it up a notch!
The real estate market has been brisk in the Naples area. A report was recently in the Naples Daily News that sales were up 50% over the same time last year. Yeah!! It has been so rewarding to see and hear more people be more positive about everything in their life.
I keep saying I am not going to participate in "the depressed economy"; I am going to remain upbeat and create my own economy! That may seem foolish to some but I just don't care to be focusing on all the doom and gloom. I read recently that "if you want to change your life and how you feel then change your thoughts....so I just choose to be positive!!
Well ladies if you are reading this I am now a proud Costco card-carrying member. I was in the store for 3 hours today!! I couldn't believe all the employees hawking all kinds of food and I was just in awe of how excited they were...it was like being at the fair and being enticed to get the cotton candy. I laugh now, but when I first got there and heard people shouting out I thought there was a fight somewhere.
So what does Easter, Costco and real estate have in common?? Well not much EXCEPT this might just be the time of the year for you to step out of the box and try something new. Go somewhere new, read something new, eat something new, live somewhere new, open your mind to new thoughts and just revel in this wonderful awesome time of the year that God has given us!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
It Took My Mom's 75th Birthday To Bring Me To Tears
Wow, I have been so busy the past 5 weeks. I just haven't found much time to write. Of course this is the busy season for real estate in Naples, we have our snowbirds here and lots of visitors, some visiting our area for the first time. And yes, I have been busy with open houses, showing etc. Lots of interest and activity and it's been great.
But this year it seems as if I have been busier with my family and maybe that is because my senses and awareness is heighten this year. Since December 1st 2009 I have had 9 of my immediate family members have a birthday that I have celebrated with them. I am lucky and have all of my daughters (they followed us with their families soon after we moved to Naples) and grandkids living in here in Florida and most of them right here in Naples. I make every attempt to go to every event they have as well. As a grandparent I get great joy being a part of their life and it helps keep me up on what the new trends are for the younger crowd.
2010 has brought two milestones in my family. One, my granddaughter Lily had her 1st birthday (see the picture, isn't she cute?) and the other was my Mom's 75th birthday. It struck me at some point in the last few weeks that I would be 75 years old when my granddaughter has her 18th birthday...the age my mom is right now. There is so many things I want her and all my grandkids to know but Lily will really only know me as a older woman. I am hoping that she will be able to go thru my blogs and get a sense of how much I love her and all my grandkids. It will be interesting to see if people will write in journals with pen and paper or will we all be putting our thoughts on the internet for all to see! I'll let you know when I turn 75!!
My mom's birthday had a profound effect on me. She had family come and visit and celebrate with her from all over the country (see photo..she is pretty cute too). She has in the last 2 years visited almost every grandchild and great grandchild that she has....and they all love her. As I was driving from Naples up to Lakeland FL to celebrate with her, I thought of the fact that ALL of her grandchildren and great grandchildren adore her. For the last 20 years of my life I wanted my grandkids to love me like I loved my grandmother, I aspired to be like my Grannie Strong. As I was driving and tears streaming down my face, I realize for the 1st time that I wanted my grandkids to love me like my mother is loved. Now I aspire to be like my mom!!
So what does this all have to do with real estate? Nothing EXCEPT just remember when you buy a second home in Naples Florida you just may want to have an extra bedroom for the grandkids to stay. And if you love them and stay a part of their lives I guarantee that "they will come"!
But this year it seems as if I have been busier with my family and maybe that is because my senses and awareness is heighten this year. Since December 1st 2009 I have had 9 of my immediate family members have a birthday that I have celebrated with them. I am lucky and have all of my daughters (they followed us with their families soon after we moved to Naples) and grandkids living in here in Florida and most of them right here in Naples. I make every attempt to go to every event they have as well. As a grandparent I get great joy being a part of their life and it helps keep me up on what the new trends are for the younger crowd.
So what does this all have to do with real estate? Nothing EXCEPT just remember when you buy a second home in Naples Florida you just may want to have an extra bedroom for the grandkids to stay. And if you love them and stay a part of their lives I guarantee that "they will come"!
Monday, February 8, 2010
It Was A Super Sunday
I haven't been blogging for a while but I am making a committment to post something at least once a week.
Today was Super Bowl Sunday and I am happy to say that my Saints won!! I like the Colts but a few years back, actually quite a few years back, I lived in the New Orleans area. I went to most of the home games and it was great even tho they were about the worst team in the league. So to the Saints and to all of New Orleans~congrats, it was just your time.
Still on the subject of New Orleans, if you ever get the opportunity to visit go on a diet BEFORE you go. The food is just incredible, I haven't found any place I have ever traveled to that can even compare. I was lucky enough to have a great chef from The Commanders Palace teach me how to make all the dishes that they were famous for....just wish he was here now, not to teach me, but to cook for me since I rarely cook anymore.
Today was a super day not just for football. Today I did not do an open house, which is really rare because if I am in town on a Sunday I always do an open. Today I had clients that requested that I take them on a tour in Pelican Marsh to view homes from $700,000 to about $1.1 million. We saw some beautiful homes, each one had something special to offer whether it was the view or details of the home.
I think I was just as excited as my clients were because I got to go to other Realtors open houses and have fun instead of working. Because believe it or not I love to show homes to buyers...it doesn't seem like work to me. And I am happy to report that I felt that everyone we met today on our tour was positive and upbeat. I think people are feeling more confident and ready to either downsize or ready to buy something larger. For me, we have been very busy the last 6 months and we see the homes and condos in our community (Pelican Marsh) selling, some of them in a matter of weeks not months. So for all of us that is good news because our homes are investments and the signs that the real estate market is rebounding is a good thing!
Today was Super Bowl Sunday and I am happy to say that my Saints won!! I like the Colts but a few years back, actually quite a few years back, I lived in the New Orleans area. I went to most of the home games and it was great even tho they were about the worst team in the league. So to the Saints and to all of New Orleans~congrats, it was just your time.
Still on the subject of New Orleans, if you ever get the opportunity to visit go on a diet BEFORE you go. The food is just incredible, I haven't found any place I have ever traveled to that can even compare. I was lucky enough to have a great chef from The Commanders Palace teach me how to make all the dishes that they were famous for....just wish he was here now, not to teach me, but to cook for me since I rarely cook anymore.
Today was a super day not just for football. Today I did not do an open house, which is really rare because if I am in town on a Sunday I always do an open. Today I had clients that requested that I take them on a tour in Pelican Marsh to view homes from $700,000 to about $1.1 million. We saw some beautiful homes, each one had something special to offer whether it was the view or details of the home.
I think I was just as excited as my clients were because I got to go to other Realtors open houses and have fun instead of working. Because believe it or not I love to show homes to buyers...it doesn't seem like work to me. And I am happy to report that I felt that everyone we met today on our tour was positive and upbeat. I think people are feeling more confident and ready to either downsize or ready to buy something larger. For me, we have been very busy the last 6 months and we see the homes and condos in our community (Pelican Marsh) selling, some of them in a matter of weeks not months. So for all of us that is good news because our homes are investments and the signs that the real estate market is rebounding is a good thing!
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