June Blog

So, it is now June. WOW! We had a great vacation at the end of May to the House of Mouse. Jonas almost drowned, we all spent too much money and ate too much but a ton of memories were made and it was well worth it. For more info, read Cindy's blog.

I am organizing a community yard sale this weekend. I sent out a postcard to over 300 of my closest neighbors inviting them to host a yard sale and I would do the marketing. Not a single one responded. Oh well. I am doing it anyway and they can benefit from it. It should be a pretty good sale so come by if you can Friday and Saturday from 8 AM till about 4 PM.

I have decided to sell my motorcycle. I want the money (and remodelling on the house) more than I want my bike. I will probably buy a cheaper Japanese type bike. Its going to be fine. I keep telling myself that.

I have assumed the position of the college ministry leader at church. Its pretty cool so far. I am assembling a great team to help with that ministry. It is a fantastic group of college "kids." I love being around them. JP (the youth minister) is helping with a "transition" class right now where we are introducing the newly graduated high schoolers to the college class. We have been covering Romans 12 one verse at a time (started with verse 9). We relate it to college life. So far the conversations have been awesome. If you have not read these verses in a while (or ever) you should, right now. Stop reading my blog and go read Romans 12:9-21. Extremely powerful, relevant verses about how to live.

As for real estate, it is going very well. I have closed 6 deals so far and have 3 pending right now. We got my oldest listing under contract this weekend. I have also picked up several new listings in the past few weeks. I need to get some of them sold. Check out my website for a list of my listings. I would love to work with someone I know on these. All of my listings are pretty nice. None of them really need much TLC. I just listed a home over in The Foothills subdivision in Murfreesboro. It is awesome! One owner (built in 1989) and in pristine condition.

One more thing, in about 2 weeks my fireworks tent will open. I am excited about it. I hope to do better than last year. I know the calendar is in our favor. Tracey Rinehart will be my partner on this again. We work well together. I know last year I got busy with real estate at the same time. I am sure this will happen again. The good news is, however, I have more help this year on both real estate and on fireworks. Cindy is getting her license for real estate and my new friend "big sister" Ann Rupp is here from New Jersey. It's good to have people to lean on!

Upcoming Events

This summer is already starting to get busy!! We are going on vacation this Friday through Wednesday. This will be little man's first trip to Disney World. We have not told him where we are going. We just keep telling him we are going to Lowes. He hates Lowes. It's going to be awesome because we are going with my mom and dad, my little brother and his wife and Jonas' little cousin. They just love each other and will have a BLAST in the house of mouse.

I am also working on organizing a community yard sale in my new neighborhood. Cards were mailed out yesterday or today to about 300 homes here around me. If 1/4 of them participate, it will be huge! If I get a great level of participation, it will probably be a yearly event. I am pretty excited about the possibilities here! If anyone wants to sell some stuff, I will be happy to let you use my yard. The sale will be June 10 and 11.

We have some kind of critter in our attic. Jim the pest guy is coming to check it out today. I think it is probably just a mouse but it moves very slowly. Kinda weird.

Finally, I have completely torn down the fence around my back yard, pulled up the posts and am going to spread some dirt around to level it out. I have a tree guy coming on Saturday and should get a new fence mid next week. That is really exciting as it will make the wife feel a little more secure. Also, it's weird but the yard feels smaller with the fence gone.

Professional Courtesy Part 2

So the last time I vented about providing feedback. This time I am venting about something that is a little more obvious of a courtesy. Here in the last couple of weeks I have had 4 "no shows" for showings that were scheduled. The other realtor took the time to schedule the appointment and then just plain didn't show up, didn't call to cancel, nothing. This strikes me as pretty rude. All of my listings are occupied which means that the owners (sellers), potentially, had to clean up, get the family out and find somewhere to go for an hour. Some of them are at work when the showing is scheduled so they use their lunch break to come home and make sure the home is clean. Then the realtor does not show or call. A couple of the no shows even provided feedback (miraculously since they didn't see the house!). I understand if an emergency comes up while on the road. On one of the showings, the feedback said "we did not show because we had an offer accepted the day before". Are you kidding? You knew a day in advance that you weren't going to show up? That's just plain rude.

I am not perfect, but I am professional. I view showings as appointments. I don't know what each seller's situation is but I know that sometimes its a big deal to get ready for a showing. You wouldn't just not show up for a doctor's visit or some other appointment. Why would you do that to someone that prepared their home for you to visit.

Thanks for reading my vent.

Ok, so I am not always reliable...

I haven't written a blog in a while. I have a ton of excuses but none of them are really good. I need to do it. It is somewhat therapeutic. Real estate is going well. I have had 5 closings already this year. I have another one at the end of this month and a possible one in early May (pray for that one). I have 7 listings right now which may not sound like a lot, but believe me, it is for a single person with no assistant!! We are expecting our second (and last) child, the house remodel is going well--kitchen almost done. Jonas is so freakin smart it is scary. College ministry is changing form a little and apparently, I am the guy that is sort of leading that. I am excited and reluctant at the same time. I know that might sound weird but I bet some of you can relate. I am reluctant to have anything else that takes up my time (even though I am already fairly involved) but excited because I can impact some really cool kids even more than I already was.

As for the nugget of wisdom, I don't have much to impart today. I will drone a little about time. Here lately, I have complained about not having much time. The funny thing is, the days have not changed away from a 24 hour period. I still have the same amount of time. I just don't always choose to maximize it. I am starting to see that a lot of my "lack of time" is because I don't prioritize for myself. I let others dictate my time. Now, in this industry, this is sometimes necessary. I have to be flexible and allow for people to take my time. I also can control HOW MUCH they control. 99% of people are understanding if I don't answer the phone at 8 PM because I am giving my son a bath. If they aren't understanding, I probably need to question how important it is to maintain that relationship! I was always one of those, yeah right, easier said than done when it came to this philosophy. I am now starting to see the absolute importance of it. Some folks take it to extremes. I just need to acknowledge it.

It's Been a Long Time Since Last I Wrote (sang in tune to Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll)

I just realized that the last time I blogged it was still 2010. Since then I have sold 4 houses, closed three of them and have several clients getting close to their perfect home. Its been a good start to the year in real estate!! Also, we got our kitchen functional. We are almost done but still lack the backsplash and some new paint. It looks awesome!!

On a completely different note, I have a great story for you. Last Tuesday I was out with some clients discussing new construction in Woodmont. The meeting went a little later than I expected.

Around 8 PM Cindy calls and says, "are you ever coming home?"

I tell her it may be a few more minutes and she is obviously frustrated with me. I finish up what I am doing and call her back (it was around 8:20). She says that she has prepared a special dinner for me.

So I get home and she sets a bowl of raw carrots on the table. I start munching (I love raw carrots). Then she sets a rack of ribs on the table (from Chili's). I think to myself, man, what a great meal. What have I done to deserve this!!!!

Then she sits down and says, "Ok, what is the theme?"
I say, "uhhhhh, foods I love?"
She says, "nope, try again."
"Uhhhhh, finger foods?" (I am so dumb)
She says, "BABY back ribs and BABY carrots."
I say, "WHOA, REALLY!!!"
She says, "yep."

I have the coolest wife and Jonas is going to be a big brother.

Random Year End Wrap Up

So, this is going to be quite an eclectic, scatter brained blog. I have so much to tell and so many cool things going on! I also have a rant building up that I just can't avoid!!!


Plarn--so today I met the mom of the person renting our other house. She was quite a unique lady!! She introduced me to a wonderful product she calls Plarn. Basically, she takes plastic bags (like grocery store bags) and cuts them into strips. She then weaves things out of them. She gave me a little mat of the stuff that she says is great for scrubbing pots and pans. she then showed me a picture of a KING SIZE bedspread she made out of the Plarn. She also had a purse made out of it and two huge laundry bags. I told her she needed to set up an ebay store and she said that she only gives it away. It was so cool. She had a little beret that she made for her granddaughter. She uses different colored bags to make patterns and everything. I was very impressed.

New House--Well, we moved. We are in the house and are in the middle of making several fairly lengthy renovations. First up is the kitchen--we are totally re-doing it. Cabinets, flooring, appliances, countertops, the works. Its pretty exciting but stressful at the same time. One of our first big "oh NOs" happened yesterday morning when Cindy woke up to find no water in the house. We assumed something froze so I spent the next few hours trying to figure out what froze. Finally Dad came over and discovered the water line running into the house was only about an inch under dirt right where it comes in. Totally unacceptable!! I foamed in the hole and covered it with about a foot or more of straw until I can get more dirt on it.

Gutter Helmets--here is a tip for you homeowners--don't get gutter helmets. I don't know all the brand names and such but basically I am talking about the little caps that are placed over the top of the gutters in order to keep leaves out of the gutter. The screens are a little better, but not much. The house we just bought has these caps on them. In a light rain they work great. In a heavy downpour, the rain just washes right over them. This has caused the dirt around our house to settle and wash away and almost all of the foundation is exposed. This also allows water to settle against the blocks (and slowly creep into the basement--not good!).

Success--2010 was a very good year for me business-wise. I started selling real estate in September of 2009. I sold one house in 2009. I sold 15 in 2010. I more than replaced my teaching salary in my very first year. Additionally, I had fun doing it! I got to help people with a very daunting task and I got to know some really awesome people in a way that would definitely not happen if I was still teaching. It was not all perfect, there were some downs. But the ups FAR outweighed the downs. Funny how God does that isn't it. He took what appeared to be a very bad thing (the first time I got fired, ever in my entire life) and gave me the drive and path to make a career for myself.
Bigfoot--so Santa got Jonas one of the coolest toys ever made. You probably saw it at Target in the little plastic box. It is Bigfoot. Bigfoot does flips, throws tantrums, sleeps, excercises, plays ball, cuts the cheese, and all manner of other stuff. So far, my dad and Derek Hickerson have enjoyed it more than Jonas. In fact, Jonas is actually scared of the thing. He will not touch it if it is turned on.

Taxes--Ok, my last random point. The smartest thing the US government ever did was to have employers take income tax directly from employee checks. This process almost completely detaches emotion from the taxpayer. In fact, most Americans are so detached that they are HAPPY when they get a return. In other words, because the system is so complicated, you were not able to calculate exactly what you owe and thus you paid too much to the government (AKA lent them money interest free) and the government is going to give it back to you and you will be grateful for it. I am learning a valuable lesson in my new adventures of self-employment. You really don't know how painful it is to pay income taxes until you are self employed. I had a cashiers check made today for my quarterly filing. I actually felt physical pain because of it. I understand that I have to pay my share and that I benefit from living here. I am ok with paying a reasonable tax. I am NOT ok with so much of the frivolous and wasteful spending of the money that I (very painfully) sent in. I never felt this strongly about it when the money was never in my possession to begin with. Now that I see my bank balance decrease by 4 figures (and I know it is much higher for some) once a quarter, I can actually feel the pain. Very strange indeed. Very much an eye opener!!

Glimpse of the Future

Ok, so first let me say that this blog has the potential to and probably will offend some of my friends. I am sorry if it offends you but sometimes people need to read the truth. As most of you know, I was a high school teacher for 4 years and I am now currently helping out at the Boys and Girls Club in Murfreesboro with the teens. What I am about to write comes from my experience in these two jobs. My only hope is that I can convey my feelings and observations in a totally objective and constructive way.

I have seen the future of our country. I am worried. I know that every generation looks at the next youngest generation and says, "oh no, they are lazy and have no respect and our country is doomed." I am aware of that. I know that my parents' generation said that about my generation and their parents said it about them. This is not that kind of rant. I am aiming this more at the parents (people my age and slightly older). I am scared that this group of "parents" is in the process of eroding the American way of life by creating self absorbed, ignorant (and proud of their ignorance, by the way), leaches that blame everything and everyone but themselves for their woes. Now begins the rant...

When I taught at McEachern High School, I met one person in particular that taught me a lesson I treasure and will absolutely never forget. Suzanne Willis has Multiple Sclerosis and was my department chair. MS is a degenerative disease (I don't know much about it) that basically makes her somewhat paralyzed from time to time. Suzanne would keep a wheelchair in her classroom in case a bad spell set on. She also told her students this--"I know that some of you have things that you have been diagnosed with--ADD, ADHD, anger issues, etc. You will not use that as an excuse in my class. I don't use my MS as an excuse. I know I have it and I work harder on days that it does not affect me so that I can work through it on days it does. You have the luxury of knowing one of your main problems. Adjust to it, overcome it and NEVER use it as a crutch." This is absolutely beautiful. I WISH that everyone adopted this philosophy. I get so frustrated when kids get diagnosed with some mysterious ailment and then proceed to tell everyone around them that they can get away with stuff because of the ailment. Here's the kicker--I don't blame the kid. I blame the parents. The kid is like water and electricity--path of least resistance. If I do something stupid and have a cop out--and haven't learned integrity and ownership--I am going to take the cop out. If the parents allow--even encourage this--it becomes part of the kid's character. I don't know how many times in school I saw a parent actually take a kid's side because of the kid's "anger problems" and argue with a teacher or administrator to let the kid stay around after a fist fight because the kid doesn't know how to control himself. That is completely stupid!!!!! And parents, IT DOESNT HELP THE KID!!!! WAKE UP!! An employer is not going to care if your little baby has ADD and that is why they couldn't meet their deadline. A judge is not going to care that junior has anger problems and that is why he assaulted his girlfriend.

But wait, I'm not done. It is becoming increasingly cool to be ignorant. Look at pop culture. We REVEL in stupid. On one side of things we have people saying we are falling behind in test scores and the world is leaving us behind. On the other, infinitely more powerful side we have "Short Bus Shawty" and Jersey Shore. On one side we have No Child Left Behind and on the other we have txt spk and kids that can't freakin' write a complete sentence--OMG! And are the kids ashamed? NO WAY!! I know it has always been uncool to be a nerd. I know that I have pretty much always been a nerd. I NEVER witnessed the level of harassment about making good grades that I see now. It is unbelievable.

Finally, lets talk about self absorbed leaches. Many of the kids (and this probably goes back to just before my generation, really) see nothing but their little world. They feel that everyone owes them something just because they are here. Many have never truly had to work to earn something. It is especially scary to me to see this. Why? Because this leads to a dependent society. When their parents are finally tired of supporting them, who will? I will. We have more tax takers now than we do tax payers. The more dependent our society becomes, the deeper the divide between the haves and the have nots, the takers and the supporters. I don't want to take ANYTHING from the government except what the constitution spells out, defense of our country and our way of life. Aside from that, stay out of my life. Unfortunately, this mentality is becoming increasingly more absent. Instead we have people--parents and kids-- saying "what are you going to give me." And they get offended if you say "nothing, earn it." Some even get violent. Take the club for example. It is a privilege for kids to attend there. There is so much for them to do and so many opportunities for them. Do they act appreciative? NO WAY! All they want to do is take and never give back. It is an absolute torture for the teens to speak to the 5 and 6 year olds that look up to them. It is unthinkable that they might have to clean up after themselves. Respect for the staff members that give up their time to be there with them for minimum wage? NO WAY!!! We are there to make their life miserable--even though it is a privilige--not a right--to come to the club. It is unbelievable.

This is my rant. Feel free to disagree, argue, tell me I am a so-and-so, whatever. Of course, feel free to agree and add to the discussion as well.