Update

I have been fighting off a cold for the last two weeks, it keeps surfacing in the form of a sore throat and dry cough, but I take my vitamins and echinacea and it retreats for a day or two. The colleague I have been covering for the last two weeks, returned yesterday and things are a little calmer but I feel I mustn't slow down and take it easy in an effort to recuperate, for fear that when I am recovered from the cold, all the momentum I have gained in the real estate business will have disappeared.

Hubby returns again this week for a few days, so I do plan to pull back a bit while he is here, but I am sure we will still be running with other stuff. We have to find somewhere to rent so that we an hand over the house cleanly to daughter and son-in-law on November 30th. Also we will be sorting through our belongings to decide what can be packed for France, what we will need to survive for the next year and what can go. Sounds restful doesn't it?

Most of the leaves have fallen around here and been raked to the curb for collection this week. The pool has been closed at last and the clocks have fallen backwards, all the signs that winter is almost upon us. Where did 2009 go? It seems one minute we were sweltering in the heat and suddenly we need the heat on in the house. Never mind, we are looking forward to 2010 as, having sold this house, we can make some real progress on the French house. At the moment we have the builders in clearing out the ruin so they can stabilize the walls and render what used to be an internal wall but will now be the end wall of the house. They will render and then do "pierre aparent" (?) whereby they push the render in between the old stones, revealing some of the larger stones. Not dreadfully exciting stuff but very necessary. There is some talk of hubby and I going over to France over the New Year and getting our beams sandblasted and talking staircases with people. Does the excitement never end?

What a Week that Was!!

Five deals in 9 days, three of which have already firmed up. I am on a roll!! It has been such a crazy week in the city where I live and work. For some reason there are not many properties on the market and with the mild threat of a rise in interest rates in the coming months and the unknown quantity of harmonised tax in 2010, buyers are suddenly feeling a sense of urgency. So many times this week, I have tried to book an appointment only to be told that it is already conditional, or I book the appointment only to hear that there are offers on it before we get to see it, very frustrating for my buyers, some of whom have to purchase now due to their circumstances. I have other buyers who are getting caught up in this craziness when they don't need to panic, they are not in a rush, and if they get carried away might end up overpaying for something. It is all a very heady mix.

My daughter and son-in-law's house finally hit the market last Wednesday, looking fantastic I might add, and yesterday, after a whirlwind open house, we negotiated an offer. Keep your fingers crossed, we just now have to wait out the inspection and financing conditions, AND find a rental for my family to move into. It could all be done and dusted by Christmas! When I say done and dusted, of course they are celebrating more because it means a lot less dusting and escaping with a 11 week old baby every day!! But all their hard work over the last 6 weeks or so really paid off, with many comments on how great the place showed, what a lovely big kitchen, cosy basement etc. They are looking forward to moving to our house and just being for a while rather than have to be doing all the time.

Sorry to be boring!!

What, no comments at all? LOL I should have said I was doing a triathlon and I haven't reached the finish line yet. Two offers over the weekend and another one coming in tonight. Let's hope this one is successful as well. I could certainly get used to this. My what a busy lady the agent I am helping out is. It is an eye opener.

I'm doing a Marathon this weekend!

A real estate marathon!! This morning was supposed to be wall to wall viewings but that now has to be cancelled because those clients bought last night! One down, we now just have to organize a home inspection before Tuesday evening. Then I am off to deliver a deposit cheque in the next city. Then off to daughter and son-in-law's to get their listing up and running - before the snow hits the ground, believe it or not we have had lows of zero C this week and talk of the "f" word - yep - flurries - yuk!! In there somewhere I have to arrange a quick call in to preview another potential listing when it suits the current tenant!!

Tomorrow, I have a building inspection in the morning and an open house in the afternoon, and that it just what I happen to know about right this minute - i.e. 8 o'clock in the morning, before the phones start ringing. Just to be clear - I am definitely not complaining, after weeks, no months, of laying the ground work things are finally starting to happen. There is a sense of urgency in the local market as there is not much property on the market and interest rates are starting to rise.

Somewhere in there this weekend, I hope to find time to deliver son to girlfriends, hug my granddaughter and call my husband, wish me luck - hopefully I will reach the finish line still upright :) What does your weekend hold? Not relaxing surely!

Where Have I Been?

The short answer is nowhere!! What have I achieved? That feels like....zip! I cannot believe how long it is since I posted. Just trying to do too much as usual, be all things to all men. Wife, mother, nana, real estate agent, office worker, painter and decorator, friend etc. There are just not enough hours in the day and something will give at some point but not sure which at the moment.

GWE was home for the weekend from the UK last weekend and we had an invite to a 60th birthday party. Typically, for someone who never goes anywhere, life collided and I ended up chasing an offer for clients which didn't fly in the end, just late enough on Saturday evening that it wasn't worth heading out to the festivities.

It was cool and rainy weekend, so although we did manage to address some outside work, getting the leaves out of the pool and pulling out the tomato plants not a lot else was achieved and before you know it, he was back on the plane to the UK.

I have been busy helping daughter and husband whipping their place into shape and it is looking pretty good. We painted all the kitchen units and walls, including a fake brick wall, and it looks great. I think any prospective buyer will now just think "nice big kitchen" rather than "OMG we have to rip out the kitchen!" plus we added a wall in the basement to create a third bedroom and laid a good quality laminate floor throughout the basement to cover the tiled floor, never a good idea in a basement, as it makes it feel cold down there. The new floor has really warmed up the space.

Just a case of whipping the outside into shape now with some weeding and trimming. A bit more tweaking inside with tidying closets (buyers will open them you know) and it should be ready to go on the market. However they are away at the cottage with the in-laws this Thanksgiving weekend, so I will go over and have a tidy round and do some weeding on Monday.

My favourite role at the moment, of course, is that of Nana to the gorgeous but troublesome Annika. I know from the picture above it is hard to believe, but she is proving to be quite a handful in the evenings leaving daughter exhausted and tearful so I gave them an evening off on Thursday while they went out for an evening and I walked the floor with the screaming little madam. It is crazy to see, one minute all smiles - she loves the bath! and her floor mat - gooing and chatting at the smiley face above - hysterical - the next minute screaming as if we are sticking pins in her. However, I did manage to get her off to bed at 9.45 and she slept through to 6.30 apparently so not too bad. But when the screaming fits are happening you do feel helpless.

France seems a long way away at the moment and I was looking back at the old photos trying to my inspiration back. The next step is to restore the end wall on the ruin end, we have had quotes to get the ruin "tidied up" and made safe and the end wall rendered but leaving some large stones exposed. This will really help to restore the look and structure of the wall. But then we should be able to get back to the fun stuff inside, sand blasting beams and getting a staircase installed, etc. etc. While I was looking at the photos I came across these two below which certainly help to keep me motivated when I see the transformation that is possible.

Which do you prefer? Cold and scary .......or warm and inviting

Morning!

I thought fall had arrived a few days ago and rashly de-nuded my toenails of their summer polish. Well it has been months since my last pedicure (before I went to France - I know!) with many repair jobs since. It really was time to let my poor nails see the light of day. But summer has sneaked back in and the nails are back on show, without, sin of sins, their lovely polish. So this morning I really needed to rectify this. As I type I am up to my ankles in suds, I have my exfoliating gloves and all my foot spa related lotions to hand and am about to make those toes respectable again. When you are as blind as I am becoming this is more of a chore than you might think. Someone gave me a great idea the other day, when, as us ladies do, we were discussing such matters. She sits on some steps to do her toes, not being as flexible as in days gone past, this has been my problem. Not being able to get the toes within focus range!! So I will let you know how it goes.

Babysitting - Not for the Faint Hearted

The day of my first big gig came and, I am pleased to report, went off smoothly. Which is doubly remarkable considering previous reports that my charge could be "brutal" in the evenings and it was carried out in the middle of a construction zone.

Work to whip daughter and husband's house into market ready condition has commenced, so this gave me an added challenge. However, both the priming of all cupboard doors and carcasses went off smoothly as did mine and Annika's evening and a lovely time was had by all.

She was a little fussy but daughter had pumped off several ounces so I could offer her the bottle if I needed to and she took that with no problem, in fact I had to ration her as I did not want to use up all my aces in one sitting (mixed analogies - sorry :) But it was most enjoyable and granddaughter and I spent the last hour of the evening just cooing and smiling at one another. I think the new parents were duly impressed and I will get a call back!!

I am back there again today with son in tow. Lots to do, finish off painting all the cupboard doors and painting the walls. I think it is going to look terrific, my husband said not to make it too nice or they won't want to leave (and buy ours!!). I will report back with more photos.

What have you all got lined up for this weekend? It is going to be a gorgeous one here in Southern Ontario, too nice to be indoors really but needs must. Have a good one!