So here I sit after having enjoyed dinner with my fellow Kiwanians, as I always do on Monday evenings, and now, I'm watching the Food Network. The Food Network has become one of my addictions...I LOVE to cook! I've spent 60 years hating the idea of cooking, but suddenly, I can't get enough kitchen time! I simply love to cook! In the kitchen, I'm in charge and I do whatever I want to do!
I'm watching the Food Network tonight...a show called "Pitchin' In" which is all about Chef Lynn Crawford from Toronto. Her new show is about spending time on people's farms, fishing boats, shrimp/lobster boats, etc. learning their industry and although she's not my favourite chef, she is so amusing on her show.
Tonight it's about learning how to care for, feed and milk the goats on a farm, and once she's done all that, she helps out with the creation of chevre. It's so entertaining; a really cute show, and I'm actually learning to like her.
Tune in on this show one of these times. It's on at 10 p.m. Monday evenings. Enjoy.
And thanks for reading.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, September 5, 2009
My Birthday - September 4, 2009
Today is my birthday! I'm 62. How the heck did that happen??? Yesterday I was a teenager; today I turned 62. And the bizarre thing is, I still feel like a teenager, which when you think about it, is really pretty awesome. Feeling like a teenager is good compared to some folks I know who just can't seem to think of themselves as anything but old. Not for me, thank you very much. Life can have dreary enough moments without letting myself grow old.
For a girl who really doesn't get excited about birthdays, I had a lovely one. I found myself sitting in my office surrounded by family, friends, clients and colleagues, all of whom came bearing flowers and chocolates...how lovely is that! But it isn't just the lovely flowers or chocolates that touch my heart so much; it's the notes on the cards. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who really seem to appreciate me and the things I do. We go through life getting annoyed because we keep trying to do the right thing and to be kind to others, but we just don't seem to be appreciated. But then you wake up one morning, and you're smothered with all the lovely thoughts of those in your daily sphere, and you realize that they really have noticed all along, and appreciated, all those little things you do. Life is good!
I'm a Realtor in Southwestern Ontario, and while I have been blessed over my 21 years of real estate with perhaps the world's nicest clients, I have one particular family with whom I have worked for my entire real estate career, and they just keep comin' back to me! In real estate, everyone complains about no loyalty between client and Realtor. Not in my world! And I see it day after day. But to David, Sheila and Alexander...thank you! It's not just the flowers that you brought to me today. It's the fact that on this day when you were finally becoming the owners of the country home you've dreamed about your whole lives, after picking up your new house keys, you took the time and the thought to bring me such lovely flowers and to tell me how much you appreciated me. How did I ever luck out and find clients (and now friends) like you? I am blessed.
And to my new colleague, Ron, the Mint Smoothees are wonderful. As you say, Ron, no one ever turns down a Mint Smoothee (one of Stratford's treasures), but again, it isn't just the Mint Smoothees. It's the lovely message on your card. And believe me, it's a pleasure for all of us having you as our newest Realtor in the office. You're going to be great with that wealth of knowledge you're bringing into the biz with you. In a city like ours where B&Bs are a fact of life, you can't help but have a great career specializing in that niche. You're a natural, and you know what they say about "building a better mousetrap". The world is on its way to your door as we speak!
My friends took me out tonight to see Julie and Julia, one of the loveliest movies I've seen in a long time. It made me want to rush home and either dive into a boeuf bourginon (Julia-style) or else start my own blog (Julie-style). Obviously, the blog won out! Although, as my friend Sandy says, watching that movie can make even a total non-kitchen gal like me want to cook. I'll work on that, Sandy.
And tomorrow night, we go to John and Wendy's new condo for a birthday dinner. John and Winnie...you need to go and see Julie and Julia; you'd love it! John (my bro) loves to cook. I don't know how that happened, that he got all the culinary skills of both our parents, and Rick and I got none! Damn!!!
So my first blog is not earth-shattering. Talking about a girl's 62nd birthday is not exciting! But for me, it was simply a lovely, pleasant, easy day spent with lots of awesome people...not the least of which, is the world's most wonderful family...my Francis Family.
And off we go into our 63rd year. I think my blog will deal not with Julia Child's recipes, or anyone else's recipes for that matter. It will deal with the things in my life which are largely my family, my friends, my real estate career and my service work in Kiwanis. Never will I say anything hurtful about anyone, and if the odd nasty tone should sneak in accidently from time to time, don't worry John...I won't say anything slanderous, and I'll try my very best not to get sued!
I think mostly, in relation to my work, it might be a good vehicle for venting...not about specifics, but generally. In this world of real estate sales, there are so many venues to which the client can turn if they feel they've been mishandled or cheated or treated badly. But where does the Realtor turn when they've been so hurt or disappointed or have been the object of serious rudeness or lack of consideration by a client or customer? While, as I mentioned earlier, I have been blessed with some of the world's loveliest clients, from time to time all Realtors are cursed with "clients from hell". People sometimes feel that we're just a great source of entertainment for them, and they'll use up a whole lot of our time cruising around visiting different homes. Then you hear from one of their neighbours, that they've contracted to do a one hundred thousand dollars addition to their home, and they're really just looking for ideas for renovating and decorating. In the meantime, you've missed your nephew's championship basketball game, or dinner with the girls, or the final episode of your favourite TV show because you're trying to be professional, only to find that they have no intentions of buying a new house at all...it's all a scam. Well, at least I sleep well at night, comfortable in the knowledge that I would never be that rude or inconsiderate to anyone else.
So there might be nights when I'm feeling a little put-upon and ticked right off, so occasionally, my tone might be less than cheery. But if it helps to explain to you consumers how frustrating our work can be sometimes, then perhaps it will be worth the time and energy. People seem to have this opinion that Realtors receive a phone call from a prospective client one day, so they set up an appointment to take those clients through a home listed for sale. They seem to think that once the people have viewed the home that they just automatically want to submit an offer on the house, and then the Realtor just sits back and grins, rubbing their hands with delight as they await the closing date, and the time when they will collect that huge commission cheque. Well, if only it was that simple in this biz!!! NOT!!! Showing a client one home which results in an offer is pretty much a stretch, and sure doesn't happen often in my world. Perhaps after you've shown them a dozen or two dozen homes, they might then consider making an offer, which may or may not be successful. And if it should be successful, then we still have to get their home ready for listing, get it on the market, and naturally, the client will tack 20 or 30 thousand dollars (or in some cases, a hundred thousand!) onto the list price you recommend, and then of course, you'll have to wear their disdain when their home doesn't sell in five minutes, as they think it should.
It's always so frustrating for us when a client lists their home way above its actual value, and then finally, in six to twelve months, it finally sells after they've reduced their list price to what you suggested it should have been at the outset. In a case like that, they might not resent you the commission they pay you, because they've watched you work on their listing for the past months. Or they night resent it because their home didn't sell quickly.
But then, if by some miracle, you should convince a client to actually list their home right where you suggested, and because it's priced properly, it sells very quickly, the clients seem to think that you haven't earned your commission because it all happened so quickly. They just don't seem to get that your experience and education and training has allowed you to properly and professionally advise them where it should be positioned, and because of your expertise, they have been spared all the months of showings, so why wouldn't it be worth even more than if they had to go through the frustration of constant showings for months. Why won't they just listen to us at the outset? They ask us for our advice, and then they feel they know more than we do about it and do exactly as they want anyway, but complain to us when it doesn't happen quickly. And the truth is, although the clients would die before admitting this, it usually all plays out exactly as we told them it would at the outset. Usually it sells right around where we suggested it would, and if only they would listen to us, and take our suggestions, they would spare themselves months of frustration!
I should point out that I'm speaking generally, and not about MY clients. Again, I am blessed with the wonderful clients I have, and for those of you whose homes haven't sold yet, as I keep telling you, 2009 has been a pretty sorry year to be trying to sell a home, particularly an upper end home. But that too is changing, and now that we're sneaking into that autumn market, things are picking up again after the summer, just as they're supposed to traditionally.
So my next issue, and here's one that maybe my blog can help me with, is my diet. Man, I hate diets. And of course, Ron, you're not helping me by giving me such a huge box of chocolates for my birthday!!! Now that John and Wendy have moved into their new condo, they don't have room for all their workout equipment, so I have inherited all of it. I'm thrilled! I have the most amazing workout room now set up in my basement. So if I can't get my act together now with such a great facility downstairs, then I have no one to blame but myself. I'm going to seriously set about getting into some better habits. I used to be so little! What the heck happened to me. But that can change if I put my heart into it, and I think it's time.
I'm off to bed again (although it is 6:09 a.m. YIKES!!!). Time to start Year #63.
Goodnight Blog!
For a girl who really doesn't get excited about birthdays, I had a lovely one. I found myself sitting in my office surrounded by family, friends, clients and colleagues, all of whom came bearing flowers and chocolates...how lovely is that! But it isn't just the lovely flowers or chocolates that touch my heart so much; it's the notes on the cards. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who really seem to appreciate me and the things I do. We go through life getting annoyed because we keep trying to do the right thing and to be kind to others, but we just don't seem to be appreciated. But then you wake up one morning, and you're smothered with all the lovely thoughts of those in your daily sphere, and you realize that they really have noticed all along, and appreciated, all those little things you do. Life is good!
I'm a Realtor in Southwestern Ontario, and while I have been blessed over my 21 years of real estate with perhaps the world's nicest clients, I have one particular family with whom I have worked for my entire real estate career, and they just keep comin' back to me! In real estate, everyone complains about no loyalty between client and Realtor. Not in my world! And I see it day after day. But to David, Sheila and Alexander...thank you! It's not just the flowers that you brought to me today. It's the fact that on this day when you were finally becoming the owners of the country home you've dreamed about your whole lives, after picking up your new house keys, you took the time and the thought to bring me such lovely flowers and to tell me how much you appreciated me. How did I ever luck out and find clients (and now friends) like you? I am blessed.
And to my new colleague, Ron, the Mint Smoothees are wonderful. As you say, Ron, no one ever turns down a Mint Smoothee (one of Stratford's treasures), but again, it isn't just the Mint Smoothees. It's the lovely message on your card. And believe me, it's a pleasure for all of us having you as our newest Realtor in the office. You're going to be great with that wealth of knowledge you're bringing into the biz with you. In a city like ours where B&Bs are a fact of life, you can't help but have a great career specializing in that niche. You're a natural, and you know what they say about "building a better mousetrap". The world is on its way to your door as we speak!
My friends took me out tonight to see Julie and Julia, one of the loveliest movies I've seen in a long time. It made me want to rush home and either dive into a boeuf bourginon (Julia-style) or else start my own blog (Julie-style). Obviously, the blog won out! Although, as my friend Sandy says, watching that movie can make even a total non-kitchen gal like me want to cook. I'll work on that, Sandy.
And tomorrow night, we go to John and Wendy's new condo for a birthday dinner. John and Winnie...you need to go and see Julie and Julia; you'd love it! John (my bro) loves to cook. I don't know how that happened, that he got all the culinary skills of both our parents, and Rick and I got none! Damn!!!
So my first blog is not earth-shattering. Talking about a girl's 62nd birthday is not exciting! But for me, it was simply a lovely, pleasant, easy day spent with lots of awesome people...not the least of which, is the world's most wonderful family...my Francis Family.
And off we go into our 63rd year. I think my blog will deal not with Julia Child's recipes, or anyone else's recipes for that matter. It will deal with the things in my life which are largely my family, my friends, my real estate career and my service work in Kiwanis. Never will I say anything hurtful about anyone, and if the odd nasty tone should sneak in accidently from time to time, don't worry John...I won't say anything slanderous, and I'll try my very best not to get sued!
I think mostly, in relation to my work, it might be a good vehicle for venting...not about specifics, but generally. In this world of real estate sales, there are so many venues to which the client can turn if they feel they've been mishandled or cheated or treated badly. But where does the Realtor turn when they've been so hurt or disappointed or have been the object of serious rudeness or lack of consideration by a client or customer? While, as I mentioned earlier, I have been blessed with some of the world's loveliest clients, from time to time all Realtors are cursed with "clients from hell". People sometimes feel that we're just a great source of entertainment for them, and they'll use up a whole lot of our time cruising around visiting different homes. Then you hear from one of their neighbours, that they've contracted to do a one hundred thousand dollars addition to their home, and they're really just looking for ideas for renovating and decorating. In the meantime, you've missed your nephew's championship basketball game, or dinner with the girls, or the final episode of your favourite TV show because you're trying to be professional, only to find that they have no intentions of buying a new house at all...it's all a scam. Well, at least I sleep well at night, comfortable in the knowledge that I would never be that rude or inconsiderate to anyone else.
So there might be nights when I'm feeling a little put-upon and ticked right off, so occasionally, my tone might be less than cheery. But if it helps to explain to you consumers how frustrating our work can be sometimes, then perhaps it will be worth the time and energy. People seem to have this opinion that Realtors receive a phone call from a prospective client one day, so they set up an appointment to take those clients through a home listed for sale. They seem to think that once the people have viewed the home that they just automatically want to submit an offer on the house, and then the Realtor just sits back and grins, rubbing their hands with delight as they await the closing date, and the time when they will collect that huge commission cheque. Well, if only it was that simple in this biz!!! NOT!!! Showing a client one home which results in an offer is pretty much a stretch, and sure doesn't happen often in my world. Perhaps after you've shown them a dozen or two dozen homes, they might then consider making an offer, which may or may not be successful. And if it should be successful, then we still have to get their home ready for listing, get it on the market, and naturally, the client will tack 20 or 30 thousand dollars (or in some cases, a hundred thousand!) onto the list price you recommend, and then of course, you'll have to wear their disdain when their home doesn't sell in five minutes, as they think it should.
It's always so frustrating for us when a client lists their home way above its actual value, and then finally, in six to twelve months, it finally sells after they've reduced their list price to what you suggested it should have been at the outset. In a case like that, they might not resent you the commission they pay you, because they've watched you work on their listing for the past months. Or they night resent it because their home didn't sell quickly.
But then, if by some miracle, you should convince a client to actually list their home right where you suggested, and because it's priced properly, it sells very quickly, the clients seem to think that you haven't earned your commission because it all happened so quickly. They just don't seem to get that your experience and education and training has allowed you to properly and professionally advise them where it should be positioned, and because of your expertise, they have been spared all the months of showings, so why wouldn't it be worth even more than if they had to go through the frustration of constant showings for months. Why won't they just listen to us at the outset? They ask us for our advice, and then they feel they know more than we do about it and do exactly as they want anyway, but complain to us when it doesn't happen quickly. And the truth is, although the clients would die before admitting this, it usually all plays out exactly as we told them it would at the outset. Usually it sells right around where we suggested it would, and if only they would listen to us, and take our suggestions, they would spare themselves months of frustration!
I should point out that I'm speaking generally, and not about MY clients. Again, I am blessed with the wonderful clients I have, and for those of you whose homes haven't sold yet, as I keep telling you, 2009 has been a pretty sorry year to be trying to sell a home, particularly an upper end home. But that too is changing, and now that we're sneaking into that autumn market, things are picking up again after the summer, just as they're supposed to traditionally.
So my next issue, and here's one that maybe my blog can help me with, is my diet. Man, I hate diets. And of course, Ron, you're not helping me by giving me such a huge box of chocolates for my birthday!!! Now that John and Wendy have moved into their new condo, they don't have room for all their workout equipment, so I have inherited all of it. I'm thrilled! I have the most amazing workout room now set up in my basement. So if I can't get my act together now with such a great facility downstairs, then I have no one to blame but myself. I'm going to seriously set about getting into some better habits. I used to be so little! What the heck happened to me. But that can change if I put my heart into it, and I think it's time.
I'm off to bed again (although it is 6:09 a.m. YIKES!!!). Time to start Year #63.
Goodnight Blog!
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