Happy Holidays!
I hope you and your loved ones are having a wonderful holiday season. I have been blessed to have all four of my children and fiancé come home to celebrate the season. Seeing them smile and embrace them in my arms brings so much joy to my heart. I know as they grow up, we must let them fly away to discover new adventures, face challenges on their own, and grow through their newly acquired knowledge; however, it is not easy. I want to shelter them and keep all mean and ugly things away from them.
Life has a funny way of showing you how much “control” you really have over things. As the local weather turned, we got pummeled with frigid temps, and we approached the blessed season of Christmas; I started to get sick …SICK, SICK, SICK. Body aches, headaches, fever, chills, etc. It was not a pretty sight and knocked me off my rocker in minutes. I hit the bed, and my children took over finalizing details for Christmas dinner as best as they could. They did a phenomenal job preparing the pot roast, smoked mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans & corn. I helped as best as I could. Christmas Eve dinner was delicious. If you ever want a recipe for decadent smoked mac & cheese or delicious honey-dill green beans and corn, hit me up. I have a national and worldwide real estate network and am currently building up my cooking network! Matt (Olivia’s fiancé) makes a mean and delicious smoked mac and cheese; Emily makes phenomenal gluten-free dishes, and her green beans & corn dish is outstanding. Olivia and Jon did a great job prepping and baking the pot roast. The meat was so tender and juicy.
Our Christmas Eve dinner and family gathering was joyous; I hope yours was too. Tell me about your year and your holiday festivities.
As I recovered from the flu, between my sleeping and coughing spells, I got to read messages from family, friends, and clients locally and worldwide, wishing me Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.
One message brought tears to my eyes; My Moslem clients, send me a photo of Santa arriving in Palestine! He did not ride a sleigh; he rode a CAMEL!
As I thought of the photo, I started thinking of all that transpired this year. It has been a unique and wonderful year. Walk with me through it as I reminisce, and share how yours was! I bet you have had a wonderful and unique year as well.
January 2022
The year started with my being selected for the NVAR Leadership Institute (LI) and a trip to California. The first meeting for LI and the California trip was canceled due to the ice storm that paralyzed our region. Not all of it was a loss, my daughter was house hunting, and the ice storm opened the door to see houses with a little less competition. There were 8 other (brave, passionate, crazy) families at the same time we were house hunting. One TH in the market, the lockbox was frozen, so the property could not be shown. I notified the listing agent of it, and he replaced it as soon as possible. My daughter and I were there first thing in the morning the following day, and by the next afternoon, we were under contract! That is a cool story to tell!
February 2022
February 2022 had its own adventures. The Leadership Institute monthly activities were going on. I along with several other NOVA Realtors, were learning of the interior mechanism at work in the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) association and its’ counterparts. Every month was a new adventure. I was also taking an appraisal class that was kicking my butt while negotiating my daughter’s purchase contract and a few others for my clients.
In real estate, you have to be ready for anything and everything because, well, in some respects, it is routine, and yet, each transaction is very much unique. At the end of February, a dear friend made the tough decision to say goodbye to a beloved home. A spouse had passed away several months before; it was too painful to live in a home with many joyful and painful memories. We had many conversations and shed tears as decisions were being made. I will never forget them fondly.
March and April 22
March/April 22 define adventure for us. My daughter went to settlement right at the end of February, when everything seemed like it would not happen. We had to deal with another storm, a possible ID theft issue, and a system lockdown that would not release a final clear to close for my daughter. At the very last minute, it all worked out. The wonderful people at The Federal Savings Bank, Clay Greenway, and Champion Title (Jessica Young & Tabitha F.) hung with us as we crossed every t and dotted each line. That was a very stressful time. Once Em went to settlement, the new adventures began. I had come up with a renovation project for the TH she bought to improve the space and its value. We were going to incorporate a hall and two small closets into a full bathroom. The new full bathroom will be attached to the largest bedroom in the TH and thus create a true PRIMARY bedroom. The project took some doing, but it was well worth it. The new bathroom is phenomenal, and the value of the TH is up!
At the home front, we had to install a 6’ft fence because Mr. Sammy Poohbear and Princess learned how to scale the previous fence. Shortly after the new fence was installed, I saw my neighbor’s dog trying to jump the new fence. That dog could easily clear two feet above the edge of the fence. I do not know if he had a trampoline or what, but he could jump! Our new fence kept my dogs in check!
During March, I traveled to Richmond twice for two real estate events; Leadership Institute met with the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR) board to discuss how the state and local boards work in tandem with each other to provide education and services to agents and, thus the consumers. I also went to the Buffini Masters Class. Never in my wildest dream did I think I would be selected to ask a question among the thousands of attendees. I don’t recall the entire content of the question!
Winter was waning away, and spring was hiking in. We were all looking forward to warmer weather. The warmer weather came in, but we had an unexpected hiking buddy, the interest rate hiker. As interest rates gradually increase, they send shocking waves throughout the real estate industry. These waves brought respite to some consumers while a reality call to others. Either way, a line was drawn in the sand; either you were serious about real estate or left the market. Many left in fear, only to realize that the higher rate was opening the door to negotiating more balanced contracts. As families gradually overcame their interest hike shock, the real estate wheels started to move again…in case you did not know, real estate is a JOURNEY! Let’s begin yours! Like all journeys, there are planned and unplanned stops, U-turns, and left and right turns, and eventually, we reach our destiny. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to take a trip without setbacks. My last trip ended with 20 hours of delays in various airports across the southwest
April showers led to May ‘22 flowers
My oldest son graduated from VT and started work at Enterprise Holdings. It was a proud moment to see my baby graduate and thus begin a new chapter in our life. As Joshua was graduating from college, my youngest was gearing up to start his first semester in college later that fall season. I almost feel like The Wonder Years had come to an end, but it was more a new phase of The Wonder Years had begun. My babies were growing up. In less than three months, one had bought a house and one graduated from college.
At home, we wrapped the bathroom renovation for Em and started with the siding and yard project for her, and I continued to landscape my yard, One paver at a time. Eventually, both yards will be landscaped, so no mowing must be done! Jon tackled and did a great job power washing the TH siding… come this summer; he will tackle the siding at my house. The TH is good practice!
July 2022
Speaking of growing and developing, we were not done with the changes in life. Matt asked Olivia, and she said “YES”! Matt and Olivia were engaged in July, and we had a great engagement party. It was great to get together with friends and family to celebrate the joyous news of our kids. We are so excited for them.
As you can imagine, the wedding planning started shortly thereafter, and things are moving gradually. We have so much to do, and the thought of tackling the many steps left brings joy and tears to my eyes. I am so excited for them.
August 22
As the summer was winding down (It felt like the summer just blew by), I had several plans to take a few days off to recharge my batteries before and after my Buffini Summit meeting. Good old weatherman had seriously different plans. My daughter and I ended up stranded in various airports across the US for over 20 hours. Once we were in San Diego, the little free time we had was employed sightseeing the local views. San Diego is a beautiful city, and the people are very laid back. True beach life to the core. I really wished I had had more time to explore the bay, the beaches, and the surrounding areas. Perhaps next year. Someone send old weatherman a message, “Do not send unusual ice storms to the southwest in August 2023”.
While we were gone, our kitty, Miss Marble, decided to go on her own vacation. She went missing for a week. When I finally found her, she was not doing well. She was dehydrated and had a nasty skin infection. It took several weeks of isolation, medications, and cone-wearing before she was healthy. She has since made a full recovery; the ordeal is just a horrible memory. We never found out what caused the rash; it was speculated that it could have been a spider bite
September, October, and November 2022
Summer came and went; Fall just flew by as well. The real estate market gradually grew into stability. Yes, I know many don’t believe this statement. But seriously, stop and think for a half second. How many properties were available for consumers to evaluate as they made their buying selection? How many houses went under contract as soon as we hit the active button? How many buyers took out all their savings to make it to settlement? How many sellers were left feeling as if they were kicked to the curb when their home went under contract a second after being active? We all had a version of jaded emotion to deal with; the hike in rate put speed bumps in place that allowed all parties to breathe. As we all made the shift, we found our footing and balance. Several clients, both buyers, and sellers, were calmer as we progressed through the home-buying journey. One of my first-time buyers could not stop crying when she was at settlement. She could not believe that she was buying a house when everything had pointed against it.
Our client appreciation party had to be canceled due to the hurricane that washed us out. That was very sad; I had looked forward to celebrating my birthday with you guys! The Gratitude Pie Party was great. Maggiano’s dinner, Photos w/Santa, and apple or pumpkin pie made for wonderful comfort food as we geared to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanks to all who came. Several of you were stuck in traffic, at work, or sick. I missed you guys.
Familywise, my youngest son, started college and discovered a new learning curve; it’s all on him and his pocketbook. What a concept! Talk about a wake-up call. The wedding planning started to take shape, and the hunt for a venue went on in full force. Who would have thought that finding a wedding venue would be so insane? I easily visited 10-12 sights through various classes/events I participated in. Not many really impressed me or allowed for the vision Olivia and Matt had for their wedding. When I had a curated list of options, I called, emailed, or visited the venues for a second or third time; only two responded to my requests. One, I spoke to their director, but she was always busy prepping for someone’s wedding, so there was no time for my call/ visit. One of the venues that did respond, their only available venues were out of budget. The search went on.
November and December 2022
The search for a wedding venue was going on in full force, and just as I was wondering where we could host the wedding reception, a thought hit me. Go check out this place; I remember hearing they hosted events. When I arrived at the venue in mind, I was blown away by the courtesy and gracious attitude that welcomed me. Brittany, who had just started working at the venue, was knowledgeable and attentive. She answered many of my questions and made notes of the ones she could not answer. In less than 48 hours, I had been put in contact with Nicole, the point of contact, to reserve the venue. We made the final decision in a few days, and our venue was booked! We all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with it behind us. Gunston Hall, here we come!
Now, we can focus on the dress and the other planning steps.
Landscaping projects have been postponed due to frigid weather and the flu. As I write this blog, I am recovering from the flu. It arrived just before the Christmas holiday between shopping and a photo shoot for the latest listing. Stay tuned; details on that well-appointed TH in Newington Forest are due any minute. As I said, the real estate market is finding its footing amidst the new interest rates, and consumers can decide.
Merry Christmas Season! Happy New Year!
May your holiday season and new year be filled with love, joy, peace, health, and hope.
Your holidays, how were they? Share your memories from this holiday, and this year! What exciting or crazy antics did your family get into?