Brigita's Blog: June 2007

"I can't understand why my home hasn't sold, yet."  I'm sure we all have heard these words, especially with the Real Estate Market being slow these days. 

It truely amazes me how some of the sellers insist on a high (sometimes outrageously high) asking price on their home.  I recently gave a presentation to an older couple looking to sell their home.  They fell in love with a home in Tennessee and were purchasing it contingent upon selling their current home.   I came to the meeting prepared with "Comprables" that sold in their area.  Anyway, they gave me the tour of their home and grounds.  We then sat down to discuss the sale of the home.  I showed them the Market Analysis I prepared before I saw their place.  I explained everything about the Anaylsis and then gave them a figure, based on the Report and figuring in the extras of the home.  The figure I gave was a median figure.  Of course, I explained that it was up to them as to what price they decided to ask.  I did suggest that if they wanted to sell quickly, they should ask at a lower price range.  The answer I got from them was  "I thought it would be worth a lot more".  I did explain that this is currently a buyers market and that the high priced homes are not selling well.    The home needs to be priced to attract the buyers.  (I do want to mention that they were not really interested in my marketing plan.  Just my opinion of what the market value of it was.)  The next day, I noticed it was listed with another broker on the MLS and guess what??  It was listed for a higher price.  Did they not understand what I said to them??  Was I speaking in another language?  I thought I put it in simple terms for them to understand.  To sell quickly, you need to lower your price in a buyers market.  I guess this will be on the market for a while.

I have another instance where the asking price is $875,000.  Now, this home is well worth the asking price.  I've had it listed for 2 months now and not one showing.  The seller contacted me asking why it hasn't sold.  I had explained to him at my presentation, before listing it, that the higher end homes DO NOT sell quickly.  They take time.  (FYI, he has moved into another home and therefore, wants it sold, quickly.)  With the market being in a bit of a slump, high end homes are not selling.  Period.  I am doing all that I can to advertise it (my websites, numerous other websites, open houses, and, also different publications).  That is all I can do.  The seller in the meantime is getting very impatient.

Here's another one for you.  I noticed a listing on the MLS for a 13 acre lot selling for (are you sitting down?) $1,200,000.  And it says it is great property for a developer.  Do they not realize that new housing is also in a down market?  The developers are having a hard time selling the new homes they currently have on the market.  Do you think that they are interested in developing more land if the current is not selling?  Think about it.

It would be nice if the sellers would start realizing that in order to sell a home, they need to adjust to the current market.  The listing price should reflect that and not have such an outrageous figure, that buyers will not even consider it.  I guess they just don't want to accept reality and are still living in the Real Estate boom from a couple of years back.

A few years ago, I volunteered at a local farm helping with the handicapped riding program.  The program consisted of many different handicaps, mental and physical.  I started assisting because I felt the need to help someone less fortunate than me and plus they needed the extra hands.  Having years of knowledge of horses came in quite handy.  Knowledge of horses comes in handy, but is not required.

There are various jobs in helping with the handicapped riding.  The horse needs to be groomed and tacked up for the particular rider.  At the end of the ride, untacking and cooling out the horse is needed, then hosing it down or grooming it, depending on the weather.  During the ride, a person on each side of the horse walk along to make sure the rider stays on the horse and does not fall.  You also have one person leading the horse.  This person controls the horse, making sure the horse does it's job and doesn't run off.  (One requirement for the horses to be in the handicapped riding program is that they need to be bomb-proof.  They must be dead quiet.  It takes a special horse to be in this program.)

What I enjoyed most about volunteering with this program were the rewards.  It was amazing what the horse brought out in these people.  One gentleman in the program always showed up at the barn oblivious to his surroundings.  It was like he was in another world.  When it came to help him onto the horse, you saw that he reached for the horse and wanted to ride.  During the ride, he would sing a song to himself and you could see that he was very happy.  Once he dismounted, he was back in never-never land.  It was great to see him aware of things during those 30 minutes. 

Another rider was a 21 year old girl, wheel chair bound and no control over her muscles.  The minute she was wheeled into the barn, right away her spirits lifted and couldn't wait to ride.  She was in heaven while on the horse.  It was like she had finally found freedom.  She chattered away and smiled and laughed during her ride. 

Then there was a little 5 year old girl who came for her lesson in the program.  She had no physical disability, but she was withdrawn.  She never spoke to anyone.  She started riding a pony, named Star, and even though it took awhile, she slowly started to open up.  She was at the point where she was telling Star not to go for grass, to walk and trot.  It was a great improvement since she first started.  Not to mention, her riding improved greatly, too.  Her riding skills, in my opinion, were better than some adults. 

Seeing all these improvements in these people really made me feel good.  It is amazing the good the horse will bring out in people in many different ways.  And, at times, you will see the horse actually trying to help the rider.  Maybe that's one of the reasons why I love horses.  Always have, and always will.

You are all excited.  You just closed on the horse property you dreamed of owning.  The excitement of moving your horses to their new home is there and you can't wait to get going.   HOLD ON A MINUTE.  Before you make the move with your horses, there are some things you need to do first.  Especially if you will also be boarding horses.

First thing you need to do is to thoroughly go through the barn and stable area.   Check to make sure that all is in good repair right down to the last nail.  All the boards need to be in one piece and no sharp objects are to be protruding in the barn, that can possibly injure a horse.  All the stalls should have hooks and water buckets or automatic waterers in the stalls.  The stall doors should be in good working order.  Plus the stalls should be cleaned, walls and floors.  This will ensure that your horses will not be infected with any strange bug or illness from previously stabled horses.  This is not to say that the horses before yours were ill or not taken care of, but more as a safety measure.  You want to be SURE your horses stay healthy.  Also, clean out the tack room and feed room.  Don't feed any feed that has been left there.  You may not know how long it's been there.  Believe it or not, the horses can actually get food poisoning from bad feed. 

Next, go out and take a walk around the property.  Check the paddock area first, then the pasture.  Pick up any large rocks or stones, or debris, that horses can injure themselves on.  Fill in any holes and try to get rid of those pesky goundhogs that dig the holes.  Horses get exercise by running around and sometimes cand get rough in their play.  They can get stone bruises from stepping on rocks and stones, which can make them lame.  They can also injure themselves on debris, like cuts from sharp metal objects, puncture wounds from nails laying around, leg injuries from stepping into holes, etc. 

Next, check your fencing.  Make sure that is in good repair.  If it is an electric fence, make sure the fence is working correctly.  If your fence is broken somewhere, or there is a short in the electric fence, I can guarantee that the horses will find it, and you will be spending your time rounding up horses instead of enjoying them.  I can assure you that catching horses is no easy task.  They tend to make a game out of it called "Catch me if you can".  Remember this:  HORSES MOVE FASTER THAN YOU!!! 

The last thing that needs to be done is to go over your pastures and get rid of the poisonous plants.  Some of these plants can be fatal to horses.  You can check with your local extension agent to see which poisonous plants are native to your area.   One thing you don't want is to call the vet and find out that the vet is unable to do anything for your horse.  It's much easier to just get rid of the plants.

What you have to remember is that horses are like 5 year old children.  If you haven't horse proofed your property, chances are good that they will get hurt or into trouble.  So, go around the barn and the property and invest a little extra time and work before you bring your horses home.  At least it will ensure that your horses will be safe.

For those of you that have read my previous blog where I showed a farm where the barn cats were abandoned, here is an update.

I contacted the fellow members of the Lehigh Valley Animal Response Team and I'm getting a number of responses from them for my plea for help.  One of them suggested that, since we have access to humane traps, that we get some volunteers together and possibly catch the cats and bring them to the humane society.  We have a meeting tonight, so I'm sure this will be one of the topics.  I also contacted the Listing Agent and he informed me that there were many more cats on the property, which they were successful in catching.  He also mentioned that he had brought a bag of food up to feed the cats when he went up there and put some water out for them.  He wasn't as successful in catching the remainder. 

I talked to him about possibly LVCART assist in trapping the rest of the cats.  He didn't have a problem with that.  Actually, he welcomed the idea that someone was willing to help.  He will be giving me written permission to enter the premises in case anyone decides to stop us. 

Hopefully, this story will have a happy ending.  We at least are sure going to try our darndest.  I will let all of you know how it finally turns out.

Have you ever gotten the run around and just gone in circles?  And you never did get an end result?  Well I am going that route now and it is very frustrating.

This past weekend I showed a farm to a buyer.  It was foreclosed in December and just went on the market now.  So, of course, no one has occupied the residence since at least December.  As we were walking around the farm, a very undernourished cat came up to us and followed us around.  It seemd like a very friendly cat, looking for affection.  As we walked around the outside of the house, we saw 3 more cats, also extremely skinny.  I assumed these were barn cats on that farm and were abandoned when the owner left.  (I assumed this because they were all friendly.)  I felt so sorry for them.  I wanted so much to do something for them.  (I am on the Lehigh Valley Animal Response Team, which is a part of the Emergency Animal Rescue, so of course I wanted to do something to help them.)  So, I decided I would make some calls the next day. 

My first call was to the County SPCA.  They told me they didn't have anybody to help, but to call the County Animal Contral and gave me the number.  I called, and they told me that they were unable to help and that I would have to call the township police.  OK.  Made the call to the township police.  They told me that they did not have an Animal Control Dept. so they couldn't do anything, to call the County Animal Control.  (You see where I'm going?)  Called the County Animal Control Dept. back.  This time they told me to call the SPCA.  (Back to square one.)  Wanting to desperately help the cats, I called the SPCA once again.  Explained this whole run around and they said (here it goes again) "We cannot do anything.  Animal Control and the police are the only ones."  I then asked them "What am I supposed to do?"  They suggested that maybe I could go over and feed them.  It would be fine if I were a neighbor of the farm, but I'm not.  I would have to drive over every day to feed them.  Sometimes, that is impossible.  (If you're thinking that I should just adopt them, sorry.  No can do.  I have cats and dogs of my own.)  So, what would you do if you were in this situation????  I don't know at this point.  All I want to do is save the lives of these neglected animals.

What irritates me is that there are people that are so uncaring.  First of all, the owners should have done something with the cats.  They probably assumed the cats would be able to fend for themselves.  (If they were born in the wild, they would be.)  All the authorities do is tell you it's out of their hands and then send you to someone else.  And, in the meantime, you get nowhere, and these poor animals end up suffering.  The longer it takes, the more suffering they go through.  This is no way to treat any living creature.  How would you feel if it was you in their place????  

I am a volunteer with the Lehigh Valley Animal Response Team.  It is a non-profit organization that covers Northampton and Lehigh Counties in Eastern PA.  The organization responds to emergencies, during or after a disaster, or accident, where animals are involved and need rescuing and care.  It consists of volunteers, including some local verterinarians, and depends on donations.  The state helps with some of the funding.

LVCART was just started at the beginning of this year, so we are still in the organizational stages.  Our volunteers are being trained and have certain required classes to attend to be Certified to help.  Some of our volunteers may not be directly involved in the rescue, but they are involved in other ways, such as in caring for the animals after the rescue, or pushing the necessary paperwork needed. All are working together to get the necessary supplies to have on hand when disaster does strike.  We also are doing different fund raising events and sales to get funding.

If you are able to help LVCART in any way, it would be greatly appreciated.  We accept any donations you may have, material or funding.  We will also accept more volunteers if any one is interested.  If you would like to get more information, or to donate, please contact me.  Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for your help in advance.

This past weekend I attended a local little 4H schooling horse show.  My 2 children used to ride their horses at these shows when they were growing up and had a lot of fun.  I go to these now to put out my flyers and meet people, since my expertise is horse properties.  What I saw at the show did not appeal to me one bit.

I was walking around the grounds talking to people.  As I was making my rounds, I noticed many of the children being rough and manhandling their horses because the horses were not listening for one reason or another.  In one instance, the poor horse was terribly bothered by the flies and wouldn't stand still because of it.  The child was yelling at the horse to stand and was yanking on the halter.  And this was a mild mannered horse.  Now, I ask you, would you just stand and let the flies bite you?  I think not.  So why should the horse.  The horse just needed some understanding and should have been sprayed with fly spray.  Isn't that what you would do for yourself?

During my walk around the grounds, I would stop and watch the riders in the ring from time to time.  There, things weren't much better.  Here, I noticed, for example, that if the horse did not pick up the correct gait (walk, trot, canter), the rider automatically hit the poor horse with the crop and yanked on the reins.  What you have to remember is that these riders are amateurs and are still learning to ride.  They haven't learned that if you ask the horse correctly, most horses will do as asked.  It's a horses nature to please.  So, where are they learning all of this?  Where else, but from adults.  All of us know that a horse is no small animal and, because of their size and weight, can push US around if need be.  They will only take so much and then they will let you know enough is enough.  I can guarantee you that when they tell you, it will not be a pretty sight.  Someone will get hurt and chances are it will be the child. 

I have taught children in my 4H clubs and US Pony Club that safety comes first and that the horse will win if you start a battle with it.  And the horse knows it.  My son and daughter were taught to respect the horse.  The horse is your partner and you need to work WITH the horse, not against it.  All this showed when they competed their horses.  They competed on the A circuit (higher level of shows).  They both did well.  As a matter of fact, my son did so well, that he and his horse qualified for the Nationals in Show Jumping 2 years in a row.  At Nationals, they placed overall first the first year and second the second year.  All this because of patience, understanding, calmness, gentleness and helping each other out.  That's what teamwork is all about. 

Moral of this story: If you work as a team, you will succeed!!!

"I have been up and down this road about half a dozen times and no house or FOR SALE sign."  Has this ever happened to you?  You follow the directions to the home you are to show a buyer, and you are are unable to find the place.  This has happened to me a few times.

The one time, the directions said to turn right onto Weir Mountain Rd. from the main road and then left onto Fiddle Rd.  Well, I drove down the main road looking for Weir Mountain Rd.  I drove until I got into the next county.  Maybe I missed it.  So, I turned around and drove back on the main road looking for Weir Mountain Rd.  Still nothing.  Found Weir Lake Rd., though.  I figured I'd try that.  Maybe the agent typed in the wrong name.  Drove down Weir Lake Rd. to the end and no Fiddle Rd.  At this point, I called the listing agent.  Lo and behold, the listing agent was not in the office and did not answer their cell.  At that point, I just left a message on the voice mail and cancelled the showing for that day since I had another appointment to get to.  It turned out that the listing agent omited the name of another road to turn onto from the main route in the directions.  The next time I went to show that place, I did finally find it.

Another time, I was looking for a listing and I was on the right road, but could not find the house.  Went up and down the road about half a dozen times and no house and no FOR SALE sign.  Finally, I called the listing agent, and this time, I did get to talk to a live person.  They explained to me that I should look for a bunch of mailboxes at the side of the road and there will be a dirt road there.  (The dirt road looked more like someone's driveway.)  I am to take the road down to the end and the home will be there.  OK.  I found the "road" and went down it and ended up at someone's farm.  This was not the home that was listed.  Tried calling the listing agent back, but this time the agent did not answer the cell.  Tried a couple of times, still nothing.  I finally decided to leave a message and in the meantime, the buyer said to forget it.  The agent did not return my call and we never did find the house.  The directions never mentioned about looking for mailboxes or a dirt drive.  Just to go down Delaware Rd. 

Not being able to find the listing is not only frustrating to the agent, but also to the buyer.  Plus the listing agent may have lost a possible sale because of this.  I'm sure many of you have gone through this.  All agents need to pay attention to detail and double check the directions.  This is quite important.  Imagine how many buyers the seller had lost because of this error.  If it is a difficult place to find, a broker's sign should be placed at the main road with an arrow so it would make it a little easier to be found.  It will make things a little less frustrating and stressful all around.