Fanatical Mower Man

We used to live on a fairly quiet tree-lined street in an older "Beaver Cleaver" type home. Our two-story home was neat and tidy, and we had a picket fence out front, a lovely garden, and well-manicured lawn. Our home blended in with most of our neighbors, though we added a few more plants and fixtures to make it our own.

Down on the corner lived "Anal Mower Guy." We called him that because he was a fanatic about his yard. He had what you would call a "postage stamp" lot, with a few mature trees and some shrubbery. His home, garage, sidewalk and driveway took up most of the green space, however, so there wasn't a lot of grass to mow.

It took "Anal Mower Guy" approximately five hours to do his yard every week. He cleaned his mower. He edged the yard around the sidewalk and drive. He mowed, a different direction each week. He pruned shrubs. He raked the grass (even when it wasn't fall)! He weeded the two little flower beds. He blew the grass clippings off the pavement. He swept the edge of the street where tiny bits of grass clippings wandered. He went around each tree with his electric trimmer. He cleaned his mower. He put everything away. He stood back and looked at his creation.

There's something to be said for taking good care of your yard. Don't you wish everyone did?

(Don't you wish someone would sneak into your yard in the middle of the night and perform this miracle of mowing on yours?)


This article was written by Caron and originally appeared here

Manufacturing is Picking Up

Great Seal of The State of Alabama (Photo credit: Wikipedia)One way to know how well a region real estate market is doing is by taking a look at how their local industries are doing. That's why we'd like to put the Southern state of Alabama as places to watch for real estate developments. The state was just featured on CNN Money today for enjoying the best increase in industrial manufacturing within the last five years. Not only is it benefiting with local companies and industries, foreign manufacturing companies have been racing to the state to take a piece of the manufacturing opportunities the state of Alabama has made so enticing.
Alabama is not the only state however that is seeing growth in a surprising industry. States like Indiana, Florida and Georgia have all seen stronger increase in their industrial industry. Car manufacturers and valve manufacturers like the Valtorc Flow Control Valves have taken off nationally and internationally, and are all thanks to the strong growth.
So if you're in the manufacturing industry and are looking for new work or a fresh start, Alabama might not be such a bad idea!

City of Corvallis

The logo for the Oregon State University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the most beautiful areas along the Pacific coast in the United States is the entire state of Oregon. Luckily, I had a chance to make a few stops throughout the state, a few years ago and I was able to come across the great city of Corvallis. I loved the time I spent in that town more than any other place I visited. Here a few reasons why I enjoyed the town so much:

Academically, the state of Oregon is well known for the University of Oregon, which consistently has a powerful football program with funky uniforms. However, Oregon State University is known as one of the top universities in the United States, and is just a short drive down from Corvallis. All the students there have a great passion and understanding of the environment, and actively recruit their community to do their part to save the planet.

Because the area is populated with thousands of college aged students, there are always things to do and places to go out to. Going off of this, USA Today ranks Corvallis as one of the top places to live for both young adults and families. Nightclubs, bars and late eateries are all over the downtown area, but there are also restaurants, parks and great schools throughout the area, truly making it an excellent place for any age.

If you're ever considering getting up and moving to someplace new, Corvallis might be a great spot. Take a look at homes for sale in Corvallis Oregon to see if there's anything that fits your fancy.

Visit Switzerland!

View of Matterhorn and Dent d'Hérens from Tête Blanche, Switzerland (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Whether you are a thrill seeker, looking to explore the great outdoors and mountanous terain of Switzerland, or you are looking for a great place to ski in the Alps for you next winter vacation, Switzerland is a terrific place to visit. Here's a few reasons why:

Friendly people
Switzerland is known to have some of the friendliest people in Europe. Meeting someone fun and friendly on your vacation trip can make the experience even more memorable.

Scenery
If you're not coming to Switzerland to partake in physical activities, then taking in the scenery is certainly entertaining enough. The Alps are relatively young mountains, which results in majestic mountain peaks and extreme cliffs that you can't find anywhere else in the world.

Adventure Activities
The unique and intense terrain of Switzerland offers a mecca for adventure activities. Paragliders, bungee jumpers and rock climbers flock to Switzerland every year. If you are not experienced in such activities, you can always hire the help of trained professionals.

If you're looking for a place to stay in Switzerland, there are plenty of options. Many hostels, including the Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof, offer great amenities at a nice low price. For as nice of a town Interlaken is, Interlaken Hostel prices are quite low.

Why do you ask?

This puzzles me. I showed a home last night to a lady who is thinking about writing an offer on the house. Her own home just sold, and she has limited time to move out. We're getting ready to go out to the driveway when she asks, "So what commission do you have on this house?"

When I was young and living at home, if I had asked someone a question like that, my mother would have scolded me up one side and down the other. That's just like asking someone "How much money do you make?" 

Before I go on, let me remind everyone that the SELLER pays the commission to the agent. The SELLER. That's right, SELLER. I can't say it enough. So regardless of the price offered to purchase a home, it's not the buyer, but the SELLER who pays.

So, back to my buyer. I explained to her, "the commission on the house is an agreement between myself and the seller. Why would you ask that question?"

She smiled a funny kind of smile. "Well, if you won't tell me, I can always contact another real estate agent who can tell me that from the MLS." 

So I'm really puzzled. This sounds like a challenge! Why does my commission have anything to do with whether or not she will buy this house?

If you have a thought on this, please post a comment below. I'm curious for your feedback.

This post was written by Carol