The Great Toothpaste Confrontation of 2019 (1,000 Days of Winter)

I learned last week that my husband takes toothpaste, or the lack thereof, very seriously.  On Tuesday of last week, I witnessed the unfortunate circumstances of running out of "adult" toothpaste.  Bear in mind, we still had plenty of bubblegum Sparkle Crest on hand.  Apparently, that just doesn't do the same job as cool mint gel.  Nevertheless, this led to a 10 p.m. argument about not having any toothpaste.  Luckily, I was able to scavenge for a travelers pack of toothpaste to meet my husband's needs.  Fast forward to Friday.  Still no toothpaste in the house and the traveler's pack is empty.  At this point, the confrontation is boiling down to a battle of wits to decide once and for all who can hold out the longest and exhibit the utmost stubbornness of the two of us.  Turns out my husband won this no-contest, knock-down, drag-out fight by one fall.  I broke down and threw some Crest in the shopping cart while I was out buying groceries in the blizzard to avoid all of the other pre-blizzard shoppers.  He owes me big time, but guess what, he is too stubborn to admit it.

How has your 1,000 days of winter been going?  I would accept false spring at this point even though it will take us into third winter.  Clearly, we all need some fresh air, new perspective, and some Crest toothpaste to fill the void this gloomy, cold, artic tundra has left in our hearts.  By golly, at least the real estate market hasn't been frozen in its tracks by this weather.  I wasn't sure if I was coming or going last week, but I did tell our office manager every time I left that if I didn't see her again by 5 p.m., I would see her the next day.  This is good news for all of you who are anxiously waiting for new listings to arrive on the market.  As our 1,000 days of winter edges ever closer to an end, we will see new listings.  If you would like to be notified of what is coming available, send a text to (402) 518-0675 so I can include you in my early communications!

On the flip side, Sellers be warned!  Your sweet spot for listing properties is not actually the summer months as has long been the industry belief.  The best opportunity for you to command top dollar for your property happens when you list between February 15th and March 15th.  We are almost halfway through this short window, so contact me today if you are toying with the idea of listing.  I can provide initial consultations on preparing your house for sale (including how to use toothpaste for spackle, if needed).  And, don't forget, we have our second Lunch and Learn of the season coming up at Noon on March 13th with everything you need to know about preparing your home for sale, working with an agent for the best results, and surviving the process while trying to make a move.

If you're still not convinced that now is a good time to break up the 1,000 days of winter by listing your home, check out these pending sales that only lasted 24 hours on the market:

315 West 8th Street

1020 Poplar Street

Both of these sellers considered waiting to list their homes until warmer weather.  Nonetheless, getting their homes listed early in the year was a smart move.  Let me help cure some of that Seasonal Affective Disorder by kicking your spring cleaning into high gear and helping you market your home to an anxious pool of buyers. 

Despite recent sales, 1st Realty has a nice selection of homes still on the market!  Right now, we have something for everyone including ranch-style, 2-story, a townhouse, and investment properties to expand your portfolio.  Our team can help find a home that fits your needs!

118 S. Blaine Street

419 West 8th Street

1403 Linden Street

902 Nebraska Street

314 East 4th Street

So, don't let the winter blues get you down!  Go buy yourself a fresh new tube of toothpaste, keep the peace in your current home, and give me a call to help you with your next home sale or purchase.  After all, toothpaste is less expensive than roses, and I love to talk about real estate!  Welcome Home.

A, B, C, D, E-I-E-I-O!

Since the first of the year, I have been spending a portion of each night trying to inspire my Kindergartener to write letters, numbers, and sight words.  He is my son who takes everything very literally.  He requires all things to have order and make sense.  He sees the world in a very black and white sort of way, which is completely mind-blowing to me most days.  Quite frankly, I can no longer look at the English language in the same way I once did just a few short months ago.  After all, 'A' sounds like 'H,' so why are they different letters?  How can 'two' sound the same as 'to' or 'too'?  The letter 'O' doesn't even make an 'oooo' sound at this stage in the game!  Rather than just learning the very basic concept, his mind wants to know all the reasons behind why we talk, count, and spell the way we do. With all of his newly obtained knowledge, he has lost confidence in his ability to learn the English language, particularly reading and writing.  He requires reinforcement at every level, which requires a lot of time on both our parts.  On the other hand, my 2-year old can sing you his ABC's with a little bridge to Old MacDonald in the middle.  He has been working hard on a quality medley of Baa Baa Black Sheep which leads into Twinkle Twinkle Little Star followed up by Jingle Bells.  He oozes confidence when he sings and dances. Chest out, shoulders back, hips swaying, loud and proud!  Makes me laugh every time!  I just want to bottle up this time with both my boys and save it forever!

These differing stages of learning are very similar to those of home buyers and sellers.  We all start out pretty green by mixing our ABCs of real estate with the E-I-E-I-Os of good credit history, financing options, and downpayment funds. Nonetheless, as first-time buyers, we are confident in our ability to make homeownership a reality, so we approach it head-on, loud and proud, telling all of our friends and family via social media that we are in the market to buy a home.  We are especially good at telling everybody when we are interested in a property on social media.  In doing so, we encourage competition from other buyers and limit our negotiating ability.  This is why you need a good teacher a/k/a real estate agent to take you through what I essentially label as real estate preschool.  I encourage you to attend the Lunch & Learn Homebuyer Workshop on February 13th from Noon to 1 p.m. on the back meeting room of 1st Realty.  F&M Bank is our lunch sponsor this month, and they will not let you go back to work hungry!

Eventually, you learn the ABCs and find it is time to sell that home you purchased.  Maybe you have outgrown the space.  Perhaps you have changed employment, or life circumstances may be taking you on a new adventure.  Whatever the reason, you are introduced to a whole new perspective of real estate.  Like learning the letters, numbers, sounds, and symbols of a whole new language, you have to figure out the why's and how's of selling a home. You have graduated to real estate Kindergarten. Again, this is where a trusted real estate professional can help you master this new language and reinforce your ability to sell the property successfully. (1st Realty's Lunch & Learn Seller Workshop would be a good opportunity for you to learn about what it takes to sell a home in today's competitive environment.  Join us on March 13th for this informative seminar). 

The point I'm driving at here is that we don't send our children out into this world to master the English language without a solid team to reinforce their abilities.  We push them through 15+ years of education and spend countless hours at home teaching them to read, write, and solve problems without even a question as to why we would do so.  By the time you have bought and sold one home, you really have only graduated from real estate Kindergarten.  There is an entirely different realm beyond just buying and selling. It takes a qualified team of professionals to close any real estate transaction.  I'm not just talking about real estate agents.  You need lending professionals, title insurance professionals, escrow professionals, inspection professionals, repair professionals, homeowners insurance professionals, income tax and accounting professionals, and staging and decorating professionals to simply process one single transaction.  Real estate has a language and problems all its own.  It is not something you can learn overnight.  It is time consuming, it is hands on, it is anxiety riddled, and it is complicated. I'm still learning new things and encountering new situations after 15 years in the business.  There should be no question about using a trusted real estate professional to handle the purchase or sale of your next home.  In a world where very few real estate transactions turn out all real estate and roses, the team at 1st Realty can help make it a whole lot easier.  Welcome Home.

The Polar Vortex Effect

Well, folks, it just so happens that the Polar Vortex collided with my husband heading to the frozen tundra of Ames, IA for five days of continuing education at the CNHI (Case, New Holland, International) Training Center.  Although it might not seem like a long time to be away, the excursion coupled with the cold weather has forced me to cash in a sizable amount of my stock piled CP & G points.  It has essentially created a perfect storm for using every single resource available to me under the CP & G category.  You are probably thinking, "What on earth is a CP & G point?" Not only are they the most valuable currency any parent can possess, but they are easy to abuse.  People, I'm talking about Crock Pot and Grandma (CP & G) points.  This is how they work:

Me: Can I drop off the kids at 5:30 so I can meet with some clients.
Grandma: Sure! We have already watched them all day, what's a few more hours?
Me: OK, you don't have to feed them because my appointment should only take an hour and I have supper in the crock pot.

...2 hours 37 minutes later...

Me: Sorry it took so long!  Decided to try and meet with some other customers before the middle of the week when the weather turns worse. I bet the boys are starving.
Grandma: It was no trouble!  I didn't want to spoil their supper, so we went ahead and ate ours because they didn't like what we were having.  They had almost a whole bag of potato chips, so they might not be super hungry when they get home.
Me: OK, thanks. See you in the morning!

...10 minutes later, arrive at home...

Me: Boys, would you like something to eat?
Boys: We're not hungry.
Me (talking to myself): Great, what am I going to do with all this roast? (Searches desperately for enough plastic containers to store it all.)

...1 hour 37 minutes later while lying in bed...

Boy: Mom, I hungee!  
Mom: Would you like some roast beef?
Boy: No, hotdog.
Mom: One or two?
Boy: Two, with mustard. No, ch-etchup! I want mustard.

...sleep six hours and do it all over again...

You get the picture.  Those CP & G points flew out the door pretty quickly this week, and it is only Wednesday.  I could probably survive without the crock pot, but it would be a hard road without Grandma and Grandpa close by to fill in the gaps.  I try not to abuse the privilege, but we are fortunate to have a great support team nearby for these times when work takes my husband and me in different directions.  And, I'm lucky to have clients and customers who understand when my boys need to come along for appointments.  That is often the saving grace to ensure that I can refuel my Grandma points for use at another time. You all are so kind and generous to our family!

If my husband can get his pickup started tomorrow, he should be home in time to put the boys to bed.  I'll be sure to have supper waiting for him in the crock pot, just so I can use up my last few CP points before I hit the end of the week.  Maybe he'll take me out to supper this weekend to help build some CP & G points back up again.  I won't hold him to showing up at the door with any roses though.  Welcome Home.

On the Next Episode of "Hoarders"...

The first step to self-improvement is admitting you have a problem.  Here goes: "My name is Trisha Peters, and I am a hoarder."  I literally keep everything until it is no longer useful (i.e. past the point of repairing).  I have dishclothes with the edges so shredded in my kitchen drawer that they wind up in a huge ball in the washing machine because the strings knot up.  I have my adjustable plastic locker shelf that was last used in 1999 because I think my 2 year old might use it in his locker someday (like that's cool, Mom.  By the time he is in school, all his books will be stored in 'the cloud').  I have mix tapes of music taped off the radio in the 1980s because every product of the 80s needs a homemade Casey's Top 40 mix tape.  (Ironically, I do not have a tape player!)  You get the picture.  It's a problem.  One that has been lurking in the darkness of my basement, and that has only recently come out to play as I try to regain control of my life.  Combine this trait with a husband who shares the same characteristic, and we are one chromosome away from being a TV reality show.  For crying out loud, he literally saved the boxes for all the toy tractors that he has displayed in a glass case.  Every time I look under the basement stairway, I want to pour gasoline on them and burn them in the backyard. But, that would get me arrested. And, jail would not be favorable to me.

Why in the world can't we throw anything away??  I blame it on my Grandma.  She used to wash out Ziploc bags and reuse them (guilty as charged).  When something can't be effectively reduced, reused, or recycled in our family, we just store it until it's dead or someone else renders it useless and throws it out for us.  Because, you know what, the second I throw those mix tapes out, I'm going to need them.  Happens. Every. Time.

Case in point, digging through a box last Saturday, I found my old Alphie II robot computer and Smart Start calculator.  I carefully replaced the 16 size C batteries each one required back in 1987 and waited anxiously to show them to the boys when they returned home from the farm with their dad.  By this time, I am well on my way to winning Mom of the Year.  Man, did their eyes light up when they saw that little plastic robot sitting on the kitchen counter.  I was tickled pink! Then, the highly unanticipated Scenario B played out. A huge fight ensued as I introduced the iPad of my day to the boys.  Little brother was ready to rumble for possession of that little robot even though he had no clue how to read the cards or answer the questions.  The oldest one deemed Alphie as "not working" because you have to push the buttons just right to get it to register the answer.  Seriously?  I played with that thing for like an hour Saturday afternoon and had no troubles!  Why do you think I didn't get any vacuuming done?  C'mon man!  This thing is retro...a classic!  As it turns out, my nostalgia is not the same nostalgia my children share.  Who knew?  Since then, I've managed to stub my toe on the dang thing seven times in the middle of the night because the only thing the kids think its good for is to have his face light up in the dark as they are laying in bed.  If anything can be said about 1980s plastic toys, it is that they were built to break a toe or at least roll an ankle! iPad, shmy-pad. Whatever, Bill Gates.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you are storing stuff in boxes that you haven't used since the 1980s, pour gasoline on it and burn it in the backyard.  Just don't let the cops catch you.  Jail isn't all real estate and roses. Welcome Home.

(Disclaimer: Blog author, Trisha Peters, does not encourage you or any others to perform dangerous activities. Pouring gasoline on anything and burning it is not recommended.  Advice is given strictly for comedic effect and is not meant to be practiced in real life.) 

'Til the Cows Come Home

The first week in January means that it is time to start the migration of the Hansen cow herd towards the home place from their winter feeding grounds.  This three mile trek over pasture and county roads requires a minimum of five off-road trail vehicles, a lead tractor and hayrack, and two grandmas (one to watch the littlest cowkids and another to stop traffic when we get the herd out on the road).  It's quite a production, and one that I haven't missed in many years. Here's why:

"Phase One of Annual Herd Migration complete: Three mile drive thru rough terrain. Mud made it inside the vehicle. Touch and go for a few seconds there. Maxed out cool points with the kids again. Tiny cowboys and cowgirl yelling between steel horses giggling about the anatomical differences between bulls and cows. Herd will get used to their nonstop banter just as humans have. In all the commotion, three whitetails stumbled into the action. What a sight! Herd secure. City Slickers home from the ranch."

Working our way across the section

Make sure the window is up before you go mud running!

Three whitetail deer decided to see what all of the fuss was about. It was fortunate I got to share this quiet moment with my oldest son as we waited for the rest of the gang to get the herd moved to our position.

Billy Crystal should be jealous of this yearly undertaking.  Unfortunately, in all these years, we still haven't found Curly's Gold (that's a '90s movie reference for those of you who don't remember)!  We do get the Karsky Family out of town for extra assistance, and with all the littles around these days, we adults have to keep our sweet talk for the bosses rated PG.  The weather was nice the Saturday we moved the herd, and we had some trouble getting the cows rounded up and through the first gate to start our journey.  Believe it or not, livestock actually moves more willingly when the weather is poor.  They felt good, but once they figured out where they were going, they didn't cause any problems. 

This is a therapeutic undertaking for me.  The farm has always been my sanctuary. A necessary haven  to restore the balance of my introverted personality with the demands of a sales career.  Coming down from the rush of the holidays and an extraordinarily busy December market, it was a chance to spend a morning doing something a little out of the ordinary.  There is something to be revered about a Nebraska sunrise, fog in the valleys, and frost on the fence posts.  Just me and my family, a few close friends, the smell of burnt clutch and scorched exhaust, and the cows. Each doing a little part while working as one cohesive unit, doing what we have always done, 'til the cows come home.

Onto new feeding grounds for a few weeks.

I'll admit, I don't get much time anymore to really spend with the herd.  I used to know every cow...her demeanor, her tag number, her given name.  Some of that has gotten away from me as the pressures of a full-time career and family have taken precedence.  My herd has shifted to one made of people.  I don't regret that shift, but I do love a chance to look over the cow herd once in a while. Like people, each head of livestock has its own personality.  Over time, you learn to look for those wild-eyed heifers who like to keep their head up in the air.  They will be the first to spoil a good day.  These spirited cows aren't loyal, and they can ruin your taste for the whole business if you let them.  Eventually, you find that the best way to deal with a cow like this is to haul her to market, but not before she breaks down some of your fences.  While mending fences, you learn how to look for the signs next time and protect yourself before another one jumps over your brand new shiny gate and makes an oversized U-joint out of it.

Those wild-eyed heifer types give you new respect for those cows who have paid their dues and methodically plod at the back of the main herd as they make the trek home.  Those are the stubborn bosses who are upwards of 20 years old and might have even been a part of the study group for your Neihardt Honors Colloquium at Wayne State College. There is a lot to learn from the wherewithal of those old cows.  They have endured because they produce good calves, give good milk, and weather the storms successfully.  Once the heart of the herd, they are the bloodlines to all the younger stock.  Those old girls have a hard time keeping up, but they have played a vital role in the overall success of the herd.

Knowing where the two extremes lie makes it easier to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with the rest of the herd.  It is safe to say that if they do their part, I will do mine, and all will be rewarded with greener pastures in the end.  There are many correlations that can be made between that cow herd and my human herd so long as you don't get all sensitive on me and take offense to the comparison.  Farm life taught me how to take care of my human herd.  If you put your trust in me, I'll do my very best for you right up 'til the cows come home.  After all, what fun would life be if it was all just real estate and roses?  Welcome Home.

Lock Down

I was inside the school building when the lock down occurred today at Wayne Community Schools.  I cannot begin to explain the range of emotions that went through my mind when the Principal announced that the school was in lock down over the loud speaker.  However, my first thoughts were, "Thank goodness I am here with my child." And, "We need to keep all of these kids safe."  In the organized chaos that followed as we quickly shuffled to safe zones, I scanned the halls making sure I found my nephews, the exits, self-defense weapons, and protective cover.  My heart was pounding.  I realized how every teacher must feel in these situations.  We had no idea the severity of the threat, but every threat needs to be taken seriously.  We need to keep our kids and educators safe.  To every teacher, staff member, school nurse, or administrator, I thank you.  Thank you for taking care of our kids.  Thank you for putting your life on the line.  Thank you for getting them to safety first.  The school and the Wayne Police Department did an excellent job of communicating today.  We are fortunate to have law enforcement and school administration who exercise great care in keeping our kids safe.

It is hard for me to express in words the feelings those few minutes in lock down produced. My mind immediately went to worst case scenario. I even went so far as to text my husband the, "School in lock down, we are OK. Stay by your phone. Love you!" message just in case. That being said, it causes me great distress that our educators and our children have to be subjected to lock downs.  I am sad that certain threats have created a need for such a thing as a lock down.  The fear it creates forces our children to sacrifice a part of their innocence.  So many questions follow from both the children and adults.  This has become our reality.  Our children deserve better than this.  We all deserve better than this. We need to keep our kids and our educators safe.  Choose kindness, choose love, choose to be a better person.  Life is so special. Life is not all real estate and roses.  Welcome Home.

Not All Real Estate and Roses

After a long hiatus from blogging and writing, I am hopping back into the proverbial saddle to start the New Year.  I have received much encouragement from friends and family to share my experiences not only in real estate, but as a mom, wife, daughter, aunt, housekeeper, do-it-yourselfer, and otherwise, jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. Several of you kept up with my harvest logs via Facebook this fall, and seemed to enjoy the struggles of balancing a full-time real estate career with family life while lending a hand to those near and dear as they were bringing in the harvest.  Here is a sampling in case you missed it:

"Harvest Log Day 12: Through a Divine act, managed to get clothesline base installed after church. Realized it gets very little sun in new location. Must be strategic about when to tell husband it must be moved. Best to breach subject when he wants to buy expensive tools or equipment to lessen the blow. While helping brother fix fence to turn cows out on corn stalks, kneeled on a bed of sandburs. Effectively stapled jeans to knee. Ouch. Returned home approximately 8 pm to discover a tricky Smurf had planted a blue crayon in the clothes dryer. Children admiring newly tie-dyed apparel. Currently researching crayon removal techniques online."

It seems that 2018 was the year I got behind the eight ball on quite a few things.  It is time to get back to basics.  I am drawing inspiration from my youngest son.  At some point last night between bath and bedtime, he launched his "bink" (pacifier) into the air and effectively lost it amid all the Christmas clutter and toys still making a home on our living room floor.  My husband and the boys searched for a good amount of time to find it, but had no luck.  On top of that, the projectile pacifier was the last holdout in the house as we have been trying to wean our youngest for about five months to no avail.  I reasoned that he was essentially "addicted" to his pacifier, and we were working through a 12-step process to get it away from him.  At far past bedtime, we finally convinced the little guy that "bink was all gone." He simply shrugged his shoulders, hopped into bed, and went to sleep.  He slept all night. He woke up this morning and didn't even ask for it.  He was playing us all along!

The moral of the story is that we as humans can let go of those things that we think we so desperately need...technology, pop, two or three cheeseburgers at one sitting, baggage from bad relationships, lost friendships...all the "stuff" that clutters up our lives. Whatever you need to do to get rid of it, it's time.  (Take it to Rustic Treasures, those guys can sell anything!)  It's time to be a friend to someone going through a difficult time. It's time to enjoy the sound of our children playing together in a pile of snow. It's time to understand that you can squeeze in one more tractor ride before the weekend is over. Let's open our ears, our hearts, and our minds to respect all those around us.  Yes, I know you're busy.  Yes, I know it's hard.  But, I'm throwing away the bink in 2019, and I hope you will too.  After all, the world isn't just all real estate and roses.  Welcome Home.