Realtor Vacations?

Should a Realtor take a Vacation?

It's been awhile since I have taken a vacation, so I decided to "block some time" and get away. The nature of Real Estate (in Rhode Island at least) means you are available 24/7! I have always pledged to get back to people in a minimal amount of time, by email, phone, etc., so to take a vacation means that I cannot do this.
Scheduling this vacation was more work than I thought. I had to go to each website that I use and block out the time, send emails to everyone and call the people I am working with. I am in the middle of a negotiating offer and counteroffers and if it doesn't happen today......???!!! Arrrghhh.
It was actually more work for me to prepare for this vacation then it would have been to stay home! Of course I had to get Jake (my dog) and Max (my cat) taken care of and Blackie (the feral cat that has visited me for 7 years twice a day) fed. I have to clean my house!~ LOL.
Okay, I am down to the wire now. Big question, should I take my laptop? Or should I go technologyless (that may not be a real word:) and just veg out. I am leaning torward the latter, but I feel guilty:) Well, see you when I get back. PS You can still email me so I guess that tells you what I decided. And to my new buyer that I met with on Monday, I am still searching. Guess I answered my own question. Realtors can not take vacations! See ya!

Wireless for Rhode Island

Just read a post that Rhode Island is going wireless. Maybe I can hold off on that card for a few more months. You can read about it here.

Coastal Serendipity

If you haven't already noticed, I Love the Coast. I cannot imagine living any further inland. I did not grow up on the Coast but I always had an affinity with it. I have driven to many of the beaches and little seaside hideaways hereabouts in RI. I did not get to visit Block Island until I was 30! Amazing as its a 40 minute ferry ride from Point Judith! I know a lot of Rhode Islanders who have not been there. They do not know what they are missing! I have since been to BI hundreds of times, spent many a weekend there, both in hotels, inns and on my boat and my brothers boat. It never changes. I guess that's one of the reasons I love it. Although the past few years it has attracted a lot more people. The homes have increased in value due to the incredible beauty of the Island and I do have piles of photos which I will be getting up here soon. The parts of BI that have made the most impression on me are the people that live there year round. Not in the mansions, but in the little cottages that can barely be seen behind the big hotels. These people are the heart and soul of the Block. Have you ever noticed the smell of the Island? Incredible. Guess you have to be there to feel the peace!
I have just started another blog on the Coast of Rhode Island. Not much there yet, but stay tuned.

What you should know about the Rhode Island Real Estate Market
Paul Silver wrote in his article on Active Rain that now is a great time to buy and I agree. This last year has had home buyers holding their breath trying to decide whether to buy now or wait out what was starting to appear to be a possible bubble burst for Rhode Island. Being in the business has helped me watch the home prices very carefully everyday in our local MLS program. As the year went on, the prices started falling, slowly at first, then a little more drastically. Homes began to wilt on the market for longer periods of time.

Photo from Birdsandbeacons by Ann Searle
It took some getting used to after the amazing growth that was prevalent throughout Rhode Island in the past few years! Sellers were horrified that homes they had purchased in the last two years were now worth less than what they originally paid for them! Foreclosures were starting to creep up. Where two years ago, the foreclosure page in the Providence Journal was not completely full, now they were up to four complete pages! The boom was over!
What does this mean to you.
Selling right now is probably not your best move. If you can possibly hold off for awhile you would benefit. If you have to you can always rent out your property to cover your payments, watch the market and decide when it will be a better time to sell.
If you are considering buying, now that is another matter altogether. Now is the time! If you have been debating with yourself and feeling like the surplus of homes on the market means that escalating home prices have stopped, then you are right! They have. Not only do you have a much wider choice in homes, locations and anemities, but you can buy that fixer upper you have been hankering for. Get out of that rental apartment.