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STRIDER REAL ESTATE NEWS LETTER CONNECTED This has so many beginnings; I
don’t know where to start. In another cowboy minute June says, “I feel connected.” It is important to many people as to who was here first, who has been here the longest. An Indian friend says he only knows his family back three generations… and I know very little about my family and the generations that lived before me. I have had 67 addresses in my life, several states, many foreign countries: Japan, China, Philippines, Korea, and more! My childhood is filled with memories of packing and moving. Well, amidst all this moving I came to a screeching halt in Long Valley! What a beautiful place! What beautiful people! When a client asks me about this town, I reply, “Laytonville is not a fancy town, what makes Laytonville great are the people here!” Thank you my friends in Long Valley, for making me feel connected! In case you were wondering, a new York Minute is anything from three to five seconds, and a Cowboy Minute is as much time as you need! RURAL RETREATS Every morning I wake up happy
and excited about a new day in the most beautiful place on our planet,
Mendocino County! In our office we really enjoy helping people find
their country property, their new adventures, and their new life. Although
I have been a real estate broker here since 1972 and I am never MARKET If you want to find your place in the country we urge you to look sharp and act promptly. Sellers know that we can sell their property right away, so buyers must be alert and stay tuned to new offerings! If you find a property that is just right in several respects, make your offer now, with whatever contingencies are appropriate. SOLAR There may be times when power companies like California’s PG&E cannot provide the electrical power we need to water our garden, power our homes, and send our Email. There are alternatives! Our well pump is now powered by the SUN! Many years ago Solar Power was experimental and a bit complicated. Now it’s everyday stuff! Just take it home and plug it in… FUNNIES It rains a lot in Mendocino County. So way back in 1969, I had just arrived in Laytonville, it was a very rainy day, it was coming down in torrents, and thought I saw a yellow cab coming my way. So I hailed the “cab” and it pulled over and I hopped in. “Where you going?” the driver asked. I said “Can you take me to Trading Post Road?” In two minutes we were in front of my house. “How much?” I said to the driver. The driver turned around to face me and said “Oh, did you think I was a cab? No, I am just a friend, giving you a ride home.” It was a Yellow 1957 Chevy, I was soaking wet, and it was my introduction small town friendship. Thank you David. I was out in the rain the other day, helping to show some property lines. All winter long I wear a down vest, very convenient, very casual, just right for most winter days. I was leading, the clients following behind. All went well until we came upon a cross fence of barbed wire. Well, I did what I always do, stoop down low, crawl through the fence and go on. Except this time a sharp barb from the fence ripped across the back of my down vest. I didn't stoop low enough! A cascade of goose feathers gushed from the vest, I never suspected so many tiny feathers were in that vest! (Where do they get those feathers anyway?) I kept walking and the feathers kept gushing from the vest! So here I am, soaked to the bones, slogging along the boundary lines, leaving a trail of tiny feathers as I walked the lines. The clients are still negotiating for this land, but if I have to show it again I will just send you out there, just follow the feathers!
POST HOLE! Recently I was attempting to find and show a corner of 40 acres that was in escrow. It was a rainy stormy day, but so what! I used the GPS to get as close as possible to this corner and when the GPS said "You are here!" Chris, the buyer brought his dog whom he called, "Guy". "When I said this is the spot" Chris commanded his dog "Guy..., dig here!" Well, you should have been there, Guy rushed to the place and started digging with his front paws! You know how dogs can dig holes! In just a few short moments there was a great post hole! Lying nearby on the ground was a post, that needed a post hole. I made this connection. CLOSING PAPERS! Many of our clients are from out of the area, and indeed, out of state. So, when Jack, from Boston, said to overnight his closing papers I sent them to Boston. A couple days later I got this garbled message from Jack's cell phone. Hi Lorne, I got the closing papers, but uh, my dog ate it! And it's true! They put it through the mail slot ok, uh... And I came home and uh... There was a pile of shredded papers! PAUSE...uh I found little "sign here" notes on the floor... Not all of it got chewed, but most of it! I still have "buyers escrow instructions"... And I got the "installment note" except for the top corners! "Where shall I sign?" STOCK MARKET TIP: (Email we received) If you bought $1000 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would be worth $49. If you bought $1,000 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, then traded in the cans at a redemption center for the nickel deposit, you would have $107. Given the condition of the stock market, current advice is to drink heavily and recycle. Just kidding of course, rural property values will hold their value! COUNTRY LIFE When I arrived in Laytonville about 35 years ago I was a “city boy”. I was used to having all the basics; water, power, sewer, telephone, automatically provided to me. The first “utility” that I really needed was Heat! We left the comforts of the City for a cabin along side the road and that first morning was really cold! So I learned how to burn firewood! Firewood is always superior to a utility company because you have personal control. DAY IN THE LIFE OF… It was one of those great summer days. Warm, but not too hot— just the kind of day to be lolling around, preferably under a shady tree. Well, I was lolling around the office this particular day thinking about a tall chocolate malt, when in walked three middle-aged gentlemen. They asked if we had any river frontage land listed. It just so happened we did have 10 acres with Eel River frontage. It was on the other side of Branscomb in the Redwoods. I described this land to my customers, who by this time I had learned were three lawyers from Los Angeles. It sounded great to them so was all piled into the jeep and set course for Branscomb and the wilds beyond. Oh what a day! It was times like this that I marveled over how lucky I was. This had to be the best job in the world! An odd assortment of skills were used. One had to be part Ranger Rick, taxi driver, tour guide, mountain climber, timber cruiser and surveyor. We arrived at the parcel in a cloud of dust and radiator steam and headed straight for the water. I commenced to lead the trio along the rock and pebble strewn waters edge, where they could get the full impact of the setting. Seemed like all was going well. There might be a sale before the day was over. Just maybe. Here and there were wide and deep areas where the flow slowed and made a good swimming hole. Just ahead I could see the Jim-dandy of all swimming holes! Someone has labored several days carrying rocks and logs to make a huge dam. What a site! I figured my prospects would see how wonderful all this was and make an offer for sure. I waited for the gentlemen to catch up with me so they could see this great spot. I stood on the bank as they rounded the bend and came within view of the area. Just then I heard a rustling in the bushes on the opposite bank. What’s this? I wondered. Then, as our jaws dropped, the bushes parted and a young lady wearing only a fabulous tan leaped from the brush in a great swan dive. As she disappeared under water leaving a ring of bubbles, our heads all swiveled as we gawked at each other and back to the scene. The first lawyer asked if this was a daily occurrence. The second was smiling a knowing grin and asserted that I had very cleverly set the whole thing up just to impress them. The third was timidly asking if it would be permissible to go swimming. STICKER STORY ….. One of the rewarding things about selling country real estate is watching the clients enjoy and appreciate our beautiful and rural setting. I’ve seen many different people with various degrees of preparedness in dealing with the mountainous land. I’ve taken many a southlander through 40 rugged acres wearing sandals or tennis shoes. Some folks seem to come better prepared. I remember one couple in particular. These folks were right on time for the appointment so we headed up to the land without delay. As we did so, I noticed that Mr. Client brought along a large and heavy leather satchel. As we parked at the end of the trail, he lugged that satchel out and plopped it on the ground. What do you have there? I inquired. “Oh, just a few devices to investigate the land thoroughly.” he said. I stood and watched as he pulled out a fancy 35mm camera with all attachments. After hanging and mounting this gear on one shoulder he dipped into the bag again. This time out came a surveyors compass. I immediately felt amateurish and inadequate with my little scout’s pocket compass. Next came the altimeter in its leather case, and binoculars for around the neck. Then, out came the walkie talkie set. Wow! I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Dipping again into the bag he pulled out a Rangefinder and slung it over the other shoulder. This man was arming himself before my eyes! Just when I thought surely the bag was empty, he reached in a last time and pulled out a little pile of cloth things. They were red and white checkered, like tablecloths in an Italian restaurant. By now, Mrs. Client was beaming expectantly at Mr. Client dividing the four red things between them, a pair each. Then they both stooped and tied them off around their ankles! Viola! Little tailor-made checkered leggings to keep the stickers off! Wow, I thought, compass, rangefinder, altimeter, walkie-talkies ok. But leggings? Come on! Well it was certainly a pleasure showing them around the land. They were quite knowledgeable and grasped things quickly. But I couldn't help feeling a little smug about the leggings. After all, I had survived all these years in the woods without them. That evening I told my wife all about these interesting people and their many gadgets. But I didn't laugh much as I told her about the leggings. I was too busy picking all the stickers out of my socks. Lorne Strider |