Is now the right time to buy or sell?

Is NOW the right time to buy or sell?

It depends………….I know, the typical noncommittal lawyer answer. I approach selling real estate more like consulting, rather than selling in the true sense of the word. Real Estate is not like buying a new pair of shoes……much more expensive, life changing, complex. I am not going to SELL you a house. Many agents miss that point, and try to fit every customer into the same box. I’m sure my legal background makes me more analytical and consultative at how I approach my customers and their real estate goals.

Every person and situation is different. There are a lot of reasons and aspects that goes into each person’s reason to buy or sell. My job is to analyze your situation in light of the current market conditions and give you the necessary information to make a sound decision on what to do. 

I will always give you objective, well thought out advice on how to best realize your real estate dreams. I will never try to push you to buy or sell before we feel it is the right decision for you. I always look beyond this one transaction, and towards the longevity of our relationship and its many transactions.

To illustrate this point, I’ll share a recent success story, which makes me smile from ear to ear. I have known this customer and her family for many years, and I just adore them. Like me, I feel she was a late bloomer who had to wait to find the love of her life. Good things come to those who wait, right?

She owns a property she had purchased a long time ago for a fair price, but it is not her ideal property. She lived in this property with an ex who did not help the situation one bit. She is very fiscally responsible, and takes pride in her home, but this ex was not on that same page.

After that time period, she worked diligently to pay off debt, improve credit, and save money. She then connected with her true love and they made the decision to marry soon after that, because when you know, you just know!  Her wonderful husband comes with a little financial baggage, but is just a good human with similar values.

We started talking about making a move about three years ago when the market had recovered, and looked like it would continue to do so. At that time, we could sell the property, and make a little profit, but it was too soon to really do it right.  We both felt that with the new relationship, still working on paying down debt, and settling into married life……..the timing was not right.  My analysis of the market told me that it would continue to improve.

This couple worked hard to make their home nice while putting themselves into a great financial position. We looked at the market again, just over a year ago, and it was still too soon. They could qualify for a loan, but not for a home they’d love, and we didn’t want to settle this time. Planning and paying for a wedding is also pretty stressful.

Last Fall we again looked at the market and the potential profit on the current home looked really good………enough for at least a 20% down payment AND money left over for improvements and bills. It was finally time.  The lender gave us a great approval price and we looked for a home.

Our awesome couple worked their butts off to prepare the home for the market, while we looked for homes they would like. I had given them a pretty sizable “to do” list on their current home, but they did everything I asked of them.

We found a house, but theirs was not on the market yet.  We tendered an offer with a nice letter, but were rejected.  We were frustrated, but it is understandable for a seller to not want to accept a contingent offer.  We were disappointed, but we know things happen for a reason.

We found an even better house and we were in love with it.  I had a long talk with the listing agent about the situation, because the home had been on the market for a while, a surprise to me. They had started too high and had not done proper staging and repairs at the initial listing. She told me they were motivated and may consider a strong contingent offer. 

We wrote a nice, clean conventional offer contingent upon the sale of their home, and included a nice personal letter.  We were up against another offer, but they picked our offer! I had submitted photos of the current home to show them how nice it is, along with my pricing strategy.

My customer worked tirelessly some long days and nights to have their home ready for the market by the next weekend. The place looked great! We had five showings and an offer the first day. We reached an agreement, and were under contract on both properties! 

My friends’ dreams were coming true.  As I systematically and strategically move both transactions towards the closing table, we are delighted as each step is completed.  Right now we are working on repair negotiations and appraisals on both transactions, and I feel both will work out.

The buyer for our listing is a first time home buyer, single mom who is so excited about her new home!

I could not be happier that two sweet families will be closing and realizing their dreams in just a few short weeks.  This is why I love real estate. It is not about trying to hurry up and chase a sale; it is about making dreams come true.  I can’t stop smiling.

JUST LISTED & UNDER CONTRACT IN 1 DAY!

2524-4 Whispering Woods  

Are you ready to list your home? Give me a call.

SOLD

Another successful Point Meadows transaction, my 13th in 2 years.

 If you are looking to sell your home, give me a call let's talk about how I can get your home sold.

Regina's Real Estate Resource

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New Year's Resolutions for you home.

Time to think about your home

Grand Canyon Adventure

Team SooPage Completes R2R2R, Gets Citation, Terrorizes Everyone at Phantom Ranch.......

I know you've all been waiting for the Rest.......of......the Story...........so here it is. I've been thinking of our recent adventure pretty much nonstop since the minute we returned to the South Rim. In fact, we've been plotting and planning the sequel, researching lodging, airfares, equipment for next time. This is how Team Soopage rolls.

So, when I last left you we had hiked into Phantom Ranch, approximately 38 miles into our journey, at 1:30 in the morning, and we were both extremely tired. I was very, very cold, and Bill was very unsure if he could make the 9.5 mile trek up Bright Angel in our weakened state.

We needed to make a good choice about how to approach the rest of this challenge and make it back to the South Rim safe and sound. We decided to rest for a while and try to get me warned up.

Bill, being an Eagle Scout, and a completely awesome human, was uber prepared with all sorts of gear. He had enough medical supplies to perform minor surgery or treat a rattlesnake bite in the canyon. He had purchased emergency sleeping bags to keep us warm in the event of an emergency where we could not hike and had to wait to be rescued.

We weren't quite there yet, but this seemed the right time to use them. We found some benches to get us off the ground, and we hopped inside. I tried curling up to maximize body heat, but I was still cold....not as cold, but cold. I was tired enough that I initially fell asleep for an hour or so. But then I was cold, so I woke up.......I'd try different positions but the hard bench and stiff legs kind of limited my options.

After what seemed like an eternity of trying to sleep, Bill asked if I was asleep and I said no. It was only 3:30......over 3 hours until light, and 5 hours until the Canteen would be open to offer warmth and coffee. I could probably hike after this short break, and even better at daylight, but I was so cold that I thought I'd never be warm again.

Flashback to Spartathlon 2 years ago. I had a horrible hike up and down a certain mountain, which crushed my spirit and made me exceedingly cold from all the starting and stopping. I left Nestani, about mile 105, well ahead of the time cutoffs, and if I could just maintain about a 13-14 minute mile I could finish within the time limits.

I could not get the cold or the feeling of complete defeat out of my mind, and the body follows the mind. I pulled the plug at mile 111 and turned in my chip, DNF. Looking back on that, I physically could have kept going, but I could not get my mind back into a good place.

Back to Phantom Ranch and our plight at 3:30 a.m. We saw a few lights on, so Bill tried to talk with someone in the kitchen about us maybe finding a nice, warm spot on their floor, and a resident employee too.......but they said no and directed us to the ranger station.

I get it..........they cannot offer every cold, tired hiker a warm spot to crash if they exceed their limits and get cold and stiff. But, we are special...........we are prepared hikers.......we are strong runners, we are Team SooPage............yeah......same answer......NO.....go tot he Ranger Station.

So, Bill summoned the Ranger, and he asked for our IDs....which we produced. He asked us some questions about our planned hike, where we were headed, why we were stuck here, etc etc. I was visibly shivering, so he did put a blanker over me.....yayyy!!

He was not pleased with us one bit. He surmised that we were the typical out of shape, unprepared tourist who decided to hike the Grand Canyon on a whim. I know he was just doing his job, because they get a lot of unprepared tourists stranded down there, but we really had prepared. Sometimes, I just get cold and I cannot explain it, but it's very hard for me to get warm again.

He wrote us two $80 citations for not having a camping permit. We told him that we had not intended to camp, but he told us that now we had become campers and we were unprepared for our current situation. We had some discussion about the weather and Bill showed him that we had the weather forecast on his phone, which seemed to calm him a bit, but he still gave us tickets.

Then he went back inside his nice, warm house for what seemed to be an eternity. I was hoping he was making out the pullout couch for us................but when he finally did reappear he gave us our citations, along with two sleeping bags, blankets and thermarest pads. He directed us to a campsite labeled "Stock," or where the mules go. So basically we would be sleeping on mule dung.

We decided to put our sleeping pads on the concrete picnic pad, and our gear went into the bear boxes......good thing the bears should hopefully be hibernating. I took off my shoes and settled into my mummy bag with blanket on top and I was a lot warmer. I curled up as much as I could, and it was actually nice, for sleeping on a slab of concrete.

I did take a few opportunities to look up at the amazing array of stars, unlike anything we can see in a populated area. It was so quite and peaceful and beautiful, and I eventually fell asleep. It was not deep, quality, bed sleep, but average minus cold, hard camping sleep.

I did not wake up again until first light. i tossed and turned for a while until I heard people moving about the ranch. I wondered how darn stiff my legs and back would be, and how long it would take us to hike out. At least we'd hike out in the light.

We finally got up, cleaned up our camp, and went to the nice, warm Canteen for coffee and bagel. The warmth was heavenly, and I started to feel human again. We both felt better in the legs than expected, and after making amends with everyone we had woken up, changing clothing, and filling water, we were ready to head out and finish this hike.

We met a young guy who was there filming and pacing an ultra runner who was attempting to break the PR for the R2R2R run. She would be coming through in the next hour or so and shse was moving on pace. We decided to head up the shorter and steeper South Kaibob Trail so we could cheer her on, shorten our journey and experience the dramatic views on this trail by daylight.

We left Phantom Ranch at Noon with picture perfect weather. Our legs felt pretty good and we were in great spirits. We were going to complete our R2R2R journey. It would be slower than we had planned, but we were safe and ambulatory and happy.

About a mile up the trail, Ida Nilsson, the Swedish runner seeking the record, passed us like we were standing still. She was running up the 10-22% grade and she had run nearly the entire way. We had thought we would run some ftohe "flat" parts, but because of our pack weight, general fatigue and desire not to sprain an ankle, we had walked the whole way and traded speed for caution.

We cheered Ida on and continued up the steep but beautiful trail. We were making great time. What a difference a few hours of sleep and some sunshine makes. We stopped several times to rest and take photos, and the scenery was dramatic.

There were views of the Colorado River, all the way up to the North Rim, and it was cool to see where we had been. As we climbed the switchbacks unfolded beneath us, and we were proud of our progress. Poles make it so much easier both downhill and uphill. I will definitely invest in some poles to help me on future hikes. They give me better balance and a better sense of confidence where it is steep and uneven.

I was increasingly ecstatic as we got closer and closer to the finish. Bill was tracking the altitude on his Garmin, and I knew we were within about 500 feet to the top. I was ready to get there, so I picked up my pace and didn't take a break until the top. 4:00 p.m.....I arrived at the South Kaibob Trailhead......and it had taken me only 4 hours to traverse this very steep 7.5 miles. I realize this is slow, but we made it!

Bill arrived just a few minutes later, and we snapped a few photos and embraced. The shuttle bus arrived, and we were seated and warm, on the way back to our car.

And, just like that our adventure was complete. WE did it...........we completed the Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim hike in 35 hours.24 if you take away our 11 hours at Phantom Ranch. It's not a time to be proud of, but we gave it our all, and it sure was a big adventure to remember forever.

I was proud of our preparation, strategy, teamwork, and smart decisions to ensure our safe return. Mother Nature is beautiful and amazing, but also unforgiving and powerful. We decide to respect the effects of the hike on our weary bodies and take a rest. We possibly could have kept going and made it back faster, but it could have been an unnecessary and fatal risk.

We completed our trip with an easy walk along the South Rim along the Hermits Rest route the next day. We enjoyed views of the Bright Angel Trail, Colorado River, and panoramic canyon views with shuttle stops every mile or so and a nice, warm bus.

We are already plotting our return assault next year.

I wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend! i hope you all find your own adventures and way to push your limits.

Thank you to my parents for instilling in me a love of the great outdoors, and thank you especially to Bill Page for sharing these adventures. I love you!

Running in Tennessee, so much fun

Big Dog's Backyard Ultra not so short race report.......I was a small, but proud dog in this epic race.........

The task is seemingly simple.......run "only" 4.166 miles per hour, every hour on the hour, until you can't. Shoot, that's just about a 14 minute pace......I should be able to do that forever, right? Last person standing wins.

Well, not exactly.....because you also have to budget time between loops to eat, drink, stretch, roll, sit down, attend to chafing, blisters, bathroom issues. Really it would seem ideal to have 5-7 extra minutes....and even more on loops where you plan to change shoes or clothing, or eat something more than a few bites of a protein bar.

I was pretty sure I could go at least 100 miles, and hopefully as much as 125......until I toured the course. The 12 daylight hours are done on a trail, and the night hours are on a road.

Well, everyone knows how bad I am on trails. I was born with a visual impairment causing me to never be able to see in 3D....which I should be able to overcome with practice and a strong mind. My bad eyes have caused a lot of stumbles through the years on just plain old pavement.....nothing too serious......a sprained ankle, 2 sets of knee stitches, road rash, and lots of scars and bruises.

But, these little accidents have caused built up fear. What if I have an accident, and I really hurt myself badly.......causing a more debilitating injury that would really affect my ability to work and live? So, I run very timidly in the dark, on trails, and on roads foreign to me.

I love being outdoors running or hiking on trails............but I run very cautiously. That's fine for a Sunday afternoon, but not ideal for a race. I'm competitive, and in a race I want to compete, but fear of falling holds me back. So, I shy away from trail races, and don't practice trails. I use my vision as an excuse, but it is a choice.

I love my ultra family, and especially everyone I have met at the Lazarus Lake races in recent years, so I could not resist signing up for this race. I knew there would be a trail, but I underestimated how difficult it would be.

After touring the trail course, I nearly decided not to even start the race. The trail was full of rocky sections, ups and downs, lots of tricky terrain that would take me precious time to navigate. I was afraid I'd not even finish one loop. I was also afraid that I'd be so erratic in my pacing that I'd aggravate the smooth trail runners on the course.

I "whined" to a few others about my fate, but they all encouraged me to just give it my best. Our pre-race meal was fairly somber, as I was truly afraid.......of failing, of falling, of being DFL, and of giving up.

As our preparation continued before bed, I decided I'd just stay to the back of the pack and find some consistent runners to follow. I'd take it one lap at a time. First I'd try to make it a few laps, and then I'd focus on making it 6 laps (halfway to the road), and by then I'd have learned the trail better, and I had a better chance of making it all 12 laps.

If I could make the road, I could make it to the 24 hour 100 miles, and that would be a huge accomplishment for me......certainly better than a DNS.

It was raining when we woke up.......great......it would be wet, slippery, and muddy. My running glasses would fog up, and I'd be able to see even less. Also, in overcast conditions, any pseudo depth perception I get from sun and shadows is gone.

You know the people who believe the earth is flat? Well, I believe it is round, but to me everything looks flat. I still see beauty in the world every day, but I cannot truly see the difference between being at a beautiful mountain, or a photo of that mountain.

When we got there, I sat in the car in silence. I didn't want to get out, and I surely didn't want to race. Bill set up the rest of our camp and I tried to get my mind in a good place. I put a few bottles of drinks and snacks in my little area by the start corral, peeled down to my race clothing and off we went.

It was starting to get light, but the trail was still pretty dark. I didn't bring a drink or light on this lap, because I wanted my hands free, and my mind focused completely on each careful step. The trail was slow going, and it seemed like everyone passed me. It was slippery, but I focused on looking just a few feet ahead, looking for a good place to put my foot, every single step.

It started to get light the second half of the first loop, so I was able to go a bit faster, and finish the first loop in around 53 minutes. I sat down in my chair to drink and snack. Yay.....one loop down, 11 to go.

I started to get in a better groove for a few laps.........I'd run the first .40 which was road and groomed gravel.......very quickly, getting almost to the front of the pack. Then a few of the really fast people would pass me, but I'd try to stay with them, and watch their feet for proper placement of mine. I trusted their good eyes and trail judgment over mine, and it was working.

I was cranking out 48-50 minute laps.......but I was working really hard. The talented trail runners seem to float over the course smoothly like ballerinas, as I staggered up and down like Frankenstein. I always picked up my feet just a bit extra to make sure I'd clear each obstacle. This would eat up my legs sooner rather than later.

I had plenty of time to sit down, massage my legs, eat, drink and refocus my plan for the next lap. I needed to slow down a bit, so I went out more slowly for a few laps, ending up closer to the mid pack, but still following the feet of people who are better trail runners. I had a few near slips, but I was feeling pretty encouraged.

Now I started to count down the miles until the road......just 3 more laps. I was getting tired, but surely I could finish just 12.5 more miles before a 12 hour "rest" on the road.

Lap 10......my legs felt like lead weights, so I went out slower, and settled in with the midpack. My mind was also tired, so I just followed the pace and run/walk patterns of these runners, knowing that we'd make it back in time. Single digits until the nice, dark, cool easy road.....I was going to get there.

Lap 11.....I went out even slower........I walked a little bit more......I slid further back, but was still on pace to finish the lap. The shadows on the trail were growing as we got closer to dusk, and I second guessed my steps just a bit more. I felt a bit cold during my walking breaks, and the cold of the night wore heavy on my mind. I still made it into camp with a few minutes to rest.

Just 4.166 miles and I would be rewarded with nice, smooth road, slipper-like Ultra Boosts to caress my weary feets, a brand new set of warm, dry clothes, and soup! Success was within my grasp.

I went out slower still, with the very last runners.....but they had all been running consistent 57-58 minute loops the whole day, so I just had to stay with them.

Ultras are unpredictable.....a rock was in my shoe. I tried to shake it loose, to a better spot, but it would not budge. I had to stop at the timing table, take off my shoe, get the rock out, and put my shoe back on. This seems like a simple task, but when you are tired, and have tight legs, it takes forever.

Still I scampered out into the woods, catching the back of the pack. i stayed with them, relying on the power of many lights together, as we ran in near darkness. My legs were not fluid at all, and my footsteps were slow and awkward.

Two fo the guys went ahead, and I was at the very back with Bell Buckle resident Ben, the next door neighbor of Laz. We talked and ran and worked together. The splits on my watch were not coming fast enough, and I knew I had to run as fast as I could, as often as I could without risking a fall.

At some point just before the 3 mile mark Ben was going faster than I could go without stumbling, but I did not give up. I ran the smooth sections, even the uphills, gasping for breath. I was going to make this cutoff!

I came up upon someone walking with a tree branch, and another gal had fallen and limped with a sprain. She encouraged me on and I kept going. The last mile has some very runnable parts, but some significant steps up and down, requiring nearly a complete stop to survey the step and carefully place my feet.

I was less than 1/2 a mile away now and I did not dare look at my watch. I knew it would be close. The harsh terrain continued, and I knew I was close.....probably 250 meters away.....I could hear the clamour of people, and see the lights of camp through the trees. .

Then I heard the sound that I didn't want to hear.......a whistle.......just one whistle.........which means only a minute left to cover over 200 meters.......but could I be mistaken? Maybe it was really 2 or 3 whistles.

I kept going as fast as I could without falling. It wasn't over until I knew for sure. But then I heard the countdown to the start of the next lap......5-4-3-2-1......and the race was going on without me.

I missed the cutoff: my race was over. I stopped in my tracks and started to cry. The last 200 meters might as well have been 200 miles. I walked slowly into camp, and everyone congratulated me on a hard fought effort.

I cried a little, as they took my timing chip, and Bill wrapped me in a warm blanket.

Of course I am disappointed that I didn't get to keep going. I went further than I thought I could, and I never gave up. I also got to practice my trail running, and run 50 miles in beautiful weather with some of the best ultra runners in the world, who also happen to be really amazing people.

Now we are home, resting comfortably in bed, watching the hourly updates come in as the field has been reduced to only 10 tough athletes.

This was a great way to close out this year's ultra season. My heart is full, and I feel so grateful to have found my tribe.

Team Soo-Page is over and out until Strolling Jim!