F-R-E-E That Spells FREE

To set the record straight about my last blog, I wasn't attacked by squirrels or skunks. I guess I need to make my April Fool's blogs a little less believable. I had people asking me for months about horse racing last year after I wrote about being selected to train as a horse jockey. Speaking of, I still need to find a Derby party this weekend where I can sip on some mint juleps.

The tax credit deadline is 2 days away and I've had a swarm of 1st time buyers to work with lately. A good education on the buying process is important, but your in good hands once you hire me. It's the financial preparation I find is the most important aspect.

Fix your credit score in advance! You would be amazed at the money you will save and how much more you can afford with a better score. Get some credit score tips and advice on improving it months in advance at least. One important thing to avoid is new lines of credit before you get approved for a mortgage. You will see below some things I would encourage NOT buying before applying for a loan; unless you are paying cash.

It's been a crazy couple months of work and I'm excited to have a free weekend or two coming up. My days all seem to run together lately as a Realtors' job can be 24/7 sometimes. I'm looking forward to taking a trip to Charleston with some friends here in just a couple weeks. It's been a while since my last visit there and I'm all set up staying with a friend right downtown.

I've had the pleasure of spending lots of time with my family lately. We all got together Monday afternoon for a visit to a Durham Bulls game. Aside from having his eyes glued to the man with the cotton candy tower, my nephew Wyatt was lucky enough to score himself a foul ball. I still have a few of those saved from when I was younger, things like that are golden when you are a kid.

Well I'm off, have to go pick up an offer from another 1st time buyer, talk about last minute with only 2 days left. Everyone have a great week and weekend.

Crazy Critters

Well I experienced one of the wildest Mondays in recent history. Most of you know I am a bit accident prone and this week has done nothing to dispel those assumptions. While inspecting a narrow crawl space in a Durham home I came across some unsuspecting house guests. I had to glance twice when my flashlight came across what looked to be a group of squirrels. They didn't take my presence cordially and rushed at me pretty quickly; like some sort squirrel mafia.

I've never seen squirrels behave this way. Like most of you, I'm used to seeing them scatter away up a tree when you come within 10ft. Heck, I've almost wrecked my car on several occasions trying to avoid them in the road. Well after sustaining some minor bite and scratch wounds to my legs I was able to scuttle out of there & immediately called animal control. They discovered over 12 squirrels that had been nesting in there and what they estimated was over 25lbs of assorted nuts. I gathered them up and will likely give them to the buyers as a closing gift.

It was hard explaining my days' events to clients I was meeting later that day. They are working on a short timeline however and weren't letting my squirrel bites get in the way of seeing a few homes that evening. At our last stop of the tour, we venture out in the backyard to peer in this large rustic shed. As I peel the barn style doors open, I'm hit with a spray that had an indescribably awful smell. I catch a glimpse of a little skunk running off and the damage was done. My clients who were right behind me at the time were now almost to the car at full sprint.

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I was lucky that the spray hadn't gotten on my skin sparring me the ketchup bath, but it did lay some good coverage on the suit I was wearing. The only solution at that point was quite unfortunate for me. After a quick discussion with my clients from across the yard, I dumped the suit in the trash bin and made the awkward drive home in my boxer shorts and undershirt. If your looking for a Brooks Brothers suit with a slight odor, let me know & I'll get you the address.

I'm hoping my future showings are less adventurous and don't involve hostile little critters. I hope you have a great week and of course, don't let yourself get tricked today, it's April Fools.