Ho Ho Home for the Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! I'll start you off with a little poem I wrote about the weather this week in the Triangle:

I feel like we got robbed this week in our State.

It's been raining for weeks. It's more than we can take.
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Then, the weatherman said "We'd see some snow-

an inch or twelve", he didn't quite know.
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The stores were soon packed - milk & bread quickly bought,

"I think I just saw a snowflake" or so they'd all thought.
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I soon located my sled and headed for the hills,

but with this "speckle" of snow, I couldn't catch any thrills.
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It snowed for a minute and then turned to rain.

Once more, I thought to myself - not more of this again.

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The Northeast was buried. They got a day off work,

Here "O'Fishel" can't leave his house for being called a "jerk".

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Winter is just starting, so I'll still make this wish,
Soon I'll be downhillin' on my neighbors satellite dish.

I will be spending the holidays here with my family in Chapel Hill. I've been in the office a lot for December, a typically slow month for real estate. I have been Triangle wide this month; a new listing in Raleigh, buyer under contract in Chapel Hill, and working with flippers to get a home ready for sale in Durham. That and getting all my New Years calendars ready to send out to you all.

2009 has been a roller coaster between work and life. The market went bust but it was another record year for my sales, my Dad and I joined up to form The Wehmann Team, and I got to see my nieces and nephews get one year older. I saw friends get married, have kids and start new lives, I had a best friend who's life was taken just as it was getting started. I hope that through all the madness of this past year you made it out the other side a brighter person.

In the spirit of old Saint Nick, I thought I would cover a home maintenance topic often overlooked until December: The Chimney. You don't want Santa shaking off all that soot in your living room, so think about getting it cleaned and inspected. It is recommended by the Chimney Safety Institute you have yours cleaned once a year, but that is a lot to ask of any homeowner.

When the soot starts to build up inside a chimney, there are more hazards than a smelly home. This soot can ignite up inside your fireplace, making it's way through any cracks that may exist causing a home fire. Build up in narrow pathways through fireplace, such as birds nests, may block the smoke then circulating carbon monoxide back into your home. This goes for gas fires too. So if it's been a while, have your chimney swept and inspected for your homes health.

Have a fun and safe New Years eve, and here's to a great 2010. Thanks to everyone who brought me business and referrals this year, and to all of those that read my blog I really appreciate it. I started this blog with a poem, might as well end it with a joke:

What did one snowman say to the other?

"Does it smell like carrots to you?"