Getting My Kicks At Dorthea Dix

My fondest memories of growing up are of snow days in the neighborhood. From trotting around in my over sized cross-country skis to building jumps that would leave us bruised and battered. Nothing some hot chocolate and another day off school couldn't fix, but these days are different. I'm self employed; snow prevents me from working and explaining a broken bone as result of a "sick jump" is hard to tell my clients.

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It is hard for me to hide the kid inside sometimes. I found a few good hills on my days off, and Dorthea Dix took the cake. I found myself surrounded by a bowl of hills with a grinning face. My girlfriend JoBeth seemed amused by my excitement, and as a school teacher naturally had more fun watching all the kids than sledding herself. It brought back old memories and I rediscovered that although another year older, sledding is still as fun as it ever was.

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All the homes I was scheduled to show my clients this weekend got postponed, I've been trying to get everyone caught up this week. One client I have wants to be convenient to everything, but not right in the middle of downtown. I pointed her to this site, http://www.walkscore.com/ It rates your address to what is in walking distance, from grocery to bars to eateries, then pushes out a score. It can be useful when relocating to an unfamiliar town, or looking to move within your own city. They also have an iPhone app called Walk Score that calculates your area's walkablity and shows the nearby amenities.
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One home I showed yesterday had a little scare tactic planned. Unfortunately it was intended for mice but got the best of me. They put a fake rubber snake in front of the refrigerator to scare off mice, but it had me running straight for the door. My clients weren't far behind once I told them what the snake was there for. Not the best marketing piece I've ever seen for a home.

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There are lots of deals on the market right now, but the best I can find for you is $10. You might need a little luck with that $10, but that will get you a shot at a Chapel Hill town home and a donation to The Parker Reese Foundation. With a second prize of $50,000 and third place $25,000, this is one raffle I think I'll give a try. Check out the website here, if you win and don't want to move, don't fret, I'd be glad to sell the town home for you.

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I hear in the Triangle we should be getting some more snow this week. That will probably generate some moans from residents here, the kids aren't even back to school yet here. I wonder if the slow street clean up has to do with department budget cuts. I can imagine if their department wants to express frustration over these cuts, a slow clean up is a good public demonstration. Enough of my street sweeper theories though, it's time for me to head over to Chapel Hill for a lunch appointment.

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Freddie Mac indicated rates could climb to 6% by the end of 2010 or sooner. Right now they are hovering around 5%, so if your thinking of buying get on the ball. Don't wait for higher rates and the tax credits to expire. Thanks for reading!