Susan's Blog

On Wednesday I posted a hidden kitty picture, which people enjoyed, but I've been asked for info about the kitty in the picture.  That is Lucy and here is her story.  We just adopted this new kitty recently.  She showed up in our front yard nearly dead from starvation, with sores on her neck apparently from being tied up.  She was terrified of people and if she had had the strength she would have run from me as I scooped her up and brought her in the house.  She could hardly walk and her back legs were just about useless - she just dragged them, and I thought they might be injured.

We fed her back to about half strength, and although she still moved slowly and couldn't jump, she was no longer dragging her back legs.  After we'd had her about 5 days, she was still terrified and would run and hide behind our entertainment center when anyone came into the room or opened any door to the outside.  She did manage to go through the cat door into the garage, and when a huge and noisy road construction truck came up the street, she ran out the back door and we didn't see her for 2 days. 

After two days, she dragged herself back into the garage and she had either been hit by a car or she got sliced open by a fan belt if she had climbed up and hidden inside a car's engine compartment.  Her side was sliced nearly off.  She had a flap of skin and fur that was about 4 x 5 inches, and she isn't very big!  She also had smaller cuts on her head, tummy and neck.  Over $650 worth of surgery later, she is recovering again.  The vet said that since she has extra skin, that flap could be cut off and the loose skin pulled together over the huge wound and stitched together, so that's what was done.  There were a couple of stitches taken on other small wounds and her tummy wound stitched up as well.

It is clear from her condition and her fear that she wasn't cared for in a loving home - or at least not up to the standard of care she deserves.  There was no way I would try to find whoever had her before us.  My vet crossed her fingers as she checked to see if there was a microchip implanted, because if there was, she would have to notify the owner or record.  No chip, thank goodness!  She has been spayed, so we don't have to take care of that.  She is about 9-12 months old we think, and looks younger.

It has been about 8 days since the surgery and she is just beginning to feel that she doesn't have to spend all her time hiding.  She still panics and hides when she sees us put on a jacket or pick up our keys, and I get the feeling that she is used to being put outside and tied up when her previous owner left the house.  That is the only explanation I can think of and our vet agrees that this is likely.  But she now is able to jump up on our laps and loves being loved.  She just wants everyone to stay in their seats and not get up and walk around or she scoots back behind the furniture again.  This morning she did let me walk in and out of the room twice without running to hide, so we're making progress.

The Wednesday photo was her hiding because I went outside, but she couldn't resist peeking at me.  She gets along great with all our other cats and they like her okay.  The only one she still has to get used to is Dolly.  Most of the time they are fine, but all the other cats know that Dolly will slap any other cat that gets near her before she has had her breakfast - it's like she is grumpy before her morning coffee!  After breakfast, Dolly goes back to her sweet self, but first thing in the morning, the other cats make a wide circle around her and if she comes close to them they squint and wince, expecting the slap.  Lucy has been slapped twice and I think she'll get the picture pretty quickly. 

It is difficult to get a good photo of an all-black cat, but I have tried to show a few.  At first it was also hard to take her photo because she spent most of her time in hiding, but I did sneak a couple.  We love her dearly and we are keeping her house-bound until we are sure she will be safe outside.  Then we can reopen the cat door so she can go in and out as she wishes.  I know she will soon grow to understand that she couldn't have found a better family to join.

Some of our cats are ones that have been abandoned when people moved, and others were kittens that someone apparently didn't want so they dumped them on us.  Either way, we give them a loving home.  But 5 or 6 is our limit.  I can't keep up with more than that in the house.  We also feed 4 outdoor cats who allegedly have homes, but they don't get well fed, and we love them and make sure they have food, water and a place to have shelter from the weather, but we can't have any more in the house. 

If it looks like what we are doing for our outside kitties isn't working, we will have to find good homes for them.  We know of several good "no-kill" shelters in our area (we especially love Happy Tails), and if you have feral or abandoned cats in your neighborhood, please see that they are cared for.  If you can't do it, call one of the no-kill shelters in your area.  And make sure they have been spayed or neutered.  All of ours have been.  And all of these places are operating on donations, so please consider them in these troubled times when their donations are down considerably.

I recently learned of some simple things we can do to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan - inexpensively, yet in ways that will mean a great deal to them.

Unfortunately, there are many soldiers, marines, sailors and other servicepeople who never get any mail.  They would love to hear from anyone here in the US.  It used to be that you could simply address packages or letters to "Any serviceman" but that is now illegal due to security problems.  Now there are organizations that coordinate the efforts, and servicemen in various units take charge of the mail for their unit.  That serviceman posts on the Any Soldier website what his particular unit needs, and you can apply on the site for the specific address for that unit and send your mail in care of that serviceman. He will see that it is delivered to someone who can use it.

They need snacks, lotions, sun block, and simple things, but they love just getting letters.  You can specify to send things to women or men, and there are guidelines for what can be sent.  Some simply want photos of your family and your home and a letter that makes them feel a connection to someone.

Those of us who spend time each week writing to friends and strangers on Active Rain and other networks can surely take a few moments to write to someone who is homesick and living in rough circumstances.

I sent Christmas cards, but I have just finished packing a box to Afghanistan and will pack one to Iraq tomorrow, and mail them both on Monday.  Nothing fancy - but I hope it will be things that someone will enjoy and find useful - along with a letter about our home and family.

If you want to do the same, just follow the link below.  There are also links there to write to servicemen and wonen in the other branches of service.  It's fun - think of it as a scavenger hunt to gather up some of what they specifically request, and throw in a few little surprises.

One thing they really like in many units is Beanie Babies.  They are small and easily fit in their packs, and the local children love them.  The soldiers enjoy handing them out to the children in the villages that they enter, and it lays the groundwork for good future relations with these people.  Don't worry about buying new ones - send them the ones that were so collectable a few years ago and no one seems to want anymore.

Such a small thing for us to do, and it will mean so much to those who receive our mail.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a really incredible example of somebody's amazing computer skills and likely some long hours putting it together!  If you enjoy true creativity, watch this interactive "video" - I guess that's what to call it.

 IMPORTANT:    Read this first:

Click on the link below and a playing card will appear on your screen....wait a few moments for it to load, then scroll down below the card and you will see a line that has a little red slider bar in it. 

 Move the slider gradually to the right about a half inch and STOP and watch the show take place, then move it a little more to the right and stop and another show will take place and keep doing this till you are to the end. This is soooooo cool. The marvels of technology.

http://www.adobecards.com

When trying to sell a home, silence isn't always golden -  especially when you're expecting your real estate agent to call.  In fact, it's one of the leading complaints among sellers in the real estate market.  Sometimes you will find an agent who is more than willing to take on your listing, but once the relationship is made, you should be getting a call at least once a week, and this might not happen.

 A seller should establish with the agent up front the expectation that regular communication will occur.  Even if it's just to check-in, the seller will be more satisfied being kept 'in the loop'.  If the seller is not communicating regularly, a seller can begin to wonder if the agent is keeping him apprised of any and all offers, and on what marketing efforts are being taken on his behalf.  Also, your agent should be able to provide valuable tips on why prospective buyers weren't interested in your property.  For instance: 'this room's too dark' or 'the kitchen has a funny smell' or ‘that wallpaper reminds me of 1980.'  This allows the agent to give the seller constructive feedback and offer important tips on how to make the home more attractive to future prospective buyers.

 If you're a seller and are not hearing from your listing agent, be sure to keep calling them until they get the message that you expect a regular update.  If the agent doesn't return your calls, leave a message for your agent's office manager.  The manager will see to it that your agent becomes more attentive to your listing.  When you agent does inform you of some negative comments or make suggestions on changes you should make to your home, please do not take them personally.  It is not a reflection on you or on your taste, but is simply a tip on how to sell your home more quickly and at the best price.  It is important to appeal to the widest audience possible, so that the odds of finding your buyer are in your favor.

 Selling a home can be a lot of work and sometimes is quite stressful.  It is incumbent upon an agent to satisfy the seller's expectations of routine updates.  As a seller you must demand frequent and regular communication exchange between you and your agent.  Sometimes your conflicting schedules will not permit frequent telephone conversations.  If that is the case, you can instruct your agent to send you regular texts or emails. The important thing is that you be in communication. If both parties work in a cooperative effort, the selling experience will be more successful and enjoyable for both the agent and the seller involved.  A good agent will often end up as a good friend of the seller for many years thereafter.

It is a shame that Realtors are still agreeing to lower their commissions - especially since transactions are more complicated than ever, with all of the special short sale and REO rules and requirements.  Our clients are hurting financially and it seems to them that we are making a ton of money on their deal.  It isn't really their fault that they have that impression.  Three or 6 percent of hundreds of thousands of dollars does sound big - but that is not what I get paid.

Perhaps we need to spend a moment with our clients to explain just how our commissions are earned and what percentage we actually receive individually.  And it has been my experience that many people don't understand how we get paid.  I talked to a gentleman recently who supposed that I was on salary with Century 21, and that any commission was on top of that.  Wrong! 

And more than a few people have said things to me that makes it clear that they are confused about this.  I offer to help prospective buyers find their perfect home, and a few have told me that they didn't want to take up my time, since they didn't have a house to sell and they "knew" that only the listing agent makes any commission.  Wrong again! 

Meanwhile, others think that as buyers, they will have to pay the commission of the agent on their side of the transaction, and that this is an additional cost for them on top of the purchase price.  They do not understand that the commission offered by the seller is divided so that the buyer doesn't pay any of it.

And unless we tell them, we shouldn't expect them to understand that we pay for our own marketing, flyers, ads, signs, etc. out of our commissions, or how many hours we spend researching on line for our clients and previewing homes for them - without pay.  Nor do we get reimbursed for all of the gas we put in our cars or have any car allowance. 

We shouldn't tell our clients a sob story, but when you are telling them what services you will be providing for them, why not list some of these things and mention that you have a huge incentive to help them sell their home or buy their new home because you get paid nothing unless you find the right buyer or seller for them, and that you don't get reimbursed for any expenses you make on their behalf.

It's clear that no one who is discussing the stimulus packages and bailouts is going to do anything for Realtors directly, and we have to hope that we will eventually benefit from them, but meanwhile we should be helping ourselves by making it clear that we are not reaping in huge piles of cash at the expense of the buyers and sellers.  We can be our own stimulus package if we stop discounting commissions and instead epxlain the value we are giving them for our compensation.