Is it Summer Yet?

The flowers and trees are in full bloom - so what are you doing this time of year?  Gardening?  (check out my gardening tip)  Planning a vacation?  or are you stuck at home because of the ridiculous gas prices!  From what I’m hearing, the gas prices are not actually keeping people at home, but it is affecting the way they travel or where they travel.  Visit a travel advice site and see what’s hot - Travel Advice.   This link will take you to a podcast of a travel advice site.  (And by the way, there’s nothing like a VA to help you plan a vacation - find you a list of hotels to choose from, attractions to see while you’re wherever - you know - stuff like that!)

The Personal Side

The real estate market stinks.  No big surprise to anyone as the media has beat us over the head with it for quite some time now.  And what did I just do?  That’s right folks - my house is on the market.  This is a very traumatic experience for me as this is the first home I bought almost 24 years ago.  I’ve made this home my very own over the years with my girls’ projects, pictures, and great (what I think are great) “finds.”  Well, there’s nothing like getting your house ready to be shown and everything is just where you believe it should be, and then you hire an interior designer to come and stage your home.  OUCH!  But if you are going to sell your home, please hire Felisa Armento to come tell you what to get rid of and what to move around.  She was awesome!  Did you ever watch that mother/daughter realtor team on HGTV go into people’s homes and tell them their house looks awful?  Well, she was NOTHING like they are.  She was gentle yet firm and gave her opinions and thoughts - and not judgmental in the least.  She spent 2 hours at our home (probably because I was getting in her way) and it’s never looked this good.  A little empty for my taste, but I’m hoping that’s just what a buyer wants to see.   Know anyone who would like to buy a beautiful twin home in a great neighborhood?   Visit the website if you’d like to see my home.

But back to traumatic!  The first couple came to look at my home, and I, of course, was there at my computer.  U - n - c - o - m - f - o - r - t - a - b - l - e!  I was just trying to be invisible, but I couldn’t help but hear the whispering.  And it didn’t sound very reassuring, nor was the fact that they were in and out in about 20 minutes.  (sigh)  I want someone to buy my home that will love it as I did and take care of it.  I’ve put so many years of improvements, sweat and tears - lots of tears - to even fathom the thought of it being purchased to be a rental (which my realtor mentioned to me).  My home has been shown 2 other times - the first one actually liked it, the second didn’t, and the third said she could buy a brand new end-unit townhome for another $10,000 with a basement and garage (which my house doesn’t have).  So I told my realtor that she should go buy that brand new townhouse.  The house you buy should be the one you walk into and say - yes!  this is the one!  That’s what I did with this one, and boy did it need work to make it my taste.  It seems that nowadays people actually want to move in and live in a home without making it their own.  If you watch HGTV, you’ll see people actually not buy a house because they don’t like the paint color or wallpaper.  Pullleeeezzzz!!!   They don’t want to paint or repair or replace . . . What’s the point in having a home?  We painted and remodeled and put on additions and put down carpet, ripped up the same carpet, put in tile floors, hardwood floors, built-in shelves, and on and on.  (It’s worth it - the location couldn’t really be better.)  And when we move, we’ll do the same there, too.  Well, probably not all of that - I’m older now.   But there’s nothing like that feeling of accomplishment. (Check out the website and look at the cabinets I was whining about in an earlier blog!)  We’re not professionals and I did almost pull all my hair out, but it’s done now and the trials and tribulations of doing them are completely gone when you see the finished product. 

But I’d love to hear from anyone who’s sold and bought a home - this is the first time I’ve done this and I really would love to hear your stories, advice - whatever!

The Business Side

I’ve been talking about why, when and where you should hire a VA.  I’ve covered how environmental it is to hire one and how you can reduce your carbon footprint by hiring a VA (not to mention the incredible money savings involved).  Instead of rehashing everything I’ve said before, here’s another article in Entrepreneur.com that has some good pointers on looking for just the right VA and why you should hire one.  Remember, the most important thing is to have a good, trusting relationship with your VA which is what I enjoy with my clients.  Here’s another article I just came across trying to get home the same message.  If you’re looking to get some typing done for $2 / hour in India, I’m obviously not your VA.  And could you feel like you have a trusting relationship with them?  Would you even know who was doing your typing?  Could you call that person and speak with them about it?  Outsourcing can be a good thing with the right VA, but it could be a very bad thing if you’re trying to outsource like, say, your phone company did.

My ideal client has the following traits:

• willing to communicate

Oh - I guess that’s the most important trait!  Because when you can communicate with your VA and let her know what it is that you’re looking to get done, the rest is simple!  There is nothing that can’t be accomplished with good communication.  So as I’ve said before - what are you waiting for?!? 

Virtual Assistant - got one?

Advice

Speaking of advice, I’ve decided to add an advice “column” as part of my regular blog - business, personal, environmental, gardening.  Ask me whatever you’d like - if I don’t have an answer, I’ll direct you to an appropriate resource.  So let’s hear your questions!!

The Food Critic

I recently went to the Cock N Bull Restaurant in Lahaska.  It’s been around forever and I’ve heard about it for years and years.  But I never went there - and most likely won’t go back.  Although the restaurant is visually pleasing, it is apparently a family dining experience.  Evidenced by the table right behind us with kids that wouldn’t stop screaming.  That’s not entirely true - they did stop after about 1/2 hour or so.  Just before I asked to move tables.  But I’m not sure that would have helped - as loud as their screams were, they had to have been heard throughout the dining room.  And, you know - it doesn’t have to be that way.  My kids would NEVER EVER have behaved that way in a restaurant!  And another table came in on the other side of us with more kids, and we never even heard them.  But I digress . . .  That is not why I wouldn’t want to go back, of course - it was the food!  I started with a baked brie (my favorite) and which the waitress said was their specialty.  Not really.  The crust was mushy and the brie was not the best brie I’ve ever tasted.  It was supposed to come with raspberry sauce and almonds, but I asked for it without that.  I wanted to taste the brie - not some sweet sauce.  Maybe the sauce is what makes the brie taste better there.

Then we both had mahi-mahi with rice and wilted spinach.  My favorite type of food (besides cheese) is seafood.  I’ve never met a fish I didn’t like (except sea urchin); however, I tend to go for the more tasteful fishes.  I’ve had mahi-mahi before and thought it delightful - not so much here.  I actually didn’t even finish it because it tasted like . . . absolutely nothing.  I could not discern one seasoning - although it looked beautiful - but the fish itself was just blah.  I don’t waste eating on food that has no taste.  I did, however, eat the rice and spinach because I was hungry - also very tasteless.  How can you make spinach tasteless?  I just don’t get it!

Then came dessert.  OK - I’ll try again.  I ordered an apple dumpling - hold the vanilla sauce.  Now I’m not sure what exactly I would do in a restaurant setting to serve an apple dumpling and keep the crust crisp and delicious . . . neither do they.

And our waitress - while not terrible by any stretch, was not personable.  She was professional, efficient and quick, making me feel like I was taking up too much of her time.  I know it’s not easy waiting on tables - because I did it many years ago, and I loved it.  But no matter how rushed you are, each and every customer should feel special.  I’m very critical of waitstaff.  When there’s a great server, the whole dining experience improves tremendously.

So all-in-all it was a disappointment.  I’d love to hear comments from anyone who’s eaten there and had a different experience.  Who knows - maybe I’d give them another shot if I heard enough good experiences from other people.