Just for National Association of REALTORS Mid-Year Conference Attendees

Each year, I re-post this set of tips for those traveling to our glorious nation's capital, for REALTOR members who plan on attending the National Association of REALORS Mid-Year Conference. It's that time, again!






TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE NAR MID-YEAR CONFERENCE:

CHECK THE WEATHER (AND PLAN FOR RAIN).
When it rains in D.C., it RAINS. Plan to bring a small, portable umbrella or to purchase one during your stay. For an extended forecast, go here.

LEARN THE METRO.
For cheap, quick and easy transportation, you can't beat D.C.'s subway system, the Metro! Snatch a day pass or a week-long pass and ride the rails to your heart's content. Check out the Metro's schedules and fares.

SEE THE SIGHTS.
Though your schedule is likely to be busy, plan to use your downtime to see some of the great landmarks, history and culture of our national capital. Head out to Arlington, Virginia. Take a tour of George Washington's home in Mount Vernon. See the incredible national memorials. Tour the Smithsonian museums. Go to the National Zoo. Hop on the Old Town Trolley or the D.C. Duck for a tour. Learn more about D.C. walking tours here.

Take a walk through the National Mall… It's even more fun than the kind you shop in!

Even if you can't do everything, make a point of doing something. The capitol city and surrounding areas are chock-full of history. A good place to learn about the area's attractions can be found here.


"THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN'."
Or, at least, they should be. D.C. is a walkin' kind of town, and comfortable shoes are a must. If you're attending business functions, tote a canvas bag (get a FREE one at the trade show!) that you can toss your "professional" shoes into, but stride to your meeting in sneaks. Trust me on this, folks. I've got blister scars to prove it.

Have a GREAT conference! See you there!


"Like" The Gonzo Mama on Facebook, and don't forget to see what's cooking with Sexy Vegan Mama today!

Ten Signs Your Real Estate Agent is In the Wrong Business

Photo source

In today's tough real estate market, it's important to choose your agent carefully. Below, ten signs that may signal your agent needs a new career:

1. He says, "Are you SURE you want to buy now? I mean, the market keeps getting worse, and prices are just going to keep dropping..."

2. She says, "Are you SURE you want to sell now? The market keeps getting better, and prices are just going to keep going up..."

3. He says, "You know, if you stay in your apartment, all your maintenance is taken care of. If you buy a home, you'll have to mow your own lawn, and fix your own leaky faucets."

4. She says, "I think 'for sale' signs are sort of tacky, don't you? You probably don't want one in your yard, right?"

5. He says, "Why don't you take that earnest money, and hit the racetrack? I'll bet your chances of making a profit will be better."

6. She says, "Well, sure, we COULD do an open house, but... do you really want all those strangers in your home?"

7. He says, "I've found perspective buyers really appreciate it when I follow them around, room to room, breathing down their necks. You know - just in case they have questions."

8. She says, "Sure, you have the cash to buy now, but you'd see a better return on your money if you put it into a standard-interest savings account."

9. He says, "A lot of buyers like that 'lived-in' look, so don't worry too much about cleaning the place up."

10. She says, "You can just leave a blank check with me for the earnest money. I'll take care of it."

Is your real estate agent a REALTOR? Mine is, and he's devastatingly handsome, too. (You've met Mr. Wright, right? If you need to buy or sell in a home in North Central Washington, contact him, here.)

Your agent should be a REALTOR, too! Find one at REALTOR.com.

Note: I am not a representative of REALTOR.com or the National Association of REALTORS, nor do I represent the interests of either organization. The humorous post above is neither endorsed nor commissioned by REALTOR.com or the National Association of REALTORS. I just like to spread the word about great organizations I support.

"Like" The Gonzo Mama on Facebook, and don't forget to see what's cooking with Sexy Vegan Mama today!

Especially for National Association of REALTORS Mid-Year Meeting Attendees

Each year, I re-post this set of tips for those traveling to our glorious nation's capital, for REALTOR members who plan on attending the National Association of REALORS Mid-Year Conference. It's that time, again!






TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE NAR MID-YEAR CONFERENCE:

CHECK THE WEATHER (AND PLAN FOR RAIN).
When it rains in D.C., it RAINS. Plan to bring a small, portable umbrella or to purchase one during your stay. For an extended forecast, go here.

LEARN THE METRO.
For cheap, quick and easy transportation, you can't beat D.C.'s subway system, the Metro! Snatch a day pass or a week-long pass and ride the rails to your heart's content. Check out the Metro's schedules and fares.

SEE THE SIGHTS.
Though your schedule is likely to be busy, plan to use your downtime to see some of the great landmarks, history and culture of our national capital. Head out to Arlington, Virginia. Take a tour of George Washington's home in Mount Vernon. See the incredible national memorials. Tour the Smithsonian museums. Go to the National Zoo. Hop on the Old Town Trolley or the D.C. Duck for a tour. Learn more about D.C. walking tours here.

Take a walk through the National Mall… It's even more fun than the kind you shop in!

Even if you can't do everything, make a point of doing something. The capitol city and surrounding areas are chock-full of history. A good place to learn about the area's attractions can be found here.


"THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN'."
Or, at least, they should be. D.C. is a walkin' kind of town, and comfortable shoes are a must. If you're attending business functions, tote a canvas bag (get a FREE one at the trade show!) that you can toss your "professional" shoes into, but stride to your meeting in sneaks. Trust me on this, folks. I've got blister scars to prove it.

Have a GREAT conference! See you there!

Move Over, Elvis... Memphis has a New Darling!

Okay, maybe I'm not going to be bigger than Elvis.

The undeniable fact, though, is that someone in Memphis loves me - and my book!

Joe Spake knows real estate. He knows Memphis. He's a guy who knows and blogs what he likes, and currently, he likes my book.

Here's what Joe had to say:

Christina-Marie Wright can tell a story. Whether you are reading her stories in her first book, "Everything I Need to Know about Motherhood I Learned from Animal House," or listening to them over coffee or drinks, Christina-Marie is engaging, honest, and incredibly funny.

This collection of essays documents the joys and tribulations of mothering seven kids, while being the charming wife of Mr. Wright, blogging, writing, and teaching. Her blog, The Gonzo Mama, takes “mommy blogging” to a whole new dimension.

Erma Bombeck entertained the moms of Boomers decades ago. With "Everything I Need to Know about Motherhood I Learned from Animal House," Christina-Marie takes the lead as the modern Mama humorist.

Wow! Consider me humbled.

Joe is my go-to guy for social media news and tips, and he can tell me absolutely anything I need to know about Memphis. If you're looking for a home - or a friend! - in Memphis, give Joe a tweet!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddsock/71878427/

Upgrading Our Space, Downsizing Our Housing Payment

We've outgrown our house, as families do - well, like OUR family does. When we bought our groovy three-bedroom-two-bath-postage-stamp-sized-yard home, we only had five kids.

I know. I say that like a guy might say, "It's ONLY fifty baseball caps." What can I say? Some people collect cars. I happen to collect kids.

After the babies got too big to stay in our room, the boys left their bedroom and "walled" up a room in the garage. They liked the privacy of being able to play video games and watch movies without anyone bugging them, and we loved them for it. That's a big sacrifice for a pair of teen boys to make. Giving up their room for their tiny sisters was selfless and... well, sweet.

Even with Princess gone, there never seems to be enough room. We're still a family with six kids at home, three dogs, two cats and a 75-gallon aquarium filled with um, some fish. I can't be sure how many, exactly, we have swimming around in there because Mr. Wright has been slacking on his tank cleaning duties. It looks more like someone threw some moving "things" into an oversized punchbowl.

When we bought our home, the real estate market was booming, and I settled into a comfortable pace of editing the writing I'd done over the past ten years to see what was salvageable and what wasn't. The idea was that I was going to write my novel, or produce a volume of poetry, or an anthology of short stories or whatever happened.

That plan worked for a while, but when the bottom fell out of the real estate market a couple years ago, we were hit hard. Extremely hard. We've been through market slumps before, and the fact is that business always picks back up. It's cyclical. The problem is, we can't wait it out anymore. I started doing more freelancing, but I hardly think I'm going to earn enough doing that to make up for the loss of real estate income. I can't tell you the number of real estate professionals I know who have lost their homes or are in the process. The industry was hit HARD. It's really opened my eyes to how so much of the economy is tied to housing. Anyway, our mortgage payment went from "manageable" to "a stretch" to "completely unrealistic."

So, we move. Have I mentioned how much I hate moving? Or how much it sucks?

Perhaps I have. *ahem*

Anyway, this time is different. This time, I LOVE our new house! The kitchen countertops suck, but I can get over that. It has a huge deck! It has 2.5 bathrooms! It has an area where I'm going to put a library! It has walk-in closets! The boys can live INSIDE the house!

What's even better? Oh, yeah. It's just a couple miles away. No moving over any mountain pass for the Wrights THIS time. Aaaaand, it's cutting our housing payment considerably. More space for less money? I'll take it! We're renting, but maybe I'm ready for it to be someone else's job to fix a broken step or a busted water pipe.

Seriously, this house is perfect for us. For now, anyway. Until and unless we grow again. The owner is interested in selling it. I told Mr. Wright to get busy getting the market back in shape so we can buy it - for CASH. Wouldn't that be nice?

Has the economy caused your family to make changes in your lifestyle or budget? Tell me how... You may, of course, comment anonymously on this post.

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/from_linda_yvonne/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Kobe: How Do People In Japan Stay So Slim?

There's food everywhere you turn.

You can't walk twenty paces in any direction without arriving at a bento vendor or a vending machine. On the JR (Japan Rail) trains, quiet girls with ready smiles push carts stuffed with snacks and beer down the aisles. Business meetings often seem to be centered around the activities of eating and drinking.

Yesterday, we took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kobe, where we met up with National Association of REALTORS leadership, as well as our group of Washington REALTORS leadership and staff. Once we checked in to our hotel (We have a beautiful room at the Portopia Hotel; see our view above), we headed out to a casual restaurant where we were treated to a multi-course dinner, served in the manner we call "family-style" in the States. You know, where there are large portions served in the middle of the table, and everyone helps themselves? Anyway, the Hyogo REALTORS had made the reservation for us and planned the menu.

Since I'm vegan, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat a lot of the offerings, so I made an instant meal at the hotel and ate before we left. BIG MISTAKE. Once the restaurant hostesses saw my appetizer sitting there, untouched, they asked one of our interpreters why I wasn't eating. I'd prepared a list of foods I couldn't eat, and Kat (she's a REALTOR in Portland, Oregon but grew up in Kobe and is here visiting family) communicated what my restrictions were. The staff then began bringing me all manner of vegan edibles, and I had to ask Kat three times to ask them to stop bringing me food.

There was a lot of food. I mean, there were twelve of us, and we couldn't finish it off.

This morning, we had breakfast at the hotel. One of the things I'm enjoying is having a wide variety of foods at breakfast, and staying away from Western standards like cereal and toast. While Mr. Wright was having sausage and eggs this morning, I ate all of this:

Coffee; tomato juice; a salad with wild greens, seaweed and sesame dressing; grapefruit juice; miso; edible wild plants with soy sauce; burdock and carrot broiled in sugar and soy sauce; a selection of Japanese pickles, including pickled plums, pickled Chinese cabbage, pickled cucumber, and nozawana; fresh grapefruit, pineapple and lichi.

This afternoon, we're going to a ceremony for the Hyogo Real Estate Association's 50th anniversary. Oh yes, there will be food.

Did I mention everything seems to revolve around eating?

I'm a White Trash Girl Who's Not Above Bowing to Political Pressure

Update:

I'm over it. You can thank Tristan.

Confidential to National Association of REALTORS Mid-Year Meeting Attendees

Last year, I put together a set of tips for those traveling to our glorious nation's capital, which I emailed to all of the Washington REALTOR members who planned on attending. I received many grateful responses, so I thought I'd reprise that same information here, where it can live forever (and you can't delete it "on accident" from your inbox!).

TIPS FOR SURVIVING THE NAR MID-YEAR CONFERENCE:


CHECK THE WEATHER (AND PLAN FOR RAIN).
When it rains in D.C., it RAINS. Plan to bring a small, portable umbrella or to purchase one during your stay. For an extended forecast, go here.


LEARN THE METRO.

For cheap, quick and easy transportation, you can't beat D.C.'s subway system, the Metro! Snatch a day pass or a week-long pass and ride the rails to your heart's content. Check out the Metro's schedules and fares.



SEE THE SIGHTS.
 Though your schedule is likely to be busy, plan to use your downtime to see some of the great landmarks, history and culture of our national capital. Head out to Arlington, Virginia. Take a tour of George Washington's home in Mount Vernon. See the incredible national memorials. Tour the Smithsonian museums. Go to the National Zoo. Hop on the Old Town Trolley or the D.C. Duck for a tour. Learn more about D.C. walking tours here.

Take a walk through the National Mall… It's even more fun than the kind you shop in!

Even if you can't do everything, make a point of doing something. The capitol city and surrounding areas are chock-full of history. A good place to learn about the area's attractions can be found here.


"THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN'."

Or, at least, they should be. D.C. is a walkin' kind of town, and comfortable shoes are a must. If you're attending business functions, tote a canvas bag (get a FREE one at the trade show!) that you can toss your "professional" shoes into, but stride to your meeting in sneaks. Trust me on this, folks. I've got blister scars to prove it.