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Real Estate Information |
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Burn, Baby, Burn!
Luxury homes are lots of fun to inspect. Sure, the pay is better too, but mostly it's just fun to see how the other half lives! I also get to meet those people who have reached such a level of financial success that they are buying a home that seems like it could have been a boarding school! One of the fun aspects of inspecting large and expensive homes is seeing furnishing and interior design work at the highest level. Unfortunately, that high level does not always translate to attractive! Good-sized decorating budgets does not always mean good taste. One such mansion sticks always in my mind. Among the oldest and most prestigious sections of Jacksonville, Florida is Ortega. Situated along a wide expanse of the St. Johns River with a fabulous view of the downtown skyline is Ortega Boulevard. In our fair town, that address spells success! It is always a thrill to inspect on Ortega Boulevard. The homes were built during the 1920's and 30's by the business and political leaders of the time. In a state not known for architecture, homes on Ortega Boulevard can be compared proudly with any in America. But that does not mean that some folks don't commit creative crimes in the decorating department! The listing agent was thrilled to have this home as the corner piece of an envious listing portfolio. One point, though, kept coming up in comments made by would-be buyers after being shown the beautiful home. The plum-painted walls on nearly the entire first floor made the interior look like the set from the old "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" television show! This simply had to be corrected to attract a buyer to the home. Upon arrival at the home, I parked behind the painter's truck. When I went into the home, a team of painters was busy working to cover "plum" with "eggshell". Their best guess was that three coats would do it; I was betting on five! As is always the protocol, all the lights, appliances, and heating were turned on for the home inspection. My company calls this our "Super Bowl" check. Seems that the greatest stresses a home undergoes is during the Super Bowl. There are usually dozens of people around, all of whom are using multiple televisions, cooking, washing, showering, and consuming every possible stitch of electricity. And all of this is going on simultaneously! If the systems continue to work during the Super Bowl, they will work fine during routine family use, or so the theory goes. So, while zipping about the house checking here and checking there, one of the painters called out that he smelled smoke! If the home catches on fire during the Super Bowl that is most certainly a penalty. Upon my arrival to the electrical panel, I smelled heat and burning wire. I then ran to the exterior to disconnect power at the switch adjacent to the meter, which was on fire! I told the real estate agent to call the fire department while I secured the power to the home. Things were going to be fine. To my surprise and confusion, she became upset with me for securing power to the home. When I asked her why she is upset that I had secured power to the burning electrical panel, she exclaimed, "Wally, if you turn off the power, the painters won't be finished today!" I reminded her that if the home continued to burn, it wouldn't need paint! The old adage "when you're surrounded by alligators, sometimes it's hard to remember that you came here to drain the swamp" must have been coined by a guy who was working for a real estate agent in Florida. Wally Conway is President of Florida HomePro Inspections, and has recently written a book entitled "Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector", available at GoHomePro.com or Amazon.com. Wally's expertise and experience has been sought after by HGTV's "House Detective", the Florida Times Union, and many real estate boards and associations. As a speaker, writer, instructor, and host of The Happy Home Inspector radio show every Saturday at 3 PM on WOKV 690, Wally blends the right amount of up-to-date information with just the right amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real-world application. Visit WallyConway.com for more information!
MORE RESOURCES: Altadena’s rough real estate market: Slower sales, lower prices, lottery winner plucking up properties Los Angeles Times Real estate magazine reports Les Wexner as Blue Heron buyer The Martha's Vineyard Times Real estate expert warns socialist mayoral candidate could trigger massive NYC exodus - Fox Business Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson sets up shop in the Valley, records show The Business Journals Bedrock flexes its real estate portfolio to grow Detroit's tech ecosystem - Crain's Detroit Business Bedrock flexes its real estate portfolio to grow Detroit's tech ecosystem Crain's Detroit Business ‘Taken advantage of’: Real estate agent ripped off friends, church, and federal government - WSOC TV Office real estate wide open in Denver as vacancy rate hits 36 percent Colorado Public Radio Vail Valley real estate inventory is on the rise VailDaily.com NAR Real Estate Forecast Summit National Association of REALTORS® Real Estate Partners Dollar Tree Let's Talk Business: June residential real estate sales lagging, heritage grants and more Pueblo Chieftain A New Perspective: Here Comes the Groom | Real Estate Insights Piedmont Exedra Boston Real Estate Times Unveils 2025 Excellence Award Winners: Honoring the Visionaries Shaping New England’s Future Boston Real Estate Times Dawson County weekly real estate transactions, July 18 Central Nebraska Today State lawmaker joins Westport commercial real estate brokerage as vice president Hartford Business Journal Private Credit Surges in 2025 as Real Estate Developers Bypass Banks The World Property Journal Real estate news: Senior apartments in Tustin sell for $83M; Fullerton Metrocenter snares $118M Orange County Register 5 Essential Tech Tools for Real Estate Agents National Association of REALTORS® New York Housing Market Trends 2025: Is the Tide Turning for Buyers? Norada Real Estate Investments Los Angeles Water & Power commits $100 to real estate debt Pensions & Investments Today’s Mortgage Rates: The States Offering Lowest Rates – July 18, 2025 Norada Real Estate Investments Property management with an owner’s mindset J.P. Morgan Corcoran McEnearney Announces Evan Lacopo to Lead the Number One Real Estate Office in Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria Living Magazine SRS Real Estate Partners Arranges $4.53 Million Ground Lease Sale of Walmart Property in Deltona, FL citybiz Real Estate Market Report (June) highlandscurrent.org Licking County real estate transfers for June 30-July 4 range from $200,000-$14.6 million The Newark Advocate Banner Real Estate Group Breaks Ground on 334-Unit The Faywell Multifamily Development in The Heart MultifamilyBiz Bridgemarq Real Estate Services® Declares Dividend Yahoo Finance CBRE Announces Strategic Leadership Appointments Across U.S. & Canada Advisory Business Boston Real Estate Times Moon Becomes Next Real Estate Frontier, NAR Reports Higher Foreign Investment In US Huntsville Business Journal Gravelle advises on current real estate market in Grant County Columbia Basin Herald Frederick Ford, real estate executive and first Black Union League Club president, dies at 98 Chicago Tribune Mapletree Sells Sun Belt Warehouse Portfolio to EQT Real Estate for $241M Commercial Observer GenesisM Breaks Ground on 154,000-Square-Foot Biomanufacturing Facility in Bedford, MA Boston Real Estate Times AGC MA Announces 5th Annual Building Advancement Externship to Bridge Educators with STEM Construction Careers Boston Real Estate Times Operation Pawssible: Greenbrier Humane Society gets a boost from local real estate company Mountain Messenger What's the most expensive property sold in Rhode Island? July 18 real estate transactions The Providence Journal The Pipeline: Commercial real estate roundup for 7.18.25 Richmond BizSense LOCAL REAL ESTATE TODAY 7.18.25 KQEN News Radio Home Buyers: Stop Freaking Out After the Home Inspection National Association of REALTORS® Home Buyers May Have Accepted a New Norm on Rates National Association of REALTORS® SRS Real Estate Negotiates $4.5 Million Sale of Walmart-Anchored Property in Metro Orlando Shopping Center Business Miami-Dade’s self-storage surge a boom for real estate IslanderNews.com Tips on spotting real estate investment opportunities and avoiding risks, from experts at GR Property Group Community Impact Stage Point Europe Launches Its RWA Token $SPET, Setting it up as a Bridge Between Crypto and Real Estate Morningstar Hunt Companies Acquires Controlling Interest in Carter, Strengthening Real Estate Development Platform Business Wire New plans unveiled for Water Street’s second phase Tampa Bay Times Top Stocks for Real Estate Investment Elite AI Stock Forecasts - Massive wealth growth Jammu Links News July Economist Snapshot: What Will the Big Beautiful Bill Mean for Commercial Real Estate and Housing? Urban Land Magazine Vend Leans Into Verticalisation As Real Estate Revenue Grows 11% In Q2 onlinemarketplaces.com Is Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc. a good long term investment - Explosive market performance Jammu Links News Wood County Recorder reports on second quarter real estate activity BG Independent News Real estate sales in Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties for Jan. 2-5, 2025 - The Courier-Journal Real estate sales in Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties for Jan. 2-5, 2025 The Courier-Journal Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust 2025 Q2 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation (OTCMKTS:PPRQF) Seeking Alpha Drake Real Estate Partners closes largest fund yet after pivoting to institutions Private Equity Real Estate | PERE Real Estate Transfers ~ June 25, 2025 The Bedford Citizen Real estate transfers: Lake Township condominium complex sells for $5.61 million - Canton Repository Manitowoc's real estate transfers include a sale of nearly $1 million to Riverside Dairy Herald Times Reporter Real estate office transforms into collection center for donations being transported to Kerr County kens5.com Stonelake Capital sells dozens of industrial buildings across US for $920 million The Business Journals Real Estate Broker Paul Kaulesar Urges Young Entrepreneurs to "Start Local, Think Global" openPR.com |
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