By Mike Bodeen · 12 June 2023
For many years now, Jonathan and I have written weekly about our local real estate market, providing our clients and friends with what we feel to be valuable and timely local information about our amazing residential real estate market. Good times and not-so-good times, every Monday (well almost every Monday) we faithfully deliver.
Every once in a while, I need a break from the stats and reporting. This is when it’s great to have my son, who loves to write as well, fill in.
Today, however, I’ve decided to throw a changeup and get a tad personal because the real reason for this weighty investment, called home, is for enjoyment. Yes, it’s a great investment. Yes, it builds wealth and provides security and safety, but I LOVE the enjoyment.
I read an article in our National Association of Realtor magazine the other day and for the life of me I can’t find it to link to it. Perhaps I have an excuse with the oral surgery I had this morning, perhaps not, but I’ll run with it.
The article made mention of 10 things that homeowners are doing to make their outdoors a “happy” place. They include simple things like planting some flowers all the way up to adding a pool. Outdoor kitchens and Ramadas really pique my interest, but the ones that stuck out to me, had to do with hanging out.
My happy times at my home are outdoors. Early morning. Late afternoon. Dawn. Dusk. Alone with the Lord, or with family or friends, it’s my happy place.
The pic above shows my backyard. The green lawn is artificial, courtesy of the former homeowner who put it in before we purchased the home. No pool. Been there. Done that. Paid for that – over and over. Now, it’s son Jonathan’s turn to provide that for his girls. Coffee in the mornings are a treasure.
The pic above shows us in the process of constructing a really sweet front courtyard. Where the hard work is now behind us – the digging, the trellis, the circular old world brick patio, the irrigation. Now Karen is dropping in the plants. The courtyard will gather the winter southern sun and provide a place to greet the walkers in my neighborhood.
How about you? Do you have an outdoor happy place? If so, send me a pic – add a story – I’d love to learn about yours, and who knows, we may just add it to a future Snapshot.
Okay, next week, we’ll return to our continued rising seller’s market, and will again send out the call, the exhortation for buyer’s to bite the bullet and enjoy their happy place too!
Mike Bodeen