Elizabeth Newlin - Arizona Real Estate Agent

This weekend I actually had no real estate related appointments for the first time in several months. It was really nice to take a break and get things done around the house that were begging to be accomplished. I paid bills, changed beds, I even ironed the sheets. Which is moronic. I swear I only did it because we have these really nice new sheets from Pottery Barn (my sister-in-law works there and we get 40% off! How awesome is that?), and I thought maybe I would try it this once. You know, like, ‘One time i went sky diving!’, ‘One time I peed in the snow’, ‘One time, I ironed my sheets.’ I’m never doing it again. It took an hour and was entirely pointless. So there.

Anyway, notably, this weekend (besides the sheets):

I had dinner with my Papa (my mom’s dad) and his wife, Ann, who were in town from Florida for the first time in a few years:

Gray has developed an utter obsession with bananas. I think he’s going through a growth spurt, but he literally had three yesterday and two of those were just to stop the incessant ‘NANA!!’ demands he was shrieking:

I made a cover for the bench at the end of our bed. I used fabric from IKEA and whipped it up last night. I’m really proud of it. I’m going to make pillows to go on the bed from the same fabric:

I think that pretty much covers it. I’m working on several new marketing campaigns for my biz and am in talks with my web designer over a new look for my site (you can expect it May 1st!). More info on all of that will come later in the week!

I have a new listing. It’s not one of my normal cute houses, though. It’s raw land up in the North Country. It’s just over 37 acres in Seligman, Arizona, which is part of Yavapai County. It’s currently owned by a California resident who bought the parcel several years ago with the plan of eventually building his dream ranch and retiring on it. He has since decided against this idea, for whatever reason, and thus a listing is born. We are asking $89,000. Contact me for more details, I’d be happy to email you the listing.

This is the county map of the piece of land. As you can see, it’s pie shaped and has a wash running through. The owner says it is a beautiful wooded area with nothing but gorgeous scenery as far as the eye can see. It’s in a subdivision called Sierra Verde Ranch. Here you can find a little bit more about the town of Seligman, which is, according to the Arizona Department of Commerce, the birthplace of the historic route 66.

So if you’ve ever thought about building a dream ranch and retiring up North, this might not be a bad place to start.

So I’m sitting here in my real estate office doing what’s called “Floor Time.” Basically it means that I’m on call to help anyone who walks in off the street or calls in to our office looking for help. I can sit at my desk and get things done like usual, but it gives me the opportunity to pick up a new client here and there.

A woman just called and was transfered to me. She lives in New Jersey and is trying to decide if she will retire in Montana or out here. She wanted me to check into 55 and over communities and let her know prices and the like. We even had a lovely conversation about the weather difference between here and New Jersey. I was just finishing up getting her information so that I could contact her back when she said she had one last question:

NJ Lady: “I don’t want you to think I’m dumb or anything, but,”

Me: “No no, of course not, there are no dumb questions.” (A statement I will quickly learn to regret.)

NJ Lady: “OK, um, what kind of class of people do you have out there?”

Me: “I’m sorry, um, what do you mean by class? Like economic class?”

NJ Lady: “No, you know, like type of people…”

Me: Confused silence…

NJ Lady: “Like blacks and whites, and do you have any of those, well, we call them dot-heads out here? Cause I don’t like the dot-heads, but they’re everywhere and I just can’t get away from them. The American Indians I’m fine with, it’s those Iranian people I just don’t want to be near. Do you have those?”

I honestly had no idea what to say to the woman. My mind went utterly blank with horror. I may be on the slightly sheltered side, having grown up in a pretty liberal home and community, but I was honestly shocked and appalled. I didn’t even know this woman and there she was, metaphorically flashing me all of her racist tendencies from her dirty trench coat. I mean the gall. I could very well have been East Indian for all she knew, we were on the phone!

I probably should have hung up right there, but I took her information and politely promised to mail her the information she requested. I decided shortly after the call ended that I can’t, no won’t, work for a person like that. That’s the nice side to my life right now. I’m my own boss, and if I meet someone who so sharply offends my sensibilities, I can decide not to take them on. I will send her a polite letter recommending that she call another company. I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s hurting enough for the business. Not me, though, not me.