It Was A Dark and Stormy Night. . . . .

When I see that phrase, I always think of the cartoon character "Snoopy" sitting on top of his doghouse with his typewriter. It's the kind of thing you might write if you were to write a Hallowe'en ghost story. No, that's not what this newsletter is about this month, but I always seem to have difficulty in getting started so . . . .

And, on a related topic -- It's not at all stormy, but it sure does get dark early. Next month (on the night of November 6 - 7 to be exact) we switch back to standard time here in this part of British Columbia, so our evenings will become dark a full hour earlier. I always try to remind people to make a habit of checking your smoke detector batteries when you change your clocks. If you can't remember when you last changed those batteries, it's probably time to do so!


Here's a job I could not handle. About 10 days ago, my neighbours decided to remove a dead birch tree from their front yard, so they called in Limbwalker Tree Services. I find this fascinating to watch, but, as I said, I certainly couldn't do what he does!


Back in August, I posted a photo and a link to a Rotary project that my club was involved in. This bridge, across Cottonwood Creek, up where Cottonwood Lake drains into it, has already become very popular. A couple of weeks ago a group of club members got together to stain the deck and rails to ensure that it will be there for many years.

As I try to do every three months, it's time for some statistical material on the real estate market. The link here is for a report on the U.S. market and comes from RE/MAX. It shows that sales activity in 54 markets in the U.S. is down over 20% when comparing September 2009 to September 2010. However, there are also some encouraging signs. You can check it out at RE/MAX National Housing Report

Locally, our market is similar to what we experienced last year, which is to say that the market is slow, but it is moving.

Type Jan - Sept. '09 Jan - Sept. '10 Aver Price Aver Days on Market

Single family home 83 sales 82 sales +5.8% 69 (2010) - 74 (2009)
Land 5 sales 16 sales + 3.1% 98 (2010) - 260 (2009)
Manufactured home 6 sales 5 sales + 64.3% 80 (2010) - 59 (2009)
Duplex 2 sales 3 sales + 20% 111 (2010) - 50 (2009)
Condo & Townhouse 9 sales 21 sales + 7.4% 140 (2010) - 50 (2009)

These statistics are for the City of Nelson only. The reason the land sales are so much higher in number is that the city marketed a number of lots in the Fairview Heights area this year. I believe that the condo & townhouse sales numbers are higher because of new developments at The Graine and at Granite Pointe. You will also notice that sale prices are up across the board. Frankly, I was surprised by this figure, as many homes are selling at prices that seem to be well below last year's numbers. However, a few "upper end" home sales can skew the statistics so that it looks like prices are up overall.

The following is courtesy of Bob Kalo, RE/MAX Treeland Realty in Langley - Thanks, Bob!

Smarter Workday Snacks

Never snack on carbohydrates alone. Simple carbs quickly raise your blood sugar, but you won't sustain the elevated energy levels required to get you through the day. While pretzels may seem like a healthful, low-fat choice, they won't deliver the sustained energy lift you need. Instead, an ideal power snack consists of complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain bread or crackers, fruits, and vegetables combined with a protein, such as cheese, hummus, peanut butter, and low-fat milk.

Here are some suggestions for healthy and conveniently portable midday snacks:

Baby carrots and hummus. Many convenience stores carry premade hummus, and you can substitute any crunchy vegetable favorites, such as cucumber slices and sweet bell pepper strips, that you can cut up the night before.

Apple and cheese. Choose any reduced-fat cheese, such as mozzarella or Swiss, to enjoy with apple slices or grapes.

Whole-grain crackers and peanut butter. This is a sure pick-me-up. Packed with complex carbs, fiber, and protein, this snack will give you sustained energy, and it's easy to keep in a desk drawer.

Banana and peanut butter. This is a great idea if you are craving something a little sweeter. Peanut butter spread on a just ripe banana is truly satisfying.

Trail mix. Try making your own — combine nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and Brazil nuts with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and your favorite whole-wheat cereal.

Whole-wheat English muffin and low-fat cream cheese. If you're a lover of bagels and cream cheese, this is a good option.

Low-fat vanilla yogurt topped with raisins. This is a delicious way to get calcium-rich dairy food into your day. If you think a lot of yogurt brands taste too sweet, try Greek yogurt varieties and top them with fresh fruit, such as blueberries or sliced bananas.

Do You Know A Buyer For This Home?

Check out this home on 1.29 acres sitting on a very private lot just 7 minutes from Nelson. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, covered deck and plenty of storage area. Priced at $399,000. Check out further details and photos on our web-site: Georama Road

Please also remember that I am writing a separate blog on specific real estate related topics. This one comes out weekly, and you can check it out at "in the koots real estate blog"

More Bad Headlines

~ March Planned For Next August

~ Blind Bishop Appointed To See

~ Lingerie Shipment Hijacked--Thief Gives Police The Slip

~ L.A. Voters Approve Urban Renewal By Landslide

~ Patient At Death's Door--Doctors Pull Him Through

~ Latin Course To Be Canceled--No Interest Among Students, Et Al.

~ Diaper Market Bottoms Out

~ Croupiers On Strike--Management: "No Big Deal"

~ Stadium Air Conditioning Fails--Fans Protest

~ Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped

~ Henshaw Offers Rare Opportunity to Goose Hunters

~ Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

~ Lawyers Give Poor Free Legal Advice

~ Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

~ Fund Set Up for Beating Victim's Kin

~ Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years

~ Cancer Society Honors Marlboro Man

~ Nicaragua Sets Goal to Wipe Out Literacy

~ Autos Killing 110 a Day--Let's Resolve to Do Better

~ 20-Year Friendship Ends at Altar

~ War Dims Hope For Peace

~ If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last A While
~ Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

~ Half of U.S. High Schools Require Some Study for Graduation

~ Blind Woman Gets New Kidney from Dad She Hasn't Seen in Years

~ Man is Fatally Slain

~ Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Experts Say

~ Death Causes Loneliness, Feelings of Isolation

~ Defendants Speech Ends in Long Sentence

~ Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

~ House Passes Gas Tax Onto Senate

~ Police Discover Crack in Australia

~ Stiff Opposition Expected to Casketless Funeral Plan

~ William Kelly, 87, was Fed Secretary

~ Collegians are Turning to Vegetables

~ Scientists to Have Ford's Ear

~ Quarter of a Million Chinese Live on Water

~ Hershey Bars Protest

~ County Officials to Talk Rubbish

~ Carter Plans Swell Deficit

~ Caribbean Islands Drift to Left

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*

I know that some of these are painful, but I hope that you got a smile or a chuckle somewhere in that group. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome, even if you are correcting grammatical errors. Thank you for reading.

Lorne & Drew