A Tail of Two Cities

Hello, this is Toby Larone speaking. I figured it is about time that my voice be heard around here.
Over the couple years that I've lived with Nick and Katie, we have been on the move several times. On the weekend I moved in with them back in August '09, they were already packing it up and getting ready to move into another place (lucky for me, it was much bigger and had lots of stairs for me to run up and down, up and down). A year after that, we moved into another place with an icky landlord, which consequently forced us to move down to Concord for a few weeks in November last year. I liked it in Concord because my grandma spoiled me with daily walks and lots of love. Plus, I was finally allowed on the bed.
Then Katie brought me down to Garden Grove, which I didn't mind because I got to torment Peanut (I won her over with my good looks eventually, and now we're friends) and I could go outside whenever I wanted to because of this thing called a "doggie door." Katie was always resting, and she let me keep her company on the bed each night. When Nick came to visit, we would go to the dog beach, which is my favorite place ever. I could dig, chase, and rough house without any punishment!
On January 1 we started a long and painful drive up to Portland. I do not like long drives. I'm thinking that my parents get the hint, because I avoid eye contact and don't respond to their pets while I'm in the car. Well, that 11-hour journey was a doozy. Luckily we ended up at a nice couple's house with a super huge backyard for me to run and play in. I think it was worth the drive.
A month after that, we moved into another place-- this time with a tiny backyard, but no roommates and lots of 4-legged friends nearby. We've lived here for about 8 months now, but I think something's up again.
I noticed it when Katie and Nick started packing both of the cars full to the brim. They even took the futon from the guest room-- that was my favorite hiding place! We went on a two hour drive and arrived at Auntie Linda and Uncle's Mike's home. Next to the beach, this is my favorite place to be. There are tons of deer to chase (the chase is worth getting yelled at), and SO many squirrels that tease me-- they're so fast, but I know I will get one someday.


Nick and Katie unloaded their cars and moved everything into the little cabin on the property. The cabin has some scary spiral stairs--the first few nights I was too afraid to climb them, but Katie gave me so much love after I climbed them myself that I realized it's not too bad after all.

Here's what the cabin looks like from the inside:

We stayed at the cabin for a couple nights, then Katie took me back to Portland. Lucky for me, we went back again that next weekend. I got to run and sniff every inch of their 6 acres. On part of their land, Mike and Linda are putting in a lake! It's going to take a while for the rain runoff to fill it, but next summer I'm going to have a lot of fun swimming for sticks--and maybe even fish!

Mike and Linda are also getting a Border Collie puppy in the next couple weeks-- that means I'll have another friend soon. She's less than two months old right now and shares a birthday with Nick. Katie is so excited to meet her... I hope this doesn't mean that I get less attention.
This weekend Nick is coming up again. I like it when he comes because they stay home with me and my dad and I wrestle. Don't worry, I go easy on him. Katie says that I am going home with my dad next week, which I am really excited about. The puppy won't be there yet, but I'll have lots of fun sniffing deer tracks.
Now I'm just waiting for my dad to get here...

I should probably be working right now

And so starts another week at the brokerage! My first week was exhausting--mentally, not physically--and required about 70 hours of my time. I was expecting it, though, and have decided to focus my time better this week. Now that the foundation of the business has been established (at least somewhat), I feel like I can accomplish a little bit more in a little bit less time. This week I will aim for 50 hours, including Satuday's open house.

This last weekend I spent about 5 hours each day showing a 4plex and 3 duplexes. At first I was a little disappointed at the populations my ad attracted, but as the day progressed I found myself talking to more qualified people. The open house created some interest, and I have a feeling I'll be getting a few calls this week based on it. I'm hoping to hear from one person in particular, though. He made a verbal cash offer, but it was too low. Hopefully he will come to his senses and agree to pay full price as the property is already underpriced!

Most importantly, though, I got to see Katie and Toby. It was a hard week to spend without them, but I know there is a greater good involved. We ended up taking it easy the first night. On Saturday night we went over to Mike & Linda's for burgers and scrabble. Last night, we went over for Chinese food. I think they are trying to put some meat on our bones! Katie spent the mornings of my open houses tanning and working out. I'm glad we have access to those amenities!

Well, it is time to get to work now. Today I will be meeting with a Mortgage Banker/Loan Officer to start building a relationship. After that, Mike and I will do lunch to discuss our plans for the week. Finally, I'll be showing Auntie's house, which I am listing :) Hope it sells!

Nick Goes South

This past weekend we moved Nick down to Eugene. My car was packed to the brim with a mattress, frame, desk, chair and bedding (and Toby--the lucky dog got to ride shotgun); Nick's car was jammed with bags and boxes.

 

We moved everything in and unpacked in just a couple hours. Nick is living pretty sparsely for now-- I've got the TV and his big computer is at the office (he's still got his laptop though). He's got a bookshelf full of real estate books to keep him busy. There's plenty of nature-watching to do from the windows, too. On Sunday alone we saw 7 different deer on the property: 3 babies, their mama and 3 bucks.Toby was the most excited to see them, and would have chased them all over the property if we let him. We are trying to familiarize him with the creatures so that it isn't such an ordeal every time he sees one. My hope is that someday he will not be fazed by them. Someday!

Nick now has a beard! Mike and Linda and I think it makes him look more mature. Nick thinks it's too scratchy. It's actually quite a bit longer now.

Nick's new private office!

I am headed to bed-- it's been an exhausting week so far for me...

September

We've been keeping so busy lately that it's been hard to find time to post updates. September went by quickly, but it was a lovely month full of fun. It started with Nick's birthday, continued with a couple concerts, then my birthday, then Nick's last day at the bank. Before we knew it, Nick was packing up and heading out to the new frontier (aka, Eugene).
A variety of pictures to illustrate a few events from this past month:

My bound Thesis arrived!

Soon after my thesis, my diploma finally came, too :]

Celebrating my birthday at our favorite new place: The Sapphire Hotel (yes, we went there for Nick's birthday and came back 10 days later-- we could not stay away from the tasty drinks and delicious food)!

This was my view during lunch one day last week--I sat on a bench about 3 blocks away from the office. Lucky me!

September had several very hot days, which prompted us to keep the fan blowing full-blast. You can see here that Nick lives a rough life.

This is what we see when Nick and I head out on errands. This little face stares back at us, so concerned.

 

 

 

  

Once Nick put in his notice at the bank, he stocked up on reading materials to keep him busy during his week off. He has already knocked out half of these books in the last week or so. These books are all from the library-- he was like a kid in a candy store at the sight of the selection on commercial real estate.

  Today was my first day "alone" at home. Toby isn't very good company lately, as he's been pouting in bed for most of the day. I think he knows that something is up. Lucky for him (and me) we are heading back down to Eugene this coming weekend. I'll write more tomorrow-- it is well past my bedtime!

The Last Day

It's finally here: the last day at the bank! I am so excited to hang up my coat, turn in my keys, and shut down my computer for the last time that I suspect today will be agonizingly long!

Today marks a turning point. No longer will I be a peon composing a mere 0.000379 % of a company's total workforce, I will also be free from the reigns of stifling corporate policy and procedure. My performance will not be measured by an arbitrary point system or a 25 category metric, it will be measured directly in dollars earned and property sold. My job security and livelihood will not be determined by shareholders reacting to plummeting share prices, but my own effort and ability to "go out, kill something, and drag it home." Market managers and executives won't be calling my phone to ask me why I didn't create more interest in cash advances or credit cards with my less affluent customers, nor will they be hounding me to convince my more affluent customers to entrust their life-savings to some young Merrill Edge financial "advisor" calling from who-knows-where. I'm thrilled!

The job definitely had its perks. In addition to paying down some old debts and being able to save for this new opportunity, It helped me develop patience for people. From the little old lady that needed a solid 45 minutes to understand how CDs work to the infuriated customer who got arrested at our bank for disturbing the peace, I can now work with just about anyone. The job also gave me keen insight to the saving habits of the successful, and the spending habits of those voluntarily struggling. It is amazing how closely many of my customers align with the descriptions laid out in Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad and Thomas Stanley's The Millionaire Next Door. But I digress.

The knowledge and insight I got from this job expanded my business acumen further than I would've expected, and for that I am grateful. One of the most enjoyable parts of the job involved outbound visits to small businesses to talk about products that were actually helpful to the business's continuity and success. In fact, small business-folk were my favorite clients. I've learned a wealth from budding entrepreneurs, seasoned pros, wholesale furniture dealers, real estate investors, tow truck operators, and restaurant owners.

Well, time to suit-up and deliver the last 8 hours of my time to the company! Today marks the end, and also the beginning.

Just a quick video from a few weeks ago! Still working on getting the others up...

Broker, Bend, and Bombdrop

Aside from this weekend, we have been very busy/active/on-the-go! Last weekend we went to Bend for the first time. What a cool place! I now know what everyone means when they refer to it as "the high desert." The land out there isn't as lush or as green as the Willamette Valley, but the scenery is still spectacular. Amazing vistas and bold landscape formations make for breathtaking photo opportunities at nearly every highway turnout. Downtown Bend is also a great place with unique small businesses, kind people, and a strong sense of community. The city planning is top-notch with easy-to-navigate streets, beautiful landscaping, and intuitive provisions established to counter the blazing sun. The tall buildings separated by narrow streets provides hours of afternoon shade that favors the foot shopper on even the most scorching days.

Although Bend offers a wealth of recreation and entertainment, I found it difficult to indulge in its offerings. My Broker's Exam was scheduled for 2:00pm, and all I could think about were the real estate concepts of which I needed absolute proficiency. I found myself leaning against many storefronts, dog-on-leach, iPhone-in-hand and notes-on-screen, as Katie shopped. The anticipation and uncertainty of what to expect on the 200-question exam just about drove me crazy! Katie reassured me that I'd be okay, though. She suggested we go to the main park to relax before the exam and to take some of the worry out of me.

A Shakespeare Festival was going on at the park, but we didn't go into that section as it was fenced off. Instead, we went to a little beach-like area and threw the stick for Toby. He prances with authority in shallow water, and now swims after the stick without too much hesitation when he can't touch the bottom! The appeal of a soggy twig thrown by his masters is just too much for him to resist.

On our walk back to the car, we crossed a small bridge and spotted some lake-front properties that could've easily been featured in an issue of Whole Living. A mix of Craftsman and Bungalow-style homes with private docks and immaculate landscaping graced the water's edge and served as a nice visual inspiration for the impending exam.

Finally, two o'clock came and it was time to perform. With earplugs in and fifteen year-old computer in front of me, I began to work my way through the questions. They looked surprisingly familiar to my study materials. The test quickly pointed out one of my weak points: calculating tax prorations. I was almost positive that those questions--which seemed to make up more than 10% of the exam--would break me. Imagine my delight when I received my results! I scored a 91% on the National portion and an 88% on the State exam. I was on top of the world.

Our trip to Bend was not over, though. Katie had done extensive research on camping opportunities in the Deschutes and Willamette forests in the weeks prior to the trip, so we took the scenic route back up to Portland in hopes that we would find an open campground. After driving through Sisters and seeing the iconic mountain range, we came upon a hidden gem with a befitting name: Lost Lake. We now know there are 18 lakes in Oregon by the same name, but it still feels like a secret worth keeping.

Toby had a blast chasing toads and birds, and we enjoyed our first successful campfire in a long time! Every time we’ve gone camping in Oregon, the conditions have been too wet to have a real campfire, so we were pleasantly surprised. We were also surprised, albeit not pleasantly, by thunderstorms and flash rain! I’m glad we stuck it out rather than heading back to Portland as the weather soon cleared up.

One of the great joys Oregon has to offer is a diverse ecosystem. In particular, our campsite had hundreds of tiny frogs hopping around. We had to be careful to not step on them when we walked up to the main road. I can’t promise that all of them were spared :(

Our vacation to Bend ended the following day and we found ourselves back in the rat race. Katie’s friend, Chandra, came up from San Jose for a night earlier this week and stayed with us. She needed a place to sleep for the night as she is moving up to Portland and her rental was not yet available. We were happy to help a fellow transplant out and can really identify with the weariness, excitement, and sense of adventure she’s experiencing. Toby said hello to our guest and then resumed his 3-day recovery period from camping. It looked something like this:

Friday was my birthday, and Katie took us out to a great little restaurant called the Sapphire Hotel. I won’t go into too much detail, but she made it a very special evening with delicious food, tickets to one of my all-time favorite musical groups (Thievery Corporation), and an awesome wallet gift as I badly needed one! Thanks, Katie!

For Memorial Day weekend, we drove out to the coast with intentions of camping. Unfortunately we found that, after 6 hours of driving and scouring sites, everyone and their mother had already claimed them. Oh well…

This week is going to be quite interesting. I drop the bomb on Friday, and I’m not quite sure what to expect. My branch has had a lot of turnover lately, so I know that putting in my notice puts my coworkers in a bind. Upper-management also recently gave me a bonus, which I am sure is going to be the subject of a major guilt trip, but I’m ready to face the outcome. My position is cash-sensitive and high-risk, so they may just let me go on the spot. If that’s the case, I’ve got three weeks of time to kill before starting as a Commercial Real Estate Broker with O’Connell and Associates! By the way, I saw this yesterday when I looked up my name on the Oregon Real Estate Agency website. How cool is that??

Below are some videos from our trip. I thought it'd be best to just include them at the bottom.

Only in Portland ...

...would a "Corgi Walk" yield a turnout of 200+ short-legged, awkward-looking cattle dogs. Yes, only in Portland.
My coworker Kristen (much like Nick) is a fan of many peculiar things--including Corgis and Pugs. Lo and behold, she learned of this Corgi Walk-- and that is how I came to spend a day walking with (and gawking at) the silly creatures.

Dog on wheels!

Even Toby got some love!

I was stunned by the turnout! Kristen and I were expecting to see maybe 20 corgis, but they just kept coming! We had way too much fun for such a silly event--so much, in fact, that we've decided to make this a yearly tradition. I love this city!