Real Estate Information

Santa Visits a Just-Moved Newcomer in South Florida


Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, just the Mac and the mouse,
When all of a sudden a wail filled the air
As the burglar alarm detected a hair.

I ran to the keypad, pushed down on the code
Hoping neighborly tempers would not explode.
The phone rang and I told the guard I was fine
When over the rooftop came a great whine,

Then four beeps, a grunt, a groan and a sigh
And a deep voice bellowing down from on high:
"Things have come to a pretty pass, I have to say,
When the elves install car alarms right on my sleigh!"

He was dressed for South Florida, wearing shorts and a tee,
With the logo of Lauderdale-down-by-the-sea.

Brakes squealed as a sleigh wheel got caught in the gutter
And Rudolph's hoof smashed up a hurricane shutter.

"I'm glad you dropped in," I wanted to say,
But thoughts of a homeowners policy got in the way.

They don't cover sleigh wheels, or santas, or deer,
So I'd soon be in debt for for this holiday cheer.

"Have a soft drink?" I offered, to get him out faster,
But at moochng this guy was clearly the master.
"Soda? For children! Just give me a brew.
Molsons preferred, but Corona will do."

"Gee, Santa," I said, as I eyed his big sack,
"I still have twelve boxes left to unpack.
Instead of a gift this year, maybe your elves
Could help me assemble my lamps and my shelves?
And move this big table and hang all those prints --"

But all of a sudden I saw Santa wince.
"I have a long drive," he said with a frown,
"And the elves union says they have to put down
Their tools after midnight, or I travel alone
And call for repairs on my cellular phone.
A mechanic on holidays? I don't do magic
And delaying these gifts to good kids would be tragic."

A last sip of beer, a quick wave of the hand
And Santa was headed away from my land.

The sleigh was still on the roof, so I cried,
"Take special care as you climb up the side!
Those screens are secure, and they have little wires
To sound an alarm against burglars and fires --"

Too late! A boot crashed and the sirens began
And 'twas back to the keypad before they could scan
My sensors again, for twice in one night
Would give any alarm system cause for a fright.

I'll be spared Santa's gifts when I wake Christmas morning
So I'll just take some time to post a new warning:
"No trespassing: Elves and santas beware!
All visitors must offer to do home repair!"

For serious advice about moving, download Making the Big Move.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294


MORE RESOURCES:

Hypo Real Estate's Viermetz Steps Down After Bailout (Update1)
Bloomberg - 15 hours ago
By Nandini Sukumar and Oliver Suess Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Kurt Viermetz quit as supervisory board chairman of Hypo Real Estate Holding AG, five days after ...
Hypo Real Estate chairman resigns after bail-out Monsters and Critics.com
New HRE CEO Wieandt steps into the limelight guardian.co.uk
UPDATE 1-Hypo Real Estate gets access to credit line Reuters
International Herald Tribune - Reuters
all 180 news articles


Wall Street Journal

Hypo Real Estate Denies Report It Withheld Data on Liquidity
Bloomberg - Oct 9, 2008
By Oliver Suess and Karin Matussek Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Hypo Real Estate Holding AG, the commercial property lender that needed a revised 50 billion-euro ...
CEO of embattled Hypo Real Estate to step down BusinessWeek
German Govt rescues Hypo Real Estate in a Euro 50 bn package Hindu
Hypo Real Estate tripped by funding strategy MarketWatch
Deutsche Welle - Bloomberg
all 1,088 news articles


Forestar Real Estate Group to Release Third Quarter 2008 Results ...
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
The conference call may also be accessed through Forestar Real Estate Group's Internet site, www.forestargroup.com, by clicking on "Investor Relations ...
Forestar Real Estate Group to Release Third Quarter 2008 Results ... PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
all 8 news articles


Triad group to give real estate tour The Business Journal of the ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 12 hours ago
The Triad Dealmakers Symposium announced that it will give a tour of key commercial real-estate projects in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. ...


Movoto.com Expands Real Estate Search Service to South Texas ...
MarketWatch - 14 hours ago
Movoto's tools make home buying easy with access to an unrivaled quantity of homes for sale, statistics and proprietary real estate information and an ...
Movoto adds Houston homes to listings Bizjournals.com
all 8 news articles


eawood real estate agent pleads guilty in mortgage fraud scheme
Bizjournals.com, NC - 15 hours ago
A Leawood real estate agent pleaded guilty to several charges related to a mortgage fraud scheme that federal prosecutors say bilked lenders for more than ...
Kansas man pleads guilty in $12M home loan scheme Forbes
all 19 news articles


Weak real estate continues to draw down Bank of Florida earnings
Bizjournals.com, NC - 16 hours ago
The bank said in a release announcing preliminary third quarter results that continued weakness in real estate values caused it to set aside more money for ...
Bank of Florida Corp. Provides Preliminary Third Quarter 2008 Results Business Wire (press release)
SCVBank Finds Growth Opportunities in Challenging Market MarketWatch
Bank of Florida reports $3.4M third quarter loss Naples Daily News
all 29 news articles


TEXT-Moody's on Hypo Real Estate Bank International AG notes
Forbes, NY - 16 hours ago
... EMEA CMBS transactions as described in the Rating Methodology report 'Update on Moody's Real Estate Analysis for CMBS Transactions in EMEA', June 2005. ...


Real estate department grants stay for Cole
Bakersfield Now, CA - 7 hours ago
By BakersfieldNow.com Staff A high-profile Bakersfield real estate agent will not lose his real estate license as scheduled on Oct. 15 after being granted a ...
Cole secures extension to keep real estate license for now Bakersfield Californian
all 3 news articles


Bad Economy Not Discouraging Some Real Estate Developers
ABC2 News, MD - 9 hours ago
And Silo Point is being sold with gusto...even though real estate in Baltimore is in a slump. "We have fitness centers we have retail we have spas in here ...

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map
Realty Web Services © 2007 MesaSky Services