Suddenly full of energy, I turn the headphone settings to "Permanent Hearing Loss" and begin this blog. The silence of our living room is jostled ever so slightly by my wife's even breaths, as she is catnapping between her "expressions." She is all cried out from an emotional day at the NICU. The results of our son's brain scan were not perfect. What about this process is? He has Grade 3 bleeding in the brain, which means there is a bit of swelling and the ventricles are full of blood. But this, to me, is not the end of the world. Ryan had a good and active night, and gained 31 grams in a single day's IV feeding. So he may have complications, perhaps he'll even be afflicted with Cerebral Palsy. I could give a rat's rear about any of those mundanities. That's my son lying in there, fighting for every breath and inch of ground. I dig him something fierce, and I am positive he feels the love.

It rips my heart out when my glorious spouse breaks down. She is so strong, such an incessant source of inspiration for me. A line from the film "As Good As It Gets" comes to mind (too many lines in that movie, James Brooks' script was in dire need of an editor.) Jack Nicholson summons his trademark bravado and growls "You make me wanna be a better man." Every day, that's the way Laura makes me feel. Rarely do I live up to expectations, and inexplicably she keeps right on loving me. Go figure. That li'l boy is in for it, because the love will literally sweep him through life like a tide.

A little Steely Dan should help me bring everyone up to date with the happenings in today's market in and around Southwest Volusia County. I've got a line on a couple of commercial properties the likes of which are pure gold to investors these days. In a post-9/11 world, the calculated investor has leaned more toward tangible and stable assets such as income-producing or vacant property. The appreciation in this area has been nothing short of meteoric, and real estate is fast becoming fully-valued.

Case in point, this manna from heaven avoided my grasp due solely to indecision. Zoned commercial, and needing about $40K worth of work, this diamond in the rough sold for $65 thou before I could submit a contract. Well, here it is four months later, looking sharp and being offered for a cool $185 grand. It's not unheard of that he'll get it, too. I kick myself every time I pass the place. Luckily I only have to pass by it EVERY FREAKING DAY!! Oh, well...

My vote for Whopper of the Week goes to this acreage on the corner of Aquarias and Taylor Road. The property is in a good location adjoining a middle school and across from a sparkling new multi-million dollar church. But at roughly five acres, with a severe roll, backing to a decrepit radio station, and with simple residential zoning, the asking price borders on laughable. But eventually, the laughing will stop, and the negotiations will begin. Someone will buy it, for the location alone. Everything sells eventually.

The "Look Before You Leap" property (known heretofore as the "LBYL" property) is a seemingly great location and lot size for the buying dollar. When you see the lot, you'll know what I mean. It's an afterthought, a surveyor's nightmare... sort of jammed amongst the trees in a rather sidesaddle locale. There's no place to put your home without feeling as though you're a squatter on someone else's land. Nice size, but no real privacy from any angle. If there was a way to make it work, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because I would have bought it and built on it. Our home is just around the corner and I'd love a larger lot in the same neighborhood. Oh, well... part deux.

That's all for now. Laura's milling about again, following that maternal instinct. I've said it before and I'll say it again; if she produces any more milk I'm going to start tailing her with a box of Fruity Pebbles.

'til tomorrow...

Posted by: Paul @ 1:20 AM

I actually held him tonight. Not "off of the ground" holding, it's called "cupping." I held Ryan's head and feet and let him push against my hands. He was especially active, letting Laura change his diaper, waving his hands and feet at the sound of our voices, and being the general adorable creature that he is. A valve which infants have while in the womb, a PDA valve, allows blood and oxygen to bypass the usual routes and go straight to where it's needed. Well, newborn's PDAs close up after birth. Premature babies have some trouble with this. Ours is no exception. He is taking several courses of a treatment which may correct the problem. If not, then surgery may be required. Please pray that this will not be necessary in his fragile condition.

Confession time. This REALTOR is waiting for the other shoe to drop. The initial negative reaction to a good thing, or a good day, is something that I must continue to resist. My wife is so positive, and I am supportive of her. But I simply cannot envision good things happening to me. I so want our child to live, and yet the benevolent Creator who has entrusted this precious little one to us... I am just waiting for God to yell "Psyche!" and snatch him away. Every day is a chance to grow, for him and for me. With each gram that he gains, he looks a bit less like a dream and a bit more like a reality.

The power of prayer... I'll throw on some pix tomorrow.

To the big board, the MLS, the real estate scene in lovely DeLand, FL. Three listings caught my eye recently. Located in a newer neighborhood on the West side of town, this Cross Creek home is a nice value for a custom built home. Laura and I almost bought in Cross Creek but opted for the East side because of the immediate access to I-4. I'll keep harping on it, but highway proximity is a big deal in a state as expansive as this.

Talk about a deal, and a location! This bank-owned beauty in Crystal Cove is oversized and underpriced. I just sold one in this neighborhood recently and let me tell you, this is going to be one great place to live. The first phase is almost sold out and the ground has been broken on Phase II.

Lastly, I was intrigued by a large commercially zoned parcel in Lake Helen. Lake Helen is a quaint, albeit squirrely, li'l hamlet just East of I-4, and adjacent to South DeLand. Usually building and development restrictions are tighter than a bulls arse in fly season. For some reason, this property now exists, for the paltry sum of $735k. Grab it while it's hot, baby!

Gosh, I've got to start bloggin' earlier.


Tootles

Posted by: Paul @ 3:34 AM

Much sleep... much needed sleep, has precluded this latest entry. After going hard for about five days with an average of about 3 hours sleep, my body and mind got together and sabotaged my evening around 7 PM. Fourteen hours later, I'm ready to blog, baby!!

Wednesday was a good day for Ryan Walker. Mommy was allowed to "cup" the boy (hold his head and feet.) He was very responsive and kicked and flexed aplenty. Loads of tests, lots of tweaking, the staff is always optimizing the environment for maximum growth. Please keep praying for him. I know that life moves very quickly for us, but it can't move quickly enough for him. I'll figure out a way to get some pix online, so you may witness his progress.

Back to real estate. Here's something you don't see every day. For all of you media movers and shakers, jump start the dream with a self-contained studio. A little light reading on this product should entice anyone willing to oversee a BIIIIIGGGGG project.

This new offering off of Blue Lake Avenue has many attractive features. Four beds, a nice inground pool, great access to any thoroughfares, and solid custom construction are good reasons to take a closer look. As an aside, Bonnie Hoffman is the listing agent. She's a pleasure to work with, and as professional as they come.

I've got other stuff to blog about, but my brain is quickly turning into creamed corn. Later much, but not too much.

Posted by: Paul @ 10:04 AM

Utter exhaustion, yet the blogging must proceed.

The wife and I are home, sans our little boy. He is in for a long battle, at least three months in Neonatal ICU. We met our Doctor today. He's one of five, a phenomenal team of Neonatalogists who float freely amongst the infants and work their miracles. We are hoping for one of those miracles.

There's a lot going on in and around DeLand. A new listing has just popped up in the Bent Oaks community. It looks rather sizable from the brochure, and as there are only five homes for sale in the neighborhood, this one is a formidable challenger for the buying dollar.

Though its asking price is rather ambitious, I still would rate this Long Leaf Plantation home as a must-see. Good size pool home in one of the quieter spots... and with an attractive piece of property that's been well maintained.

For the over 55 set, this stunner in the Active Adult section of Victoria Park is sure to go quickly. I wish that this home was available in the general inventory, I'd scoop it up pronto! Then again, I was always a sucker for a side-loading garage.

This classy lakefront in the heart of Victoria Park is a sale to watch. If they achieve their asking price, it will calculate out to a robust $122/sq. ft. Not too shabby, and getting better by the day.

I've got some more hot ones in the cooker, but right now the wheels are grinding slowly. Time to say a prayer for my boy and hit the hay.

Until tomorrow...

Posted by: Paul @ 1:19 AM

Just when you thought it was safe to blog again...

I promised myself that once this site got going, blogging would be conducted twice daily, come rain or shine. "Preterm labor" was not mentioned amongst the possible reasons for skipping a day. As I sit in front of keyboard on Monday evening, contemplating the last 72 hours of life, I can't remember the first thing about any promises made or broken.

Laura (my outrageously overqualified wife) went into labor a full three months before her due date, and after fighting off inumerable contractions, shots and IV drips, gave birth to our first child, Ryan Walker Long. He came careening out of her belly at 4:20 AM on Sunday, and cried for his mommy and daddy before being whisked away to the capable hands of the NICU in South Florida Hospital.

He has lived 42 of the most tumultuous hours imaginable, and is fighting for every inch of his precious and flawless life.

I'll be back on the bloggin' horse tomorrow. For now, quiet contemplation of fatherhood and the potential of pulling my son toward my most assuredly heaving and sobbing chest. Pray for us, all of you in cyberspace. When the binary clears, we are still left with the perfect chaos of the human existence. And it is to be savored...

In liberty,

Paul

Posted by: Paul @ 9:33 PM