Email ElizabethGetting the New Pneumonia Vaccine at Kona Safeway
Getting the new pneumonia vaccine at Safeway in Kona, otherwise known as pneumococcal 23 vaccine, is pretty easy to do. I’ve been thinking about getting this new vaccine because everything you read about old people unexpectedly dying is often related to pneumonia. They go into the hospital with an aching heart or a kidney stone, whatever, and they drop dead from pneumonia.
As a person over 65, I’ve already had the flu shot and the Prevnar 13, but not the new pneumonia vaccine. I stopped in Safeway last October to get the shot but was informed I should check with my doctor first. OK, when I got back to Sacramento, I sent a message to my doctor at UC Davis. She said yes, since it’s been more than a year since I had the Prevnar 13, she recommends the new pneumonia vaccine.
Last night seemed like a good as time as any to get the shot. After all, I was a) already in Safeway and b) there was no line at the pharmacy. Two requisites.
The pharmacist or assistant then argued with me. She said I could not get the pneumococcal 23 vaccine because I should not have had the Prevnar 13. I seemed too young, I guess. Only after I clarified that I did not just turn 66, I have been 66 for 6 months now, and I had the Prevnar around age 65, did she relent. Well, actually, I had to show her the message from my doctor, which I have in my UC Davis records. I was able to pull up those records from my cellphone.
Although the problem seemed to be my insurance. I did not bring my insurance card, but since when do I let little details like that bog me down. One thing I could do is call my husband and get the numbers from his insurance card. The other option was to pay for it myself.
Call me silly, but I have a feeling this particular pharmacist had a bad day. She actually said: “Don’t get mad at me if it costs more than $100, I’m just estimating.” She must deal with a lot of seniors on fixed income. Not a Sacramento Realtor. The other guy tried to input my insurance information into his computer, but he could not make it work. It’s OK, I assured him, I’ll just pay for it myself.
Small price ($129) to ensure I have the new pneumonia vaccine. This is winter, regardless of where I am. I tried to make the grumpy pharmacist feel better. Complimented her on her technique, because it didn’t hurt, either. It’s too bad that people have to be upset for no reason.
Then I walked outside and spied this beautiful rainbow over Safeway in Kona. Hope you enjoy the photo.
And, all you old people, get your darned pneumonia vaccine.
When the Shoe is On the Other Foot in Real Estate
When the shoe is on the other foot in real estate, it is not a good fit. As a busy Sacramento Realtor, I am often astonished at the reactions of others in this business, myself included. We are professionals and, as such, should know better. But sometimes that human element pops out when we don’t expect it.
Like when my husband and I made an offer on our house in Hawaii. The listing agent told us they had a counter offer out. Although I sell on average one or two houses a week and should know better, you won’t believe what I said. I looked at Hella Rothwell, our buyer’s agent, and asked: what do you think we should offer? I wanted the house, too. It wasn’t a take it or leave it kind of proposition.
Hella just laughed. Basically said something like are you listening to yourself? I had, but for a brief moment, turned into a regular buyer. I was not Hot Shot Top Producer Sacramento Realtor with 40+ years of experience under my belt. Nope, in that situation, when the shoe is on the other foot, I was a home buyer. That incident made me laugh, too, when I realized what was happening. Of course I knew what to do.
I thought of this last month when I saw another shoe is on the other foot. An agent who moved out of Sacramento asked me to list and sell her mother’s house. They wanted to try a higher price, so we gave it a shot. When that did not work, we pulled a new MLS number, changed the price and reset the days on market. Almost immediately we received an offer. But the offer was really low. Probably close to 10% off the new sales price.
The agent blew a gasket. She said they would ignore the offer. And a few other choice words, too. She was appalled. Angry. See, the shoe is on the other foot. I had to say, you know, you are acting just like a seller! Go take your dog for a walk; go out to dinner. Relax. Take a break. And then we will write a counter offer.
What would have happened if I had been some other agent and told those sellers it was OK to ignore the offer? We came to an agreement at full list price and are closing this week. Just took a little bit of expert negotiation to get there. Sometimes the client is not always right. When the client is not right, it is my job to gently help that person to understand the error of her way.
Do Quartz Counter Overhangs Require Support?
Ask a bunch of contractors whether quartz counter overhangs require support, and you’ll get a bunch of different answers. I recall 30 years ago when I installed a countertop on a peninsula with an overhang and did not use support brackets. It was a breakfast counter with bar stools, and the overhang never cracked, but it was also formica. Nobody ever stood on it.
Although, whether quartz counter overhangs require support depends on whom you ask. Seems every single countertop installer I talked with about this said yes, use support on any overhang exceeding 6 inches. Also don’t believe everything you read online that contradicts that statement.
When I asked general contractors whether quartz overhangs require support, these guys said no, they do not. Not unless they exceed 12 inches. My particular quartz overhang is only 10 inches, with a 24-inch cabinet, for a total quartz surface of 36 inches.
So I asked myself, why do countertop installers want to support an overhang and general contractors do not. I suspect it’s because fewer GCs fabricate and the liability falls squarely on the shoulders of the countertop installers. Perhaps countertop installers are more cognizant of risk management? But if that is their sole job and only job, their opinion carries more weight.
I stopped in at Big Island Countertops in Kona yesterday. They told me about flat steel braces that measure 13 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide and 3/16ths deep. Not cheap, either. They charge $65 to install each but reduced it to $45 for each since I have an installer. You install the end with the holes at the edge of the overhang by embedding the steel brace in the plywood, after using a router to dig out the space.
For our 60-inch long peninsula, we are embedding 3 flat braces into the plywood. Screw them in, and call it a day. Then they are hidden from view after the quartz is glued on top of the plywood. Don’t have to use corbels, either.
It might be a little bit overkill, but with what we spent on quartz, getting it shipped to Kona from Honolulu, it is better to be safe than sorry. This is our only house in Hawaii.
Should You Make a Hard Boiled Egg in the Microwave?
You might wonder if you can make a hard boiled an egg in the microwave. Perhaps you have heard of eggs exploding in the microwave and are a bit afraid to try it. I had my reservations. No idiot. In fact, I had never considered microwaving an egg to make it hard boiled because that’s what my stove is for, right? I might not cook anything else on my stove, but boiling a pan of water with eggs and letting them sit for 10 minutes is my most common cooking technique.
Everything else, pretty much, except a Thanksgiving turkey, I make on the grill or in the microwave. This only happens when I’m cooking for myself. Of course, my husband uses the stove for all sorts of things. But for me, boiling eggs is pretty much it.
Which would be OK except I do not have a stove at the moment. Lowes is still remodeling my kitchen, and the counter guys are holding up everything. Over the past 2 days they managed to cut and screw down 3 pieces of plywood. And that’s it.
So I googled how to make a hard boiled egg in the microwave. The first website that popped up was Good Housekeeping. I followed the directions. Boiled water in the microwave for 4 minutes, then added my egg (after poking it with a needle, which is really hard to prick). I boiled it another 2 minutes, let it sit a minute and it was raw.
This is a brand new fancy schmancy microwave, too. OK, I tried Wiki How and boiled my water for 4 minutes, added the egg, added a teaspoon of sale to prevent the egg from exploding and microwaved it for 6 minutes on 50% power. I let it sit in the water for 5 minutes. The egg was perfect! I was so surprised.
They said you can tell if it’s hardboiled by twirling it on a flat surface. If it spins easily, it is hard boiled. Today, I heated my water for 4 minutes, added 4 eggs, salt and on 50% power microwaved for 6 minutes. With the additional 3 eggs, it did not work. They were still runny. I took them out of the ice bath, put them back in the water and microwaved another 10 minutes. I threw them all out.
Gosh, I can’t wait until they finish the darn counter tops so I can have my stovetop back. Hey, it just dawned on me, I could use the side burner on my Weber grill and boil eggs outside. Ha!
Sacramento Housing Market November 2018 Report
The Sacramento Housing Market November 2018 report is not surprising to me. Our inventory is up 25% over last year at this time. That is a huge uptick in inventory, even though it dropped slightly from last month. But an uptick in inventory over last year is not necessarily a good thing because it has resulted in lower closed sales.
Comparing November of 2017 to this past month, we’ve seen a drop of 12.6% in closed sales. Bad news for many Sacramento real estate agents whose income may drop, but good news for buyers.
Our median sales price in Sacramento is up to $365,000. Prices are still rising, inventory is falling, closed sales are down and pending sales are also down. Some of this is seasonal, but the upshot is buyers have far more choices now than, say, last spring.
Some properties are taking longer to sell as well. On average, our day on market has risen to 41 days in Sacramento Housing Market November 2018. Although I can say from own my production, I recently listed 5 new homes and 4 of those 5 plus another listing have sold within a few days. But they were priced right. If listings are not priced for the market, they might not sell because buyers are not crazy anymore.
No, no, no, buyers are much more cautious. Some want to “sleep on the decision” and, of course, those are the guys who regret that decision. But taking their time is often OK. They might be up against only one other offer, not 5 or 10. At least they are smart enough to want to act now. Because they see prices rising and interest rates going up. If they plan to buy a house, now is the time.
Plenty of houses available. Not as much competition from other buyers this time of year. If you’d like more information or want to discuss the Sacramento Housing Market November 2018 report, please call Elizabeth Weintraub at Lyon RE, 916.233.6759.
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