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The 2025 market is wrapping up with what's been a surprisingly strong fourth-quarter finish in Piedmont, including a last-minute off-market sale that's sure to spell a Merry Christmas for us all. (Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.)
Although off-market sales aren't the norm, our Sellers had already purchased their replacement property and preferred not to roll the dice or wait for the Spring Market to unfold. The additional time would have also meant overlapping mortgages for several months, not to mention painting, staging, carpeting, floor refinishing, and other marketing costs they were thrilled to forego. (These costs usually start at about $50,000.)
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Jill's back in town, having finally secured an appointment with the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco. (This literally took MONTHS.) But as she needed to establish residency there before she could qualify for an indefinite stay in Spain, she's spent the last month in Barcelona getting to know the neighborhoods and finding an apartment to legally rent. (It's fabulous AND big enough for visitors, so guess where I'll be headed in 2026?)
Ironically, she couldn't complete the paperwork in Spain, but had to fly BACK to San Francisco, where she had initially begun the application process; a process that can take weeks - not days - to complete. In the meantime, Jill is comfortably ensconced in our guest room while they run her fingerprints, check her criminal record (she's clean), and sign off on her physical. In short, emigrating to a foreign country isn't as easy as Instagram or Tik Tok might have you believe. In other words: it's a bureaucratic slog! (How do you say "nightmare" in Spanish?) The next two weeks rank among my favorites of the year. It's when Sarah, Kate, Elizabeth, and I deliver toffee to our clientele. And while our "nice" list has grown to encompass nearly 650 households, with the help of an Excel spreadsheet, we've honed this annual chore down to a science. (It goes much faster in teams.) Even so, it takes all of us working in unison several days to accomplish this mammoth holiday task.
Is it naughty to hide the toffee from your spouse and kids, as many of our emails assert? That's for you to decide. (No judgement here.) Enjoy it however you see fit. We're thrilled you not only look forward to the package from Little John's, but enjoy it so much year after year. |
AuthorJulie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 19 years and has published more than 850 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 
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