Real Estate and Horse Country Life at Lake Anna

As a realtor, I am usually so busy that I don’t have the time to enjoy the many things there are to do and see  around Lake Anna. With my 9-month old grandson (and his parents) visiting , we planned some local activities. There are so many to choose from! Since my daughter-in-law Julie is Park Manager at Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake State Parks in Colorado, I thought we would go to Lake Anna State Park and she could give me her “professional” opinion as to how it stacked up. I hadn’t been for some time.

Our $4.00 daily (weekdays) parking fee gave us access and since we didn’t bring our horses and the beach was closed- that was the extent of our expense!
Julie, Erik, Peter and I had a nice time taking a 1-2 mi. hike on the pretty trails. They are not suitable for the stroller (only because of tree roots) but easy with a backpack. It was a lovely fall walk along the lake shore. I kept thinking how great it would have been on horseback.

There were a few other visitors fishing, making use of the boat ramp and the picnic areas but we hardly ran into anyone. Julie thought there were a wide variety of activities and the park was well-maintained. She was jealous of the nice sandy beach. With all the new amenities, it’s a great place to go even for full or part-time area residents. I am thinking about getting a life-time pass.

 There are various passes available including discounted and free (for disabled residents). You can check out the pass prices as well as all the amenities on their website. @ http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/lak.shtml .  A free annual pass can be included with the purchase of either of the properties I have listed for sale directly across from the park at 6701 Lawyers Rd.  (manufactured home on 6.6 acres) and 6725 Lawyers Rd (log home on almost 7 acres already set-up for horses).

I pride myself on giving my clients and customers outstanding service. A lot of other real estate agents at Lake Anna and the surrounding areas do, too. Sometimes, I just need to vent. In my mind- here are seven deadly realtor sins:

1. Thank you for showing my listing. Now why won’t you respond to requests for feedback? How else can I convince my clients to paint that front door, mow the lawn or lower the price? I ALWAYS  respond to requests for feedback and try to put a positive spin on it in a format that can be passed on to your clients.
2. Agents who price listings too high to begin with in order to get the listing so that it gets stale on the market I know it’s a hard balance and sometimes the clients just can’t price it where it should be (or won’t) but know your market (as crazy as it is) and PULL COMPS!  But that’s OK, overprice it and I’ll get it later at a lower price when your listing expires.
3. Agents who ignore the showing instructions on the listing,  or just don’t bother to check them and end up looking foolish in front of their clients, and mine.
4. Out-of-area  agents who expect you to show their clients property since they live in No Va or Richmond, don’t have the same lockboxes, yada-yada and then want to represent their client in the sale (and collect their commission). They also do their clients an injustice by not knowing the area and the neighborhoods. I recently found a piece of land for a buyer listed by an out-of-area agent. When I called the agent, they had no plat, no soil work and no idea if there were covenants or restrictions. He actually asked me if there is city water (there wasn’t)! I went to the courthouse and pulled the information but that is a service that I feel the listing agent should provide for their clients if they are going to take a listing. There’s much more to taking a listing than putting it in the MLS and putting up a sign.
5. Empty brochure boxes or no brochures, especially on houses. This is not to say mine haven’t been empty a time or two- but not for weeks on end! If you really don’t want my client to remember your property then don’t bother with a brochure at all.
6. Agents who don ‘t leave cards. See #1 above- it’s common courtesy, especially if it’s a combination lockbox that we can’t trace.
7. And the worst one of all- agents who talk poorly about other agents to get the listing. Not only is this against the Realtor Code of Ethics, it’s just not professional.

Now, I’m not saying that most real estate agents are guilty of these sins because they are not. It has been my pleasure to work with a majority of professional, courteous and competent agents over the years and I do believe that the ones who are will still be here when the others have changed professions (again). As a potential client, you have a right to expect a high level of service from your agent. If you don’t get it, come see me.

Now I love the local eateries- Chicken Neckers, Lakeview Restaurant, Chelsea Jo’s and Tavern on the Rail. I admit I haven’t tried Anna Cabana yet even though my email address has been annacabana@mindspring.com since 1994! But sometimes it’s fun to venture outside of your comfort zone, particularly when it turns out so well.

 I am talking about our second visit to the Barbeque Exchange in nearby Gordonsville- probably 30-45 minutes from Lake Anna. I love Gordonsville anyway, with it’s mix of quaint old houses and historic downtown and there are a couple of restaurants there but one of the newest is The Barbeque Exchange and well worth the trip! Very laid back and very reasonable with some of the best barbeque and “fixins” we have tried.

 Check out their web page at www.BBQEX.com with pictures, menus, and more! We highly recommend their pulled pork although my husband likes the Hog Fire sauce while I prefer the QX Sweet (and spicy). He swears by the beer-battered onion rings and we all like the mac and cheese (creamy and homemade). The cornbread is sweet and moist but don’t take our word for it- try it for yourselves!

 P.S They do serve beer and wine and the desserts look incredible. Let me know what you think!