A6 BUSINESS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 23, 2021 Maddens strike out on their own with new real estate fi rm Housing market remains hot “WE REALLY TRY TO BE THERE FOR OUR CLIENTS AND HELP THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS BECAUSE IT CAN BE STRESSFUL.” By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Nearly three months after launching their own real estate fi rm, Lindsey and Michal Madden said they are having fun and stay- ing busy as Grant County’s hot housing market shows no signs of cooling down. Lindsey and Michal, sisters-in- law, spent over a decade at Eastern Oregon Realty, said they decided it was time to strike out on their own. Lindsey said they were born and raised in Grant County. She said the said decision made sense. “We hunt, we fi sh, we know the area really well,” Michal said. “We know how it works. We know how the people work.” After 40 hours of schooling and taking their respective tests to earn their principal broker license, Lind- sey and Michal said they hit the ground running. Since then they brought on bro- ker Dee Ann Sandor. The three of them, Lindsey said, have been enjoying working together. Lindsey said the freedom of being independent “feels good.” “At the end of the day it’s our logo out there,” she said. — Lindsey Madden Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography From left, broker De Ann Sandor and principal brokers Lindsey Madden and Michal Madden. She said the three of them are “go-getters” and steadfast in their dedication to their clients. Lindsey told the Eagle she has no problem taking calls from clients late at night or on the weekends. “We really try to be there for our clients and help them through the process because it can be stressful,” Lindsey said. The dedication to clients look- ing to buy a home in the county has been essential over the last couple of months. While the county has always had a limited inventory of homes for sale, the current market is like nothing Lindsey and Michal said they have seen. Lindsey said they see “multi- ple-off er scenarios” where homes have sold above the asking price. “We have always had a limited inventory,” Lindsey said, “but now it is just much worse.” Lindsey said they would show a couple of properties to a buyer in the past, and they did not have to push them to make a decision. She said they tell buyers now that, if they want a property, they need to write an off er right away or risk losing the opportunity. “It’s just fast paced,” Lindsey said. “It used to be a lot slower.” They said it is hard when a client does not get the house they want. “It (buying a home) is the excite- ment of their life at the time, and you feel sometimes crushed right now if someone beat them to it,” Michal said. Tips for home buyers Lindsey said home buyers should get pre-qualified from a lender ahead of time. Getting pre-qualified is the first step in O utlook SENI R Have you read the quotation on the lobby window at the post office? “Someone said I was delusional – I almost Rose Coombs fell off my unicorn!” I just love it! We were not delusional – or disillusioned (apparently that is not a proper word; I couldn’t find in any dictionary – even the 5” thick, 2,200 page one) by the meal prepared by our wonderful cooks today. We enjoyed a large serving of tasty potato soup, an apple salad that had whipped cream on it, a roll, and for dessert a banana cream pie, my favorite! The menu said banana bars, but this was much better! All for only $5. Can’t beat that with a stick right? Carla and Mary took care of the pick-up deliveries and Carlos and Luann made the home delivery run. Thanks to all our faithful volunteers. And big thanks to our cooks Pam and Laura for their wonderful meals for us. Thanks to a very generous donation, the old hall will soon be sporting a new coat. And it won’t be paint. We decided that metal siding would be more cost effective down the road. Won’t have to paint, it’s fireproof, and insulated house wrap can be installed too. In order fo the contractor to do his job, we had to do a few things in preparation: cut down the encroaching lilac bush (don’t worry, it will come back – but we will encourage it to grow farther away from the building, ahem); remove all the old telephone wire that was strung on the outside back and forth under and up the side of the old chimney that supplied no phone that we could find (nice man from OTC came and run a new line to where the phone is now, looks much neater); replaced the basement door (how many times have I heard, “There’s a basement?”) so we can actually access the space. Oh, we are just getting right uptown! Now if we could just open our doors and have our regular meal day together… Spent a lot of time on the road and in doctor’s offices this week. Found out that the oil glands in my eyelids are not producing as they should. So have to do special drops for 3 months to clear up the resulting inflammation. Another procedure awaits then. Then Derrol had his 6 month checkups in Bend. On the way home, a swather pulled out in front of us at the Prineville round-about. We followed him for 9 miles at 20 mph. Then when we got to Dayville, a couple flagged us to ask if they were on the right road to Post. Oh dear. They should have turned south in Prineville. So we directed them to go through John Day, up over Canyon Mountain and take the Izee road back west. Wonder if they made it. Afterwards we reflected that they hadn’t consulted their smart phone GPS or Google Maps. We always have a map in the vehicle. That’s because we don’t have a smart phone! More travels this week, but they are in Grant County! First a graduation party, then a Celebration of Life, and finally a wedding. Then get ready for the Fourth of July! Ain’t life grand? Luke 15:23 “Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.” Wow, 2021 is half over. I cannot live fast enough to keep up with the days. I need more time to live than 24 hrs. Elise Huskey a day. I am sure many of us feel the same way so it seems we all need to cherish every minute and live it like there won’t be any more time. Monday June 14th the John Day Senior Center delivered 51 fresh meals and 79 frozen meals into our community to those who cannot get out to pick up their own, and 14 meals were picked up at the door. That is a lot of food and is fantastic that we have the privilege to serve others and meet their needs. Greg Starr, Mary Ellen Osborne and Carol Roe were Attending the door when lunchers came to pick up their food. On Thursday the 17th, 28 meals were picked up at the door and Greg Starr and Carol Roe were there to greet everyone. We are now using recyclable earth friendly freezer friendly, microwave safe and dishwasher safe dishes to serve the food in that is placed in the to go bags to be delivered or picked up. After using the food from these dishes, rinse them out and return them when you get a lunch again. This saves you from filling up your trash and saves us from purchasing more. That said A BIG Thank you is appropriate to give to Krista Sheedy and her 3 daughters that come each week to wash these dishes and sterilize them so we can reuse them safely. Thank you, ladies for this gracious service. I will learn each name better as time goes on. Thursday June 24th we will be dining on Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Veggies, and Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars for dessert. That is a mouthwatering meal for sure. Then on Monday June 28th our meal will consist of: Chili Cheese Fries, Green Salad, Fruit, and Monster Cookie Bars for dessert. That’s a down to earth meal in my thinking. Good food. All that is missing is company to share it with. Today when I walked into the grocery store from the sidewalk, the door at the end opened and it actually made me feel like we are on our way out of the pandemic. The news is telling us there is another trend of that coronavirus spreading throughout the US. The more of us that get vaccinated, the less it will be able to spread. Sol once again, we all have a part in this; no one is excluded, so get on the wagon and do your part to help all of us stay safe. Thanks to all of you for doing your part. Even the scriptures give us instruction and good news; Here is one with peace as the reward: Psalm 121:8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in from this time forth, and even forever more. We had a fabulous lunch created by our cooks, Terry Cade and Carrie Jewell. They made us BBQ beef sandwiches, Soo Yukawa curly fries, cole slaw, and chocolate cookies for our dessert. I like to put the cole slaw in the sandwich and then added some more BBQ sauce with it, along with some mustard. Yum, yum. We thank our cooks for their efforts. Kristi Guimont filled out the paperwork. Bob Cockrell and Jan Ensign faithfully served in counting the money and Sylvia Cockrell delivered the meals to the patrons at the door. We thank all our volunteers for their support and work. The weather seems to be getting hotter each day. Praise the Lord for the sunshine that makes our garden grow. I am still going to pray for more rain. Nothing is impossible for our Mighty God. So, while doing chores, I saw my son sitting by the driveway looking at something. I asked him what he was doing. He told me that he was observing some red ants fighting with some black ants and that the red ants were carrying off some of the larvae of the black ants and he wanted to know where they were taking them. LOL. I just burst out laughing. I just loved the fact that my son was enchanted and being entertained observing ant wars and that he was not inside playing video games or watching t.v. That was another example of loving the life out here in the country. I might have to tell my son about the time when I was his age and I was trying to burn the ants with a magnifying glass. Ha. It might give him ideas…hmm. I bought a new baby Nigerian Dwarf goat. I have not named him yet. I needed to introduce some new blood to my breeding does. He is still small and he is not too friendly. I tried to lure him with some goat treats and he was not interested. I just got jumped on by all my other goats. I think I might name him Yoshi. I am definitely going to have a bumper crop of raspberries this year. They are just loaded with little berries at this time. I think I am going to be mixing raspberries with rhubarb to make jam. If I feel really ambitious, maybe I will dehydrate some too, maybe. Some deer has been visiting my front yard. It has been nibbling on some of my fruit trees. Grr. That makes me very mad. It needs to be chased off and never come back. Seriously, there are lots of other things it could be munching on. If I see it out there one of these early mornings, I am going to have to get one of the dogs to chase it off. I found the evidence of the nibbling while watering the trees. I had success in drying the first batch of raspberry leaves for tea. I just need to try it now and see how it tastes. Hosea 4:1 Hear the Word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: For the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. Prairie City Seniors John Day Seniors Monument Seniors the mortgage process, where a lender provides a ballpark esti- mate of how much a buyer can afford for a home. Lindsey said people should look at a house immediately if they are interested. “If you see a house go look at it that day. Don’t waste time,” she said. Michal said the days of taking time and thinking about a house before making an offer are long gone. At least in Grant County. “You could think about a house for six months and take your time and it’d be fine,” Michal said. “But if you’re think- ing about buying you better be pre-approved because sellers won’t even look at an offer with- out a pre-approval.” Lindsey said picking an agent is critical because they can keep a buyer updated on new home listings. Michal said an agent could help buyers wade through the complexities of a sale from begin- ning to end — from the financing to the negotiations and everything in between. “It is stressful, and there can be issues,” Michal said. “And so we’re just there to help them get through all of the hurdles.” BIOSMILE Family, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry 165 NW 1st St., John Day 541-575-0363 Open Monday-Thursday DrJ@BiosmileDental.com We offer a wide range of primary care and medical treatment. Zachary Bailey, MD • David Hall, MD • Raffaella Betza, MD Zachary Bailey, MD • Janessa Sickler, DO • Emily Lieuallen, DO • Janessa DO • Emily DO Nora Healey, FNP • Sickler, Erika Adams, FNP-C Lieuallen, • Caitlin MacCoun, MD • Nora Jennings, Healey, FNP Clark, DNP Brian MD • Shawna Robyn Jennings, MD Available Monday - Friday 180 Ford Road, John Day • 541-575-0404 Huffman’s SELECT MARKETS Quality Healthcare ...close to home. 170 Ford Road John Day 541-575-1311 112 E. 5th Prairie City 541-820-3341 422 W. Main, 1st floor • John Day If you have any questions or think you know of someone who might benefit, call: 541 575.1648 241 S. Canyon Blvd. John Day • 541-575-0529 T roy Hanson - Funeral Director S241869-1 S249755-1