Friday fun

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. In the past few weeks, I have read numerous articles about how wonderful it is to write property descriptions using AI (artificial intelligence)

I played around with it myself and it doesn’t seem all that intelligent. It has a tone that just doesn’t work for me. Some agents claim that ChatGPT is a game changer for them. If they use it often it should be a game changer for me.

Over the years I have seen it all. Descriptions are written in all capital letters with plenty of abbreviations. Most of the common abbreviations come from a time when real estate for sale was advertised in the newspaper. Space was expensive and we had to make each letter count.

With technology, there are all sorts of concerns. Is it ethical to use AI to describe a rambler? Do agents have to disclose to their clients that they use AI? Is the AI content we generate considered original or is it fair for anyone to use it? For example, can I just copy and paste someone else’s AI-generated marketing into my own marketing piece?

There are already experts teaching real estate agents what the best practices are for creating property descriptions using AI. There are no best practices yet, which means the instructors can make it up as they go and make a few bucks too.

In most cases, AI won’t create property descriptions or marketing that are worse than what is already out there.  . . but it could.

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. This is the first Friday in February which means we are making progress. Yesterday was groundhog day. In case you missed it the little rodent saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter for people who live in warmer parts of the country and ten more weeks of winter for Minnesota.

The best we can hope for here in the bold north is an early spring which means at least 8 more weeks of winter. Meteorological spring starts on March first which is something to think about while shoveling snow in March or while enjoying one of those artic cold fronts in late March.

Let’s just hope that mother nature is kind to us this year and that we see Crocus in late March rather than a foot of fresh snow in mid-April . . . . now that I think about it we could end up with both.

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Except for the rain this week, we are experiencing a real Minnesota winter. Some folks have forgotten how to handle the snow.

I was in the hardware store the other day and people came in expecting to be able to buy salt, shovels, and roof rakes. Typically that stuff sells out early in the winter and will be restocked by next fall.

People who have shovels should use them to shovel the sidewalk so that our neighborhoods are walkable once more. The city had done a craptastic job removing snow from the roads so walking in the street isn’t an option this year.

St. Paul residents who do not have shovels can probably borrow one from a neighbor. The same with roof rakes. Many of us have a few shovels and a roof rake too. We would be happy to lend anyone a shovel if they want to use it to clear a sidewalk.

People like to salt their walks instead of shoveling until they run out of salt. They use too much salt which pollutes the water and kills plants.

Sand also works to melt ice and make icy sidewalks less slippery. I use sand to get out when I get stuck in our snowy, icy alley.

We have had more snow already they year than we normally get in an entire winter. It reminds me of the winter of  2011/2012. We survived!

Toughen up buttercups! We got this! We only have 3 more months of winter.

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Today is Friday the 13th. The combination of Friday and 13 is considered to be unlucky and/or scary.  There is even a word for the irrational fear of the number 13 Triskaidekaphobia. It is also the inspiration for movies, books, and blog posts.

Friday the 13th happens at least once and up to three times a year. This year there are two Fridays the 13th, and the next is in October.  In 2025 there is only one and it is in June. I already have my calendar marked for that one. In 2026 there are three of them.

I have worked with hundreds of home buyers over the last 20 years and I can not remember ever writing a purchase agreement on Friday the 13th. I guess it is an unlucky day for me.