10 Things I Learned from the “10 Things I Hate About You” Home

 

2715 N Junett St, Tacoma, WA Built in 1905

This home is currently for sale for $1,600,000

 

Quick background: The above home was used in the 1999 movie “10 Things I Hate About You”. The movie’s plot was a modern day adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew”. In 1991, 8 years before the movie was filmed here, I was working as a painter’s apprentice and was assigned the task of stripping this old 5,760 square foot home to prepare it for painting.

 

The current 15+ layers of paint which accumulated during the previous 86 years was in serious disrepair – cracking, peeling, failing – so the idea was to take it all off – right down to the bare wood. Chemical strippers didn’t work and the only solution was a hair-dryer-sized heat gun and a little hand-held hook scraper. 4+ months, working all by myself – heat, heat, heat, scrape, scrape, scrape.

 

Below are 10 things I learned that may help you survive in today’s tough real estate market, and since the movie was based on Shakespeare – it’s only appropriate that I use Shakespeare quotes for the titles. Enjoy.

 

To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first: Staring at the 3 stories of 5,760 square foot home and the little heat gun in my hand, the task was impossible. All I could do was start in. I picked a spot, heated the first 2 square inches, and scraped it off. Then the next 2 inches. Then the next.  The hill would be climbed, 2 inches at a time. What hill do you need to climb? Is there some impossible project that you keep putting off? Why don’t you do 2 inches of it right now?

 

Nothing can come of nothing: There was no question that this was going to be a lot of work. It wasn’t fun or exciting. It was tedious and boring, not to mention potentially dangerous knowing many of those layers of old paint were likely filled with lead, and at times I’d be working high above the ground at odd angles. But this old beauty was not going to restore itself – it was going to take hard work, persistence, and patience. What about you? There are deals being closed right now. If you’re not getting your share, could hard work, persistence, and patience get you there?

 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: It didn’t take long for me to figure out that the scraped-off paint didn’t just float away into nothingness. Not only did I have to scrape it off the house, I had to get rid of it too.  If I didn’t take the time to put down drop cloths to catch the chips and blobs, it would take me 4 times as long to pick the little pieces out of the dirt and off the plants and surfaces below, like the proverbial 2 steps forward / 1 step back. Do you make more work for yourself because you don’t plan ahead and think projects through before you start? Do you have your systems set up that will enable you to capture all the opportunities that come your way?

 

Though this be madness, there be method in it: My little heat gun had a simple thumb-activated “On/Off” switch. It was simple to flip it on and off with little effort.  Too simple, in fact. You see, when the gun was off, I wasn’t heating up any more 2 inch sections of paint to scrape. “Off” meant no progress. If it was too easy to turn off, it was too easy to not work.

So, before I’d start working, I had to wrap masking tape around the handle to keep the switch in the On position. It didn’t need to be held on.  The tape was only there to prevent me from easily turning it off.  Because if it was too easy to turn off, I would. Then I’d mark a target on the wall - a "written goal". Once I reached it, and ONLY once I reached it, would I allow myself a short rest or lunch break. Until then, that gun stayed on. This simple act of discipline literally doubled my progress each day. Have you set up daily and weekly “On” targets for yourself?  Are they written down?  25 phone calls before lunch? Talk to 5 new clients this week or you can’t leave early on Friday?

 

Cowards die many times before their deaths: To reach the upper sections of this home required two 40’ ladders fully extended and a 20’ long, 12” wide plank stretched between ‘em – that was my work surface. It was a long way down to an agonizing and painful death. It was scary – and there was no way to harness myself on and no one around to hear me scream (I hope OSHA’s not reading this). I could barely function up there at first and every little wobble and creaking noise made me wet. And then? After a while, it was absolutely no big deal. I was prancing back and forth on that little plank like I was walking down the sidewalk. I finally realized that if that same plank was on the ground, I wasn’t going to fall off it there, and the plank was no different just because it was 30 feet in the air.

 

What projects are fear keeping you from trying? Are you afraid to cold-call a neighborhood or check in with past not-ready leads?  It’s only scary until you’ve done it a few times, and you’ll likely never be killed or injured doing it. Go for it!

 

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind: The owners bought this home a few years before they hired us to work on it, and it really didn’t look like much. It was big and had a great view of Commencement Bay and Mt. Rainier, but the home hadn’t been well maintained. This was your classic “Buy the ugliest house in a good neighborhood” purchase. But they saw an opportunity to go back to basics (strip all that old, ruined paint and start from bare wood) and restore the original beauty. The real estate market when they purchased this home was not good, yet because they used sound investment principles they did really well. Are you helping your clients take advantage of the opportunities available in this market? Can you find real jewels amongst the common stones?

 

How poor are they that have not patience: This was a huge job for these homeowners to undertake. Not only the paint job, but there were several other areas of the home that needed restoring, and they took it all on one project at a time. And little by little, they transformed the home into a classic beauty. They did it right, took their time over several years, and the results are breathtaking. With patience, they were able to obtain a true dream home to live in, not to mention that their home has increased in value tremendously since they bought it. They did it little by little, project by project. You can apply this principle to your business too. Work to improve your skills and broaden your sphere of influence – little by little, project by project – and soon you’ll be working at your dream job.

 

This above all – to thine ownself be true: There were so many places on the home that were hard to reach and out of view where I could have “cheated” and not done a careful a job. Nobody would have known – until years later when the chances of paint failure could have occurred. But I couldn’t do that. That job was 27 years ago and I still drive by occasionally to see the home. And each time, there is a special pride in knowing that I did that, I gave it my all, and I have no regrets.

 

Treat your clients the same way. Give them the best service you can without taking shortcuts. Always keep in mind that they’ve trusted you to do the job right for them. Don’t let them down! 

Are you true to yourself too? Do you do what it takes to get the job done right – every time? When YOU know that your clients are making a smart choice by choosing you because you aren’t going to let them down, No Matter What, that sense of confidence will come across when they meet you and your competition won’t have a chance.

 

A hose, a hose! My kingdom for a hose! Yes, I know that is supposed to be “A horse, a horse…”, but hose fits better. I had completed 3 sides of the home and was 90% done with the fourth side. Way up at the top of the last side, as I was heating and scraping away, smoke started coming out of a knot hole. My gun had sparked something under the siding 35 feet off the ground! Oh my gosh! I needed water!  Guess what wasn’t on the outside faucet below?  There was no hose. Run around the house – no hose anywhere. Nobody home. No cell phones then – can’t call 911.  I’M GONNA BURN THIS THING DOWN!!! 

 

Running around the neighborhood from house to house – I need a hose! I found one across the street two doors down, borrowed it (as the hose owner yelled at me from his porch), hooked it up, turned on the water – up the ladder I went and somehow got it to stop smoking.  It was a real lesson in safety and caution – having a contingency plan – using common sense in planning. Of course I should have made sure I had a hose available. The only thing amazing was that I got through most of the job before I needed one. Whew!

 

What’s the lesson? For me, it’s “don’t throw files in to underwriting and ‘hope’ they don’t burn up”. Instead, anticipate potential problems ahead of time and be prepared with solutions, alternatives, and compensating factors to quickly douse any flair-ups. What things cause your deals to fall apart? Can you anticipate these problems and make sure you have back up plans?

 

Parting is such sweet sorrow! I was amazed at how emotional I was when I finished that paint job. I had bonded with the home and left knowing that I had absolutely given it my best effort. It was a real lesson – sometimes jobs come to an end. I don’t plan on leaving the mortgage biz any time soon, but I do know that when the day comes when I must quit because time marches on – I want to leave with that same feeling of pride and sorrow that I felt that day when I put away my heat gun and scraper.

 

Every day I work, and every client I work with, deserves my very best. Your life deserves your very best too! Put your best in to it – it’s the only way to truly live.

 

I leave you with a final Shakespeare quote (spoken by Robin Williams playing Teddy Roosevelt in “Night at the Museum”):

 

"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great,

some achieve greatness,

and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

Home Shopping Tips

Congratulations on your preapproval.  As you begin your home shopping, I want to provide you with important and hopefully helpful information along the way so you’ll be a more informed shopper and be better prepared for the closing process. 

While you’re shopping, I’ll email you a series of Home Shopping Tips.  If you have questions along the way, you can always reach out.  I love questions!  It shows me you are actively engaged in finding a home and that means I can complete your home loan soon. 

Many people are afraid that they are “bothering” me when they have questions.  Please don’t feel this way!  Answering your questions and making sure you understand what you are doing is what I do for a living.  It’s okay to make me do my job!

The first and obvious question is, What Is A Preapproval?  A preapproval basically means that I believe you can buy a home that is priced up to a certain amount.  I am basing that belief on your credit report and the information that I’ve gotten from you so far.  I may not have all your information, and some of the information I have may be wrong, so a preapproval is not a guarantee that your loan will actually end up being approved.  But I’m pretty good at what I do so my beliefs are usually pretty good.

The preapproval is your ticket to start shopping for a home.  So start shopping.  But while you’re doing that, we need to do some work to make sure that my belief that you can qualify for a home loan is correct.  So watch your email for lists of items needed for your file and paperwork for you to sign.  The sooner you complete your tasks, the sooner we can know for sure that my belief in you is justified.

Once I get your items, I will be forwarded your file on for an underwriting review.  We don’t need to wait for you to find a property to do this.  The underwriter is the ultimate judge in this process.  Once we satisfy the underwriter that your file is worthy, then we know that you WILL be able to buy a home. 

And since the current market is so competitive, it’s nice when you can tell potential sellers that your credit application has already been fully approved by the underwriter.  That is much stronger than just having a preapproval letter.  Because frankly, many preapproval letters aren’t worth much when they are done by lenders who don’t know what they are doing – and there are a lot of lenders who don’t know what they are doing.  I used to be a lender who didn’t know what I was doing too!  You gotta learn somehow. 

Just tell them they are approved!

Many years ago, my first boss told me, “Just tell them they are approved!  Hopefully you can get the loan done and get paid.  But if you can’t, you just deny them and move on.”  Sad, but true.

There are a lot of shoppers trying to buy the same homes that you are looking at.  Anything we can do to make your offer stronger, we're going to do.  So get your documents in quick and we'll get your file fully approved!

Credit Improvement:  How Long Must This Go On???

A frequent question I get asked about is how long certain things stay on credit reports.  The general answer to that question is that I like to change the question to one that is actually more important, like this:  What are the most important things on my credit report when I’m trying to raise my scores?  And the general answer to that is to pay attention to the MOST RECENT items on your report.  “How Long” isn’t nearly as important as “What’s Happening Now?”  Your credit score will weight the most recent items much heavier than the older items.  So pay most attention to the here and now and your scores will improve.

Still, the “How Long” question can be answered, so here goes:

1. How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on My Credit Report?

Hard inquiries are created every time your credit report is accessed by a business when you apply for credit. For example, your credit would receive a hard inquiry when you apply for a car loan, mortgage, student loan, or credit card.  There are “soft pulls” that go on behind the scenes for various purposes, but these don’t impact your scores.  It is only when you apply for credit that you’ll get hit with a hard inquiry.

Inquiries remain on your credit reports for two years (24 months). However, hard inquiries impact your score for only the first 12 months. After that, they have no impact on your score. The impact on your score during month 12 is far less than in month 1 – again, the more recent the activity the more impact it has.  Usually the impact of the credit inquiry goes away for the most part within a month or two – especially if the credit you applied for was approved!

Beware the “Used Car Salesman” scare tactic:  Don’t get tricked out of comparison shopping when you’re applying for credit.  With mortgages, for example, you have a window of opportunity to apply as many times as you want within a 45 day period without getting dinged for each hard inquiry along the way.  The slimy salesperson who tells you not to shop around because it will ruin your credit score is not your friend.  The Fair Credit Act of 2009 prevents credit bureaus from discouraging you from shopping around.  But don’t make having your credit pulled a habit.  Only do it when you need to have it done and you’ll be fine.

2. How Long Do Credit Accounts Stay on My Credit Report?

Credit accounts refer to all of the accounts for which you hold credit, including credit cards, mortgages, and car loans. Credit scoring models like to see a healthy balance to the types of credit accounts (or “credit mix”) you have and can manage effectively. Negative information on a credit account includes late or missing payments.

Negative account information stays on your credit report for seven years from the date it was first reported as late. If you close the account, the entire account will be removed from your report after seven years. If the account remains open, the negative information will be removed after seven years, while the rest of the account information stays on your report.  Be aware that sometimes the negative information stays on your report for longer than that – for various reasons like the original creditor doesn’t exist anymore.  In cases like this, you file a dispute and it’ll go away – no questions asked.

Positive information, on the other hand, remains on your credit report indefinitely. If you close the account, positive information typically stays on your report for 10 years past the closing date.

3. How Long Do Collection Accounts Stay on My Credit Report?

When you fall behind on making payments on an account, your debt could end up in the collection’s department of that particular company, or sold to an independent collection agency. At this point, the original creditor that sold the debt should not continue to report a balance owed, but you should watch out for duplicate collection accounts.  Again, if you see mistakes on your report, you can file a dispute with the bureaus and have your report corrected.

Collection accounts remain open for seven and a half years from the date the account was delinquent. After that time, it must be removed regardless of when it was paid or when it was placed for collection.

Understanding how collection accounts can affect your credit score is tricky. The most important factor that will affect your credit score when it comes to collections is how recently the collections occurred—the more recent the collection, the lower the score. Multiple collection accounts or lawsuits resulting in judgments can also lower your score.

While there’s no way to tell exactly how much a collection account will affect your credit score, it is one of the higher penalties, so the best course of action is to avoid having accounts sent to collection in the first place.

4. How Long Do Public Records Stay on My Credit Report?

Public records include any of your personal information that becomes public knowledge, including bankruptcies, tax liens, and judgments.

The type of public record will determine how long the information stays on your credit report.

Chapter 7, 11, and 12 bankruptcies stay on your credit report for 10 years from the date filed. Completed Chapter 13 bankruptcies are usually removed after seven years from the filing date.

Tax liens remain on your credit report for seven years from the date filed if they are paid, or indefinitely if they are not. If you settle these accounts, ask that they get removed from your report as part of your settlement.  They usually just want your money and they are usually willing to agree to this stipulation.

Paid judgments remain on your credit report for seven years from the date filed, and unpaid judgments remain for seven years or the governing statute of limitations, whichever is longer. Since unpaid judgments can usually be renewed, these may remain on credit reports for a long time.

There is no way to know exactly how many points your credit score might drop with a public record on file, but the effect of public records on your credit report could be severe.  And with mortgages, there are usually mandatory waiting periods following public records events. 

The Cornerstone of My Business

The Cornerstone of My Business

One of my favorite “Sales” teachers is Dan Kennedy who has taught me so much about how to build a business of “raving fans”.  Dan does not believe in trying to “convince” people to buy your product.  Instead, he teaches you how to provide value and information to people who need you so you can “help” them buy your product.  There is no “selling” involved in this method.  Instead, you focus on helping people and the sales will follow naturally.

He also preaches the need for becoming an expert in small segments of your business.  “Niches to Riches” is phrase used often and I’ve come to believe in that idea wholeheartedly.  Even though I can do most types of loans in this arena called Mortgage Origination, my own niches are Credit Improvement and First Time Homebuyers.

I create a regular stream of business by finding people who need help fixing their credit and helping them become homebuyers.  Along the way, I find plenty of folks who are ready to buy their home now or want to refinance their homes to take advantage of lower interest rates, but it’s the folks who aren’t ready right now – and all they have is a dream and the desire to do what they need to do – that are particularly satisfying to work with. 

Guiding them through how to raise their credit scores and how to deal with collectors so they can get ready to buy a home is the “value and information” I provide, and when they finally get to the point of qualifying for a mortgage loan, who else are they going to go to for their loan?  I get to help people who other mortgage places turn away, and when we’re done, they become my best future-client lead sources.  It’s smart business that has benefitted hundreds of families over the years.

Get $500 In The Bank

You’re trying to get in position to buy a home.  You may have huge outstanding debts or serious credit blemishes on your record.  Maybe collectors are calling you and you’re afraid to answer the phone and it seems every time you get a paycheck that your immediate bills already add up to MORE than your take home pay.

If this sounds like you, or maybe your situation isn’t nearly this severe but things are still tight, the first step to financial freedom and getting yourself ready to buy a home is to start with getting $500 in the bank.  And I don’t just mean that you deposit your paycheck and then spend it.  I mean $500 that sits there, doing absolutely nothing.  Month after month, your bank balance NEVER goes below $500.

And here’s the harsh part of this lesson:  If you can’t do this, you shouldn’t buy a house and you shouldn’t even think about it anymore.

But, I’m not telling you that you have to be able to do this right this minute.  It’s okay to take a few months to get there if you need to.  But start right now getting yourself to this position.  Make it a priority.  Think of it as your first test.  If you can quickly and easily pass this test, you’ll be in good shape to buy your home very, very soon.  If you struggle to pass this test, then realize you’ve got a long battle on your hands to get yourself ready to take on a mortgage.

Sadly, You’re Not Alone…

Why $500?  Well, first of all you should realize that if you don’t have $500 in the bank, you are not alone.  A recent survey revealed that over one-third of adults under the age of 35 did NOT have even $500 in the bank (Percentages improved slightly with older age brackets, but not much).

When you live this way, you know about the devastating effects of overdraft fees, late charges, and the helplessness you feel whenever an emergency strikes – car breaks down, appliance failure, medical emergency, etc.  Any one of these things can wreak havoc on your budget for months before you can catch up again – that is IF another emergency doesn’t hit you again right away too.

We’ll look at ways to build this $500 cushion in upcoming articles, but to get you started, here’s your first assignment: 

When you get your next paycheck, write yourself a check for $100.

Don’t cash the check, but do deduct it from your registry – you’ve now given yourself a $100 cushion in your checking account – enough to prevent bounced checks.  Maybe instead of cashing it, you put it a frame and hang it someplace where you’ll see it often as a reminder of what you’re trying to accomplish?  (If you use a debit card and rely on the ATM balance, you’ll need to mentally subtract this $100 each time you see your balance.)  

Honey?  The Show Starts At 6:45 – Don’t Be Late!

This technique is the same principle my wife uses to make sure I get someplace on time – she’ll tell me something really starts 15-30 minutes sooner than it does, creating a little time cushion, and that way I always seem to show up on time.  So create a little checking account cushion and it’ll likely save you $100’s over the next year in banking fees, and it’ll get you that much closer to buying a home.

How To Get $500 In The Bank – FAST!

In another article, “Get $500 In The Bank”, I told you to write yourself a $100 check without cashing it (hanging it on the wall someplace you can see it everyday for motivation) to create a little cushion in your checking account to prevent bounced checks (and hefty bouncing fees).  This is the first step towards getting $500 in the bank and keeping it there.

I also told you, in a kind of snotty way, that getting this $500 in the bank was the first step towards home ownership, and if you weren’t able to do this first step, then you should give up your dream of owning a home. 

Well, that was down-right RUDE!

Yes, it was rude – but it was also true.  It is easy to preach at you about things you should be doing, but it is quite another to offer practical solutions.  And I’m a practical solution kind of guy.  Step one was to create the cushion in your checking account.  Step two and three are below. 

Three steps ANYONE can do that will put $500 in the bank right away.  So, again, if you can’t manage to get the $500 in the bank – even after I show you this anyone-can-do-it 3-step plan, well, just keep renting and miss out on the most proven wealth-building vehicle (home ownership) that there ever was and ever will be.  (Oops!  I got snotty again there)

Step 2:

Step 2 may seem silly to you, and right off you’ll think, “Oh, that will do me a lot of good – NOT!” but come on!  Just play along!  How many other debt management, wealth-building, how to buy a home articles have you read that haven’t gotten you anywhere?  I’m guessing, quite a few.  But this step is so stinking easy to do, and it will get you STARTED, that you just need to do it.  If you don’t have a pile of cash in the bank right now – then DO THIS!!!

Here’s what you do:  Go through all your coat pockets, cups in the laundry room, dresser drawers, car ashtrays, couch cushions, etc., and gather up all your loose change.  (Loose change?  Are you serious?  Hey, just do it – you’ll be shocked how much change you have.  And it doesn’t even matter how much you have.  37 cents?  $20?  Doesn’t matter.) 

“I’d like to open a savings account with this $2.54…”

Once you’ve gathered up your coins, head to your bank and get some of them free paper coin rollers.  While you’re there, find out about how to open a savings account – any rules you need to know.  Then head home and roll the coins up.  You’ll use this as the opening deposit in your savings account.  (Yes, most banks will let you open a new savings account for as little as $1.00.)

How does this help you?  It gets you started.  You’ve actually taken an action step.  You’ve started to build real momentum.  AND you’ve created a “landing pad” for the next wave of deposits you’ll be creating with Step 3.

Step 3 – Remember, ANYONE Can Do This

In Step 3, you’re gonna part with some junk.  Find your old record albums, cassettes, video games, VHS movies, books, and get ready to sell them.  You can use Ebay or Craigslist or try taking your books to a local half-price book store and see what you can get.  Look for other items that may have some value – old coin collections, jewelry, tools, Boy Scout merit badges.  Get these sold!  (Come on, do you want a house or an apartment filled with junk?)

Don’t stop with just YOUR junk.  Ask your relatives and friends if you can clean out their junk for them – if they know why you’re doing it, they’ll be happy to help you out and provide you with lots of cool stuff.

If you don’t know how to do Ebay, etc. yourself and don’t want to learn (Hey, did you miss that part about “anyone can do this”?) then it is NOT hard to find someone who will sell your stuff for you on Ebay and take 30% of the profit – that’s better than nothing if you just can’t do it yourself for some reason. 

Let Your House Seeds Grow

Your goal is a minimum of $500.  Don’t stop until you get $500 in that new savings account.  Once that $500 is in your savings account - DON”T TOUCH IT!  That $500 is your house “seed” money.  Plant it and it’ll grow into a home.  Pull the seeds out of the ground before they grow, you got nothing but worthless dirt.

What did that take you – a day or two?  Did you enjoy doing it?  Many people supplement their incomes nicely doing Ebay-like selling.  Ebay.com has free tutorials that show you step by step how if you want to learn.  This one skill could get you your house faster than you can imagine.  Something to consider doing more of, but at least do it this one time – it’ll feel like progress!  Do it!!!

The Day the Music Died - Tribute to Harold LeMay

The Summer of 1977.  My little South Tacoma Church – Immanuel Baptist – held a slave auction (not politically correct to call it that today, I know, but that’s what they were called then) to raise money for our youth group.  I can’t even remember what we were raising money for, but I do remember that I donated 40 hours of my labor to the cause.  You wouldn’t guess by looking at me today, but at 16 years of age I was in-shape and a fine athlete, and sure enough, I received the top bid that day - $10 an hour (minimum wage back them was like $2.25, so this was an impressive bid).

My buyer that day was a long-time member of our church, Harold LeMay.  Commonly known as “the Garbage Man”, Harold owned a garbage hauling company in Tacoma.  He gave me an address to report to, told me to wear some work boots and work gloves, and said he’d meet me there to get me started.

At the designated time and place, Mr. LeMay was waiting for me, dressed in his usual red coveralls and holding a shovel.  “I need a ditch dug around this field, 2 feet deep and 4 feet wide.  I figure it’s 40 man hours.  If you get done sooner, I’ll still pay for 40.  You can start here and I’ll be out to check on you later.”  And after pointing out the property lines, off he drove in his old flatbed truck.

Not knowing what the ditch was for, I started digging.  Fortunately, the dirt was pretty soft, so the digging for the most part went pretty fast.  But it was hot – very hot.  The field was overgrown with tall, dead grasses and it surrounded 3 huge, boarded-up chicken coups.  Seemed like a strange assignment, but I dug away at it.

That afternoon, Mr. LeMay came to check up on my progress.  He was pleased and said so.  “But what am I doing this for anyway?” I asked.  Looking back, it would have been easy to tell me something fatherly like, “Because I said so”, but I think he might have felt like my hard work deserved some reward.  So he said, “Let me show you something”, and walked off towards the chicken coups.  I followed fast on his heals.

He unlatched a secret latch and pushed open the barn door.  There before me were hundreds of old cars or parts of cars.  Many were just rusted out old hulks, but others were in pretty good shape.  He stood gesturing at his collection and said, “Can’t let my babies get all rusty, and that ditch will help the field drain.”  I remember instantly falling in love with an old rusty Desoto and its shiny chrome conquistador hood ornament and I can still smell the dust and feel the cracked leather as I crawled behind the wheel to check it out.

A few days later was August 16^th, and as I dug KTAC 850 AM broke the news that Elvis Presley had died.  For two hours, they played a tribute to Elvis while I dug more ditch in 90 degree heat.  At the end of the tribute, DJ “Don Wade in the Morning” played Don McLean’s “American Pie”.  For all 8 minutes and 28 seconds, I sat in silence on the edge of my ditch and listened to the words – the day the music died.  I might have shed a tear or two – or it could have been nothing more that a good face sweat – but whenever I’ve heard that song since then, I am instantly 16 years old, back in that ditch, thinking of Elvis, life’s choices, and Harold LeMay’s chicken coups and old cars. 

I had the same kind of reaction the day I heard that Harold had passed away in Nov. 2000.  At the time of his death, the humble Garbage Man and his wife Nancy had amassed the largest private automobile collection in the world (over 3,000 vehicles – see related story inside).  He lovingly restored those rusted out hulks to their former glory – not because the hulks somehow deserved the second chance, but because he loved providing said chance.  Even then, the heavenly metaphor did not escape my notice.  Undeserved second chances - from garbage to glory. 

Tomorrow, part of Harold's collection goes on display at the LeMay America's Car Museum in Tacoma.  I'm sure at some point I will be visiting this fancied-up display of the history of automobilia.  But I remember Harold differently - his overalls, his flat bed truck, his love of the potential he saw in things.  I'm happy that big fancy museum has finally opened, but I'm even happier that Harold's Spanaway Museum location will remain open and will portray Harold's collection in a much more simple and down to earth manner.  Check out both locations!  And thanks for the memories Harold and Nancy!