Foothills Sentry February 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 14 February 2021 Open houses: gone for good? If you’re thinking about making a move, you’re probably already starting to declutter, taking personal photos off the wall and thinking about how your home will show -- and where to go while having your first open house. For years, the traditional open house was a great way to an- nounce to the public that a home was for sale in a particular neigh- borhood, with directional open house signs placed strategically on corners, flags and balloons waving in the sun and a friendly realtor there to greet you upon ar- rival. As of late January, open houses are still NOT allowed in our lo- cal market. That’s right. Due to the safety guidelines, realtors are no longer allowed to hold open houses. I’m sure you’ve noticed that since mid-last year, you were not seeing those stunning open house signs on every corner and there was no knock on your door or a flyer on the knob from a re- altor announcing their upcoming open house. A question I have been asked many times over my 19-year ca- reer is, do open houses work? That’s a great question, and a little tricky to answer. For years, a common answer would be that the success rate of your home selling to someone just walking in due to an open house sign was about 2 to 3%, and that it only takes one perfect buyer to fall in love. Having done hundreds of open houses, I always ask one question of a perspective shopper. I say welcome to our open house, how did you find us, from our open house signs or on the internet? The most common answer over the last few years has been, on the internet. Listing agents have a tool to announce open houses, and the times we will be there so eager buyers can plan their days to visit a home. They’ve already seen the photos and know the ask- ing price. So, do open houses work? Sure they do. They allow a buyer who might not have had the chance to see the home otherwise, to see it and possibly make an offer. Are open houses gone for good? I don’t think so. We’ll just have to wait until everyone is good and ready. Thanks for reading, until next month stay positive and test nega- VP Rotary Club provides district grant to grow food The Rotary Club of Villa Park, led by its vocation chair Charlie Gallagher, provided a $5,500 Ro- tary District Grant to Solutions For Urban Agriculture (SFUA), which grows food to sustain healthy communities. SFUA collaborates with local food banks, farmers, chefs, other nonprofits and entities. As an ad- visory board member for SFUA, Gallagher was able to combine his passions for both nonprofits with a project called “Food Gar- dening – Empowering those in need, with the tools to succeed.” The goal of SFUA is to enhance the educational experience at the 1-1/3-acre “Farm & Food Lab,” an outdoor education center lo- cated at the Great Park in Irvine. With funds from the Rotary District Grant Program, SFUA and Villa Park Rotarians were able to purchase soil amendment, nutrients, seeds and hand tools, to transform 4,000 sq. ft. of under used ground into productive and educational raised bed gardens. This allows for hands-on educa- tion for the public and elementary school tours, but will also con- tinue to generate nutrient-dense produce for the local food bank. This project is an example of the work Rotary does to help Treat? Or remove? What should I do? That is a question I hear often from my clients and tree owners. Many times, it’s a mix of frustration and concern. In 1972, the psychologist Jerome Kagan theorized that uncertainty resolution was one of the fore- most determinants of our behav- ior. For many of us, xenophobia, or the “fear of the unknown” is a very real thing, and we would go to many extremes to satiate that void of knowledge. Early on in my career, I, too, wanted defini- tive answers and dedicated count- less hours of research to reach concrete explanations. Thankfully, my subjects were the best of teachers. They were patient, unwavering and gave me clues along the way. For in- stance, I had trees of which I was convinced would not sur- vive nor respond to treatments. The damage seemed far too great to imagine a silver lining; how- ever, for research’s sake, I stuck to the science and gave it my all. Surprisingly, a year later the tree displayed a healthy, green and vi- brant canopy! I could not believe my eyes! Similarly, another tree, which despite all calculations and ef- forts, would not respond. This led us to open the ground, and liter- ally climb into a hole, desperate for answers. Once fully exposed, the Mock Orange’s skeletal root system revealed only a couple small roots, nowhere near close enough a system to support the plant. It didn’t matter what I gave the tree, it wouldn’t comply with our wishes. Being an arborist is much like being a detective at a crime scene, except our witnesses can’t speak. Sometimes the evidence of the culprit is clear, other times it takes hours of meticulous, convoluted exploration of a site to accurately identify the issue. That then leads to a treatment plan that will give us the desired results, based on treatment history, species, site conditions and budget. To summarize: although we are conditioned to have answers and results NOW, our trees need us to be patient. They are on their own time. Secondly: there’s a reason doctors “practice” medicine. Nobody can ever fully predict how a living organism will respond. The best we can do is make recommendations based on science and raw data. The success of our symbiotic relationship with the trees rests in our patience and understanding. “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” The Lorax. communities, and exemplifies the club's motto “Service above self.” A Rotary Club grant will help Solutions for Urban Agriculture grow food to sustain healthy communities.