GPS, and where in the world is Bret Nida?

As a Realtor who show’s and sells houses from the city of Kenova, WV all the way to Ansted, WV it is imperative that I know where I am going at all times when setting up appointments. If I do not, I will sure act as if I do! Once I have been somewhere once, I will always remember how to get back there (98.9 percent of the time that is). However, there have been a few times where I have not the foggiest idea as to where I was going. Enter Mapquest.com. Granted, this site can be very useful but as we all have probably experienced, it is sometimes not accurate. After several outings of driving around like a chicken with my head cut off, I figured the most logical thing for me to do was to give up the old Mapquest.com and upgrade to the Garmin GPS.

The first few times I used my new magnificent contraptions I had no problems and knew exactly where I was. The lady in that little device told me where to turn and I kindly obliged. However, I started to notice that the further outside of town I went, the more I was being told to turn where there was not a place to turn. “Turn left in 500ft” the little lady in the device said. Looking left, I noticed there was no road at all but just a mere cow trail that led into the woods. I knew my clients might be looking for privacy but a cow path as a driveway and a house in some thickets most likely was not their “home sweet home”

I figured there would be a few glitches in the matrix so I overlooked this one. However, last week was the icing on the cake. I was showing a friend of mine a house with some acreage in Liberty, WV. I was doing business in Huntington that day so I plotted my route from there through Winfield, WV. I thought my route was good to go and I would be smooth sailing (or driving). All was good until the little lady in the contraption said, “ turn right in 500 ft.” Noticing the road was really narrow and most likely a wrong turn, the knot in my head decided that I should follow my blissful path over the hills and past grandma’s house anyways. After crossing five creeks and being on a gravel road for several miles, I passed a nice fellow in a Jeep who flagged me down to ask if the road I was on led to a main road. I told him “This little lady in my Garmin says it does, so good luck brother.” I then gave up on the contraption, started using the sky as my guide, and knew if I headed west I would eventually end up on a main road. After passing through a few sounds of dueling banjos, I did come back to a main road. Swallowing my pride, I eventually asked for directions and made it to my final destination unscathed and with a funny story to tell.

I guess instead of using the Garmin for my sense of direction it would have been best to “Use the Force” as Yoda had instructed me to before I left. From now on I think if I’m venturing outside of the city to show acreage for sale, I may use a combination of MapQuest, Garmin, and most importantly….THE DIRECTIONS THE LISTING REALTOR GAVE ME ON THE MLS PRINTOUT..

**PLEASE NOTE I DO USE THOSE DIRECTIONS BUT I WAS COMING FROM AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THAT’S MY EXCUSE AND I’M STICKING TO IT**