Brainerd, MN

In reading a blog on the net , I came across the idea of the 50% Space to Stuff Ratio This was new to me but may be old stuff to some of you.

The concept is that you are to evaluate the floor space in your home. If it is almost completely covered, there is no room left for new opportunities to come in. Reduce what is on it by 50% and there will be room for movement and the ability to change out what you want for now and for the future. When you have an open house and there are a lot of people in the room - they need to be able to get around.

Then when you bring in something new, something old goes away - far away- permanently.

This will help considerably with your organizing, as there will be less to organize. Once your home is ready to be sold, you will not have all your stuff to deal with. What is left is what you really want to keep and/or need.

This may help in explaining things to clients about how much to remove before staging.

Once again, it is 50% available space to how much stuff is in that space, for some you may need to give a 75% figure. Men probably like this numbers concept better than most women, we go more by how it looks.

Here in the Brainerd Lakes of Minnesota, 2 special corn fields have been silently growing and planning for the Fall. Soon these innocent looking fields will be sculpted and designed into twisty labyrinths for the sole purpose of making you walk in circles. You can spend an afternoon winding your way through the towering stalks and the evening on a hayride drinking cider. There are special days for families with small children and appropriate age crafts. Several nights will be for those who like a little excitement with their confusion. Scary creatures will inhabit the maze ready to make it a screaming adventure.

"Our labyrinth of twists, turns, and dead ends, carved into a 14 foot high cornfield, offers an experience that is perfect for those searching for adventure.

Near Halloween, what was a dark, quiet, gentle maze becomes a field of screams, with ghosts and goblins added for your late night spooking pleasure!"

Support local farms in your area and enjoy our Autumn Season. To learn more about corn mazes visit Corn Maze Directory.

Beautiful Farm & Lake Properties for sale ..........

On my drive up from Minneapolis/ St Paul (Twin Cities) in Minnesota I was driving by Farm Properties like this everywhere. Word has it nothing is selling because once again the Banks don't want to finance anyone interested i purchasing these properties.

If the Banks are not financing people to purchase properties in Northern Minnesota and they go back to the Bank creating a for-closer, what good is this for our economy?

This photograph (above) is just one of hundreds of thousands of Lake properties in Northern Minnesota that will go back to the Bank foreclosed.

Once again all I can say is (Shame on the Banks)!

And this is one of the main reasons I would never use a Bank to purchase property, I would pay cash or go with owner financed!

Here is a photograph of the view from the Lake home (above) and to think it will be going back to the bank makes me sick to my stomach!

All photographs taken by Robert Swetz in Northern Minnesota 9-26-2009

www.SearchMyPics.com

www.LakeOwner.com

www.VegasPropertiesForSale.com

I am signing up for a Webinar sponsored by the National Association of REALTORS and am thinking how sad it is that we need to even consider these issues. Although I have not had any trouble or even felt uncomfortable at a showing or an open house, I know others who have. I have also heard of robberies, rapes and murders of agents. I am not naive enought to consider that this could not happen in my area. It Could! I am going to do what I can to prevent it from happening to me. To sign up for the free Webinar go to NAR and sign in.

Attend the Free REALTOR® Safety Webinar from NAR: Safety at Open Houses

Your safety is a top priority for NAR and as part of a year-long initiative to help build safety awareness, NAR will host REALTOR® Safety Webinars each quarter led by safety expert Andrew Wooten. The first in the series, Safety at Open Houses, is scheduled for Monday, September 14, 2009 at 10am Central. Advanced registration is recommended.

Photo FLICKR

Tell your parents, your children, your friends, your clients, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain.

It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around... after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that! And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. I always have my keys out in the Mall of America ramp or the hospital ramps in the cities.

For someone working outside in their yard - who falls or starts to feel ill (heart attack) - push the button. Those living in secluded or rural areas are on their own, but even where I live - if the neighbors knew "the signal" could hear a honking horn across 80 acres.