To Do Today
Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). You'll not only save energy, you'll avoid scalding your hands.
Check if your water heater has an insulating blanket. An insulating blanket will pay for itself in one year or less!
If you have one of those silent guzzlers, a waterbed, make your bed today. The covers will insulate it, and save up to one-third of the energy it uses.
Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers.
Survey your incandescent lights for opportunities to replace them with compact fluorescents (CFLs). These lamps can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. The best targets are 60-100W bulbs used several hours a day. New CFLs come in many sizes and styles to fit in most standard fixtures.
Check the age and condition of your major appliances, especially the refrigerator.
You may want to replace it with a more energy-efficient model before it dies.
Clean or replace furnace, air-conditioner, and heat-pump filters.
This Week
Visit the hardware store. Buy a water-heater blanket, low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, and compact fluorescents, as needed.
Rope caulk very leaky windows.
Assess your heating and cooling systems. Determine if replacements are justified, or whether you should retrofit them to make them work more efficiently to provide the same comfort (or better) for less energy.
Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the biggest bill for energy conservation remedies.
Crawl into your attic or crawlspace and inspect for insulation. Is there any? How much?
Insulate hot water pipes and ducts wherever they run through unheated areas.
Seal up the largest air leaks in your house-the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors, but utility cutthroughs for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out where the worst cracks are.
All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door, without you ever knowing it!
Install a clock thermostat to set your thermostat back automatically at night.
Schedule an energy audit (ask your utility company or state energy office) for more expert advice on your home as a whole.
This Year
Insulate. If your walls aren't insulated, have an insulation contractor apply blown-in insulation (cellulose or fiberglass) to the walls. Bring your attic insulation level up to snuff.
Replace aging, inefficient appliances. Even if the appliance has a few useful years left, replacing it with a top-efficiency model is generally a good investment.
Upgrade leaky windows. It may be time to replace them with energy-efficient models or to boost their efficiency with weatherstripping and storm windows.
Have your heating and cooling systems tuned up in the fall and spring, respectively. Duct sealing can also improve the energy efficiency and overall performance of your system (warm-air furnace and central air conditioners).
Know that you are making a difference!
David Lee Morton
Your Myrtle Beach Realtor
704-345-7218
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We love Italian food and Irish music, and even Scottish Bag Piping so we attended the North Myrtle Beach 6th Annual Irish Italian International Festival. The City of North Myrtle Beach and the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic and Fitness Center hosted the festival. This event brings approximately 20,000 people to North Myrtle Beaches, Main Street to celebrate different cultures.
The festival had local favorite and from dozens of local restaurants and they all feature their specialty foods but we did not buy food but it really smelled great!
Admission and parking was free to the festival and that is always a plus with my family of five. My girls’ favorite were the inflatables, they had a ball!
Dancing, Yes, I did lots of dancing, I did the Electric Slide with The Necessary Band, you should have seen it, WOW what a workout! Music is always a big part of the festival and this year was no different, there were a lot of great performers.
Come on down and purchase a home and you too can attend the many festival throughout the year here in the Myrtle Beach Area.
Here are a few pictures of my family enjoying the festival.
Thanks,
David Lee Morton, "Your Myrtle Beach Realtor"
704-345-7218
yourmyrtlebeachrealtor@gmail.com
People assume that they can simply 1) buy a house, 2) apply a fresh coat of paint, 3) trim some bushes, and then 4) resell the home at a profit. Well, this process is not that easy. If it were, everyone would be flipping homes. There are skills and people that every potential investor should have in place before entering into a real estate transaction of this nature. Here are the top five "got to-haves" you'll need to be successful in this endeavor so here is what you need.
While you can do it alone, it would certainly help to retain a Realtor like me, and other individuals that are familiar with the legal, accounting and construction ramifications of flipping houses.
Flippers typically work against the clock, so they must renovate a home on budget and then turn it around and sell it before the financing costs eat up their profits. In any case, a bevy of experts including your real estate agent, me, David L. Morton, a lawyer, a contractor or renovator, an accountant, a home inspector and an insurance agent can ensure that the work is completed in a timely and efficient manner.
The flippers that make the most money buying and selling homes tend to be handy people. That is, they have the ability to step in and lend a helping hand when time or money constraints kick in. Most flippers can do things like change a sink, install a countertop, do basic electrical or plumbing work, and/or shingle a roof.
Why is being handy so important?
The obvious answer is that if you can do the work yourself, you won't have to pay someone to come in and do it. However, there are other advantages to being handy as well. For example, there are times when it will be impossible to get an electrician to install an attic fan on short notice. There are also times when a job must be completed without warning at the last second in order to obtain a certificate of occupancy. In these instances, having the ability to navigate your way around a tool box is very valuable.
The buyer should know about the area in which they are buying property. A buyer should know, for example, what characteristics (acreage, number of rooms, type of home, etc) are the most desirable in the area in which they are looking to buy. Equally important is knowing what houses in the general vicinity have sold for and if there is likely to be any future development in the community (such as a new school, condominium or shopping center) as this could affect supply and demand.
By definition, house flippers attempt to buy a property and then resell it at a profit in relatively short order. In order to do this, however, the flipper must typically make some structural and/or cosmetic changes to make the property more appealing to the next buyer.
If the flipper underestimates the costs associated with the remodel he or she may be exposed to large monetary losses. Therefore, a flipper should be familiar with construction materials (their use and their cost), as well as local construction codes, the cost of local labor and the time it should take to do a given job.
This is no small feat. In fact, it takes even the most seasoned construction professional many years before he or she is aware of all the nuances that exist. In any case, before becoming involved in "flipping", be certain of your abilities to estimate a job in terms of both cost and time.
One mistake often made in making money in the real estate market is that buyers tend to overpay for a given property. So slow down and be patience.
Why do buyers overpay?
Most buyers become emotionally attached to a property or develop some other bond with it, which in turn forces them to enter into a contract on less than favorable terms.
However, savvy flippers have the ability to avoid emotional purchases, and the desire to find diamonds in the rough and properties on the cheap. They also understand that if they aren't buying a property at a favorable price and with favorable terms, it makes sense to simply move on to greener pastures.
The bad news is that patience is a difficult virtue to teach and hone. In general, either you have it or you'll lose a lot of money trying to learn it.
While quitting your job and becoming a full-time house flipper may sound like an attractive proposition, be sure that you have these five "musts" before investing in a real estate project and be sure to visit me for all your MYRTLE BEACH HOME needs.
David Lee Morton , "Your Myrtle Beach Realtor"
704-345-7218
yourmyrtlebeachrealtor@gmail.com
Are you looking for Mexican cuisine that doesn't require a trip south of the border? Look no further. La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant brings the hospitality and specialty cuisine of Mexico to Myrtle Beach SC. There is something about authentic Mexican cuisine you can't beat!
Tucked in a little corner of at 5711 Dick Pond Road (Food Lion Shopping Center) and one at 2132 Oak Heart Road(Piggly Wiggly Shopping Center in Carolina Forest) in Myrtle Beach, SC is what real home made mexican food is all about. This Family owned businees knows what service is all about. The service is always quick and friendly, the food is always fresh, scrumptious and made by the best hands.
My personal favorite is the enchiladas with beans and rice. Their Margaritas are awesome too; I had one today at the very low price of $2.99. Go check them out and tell them David L. Morton sent you over.
Vaya Con Dios!
David L. Morton
Broker/ Realtor
704-345-7218
WOM marketing is appealing to business owners because it costs very little to execute and can return record-setting sales, lower customer acquisition costs and more. Imagine arriving at your office to find a line of people outside your door; they've heard about you or service and can't wait to get started with their search for a home! That's the power of WOM.
There are five basic steps that all word of mouth marketing campaigns share:
Let's take a closer look.
Talkers are not your target customers; instead, they are the people that talk TO your buyers. By way of example, Ferrari's talkers are not car owners, but 14-year old boys who read car magazines.
The Topic is what everyone is buzzing about. This is not your tagline, your brand message or even the name of your store. Your topic should be portable, repeatable and emotional.
In Chicago, there's a deli called Perry's which is quite well known. For starters, Perry's sandwiches are enormous; they may in fact be bigger than the famous corned beef sandwich you find at Carnegie's Deli in New York. But that's not the only reason people talk up Perry's. The other buzz-worthy bit is that Perry will kick you out of his restaurant if your cell phone rings. He doesn't care if you're an MD or a Judge on an important trial - no phones - period. Inevitably when you're there some poor diner's phone will ring and the shenanigans that ensue are the epitome of buzz.
Tools enable people to easily share with others. Make it easy for friends to talk about you. That might create a blog, or establishing a fan base on Facebook. It can be as simple as adding a Forward to a Friend button on your next email campaign.
To Take Part means to engage in the discussion. If you have a blog and someone comments on it, it's okay to post a thank you note. Has someone given you a negative review on Yelp or a similar service? Chime in, apologize, or solicit more information. Being present means being visible.
Finally, we all know we need to Track our efforts. Andy's point here is more about noticing when something is working - when something you've done is in fact generating buzz so you can keep doing it!
I would add a sixth T for Tinker. To find WOM marketing success you need to experiment. You may have the greatest idea that falls flat only to trip over something your summer intern did that has people talking. Keep trying, keep your ears and eyes open, and have fun!
There are loads of WOM success stories online - share your favorites with us!
David L. Morton
704-345-7218
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David L. Morton is a Realtor for NC/ SC area. Serving your real estate needs for over 15 years.
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