Last night, a friend forwarded me this link. It's of a woman named Susan Boyle auditioning on Britain's Got Talent. I've since watched it about 10 times and have been thinking about it all day. It's truly AMAZING! Click on this link only if you want to be inspired... And make sure you have a tissue nearby!
Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 (With Lyrics)
Source: www.youtube.com
On Wednesday, March 11th, 2009, President Obama signed HR 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. Among the bill's many provisions, is one that affects us all. Banks are now permanently prohibited from getting involved in real estate brokerage and property management.
This obviously benefits us in that banks won't be able to squeeze us out, but it also benefits our clients. As agents, we work for them and watch out for their interests, instead of the banks' bottom line.
The National Association of Realtors has fought for this for the past eight years. We should all celebrate this great victory! The NAR website has some great information on their website about this bill and what it means for real estate. http://www.realtor.org/banks_and_commerce.nsf/Pages/banks_in_real_estate?OpenDocument
Recently, my 6 year old son’s best friend taught him a new trick. How to climb the walls. Literally. The hallway from the entryway to the kitchen is fairly narrow and the boys place one foot and one hand on either wall and climb up to the ceiling. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for my walls to look filthy.
When is the last time you really looked at your walls? When you live in a house, wear and tear happens gradually and you may not even notice it a first. If you want to sell your house, it’s time to take a critical look at your walls because potential buyers certainly will!
The first thing to do is to take a cleaner like the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It really does work like magic, and no they did not pay me to say that! The generic ones work pretty well, too. I've got 6 kids so I've used them a lot. They are great at removing crayon, markers, dirt, and the occasional "what-the-heck-is-that?"
Once you start, you may find yourself noticing all kinds of flaws; chipped paint on doors, cabinets, and moldings; nail holes where pictures used to hang, etc. Touch-up the paint, a little bit of putty, and “orange-peel” spray to re-do the texture, can do wonders towards making a room fresh and clean.
Or you can do what I did. I painted the hallway in beautiful new color to match the entryway! Go for it! Just make sure the color is contemporary! But I'll save that for another post. Right now I have to go unclog a toilet! No, I'm not kidding!
As if homeowners facing foreclosure are not under enough stress, people from both ends of the political spectrum have been quick to blame the current economic crisis on people who are in trouble. Kelsey Grammer calls them evil-doers. Rush Limbaugh calls them losers. President Obama says they got mortgages they knew they couldn't afford.
As an agent who has worked with several distressed homeowners, I can tell you that at least for my clients, none of these ridiculous charicatures are true.
I guess we expect that they should have had a crystal ball and predicted an economic downturn that would eventually cost them their jobs, cause their homes to lose value, and make it nearly impossible to re-finance out of their adjustable rate mortgages. This in spite of the fact that very few people in government saw this coming.
I, for one, am very tired of the name-calling. When did it become fashionable to kick people when they're down? Enough, already!
Simply Outrageous Service! Not Outrageous Commissions!
We are both Washington natives and love living and working in the Northwest. Working with The Cascade Team gives us the opportunity to offer service that is second to none while saving homeowners thousands of dollars! Since we work as a team, our clients get two committed agents for the price of one!
For sellers, we will advise you on current market conditions; guide you through the process for preparing your home to sell (including offering a free professional staging consultation); help you decide on the right asking price; and make your transaction as smooth as possible.
For buyers, we will start by helping you understand the process of buying a home; listen carefully to get to know you, your needs, and your lifestyle; and then we will help you sort through the vast array of home choices to find you the home you will love!
If you are ready to get started or if you would just like to ask some questions, give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to help!
We work with all buyers and sellers, as well as specializing in several ways:
"I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Erika Kahler of the Cascade Team Real Estate
office for her tireless effort from the beginning to very end of my search for and purchase of my home. I
have worked with numerous Real Estate agents in the past and none have impressed nearly as much as
Erika with her effective time management skills, attention to detail, responsiveness, dedication,
professionalism, and personal touch. She must be a great asset to your real estate team as I would be
honored to have such qualities in an employee on my team. Because of Erika, I found a home that met
the difficult standards I expressed to her and secured an agreement in a tough market and made that
agreement stick despite numerous setbacks. In my opinion she went above and beyond the call of duty
yet without her personal care and dedication to helping her client reach their goals this transaction
would have failed in the hands of a lesser agent. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! You’re the Best! I
will refer your service to my friends and family with confidence." William J. Scott
“Erika is a very thorough agent with an eye for the details. Her clients enjoy working with her and she represents them well in every transaction.” - Doug Young
"Corey is a professional in every sense of the word. He is accessible, caring, trustworthy, and talented. I have known Corey in a number of capacities since 1994. I have always found him to be personable, professional, polite and purposeful... He treats everyone with great respect and they feel it. He is professional in his dealings and approach.." - Kathy Lambert, King County Councilmember
“Erika is a top notch agent. She has excellent client relationship skills, is a fantastic negotiator and displays great attention to detail. I am happy and honored that she is part of The Cascade Team!" - Cary Porter
"Corey should be characterized by his high degree of professionalism but if you are meeting him, that is a given. Where Corey really shines is, the way he works with people, often difficult ones. His problem solving skills and his ability to stay "unruffled" when all those about him are in a dither is wonderful. Kindness and consideration were coupled with gratitude to make him easy to work with..." - Leanna Benn
"I would recommend Erika to anyone for all your real estate needs. She is professional and efficient; she stayed on top of the transaction at all times." - Scott Cartwright
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