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.
Most buyers are looking for a well-maintained house in apple pie order. 
They will be looking to buy as much house as they can get and still leave a little dough for changes to adapt things to their personal taste. That doesn't mean that they will be looking to dive right into major home improvements, because they won't. The down payment on your home will take most of their savings. After the monthly mortgage payments, taxes and insurance, there is no room in their budget for major repairs. Many buyers today will not consider a house that needs remodeling and improvements, they do not need to as there are plenty of move in ready homes available. Those buyers who will are called flippers and need to buy property as cheaply as possible to make needed repairs and enhancements and still clear a profit. Nothing personal - it is their business.
Your house will stand a better chance of selling if it has an up-to-date kitchen, an up-to-date bathroom and shows the signs of regular maintenance. Inside and outside everything should be in good repair. Fresh paint improves the curb appeal of any house, along with blooming flowers and a nicely cropped green lawn. Cleanliness, both inside and out will make a good impression on the buyer. Clean out the gutters and downspouts, pull out all weeds, put fresh mulch around trees and in flower beds. Pressure wash the sidewalks and siding, if it will stand up to it. Go the distance and the reward will be much greater.
A young teenager in our youth group wrote this poem about her new much younger brother and sister. For those of you who are adoptees or have siblings that are - this expressed what I have found is a common thread. Fear, resentment, acceptance - love.
Adoption
You came into my life I didn’t really know you.
You came here to stay, but yet it felt like our old life was so far away.
I wanted you to stay.
But I wanted you to leave.
But the more I got to know you, the more I got to love you.
The more I got to see you, the less I was afraid.
Afraid of losing the only thing I had,
You know that it was truly hard for me to share my mom and dad.
But then I had to realize I truly had to see,
That there was more to our home now then just me.
I got to spend some time with you, and you asked me questions,
So now each and everyday I get to watch you grow and grow.
I miss you when I’m gone.
I miss you when you’re near.
I love it when we play.
And we go camping in your bedroom.
I love to read to you, and hear your little voice.
I wish that I could understand you more,
But sometimes it’s hard to think twice.
I know that it will still take time to love each other more.
And even when I am grown and gone.
I pray that our relationship will still stand strong.
Picnics in the backyard.
Flowers in a hand.
I know that I will forever love you,
The more and more we stand.
Walking down the street.
Playing in the sand.
Waiting for you to fall asleep.
Or maybe just holding your hand.
I wish that you could understand just how I feel for you.
This poem is my exact thoughts from the moment I first saw you.
I love you more then yesterday but less then tomorrow.
Swimming at the beach,
Castles in the sand,
Good times,
Bad times,
Wishing for more time that we could always have.
Brother and Sister, I love you and I pray all the time, that God would bring us closer all the time. I am so happy that you guys are now ours, and that you are here to stay, so we can hold you in our arms. I didn’t really understand that when you first came that you would stay forever. And I know that there have been times when I did not want you to stay. But now all those thoughts have gone away. I love you and will never want you guys to leave. I love being your big sister. I hope that you feel the same.
I love you guys.
I see suggestions on Trulia and other sites from well meaning people who seem to think that by watching HGTV, you too can stage your own home. Only 10% of the population can visualize something other than what they are seeing, so you are rare. To top that off, you already have your home how you like it - right. That is the other problem - it is not about you any longer - it is all about getting prospective buyers in the door and to the purchase agreement table. If they do not like the online photos -they won't come to see it. Even worse if there are none.....
If they do not like the view from the road - they will drive on. There are so many other homes to see- why waste time? Are you willing to risk what is perhaps your biggest asset?
If you are serious about selling your home in the Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota - then contact the team that can take you all the way to Sold and in get there in Style with much less Stress.
A complimentary staging consultation for each of my signed listings, furniture and accessories available for my vacant listings and a virtual tour and flyers for all listings.
We do things differently and it works.
Kathleen Lordbock
REALTOR/Staging Specialist
218-829-0339
Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota
Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes
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.
 |
|
|
Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Brainerd/Baxter, Minnesota ~The staging and selling team~ MN license # 40142464
REALTOR/Staging Specialist - Kathleen Lordbock
Stager/Organization Specialist -Allison Lordbock
Artist and Cabinetry Designer - Ashley Lordbock Bast
I have been staging homes to sell and redesigning interior spaces for years. As a former teacher and coach , I know how to get you motivated and moving towards making your home show well and become more desirable to buyers. Our team is ready to help you make the most of your home - adding in that wow factor to sell faster and higher.
As a Keller Williams REALTOR I will give your property maximum exposure on the internet, which is where 85% of the buyers are looking first.
Home Staging Expert , A Staging Diva Graduate and a staging instructor for Kaplan Professional Schools, member of the Greater Lakes Association of REALTORS & MLS ,Northstar MLS, National Association of REALTORS..
We have taken homes from the "I don't know" stage to the "I love it" emotional level. People shop with logic and buy with emotion Wouldn't you like to have that working for your listing? After staging, a home is easier to maintain for showings - making life less stressful for both the agents and sellers.
Bedroom before staging
After shot of staged bedroom
Providing home staging and home selling services in the Central Minnesota area. For buyers , we have an background in both design and construction to help you visualize the potential in any property.
~Member of the Real Estate Staging Association and the Staging Excellence Alliance~
Bathroom Before Staging
Bathroom After Staging
Entry Before Staging
Entry After Staging
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
