About Polk County, OR

Yes, it's that time of year once again! I understand that we are all in the same boat right now but please do not forget that we do have things to be thankful for. I for one am very thankful the the elections are over and I'll be more thankful when the next couple of months go by and our history making president elect has firmly planted his feet in the white house. I'm also very thankful for the clients I have and the clients I will have in the coming year. ~HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE~

The Big Score by Linda Ferrari Like it or not, credit scores are a major deciding factor in the outcome of our financial futures. High credit scores not only open doors for buying a home and financing cars at preferred rates, they can make it easier to save more money and put even more away for retirement.

Low credit scores, however, impair a consumer's ability to function in today's society, making it difficult to get insurance, an apartment, a cell phone, and even a job. And it is only going to become more and more invasive in the future.

Let's face it, there are far too many self-proclaimed credit and financial experts out there offering credit improvement strategies and tips that don't work, have never worked, and sometimes even make things worse. You and your clients need accurate and reliable information about credit and credit repair from experts you can trust.

That's why we're recommending The Big Score: Getting It and Keeping It, Credit Management for Life by Linda Ferrari. As president of Credit Resource Corp, Linda Ferrari has dug through 14,000 credit reports, and has helped thousands of consumers from all walks of life understand what goes into the credit score and how to turn them around.

A national expert in the credit education and scoring industry, Ferrari has seen it all, has fixed it all and, in her book, she tells it all in a comprehensive hands-on guide to credit improvement and lifetime management that you and your clients will truly appreciate.

"The Government may bail out corporate credit," says Linda Ferarri. "But, as a consumer, you are on your own. I wrote this book to help consumers help themselves, and believe me, they need this information."

Help your clients reach all of their financial goals and needs. Give them The Big Score by Linda Ferrari. To purchase the book, visit www.LindaFerrari.com. If you'd like to read a sample chapter before making a commitment, click on "Inside The Big Score" from the site.

If you'd like to discuss this book further and how we can utilize it to increase our businesses together, don't hesitate to give us a call. We'll gladly share a copy of Linda Ferrari's Special Report on credit improvement, an informative 20-page document that is a great introduction to the concepts Ferrari shares in her book.

Did you know the word blog was recently the most looked-up word in Merriam Webster's online dictionary? Clearly, people are interested in blogs – but why?

The word blog is short for Weblog, and refers to a website that contains an online journal with views, reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. A blogger is the one doing the writing, and blogging is the act of writing itself. Blogs are utilized for anything and everything: breaking news and commentary, business, personal journaling, educational resources, and political observations.

Quickly becoming a mainstream method of communicating, blogging is a dynamic, flexible tool that requires minimal technology know-how and little-to-no cost to maintain. In fact, many in the business world are now using blogs as an essential part of growing their network. Where a website is fairly fixed and can become somewhat boring, a blog allows you to become personal with those you want to do business with. In this way, bloggers are more visible and can gain credibility as experts in their field. Blogging is a way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

According to Michael Sippey, General Manager of TypePad, people read blogs to find out the point of view and connect with the writer. This is key to those in relationship businesses, as a blog can take an informal tone yet still pass along valuable information to the reader. Your passion and knowledge will translate into loyalty from those who read your blog. This, along with your passion, is what will sell your services. And as blogs are becoming more common in the business world, more customers are using them as a shopping tool. They want to feel connected to the professionals that will help them with real estate, financial, and legal needs.

So you want to build your business by blogging? It's easy and effective – here's how it's done.

There are two main components of a successful blog: interesting content and getting the right people to look at it. Most people in sales are good at talking. That's why they are good at sales. Don't get hung up about the writing being "perfect." Use your own voice in your blog, describe your specialty, products and services and how you can benefit your customers. Post tips that are valuable to those you are trying to attract to your blog. You can include success stories and testimonials from clients. Post links to articles you liked (or didn't like) with a few comments. Your blog can also contain pictures, audio, PowerPoint and Excel files, video, and links anywhere on the web you want people to go.

To get your blog read, invite everyone you speak with to visit and comment. Make sure every marketing piece you send out has at least one line inviting them to visit your blog. Add the blog web address to your business card, and to your e-mail signature. Put a link on your web-site. To help increase return traffic, readers can even subscribe, and then be notified when you have a new post.

Search engines like blogs, and you will notice your rankings improve as you increase traffic to your blog. You can also register your blog for free with many blog-specific search engines. Post comments on other blogs related to your field and your comment will link back to your site. The more you can utilize this cost-effective tool, the quicker you will see an increase in clients and sales.

www.WordPress.com and www.TypePad.com are two well-established blogging services that can quickly and easily walk you through the process of setting up your own blog, and both offer many tools to make your blog successful.

When viewing a vacant home online or in person the image of the owner can still dominates the image -- making it difficult for home buyers to see themselves living there -- so a gem of a house can go unnoticed -- waiting.

With no buyers for her lovely home -- "Grandma" hired us to give her listing some pizazz and appeal. Here was the view from the front door -- WAIT GRANDMA -- don't forget to take your drapes with you!

While the budget couldn't afford a new light fixture, where did it go?

The new curtains and decor make it fade into the background . . .

"Grandma" is very pleased by the way! She sent an email this week (maybe she's in Tahiti?) She said

"Thank you for the pictures. Everything looks so nice. Thank you. I should have known about you when I was living there! It looks better than ever. I am sure the house will sell now..I almost would buy it myself, if I did not already own it."

Party on "Grandma"! You've got your new image goin' on -- flaunt it! We've got the house well under control!

Creative Concepts and Contracting loves to find beauty and appeal in every home. Contact Margaret Oscilia at 503-881-0886 to see how a staging consultation can transform your listing and make it camera and buyer ready!

When it comes to bathrooms -- it IS all about the vanity -- especially if there is something wrong with the vanity! Our latest staging job had these vanities. The house was built in 1993, but these vanities look much older.

The house was being re-listed at $199,900and we were brought in for a staging consultation. At that price point what advice would you give your clients? Removal and replacement of the cabinetry was not an option.

To refinish with a darker stain, it would have been necessary to sand, restain damaged portions with existing color, varathane, glaze with darker color, varathane. This was not practical at this price point either and the deep damages on the doors and gouges in the wood above the doors, it was not practical.

We did opt to repaint the cabinets, and in order to obtain the best finish possible, followed these steps:

• Wash with TSP and a scratchy sponge
• Remove drawers, doors and hardware
• Sand damaged and rough areas
• Using a tack cloth remove all dust and residue
• Prime with quick drying OIL primer. (Important to use oil based - we used an aerosal Zinnser product and it was so smooth. More expensive than buying by the quart and had to tape off the bathroom more than usual but worth it.)
• Paint two light coats of a latex enamel formulated for heavy use. Because of the usage these cabinets receive, painting them with a high quality product is imperative for long term beauty.
• Paint will be "soft" for a few days -- be gentle when rehanging doors and do not shut drawers tightly immediately or paint may be damaged.

By following these steps, we obtained a beautiful, smooth and attractive finish. When entering the bathroom -- it's no longer all about the damaged vanity. It's all about how spacious these bathrooms are!

Creative Concepts and Contracting are the Prepare to Sell Experts! Staging consultations provide experienced advice on staging, repairs and maintenance issues. Contact Margaret Osclia at 503-881-0886 for more information on how you can prepare your home for sale affordably and for top dollar!