Real Estate Tips

We are relocating to a new city, and we will have to sell our house from a distance. What steps should we take so we can sell our home successfully?

A. If you are leaving the area before the sale, you will need to stay in close contact with your realty agent, AND provide for the care and upkeep of your property. Here are some practical tips for managing the property and keeping your home looking good for potential buyers:

1. Have the house, windows, and carpets professionally cleaned after your furniture is out. Arrange for fresh interior paint if the walls show dirt, grime, or smoke build-up.
2. You home may be closed up for long periods. If you need to fumigate because of pet, cooking, or tobacco odors, do it. The initial smell of your house will leave a big impression (conscious or subconscious) on the buyer.
3. Leave the water and power ON. They will be needed to carry out various inspections while the sale is in progress. Ask your utility company if they have reduced rates for vacant properties.
4. Hire a landscaping service to mow the lawn and trim the bushes and trees once a month.
5. Arrange to have your lawn watered and sprinklers checked as needed.
6. Schedule pest control treatment, especially during the spring/summer seasonal transition. An ant, roach, or bee infestation would be an unpleasant surprise for your agent and clients.
7. Have your realty agent or a trusted neighbor open up your house for a complete airing out a couple of times a month. This will eliminate mustiness or radon gas if it is a concern in your area.
Have someone check the house regularly, open the faucets (inside and out) and flush the toilets at least once a month. This will get rid of stagnant water in your plumbing system and check for leaks.

How To Save $100’s On Utility Bills

Are you spending too much of your hard earned $$$ on utility bills? If you’re like most Americans, you’re paying almost $1,300 a year. Now, there’s help. A new web site, www.energysavers.gov, set up by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, has hundreds of energy saving tips that you can follow that will save you money.

The “Energysavers” web site covers it all from insulation, weatherization, heating, cooling, water heating, windows, landscaping, lighting, to appliances. Just by following a few of their inexpensive energy saving strategies, you see how easy it is to reduce your home energy use. In some areas, you’ll be able to reduce your energy bills by 10 to 50 percent!

You’ll not only save money and reduce your home energy use, you’ll be helping the environment by reducing pollution and conserving our natural resources future generations!

What You Eat Can Profoundly Affect Your Sleep!

Your daily diet can have a great impact on your night’s sleep. First, be sure you are getting enough calcium and magnesium. You can get it by eating milk, yogurt, beans, dark green vegetables, or a taking vitamin supplement (1,000 mg. to 1,300 mg. are recommended as a daily target for calcium consumption). Along with calcium, pay attention to consumption of these foods before bedtime:

 Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Of course caffeine is a stimulant and even though alcohol is a relaxant, it will switch gears in the middle night and wake you up when it wears off.
 Choose a good evening snack. These would be yogurt, bananas, figs, nuts, turkey, tuna, and whole-grain crackers. These foods are rich in trytophan, an amino acid the brain uses to produce the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is critical for a normal night’s sleep.
 Evening snacks you definitely should avoid. Bacon, cheese, chocolate, ham, potatoes, sugar, sausage, tomatoes, and wine are the foods to skip if you want a restful night’s sleep. They all contain high levels of tyramine, which increases release of the stimulant norepinephrine into the brain.

If diet changes don’t work, try an occasional herbal sleep aid like Valerian or the excellent homeopathic sleep remedy Calms Forte – formulated from safe minerals and herbs.

Make Yourself Indispensable at Work

Did you know that how you dress, speak, work, and act might be sending a message to your boss saying, “When it’s time to cut someone, choose me?”
You can make yourself indispensable by avoiding these mistakes, says Ronna Lichtenberg, author of It’s Not Business, It’s Personal: The 9 Relationship Principles That Power Your Career. Here are five tips that can make you indispensable at work:
1. Pitch in when others ask for help. You’ll make friends and allies at work.
2. Strive for excellence not perfection. Be willing to take on a new task. Also, if you make a mistake, admit it and find a solution.
3. Keep an eye on your appearance. Your boss may think your appearance is a reflection of your work.
4. Network with people at your level or people who are in a position to promote you.
5. Take things in stride. Your ideas may be passed over sometimes, but don’t take it personally.

Improve Your Vision With Berries!

The Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has discovered that the humble blueberry and its European cousin, the bilberry are a uniquely rich source of the powerful antioxidant, anthocyanin. Anthocyanin gives grapes, blackberries, and blueberries their deep blue-violet coloring.

Bilberry extract has been used in Europe and Japan as a natural vision-enhancer for years. Beta-carotene combined with 400 mgs. of bilberry have been shown to significantly improve the ability to see in dim light, especially at night. Bilberry extract appears to strengthen the tiny blood vessels behind the eye and prevent macular degeneration.

There is strong research-backed evidence that anthocyanin may protect the brain cells from the wear and tear of extended life. They shield the neurotransmitters from age-related changes in the brain. The antioxidants in blueberries could help preserve our memory, as we get older. The Nutrition Research Center suggests eating fresh blueberries for the maximum benefit, or substitute a good bilberry extract from the health food store.

Walk Your Way To Excellent Health

According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control the most beneficial exercise we can do on a regular basis is…walking! All you need is a good pair of shoes and few hours a week to do a simple aerobic conditioning activity that really works. The benefits are substantial – walking helps your heart, lungs, circulatory system, and controls body weight. The positive impact of walking is similar to that of running or jogging without stressful wear and tear on your joints, knees, and shins. If you don’t follow any other exercise program, just simple outdoor walking could add many healthy years to your life.

 A Brisk Walk Is Best. You should be able to carry on a conversation and have your breathing slightly elevated.

 It’s Easy—Just Walk 20 Minutes A Day. Start slowly, and then build up to longer, faster paced walks. Stretch your muscles (especially the calves and hamstring muscles) before and after you walk. For the best benefit, make a commitment to walk everyday. A recent study in Germany found that walking just two hours a week can cut your risk of heart disease in half!

 Walking Relieves Stress And Invigorates Your Mind And Body. Walking will make your heart stronger, improve your lung capacity, and the efficiency of your breathing. Walking circulates more oxygen through your body and is very effective in lowering your blood pressure. A regular walking routine can be your best preventative medicine – greatly lowering your risk of stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and even depression.

 People Who Walk Live Longer. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an 11-year study of 2,896 adults in their late 50’s who had been diagnosed with diabetes. Researchers found those subjects who walked just two hours a week had a 39 percent lower death rate from all causes! They speculate that if every healthy person in the United States walked briskly just 30 minutes a day, the incidence of many chronic diseases would go down 30 to 40 percent. So grab your shoes and get walking…your body will be glad you did!

Real Estate Corner…

Q. We’re thinking of buying a fixer-upper as an investment. What’s the best way to find a deal without being taken to the cleaners?

A. Many people make good money buying rundown properties, fixing them up, and reselling them for a profit.

The best strategy for finding a profitable fixer-upper is to find the least desirable house in the most desirable neighborhood. Then, examine whether the cost of fixing up the property to its full market value will yield a significant profit.

You can find a fixer-upper in most communities—even in more affluent neighborhoods. One of the best ways to find a fixer-upper is to ask a real estate agent. Most agents have one or two properties they don’t like to show. You also can look for advertisements with phrases like “handyman’s special,” “needs TLC,” “or earn your down payment.”

The most profitable fixer-uppers will only need minor repairs like inside and outside painting, new carpeting and flooring, new light fixtures, new kitchen cabinets, landscaping, or a thorough cleanup. Look at properties that can be bought at 20-30 percent below what the house will be worth after fixing it.

Avoid homes that have serious flaws like a sinking foundation, structural damage, serious termite infestation, or that need a new roof. Also, avoid fixer-uppers that don’t fit in their neighborhoods, such as a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in a neighborhood of three and four bedroom homes.

To get an idea of the finished market value, look at comparable properties in good condition. To determine the cost of fixing any existing problems, hire a good inspector. A competent inspector can save you from making a bad purchase. Give me a call I would love to help. 206-226-0565