tutorials: Following AR Leads Not Ready To Sell - 04/19/13 10:17 PM
You have a fantastic AR hyper-local subdivision post that ranks high on Google.  It has generated listings and people respect your expertise.  An owner called requesting a CMA.  After the presentation the owner said, "That was great, but we're really not ready to list until I retire in The Fall."
No matter what persuasion you try they will not sign a listing.  Now what?
It has been my experience periodic, individualized market reports are one of the most effective tools for follow up.  
You certainly don't have to call periodically and quite possibly annoy them - the market report keeps your … (36 comments)

tutorials: Ask An Ambassador Is Photoshop Necessary To Improve Really Bad Photos? - 04/02/13 08:09 PM

 
Only if you enjoy spending money.
We've all seen  photos on the MLS that look like the one at the right.
Not very inviting to either buyers or,  most especially, for sellers who expect their home to be shown in the best light - (I couldn't resist that)
Photoshop Elements will cost you $100 - it is a very functional, but limited version of the full Photoshop suite.
There are numerous free online photo editing programs available, but the one I use has two features that I enjoy
It is user friendly The Premium version is FREE Ribbet
has a … (16 comments)

tutorials: What Did We Learn At Church Without Going To Sunday Worship? - 12/10/12 03:36 AM


We learned a lot about the history of Prince William County
One of the primary factors in the colonization of the "New World" was to escape both religious and political persecution. Churches had written "laws" and a governing body that provided much of the basis for civil law and sense of community in daily life.  That structure played an important part in the development of rural America throughout the 19th century.
Prince William County was just such a rural commuity until the end of World War II and had an abundance of them.  Fortunately, eight have survived and are … (13 comments)

tutorials: He's Always Ready For Winter. Are You? - 11/12/12 09:42 PM


The squirrel on the right was well prepared for our blizzard in 2010/2011.  With one exception God endowed all living plants and creatures with a built-in almanac that enables them to prepare for all manner of future weather - normal or harsh.
As the exception, we humans rely on past seasonal experience and the weatherman (not always accurate).
We need to take a variety of actions and purchase the necessary items to protect both our home, our cars, our pets and ourselves anticipating a worst case scenario.
Winterize your car's engine plus tire, light, brake and wiper check.  Be … (50 comments)

tutorials: No Tripod Needed To Make A Video Without The "Jitters" - 09/17/12 09:02 AM
Your videos will have the "jitters' when you shoot from a moving car taking pictures of whatever interests youholding the camcorder in your hands and moving to shoot a clip when using a tripod is not practicalThere is an easy "fix" if you upload your videos to YouTube. You will also have an opportunity to add special effects.
Once you upload a video and open it in Video Manager it will look like this. Please note I have encircled a link called "Enhancements"

When you click on the link "Enhancements" the screen will look like the one below.
Note The picture has divided … (112 comments)

tutorials: My Camcorder Is One Of My Branding Irons - 07/05/12 09:43 AM

Last week I was busy putting groceries in the trunk of my car when a young couple parked next to me.
As they got out of their car they looked at me and said, "Hi". I didn't recognize them as anyone I knew. There was a quizzical look on their face and I felt they were having the same recognition problem as I was having.
After they crossed over to the sidewalk the young lady looked over at me and said, "We saw your video about Lake Ridge". Of course, I immediately asked them if they were house hunting and they said … (24 comments)

tutorials: Consider This Before Changing Your Home's Exterior Appearance - 05/21/12 09:37 PM

The median strip into a Northern Virginia shopping center is a classic example of my point.
Since yellow curbs restricting parking are a legal requirement the landscapers wisely chose a combination of blue and yellow pansies to take advantage of a color that they were unable to change.
Unless you are willing to invest significant amounts of money the same is true if you want to change the exterior appearance of your home, but must consider the color of existingbrickaluminum or vinyl sidingPaint color selection is critical when it comes to shutters, doors, windows and trim. In my opinion, the best source … (7 comments)

tutorials: Homes Weren't Raised To Be Razed - 05/17/12 04:29 AM


The house above is an extreme example of what can happen to a home from neglect. Homes are subject to two kinds of neglect
WILLFUL- - - while destructive this type of neglect is not the most common that REALTORS® encounter
BENIGN - - - there are relatively simple steps that can be taken to keep your home's exterior in both secure and marketable conditionannual inspection by a pest control company can alert you to the need to treat for termites, carpenter bees and other destructive insectscleaning and checking the gutters and downspouts should be done on a seasonal basischanging furnace filters as … (74 comments)

tutorials: Think Before Changing Your Home's Exterior Appearance - 04/27/12 03:20 AM

The median strip into a Woodbridge shopping center is a classic example of my point.
Since yellow curbs restricting parking are a legal requirement the landscapers wisely chose a combination of blue and yellow pansies to take advantage of a color that they were unable to change.
Unless you are willing to invest significant amounts of money the same is true if you want to change the exterior appearance of your home, but must consider the color of existingbrickaluminum or vinyl sidingPaint color selection is critical when it comes to shutters, doors, windows and trim. In my opinion, the best source for … (75 comments)

tutorials: Smooth Videos Without A Tripod On YouTube - 03/08/12 05:59 AM

A few days ago I wrote a post about a Prince William County elementary school, Brentsville Elementary, that started in 1870 and is in a very historic center. It included the video above.
I had a comment by Debb Janes inquiring if I had a "fluid head" tripod since the "panning" was very smooth. I do have a cheap tripod - I think it's in the trunk of my car.
Since my videos are uploaded to YouTube I have a secret weapon.Open your YouTube accountClick on Video ManagerSelect the video you want to "smooth"Click on the EDIT button to the rightWhen the … (91 comments)

tutorials: There Are Warts In My Subdivision Videos - 11/30/11 11:48 PM


In the November-December issue of the CRS publication "The Residential Specialist" there is an article entitled "Shooting Stars". Several REALTORS® discussed their approach to subdivision videos. One point in particular caught my attention.
"Out of town buyers can't drive through a neighborhood and check it out, but you can - and record a video that gives them the lay of the land."
I am aware there are those who prefer a slideshow to video giving several reasons why videos do not maximize the appearance of a subdivision.Some of the homes may have the garage doors open - when they move in they … (92 comments)

tutorials: When They're Not Ready To List - 09/30/11 09:30 AM
You just presented your CMA. Then the owners said, "That was great, but we're really not ready to list until the Spring of 2012."
No matter what persuasion you try they will not sign a listing . What do you do to keep in touch? It has been my experience periodic market sales reports are one of the most effective tools for follow up.
Our market consists mainly of subdivisions that have both detached and town homes. People want to know what is happening where they live, not in an entire ZIP code.
We have developed a simple Word table that highlights most of … (64 comments)

tutorials: Cars Should Not Bump Into Each Other And Text - 09/01/11 12:19 AM
Should Not Bump Into Blog PicturesNote that the text literally runs up against the photo in the first example below. It is not very attractive and reduces the white space on the page. White space makes the overall appearance of a document more attractive in addition to making it more easily read.
Charlestown is a highly desireable and sought after town home community in the heart of Springfield. The homes and yard enclosures are all brick. The 497 homes were built between 1968 and 1973. Finished liviing area ranges from 1,320 square feet to 1,798 square feet. A very active homeowner's … (97 comments)

tutorials: Old Blog Posts And Old Homes - What To Do With Them? - 06/15/11 12:35 AM
Think Rehab
Over the past 3.66 years on ActiveRain I have read many posts on the subject of reworking old blog posts - some "pro" and some "con". I am not here to challenge any of the opinions or recommendations since there are some highly respected AR members on both sides of the question.
As you can see by the graphic below my old hyper-local posts about Montclair in Dumfries VA are in top position on Google except for the HOA site. Little ol' me is even ahead of the mighty Zillow. We only "rehab" hyper-local posts
Neither my husband Arthur nor I are … (56 comments)

tutorials: Do Your Listings Have Their Own Business Cards? - 05/28/11 09:10 AM
About 14 or 15 years ago we developed a business card for each of our listings. We gave many copies to the property owner to distribute to friends, co-workers, etc. We did the same as well as passing them out at meetings where agents exchanged business cards the front of the card had a photo of the housethe back had the address, price and our contact informationSince our color printer at that time was an inkjet we laminated each card to prevent water damage to the color.
We still produce those cards, but the process is much faster and far less expensive. … (40 comments)

tutorials: Saying Less Is Effective In Blogs And Church - 11/14/10 12:23 AM
It is quite common on ActiveRain and other blog sites to see posts that never seem to end. The posts I am referring to generally fall in the over 500 word category - OK over 750.
You will notice, for example, Bob Stewart asks for a minimum of 200 words and a maximum of 500 for "challenge" posts. Quite simply, you lose your reader with much more than 500 words. 
Reading a blog post is not at all the same as sitting down to read a book.  "Time is of the essence" applies to more than real estate contracts … (78 comments)

 
Karen Kruschka, - "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS" (RE/MAX Executives)

Karen Kruschka

- "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"

Woodbridge, VA

More about me…

RE/MAX Executives

Address: 12531 Clipper Dr, #101, Woodbridge, VA, 22192

Office: (703) 499-9279

Mobile: (703) 819-3363



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