You Did It... You're Done, So I'm Going to tell you why you should keep doing it! - 05/31/11 03:00 PM
"You Did It You're Done So I'm Going to tell you why you should keep doing it"
If you've been participating in the 31 Days of May Challenge, then you're probably celebrating because with today's post ... you're DONE!!
You can now go back to having a life... your family will have to get reacquainted with you but it won't take long... you can actually focus on your day job!
Let me show you why you should continue to blog if not every day, then more frequently than you have been. I've learned from doing this and I hope you … (25 comments)
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Memorial Day - Picnics, Hot Dogs, Parades, and Please..Don't Forget Our National Moment of Remembrance. - 05/30/11 07:26 AM
Memorial Day - Picnics, Hot Dogs, Parades, and please don't forget our National Moment of Remembrance.
Memorial Day has come to be known as the unofficial beginning of summer..... the Indianapolis 500...a 3 day weekend....school's almost out....Memorial Day Sales!......beer....beach... grilling.... the pool's open.
But.... our ability to enjoy all of this.... to take 3 days off from work.... to be free to do any of this is only because men and women.... past and present have been willing to sacrifice their lives.... their time with their families.... their futures, for their country.
Memorial Day was originally set aside to … (18 comments)
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Speechless Sunday (almost)- Turtle Soup on the Menu?? - 05/29/11 06:03 AM
With our warmer weather comes Alligator mating season.
While we do see them during our winter, it's usually mid-morning after the sun has come out and it is warmer. They're definitely not as active as they are now.
While always vigilant for these ancient reptiles, boaters and anyone near water are more aware of their presence during mating season. Homeowners keep watch over their small dogs, who can be but an appetizer for alligators.
If you're alert, you can hear the male alligator as it bellows to attract a mate. And, if you're lucky you can watch … (70 comments)
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Green Cay and My Friends NEED Your Help! - 05/28/11 11:34 AM
Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands in Boynton Beach and all of our friends there need your help!!
We were on our morning walk when a friend alerted us to an article in today's Sun-Sentinel that Green Cay along with 2 other Nature Centers my face closings or scale-backs due to budget cuts.
Since last year we've seen shortened hours for the Nature Center. No longer open on Sundays, when most families would like to visit the Center... it will now be closed Sunday, Monday and Saturday! This may be just until Labor Day but why not keep it open … (7 comments)
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Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches-Monthly Lunch on the House! - 05/26/11 06:27 AM
There's still time to make plans to attend this month's Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches Monthly Lunch on the House!
It will be an opportunity to see the newly updated Boca Raton offices of the RAPB, network with other Realtors, hear guest speaker Suzanne Denihan of The Mortgage Saver Program and take a break and have lunch courtesy of your Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches.
I've been attending these monthly lunches for about 2 years now as an Affiliate and vendor exhibitor. If you've attended, you'll remember me as "The Brownie Lady".
And if you've never attended, … (11 comments)
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5 Tips to Writing a Great Blog Post - 05/24/11 04:37 PM
You know how I'm always saying "don't forget the" people on the left", well look who I found today. Rebekah Radice of Benchmark Mortgage in Colorado Springs, wrote an excellent post offering "5 tips to Writing a Great Blog Post"... not bad for advice.
I especially like what she said about taking a stand. We're all so careful about what we say, careful not to offend anyone... careful we'll receive a negative comment that we sometimes forget to say exactly what we mean.
If you need to jump start your blogging head on over.
Via Rebekah Radice Colorado Springs … (8 comments)
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What would you do if you knew you could not fail? - 05/24/11 06:37 AM
Seriously... what would YOU do if you knew you could not fail??
When my oldest niece was growing up, we would talk about many things.... boys... clothes.... make-up and what she wanted to do with her life. I told her that what I hoped she didn't do was look back on her life with regret. Regret for the things she did not try to do.
"What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"
This has always been one of my favorite quotes. Asking yourself this question goes hand in hand with allowing yourself to dream. Think … (21 comments)
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Don't Try Home Staging To Get Your House Sold - 05/23/11 12:50 PM
Sharon Tara of Sharon Tara Transformations in New Hampshire has written another excellent post about preparing your house for sale BEFORE you put the For Sale sign in the front yard. Don't play the wait and see game; you can't afford to miss any viewing opportunities. Once Realtors see your unprepared home that image will be stuck in their minds and you may not get a second chance.
Feel free to stop by to say "hello" but stop by Sharon's post!
Via Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager (Sharon Tara Transformations):
Home staging is often a last resort strategy, used when … (16 comments)
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Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- Grab Your Camera and See What Your Buyers Are Seeing! - 05/23/11 06:44 AM
Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County... Grab your camera and see what your buyers are seeing!
You can't get away from it... Home Staging, or Styling, your home before you sell it is here to stay. And, as the everyday use of the Internet continues to grow and change how we do almost everything... it has also changed how we begin our home buying search. Studies have shown that as many as 89% of buyers use the Internet to search for their home.
There's another reason you want to grab your camera..... it's one of the best ways to see … (21 comments)
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Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach-Meet Some of My Friends - 05/22/11 09:07 AM
As some of you may know, I'm at Green Cay Wetlands walking almost every morning. It is how I love to begin my day. Each season brings with it the return of certain birds while others go on their "vacation from us" flying to the north or south.
Spring is a favorite time of year for most of us because it's time for nesting and little babies. Whenever you see a crowd of walkers and photographers... they're usually watching some kind of bird or critter behavior.
This is the ANHINGA! It loves to fool visitors by swimming in the water and … (17 comments)
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I Was Just Sitting Down to Write a Post for Tomorrow.. When All through the House There Arose Such a Clatter.... - 05/20/11 06:45 AM
I was just sitting down to write a post for tomorrow, which if you're reading this would be today... when all through the house there arose such a clatter...
OH WAIT..... wrong time of year....
Anyway you know how it is when you finally come up with an idea for your next post. You're so excited... now all you have to do is write it... insert some clip art or pictures (all of which are copyright free... right Lenn!)... proofread it and you're set to go. Now you can move on to reading and commenting on all of the others great … (21 comments)
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A Stager's Dream Come True-CORT Opens Its Miami Showroom! - 05/19/11 06:18 AM
Home Stagers in South Florida have been lucky because we've been able to stage our vacant properties with the assistance of Cort Furniture Rental.
With a large showroom in Boynton Beach on Gateway Blvd, Cort is making it even more convenient for South Floridians with the Grand Opening of their latest showroom on South Biscayne Blvd in Miami.
With more and more Sellers calling on Stagers to provide furniture and accessories for their vacant homes, Cort has become a reliable resource for us. And, if you haven't visited a showroom lately you need to stop by.
Cort has responded … (45 comments)
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I Don't Want to Hear "I Didn't Have a Choice".....Because You Really DO! - 05/18/11 08:23 AM
I have a pet peeve... (well I have several actually, just ask my husband).... and that's when someone says:
"I didn't have a choice"
Well you do.... you may not like the choices that life has given you but you have a choice nevertheless.
I was writing a post for tomorrow and watching Dancing with the Stars, but when they did a segment on young Tayla Kelley I had to write about the choices we make.
Talya is 13 years old and has a primary immune deficiency disease in which she is missing the portion of her immune system … (16 comments)
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Living in your HOUSE FOR SALE. Tips for keeping it showroom ready. - 05/17/11 04:07 PM
Craig Snead, of Quality Home Investments in Dearborn Heights, MI, wrote an excellent post outlining "Must do's" for the Homeowner while their house is on the market.
It's one thing for a Stager to go in, suggest to our sellers what needs to be done.. what to paint, what to move... what to edit... but it's another thing to actually live in it while it's being shown.
It's never easy, especially if there's more than "you" in the house... children, pets, spouses! But following Craig's advice will help your home appeal to the buyers and hopefully result in a quick … (7 comments)
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Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County... The Heat is On in Florida so Keep Your Cool! - 05/16/11 06:27 AM
Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County... The Heat is On in Florida so Keep Your Cool!
Our days are already in the high 80's in Palm Beach County and it isn't even summer yet! If your home is on the market hopefully you have already called in a Home Stager to help get your house "show" ready!
But now that we're into our summer weather... make sure your house can Take The Heat!
Don't forget!
Curb Appeal- Those beautiful plants and shrubs you planted may begin to feel the heat. With water restrictions in effect, keep an eye on … (52 comments)
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Downtown Delray Beach- Making Art a Part of Everyday Life! - 05/15/11 06:32 AM
Downtown Delray Beach- Making Art a Part of Everyday Life!
There is even the Pineapple Grove Arts District with small cafes, boutiques, retail stores and art galleries all along Second Avenue.
I know other cities have these but I thought you'd like to see them. See if you can guess what they are!
Getting an Idea??
And isn't that more fun to look at than this:
I love the fact that we're able to place art in the public for all to enjoy and yet have it serve a practical purpose as well.
This … (19 comments)
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OK.. Give Me Your Best Shot... What Do You Want To Know About Home Staging?? - 05/12/11 06:19 AM
Realtors, Fellow Stagers, and Anyone Else out there... I need your help!!
I've been asked to give presentations about Staging by some of the local Real Estate offices in my area, as well as the local Board of Realtors. Yes, I've spoken about Home Staging before, but this time... I want to really give them information they want.
I don't want to just stand up and say the usual :
" Staging will help sell your homes quicker" (duh..of course, otherwise why would a Seller invest in it?)
or
"Your sellers need to declutter" (so.. tell me something I don't … (17 comments)
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Interior ReDesign in Palm Beach County-Why Not Get Your New House in Order BEFORE You Move In! - 05/11/11 06:30 AM
Interior ReDesign in Palm Beach County-Why Not Get Your New House in Order BEFORE You Move In!
You know how it is... the day finally comes when you can move into your new house.... boxes are unpacked... pictures hung... it's been a long procedure from the day you decide to sell your house to the day you move into your new home.
But as so often happens life gets in the way of what we want to do. Children have to go to school; you have to return to work and for many families once you move in that's it. … (22 comments)
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Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County-J.Lo Uses a Stylist When She is on the Red Carpet so Why Shouldn't Your House? - 05/10/11 06:36 AM
Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- J.Lo Uses a Stylist When She is On the Red Carpet- Why Shouldn't Your House!
When you're getting ready to put your house on the market, it's a lot like a celebrity getting ready to appear on the Red Carpet. They know that their photos will be in all of the papers the next day. Thousands upon thousands of readers will turn the pages to see what they were wearing. Even more will get on the Internet, YouTube, and any other site to view their favorite celebrity.
And that's just what they want... … (28 comments)
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Collage Competition: What Does ActiveRain Mean to You? - 05/09/11 12:16 PM
Ok Creative ActiveRainers... Nikesh Parekh has given us another challenge to show off our creativity... and at the same time learn more about some of the on-line tools available to enhance our blogs. Get busy because you have until May 31st! Your collage needs to highlight what ActiveRain means to you.
Points are involved but don't think about that... just have some fun with it!
Via Nikesh Parekh (ActiveRain):
Hi Everyone,
This Friday marks the end of my first three weeks on the job. Let me tell you: it has been one of the most thrilling and terrifying three weeks of my life. … (0 comments)
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Speechless Sundays (Sort of) -Happy Mother's Day to My Feathered and Non-Feathered Friends - 05/08/11 06:45 AM
Happy Mother's Day to all my Feathered and Non-Feathered Friends.
Today is the day we celebrate Mothers everywhere... Our mothers by birth... those who have been Mother-figures to us.... those out there who provide a nurturing and loving environment for all of the children and babies of the world.
This is Mother's Day.... and there is no greater reminder than the explosion of births that we've had out at Green Cay Wetlands,in Boynton Beach.
I walk at Green Cay almost every day of the year and while our seasons here in Florida tend to be a blur … (18 comments)
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You Don't Call... You Don't Write... You Don't Bring Me Flowers... Where'd You Go?? - 05/07/11 06:37 AM
I wrote my first post in June 2008 and had one comment from Cindy Edwards, and God bless her, I still see her in my comments. It was not a very good post, but it wasn't too terribly bad.
I didn't post again until December of that year and had a grand total of 2 posts for the month with a grand total of about 16 comments. And, BTW, I apologize to anyone who commented on my third post because , slacker that I was, I had not yet developed the good habit of acknowledging every comment.
I returned to my … (35 comments)
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ActiveRainPhotobloggerContest-I Cried Every Day for 2 Weeks! - 05/06/11 06:25 AM
When I first moved to South Florida, I cried every day for 2 weeks. Looking at the photo below, you're probably shaking your head and saying... "Are you nuts?"
You see, I was in my late 30's when I first moved away from my beloved hometown of Houston, Texas. It was where I was born; where I'd gone to school and even college and graduate school. I honestly was so happy in Houston, I never felt the big need to move away.
Besides my family was there.... all of my friends were there... friends from school and friends I'd made through work. Every … (45 comments)
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How to Prepare the Home for the Open House - From A New Perspective - 05/04/11 09:36 PM
Chrissy Doremus of US Inspect wrote an excellent post today about how to prepare a home for the Open House. Now as a Stager, I'm used to suggesting to our clients that they have all the lights on, window coverings open/up, everything clutter free and clean.. you know the drill,
But Chrissy gave us an excellent list that Realtors and Stagers can use when working with our Sellers. We don't always think about making sure that the attic is accessible!
Via Chrissy Doremus ~ U.S. Inspect ~ Home Inspections (U.S. Inspect):
We all know that problems with larger items or systems like … (0 comments)
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About.Me - 05/04/11 10:45 AM
Mimi Foster, a Colorado Springs Realtor, told us today about a new "gadget" called About.Me. I don't know abut you but for the contact information I like to see their name, company, phone number and email address. Maybe even their website. But as we stagers are always decluttering everything in sight, some of our "signatures" have become overly cluttered with all sorts of designations, letters, yada yada.
Take a look at what About.Me has to offer and head over to Mimi's site.
Via Mimi Foster - Realtor Colorado Springs (EPIC Real Estate Group Real Estate Colorado Springs):
That's a topic … (7 comments)
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Staging Has a Place in All Kinds of Marketing.. Would YOU Want to Join This Company? - 05/04/11 09:22 AM
Staging has a place in all kinds of Marketing..... Would YOU want to run out and join this Company??
I was stopped at a red light when I saw this sign.
I couldn't believe this was placed by any serious company looking for help.
I don't know about you but my first impression was :
You've Got to be kidding me?
What kind of impression do you leave with your signage and marketing pieces? Are you attracting the best Agents out there with your signs and advertising? And, let's face it, if you were a Seller or Buyer, … (67 comments)
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ActiveRain Tutorial | SEO Blogging | Optimizing Your Name Fields - 05/03/11 03:48 PM
Katerina Gasset has done it again and given us an easy to follow tutorial on how to set up our name fields so we can get better optimization. It's so easy to follow and if you're like me... you probably haven't changed your profile since you set it up. It doesn't hurt to take a look at yours and see if you can't tweak it!
One thing I might add is to be sure to get your name in there. It's hard to reply to someone's comment when all they have is their company name.
This only takes a few … (19 comments)
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She was the Queen of Denial but she has abdicated... Join Me in Supporting Queen Anna. - 05/03/11 06:56 AM
She was the Queen of Denial but she has abdicated... join me in supporting Queen Anna.
My friend,Anna Dovger, wrote a post yesterday detailing her "coming out" and her aha moment that has led her down the path of healthy living! Anna has done the brave act of admitting to us here... in public... that she was about as out of shape- in denial- and in need of exercise as the rest of us over-a-certain-age group of females here.
Let me tell you as someone well over the women-of-a-certain-age group, when you hit that age your body is a magnet … (16 comments)
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A Useful Blogging Tip- Just Because It's Been Written... Doesn't Mean It's Been READ! - 05/02/11 07:00 AM
A Useful Blogging Tip- Just Because It's Been Written... Doesn't Mean It's Been READ!
With the 31 Days in May Challenge in full swing, we're all scratching our heads and searching for something about which to write. Yes you can write about a listing, post a recipe, write about something funny that happened to you today....but eventually you'll think you hit a wall.
You'll feel as if you've exhausted every single thought you may have had in your head... well you will unless you're Alan May or Roger Mucci(BARFF).
When I began blogging, and even still, I would consider a topic and … (23 comments)
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The ActiveRainPhotoBlogger Group Announces it's First Photoblogging Contest - 05/01/11 03:58 PM
William Johnson, San Diego Realtor, has kicked it up a notch for the Month of May with a Photoblogging Contest. I've seen some remarkable photos here on the Rain so I can't wait to see some of the entries.
Grab your cameras and bring along some imagination... the deadline is May 21! Oh yes, and if you're in the 31 Days in May Challenge and enter this... you've got one more post under the belt!!
Via San Diego Real Estate Voice authored by William Johnson GRI CRS e-Pro CDPE (RE/MAX Associates):
The ActiveRainPhotoBlogger Group Announces it's First Photoblogging Contest.
Sunrise in … (14 comments)
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STAGING ADVICE - 05/01/11 12:35 PM
Evelyn Kennedy, a Realtor in Alameda, CA, shared information she learned from a Stager's seminar. I loved the fact that it sounds to me as if Evelyn actually listened to what the Stager had to say!!
But read on, for I know many of us have been asked at times to present information on Staging to various groups. We always cover Decluttering, updating, furniture placement... yada yada, but this Stager offered some additional information that I think would be helpful in a presentation.
I'm putting together something for our local Board and if you have any addtional items you feel are … (11 comments)
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Speechless Sundays- Ready to Take Off For the 31 Days in May Challenge! - 05/01/11 06:37 AM
… (25 comments)
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