Working on a project now where there is evidence of mice.

We all know that mice like to come into houses just to keep warm or to to enjoy the AC.  It really doesn't have a lot to do with cleanliness of the home owner.   I has to do with having a door way in.

My brother has a cabin up North that's abandoned for several months at a time and the mice like to come in a visit     He  told me, years ago, to place a bucket of water in a room with a little bleach in it ad a little ramp to get into the water but they can't get out.  Apparently the mice can't swim for a long time and they drown and the bleach will keep down the odors.

While working on this project I thought that I would give the bucket a little try.   Within hours of the basement being left alone poof we had one little culprit.

My wonderfully talented handyman, after finding the doorway for the mice, built this ramp.   They can now walk the ramp down to the bucket without falling.

Now we will set out to fix the doorway and find others.

Enjoy your laugh.

For a long time I've been looking for a Home inspector to join my Staging Team.

Stage-Show-Sell, LLC believes that when a house is  staged and looking its best for the market it should also be safe secure and ready to pass the home inspection.  That's why we have invited Glenn Loisel to join our team.

Active Rain 

 Website

With the pre-list home inspection in hand we can remedy problems before the house hits the market.   This saves the home owner money by not having to regnegotiate the offer.

Please welcome him on board.

August garden brings delight. These plants show off a garden real well. Consider adding them to your garden now if you are planning on selling next year. Planning - staging ahead will pay off.
These flowers are in my yard.  Click photo to see all of the blooms

August Blooms

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2065227/brand-new-1920s-royal-oak-home

Another project that has proved that staging helps sell the properties.

This one will close on Monday.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/2068233/1920s-home-totally-updated-and-staged-royal-oak-mich

Truly happy to say that we had another successful project go to the closing table.

This is how the wall of a page that I'm administrating looks like.

The status, photos, video   buttons has disappeared.

Any suggestion?

The page stands alone and has nothing to do with my business facebook or FB page.

When I first noticed that my new phone camera could see exactly where I was taking the photo, I didn't think much about it.

After seeing this video I just might turn that feature off (If I can)

I have two facebook accounts and one is strictly for my family.  It's OK that they know where where I am.  In fact it's rather prefered.   The security of this account is pretty tight.

My business account shows pictures of the before and after staging and seldom do I give the address.  With this feature anyone can see the location of the house.  Good idea or not I'm not sure.

Now I have to check the settings in my real camera because this is the real one that I use.  It's a wonderful camera, FUji Film FinePix 8000, and I'm hoping the technology on it is too old for this feature.

Be careful, are we putting too much information out there with our gps in our camera

This post was prompted by Today Featured Post 

Realtors, Business Owners, Stagers, Title companies etc go to meetings to network and the learn.   At these meetings, yes, they are hoping to build relationships with others at these meetings.

Building relationships is not stopping in the hall and talking and passing our cards.  It's long conversations about the business and building into personal conversations.

Just because you get someone's card does it give you permission to then flood them with emails and newsletters?

I've gone to NAR meetings for many years and after the flooding starts.  NARSPAM as I call it goes on until I program my email to throw them into the junk mail.

I wish that I thought about giving out cards with my website and email address on them for those who I casually meet and give out my full card to those I build relationships with

It's OK to send out an email thanking they for taking the time to talk to you today OR say how much you learned in a specific meeting.    Newsletters etc should not be send out without permission.

The same goes for 'potential clients' that you meet OR clients that you have worked with.  Ask for permission

I lost my day today.  It just disappeared.

I didn't leave my house because it's too darn cold so I played on facebook.  

Put my staging items away from last week.

and the worst time killer was the most educational.  I played with my new Droid 2 global.

Coolest phone that I've ever seen.   Pretty soon we won't need a computer at all.

All my contact are imported from outlook, to gmail, to my phone.  Photos have been added to most of them.

I LOVE it when photos pop up on the screen when someone calls of texts.  

My favorites are set up for explorering the web.  With one click I can check my email on the fly.   My calendar goes from outlook to gmail and then to the phone.

Favorite people are set up for quick calls and texts.  

I took a photo and posted it on my personal facebook.   A movie of my snowy back yard was tried.   Little more training is needed here.

QR codes are a breeze to read.  

It's been a ball.

Now I'm tired and ready to hit the bed.

All the rest of the phone can wait.  I think that's enough for one day.

Keep your family safe with these easy safety tips

Every year there are many fires related to fire places.

Make sure that your chimney is cleaned each year by a licences contractor. 

Keep the fires in the fireplaces small, burning only one or two logs at a time.

Wait for at least 24 hours before removing the ashes and put them in a empty metal can, outside and away from the house and garage.

Clothes dryers are involved in an estimated 15,000 fires each year.  A build up of lint, in your clothes dryer not only creates a fire hazard, but also reduces the efficiency of your dryer.

Clean the link filter in the dryer before each use.  Every year or two remove the lint from around the drum of the dryer.

Make sure the dryer is plugged into a suitable outlet for it's needs.

Don't operate the dryer without a lint filter.

Make sure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted.  Check the flap to make sure it opens when the dryer is on.

Clean out the exhaust pipe with a long duster.

Don't leave the dryer on if you go out.

Make sure there are no combustibles in the area.

Pull the refrigerator out and clean underneath and the back.   The dust is combustible.

Following these tips can ensure a safer home for you this winter.