Why I Chose Real Estate - Decades of Preparation - 07/29/11 03:11 PM

It was a good day in summer when I was carted outdoors to start learning how to pose and put on the look that says
 "Hey, you over there.  Yes, I mean you.  Looking for a house? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not many years, later, I was mastering the skills of steering my way through tough obstacles.  Smile and the world and Buyers smile with you.  It was still a long way from three wheels to a car.  Now my look says:
"Hey, you over there.  Yes, I mean you.  Have I got a 4 … (32 comments)

Stakes and Twine - 07/29/11 07:20 AM
 

 
If your garden is full of tomato plants, put in some stakes and tie the vines.  Tomatoes get leggy and start to flop with the weight of the fruit. 
 
In the summer, Buyers will be looking at your garden, the same way that they look at the interior of your house.  Weed, tidy and stake any vines.  Your garden should have Buyers dreaming of  next year when planting their own garden. 
 
Make it look a-peal-ing.  
 
 
Buyers should not be at the end of their rope when looking at your garden.
Photo credit:  Tomato … (19 comments)

I am just kicking a few tires. - 07/27/11 03:05 PM

This is what Buyers say when they start testing things in a home.  Hey - what about hiring a home inspector before you take apart the owner's plumbing, running the tub water and seeing if the toilet is firmly placed on the floor.  STOP IT!!!!  If you break the wax seal on the toilet and it leaks after we leave, who is going to pay for the damage?  I know I will expect you to pay for your damages and so will other real estate agents and the owner. 
I don't think I have to ask you to respect other … (59 comments)

Jack of all Trays - 07/26/11 07:48 AM

If you have a counter in the bathroom or kitchen that has a lot of little containers, collect them and put them on a tray.  Your eye sees many little things such as tissues, cotton ball container and a soap pump as three things BUT if they are on a tray, they look like one item and less cluttered to the eye.
The photo was taken in my kitchen.  I put the paper towel holder, the kleenex container (see the black item on the left), salt and pepper grinders, the dogs' treat bowl and one or two little bags of … (27 comments)

Button. Button. Who has the button (or the key)? - 07/24/11 07:00 AM

Do you remember the child's game where one child stands in the centre of a ring of children and a button is passed around the circle leaving the centre child to guess who has the button?  Well, a version of this game is played occasionally by real estate agents and sellers. 
I was out for breakfast with Mary, my friend, and her friend, Sally.  In the course of the meal, Sally found out that I work in real estate.  She asked me if she could get some advice and also unload a complaint.   Well,  the good news is that Sally … (59 comments)

House Sellers are Leaving on Vacation - Things You Need Before They Leave - 07/23/11 08:10 AM

Your clients are selling their home but they are also leaving on that long awaited summer vacation.  The house has yet to sell.  What do you need your clients to do and what do you need?
Get an extra set of house keys.  If the one in the lockbox gets lost or broken or taken home by another agent (hopefully by mistake), you need to be able to get another key in the lockbox.  Get the codes for the alarm system. if you don't already have them.  People walking out on vacation automatically set up the alarm system.  You need … (49 comments)

Spinning out of Control - 07/17/11 07:31 AM

Does your life feel like it is spinning out of control?  Like this garden spinner, sometimes we cannot see our way through to the other side.  Today is Sunday.  Stop for a bit and relax.  Sit and let your mind wander to all the wonder in the world and in your life.   Focus on the good. 
Now, when you feel your heart beat slow and you are breathing nice and deeply, think of one thing on your to do list that you can do today and then it will be finished.  Just one thing.  Don't start anything else until this … (18 comments)

This is a post - 07/16/11 08:05 AM

I love being in the country and seeing the barbed wire fences made from tree posts.  This is one of my favourite photos.   I took it last year while being in Quebec.  Trust the Nikon to capture all the little details such as the grass.   
I have given this photo (along with 2 other posts) framed and matted as a gift.  It makes a nice statement.   
… (32 comments)

For my 400th post - A list of the posts that have been Featured - 07/15/11 06:36 AM

This is the list.  I am grateful for the people who have Suggested these posts.  They were fun to write.  I hope that these posts informed, entertained and amused you.    Photo credit:  400
… (36 comments)

Hamburgers Served at My Last Open House - 07/14/11 06:45 AM
I wanted to make something fun for my Open House last Sunday.   I normally have a small bowl of lifesaver mints (individually wrapped) and some packets of Red Zinger tea.  Just a bit boring. 
I found a cute recipe for cookie hamburgers.  Basically, a box of Nilla cookies, a can of icing, red and green food colouring, big shreds of coconut and some little chocolate chocolate-chip cookies.   What took me the most time - finding the right little 'hamburger" cookies. 
Hand to the good book (Paula Deen's cookbook where the basic ingredient of EVERY recipe is butter or cream or both), … (97 comments)

Now I am a willow. Now I can bend. - 07/12/11 06:33 AM

In the well known song, Until it is time for you to go, Neil Diamond sings:  "  I was an oak now I'm a willow now I can bend."
For couples that are moving there is often one person who is the cause, the source, or the creator of the idea or need to move.  When that happens, the other person has options, resist forever or, like a willow, bend to the move. 
When I was growing up, my father was relocated to new cities twice.  My mother made it a game to move and created excitement around all of … (25 comments)

Do I ring the bell or just walk in? - 07/11/11 06:40 AM
Open House protocol came into question yesterday. 
A few visitors asked me if they should ring the bell and wait for the agent or just walk into the house. 
I said - Please ring the bell to let me know that there is someone there and then walk in -  if the door is unlocked.  The door would only be locked if there were too many people in the house and I needed to crowd control. 
I said that if I was tied up (hopefully just figuratively) with other visitors in another part of the home, I would like to know … (61 comments)

The chicken or the egg - 07/10/11 06:55 AM

 
What comes first, the neighbourhood or the house? 
There are the three top considerations when buying a house - price, location and condition.  The chicken and the egg are about first finding the house.  What is most important? 
The old adage of "location, location, location" should tell you that you choose your neighbourhood first and then you look for the house.  Some people have told me that they will buy almost anything if they can live in XX neighbourhood, if they can live withing walking distance of the relatives (built in babysitters) or within walking distance of the synagogue.  Others … (47 comments)

The Appraiser Said a House Would Last 40 Years - 07/09/11 05:57 AM
I was at a presentation made by a home appraiser to a group of real estate agents.  It shocked me when he said a house would only last 40 years.  He then paused.  People, like me, were busy thinking of every home in the city that was over 40 years old and knew that he was wrong.  Just plain wrong.   
For round 2, he said it would be uninhabitable in 40 years IF (now here is the rub) the owners did not maintain the home.   
So let's see - how many roofs do not sustain some type of damage from age, wind, snow, hail, sun … (161 comments)

Decorations Outside the Shop - 07/08/11 07:44 AM

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
If I could have taken these off the wall and put them in my suitcase to bring back, I would have.  I know, they are a bit over the top but these two glass mosaics decorations are eye catching.   The shop attracts a lot of tourists just by having these on either side of the door.  Murano and Burano are worth a full day away from Venice.  Take the public water bus (or if you have a lot in your travel budget, a private water taxi).  The water bus stops at each island.  … (17 comments)

Stump the Decorating and Designing Panel - Would you stage with this? - 07/08/11 06:29 AM

These lovely glass roses are individually made and adorn a very unusual feature of an atelier (workshop).  Can you guess where they are located?
This is the inside of one of the glass workshops.  Doesn't look too bad but then, it is open to the public who visit Murano. 

Okay, I just used that as filler so that you would have time to guess where the roses 'grow'.   Now, for the reveal........
 
Ta da.......

If you have lots of lemons, make lemonade.
If you have lots of glass, adorn a doorway for the whole world to enjoy … (12 comments)

Wonderful Family Home in Briargreen - 99 Ashgrove Crescent - 07/08/11 05:48 AM
The listing went up on Wednesday and there have been several inquiries and visits from Buyers.   The Sellers have chosen a project every year to upgrade their home.   The long list of improvements and updates provide Buyers with assurance that this home has been maintained.  The expensive things such as the roof, conversion to gas and new windows since 2005 have all been done.  
On Sunday there will be an Open House from 2:00 - 4:00.  Hope to see you there. 

… (4 comments)

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. - 07/07/11 05:52 AM

Are you considering a rural property or a home on a lake or by the seashore?  If your considered property is not on a municipal water system, make sure that you have the water tested for potability.  You want safe drinking water, low in bacteria / pathogens. 
The homeowner will give you the results from their latest test but be cautious.  The homeowner may be a wonderful person, kind to children, dogs and Buyers but water can be contaminated quickly and Sellers sometimes get anxious to sell.  That water may have come from somewhere other than the property. 
Take the sample … (18 comments)

Staging Your Yard to Sell your Home - 07/06/11 05:40 AM
Depending upon your budget, getting your yard ready for a home sale can cost a little or a lot. 
1.  Assess where you live.  Do people spend a little or a lot of time outside, year round or just a few months every summer.  The more time people are outdoors, the more time, effort and money you need to consider to stage the yard.
2.  How big is your lot?  Can you locate a tennis court in the corner?  Is the backyard just a pool and a deck?  Are you in a tiny townhouse or apartment with a balcony sized exterior … (34 comments)

Never Say Never - 07/05/11 05:43 AM
Today I am reminded of the saying "Never Say Never".  I was commenting on a post about moving and said that I had promised my husband that, if we bought our current house, we would never have to move again.  Well, I am not moving now but I spend a lot of time looking at houses and I always look for the next house.  The reality of life is that we can seldom say 'Never" and know that we can stick to it.
In French there is an expression that means "Never say never".  Translated (poorly by me) the expression is: 
Never … (20 comments)

Cemetery Phobias-Fears-Frights and Feng Shui - 07/04/11 07:26 AM

The three factors for home selling are price, condition and location.  When considering location, most people think of city versus rural, urban versus suburban, neighbourhoods, streets, etc.   Now, think for a minute that there are homes around golf courses, parks and cemeteries.  All of these are nice green spaces, normally quiet and gives those backing onto them lots of privacy.  However, cemeteries are not considered by many as good neighbhourhood features. 
Some cultures will not live anywhere near a cemetery - from 1,000 feet to 5 miles away.   Feng Shui practitioners think that there is negative energy emanating from those buried.  … (25 comments)

If you are blessed with deep window wells .......... - 07/03/11 07:24 AM
Add flowers.   Most construction in North America does not lend itself to deep window wells.  Now, if your home was 300 years old or more, then the walls would be thick and the window wells deep.  If you have your home for sale, think of adding flowers, hanging, flower boxes or on your exterior window sills. 

Being the horrible wretch that I am, I had to add the signature and the location.  
Hope you like this collage.
… (48 comments)

Pop Up Houses are Appearing Everywhere - 07/02/11 05:24 AM
When I was in Milan (OMG, I can actually say that), I walked around the duomo (cathedral) and saw a Pop-Up House in progress.  Of course, I had never heard about pop-ups except in children's books so this was interesting.  As you can see from the sign, the Tommy Hilfiger house existed for 7 days in May.  At the end of the that week, the house is totally dismantled, the sod is rolled up and the store silently slips away into the night.  Okay, maybe not that romantically but....
So Pop-Ups.  Who knew?  There are such things as Pop-up restaurants. Chefs create … (26 comments)

Today is Canada Day! Happy Birthday, Canada. - 07/01/11 06:32 AM

Today is Canada Day.  Happy Birthday!  144 Years I hope my AR friends and readers will join me in celebrating Canada Day.  John F. Kennedy in 1961 said, when addressing the Canadian Parliament: "Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder. What unites us is far greater than what divides us." Photo:  Taken with my Nikon on July 1 (Canada Day) 2010 at the Experimental Farm. 
… (23 comments)

 

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