Are you holding an open house on a cold and rainy day, like the one we are having here today in Beaverton, Oregon, and seem to have everyday during the winter? If you have never been to the Pacific Northwest during the winter, let me give you an idea what almost everyday is here.

You get up to it being about 35° and raining, never quit cold enough to snow, but just enough that it makes it very miserable when it comes time to walk the dog at 6am. This weather continues from about October 1^st - April 1 every year and boy is it fun.

Well, we still have to sell homes and sometimes it is the little things that make a difference in selling a home. Today the home I was holding open always seems to get the question, "is that a gas or wood burning fireplace?" So today, I decided to show everyone and bought a six hour Presto log, plenty time to show it is a real fireplace and make it through the entire open house.

What a difference it has made! This home is staged and looks wonderful, but when you walk in and see a fire going it really made the place look amazing and I hope to report by the end of the day that we have an offer, just because the people felt like they were home.

The first two reactions to the fire were "this place looks amazing", and, "love the fire, it makes me just want to stay". Yes, I got their name and numbers because this was a little out of their price range, but I think I have a couple other places that I can show them on Monday that will be exactly what they are looking for.

So, come on over and sit by the fire with me and together we can write and offer by the fire instead of standing out in the cold and wet weather that we call winter.