my old blog

 By now, everyone who watches HGTV or some other home improvement channel knows that it's important to use neutral colors on the walls to give universal appeal. Smart sellers prepare their homes by having the interior painted before putting them on the market, but too many of them select white fo...

I've been working on a particular short sale for about 9 months. The house is all brick, has a big yard, and is in a good neighborhood.  It should be an easy sale, but that hasn't been the case.  When I first took the listing, the owner lived there and it looked pretty good, inside and out.  It's...

Several years ago, before I got into the real estate profession, we were selling a house and got a referral from a friend for a Realtor.  She was friendly and enthusiastic and couldn't do enough to make our life easier by taking care of all the little details. She went over the top with service w...

To my mind, Florida winters are the best - so many beautiful sunshiny days and not a flake of snow.  You'll hear lots of good advice this time of year for giving special attention to your home and garden and will probably be glad when spring comes if you heed it.  I wonder if there is some specia...

My work life constantly spills over into my personal life and I read recently that some study had found that very successful people have a definite separation between work and their personal life.  Before I read that, I was starting to think that it was OK for work and personal activities to blen...

Everyone I know is shaking their head at the state of the economy and housing market and many strangers I run into (when I'm wearing my Century 21 name badge) express concern as they ask me how the market is doing.  We seem to be worried, but are we willing to forego some personal gain in order t...

Southwood is a planned community covering 1,000 acres that has it all ...  Convenient location close to shopping, downtown, and universities A variety of home styles and prices to fit many budgets Recreational facilities for both adults and children A recreational director and planned community e...

I took a new listing yesterday and the owner was an investor from out of town who owned several properties in Tallahassee. He had started out many years ago as a Realtor and told me that every day in his first year he made 125 calls in the morning and then hit the streets to knock on doors in the...

If you get a chance to move to a new area that has customs, climate, decorating styles, etc. that are different than what you are used to, why not make the most of the opportunity  by living the way the "natives" do.  Being flexible and adopting new ideas, even temporarily, can be stimulating and...