houston: Enhanced Tuna Salad
- 10/06/12 12:13 PM
Tuna is one of our staple foods. It is cheap, easy to store and easy to prepare.
For those of us who frequently catch our meals on the run, a little extra planning can mean the difference between unhealthy fast food and healthy / tasty!
Straight tuna salad can become boring. With removing that possibility in mind, today I added some enhancements! Try it, I think you will like it!
1 can tuna Two tspns cilantro 1 teaspoon mustard 2 teaspoons mayo 1/2 cup crisp rice noodle/ chopped nut mixture or 1/5 cup Punjabe mix. 1 teaspoon Cajun … (7 comments)
Imagine our surprise when we caught her studying the keyboard so intently!
In complete denial mode my first thought was that she had found a trespassing insect.
Although we have never doubted her extreme intelligence and incredible loyalty, it never occurred to us that the time she spent I'm close proximity to Ralphs computer was allowing her to soak up skills!
Now that we know of her intense interest, I think I will see if she might like to write our next newsletter. … (7 comments)
houston: Essential expense
- 10/02/12 09:15 AM
If you look carefully at the expenses of your business , you may find that printer ink is the most expensive commodity you use. Think gasoline is expensive add up a gallon of printer ink!Ink is one thing that you absolutely cannot do without. Flyers, contracts, disclosures all have to be printed. There is no business without our paper trails. Of course the paperless revolution is trying to change all that.... But all of are not there yet!Recently we bought a low cost printer cartridge at our favorite office supply place.When we installed it my printer clogged and wasted a lot … (15 comments)
Watching sunlight play on bodies of water has always provided me with delight.
Yesterday as I trundled down the hall, I observed this light sculpture coming from the guest room window.
The pattern changed constantly as wind blew the foliage outside. There was almost a ripple effect as the light continued to play.
Granted, I am easily amused and find beauty in strange places. It is something I was encouraged to do as I was growing up in a less than beautiful place.
It is now a very real part of who I am … (1 comments)
Growing up in a swamp city (my term of affection for Houston), the fact that we have had little rain in recent years feels weird.
This year has been better than the last few but things are still dryer than they should be.
Since large portions of all the landscapes in the area are tropical , many look discouraged, or tired.
Rain is disruptive for traffic and causes damage in low lying areas. Mosquitos breed and spread disease when they are not kept in check.
Rain is also essential. It provides drinking water … (4 comments)
houston: Showing Drill
- 09/29/12 08:28 AM
Since we have had our house on the market we have learned to keep it constantly in show shape.That is because the agents in our market have taught us that we may only have a few minutes warning.That means that every day we get up and clean as we go about our routine.Then, when we get the call to show we have a quick drill to get the house spiffed to show at its best.It occurred to us that this might be helpful to other homeowners so here is our showing drill.Light candles in living areas and baths.open drapes and blindsStraighten … (2 comments)
houston: Attention to Detail
- 09/29/12 03:53 AM
One of the life skills that helps to define who I am was learned from an early job.When I was 14 my job was working for my father. He kept books for several restaurants and my contribution was doing the daily menus for each of those.We had a fancy printing machine which worked with stencils. When Daddy picked up the books daily he also picked up the menus from the chefs. He picked them up early in the day so that when I got home from school I could type up the stencils and run the daily menu inserts.One unforgettable day, … (13 comments)
houston: For the Birds
- 09/27/12 12:30 PM
A humming bird hummed by this morning. He was after the blooms on a moss rose hanging basket. Last spring we had a similar visitor . Right after we saw the first hummer we went into hyper drive. The feeders were located , food was mixed and the feeders were installed where the birds could easily find them. We watched for weeks until it was clear that no further birds were coming .We have become accustomed to enjoying a wide variety of birds in this yard. It obviously is in a migratory path of many sizes and species.The fall season has … (5 comments)
houston: Whatever happened to making an appointment?
- 09/24/12 08:12 AM
What happened to appointments? Imagine my surprise when I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a young couple walking down out driveway toward the back yard gate.I heard him call to her "it is locked!"Wonder what they would have done if it was open?!They headed back toward their car which was parked across our driveway.This is the 5th time since our house has been on the market that folks have tried to just come on in!Two of those were agents! No call , no appointment, these two just showed up! One of them brought her client down the drive to the … (1 comments)
houston: Market indications...
- 09/23/12 01:00 PM
In the past two days we have seen proof that the market here is NOT healthy. The media has indicated that housing problems in Houston have ended and things are returning to wonderful. Really?
A house in our neighborhood had sold a couple of months ago with owner finance. Over the weekend we saw a moving van in the driveway and then came a fsbo sign offering owner finance. Same song second verse? Have they not heard that if you continue to do what you have done, you will get the same results? Only difference is that they used an … (4 comments)
The photo is of the grape vine which has been steadily taking over our covered patio! The cute little tenticals reach out and wind around anything in their path!
We have watched this plant since early spring. It started reaching for the roof and then spread across it and continued to grow.
It is going to take considerable effort to break its stranglehold across the patio cover. It provides us with a daily visual that growing strong is a continuous process. The more feelers we put out, the … (1 comments)
Look at it as buried treasure! The photo is of a rock that has been in our back yard since we bought this house.
It looked like any other rock until while weeding in the area, I happened to turn this over.
As you can see, the inside of ordinary is "extra" ordinary! It may be that you do not feel secure with your present situation. It may be that you do not feel or see the beauty. That does not help you or those around you. Feeling safe has its price! Burying your best will delay … (0 comments)
houston: Foundations are important in buildings and business!
- 09/18/12 06:09 AM
Foundations are incredibly important in everything. Ever since our beginnings in showing homes in the Greater Houston Area, we have seen settlement from mild to moderate to severe. The soil is mostly gumbo and in the areas with old trees, there are a lot of "split level" homes.It is high possible that every foundation in the area , with a slab that is dry, is or will develop cracks. Some are not a big deal but others ARE!This weekend we got to observe the process of foundation repair on a new listing whose cracks were deemed unhealthy.The initial inspection was done … (7 comments)
houston: Heart Strings!
- 09/09/12 12:44 PM
What ever causes you to feel an attachment to a piece of property is a personal thing.
Every one of us has hot buttons that equate with comforts sought. Finding the perfect property depends upon meeting needs.
Sometimes the client shares their desired, sometimes we have to discern them as we show. Sometimes it seems that the clients do not know what they are looking for.
Those situations require that we use all our senses. Look at everything through their eyes. Hear each and every comment made as if it is the key to your success. Feel the … (5 comments)
houston: How to increase your value!
- 09/09/12 12:39 PM
Every person has unique value. Just as there is not any duplication in snowflakes, there are no two people exactly alike.
Each of us has inborn skills and aptitudes. If you are good at English, you may not be do good at math
There are so many phases of Real Estate and so many opportunities to specialize.
If you can concentrate on your special gifts and delegate the stuff you find less to your liking, you may find yourself achieving more production. Sort of a divide and conquer plan works well for all concerned.
Last time we filled up, the lines were everywhere.
Out of no where a car pulled up beside the little building where people go inside to pay. That move blocked anyone being able to leave. The passenger got out and went inside.
The person ahead of us at the pump finished her purchase and them could not move. We backed up asuch as the person behind us would allow . She still did not have … (4 comments)
houston: Business you can build....
- 09/09/12 12:21 PM
We are all fortunate to have within our grasp the essentials to start our own business.
With a Brokers license and a place to work you can begin.
Having a vision, a plan and persistent effort you CAN build a Business!
Growing a business takes a lot of effort, long hours and usually most of your cash as you get started.
Signs, lock boxes, professional fees and even the sponsoring agents are all on going expenses. Ads cost a lot too. With the available social media advertising is an entirely new pursuit.
Nothing worthwhile happens … (1 comments)
houston: The First Step is the Hardest....
- 09/09/12 12:12 PM
There are always tasks that we do not wish to do. Returning calls to anxious sellers is never pleasant. Explaining surprise mortgage company fees takes tact. Telling sellers they need to clean their houses is right up there with root canals.
Other definate funsies include preparing net sheets when presenting a low offer.
For all the great jobs included in our day there are also many negatives.
We are expected to take the good with the bad, and we do. We just tend to do them more slowly.
It has proven to make me more productive if … (3 comments)
houston: Time Warp...
- 09/09/12 12:04 PM
It is early September. One would think there might be a break in the brutal heat we have endured since March!
There is no change in the weather but this area seldom has Fall!
When we went to Costco to do the weekly grocery run I was somewhat surprised to see Christmas decor being displayed.
It seems that the season gets moved up yearly. Perhaps the people who just leave their lights up all year are right.
Decorating for holidays has always been fun and festive. Bringing out the boxes brings back family memories from … (0 comments)
houston: The problem with perfection....
- 09/01/12 10:46 AM
Basically I have found that when you are obsessed with doing things perfectly, you don't get much done.
Any task can be redone and turned from ridiculous to sublime. The time it took to do the redo may have been better spent .
Always put forth your best efforts. But when you have finished with the project, be willing to accept it and move on.
Achieving Perfection is hardly ever realistically possible.
The flyers we construct as market material must be usable for a variety of media. We want them to reflect the best the property … (22 comments)
Author Bio: Ralph and Jeanne are long time Real Estate BROKERS dedicated to helping good folks buy homes and land in Durango Colorado and the Surrounding area.
Tuna is one of our staple foods. It is cheap, easy to store and easy to prepare.
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