A Planned Move is a Stress-Free Move
At Meathead Movers, we have completed over 20,000 moves and have learned the importance of preparing for the move. Because moving requires a person to make so many changes in his or her life, there are often things that are forgotten and/or overlooked. For this reason, we have created a moving checklist for our clients so they can prepare for move day. The purpose of this checklist is to remind our clients of major tasks that can be overlooked when dealing with the upcoming transition of a move. Who wants to deal with the stress of moving Albert, the pet turtle, on move day because you forgotten to make relocation plans for him? What about having the family car overheat when following the moving truck to your new home 200 miles away? Situations such as these (and these are actual examples–trust us, we’ve seen it all and more!) can be a disaster and cause a lot of unnecessary stress on move day which are easily avoided if you had planned ahead. Remember, a planned move is a stress-free move!
Aaron Steed, CEO
www.meatheadmovers.com
(866) 843-6328 MeatheadMovers.com
still need one more stocking stuffer?
How about a CO2 Detector? What better way to show you care!
The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 goes into effect July 1st, 2011. This act requires a carbon monoxide detector to be in every single-family home at time of sale, similar to the way smoke detectors are currently required.
For multi-family properties, the compliance date is Jan 1, 2013.
Since the gas is odorless, tasteless and virtually undetectable with our senses- these little gadgets have saved many lives.
Happy Holidays!
LYNN BATES, Keith Byrd Team, North Coast Realtor of San Luis Obispo County including Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria and Los Osos. 805 458-4409. Lynn@LynnBates.Com
Savor – Santa Margarita Ranch rides into Sunset (the magazine)
Santa Margarita Ranch hosts ‘Savor the Central Coast’ put on by none other than Sunset Magazine this weekend. Foodies, wine enthusiasts, history buffs, and the socially concerned will all find something to appreciate. The event is two days but visitors can go either Saturday or Sunday. Santa Margarita Ranch is a special place that plays a large part in the history of the Central Coast. Tours of the ranch and the history will be on display. But this is more than a wine and food fest as the timely theme appropriately considers how we get our food as well as how it is prepared. I plan to head straight to the ‘Sunset Kitchen Garden’ which is a two acre display garden that is both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional as it provides essentials for the cook. There are many demonstrations and educational events from local chefs, farmers wine makers and Sunset Magazine editors – From Market to Meal; Chickens, Chickens and More, Fresh from the Fields – California Breakfast, just to name a few. Find out more about this world class event at http://www.savorcentralcoast.com . This something not to be missed!
Nancy Heins, Keith Byrd Team, North County Realtor of San Luis Obispo County including Paso Robles, Atascadero, Templeton and Santa Margarita. 805 458-3583
A Great Lender is a critical asset in a home purchase
The rules have changed in the lending industry and loans have tightened. While most agree that this is a necessary thing, securing a loan to purchase can be a bit unnerving for buyers. For buyers who are in the market to purchase, one of the best people you to have in your court is a good lender. Shop all you want for the interest rates but buyers need someone who responds quickly plus stays on top of things and gets the job done. Buyers also need to select someone who can communicate clearly and make sure that all pitfalls are addressed ahead of time so that the loan can fund on time. I have seen out of area clients try to use their normal lenders. This person may be perfect at home but may not always have the local knowledge and/or tools (such as local appraisers) to get the job done as well as someone familiar with the neighborhoods, customs, etc. here in SLO County. In any case, choose someone to whom you can have direct access and who will respond to your specific situation. Choose carefully and simplify the process!
Nancy Heins, Keith Byrd Team, North County Realtor of San Luis Obispo County including Paso Robles, Atascadero, Templeton and Santa Margarita. 805 458-3583
Agents MUST be committed to their Buyers!
Buying a home takes teamwork. Maybe even akin to a medical triage……..ok, not really, but you get the idea. SLOCountyHomes frequently gets inquiries to show a property when the Buyers agent isn’t available……..at all……and/or is unresponsive. I am always shocked. A good agent will have a system. That system should include open and frank discussions with the Buyers on wants, needs, qualifications and so on. The agent should be mindful of the Buyers timeframe. If a home comes on the market and the Buyer is in the category that may see some heavy competition……and believe me, these segments of the market are very competitive……a good agent will make sure they can fit in a showing plus the time to write an offer.
Of course along with this, Buyers also have a certain responsibility to communicate their needs. They must be ready, willing and able to react quickly if a good option presents itself. It is also imperative that they have a solid lender on board to whip up a current prequal letter when needed.
So my thoughts……..if a Buyer does not get this sort of service from an agent…….is that agent really working for a Buyer? No agent is perfect but if the answer is no, maybe it’s time for a change.
Nancy Heins, Keith Byrd Team, North County Realtor of San Luis Obispo County including Paso Robles, Atascadero, Templeton and Santa Margarita. 805 458-3583
Downtown SLO Rib Cook-off
Creekside Brewing Barbeque
Rib Judges
The blue skies finally appeared today in time for the SLO Farmers Market. Tonite was their annual rib cook-off. The photos above were taken early in the evening and I didn’t wait around to see who won. I did get some pretty tasty strawberries though!
Light Bright and Airy Home Staging Tips #6
Adding home market appeal in a tough market… I want to piggy back on Keith’s Blog from a few days ago about virtual tours. As a long-time real estate shopper, realtor, investor and stager I am always looking at listings on the internet to try to figure out why they may catch a buyers eye. I agree that virtual tours in many cases can just be an added expense and not truly add to your pool of interested buyers.
I can say without hesitation that several excellent photos, not virtual tours, have often drawn me in as a buyer. Creating excellent photo opportunities is exactly what home staging is about. As a Stager, I often take more pictures of a house before, than I do after, since the camera really accentuates many negative points about houses and spaces. Much like how the camera adds 10 pounds to an actor, the camera takes away square footage in a cramped or cluttered house. With those before photos, I will be able to better study the house photos and remove negative features that will be exaggerated by the camera -before the house pictures hit the internet.
Most importantly, in my opinion, if you are going to go to the time and expense of doing a virtual tour, or even professional photographs - make sure that you stage or prepare the home BEFORE those pictures are taken, so that when your photos hit the internet, your house looks its very best.
For more questions or home staging insight please feel free to contact me or view my website at: www.LightBrightandAiry.com
Happy Selling!
Light, Bright and Airy Home Staging Blog #5
Staging for living! Today I have some quick insight about home staging. So often after staging a home people tell me that they didn’t know that their house could look that good, or “If my house looked this good before, I wouldn’t be selling it.” So here is some real world advice if you want your house to look great for a future sell, but you want to enjoy it now.
Did you know that you can hire a home stager to give you ideas – even if you are not moving right now? If you think that you may want to sell your home sometime in the future, and want to make a few changes, but don’t want to over remodel for your neighborhood. Home stagers can share the best places to spend money that will give you the best return on your investment in the future. A stager can give you focus and material ideas that will have broad appeal just like they would for sale, but allow you to enjoy the update before the time to sell arrives. Usually a home stager will keep to a tighter budget than a decorator, thus protecting your investment dollar. For more information or to contact me directly, check out my website:
http://www.lightbrightandairy.com/
Light, Bright and Airy Home Staging Tips #4
I went out to a great house (under all that personal stuff) to stage today and I feel compelled to share with the big wide world, so that others can learn from common seller mistakes.
Common Mistakes Sellers Make:
- Too much clutter.
- Living in a home for sale is soooo different than living in it forever.
- White open walls in your house are a good thing when you are selling! Too many people like to decorate and cover up every available wall space with knick knacks and collections- this makes your house feel smaller.
- Prepare your house before you list it!
- Have your Realtor or stager do a walk-through with you BEFORE it goes in the MLS to get their advice for selling and value. Once it hits the market and looks a wreck its hard to get people to take a second look.
- Get a quote from a stager, it may be cheaper than you think. (That house I mentioned today, she paid $345 for labor and materials and her house looks GREAT now!)
- Hide everything, in a neat way, then take back out only a few key items.
- Remember to think from a buyers view, they want to see your house, not your stuff!
- Most importantly if you feel like you are out of your league, hire some professional help – don’t wait until you have let your house sit on the market for a few months with no success!
This market, although challenging, can be very workable if you prepare your home to stand out from the crowd. Happy Selling! To learn more or get in touch with me directly: http://www.lightbrightandairy.com/
Light, Bright and Airy Home Staging Tips #3
More tips for home buyers and sellers!! September issue of Consumer Reports Magazine has some great tips for both buyers and sellers. My favorite of course are the home staging tips, I could have written them to the letter. What it all comes down to is: when selling a home, whether you hire a professional home stager, or do it yourself, just make sure you are staging your home, buyers are starting to expect it and in a tough market it is just a smart way to stand out in the crowded real estate market!
If you don’t know what home staging is, or why your house might need it, please feel free to check out my site for lots of photos and insight: http://www.lightbrightandairy.com/ or my personal blog at: http://lightbrightandairy.blogspot.com/
