Realtor/Coach/Trainer
The Portland area is great. We don’t get too hot and we don’t get too cold. We (usually) get a week or so of snow in the winter and a week’s worth of high 90’s and 100 degree days in Summer. A lot of homes in the area don’t have air conditioners. I have written […]
90% of the time when I go to list a home the last place they want me to look at is the garage. It is often followed by apologies about how messy it is and then they just trail off. First let me say I have rarely found a buyer who cared what the garage […]
When you ask your friends to help you move their brain quickly locks on every bad experience they have had and while they may help you some might find excuses not to help. Here are some things that might ease their mind. Tell them that the house is either completely packed or will be. Tell […]
I have two listings going live this week. Luckily I was able to take photos last week when we had the gorgeous sunny weather. If you have a decent digital camera you should periodically take photos of your home during nice weather; spring bloom, sunny clear days, bright fall colors. One homeowner had some old […]
The Art Just recently I have talked a client out of offering more for a home so they didn’t overpay and talked another client into offering asking price instead of low-balling so they wouldn’t lose the house. There are finer details but that is the gist. It worked out for both. The first client was […]
If you don’t know what is going on with NBC, Jay Leno, and Conan O’Brien, you might count your self a little lucky. It is better than any “reality” show out there but it is tedious because it seems to be about a spoiled millionaire, Jay Leno, for the most part who in effect changed […]
Spruce up those stand up lights which are usually inefficient and run to hot. Add some efficiency to your home with Energy Star @ Home. Make a Home Fire Plan. How to winterize your home.
I have talked to clients who have seen photos and virtual tours of homes before we went to see the homes. Time after time I hear them say, “This is room is bigger than it looked online.” Virtual tours give the buyer a false sense that they have seen the home which allows them to […]
Lifehacker is one of my favorite websites. They feature tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you get things done smarter and more efficiently. Their site is a tech heavy but they have useful and fun tips for around the house every once in a while. Here are some of of their recent tips. Need to […]
The rain is coming and it is time to check your roof, attic, and crawlspace. Big problems start as small problems. As many inspections that I have been to where the seller had no idea what was going on above and below them, you would be surprised what can be going on.
The IRS is trying to drop a tax deduction for donating your home to SWAT and the fire department for training. When I first read the Yahoo! headline I thought it was going to be about homeowners burning their homes for insurance money. It is interesting but not what I was looking forward to […]
Get moved with less effort but more people. They will love you for it.
How to get rid of Ants without an Exterminator. First, pick up some boric acid powder (available at most drug stores) and mix a small amount of it 50:50 with table sugar. There’s nothing particularly scientific about this ratio, so it’s fine to just eyeball it. Next, put some of this mix into a small container […]
Moron Cuts Tree and Crushes His Porch Anyone else think he was cutting on the wrong side? Too little too late but I bet a lot of us could have given him some good advice and I bet afterwards he realized he knew better. This is half rant against myself and half a reminder to […]
Sometimes we have to realize when we are in over our heads or, better yet, about to go past a point of no return. A relative of mine avoided a big mess by heeding the advice, and pleas, of family members to get information from an expert. The downside was finally too much to ignore […]
The Portland area recently started Single Streaming Recycling where you can put all of your recyclable material into one container. This is a boon for recycling as many just didn’t want to have 3 or more bins to sort out the right types. I wondered how complicated the process is to sort those materials and […]
