Fabulous Home for any of you in Durham

Fabulous new listing in Southwest Durham!

check it out.

http://www.2729PrincetonAvenue.com

 

 

Keep your day job…

Getting your home ready for the market is crucial in today’s market.  I can never stress enough how important it really is for your home to stand out above the competition.  There are alot of homes on the market and not enough buyers for them all.  Make sure your’s isn’t the one left standing after the rush is over.   Sure it’s hard work and may cause a few tears when your agent says, that’s gotta go.  But trust me, the pay off is worth it!

Check out these top 10 do’s and don’ts

Top 10 Staging Do’s

• Set your listing price by utilizing area comparables, not based upon what you need to buy that ostrich farm.
• Put personal collections away someplace safe, like a bank vault in Zurich.
• Invest in a fresh coat of paint and get 150 percent green back on your investment.
• Disclose everything, especially the stuff you are tempted not to.
• Fix all running toilets, or risk flushing profits down the drain.
• Remember that “outside” is the new “inside.” Show off all of your living spaces.
• Visit model homes to see how neutrality and spaciousness are made to feel so inviting.
• Grind a lemon in the garbage disposal – it smells great and it’s such great exercise.
• Display the kind of plants that aren’t injection-molded and painted in a factory somewhere overseas.
• Keep your day job. Hire an agent and assist them in doing what they do best.

Please Don’t…

• Rationalize that a higher asking price means you will have more wiggle room. You could wind up sitting idle on the market with a house full of wiggle room.
• Respond to lowball offers with a counter — instead, respond with an invitation to re-submit.
• Refer to a leaky foundation as a central humidifier.
• Make your house smell like a cherry orchard or a department store perfume counter.
• Air your dirty laundry. This includes leaving bills and private papers out, or, of course, actual dirty laundry.
• Take your prospects on A Complete History of The Kopecki Repairs & Renovations Tour.
• “Clean up” by stuffing all the closets.
• Leave unfinished DIY jobs for the buyers’ honey-do list.
• Defer yard work. Your house only gets one chance to make a first impression. Overgrown shrubs and broken gutters are the real estate equivalent of dandruff.
• Think licks from Rex the Bulldog will help generate more offers.

top ten lists taking from http://www.hgtv.com/real-estate/top-10-home-staging-donts/index.html

 

Speaking of Recommendations…

I thought I would share a little insight into our household lately.  We recently had the outside of our house painted by a good friend of ours, Robb Harmsen.  While we are so pleased with a beautiful exterior, the real impact has lasted much longer.  My 1 1/2 year old son has pretty much turned into a painter.  He walks around grasping his paint brush painting the walls or whatever he can reach, and talking about how much he misses Robb and Allen (two of the painters) now that they are done.  Now the funny part is that the first few times they were here, Isaac screamed bloody murder for fear of the strangers in his household!

Here is a little insight.

Isaac the Painter

Good News, I just saved alot of money on my car insurance…

One of the many services you get from working with a Realtor like myself is the insight to a network of other knowledgable professionals.

We deal with lots of people and lots of transactions.  They all need services and we are privy to the insight of how the professionals they use work out for them.  Need an inspector, handyman, contractor, Insurance agent, interior designer, attorney, mortgage lender?  The list goes on, and we can help you find someone we trust and know will do a good job for you.

True story I experienced recently.  A client of mine got a quote from a company he knew of for his homeowners insurance.  They quoted him a whopping 2000+ dollars per year.  I kind of gasped and asked how they heard of this company and where they were located.  I quickly gave my client my buddy Matt’s name and number to call for another quote and advised against even calling this company back.  He ended up getting a much better rate of about 650 per year.  Lesson to be learned, be careful who you hire and ask for recommendations! (Even when hiring a real estate agent)

If you need a good insurance agent, you can call my buddy Matt Ellington over at NC Farm Bureau.  919.544.4953.  I can assure you he won’t try to take you to cleaners on your rate! Oh yeah and he saved me a bunch of money too! Thanks Matt!

 

 

Show a little love…

Valentines is all about love right?  Well one of the reasons I love Go Realty is that they Give Back.  Each agent chooses a charity and donates 50 dollars to that charity after each closing.  Go Realty also matches that 50 dollars for a total of 100 dollars donated for each and every closing.  The Charity I have chosen is Durham Cares.  They are all about Loving Your Neighbor.  You can get hooked up with one of many organizations through them.  Don’t think you have time or don’t know where to start?  Check out their website, I am sure they can find a good fit for you.

I just recently signed up to be a big sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters through Durham Cares, and am super excited to get started!

You can check them out at http://durhamcares.org

Let’s show a little love to our neighbors today!

Ex-cons come out on top

My fellow co-worker and Rockstar Agent Alaina Money recently blogged about something that I found pretty cool.  The secret life of Hand-scraped hardwoods.  You can check out her super cool blog here.  http://www.buildlikeagirl.biz/2011/01/secret-life-of-hand-scraped-hardwood.html

But the gist of it is, prisoners actually scrape the floors!  For some reason I found this pretty intriguing, well today I saw something else done by ex-cons.  This place is awesome!

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663204/ex-cons-transform-a-factory-into-a-dazzling-recycled-office-slideshow#4

Not only is this place built by local ex-cons, but is ultimately a “wasteless building”.  I mean a wall made out of recycled clothes, now that’s cool!

I love this concept of being 100% local, investing in their community and empowering those in need of work.  What a way to give a sense of pride and ownership to all those involved!

Here’s to keeping it local!

Valuable Lessons Learned

Today I heard a very wise woman say something that really hit home. “Gratitude is the language of humility”

It got me thinking about all that is going on in my world right now.  Along with joining a new firm comes lots of tasks and to do lists.  It is so easy to get lost in all of this and loose focus on what is truly important.  Why I do what I do, why I take time away from my family to work, and why I keep going on what sometimes seems like endless days.

I love people!  I am truly thankful to have a job that I love where I get to help people through a challenging and stressful time in their lives and make it rewarding and a little less stressful.  I get to meet lots of new amazing people and get to know others better.  Not only do I get to help them, but they help me! I was challenged today to let people know how thankful I am for them.  Not only do I help clients, but they enrich my life and make me a better person!  I challenge all of you to call someone today and tell them how thankful you are for them!

Recently I asked some clients to help me with some testimonials.  This is one I received from friends that I am truly grateful to have in my life!  Thank you Zacharias’.

“Cassie was superb in terms of flexibility!  Whenever we needed her for something, she was right there.  She knows her business and took care of details before we even had the chance to ask her about them!!  We will definitely use her again and certainly give her our highest recommendations!!  John & Uta Zacharias”

Durham, I love you, but not that much!

While typically I would combat the negative Durham Comment with a rebuttal, when it comes to college basketball, not so much…

There are a lot of things to love about Durham.  Below are a just a few.  There are too many to list, and you don’t have that much time, but you can check out more here  http://www.durham-nc.com/about/accolades_results.php if you do.

Durham, NC MSA 6th healthiest market among the top 100 U.S. Housing Markets ~Hanley Wood Market Intelligence 2/2010

Durham, NC was #10 on the list Where Americans Spend the Most. ~ Forbes 4/2010

Durham, NC MSA ranked as the 23rd Best Place for Business and Careers ~ Forbes 4/2010

Durham County was awarded the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its Fiscal Year 2010-2011 budget document. ~ Government Finance Officer Assoc. 12/2010

Durham [sic] tied for #11 on the list of the “Best Cities” for Business ~ Market Watch 12/2010

Durham, NC was included as an Up-and Coming City as the city with the 3rd Biggest Increase in Wages. ~ Yahoo Finance 9/2010

The Durham, NC MSA was ranked #1 for the Best Mid-Sized Cities [sic] for Jobs. ~ Forbes 5/2010

Sixty-two Durham Public School teachers have been designated National Board Certified Teachers ranking DPS among the top 10 districts in the nation in its number of new nationally certified teachers. ~ National Board Certified Teachers 12/2010

Duke University was ranked the 5th Best College in the South. ~Forbes.com 11/2010

Duke University was named the 22nd most desirable urban school, 14th among brainiac schools, the 8th most diverse schools, 17th among the best gay-friendly schools, and the 7th best school for future power brokers. ~ Newsweek 9/2010

North Carolina Central University ranked #11 among America’s Best Historically Black Colleges and remained the top public HBCU in the nation ~ US News and World Report 8/2010

While I wouldn’t dare to argue with Duke University being an Amazing school, there has to be a point where you draw the line.  That line is the basketball court.  Sorry Duke, the Carolina blood runs too deep!  Tomorrow is the big day, and I won’t apologize for not rooting for Durham on this one!

We might be small, but our bite is BIG!

Well, you all have more than likely heard about my move by now.  Today I would like to share with you why Go Realty Rocks, and what that means for YOU!

As a buyer it might not matter to you so much what company the agent works for so long as they have access to MLS.  We can all show you any house you want.

As a seller though, the company makes a big difference.  Some are skeptical of my move, how could going from a big name firm to a smaller start up company really be beneficial?  Well, I can assure you Go Realty offers more than any other firm out there for you!  We may be small, but our bite is BIG!  Most buyers start their search on the internet, we are there!  All of our agents are social media gurus, yes all of them! We give you celebrity status with your own domain name for your property.  QR Codes, pre-inspections, sleek office which draws in customers, we give back to charities on every closing, nationally recognized website, professional photographers and appraisers, floorplans for your house.  These are just the basics of what we offer for every listing!  Give me someone else that will provide all of that to you at no additional fee!

We love what we do, do it with passion, and our focus is on the client!  That’s why I love Go Realty, and why you should call us to list your house!

Where is the finish line?

I have taken a leap, started a new adventure.  Along with that comes alot of energy, momentum, and excitement.  Now what I am finding is I need somewhere to direct it.  My mind is prone to wonder in a million places and start a million things and not really know where they are going.  While that could be a good thing for some, not for me.  I need a finish line.  I need to know where I am aiming to end up, what is the goal?  So, I must set a goal for myself.  Along with goals of course comes rewards… 🙂

What I want for myself is to do at least the amount of business I had last calendar year by July.  I think I can make that happen, wait, I KNOW I can make that happen.  What do i want for that?  Well, it should be enough just to know I did it, but I work best when I know I get something in return.  So, inspired by my new gig, I want a new shiny Macbook Pro in return for my hard work!  If I reach this goal, I will buy it for myself!  And I will donate my old Thinkpad to someone else!  It’s a win win.

Now that this is out there in Web World, I have even more motivation to make it happen, Wouldn’t want to look bad! 😉