1. Be educated. Study the homes that have sold in the past 6 months to a year in your neighborhood. It's important to remember that you are competing for a sale not only in Greyhawk but Flying Horse, Northgate and all the surrounding areas. Most of the time, buyers are looking in a specific price range in a certain school district or general area. Price your house to be competitive with all the surrounding neighborhood.
2. Be objective. The pink carpet in your daughter's room might be adorable to you, but when a buyer is seeing several homes they might not want to replace that when they move in. Pricing your house accordingly can help you get a sale that might otherwise go to the competition.
3. Don't price high with the plan on lowering it if it doesn't sell. Statistics show that if you price your house competitively when you list the home, you will get a better sales price then those that price high and have to lower the price several times. Not only do you end up looking desperate but people start to wonder what is "wrong" with your house if it's sitting on the market for a while.
4. Check out the market where you plan to buy. If you are planning on purchasing a home in a market that is highly competitive with prices going up, then price your home to sell quickly. Get it off the market so that you can have a better opportunity to get in at a good price in your new home. Don't squabble over a couple thousand dollars only to lose out on a good deal on the purchase.
If you have any questions on pricing your home email me at valeriemcdowell@gmail.com.
Staying Fit at Home
Staying Fit at Home: Tips for
staying on track when life gets in the way
While consistency is
key to maintaining a regular fitness routine, life happens and it’s not always
possible to meet your daily goals… That’s ok!!! Step away from your
perfectionist tendency’s for a moment and adjust your expectations here. Trust
me, I know the feeling! J
Think of staying fit
like maintaining a healthy diet. If you consistently eat well, then that piece
of chocolate cake isn’t going to make or break your diet. It’s the same thing
with exercise. Just remember, something is always better than nothing, so break
up your exercise into 15-minute intervals throughout your day if you have to. And
if you find that day or two is starting to turn into a week or two, then it’s
time to refer to your personal GPS and recalculate
your route so you don’t find yourself back at the beginning.
Starting over is no
fun for anyone, so begin by setting yourself up for success. The most important part
of helping you recalculate and get on track is to first give yourself 10 minutes,
sit down with a pen and paper, and write down 1-3 goals for yourself. To help
you brainstorm, come up with a list of reasons why exercise is important
to you…
I mean real, tangible reasons (ie. family, health, improve your confidence, etc.)
Last but not least, think about how you
are going to reward yourself when you accomplish each goal. This is the fun
part! Below is a sample goal plan from one of my clients who is working very
hard to not only lose weight, but maintain her healthy weight goal of 155
pounds.Amy’s Goal Plan:
Final Destination: A happier, healthier version of me
Goal 1: I want to be a
healthy role model for my kids.
Reward: I plan a fun
adventure with my kids that we’ve never been able to do before (indoor rock
climbing, ice skating, or biking).
Goal 2: I eat at least 5
servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Reward: Every Sunday, I treat
myself to frozen yogurt!
Goal 3: I lose 20 pounds in
5 months to help make me a more healthy and active person for myself and my
family.
Reward: For every 10 lbs lost,
I buy myself a new outfit in my new size!
1. Dig out the
exercise equipment and old DVD’s to see what has worked for you (and hasn’t
worked for you) in the past.
If you have old (or new) exercise equipment laying around, ask yourself
how motivated you are to use it. For myself, my greatest struggles with
committing to a fitness routine has been because I prefer being outdoors, so a
lot of exercise equipment doesn’t appeal to/motivate me. However, everyone is
different! If your usual routine works, keep it up! If it doesn’t, try looking
for other ways to keep you motivated (ie: fitness DVD’s, group exercise,
gym/studio, or hire a personal trainer to guide you through a different routine
each time).
2. Identify the best
times of day for you to have a non-interrupted workout
If you have kids at home or work from home, or both, this can be a
challenge. The key is to identify times throughout the day that will allow you
to get your workout in. It may be at the crack of dawn before your house is
awake, or it may be in 15 minute increments throughout the day. In this
case, it’s not about the most ideal situation, but how you can make the most of
the time you do have.
3. Turn to your
outside environment for motivation.
Try a running trail
or a hike, if weather permits, or get a group of neighbors or friends together
a few days a week for a walk around the neighborhood followed by a 15 minute
backyard boot camp session. One of my clients, Kristel, has organized a “Mommy
Breakfast and Boot Camp Club” in her neighborhood, where 5 women meet 2
days/week at 9:00 am for a brisk 30 min walk, 15 minute boot camp in someone’s
backyard or basement, and breakfast! Each woman takes turns hosting and the
club provides social support for helping one another reach their individual
goals!
If you find you want
a little motivation to get you started or to maintain, Drive is here to help! For more info, check us
out at www.drivefitnessco.com, or contact Emilie at Emilie@drivefitnessco.com or (719) 749-8837.
Top Ten Home Staging Tips For A Quick Sale
1. De-Clutter- Before you put your house on the market start packing! Buyers want to be able to envision themselves in the home. Pack up pictures, knick knacks and excess furniture. Pack up anything that you can live without for the next couple of months. Your home will look bigger and will appeal to more buyers if you get out a lot of the things you don't need.
2. Don't forget the garage! I can't tell you how many times potential buyers (men especially) focus most of their attention on non-living spaces, especially the garage. A clean, well organized garage, means a well kept home in the eyes of a buyer. Make sure the floor is as clean as possible, boxes are neatly organized and dust-free.
3. Entrance is everything. Many buyers will make a decision on a home within the first ten seconds of walking inside. Make sure the entrance is clutter-free, clean and welcoming.
4. A way to the buyers heart is through their nose! Your house needs to smell good but avoid using lots of fragrant candles. A lot of people are sensitive to smells and what smells great to you, can cause a migraine in some people. Fresh baked bread or home made cookies appeal to most peoples' sense of smell but a "fresh linen" candle can send them walking.
5. Re-purpose a room. You might use your basement as a big play room but that might not appeal to most people. Pack away toys and place furniture into conversational groups. There is no need to buy new furniture but sometimes an extra chair and table that you had in the living room will look great next to the fireplace in the basement.
6. Clean out closets. Buyers are looking for nice storage space and a closet jammed packed with clothes and boxes means not enough storage to a buyer. If you pack away all those clothes that you don't wear for the season you can make a closet look twice the size.
7. A fresh coat of paint is worth every cent. Make sure all the walls are free of kids "artwork", finger prints, scuffs and smudges. It's a very inexpensive way to make a lived in home have a new feel.
8. Outdoor living spaces are the new indoor living space! Don't neglect the back yard. Keep the deck and porch well swept and the yard nicely groomed. Buyer's like to see themselves entertaining friends in the yard. A nice outdoor rug and some chairs next to a fire pit can do wonders.
9. A splash of color inside and out. A fresh bouquet of flowers on the table and on the porch can add appeal to the interior and exterior of the home.
10. CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! Buyers want to imagine their lives in a home.....that is, their imaginary life! They don't want to see dirt, dust, dog hair or any other dirt or grime inside "their" home. When you put your home on the market plan on waking up 30 minutes early and doing a cleaning every morning before you leave to work. Make sure cleaning products, wash clothes, sponges and any other cleaning product are out of sight. Not only do buyers want to imagine themselves in a clean home they don't want to think about needing to clean.
2. Don't forget the garage! I can't tell you how many times potential buyers (men especially) focus most of their attention on non-living spaces, especially the garage. A clean, well organized garage, means a well kept home in the eyes of a buyer. Make sure the floor is as clean as possible, boxes are neatly organized and dust-free.
3. Entrance is everything. Many buyers will make a decision on a home within the first ten seconds of walking inside. Make sure the entrance is clutter-free, clean and welcoming.
4. A way to the buyers heart is through their nose! Your house needs to smell good but avoid using lots of fragrant candles. A lot of people are sensitive to smells and what smells great to you, can cause a migraine in some people. Fresh baked bread or home made cookies appeal to most peoples' sense of smell but a "fresh linen" candle can send them walking.
5. Re-purpose a room. You might use your basement as a big play room but that might not appeal to most people. Pack away toys and place furniture into conversational groups. There is no need to buy new furniture but sometimes an extra chair and table that you had in the living room will look great next to the fireplace in the basement.
6. Clean out closets. Buyers are looking for nice storage space and a closet jammed packed with clothes and boxes means not enough storage to a buyer. If you pack away all those clothes that you don't wear for the season you can make a closet look twice the size.
7. A fresh coat of paint is worth every cent. Make sure all the walls are free of kids "artwork", finger prints, scuffs and smudges. It's a very inexpensive way to make a lived in home have a new feel.
8. Outdoor living spaces are the new indoor living space! Don't neglect the back yard. Keep the deck and porch well swept and the yard nicely groomed. Buyer's like to see themselves entertaining friends in the yard. A nice outdoor rug and some chairs next to a fire pit can do wonders.
9. A splash of color inside and out. A fresh bouquet of flowers on the table and on the porch can add appeal to the interior and exterior of the home.
10. CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! Buyers want to imagine their lives in a home.....that is, their imaginary life! They don't want to see dirt, dust, dog hair or any other dirt or grime inside "their" home. When you put your home on the market plan on waking up 30 minutes early and doing a cleaning every morning before you leave to work. Make sure cleaning products, wash clothes, sponges and any other cleaning product are out of sight. Not only do buyers want to imagine themselves in a clean home they don't want to think about needing to clean.
Don't Let All Your Hard Work Die
You've spent a lot of time and effort getting your lawn to look great during the warm months but don't let all of that effort go to waste! It's tempting to stop watering your lawn in the winter but don't do it. It's especially important if we don't get a lot of rain and snow in the fall and winter. Make sure your grass gets about one inch of water per week. You can get a rain gauge or just plan on watering if it hasn't rained or snowed that week. Make sure to water when the temperature is a little warmer and there isn't a threat of a deep freeze. During the winter months it's okay to water at the warmest time of the day.
Greyhawk Gives Back
Are you interested in a service project this Christmas? I know sometimes you want to give back but just don't know what to do or have the time to coordinate it. Tri-Lakes Cares gives you the opportunity to adopt a family for Christmas. Parents will submit "wish lists" for their children and then you can purchase gifts and bring them to Tri-Lakes Cares for families that will not be able to give their kids a Christmas this year. If our entire neighborhood adopts one family it would take very little from each of us to provide a Christmas for some children in our area that might not get anything this year.
How would it work? I would call Tri-Lakes Cares and ask to adopt a family with two or three kids on behalf of Greyhawk. They would give me a list of what the child needs and wants. I would then email you with the list and you can either pick something off of the list or just donate a small amount of money and I would go pick up the items. I would then go and donate the items on behalf of all the Greyhawk neighbors.
I will need at least 10 families willing to participate before I will call and adopt the family. They do this through the month of December so please let me know before Thanksgiving so I will have an idea if we are able to provide for the family. We really only need 10-20 families to donate $10-15 (or an item on the list) to make it work. If this sounds like something you would be interested in please comment below or email me at valeriemcdowell@gmail.com.
How would it work? I would call Tri-Lakes Cares and ask to adopt a family with two or three kids on behalf of Greyhawk. They would give me a list of what the child needs and wants. I would then email you with the list and you can either pick something off of the list or just donate a small amount of money and I would go pick up the items. I would then go and donate the items on behalf of all the Greyhawk neighbors.
I will need at least 10 families willing to participate before I will call and adopt the family. They do this through the month of December so please let me know before Thanksgiving so I will have an idea if we are able to provide for the family. We really only need 10-20 families to donate $10-15 (or an item on the list) to make it work. If this sounds like something you would be interested in please comment below or email me at valeriemcdowell@gmail.com.
Winter Home Maintenance
Now that winter is upon us, if you haven’t done it already,
now is the best time to make sure you do any maintenance that might prevent
unexpected repairs and expenses. Make sure your house doesn’t have any water
leaks. If it does, fixing it now will prevent a burst pipe in the dead of
winter. During the winter, it’s a good idea to keep the temperature in your
home above 60 degrees, even if you are out of town. If there are any exposed
pipes, either outside, in your garage or crawl space you will want to cover
with foam pipe insulation at minimum.
Change out your furnace filter. If you have AC you should have been
changing this all through the summer as well. Changing your filter monthly can
help it function better and extend the life of your furnace.
Welcome Neighbors!
This is such a great neighborhood! Since moving in a couple of years ago we have made life long friends as I'm sure most of you have too. It’s been great to see
the “Boo” sign going around the neighborhood and the spirit of community when
kids were out trick or treating.
Thank you to one of our neighbors, Miriam Jenson, for designing this neighborhood blog for us to post on. There is a page for everyone to post his or her home or personal business so if you would like your information on here email me at valeriemcdowell@gmail.com. We also have a cool neighborhood Calendar so we can post any activities, play groups, HOA meetings or anything else that we would like to post.
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