Brigita's Blog: March 2009

This morning, someone I am currently working with, who is getting her home ready to place on the market, called to inform me of her progress.  She was close to having it ready, so we will have it listed soon.

She then informed me that a home next to her with 2 acres was on the market.  A buyer (I'll call her Ms. Buyer) had come to look at it about a week or so ago.  She then stopped by my future seller's (Mrs. Seller) home because she had horses and the buyer had horses.

Now, Ms. Buyer stated to Mrs. Seller that she was interested in the home next door and was wondering if she boards horses.  Mrs. Seller told her no, but a farm across the street would possibly board 1 or 2 horses on their farm. 

Ms. Buyer then said she probably would just erect a barn and fence an area for her horses.  Mrs. Seller informed her that zoning in the township requires 3 acres in order to keep 1 horse on the property.  Ms. Buyer noted that the real estate agent assured her that she could keep horses on the property.  So, Mrs. Seller suggested Ms. Buyer check with zoning. 

Where am I going with this story?  Let me tell you.  Zoning rules are always changing.  You never know from one month to the next what the changes are.  Therefore, when a buyer is interested in a certain property and asks questions about it, check out the information.  DO NOT assume information that was true at some point in the past still holds true.  Many regulations change very quickly.  Plus, each township has different rules.

Make sure all information is checked and double checked before it is too late and a huge error is made, which cannot be corrected. 

A true story out of San Francisco:

A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America, walked into the branch and wrote "this iz a stikkup.
Put all your muny in this bag"

While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller's window.  So, he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to Wells Fargo.

After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller.  She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he wasn't the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America.  Looking somewhat
defeated, the man said, "OK" and left.

He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.

Yesterday, I met my client at a home he was interested in seeing.  Upon meeting him, he told me of what another agent did that truly disturbed him.  The story is as follows:

He and his sister were walking by a home that they were considering seeing.  (Instead of a drive-by, they lived close enough that they were able to "walk-by" instead.  Besides, it was a nice day.) 

As they were walking around the outside of the home, an agent came out and spoke with them.  (She was not the listing agent.)  Upon meeting, they only gave the agent their first names.  Seeing that they had an interest in the home, she gave them information about it.  Now, I do want to mention that I already had sent my buyer the information on this listing, so they had the basics on the home. 

My buyer then proceeded to inform me that this agent called the sister the next day and left a long message about how she can show them other homes like the one they were looking at.  What was very disturbing was that niether my buyer, nor his sister, gave this agent their phone number nor their address, nor their last name.  All that was said was that they lived in the area.  They didn't even request that the agent contact either of them.

Plus, the sister's phone number is on the DO NOT CALL list.  Yet, the buyer's sister was contacted. 

What is disturbing the buyer is that somehow, this agent managed to find the phone number without their permission. 

Upon meeting the agent, it did not occur to the buyer to mention that he already was working with an agent.  The other agent should have asked.  She didn't even ask for their phone number.  Is this ethical?  Was this all out of desperation to get clients? 

This type of behaviour is what is giving the REALTORS a bad reputation and is totally unacceptable. 

Agents, if you are looking for buyers and sellers, do us all a favor.  Get out and work your tails off for your own leads.  If you come across a person interested in a home, ask first if they are working with an agent. 

Remember your ethics training!

It's springtime and that means the tack sales are coming around again. 

For those of you that are not familiar with tack sales, a tack sale is a "horsey" yard sale.  Anyone that has horsey items to sell will be here.  It includes clothing, riding and training equipment, books, toys, anything that is horse related.

Northampton County 4H Center will hold it's Tack Sale on April 18th, from 11AM until 2PM.  If you need any horse items, it's a great place to find some good deals on many items.

Lots of FREE parking and food will be available.

The Northampton County 4H Center is located about 4 miles north of Nazareth.

Come on out and see for yourself.  You may find something that you need for a good price.

See you there!

I read this post and thought it was well worth reblogging.  Read it and take action.  We do not want to lose our freedoms.  The government should not interfere with our family lives.

Looking to sell your home?  Here are some quick, easy and inexpensive tips to make your home more appealing to buyers.

1. Trim bushes so they don't block windows and cut down on light.
2. Buy a new doormat.
3. Place a pot of bright flowers (or a small evergreen in winter) on your porch and/or plant bright flowers as landscaping.
4. Place new doorknobs on your doors or polish the old ones to a gleaming shine.
5. Put a fresh coating on your driveway.
6. Edge the grass around walks and trees.
7. Keep your garden tools out of site.
8. Be sure children put away their toys.
9. Buy a new mailbox.
10. Upgrade the outside lighting.
11. Use warm, incandescent light bulbs for a homey feel.
12. Polish or replace your house numbers.
13. Clean your gutters.
14. Put out potpourri or burn scented candles.
15. Buy new pillows for the sofa.
16. Buy a flowering plant and put it in a window you pass by frequently.
17. Make a centerpiece for your table with fruit or artificial flowers.
18. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light.
19. Buy new towels.
20. Put a seasonal wreath on your door.

Remember: First impressions are what sell the house.  You never get a second chance.  These extra little touches may make a big difference when it comes to the buyer making an offer.

Here is a list of 10 things for homebuyers to take the trauma out of home buying.

1. Find a real estate professional who’s simpatico and knowledgable.  Homebuying is not only a big financial commitment, but also an emotional one.  It’s critical that the practitioner you choose is both skilled and a good fit with your personality.

2. Remember, there really is no “right” time to buy, any more than there’s a right time to sell.  If you find a home now, don’t try to second-guess the interest rates or the housing market by waiting.  Changes don’t usually occur fast enough to make that much difference in price, and a good home won’t stay on the market long.  If you wait too long, there's a good chance you'll miss out on your dream home.

3. Don’t ask for too many opinions.  It’s natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas will make it much harder to make a decision.  Go by how you feel in the home.  If you feel comfortable in it, chances are it is the home for you.

4. Realize that no house is ever perfect.  Focus in on the things that are most important to you and let the minor ones go.

5. Don’t try to be a killer negotiator.  Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate process, but trying to “win” by getting an extra-low price may lose you the home you love.  Your real estate agent can help you by doing comprables on the home.

6. Remember your home doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  Don’t get caught up in the physical aspects of the house itself—room size, kitchen—that you forget such issues as amenities, noise level, etc., that have a big impact on what it’s like to live in your new home.

7. Get approved for a mortgage before looking for a home.  A mortgage pre-approval letter assures the seller that you are most likely qualified to purchase the home.  Investigate insurance availability, and consider a schedule for moving ahead of time.  Presenting an offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your offer much less attractive to sellers.

8. Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your homebuying budget.  Even if you buy a new home, there will be some costs.  Don’t leave yourself short and let your home deteriorate.

9. Accept that a little buyer’s remorse is inevitable and will probably pass.  Buying a home, especially for the first time, is a big commitment, but it also yields big benefits.

10. Choose a home first because you love it; then think about appreciation.  While U.S. homes have appreciated over the years and are considered as great investments, a home’s most important role is as a comfortable, safe place to live. 

As some of you may know, I am a volunteer with the Lehigh Valley Animal Response Team.  We are called in emergency situations to assist in relocating animals.  This past Saturday was our first official emergency call.  Before this, we only held practice drills and training sessions.

Saturday morning, I received a call from our phone chain notifying me that LVCART (Lehigh Valley Animal Response Team) was on stand-by until further notice. 

An accident had occurred on Route 33 in Wind Gap area.  It involved and overturned tanker truck with hazardous material.  (I later found out that the material was hydroflouride.)  A 7 mile stretch of the highway was shut down.  All residents within a 1 mile radius of the accident were being evacuated to Pen Argyl area HS.  The incident may take 12-24 hours to clean up.  Therefore, we may need to set up a shelter to house the pets overnight.

Most of the volunteers were ready if the situation required us to jump into action.  One of the team members had the trailer ready, just in case, and we had a place to temporarily house the animals. 

Around noon time, we were informed that the emergency personnel at the scene were working on uprighting the tanker truck.  By 3PM the truck was towed away from the scene and crews were cleaning the area.  By 4PM, residents were allowed to return to their homes and by 6PM the highway was reopened.

At 5PM the Team was informed that we were no longer on stand-by and the situation was cleared. 

Nice to know that in case of an emergency, the LVCART Team was ready to go. 

You will get a kick out of this one.  Read on for a great belly laugh!

Curtain Rods

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.  On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.  On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of Chardonnay.  

When she had finished, she went into each and every room and stuffed half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar, into the hollow of the all of the curtain rods.  She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.  

When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days.  Then slowly, the house began to smell.  They tried everything, cleaning, mopping, and airing the place out.  Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.  Air fresheners were hung everywhere.  Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which time they had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.  Nothing worked.  People stopped coming over to visit.  Repairmen refused to work in the house.  The maid quit.  Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.  

A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house.  Word got out, and eventually, even the local REALTORS refused to return their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.  

The ex-wife called the man, and asked how things were going.  He told her the saga of the rotting house.  She listened politely, and said that she missed her old home terribly, and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.  

Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.  She agreed, and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.  

A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home, including the curtain rods.

I LOVE A HAPPY ENDINGS, DON'T YOU????