Ski Accident

When I was 12 years old some kid from Jersey skied over my head.

This was way before everyone wore helmets so you can imagine it was not pretty. I got to take a ride in the ski patrol sled to the bottom of the hill and a trip in the ambulance to the hospital.

The kid from Jersey was freaking out and wanted to know if I was going to sue him. I am not even sure I knew what that was at 12.

I have about 25 stitches in my head as my battle wound. Luckily that is about the worst accident I have ever had.

How about you, have you ever had stitches?

Perfect Mom

Things I am not: a perfect mom.

Things I am: someone trying my best, day in day out.

When I was pregnant with my first everyone told me that parenting was the “most difficult, yet most rewarding job you will ever have.”

This is not an understatement!

Raising humans is serious stuff! There is lots of second guessing, regrets, missteps and fumbles.

And yet, there is so much love, fun and and adventure.

So what I’ve learned in 11+ years of parenting is that you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. Our kids have a tremendous amount of “built in grace”.

We Want To Sell Our House

This house, these sellers.

Okay a little back story here. When I first met with this lovely couple they said “we don’t want to list our house, we want to sell it”.

So we discussed the market analysis I had prepared for them and they decided to list their home below my suggested price with the intention of getting multiple offers.

And that’s exactly what happened. offers to be exact and showings!

We hit a couple bumps in the road along the way with inspection items but since they were under contract for WAY over their asking price, the sting of repairs wasn’t quite as bad.

And on the day of closing it was smiles, excitement and gratitude all around. As a professional in my field I can’t ask for anything more.

Don’t get caught!

Did you know that some home owners insurance policies only cover damages to your home within 30 days of you moving out?

I found this out the hard way.

We had moved out of our house and I was checking on it every other day, BUT on the one day I wasn’t there the dishwasher decided to go kaput!

What ensued was the basement filling up with water and doing tons of damage.

I called my insurance company to make a claim and received the bad news; all repairs would be out of pocket!

Sucker punch to the gut!

So what can you do?

If you move out of your primary residence make sure you check with your insurance company to find out what will be covered.

In most cases you can get “vacant home” insurance which is more money than a standard policy but much, much cheaper than dealing with a flooded basement.

Please, please, please learn from my mistake and don’t make the same one yourself.

BTW - second homes have different insurance policies that typically fall under different guidelines.

Please reach out if you have questions.

When Life Gives You Pepperoni, You Go With It!

On a recent trip to Arizona, Ashley wanted to do a little sunbathing.

She had her heart set on putting some sliced cucumbers over her eyes for a “deluxe spa experience”.

Sadly we didn’t have any cucumber and the only suitable replacement she could find were sliced pepperoni.

So…. when life gives you pepperoni, you go with it!

Why I Love My Job

Staple in the finger, and why I love my job.

The other day I had the girls at the office with me. They love getting into all the drawers and cabinets and checking out all of my office supplies. I am not sure why this is so exciting, but I digress.

So I’m on the phone with a client and Elizabeth is playing with my stapler.

All of a sudden I hear a whimper from her. I look up and she’s got what appears to be a staple in her finger.

At first I thought she was just playing around and pretending to have been impaled by a small piece of metal and then I looked at her face.

White and scared.

I stammered into the phone, “I’ve got to go!”.

We then proceeded to carefully remove the staple from her finger, clean it up and phone the doctor to make sure we were current on tetanus shots.

Once the dust had settled I called my client back and apologized for the disruption.

She said it was no problem, being a mother herself.

And that is why I love my job.

Because I have the flexibility and time to care for my family and clients and sometimes those events cross over quite quickly.

Being A Homeowner Rocks!

Here’s just a few reasons being a homeowner rocks!

1. Monthly mortgage payments stays steady even as rents rise and inflation increases.

2. Decorate and update without having to ask your landlord.

3. Possible tax benefits

4. Building equity instead of giving it away to someone else

5. Being able to borrow against the equity in your home for other things such as debt reduction and home improvement projects

Tuff Shed

Do you have custom home taste on a Tuff Shed budget?

Well you aren’t alone and here are a couple helpful tips to overcome this pesky situation.

1. Homeownership is a stepping stone process. With each home purchase you will likely be getting more of what you want. Consider readjusting your expectations and recognize you might not yet own your dream home.

2. Lots can be done with cosmetic repairs. That run down home down in your neighborhood might not yet look like a gem but with some elbow grease and money you can turn out a diamond in the rough.

3. Be strategic about buying by watching the market with a trusted real estate agent. Is the market rapidly accelerating? Purchasing a smaller home or condo in a rising market and then quickly selling while the market is still rising can produce quick equity that can allow you to leap frog to your next home sooner than later.

The advice of a trusted and knowledgeable real estate agent is important to maximize these strategies. Reach out with questions.

CLOSING COSTS

CLOSING COSTS!

Might as well be a four letter word.

Every buyer and sellers worst nightmare, fees that rack up for days. Processing fees, appraisal fee, title fees, credit report fee, recording fee, commission fees, release fees and I could go on and on.

But here’s the deal.

These fees represent the cost of doing business when buying or selling real estate.

These are not made up fees, they are actual costs that you will incur when you buy and sell real estate.

Some fees are just buyer fees, such as those associated with getting a loan.

And some fees are most commonly paid by the seller such as real estate commissions and title insurance.

When you have a trusted advisor on you side, they will explain these to you so you don’t feel like someone is taking you to the cleaners.

Ignorance Is bliss, Knowledge Is Pain

When the 2004 tsunami hit Indonesia, Bill and I were on a cross country road trip from Colorado to Vermont.

We listened to music the whole trip and had no idea this catastrophic, world wide event had happened.

It was surreal to pick up a copy of the Boston Globe and see photos of the destruction on the front page. Watching the footage of the disaster on TV was horrifying and it felt weird, knowing this had all unfolded and we had no clue.

Ignorance is bliss and sometimes knowledge = pain.

I felt off center and disoriented. I recognize that might sounds selfish but I have no other way to describe it.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? I would love to hear your story.

Sellers Property Disclosure

The sellers property disclosure, your friendly form.

Did you know the number complaint with the division of real estate is non-disclosure by sellers?

What does this mean in plain English. “We bought a house from Mr and Mrs Seller and they never told us about the roof leak, the cracked foundation, the flood in the basement, fill in the blank.”

So how do sellers avoid this unpleasant situation?

There is this handy form we use in real estate called the Sellers Property Disclosure. This form is your opportunity to air all your homes dirty laundry.

Sometimes I have sellers balk at this form, they feel reluctant to fill it out.

But think of this form as your get out of jail free card.

The save your bacon form.

The keep you out of hot water form.

You can’t hide things from the new buyer!

Just picture this. New buyer moves in and who should saunter over, but Karen from across the street.

“Oh welcome to the neighborhood! I was just saying to my husband that I didn’t think anyone would buy this home with the moldy attic and all.”

Your neighbors know everythingAnd if something is wrong with your house the buyers are going to find out eventually.

It’s best to be as thorough and accurate as possible with the disclosure. It will protect you in the long run and keep you out of trouble.

Yes, you might have to make some repairs, but I can promise you it will be a lot cheaper than a lawsuit and attorney fees.

When in doubt, DISCLOSE!

DEEP CLEANING

If you are not doing THIS as a home seller, you are missing out BIG time. And this is not some secret formula or magic bullet.

It’s cleaning and decluttering.

Simple and cheap. But not very much fun. I get it - deep cleaning is not glamorous but it is sooooo important.

When you clean and declutter buyers can literally start to envision themselves in your home.

When your stuff is junking up a space they shut down. I even have buyers that refuse to see homes that seem dirty or cluttered just from the photos!!

In a market like this, with limited inventory, that is a huge statement about the importance of a clean-show ready home.

EXPERT ADVICE FOR FREE

EXPERT ADVICE FOR FREE!?! YOU HEARD ME RIGHT

Did you know that in most cases buyers don’t pay their real estate agents?? Buyers agents are paid by the listing company who is paid by the seller.

What does this mean for buyers?

It means you get my expertise, skill and knowledge at no cost to you.

In this short video I’ll share all the advantages of working with a real estate agent.

Consider These When Selling Your Home

Hold or Sell.

Should I stay or should I go?

Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking about selling your home.

1. If you’ve bought your home within the past 12 months you might not have enough equity in your home to end up ahead.

2. If you’ve not lived in your home for at least 2 years you might be subject to prorated capital gains even if it was your primary home.

3. If you’ve had a significant life change (divorce or death of a loved one) most experts would say not to make any changes to your living situation for at least 6 months if possible.

4. If the market is trending downward (not the case in today’s market) and you can stay put it might be a good idea to do so.

5. If none of the above apply to you and your home no longer fits your needs give me a call, I’d love to help.

Invest in YOU!

“We are all on the stairs, my friend; some of us are going down, some us are going up!” - Mehmet Murat ildan.

Did you know that 47% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing?

It might be time to invest in YOU!

With rates still historically low it’s worth looking into the pros and cons of homeownership.

*** P.S. rates are supposed to go down in September ***

Client Testimonial

I really love my job. 🥰 I know lots of people feel that way but for me there are so many gratifying aspects of real estate. 🏠
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And testimonials like this are what keep me coming back on the hard days.
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If we have worked together in the past just know that I value our relationship and your trust in me. I am forever grateful.
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With gratitude 🙏

What's The Value Of Your Home?

Let’s do something fun.

I want you to look up your Zestimate.

This is Zillow’s estimate of the value of your home. Just go to the website and type in your address.

Let me know what you think of the value. Too high, too low or just right?

CO2 Detectors

Do you have one of these bad boys installed in your home?

If you don’t, I BEG you to go to the hardware store TODAY and pick one (or two, or three) up.

As a guideline, Colorado law requires carbon monoxide detectors be installed within 15 feet of all bedrooms upon the transfer of property. But even if you are not selling your home it’s imperative that you are protected.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless and tasteless. It steals oxygen from your red blood cells and can steal the life right out of you. You essentially drown without getting wet.

The weather is getting colder and folks are turning on their gas powered heating, so please don’t take a chance.

This is serious stuff. If you read just one of my posts all year, this is the one I want you to really take to heart.

With gratitude.

5 Things That Will Make You Wealthy By Dave Ramsey

5 things that will make you wealthy by Dave Ramsey one more from me.

1. Have a written budget. You have to have a written game plan with money or you’re going to lose.

2. Get out of debt. When you don’t have any payments, do you know what you’ve got? MONEY!

3. Live on less than you make. In the house of the wise are choice food and oil, but a fool devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20.

4. Save and invest. 100% of people who don’t save money don’t have any money saved.

5. Be generous. Follow the 7 Baby Steps and you can be outrageously generous!

And 6. Buy a home! Long term renting will not create wealth (actually it will but for your landlord). It can be scary but its one of the BEST investments you can make for yourself. And you don’t have to have 20% down - that is an old wives’ tale. And remember the interest rate on rent is 100%.

New Normal

New normal. Don’t you just despise this phrase? Its become so cliche.

But I cannot think of a better way to describe to you what is happening in the real estate market.

In 2021 I could literally list a house and expect multiple offers (over asking) within days. That was the norm. The rates were historically low and buyers were chomping at the bit.

Reset. New normal.

Homes that are priced correctly are getting one (maybe two) offers within 60-90 days of listing.

That seems like a really long time to be listed but let me tell you. When I first started in real estate in 2004 I had some homes listed for YEARS! Literally years.

So while it might seem like the bottom has fallen out of the market it really hasn’t. We are all just adjusting to the new normal.

Real estate markets ebb and flow. We wouldn’t ever expect it to stay static. And buyers remember, the interest rate on rent is 100%

Was three years ago a better time to buy a house? Maybe - the rates were lower. BUT, buyers waived home inspections, paid over asking, covered appraisal gaps, etc.

And you can’t beat yourself up over something that you can’t change.

I’m encouraging both my buyer and seller clients to not wait. Don’t wait for rates to change, don’t wait for prices to come up or down, don’t wait on what the economy is going to do.

This is YOUR time. Do what you need to do because I don’t have a crystal ball and cannot advise you on the future with any kind of certainty. Even the so called “experts” are just guessing.

Get micro on your life, not macro. Make sound decisions that are impactful for you and your future. Cut out the noise and DO YOU!

With gratitude.