Food for Thought

Questions You Need to Ask When Trying to Sell Your Long Grove Home

One of the main questions that a seller will ask an agent when looking to put their Long Grove home up for sale is how much commission do you charge to sell our home? This is individual per agent and company.

What do you get for the money you pay to sell your Long Grove home?

The old rule of thumb still applies “You Get What You Pay For!” When interviewing agents be sure to ask:

Where does my home appear online?

How many websites will my home appear on?

How many page views does your website get a week?

How many buyer leads do you get a week?

Where do your buyer leads come from?

What newspapers will my home appear in?

Do you post my home on social network sites?

Do you mail market my home?

What type of virtual tours do you do?

How many pictures do you post?

Do you have a professional photographer take pictures of my home?

Do you have a team and a listing plan?

In order to do the things that I have listed, an agent has to be willing to spend money and as we all know, it takes money to make money.

There are many discount “Brokers” out in the market. My questions are:

If an agent is willing to work for nothing, then will they put there best foot forward during the listing process marketing your home?

What will happen when an offer comes in, will you be a priority to them?

Will they work hard to get you a good price, or just want to drop the price to get it sold?

It has been my experience that is what usually happens, the house does not sell, the sellers get upset and they have lost a lot of time

So when interviewing an agent, I hope this information will gives you some food for thought when trying to sell your Long Grove Home.

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What You Need to Know When Listing Your Home With the Number 1 Agent at Coldwell Banker in Buffalo Grove

Every agent needs to have a strategy when listing a home.  We walk into your home with strategy on the mind and marketing to back it up.  Listed below are just a few of the websites that we take advantage of when listing your home.

Not only do we use Coldwell Banker as an avenue for great advertising.  We go above and beyond the call of duty with Virtual Tours, Agency Logic Tours, Postlets that feed out to 20 plus websites and more.

Marketing Your Buffalo Grove Home!

It’s all about how you present your Buffalo Grove Home to outsiders.  Remember people have to picture themselves living in your home and we can help you do that.  It is important to stage your home, remove any clutter, make it less personal and have great pictures. 

On our staff we have two professional photographers.  We lucked out in that regards.  We are an all around top notch team that can service all aspects of your home from listing the home to selling the home.  With 3 agents and 2 assistants in the office, you are sure to get the service you deserve when you list your Buffalo Grove Home. 

We take pride in our jobs and in your home when marketing it to get the best exposure.  If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in Lake County Illinois, you need to talk to the best.  Contact me for any of your real estate needs.

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Six Gifts That Don’t Cost a Cent

So many of the times when I post it is regarding national news or real estate. Today is Christmas Eve and I am spending the days with 3 of my amazing grandchildren and we are going out to lunch and a movie. That would be a perfect day for me. I just received the note below from a friend and thought I would pass it along. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Holiday.

Six Gifts That Don’t Cost a Cent

The Gift of Listening…But you must really listen. Don’t interrupt, don’t daydream, don’t plan your response. Just listen.

The Gift of Affection…Be generous w/appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family & friends.

The Gift of Laughter…Clip cartoons, share articles & stories. Your gift will say, “I love to laugh w/you.”

The Gift of a Favor…Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

The Gift of a Written Note…It can be a simple “Thanks for the help” note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime.

The Gift of a Compliment…A simple & sincere, “You look great in red,” “You did a super job,” or “That was a wonderful meal” can make someone’s day.

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XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL FOR THE SOLDIERS IN IRAQ

I received this email today and it is such a great idea. I am sending it to everyone that I know and I hope that some of you will follow up as well.

If you go to this web site, www.Letssaythanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed service.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send just one and it is FREE and will only take a second to send out. It be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these cards. Regardless of your beliefs about the war, the soldiers are over there and do need to know that we are thinking of them and support all of the effort they are making to protect us.

Please take a few minute to go to the above web site and send out a card, then pass it on to everyone else you know. We can make a difference in someone’s day. Thank you.

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Don’t Dump It, Donate It! We All Can Help

One of my friends sent this article to me and I wanted to share this with everyone that I know. Many of us have way to many things and we can help others by sharing what we do not need. There are web sites you can go to and get more information.

Confession time: How much of the stuff that’s crammed into your closets, attic, and basement do you actually need or use? We’re talking about the bridesmaid dress the bride swore you’d wear again, the books your kid never read, and the inline skates you bought on a whim. But before you haul your random clutter to the dump, find out if there’s a greener way to get rid of it. These organizations will take all that junk off your hands and recycle it or give it to those in need.

HOME GOODS
Animal shelters are often desperate for donations of soft blankets, thick towels, and linens to use in the animal cages. To find a shelter near you, visit pets911.com.

Contribute your used furniture, such as beds, couches, and dining room tables, to your local chapter of the National Furniture Bank Association (nationalfurniturebank.org). The organization provides furniture to victims of hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. It also helps families living below the poverty level and women and children who are starting over after fleeing violent homes.

ELECTRONICS
The World Computer Exchange is a nonprofit that aims to keep computers out of landfills by giving them to disadvantaged kids in more than 65 countries. Visit worldcomputerexchange.org to learn how to donate your unwanted laptops and desktops.

To find local organizations that accept used computers, televisions, cell phones, and empty ink cartridges (which can be refilled or recycled), visit earth911.com/electronics.

Donate your old computers, printers, and software to the National Cristina Foundation (cristina.org), which supplies electronics to charities across the country that support at-risk children, people with disabilities, and the underprivileged.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ncadv.org) accepts used cell phones and gives them to women who might need one in an emergency.
Handheld electronic gaming systems are one of the items most requested by troops stationed abroad. If you have one to donate, visit Games for Heroes (gamesforheroes.com); the group will send it to U.S. soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Get-Well Gamers Foundation (getwellgamers.org) collects video-game systems and games and distributes them to a network of more than 40 children’s hospitals and treatment facilities across the country.

CLOTHING
Donate old suits, dresses, work-appropriate clothes, and accessories to Dress for Success (dressforsuccess.org), a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged women find and maintain employment. Clients receive one suit when they get an interview and are eligible for another after they land a job. Career Gear (careergear.org) is a similar program that collects used men’s clothes.

Visit donatemydress.org to find locations in your area where you can donate prom dresses and formal wear for underprivileged young women.
Brides Against Breast Cancer (bridesagainstbreastcancer.org) accepts wedding gowns, slips, and veils and sells them at events across the country. All proceeds go to makingmemories.org, a foundation that grants final wishes to women who have terminal breast cancer.

You can donate worn-out fleece clothing to Patagonia’s Common Threads Garment Recycling program (patagonia.com). Drop them off at a local Patagonia store and they’ll be recycled into new clothes.
The charity Soles4Souls (soles4souls.org) was formed after the tsunami hit Southeast Asia in 2004 in order to provide shoes to people who had lost everything in the storm. Today the nonprofit accepts gently used footwear and sends it to people in need here and around the world.

SPORTS EQUIPMENT
At iloveschools.com, teachers post wish lists for items they need that are beyond their school’s budget; many request sporting goods such as jump ropes, hula hoops, and basketballs.

You can contribute just about any type of sports equipment — from tennis ball hoppers to old team uniforms — to sportsgift.org. The group uses your donations to create community sports programs for under privileged children worldwide.

Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe campaign collects all brands of used athletic shoes, which are recycled and turned into everything from basketball courts and running tracks to new athletic shoes and gear. To find drop-off locations, visit nikereuseashoe.com.

One World Running (oneworldrunning.blogspot.com) accepts gently used running sneakers and sends them to people in need. You can also visit recycledrunners.com to find other organizations in your area that will benefit from your used sneakers.

BOOKS AND MEDIA
The Global Literacy Project collects used books for its worldwide literacy programs; read up on donation guidelines at glpinc.org. Or bring your old books to your local Salvation Army or Goodwill thrift store.
Donate gently used kids’ books to projectnightnight.org. The reading material will be added to the organization’s “Night Night” tote bags — along with a security blanket and stuffed animal — which are given to homeless children.
Before you recycle that stack of magazines, pass them along to someone else. Local hospitals, women’s shelters, and retirement homes may be happy to take them off your hands.
If you have DVDs your kids no longer watch, contribute them to children’s hospitals and pediatric wards via kidflicks.org.
MISCELLANEOUS
If you have a big-ticket item to give, such as a car or truck, consider donating it to Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Cars for Kids’ Sake (bbbs.org). The group will pick it up (even if it doesn’t work!) and resell it; the proceeds will benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in your community. Other charities that accept vehicle donations include Habitat for Humanity (habitat.org) and the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org).
Uniteforsight.org accepts nonprescription sunglasses and sends them to people in Africa who don’t have access to eye care.

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Cash for Clunkers or Houses

I just was listening to the evening news and there is a new program going to take effect to help the ailing appliance industry. The statics are showing the industry as a whole is down 15% so the government will be giving anyone who buys a new energy saving appliance a credit of up to $200 or a rebate.

I find this very interesting and I do agree that we need to do something to help Americans who are not making any money, however the bigger pictures is the housing industry. Based on a report that I was given $63,000 goes into the economy for every house sold. Of course that is over a period of years and includes taxes.

We must get the housing market going again and not just short sales or foreclosures, but middle America. We need a $15,000 tax credit to any buyer this next year. Please contact your Senators and Congressmen and ask for help with the housing market in terms of a credit for all buyers.

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