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Apple Cider
October 17, 2017

Sarah’s Double Duty Mulled Cider

Property Geek Sarah recently spoiled us with one of her family’s traditional fall treats — Mulled Apple Cider. The perfect combination of sweet and tart, it combines two of our favorite fall highlights… sipping warm beverages and being able to use some of the apples we picked from our local orchards.

For as long as she can remember, her mom has made this mulled apple cider one time each year – on Thanksgiving. When she got old enough, it became her job to put the recipe together before all of their extended family descended on the house for a traditional Thanksgiving. About 10 years ago, Sarah and her cousins started taking over hosting the holidays from their parents. Since her mom had always been in charge of Thanksgiving, the responsibility for that holiday fell to her. Obviously she had to keep doing the cider, so her mom’s old percolator and the secret recipe was passed down to her. Rumor has it the percolator is the original one her grandma has always used so it’s doubly sentimental making the recipe in her vintage container. Now that her own children have gotten older, they love to help make the cider as people are arriving, just like she did.

Sarah took it a step further and added her own special tweak to the recipe — for adults only! She’s found that adding a dash of caramel vodka into the cup makes for some delicious warm caramel apple cider. A drizzle of caramel in would also be a great touch!

We decided to call it Double Duty Mulled Cider because not only does it taste fabulous but it will also make your house smell delicious.

 Double Duty Mulled Apple CiderPercolator of CiderMulled Apple Cider

Sarah’s Recipe for Double Duty Mulled Apple Cider

If you don’t have a percolator, you can add all of the ingredients to a large stockpot or your slow cooker and simmer gently.

In the percolator basket, add:

½ large orange, sliced
8-10 whole cloves
3-4 cinnamon sticks
A few handfuls of brown sugar
One gallon of plain apple cider.

Let us know what you think if you decide to try it. And if you’re a seller who’s having a Fall Open House, having a batch of this brewing for when potential buyers come through wouldn’t hurt!

By The Property Geeks
Why Fall Is Best to Buy
September 26, 2017

Why Fall Might Be The Best Time To Buy A Home

A lot of people think the best time to buy a house is during the Spring market.

And, it is…

…in the sense that more houses are listed for sale in the Spring. But, there’s also a heck of a lot more buyers trying to buy those listings.

The thing is, some of the houses listed back in the Spring don’t end up selling. (Usually just because they were overpriced.)

Now, it isn’t like new listings don’t happen in the Fall. There are always new listings coming on the market. But it’s not like, just because it’s Fall and not Spring, prices are necessarily going to fall. In other words, new listings aren’t likely to list for a lot lower than you would have seen in the Spring.

However, the homeowners who did list back in the Spring are much more likely to be anxious (perhaps even desperate) to sell their home. They’ve created their own problem…they missed the boat by pricing too high.

Which is great news for you, if you’re looking to buy a home:

  • Less competition. (Many buyers stop looking at this time of year…for no good reason.)
  • Motivated sellers. (They’re sick of being on the market, and wondering why nobody bought their house.)

But it isn’t always easy to find those listings. They don’t wave a white flag or lower their price to some ridiculous amount everyone would notice. If only it were that easy…

Just because someone listed their home back in the Spring doesn’t mean they’ll be all that negotiable.

There are certain things a great real estate agent will know to look for.

And we love rolling up our sleeves and finding the ones we can most likely negotiate the best deals on.

So, do you have anything you want us to roll up our sleeves and look for? Real estate deals won’t just fall in your lap, but we can certainly help you find one this Fall.

Bonus
Want another reason to buy a home in the Fall?

You can take advantage of year-end sales to outfit your home!

Hardly anybody buys a home who doesn’t want (or need) to make improvements, however small. So why not coordinate your purchase with sales on items you’ll need? According to Consumer Reports, September is an ideal time for buying carpet and paint. In October lawn mowers go on sale, and the same goes for appliances and cookware in November.

By The Property Geeks
July 26, 2017

8 Home-Selling Superstitions That Should Seal the Deal

Once homeowners have arrived at the decision to sell their property, most want the transaction completed as quickly as possible. Sure, you can hire the best agent in town, price your home just right, and then market the heck out of it, but having a little bit of luck on your side never hurt either.

When it comes to getting the deal done in a timely manner, sellers and agents have been known to rely on time-tested superstitions. Let’s take a look at 8 that are all but guaranteed to get that “Sold” sticker slapped on your “For Sale” sign in a hurry.

1. Appeal to the senses.

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Even if you’re not the least bit hungry, there’s something inherently appetizing about walking into a home and smelling a freshly-baked treat. While some experts recommend whipping up a batch of cookies, others say bread emits a scent that’s heartier, lasts longer, and offers greater olfactory appeal to buyers. Non-bakers will be glad to hear that sprinkling cinnamon inside a stove and turning it on low even for a few minutes will do the trick. Fans of savory versus sweet swear by roasting an onion, which is said to be enough to fool would-be buyers into envisioning hosting their very own Thanksgiving feasts in that home.

2. Bury a statue of St. Joseph in the yard.

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Though St. Joseph was a carpenter by trade, he’d have made a pretty great Realtor ®, some say. It’s believed that burying a statue of the saint upside down (because this way he’ll want to get out faster) seems to have a mythical ability to sell homes in record time. Unlike costly home renovations made in the hope of a quick sale, this statue won’t blow your budget. Kits, which include an accompanying prayer, start at $6.95.

3. A dimmer switch is a bright idea.

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Some believe putting lights in dining rooms, bedrooms, hallways, and family rooms on dimmers will attract buyers who are drawn to the control they offer but wouldn’t necessarily devote to the time or trouble to adding the feature themselves.

4. Skip the zeros.

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While it might be tempting to price a home at a nice even number, superstition dictates that you’d be much better off choosing a random figure as it lends intrigue. Just do yourself a favor, and leave unlucky “13” out of it.

5. Throw in some amenities.

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Buyers often fall in love with certain features only to be turned off when they learn that the exquisite chandelier or state-of-the-art appliance they coveted is leaving with the homeowner. Consider sweetening the pot by offering up a highly-desirable item and watch the bids roll in.

6. Create a warm welcome.

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If the home boasts a fireplace, and weather permits, set it ablaze. A roaring fire adds warmth — literally. Creating a charming ambience will definitely distinguish one property from another in a buyer’s mind.

7. Pretty it up with fresh flowers.

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When you’re selling a home, you want it to look as fresh and inviting as possible. Flowers go a long way toward adding color and character to any space — even a pint-sized powder room. This trick holds true for the outdoors as well. Good landscaping has been known to shorten a property’s time on the market by as much as six weeks, experts note.

8. Smudge it.

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Some believe a home may have a “negative energy” lurking inside, which of course, can cause it to linger on the market long after it should’ve been sold. Smudging is a Native American ritual, in which cedar and white sage are burned either together or separately. Next a prayer or intention is said requesting that only positive energy enter the space as the negative flows back out. It’s said that strangers often feel these emotions more strongly than the home’s inhabitants.

There you have it, eight superstitions that should get your home sold in a flash. Do you have any others to add to our list?

By The Property Geeks
Home Staging Musts
June 20, 2017

5 Home Staging “Musts”

The Property Geeks spoke to Melissa Evans of Trend Staging for a recent episode of Grill the Geeks. Here are our top five “Home Staging Musts” we feel sellers need to do in order to maximize the value of their home:

Declutter

1) Declutter. You can’t show off your home’s best features if you have piles of paperwork on every horizontal surface and closets bursting with clothes your kids outgrew two years ago. Not that any of us are guilty of that… 😉 Use this time to purge, purge, purge. Your home will show better and you’ll have less to pack and move. It’s a win-win!

Depersonalize

2) Depersonalize. Buyers need to be able to visualize themselves living in your home. Take down personal items like the wall of family photos, the shelves of Little League trophies and the Hummel collection you inherited from grandma. The fewer distractions that remind them that they’re walking through someone else’s home, the easier it will be for them to picture themselves in the space.

Deep Clean

3) Deep clean and freshen up. Yes, buyers will actually look in your bathroom cabinets, under your sink and sometimes even behind your refrigerator. Show some love to the things you haven’t thought about in years… the air vents, the dust-caked blades on the ceiling fans, each slat on the mini blinds. Move the furniture, wash the walls. It matters. When you’re done cleaning, neutralize your space with a fresh coat of paint in a neutral color. That gorgeous shade of tangerine you painted the kitchen might go great with your teal Fiestaware, but bold colors will most likely be a turn off for a buyer.

Clarify Your Space

4) Clarify your space. If you have rooms doing double duty like a spare room that doubles as an office and a workout area, you have to make a choice. Buyers have a hard time making sense of rooms without a clear purpose. Make the function of your rooms obvious, especially if you have odd nooks or spaces that might give a prospective buyer trouble trying to figure out how to use that unusual space.

Staged Home

5) Don’t try to sell an empty home. Already moved out? You can rent furniture or pay a professional stager to come in and set your space. Houses show better when they have furniture in them. If you can’t afford to stage the entire home, focus on the most important areas like the main living space, dining area and master bedroom. You can still stage certain rooms even if you’re still living in the house. Put your waterbed in storage and bring in an updated bedroom set. In our experience, buyers that stage their homes well will recoup more than the cost of the staging.

If you need help getting your home ready to sell, give us a call. We’re always happy to do a walk-through for our clients and highlight the areas that need special attention. And if you’d like to watch the original interview, check out this episode of Grill The Geeks on The Property Geeks’ You Tube channel. You can also catch upcoming episodes every Thursday at 12pm central on our Facebook page. We talk about buying, selling, and everything else real estate related we’ve been geeking out about!

By The Property Geeks