• ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Better Judgements eZine Terria Judge, Realtor CRS, ABR, GRI, Broker Associate Better Judgements is a newsletter on home matters, from Terria Judge, your Garden City, KS real estate agent! Contact Terria Judge at 620-271-2129! Terria Judge Coldwell Banker, The Real Estate Shoppe, Inc. John P. Judge, Broker 1135 College Dr. Suite E Garden City, KS 67846 1-877-275-7497 x 223 620-275-7421 x 223 http://terriajudge.com http://gardencityksrealestate.com http://gardencityrentals.com Terria@TerriaJudge.com Subscription Management at end of newsletter. Thanks for your subscription to Better Judgements, the newsletter from your Garden City Kansas Realtor, Terria Judge. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- In this Issue ============= 1. Article: Go The Extra Mile When Selling Your Home 2. Features at TerriaJudge.com 3. Featured & New Listings 4. December Special Days & Events 5. Article: How To Make Sure Holiday Card Writing Is Not A Chore 6. Holiday Stuff: Track Santa, Holiday Fun Pages, & a "Traditional" Christmas recipe ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Go The Extra Mile When Selling Your Home by Rick Hendershot So you've decided to sell your home, and now you are wondering how much time, effort and money you should spend sprucing it up to make it more attractive, sell faster, and get a higher price. One important question is this: "If I spend money redecorating or renovating a specific part of my house, how likely am I to get that money back in a higher sale price?" Or here is another slightly different way of putting this question: "Where will my efforts have the biggest impact in helping me to sell the house?" By "impact" we mean helping you to get a higher final price, but also making the house easier to sell, and ensuring that it will go quickly. Often going the extra mile in preparing your home can make the difference between a quick sale and a long protracted one. Why? Because you normally have only one chance to impress prospective buyers in your price, feature, and location bracket. If potential buyers visit your home and get the wrong first impression, they are likely not going to add your home to their "short list". You will have missed your opportunity. **Start by being practical** Begin by taking a long hard look at every aspect of your home. As far as the exterior is concerned, here are some of the most important things to focus on: The view from the street - This is often called "curb appeal". Stand across the street, or drive by your home in a car, and try to view it as if you were a prospective buyer. Pay special attention to how "inviting" it looks. Is the landscaping neat and tidy, and does it look as if it has been recently trimmed? Are the flower beds free of weeds? Or does your landscaping have an overgrown or unkempt appearance? These things can go a long way to making your house look old and tired, or fresh and inviting. The appearance of your entrance way - The main entrance way -- normally your front door -- is one area of your house that is going to be seen by everyone who comes and looks at it -- even if they end up not actually going through the house. So pay special attention to making your entrance way look clean, tidy, and inviting. Paint where necessary -- the door itself is a good place to start. Clean the light fixtures and replace bulbs if they are dim. Make sure the walkway and step in front of the door are swept clean. Clean the windows above and beside the door. Get a new mat for in front of the door. Add some colorful flowers to the area around the front entrance. Other areas around the house - Do a careful inspection of the exterior of your house, including the yard, landscaping, and fencing. Make a note of anything that makes the property look uncared for or might raise a red flag.. Trim broken branches from trees and shrubs. Clean up flower beds. Add some colorful flowers that will bloom throughout the period you will be showing the home. Fix anything that looks broken like fences, gateways, exterior doorways, and so on. These things are often easy to do and do not cost a great deal. **Inexpensive things you can do inside** You don't have to do expensive renovations in order to make your home more attractive to prospective buyers. Here are some things you can do: - Consider changing the wallpaper or sprucing up the paint in those areas that get the most attention: the entry, kitchen, or bathrooms. - Replace light bulbs that are dim or unsightly, and change fixtures that are out of date, discolored, or just plain ugly. - Clean your home thoroughly from top to bottom, including the carpets and windows. - Pay special attention to the inside area of the front entrance way. Paint where necessary. Make sure lights are bright and inviting. Windows should be clean and window treatments fresh and airy. Keep it neat and uncluttered. - If it has been a while since your redecoration, consider painting the entire inside of the house. Tone down dark colors and focus on light neutral colors in order to make the inside appear larger and more inviting. - If your carpets or floor coverings are worn or dated looking, consider putting new ones down. Or at least clean them thoroughly. - Add new window treatments in the most visible areas. - Add ceiling fans where possible. Many new homes are adding ceiling fans as a standard feature to aid with heating and cooling the home. Propsective buyers see ceiling fans as a modern feature that adds to comfort and heating/cooling efficiency. They are usually quite inexpensive and relatively easy to install. - Consider buying new appliances in the kitchen. For a relatively small investment (compared to the overall selling price) your kitchen will appear much more attractive. This can actually make the difference in a prospect choosing your home over another. - Make sure bathrooms are neat, tidy and clean. Pay special attention to sinks, tubs, and showers. **Stretch your resources by looking for bargains** Make a master list of all the things you intend to do, and get a fairly clear idea of how much your redocarating and "rejuvenating" plans are likely to cost. When calculating the cost of replacement items look for bargains. Ask friends and family where they have recently seen bargains, or which service providers they have been impressed with. Use the internet to find local suppliers. Or ask your real estate agent. He or she may be able to recommend vendors and contractors that will often cost much less. About the Author: Rick Hendershot is a writer and online publisher, specializing in Real Estate promotion and lead generation. Services include Free FSBO listings, Free Real Estate Articles, and Real Estate Promotion Source: www.isnare.com ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- New Features at TerriaJudge.com ==================================== MORTGAGE CALCULATOR: http://terriajudge.com/calculator.html OPEN HOUSES: http://terriajudge.com/calendar.html ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- FEATURED & NEW LISTINGS ======================== http://terriajudge.com/featuredlistings.html 202 W. 9th, Deerfield 2 + 2 Bedrooms A Bath on Each Floor CA & FA new in 1998 Bullnose Corners, Rollout Shelves Lots of Newer Features, Lots of Storage Cabinets Just visit Terria at http://terriajudge.com/marketevaluation.html to fill out an interest form if you'd like to list your home! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- December Special Days & Events December 1 - World AIDS Day December 5 - International Volunteers Day December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day December 10- Human Rights Day December 12- Poinsettia Day December 24 - Christmas Eve December 25 - Christmas Day December 25 - Hanukkah Begins (in evening) December 26 - Kwanzaa December 31 - New Year's Eve ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- How To Make Sure Holiday Card Writing Is Not A Chore By: Patty Gale Sending holiday cards does not have to be a tedious chore. I remember when I was little, my mom would tape all the pretty cards around a special doorframe in our house and I would love to see where they all came from. The pretty trees, stars, snowmen made it fun to see what the mail carrier would bring that day. There is nothing more special than the smile created at the mailbox from a friend or loved one when they receive your card. It should be something that we want to do in showing those we care about that we are thinking of them, not something we feel obligated to do just because it's "that time of year again." To make sure that your holiday card writing doesn't become a chore starts with some very basic planning. Let's face it; December is a very busy month, so the time to plan your holiday card writing can be as early as September depending on your schedule. The first thing to decide is on the list. Who do you really want to send cards to? Family, friends, close acquaintances? There are a number of Christmas card organizers available, but making your list can be as simple as going through your address book and writing the names and addresses on a plain sheet of paper. Once you have your list together, and you know who you will be sending them to, it's time to buy holiday cards. If you didn't purchase any on sale from last year, that's o.k. just make a note that you'll do some after-Christmas shopping this year. Holiday cards can be found for as much as 70% off the pre-Christmas price, so this will be a great time to stock up for next year. Keep an extra box on hand just in case there are a few last minute cards to sent. Of course, you will also need stamps. Now that you know the number of recipients on your card list, you will know how many stamps to buy. Each year, the USPS presents a few different holiday designs to choose from. Buying them early will assure that you will be able to get the ones you like. The next thing to ask yourself is when you want to mail your cards. This way, you can plan a day where you can take a couple of hours to sit down and write out and address your cards. I know this can be challenging, so why not do it as early as possible? There's absolutely nothing wrong with addressing holiday cards as early as October so that they are ready for you to mail. Pick a day or an evening when it's quiet in the house. Make your favorite beverage, put on some relaxing music or even Christmas music to gather your thoughts. It's time to gather what you need, your card list, cards, and stamps, return address labels, envelope stickers and your favorite pen. Wear something comfortable like your favorite pajamas, grab your favorite beverage and just have a nice, relaxing time. You'll get your cards and signed and ready to go and you'll enjoy a nice quiet evening at the same time. There is nothing more special than sending a card personally signed by you to bring a smile to those you care about. It can be fun and relaxing if you plan ahead and get organized. About the Author: Patty Gale is a successful entrepreneur who specializes in personalization and customer care for all of her clients. She exchanged her suits, hose and heels to work from home in her "jammies" and is on a mission to empower others to do the same. She can be reached at http://www.PattysPrettyPaper.com ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Fun way for the kids to track Santa!! http://www.noradsanta.org Family~friendly holiday website! LOTS of things to do! http://www.brownielocks.com/CHRISTMAS.html ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Figgy Pudding with Custard Sauce A traditional English steamed pudding served during the Christmas holiday. This version calls for butter and shortening instead of suet, a solid white fat from the loin and kidney regions of meat animals. 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup granulated sugar 3 egg yolks 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons rum extract (or flavored extract of your choice) 1 apple, peeled and cored and finely chopped 1 pound dried figs, ground or finely chopped Grated peel of 1 lemon and 1 orange 1 cup chopped nuts 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs 2 teaspoons baking powder 3 large egg whites, stiffly beaten Custard Sauce (recipe follows) Sweetened whipped cream (optional) Preheat oven to 325*F (160*C). Generously grease an oven-proof 2-quart bowl or mold; set aside. Cream together butter and shortening. Gradually add sugar, egg yolks, milk, extract, apple, figs, lemon and orange peel. Add next 6 ingredients, mixing well. Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into mixture. Pour into prepared bowl or mold and place into large shallow pan and place on middle rack in oven. Fill the shallow pan half-full with boiling water and slowly steam pudding in oven at 325*F (160*C) for 4 hours, replacing water as needed. Custard Sauce: 2 cups milk 1 large egg 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon butter In saucepan, scald milk and allow to cool. Mix together remaining ingredients, except for butter. Add to cooled milk. Cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter, mixing well. Serve pudding warm with custard sauce or sweetened whipped cream. Store unused portions in refrigerator. Makes 12 servings. Recipe from: http://www.cooksrecipes.com ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- This newsletter is compiled and published by Mitone Griffith, http://BIGad.org

  December 12th, 2005 at 9:15 am

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