REALTOR^® Magazine Seeks Entries for Good Neighbor Awards

Five $10,000 Grants will be Awarded!

REALTOR^® Magazine’s Good Neighbor Awards recognize REALTORS^® who have made an extraordinary impact on their community, or on the national or world stage, through volunteer work. Five winners are announced each fall in REALTOR^® Magazine. Winners are recognized annually at the REALTORS^® Conference & Expo, and receive $10,000 grants for their charities. Winners also receive travel expenses to the conference and national and local media exposure for their community cause. In addition to the winners, five honorable mentions each receive a $2,500 grant. Good Neighbor Awards entries must be received by Friday, May 18, 2012. For more details and a nomination form, call 800- 874-6500, or visit www.REALTOR.org/gna.

If you know a realtor that you would like to nominate anywhere in the country, Please submit them. I applaud not only realtors but anyone who would qualify for an award like this.

Simple, the announcer in the advertisement didn’t use any of the above tactics. He realized that simply because everyone else in his industry seems to have a “SELL! SELL! SELL! BUY! BUY! BUY!” mindset, didn’t mean it was the correct approach. Instead, he decided to show his humanity by simply stating the facts and showing his expertise in the auto industry. With his calm and knowledgeable approach, he made my co-worker stop and pay attention. She even admitted to thinking that maybe it’s time for her to shop for a new car, and this is probably a salesman she would like to contact.

So what can we learn from this Car Salesman? This gentleman not only seems to have a firm grasp on the ins and outs of managing a car dealership and the true benefits his cars offer his customers, he also understands how to effectively use his marketing mediums. He managed to take TV, a traditionally one-way forum of mass communication and make it something personal to his viewers. He understands that selling is as much about listening as it is about talking. An old supervisor put it best when he said, “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason, because a good salesman does twice as much listening as they do talking.”

I believe a realtors job is assist their clients in finding the features in a home that meet their needs. We accomplish this by building personal relationships through establishing trust and positioning ourself as their real estate expert. In time, this approach will increase transactions and (even better) referrals as our customers tell their friends how professional and knowledgeable we are.

If your not getting this type of service with your realtor on your largest investment… maybe you should find one that will offer you what you desire.

2)      So, why is a car’s windshield so large and the rear view mirror so small?  Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on!

3)      Friendship is like a book…it takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write.

4)      All things in life are temporary.  If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever.  If going wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long either.

5)      Old friends are Gold! New friends are diamonds!  If you get a diamond, don’t forget the gold. To hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold.

6)      Often when we lose hope and think this is the end. God smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it’s just a bend, not the end.”

7)      When God solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities. When God doesn’t solve your problems, HE has faith in your abilities.

8)      A blind person asked St. Anthony, “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?”  He replied ,” Yes, losing your vision.”

9)      When you pray for others God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember, someone has prayed for you.

10)   Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.

Here are some other mistakes that can make your credit tumble.

Maxing out your credit card.

The balance to limit ratio is almost as important as paying your bills on time, accounting for 30% of your credit score.  A good rule of thumb is to never charge over 30% of your credit limit. This means if you have a total of $10,000 as the limit on your credit cards, you should never have a balance greater than $3,000.

Missing a payment

Just one 30 day late payment can drop your credit score significantly. Payment history is the single most important factor in the calculation of your credit score, at 35%.

Not checking your credit report.

It is estimated that over a third of credit reports contain some sort of error.

Co-signing a loan.

Sure, you want to be a good friend, neighbor, cousin, brother, etc. and help obtain a line of credit your loved one cannot qualify for on their own.   However, becoming a co-signer on a loan for someone else is really asking for trouble.  If the borrower does not pay on time or at all, you are responsible for the loan.

The best advice on this one is: Just say NO!

Closing an old credit card

15% of a person’s credit score is their length of credit history.  Credit cards are factored in by the age of the oldest account, and the average age of all the accounts.

Look at this example. Say you have 4 credit cards. The oldest is one you opened in college, 22 years ago. The others you have had 15 years, 9 years, and one you just opened 2 years ago.  Currently, the oldest account is 22 years old, and the average age of the accounts is 12 years.  If you close the oldest account, that changes the oldest account to 15 years, and the average age of the accounts decreases to 8 years. This change in credit history can cause a decrease in your credit score.

You plan on moving anyway, so go ahead and pack those items up ahead of time. Leave just enough in places to highlight book shelves, counter tops and walls. Think about homes you are looking at and the comments you make about those homes – Both good and bad.

It is also helpful to remove any excess furniture as well as move furniture around to give the best traffic flow in each room and make it look as large as possible. Use your friends and family for suggestions or comments on possible ideas. Your realtor will have helpful suggestions and ideas in this area also.

The more you do to help yourself and realtor the better chance you will have of selling your home faster.

Remember Buyers whether they are moving up or down sizing want the feeling that if they move into your home it will be clean and attractive. If they walk into a fully decorated or over decorated home they may get the feeling life would not be better if they bought your home or that I need renovation.

I know this can be emotionally hard to do, but again, think about homes you are looking at and the comments you make about those homes – Both good and bad.

            One of the greatest hazards any homeowner faces is termites, which do more damage than fires, storms and earthquakes combined. The damage these intruders cause occurs when they eat, and they survive by eating wood, paper, fiberboard, cotton fabrics and other cellulose products. In the worst cases, they can actually threaten the structural integrity of a home, and that is where the danger lies.

There are several clear indications of termite infestation. In spring, reproductive swarmers emerge in great numbers. Their wings break off after flight, so piles of wings are proof that termites are present. Other signs are damage to wood, visible mud tubes and live termites.

There is good news for those homeowners who have termites. Today, homeowners have options for treatment from chemical barriers to in-ground and above-ground bait stations which attract termites at their mud tubes. If you want more information, contact your pest control professional, or call

Jim Bigelow at 918-640-4657 for the name of a local pest control company.

The following information is usually required during the loan process:

• Your Social Security number
• Valid Driver’s License or picture I.D.
• Current pay stubs or, if self employed, your tax returns for the past two years
• Copy of last year’s W-2 (most recent 2 years’ for FHA)
• Bank statements for the past two months
• Savings/Investment account statements for the past two months
• Life insurance policy
• Retirement account statements for the past two months
• Make and model of vehicles you own and their resale value
• Credit card account information
• Auto loan account information
• Personal loan account information

If you currently own Real Estate:

• Mortgage account information
• Home insurance policy information
• Home equity account information (if applicable)

Crabmeat Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

Directions

Place the eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a boil, set a timer for 10 minutes, and boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in the sink. Drain, and run with cold running water until cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs and cut in 1/2 lengthwise.

Remove the yolks from the whites and put in a medium bowl. With the back of a fork, mash the yolks. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce, and mix well. Add the crabmeat and gently stir to mix.

Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into the egg white halves and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Some people have large Front or Back Yards while othe have small compact spaces. Either way you have alot of opportunities for landscaping.

Plan your focal Points, something that will attract your freinds eye. the plan a secondary focal point within the first. Draw them deeper into what originally caught their attention.

Draw ideas out to scale larger back yards are forgiving. However smaller yards are not. One mistake can cause you not to have room for something else like a water feature or firepit because you have already used that space for something else and now just do not have enough room.

Smaller spaces allow you the benefit of using more expensive plants and features thn larger yards. So plan a budget and stay with it.