Moscow Idaho Real Estate -- Lori Cofer's Blog: June 2010

It’s summertime, and that means plenty of barbeques, beach weekends, and the best your local farmers market has to offer!  Shopping at the farmers market is better for the environment, better for the local economy, and better for your wallet.

 

Did you know that most conventional food travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches your plate?  That’s a lot of wasted energy for something you can find so much closer to home!  In fact, switching to buying even 10% of your produce from local sources will contribute 5-17 times less CO2 than those who buy non-local.

Once you eat fresh, recently harvested produce, you’ll realize the stuff from the supermarket (organic or not) is just not the same thing.  Here are some helpful hints for hitting the farmers market this summer:

1. Don’t forget your bags, baskets, and containers.  Invest in good reusables.  No one goes to market and forgets their bags!  A basket can also be very handy, especially during berry season.  There are no plastic clamshell containers at the market, so stacking is not an option unless you bring your own.  Take some of everything: produce bags, bread bags, and containers… they all come in handy!

2. Bring cash and plenty of small change.  It’ll be faster and easier for everyone.  Green Genius knows it can be awkward to pass a $50 dollar bill to a farmer selling you $3 worth of spinach!

3. Bring your family and friends.  It’s more fun to share the market with others.  Consider meeting at the market for a meal or drink.  It’s also a place to involve the whole family in food choices.

4. Do a full walk-through.  There are no returns.  Who has the best tomatoes?  Would you have preferred the peaches instead of the pears?  Walk the whole market first to see what’s available and compare prices and product.  Also, produce gets heavier as the day goes on.  Melons and squash should be your last purchases, so you don’t have to carry them around all day.

5. Go early and get first pickings.  You cannot imagine the excitement the regular market shoppers have for the season’s first strawberries, asparagus, ramps…  If you want to take part to the fullest, don’t sleep in.

6. Go late and get good deals.  If you are not picky, vendors will generally be happy to give you a discount and not have to haul anything back with them.  They worked hard enough to get it to market in the first place.

7. Ask questions.  You’ll get real answers.  If you want to know when something was picked, or how to best choose a particular item, just ask.  Feel free to ask what something is, or try things that you would not necessarily see at the store. Farmers know all about what they grow, and sometimes they will share great recipes too—that’s not happening at the supermarket!

8. Speak to other marketers.  Sociologists estimate that people who skip the supermarket in favor of farmers markets have about 10 times the number of conversations while shopping.  In addition to your farm-fresh zucchini, you just might pick up a new shopping buddy.

9. Don’t buy ingredients for a meal; make a meal based on the best ingredients you buy.  Don’t just go to the market to cross things off your grocery list.  Buy what’s best and in season, and try new things.  When you buy fresh and simple, the dishes you prepare can be also.  Green Genius loves making a “market meal”—a help-yourself-to-all-of-the-goodness-we-just-got-meal.  You can obviously make a list, but keep an open mind.  Take advantage of seasonal inspiration!

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael Caruso, Broker ABR ABRM CRB CRS GRI GREEN

 

2007 President, Orange County Association of Realtors

 

949-753-7900

Original Source: Renters Key To The Housing Recovery

When economies fall on hard times, people start thinking more short term, and they struggle to live day to day. Today’s economy definitely fits into this category. Because people are trying to live day to day and are looking more short term, the housing market is in a shift.

Previous homeowners are losing their homes through foreclosure and job loss. People are leaving their underwater homes through strategic defaults to start over. These previous homeowners are in need of housing. Some will live with family, but most are looking to rent a home.

Obviously the more people looking to rent, demand goes up, and rental prices will rise. As rental prices rise, if home prices are still falling, the housing market will recover. How? Let me explain:

 

What Happens When Renting Becomes More Expensive And Home Prices Fall?

As home prices continue to fall, as long as rental demand goes up, you will see a truly stable market come into fruition. People will always need housing and if it becomes more expensive to rent a home then buy, people will make the necessary sacrifices to buy a home over rent.

According to Yale economist Robert Schiller:

“If you look at the trend in rents to see where housing prices are headed, you’re looking at the right measure.” – Money.CNN.com

Economist’s know that if you follow rental trends you can guage housing trends. As the price of renting drops, more people will choose rent over purchase. As rental prices increase, more people will find value in owning.

 

Lending Standards Forcing More People To Rent Is A Good Thing

 

As lending standards continue to grow more stringent, people without money to put down on a home will be left to rent. This is a good thing, for the housing market anyways, not so much for the renter.

If you talk to anyone looking to find a home for rent today, ask them if they are getting everything they wanted. Is the location right? Is the price right? Are they happy with the landlords conditions? How many rentals did you miss out on due to high demand before you found a property to rent? Why are you renting over buying?

That last question is usually answered with a problem to obtain financing to own a home.  Sure, some people rent for other reasons, but a large majority would prefer to own a home over rent.

 

More People Looking At Lease Options Show A Slow Rental Market

Over my 9 years in real estate, I have had one lease option close. The lessor actually went through with the terms of the contract and bought the home. Most times this is just not the case.

People interested in lease options can’t afford to buy a home, have little or no credit, or need to work on bad credit to purchase.  When I think of lease options, I think of a renter that isn’t satisfied with the rental market, otherwise they would just rent until they could buy a home.

We have a property management company within our real estate brokerage. They have no inventory to rent. All rentals are secured with 100% occupancy and everyday we get more and more inquiries for rental properties and we have to turn them away due to lack of inventory.

This proves, at lease in my area, the housing market is on the road to recovery.  Why? Investors.

 

Investors Are The Key To The Housing Market Correction

There is no question that inventory levels in housing markets across the nation are at astronomical levels. Sure, some markets are doing pretty good, but most housing markets are saturated.

High inventory = Less demand = Lower prices

Usually, when home prices drop, rental prices drop. Owning a home becomes more affordable, and rental owners have to drop their prices to keep their investments occupied. Today’s market is different.

Renting is becoming more expensive due to credit becoming harder to obtain, people walking away from homeownership through strategic defaults, and decreased rental inventory.

 

It’s a good time to be an investor, don’t you think?

According to Robert Schiller, the Yale economist, the normal costs of rent to own ratio is 87%. Which means, people will be more willing to pay for housing if it only costs 13% more to own a home.

During the bubble,  americans were paying 66% more to own than rent.  This number is still incredibly high, which means, rental properties are in high demand.  With homes becoming more affordable, and rental demand on the rise;. investors that plan on renting out properties should be salivating.

The smart investor is watching this trend closely. If investors start buying up properties for rentals, inventory will decrease. And through rental demand, the housing market will start to show a true recovery.

In order for the housing market to recover, plain and simple, we need more renters to entice investors to spend more money.

 

Lisa Udy

Platinum Real Estate Group

Please Help Carolyn Capalbo

 

 

 

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If you have any questions about Pullman or the Pullman Real Estate Market I am here to help! Feel free to use my my free Pullman WA MLS search...and you are welcome to sign up for automatic market notifications too!

 

Click Here For Pullman Properties ~

About the Author: The above piece was provided as a community service by Lori Cofer, a local Pullman WA Real EstateAgent. Lori can be reached via email at loricofer@yahoo.com or by phone at 509-330-0086. Looking for Pullman WA real estate or Moscow Idaho Real Estate?  Lori is happy to assist you in all your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate needs. Lori is "Your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate Connection"

Google Me!

 

 

 

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

 

This post has been a long time coming. Like so many of us, Active Rain has become a part of how we start our daily routine,  and it has a wonderful way of seeping into how we "do our business."

 

 

Like so many morning I shook off the sleep with a cup of coffee and Active Rain. It has long since replaced my morning paper routine, and I look foward to the featured blogs of the day. I enjoy seeing faces that have now become so familiar, and enjoy seeing new ones too! I really love the new suggest a feature button as we have seem some really great featured posts and fresh faces in the mix!

 

That morning in January I believe I was looking through the posts and I found myself reading a post about "Staging your laundry room with the Martha Stewart of Approval" by Teresa Meyer a stager here in the Rain. Like so many of you I am sure, I love the before and after pictures. I also love looking for tips that might help my sellers.

 

That morning I went to a new listing presentation. She was a young mother that obviously had a great talent for crafting. And her home was a perfect candidate for my morning inspiration via the Rain.

 

 

She took the idea and ran with it! She got rid of the clutter and put baskets up on the shelf. Then she took her vinyl letter machine and wrote laundry in several different languages. It was fantastic! I wish I took before and after shots.

 

 

That house had a signature laundry room and feedback was great from both clients and other agents! Did I get it sold? You bet! I had it under contract in 21 days!

 

Wait! There is more! And this is really great.....So a few weeks later I am checking out my site and see all this hits from a blog...you guessed it! Little did I know this young mother had a blog and wrote about the whole process and posted pictures with a link back to my website. It just doesn't get better than that!

 

So thanks Active Rain for the morning inspiration!  And thanks Teresa Meyer for sharing your tips as you pay it forward in the Rain!

 

About Lori Cofer Find my Pullman dream home What is my home worth? Help me relocate! Contact Lori Cofer

 

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If you have any questions about Pullman or the Pullman Real Estate Market I am here to help! Feel free to use my my free Pullman WA MLS search...and you are welcome to sign up for automatic market notifications too!

 

Click Here For Pullman Properties ~

About the Author: The above piece was provided as a community service by Lori Cofer, a local Pullman WA Real EstateAgent. Lori can be reached via email at loricofer@yahoo.com or by phone at 509-330-0086. Looking for Pullman WA real estate or Moscow Idaho Real Estate?  Lori is happy to assist you in all your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate needs. Lori is "Your Pullman WA Real Estate and Moscow Idaho Real Estate Connection"

Google Me!

 

 

 

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

Incorporating Seasonal Color in Home Staging for Seattle Wedgwood Bungalow

There is no doubt that adding subtle seasonal touches to a home staging can influence how a buyer will react to the overall "feel" of a house. Pottery Barn and other retailers knows this well and thus we see a new catalog regularly arrive in our mailbox filled with great ideas to transform our interiors with each changing season. I recently completed a home staging for this classic house MLS# 29152670 in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood. So much of effective home staging is knowing that online photos may get a buyer to the property, but how a property "feels" to a client is extremely important. Much of home buying is as much an emotional decision as financial. Here are a few ideas for making an interior seasonal without crossing the line into kitsch:

 

Choose One big Drama Statement

This spray of Fall leaves provides a dramatic focal point for this open living room and coordinates with art which features scenes of a European street scene with fallen leaves. Limiting the silk arrangements to under three per photo keeps the focus on the room as a whole rather than calling attention to the home staging.  If this were for a Spring staging, this spray could be Magnolias or Red Berry Branches for a Winter staging. Wool rugs in rich neutral colors are great for cooler months.

A good home staging should closer reflect how the potential buyer would like his home to look rather than taking on that one too many silk plant look that is too often associated with home staging.

 

 

Accessorize with Seasonal Color

Choose furnishings that are neutral enough to use all throughout the year but select seasonal accessories with color, The Fall theme is repeated with this cluster of gold-trimmed leaf art that was collected specifically for a Fall home staging. Candles are in a soft pumpkin color and accent pillows are in a rich copper tone. Lamp shades are in a textured raffia rather than a stark white to give the room a warmer glow for Fall evening showings. Burnished gold for the table and lamps was chosen to give this room a warmer feel. 

 

 

 

 

Unusual Seasonal Items Make for More Memorable Online Photos

Love them or hate them, these pitchforks not only repeat our harvest theme but also make this home more memorable. The bowl of apples and orange napkins caputure attention during a walkthrough but are a bit lost online. This interesting home staging detail is intended to catch the attention of those clients quickly looking over homes online. Even a small pause for a moment increases the chances that buyers will take this house into greater consideration. Most buyers have already narrowed down the homes by search criteria so now they are simply selecting which homes to actually tour.

 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. see additional photos of other home staging, please feel free to take a look at my website: www.lisalucasdesign.com.

 

 

 

 

For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

 

 

About Lori Cofer Find my Pullman dream home What is my home worth? Help me relocate! Contact Lori Cofer

 

 

Although the real estate market in Pullman Washington has quieted down a bit, I still find that there is quite a bit of activity here in our market place.   I am mainly working with buyers right now as most of my listings have sold, and that is great news for my sellers.  In fact, I am scheduled for a closing tomorrow!

Those listings that have sold were sellers that were realistic about their house.  Notice, I did not say home.  I said house.  These sellers were savvy enough to realize they needed to put their best foot forward and market their home well!  These were homes that were move in ready.  Many with fresh paint and flooring.  And they priced their homes to sell!

And fortunately for my listings, they were in that first time buyers price range.  It was a great selling season all around for my sellers this year.  In fact, although I do not practice dual agency, I did have several buyers come to my listings as a result of my intensive Internet marketing strategy.  I set them up to work with an agent that would take great care of them at my office at Beasley. In fact, one such buyer that bought my listing has invited both myself and the buyer's agent to their house warming party next week! I am looking forward to it.  How thoughtful for her to include me in her big celebration!

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For more information about Lori see her profiles at: Lori Cofer's Businessweek profile; Lori Cofer's Google profile; Lori Cofer's Lookup Page and Lori Cofer's Naymz profile.  Feel free to read her helpful articles on New Construction in Pullman WA; Info about Pullman WA; More Helpful Info about Pullman WA; Info About the Pullman WA schools Info About the Pullman-Moscow Bill Chipman Trail; Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your Curb Appeal For Sellers; Five Tips on Buying Your New Pullman Home; More Tips for Buyers; and Tips on Building Your New Custom Pullman WA Home.

If you enjoyed my post, why not connect with me elsewhere?

Do you remember the last thing you had copied, either for yourself or someone else? 

You probably do.  It could have been someone's driver's license for your client file, a HUD statement, an earnest money check, tax returns for a mortgage broker, or a contract.  How about your insurance card at the doctor's office or your social security card for a job you just accepted?

These are just a small sample of what we copy on a daily basis.  But did you know that the copy machine keeps a digital image of every single thing that it copies??  They're all stored on its hard drive, ready and waiting to be re-viewed by whomever looks for them.

I don't know about you, but to me, that it S-C-A-R-Y. 

My uncle sent me this YouTube video the other day which explains everything clearer that I can.  It's a piece that CBS News did on April 25, 2010.  It is a couple minutes long, but you'll be glad you checked it out.  Or maybe not.

 

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We proudly serve and sell real estate in and around all of Charleston, SC.  If you are thinking about purchasing or selling your home in Charleston, Johns Island, James Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, West Ashley, Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island, North Charleston, Hanahan, Summerville, Goose Creek or other surrounding areas, and more importantly, want to work with a local area expert, contact us at your earliest convenience.

 

Jim and Maria Hart
Realtors®/ AgentOwned Realty
(843) 364-9845
hart@agentowned.com

 

Copyright © 2010 by Jim and Maria Hart (AgentOwned Realty).