If you’re shopping for a home and haven’t found what you’re looking for, don’t settle for something you won’t love in 5, 10, or 15 years. If you’re still not satisfied with the homes you’re viewing, be honest with your real estate agent and find something that suits you.
On the other hand, when you’re looking at a home, it may be helpful to see past the paint color, walls, and décor the current owners have. Imagine yourself in the home; imagine your family and your belongings filling the house for years to come. It’s important not to settle for a home that you won’t totally love, but it’s equally beneficial to imagine your family in the home instead of just looking at the bare walls and getting frustrated. Talk with your real estate agent and discuss your expectations. They may be able to recommend a different neighborhood, or a different style of home then what you originally said you were interested in. Be open about your expectations, while not limiting yourself to the homes you’ve been currently viewing and you will surely find your perfect home.
If you’ve purchased a home, lived in it for several years, and feel it is overly empty, it may be time to assess whether or not it is too large for you. Downsizing your home may be an affordable option, and selling your home is easy with a qualified, professional real estate agent.
If you’ve raised your family in your home, and they’ve left the nest to start their own families, evaluate whether or not you should downsize. Are there several empty bedrooms? Are the extra rooms often filled with guests, or do they remain unoccupied? If there is more than one room that isn’t being used, consider moving into a more economical and functional home for your lifestyle. Similarly, if you’ve moved into a home with the hopes of starting a large family, and have since re-evaluated your life goals, it may be time to realistically consider a smaller home. Moving into a home that better suits your lifestyle and your needs is a great step to ensure your life and home are more comfortable for you. Speak with a real estate agent today about moving into a smaller home today.
I have a friend that was talking about taking his family on a camping trip but he just wasn’t sure how they would all do. His wife really wasn’t to keen on the idea as she has never gone without an indoor bathroom where she could take a shower everyday and their daughter announced that she was not into getting “groady”. However, their 3 year old son thinks it would be great fun to sleep outdoors in a tent by the lake. My friend had almost decided to just take his son when he got the idea of giving the family camping trip a try in his own backyard.
I spoke to him the day after they had their outdoor fun over the weekend and he told me it was a great success. The entire family slept out under the stars most of the night and in the heat of the day they all retired inside to cool off. However, they made all of their meals and cooked outside as well as caught fireflies and told ghost stories around the small firepit he bought for the occasion as they roasted marshmallows. The kids have already asked to plan another backyard camping weekend so they are scheduling another in the fall when it’s a bit cooler. Even his wife was a trooper and I thought it was a great idea for a trial run camping trip.
I recently was visiting with a friend who had a death in the family and he told me that weddings and funerals seemed to bring out the best and the worst in people. I believe it’s the stress that is involved as well as the family dynamics that play a key role in behaviors; some handle it well while others do not. Believe it or not, purchasing a home can bring about the same responses and family dynamics!
Being able to operate in a little bit of a pressure cooker is a very important skill for a Realtor to have; especially if family members are involved. Having to relate to three other generations in my family has given me a great background to communicate with any age group or gender. Knowledge is key when it comes to explaining the sales or buying process, the contracts, the closing and everything in-between but you also have to know the people involved and the best way to communicate with each one. I would love to visit with you and see if I can help you with the sale or the purchase of a home.
Every year I read about some poor soul that spends some time in the hospital due to accidents around hanging up the Christmas lights especially outside on the house. Just because it’s Christmas does not mean you don’t have to be careful when climbing up and down ladders or crawling around on your roof! The electrical lines are also in the same place this time of year so know where they are before you place your ladder.
The one year I will never forget was when all the lights were strung; the plugs were plugged in and everybody was anticipating the beauty and majesty of a well lit house when the switch was made and a poof of smoke bellowed up from the outside outlet followed by a spark and flash of fire. Luckily, the house did not burn down but we all learned not to overload the circuits that year. So be happy and merry as well as careful and safe as you prepare for the holiday season with family and friends.
With Thanksgiving a little more than a week away it’s time to start getting ready for this wonderful holiday that is sometimes overlooked because of Christmas being right around the corner. But I would like you to think of Thanksgiving this year and give it all the attention it deserves. After all, it is about “giving thanks” and that is always a great thing to do.
We all give thanks for our families and friends as well as jobs and good economic times. This year you get the chance to give thanks even if times have been more difficult than they have ever been before. You get to give thanks for our military men and women and their families that have sacrificed so much over the last eight to nine years and kept us all safe. You get to give thanks for being alive and breathing because as long as you are, you have the potential to do anything you choose and you get to give thanks for that as well. So this year, think past all the rote things you always say and give thanks for at Thanksgiving and dig deep for what you can be thankful for this year.
Every once in a while we all need to take a break from our busy work and family schedules and just get away. It has been reported that too much work and stress will cause you to go to an early grave and who wants to do that! It is because I do believe in getting away that I feel I have ha as much success as I have had in my lifetime and career. My husband and I find time to relax and de stress as much as possible by sailing.
There is nothing like getting on a boat and letting the wind carry you away. It’s as if your cares and worries are picked up and taken as the wind catches the sails and moves you swiftly along. I understood when Senator Ted Kennedy went sailing right after finding out about his cancer and every chance he gets. It unlocks your soul and sets you free; if only for a short time. So you will understand if one day you call me and you hear a recording that says, “Gone Sailing”. I will call you back when I’m done and be ready to serve once again!
This is the time of year when all the news programs go back over the previous year and look at the good and the bad. While I believe we must look at the past so we can learn from our successes and failures, I don’t believe we should dwell on either. Living in the past never makes our present any better or worse then it currently is. It also doesn’t guarantee that our future will be better or worse. This year, decide to live in the moment that you have today; live for now, not for yesterday or tomorrow.
I am currently spending the last few days of 2008 with one of my daughters and granddaughter. I’m not thinking about anything else except spending time with the two of then and enjoying every minute of it. I can’t do anything about the time I haven’t spent with them or the fact that we live so far apart. The only thing I can do is give them my all, right now; attention, patience and understanding.
There is enough waiting for me tomorrow that I don’t need to worry about it today. If I have learned one thing as time marches on, it is if I spend time worrying about yesterday and fretting about tomorrow, I miss what is beautiful today. My wish for you in the coming year is, that no matter what you hear, see or experience, you will find the beauty in everyday. It is a New Year but today is all you may have, so enjoy it.
I am just so fortunate to be able to spend a part of my holiday season with all the kids and grandchildren, even though it is at different times over the period of a week. Our family, like most families today, are spread out across the U. S. and abroad and it’s easy to get caught up in missing everybody not around instead of enjoying everybody who is. My wish for you this Christmas is to remember all your family and friends who cannot be with you and to enjoy the company of all the ones who are.
If you are traveling, my prayer is that you will be safe no matter where you go or how far you travel. If you are spending your Christmas alone, my prayer is that you will know you are never truly alone in this world and you can always reach out to those around you, if only with a smile. If you are in the company of older generations, my prayer is that you will enjoy them as never before as this could be the last Christmas they are with you. If you are in the company of the young, my prayer is that you will rejoice with them, right where they are and if you are with someone you love this year, tell them again and again so that neither you nor they ever forget they are loved.
May You and Your Family Have a Very Merry Christmas this Year!
