Selling our Home and "Online Seller Advantage"....

For the last couple of years we have been looking for a place where we could keep the motor home right at the house.

In the course of 2 years we looked at well over 50 homes. What an adventure…… home hunting. The house would have to be just right and in the right location for us to act on it. We looked at many wonderful homes, but none of them fit all of our needs.

We finally found a perfect location, and decided to build a home to our exact needs. Our new home should be ready this fall, so it is time to sell our present home.

In my career I have talked with dozens of people about selling their homes. I carefully inspect the home and then give the Sellers advice on how to make their home more marketable. I point out that they do not have the only home on the market and they will be competing against every other listing in their price range and in their geographic area. I might suggest painting or repairs or lawn clean up and landscaping. After all, a Buyer’s first impression is the strongest.

Now comes the tough part, wearing two hats and following my own advice.

Irene and I have live here for 21 years and over the years we have updated the home and kept it in good repair. With a critical eye, I try to look at our home as a Buyer would. All of a sudden, the look of our home changes. I see little things that we have been overlooking but things that the critical eye of a new Buyer would likely see. We make a list of projects and headed for Menards. The finished basement gets a fresh coat of paint along with one of the bedrooms. The winter has taken a toll on the deck and front porch so they were pressure washed and painted. Here is the shaded deck - sure is great on a warm summer evening.

Gee….. by the time we got done with all the painting and organizing, it looks so nice we don’t want to move.

Last week Irene had a load of red mulch delivered and now the flower beds in front lawn are looking pretty fancy. She spread more fertilizer and it is starting to green up real good. It’s going to look great after a couple of weeks when all the flowers bloom.

Before I put our home on the Multiple Listing Service, I wanted to price it just right. To do this I used a Prudential Exclusive program called "Online Seller Advantage."

I was able to enter a description of our home and the address into the computer. When I entered a price, the "Online Seller Advantage" program generated a report showing how many people are presently searching online for a home like mine. By entering different prices, I got a different report, so I could easily see the best price to attract the greatest number of home buyers. This helps to take the guesswork out of listing a home, and is an exclusive to Prudential Real Estate.

"Online Seller Advantage" also generates a daily report and emails it to the home seller. This report shows the number of times the home has been viewed on line along with similar homes on the market in my area. It also shows any new homes that come on the market and any price changes in the homes that are presently on the market.

By using this technology, I am able to keep up to ever changing conditions in my very own neighborhood and react quickly to these changes.

Our home is now on the Multiple Listing Service. So now the adventure begins. Stay tuned for exciting updates. Click this link to see the listing.

http://scwmls.fnismls.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=c6498d12-340b-44ee-8e7a-787b0882b29c&Report=Yes

In the box just below this post is a link to “Comments”. Climb aboard “Life in the Slow Lane……..” Click this link and share your life and thoughts with me, or just drop a note and say “Hi.”

Come on Endorphins.....

LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE is indeed very enjoyable. It is learning to live and enjoy life one day at a time.

I took a new look at life back in October of 2004 when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had surgery in October and started chemotherapy in Jan 2005. My oncologist told me that I would not feel good and would be quite weak during chemotherapy, so same my strength for something I liked.

In May of 2005 I was able to time my good days and bad days (chemotherapy) and drove to Kansas City to take a BBQ course that was sponsored by the Kansas City BBQ Society. That’s all it took – I was hooked.

“Doing the Q” is in itself very relaxing. Once everything is in the smoker, it is just a matter of watching the temperature and the smoke being produced. This watchful vigilance lends itself very well to a folding lounge chair, cold libation, and the company of friends and neighbors who stop by to talk smart and tell lies, and sample the BBQ. Why..... in the course of a couple of hours my neighbor and I can solve all the problems of the whole world.

One of the side effects of the cancer drug that I have to take for 5 years is weight gain. This, along with a more relaxed lifestyle and eating lots of good BBQ has done a number on me.

I started going to Weight Watchers with my older brother when I was in Florida. When I got back to Madison I continued going to the meetings and following the program. I am happy to say that it is working and I have already lost 22 lbs.

I am told that weight loss without exercise is possible, but an exercise routine sure helps to tone the muscles and take off the pounds. That being said, I am here to announce that I am not one to step foot inside a gym. Been there – done that – never again.

That leaves me to my own devices for exercise.

Take Gizmo for a walk every day. It is just short of a mile from our driveway, up to the corner, around the block, and back home. That would seem like a decent walk, except for Gizmo. Not only does she have to “stop to drop” but she has to sniff at every fire hydrant and every other canine community message board. And, of course, she has to leave a “Pee Mail” for all her buddies in the neighborhood.

A walk around the block with Gizmo does not get my heart pumping fast and give me any sort of work out.

I considered taking up jogging – but after wrapping my mind around the idea for less than a minute, I dismissed that as a bad idea. My knees would not take the pounding, AND…. I have never seen a jogger with a smile on his face. Sure says lots about the sport, doesn’t it?

Now it comes down to taking a walk – without Gizmo. That I can do.

Somewhere I heard about East Towne Early Morning Walkers and decided to check it out. East Towne Mall opens at 7 AM every day (8 AM on Sunday). From the time the mall opens till the time stores open, the public is welcome to walk the mall.

One full lap around the mall (including all the extensions) comes to about 3/4 mile. 2 laps equal about a 1 ½ miles, and 4 laps equal 3 miles.

I have been walking there for about 3 weeks now and have worked my way up to 4 “Go rounds.” On any particular morning I will find between 30 and 50 people making the rounds inside the mall. There are several people who walk with a cane, and one regular Early Morning Walker carries an oxygen tank. This is just a group of people who are using the mall to get their daily exercise.

McDonalds opens early in the food court, so the walkers can get coffee, juice, and breakfast. About 7:30 AM some of the tables fill up. People are finished with their walk and sit around visiting with their friends. There is even one table that has a cribbage game going almost every morning.

These people are enjoying “LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE…….”

Now, about the endorphins………

Endorphins 101 – your guide to natural euphoria. By: Melissa Walker and reviewed by: David Slotnick, M.D. is an entertaining read about endorphins. This explains the natural high from the release of endorphins.

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/endorphins-101-your-guide-natural-euphoria.html

I find that the first round at East Towne is a drag but after that it gets better. On the second “Go round” I start breathing a little faster and my heart rate increases. By the halfway mark of my third “Go round” I am starting to feel a little light headed. For my fourth “Go round” I try to pick up the pace and walk as fast as I can. By the end of the third mile, I am feeling more light headed and a little on the giddy side. Is this endorphins starting to kick in? Probably not, but I am still waiting for the euphoric high.

What is truly amazing to me is that something that I approached in fear and trepidation is now an enjoyable part of my day. It gets the blood flowing, the lungs working, and seems to clear the cobwebs to start the day off right.

The best part….. Unlike jogging, this is something I can do with a smile on my face. In fact most of the East Town Early Morning Walkers smile and greet each other with a cheery “good morning”. What a great way to start the day.

In the box just below this post is a link to “Comments”. Climb aboard “Life in the Slow Lane……..” Click this link and share your life and thoughts with me, or just drop a note and say “Hi.”

J.D. Power Award.....

What separates a GREAT company from just a good company?

Customer satisfaction......

This is clearly evident when we see reports in the national news about customer satisfaction and consumer complaints in the airline industry, the banking industry, and many other industries including the real estate industry.

It’s time to celebrate.

Prudential Real Estate received the J.D. Powers award for highest Customer Satisfaction for home sellers in 2008.

Prudential Real Estate has long been a leader in new technology, especially with “Online Seller Advantage.” This technology gives home sellers daily feedback reports, not only about their own property, but all other similar properties in their area. Home sellers know what is happening in that mysterious world of cyberspace and computer real estate searches. The seller can react quickly to any change in the local market giving him an “Online Seller Advantage.”

Of course technology is only as good as the professionals using it. GREAT professionals and GREAT technology = GREAT customer satisfaction.

Click on the Video for the story....

Congratulations, Prudential……

Happy Easter Everyone......

Today is Easter Sunday, one of the most sacred days in the Christian Religion and a very happy day for children of all ages.


When I was just a wee little lad, I remember getting up early on Easter morning to search the whole house for the colored eggs that the Easter Bunny hid the night before. Later in the morning we would all get dressed up in our finest and go to church. After church would be a wonderful meal of ham and all the trimmings. This was a special time since ham was too expensive for a regular menu item.


We would all sit around the table and Dad would say a prayer, thanking God for his past gifts and reflecting on a new beginning, the underlying theme of Easter.


How the world has changed since the innocent days of my youth.


The world still celebrates Easter, but in this country it has become more commercial than religious. And then there are those like Annie Lorie Gaylor and the Madison based Freedom from Religion Foundation that is trying to ban every religious symbol or expression in our everyday lives.


Easter is a new beginning. A time when the warm rays of the sun give new life to the dormant earth.


Regardless of your religion or your belief system, I would like to wish everyone (including you, Annie Lorie Gaylor) a very Happy and blessed Easter.



Celebrate Easter and a new beginning.



Happy Easter to you..........

Bran Muffins....

The couple were 85 years old, and had been married for sixty years. Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies.Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade.



One day, their good health didn't help when they went on a rare vacation and their plane crashed, sending them off to Heaven.

They reached the Pearly Gates, and St. Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could be seen hanging their favorite clothes in the closet.They gasped in astonishment when he said, 'Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now.'

The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.


'Why, nothing,' Peter replied, 'remember, this is your reward in Heaven.'



The old man looked out the window and right there he saw a championship golf course, finer and more beautiful than any ever built on Earth.'What are the greens fees?' grumbled the old man.



'This is heaven ,' St. Peter replied. 'You can play for free, every day..'

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with every imaginable cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, free flowing beverages.



'Don't even ask,' said St. Peter to the man,



'This is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy.'



The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife.



'Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?,' he asked.


'That's the best part,' St. Peter replied,



'You can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick. This is Heaven!'

The old man pushed, 'No gym to work out at?'


'Not unless you want to,' was the answer.


'No testing my sugar or blood pressure or...'


'Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.'

The old man glared at his wife and said,



'You and your blasted bran muffins. We could have been here ten years ago!'


KIND OF BRINGS A TEAR TO YOUR EYE DOESN'T IT?