No plans this weekend? Don’t worry there is always something  to do in Richmond, VA and the surround areas!

Saturday July 23, 2011

Get your boats cleaned up for the annual AquaPalooza! Each year boats from all over gather in local lakes, bays and rivers to have fun with “on-water” events hosted by Sea Rays! Take you boat out on to Tim’s River Shore Restaurant and Crab-house on the Potomac near Dumfries, VA. Recording artist Matt Stillwell will be performing! Do not miss out on this free event!

Sunday July 24, 2011

Head out to the Virginia Farm Bureau Center at the Meadows Farm Event Park. This is a great cause to “Save The Foods” where you can enjoy various foods and wines from all over Virginia and proceeds go to “Save the Foods” It is $10 per car load but wait if you click on this link “Save The Foods” and bring the flyer you will receive 1/2 off that’s $5 per car load.

Looking to move to Richmond, VA – Check out our listings at: Our Featured Listings.

I have been blanking on blog post recently. After I read today’s Realtor magazine the 2011 Franchise Report, i found an article that inspired me to write about useful gadgets for Realtors. I myself love new technology and learning about the capabilities. It keeps everyone wondering whats next? How can anything be any better then this? We all think about well what if the phone did this or had this capability and then what do you know shortly after they come out with an app for what you were looking for!

In this article it pointed out the “2011 Tech Essentials.” The tablet, Smart phones, printers and cameras. Each of these gadgets are very essential for Real Estate Agents.

1) Tablets – These are a great tool for agents to have, or any professional really – they are light and easily portable. It is a great place to store important documents and contracts for your buyers and sellers to quickly look at while out on a showing. There are many different brands that Carry these but you will be most familiar with the apple ipad and ipad2.

2 Smart phones – Simply put if you don’t have one get one. If you are an agent or any type of professional I don’t know how you have made it this long without one. As seen in an earlier blog post I wrote – what happens now when the Internet goes down at the office? Most everyone has a smart phone that they can continue to do work with – most emails but also can look up listings and look up leads etc. Smart phones can be very inexpensive now a days. But get something that will last and give a long battery life. I have the EVO 4g and when I first got it the battery would constantly die but I now have the extended battery for it and it last 10hours at least! Its a great tool to have that is integrated with Google.

3. Camera’s – Camera’s are another great tool for all Realtors to carry with them when out on listing appointments or showing houses to buyers. Pictures can be the first impression and lets face it if you don’t have pictures with our listings it will 9times out of 10 get looked over. Most everyone like visuals and and being able to see what they are going to look at in person first. There are many inexpensive cameras with great quality, it will be a great investment.

4. Printers – Each office should have a printer but what about a personal printer for your desk. It is easy and convenient and may cost a little less in the end. You will always be printing whether it be flyer’s, or cards or letters, contracts, addendum’s having a printer at your desk will be very convenient!

I hope this helps – there is a lot of interesting articles in this months National Association of Realtors magazine.

Let me know what your favorite tool is for your real estate business!

This Short Sale won’t last long at this amazing price: Cozy log home built on 5.5 acres, located in the quiet country setting of Montpelier. This home has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. With over 3000 square feet this spacious home has a large living room with a double sided gas fire place opening to the kitchen on the other side. This home features 5 detached sheds perfect for workshops and storage, a carport and 2 poll sheds. An above ground pool with surrounding deck will make your home the place to be!

$210,000

Google + is up and running on a trial run until the kinks are worked out. You are able to sign up through invite only now, let me know if you would like an invite! It will take sometime to get used to but it looks pretty cool. My experience with Google + has been very positive, it is very user friendly and not overloaded with excess information. Facebook has so many apps on it that the inbox gets filled with spam from other facebookers that use the applications. Google + will be bigger then facebook. I saw a quote on a friends Google + that went like this…

“google+ feels like i’m the first person at the party. i showed up right on time, no one else has arrived, the wife of the house is still upstairs getting dressed, and the husband is just starting to pour the potato chips into the serving bowls. “hey!….you guys are here already…” “yeah, it said 7:00…” “yeah, no, totally…um…” “should we come back in a little while, or..” “no, it’s cool, uh…make yourself at home. we’re just finishing up getting ready..”

Once Google + is fully ready it will be a powerful networking tool for many users.

Join my Circle.

Maybe you are selling you home for the first time or maybe this is your 2nd or 3rd home for sale. Either way you need to be prepared with these “5 Things to do before you sell your home.” Following these steps will make the selling process a lot smoother and ways to avoid unnecessary bumps in the road.

Step 1 – Getting your home inspected!

You must disclose any and all information regarding problems with your property to potential buyers. The home buyer will have the home inspected and if problems come up during their inspection it may cause complications during the closing process. Also be aware of any termite damage and have the property inspected for termites.

Step 2- Make repairs inside and out before you put the sign in the yard.

Try to put yourselves in the buyers eyes, what would you want to see when you are looking for a new home. The home may be old to you but it will be New to the prospective buyer and they do not want to buy a home they will have to fix a bunch of things in. It also gives it appeal to the eye if everything is fixed and clean.

Step 3- Is your home showable?

Similar to above, does your home appeal to the eyes? You can only make a first impression 1 time and that’s the initial search. Cleaning up the yard and having a few flowers planted, bushes trimmed, windows cleaned, siding power washed etc. Interior should be staged and have lots of light to make the appearance larger then it is. Pack away any clutter and personal items, people will be walking through your home and do not need to see all your personal items and clutter. They want to see that the home was taken care of and kept up nicely.  

Step 4- Pricing

This can be tough, pricing because maybe you think your house is worth a lot more then what the market is showing. You need to compare it to other houses in the neighborhood for sale. If a house very similar to yours is 10K cheaper then chances are the prospective buyer will sign a contract for the one that is less. You may have put more work into your home and have more upgrades but you must compare to the surrounding area. PRICE SMART!!

Step 5 – Hire Tyler Rackley – A Keller Williams Real Estate Agent

Many people think hiring a realtor is not neccessary and that they will do the same thinga nd put a sign in the yard and hope for the best. This is where you need to interview different realtors, you need a realtor for your protection during the selling process as well as representation. When interviewing a realtor look for ways they will market your home, how many homes they have sold and what there techniques are. Tyler Rackley is a full time active realtor and markets homes in many different ways other realtors do not. You will have peace of mind when you hire the right realtor to sell your home