Most of us know someone whose birthday is on Christmas Day, or just before or after. And most of us also know that can be both a blessing a curse, depending on how your family and friends balance these special days. The seasonal hustle and bustle can make it easy for others to shortchange — or even forget – a Christmas birthday. But birthdays are not the only special occasions that occur during the Christmas season; care must be taken not to overlook weddings and anniversaries, either. Another special day that sometimes gets lost on the holiday schedule — and it only occurs a few times in our lives — is closing on a house. REALTORs® have a front-row seat to observe all the hard work and planning that goes into selecting and purchasing a home. When the closing papers are finally signed, it usually is the culmination of months … Continue reading
You’ve Come to the Right Place to BUY or SELL
- Spring Hill
- Brooksville
- Weeki Wachee
- Hernando Beach
Support Occupy Hernando! Buy a house!
I’ve occupied a seat in a theater, a booth in a restaurant, a berth on cruise ship and occasionally a lavatory on an airplane. I have occupied my time while waiting to do something else. In novels and newspapers I have read about occupied territories. And, I will admit, my mind sometimes has been preoccupied by other thoughts as I go about my daily routine. But until recently, the word “occupy” just hasn’t cropped up much. That’s all changed now because of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which this weekend will mark the 3-month anniversary of its encampment in Manhattan. Since then the movement has spread across nation and around the globe. I won’t pretend that I fully understand what all the fuss is about. Like most of you, I glean what I can from media reports. But I do recognize that this protest is fueled, at least in part, … Continue reading
TEAM Christmas Photo Contest & Grand Prize
In my day, it was called a “Kodak moment.” These days, it’s more like a “digital nanosecond.” The technology of how we capture the images that tell the stories of our lives has changed dramatically. Darkrooms and film are artifacts, replaced by laptops and pixels. And just about everyone is walking around with a gadget in their pocket that not only is a camera, but a phone and a mobile computer. This is good news in many ways. Besides convenience, it gives us almost infinite opportunities to create art, visually record history and tangibly catalog our memories. The latter pursuit leads us to today’s topic. Did you know that more photographs are taken at Christmas than any other time of the year? That is not surprising when you consider that for most Americans, Christmas is the holiday brings loved ones — and magic — into our homes. Whether it is … Continue reading
Are your plants ready for the big chill?
This is the time of year when we Floridians just LOVE to tune in The Weather Channel. While most of us savor a little sweater weather, one of our guilty pleasures is to see our neighbors Way Up There dealing with a thing we don’t have Way Down Here — snow! But even though we won’t be shoveling snow or sloshing through slush, Hernando County residents know that winter still brings relatively cold weather, and a few days of freezing temperatures are almost a certainty. In recent years we have endured multiple days of “hard-freezes,” where the temperature drops into the 20s for several consecutive nights. Although citrus growers don’t like to see the harsh weather arrive, they are prepared for it, and they know what steps to take to protect their crop. Less prepared are the homeowners who want to protect the plants in their gardens. A little preparation … Continue reading
A Thanksgiving Day wish for your home
Sometime around the turn of 20th century, American poet and humorist Wilbur D. Nesbit wrote: Forever on Thanksgiving Day The heart will find the pathway home. As a person whose two main loves in life are family and real estate, I was struck by Nesbit’s words, both in their simplicity and their accuracy. Indeed, this uniquely American holiday, like no other, conjures up images and memories of home and family. It is an opportunity to reflect on our many blessings as we embrace our loved ones — and our love of food! — and to do it all in the physical and spiritual warmth of our homes. Because I value family time as much as you, I won’t be around to talk turkey about real estate on Thanksgiving Day. That is why I am posting my weekly blog a day early this week. You also will see that, in keeping … Continue reading
Florida pool homes: Asset or aggravation?
To pool, or not to pool? That is today’s question Whether ‘tis nobler in Florida to suffer the summer sun and outrageous heat, or to take haven in your AC or cool pool seat … My apologies to William Shakespeare for amending the third act of Hamlet to set the stage for this week’s TEAM Works post. But it is a question I get all the time. From sellers it is “Will my pool make my home easier to sell?” From buyers it is “Will buying a pool home increase its long-term value?” Or, also from buyers, especially from those coming from Up North, “Can I maintain the pool?” I don’t mean to cop-out on answering this question, but here’s the answer: It depends. Florida has as many, if not more, pools per property than any state. But because the Sunshine State is such a retirement haven for people from … Continue reading
Our TEAM roots for military veterans
The 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Everyone who paid attention in world history class should remember that date as Armistice Day, which heralded the end of World War I. Or, as it was declared then, “the war to end all wars.” Unfortunately, it did not live up to its billing, and our country has been involved in numerous conflicts since then. It seems to be the price we must continue to pay for freedom and the hope for an enduring peace. Along the way, some have paid a higher price than others. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. military service members have died, and many, many more have been wounded or injured. And an even greater number of veterans have stood ready, during times of war and peace, to answer the call of their nation, fortunate and grateful to have survived their responsibilities unharmed. … Continue reading
Outdoor tools every first-time homeowner needs
A few weeks ago I wrote about a single professional who had just bought her first home. The day after she closed on the house she realized she was ill-equipped to tackle even the most simple items on a long list of move-in chores. The problem wasn’t that she didn’t have the desire or the ability to follow instructions; it was that she did not have the tools. After all, she had lived in apartments for more than a quarter-century and her home-repair experience consisted of dialing the landlord. Most of us who have owned one or more homes — and especially those of us who are fortunate enough to have a spouse like mine who is both willing and capable to tackle repair and improvement projects — take our tools for granted. That is one reason I recently compiled and published a start-up homeowner’s tool kit. As a REALTOR®, … Continue reading
Real scary stories about real estate
Halloween is not until Monday, but this weekend will be a delicious blur of costume parties, sugar-highs and campy chit-chat about ghosts, goblins and ghouls. It’s silly, but it’s fun to feed our fascination with being scared, or at least scary, while pretending for a short time to be something we’re not. But even though Halloween comes just once a year, I think most real estate professionals will tell you that scary behavior and pretenders are a too-frequent occurrence as they deal with customers who are buying or selling homes. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not like people intend to be evil or misrepresent themselves. It just happens, sort of the same way some folks can’t resist using bad puns when telling Halloween jokes. To wit: Q: What is a baby vampire’s favorite part of a house? A: The bat-room! But it’s not bad jokes or things that go “bump” … Continue reading
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