Wednesday, January 15, 2014
2014 - The Year to Buy
We been asked by several people what is coming for the real estate market in 2014. We pretty much agree with this video.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Home Improvements that Pay You Back
We’re all spending a lot of time in the house now, and probably many of us are thinking about improvements. Here’s our recommendations on what pays you back when it comes time to sell your house. Of course, this is not the only thing to consider when you’re deciding on how to spend your home improvement dollars.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Luxury Insider – Ready-Set-Go!
By Alain Pinel, General Manager of Intero Prestigio international, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.
So long 2013! It was a nice year in real estate, but it’s behind us. Now we have 2014 to deal with. What are we going to do with it? I repeat: “What are WE going to do with it”? It is, after all, up to us. Right? Too many buyers & sellers have been frozen in place all of last year, unclear as to what to do-when-how & why. I guess they were overwhelmed by a constant flow of contradictory news about the economy, so they chose to wait & see. Too bad, both sides would have substantially benefited from acting on their first impulsion.
The good news is, there is always another year. Here it is. We’ll give those would-be buyers and sellers another chance!
Allow me to suggest a tip they will need to consider in order to maximize their opportunities to win this year: “Timing is not everything but it’s a big thing.” What is the best time to buy or sell a home? It can be said that the best time is when you want to, when you have to, or when you can. Hard to argue with common-sense, although these factors are more about will and fate than just reason. If you look at a calendar, there is in fact a time in the year when homebuyers and sellers would be well advised to pull the trigger. Guess what it is?
So long 2013! It was a nice year in real estate, but it’s behind us. Now we have 2014 to deal with. What are we going to do with it? I repeat: “What are WE going to do with it”? It is, after all, up to us. Right? Too many buyers & sellers have been frozen in place all of last year, unclear as to what to do-when-how & why. I guess they were overwhelmed by a constant flow of contradictory news about the economy, so they chose to wait & see. Too bad, both sides would have substantially benefited from acting on their first impulsion.The good news is, there is always another year. Here it is. We’ll give those would-be buyers and sellers another chance!
Allow me to suggest a tip they will need to consider in order to maximize their opportunities to win this year: “Timing is not everything but it’s a big thing.” What is the best time to buy or sell a home? It can be said that the best time is when you want to, when you have to, or when you can. Hard to argue with common-sense, although these factors are more about will and fate than just reason. If you look at a calendar, there is in fact a time in the year when homebuyers and sellers would be well advised to pull the trigger. Guess what it is?
Fierce Competition Makes Home Buyers More Flexible
By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.
As we kick off 2014, it’s already abundantly clear that in many places it’s a seller’s market out there.
Even more evidence to prop up this argument has cropped up in the last week as a survey conducted by Redfin found that more buyers are realizing they have to compromise more in order to get the home they want.
By compromise, they mean pay more and accept less.
The Redfin survey revealed that 35% of real estate agents said that buyers are now “willing to pay more” to find a home compared to last summer. An additional 30% of agents said that buyers are more flexible about must-have features and lowering their expectations of what their money can buy.
Good news for sellers, right?
As we kick off 2014, it’s already abundantly clear that in many places it’s a seller’s market out there.Even more evidence to prop up this argument has cropped up in the last week as a survey conducted by Redfin found that more buyers are realizing they have to compromise more in order to get the home they want.
By compromise, they mean pay more and accept less.
The Redfin survey revealed that 35% of real estate agents said that buyers are now “willing to pay more” to find a home compared to last summer. An additional 30% of agents said that buyers are more flexible about must-have features and lowering their expectations of what their money can buy.
Good news for sellers, right?
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Weekend Wellness – Achieving Success in 2014
By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition
Here we are…2014! It seems a little surreal. Of course, January is synonyms with resolutions, goals, getting motivated, fresh starts and that’s just the beginning.I’m all for this. As you might know, I write down my intentions for the year every January. It grounds me and helps me gain insight and direction as to how I’d like to focus my energy and attention. I openly encourage my clients to do this (in their own way) as well…I deeply believe we need to write down what we want for ourselves in order to envelope these intentions into our lives and create the year (and beyond) we want.
So often, though I hear folks worry about the perfection and potential imperfections of setting goals. Many people seem to be afraid to commit to “New Year’s Resolutions” because they have “failed in years past” and don’t want to claim their goals out loud; some won’t even write it on paper…even if they are the only ones who see it. They worry that if they don’t complete their goal (sometimes with absolute perfection) then they have failed, so they don’t want to even try; for fear of letting someone (mostly themselves) down.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Better Sleep Means a Better You in 2014
By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.
It’s the beginning of a new year. That means, new goals, new commitments, a chance to start fresh. For most people this includes goals of losing weight, eating healthier, or being more productive; making the most of your day to be the best person you can. Why not start each day with a better night so you can accomplish these goals well rested and energized? Your standard alarm clock just won’t do when it comes to this, but Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock does. The app tracks your sleep patterns, waking you up in the lightest sleep phase closest to when your alarm is set to go off.
So why is it important that you wake up in the lightest sleep phase? Well, our bodies go through a cycle when they are asleep, moving from light sleep to deep sleep and occasionally going into REM-sleep (a dream state). A normal alarm clock doesn’t take any of these phases into account. It just simply goes off at the specific time you set no matter what stage of sleep you’re in. Waking up in the middle of the deep sleep phase can cause a great disruption in your sleep pattern resulting in the sluggish, sleep deprived feeling so many of us are familiar with.
Sleep Cycle takes all of this into consideration using a 30 minute alarm window that ends at your set alarm time and wakes you up in your lightest sleep place. The result: a more refreshed, well-rested you and a more productive energetic day. Just think of all that you could accomplish when you’re at your best from the start of the day! All of this for only $.99.
It’s the beginning of a new year. That means, new goals, new commitments, a chance to start fresh. For most people this includes goals of losing weight, eating healthier, or being more productive; making the most of your day to be the best person you can. Why not start each day with a better night so you can accomplish these goals well rested and energized? Your standard alarm clock just won’t do when it comes to this, but Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock does. The app tracks your sleep patterns, waking you up in the lightest sleep phase closest to when your alarm is set to go off.So why is it important that you wake up in the lightest sleep phase? Well, our bodies go through a cycle when they are asleep, moving from light sleep to deep sleep and occasionally going into REM-sleep (a dream state). A normal alarm clock doesn’t take any of these phases into account. It just simply goes off at the specific time you set no matter what stage of sleep you’re in. Waking up in the middle of the deep sleep phase can cause a great disruption in your sleep pattern resulting in the sluggish, sleep deprived feeling so many of us are familiar with.
Sleep Cycle takes all of this into consideration using a 30 minute alarm window that ends at your set alarm time and wakes you up in your lightest sleep place. The result: a more refreshed, well-rested you and a more productive energetic day. Just think of all that you could accomplish when you’re at your best from the start of the day! All of this for only $.99.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Monday Morning Mojo – My New Year’s Commitments!!
By Tom Tognoli, COO & Founder, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc
Today marks the first full week of a New Year and the day that most of us roll up our sleeves and get back to work and school. It is our opportunity for a fresh start on whatever it is that we want to accomplish in our F5 (Faith-Family-Friends-Fitness-Finance). We all just need to remember that it is the beginning and not the end. We need to pace ourselves or we will crash and burn. Don’t let what happened to your last year’s resolutions happen again this year.
I think it starts first with not making resolutions. I am not a big fan of resolutions because they never seem to stick and most of the time they are these big pie in the sky things…they are hopes and prayers. It is why our resolutions are typically the same each year. Try something different this year…make commitments not resolutions. A commitment is just that…it’s not negotiable. I would rather see people make smaller commitments they know they can keep than making big audacious resolutions that very rarely if ever stick/work.
Saturday, January 04, 2014
Cool App – Pay It Forward
By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.
Looking for a great and easy way to make a resolution come true this year? Well, if you’re looking for a way to give a little back to the amazing world we live in, but don’t know where to start here is your app. Here at Intero, we’re always talking about giving back to the communities in which we serve so I was excited to find an app that did just that. Based off of the idea of doing one good deed a day, Pay It Forward was developed to remind us that helping others is the best way to make this world a better place.
Every day, Pay It Forward will send you a suggestion with an act of kindness that is designed to be simple, fun and effective. If you didn’t get a chance to do the act of kindness that day, the app will hold onto that task until it is completed. You can easily track your progress as you go and share your progress with your friends and family. Get motivation from others by viewing where other good deeds are being done all over the world.
The app provides an extremely easy way for you to check off the “give back” item on your list of resolutions and just think what a difference it will make. If everyone downloaded this app and did what it said on a daily bases, I think we would definitely succeed in making the world just a little better. Such a simple thing with the potential for an amazing result. Download it now and start giving back today!
Weekend Wellness
By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition
This past week, I’ve been reconnecting with several clients I’ve worked with over the last year. In doing this…I simply cannot believe how fast this year has gone by! “They” say time goes by faster as one gets older…which might be a true perspective; however with the right nutrition and fitness plan, it may go by faster, but at least we are healthy enough to keep up!
Here are my 5 top Fitness and Nutrition tips for 2013 as a recap to help slide into 2014 on the right foot (or hands, depending how you slide!)
Fitness:
Never let a 3rd day go by without some kind of activity. Ever. This builds momentum and inertia…so you never feel that you’ve lost ground. Your motivation stays strong and you always feel somewhat fit because truly…you’ve worked out consistently!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)