Intero Insider: Move-up Buyers Hungry for Bigger, More Expensive Homes

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Here’s a term we haven’t heard much of in the last few years: move-up buyer. But many markets are now seeing many more of these folks. Some are even showing signs of strength in luxury or the high-end of the market thanks to this type of buyer.

After the recession started to take hold in 2008, the market for large and expensive homes fell as more buyers looked for more affordable places to live that weren’t as much of a drain to heat, cool and keep lit up.

Weekend Wellness: Myth vs. Reality

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

In my line of work, I hear a lot of terrific tips…as well as a lot of very confusing marketing “ploys”…

Here’s a little test for you to determine what’s a myth and what’s truth in every day grocery life:

Myths:

1. Sugar is fattening
2. A salad is always your best option
3. To remove all the fat from poultry, remove the skin
4. 2% milk is considered low fat
5. No sugar added means there is no sugar in the product
6. Reduced fat is considered the best choice for a low fat meal
7. Always choose peanut butter without cholesterol
8. Chili, green tea and ginger speeds up your metabolism
9. Nuts and cheese are great protein options
10. Cereal is a terrific breakfast choice

Cool Apps: Don’t Lose Your New Year’s Motivation

By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

We’ve just concluded the first month of the year and I’m sure many of you have lost sight of your New Year’s Resolutions already. Coming into February, people tend to slack off, allowing themselves a little more lenience and by March, they’ve all together given up. Well, today I bring you an app that will, hopefully, keep you motivated through the whole year.

We all know that success in weight loss or a healthy lifestyle is more than just working out 5 days a week. It takes focus and energy to really adjust your whole way of thinking. Today’s app can help with just that. Fitbit will not only track your activity but will help you eat better, sleep better and keep you overall motivated to meet your goals!

Walk the Dog

 By Tom Tognoli, COO & Founder, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc

This year I want to

• walk 500 miles
• exercise 125 hours
• burn 50,000 extra calories
• finish 10 books
• pray regularly and give thanks for the blessings in my life
• spend time every week with my wife just talking about life, our family, our dreams and our goals
• be less stressed
• lower my blood pressure and cholesterol level
• have more energy at work and with my family
• be more patient
• make more money
• be in better shape
• lose 10 to 15 pounds
• live longer
• significantly reduce my chances of getting sick
• see my mom and dad 3 to 4 times a week

…that’s all.

Sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it? What would you say if I told you that it can all be accomplished by spending 30 minutes 5 times a week. I am sure most of you are skeptical.

One of my commitments for 2014 is walking our dog 5 times a week after dinner. When I decided to start doing it, I did not do it for all of the reasons above…I just knew our dog needed a walk and I knew it was better for me to go for a walk than sitting on the couch watching sitcoms all night.  So far I have been pretty good about doing it. Most of the time Lynn and I walk Ryder together, but sometimes I do it on my own listening to a book on tape, inspiring music, or just thinking. Guess what? If I am just consistent about doing my 30 minute walk 5 times a week, I will accomplish all of this…really! If you don’t believe me, or even if you do, there is a great book I recommend you read or listen too….The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.  The Slight Edge is all about the monumental impact of doing a little something consistently.

Be Kind To Yourself

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

I think one of the most valued “acts” is kindness. I know when someone opens a door for me, or smiles, or offers to do something to help, if feels great. I also know when I am kind, it can feel equally as nice, if not better.

How often are we kind to our bodies? We easily can think of ways to be nice to others, however how often do we eat foods which do harm? How often do we consider what we feed ourselves as acts of kindness or acts of destruction? We have foods which can cause problems as simple as weight gain to acid reflux, all the way to diabetes, high blood pressure and even cancer. When we eat, do we want to be kind to our bodies? If not, why? Something to think about.

Then of course, there are the workouts. There are those who will ignore any sort of activity for a variety of reasons for weeks, then go out and destroy their bodies in a long torturous run let say, or a bike ride after weeks on the couch and office chair. They’ll feel sore, hurt and tired, and end up ignoring their bodies for another few weeks. Then there’s the person who lifts weights, sporadically and carelessly only to injure themselves because if improper preparation and mindfulness. Is this kind?

Your New Donation Companion

By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

We all do it. Drop off a bag of clothes at the local Salvation Army and take the donation receipt with the intention of filling it out later and then loose it.  Now, with a drop off every few months, these dismissed and lost receipts can add up to a huge pile of missed tax credits. Your donations are something you already do so you might as well take advantage of them, right?

Well, iDonatedIt is an app that will help you organize and stay on top of your generous donations without needing that receipt. The app tracks the date your donations are made, the organization they went to, what you donated and the value of those items. Just think, one place to track all of the information for your donations; compliant and IRS ready. The app does cost $2.99 but the return on your investment is well worth it.

Setting up and using it is extremely simple too. When you go to make a donation, add a new donation event right from the home screen of the app. Enter the name and address of the charity, the date the donation was made and attach a photo of the donated items if you like. Add the items you donated and an estimated value will automatically be provided by the app. Once the donation event is complete, a report is created and sent to your email. It’s all so simple and done in about 5 minutes! No more loosing receipts, racking your brain about the donation you made last April, or dismissing great value in your generosity. You’ll be so ready for tax season you won’t know what to do with yourself.

Weekend Wellness – Imagine if…

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

Imagine you could wake up tomorrow and realize anything is possible.  Just imagine.

What if…you felt amazing and you absolutely loved to exercise…how would that change your life?

What if…you loved eating foods which were really good for you, foods which helped your body heal and repair and gave you energy…what would your life be like?

What if…you managed your schedule so that you could spend quality time each day with your family, your friends and the people you love and could freely laugh and feel happy?  How would your relationships that you have now change?

What if…you knew you were taking care of your health so well, you rarely, if ever, worried about the next Dr.’s visit?  Would you still be afraid?

What if…you were able to stop worrying about money and felt secure with what you already have?  Would you smile more readily?

What if…you truly loved what you did for a living?  Would you wake up excited to live your day?

What if…you imagined the impossible?  What if the impossible could happen…even if for a day?  What would happen?

Wake up tomorrow, and imagine…what if…?

Save Energy and Money with Nest

By John Thompson, Executive Vice President. Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

I’m sure by now you’ve all received your gas and electric bill for the month of December and you might not be too happy with it.  Between the heater running all day and the Christmas lights running all evening, I’m always amazed at how much it goes up during the month of December.  Not to mention the fact that you forgot to change the settings as you ran out the door for that last vacation of the year.  All of these elements can add up to a very expensive and wasteful month.  If only there was a way to set it and forget it.

The Nest Thermostat can help you do just that. The device learns your schedule, programs itself and can be controlled from your phone. With this kind of set up, your heating and cooling bills could be lowered by 20%.

To get started, purchase the Nest Thermostat here.  The device itself is about $250 but I promise, it will pay for itself.  Install the Nest Thermostat and answer a few simple questions to optimize the system, then over the first week turn it up and down as you go through your normal daily routine.  This teaches the thermostat what temperatures you like and builds a personalized schedule just for you.  After about 7 days, The Nest will automatically set everything on its own. Pretty amazing!

If you need to reset the system, say for the summer months, just go through this process again to reprogram it for your new routine.  If you leave on vacation and forget to turn off your thermostat, don’t worry, The Nest Thermostat will automatically turn to an energy-efficient Away temperature.  Want to adjust your thermostat while you’re away? Connect your smart phone to your Nest with the Nest app and you’ll have a warm welcome when you arrive home.

When your setting are saving energy, The Nest Leaf appears on the thermostat so you know you’re moving to a more eco-friendly temperature.  The Nest Thermostat even gives you an Energy History to see exactly how much energy you’re saving.

It really is super simple to use and by doing so, you could end up with a great reward: not only more money in your pocket but a more energy efficient home too.

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.

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.