Brokers and Associates

BROKERS
Randy Thunfors Sheila Thunfors Suzanne Crerar

BROKER ASSOCIATES
Nikki Carchedi Martha Piper Lori Rose Eileen Taft Nancy Cuddihy

ASSOCIATES
Scott Sawyer Kelley Vickery Mandy Victor Louise Faggioni Bill Harrington Elisha Poirier

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

DOESN'T THIS WEATHER MAKE YOU WANT TO SPRING CLEAN?

Well, it's far more likely that it makes you want to go out and play but if you have a house for sale this is a great time to do a deep spring cleaning.  I can't over emphasize how important it is for your house to look, feel and smell really fresh.  These easy tips from Jane Hoback (reprinted from Realtor.com/House Logic) are things you might not think of but are surely things a buyer viewing your home will see.


De-bug the light fixtures
See that bug burial ground within your overhead fixtures? Turn off the lights and carefully remove fixture covers, dump out flies and wash with hot soapy water. While you’re up there, dust bulbs. Dry everything thoroughly before replacing the cover.


Vacuum heat vents and registers
Dirt and dust build up in heat vents and along register blades. Vents also are great
receptacles for coins and missing buttons. Unscrew vent covers from walls or pluck them from floors, remove foreign objects, and vacuum inside the vent. Clean grates with a damp cloth and screw back tightly.


Polish hardware
To deep clean brass door hinges, handles, and cabinet knobs, thoroughly wipe with a damp micro -fiber cloth, then polish with Wright’s or Weiman brass cleaner ($4). Dish soap shines up glass or stainless steel knobs. Use a Q-tip to detail the ornamental filigree on knobs and handles.


Replace grungy switch plates
Any amateur can wipe a few fingerprints off cover plates that hide light switches, electric outlets, phone jacks, and cable outlets. But only deep cleaners happily remove plates to vacuum and swipe the gunk behind. (OK, we’re a little OCD when it comes to dirt!) Make sure cover plates are straight when you replace them. And pitch plates that are beyond the help of even deep cleaning. New ones cost less than $2 each.


Neaten weather stripping
Peeling, drooping weather stripping on doors and windows makes rooms look old. If the strip still has some life, nail or glue it back. If it’s hopeless, cut out and replace sections, or just pull the whole thing off and start new. A 10-ft. roll of foam weather stripping costs $8; 16-ft. vinyl costs about $15.


Replace stove drip pans
Some drip pans are beyond the scrub brush. Replacing them costs about $3 each and instantly freshens your stove.

Monday, March 5, 2012

How Clients Are Better Served By a Realtor


This position statement from Realtor.com hits a few very important points about the difference in skill level and accuracy between a practicing real estate agent and some of the on-line sites commonly used.

Expertise from Real Estate Professionals: Far Better Than an Estimate


Real estate websites serve as an important platform to help buyers find their next home, and certainly help sellers expose their listings to those buyers.
But in our view, real estate websites are a starting point, not the ultimate decision engine.
Accurate data and up-to-date listings are very important, but ultimately, we believe theexpertise provided by a real estate professional is a far better indicator of true market value than an estimate derived by machine.
That’s why we only display REAL PRICES on homes for sale on REALTOR.com®. Real prices that have been established between a seller and the listing broker, not a mechanized estimate.
Estimates may be OK if they’re used as a reference point to gather general information, but we feel placing mechanized estimates on an active listing that’s been priced by a local professional familiar with the market is misleading.
At best, these estimates are confusing to consumers. At worst, they create the perception of market conditions that don’t accurately reflect reality.
That’s why we don’t do it.
The real estate market is not a “paint-by-numbers” animal. Local market conditions can vary drastically from zip code to zip code, neighborhood to neighborhood, and can change at a moments notice.
Foreclosures and short sales – or the removal of distressed inventory all impact what’s actually happening.
Estimates that are placed on listings that already have an established sale price not only create a recipe for inaccurate information, they also create a strain on real sellers and a strain on the agents who work hard to create CMAs and pricing strategies based on what’s actually happening.
Sellers deserve better than that. Buyers deserve better than that.
Lost in the machinations and histrionics that permeate the discussion about listings and accurate data is the one thing that should be crystal clear:
Real Estate is NOT a game.
It’s a serious business with significant financial and emotional ramifications for the parties involved in every transaction.
And at REALTOR.com®, we have a responsibility to provide accurate information and accurate representations of what’s actually happening in the market – so consumers get the REAL story about what’s happening in their market.
And we do this by displaying real prices from real professionals in every market we serve.
That’s the thing that can really help consumers get a flavor of what’s happening locally, and that’s what we deliver.

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