Kim & Terra's Blog

This was an email I received and thought I would pass it on!  This is excellent.  I never thought about these things.
This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology.

GPS

A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.  The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS – don’t put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

MOBILE PHONES

I never thought of this…….

This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet… Etc…was stolen.  20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says ‘I received your text asking about our Pin number and I’ve replied a little while ago.’

When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text ‘hubby’ in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:

Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.  Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc….

And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. Also, when you’re being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don’t reach them, be very careful about going places to meet ‘family and friends’ who text you.

Great listing with awesome price!

Open today from 2-4 PM.

Just a reminder that there is only 2 months 66 days, to be exact, left for the $8000.00 Tax Credit! It is for first time home buyers or for buyers who have not bought a home in the last three years.  If this might be you, then you need to start seriously thinking about finding the perfect house soon. This is a once in a lifetime tax credit, or at least I do not think the government will decide to give another $8000 tax credit again! You know, they always say you fall in love when you least expect it. Talk to a lender today and get pre approved! Or call me and I can refer you to a lender and help you get started. From there we will look at houses and hopefully find the perfect place for you to start building memories in your own home. And remember, if you ever know of anyone wanting to buy or sell a home you can always refer him or her to us because referrals are the best compliment we could ever receive!

We hope you enjoy our new blog! We will be shutting our previous blog down soon, so save this blog to your favorites. More fun and interesting posts coming very soon!

You are invited to our Client Party this coming Sunday from 12-2PM. We will have goodies and free photographs! Call if you have any questions!

I was in a real estate class a couple weeks ago and the teacher started talking about how people always ask “how are you?” It is definitely a habit this day in age. We hardly ever ask the question and stop to listen to what they have to say, but we keep walking and could care less what their answer was. The teacher brought up a phrase that one of his friends uses instead of always asking “how are you?” Anytime a person passes by he says, “tell me something good!” What a positive outlook! When we ask “how are you,” do we really want to know if they are having a terrible day? In some cases we honestly do care, but think about hearing positive comments all day long.  I really and truly hope all of you, that are reading this, are having a wonderful day but before you go please post a comment and tell me something good!

As you know, today marks the eighth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. We ask that you will join us in remembering those brave citizens who gave their lives on that fateful morning. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those families who lost someone close to them.

We hope that you will take a moment today to reflect on the things that are most important in your life and remember that through tragedy we have the opportunity to rise even stronger.

Kim and I just teamed up with Realtor.com to better market our properties for sale. Be looking for us more on Realtor.com and if you want your home on there with more information than others, just call us!

We both know the importance of increasing our online marketing in today’s changing marketplace.  And we teamed up with REALTOR.com® because they have been tested and proven by thousands of top producing agents across America to help:

-    Reach more buyers for our listings
-    Respond to the demands of seller clients who may ask, “What have you done for me lately”?
-    Secure more listings (including FSBOs and Expireds)
-    Turn our name into a household brand in your chosen community
-    Automate our marketing so you can spend more time with your ready and willing clients

Newspapers, home books and many other forms of print advertising are no longer as effective as they once were at reaching today’s more discerning home buyer. Today’s home buyers require more information about the community, market conditions and homes.  Robust real estate information can primarily only be found online.  Multiple photos, virtual tours, videos, interactive maps, census data and detailed property descriptions cannot be provided in print (no wonder surveys show 87% of buyers go online) and the facts don’t lie.  According to the most recent National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers study:

Buyers are 1,000% more likely to find the home they purchase on the internet than in a newspaper and buyers are 32 times more likely to buy a home found online vs. a home book or magazine.

We are so proud now be on the Realtor.com team!

I am a pretty happy person but it sure does sound exciting to be even happier!! Who doesn’t wish they could be happier? Sometimes I think we get into a habit of only letting ourselves shine so much, which in all reality we could adding a little slice of happiness to a person’s life everyday with something as simple as a smile. According to a study conducted in the United Kingdom these are 10 simple steps to becoming happier person.

1.       Plant something and nurture it. Plant something, water it and see how much it grows.

2.       Count your blessings- at least 5- at the end of every day. Write down 5 things you are thankful for every night.

3.       Take time to talk- have an hour long conversation with a loved one each week. Call a family member and really take the time to talk and listen to them.

4.       Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and plan a time to meet up.

5.       Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to enjoy it. Reward yourself every day, and take the time to enjoy it!

6.       Have a good laugh at least once a day. Laugh whenever you can, laughter is the best medicine.

7.       Get physical- exercise for half an hour at least three times a week. Get in the habit of exercising at least 3 times a week.

8.       Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day. Smile and/or say hello to as many strangers as you can.

9.       Cut your TV viewing by half. Stop watching so much TV.

10.   Spread some kindness- do something good for someone every day. Make it a point to do something good for someone every day. Make their day because it will make yours!

Try to do all 10 of these steps. I challenge you, and I am going to do it too!

 Good Luck, Kiley