Life Hacks for your Home!

Everyone wants to make their life easier and be more organized. I am NO Martha Stewart but these life hacks will help anyone stay on track and keep their home tidy. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Use a walnut to cover scratches in your wooden furniture, rub on damaged areas to renew dings and marks.

Shower spraying all over and soaking the bathroom floor?
Fill a sturdy plastic bag with vinegar and secure with elastics to your showerhead, leave on overnight. It will dissolve the deposits and make your shower run like new!

Spaces between hardwood floors getting grimy?
Secure the lid of an old condiment container (spout) to your vacuum and suck up the bits down in the cracks! Works for the area between the floor and baseboards too!

Drill a few holes in the bottom of your garbage cans. This allows air in so that you can remove the filled bags more easily!

Use a wall mounted wine rack in your bathroom to organize rolled up towels, looks nice and saves space!

Use old CD racks in drawers to organize Tupperware lids and save tons of space!

Sprinkle a few drops of scented oil on the inner tube of the toilet paper roll. Keeps bathrooms smelling great with no effort!

Tidy up your hall closet! Use shower curtain rings on a coat hangar to keep scarves out of the way and neat.

The best life hack of all to help get organized and stay neat... Get rid of all the stuff that you don't use. The less things you have, the less stuff there is to get out of place and messy. Pack up seasonal items and store them away! Bag up things you don't need and donate to charity or have a spring yard sale, perhaps organize a neighborhood sale day to draw in more traffic!

Customer "Service" ?

WHAT HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE!!??

As a rule I don't like to complain, but there has been something irritating me for a while now. It spans across almost every industry and is a make it or break it factor for me and where I choose to do business.
My background before Real Estate has been in several industries in customer service. I have held management positions in construction, fine dining, equine farms, retail... I know about customer service, and I expect it to exist when I am a consumer.
It seems there is a trend towards quantity rather than quality in many industries these days and I am not a fan. There seems to be a lack of "wow factor" to the point of it being a lack of any factor.

Personally I am an energetic, outgoing individual and I strive to exceed expectations when I am providing a service. (Mind you, these days the expectations may have been lowered due to a profound lack of examples of really great service.) I want to set that example of outstanding service and I suppose I may hold myself to a different standard than some.

Have you ever had such poor service that you feel as though your business wasn't important to the service provider? Have you felt like taking your business elsewhere? This is not uncommon unfortunately.
Now... Have you ever had such great service that you wanted to personally commend the provider? So good you wanted to spread the word about this great experience? THAT is what I strive for.
My clients are my first priority, I am excited about working with people everyday. I have chosen this career and I plan on being the best that I can be at it!

To me it does not matter where you work or what you do, it matters how much you care. I have had jobs that I did not enjoy, but I did them with energy and enthusiasm. We spend such a great deal of our lives working, why not put some effort into whatever it is that you do and perhaps that will come back to you in a positive way so that you gain enjoyment from a job well done. Even if it's a job you do not relish!

We choose where we want to do business and who we want to deal with every day. If you are in the process of choosing a REALTOR®, please do give me a call. I am always looking for new people to impress with my knowledge, skills and energy!

Megan White
902-680-2736

Century Charm

Falling in love is a sometimes a fickle journey and one that we can't always justify, especially when the subject of our affection is an old home.
I grew up in houses that it seemed were constantly undergoing some kind of renovation. Admittedly, our home probably had more done to it than most since indecision lead to one particular wall being torn down, only to then have it rebuilt and then TORN DOWN AGAIN!!
Personally I adore old homes, they offer so much more than a standard run-of-the-mill home. Character, uniqueness, charm and a lot of work are constants and to me are worth far more than the convenience, typicality and standard fare offered by a newer home.
I currently live in a home built in 1907. It is the first home that I truly felt was my own during my adult life. It took a fair amount of searching and a few stumbling points to get to where we are now, but over the years this place has continued to grow on me beyond the overwhelming feeling that we had found "the one" the very first time we walked through the front door.
The funny thing is that we were not looking for a permanent place when we bought it, people in town say it's haunted, we had a major fire which took 8 months to rebuild and two years later we are about to begin building an addition... There's one thing for sure when buying an older home, you need to be able to deal with a certain level of chaos and change.
In a world where we are rarely directly involved in the production of the food we eat, the clothes we wear or the homes we live in, I feel like involvement in the chaos of renovations can be a good thing, a grounding factor perhaps. Imagine having to build your own home from the ground up... The details that you would incorporate, the sweat equity that isn't quantifiable, the satisfaction of completion after tremendous hard work. I did not build my own home, nor will I ever, but it's very pleasing to see the workmanship and quality that went into some of the beautiful old homes here in Nova Scotia. I for one, appreciate the work it took to build one of these beauties and admittedly sometimes lament the work it takes to maintain one!
 
When did our culture start to value new over old?
Why are we producing things are not meant to last?
What's wrong with putting some hard work into sprucing up a great old home and making it into something to be proud of for years to come?
I love my century home, and am very proud to have restored it and given it a chance to hopefully last another century! If you share this energy and passion for older homes, contact me and let's get out looking at the amazing inventory of classic homes available in the Annapolis Valley! There is a huge array of homes on the market ranging from "complete overhaul" to "move in ready and updated"!
This area has it all, let's find "the one" that speaks to you!

Exit Stage Left - Budget Friendly Home Staging

 

I recently attended a home staging info session and gained valuable insight on the topic from a local professional. We all know how important it is to wow a buyer when they come to view a property, but staging can be much more in depth and multifaceted.
Personally as a REALTOR® I am very picky about the photos I take at a listing. In fact it can take hours for me to arrange and stage rooms for listing photos, depending on the size of the house and if there are outbuildings or stables. I have even returned for additional pictures when the sun was facing a different direction for better photos!
Here are a few of my pet peeve/cardinal sins when taking photos for a listing.
1) Leaving the toilet seats up - this is a point of contention in most relationships, let's not bring that into a listing!

2) Taking pictures of beds rather than bedrooms - I use appropriate lenses for photos so as to show features rather than furniture!

3) Declutter - kitchens especially - I go as far as removing all magnets and notes from the fridge and tucking away countertop appliances.

 

Now these are very easy things to do to make your home more appealing at first glance, let's delve deeper!

A fresh coat of neutral paint is something that can make a world of difference... Don't believe me? Listen to the buyers on those real estate shows comment on houses they view. Smoothing over wear and tear and freshening up spaces with paint offers outstanding value and appeal.

Get rid of extra stuff. And I mean it! Weekly agent caravans take me to multiple properties in quick succession and this makes critical evaluation of a property and it's marketability a snap. I can't stress this factor enough. Clear out knick-knacks and leave your closets almost empty so potential buyers are imagining themselves there, instead of being distracted by personal belongings.

 

I understand that we can't always spend thousands of dollars renovating a kitchen or bathrooms, but there are so many seriously effective things that we can do to make your property stand out in a sea of listings.

 It's one thing to take great pictures, but when a potential buyer steps into your home, there is an opportunity to wow them and that opportunity is waiting to be seized by careful planning and creative home staging.

With stunning before and after pictures to drive this fact home, market statistics and personal stories of sales, I am here for you when it's time to sell your home. I have thousands of dollars worth of professional camera equipment, GoPro video capabilities for posting on my YouTube marketing channel and digital equipment for making tech savvy listings that are available to low tech and high tech buyers worldwide at the touch of a button. Call today and let's discuss how to personalize your marketing campaign to make the most of your property.

Megan White
Exit Realty Town & Country
902-680-2736

The Best Time to Sell

"What's the best time to list my home?" - One of the most popular questions I get asked day to day.

There are several factors that go into figuring out the best way to market a property. The time of year is important with market spikes in the spring and fall, but if that is the only factor that drives a seller to list, many opportunities may be missed.
True, spring is a hot time on the market with a great deal of homes being listed in a short period of time. Lots of buyers are also looking meaning that your home will likely get shown often (as long as it is priced properly).
Let's stop for a moment and think about the advantages of listing before the big rush...
I have been chatting with many of the REALTORS® in the area lately, and the overwhelming consensus is that this has been the busiest January in a very long time. Buyers are aware of the interest rates being very low and are out looking for their next home. These buyers are not the "tire kickers" that we sometimes see in the spring.

These are serious consumers trudging through snowbanks and braving fierce winds to view your home.

They are out there to find a property to purchase now, not just curious about the neighborhood or spicing up the "Sunday Drive". While you may not have the quantity of showings that you might in the spring, the quality is there. Less showings resulting in more offers - WIN/WIN!

One of the stressful times during the buying/selling process is the time between the initial offer being presented and a binding agreement being fully agreed upon and signed by all parties. Time is always of the essence, but there is a heightened sense of urgency in the spring. This causes extra stress on everyone and can make the negotiations seem frantic for some. Consider this process in the winter, I have found that everyone involved feels a little less pressure during this time, and less pressure means more rewarding transactions. It is also easier to book appointments like home inspections and estimates for upgrades as the suppliers of these services are not as busy and have more time slots available.

Finally here at Exit Realty Town & Country we are about to launch an incentive program for clients wishing to list this spring. If you are interested in listing, give me a call I can let you know all about this really attractive give away!
Call me today and get a jump start on the spring rush, let's talk about a less stressful and more rewarding sale of your home!

Megan White
902-680-2736

Unicorns Love Dancing

 

 

 

Positive attitude can be hard to come by these days. Is it that we get the mid-winter blues this time of year? Perhaps It's a lack of vitamin D making us grumpy (although, I have noticed some people are negative no matter how much or little the sun shines around them). I can tell you one thing, I am getting fed up of the world around me bringing me down over and over. It's time to cancel out this negative energy!
I am not saying to bury our heads in the sand and pretend there are not things happening that deserve our attention, what I am saying is that sometimes it's up to us to be the bearer of our own good news!
But HOW you ask, with all the negative images and stories out there? How will I get around to giving myself a tiny pep talk each and every day? Here's my solution... make more passwords!
Change your settings on your computer, tablet and cell phone so that every time you activate one of these vastly time consuming devices you have to enter a password.
Tell me more Megan! This is something I can do!
Here's how it works. You password lock everything you own and use the same password for all your devices, change it every week so that multiple times per day/hour you are typing in this mantra. That's the key, the password is a mantra!
Something great to look forward to (VACATION IN FEBRUARY)
A silly one for a laugh (UNICORNS LOVE DANCING)
A positive affirmation (I AM TOTALLY HILARIOUS)
Maybe you need to solve an issue (WHERE ARE MY SLIPPERS)
A dream for the future (THIS YEAR I STOP RENTING)

The point is that repetitive positive thoughts, however small brighten your day and it's easy work them into your routine. Positive changes stem from positive thoughts.
Positive people produce positive results.
Positive outcomes rely on positive ground work.
Now looking into the future for this upcoming year, what kind of positive changes would you like to see? How are you going to get the ball rolling right now? Many peoples thoughts stay towards real estate... Becoming a homeowner, or perhaps generating more revenue with income properties, maybe you are dreaming of a bigger place with all the upgrades!
In any case, if your life could be made better through the purchase and/or sale of property, you should call me! Because really... what kind of a person do you want to work with on some of the most exciting decisions you could ever make about your life?!

Quality of Life

 

 

 

With the price of oil dropping drastically, the sustainability of work in the boom/bust industrial places like Fort McMurray and across Alberta is coming into question. Quality of life and opportunity are topics of great discussion... Here is my take on the matter.
A huge portion of the youth here on the East Coast get the feeling of adventure at some point in their lives, they want to step out and see what the world has to offer away from our sheltered, safe Annapolis Valley. I took a summer job in Denver CO when I was young that turned into a decade long adventure all over North America and even to England! Unfortunately many of these youth are staying away, lured in by promise of higher paying jobs and a faster paced lifestyle. For me it was opportunity, the ability to train with the best coaches in the world and compete at prestigious venues amongst Olympians and World Champions. In the end what brought me back was the quality of life here.
Funny, some may say we are in a permanent recession and the Maritimes are a "have not" area. I disagree, as it all depends on what is ultimately important to you. If you are looking for blaring nightlife, neon lights and a go, go, go extreme pace... this area is not suited. I will offer an appeal though, to the ever growing popularity of sustainable lifestyles and stopping the "glorification  of busy". These are people who want to know the farmer who raised their food, connect with their neighbors and the people in their community, the people who agree that quality of life is not directly correlated with income and net worth.
If this kind of life is what you are looking for, then I would argue that Nova Scotia is precisely where you should be. I have found that there is a sense of camaraderie, friendliness and caring that is hard to match, and impossible to quantify. We are polite and giving to excess (I often joke that an Annapolis Valley traffic jam is 4 cars at an intersection all waving each other through first.) 
Perhaps we need to re evaluate what it means to be successful, what is truly important to our well being and happiness. I suppose it's a totally individual thing, but societal pressures may lead us to ideas that are not necessarily sustainable for ourselves as individuals and for our fragile ecosystem.
Ask yourself next time you are thinking of moving..
What does quality of life mean to ME?
How can I be truly happy, and where can I make that my reality?
What kind of people do I want to be surrounded by?
If your answers point towards a more relaxed, people oriented place maybe you should consider a move to the Annapolis Valley.

If you do decide that living here is worth a leap of faith and perhaps some creative ideas about entrepreneurship, call me. Let's talk about the opportunities available here and start looking at what your dollar is worth in the local housing market. I made the move back and I could not be happier or more satisfied!
Let's discuss the possibilities!