New blog URL

 New URL: LoriBlackwell.blogspot.com

Check out 2 new entries: " Selling or Buying a Vacant House: Beware! Beware! Beware!"
and "Some Handy Apps to Help Sell Your Home" plus earlier blogs moved from my old URL.

Some Handy Apps to Help Sell Your Home

Getting your home ready:  

Packing up the cute collections, washing the windows and having the carpets cleaned is a great start, but in many instances, it's not enough.

 53% of all homeowners who remodel and/or redecorate… are getting ready to sell.  That’s your competition.

 Selling a home is tantamount to going on an interview.  You wouldn’t wear beat up gym shoes, or a  clean but well-worn hoodie, would you.  No, you might spring for a new suit, maybe a pair of shoes.  And you certainly would visit a professional to style your hair.

Your home goes on an interview every time a buyer walks through the door.  A room painted in colors from the 60s, telegraphs to a buyer, "total redecorating required". Wallpaper with trucks and trains or frilly little flowers may remind a empty nester of a bygone era, when they want to begin a new one.

Repainting one room, or a wall in another creates a fresh feeling. Replacing fixtures with today in mind can bring a new mindset to an older home. 

What's new?  What colors work?  Here are some apps and a url that might help.

 1. + Houzz.com.   Get Ideas and  home renovation advice; research contractors, designers, in your area.  And over 6 million photos are yours to check out--every kind of kitchen, bath, bedroom, patio, and more.  And if you find that you like a specific room, you can contact the person who designed it.  Get product ideas, too.

 2. “Photo Measures”:  Now here's a smart app for  your smart phone from +Big Blue Pixel Inc.

 It lets you snap a picture of a room, along with furniture and drag an arrow along the wall you want to measure.   When you insert the measurement,  tt will be stored in the app.  Next time you’re attending a house sale, or visiting a store that’s having a sale, and you see a wonderful piece of furniture at a bargain, click your app and see if it’ll fit.  The free app allows a limited number of images.  The upgrade for around $5 gives you much, much more.

     
 What color should you paint a contrasting wall?

3. "Color Capture"  Use an app that lets you group colors, create combinations, and help you with a color-matching options. It’s free for iPhone and Android 6.1 or higher from +Benjamin Moore & Co.

               

See how the color looks, without painting.

4.  "Home Depot Project Color".  Take a photo of a room or a wall (with furniture), choose a color, and see how the color will look-- right in the photo.  If you like it, save it with all the info to purchase.
From +Home Depot.

Create a floor plan for yourself, and buyers.

5. “ Stanley Floor Plan”.  Floor plans can do a lot to help you sell your home-- buyers love them.  And now you can create a floor plan of your home or condo with an easy app that helps you measure rooms, add doors, windows, etc. .

These are just a few apps that can help you refresh your home for selling, or staying. But check out the app store for others  from +Sensopia Inc and others.

Home Maintenance for "non hi-rise" homeowners

Some Maintenance Things to Remember...when you buy a SFH, townhome, or condo in a multi-unit building.

Having just moved to a town home, I was rudely awakened by the fact that there was no building engineer to call when something stopped working. That's not all.  You actually have to drag trash containers to the curb--no disposal chute down the hall to take the trash away. And there's no automatic window washing, either -- you've got to make the calls. 

After several phone calls, a few trips to +Home Depot, plus hours spent combing the Internet, I learned that I had a lot to learn. So, I put together some notes as well as a chart for some of the basic things that need maintenance. #HomeMaintenance.   And I'd like to share them in an ebook I've written:

http://www.yourbizlive.com/images/10-things-to-remember-LB.pdf

 I'm certain as Winter turns into Spring a host of other surprises will send me scurrying for info and help.  Watch for more challenges and solutions in "My New Life as a Town Home Owner".

HappyTwenty Fifteen

On the road again

I positively, absolutely advise deep thought if one is contemplating shoulder surgery.  After an injury about one year ago, I was forced to embrace that challenge.  Torn rotater cuff, torn bicep, dislocated shoulder.  Ouch. Ouch and more ouch.  The surgery was a breeze, thanks to Dr. Nuber and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  Don't remember a thing except the pain experienced afterward.  Of course, the little white pills took care of that, but nothing at all could take care of a cast that kept my arm up, up and away from the rest of me.
     Outdoor activities, trips, shopping, entertainment, work -- everything was curtailed. First and foremost, there was not a coat in my closet that could accommodate my cast, and me.  Second, Chicago was experiencing the worst winter I could remember. Unrelenting snow and brutal cold exacerbated the fear of walking, falling and damaging my fragile shoulder.  Thirdly, working with one hand and arm made dressing, showering, sitting and sleeping enormous challenges.  Do you have any conception as to the difficulty of slipping on and zipping up a pair of jeans...with one hand  How quickly one discovers shapeless, zipperless workout wear. As to showering?  Thank heaven for a nurse. Nothing more to be said.  Sleeping and sitting, on the other hand, were pretty much an identical routine.  Fall in to a chair, to sit, fall in to a chair to sleep.  Lying in bed was a no no.  A prone position was painful and posed a problem when attempting to rise.
      The pluses, surprisingly, were many:  one learns who one's real friends are; reading became an even more  joyous activity with the addition of a Kindle...so easy with one hand; Netflix became an incredible companion on my Samsung tablet; I discovered Phrynnie Fisher Mysteries, a delightful Australian series..thank you Netflix; Christmas shopping was a pleasure...online; WMFT delivered beautiful music, powerfully uplifting; and of course, restaurant deliveries...I love to cook, but what a wonderful vacation and opportunity to try a myriad of Chicago eateries.
      When the cast finally came off, there was absolutely no strength, either visible or invisible.  Rehab was to
take the next 4 months.  Improvement came in millimeters. But...I'm finally able to pick up a frying pan, dry my hair, type on the computer.  Oh, my arm use is not 100% back to normal and probably won't ever be--the older one gets, I've learned, the less likely is a full recovery. 
       Ah, but the joy or knowing I survived all the inconveniences is reason enough to hit the keys and write, again.
    

The 2-peds of Chicago

                                                                                         

The Bicycle Troops

    They're parked in uniform rows ready to attack the streets of Chicago.

    You’ve seen them whizzing down the street. What 2-pedal finesse. What 2-wheel artistry. Baryshnikov would be duly impressed. Am I impressed? Good grief, no! A thousand times, NO.

   I have been deprived of a driving lane in many streets.

… I’m maneuvering around “white sticks” in the ground… I’m thinking of foregoing right hand turns because bicyclists dare me to turn in front of them with “litigate” in their snarly eyes… I’m getting prominently displayed middle fingers flashed at me as bicycle riders wheelie past through a red light.

Do they get tickets? Of course not. Yet I am photographed…my car is photographed…my license plate is immortalized if I dare ramp up the accelerator, or go thru a yellow when a red light catches me 3/4s through the intersection. And, if I stop too suddenly, I’m certain to be rear ended and have my insurance costs double

I think it should be mandatory that all bicyclists wear a license around their necks—one that could identify them for any transgression. And any moving violation! In fact, issuing “license” numbers would be a breeze for those cyclists renting the new blue city bikes. Something like the numbers worn in a triathlon. The city would benefit unbelievably from tickets issued to these 2-wheel nasties on the avenues.

Oh, but wait. How about the jaywalkers? You know the ones. You’re going 25 miles an hour and some idiot steps directly in front of your car in the middle of the street --no crosswalk, no corner--and they stare at you like you’re the bad guy. Or you’re making a right hand turn and they smile as you’re forced to stop 3/4s into the turn, about to be hit by oncoming traffic. Or they’re talking on their frigging phone and you stop on a dime and coffee spills onto your lap and the open briefcase on the passenger seat spills onto the floor.

California tickets them. What do we do? We just create more walkways. When I was a kid, I was taught to look both ways and cross when it was safe—at the light. I thought that was a pretty smart solution. Now, it’s wherever, whenever or whatever moves you.

I think it’s time to rebel. Without cars in Chicago, cameras would have nothing to photograph. The city would have no fines to collect, no stickers to sell. Police officers could spend their days protecting the taxpayers. Maybe even the ones on the North side.

In addition, with no funds, the potholes would not be filled, the streets would not be repaved, and bicyclists would no longer be able to whiz though lights particularly if they did not want their tires punctured. It would be a brave new world.

Now, I happen to like bike riding but I choose to ride in the safety of an exercise facility. I used to ride along the lakefront; unbelievably, the paths were empty when I moved back to the city several years back. Now, it’s more like the Autobahn. Between the cyclists huffing by at incredible speeds, triple strollers, and casual walkers walking three abreast, you are at the mercy of the many. After a torn rotator cuff, I took it easy. After a dislocated shoulder, I sold my bike.

Maybe you need to have the bravado of youth or be a lover of high risk riding to maneuver the streets of Chicago between the “white sticks”, the bike lanes and the SUVs. In any case, I still believe you need a license around your neck and a ticket to remind you there are rules on the road.

In fact, Chicago would have a great revenue stream if anyone renting one of our “blue bikes” were forced to pay for a bike license. Just think how that number could be prominently displayed each and every time they rode a bike. Think of the ticketing opportunity potential!

And if you think those bikes are helping to reduce congestion in the city, you haven’t been driving lately down Milwaukee Ave, or somewhere in the Loop, or around the East Bank Club. I will admit, some times of day are worse than others.

I’ve been in Chicago long enough to remember the gripes about bicycle-messengers. “A threat to pedestrians… to drivers.” They are milk toast compared to a trader on 2-wheels.

What do you think? Should Chicago become the cyclist city? Is there room enough for both cycle and automobile? Should cyclists have to display a license plate? Are car drivers being singled out to fill the city coffers—camera tickets, license plates, city stickers, gasoline taxes, parking fees and fines.

It would be wonderful to hook the tire of my convertible to a lamppost and not worry about a meter running out of time. But that, and snow in July haven't a chance of being more than a wish. So...I have decided to sell my car, walk for pleasure, ZIP Car-it for special shopping and limo-driver-it for non-walking, non-cabbing buyer tours. It will be my brave new world.

Moving -- a dream or a nightmare?

I 've moved pretty much every 5-7 years.  I've changed neighborhoods, gone from condo to coop and back again, traded vintage for new construction, added more space, replaced valet with deeded parking, and experienced remodeling and redecorating--often.  Adjusting to the physical changes in my living  space was far more difficult  than the actual move, until ....this last one.

As a Realtor, I had always felt it was much safer to sell before buying.  Wrong!  Well, at least in a market like the one we've been experiencing.  A large down payment and a promise of a quick close means absolutely nothing when the inventory is at an all time low and buyers and investor buyers are practically coming to blows to get the deal done.

Sometimes, being a Realtor is more of a disadvantage when buying and selling your own home.  "Don't worry, you'll find something."  Isn't than what we tell all of our buyers?  As long as we're prepared to compromise, there shouldn't be a problem.  Right!  If only I took the advice I give to my clients, my move to a storage facility and temporary living arrangements wouldn't have been a nightmare!

Here are some of the things I tell my sellers when they are just thinking about selling:

1.   Don't just hide the clutter, get rid of it physically.  Or else, you'll pack it, and pay to move it.

2.   Don't like a piece of furniture, get busy and sell it.  Sell it yourself, call a consignment shop, just

      remember, it won't be worth anything close to what you paid for it.

3.   Try on all clothes in the closet.  Good Rule tip:   If it doesn't fit, get rid of it.  

      When you lose those 10-15 lbs think of all the fun you'll have filling a new closet.

4.   Call and plan for a Salvation Army pick up in the future-- start now, to gather  items you don't  

      use to meet that date.  Or plan a bi-weekly trip to your favorite charity to deliver donations.  Note:
      Goodwill Industries accepts computer donations in the Chicagoland area.  Check other locations.
      Also in Chicago, the city supports several computer recycling centers.

      Good Rule Tip:  if you haven't used something in 10 years, you probably won't use it again.

5.   Plan a house sale.  Set up items by groups--$1, $5, etc.

      Good Rule Tip:  Be creative with special items.  If you've got that 40 cup percolator sitting in the       cupboard and tons or muffin tins you don't need, contact a catering company--they might be  

      interested in buying those items.  Or, donate them to a shelter.

6.   Plan a book sale if you have tons of books. How about a Mystery Book Sale????  Ask 

      neighbors to join you.  Or plan a kid's garage sale--clothes, toys and books.

      Good Rule Tip:   Specific groups of items targeting special groups will draw more buyers. 

7.   Start packing items you use occasionally-- silver, good china, and store in a closet you've 

      cleared, or an attic.   And create a real list with box number and items inside.

8.   Go thru all of your paper and digital files--tax, receipts, & recipe file folders, etc., and don't 

      forget to cull through the CDs and DVDs. (They are being outdated as we speak.)  Separate   

      everything by importance, immediate need, and files you keep as a backup.   Banker Boxes 

      are terrific and economical, if you watch for a sale at a local office supply store.   

      Good Rule Tip: Go thru files before your list your property-- before you sell your property 

      and pack for the big move.

9.   Consolidate duplications.  Everyone keeps duplicate cleaning supplies in every bath and the   

      kitchen. Condense.  Create one rolling cart with supplies you can use.

10. Consider buying storage bins for moving--not for everything, but certainly for like items that need

      special care.  The bins hold gobs of things and are more solid than expensive boxes.  And they 

      are reusable, even when you tape them.

I did follow a several of my suggestions, but time ran out and you know the story.  Just throw it in a box and tape it up--thank goodness I was so finite in what I was "throwing" into those last boxes!