Remember this guy?  General… whoever, doing that song “Pants on the Ground”!  Remember when you first saw it?  I do.  I was brushing my teeth, and had American Idol (which I never watch) on the bedroom T.V.  Here comes an obviously middle-aged man that they were obviously going to flame.

So he gets up there, and does… well… what he does.  My toothpaste nearly ended up on the floor!  It was very funny and very memorable.

I jumped on Twitter and Facebook to be the first one to say “I saw it first!”  I wasn’t even close.  Nearly a quarter of my 750 FB friends and hundreds of thousands of tweeters had already commented… 30 seconds after the General had left the building.

I went to the office the next day, and it was THE topic of conversation!  Even old-school Realtors that I hadn’t seen crack a smile in years were chuckling about “Lookin like a fool…”

He was on the talk shows, millions of hits on Youtube (including the one you just viewed), Colbert, Fox News cronies, Tosh 2.0, Facebook Fan Pages, you name it, he was there!!!

"Tiger. Thanks!" - M. Maguire

Fast forward to today.  When was the last time you hummed “Gold in ya mouth… Hat on sideways…”?  I’m guessing it’s been weeks.  Hey, it’s not your fault.  Things have happened since then.  Avatar, Mark McGuire, the Olympics, www.chatroulette.com, Tiger Woods Sex addiction (BTW, who isnt’???), The Oscars…  The brain can only handle so much non-essential pop culture!

Well guess what?  If you’re selling your home, you’re in the same boat with The General.  Remember those first couple weeks?  Oh, there were a bunch of showings!  You may have even gotten an offer that you turned down because “We’ve only been on the market for a few days.”  You didn’t want to take a “low” offer and end up “Lookin like a fool!”

Here’s the deal… Those first few days are critical because you’re The General.  You’re new and all those buyers currently on the market in your price range want to see you.  If you’re great (i.e. location, condition, price) you’re sold.  If you’re lacking in one of these areas (looking like a fool, hat on sideways, price too high), then you’re wasting your time.

After those first few days, the table turns 180 degrees.  Now, you’re just hoping to grab the new buyer on the market, and you’re competing with a bunch of houses.  Some of those homes are going to detract attention from your property (i.e. the super cute, well priced Tiger Woods sitting in the Cul-de-sac.)

Final word:  Don’t get caught Lookin like a Fool!  Straighten up your hat, and listen to your Real Estate Professional.  Price it right based on location and condition, and you won’t get caught with your pants on the ground.

~Troy

I’m watching and listening to people in the Springfield IL area on my Twitter feed and Facebook page about how hard it is to find a job right now.

Now… I’m not an overly political guy, and I keep my social commentary among good friends, but I’m here to say:  If you REALLY want a job, and you’re complaining that you can’t find one… You’ve got to be friggin kidding me!!!!  According to my sources (Twitter) they are everywhere, in every industry, and they need people NOW!!

Okay, so you’re not a Twitterholic like me.  For that matter, you may not even know how to get onto Twitter, or how to use it.  Here’s my suggestion on how to do it.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised…

First, get yourself a Twitter account.  Go to www.Twitter.com and sign up, and let me be the first to welcome you to 2008.

Tweetdeck: God's gift to Twitter!

Next, go to www.Tweetdeck.com .  If the Twitter home page was designed like Tweetdeck, there would be no need for Tweetdeck.  In my opinion, Tweetdeck is THE way to surf  Twitter!

Ok… open up Tweetdeck and you’ll see several columns.  An “All Friends” column, a “Mentions” column… blah blah.  We don’t care about any of that.  We need a job!

Here’s how you find that gig…  Go to upper-left of the Tweetdeck page, and click on the plus sign.  If you hover over it, it will say “add column.”

In the search bar, type in your town’s name.  For us, it would be “Springfield IL”.  This will create a search column that will show you EVERY tweet with the term “Springfield IL”.  Many of these tweets will have job opportunities will links to more detailed info.  BTW, be sure to put in your state.

I can’t believe how many employment opportunities come across my Tweetdeck every day.  A ballpark guess would be around 50 a day.

I’d be interested in knowing if anyone ends up using this, and what kind of results they get.  So, comment below if this ends up being helpful for you, or if I wasn’t clear enough, let me know.

Okay, it's not as bad as the NYC blizzard of 1888, but the first good snow of the year always feels like it!

Holy smokes! It’s crazy outside! I’m stuck at home with the kids. Now by “stuck” I don’t mean I rather be somewhere else. Hanging with my kids is a blast. But I’ve got several coals in the fire at work right now, and could really use the office time.

Since I’m home, I decided to do a little cleaning up in the home office, and found this list of things to do around the house that no one ever thinks about until it’s too late.  There’s no reference info on this list, so yes its plagiarism, but it’s good info

1) Completely clean the lint from your dryer (once a year.)

I can speak to this one from experience. One day my dryer just quit working. Turns out there was so much lint in chute that it almost started a fire, but the dryer shut itself down before anything happened.

It’s a fairly simple fix: Take the front off of your dryer (no tools needed) and clean the entire lint chute. It’s easy to find… it’s the chute filled with lint. You can get a tool to help you clean it for about $15 at your local hardware store.

2) Flush the drains. (once a month.)

Do this and you will probably never have to call a plumber. Pour a half cup of baking soda, followed by a half cup of white vinegar down all of your drains. It will clear out just about anything down there.

3) Vacuum the Fridge Consenser Coil (once a year.)

It’s that long snaky pipe that runs along the back of your refridgerator. Vacuum this, and your fridge will run more efficently, saving you $$.

4) Degrease the Range Vent (at least once a year.)

Take out the filter and throw it in the dishwasher. Also clean the fan with a heavy-duty cleaner (like “Greased Lightning” $1 at any dollar store.) This will prevent possible kitchen fires. While you’re there, you might as well replace the light.

5) Clean your furnace and vents (once a month.)

The benefits are too numerous to mention. Cleaner air, less energy… the list goes on. Vacuum the exterior of your furnace yearly. Clean the vents, radiators or baseboards monthly. Get down as far as you can with your vacuum extension, being sure not to lose vacuum parts down the vents. The best part: You won’t have to dust as often!

Enjoy this beautiful weather!  If you have any questions regarding Real Estate, don’t hesitate to contact me via Facebook, Twitter,  or email.

Thanks!

~Troy

“We currently have our home on the market.  We asked our Realtor to give us as much notice as possible for showings,  but occasionally we get last minute calls.  My husband and I both work and we have three kids.  Keeping the home looking good is a real challenge.  Any suggestions?”

Thanks for the question.  It IS a challenge to keep the house looking top-notch while selling.  Whether you have kids, pets, a husband like me… keeping the place not just cleaned up, but show quality, has the ability to drive someone insane.

I contacted a bunch of my clients, all with 2+ kids, two full time working parents, and all with ready-to-show at any time homes.  Here are their suggestions:

One of my clients (with FIVE kids!!!) takes her mess to work with her every morning.  “On the way out in the morning, I grab a clothes basket, and throw everything in it that needs to be dealt with.  Clothes, toys, dirty dishes, etc. all go in the basket.  Then I throw it in the car when I leave.  I deal with it when I get home.”  What a great idea!

Another client handled things with her three kids in a slightly different manner.  “Every morning I pulled around one of those three-bin office containers on wheels.  I put everything from each kid in their corresponding bin.  At the end of the day, if their bin wasn’t clean, everything in the bin was thrown away.”  Yikes!!  But guess what?  It worked.

Yet another client, with two children under the age of four, handled things another way.  “On my way out the door, I Windexed my way out of the house.  Everything got a quick wipe down.”

There is a definite pattern here.  All three clients began their explanation saying “On my way out” or “Every morning.”  Some clients I work with freak out when they get a call for a showing because they do not keep up with general cleaning of the house.  If you tackle this chore every morning, it’s really not much of a chore at all.  But if you put it off to once a week, especially if you have small children, it can turn into a monumental task.  And you can’t just throw things into the closet, or shut a door to hide a mess from a possible buyer.  Buyers are going to open every door in the house.  The house has to be actually clean.

Keep the questions coming!  Hit me via Facebook, Twitter, or Email.  And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog.

Thanks!

~Troy

I appreciate your reading my ever-evolving (and grammatically incorrect) blog.  Honestly, before I started a blog, Ididn’t do a ton of blog reading.  Now, in the pursuit of rock-star blogging, I read blogs incessantly!  One of my favs is http://www.problogger.net .  It’s a great site for a guy like me.   It’s a blog on blogging.

Something that problogger suggests is figuring out what you want to blog on, and create a schedule around certain topics.   So, here it is.  My new blog schdule.  View in awe…

Homeowner Monday’s – Monday’s will be spent discussing homeowner topics, much like today.  If you have some homeowner topic you’d like me to blog on, I’d be happy to it.  Just email, Facebook or Tweet me.

Real Estate Wednesday’s - We’re going to concentrate on the nuts and bolts of buying and selling homes on Wednesday’s.  These are the days where I will be answering questions I’ve received from the week before.  So keep the questions coming!

Best of the Week Friday’s – I love funny/weirdly sad and disturbing – but true – news stories.  Friday’s will be a fun look at the week that was.

But today is Monday, so this week we’re looking at Winter Improvements and Maintenance.

Here are some things you can do this winter that will keep your home is good shape, saving you lots of cash down the road.

1. Clean the carpets! - Now, if you’re thinking about selling in the spring, you might want to hold off, but winter is a good time to get those carpets professionally cleaned (especially if you haven’t done it in a while.) Many carpet companies have good winter deals, and you’re tracking in snow, wet shoes, and the occasional muddy boot. Grinding in dirt on top of dirt is just going to make it more difficult for the cleaners to get it all clean in the spring. So clean those carpets, and go ahead and schedule another cleaning for late spring, early summer.

2. Paint! – Ugh! The dreaded “P” word! Some people despise painting. But, dollar for dollar, there is nothing you can spend your money on that will give you a better return on your investment. If you are considering selling, paint it a nice neutral color. If you want to go as far as painting baseboards and trim, I would consider a lighter color, like an off-white.  It’s very trendy, and shows nicely.

3. Clean! – This goes without saying, right? Well, what I’m referring to is hiring a professional cleaning service to come in and do a killer clean job. You think you do a good job cleaning? Wait until a real pro comes in and shows you what clean really is. For a one time fee, it is very much worth it!

4. Organize and De-clutter - I hate the process of throwing things out, and organizing things. But when I’m done, I always feel much better (even if I didn’t feel all that bad in the first place.) There is something about a space where everything is in its place. It is relaxing to live in, and much more attractive.

5. Accessorize - This is the fun part. After you’ve done all of the above, it’s time to give your house a new look by accessorizing. Do you have some outdated artwork (sorry, velvet Elvis is officially “out”)? Maybe it’s time to hit the local art galleries (or even thrift stores) for some new wall art.

Whatever you do, don’t over-accessorize. Keep your surfaces clean. Don’t cover them with a bunch of stuff. A tidy house will hold value over a cluttered house every day.

Doing these things will keep your home and family healthy and happy. And, when the day does come to sell, you’ll be more prepared and the process will a lot more fun.

Here are a couple articles I found at my favorite web site.  Houselogic.com

Enjoy your Monday!  Blog at you Wednesday.

~ Troy

	Fall & Winter Seasonal Maintenance Guide–Midwest If you live in the Midwest, here are maintenance jobs you should complete every fall and winter to prevent costly repairs and keep your home in peak condition. Read
	8 Easy Ways to Seal Air Leaks Around the House For what the typical family wastes every year on air leaks—about $350—you can plug energy-robbing gaps, start saving money, and enjoy a more comfortable home. Read
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. © Copyright 2009 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Here are my favorite articles from the week.  Click on the Title to see the article.  Enjoy.

Florida man wanting ride to bar calls 911, arrested - I lived in FL for a year.  This a fairly typical story.

Peta is petitioning all restarants to change stuffed animal heads with cardboard heads. Longhorn Steakhouse is screwed!

The Curious Case of the Falling Moose Head – and a follow up story - Why don’t you ever hear about these stories happening in Springfield ???

Man opts for jail over New Year with relatives – …Genius.

The 9 Strangest News Stories of 2009 – Nice collection of weirdness from last year.

And my favorite… all the way from Bloomington IL… Zoo sells $20,884 in reindeer dropping ornaments … You might want to read that again.

Everyone have a great weekend.  Blog you next week.

~ Troy

I’m blogging today to thank the people who have positively affected my life this year.

1)  Thank you to my wonderful wife and two children.  Without your their and support, I would not be nearly as successful as I am.

2) Thanks to my extended family.  My parents have been there for me since day one, and I’ve tried to the same for my family.  My in-laws are fantastic people, as well as my brother and sister-in-law and adorable niece and nephew.  I’m truly blessed to have most of my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles living within an hour drive of my home.  They are all top-notch people.

3) A HUGE thanks to my colleagues at The Real Estate Group.  Aspen Real Estate and The Real Estate Group merged at the beginning of 2009.  While there were many questions among Realtors about how things were going to go, I had no doubt that the change would be fantastic.  I was exactly right.  The past year has been rewarding and educational.  I look forward to many years at The Group.

4) Specifically, a hearty thanks to my managing broker Mike Buscher.  There is no better motivator, educator or overall  support system than Mike.  My success is directly attributed  to his generosity.  Thanks Mike!

5) Thank you to all of my past clients in 2009.  What a year it has been!  We’ve had some smooth-as-silk transactions, and some real roller coasters.  But everyone ended up in a fantastic home.

6) And, finally… Thank you for reading my blog.  I’ve gotten a ton of positive feedback from my rants.  Its extremely motivating when you’ve got so many people cheering you on.

This year is going to a Tipping Point year for The Real Estate Group and me.  We’ve got things in the cooker that are going to change the way people buy Real Estate.  I can’t wait to let you know about it… but that’s for another blog.

Enjoy your New Year.  I’ll blog then.

~ Troy

Did you know that the term "It's a Dousy!" came from an Ad for Dusenburg cars?

So my son is five.  He says some pretty funny things on a regular basis, but today he says a couple Dousys!

This morning we were in his room and he said “Dad, are my fish old?”

I said, “Yeah buddy.  They’re really old.” (we’ve had them for well over a year.)

He replied “They’re not old dad… they don’t even have mustaches!”

Later in the day, we were in the car.  Out of the blue be blurts out “Hey!  If Obi-Wan Kenobi disappeared and left his cape, how come he’s wearing it when he’s a ghost in Episode 5?”

Then he said,”I know!  He must have snuck back into the Death Star and got it while they were blowing it up.”

Okay, I got a question today from my Facebook Fan page.  It’s semi-related to a previous post, but I’m happy to talk about it.

“My girlfriend and I are considering doing a finished basement project at her house. She is unsure if the cost are worth it.  Would you be interested in coming by to meet us and give us your opinion on what her house is currently worth and what the update might cost and if it would be justified? Any help or advice would be really appreciated.” -M.Z. from Springfield IL.

Thanks M.Z.  I’m scheduling time with him and his girlfriend tomorrow, but I figured lots of people would benefit from a discussion on basement finishing.

There are some definite advantages to a finished basement:  The most important of which are more living space, and increased value of the home.

Now that last one is a little deceiving.  It does add value to the home, but you’re not going to get back the money you put into it right away.  So the big questions to ask is “How important is a finished basement to me?” and “How long do I plan to live in this house?”

If you just can’t live without a finished basement, and you plan to live in your home long enough for your home to appreciate to re-coup a great deal of the expense… then finishing a basement makes complete sense.  On the other hand, if you can live without the basement being finished, or plan to move in the couple years, I’d advise against finishing the basement, but consider purchasing a home with a finished basement the next time around.

Here are a few articles regarding finished basements that you might want to read.  By the way, a bunch of my recent articles have come from http://www.houselogic.com .  It’s a great site published by the National Association of Realtors.  It’s a fantastic source of info for homeowners.

Keep bringing the Real Estate questions!  Happy to help.

	Basement Remodel: Return on Investment Because it adds valuable living space without increasing your home’s footprint, a basement remodeling project offers a high return on your investment. Read
	Smart Choices for Basement Flooring Keeping your basement dry and free of condensation is key to installing the flooring of your choice. Read
	Add an Egress Window to Your Remodeled Basement For safety, a basement living area needs an egress window that meets residential building codes. Here’s what you need to know. Read
	Evaluate Your House for a Basement Remodel Converting your basement into living space requires being aware of building codes and understanding special requirements. Read
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this. © Copyright 2009 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®