If you are a "Home Improvement Show Addict", you have probably seen "Designed to Sell", "The Unsellables", and any number of other television shows tailored to the home seller. All of these shows stress the importance of preparation, preparation and even more preparation.
"BE PREPARED"...this is the Boy Scouting motto. I learned this as a young boy, working my way from Cub Scout to Boy Scout and then eventually to Eagle Scout. After spending numerous years (and I do mean many, many, many) in adult Scouting leadership positions, and raising two Eagle Scout sons, I take "being prepared" very seriously in my personal life and in my professional life.
Being prepared in my role as realtor, means being honest with sellers about what it will take to get their house in tip-top shape so it will sell quickly and for top dollar. After working with numerous buyers over the years, I have a keen eye for identifying the things that will appear as negatives to buyers. My 30+ years in the home repair business give me a unique opportunity to be very involved in actually creating the kind of drastic changes that you see in the TV shows. REALLY! We are always VERY mindful of limited budgets and I personally do many of the repairs. I also love to TEACH home-owners how to do routine maintenance. So, working side-by-side, we prepare our houses for sale. This is all part of how we actually EARN the real estate commission you pay us.
Once the necessary repairs are made, we "set the stage". This means making the changes to the décor which will create positive "buyer emotion". This generally involves significant de-cluttering, as well as furniture re-arranging, and the addition of lamps, artwork and other accessories. Again, being very mindful of limited budgets, we have made a commitment to maintaining an inventory of home accessories, which we provide free of charge to our sellers while their house is on the market. Our clients are always very pleased with their "make-over" and often make comments like, "now I don't want to move" and "I want to go shopping with the stager to buy things for my new house."
The buyer's emotional connection is what transforms "just another house" into a "home". Experience tells us that when buyers feel that positive emotion from the moment they walk into a house, they begin to make that mental transformation. Let us help you PREPARE your home and create that POSITIVE EMOTION, so that when people are SCOUTING for the perfect house, they'll make YOUR house their HOME!
I recently met with a woman in her early 50's, who had lost her husband about a year ago. She was feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the home maintenance that her husband had always handled. She contacted me about selling her house and moving to a maintenance-provided community, so she wouldn't have to deal with maintenance problems. When I explained that such communities only provide exterior maintenance, she was surprised. The more she explained how much she loved her home, and her neighbors, it was clear to me that she really didn't want to move. I suggested that she consider purchasing a home warranty, which would give her one phone number to call for interior maintenance issues. Then, instead of paying the year-round monthly fees for a maintenance-provided community, she could contract with a lawn company to handle the routine spring, summer and fall lawn maintenance and occasional snow removal, and that she could stay in her existing home. The relief on her face was obvious and I was thrilled to see that such a simple solution was all she needed.
Our mission to be "Honest-Experienced-Caring" isn't just a tag line. Sometimes it means NOT getting a job. If you want honest answers with absolutely no pressure, we're the ones to call. Our "Experience" tells us that some of our best referrals have come from the people who haven't bought or sold a house with us. They simply refer us to their friends and family because we were "Honest" with them and "Cared" about THEIR situation and needs.
If you want honest answers from an experienced realtor who will care about YOU, give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you.
Meticulously maintained TRUE RANCH home! Gorgeous Living Room and Dining Room. Updated kitchen with new GRANITE counters, dishwasher, sink, faucet, tile floor and lighting. Walk-in closet in Master. Updated bathrooms SPARKLE! Bright Sunroom has new windows. Fenced yard, large patio & mature trees. Crown moldings & gleaming hardwood floors. Newer furnace, water heater & garage door. Maintenance-free vinyl siding. SUPER VALUE! Check out the details in the following link:
This TRUE RANCH home may be perfect for you or someone you know! The 17' x 12' extra large dining room is ideal for entertaining. The thermal pane windows, beautiful kitchen cabinets, gleaming hardwood floors, fresh interior paint, crown moldings and updated lighting make this one extra special! Check out the details and photos in the following link.
We are so proud of our Keller Williams office in Overland Park! For the last several years we have seen our office grow some of the finest agents around. We are excited to see who will come into our office next and be blessed by all the training and support that is shared here at Keller Williams.
Webster Team Real Estate wants to shout out ... "We are PROUD MEMBERS OF KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY PARTNERS, INC.!!!"
For years I have been replacing washers on
faucets. No big deal. I have always had a love/hate relationship with
bathtub faucet handles. Either they come right off and I am a happy
person or they are so corroded that I end up practically pulling he
whole faucet out of the wall! (not so happy)
I cannot believe I
did not know about this tool that has been around for as long as I
have. ( A very long time.) It is a handle puller. Very simple, there
is a pin that sticks in where the screw comes out of the center of the
handle and then two clamps hook on the sides of the handle, twist the
knob and the handle pops off! Who knew simple things could bring so
much pleasure!
The City of Olathe is growing like crazy and part of that expansion is down College Boulevard West past Ridgeview road. If you had past that way a year ago you might have hit any one of the following:
1. Train
2. Pedestrian
3. Covered Wagon
BUT THE FUTURE IS NOW!!!
As of December 20th a beautiful Four-Lane road has been opened and contains the longest bridge in Olathe (662 feet!). [The 127th Street bridge is 520 feet doubting Thomas]. The bridge crosses over the creek, train tracks, pedestrian walkway, and any overzealous players of the Oregan Trail computer game.
So take a drive, enjoy the view, and celebrate progress... Olathe's on the move... and it's Westardly-ish... if that's actually a word.
I was at a gathering this weekend and there was some serious concern about how terrible the housing market is.
I tried to explain it this way...
In my opinion, there seems to be two markets out there. One is torn up foreclosures and overprice unprepared personal homes for sale. The other is correctly priced cleaned up ready to move into houses with home owners who understand what it takes to sell a house.
There have been many times that I have shown buyers the houses in the second category and the house is sold before we can make an offer on it.
The mentality of start high then drop your price just does not work. These days, start high and you don't get showings. Most buyers use a Realtor because we can analyze the area around a house to determine a fair price. If it is not priced right, the buyers just go down the street to the next house. Please understand I am not saying you need to price a house unrealistically low, I am saying price at the right price for the area and people will look.
The next issue is how the house looks. If you have looked at houses to purchase before, you probably ran across one with the funky paint or smell. We usually spend at least a month or more ahead of listing a property advising our sellers on what needs to be done to their house before it goes on the market. Often it involves painting, cleaning and a storage unit somewhere. The good news is the people willing to work with us usually don't have to put up with showing for long because their house sells.
Okay, off my soapbox.... The point is... do not panic about what the media is saying about the market. If you want to sell your house and are willing to do what it takes, it will sell. It is really not that bad out there for what I call the "normal" market.
If you've followed the News lately or the Real Estate News Feed on the right side of this page you've probably seen:
1. The explosion of foreclosures
2. The seeming demise of the mortgage industry
3. And now... Several plans being presented to resolve the situation...
But what does this all mean to you?
First, there are many opportunities in the market today! You just have to know where to find them!
In the past people have had any number of reasons to sell a home, now they have another BIG one.
Second, there's going to be a lot more to think about when preparing to buy or sell a home than there used to be. Banks are very interested in making sure they continue to stay profitable as some of their mortgages go into foreclosure. If you buy a home be prepared for some additional hoops, having an expert - like me :-) - can help with this. It you are selling remember to get your bank involved early so there are no surprises at closing. Again, having a professional always helps and that's why I'm here.
Please, give me a call, and let's talk about your situation and how to make the most of current market conditions
WOW! That is the best way to describe the feeling I had after leaving the Special Olympics Fall Classic Games. Webster Team Real Estate volunteered assistance with the bowling competition held at AMF College Lanes in Overland Park, Kansas.
The Olympic bowling athletes worked very hard to get to this point. After competing in many rounds of games throughout the year, they earned theirplacein the final phase of the Olympics. Each athlete deserved to be treated with respect and honor.
What a blast we all had! I have never seen so many people in one large area having so much fun and supporting each other. It did not matter which team or person was bowling, all of the contestants cheered and gave high fives to that bowler as they came off the lane.
In these games the athletes are all winners! After spending the day with them, I felt like a winner, too! What an amazing organization and wonderful group of volunteers!!
I would like to thank Crystal Webster for getting Webster Team Real Estate involved in this special event!
Contact Me if you would like the full quality images!
My niece is a student teacher in Lawrence and was staying with us since we live so close on the west side of Olathe.
She had just bought a new car. A beautiful pearl white car. Within a few weeks of owning it, the car was plastered with bird poop. These birds must have been eating a whole lot of red berries (if you get my drift). She took it to the car dealer and they said they had never seen paint stain so deeply and had the front of the car repainted.
Not three days after getting the car back she was once again hit by the (very full) birds. (I need to mention she was not parked under any trees) She was very upset and called me to help out. I found out online that Meguiar's Scratch X is supposed to remove bird poop stains. We ran out and picked some up and to our surprise it worked! It took a lot of hand rubbing, but the stains came out! I thought I would pass this along as I was amazed that it worked! I also had no idea that bird poop could stain paint so deeply.
The weekend's here and it's time to have fun... but where? Check out our Local Events Guide . We've spent a lot of time gathering a collection of local event calendars so you can find just what you're looking for.
Have something we should add to the list? Please Contact Us or add a comment to this Blog Posting.
You've seen the commercials... you remember your freinds talking about it last year... now's your chance to get in on the action, the 2007 Kansas City Parade of Homes.
Grab your husband, wife, sister, brother, mailman or milkman and head out on September 16th - 30th to browse through some of Kansas City's most amazing homes.
Here's why we go:
1. You'll see how professional Interior Designers are decorating homes for Kansas City. Forget TLC, this is our style.
2. Looking for intersting landscaping ideas? You've got it.
3. Did someone say free snacks? Where are my keys...
I was on the Plaza for lunch the other day when I heard honking. It was so unusual that everyone was looking around. Turns out someone was honking to let a pedestrian know they could cross the street (odd form I know... hand signals usually work... but to eachtheirown).
This got me thinking... what a great town we live in where typically rude behavior like horn honking is such a rare occurence. Just another reason I love to live here.
Until next time... best wishes...
(Photo provided courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org)
Hi Everyone! If you were at the recent Mid America Nazarene University Football game and were listening to KMNU you might have heard us on the radio. In each segment Bob goes through a different home repair tip from "How to Repair a Leaking Outdoor Faucet" to "Is that smell really my Furnace?" We have a lot of fun with it!
It's a neat arrangement with the University Radio Station where we're able to help provide funding for their student program and also get some air time. Can't beat that!
We'd love to hear any ideas you have for future segments. Any home repair quandries you have that you'd like Bob to answer? Please call us or send us an email!
Foreclosure Home Search 
You've seen the commercials... you remember your freinds talking about it last year... now's your chance to get in on the action, the 2007 Kansas City Parade of Homes.