Real Estate Information

      Quick and Easy Chili Con Queso

1 Package Cream Cheese (8 oz)
1 Can Chili with or without beans
1 Bag Shredded Mexican Cheese

Mix all ingredients in microwave safe bowl and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir after 1 minutes, continue to cook. That's it! Yum!!

EMERGENCY KIT FOR YOUR VEHICLE

Everyone should have an emergency kit for your vehicle. Here are some suggestions;

anti-freeze/coolant
battery powered portable radio and extra batteries
bright colored cloth (preferably red)
can of motor oil
compass
cones, warning triangles or emergency flares
disposable camera (to take pictures of damage)
empty gas can
fire extinguisher
flashlight with extra batteries
fuses
jack for tire
jumper cables
maps
pocketknife
rags
roll of paper towels
sealant for small leaks in tires
shovel
spare tire
tool box with screwdrivers, wrenches and small hammer
tow rope
window scraper
blanket

Boulder Bay Realty Group wants you to drive safe and keep safe this winter!

HOME STAGING TIPS         

Grimy bathroom walls are a major red flag to buyers.
Easy way to get rid of surface mold is; with spray bottle mix one part water and one part bleach. Spray it on the wall and watch the mold disappear.

Don't replace a yucky shower door: just scour it.
Clean grimy glass shower doors with a mixture of one part muriatic acid and about 10 parts water. Scrub with steel wool. After wiping it down, reinstall the door.

Avoid dated tile by painting
First coat the tiles with a high-adhesion primer. Next, brush on a special ceramic epoxy covering (available at most home improvement stores), for a fraction of the cost of new tile.

Pedestal sinks are a bit hit with buyers.
They show off the square footage in small bathrooms.

    Residential Home Sales (closed) for December 2011
(by county)

                Lake               Porter               LaPorte

Dec. 2010              239                  130                       71
Dec. 2011              272                  116                       59

Merry Christmas

10 Christmas Shopping Do's & Don'ts

1. Avoid shopping on weekends
2. Don't limit your gift choices if you can't find one certain gift, have a back up gift in mind
3. Don't lose receipts, always get a gift receipt when available
4. Don't wrap your gift until you've taken all the price tags off, put the gift receipt in the box
5. Don't wait till the last minute to shop, if you find a bargain during the year, buy it!
6. Do buy quality when purchasing gifts for others. Brand matters!
7. Do shop from stores you know when buying online
8. Do make a list so you don't over-spend
9. Do make wrapping special, customize a card and paper
10. Do look for bargains, they're everywhere, so keep an eye out for them!
. . . . and have fun!

Accentuate the Positive

To impress a greater number of potential buyers, it's important to bring out the best your home has to offer, and tip the scale away from any drawbacks.

No matter how wonderful a house is, people tend to be drawn to the negative features first. Prospective buyers are always looking to uncover hidden costs so they can protect themselves. A buyer wants to make sure that there are no reasons not to buy your house.

Once buyers get stuck on a negative feature, it's difficult to get them to move past it. If buyers are met with clutter, they'll have the impression that the house is small and not well maintained. They may even look for additional signs of neglect once a negative tone is set. A negative impression lasts a long time, perhaps forever. A buyer often mentally exaggerates the negative in terms of how much time or money will be required to fix it.

As the seller, you must pinpoint potential negatives and counteract them before the property is listed for sale. You have to package your house to appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers. By correcting or minimizing any negative features, and by highlighting the strong points of your home, more buyers will form a positive impression.

When you're preparing your house for the market, you must approach every room objectively and ask yourself, 'Does it look new?' If you find yourself saying, 'It's good enough,' or 'It looks okay, I guess,' then it's probably not good enough, and it most likely doesn't look okay. To show your house in the best possible light, you must clear away clutter, clean, make repairs and improvements, and make everything as fresh and neutral as possible.

A positive impression will sell your house quickly and for the best price. If you're not sure what areas need attention, talk to your Realtor. Most decisions to buy a home happen pretty quickly, and your agent can help you zero in on what elements come into play. You'll want to be sure that you've done all you can to facilitate a good impression and a quick sale. The goal is to appeal to as many buyers as possible by positioning your home as the perfect place for the buyers to enjoy the kind of life for which they dream.

From All of us here at Boulder Bay Realty Group we wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving

You, our clients, friends and customers are a big part of our blessings and bounty!

The Boulder Bay Realty Group staff, teams and agents

Easy Homemade Chili

What can warm up a cold late fall day better than a great bowl of homemade chili? This Chili recipe is not only easy, but it's dinner in one pot! Here's what you'll need;

1 1/2 Lbs Ground Chuck                         3 Tbls Worcestshire Sauce
2 Tbls Lemon Juice                                5 - 6 Tbls Ketchup
1/8 Cup Light Brown Sugar (or to taste)    1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
2 - 3 - 15 oz Cans Tomato Sauce            1 -15 oz can Light Red Kidney Beans
Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Salt, Pepper, Mexican Seasoning (to taste)

Start in large pot by cooking onions just till they become transparent, add ground chuck, brown. Drain off excess fat. Add the Lemon juice, Worcestshire sauce, Ketchup and Brown sugar, stirring till thick consistency. (Depending on individual taste, you may want to add more or less of each of the above ingredients).
Stir in the Tomato Sauce and Kidney beans. Add all the seasonings to taste. Turn to medium low heat and let simmer till cooked through (about 1/2 an hour).
TIPS: For a thinner sauce add one can of water to mixture. For thicker sauce, add a little tomato paste. ALSO, the basic meat sauce makes a great Sloppy Joe, OR add a few different ingredients and you have a great Spaghetti sauce.

Home Inspections Avert Future Headaches
A licensed inspector can find defects that may cost thousands of dollars later such as dry rot or cracked heat exchanger on the furnace.

Home Inspections Help You Avoid Unpleasant Surprises
Home inspectors in the state of Indiana must be licensed to conduct a home inspection. As a result, these capable men and women are trained to inspect and detect existing or potential problems with not only the major mechanicals in a home, but hazardous repair work a home owner may have done. A common mistake made by a potential buyer is not requesting an inspection on new construction. New homes can also be the subject of defects because of oversights during construction or human error. A potential buyer should always request a home inspection.

An Inspection Will Educate You About Your House
Buyers ususally want to know as much as they can about the home they are buying. Part of an inspector's responsibility is to educate the buyer about their home. Most inspections take at least a couple of hours to complete. At the end of the inspection the inspector should sit down with the buyer and go over all the results of the inspection. This is essential, especially for first time home buyers who may not be familiar with home mechanicals, etc. The inspector should point out all issues found, indicating those that are major and those items that may need attention in the future.

Inspection Timing and Results
Homebuyers usually arrange for an inspection after signing a contract or purchase agreement with the seller. If the inspector's findings alert you to some costly repairs or potential hazardous conditions you may be advised not to buy the home unless such problems are remedied.
If major problems are found, you can back out of the deal. If costly repairs are warranted, the seller may be willing to adjust the home's price or the contract's terms. But when only minor repairs are needed, the buyer and seller can usually work out an agreement that won't affect the sale price.

Why Fall Is the Best Time to Seed and Feed  

Think about what fall brings, besides football. You get cooler temperatures. More dew and rain. And plenty of sunshine. The soil is still warm enough to germinate seeds, but the cool air invites grass to grow a strong root system. That's why fall is the best time for seeding and feeding your lawn. It will look great in the spring, and will be better able to resist weeds and summer stresses.