How to Create a Homeowner’s Journal

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SA Realty Watch Group
Option One Real Estate
210-232-2310 Cell
www.sarealtywatch.com
randy@sarealtywatch.com
License # 525639

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What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of an Open House?

There are many benefits to opening your home to prospective buyers. Having an open house will increase the visibility of your home and possibly shorten its time on the market. Your pool of buyers widens when noncommitted buyers have an opportunity to freely view your home.

The advantages of your home over other homes in the neighborhood can be better highlighted with an open house. Open houses allow you to set the scene for viewing because you can better prepare for how you want it to show and, at the same time, reach many prospects.

One of the negatives of having open houses is that unqualified buyers may be walking through your home, just being curious to see how your home compares to theirs. Security issues can also arise from having unvetted people investigating your home. Since there can be several people looking at a home at any given time, the disadvantage arises that there is less one-on-one time to spend with potential buyers, creating missed opportunities to secure the best prospect.

Have You Created Your Homeowner’s Journal? Here’s How
Once you become a homeowner, you can no longer rely on a landlord to take care of maintenance issues that may arise where you live. Since the responsibility now rests with you, it would be wise to try to stay a step ahead of tasks associated with maintaining your home’s condition and value.

To organize and oversee the needs of your home, creating a homeowner’s journal will be your best ally to keep track of warranties and manuals for the systems and appliances in your home. Arrange to have a notebook, binder, or file drawer as your home base for collected receipts and manuals.

There are several things to collect that will increase the efficiency of managing your home. Ownership information, such as the title to the property, appraisals, inspection reports, home warranty plans, homeowner’s insurance, and mortgage documents, should all have a place in your journal. Include the dates and contact info for the maintenance and renovation professionals who have performed various tasks around your home. List renovation and purchase dates along with descriptions and samples of finalized work.

If you organize your journal by season or category, you can easily produce a schedule of maintenance tasks. Record projected end-of-useful-life dates for major appliances and components.

Home ownership will run smoothly with fewer maintenance surprises with a working journal. Having a journal also helps assure a future buyer that you have taken good care of your home. It will also be very useful if you consider refinancing your home.

Thinking of Buying a Home? Get My Free Guide

Buying a home is a complex process with many factors to consider. Prepare for the decisions you’ll need to make along the way by requesting my free report, “10 Easy Steps to Buying a Home.”

Just reply to this email and I’ll send it right out to you.

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Meet Dr. Gladys West, the Woman behind GPS Technology
International Women’s Day is on March 8 each year, providing an opportunity for us to reflect on the little-known pioneers whose work we may not have heard of due to gender inequality. One such pioneer is the mathematician Dr. Gladys West, whose work contributed to the GPS technology we now rely on for navigation and communication, including in our space programs! Today we take GPS maps for granted, but in the 1970s and 1980s, this technology was groundbreaking.

Born into a rural community in Virginia, West saw education as her ticket out of the countryside. After graduating from high school, she went on to attend college at Virginia State University. It wasn’t typical to see women studying mathematics at the time, with West herself saying “You felt a little bit different” to be a woman in a field dominated by men.

When early computers were adopted by the scientific community, West had to shift her work away from paper equations and logic by learning how to program. She worked passionately on creating complicated algorithms, which she programmed into an IBM 7030 (aka Stretch) computer. Using this, she designed a geodetic model that mapped the shape of the earth while factoring in how gravitational pull and tidal forces may impact it. This model was game-changing, as it came to underpin the GPS satellite system.

Dr. Gladys West has finally been credited for her role in scientific advancement, being inducted into the US Air Force Hall of Fame in 2018.

Let’s Connect

Wondering What’s Happening in Your Neighborhood?
How has the price of your home changed in today’s market? How much are other homes in your neighborhood selling for?

These are all critical questions that shouldn’t be overlooked when thinking about buying or selling your home. Whether you’re curious about prices in your area, whether it’s an excellent time to sell, or just need an expert to answer your questions, I can give you the tools and offer guidance through the entire buying or selling process.

Let me know how I can help by simply giving my office a call at 210-232-2310 to set up a time to connect.

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Parmesan Broccoli Bites
With broccoli being in season, this quick and easy recipe is the perfect low carb snack, appetizer, or side dish to any springtime meal.
Serves 6

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 whole broccoli
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/4 cups almond flour
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat large baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut broccoli into florets and peel stems. Toss with cornstarch in large bowl. Whisk eggs and milk in shallow dish. Whisk almond flour, Parmesan, paprika, baking powder, and salt in another shallow dish.

Dip a few pieces of broccoli at a time in egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge in the flour mixture, tapping off any excess. Transfer broccoli to prepared baking sheet. Generously coat with cooking spray. Bake broccoli, without turning, until golden brown and tender-crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve.

How to Not Get Stressed by Spring Cleaning
It’s that time of year when a good spring clean is in order. You know how great you’ll feel once it’s done, with a refreshed living space and a sense of peace of mind. But getting started can be a challenge, especially if it seems like the size of the task is daunting. If you’re procrastinating about your spring clean, here are four tips to help you not become stressed by it.

Make a cleaning plan.

Rather than trying to get everything done in one enormous, tiring clean, make a schedule for yourself across the course of a week or so in order to spread out all the little jobs, from decluttering to polishing. This will lighten the load and immediately take off some of the pressure that comes with thinking of the spring clean as one massive job.

Get yourself prepared.

Make sure you’ve stocked up on all of the household products, new storage containers, and tools that will help with the task. As with the previous point, don’t worry about having to do this all at once: pick up an item you need each time you go shopping to help gradually build up your armory.

Think about making a change.

As part of your spring clean, you might want to reimagine a space or think about changing up the feng shui of a room. Doing this will help you to feel more excited about your spring clean as well as give your home a new lease on life for the rest of the year.

Don’t rush.

Usually the only time pressure on a spring clean is the pressure we put on ourselves. Most of the time there’s no deadline for doing it, so lighten the emotional load by allowing your clean to take as long as it takes.

For some spring cleaning ideas that will make the biggest difference when selling your home, give us a call or email us today.

How to Celebrate the Women in Your Life Every Day
We all have amazing women in our lives. They might be a mother, a sister, a friend, or a partner. Someone who has encouraged us, listened to us, and supported us. Brilliant women are often undervalued, which is why we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. But why wait for a special reason to celebrate the women in your life? Find ways to make them feel appreciated every day by taking some inspiration from this list.

Write it down. Don’t underestimate the power of a handwritten card, note, or letter. There is something thoughtful about taking the time to express yourself on paper rather than shooting a quick text. Write about the ways she adds value to your life and let her know her effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

Anticipate her needs. Women often spend their time anticipating the needs of others, so take a minute to consider her needs instead. Think of the ways you could make her day easier.

Tokens of appreciation. Receiving a small gift out of the blue is a lovely surprise and could brighten up her day. It doesn’t need to be extravagant: think of flowers, chocolate, a new notebook, a sleep mask, or a gift card for her preferred coffee shop.

Take a trip. It’s important to spend quality time with the women you care about, so find a way to have some fun together. Go somewhere new or revisit a familiar favorite.

Good mood food. Is there anything better than being treated to a nice meal? Liven up your lunch break and visit the cute café down the road. You could take charge in the kitchen, book a restaurant for dinner, or even order some delicious takeout.

This newsletter and any information contained herein are intended for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial or medical advice. The publisher takes great efforts to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this newsletter. However, we will not be responsible at any time for any errors or omissions or any damages, howsoever caused, that result from its use. Seek competent professional advice and/or legal counsel with respect to any matter discussed or published in this newsletter. This newsletter is not intended to solicit properties currently for sale.

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