A Christmas Holiday Guide To Pre-preparing Christmas Food

by: CRAIG FORD

How to Pre-prepare Meals

Do what you can as soon as you can.  There are some things you can do ahead of time for certain meals that really make life easier.  Even if you cannot eek out a day to plan some cooking, just double 2-3 recipes a week and put it in the deep freeze.

If I’m making chicken spaghetti, it’s not THAT much more trouble to make a double recipe and then freeze half of it for a rainy day. That’s really my preferred way to do things these days. (I always make two cakes, for example, never just one. One to serve, one for the freezer.)

We love pizza and probably eat it once a week.  Pizza making is so much easier if you one afternoon precook your sausage, pre-cut your veggies, grate your cheese and pre-mix your pizza sauce for a month of pizzas.  You can measure things out and put in zip-lock bags and place in the freezer.  I find that the crust is better if you do it fresh but if you use your bread maker on the dough cycle and everything else is already done, it makes the meal so easy and quick.

When freezing meals, it works best if you take 3 days to do the work.

Day #1: Plan your menu.

Try to choose 5 to 6 meals that you know will freeze well and then triple the recipe.  This will give you 15 to 18 evenings of suppers.  Make your grocery list, multiplying everything by three.  Then make your purchases that day.

Day #2: Do all the prep work for the meals.

Work on things like chopping onions, green peppers, and grating cheese.  Take time to boil or bake, then debone chicken.  Brown your hamburger meat and make necessary sauces.

Day #3: Cooking day

'This is an assembly day where you put your recipes together and then place in freezer bags or containers.  It is invaluable to have a kitchen scale so you can fill your containers uniformly.

Tip: To make the job more fun, do your prep work and assembly work together with a friend.  If your schedules do not allow for you to work together, it’s still fun to share your meals.

Tip: Arrange with three friends to each make one recipe three times.  Exchange the meals so that you each get one of the three dishes.  This way you each have more variety.   As a bonus, you can type out instructions and also add ideas for side dishes.  Post the meals on the fridge door and it almost feels like you’re in a restaurant – just choose the meal and heat it up.

I try to cook some things for the three days of Christmas (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day) a few weeks before Christmas, and do all my baking for others then too.

Remember: It takes some serious planning because you need to know how much for everything, and need to know how many pans you’ve got going at once and how much you have in the oven at the same time, etc. But it is great once it’s done. A food processor helps.

Great Foods to Freeze

Pie crust – the pie crust that freezes best is the one with eggs.  Later, all you have to do is roll it out and put the pie stuff in.

Mashed potatoes freeze well, mashed sweet potatoes too.

Christmas rolls and cinnamon rolls.

Perogies – a perogie maker allows you to make two dozen progies at one time so get these ready beforehand and put them in the freezer.

Mexican food is another favorite, but remember, tortillas do not freeze well.  However, if you make them into chimichangas and then freeze, they do amazingly well.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest  in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Mortgage Loan Options: Finding the One that Suits Your Needs

Once you find the right home, or even before, you’ll want to have a lender ready to let you borrow the money you need to get the house.  There are many different options for a mortgage loan. 

All lenders will be different with their opportunities, but the most common options most offer are the fixed rate, adjustable rate or affordable housing programs.  Determining which mortgage loan best suits your needs will depend on what you’re looking for and what you have to give. 

Here are the different options and what they will entail for buyers looking for a home loan:

A fixed rate loan is one that will keep the same rate from the time the loan is closed to the time the loan is paid off, never changing so that the homebuyer doesn’t get an unexpected bill one month. 

A borrower can achieve peace of mind by locking in the current rate if it’s low.  They have no worries that the loan will increase in a few years if the rate goes up.  Whether the loan is for 20 or 30 years, the rate and payment will always remain the same until the very end. 

The downside to a fixed rate loan is that they usually come with higher rates than the adjustable rate loans – at least initially.Financial institutions also tend to want to protect their investment by requiring mortgage insurance if you have less than perfect credit, which then costs a borrower more in monthly costs. 

An adjustable rate mortgage loan is when the interest rate is set to be adjustable throughout the life of the loan.  So for the first five years, you might get an attractive interest rate.  

But once the five years is up, the lender has the right to raise the rate which can cripple your payment ability if you have bad credit and can’t afford the new monthly installment.  You may have the option to refinance once the rate adjusts, but if your credit is bad, you could wind up in foreclosure instead.

You might benefit from this type of loan because if the interest rates go down, the mortgage rate can go down on the loan, too. The disadvantage to this type of loan is that if the interest rate goes higher, so does the loan. 

A borrower will ultimately go through several gambles throughout the life the loan. Those who qualify for this type of mortgage loan are generally those who have less money to use as a downpayment. 

Another option is the affordable housing programs that are available to buyers. These include the first time buyer loans. This allows those who have little to no down payment to gain access to the home they want to buy.

If you’re unable to qualify for any other type of mortgage loan, you could probably get one of these loans. You’re still expected to meet some requirements, though, such as a certain percentage of the loan for a down payment.  The other loans available usually require a much higher percentage of the total loan to put down.  

When applying for any type of mortgage loans, you’ll need to make sure you’re credit worthy because this can hurt your chances for the best rates and payments.  Make sure you check your credit reports and fix anything that could hurt your chances of qualifying for the loan you need. 

Get the best deals you can now.  If situations come up in the future and you’re unable to make the payments as needed, a refinance option could be available to you, so you can make those payments easier. 

Plus, if your credit is poor right now, and the only loan you can qualify for has a high interest rate, you can refinance one or two years down the road when you’ve had time to clean up your credit and polish it so that you qualify for a better rate and lower payment. 

If you’re planning to sell your home soon, make sure you’re predicting how well you’ll fare in the buyer’s market, too, since that’s what hat you’ll be wearing when you close on the sale of your existing home.

I hope you have enjoyed these lessons over the past few days. And, I hope you will not hesitate to contact me with any questions youmight have about real estate.

Warm regards,

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest  in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

You’ve Found a Buyer!

You may get more than one interested party wanting to buy your house. This is an ideal situation because it gives you negotiating power. But even if there’s only one prospective buyer, you still want to negotiate the deal in your favor.

If you’re a do it yourself seller, don’t get intimidated by the buyer’s agent who appears to know more than you do. Take your time and don’t get flustered if you don’t know the answer to something or can’t make a decision right away.

The closing process takes some time and you have time to make sure you don’t give up money that’s rightfully yours in the selling process. You want to make sure the offer is in line with your appraisal and CMA that you’ve had prepared.

Your buyer should come prepared with a pre-approved loan in the best-case scenario. If you allow them to wait to get financed, and they’re only pre-qualified, you might be waiting a long time for them to find the financing they need to cover the cost of your home.

If you haven’t hired an agent to represent you, it may be good to use the a la carte option with a law firm and have someone help you with the legal paperwork surrounding the sale of your home. There are also many sites on the Internet that have papersyou can use as your guideline during the closing.

During the negotiations, you’ll discover when you’re expected to move out of the property and allow the new owners to move in. You should have been preparing to buy your new home during this process, so hopefully you’ll be on your way.

But if you’re just now entering the buyer’s market, you have to flip to the other side and try to make the most with the investment you make with the money you gained on the sale of your old home!

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Tip No. 7 When Buyers Start Answering Your Ads

If you have an agent to help you, then you’ll be periodically called to exit the home while he or she gives a tour of your house to an interested party.  You’ll need to get the pets out of the house, or lock them up, and keep everything in tip top shape for unexpected calls that give you mere minutes to vacate the property.

If you are following the For Sale By Owner method, then you’ll need to schedule Open Houses on the weekends or evenings so that you can usher in a flurry of interested buyers without having to constantly be giving tours of your home on a daily basis.

If you have a FSBO sign in your yard, expect some people who aren’t familiar with the etiquette of buying a house to just walk up to your door and ask for a tour out of the blue. You can either give them a notice of an upcoming open house, or cave in and show them around – but make sure the house is ready for a showing!

During your open house, you may have more buyers than you can give a tour to all showing up at once.  Make sure you remove anything valuable so that it doesn’t go missing while one buyer is in your bedroom and you’re busy showing other buyers the garage.

Make sure you know the answers to questions people may have, but if you get hit with one you don’t know, don’t lie. Tell them you’ll take their number and get back to them with the answer.  They’ll appreciate your honesty.

See you tomorrow.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Mortgage Apps

Top Mortgage Story by:

 Robert Tokarczyk

As we move into November, mortgage applications are increasing while the share of refi mortgage applications is decreasing, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. However, the four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted Market Index is down 3.61 percent. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 77.3. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 5.9 percent.

Mortgage interest rates are lowering slightly, according to Freddie Mac. The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage average is 4.1 percent, down from 4.23 percent a year ago. The average rate for a 15-year fixed mortgage is 3.38 percent.

During the month of September, the investor share of applications for home purchase was at 6.0 percent, a slight increase from 5.7 percent in August. This change was led by an increase in the Mountain region. In addition, the share of purchase mortgages for second homes decreased to 5.8 percent in September from 6.0 percent in August, according to an MBA report.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest  in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

You’re Ready to List!

If you have a real estate agent, he or she will help you discover what upgrades, renovations, and clean up jobs need to occur.  But if you took the do it yourself route, then you have to analyze everything on your own – from the foundation of your home to the roof and everything in between.

Marketing your home will be on the shoulders of the agent if you have one.  If not, you’ll need to begin the process by yourself.  Selling a home doesn’t require a large ad budget. You can use online listings, but first you have to have a ballpark figure to list your home for sale.

Get a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) and an Appraisal.  The CMA will tell you what homes in your area that are comparable to yours (key phrase there!) are selling for.  The appraisal will give you an idea of your own home’s value and worth.

Not every marketing method is free, but some are low-cost so that you don’t have to shell out a fortune. If you take the do it yourself path, then recognize that the investment of advertising your home for sale isn’t as much as you’d have to pay in commission to a real estate agent doing the work for you. However, also keep in mind that you may not have the same access to potential buyers by not using an agent. You’ll have to weigh

the pros and cons of marketing your property by yourself.

Start with a For Sale By Owner sign in your front yard.  List your home for sale in real estate magazines, in the local paper and on flyers if you have somewhere you feel would reach buyers.

Use the Internet to help you reach prospects, too!  The ‘net is free, viral (meaning people share the information), and available 24/7.  You can promote your home with a video on YouTube, list it on Craig’s List, or create a simple website with its own domain where you list pictures and details about your house to generate interest in your home.

Many home buyers are doing most of the initial work themselves – looking online for homes they want to consider, doing an initial drive-by of the location, and then contacting an agent to show them the houses they’ve narrowed it down to.

Remember how we talked about using a lawyer to draw up the necessary paperwork for the do it yourself process?  Well you can also find discount brokerage co-ops where they handle some of the real estate agent tasks for you for a smaller fee, which is often charged to the buyer!

As Kirk Lautensleger, a co-op discount brokerage firm founder said, “Rather than giving our clients a fruit basket when they close on a house, we give them a check for several thousand dollars.”

These firms can help you put your home in the MLS listings and they can add it to other online advertising spots you can’t access.  You don’t have to pay the entire agent commission as you would if you hired an agent for the full process, but you also don’t often get the full-service you would get by hiring an agent, either.

See you tomorrow.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest  in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Inexpensive Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

If you’re looking to sell your home, but are afraid that you may not get the price you want, there are some ways you can spruce up the home to look more desirable to a buyer without costing a lot of money to do it.

There are many things a buyer is looking for in a home. The most common areas that are key to a good sale are the kitchen, bathrooms and storage areas. Here’s how you can give them a fresh look to add value to your home.

Remodeling a kitchen can be costly - especially if you’re looking to do it just to sell a home. You can give the look of an expensive remodel by simply changing the look of the cabinets.

If they’re still in good shape, they won’t need to be replaced. Just give the doors and drawers a clean re-varnishing job and replace the handles and drawer knobs.  Make sure they’re uncluttered so that they appear to have ample space when a potential buyer opens them up to evaluate what they’ll be buying into.

Take a look at the flooring. If it’s torn badly or worn out, it will need to be replaced.  If there’s only a tile or two that’s torn, then just replace those tiles and make sure the floor is sparkling clean when a prospective buyer comes to look at it.

Anything that’s torn and damaged within the kitchen area should be fixed or replaced. Don’t try to hide it because this could cause the deal to fall through after the inspection process takes place.

The bathroom area is another key place to keep updated to add value to a home. Pedestal sinks are inexpensive and easy to install yourself.  This gives a clean, modern look to the bathroom and makes it more desirable to a buyer.

Like the kitchen, the bathroom flooring should also be free from torn or damaged areas. Replace any chipped tiles and clean or replace the tile grouting to give the appearance ofa new tile job.  

A clean, sparkling, updated look to a bathroom will piqué a buyer’s interest in your home.  Stage it with candles, a flower arrangement, and other small details that give a welcoming appearance.

The third most common area that a buyer looks for are the storage areas within the home. The more storage a home has, the
better it will sell.  If your home doesn’t have much for storage space, you can still stay in the running.

Make the best use of the storage areas you do have to get a buyer interested.  The best way to do this is by purchasing inexpensive closet organizers.  Buyers can still be interested in your home if they see well-organized storage spaces.

A closet organizer provides cubicle-type areas to place a lot of things instead of throwing a bunch of stuff on the floor of a closet. Plus, you can take these with you when you move to your new home, so it’s a good investment.

Pay attention to the small details inside your home and find inexpensive ways to fix damaged areas and update old, worn out areas. These small things can be quickly spotted, so make surethey’re pleasing to the eye and are not an eyesore to visitors arriving for a showing.

It will make all the difference in the world when selling your home and whether or not you can get the price the home really deserves. Do a walk-through with a trusted friend and have them point out any areas where you may not realize something’s not up to par.

Don’t forget the outside of your property, too!  Inside, it’s easy to stage the house and spiff it up as if you were having a party and wanted everything in tip top shape, but don’t ignore the outside because it’s the first impression your prospective buyerswill have.

Clean up debris, give your home a new paint job if necessary, and make sure the lawn is mowed and clutter is removed.  Replace lightbulbs outside too, because many prospects will attend a daytime showing but drive by later on to see what the house is like in the evening hours.

See you tomorrow.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest  in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Day 4 - "Selling Your Home"

The Real Estate Market: How It Affects You

Whether someone is looking to buy or sell a home, most people rely on the real estate market to get the best deal on a home. The market revolves in three cycles, which determines whether
you should buy or sell at that time.

Here are the three different cycles and why they’re prime for you get a good deal:

One is the buyer’s market.  This is the best time to buy a home in the marketplace. The prices for the homes are generally lower than at other times of the cycle. The sellers are more likely to accept lower bids from the buyers and they’re more likely to negotiate for repairs done to the home prior to possession being turned over.

The buyers are more apt to take the upper hand in the deal and control the transaction to the point of gaining earlier possession, because sellers are more interested in unloading the home to get rid of it versus holding out longer and selling it for a higher profit. Buyers can take advantage of these situations and buy low to sell high at a later date.

Another cycle is the seller’s market. The seller’s market is best for those who are interested in selling their home. A seller looking to gain a profit from the sale of their home will wait until this time of year to place their home on the market.

Buyers are more apt to pay the listed price of the home to gain possession. The sellers have the upper hand here and usually won’t pay for any inspection costs, repair costs or closing costs.

Contingent offers of waiting for the buyer’s home to sell are rarely accepted at this time in the marketplace. Sellers generally have multiple offers, so there’s no need to bend on their offers to get the sale.

Buyers become more competitive and aggressive in their bidding to get the home, so sellers sit back and wait for the right offer to come through.  This is the best case scenario for you as a seller, but keep in mind that you then have to turn around and become the buyer to find a replacement home.

The other cycle is the neutral one. The buyers and sellers can both get good prices at this time in the market. There isn’t as much competition for a home, but sellers could get an average price, while the buyer could make an average deal.

The neutral cycle doesn’t bend in favor of either the seller or the buyer.  The one who makes the best deal is pretty much depending on other factors like how much a buyer likes a home and how many offers a seller might receive for their home.

The real estate market can determine the fate of the home you’re selling or hoping to buy. By waiting until the market is right for your situation, you could either make a decent profit from the move or get a low offer accepted.

Even the real estate tycoons rely on the market for their high profit deals. They live by the goal of buying low and selling high. The real estate market helps them reach that goal in the marketplace.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest  in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been our approach and it requires us to continually improve our skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Selling Your Home Part III

FSBO (For Sale By Owner)

Selling your home without the use of a real estate agent is obviously cheaper because there won’t be any commission to pay. This gives the homeowner more control over the sale. You have to bear in mind that real estate agents want your home to sell so that they get their commission.

A major disadvantage to selling on your own is that your time will be consumed by marketing the house and showing the house to prospective buyers. Agents, on the other hand, pay for all the marketing, and generally arrange the showings for you.

Some buyers who might be interested in the house, may not want to deal with you, but would rather go through an agent instead.This could lose an owner a sale. In order to be successful in selling a home on your own, you need to have some knowledge of the necessary contracts that need to be signed by all parties,
plus all of the other paperwork like titles and deeds, etc.

There are many real estate lawyers who handle just such tasks for homeowners selling their home by themselves. It’s a small investment, much less than what you’d pay for the commission of
a real estate agent, and it takes the worry out of having to shoulder the legal burden on your own. You will still have to handle all of the other aspects of listing and marketing your home, however.

To decide which option is best for you, you’ll need to figure out how much time you have to devote to the selling process.Many marketing methods are free. If you’re not intimidated by the process, then you might try to sell it on your own without having to give up a percentage of the selling price to an agent.

See you tomorrow.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

Home Decorating and Staging on Holidays

We all want to enjoy the holidays, even when we have a house up for sale. The holiday season(October through January) is a great time to add a bit of color and life to a home. But there are some simple guidelines to follow when decorating your home for the holidays while your home is on the market, as even though you’re still living in the home, it’s still being shown to prospective buyers and as such you have to consider how a buyer is going to react to your holiday decorations.

It seems that many people begin Christmas decorations in November before Thanksgiving has even been celebrated. As a homeowner selling a home during the holidays we recommend that our clients follow a set time frame for decorating for the different holidays, as there is a time to draw attention to the home and when the various holiday decorations will be the most effective. When decorations linger too long it represents a sign that the homeowner may not be concerned with taking care of the home. Thus, be sure you invest the time to set up and remove the decorations in a timely fashion.

Halloween: October 1st through November 1st

Thanksgiving: November 1st through November 26th

Christmas: November 26th through December 28th

By following these dates, then the home will represent the actual holiday during it’s official holiday season and will also help you, as the homeowner, keep the home ready for showings during the holiday season.

Here are our Recommendations for Holiday Decorating while a home is on the Market:

§       One of the first things we recommend to homeowners is to avoid putting wreathes on the front door. Yes, it seems to be great for others, but not while the home is being shown because things hanging on a door move and cause buyers to feel uncomfortable or they create a tight feeling for buyers walking through the door. If you want to place a wreath outside, consider hanging it in another location or placing it on a stand near the front door.

§  Use seasonal color plants in pots along your walkways, front porch and near your front door. The pop of color will help draw attention to the front of the home and guide buyers to the front door. Consider Poinsettias from November 26ththrough January 2nd, Chrysanthemums from October 1st through November 26th, Pansies anytime during the holiday season and through the Winter. There are many varieties to select from and other types of plants that may do well in your local area, so ask your local gardening center for advice on your selection.

    

§  Limit the areas you decorate. Focus your decorations where they will have the most affect in creating a good feeling for the home for buyers, like the Dining Room table and sideboard, the Fireplace mantel, the coffee table, the Kitchen Island, the front entry table (if the entry is large enough). If you desire a Christmas Tree, remember to keep it sized for the area it will be located and still allows ample walk area for buyers to walk through the home and around the furniture. If you have a smaller home, then consider using a small tree on the Dining Room table or coffee table.

  

§  It is important to ensure that your decorations never hinder buyer’s movement or positive experience of the home. Our general rule of thumb is to hold your arms our straight against your side, then bend your elbows allowing your hands to drop towards your side. In this position walk through the home, if you have to move your hands to walk through a space, then the space is too tight for buyers to walk through comfortably.

§  Holiday lighting can greatly add appeal and interest to a home, especially during the evening hours. Again, it is best to limit your lighting so that it accentuates the architectural features of the home, draws buyer’s attention to the front door, and overall enhances the evening appeal of the home.

§         Lastly, we recommend avoiding the display of religious symbols in your holiday decorations. Realizing that the holidays have special religious reverence and that many desire to express this reverence during this time of the year, it is important to remember that this isn’t a time to offend buyers either. A buyer may have different religious views or none at all and by overly displaying your personal religious symbols there is the chance that you may offend a potential buyer or that buyer may not fully appreciate the home because the focus is no longer on the home, but on a particular religious representation.

Go ahead and decorate for the holidays, just remember there is an appropriate time to do so and an appropriate way of decorating while the home is on the market, even when your neighbors and stores are doing differently. You can still enjoy the holidays, keep the house up for sale, and limit your stress of keeping the home show ready.

If you’d like assistance or some other ideas, we’d love to assist you, so please feel free to contact us anytime.

May this holiday season bring you blessings of the successful sale of your home and allow you and your family to begin the New Year afresh in a new home!

However you celebrate the Holidays, if you celebrate them or not …

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

10 Pet Safety Tips for the Holidays

When celebrating the winter festivities, don't forget to keep holiday pet dangers in mind. It may require some changes to your normal decorating or dining routine, but these tips can help you create a pet-safe holiday that is fun for the whole family.

1. 1.  Practice fire safety. Nothing looks nicer than a Thanksgiving table aglow with candles. But be sure to never leave any fire unattended particularly when you have pets in the house. Not only can curious whiskers get burned, if a candle is knocked over by a wagging tail, it can lead to a serious fire.
2. Hoard the people food. Although it’s tempting to give your pets a taste or two from your Thanksgiving plate, too much human food can be bad for your pet’s health. For more about what people food to share and not to share over the holidays, click here.
3. Hide the breakables. Holiday feasts can mean bringing out treasured items like Great Aunt Mae’s fine china or your finest stemware. Just remember that your beloved pets don’t know the value of these items, and they could get broken. So if you have favorite, breakable decorations or table settings, be sure to keep them out of reach.
4. Watch out for toxic plants. Many holiday plants, including mistletoe, holly, poinsettia, and even that beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece of lilies can be toxic to pets. If you must decorate with these holiday pet dangers, keep them well away from curious paws and mouths.
5. A toast to everyone’s health. When you raise that glass of holiday bubbly, be sure to place your unattended alcoholic drinks where Fluffy or Fido can’t sneak a taste. Alcohol and pets simply don’t mix. If ingested, your pet could become weak, ill, go into a coma or worse.
6. How sweet it isn’t. Although many people like to leave out chocolates for visitors throughout the holidays, it’s important to remember that these sweets are major pet dangers. Chocolate is tasty for you, but it’s toxic for Fluffy and Fido.
7. Keep the lights high. Many people enjoy decorating with strings of lights during the holidays, but do so with caution. Twinkling lights make a shiny toy, but they’re not safe to play with or chew on. Keep your celebrations shock-free by hanging lights up high.
8. Don’t decorate with food. Strings of cranberries and popcorn can be a beautiful way to liven up your household, and a fun project to do with your kids, but they’re holiday hazards for pets. Even if the food on the string isn’t toxic for Fido or Fluffy, they may end up eating the string—and that can cause serious health problems.
9. Steer clear of tinsel town. Tinsel is more than just a glittery decoration. If your pets eat it, it can cause intestinal problems that require a trip to the veterinarian.
10. Wrap it up. If you like to display your holiday presents, watch out for ribbons, bells, and other small toys that can present a choking hazard for your pet. If there are any dangerous-looking gifts, it may be a good idea to hide them safely in a closet until it’s time to open them—or open them right away. After all, no one can accuse you of being rude if you’re doing it to have a pet-safe holiday. 

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.

HOW TO: Sell your Home Part II

Choosing and Using an Agent

A real estate agent can be an asset to you when selling your home. They take care of all the aspects of selling for you. They deal with and essentially screen the buyers to get you the best possible deal.

They have more connections with other agents who have buyers that are looking for a home. If time is a factor in selling your home, then a real estate agent can handle many tasks that free you up to get ready for your pending move.

They have knowledge of the real estate market and know how to get your home out there through the networks to get more interested buyers. They take the headaches away from you, so you have more time to spend on other things.

Their expertise in the real estate market, however, comes at a price. Their commission can seem high, and you may not want to give up a piece of your profit pie. Some agents can earn around 3-6%. Some could be more than that, depending on the agent you choose.

However, unless you know how to navigate the For Sale By Owner process, your agent might be able to negotiate a better sale price for your home than you would, which might cover the cost of their commission, and allow you to unload some tasks you’d rather not handle.

Don’t choose a real estate agent based on just a recommendation. Many people have friends in the industry, but that doesn’t mean they work hard for you. Sometimes a real estate brokerage can let you know which of their agents have the best performance rate.

A real estate agent and a Realtor is not the same thing. While both have the responsibility to disclose all of the facts of the process to you, Realtors abide by a Code of Ethics that is unique to them.

Realtors also have access to the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) where they can share listings and access more properties than non-Realtors. You want a Realtor who handles properties of the same value of your house.

Don’t get someone used to selling $100,000 homes if you live in a property valued at 2.5 million. You also want someone whose personality meshes well with your own – an agent who will answer questions and take time to explain things properly to you.

If you do hire an agent, then you want them to perform as many tasks as possible for their commission, such as arranging inspections, knowing which lenders the buyers can approach for their mortgage, and other specifics. Let the agent work for you… that’s the agent’s job!

Interview agents until you find someone you feel will work hard to sell your home and get a good price for it. You want to know their marketing plans, their time availability for showings,

closings, etc.

Find out what their level of experience is. Have they sold many homes in the last year? Are they just a part-time agent who dabbles in the market from time to time? You want someone dedicated to the industry.

See you tomorrow.

Denton County and Dallas-Fortworth Real Estate Agent Patricia Young

 and the Integrity Team

Looking to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas?  Professional real estate agent Patricia Young specializes in helping buyers and sellers invest in real estate in Denton County and in surrounding neighborhood."This "client first" philosophy has always been her approach and it requires them to continually improve their skills and ways of doing business.So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Dallas/Fort Worth areas, please contact us.