Buy or Sell Utah County Real Estate with Susan Jackson, CENTURY 21 Bushnell REALTOR®

September 8, 2010

September 5, 2010

Pergola

Too many of us have a long list of things we would like to do to improve our homes. Some of those items on the list are repairs that really should get done and others are things that we desire to do for the sole purpose of improving the home or making our lives more enjoyable.

Not knowing how to get started, lack of time, lack of money are all reasons we put off getting these things done. But I think the most common reason is simply procratination. Isn’t it in our nature to just put things off, knowing, or hoping that tomorrow will be a better day. However, it never is. Life continues to pile things onto our schedules, inundate us with menial tasks which cause us stress and make us want nothing more than to vege out on the couch in front of the TV if and when we do finally find a minute.

Of those that have sold a home, how many of you put “the list” off the whole time you have lived in your home, then when the time came to sell, hurried to get them checked off?

I raise my hand… I am guilty too.

We decide to put our homes up for sale then race to finish all those things we could have done sooner and actually have enjoyed them while we lived in that home.

We have a fantastic deck at our house. I often joke about how we bought that deck …and it just happened to come with a house too. However, it faces the West and has, through the years, to our disappointment, been nearly unusable because of the heat in the summer months. We talked about different solutions when we stumbled upon the idea of Pergola. We decided that was the right option for us but never got around to it for the same reasons mentioned above.

This Spring, we decided it was time. We did it. We invested in the Pergola and have since wondered why we didn’t do that sooner. We have used our deck more this summer than all the other years combined. While the Pergola may not have added a monetary value to our home in the event we need to sell, I know it will make my home more appealing than the competition. It is like we have added a new room, a fantastic room.

So, my point today is, don’t procrastinate those little things you’ve always wanted to do to your home. Get them done while you can enjoy them. You know they need to get done, you know you will race to get them done if you need to sell so why not invest in yourself while at the same time making your home investment better. Life is too short to put off enjoying the little things.

p.s. I am sitting on my deck, enjoying the view of the valley and the lake as I write this. Are you jealous?

Filed under: Blogroll, Luxury Home Market, Personal, Real Estate, Selling — Susan @ 8:12 am

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September 1, 2010

October 1, 2009

New Keybox for Utah County REALTORS®

Insist your agent use this keybox!

Utah County has changed their Lockbox system recently and even though I’ve written on this subject already, I want to write again to stress the importance of this issue.

Utah County Association of REALTORS® (UCAR) has switched from using Risco to Supra boxes. These boxes are what we agents use to store the key to the home so that other agents can bring their buyers by our listings for showings when the buyers are not home.

This makes it more convenient to get more showings on a home, increasing the likelihood of the home sellling.
(A home will not sell if buyers can’t see it.)

I noticed a trend when we switched our system last time. Many homes that I took buyers to for showings did not have the UCAR approved boxes. Too many agents were choosing to use a cheaper “contractors” box that can be easily purchased at home improvement stores. These boxes can be opened by using a 4 digit number code. Agents that want to show these homes must call and get the code from the agent or sometimes these agents publish the code on the internet so we can get access. Once the code is learned, the home can be entered as often as desired and the listing agent may not know how many times the home has been showed by the same buyer’s agent.

Also, there have been documented cases around the country where the wrong people get access, somehow, to these “contractor” box codes and homes are being robbed and even gutted in some cases. Often, an agent has mulitple listings and uses the same code on all of them. Once one home is violated, several more usually follow.

The new approved Supra boxes store the key securely, can only be accessed by REALTORS® who own a computerized code key, keep a record of who uses the key to gain access to the home, and electronically informs the agent that his/her listing has been entered.

If your agent is not using the approved Supra boxes, you are not getting the necessary information about the number of showings on your home, and your valuables and your home are at risk! You should insist that your agent get a Supra box and use it for your home.

If you are considering hiring an agent to sell your home, ask him/her if he/she uses the Supra keyboxes.

If they do not, that should be reason enough to consider using a different agent to list your home.

Filed under: Blogroll, Buying, Community, Luxury Home Market, Personal, Real Estate, Selling, Technology — Susan @ 10:06 pm

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September 23, 2009

Another Thought Provoking Email

The following is an email sent to me from a friend. I often enjoy Ben Stein’s take on things and this is a good one. It actually choked me up a little.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession :

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don ‘ t feel threatened. I don ‘ t feel discriminated against. That ‘ s what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn ‘ t bother me a bit when people say, ‘ Merry Christmas ‘ to me. I don ‘ t think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn ‘ t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu If people want a crèche, it ‘ s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don ‘ t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don ‘ t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can ‘ t find it in the Constitution and I don ‘ t like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren ‘ t allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that ‘ s a sign that I ‘ m getting old, too.. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it ‘ s not funny, it ‘ s intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham ‘ s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her ‘ How could God let something like this happen? ‘ (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, ‘ I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we ‘ ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone? ‘

In light of recent events… terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O ‘ Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn ‘ t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn ‘ t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock ‘ s son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he ‘ s talking about. And we said OK.

Now we ‘ re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don ‘ t know right from wrong, and why it doesn ‘ t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ‘ WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. ‘

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world ‘ s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘ jokes ‘ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you ‘ re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it… no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don ‘ t sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

Filed under: Blogroll, Community, Humor, Personal — Susan @ 7:33 pm

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September 10, 2009

July 10, 2009

July 3, 2009

July 1, 2009

More On Honduras

From: Kent Burnes
Subject: WE NEED HELP IN HONDURAS

If you are receiving this email it is because we need your help. |
There has NOT been a coup in Honduras, The country is NOT in crisis.

This all started over a year ago when our president Mel Zelaya
with the help of Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega began shredding the Honduran
Constitution and setting the stage for him to become dictator of Honduras.

As we neared the November elections that would seat a new president, Zelaya became more ruthless.
Zelaya was informed more than once that his actions were outside the bounds of the
Honduran Constitution.

Zelaya earlier this year denounced democracy and announced he would seed an Venezuelan style of
government, he then began receiving large sums of cash from Hugo Chavez.

This last week tensions mounted as the National Congress after a ruling from the Honduran
SUPREME COURT that Mel Zelaya has committed crimes against the Constitution.
As Chavez and Ortega offered Military assistance the National Congress of Honduras,
The people of Honduras and the Courts of Honduras did not flinch,
They stood beside their Constitution and detained by order of the National Congress Mel Zelaya for crimes against the Constitution.

President Zelaya and a small portion of the population tried to highjack the country
and destroy democracy in favor of a Chavez-style government. Zelaya was
shredding the constitution he swore to protect in order to stay in power past constitutional limits
and firmly align Honduras with Venezuela.

President Zelaya was clearly, and more than once, informed officially, that his actions were outside of the
constitution and law. Given his obedience to Hugo Chavez and Chavez’s money,
Zelaya was a traitor to this country in the truest sense of the word. I am
writing to you as an American investor living in Honduras to express my admiration
and respect for this country and how its government handled this crisis.

They were faced with a difficult situation that was only growing worse. This was NOT a
coup, but a criminal arrest. Hondurans should be applauded for how they
handled this! They used their Constitution and stood firmly in the face of Chavez, Orgega,
Morales, and Castro and said no to this form of Government.

You would think the US would be applauding the situation.
The US will, if not careful, give Chavez and Ortega the fuel they need to invade Honduras
and remove our democratic form of Government.
We can not believe the news reports and the statements by our representatives.
We need your help. All Americans and Hondurans are franticly
emailing and sending information to the US. We need you to forward this email to your local news station,
CNN, contacts that you may have at any level of government.

Email your senator, congressman, Please pass this along. If the US ushers Zelaya back into power they are
condemning this country to a communist regime.

Has a deal been struck between the US and Chavez for Honduras??????

Kent Burnes, Honduras

Filed under: Blogroll, Community, Personal, Real Estate, Vacation Homes/Resort — Susan @ 8:43 pm

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June 30, 2009

Honduras

My family and spent a great week on the small island of Roatan Honduras this month. We enjoyed the beautiful grounds and atmosphere of the Bay Island Beach Resort and dived till our hearts content. I usually post an area report of our trips for those of you who may be considering purchasing a vacation home. I do love to travel and have been to many places that would be considered desirable vacation home areas and I hope my experience can be found useful to my clients.

Shortly after our return, however, I heard that Honduras experienced a military coup. I did some research and had a difficult time finding reliable information on the situation. I emailed the owner of the resort for his insights and the following is his response.

Hi Susan,

I’m glad you guys had a good time. We enjoyed having you. It was a good week.

The news organizations are not accurately reporting the situation in Honduras, instead using dramatic headlines announcing a military takeover.

They are saying there was a coup d’etat in which the military deposed President Mel Zelaya and took charge of the government, suggesting a military dictatorship. This is not so.

In fact, 100% of the Honduran National Congress and the Honduran Supreme Court declared that the President had violated, and was continuing to violate, the laws of the country. His own liberal party opposed him, the Congress opposed him, the military opposed him, and probably 80 – 90% of the population opposed him. The government and the military are in concert. They are not, and were not, adversaries.

Zelaya supposedly signed a letter of resignation, perhaps under duress, which was accepted by congress. He was removed from the country by the military, but the military did not, and has not, taken control of the country.

The Vice President had resigned last year because he is running for President, and under Honduran law, prohibits a candidate running for public office to also serve in a national office. So the next in the line of succession is the President of the National Congress, Roberto Micheletti, who was sworn in as Provisional President until the election in November.

This was not a coup like those of the past in Latin America ; it was essentially an impeachment process.

Some of the things that Zelaya wanted to do were blatantly illegal and unpopular. He was trying to change the provision of the constitution to allow him to run again, which is expressly prohibited and which provision may not be amended.

There is widespread joy by the Honduran people at his removal, who were becoming increasingly concerned over Zelaya’s socialist / communist leanings and his close alliances with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela , Evo Morales of Bolivia, and the Castros of Cuba and the other ALBA countries. What is ALBA?

In an abundance of caution, the Tegucigalpa government imposed a 2 day night time curfew which expires tomorrow morning. There have been isolated protests in some of the major cities, mainly Tegucigalpa , where a few remaining supporters are burning tires in the streets.
We expect Hugo Chavez and the Presidents of the ALBA countries, at their meeting today in Managua , to rattle their sabers and make threats to restore Zelaya to power, but we do not think the Honduran people will permit that to happen.

The political situation is better now than it was last week. The only way it could get worse, in my opinion, is if the pressure of the world leaders get him restored to power!

On Roatan, it’s life as usual. Had we not been watching the news, we would have no indication that anything had happened. At Bay Islands Beach Resort, our guests are enjoying their vacations and diving, as usual. Airlines have been flying their regular schedules.

Keep life interesting.

With best regards to everyone,

Ted O’Brien

Tomorrow, I will post another letter from a different resident of Honduras

Filed under: Blogroll, Community, Personal, Vacation Homes/Resort — Susan @ 10:57 am

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