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Best Trends of 2019 for Updating Your Home

If you are thinking of selling soon or just want to update your home, we have been seeing these trends all year long. And of course, it’s no surprise if you are a regular viewer of HGTV. (Hello – Who isn’t??) Sellers who want a quick sale for the highest dollar are furiously updating their homes in hopes of finding that buyer.  These small updates can help set your home apart from the competition.

Smart Home Systems 

It’s for convenience and security.  You can install these yourself or you can have a system customized to your house. If you are selling and want to keep costs down, think automated thermostats and front door doorbell cameras.

Outdoor Living Rooms

Buyers are looking for outdoor spaces that are indeed an extension of the house. Think backyard living room. Staging it as a comfy gathering space with accent lighting can help them visualize.

Farmhouse Modern Look

This may not be your style though it’s easy to recreate this sought-out look with a few natural elements. You don’t have to spend a lot though it’s the look that most buyers are relating to when walking through a house.

Bold Accents

Again this may not be your style though it creates the WOW factor. No more all white on white kitchens. Buyers want color! Maybe a brick wall??

If this overwhelms you, please take a deep breath. Give me a call at 317-625-0655 or shoot me a text. I can give you an unbiased view on your home and let you know what is a “must” or “nice to do” when selling your home.

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A Miracle on Interstate 90

Typically, vacations are planned weeks or even months ahead of time. This particular fishing trip with my buddies is booked a year in advance. Actually, before we leave the lodge, it’s booked for the next year. It’s a trip that I look forward to as it brings back such fond memories of when I would go with my dad. One week in total Canadian wilderness. No internet or cell service. Just men on a boat fishing for their next meal. 🎣

This year, business has been non-stop, which I am incredibly grateful for. It also meant that I needed to have everything buttoned up before I go.

Well, let me share the Miracle that indeed happened on Interstate 90.

It was 12 hours before I took off for my annual trip, and I get a call from one of my best clients. They want to make an offer on one of my listings (owned by another of my top clients). I explained that in less than 30 hours, I would be in the Canadian wilderness and out of cell / Internet service. He says, “Let’s go for it!”. In the back of my head, I was not optimistic. Will the stars truly align? So, I get to business and write the offer up on this beautiful 11-acre parcel of land, and we put it into play.

On the entire drive north, I’m on the phone with the seller, then the buyer, negotiating this land sale. Typing counter offers on my laptop as we are traveling down Interstate 90 through the beautiful state of Illinois, then Wisconsin and then Minnesota. The clock is ticking. (This may be the fastest drive up north ever!) At first, I tell the guys in the SUV that this is terrible timing and it would take a miracle for it to go down before we run out of network. But as we get to Counter Offer #3 and #4, both parties start loosening up ever so slightly. I begin thinking, “Heck, this just might happen today.” Two dozen phone conversations and many texts later, we cross the border into Canada and start to negotiate Counter Offer #5. Thinking to myself – we’re close, so darn close. But I knew that it was still a long shot – they were still pretty far apart on the price. I kept them both talking, got ‘em laughing, and I am not going to lie, I did a Lil’ begging in between. We checked into our hotel, and I furiously typed out Counter Offer #6 before we headed out the door for a very very late dinner. With the clock moving towards midnight (literally) all of a sudden, the stars aligned and it’s “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!”

 

With six counteroffers later all in a 14-hour drive 🚗, we have happy campers on both sides.

Whether it’s Monday in the office or the first day of vacation, “We work harder to make great things happen!”

How Can I Make My Real Estate Investments Tax Free?

Have you ever thought about investing in Real Estate?  Thought you had to toss that pipe dream out the window because there wasn’t enough capital around?  This may be the perfect time to revisit this dream of yours.  With a downturn ⬇️ in the stock market just around the corner, why not put your hard-earned $$$ money $$$ into Real Estate?  I have had a number of my clients put their IRA funds into Real Estate.

Here’s something to muddle over …. Take tax-free capital and invest it in Real Estate.  You can then defer the rental income and capital gains far into the future.  As a bonus, you get to compound your gains without the pesky (you know who) interrupting your investment strategy.  Generally, you only pay taxes when you start taking distributions from the IRA.

Now, not all IRA’s are set up to do this.  However, “I know a guy” or a company actually.  They’ve helped a number of my clients to buy and sell real estate to enhance their portfolios.  If you’d like to learn how this could work for you, simply give me a call at 317-625-0655 or shoot me an email. Let’s make that pipe dream a reality!