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Gail Nash's Blog
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550 Post Oak Blvd Ste 350, Houston, TX 77027
Phone: (713) 621-8001 Fax: (713) 661-6675
I am a Realtor in Houston, Texas, who used to have a staging business before getting a real estate license. I am passionate about "green" ideas and practices, love gardening, and I enjoy volunteering in this great City of Houston.
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JAN
7
intown magazine, Jan/Feb, 2010, has great information regarding green builders in Houston, and how they are working with University of Houston's Gerald Hines College of Architecture and Texas A&M to help the industry learn how to build properly for hurricane protection as well as benefitting the environment.
Find the article with this link: http://www.intownmag.com/archives/10-01-02-jan-feb-2010/018.htm
Find the article with this link: http://www.intownmag.com/archives/10-01-02-jan-feb-2010/018.htm
Today, I received my December issue of the Texas Reator magazine. The quiz on the back page dealt with comparing today's real estate market with earlier history. I'll make the points in narrative-form to save you from taking the quiz!
1. In 2008, the national average interest rate for a 30-yr. fixed-rate mortgage loan was 6.03%. In 1981, it was 16.63%!
2. Approximately 60% of today's mortgage applications are approved. The percentage in 2003 was 79%.
3. Texas markets in January 2008 were almost the same in months of inventory, to the markets in 1998.
4. Some MLS services in Texas still print MLS books!
5. Since 1994, the number of active Texas Reators has doubled.
6. In 1994, there was one active Texas Reator for every 445 Texans. The ratio today is one Reator for every 297 Texans.
7. Motorola introduced the first portable cell phone for consumers in 1983. The cost in 2009 dollars was $8,500! It had 30 minutes of talk time.
8. Kodak introduced one of the first widely available digital cameras in 1991 that cost $20,350 in 2009 dollars. It had only 1.3 megapixels!
1. In 2008, the national average interest rate for a 30-yr. fixed-rate mortgage loan was 6.03%. In 1981, it was 16.63%!
2. Approximately 60% of today's mortgage applications are approved. The percentage in 2003 was 79%.
3. Texas markets in January 2008 were almost the same in months of inventory, to the markets in 1998.
4. Some MLS services in Texas still print MLS books!
5. Since 1994, the number of active Texas Reators has doubled.
6. In 1994, there was one active Texas Reator for every 445 Texans. The ratio today is one Reator for every 297 Texans.
7. Motorola introduced the first portable cell phone for consumers in 1983. The cost in 2009 dollars was $8,500! It had 30 minutes of talk time.
8. Kodak introduced one of the first widely available digital cameras in 1991 that cost $20,350 in 2009 dollars. It had only 1.3 megapixels!
This is written by my friend, Ruth McCurdy, founder of Wonderous Woman Enterprises:
Five Secrets of a Wonderous Woman
Most women I know, myself included, have a tendency to live our lives as if we are Wonder Woman. We put everything into the life roles we play such as wife, mother, sister, friend, business professional and so on. Living that persona can be exhausting!
When I consider the fact that we were uniquely designed with a specific purpose in life, I realize that a Wonderous Woman exists inside of each of us and that there are five secrets that, if we access each one, we can experience the lives that we want. You’ll notice that the word DREAM is an acronym for each secret.
And, the first secret is to DREAM! Did you know that dreamers live longer? Dr. Mehmet Oz, author of “You the Owner’s Manual” and lead heart surgeon at
When we were young girls, we had dreaming down pat. We dreamed about who we wanted to grow up to be. The sky was the limit. Dreaming is the gateway to our ability to be the Wonderous Woman that we were created to be.
Marcia Weider, author of a wonderful book entitled “Dreams Are Whispers from the Soul” says that you have to dream to have a dream come true. She also notes that not all dreams must be huge or designed to save the world. Your dream to spend more quality time with your family or to be paid well for the work you love is just as important. If your dream matters to you then it is precious and worthy of pursuit.
Next share your dreams with someone. This can be hard because we are afraid that the person we tell might laugh. Or, we may be afraid that by telling someone, we are accountable for achieving them. As business women, our head’s know that we need to set goals, involve others in those goals and then hold each other accountable for achieving them. Dreams involve our hearts and somewhere along the line, we’ve either been told or we may have observed that “the heart” should not be involved in business. I believe that it should. Personalize what you know about setting and reaching goals and then apply that to your dreams. Share your dreams with someone today! As a fellow dreamer, I’d love to hear about yours! Just drop a note to me via my email address rmccurdy@wonderouswomanenterprises.com
Realize your passion. What makes your heart sing? Too often, as women, we find ourselves fulfilling many roles – business leader, wives, mothers, homemakers, teachers, daughters, etc. It’s easy to lose sight of what we are truly passionate about. There’s a phrase that has gotten a lot of acclaim that I really believe is the foundation for responding to your passion. “Dance line no one is watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like its heaven on earth”.
Is it music or spending time traveling to amazing places? Do you want to tell your story to others, share your experiences with young women, teach a class? My husband told me once if you love your work, you’ll never work a day in your life. Discover your passion then respond to it. Find avenues that will give you the chance to experience your passion. You deserve to live your passion!
Experience joy! This step is made up of my two favorite words – experience and joy! When I experience something, I’m taking the time to listen, taste and feel. Experiencing something creates a desire in me to repeat the action or activity. It touches my soul.
Joy is defined by Webster as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Another word I love is BLISS! When I experience joy – I feel lighter, I laugh, I cry. A whole lot of emotions bubble up. But more importantly, I’ve engaged my heart. When this occurs, I know that I am experiencing a gift that is just for me.
I grew up the oldest of five children. I believe that I developed my leadership and nurturing skills at an early age. I’ve applied those skills in all the roles that I have played – wife, mother, business executive – and somewhere along the line, I decided that I needed to make sure that everyone around me was experiencing joy so I worked hard to achieve that. But, I haven’t always given myself that gift. At times, I’ve felt guilty even taking time for myself. I think that is a common experience for most women.
Recently, I have been engaged in some wonderful reflective study about my spirituality and my purpose. The first thing that resonated with me is that I am a divine creation and God wants me to find joy.
How do you experience joy? Have you experienced joy lately? If you haven’t, put yourself in a situation in which you can experience joy. You will find that if you live your joy, than you don’t need to “make sure” that everyone else is experiencing joy, your life will be their teacher.
Affirm yourself. Everyone has value. We each have gifts. We are all unique. Have you ever met someone who you believe to be incredibly gifted and wished, “Gosh, I wish I could be like her?” You are! You’re special! Introduce yourself to your gifts.
I learned in my childhood that talking about me in a positive way or telling something that I did that was really cool was often considered bragging. My guess is that many of you have had similar experiences. The outcome of such learning is that we rarely get real with ourselves and really focus on our gifts and what makes us the Wonderous Woman that we are.
Get your beautiful journal out again and jot down your gifts or characteristics or accomplishments that you are proud of. Here are some questions and phrases that you can use to guide your thinking:
Ø I love it when I…
Ø I’m really good at…
Ø My favorite feature is…
Ø People tell me that I…
Ø I am so proud of…
Now that you’ve written those down, express gratitude for who you are and the gift that you are, then, take time each day to affirm yourself. You’ll find that this exercise in affirmation will help you overcome self doubt and will strengthen your confidence.
What do you want in your life? Are you thinking about it, dreaming about it? Or, are you saying “I wish this could happen, but it probably won’t because…” This kind of thinking will absolutely guarantee that you won’t get what you want. Our Creator wants to give us the desires of our heart.
I am a very determined person. I am action-oriented and I tend to take things into my own hands. Many of you who know me are probably chuckling right now! In many instances, this has served me “well” but I now know that if I express my desire vs. solving the problem on my own, I will be given the desire of my heart in ways that I can’t dream for myself!
Recently, my daughter had back surgery. When asked if her insurance paid for a private room, she said “No.” She was given the cost of a private room that would be charged should she choose to go that route. She and her husband decided to save the money and accept a semi-private room. As “Wonder Mom” I wanted to say that I would gladly pay for her to have a private room, but it really was not my place to do so. So, I prayerfully asked that she have a place where she would be given great care and have the ability to rest comfortably and quietly.
After surgery, we were told that the floor on which she was scheduled to stay, was full. As a result, she was placed on the VIP floor of the hospital that was reserved for dignitaries and royalty. Her room was not only private, but it resembled a room in a five-star hotel! The room was furnished with cherry wood furniture. Her water and ice were delivered in a silver ice bucket by a man dressed as a butler. The menu was leather bound and had entrees
For those who are wearing and/or sleeping on bamboo fabrics, this article from the Wall Street Journal will be enlightening:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704576204574529730229551324.html
The view from the curb is so important, because a great impression will make a prospective buyer think, "The inside is probably maintained and designed as well as the outside. I want to see inside!"
Start your plan by checking what you see from the curb.
1. Is the brick/wood/siding clean and in good repair?
2. Are the gutters clean and in good repair? If not, they will cause water to overflow and cause mildew stains down the side of the house or even interior water damage. Check the integrity of the roof.
3. Is the paint on wood parts fresh and not peeling?
4. Close up...is the door hardware polished and in good condition? If not, replace. Do you need to update the mailbox and/or porch light?
5. How are the hedges, trees and plantings? Keep hedges trimmed, remove dead trees and branches. Accent flower beds with one bright color (red is good) of seasonal annuals.
6. Green up the yard and keep it manicured.
7. Make sure windows are sparkling clean inside and out.
8. Check for mildew on sidewalks, driveway, exterior of home; pressure wash if necessary.
9. Check the integrity of your fence and replace any rotten or loose boards.
10. Check around the garage, back and side yards for rubbish and remove.
Add a pot or two of bright, colorful flowers to the porch or steps near the front door to attract buyers' eyes to your home. A good alternate plan would be a seasonal wreath on the front door.
When prospective buyers see how beautiful and well-maintained your home appears from the street, they will be anxious to contact your agent for an appointment, expecting to see the same level of maintenance and design inside!
Start your plan by checking what you see from the curb.
1. Is the brick/wood/siding clean and in good repair?
2. Are the gutters clean and in good repair? If not, they will cause water to overflow and cause mildew stains down the side of the house or even interior water damage. Check the integrity of the roof.
3. Is the paint on wood parts fresh and not peeling?
4. Close up...is the door hardware polished and in good condition? If not, replace. Do you need to update the mailbox and/or porch light?
5. How are the hedges, trees and plantings? Keep hedges trimmed, remove dead trees and branches. Accent flower beds with one bright color (red is good) of seasonal annuals.
6. Green up the yard and keep it manicured.
7. Make sure windows are sparkling clean inside and out.
8. Check for mildew on sidewalks, driveway, exterior of home; pressure wash if necessary.
9. Check the integrity of your fence and replace any rotten or loose boards.
10. Check around the garage, back and side yards for rubbish and remove.
Add a pot or two of bright, colorful flowers to the porch or steps near the front door to attract buyers' eyes to your home. A good alternate plan would be a seasonal wreath on the front door.
When prospective buyers see how beautiful and well-maintained your home appears from the street, they will be anxious to contact your agent for an appointment, expecting to see the same level of maintenance and design inside!
Before I got my real estate license, I had a business helping people get their homes ready for sale. Today, I would be called a stager. The goal of an owner trying to sell his house, is to sell it in the shortest amount of time while receiving a fair market price. Staging helps you achieve this goal. (1) It must appear to be light, spacious, and yet comfortable for living. (2) It must appear to have ample storage. (3) It must appear to require minimum maintenance, while being well maintained.
Kitchens are such a focus for homebuyers, because so much of a family's time is spent in the kitchen for meal or snack preparation and more and more people are entertaining guests in the kitchen, as well. For these reason, it must be a priority in your staging effort.
First, get rid of clutter--off the refrigerator, off the countertops, inside the cabinets and pantry. Have only a minimum amount of items on the counters; they will appear so spacious, people will comment on how much counterspace you have! Inside cabinets, make sure pots, pans and cooking supplies are arranged so you can see them and retrieve them easily. Cleaning out the pantry involves getting rid of outdated food, cleaning the surfaces and arranging the remaining items neatly. You want buyers to think you have too much storage space. Clutter on the refrigerator or a family bulletin board can be messy and distracting for buyers as they pass through your home. Be prepared for people to open the cabinet doors, pantry door, drawers and oven. They need to focus on your home's features.
Next, focus on cleaning. Every surface needs to sparkle, so that means the vent hood, the windows, the countertops, backsplash, cooktop surface and burners, and inside the oven. Also the cabinet surfaces need to be cleaned. And don't forget light fixtures. Pay special attention to the floors and baseboards. Make sure every area is really clean. In their minds, this will make buyers feel confident in using this space for food preparation.
In the breakfast room or on the breakfast bar, set colorful placemats and napkins with plates. Coordinate the colors with the interior or holiday decor. Add fresh flowers or a blooming bromeliad as the centerpiece. This will make someone feel welcome and comfortable in this space.
My next post will feature ideas for staging the outside of your home.
Kitchens are such a focus for homebuyers, because so much of a family's time is spent in the kitchen for meal or snack preparation and more and more people are entertaining guests in the kitchen, as well. For these reason, it must be a priority in your staging effort.
First, get rid of clutter--off the refrigerator, off the countertops, inside the cabinets and pantry. Have only a minimum amount of items on the counters; they will appear so spacious, people will comment on how much counterspace you have! Inside cabinets, make sure pots, pans and cooking supplies are arranged so you can see them and retrieve them easily. Cleaning out the pantry involves getting rid of outdated food, cleaning the surfaces and arranging the remaining items neatly. You want buyers to think you have too much storage space. Clutter on the refrigerator or a family bulletin board can be messy and distracting for buyers as they pass through your home. Be prepared for people to open the cabinet doors, pantry door, drawers and oven. They need to focus on your home's features.
Next, focus on cleaning. Every surface needs to sparkle, so that means the vent hood, the windows, the countertops, backsplash, cooktop surface and burners, and inside the oven. Also the cabinet surfaces need to be cleaned. And don't forget light fixtures. Pay special attention to the floors and baseboards. Make sure every area is really clean. In their minds, this will make buyers feel confident in using this space for food preparation.
In the breakfast room or on the breakfast bar, set colorful placemats and napkins with plates. Coordinate the colors with the interior or holiday decor. Add fresh flowers or a blooming bromeliad as the centerpiece. This will make someone feel welcome and comfortable in this space.
My next post will feature ideas for staging the outside of your home.
Our family has been recycling since the early 70's, and composting is part of recycling, but most times, the end product is there for you to use in your garden. There are the obvious candidates for the pile...leaves, grass clippings, small branches and twigs and even an occasional banana peel. But I have recently learned of several items that I had not ever thought to compost. Here are the Top Ten:
10. Pizza boxes, ripped into smaller pieces; you can even include pizza crust.
9. Cellophane bags, not clear plastic (amazing!)
8. Wine corks...of course, they are organic!
7. Old jelly, jam or preserves; who has any that is old?
6. Old loofahs
5. Dryer lint; the birds also like this for nesting material.
4. Pencil shavings from your sharpener and also the confetti from your hole puncher.
3. Contents of the vacuum cleaner bag or cannister--just take it back outside from where it came.
2. Used matches
1. Latex balloons
Our recycle bins overflow now and our weekly trash amount is so small. By creating a working, living compost pile we can make more room in our recycle bins and save the life of our disposer, too! The result is organic, rich material to add to our garden and pot plants, instead of chemicals. Let me know how yours is working!
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