Brainerd Lakes Real Estate News

    I love to people watch and there is no better place than a fair. Of course, the Minnesota State Fair has far more viewing opportunities.  However with about 100,000 in attendance for the week, our local Crow Wing County fair is not too bad.

    I can take in the latest fashions and certainly see "what not to wear"/  Interesting hairstyles in all colors, tattoos, piercings and T-shirt slogans abound. There are clothes that I would never wear out of the house ( or in the house).

    People come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. What a diverse group!  Some stare, some stop to chat and others are on a quest for freebies.  The politicians are meeting and greeting.  The polka band is playing on the Mills Free Stage, while many dance.

    Ah, another county fair........

     This is Kathleen Lordbock reporting live from my Re$ale Design & Home Staging booth at the Crow Wing County Fair in Brainerd, Minnesota.

    Once you have chosen the  real estate agent to represent your sale, get to know them. Try and deal with the same staff members each time you call and learn to trust them. Don’t be afraid to point out anything you are not happy with though, remember you are the customer and are paying for their services.

    Make sure you're happy with the particulars on your property. Read the text and study the photographs, if you are not happy with either, tell them ASAP. Don’t think you're going to offend the real estate agent by saying you're not happy with his photography - if the property does not look appealing on the photographs, you won’t get viewers through the door.

     Likewise with the Internet, if it is advertised on a web site, check the particulars and view the photographs and virtual tour.

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Do the photographs show the best of the property?
• Do they portray its size well?
• Is there enough light?
• Does it looking appealing?
• Are the rooms viewed at the right angle?
• Has the photographer captured the property’s best features?
• Are there things in the photo (check the reflections in the mirrors) that should not be photographed?

Of course, by now you know that before any photographs have been taken the property needs to be prepared for the market.

     August 1-3, 2008 will be an exciting time in Duluth, Minnesota as three tall ships will be sailing into port. Visitors can take on-board tours of these fascinating replicas of historic vessels.  The ships will be in port in the Duluth harbor as part of the Duluth Maritime Festival, celebrating the state's Sesquicentennial ( even harder to say than type).

     The ships are the: U.S. Niagara which is 198 feet long and the schooner, Pride of Baltimore II at only 157 feet.  Both of these are replicas of the warships that took part in the War of 1912 against Great Britain. The third ship is a demure Madeline at a delicate 92 feet, which is a replica of an 1840s schooner used as a commercial vessel.

     Tours of the ships are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.  To buy tickets, go to www.decc.org and link to Ticketmaster.

     For information on visiting Duluth, including hotel rooms cqll 800-4-Duluth or go to www.visitduluth.com.

As a Home Stager & Interior Redesigner, I carry a number of tools in my Re$ale Design tool bag.  Here is a list of my personal favorites:

• One 16 foot FatMax retractable tape measure by Stanley
• One 25 foot retractable tape measure
• One small  carpenter's level with attached magnetic strip
• One FatMax Laser Level kit 
• One medium weight  claw hammer
• One light weight ball-peen hammer
• Two needle nose pliers
• One slip-joint plier
•  Makita 12V Cordless drill  with light and a variety of bits - slotted & phillips  -all sizes
• Two batteries for above
•  Battery charger
  
• Stud finder
• Hot-Glue guns and lots of sticks for each -both low and high temperature
• Staple gun- Black & Decker Power Shot & staples
  
•  2 Flashlights - 1 small maglite and 1 large maglite
  
• 409 or some type of cleaner & rags
  
•  Not technically a tool but more a life necessity - Duct Tape
  
• Slider pads for moving furniture
• A lifter for getting the pads under the legs
• Extra tiny screws & something to put them in with
• Emery board
• Small bar of soap for squeaky drawers
• Removable mounting squares
• Toilet paper
• Krud Kutter
• Magic Erasers
• 3M wall hooks
• Masking tape
• Hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks
• Thumb tacks and push pins
• Rubber bands or vinyl (or the allergic ones like me)
• Crazy Glue

• Zots
• Zip lock bags
• Windex or pop up glass wipes
• Quake Hold
• Scissors - large and small
• Tape gun
• Bubble wrap
• Wasp spray
• Granite magic
• Stainless steel magic

• Bed risers

• Dry wall hooks  - i.e. Hercules Hooks or a similar product
  
• Felt pads for under wooden furniture legs
• Steamer or iron & board
• Brown, white, black & tan extension cords
• Microfiber cloths
• Adapter for 3 prong to 2 prong outlet
• Sewing machine needles (leave only tiny hole)
• Febreeze
• Light bulbs
• Brown & black permanent markers
• Vacuum & cordless vacuum
• Goo Gone or my new favorite - Pure Citrus Air Freshener for removing labels and black marks on vinyl floors
  

 Now, what's in your tool bag?

Kathleen and Allison Lordbock

Re$ale Design & Home Staging

~changing the way homes are sold in the Brainerd Lakes~

     How do you keep visitors & Realtors at open houses and showings from using your nicely folded, perfectly hung, and oh so clean and fluffy towels?  I have read that some suggest tying them in ribbons or raffia and therefore signal that they are off limits.  But does everyone know how to read raffia?   

      A sign "Do Not Use Towels" along with "Do Not Use Toilet or If in the case of an Emergency :   please close lid & flush (or maybe flush and then close lid)", "Do Not Sit on Bed" ,  "Don't kiss the Mirror", "No eating or drinking in  any room", & "No smoking right outside the door and then throwing butt on doorstep" (still referring to the cigarette here) - might help!

     Why are staging towels so irresistible and tantalizing?

• Is it the color?                                                                       photo by Vickie

• Position?

• Precision?

Apparently even paper towels lure artists into masterpieces.

Towels are so powerful - stagers know this- that is why they place them in every bathroom.

 Do towels sell houses? I'm not telling!

                                                                                              photo by Marc Johns

    Re$ale Design & Home Staging Partner - Allison Lordbock

    The Children’s Miracle Network was selected as the official national platform for the Miss America Organization. This partnership represents the first time in the 86-year history of the Miss America Organization that they have adopted such a program.

    The Children’s Miracle Network has had an 18-year history working with the Miss America
Organization, with this newest initiative signifying a permanent and on-going relationship between the two.
The new partnership will provide opportunities for the Miss America Organization to not only raise funds
and awareness for the 17 million children treated each year at the 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals,
but also for the Miss America Scholarship Program, the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for
young women, providing more than $45 million in cash and tuition scholarship assistance to them each year.

    “We are thrilled to have formed this national partnership to continue to help the many children that are
supported in every city in America by Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. Together, we’ll work towards
raising funds for our scholarship program to enable young and talented women across the country gain new
opportunities,” said Art McMaster, president & CEO Miss America Organization. “We look forward to a
long and rewarding relationship with Children’s Miracle Network.”

    Each year the new Miss America, in addition to bringing awareness to her personal platform, will be an
official goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network as she raises funds and awareness for both
Children’s Miracle Network and the Miss America Organization. This partnership also extends to the woman
competing at the local, state and national levels of the pageant, asking each contestant who participates to be
responsible for raising funds on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network and the Miss America Organization.

    Allison's personal platform is entitled - "Believe & Achieve - Empowering Today's Youth For Tomorrow's Future".

She travels throughout the United States and into foreign lands with Reggie Dabbs and Elevate Industries,

holding school assemblies encouraging students to make positive choices. These assemblies are cutting edge and intense. Reggie Dabbs uses his own personal story along with high energy dramas to leave a lasting impression on students. As Reggie says, "You can not change your past, but you can change your future."

 Donate today and help change someone's future:

Allison's fundraiser page - please donate - every dollar counts