Time Block Blues

I don't know about you, but I really, really, seriously hate it when I get the overly long drawn out message that sounds something like:  " Hello, your call is very important to me, blah, blah, blah, I am in meetings or in an appointment and I will be returning calls between 4 & 6 or after 9."Blah, Blah, Blah, if this is an emergency please call the receptionist, secretary or Uncle Charlie (choose one - none of them answer the phone)  Cheerio.  

If I sound frustrated, it is because I am.  It's really nice that the very important person that we are trying to contact has a booming business and busy life.  (Look up Girls Raised in the South for the meaning of "That's Nice", and if you don't get it, you don't really know any girls from the south).

The problem that I have is that my life is busy and sometimes hectic, too.  While it is nice to know what time the important person is planning to call back, I have an issue with the assumption that I am going to be available in the particular time block that works for him (or her).  Shoot, it might interfere with MY  time block.

Recently an agent told me that he couldn't possibly present an offer after 6:00 pm, that he had 2 kids to feed and bathe.  Now I understand about the feeding part, but any kid I know would gladly time block that bath until next week.  The feeding part could be handled with a chicken nuggets happy meal from the Mickey D drive through.  Be sure to block in 15 minutes for the wait time in line.  That leaves a couple hours to manage an appointment or even just a phone call, so that my clients don't have to miss their flight the next morning, pay for an extra day in a hotel, and can make a decision that will affect their families for at least (based on national averages) the next 5.5 years.  

My point is that Real Estate is a service business.  I really would like to have my own life and my own time and maybe I am just a poor scheduler, but when I have clients that are sitting in a hotel room waiting for a response from a very important person, I  wonder about the level of service that is being achieved.  The person who has so perfectly maintained his own schedule is wrecking and attempting to control the schedule of everyone else around him.  That is a disservice to the customer.  

I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me athttp://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

*For those of you following my weight loss and a little less of the home girl. . . I am down 31 pounds since the first of the year and sticking with it!  Join me at my fitness pal!

Losing it while Hiking around San Antonio

I bet you didn't think I would stick with it. Well. So far, so good. I am down 15 pounds since I last posted, and determined not to give up until I reach my goal.

Not winning The "biggest loser" contest could have been a major obstacle and was emotionally disappointing, but grit and determination won out, so I am hanging in there with my 2012 resolution. Yay homegirl!

The contest was actually kind of fun. With the help of myfitnesspal.com, I learned by journaling what was going into my mouth and what kind of energy I was expending that this should really be a no brainer. If I cheat or fudge on what I journal in my fitness pal, I am really only cheating myself. If I am honest about the input, then my body responds with the appropriate weight loss in relationship to calories in and out.

There were competitors that lost much more than I did. The winning female lost 25 pounds in a month. Wow, now that's impressive. When I asked what she done to lose so much, so fast, she was a little hesitant, but said that she had cut to 500 calories a day and worked out twice a day. She drank no coffee, no soda, no simple carbs, very little fat and mainly existed on lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Even though she didn't tell me, I bet she had to avoid any Realtor functions like she would avoid the plague.

My lifestyle has changed, but not so much. I still manage to go out for dinner or happy hour with friends and clients. My diet has included almost anything you can imagine. Cooking light recipes are my friend, but I could still enjoy a dirty martini or 1 glass of wine. I could have a bite of fried avocado ( although indulging in the fried stuff or alcoholic beverages greatly reduces the other good things I could be enjoying). Dairy Queen visits mean that I order a plain small cone in lieu of a banana split. The bottom line is that I have to be accountable and disciplined.

Hiking in Government Canyon

The biggest change has been incorporating exercise into my lifestyle. Randy and I love to hike! Walking on a track or repeating the same routine is the ultimate boredom for me, so the exercise quest became an adventure. The goal of walking about 4 miles a day was surpassed by a need to explore and find more challenging paths. Even getting off the beaten path (in and away from urban development) was part of the process. San Antonio has many parks with hiking and biking trails to explore. Please follow the links below:


Downtown/ Southtown Route

River Walk / Museum Reach

Metro Health to Lexington

Brackenridge - Alamo Loop

San Antonio Highlights

San Antonio Greenway Map

Dry Creekbed in Government Canyon

I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at http://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

Post Script:  I have let almost a month pass without publishing - Sorry about that, but I am down another 5 pounds.  Yay me!

Better Life in 2012? Weight and See!

It's the second week of 2012 and this time I really am sticking to my number #1 resolution to lose a few pounds.  

You probably already know that losing a few pounds is one of the most common resolutions.  Did you know that January 9 is the most common day that people give up on thir resolutions?  Well, the Home Girl is no quitter, and the only kind of loser I want to be is "The Biggest", so I am steadily hanging in there.

There are all kinds of articles, websites and blogs offering helpful hints on how to best lose weight.  My favorite this year is Myfitnesspal.com.  It's available as an app for your smart phone, your I-Pad or your Mac or PC.  ITS FREE! I  also like it because it makes you accountable for what goes into your mouth and it has almost every item I could think about eating and almost every (chain) restaurant's menu items and nutritional content listed in it's data base, so I don't have to spend a lot of time researching nutritional information and recording it in my data base.  I was very pleased when I pulled up HEB southwest spicy black bean soup and was able to find that in the data base.  Wow! a specific "generic" brand from my favorite grocery store.  Truly amazing.  Reports show that people who journal their diet lose twice as much weight as those who don't.  This app makes it easy to journal not only what you eat, but also tracks your exercise and your progress, and has the ability to invite friends to join in with you on the weight loss quest.   The home girl (along with thousands of other people ) gives this app 5 stars!

Another incentive that is inspiring me was initiated by Shane Tokheim at Alamo Title Company.  He invited just about every real estate agent and related business workers to join in our own Biggest Loser Contest.  This is not to be confused with the one on TV.  He gathered a group of 17 women and I think about 12 men who contributed to a pool to see who could lose the largest percentage of their body weight.  Sometimes it is just being surrounded, supported, challenged by and competing (all at the same time) with my peers that gives me the initiative to work out, cut calories and get healthy. 

A couple of co-workers stopped by the morning and offered their advice on what the do to succeed in the never ending "Battle of the Bulge".  Besides "Just Do It", a couple more I Phone apps that help are Run keeper and Map my run.  I am using my Garmin Forerunner watch and heart monitor, which tracks not only my milage, but my time and heart rate and syncs to the computer.

Being healthy will help with every aspect of my life.  Losing a few pounds (or more) won't hurt. Lighter Realtors move faster & have more energy.  Love that - "move faster".  That's what most of my clients want - a faster move - HA!  I work in a business that can truly zap your youth and vitality if you let it.  Easting healthy, exercise and holding myself accountable should help give me the energy to do not only the physical but the mental gymanistics to help my clients successfully.  Sounds like a win-win!   You are cordially invited to join me in my quest.  Sign up for myfitnesspal and "friend me".

If you have any apps , suggestions or comments, please leave them at this site.  If you just want to follow the home girl and see if I succeed or fail, click on follow me.    I will keep you posted!

Need more help ?  Top Rated Gyms and Fitness Centers in San Antonio

Velocity Sports

Bella Women's Fitness

YMCA of Greater San Antonio

Gold's Gym - 9 Locations in San Antonio

Lifetime Fitness - 2 Locations in San Antonio

Spectrum - 10 Locations in San Antonio

I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at http://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

Best Clean Windows in San Antonio or Anywhere Else for that Matter

The home girl has cleaned up all the Halloween Decorations at the homestead. (with a bunch of help from the hubby)

Halloween has got to be one of my favorite holidays for many reasons.

1. Candy
2. Grown ups can play dress up.
3. You don't have to have a clean house for it to look absolutely marvelous!
4. Chocolate Candy
5. Dust and spider webs and windows you can't see through are appropriate.
6. Snickers, Butterfingers, Peanut M&M's
7. Everybody loves witches and its ok to act like like one.
8. More Candy

Alas, it's over. The pumpkins are melting, the bats and ghosts are back in a box, the left over candy is hidden so that I will forget where  I put it and all that is left are a few cobwebs, some dust and  thoughts of the next big event - Thanksgiving.  

It's time to clear away the dust and the cobwebs and get the home clean, sparkly and ready for the holidays.

The best way for a truly great outlook is to clean up what you are looking out.  (That's terrible grammar, but I hope you get the gist of what I am trying to say.)  Clean your windows!

The best recipe that I ever found for sparkly windows came from an article in the San Antonio Express News in December 2001 by Maribel Zimmerman. 

Please read the whole article and you will find the recipe for sparkly windows at the bottom of the page. 

***

San Antonio Express-News Sunday Real Estate  Sunday Dec 9, 2001
By Maribel Zimmerman

Some windows look like they were cleaned with a good amount of spit and an oily mechanics rag.  Sticky fingers and wet noses pressed to the glass can wreak havoc on your view, too.  But some windows look worse after they have been cleaned.  Why?  What could possibly have gone wrong?  Plenty.

Hastily pursuing the perfect view can mean forgetting the most important credos of crystal clear windows:  clean water and the right tools.  So, how do you get windows to sparkle the first time?  It's really not that hard. 

There are several ways to do the job right.  Commercial cleaning solutions can work well, but are not necessary for the job. Old fashioned household cleaners are plentiful in most homes - and expensive. 

Experts at Andersen-Windows suggest beginning with the right stuff:  rubber gloves; two buckets or one bucket with two wells; sudsy ammonia; white vinegar; rubbing alcohol; several clean, dry rags, a squeegee; and a ladder, if necessary. 

Now, follow these steps to the best view you've ever enjoyed:

1.  First, read and follow the manufacturer's instructions on each cleaning agent and all tools before beginning.  In addition, use extreme caution when using ladders around open windows to maintain safe operation and avoid injury.  If elevation devices are required, do not use furniture, only equipment intended for that purpose, including ladders, scaffolding, and step stools.  And follow all the manufacturers instructions for safe operation.
2.  Fill both buckets with 1 to 2 gallons of the hottest water your gloved hands can stand.  Use caution in handling hot water to avoid burns and scalding. 
3.  In one of the two buckets, add one cup each of ammonia and vinegar, plus two tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and stir.  The latter will help the water evaporate and add that "twinkle" factor.
4.  Begin at the top of the house at the top of the window.
5.  Wipe the entire surface with the solution.  If necessary, bugs, stickers, and stubborn marks can be removed with a new straight-edge blade, being careful to avoid personal injury or damage to the wndow.  Once the dirt is removed, wipe the window a second time with the clear water.
6.  Immediately squeegee the window, using a rag to wipe the squeegee dry after each swipe.  This will limit the streaks caused by wet lines of water at the squeegee's edge and eliminate dripping onto your sparkling windows with wet tools. 
7.  Use a clean cloth to wipe only the wet corners and the sill.
Some extra tips

• Again, use extreme caution when working around open window openings.  Never leave a window unattended, especially when children are present.  Falls may result in serious injury or death. 
• Try swiping in only one direction - horizontal or vertical on the inside of the house, and the other direction on the outside.  If you do find streaks, you'll know which side needs to be redone. 
• Change the water often to eliminate streaks.
• Tie a rope to the squeegee and secure it to the ladder or your belt in case you drop it.  Letting the solution dry onto the window while you climb down to retrieve your tools could be the difference between sparkle and debacle.
• Try cleaning windows on sunny, but dry days. Sunlight dries the solution too fast and makes streaks more likely. 
• Really dirty windows may need to be rinsed first with the garden hose, but be prepared to clean them immediately.  Hard water stains can be stubborn. 

For more information about windows, including maintenance, repair and replacement, contact the Greater San Antonio Builders Association at (210) 696-3800 for a free copy of the Remodelors Directory. 

The Greater San Antonio Builders Association is a local trade association that offers opportunities to its members to display their products and services. 
It makes no representations expressed or implied , regarding the qualifications of its members or the quality of their products and services, but invites you to examine them for yourself at www.sabuilders.com

Maribel Zimmerman is an architecutral representatve for Black Millwork Co. Inc., a member of the Greater San Antonio Builders Association Remodelors Council

***

This is the recipe for sparkly windows

Solution:
1 cup ammonia
1 cup vinegar
2 Tablespoons Rubbing Alcohol
plus
1 to 2 gallons of HOT water (stir it all together)

After removing the dirt, wipe with clear water only, then squegee.

 ***

*Home Girl Note

This article was written almost 10 years ago. The website for The Greater San Antonio Builders Association is still good, but I'm not sure about the phone number or if they still have copies of the Remodelors Council Directory. 

I do know this recipe for cleaning windows works.  It did 10 years ago, and it still does.  I have had many clients and other agents ask for my secret, and it's really no secret!  I found this article last week when I was cleaning out a file, and thought this would be a great time to share it.

Sparkly windows just make us feel better.  They make a home look better and may be just the missing piece to help somebody's home sell.  If nothing else, clean windows give us  a better outlook.  :-)  


I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at http://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

Things to Do in San Antonio for Halloween

The home girl loves Halloween!    Here is a list of my favorite things to do this year in San Antonio., along with a few tips  for your added enjoyment.

.

 Haunted Houses    I was able to find 4 haunted houses that looked really good, and have provided links to their websites so you can get their hours, pricing and location. 

13th Floor   This one claims to be the longest and largest horror house in San Antonio, full of intense graphics and theatrics.

Ages 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult to enter. Please call (210) 338-0382

Nightmare on Grayson   A San Antonio Classic!  I was having my nails done yesterday with a lady who works there.  She told me that they have been there 22 years and it is family friendly.  I am most excited about Zombie Night, when you can dress like your favorite Zombie.

Terror Mansion  **** 4 Star Rated SA Express News  San Antonio's Scariest Haunted House

 Ripley's Haunted Adventure  I took Liby and Nikki  (my grandkids) here when they were around 7 or 8 and they LOVED it.  (They are pretty tough cookies)  We got chased by a monster with a chain saw who turned out to be pretty nice.  Nikki lost her flip flop while running and screaming in the dark  and the monster handed the flip flop to her.  It's a pleasantly creepy haunted house, but then it doesn't take much to scare me. 

Amusement Parks 

There is just too much information to share here, so click on the links below.

Sea World  

9-30 through 10-30 2011 Howl O Scream

Fiesta Texas  

 Weekends 9-30 through 10-30-2011 Fright Fest 


PumpkinPatch 
Artisan's Alley

Date(s): 10/22/2011 - 10/22/2011

Time: Sat. 11 a.m.

SCARY MOVIE

Wake up with Tim Burton at The McNay!  You can wear your PJ's!  Now that sounds scary! 

Beetle Juice  10/22 @ 11:00 A.M.

Corpse Bride  10/29 @ 11:00 A.M                        

McNay Art Museum

6000 N. New Braunfels

San Antonio, TX 78209

Phone: 210/824-5367 

BOOtanica! 
Fall Festival at the Botanical Garden

Sunday, October 23, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m
Thanks to H-E-B, all guests will enjoy $2 off admission to the Garden. 

·    Plant Sale from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m
     Last Chance Forever - Birds of Prey Show   12 - 1

·    San Antonio-friendly trees will be given away by the City of San Antonio Tree Mitigation Fund (while supplies last).

·    Learn about vermicomposting with the Texas Red Worms’ worm bins.

·    Participate in the BOO Fitness Challenge.

·    “Amazing Butterfly” Photo Contest winners will be announced.

Kids will especially love the following activities:

·    Costume parades at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

·    Getting gooey with Schulz Nursery’s Gak slime.

·    Face painting.

·    Corn printing.

·    Making wildflower seed balls.

The San Antonio Botanical Garden is located at 555 Funston at North New Braunfels Avenue with free parking. The Botanical Garden is operated under the auspices of the City of San Antonio Department of Parks & Recreation and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
For more information, the public can visit San Antonio Botanical Garden.

Spook-Trackula

Train Rides and Halloween Show for the Family

Date(s): 10/29/2011 - 10/30/2011
Time: Sat and Sun 7 p.m. - 9.30 p.m.

Texas Transportation Museum
11731 Wetmore Road
San Antonio, TX 78247



"Dressed to Chill"



Bud Light Coffins on Parade   

Coffins on Parade  San Antonio River Walk

October 29, 2011 Time: 6:00PM - 8:00PM

You do not want to miss this famous Halloween spectacle. Imagine floating coffins in barges traveling along the San Antonio River!

 


Dance with the Dead

Institute of Texan Cultures
801 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd
San Antonio, TX , 78205Dance with the Dead

Come dressed as your favorite departed Texan!  It's a Halloween Masquerade Party with music, dancing, costume contest  + hors d'ourves and a cash bar.  

25th Annual Zoo Boo

Zoo Boo

Sunday, October 30 and
Monday, October 31, 2011
6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Join the Zoo for some “spook”tacularly scary fun at the 25th Annual Halloween event, Zoo Boo at YOUR San Antonio Zoo.

Zoo Boo is an exciting, safe, and non-scary Halloween event for families with children 12 years of age or younder held on the grounds of the San Antonio Zoo.


*  This event can get REALLY crowded.  Go early, plan to walk far from parking , you may want a flash light or reflective clothing to get to and from the zoo.


The San Antonio Ghost Tracks
I've never actually done this, but I'm sure all my kids have, and it seems to be a popular urban legend.  San Antonio has rumours of ghosts at the Alamo, the Menger, the Emily Morgan and even the Missions, but I must admit this one truly intrigues me.  Maybe this Halloween I will check out a real ghost.  Or, maybe I will be a Zombie at Nightmare on Grayson. 

Do you have a favorite halloween haunt in South Texas?  Suggestions for a fun fall activity?  Please add a comment and keep it clean - Texas Home Girl runs a family friendly site :-) 

Happy Halloween!

I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas. If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com  Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at http://SanAntonioHomeQuest.com

Texas Home Buyer Two Steps Around Her Agent

A friend stopped by the Home Girl's office yesterday. She was terribly upset because a client that she had worked with for over a decade was terminating their agency agreement.

It's painful to be fired. Ask any number of the currently unemployed who have been terminated or laid off due to downsizing and the lousy economy. Sometimes the termination is justifiable because of the employee's actions or non-actions, and sometimes not so much.

But no matter the cause, the sick feeling in the pit of the stomach is right there, a tight, nauseating knot that lasts for days. Even when the the termination makes sense, it hurts.

In the private sector, employees are paid for their services. In fact, if an employee is not paid for work performed, then a complaint can be filed for theft of services. Governor Perry signed SB 1024 eliminating a loophole that previously existed for a criminal theft of service charge. Under prior law, a party obtaining services from another under a promise to pay could avoid a criminal charge of theft of service so long as the party was making minimal payments. Read more here: http://bit.ly/qYuWSJ

My colleague did not have such recourse. The buyer felt that she had "found" her home without assistance.

• She failed to take into consideration the hours that were spent setting up searches using specific criteria requested by the buyer.
•  She did not take into consideration the number of homes that had already been shown to her.
• There was no accounting for time spent researching property values in communities in which she had expressed an interest.
• No mention was made for reimbursement of travel or gas expenses.

This is just a partial list. This buyer just didn't understand or care what her friend and agent was doing on her behalf, spending considerable time (and time is money) and concentrated effort.

This agent is sharp. Had the buyer mentioned that she was not finding her desired home, that her needs had changed, then the search would have been tweaked and more homes may have been available. There was a signed buyer agency agreement and an established relationship of many years.

Instead of communicating her wishes to her agent, the buyer called ANOTHER agent to show her a property. Kind of like a first date with somebody when you are married to somebody else. I guess the showing agent didn't ask the right questions (are you working with an agent?), had no ethics, or the buyer answered, "not really".

When I receive a sign call and ask "are you working with an agent" and the potential buyer answers "not really" , I usually cringe and then proceed to lose the lead by saying something intelligent like,
 " Seriously?, What does that mean? Not really. Do you or do you not have an agent?".

These questions are not an effort to be lazy, to not show my own listings, but are used as an effort to be ethical, to respect the efforts that another agent has invested into his or her client, and to avoid the confusion caused by an existing buyer's agency agreement versus the procuring cause argument that will probably be offered by the agent that showed the one property that my friends client "found".

As Realtors, we have an obligation to be ethical. Customers are under no obligation to share in that responsibility, but clients have signed an agreement to be loyal. It just seems to me that you got to dance with who brung ya, and if you don't want that, then break up before the dance begins.



Post script.  I was able to visit with my colleague today to see how things were going.  It turns out that she did have a conversation with the "new" buyers' agent.  The agent did ask the questions, but the answer was the usual - not really, not a signed agreement. ( I guess the buyer forgot  - hmmm)   The new agent has offered to pay a referral to my colleague.  I don't really think this is a win-win.  I am happy that my friend is getting a little compensation.  My opinion of her former client is not so great, slightly better of the other agent, but now I am the one with a sick feeling in my stomach and I don't feel like dancing with anybody.

Home Preparation Tips Inspired by HGTV's House Hunters

The home girl loves HGTV's House Hunter! I don't really consider it to be entertainment.  At least for me, the show is more like "home" work. I try to guess which home the buyer is going to select, using the keen skills that I have developed over the years, watching their reactions, their body language, what they say and more importantly, what they don't say about each property.

JUST KIDDING.

This show is so staged that it's fairly predictable, and let's face it, most buyers are not professionally trained actors.

This episode that I watched this morning was focused on a soon to be married couple buying in the Richmond, Va. area in the $200,000 ish price range. The real estate agent did a great job of finding suitable properties close to the price range for this couple, although I don't think the editors/producers/writers of the show encouraged or allowed her to offer very much advice to the buyers.

What I loved about this particular show was the predictability of the choice the buyers were going to make. The buyers' final choice was to exceed their budget and buy a newly constructed home. Seller's should watch this to see what they are up against when trying to sell a home in a buyer's market.

One buyer remarked in both resale homes that the carpet was nasty, and that she couldn't stand nasty carpet. My TV is HD and it really didn't look THAT bad, but I must admit you could see a few dirty spots, so it probably wasn't in pristine condition. It's just hard to compete with new. 

She made a comment in one home about a cheap plastic door. It appeared to be a type of sliding door between a hall and living area,  probably set up for temporary privacy for an office or other purpose. It could have been easily replaced. It's just hard for weird and temporary appearing to compete with new. 

You can follow the show here:  Richmond Mom

The outcome of the buyers' decision could have been so different if the sellers in either of the previously owned homes had taken the initiative to properly prepare their homes for sale.  There were missing or burned out light bulbs, missing chandeliers, dirty and stained carpet, outdated countertops in addition to non-curable problems such as dangerous dogs next door and a three story drop from the deck. 

The non curables can be cured with the difference in price, but the real objection coming from the buyer seemed to be the dirty carpet, the cheap door and the missing tub in the master suite.  All of the previously mentioned items,  even a remodel for the tub and the cost of a new refrigerator would probably be less expensive after negotiations than the cost of new construction. 

In a buyers market, or really in any market, sellers should stage their homes to compete with new consruction, price to deal with non curables and prep their homes to show at their absolute best. 

There are plenty of ideas on how to stage your home to sell.  I can't find any that are as detailed as I would like for them to be, so I am writing a detailed check list on how to prep your home for sale.  You can get all the information by following this blog.  Just watch for it!

FIRST TIME BUYERS

Don't miss out on an opportunity to be on HGTV.  They are coming to San Antonio!  Learn more by reading Randy's blog:  http://sanantoniorealestate.blogspot.com/  We are giving an additional bonus if they select one of our buyers.  Check it out!  Hurry!

I am Stephanie Kelley, Realtor® at Keller Williams Legacy, San Antonio, Texas.  If you have questions about San Antonio real estate or just want to chat a bit about our wonderful Alamo City, please call me at or (210) 867-8743, or E-mail me at swkrealtor@aol.com

Our experienced Realty Solutions Team is always ready to help you with your home buying or selling needs. Visit me at please call me at or (210) 867-8743, Visit me at http://sanantoniohomequest.com or follow my blog at TexasHomeGirl.blogspot.com