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PFD Wins Stair Climb … AGAIN!

February 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

As most of your know, my husband Lenny is in the Portland Fire Department (and is also a Realtor). Since 2008, he and his fellow colleagues have participated in the American Lung Association’s Race Up Boston Place. This year, the department won the fire fighter division for the third time in five years!

The stair climb takes place at the BNY Mellon Building at One Boston Place – the third tallest building along Boston’s skyline with 41 stories. The guys in the PFD  joined this event in 2008 and decided that they were not going to just climb, they were going to climb wearing their full turnout gear, including helmet and breathing air from their SCBA air packs. It was a first. That first year the Portland Fire Department did not win, but they would the next year and the year after that!

Since the PFD did not win in 2011, this year seemed less stressful and everyone seemed to just be going to have fun and do their best – not defend a title. There was lots of talk around the building that morning about other departments and how they trained and how some fire fighters were also triathletes and how so many departments wanted to win. I was able to volunteer at the top of the stairs for a bit and see some of the other teams finish – and some of them were SO fast and they were hardly sweating once they reached the top. About 15 minutes into the fire fighter division, I was sure there wasn’t a chance that we would win.

Once the competition was over, we headed over to the award ceremony at a local pub called Scholars. The PFD and all us wives found a great place to view the trophy presentation along a second floor balcony. Of course the fire fighter division is always announced last, so as we were listening to all the individual awards, a familiar name was called – Liz Westburg – she was one of the wives who climbed with me on the Wives of the PFD team. She won the women 30-39 age group! And then, when they started to announce the mens division, two more familiar names were announced – Ryan Thomson, fastest male fire fighter in the 30-39 age group and James Westburg (Liz’s husband!) was number three in the same category! Three champions in our group – SO EXCITING and SO PROUD! This was clearly as far as we thought our winning streak was going this year.

And then it was time for the fastest fire fighter team. In years past they have drawn this out. Starting with third place and then second and so on. This year, well, you can see here. It was SO EXCITING and so unexpected! We had all planned on going out to dinner to celebrate recent promotions, but this gave us another reason to celebrate! OH! And the PFD and Wives of the PFD helped lead the company rank fundraising division with a total of $7,940.50. Only $59.50 from $8,000! If you would like to help us top $8,000, donate here!

Congratulations to all participants!

 

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Dancing With The Realtors

January 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On Saturday January 28th, we had the honor of participating in the first annual Greater Portland Board of Realtors Presents “Dancing With The Realtors”. An EXTREMLY successful event to benefit Habitat for Humanity, Maine, sponsored greatly by Pinnacle Vodka. The three of us, along with 12 other Realtors and loan officers from Greater Portland took dance lessons for a little over two months for an hour a week to learn the foxtrot and swing dance at the American Ballroom Company in Portland, Maine. A couple of Realtors had prior dance experience; however, most of us had none and started our dancing experience very nervous and unsure of our skills. But we all left Saturday night feeling very accomplished. Thank you SO MUCH to Kelley Craig, Chelsea Locke and Victoria Hartig for planning such a fabulous event and putting together an AMAZING video and slideshow! We can’t wait for next year and also to see what the final total raised for Habitat was.

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“It needs too much work!”

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Lenny & I outside our house. Notice the paint on his fingers :)

Real Estate today is SO different than it was 6, 7, years ago. I’m not just talking about financing, I’m talking attitude. I got my license in 2005 and my clients were SO excited to buy their first homes and were willing to buy homes that needed work without hesitation. Today’s buyers are just as excited to buy their first home, yet they want a perfect home. Perhaps because they are busy working or perhaps because they do not know how to do the work and are afraid of the expense. Below are a few of the items we see buyers squirm at the most and how they really aren’t as hard or expensive to fix as you think.

PAINTING!

We have all walked into houses and seen crazy colors – kitchens with red cabinets, bedrooms with hot pink and purple walls, woodwork painted forest green. These seem like HUGE projects to fix; however, they really aren’t and they offer a great opportunity for sweat equity. You say you don’t like to paint? SOLUTION: Have a painting party! In your group of friends you are bound to find some peeps who enjoy painting and are actually really good at it. AND! Having friends help you with things you do not enjoy makes it more fun. TIP: PAY THEM! NO! Not with cash – with food! Order pizza from Portland Pie and get a keg from Shipyard Brewing. If the weather permits, have a BBQ. You’re friends will be stoked and you will have customized your house a bit and added some equity all at the same time.

(This friends helping out thing can also apply to heavy yard work!)

CARPETS:

I know, bad mental pictures are already circling through your head. Shag green, torn, stained, smelly – okay, I will stop. Carpet is not as hard to fix as you think. Many times, Lowes or Home Depot have specials – free installation on 3 or more rooms, save _% when you buy and have your carpet installed by them and so on. OH! You don’t have the money because you will be using it all on your appraisal, inspection and down payment? Okay. Have you thought about asking the seller to give you a credit at closing? Get an estimate from your preferred carpet installation company and ask the sellers to offer you a credit at closing. Even if they are only willing to pay half, that’s more than you had before you asked.

ROOF:

The three major items that buyers are looking for to be in tip top condition are heat systems, windows and roof. This is because they can be the most expensive items to repair and replace. When it comes to roofs, you can often tell just by looking at them that they need to be repaired; however, your building inspector will ultimately be able to tell you if the shingles have a few years left or if they are beyond their design life. Replacing roof shingles is not cheap; however, there are many ways to do it at a discount and still get quality work. ASK AROUND! Everyone has a friend who can install shingles and I bet he does it as his side job. Don’t know anyone? Look into your local fire department. I know, this sounds funny; but, did you know that most fire fighters only work a couple of shifts a week (albeit they are 24 hour shifts) at the fire department and on their days off have trades? Many are master electricians, plumbers and you guessed it, roofers! They are typically insured and charge MUCH less than a general contractor you find in the yellow pages.

WALLPAPER:

ACK! One sight of giant floral arrangements on dining room walls will typically send my clients right out the door. I even had a seller remove all the wallpaper in her house because she was sick of all the feedback coming back about the wallpaper. Really it’s not that hard and just takes a little patience. HINT! This is another project to try and enlist your friends to help with! (You may want to have some sweet treats around for after the pizza though. This is a bit more tedious than painting.) When I was a kid, my mom rented a steamer and went to town in our house. However, these days you can find water mixing solutions at the hardware store and spray it on the wall with a basic garden sprayer and scrape (GENTLY!) away. However, most have had GREAT success with fabric softener and hot water. Here is a great step by step guide from the DIY Network!

SEE! There is no need to be afraid to buy a home that needs some work. And most likely, at the end of your projects, you will have WAY more equity in your home than the person who buys a house that is perfection inside.

As always, if you are looking to buy a home in Maine, we would love to help you! (207-831-0495)BONUS! We know PLENTY of people who can help with any project you may have (remember, Lenny is a fire fighter for the City of Portland!)

HAPPY HOME BUYING!

 

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Holiday & Winter Fire Safety

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I think we have all seen this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNjO3wZDVlA&feature=share We tend to get all caught up in parties and shopping and everything else that comes with the holidays and forget to be safe. Here are a few tips to keep your holiday and winter a bit more safe and happy for all!
Tree:

If you choose to purchase an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.” Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly. If you decide on a real tree, water it MORNING and NIGHT! A dry tree can burn MUCH faster than a hydrated tree if it were to ever catch fire. Those little Italian Twinkle Lights can heat up QUICK! Just think, every time you brush your teeth, give your tree a little water.

Lights:

Indoors or outdoor, consider using lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, loose connections and throw out damaged sets. Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.

Decorations:

Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to decorate your tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or non leaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children. Doesn’t eveyone’s tree look better trimmed with homemade ornaments and strings of popcorn or cranberry anyways?

Wood stove / Fireplace:

During the colder months, we tend to use our fire places a lot more. Here are a few
tips to help you keep your chimney and fire place clean and in tip top condition to prevent injury or a chimney fire.

- Have the chimney inspected annually by a professional chimney sweep. If you use your fire place on a regular basis, you should also have it cleaned. This will help prevent chimney fires.

- Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate ANY fire in your fire place.

- Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out, unwanted material from going in and to help prevent the possibility of burns. Last thing you want is to have to go to the hospital for a burn during the holidays!

Smoke/ Carbon monoxide detectors:

There are two basic types of devices based upon different smoke detection technologies, photoelectric and ionization. Because you cannot predict what type of fire might occur in your home, it is best to purchase both types or to purchase a device containing both sensors.

Carbon monoxide detectors work in a similar way to smoke detectors by monitoring
carbon monoxide levels in your home and sounding an alarm if elevated levels
are detected.

For both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, follow the manufacturer’s instruction
sheet to help you install, operate and maintain your devices. Keep these instructions handy so you can use it as a reference if you have questions in the future. As always, make sure you change the batteries in both of these devices when you set your clocks ahead and behind.

Power Loss

With winter storms comes power loss. Heavy snow can weigh down powers lines or cause them to cut loose. DO NOT TOUCH ANY wire or try to remove the snow from low hanging wires. Call your local power company and make them aware of all down or
low wires.

Be prepared if you lose power. Have plenty of batteries on hand and wood for your
fire place if you have one. If you light candles for more illumination, please
do not leave them unattended. According to the U.S Fire Administration, over
15,000 home fires are caused by candles each year. These are typically caused by
human era and are VERY preventable.

We hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

 

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10 Reasons to Sell A House in the Winter

November 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

3 Hampton Circle, Scarborough $419,000

Thinking of selling your home in the next few weeks? Or did you think it would be better to wait for Spring? This time of year may not be as bad as you think. Take a look at the list below for a few REALLY great reasons why you may want to sell your house now, as oppose to the Spring.

1.      November and December buyers are usually serious.

2.      Job transferees use the holidays to house hunt because January is the biggest transfer month.

3.      Investors usually want to close contracts by year-end for tax purposes.

4.      Nearly half of homebuyers don’t have children living at home; there’s no need to wait for school to let out.

5.      Remodeling, decorating, appliance installation and other services are more available and at less of a premium.

6.      There is still plenty of mortgage money available for (Qualified) buyers.

7.      Lenders aren’t quite as busy typically at this time of the year and can process loans faster.

8.      Homes show well when decorated for the holidays.

9.      Showings will be fewer and less intrusive, but more likely to be fruitful with motivated, qualified buyers.

10.  I believe there will be less competition with fewer homes on the market then in the Spring time.

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Does Your House Look Like A Haunted House?

October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Haunted Houses are scary and no one wants to go in them. You certainly don’t want your home to be labeled as such. Curb appeal in the fall and winter is just as important as in the spring and summer. If your house is currently on the market, consider doing these few things to make sure your home doesn’t look like a Haunted House this Halloween season and scare away any buyers. You want people to run into your home with smiles, not away in fear!

CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS!

With all the falling leaves and heavy rain we have had lately, it is important to make sure your gutters are not over flowing with leaves, pine needles or debris. Take a moment to clean them out and check your down spouts too!

MOW THE LAWN!

Every week we think, “This will be the last mow of the season!” And then the grass keeps growing and growing, Keep the lawn nice and trim for as long as this wonderful fall weather will let you. Don’t let it over grow and look abandon.

CLEAN OUT THE GARDEN!

This time of year a lot of your colorful flowers are starting to die and look dry and wilted. Clean out your garden of all weeds and leaves. If you want to add a pop of color to your yard, go to your local farm stand and get some of those beautiful mums. The colors this year are SO VIBRANT!

PAINT! PAINT! PAINT!

Nothing screams unkept like peeling paint. Before it gets too cold, scrape and paint all areas of the house that are peeling or flaking. Once the snow starts to fly, it will be too cold to take care of this and your home will look like an abandon haunted house all winter long. EEEKK! Now that’s SCARY!

WINDOWS!

Wash your windows! Don’t let them look filmy or cloudy from the outside. If your windows have a permanent “fog” to them, then perhaps you have a broken seal. This can be remedied by any local window company. Also along those lines, if you have any cracked or broken windows, get those fixed too.

Buyers these days are looking for the COMPLETE PACKAGE when they buy their new home and they really don’t want to do any work to them. Maximize your showings and put more money in your pocket by taking care of the little things. Believe me, it will only benefit you in the end. OH! And it will keep your house from looking like the scariest house on the block!

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Get A Home Inspection

September 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

How scary is this photo? This is an electrical NIGHTMARE! It is a pull chain that is connected to a light with a paperclip, a penny, a clothes pin and a bike chain - I think. EEEKK! This is a clear indication why you should pay the money to have a building inspection done when you buy a home. A good building inspector will go through the house with you and go over any issues the home may have and then generate a report for your records. You can also make a building inspection a condition on the purchase and sale (offer) agreement when you make your offer. It is a great way to protect yourself, especially if you have questions with any of the mechanics of the house.

Buying a house is a big decision, you always want to protect yourself. GET A BUILDING INSPECTION!

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SoPo Buy Local

August 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I recently joined South Portland Buy Local – a non-profit group in South Portland that was formed in 2010 to help all the locally owned business’ in South Portland grow and prosper. As a Realtor and a citizen of South Portland, I think that is very important to do as much business as possible within the City of South Portland. Not only is it keeping me informed as to what is happening, but it is also helping my community grow and keeping my money local.

Here a a few more reasons to buy local (via SoPo Buy Local)

Keep the dollars in South Portland’s economy.

For every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $45 stays in the local economy, creating jobs and expanding the city’s tax base. For every $100 spent at a national chain or franchise store, only $14 remains in the community. Shopping locally gives 3 times the benefit to the community!

Keep our city unique.

South Portland is a unique city, made up of various neighborhoods and a diverse group of residents, businesses, churches and schools. SOPO residents like the things that make SOPO unique. The aggressive tactics of chain stores and franchises threaten to destroy our unique business community.

We create jobs.

Studies show that locally-owned businesses create more jobs locally, and in some sectors, provide better wages, benefits, and working conditions than national chains.

Preserve entrepreneurship.

Locally-owned businesses are at the heart of the American dream. Our young people need to know there is an opportunity for them to own a business when they grow up.

Support a healthier environment.

Local businesses tend to open in more urban areas where walking, use of a bicycle or shorter car rides result in less use of gasoline. This helps lessen pollution, sprawl, over-development and the impact on waterways and forests.

Better choices for the consumer.

One of the harmful results of chain and franchise operations is that they limit choice to the consumer, reduce competition for better service, control prices and often operate in inconvenient locations. Local owners often times have expertise and knowledge of local tastes and preferences not found in nationally-owned companies.

When was the last time you shopped locally?

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Beach To Beacon #5032

August 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

All summer long during my Tri for a Cure training, people would ask, “Are you doing the Beach To Beacon?” And I would always say NO NO NO! It’s SO hard to get in to and I just don’t like running THAT much. And I did the B2B before, it’s fun, but hilly. I’m good.

Then comes a text Thursday night “April, my friends sister can’t make it from the west coast to do the B2B, want her bib?” My legs are saying, “April, please don’t.” but my mind is like “YEEAAA!! Let’s do this!” I was still on my tri high as I text back “YES!”

I was so super nervous to run this. 6.2 miles is a lot and there are so many people watching I could NEVER stop to walk like I did before. But, it turned out okay and I am SO glad I did it! This race really is super fun and how ofter can you say that you have run with runners of such prestige. (In all honesty, Micah Kogo, the winner, could have run the course twice before I finished. HA!) I saw many things while I was running for 1 hour 5 minutes and 15 seconds. Here are some of the highlights:

  • I’ve never run a mile so fast. There are so many people pulling you along and you are so excited to be a part of something so big you just run. I felt like I was pacing myself – however, I think I ran my first mile in like 8 minutes. EEEKK!
  • People wear some crazy things at this race. I saw teenagers dressed up as superman, complete with capes and an S painted on their bellies. Guys wearing mullet wigs (they must have tossed them at some point because it was a warm morning). I even saw pictures of guys dressed up as smurfs.  But what takes the cake is this – I got passed by a guy running INSIDE of a lighthouse on wheels. Now THAT will make you feel like a slow runner.
  • I finally experienced the infamous Cape Elizabeth Football team. I had heard the rumors: they’re loud, they hog the road, you’ll never get around them. There were not as many as I thought but they were SLOW runners. I was able to pass them on the right. Somehow they ended up behind me again and I had to pick up the pace in fear of being trampled. Later I heard from a friend that someone in the crowd had yelled to them “It’s great that you guys are sticking together like a team but you need to pick up the pace!”
  • Thank you to all the people along the route who make the ”Showers of Power”! It wasn’t a scorcher Saturday but the sun was very warm. I think there were about 5 “make shift” showers and I made my way through each and every one of them. Along the lines of water, DOUBLE thank you to all the volunteers at the water table along the route. It is super difficult to drink water from a cup while you run, but what you do manage to get in your mouth is WONDERFUL! The rest usually ends up over my head and keeping me cool.
  • Running with that many people, you are bound to “run” into some characters. While running the second mile, there were two very loud, very funny guys behind me. They would make comments about EVERYTHING they saw. If there was a house for sale, they would yell “I’M GONNA BUY THAT HOUSE!” If there were a group of people standing at the end of the street, they would yell “WE LOVE TRUNDY ROAD!” and the people would scream. It was hilarious. And then they saw a fire engine and one of them said to the other, “At that fire engine, we walk” and the other said “How about every time we see something red, we walk – like stop signs” HA!
  • I know from working for the Town of Cape Elizabeth, that the citizens have a love/hate relationship with the B2B because of the inconvenience it poses on some of the residents. However, there were SO many people along the route cheering us on, you would have never known. You almost feel like an Olympian when you come off Old Ocean House and turn on to 77 and head towards Shore Road. There are SO MANY PEOPLE! And they all have signs and they are yelling. I even heard a couple “GO THERESA’S!” (First thought- ‘OH! That’s ME! YAY!’)
  • The Beach to Beacon is like ”Old Home Days”.  For every one person you are trying to meet up with at the finish or starting line, you will run into five other people you have not seen in FOREVER! I had a facebook friend run to catch up to me just to say hi during the first mile. SO NEAT!

Despite being very nervous to run that much, I truly am excited that I did it and will totally try to get in next year. Maybe I will even beat this years time and possibly get in under an hour……WHO KNOWS! :)

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TRI FOR A CURE – #454

August 2, 2011 By 2 Comments

This was my second year participating in the Maine Cancer Foundations Tri for a Cure. Before I start telling you how wonderful it was, I need to thank Loni Graiver the owner of my real estate company, The Maine Real Estate Network, for being an endurance sponsor and getting us in this amazing event. Without that, I may not have ever participated in this event. THANK YOU!

This weekend was FAB-U-LOUS! Last year was great but there was something extra special about this year. I can’t totally pin point it. But here is my list of ultimate high lights.

  • As of 8/1/2011, the Maine Cancer Foundation estimates it raised OVER $1 million! And ALL the money stays in Maine! STUNNING!
  • I am a super competitive person so I wrote last years time on my arm for motivation. I beat it by 5 minutes this year. SO STOKED!
  • Saturday at packet pick-up, it was SO SO SO windy, and the water was SUPER choppy. Sunday, the day of the event – calm, warm and sun-filled.
  • I saw SO many girls that I have not seen in FOREVER! And I saw them on the run route! How cool is that? We were able to say hi and cheer each other along.
  • I got into the food tent immediately after the race. Last year, half the food was gone and I was S.O.L. This year, I feasted on pineapple, strawberries, brownies, blueberries and my fav – VITA COCO!!! I was in HEAVEN! Thank you Whole Foods.
  • I also got into the massage tent. Signed in and laid down. It felt AMAZING too. Thank god for those massage therapist and the fact that they were not afraid of touching a sweaty, sea salty body. I LOVE THEM!
  • I could not wear my iPod this year. I rely heavily on music to add that extra push when I get slow and ready to hit the wall. But most importantly, it tunes out my extreme panting. However, this year we would risk disqualification if we had one. To my surprise, I didn’t need it. I was able to tune out my breathing and really listen to the crowd cheering me on. The random “GO APRIL!” was so great to hear. I will also never forget this guy on Shore Road after Fort Williams. I was going up a small hill and he yells “DIG INTO THAT HILL 454! YEEEEAAAAAA!” He pumped me up so much and I remember just flying the rest of the way to transition.
  • Along the subject of music, whomever was playing the Rocky theme music going up the stairs at Bug Light Park and the people at the corner of Broadway and Benjamin Pickett blasting the tunes - I LOVE YOU! TOTAL motivation.
  • Along the lines of Rocky, whoever wrote “YO ADRIENNE!” on Route 77 across from Rudy’s, YOU ROCK! It made me think of that scene in Rocky IV when he is trudging through the snow in Russia.
  • The volunteers at the Tri for a Cure are always amazing! In the water, I got off track because I could not see the buoy I was looking for due to massive amounts of kayaks. However, one lady came kayaking right over to me and put me on track. I WAS SO MAD that I had got off course, that I used some VERY colorful language (not directed towards the volunteer of course) and the lady just says “You look great! Keep up the good work!” How sweet is that?
  • The Maine Real Estate Network had a booth like no other this weekend. We gave away Tony’s donuts, coffee, reusable bags, hot dogs, lemonade, ice cream and so much more. People donated SO MUCH MONEY for our services. I think we doubled our amount from last year. And it will all go to The Maine Cancer Foundation! YAY!

It is hard nail down all the wonderful aspects of this weekend. It makes you feel so wonderful to be a part of something SO HUGE! When I tell people I am doing a triathlon, they immediately go into the “How long is it?”, “What activity do you do first?” “Wow that must be really hard” and I totally get caught up in all of that. Like I said, I am SO competitive and I always want to do my best; however, the TRUE REASON we are there is for cancer. We are there to help raise money for this wretched disease that takes FAR to many lives each year. When you are on that course and you see a woman with a survivor shirt on, you want to celebrate the fact that she is on this course. She has beat cancer and she is killing it in this race. And it’s not just a road race – it is three grueling events that even people who have not battled cancer can do. I was reminded of this many times on the race. I looked at my arm at last years time as motivation, but seeing a survivor was the real motivation.

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