Win a $10 Starbuck’s Card…

It’s easy to win! Find the quiz question inside this newsletter, then email me your answer. Each month, all correct entries have an equal chance of winning a FREE $10 Starbuck’s card.

• Last month’s question: If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
• Answer: 2nd Place. (Many people mistakenly say 1st place.)

Thank You Friends and Clients  

Welcome to new clients and Thank You to friends who’ve trusted me with their referrals.I appreciate my wonderful friends and clients who thoughtfully introduce their friends, family and coworkers to me.

How DIY Projects Can Cost  You Thousands…

In homes for sale it’s common to find odd or poorly executed DIY projects that were done by owners who wanted to give it a try. After all, doing what you want to your home is one of the joys of home ownership! Unfortunately, a feature that someone poured their heart into can look unprofessional and even weird to potential buyers.  Picture sloppy paint trim, an extra window cut into the kitchen to pass food through, or the cork-board wall that was cool in the 1980’s.

Why is all this a problem? After all, buyers can easily fix things if they don’t like them.

Unfortunately, buyers tend to avoid making offers on homes they perceive to have a lot of small instant projects they’ll need to remedy.  Even though the projects may cost just a few hundred, their perception is that they’ll need to get “a great deal” on the house before taking on those projects. The result is that you’ll get lower offers—often many thousands below asking price.

So before selling, remedy DIY projects that lack universal appeal. That may mean spending hundreds now…but the payoff may be worth thousands later. Call me a few months (if possible) before you plan to sell so we can see what needs to be done to get your house ready for the market!

From the Heart:

Words of Wisdom that Resonate

A friend of mine says that “knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.” In that vein, I’d like to share an article that’s been making its way around the internet. Here is an excerpt from Important Lessons in Life by Omer B. Washington.

• I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
• I’ve learned that no matter how much I care, some people don’t care back. It’s not the end of the world.
• I’ve learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
• I’ve learned that it’s not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.
• I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.
• I’ve learned that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.
• I’ve learned that it’s not what happens to people, it’s what they do about it.
• I’ve learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
• I’ve learned you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
• I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

There is much more, and you can google Omer Washington for the full text online.

How Do Plants

Know When to Bloom?

Scientists have known since the 1930s that plants sense the length of the days and use that information to decide when to flower. It was only in 2005 that studies revealed a gene called FT which is active in the leaf and whose activity is regulated by day length. FT  produces a messenger molecule that is transported to the shoot tip where it activates a “gene program” that leads to the formation of buds. The program causes proteins to form that then talk to other proteins that exist at the future locations of buds.

Why does all this matter to scientists? Daffodils bloom in spring as the days get longer. Roses wait until summer. Rice flowers in the fall as the days shorten. Nature does fine, but humans sometimes want to fool her. Consider the benefits of early flowering rice. In certain parts of the world, this could allow the production of more than one harvest per year, further reducing world hunger.