My Love/Hate Relationship With HGTV by a Realtor!

So I have a blog for my Office but I don't generally blog....... I have People that blog....and they do a much better job than I think I can..... But as I prepare to put my house up on the market this weekend- a blog has formulated in my head (over and over for the past few weeks......) Should I entitle it- Why every Realtor should put their house on the market every few years? OR  My Love/Hate Relationship with HGTV..... I decided on the love/hate thing. The content and message are pretty much the same- but I think maybe the Love/Hate thing might get a bit more attention. People generally love HGTV..... not so much Realtors! (weewoo- sorry staff and fellow Realtors- but you know this to be true.....)
So my husband and I decided it was time to put our house on the market. We love our house! There are so many wonderful things about it.....from the outside porch overlooking Manatuck Lake (lots of Heron sightings and ice skating Norman Rockwell type moments- to all the wonderful nooks and crannies inside.  We feel it is time..... But now- we have to PREPARE to put our house on the market. I have to do all the things I casually say to my clients that they should do to make their houses more marketable.....things like "you need to declutter.... bathrooms should be spotless, personal photos to a minimum, landscaping spruced up...... things like that! In fact- I have a fabulous list of suggestions written in bullet points I hand to my clients when we meet for the first time! I can rattle these things off like nobody's business! As I rattle these things off to my husband and prepare new lists each day - the sideways looks he first gave me are turning to arched eyebrows to a low whistle to a resounding "are you crazy?" How did this come to be- you might wonder? ahhhhhhhhh here comes the tie in: My Love/Hate relationship with HGTV (and Realtor Internet sites too!) Before the Internet and HGTV (yes I have been a REALTOR that long!) people relied on their Realtor to take them to houses they thought were good houses.  The houses looked like people lived in them. They didn't have perfectly straightened closets with their clothes in color order! Personal photos were all over the place- and houses with kids actually had toys strewn about!!!!! Stagers didn't need to be hired- because people actually let people see what it was like to live in these houses!!! Ahhhhhhh I miss the good old days! As I work to make my house look like we are an Episode to be featured on HGTV- I encourage you to come see my work of art this Sunday 9/13/2015 from 12-2 pm at 9 Lawrence Lane, Bay Shore, N.Y. 11706. You won't be disappointed- my closets are not only in size order- they have bins labeled inside!

Take a Long Island Stay-cation!

So many of us are sick and tired of this cold weather and need to get away, but not many of us have time or funds to put an entire vacation together. But do not fret! We have some fun, exciting ideas for a stay-cation- a vacation right in your area- to escape the cold, dreary weather.

          Inside 97-acre Hidden Pond Park in Hauppauge, The Rinx has two indoor ice rinks. The venue provides figure skating and hockey lessons as well as daily public skate sessions, including “Rock & Roll” night every Friday 8:15p-10:15p. Admission varies depending on the day and time of your visit so check out therinx.com for details about prices, times and events. Ice skating is an enjoyable winter activity the whole family will love!

          If you’re not in the mood to move around, then the movies is the place to be! There are so many movie theatres on Long Island to choose from, like the Deer Park Regal Cinemas at the Tanger Outlets. This theatre has a large selection of movies for all ages.

          If you really aren’t into bearing the cold, then baking is a fun, crafty thing for everyone in the house to take part in! Stay in and stay warm by the oven and make yummy treats all day long! Another in-home activity would be arts and crafts- paper snowflakes, gingerbread houses, and anything winter! This is great to keep kids busy and parents happy.

          Use these tips of the trade to keep busy and out of the cold this winter! No matter your time or budget, these activities will fit any family and make your stay-cation one for the books!

Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. 

      Martin Luther King Jr. was the biggest face during the Civil rights movement in the 1960s. Many attribute this man with the social freedom of blacks everywhere. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was signed more than 100 years before, blacks were still being targeted by the Klu Klux Klan and were subject to segregation because of the Jim Crow Laws. Martin Luther King Jr. took steps to end the struggle of absolute freedom for blacks throughout the United States.

        Every third Monday of January, Americans take a day to reflect and remember what King accomplished to better our society and the people within it. Because of his achievements, every person has equal opportunity to do anything they want. Children of all different ethnicities go to school and play together. The world and its acceptance has grown drastically since King’s time, and it continues to grow because of thinkers like him. We can all learn from the trials and triumphs that he overcame to become one of the greatest Americans leaders ever. Because of him, schools, restaurants, bathrooms, and basically every public facility are desegregated. There were many other Civil rights movement contributors, yet King was the most effective in that he was a fearless and great leader that gave freedom to every person after him. On this Martin Luther King Day, let us all take it as a time of observance and remembrance for this incredible man and all he has done to improve and inspire our nation.