5 Real Estate Resolutions for 2013

Buyers: Resolve to get your financial house in order

Sellers: Resolve to think of your home as a product

Buyers: Resolve to start feeling out the market early

Sellers: Resolve to understand your timing and exit strategy

Buyers and sellers: Resolve to engage a Real Estate Agent now

Read the entire post here.

(Some cool tips on preparing to buy in 2013 here.)

RE/MAX vs The Industry

RE/MAX agents continue to be the most productive sales force in real estate with the highest average transaction sides of the national brands, as highlighted in the 2012 RE/MAX vs. The Industry report. Click HERE.

Holiday Decor Ideas

There is absolutely no need to stop decorating for the holidays when you are selling your home.  Potential buyers love to get a 'feel' for the house and they imagine themselves enjoying Christmas in coming years...you help them do that.  With a well-staged home and a de-cluttered/edited home, holiday decor helps you sell!

Here are some ideas for next year! Visit these homes on this Holdiay House Tour. (virtually)

Winter Love Winter Fun

I hope you enjoyed a joyous Christmas with your family and friends!  Now! Onto the wonder and amazing snow stories of Sault Ste. Marie and area! You gotta love snow!  (It's just one more reason to live and celebrate living here.)

If you are up here hitting the slopes, please give me a call about finding a home for your family in the area....here are my current listings and I have many, many more to show you!

More pics on Searchmont Resort's Facebook Page.

"Searchmont Resort"

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Mountain How do I find out the conditions before leaving home? You can visit our website homepage at www.searchmont.com to view the most up to date conditions from the Weather Network Ski Report or our own mountain report, blog and webcam pages.  Or you can switch your T.V. to the weather channel to get the most up to date conditions.   When is last run? Last run is usually called approximately 15 minutes before the lifts close for the day, and again at night when we have night skiing. There's no snow in my backyard; how do you have snow? 90% of our mountain is covered with a snowmaking system.  When temperatures drop below freezing, we are able to produce our own snow, even when Mother Nature can't.  It is also typically a few degrees colder in Searchmont than the Sault.  If it's raining in town, it might be snowing here! Have you got a map of the hill? Trail maps are conveniently located at the base of our main slope, at the top of each lift, and in our brochure.  Stop by Guest Services to obtain your own portable copy of the map.  What is the vertical drop at Searchmont Resort? We have a vertical drop of 750 feet.  One of the highest verticals in Ontario!!! Does the hill have a Terrain Park? Searchmont Resort's Terrain Park is located on our main slope.  You'll find boxes, rails, rollers, and jumps located throughout the park. Some of our locals often build jib parks at the bottom of Champs too. Is the hill groomed? Most of our terrain is groomed.  We have a few runs that never see the tiller or blade of a groomer.  After a heavy snowfall, if you're lucky, you'll find some ungroomed powder runs for your enjoyment. How do I get to the hill?  Travel north of Sault Ste. Marie (Highway 17 North) and turn onto Hwy 556 at Heyden.  Follow this highway for 29 kms and you will find Searchmont Resort.  There is directional signage at Highway 556 and also at the 3km mark from Searchmont Resort.  What time do you open?  Our slopes open at 9:30am daily and our main lodge opens at 9:00am daily.  All /services hours of operation. Photo Credits: Google Images

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Foodspotting

Selling real estate is more than finding the perfect home for that amazing family.  It's also about building relationships and making Clients satisfied with all kinds of information about their cities, towns, villages and neighborhoods.  One of the most important things about our lives as humans, is food. Yes! Food!  Delicious food and where to eat it. So I am embarking on a fun experiment called Foodspotting for our region up here in the Soo.  Hope you enjoy! 

Here is my Foodspotting page.

Like A Hawke

Keen vision, soaring high above the crowd;  sharp and intuitive. The hawk.  Wouldn't it be fun to play on this with my name, Susan Hawke, and share interesting things about our area?  Stay tuned to my blog and Facebook page for great area info! - A great place to live, work and visit!

UPDATE: Here is my NEW Tumblr! Go HERE.

Photo Credit:  Angela Romano is a Travel Counsellor at the Sault Ste. Marie Ontario Travel Information Centre. 

Pop of Colour

Accessorizing your home by injecting small 'pops' of your favorite colour makes your house unforgettable and happy!  

Hope you are having fun this week getting ready for Santa! Please stop by my new Facebook page and should you know of anyone looking to buy or sell, here is my professional listings page.

Photos via Dust Jacket via Fresh Home

Free Holiday Gift Tags Printables

Thank You to Hey Look who posted today:
There are so many awesome freebies out there this year. We've selected a few of our favorite gift tag sets, wrapping papers and more. All free printables created by lovely bloggers for all of you to enjoy!

And if none of these catch your fancy, check out our round-ups from last year: - Hey Look

Colorful gift tags & More free holiday printables

Please LIKE my new Facebook Page. Thank You!

10 Reasons To Stage Your Home

1. You Will Make More Money

2.  Your House Will Sell Faster which = More Money and Less Headache and Stress

3. The Cost of Staging Doesn’t Cost A Dime (Because you'll make more money than you invest)

4. Most Home Sellers Cannot View Their House Objectively

5. Your online photos will stand-out amongst the competition

6. Only 10% of Homebuyers Can Visualize the Potential of a Home

7. The Longer Your Home is on the Market, the Lower the Price Will Be, so STAGE FIRST!


8. This can be really fun!

9. Leaving Your House in “AS IS” Condition Will Only Help Sell the Competition

10. You Can Relax

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Staging techniques focus on improving a property's appeal by transforming it into a welcoming, attractive product that anyone might want.
     

New Home Decor Ideas 2013

If you are one to follow trends and themes, you’ll know that just like the rest of our lives, home décor seeks change and updates. Looking for new ways to refresh home in the New Year? Country Living indicates that a new set of colours will be making their way into our homes in 2013.  You can expect to see everything from subtle earthy green’s and blue’s to vibrant yellows and purples. Bold patterns such as chevron will also be making an appearance across all items in the home – from accent pillows to rugs to blinds. Even our walls will embrace this trend.

Old seems to be new again as interior designers look to the 50’s, 60’s, and 80’s for inspiration. Note: ‘vintage’ = trendy. With that in mind, you’ll notice that the infamous art deco style  will be making yet another comeback, but this time with a twist.

Finally, if your kitchen seeks attention and is in need of an upgrade – think ‘eco-friendly’. These items are now easily accessible and are no longer hard to come by. The best part of all, you’ll have your guests fooled into believing that they are just like any other product made from regular plastic!

Please view my current listings here.

Photo Credit

Mortgage Payment Calculator

Mortgage payment calculator

 

mortgage calculator by 

Giant Fish and Canada Goose!

We have some interesting tourist stops in our area! Excellent for photo-ops!

Have you seen my current listings? HERE they are.

Please LIKE my Facebook Page. Thank You!

Photo Credit

Instagram Power in Real Estate

I love Instagram! Instagram is great for showcasing great images from your listing and to attract potential buyers I also share photos of the neighborhood, nearby parks, schools, landscaping, outdoor spaces, amenities and more (and don’t forget I share the images on my other social networks as well!) Essentially it’s a virtual collage that reflects your lifestyle and attracts others to your home. A powerful tool for real estate success! 

Please view my current listings here.

Home Fragrance - Simmering Potpourri

Simmering potpourri is a lovely way to make your home smell warm and inviting, especially during the holiday season when you use fragrant spices like cinnamon and cloves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a piece of tinfoil (a few inches wide), pour a teaspoon of vanilla on top and place the foil in the oven. Turn off oven and prop the door open a bit.

or simmer these ingredients. (CAUTION: Never leave a simmering pot unattended)

3 sprigs evergreen or handful pine needles
2 cinnamon sticks
2 TBS whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 pieces orange rind
2 pieces lemon rind
Chunks of fresh apple
water or apple cider

simmer in a pot on the stove or on top of a wood stove

Other ideas:
2 cups dried rosemary
2 cups dried lavender
1 cup dried eucalyptus leaves
1/2 cup dried peppermint or spearmint
1/2 cup dried bay leaves

1 cup dried lavender leaves
4 cups dried rose petals
1 tsp. anise seed
1 TBS ground nutmeg
1 TBS whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick 

Photo Credit

Selling Your Home During Christmas

Late November and into December is a great time to list and sell your house!

Here's Why:

1. Serious buyers have more time off to check listings online or drive around their desired neighborhoods.

2. Less Competition. Fewer homes are on the market. This is good for you!

3. A home decorated for Christmas showcases a 'happy home' and makes the potential buyers 'feel' the holiday season of your property. They imagine themselves living there next year!

4. I am still working to serve you!

(Here are my current listings!)

5. Buyers respect the season and will book convenient, mindful appointments.

6. Listing over Christmas positions you for a great Spring.

7. Extra money for the inconvenience. Buyers may be willing to pay a little more because they have fewer choices.

Please contact me today to list or view homes!

Susan

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

Sault Ste. Marie "Soo Saint Marie" is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump"or "rapids" in French, and thus the entire name translates to "Saint Mary's Rapids" or "Saint Mary's Falls". Although the word sault is pronounced like "so" (soʊ) in French, it is pronounced like "soo" (suː) in the English pronunciation of the city name. Residents of the city are called Saultites. 

Please LIKE my professional Facebook page to stay up to date on Real Estate in the Soo.

Visit City of Sault Ste. Marie Website