The Little Things

                                  

Sometimes the smallest things can turn out to be some of the most important. Recently, I had a property listed for sale.  It seemed like a no-brainer to sell in the current La Grande market.  It was a great buy for the price range. It was in the price range ($135,000) that is in the bull’s-eye of buying activity.  It had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a partial basement with a family room and a big yard. The seller was even going to leave the play structure! Everything seemed to indicate that this house would be sold quickly and the owner could move on to Portland to the new job and life would be good for them.  Everything went according to plan.  We got an offer in the first 60 days of having it on the market. Not just an offer, but a really good offer from pre-qualified buyers.  The owner was ready to pack his bags and wave good bye to La Grande.  Told ya! What a great real estate agent I presumed myself to be.  The home inspection was ordered and we all assumed it would pass with flying colors. After all, this house is in great shape and there very little that could go wrong, right? Wrong.

Out of the blue, the seller and I got slugged right in the gut (figuratively, of course!) as we read through the paperwork informing us the buyers had unconditionally withdrawn from the transaction, citing the inspection as the reason. As with any transaction that fails because of an inspection, the report was delivered to us to review.  The home inspection indicated there was water in the crawl space under the house.  Not a huge issue, but something we needed to address in order for the bank to loan on the house.  Then we saw the notes in the report about a substantial wet spot in the carpet on the floor of the basement family room. NOW we started to worry a little.  What the heck is causing that? Then, we read on into the report as the inspector described a large break/crack in the foundation wall and he advised the buyer to get a structural engineer’s opinion.  That was enough for the buyers.  They walked away from an otherwise beautiful home, and rightfully so.  I certainly would have advised them to do the same.

After the seller and I gathered ourselves and got over the shock of the report, we began pondering the potential cause.  The house looks so good.  It’s super clean. The paint is fresh. This appears to be a model home and yet we lost a great deal and had an inspector tell someone to get a structural engineer.  Those things can be the kiss of death when trying to sell a home.  We contacted a building contractor to look at the house and give us an opinion of what caused this.  Do you know what the problem was? You’ll NEVER guess…  The cause of the problem was a missing elbow at the bottom of the rain gutter downspout! Really? That little thing that got thrown off when the seller hit it with his lawn mower?  Really?  Yes, really.  The downspout had been draining water straight down the side of the house and it was running into the ground right next to the foundation wall.  Over time, along with the hot and cold of the seasons, the foundation broke and started letting water into the crawl space, which in turn soaked the carpet in the family room downstairs.  It all could have been prevented with a $3.00 downspout elbow.

 Don’t let this be you.  Fall means more rain.  More rain and falling leaves. Check your gutters for clogs from leaves and visually inspect them to make sure they are all there and working properly.  If they aren’t, get ‘em fixed!  It’s usually not costly and will prevent disasters like this one.

Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Home's Showing Power

People always ask, “What can I do to make my property worth more if I decide to sell?”  The answer is not always so easy.  I usually respond with, “It depends.”  It does.  It depends on many things that can affect what I recommend.  I do have a few things I always look for and have tried to put these into a “Top 5” list of things that will add value.  I’m sure this list will not be perfect, but it’s a good start.  Here we go:

1)      Do you have only one bath?  If so, look at your floor plan and see if there is a place to add a second bath, or even a half bath.  For the money it costs, especially when you have some skills to do the work on your own, this is of good value when selling.  A second bath is important to most people with families, people who want families and even empty-nesters that want room for guests.  For the cost, this is a great way to add to your selling price.

2)      What is the first thing you notice about a house?  If you notice it, others will notice it too, good or bad.  Most likely that would be the front of the house, whether from the photo on MLS or from a drive by.  A lot of people make decisions on whether to see a home by their first impression. We call this “curb appeal.”  There are several ways to improve curb appeal. Check the landscaping and spruce it up where it needs it. Trim the hedges, mow the lawn, kill the weeds.  Look at the paint. Is it looking rough?  Is the house dirty? Making the front of the house look like a home that people love is a big advantage when selling.

3)      Walk in your front door.  What do you notice? Does it smell? Is it cluttered?  It’s important to be realistic about what you notice because buyers certainly will be.  The first impression of the interior of your home will be as important as the curb appeal.  Buyers will decide whether they want to see the rest of the house based on their first impression.  If it stinks, maybe you need to deal with your cat.  Maybe the carpet needs to be replaced. Figure out what it is and fix it!  Clutter is easy to fix. Don’t get caught with the attitude of “I live here. They can deal with how I live.”  Until it is sold, you need to live in a way that sells the house, even if it isn't very comfortable. Make it as easy as possible for buyers to imagine themselves in the space.

4)      Kitchens are a big deal to most buyers.  Look at yours. Is it dated?  Does it need a thorough cleaning? Are there dirty dishes piled in the sink? Are the counter tops cluttered? Are the cupboards organized? Buyers will open cabinetry. Clutter is indicative of limited space, so take the time to clear out excess and organize! If it’s dated, maybe think about changing the hardware and/or painting the cabinets. Don’t remodel it to sell it. The cost is prohibitive related to the return. Do simple things and make it look brighter and clean!

5)      Does it look well maintained inside?  Clean things up! That’s free. Look around. Are the blinds dirty? If so, clean ‘em.  Are there dirty hand prints around the door casings?  Paint ‘em. Did the dog scratch up the wall by the back door?  Fix it.  Those little things will add up to much more interest for a buyer.  People want to think a home has been taken care of. It creates comfort.  Comfort creates offers.

Follow these few tips and you will sell your house for more money than if you left it alone.  If they are already done, good for you!  You are light years ahead of the competition. 

Stockshow Parade Fun!

It's that time again ! We have a mere ten days before summer officially begins, but it feels like it's in full swing already. This past weekend was jam packed full of local events, including the ever-popular Eastern Oregon Livestock Show. Christy took it upon herself to be the creative mastermind behind our float this year, and did a wonderful job. 

Our float took second place! 

It was hot, but seeing the smiling faces of all the kids chasing after candy was more than worth every minute in the sun!

Busy Spring

Our Wonderful Team

RE/MAX Real Estate Team has had an incredible spring! The real estate business is booming and our agents are busy busy busy helping community members buy and sell homes.

Randy and Shawna hard at work

We are coming up on the festive summer season, which in Union county, means parades, fairs, farmer's market, and countless other fun community events. RE/MAX Real Estate Team has been actively planning for some of these very fun things. Here's a sneak peek at where you'll find us this summer:

• 3 Rivers Race Against Domestic Violence (this coming weekend!)
• Eastern Oregon Livestock Show
• CASA Duck Derby at Riverside Park
• July 4th Fireworks Show at Community Stadium
• Farmer's Market
• Union County Fair

This spring, we partnered with La Grande's Farmer's Market to bring you Chef at the Market - a weekly recipe demonstration presented by local food enthusiasts. Volunteer chefs will show you how to prepare a recipe using many fresh, farmer's market ingredients. If you haven't had a chance, make your way to Max Square in downtown La Grande this Saturday to see the RE/MAX Real Estate Team sponsored Chef at the Market booth in action and sample some of the delicious fare. Click here to view the past week's recipes.

We look forward to a full and fun summer season. Cheers to barbecues, days at the river, and living in beautiful Eastern Oregon!

A New Year

It's been a while since our last post, so there is a lot of catch-up to play! Perhaps the biggest change to our office is the addition of Amanda May as our new office manager. Amanda and her husband are natives of Union County and love the community! They bought their first home from Shawna in 2009, and since then have been busy finishing school and settling into life together. They had their daughter Eilie in 2011 and are expecting baby #2 this coming June. She joined our team in November and has been hard at work ever since!

We had an especially busy holiday season this year. We put on our annual Tree of Giving to benefit displaced youth in Union County and it was a smashing success! We had clients and community members sponsor individual students this year and everyone really stepped up to make a difference for the kids. From bikes to books and everywhere in between, we were able to fulfill many wishes and bless the youth in our community. It was amazing to take part in such an incredible outpouring. Thank you again for your support in that event!

We had some fun getting into the Christmas spirit with our Christmas Light Contest. Being our first year, we didn't have quite the participation we had hoped, but we still had entries worthy of the great prizes we offered. Congratulations again to the Schwehrs from North Powder for your first place entry! We hope you enjoyed your $100 visa gift card!

The end of the 2012 and beginning of 2013 were jam-packed with year-end office work and our agents were hard at work to close sales before year's end. It paid off! We had our biggest year in sales since we opened in 2002! Congratulations to our wonderful agents for such a prosperous year.

This past Friday, we had our annual office party. Our team enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Joe and Sugars, gifts, prizes, and great company. Thank you to Wayla Chadwick: the prime rib was especially tasty!

We have a lot of fun coming up: look for news about our upcoming spaghetti feed and other fun community events!

The Celtic Festival and Highland Games Re-cap

Did you attend the Celtic Festival and Highland Games last weekend? Randy and Shawna did and they had tons of fun. It was extremely well organized and the turn out was great! They liked sitting in the grass enjoying the weather and listening to the outstanding music. They were also super impressed by all the games. They were so fun to watch and took a lot of strength- it was no bean bag toss! Shawna's favorite game to watch featured competitors throwing large, heavy logs as far as they could. The food was also very good, Shawna enjoyed the hummus plate- her favorite food! If you didn't get a chance to make it out, you must plan to attend next year!

 

Fair Fun!

This year for the fair we set up a pinterest-like booth with all kinds of flyers on how to do many projects on your own! Also, each agent in the office did their own project so we could have some projects on display.

Patty's project was How To Make Painter's Drop Cloth Curtains.

This is what the final product looked like after we made a few minor adjustments to the booth!

While Shawna was manning the booth on Wednesday night Randy went over to the main stage and watched the Wasteland Kings perform!

We hope everyone had as much fun at the Union County Fair as we did!

Bragging Rights...

Haley ran her first half marathon this weekend! She ran in the Catherine Creek Classic. The finish line was at Union high school where she caught the shuttle bus to the starting line 13.1 miles away. The race course followed Catherine Creek along Medical Springs Highway back to Union. Haley finished in under 2 hours- which is an awesome time! We are pretty proud of her around the office, she definitely gets bragging rights!

Riding the bus to the starting line.

Pre Race

Post Race

While Haley was running, Bob was fishing! Bob went on a fishing trip toYellowstone for his son's 40th birthday. He has never been fly fishing before, but he caught the most and the biggest fish out of his group! He also has bragging rights here in the office!

Bob's son- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A huge thank you to all who stopped by our fair booth this weekend- it was a success! Pictures of the Union County Fair will be up soon!

Hurricane Creek

This past weekend, Monica and her husband Barry hiked along Hurricane Creek in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. This is a perfect hike for beginners or someone who can't commit to an overnight trip and the views were phenomenal!  To get to the Hurricane Creek Trailhead from Enterprise you just turn on Hurricane Creek Road off of Main Street and follow it out to the trailhead, about 7.5 miles. If you are in Joseph you can head West on Airport Road for 1.5 miles, turn left on Hurricane Creek Road and follow it out to the trailhead. You have the option to camp near the trailhead or just park and make a day trip out of it. Either way the cost is $5 per day, so don't forget your cash!

Monica and Barry just hiked to Slick Rock which is about 6 miles there and back. After about .5 miles on the trail there is a side trip to the right that leads to a lovely waterfall and it's worth the extra steps! After that you can head back to the trail and move on to Slick Rock. Along the way there are some amazing views of Hurricane Creek, Joseph Mountain, the face of Sacajawea Peak and many waterfalls. At one point you do have to cross Falls Creek- but there is a sturdy log across it right now that even a beginner could use as a bridge. At around 3 miles the trail does three switchbacks and at the top you can see the gorge below and it was so pretty Monica and Barry almost stopped here for lunch but if you go just a little further you arrive at Slick Rock where you can view the gorge below and a waterfall above you and this makes a great lunch spot! You can continue on from there to Echo Lake, climb to the top of Slick Rock Falls, or call it a day and head back.

Afterwards, Barry and Monica went on to Wallowa Lake and rented a boat, road bikes, swam, did some more hiking, and spent 2 nights camping. We are so lucky to have so many activities so close to us here in Union County!

A Weekend Wall

The sun is shining and the temperature is warming up...this could only mean one thing: yard work. Monica and her husband, Barry tackled a little front yard fix up this past weekend. Armed with no experience, basic tools- some of which they had to  borrow from the neighbor, some garage sale blocks, and YouTube on their iPhones they set out to build  a small retaining wall to contain the little hill that was their front yard. It's true what they say, leveling the first layer of blocks is the most important step- the level became their BFF.

Before

During

After

After

They plan to lay sod in front of the wall and do the same thing on the other side of the yard! Here are some resources they found helpful:

http://www.dannylipford.com/how-to-build-a-stackable-block-retaining-wall/

Yee-Haw!

 

Last weekend Haley carried flags at the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show and had a great time! Haley said she learned a lot about a new kind of riding that she had never done before! Hope everyone is out and about enjoying this great weather this weekend! 

On the Run...

Last Saturday Haley participated in her first 12K in Spokane, WA! Here is a little re-cap of her experience:

I participated in Bloomsday May 6^th.  It was my first experience not only with Bloomsday itself, but an organized run as well.  This year there were over 48,000 participants that lined the downtown streets of Spokane for the 12K run.  As I was climbing Doomsday hill, a long hill about 5 miles into the race, I experienced something that made the whole trip worthwhile.  I was running up the hill but may better be described as crawling thinking to myself that the hill would never end.  I was contemplating walking on and off thinking I was so tired.  About half way up the hill cheering got loud and I looked up to see to my left a gentleman in a wheelchair 100% focused on making it to the top of the hill.  His face alone was inspirational as his determination was very apparent, but then I noticed his entire arms and back was covered in blood.  It was apparent that he had wrecked earlier in the race but that wasn’t enough to stop him.  I instantly felt ridiculous for feeling sorry for myself as I climbed Doomsday, and felt more compassion for this amazing individual.  I am sure he wasn’t just an inspiration to me, but the other 48,000 participants as well!

Don’t forget the 3 Rivers Race is coming up in La Grande on June 2^nd! It has something for everybody including a 10K for runners and walkers, a half marathon for runners and family bikers and a 70 mile and century bike ride for teams and individuals. In addition to great food and entertainment waiting for you at the end prizes will be given out for money raised, and first place individuals and teams. Maybe you will get to see Haley in action on June 2^nd!

Register for the 3 Rivers Race Here!

Spaghetti Feed Recap

The RE/MAX Crew

Thank you so much to all of you who attended The Angel Fund Spaghetti Feed last night! With the the help of the community we raised $1,253! All of the money raised last night goes to The Angel Fund. The Angel Fund supports homeless and unaccompanied youth in Union County. This fund helps fund Loaves and Fishes, provides toiletries, short term shelter, clothing, and assists with the Friday Back Pack Program. The event ran smoothly thanks to all of the volunteers and sponsors who helped us out! A special shout out goes to the other sponsors: Safeway, Coke, KCMB, The Observer, and the Peterson Family. It was fun to get to see so many friendly faces last night and to catch up! We really do appreciated the community coming together for a worthy cause. Remember the words of Dr. Seuss, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lost, nothing is going to get better. It's not."  Here are some photos from last night! Have a lovely weekend!

Dear Union County,

We couldn't do this without you! Thank you so much for you continued support...

LOCAL BROKERS RECEIVE AWARDS 

RE/MAX Real Estate Team is pleased to announce that five of their brokers have earned prestigious awards from RE/MAX International LLC.

Haley Hines, Principal Broker and Shawna McKinnis, Principal Broker/Owner each earned the 100% award.  To be awarded this  honor a broker must meet certain production standards.  Hines assisted over 30 families with their real estate needs and sold over 5 million dollars in real estate in 2011.  McKinnis sold well over 4 million dollars and assisted 30 families.

Randy McKinnis, Broker/Owner, Sharron Langdon, Broker and Ron Smith, Broker were awarded the Executive Award after meeting requirements set by RE/MAX International LLC.  McKinnis and Langdon each closed over 3 million dollars and each assisted over 20 families meet their real estate needs. Smith closed nearly 20 transactions and 2.5 million dollars in real estate.

“Our Brokers work hard to make sure our client’s needs come first,”  commented Shawna McKinnis, Principal Broker/Owner.  “We all work hard to be educated to the best of our ability in order to assist our clients and know that strong ethical standards are imperative in our business.  Being recognized for that hard work is something that we all appreciate and don’t take lightly.”

To contact a RE/MAX Real Estate Team Broker you can stop by the office at 2106 Island Ave, La Grande or call 541-963-1000.

A Ladd Marsh Adventure + Office Project Update!!

Have you ever been out to Ladd Marsh? Sharron took a walk Sunday afternoon and enjoyed the beautiful weather at Ladd Marsh. The Nature Walk Trail is about a mile long and is accessible to the public off of Foothill Road. You can check it out by taking the Foothill Road exit and go left like your heading toward North Powder and it is right across from the freeway on your left. Sharron took along her dog and her hubby for a fun afternoon outing in the sunshine! She snapped us this pretty picture while she was there.

If you haven't made it out to Imbler lately, Randy took this picture of the new elementary school that is being built for us! They are making some progress!

In office news, over the next two months one of the regular sources for the Shelter from the Storm food bank will be significantly short - causing the shelter to have a big shortfall for their food bank over the next few months. We are going to hold a food drive over the next few weeks and you can drop donations at our office! There are many women beginning their lives over who rely on this for short term assistance. While you’re in you can also purchase your tickets for The Angel Fund spaghetti feed, which takes place Thursday, April 5th, 5-7:30pm. You can of course buy tickets at the door if you don't make it in to see us. If you can't make it for dinner you can also drop off any donation at RE/MAX Real Estate Team for The Angel Fund. The Angel Fund is a fund that assists unaccompanied and homeless youth in OUR community! Last year we raised a whopping $3,399! Any donation you’re willing to make for either of these projects we are taking on would be greatly appreciated!

 

We hope everyone is having or had a wonderful spring break! If you’re looking for ways to fill your days off, add the Nature Walk Trail to your list of to dos!

Randy's Handy Work!

Be sure to check out the 4-H auction March 24th and 25th! Randy made this adorable children's potting bench and donated it to the auction! The 4-H Radio Auction is the Union County 4-H Leaders Associations only fund raiser for the year. All proceeds from the auction are used to support the 4-H program. To learn more about the auction and to preview items click here!

March Madness is here!

If your a basketball fan, then look no further than your own back yard for your March madness fix! Randy and Shawna headed over to Baker yesterday to catch 1A boy's quarterfinals action! The 1A boy's basketball state tournament is continues through tomorrow in Baker! Check out the bracket here: http://w3.osaa.org/scorecenter/bbx/11-12/brackets/details/1A

Randy and Shawna cheered on Imbler!

EOU men's and women's basketball teams both made it to the NAIA national basketball tournament. The women will be headed to Sioux City, Iowa and the men to Point Look Out, Missouri. The women play in the first round against Ave Maria (Fla.) at 8:15am on Wednesday, March 7th. The men play against Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) Thursday, March 8th at 7:15pm. Watch parties will be organized on campus to watch both games for free. Watch 365 Things to do in Union County for room assignments on campus for the watch parties.

Happy March!

Sugar high for a cause!

Friday night the EOU athletic department had their annual "Pink Out" game. It's a great event that raises awareness for breast cancer. Many local businesses had booths in the lobby of Quinn, prizes were given away, there were fundraisers, and of course RE/MAX was there pushing sugar! RE/MAX hosted a delicious dessert silent auction! All of the proceeds from the auction go towards CHD to provide mammograms for local, uninsured women. The turnout was amazing and we can't thank our community enough for supporting not only a worthy cause, but something that will benefit women right here in our community! We ended up raising $220 for CHD! 

To cap off the already great evening, both the men's and women's basketball teams won their games against Warner Pacific! Catch first round CCC tournament action tonight, February 22nd, at Quinn as the EOU men take on Corban College. 7pm.

We will now leave you with some drool worthy dessert pictures:

Roll Back to the 70's

Randy and Shawna went to the EOU basketball games last weekend. It was 70's night at Quinn and they loved the music and seeing all of the students dressed up! Tonight both teams travel to Corban College. The women play at 5:30 p.m. and the men play at 7:30 p.m. You can listen to the assistant athletic director, Barry Henderson, at EOU call the games tonight and tomorrow night on 98.7 FM! Tune in to hear both teams play some great basketball!

A little fun in the mountains!

Doesn't this look like a blast? Haley and her husband Nic spent the weekend in Halfway with friends snowmobiling! We hope that you were able to spend the weekend having fun with your family and friends!