Pressed 4 Time Dry Cleaning Service

Do you hate running errands?  Me too!  Why not sign up for the Pressed 4 Time Dry Cleaning Service at our office???  It’s fantastic and is convenient and easy to use.  Simply drop off your garments in your Pressed 4 Time Valet Bag on Tuesday and they will be delivered back to our office on Friday.  You can pick them up in the closet across from the large conference room.  It’s just that simple.  See Nancy Schafer for details.

Stress Free Holiday Entertaining!

The holiday’s are upon us and to insure an enjoyable time, follow the tips below.

November Tips:
• Plan ahead. A few organizing steps now, can save you stress, time and money when the holidays actually arrive. For example, if your sending Holiday cards, is your card list up to date? If you are including a photo, have you taken or chosen a picture yet?
• Have you made this year’s lists? Gift list? Teacher appreciations? Entertaining list(s), see below.
• If entertaining, consider your date, create a guest list and menus now, and you will give yourself more time for the details. (What serving dishes & utensils will be used. What about table decorations? Menu prep time line. Ex. Make salad at 3pm, rolls in oven at 5:45pm, etc. Will you need to rearrange furniture for guests and food tables.)
• Save money. Create or have a budget in mind so you can stay within it.
• Save time. Shop on line, when possible or check department store websites. Try shopping at one store to get as many gifts as possible. Many stores will match website prices.
• Make a list of gifts you have received and who gave them to you. Sometimes it may be OK to re-gift if you know for sure who gave it to you. Be sure to keep the name of the person who gave it to you and keep it with the gift.
• Make a wrapping station: Some items to include are wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tape, scissors, to/from tags, boxes, gift bags, etc.
• Create a Holiday Binder that can be updated from year to year. This could include gift lists, gift ideas, holiday card info, previous holiday recipes, menus served at parties and what items were most popular, gift receipts, on-line ordering info, and more.

If you still feel overwhelmed or would like assistance, we can help with the following:
- Unpacking & setting up holiday decorations
- Holiday party preparations
- Organize all areas of home for ease of entertaining and cooking
- Create a wrapping station
- Home staging-arrange furniture for optimal conversation and flow of parties
- Organize and pack up holiday decorations

NOT SURE WHERE TO START? TRY A FREE CONSULTATION.
If you would like to find out how organizing and Feng Shui can help you, contact Melanie Stokes at 502.417.7123 and schedule a FREE 30 minute phone session to evaluate your needs and to see how we can help you.

Closings, Listings, Commissions!

One of the greatest things about being in the real estate business is the day that you get your commission check. But in order for you to get that check you must go through the dreaded paper work. While there is probably not one person in this office that would wear an “I love paper work” t-shirt it is a necessary evil when you want to get paid.

But here is the good news, while the paper work is tedious and awful RE/MAX Properties East Sales  and Listing office is staffed with two lovely and very knowledgeable ladies that can answer all your questions, help you through the paperwork and get you a check within 30 minutes.

Jamie Banks and Jeannean Cochran are the two smiling faces that you will see in the Sales and Listing office. Both ladies have over five years of experience and both can help you with any question or problem that may arise. Their focus is on meeting a quick turn-around time on processing your commissions.

Here are some need-to-knows when heading to the Sales and Listing office

• Hours of Operation  are from 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday-Friday
• Fridays are usually our busiest days as we stop preparing checks at 4:30 every day in order to close the books for the day
• Cover Sheets are the colored forms, located outside the Sales and Listing office, and are to be used when submitting contracts or closings. *Please note there are no cover sheets for listings
• The gold sheet is to be completed with your contract and placed in the top slot of the  wall box.*Please note the checklist at the bottom of the page and check off which forms are with your packet  at the time it is turned in
• Jamie and Jeannean will go through the packet and check the documents. *Please note that anything missing will receive a pink slip or maybe highlighted and the packet will be placed back in your mailbox
• You can request your good faith deposit prior to closing by submitting an Escrow Request form, which can be found outside the Sales and Listing office door, or sending us an email to salesdepartment@4256000.com.
• The Sales and Listing office cannot return the Escrow deposit until it has been in the bank for 10 days. It is very important that you turn in the Good Faith deposit within 3 days of acceptance of a contract. *Failure to turn in the deposit timely may result in the deposit being deducted from your commission check at closing
• Blue cover sheets are for closings. Place the blue cover sheet along with a copy of the closing statement (HUD1) and your check in the wall box
• Again please make sure you have turned in all the needed documents prior to your closing as this will enable the Sales and Listing office to produce your commission check within 30 minutes
• The more accurate and detailed oriented you are the faster the packet can be processed

 

If you have any other questions or concerns or just want to say hello please stop by the Sales and Listing office.

Clothes Closet Audit

It is a good time for a periodic purge of clothes as a new season is coming upon us!
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you look at your clothes closets:

September Tips:
1.Keep what you love and actually wear, not what you MIGHT use someday.  
  Consider doing this: Turn all the hangars from back to front. Each time you wear something, turn the
   Hangar around. After 12 months get rid of any clothes still hanging in the wrong direction.
2. Pack away seasonal clothes, making more room for what you are currently wearing.
3. Consider donating or selling items you can part with, see below for consignments locations.
4. Keep donation box very accessible so when you have a garment to donate it can be put there immediately.
5. Containerize similar accessories such as scarves, bathing suits and use colorful or attractive containers.
6. Use wood, plastic or sturdy hangars, making a neat cohesive look.
7. When you buy something new, get rid of something old.
8. Use your vertical space efficiently, consider hooks, hangars, shelves, etc.
9. Keep loose items off floor by using shoe racks and baskets.
10.Once your closet looks good, remember it needs to be maintained on a regular basis!
 
Most consignment shops are now accepting fall clothing:
Women’s Clothing
Judy’s Finest Consignments – 245-5425
11602 Main St., Middletown
50/50 split, if more than $200, 55/45 split
(No more than 2-3 years old, on hangars, no spots)
 
Margaret’s – 896-4706
2700 Frankfort Ave.
Louisville, KY
50/50 split
(On hangars, high end clothing)
 
Sunny Daize – 244-5580
11809 Shelbyville
45-you/55–them, $5-season fee
Sizes 0-3x, on hangars

If you are overwhelmed by the task, don’t worry. We are here to help.

NOT SURE WHERE TO START? TRY A FREE CONSULTATION.
If you would like to find out how organizing and Feng Shui can help you, contact Melanie Stokes at 502.417.7123
and schedule a FREE 30 minute phone consultation to evaluate your needs and to see how we can help you.

 

Nancy’s Tips

We have several new agents that have come on board recently and so it’s always a good idea to send out reminders to all our agents of ways we may be able to serve you. So here’s a couple of tips.

1) You can receive your General and Agent Bills either via print and placed in your mailbox or emailed directly to you. Just send me an email and I can change your profile.

2) The Tax Man always seems to find us so if you would like to have money set aside for your taxes we can help you do so. Once you complete the application with Greg Hang of Touchstone you can then just fill out the blue sheet when you turn in your closing. We can deduct either a dollar amount or a percentage of your commission. It’s just that easy!

3) If you would like to contribute to the Children’s Miracle Network out of each closing we can set you up. It’s typically a $25 donation and a great closing gift to your clients. A letter will be sent to your client stating you have made a donation in their honor.

Contact Nancy Schafer at X 124 if you would like to take advantage of any of the suggestions.

Get More Business & Increase Your Income!

Catching yourself coming & going?

Not enough hours in the day?

Congratulations!

That means your business is booming…

Carol can help!!!

 

          Let our transaction coordinator, Carol (ext. 252), help eliminate

some of that stress by handling the multitude of paperwork and  phone calls

associated with closing your transactions.

 

            Call or visit Carol to learn how she can give you more time in your day.

How you use that time is up to you…

RELAX & ENJOY

or

GET MORE BUSINESS & INCREASE YOUR INCOME

This is what you can have for only $35.00 Set-Up Fee

 

Property Address___________________________________________________

Seller(s)___________________________________________________________

Agent____________________Mobile___________________________________ VM__________________E-mail_______________________________________

Choose One:

            □  Manila Folder or Printed Folder

 

Agent Provides:

            □  MLS agreement

            □  Agency disclosure form

            □  Consumer Bulletin

            □  Property disclosure

            □  Lead based paint disclosure

            □  Photos

           

Check any of the following you’d like completed:

            □  Listing entered in GLAR

            □  Load disclosures on GLAR

            □  Pull tax records                                                               

            □  Neighborhood schools                                                    

            □  Flood zone determination                                               

            □  Paperwork turned into accounting                               

            □  File delivered to agent                                                     

            □  Add listing to homefeedback.com                                 

            □  Feature sheet                                   

 

National Do Not Call Number

 

To prevent recieving sales calls from telemarketers, call the following number from your cell phone:

888-382-1222

 

It is the NATIONAL DO NOT CALL LIST.  It will only take a minute of your time.  It blocks your number for five (5) years.  You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked.  You cannot call from a different phone number. 

 

May Organizing Tips

Organizing your closet is the kind of chore that you
can constantly find excuses to avoid. In fact, it’s
such an undertaking that it usually takes a traumatic
event, like having the closet collapse before you
actually get to it. But where to begin?http://www.intuitiveliving.net

1) Sort by season. If you have the luxury of extra
space, put your out-of-season clothing in plastic bins
and covered hanging racks and store it in a separate
area of your house or apartment. If you don’t have the
space outside of your closet then place the
out-of-season items towards the back of the closet and
have the current seasonal items up front where you can
access them.

2) Sort by color. The reason to organize your closet
is not just to make space but to be able find the
clothes you want. It’s so frustrating searching for an
item of clothing that has gotten lost in the “black
hole” of disorganization. Organize by garment type and
color. In other words, keep all shirts hanging
together arranged by color. Do the same for skirts,
jackets and so forth.   

3) Shoes, shoes and more shoes. If you are a woman the
issue is where are you going to put all your shoes?
Shoes take up more space than you think. There are a
variety of shoe storage systems. Depending on your
needs there are bins that hang from your clothes rod
that will hold 10 or 20 pair of shoes. Check out the
pre-built wooden systems that can be placed under
short hanging items. And use individual plastic shoe
bins for storing out-of-season shoes that you won’t be
wearing for a while.

NOT SURE WHERE TO START? TRY A FREE CONSULTATION.
If you would like to find out how organizing and Feng
Shui can help you, contact Melanie Stokes at
502.417.7123 and schedule a FREE 30 minute phone
session to evaluate your needs and to see how we can
help you.

Melanie J. Stokes
Intuitive Living
Feng Shui & Organizing Solutions
502.417.7123

8 Tips to Save you Time and Money

Here are just a few quick tips that will help you build up an advertising budget or can help you budget your market funds more efficiently.

1.  Look for items that you can live without both personally and professionally.  (Go through your credit card and really evaluate whether it is “nice to have” or “have to have.”  For me, a cleaning lady is a must have and Barnes and Nobles books are nice to have.  You’ll be amazed at how much money you save once you get started!

2.  Go through all your magazine subscriptions and only renew those you absolutely must have.  We all know we have stacks of magazines that go unread from year to year.

3.  Do you have multiple phone lines at home?  Now that we have Scanning and E-FAX do you really need them?  Consider downsizing or going pure cellular.

4.   Consider taking a Dave Ramsey approach to your spending.  You’ll be glad when you’re debt free and the weight has been taken off your shoulders.  You sleep better too…

5.  Since many REALTORS have multiple listings at the moment, consider choosing one home that is “featured” on the front of the postcard and include the other listings on the back.  I saw one postcard recently that had 6-7 listings on the back of the postcard with basic information.  The agent was able to showcase all her listings with just one mailing.  You can’t get more efficient than that and your sellers are happy too!

6.  Consider an e-newsletter that goes out to your base.  Include a couple of articles that you’d like your sphere to read and get other businesses to co-market within the newsletter as well (interior decorators, lawn and garden, or your favorite hobby or philanthropic that you believe in.)  Really personalize it with some fun pictures and and they’ll read your newsletter every time!  Rachel can easily set up a newsletter for you in Creative Marketing.  Send her the content and you’re ready to go.  A very inexpensive tool in between sending out postcards.

7.  Don’t forget the Lowe’s discount cards.  See Rachel in Creative Marketing to get yourself set up.

8.  Make sure that ALL your potential leads are on a drip email campaign.  It has been proven over and over again that leads will eventually buy so keep your name out in front of them.