Childproofing...

The topic of childproofing has been on my mind for a couple of weeks.  You see, I'm going to be an aunt for a second time this year.  My brother and his wife are expecting their first child within the month, and I'm planning on being the aunt that spoils the dickens out of their little bundle of joy.  For some reason, the idea of having a small child around the house has me thinking about all of the things that can happen (my first stab at being an aunt came with my 9-year-old step-nephew, so these things didn't seem as necessary).  The biggest thing that has been bugging me is that we have no smoke detectors installed on the main floor of our home.  I mean not even one!  While we were focusing on getting all of those "other" things done with our house, we basically have disregarded all personal safety for ourselves.  So, I purchased the smoke alarms last week. Check that off the list. Did you know that as a home seller, you have to have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home?  (More is better and it is recommended that one be installed in each bedroom and any hallways leading to bedrooms.)   

I also started checking around the house for so-called choking hazards and other small objects that are not kid-friendly.  Guess what, our house is filled with them.  We will be moving those up a couple shelves from "baby-level."  We also do not have any outlet plug covers, but for some reason, our electrician decided to install the outlets that you can't plug anything into without just the right finesse and cord to plug alignment (extremely frustrating for small children, the elderly, and wives trying to use the hand mixer on a time schedule.)  I'm not sure of the exact name of the electrical genius who invented those outlets.  If anybody can electrocute themselves in those, let alone figure out how to plug-in a lamp, they need to be awarded a medal.  Those outlets are the bane of my existence, and installing plug-in covers in those tricky plug-in holes will be quite the task which I will save for a day when nobody else is around to laugh at my hardship.

At the present time, the only steps in our house are closed off by a locking door, so we can prevent falls that way.  Many of us have to rely on child safety gates to block of hazardous areas of the home.  If your home is currently childproofed, leaving the safety gates can often be a selling point for young families.  Many people ask for permanent gates attached to walls to stay along with other personal property listed in the purchase agreement.

The other thing we are lacking are door knob covers and cabinet door locks.  Nonetheless, as our little niece or nephew grows older, we will probably have to take measures to ensure that the little tike doesn't have access to harmful chemicals under the sinks and in the laundry area.  For the time being, I'll make it easy on Uncle Tim by avoiding those tricky door handles:).  Again, young families appreciate viewing homes that already have the child proofing measures taken, so don't get rid of these features for showings.  (Well, maybe the door knob covers.  I don't care how old you are, those things can be difficult to operate!)

As you can see, I am very excited for the new addition to the Hansen family set to arrive on October 20th.  Even though he or she will not have a permanent residence at our home, we hope to make it safe enough that Mommy and Daddy will trust Aunt Trisha and Uncle Tim with some babysitting duties in the future.  The new changes might not go with the feng shui we are used to, but I think we can make an exception.  I'm all about sacrificing style for a few baby toys laying around anyway.  Make your home a safe place to land by following these tips, too.  Welcome Home.

"You're no bother at all."

I am always astounded by the number of clients and customers who say goodbye each time they leave my office or an appointment by saying, "I bet you'll be glad when you don't have to deal with us anymore." Another standard goodbye when a transaction closes is, "Aren't you happy that we won't be bothering you everyday?"  And I always answer, "You're no bother at all."  The truth of the matter is that I enjoy it when people come into the office to "bother" me.  If I'm not getting phone calls or drop-ins, I'm not doing my job.  And if I'm not doing my job, I'm not learning how to make things go more smoothly for the next person that walks through the door.  I don't want anybody out there to forget what I am here for and that is to make your day a little bit easier by bearing the weight of the good, the bad, and the ugly of your home sale or purchase. 

The second truth of the matter is that there is something to be said about being able to close a difficult home sale versus an "easy" home sale.  A sense of accomplishment accompanies a closing that requires hours of additional time and patience throughout the process because of a fly-by-night lender, an inefficient government agency, a home inspection filled with bad news, or a botched communication somewhere along the lines.  In fact, that is why you should strongly consider having a REALTOR_® help you through any home sale or purchase.  My job is make things work out for all of the parties involved, and my experiences have taught me that no sale, closing, or negotiation is impossible.  It just might seem like it at the time.  I used to get really worked up when something didn't go according to plan.  In most cases, the things that we want to happen in perfect order are completely out of our control.  A multitude of puzzle pieces have to fall together in order to make a closing happen.  If things don't work out according to plan, the best we can do is evaluate the situation and head towards Plan B.  The combined knowledge from all of my real estate experiences is designed to help you and me make wise decisions about buying and selling homes.  This knowledge also makes everything go better the next time around when someone else faces the same problem (and I guarantee that you are not alone in your mission to buy or sell under difficult circumstances.  Someone out there will benefit from the expertise gained from your transaction). 

So, please, stop in anytime.  Bother me.  I'll be glad you did.  Welcome Home.