These are before and after pictures of a unit that needed a total overhaul after the tenants moved out…well some of their stuff anyway…

Yikes! Its hard to believe that some people live this way…hoarding their lives away. This unit was rented out to seemingly nice folks. But they had a secret problem: they liked to collect things…lots and lots of things. Sadly, none of which included a garbage bag or a hanger or a plate to help with the ‘management’ of the ‘collection’.

How do you prevent such destruction from spiraling out of control as a Landlord? Well among other things: regular or ‘seasonal’ inspections of the property – to check on the furnace, water leaks or to complete any seasonal maintenance work. These ‘check ups’ will help keep your renters in check and ‘collections’ at bay.

In addition, the 24hr required notice to enter will not give enough time for cigarette smoke smell to dissipate. This is potentially even worse than hoarding because cigarette smoke attaches to everything and goes into the attic – causing lots and lots of work for you to repair.

Landlord and Tenant mantra: ” I’ll be good to you – you (renter) be good to me and together we will live happily ever after.”

Watch for the next article in the series : How to Find and Interview for Good Tenants

Jennifer Kennedy

Broker/Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate

Want to learn more about investment properties or properties with hidden potential contact us today!

See more Before and Afters here

St. Albert’s well known Red Willow Trail is 70 KM of strolling encounter. The trails take you along the Sturgeon River where you are able to revel in the excellence of the four seasons. Red Willow Park runs the full length of the river valley and connects to the man neighborhoods throughout the 70KM of trails. Find our excellent outside! St. Albert is one of the prettiest little metropolises in Canada with the abundance of green space, strolling trails, and parks. For more information on St. Albert call your Area Specialist .. Anna Bayne and she will find you some hidden gems in St. Albert.

www.liveinstalbert.com

Additional “Anna’s Advice” Articles…

Rescue for Life

‘Friday’ the pitbull needs a foster home by tomorrow. His family is moving and cannot take him with them anymore. We can not take him into the rescue until we have a foster home for him. He is great with kids and other dogs but has never met a cat. Please help Friday. He is a 1 year old guy who comes with everything he needs. Please give him a chance. Email natalie@rescue4life.org or call 780-221-9669.

Additional articles on our “furry” friends… 

Okay – SO this blog post may offend some folks – well perhaps alot of folks. I guess that all depends on YOUR voicemail and the recipients of your message. I will not take total credit for this rant – for it was a summer read of Jeffrey Gitomer’s ” Little Red Book of Selling” that gave me the encouragement to change things up alittle, think outside the box when it came to among other things – voicemail.

Does this sound familiar:

“Hi – You’ve reach Joe Kalupchuck, from ABC Realty. I’m either on the phone, with clients or driving right now. Please leave a message and I will return your call just as soon as I am able. Or for immediate assistance please call 780-trunk-number and have me paged. Thank you and have a nice day”.

Or same as above – but it starts with “Hi – You’ve reached Joe Kalupchuk, from ABC Realty. Your call is important to me….” blah blah blah same as above ending.

First off – the person who is calling you – really does not have the time nor the interest in ALL the things your are doing besides answering your phone. This is irrelevant to the caller – and takes waaaay too much time to listen to.

Second of all – you said you would return their call – but then you say ‘for immediate assistance call…’  Why? Why should your  caller call your trunk/pager number when it goes straight back to your phone that you (just) did not answer. Are we going in circles or what? Or are you saying that only if a person PAGES you, that you will return their call? Otherwise they take their chances on you taking your time returning your cell phone calls? Why should they get IMMEDIATE assistance if they have to hang up and call again and leave another message. Gosh wouldn’t it be MUCH faster if you told them to just leave you a message on your cell phone and you’ll return it asap. We all know that trunk/pager numbers go to your cell phone as well. It just seems so redundant to tell someone to hang up and call again for immediate assistance. When in fact that it is NOT immediate and in reality it would be much faster just to leave a message on your cell phone or text you? No?

Thirdly – ‘have a nice day’, ‘your call is important to me’ ‘I’m either on the phone, with clients, buying shoes, out to dinner,walking the dog…’ whatever – this is all useless info to your caller. Your caller is trying to get a hold of  YOU or leave YOU a message. Don’t assume your caller has all the time in the world to listen to all that useless information. Sorry – but its true. And especially if you have 10 bookings to make and all the Realtors have the same loooong voicemail….oooiiiigh. Not fun.

Lastly – as in the words of Jeffrey Gitomer – your voicemail is your voice to the world. Leave an imprint on all who call you. This is your chance to leave an impression that goes waaay beyond the sound of the beep (oh yah – that’s another useless tidbit – leave a message at the sound of the beep – really – really NO!). Give someone a reason to smile and  say “that was a really cool message – that is someone I could work with” or give them a reason to spread the love…’hey Susie , I called this Realtor, Joe Kalupchuck , and he had this really cool voicemail message…’ Get it? Got it. Good.

Happy Voice Mailing!

p.s. “Hi – You’ve reached Jennifer Kennedy. I’m out selling homes right now. With four teenagers to feed and two in braces, rest assured I’ll get back to you shortly. thank you!”

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Rescue for Life

Hi I am April,

Very shy girl who has had a bit of a rough time with things. Will need a bit of vet care as my neck is a little bit scratched up but I will good to go in no time. I have lots of potential – just need a family who is willing to see that in me…

Please see details below on how you can help me….

Rescue for Life
2 Aspen Glen Drive
PO Box 9043
Spruce Grove, AB
Canada T7X 4H5

A cheque donation can be made out to Rescue for Life.
Donations can also be made through Paypal at www.rescue4life.org

Donations can also be made via Visa at the Crestwood Vet Clinic, under Rescue for Life account. (780) 444-7550.

Additional articles on our “furry” friends… 

At KENNEDY Real Estate we believe everyone should have a place to call home. We support Animal Rescue here in Alberta. A portion of all sales goes toward helping these critters find a place to call their own.

Rental Reno's that Last

The market is prime right now for investment purchases, with interest rates still low and inventory prices have dropped investors are starting to gobble up properties once again.

Take this one: Bought for $180,000 – invested another $15,000 to upgrade it so it will last another 20yrs. Maintenance free, all appliances replaced, kitchens and baths replaced, new baseboards, lighting and paint.

The exterior was transformed from the traditional piece of grass and patio stones – to a full deck on one side and patio stones/rock liner on the other. This way you do not have to rely on your tenant to take care of the grass. Inside – front entrance there is a commercial grade carpet glued down…to trap moisture and wik it away. No more lifting the carpet up to clean underneath it!.

Kitchen is Ikea cabinets – bought during their kitchen event…with 10% off – that allow you to either buy cabinet inserts – or drapes/rods. The tile backsplash is actual floor tile cut in thirds – cost effective and it looks great.

Half baths are great for pedistal sinks – but be sure to tile all around for the long haul. Tub surrounds are always replaced – most older ones do have mold behind – this is not good for the long run! All toilets were upgraded to a wider trap series…no more calls in the middel of the night with plugged/overflowing toilets! Yuck!

Nothing beats real hardwood! In this case a rustic Birch was chosen for its durability and ability to hide scratches.
All baseboards were replaced with a simple 1X3 – easy to install and keep clean and will last many move in’s ad out’s.
The little bit of effort makes for an easier to maintance investment for years to come!
Additional “Before & After Projects” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

As many of you  know we run a Team Brokerage Model. I get asked often what that means. For me, it begins outside of the Boardroom and onto the Courts …where it all begins.

I did up this video as a keep sake for the Senior High VBall Team (& 2 of my boys #3,#5 yeah!!) for their year end party. The core of the Team had played together since the awkward junior highs years through to senior high. They saw each other through thick and thin, blemishes, girlfriends, exams… They built up a friendship and trust that was impenetrable both on and off the court. They achieved this by being part of the “Team”. Experiencing wins , losses, victories and disappointments – they saw it through together. And when they stepped out onto the court – their ability to have each others back – count on one another to see it through – played out in their final season: 15 wins in a row – and a win from behind down 18-24 – and came back to win 26-24 (and in vball circles – this is a big thing!). You see good TEAM work produces victories both on and off the court.

Another fine example comes to mind: The Boys on the Bus…remember? The Oilers of the Eighties – they too were a force to be reckoned with…and when they stepped onto the ice – the opponent felt it too. Everyone of those players understood what it meant to be part of a Team. When they stepped out on the ice – they had each others back – they went out into ‘battle’ together. Together you are stronger – when you go out as a force that supports ones another – and people you encounter will sense that too.

That is the atmosphere we are cultivating at KENNEDY Real Estate – our TEAM Brokerage Model – we have each others back. We support one another as we go out into ‘battle’, through the sharing of technology, experience, leads, training and mentoring and referrals.

The Real Estate industry is OUR ‘court’ and we intend to play the game as a Team – through thick and thin – good markets , slow markets…together we will see it through. We will play by example and lead our Team to many a victory!!

Wishing YOU all  great Teamwork!!

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Thanksgiving … a Realtors Perspective

I would like to take this time of year to tell you all what I am thankful for as a Realtor:

1.   Unlocked screen doors
2.   Locks that work
3.   Poochies in kennels and kitty litter out of site and smell
4.   Sellers who leave lights on the porch for an evening showing – so we can unlock door
5.   Realtors who promptly return calls or text on availability/confirmation of showings
6.   Preapproved Buyers
7.   Alarms that are turned off – or at least the alarm code provided to turn it off!!
8.   Shoveled driveways and walkways
9.   Clearly marked locations for condo loxboxes
10.  Sellers who leave their drapes open – FYI – I have never sold  a dark home ..ever. 

And finally ….

Most of all Thankful to be working with some awesome Realtors and clients alike who have contributed to a very awesome rewarding career for the last twelve years…Thank YOU!!

Gobble Gobble – Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Jennifer

Additional “AGENT 101” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Basements are usually the last place that a buyer sees when viewing your home. So why not make it a lasting impression?

Here are some things to consider when ‘Setting the Stage’ for the basement:

 1. Clean up and Clear out – get a bin, bag, shovel – whatever you need to only leave the essentials behind – less is more in this case – always…and no kitty litter in sight!!
2. Give Purpose to the space:
i. ) if the basement is unfinished and is used for storage – then make the best most organized storage space on the block – painted floors, proper shelving , bins for storage that fit into the shelving. It also shows that you are a conscientious home seller!
ii.) if the basement is divided into a bedroom and recreation space – play up the function of these 2 rooms
III.) if the space is one big rectangle: divide it into a games table section, desk area and a t.v. area using a couch table or Ikea low rise open book shelf unit to divide the spaces.
3. Apply Basic Staging Rules: lighting in a triangular positioning – make sure you have lamps/lighting in three areas of any given room; when in doubt angle your furniture/bed – this always makes the room look bigger by defining the space more efficiently; and all art work at eye level – or in a collage at eye level.
4. Warm it Up! If a buyer feels the basement is too cold – they will deem it not as user friendly – therefore attach less value to the over feel of the home…

Basement Photo - family room

5. Place a sticker on the furnace and hot water tank stating the age of them and when they were last serviced – buyers will really appreciate the notice.

Basements are often overlooked by home sellers – when it comes time to sell. However – on the buyers end of things – it is one of the aspects of a home that may make or break a decision. A well presented, and well kept basement completes the perfect home package for alot of home buyers out there. This is becoming increasingly so.
AND – if you live in a new home – finishing your basement right away – well ahead of the rest of your neighbors will ensure you have a completely finished home when you go to sell. Apples to apples for newer homes -ones with finished basements sell quicker and for more money!

Additional “Edmonton Home Stager” Articles…

Jennifer Kennedy
Broker | Owner

KENNEDY Real Estate
Your Edmonton REALTOR® | Edmonton Home Stager

Call us today…780-485-3010 and GET SOLD!
Area Specialists | Lifestyle Marketing

REALTORS® : Looking for a great Team environment to grow your business…see our Brokerage Model for info on how to make that happen!

Hey I am Riley. I am 1.5 yr old black lab. I am house trained and kennel trained. I love to chew, but I never chew or make a mess in the house and my mom gives me lots of bones to chew on. Sometimes when I am really excited I jump up on my patio window. I know I shouldn’t but I just want to see what is happening out there. I am well socialized, play good with other dogs and with kids. I might need a bit of help walking nice on a leash but it’s not my fault as I wasn’t walked much. I am a really sweet girl who is ready to start my new life with a new family.

Age: 1.5 years old
Sex: Female
Weight: 60 lbs
Breed:Black lab

Donations can be mailed directly to the following address:

Rescue for Life
2 Aspen Glen Drive
PO Box 9043
Spruce Grove, AB
Canada T7X 4H5

A cheque donation can be made out to Rescue for Life.
Donations can also be made through Paypal at www.rescue4life.org

Donations can also be made via Visa at the Crestwood Vet Clinic, under Rescue for Life account. (780) 444-7550.

Donate today to make a difference!

Alberta Registered non-profit (5015643017)
Mission
One Life at a Time
Website
http://www.rescue4life.org

Additional articles on our “furry” friends…