The Real Estate Slate

Take a good look around your home.   There sits the recliner that is great for watching ballgames, but you must contort your body in all angles around the chair just to walk into the next room.   And the plaid wallpaper (that at the time was very chic). Now, the stripes go every which way making you cross-eyed every time you sit down to eat in the kitchen.

When you make the decision to sell your home, you must also consider the other homes that you are competing against.   Homes that are a clean slate, neutral colors, fresh smells, and an easy flow from one room to another.   You do not need to spend a lot of money.   Just a little elbow grease, paint brush, and muscle.

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  7 Tips for Staging Your Home

  Make your home warm and inviting to boost your home™s value and speed up the sale process. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®

Whether a novice or experienced home buyer, this article offers some great tips to help you on your way to your new home.

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  8 Tips for Finding Your New Home

  A solid game plan can help you narrow your homebuying search to find the best home for you. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®

Track Santa with NORAD              

RISMEDIA, December 21, 2010”From Paris, France, to Paris, Texas, finding Santa Claus on Christmas Eve will be as easy as making a phone call.

Starting Dec. 24 at 2 a.m. Mountain Time, to 3 a.m. on Dec. 25, children across the U.S. and Canada can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to determine Santa’s exact location.

In 2009, more than 74,000 calls were answered at the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center at Peterson Air Force Base.

This year, more than 1,200 volunteers representing military personnel from Colorado Springs, their families and friends, and NORAD Tracks Santa corporate sponsor team members will be manning the NORAD Santa tracking hotline to inform children of Santa’s whereabouts during his yuletide journey.

Children, their parents and the young-at-heart also can visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website (www.noradsanta.org), which provides real-time information on Santa’s exact location. The information is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese”along with radar maps and streaming “SantaCam” video images from cities along Santa’s journey.

Santa also can be tracked through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and TroopTube.tv.

This marks the 55th year that NORAD, the binational U.S. and Canadian military organization responsible for the aerospace defense of both countries, has tracked Santa around the globe. The tradition started by accident in 1955 after a local newspaper misprint prompted children to call the Continental Air Defense Command (NORAD’s predecessor) instead of a special Santa hotline phone number.

After hearing youngsters ask if they could speak to Santa, the colonel on duty at the time told the children he could see Santa on the radar screens, heading south from the North Pole “ and a tradition was born.

Looking for a 4 bedroom home?   Then I have what you need!   This house, priced at $134,600, has been updated throughout the entire house, and it is move-in ready!

                          MLS#102950

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This lovely cape cod features a living room, family room, and a study (which has a closet, and could be a 4th bedroom).   The home also features 3 full bathrooms, spacious bedrooms, large deck, and a patio area.   Price reduced to $149,900!

MLS#1026

Contact me for a tour!

Need ideas on how to decorate a small room, so it appears larger?   Lowes.com offers a few tips on how you achieve a larger feeling space.

10 Ways to Make a Small Room Look Larger

RISMEDIA, October 25, 2010–Most people have one: that room in the house that they wish was just a little larger. What many don’t realize is that with a little work and some TLC, they could have exactly what they’re looking for.

Here, Lowe’s offers 10 designer tricks to help you make any room look larger:

1. For the illusion of a larger room, use a color scheme that is light rather than bright or dark. Pastels, neutrals and white are all color possibilities.

2. Use a monochromatic color scheme on the furniture, rugs and walls. Select different shades and textures of your single color.

3. Lighting is a key element in opening up a space. Recessed spot lighting is visually appealing and is perfect for a small space. A torchiere light is great for bouncing light off of the ceiling and back down on the room.Skylights and solar tubes are natural alternatives for adding light to a room.

4. Limit the number of accessories to avoid the cluttered feeling.

5. The floor and the ceiling are the fifth and sixth walls of every room. A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling”use a light color or white to “open up” the space above.

6. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors. They not only reflect images, they reflect light and color. Be a little daring! Use mirror tiles to mirror an entire wall. Your room will appear to double in size.

7. Don’t place too many pieces of furniture in a small space. A love seat may work better than a full-size sofa depending on the size and shape of the room. Add two medium-sized chairs or two small wood chairs. Place the chairs closer to the wall and then pull them into the area when additional seating is needed.

8. Add paintings or prints to the walls. One large painting works better than a group of small paintings.

9. The visual balance of a room is also important. A large, brightly colored element can overwhelm a room and decrease the appearance of space.

10. A glass table, whether it is a dining, coffee or end table, will keep the appearance of an open and free space.

For more how-to project ideas, visit Lowe’s How-To Library at http://www.lowes.com/cd_How+To+Library_615580068_.

Words cannot express how peaceful this acreage makes you feel, let alone its beauty.   You can overlook the entire homestead on top of the rolling hills, fish in the pond, let your cattle roam, and your horses play.   And if you want the option of building your dream home-or cabin, there are plenty of areas from which to choose.

                                       
List Price $120,000
MLS# 102751

Our office has two new listings this week.   Be sure to check them out!

Listed at $129,900
3 bedrooms, 2 bath
apx.1520 sq ft
2.32 acres
MLS#102721

Listed at $224,900
3 bedroom, 2.5 bath
apx.2078 sq ft
MLS#102722
                         

www.ruddrealestate.com    

High Inventory + Reduced Prices = Buyer’s Market

With a wide range of homes available, interest rates as low as 4.3% for 30 year (per one lender on 8/11/10), it definitely is a buyer’s market today in real estate.   Here is a glimpse of what has been reduced in our office within the past week:

110 Abbott Lane                                                                                 775 Claiborne

MLS# 102569                                                                                       MLS# 102494

Orig. $274,900                                                                                     Orig. $189,900

Now Listed $269,900                                                             Now Listed $184,900

                                                  Commercial Property

535 Hall St                                                                                                 5120 Hanson Rd

MLS# 102559                                                                                         MLS# 102575

Orig. $65,000                                                                                         Orig. $125,000

Now Listed $62,000                                                                 Now Listed $116,900

658 Powhattan

MLS# 102296

Orig. $85,900

Now Listed $71,000

Feel free contact me for additional information.

Are you looking for a prime commercial property? Then be sure to look at this new Rudd Real Estate listing.

For many years, Bartholomew’s (aka Bart’s) was a well established restuarant in the downtown area of Madisonville.   The food was great, and the atmosphere amazing.   This purchase opportunity is unbelievable, as the building sits right on Main Street.   Parades caravan by the windows, and Friday Night Live during the summer months bring hundreds of people to the area.   If you want high traffic, and a place ready for new possiblity (sale includes all fixtures, equipment, tables and chairs), then contact me to schedule a tour.

www.ruddrealestate.com MLS #102687

Listed Price $475,000

If you’re looking for charm and character in a home, this is the one!   Built in 1954, this 2 bedroom, 1 bath home is a must see!   Wonderful arched doorways greet you, leading the way to either the dining room or hallway. Natural woodwork trim throughout   house, with hardwood flooring under the carpet (per seller).Listed at $65,000

http://www.realtor.com MLS #102559