Holiday Hints

Selling your home during the holidays is tricky for a host of reasons. It’s not a popular home-buying time; homeowners often host out-of-town guests, which makes it difficult to schedule showings; and agents and would-be buyers are busier than usual. But it is possible to make a sale during the yuletide months. Consider these tips from HGTV.

Keep decorations to a minimum. No matter your religious affiliation, it’s best not to show it off to potential buyers, who may not share the same views. If you have wrapped presents, consider putting them in a corner, away from view. If you must deck the halls, give in to your decorating urges with more neutral wintry pieces. Consider pinecones or snowflakes instead of garlands and colored lights.

Try not to plan open houses on or around Hanukah, Christmas or New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. When you do host an open house, make your home feel warm and inviting: Consider placing cookies and holiday-neutral drinks, such as hot chocolate or apple cider, out on a table for guests to take.

And finally, be sure your agent will be available during the holidays. Discuss up front whether he or she will be in town, on call or will have limited hours.

Fast fact >> >> >>

The gift wrap industry now accounts for $2.6 billion in annual sales (as of June 2010).

Holiday Tidy-ings

The holidays are filled with traditions, but there’s one you’d probably rather skip: the holiday cleanup. Consider these tips to make the daunting holiday purge seem as fleeting as the season.

Wondering what to do with all those leftover holiday catalogs? Rip ’em up and use the shredded pages to pack away delicate ornaments and other holiday decorations safely and securely. If the tissue paper from all those gifts is too wrinkled to reuse, line boxes with it to keep your most precious items intact until next year.

Use clear plastic cases to store decorations, while the backsides of old greeting cards make good labels to identify what’s in each box.

And what about storing all those extension cords and strings of lights? Wrap them around a gift wrap or paper towel roll to prevent tangling; bag and label with their corresponding extension cords so you know exactly what light goes where.

Do the same for garlands. Consider you avoid stuffing boxes with unrelated holiday knick-knacks. And last, invest in a tree bag to keep pine needles from spilling onto your living room rug or foyer floor. Before taking the tree out of its stand, remove excess water with a turkey baster to ensure that the floor stays dry.

CHILD-PROOF THE HOLIDAYS

The holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year for many families, but for hospital emergency rooms, it is one of the busiest. KidsHealth.org offers some tips for protecting little ones from both common and unexpected holiday dangers.

Mistletoe, holly, poinsettias and other plants used as holiday decorations may be beautiful to look at, but they can be potentially poisonous and should be kept out of reach of kids. Symptoms of plant poisoning include rashes, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. “Bubble lights” also can be toxic if a child drinks the fluid from more than one light, even if the lights are labeled non-toxic, and snow sprays can be harmful if the aerosol propellants are used improperly. If a child has been poisoned or harmed, immediately call a doctor.

Choking and swallowing small objects is another potential hazard. Tree ornaments, light bulbs, icicles, tinsel and small toys can be tempting for kids to play with, but these items can block airway passages if swallowed. The general rule of thumb is that if an item is small enough to fit in the mouths of babies and toddlers, it’s too small to play with.

Some holiday trees have sharp needles that can cause painful cuts in the mouth and throat when swallowed. Also, keep breakable ornaments out of kids’ reach, or keep them off the tree altogether until children are older. If one does break, clean up the broken glass immediately.

Secure your tree in a sturdy stand so it won’t get knocked over by kids or pets, and keep it away from all heat sources, such as electrical outlets, radiators and portable space heaters. Unplug all indoor and outdoor lights and extinguish all candles before going to bed.

Before you put up holiday decorations, check sm­oke detectors to make sure they work properly. In the event of a fire, have an emergency evacuation plan in place. By practicing these simple safety tips, you and your loved ones can enjoy many holiday celebrations for years to come.

Tips on Holiday Tipping

There are no hard and fast rules on holiday tipping, experts say. How much to tip, or whether to tip at all, depends on several factors, including the quality and frequency of service, the relationship you have with the provider, how long they have worked for you, where you live (since amounts can be higher in large cities), and your budget.

The Emily Post Institute offers the following guidelines for holiday tipping, but also advises consumers to let common sense and the holiday spirit be your guide. If financial circumstances limit what you can give, a handwritten note is always appropriate.

• Babysitter – One evening’s pay, plus a small gift from your child
• Barber/Hair stylist – Cost of one haircut or a gift
• Child’s teacher – Check the school’s policy. If allowed, give a small token gift of appreciation, not cash
• Day care providers – $25 to $70 each, plus a small gift from your child for providers who give direct care to your child(ren)
• Dog walker – One week’s pay or a gift
• Personal fitness trainer – Up to the cost of one session
• Housekeeper/maid service – Up to one week’s pay or a gift
• Doorman – $15 to $80
• Garage attendant – $10 to $30 each
• Letter carriers – Gift up to $20, no cash per U.S. Post Office regulations
• Massage therapist – Up to one session’s fee or a gift
• Handyman service – $15 to $40
• Real Estate Agent – One or two referrals of people you know who will buy or sell a property in the next 30 days

Are You Ready?

For many, the holidays can be an emotionally distressful time. Some psychologists even associate this time of year with the highest amount of distress and depression. So what is it about the change in weather, overwhelming bombardment of commercial ads to buy buy buy, ending of the year with thoughts of all those things we just didn’t get around to, shorter daylight hours, kids with colds and traffic traffic traffic that can bring us down during these most festive of holiday times? Wow, that’s a lot for anyone’s plate. I find these tips below helpful to ease the distress level back to a manageable stress level and assist motivating good tidings.

· Look towards your Faith- Take a moment and reconnect with your spirituality. What is this season truly about? This is a great time to build those habits of faith formation that will carry us through the rest of the year.
· Plan a realistic schedule with enough balance for work, family needs and yourself. Sleep is very important during this season. Some will even go to the extent of time blocking just for the holidays.
· If you will be driving or traveling, plan extra time for the traffic, road conditions, parking and packing.
· Keep a close watch on eating and especially drinking. No one wants to be remembered as the one who “got so drunk” at the Holiday Party. Over eating and eating rich or unaccustomed foods can drastically change how your body responds.
· Airborne- Taking Airborne or a good vitamin supplement daily as well as washing your hands will help keep those nasty little colds at bay. Especially when we are in contact with more people than normal through traveling, shopping, office parties, etc.
· Hug those that are important to us. Let them know they are loved and give them a chance to love you back. We are not alone. We have our communities. And communities build love.
· Always remember that we can only control the choices we make for ourselves. The consequences of our choices are ours to keep. When things feel like they are slipping out of control I remember the words of Reinhold Niebuhr,

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; and the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”

I hope this helps. It has been a pleasure to be a part of everyone’s lives this year. I wish everyone much love, health, happiness and prosperity for the holiday season and upcoming New Year. Enjoy the season and remember to call me for all your real estate needs and referrals.