Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Thanksgiving can bring on a lot of stress when you think about how many people you have to impress. And the last thing you want to do is slave all day in the kitchen to only produce a mediocre dish. 

But worry no more!

Here is a quick and easy #pumpkinpierecipe that will leave you with enough time to relax before blowing your relatives’ taste buds away.

Ingredients:
 2 large eggs
 16 oz. (1 can) unsweetened pumpkin puree
 14 oz. (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice)
 9 in. (1 pack) unbaked pie crust

Directions:
 Preheat your oven to 425 F/220 C.
 Mix together the eggs, unsweetened pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
 Spread the pie crust on a baking sheet.
 Pour the pumpkin pie mixture over the crust.
 Bake in the pie in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
 After 15 minutes, reduce oven heat to 350 F/175 C. Bake until the pie is set (about 35-40 min.)

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Header Photo
Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels

The California Room is a Seasonal Space You'll Love

Some summer hours are too beautiful to be ignored. Whether those dewy dawns before the sun is at full strength, or the long evening hours when the heat bleeds off the day, there are times when being outdoors is a tremendous pleasure. 

But this doesn't mean you always want to spread out a blanket or a lawn chair. In fact, creating a "transitional space" which blends outdoor living with indoor amenities is a great way to maximize the season. The California room is just one of those spaces.

California rooms are typically situated in the rear of a home, sometimes connected to the home by sliding glass doors. The California room is usually a covered space with flowing outdoor fabrics and durable, luxurious "indoor" style furniture such as chaise lounges, couches, ottomans, and even coffee and accent tables. Walls give way to curtains. It often includes a dining space or even a protected (or moveable) entertainment center. Bluetooth music systems with outdoor speakers are also a nice touch.

If you see yourself spending a lot of time outdoors, you might consider supplementing your California room with an outdoor kitchen. A good grill, an outdoor sink in a stone or other durable counter surface, and some built-in refrigeration for drinks is a great way to upgrade your California room.

The California room is one of the hottest trends in home design right now. If you search Google images for "California room," you'll find hundreds of design examples from down-home country living to lavish, Mediterranean-inspired decor. Pinterest and Houzz are also great places to research California room styles.

The beauty of the California room is that it can be scaled to meet your budget. Even a modest transitional space with some cover and cozy furniture can make a small home feel larger and improve your quality of life.   

What does your dream California room look like? What are your must-haves and your nice-to-haves? How would you like to use your California room?

If you're looking for a new home with the ideal space for a California room, I'm happy to help you with your search. bit.ly/realtygoddesshomesearch

Can A Real Estate Agent Pay You A Commission?

You’ve done a real estate agent a solid. You hooked him/her up with a client.

That agent is going to make a nice chunk of change. You also saved him/her the time, effort, and money of finding a client.

So, you might think that it’d be nice if that agent gave you a little hunk of that chunk.

It’s not an uncommon thought or request. Agents are asked to do this quite a bit.

And each and every time, they say no. It might come across as being greedy, or unappreciative, but it isn’t.

Unfortunately, real estate agents can’t give you any money for finding them a client; they’d lose their license for doing so.

Even if they really wanted to give you some money, and feel you deserve to get a piece of the pie, their hands are tied.

See, as agents we are bound by laws, rules, and regulations.

Appreciation and compensation have to come in other forms…

That doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t do something for you.

Maybe it simply boils down to referring business to you.

Or, perhaps remembering you when they hear about an awesome job opening you would be perfect for.

They might even give you some sort of a gift. (Although, even the monetary amount of a gift can be subject to limits by law.)

Perhaps they’ll take it into consideration when you buy or sell a home through them, and give you a better commission rate.

But here’s something to keep in mind…

Part of the reason so many people feel entitled to ask for money for referring a real estate client is because it appears (to the outsider) that real estate agents make a lot of money on a deal you may send them.

How much they make isn’t as much as it may seem.

While many people see the commissions agents make on a deal as “large”, they usually aren’t in actuality. Sure, sometimes, they can be quite large if it’s a really high end home, but that isn’t the norm.

The overall commission might seem high, but that money gets split up quite a few ways before the agent is left with their “split”.

There are tons of costs to being a real agent you don’t see, know, or think about. Too many to list.

And of course agents have to pay taxes on the money they receive.

Beyond that, most agents don’t do as many deals per year as you may think. Often, agents are closing fewer deals than the public perceives they are. It’s rare for an agent to close a deal or more per week.

“Many deals” is more like one or two per month, and that’s only for some agents. Many agents only do somewhere around 5-6 deals per year. And a heck of a lot of agents don’t even do a deal or two per year.

There’s a lot of competition—a lot of agents—for only so much business to be done.

So, why should you bother with referring someone to a particular agent?

What exactly do you get out of it?!

It really boils down to supporting a real estate agent you trust in. Someone you want to see succeed. Not for your personal gain, but because you know the agent will do the best job possible for the person you are referring.

Most likely, it’s going to be more appreciated than the agent can ever express, or repay to you. But there’s also a good chance that the agent will do something to repay you in whatever way he/she can.

Just don’t get upset, or hold it against an agent, for not agreeing to give you a referral or finder’s fee. It’s entirely beyond his/her control.

Priority Tasks For Your Move In

Moving into a new home is an exciting time, and you're probably daydreaming about decor and paint schemes and new furniture. But before you get into the fun stuff, there are some basics you should cover first.

Change the locks

Even if you're promised that new locks have been installed in your home, you can never be too careful. It's worth the money to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that no one else has the keys to your home. Changing the locks can be a DIY project, or you can call in a locksmith for a little extra money.

Steam clean the carpets

It's good to get a fresh start with your floors before you start decorating. The previous owners may have had pets, young children, or just some plain old clumsiness. Take the time to steam clean the carpets so that your floors are free of stains and allergens. It's pretty easy and affordable to rent a steam cleaner-your local grocery store may have them available.

Call an exterminator

Prior to move-in, you probably haven't spent enough time in the house to get a view of any pests that may be lurking. Call an exterminator to take care of any mice, insects, and other critters that may be hiding in your home.

Clean out the kitchen

If the previous occupants wanted to skip on some of their cleaning duties when they moved out, the kitchen is where they probably cut corners. Wipe down the inside of cabinets, clean out the refrigerator, clean the oven, and clean in the nooks and crannies underneath the appliances.

Blog Archive - Realty Goddess

I have been blogging for years and I love sharing information with you. Please be sure to check out my old blog posts for some awesome information. Then come visit my NEW website for new posts! www.LauraKey.net

https://realtygoddess.wordpress.com/

https://realtygoddess.wordpress.com/

10 Things Everyone Assumes About Real Estate Agents That Aren’t True

Let’s face it, everyone either knows a real estate agent, or is connected to one through six (probably less) degrees of separation. Between friends and relatives, and the stereotypical representation of real estate agents on television and in pop culture, the general public has a adopted some assumptions about agents that are very far from the truth.

Here are ten things that people assume about real estate agents that just aren’t true:

1. They make “easy money”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. The only people who could ever possibly make the case that being an agent is an easy way to make money are those who have never done it. It’s hard, uncertain work, with many instances of months wasted on a deal that doesn’t ever close. The only thing easy about it is reading the Lighter Side of Real Estate.

2. They are required to show you houses even if you’re not pre-approved

There are definitely agents who will show you houses without a pre-approval (or at minimum a pre-qualification), but an agent is not required to, and most experienced agents probably won’t. The ability to qualify for financing dictates whether or not a deal is even possible, so an agent is simply saving you from disappointment (or worse) by asking you to get pre-approved.

3. Zillow is more accurate than they are

It would be wonderful if Zillow (and similar websites) were accurate in their home valuations, but if you compared their results to actual appraised values, in most cases you’d burst out laughing. Real estate agents want you to get as much money as possible for your house, but oftentimes reality gets in the way. Trust your realtor to give you a fair market assessment for your house…at least more than you trust Zillow.

4. They make huge commissions

The popular real estate flipping shows on cable, and Million Dollar Listing have given everyone the impression that real estate agents are rolling in the dough. Most real estate agents wish that this was true, but reality is much different. The median US existing home sale price in December 2016 was $234,900, which means after splitting the commission and paying their broker, an agent took home about $3500 on the transaction, not including all marketing and related expenses. As a monthly income, this adds up to about $40,000 per year. Not exactly huge.

5. They’re an unnecessary evil

Many people have made the argument that real estate agents are unnecessary and are merely an impediment to a more efficient “For sale by owner” model of real estate. The best way to eliminate this misconception is to try selling your house yourself. There is nothing more sobering than desperately Googling state and federal real estate laws as some unkempt stranger is knocking on your door asking you questions about your FSBO house.

6. They’re sleazy

Unfortunately, real estate agents have joined the ranks of lawyers, politicians, and salespeople in some of the public’s assumptions about their trustworthiness. The financial collapse of 2008 exacerbated this perception. Thankfully, the market correction also weeded out most of the unsavory elements in the business. The truth is, real estate agents are honest, hardworking people, making a living like any other profession. And just like any other profession, there are a few bad apples that unfairly give the others a bad name.

7. They’re uneducated

This misconception really gets under most agents’ skin, because not only do many agents have degrees (and advanced degrees in quite a few cases), but the knowledge required to pass a real estate exam is substantial. There are many people who are unable to get their licensing because of an inability to pass the licensing tests, which makes the concept of an “uneducated” agent laughable.

8. They want you to pay more for a house so they can make more money

If you truly looked at the math involved in calculating real estate commissions, you’d never utter this falsehood again. An agent getting you to pay $10,000 more for a property will net that agent approximately $150, which barely covers the cost of gas required to drive to and from your appointments. The truth is that an agent absolutely wants you to buy a house. What’s not true is that they want you to pay more for one.

9. They’re mostly part-timers or bored housewives

If you ask the average person to describe the archetypal real estate agent, they’ll probably say it’s an older married woman who is looking for something to do in her free time. Ugh. This is stereotyping at its finest, and ignores the hundreds of thousands of male agents, the hundreds of thousands of full-time agents, and the hard-working primary bread winners that make up the real estate workforce. Sure, the stereotypical agents do exist, but they’re the exception to the rule.

10. All they want from you is the deal

Yes, agents want your business. But true professional real estate agents want to be your lifelong real estate advisor. They want you to think of them whenever you or your family and friends have any real estate questions. They want to see you and talk to you more than once a decade, and they want to make sure that you remember your interactions with them as being absolutely delightful.

Good Neighbor Next Door - HUD Program

Did you know there is a program out there especially for Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMTs and Teachers?

It is called the Good Neighbor Next Door Program and it is through HUD. This program is not widely known about. The homes are not always available, but when they do come up it is a wonderful way to become a homeowner with benefits.

There are special requirements to qualify for this program, but if you do and you win one of these homes...you would get it for HALF off.

Please watch my Periscope video to learn more and if you would like to sign up for my free GNND Course, please do so here!

bit.ly/gnndhouse

Understand Before Signing Contracts

Real Estate contracts are legally binding! Make sure you are able to read and understand them BEFORE you sign or are ready to proceed with buying or selling!  

Ask for a copy of the contracts ahead of time so you have plenty of time to sit and discuss them with your agent!

I give my clients copy of them before we begin, then we have a sit down and discuss them!

Real Estate is a huge transaction, isn't it worth your time to know what you are putting the pen to paper?