kristina smallhorn Archives • Page 2 of 5 • Your Real Estate Whisperer

The HOA and Management Companies, Whats The Difference?

August 7, 2018

Many people are confused by the HOA and the management company that runs the neighborhood’s community. This has been causing a battle with the homeowners association and its residents but many HOA’s are not run by the homeowners themselves but by management companies, even though some residents may hold titles with the HOA. In this video Kristina Smallhorn, Your Real Estate Whisperer will explain what the homeowners association can and can’t do and what your homeowner’s association does to protect your interest when you have a management company as well.

I recently got a message from a past client after seeing my video for the American Flag and your HOA https://youtu.be/gYr-SO8gYAw and The HOA and Fireworks https://youtu.be/cpBwWVATY2Y videos. She asked that I make this video since she is on an HOA that is run by a management company. She asked if I could explain to my followers what is the role of the HOA when you have a management company with a true and false style approach. So let play along when you watch and see if you knew the answers before I give the answer. I hope you found this video about The HOA and The Management Company, useful if you’d like to read more real estate buying and selling tips you can visit my blog at yourrealestatewhisperer.com

If you’d like to watch more videos specifically about buying a home here is a very useful playlist. https://bit.ly/2myd6Go

If you don’t want to miss important tips so you can be a real estate home buying ninja, please consider subscribing https://bit.ly/2MEztWK

To get a copy of my FREE buyer e-book you can download it here: https://bit.ly/2LdyEqt To search for homes in the Baton Rouge and Ascension Parish Area: https://bit.ly/2OdQw1s

If you have any questions about buying and selling your home feel free to reach out to me at any time by email or any respectable time by phone. All my contact information is listed below.

Kristina Smallhorn, Your Real Estate Whisperer and I tell you all this ….

“Because YOU Matter”

Cell 225-246-1812

EXP REALTY, LLC 2900 Westfork Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70827

225-412-9982 ext 149 [email protected] yourrealestatewhisperer.com [email protected] #realtor #home #tips

Kristina Is a Licensed Realtor® with The Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors@ in the State of Louisiana. License #0912122918

The HOA And The American Flag

July 1, 2018

The battle is on with many homeowners has become all on war with the HOA and the American Flag. With the 4th of July being right around the corner, now is the perfect time to talk about the American Flag and your HOA. I had a client call me to ask can the HOA ban the American flag from being flown on her property? She also wanted to know, can the HOA tell you can not have an American flag? In this blog post, I will tell you what rights you have when displaying your American Flag when it comes to your HOA. I will also tell you your right for various other flags like ones that support sports teams. I know from personal experience that HOA’s can get power hungry and silly about rules but it is important to know the rights you have as an American and not let your HOA’s bully you into submission when it comes to the Amercian Flag.

I have read stories recently and seen in the news how the HOA has been preventing homeowners displaying their own American Flags on their own property. Of course, homeowners are shocked by this and I was too. (WATCH This News Story Of A Woman Told To Remove Her American Flag From Her HOA ) I couldn’t believe that an HOA wouldn’t want the American flag shown year-round proudly in their yard. Some HOA’s believe that the American flag is a season item and need to be taken down after Federal Holidays. Many homeowners, myself included challenge this with the Federal law that was set in place called: The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 (Pub.L. 109–243, 120 Stat. 572, enacted July 24, 2006) is an Act of Congress that prohibits real estate management organizations from restricting homeowners from displaying the flag of the United States on their property.

So you CAN have a flag on your property but with that being said the HOA can still dictate the size of the flag and the location of the flag on your home. As an example, you can not have the flag intruding on walkway or sidewalks. Another example: you can’t have a flagpole taller than 10 feet and must be 15 feet from the property line. (To watch a video about flag poles and location of them from the HOA/City https://youtu.be/BEhCrmEGFU0)

Other flags have rights to be displayed as well but are not covered in the American Flag Act of 2005. Any flag displaying a persons religion, race, heritage, disability or sexual orientation are covered in discriminations laws and the Fair housing act. If you run an HOA you need to know and understand these laws so you do not discriminate against any one person or people. (To watch a new story about how this woman’s rights were violated https://youtu.be/A1nguvEzbCw)

I hope you display your American Flag proudly this 4th of July as you have the right to do so no matter what your HOA states. Be sure to check the restrictions to know where and the size of the flag that falls in line with the bylaws.

God Bless The United States Of America

Kristina Smallhorn (Your Real Estate Whisperer)
Cell 225-246-1812

EXP REALTY, LLC, 2900 Westfork Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70827 – 225-412-9982 ext 149
[email protected]
yourrealestatewhisperer.com/ [email protected]

Kristina Is a Licensed Realtor® with The Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors@ in the State of Louisiana. License #0912122918

5 Tips When To Make A Lowball Offer

June 5, 2018

Last week I told you about bidding wars (To Read That Article https://bit.ly/2LoaC7X ). This week I will be telling you when is the right time to lowball an offer on a home. This video will provide 5 useful tips to know when the perfect time is to lowball an offer on a house. There is often real estate lowball offer mistakes people make when making an offer and know how to construct your offer in a way not to offend the sellers by providing facts to why you made the lowball offer in the first place can be the reason why you win the deal of the century.

The first tip to consider if you are going to home buying with the idea you are going to lowball every home you make an offer on is not to be picky. DO NOT ask for items that are not important to the structure of the home, like washer, dryer, and refrigerator, Do not ask for lawn maintenance or items to be removed. Basically, you are purchasing the home as in the condition that it’s currently in and not anything more than that.

The second tip that can work in your benefit is knowing if the home you’re considering lowballing is grossly overpriced. Many sellers will have illusions of grandeur when it comes to pricing their home. If you can prove with comps that the home is overpriced to the seller they may see things your way.

The third tip that’s important to know when giving a lowball offer is to see how many times the home has been on and off the market within the last couple years. This could be a sign that the seller is in financial trouble and needs to get out. Check with your Realtor to see if the home has been put up on the sheriff’s sale website for delinquent payments or back taxes. This information could help leverage your lowball offer.

the fourth tip is to talk with the neighbors, neighbors love to dish out any secrets the sellers may not have disclosed that wouldn’t be pertinent to the structure of the home like a divorce, loss of a job or financial issues. Sometimes the neighbors can be the sellers biggest nightmare but a lowball buyers dream!

The fifth tip is to take a good look at obviously outdated items in the home to leverage your lowball offer. If the carpet is old and smelly, the kitchen looks like it from the set of the Golden Girls and every room needs a fresh coat of paint add up the cost to have those items that need remodeled and show the seller why your lowball offer was made. This could be the tip that seals the deal.

I hope you found these tips useful if you like to watch more video tips on buying your next home, check out my home buying video playlist here. https://bit.ly/2sw5Pu1

If you don’t want to miss any tips on buying and selling your home so you don’t leave money on the table at the closing time click here https://bit.ly/2sHfDRr

To look for properties in the Baton Rouge and Ascension Parish area click here: https://goo.gl/Pfi9W9

Copy of my FREE Ebook For Buying In Ascension Parish: https://goo.gl/ux3mYz

Kristina Smallhorn,

Your Real Estate Whisperer

[email protected],[email protected]

eXp Realty LLC,2900 Westfork Dr. Suite 401,Baton Rouge LA 70817225-246-1812,Office (225) 412-9982 ext# 149

Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana, License #0912122918

Parade Of Homes 2018 In Greater Baton Rouge.

May 15, 2018

This past weekend kicked off the Parade of Homes In the Greater Baton Rouge area. Even if you’re not in the market for a brand new home if a great way to get fresh ideas on remodeling your own home. Throughout many Parishes, you will be able to see the latest trends in new home building, like flooring design, colors for walls and the style in kitchen design.

To get more information on the parade of homes, click here. >> Parade Of Homes 2018

For a full list of homes on the Parade Of Homes Tour, Click Here. >>Map Of Homes

2018 Parade of Homes, May 12-13 and 19-20. This is your chance to preview up and coming communities, different floor plans, new ideas and innovative products. The Parade is free to the public with homes open on Saturdays from 11am-5pm and on Sundays from 1pm-5pm.

The 2018 Parade of Homes will show many homes of all sizes, layouts, and architectural styles. The tour has a little bit for everyone with homes ranging from the starter home all the way up to luxury homes in exclusive neighborhoods. This will be a great way to get idea’s for your own home or preview a home to purchase in the near future.

Your Real Estate Whisperer For Ascension Parish, Kristina Smallhorn.

I hope you found this tip useful if you’d like some more tips you can always visit my website at yourrealestatewhisperer.com To View Properties For Sale, Click Here https://goo.gl/Aiwxjm To Get My FREE EBook On Buying Homes In Ascension Parish, Click Here https://goo.gl/ux3mYz To Send Mail: Kristina Smallhorn PO BOX 1271 Prairieville LA 70769 Kristina Smallhorn (Your Real Estate Whisperer) Cell 225-246-1812 EXP REALTY, LLC,2900 Westfork Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70827 225-412-9982 ext 149 [email protected] Kristina Is a Licensed Realtor® with The Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors@ in the State of Louisiana. License #0912122918

Selling Your Home While You Are On Vacation.

May 8, 2018

It’s Take a Tip Tuesday. Do you know what to do with your house when you’re going out of town? This is what you need to know when you are selling your home when you go on vacation, Hi, my name is Kristina Smallhorn, your real estate whisperer for Ascension Parish and we’re getting ready to go out of town. But do you know what to do with your house if it’s listed for sale and you’re going out of town? You’re going to want to know these tips.

Make sure you don’t leave any wash in the washing machine. Imagine leaving clothes in the washing machine for three days and what that smell would be like. Buyers wouldn’t really like that when they walk into your laundry room. I think we got everything. Oh, wait one second. You see this right here? These plugins that make your house smell so good? Either turn them all the way off or just take them straight out of the wall. The thing is is that when you’re not in the house and the air is not circulating a lot, when the buyers walk in the house the smell is just overwhelming and then they smell nothing but floral and they think that you’re hiding some kind of smell. So when you’re going out of town, just either turns them all the way down or just pull them straight out of the wall and put them in a safe drawer until you get back into town. So when you’re heading out of town you’re going to want to turn off your water. I’m going to give this case in point. That picture has been floating around Facebook since Christmastime and somebody left their water and of course, the water came through the ceiling and caused quite a problem. Even if you’re in a frozen tundra area where it’s going to freeze like a glacier, you’re still going to want to turn off your water. Look, you know if you have a ceiling the pipes are above you, anything can happen. Just turn off the water. All right so we’re going to attempt this, okay? Did it. All right so I nearly killed myself but I did get the water off. And when you turn the water off you’re going to want to let your real estate agent know that you turned the water off. ‘Cause what if your house goes under contract and you have an inspection? And then inspector goes in and says, “The water doesn’t work.” So you’re going to want to let your real estate agent and the home inspector know where that water turn on is. There’s one more thing I forgot to tell you. Make sure that you go ahead and give an extra key to a neighbor or to your real estate agent. If you don’t have time to go over to your real estate agent’s office, it’s always good to give it to a neighbor. Not only can they pick up the mail and the newspapers that have been left out, they can also water your plants. Sometimes these electronic lockboxes technology doesn’t work the way we want it to and it’s good to have an extra key that you’ve given to a neighbor so that way they can let in a buyer’s agent to show your home. I know when you’re heading out of town you are probably going to want to set your alarm system to your house. Make sure that your real estate agent has that alarm code ’cause it’s happened before that a buyer’s agent walks into the house, the alarm goes off and they didn’t give the alarm code to the selling agent. So make sure that you give that to them. All right, one last tip. When you’re getting on your flight, make sure you let your real estate agent know what time your flight’s at. You don’t want to miss any contract deadlines when you are on a flight and you never know if you get a contract when you’re on that flight, you don’t want to miss that deadline either. Bye. Bye. If you’d like some more information about buying homes in Ascension Parish area you can always visit my website at yourrealestatewhisperer.com. My name is Kristina Smallhorn, your real estate whisperer for Ascension Parish. And I tell you all this because you matter.

[email protected],[email protected] eXp Realty LLC,2900 Westfork Dr. Suite 401, Baton Rouge LA 70817 225-246-1812,Office (225) 412-9982 ext# 149 Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana

A Day Listing A Home, In Ascension Parish- Realtor Vlog

May 4, 2018

I took a day listing a home here in Ascension Parish. This super cute home for sale is a new listing for me, This week I will be showing you how listing a home for sale can be a little more trouble than just sticking a sign in the yard. Listing a home in Ascension Parish takes a lot more work than you think. I will be answering the questions you may be having about home listing when they go up for sale like, What are the steps in listing a home? What happens when you list a home? and why would you want to pay someone to measure a house? I meet up with Snap-Shot Photography to measure the home and take photographs. I’ll show you what it takes to get a home on the market but spare you the paperwork (which takes you the longest and would not make for a great video.) Let me show you more about the resale of this existing home be sure to watch the video of this week’s vlog.

Here is the link to the home’s details https://bit.ly/2whb4SC

To schedule a private showing call 225-246-1812

This Home Has A Huge Backyard In Prairieville!

The property is almost an acre! You get the best of both worlds with this home, You’ll be a part of an awesome neighborhood and you’ll have a HUGE backyard. When you step into the foyer you’ll fall in love with the cool modern grey color scheme that leads you to the large open concept living room and oversized traditional style kitchen with attached dining area. From the living room, you walk down the hall to the enormous master bedroom, plenty of room for a California King bedroom set. The ensuite master bathroom has a stand-alone shower, jetted tub and double sink with plenty of cabinetry to store bath towels and toiletries. Out from the master, the paint color scheme continues and down the hall has two more large bedrooms with fantastic closet space for each of them. Once you step into the backyard you won’t get over how big it is. You will have plenty of room to have a massive crawfish boil, Backyard barbecues or put in the large swimming pool you have been dreaming of, the possibilities are endless. I know once you walk through this home you won’t want anyone else to have it. (Please note: This home DID NOT flood during the 2016 floods, Window curtains and hooks in children bedrooms will not remain with the home)

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[email protected],[email protected] eXp Realty LLC,2900 Westfork Dr. Suite 401, Baton Rouge LA 70817 225-246-1812, Office (225) 412-9982 ext# 149 Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana

5 Homeownership Mistakes.

March 13, 2018

There are many homeownership mistakes that happen when you buy a house. Often people unknowingly do more damage to their home when they believe they are doing the right thing after they buy a house. In this video, I show some of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make.

Have you ever been in a bathroom that had a weird black line around the bottom edge of the mirror? There is a reason for that, it’s from an overuse of cleaning products and moisture getting behind the mirror allowing it to lose its reflection and cause that yucky black clouds. The solution, just be aware when you are spraying your mirror to not use too much product and when getting out off the shower make sure to wipe down the mirror so no moisture gets trapped.

Another mistake in home ownership is using bleach on everything. I know I love bleach but it can really do damage on some of the most expensive things in your home like granite countertop (did you know that it will strip the sealant right off of stone?) Also, never use bleach products on vinyl it could possibly yellow or stain it. Another area to avoid bleach is wood flooring, it too can strip the finish off the flooring making it pretty expensive to restore down the road.

I’ve been to enough home inspections to know that many homeowners make the mistake of using the wrong kind of caulk in certain areas of the home. They make different kinds a caulk for a reason and make sure you are buying the right kind for bathrooms and outside windows. Not all caulk is made the same.
Over sealing countertops is another costly mistake homeowners make. I know you think you’re doing the right thing by applying it often but if do it too much it will cause a milky white film that can be tough to remove and repair. To test to see if your countertops are ready for another spray of sealant, just drip a few drops of water on the countertop and see if it beads up if it doesn’t its ready for a treatment.
So when was the last time you had your HVAC system look at? So many homeowners ignore this maintenance requirement. When I represent the buyer I always ask for it to be done and inevitably the homeowner hadn’t had it done the whole time they had lived in the house. The cost of this is too inexpensive to ignore and can help stretch out the time for replacement.

I hope you found these tips useful if you’d like more tips please visit my website @ yourrealestatewhisperer.com

To search for Baton Rouge and Ascension Parish homes for sale click here https://goo.gl/Pfi9W9

To Get a copy of my FREE E-Book click here https://goo.gl/ux3mYz

Do you have any home ownership tips? Be sure to comment them below, They make it in my next video.

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My Name is Kristina Smallhorn, Your Real Estate Whisperer For Ascension Parish, And I tell you all this “Because YOU Matter”

Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana in The Greater Baton Rouge MLS, license # 0912122918,eXp Realty LLC,2900 Westfork Dr. Suite 401
Baton Rouge LA 70817, Cell Number: 225-246-1812, Office (225) 412-9982 ext# 149

Closing Day Checklist For Home Sellers In Ascension Parish.

February 13, 2018

A closing day checklist for home sellers, Days before the closing of your home when you are selling, there are somethings to remember. Kristina Smallhorn, Your Real Estate Whisperer for Ascension Parish tells you some commonly missed items that sellers should be aware of before closing day.

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Kristina Smallhorn
[email protected]
Your Real Estate Whisperer
eXp Realty LLC
2900 Westfork Dr. Suite 401
Baton Rouge LA 70817
225-246-1812
Office (225) 412-9982 ext# 149

Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana

Wiring Fraud Alert For Home Buyers

January 23, 2018

Wiring Fraud Alert!!!!! Don’t Let These Hackers Steal Your Down Payment! Watch The Video To See How You Can Protect Your Money!

Wiring Fraud Alert For Home Buyers has become a real problem over the last couple of years. Imagine having your life saving for a down payment for your new home being stolen from you just days before the closing. It’s been happening all over the country even in Ascension Parish. The scam works like this, the hackers get a hold of either the title companies email account, the realtors’ email account or even the home buyers email account after one of these accounts are infiltrated the hackers sit and wait. They monitor the activities of all the parties involved in the transaction days beforehand they inform the buyer that wiring instructions have changed and they need confirmation they received the message so they can send the new instructions. These criminals are clever, by this time they have copied or even cloned the email addresses of the parties involved they really make these emails look very official. Buyers are of course in a panic and rush to there bank to give them the new wiring instructions, but the thing about it is, they just lost all their down payment and very little can be done to get that money back.

There are some ways to protect yourself. One is to change your email password often and have two code authentification. If you do get an email asking to change wiring instructions prior to closing make sure to call your REALTOR® to verify the title companies phone number. Never follow the phone number that is posted in the suspicious email. Lastly, Instead of wiring the funds, if possible, just go down to your bank and get cashiers check, it may take a little more time but could save you tens of thousands of dollars.

To read my blog for more tips read this: https://goo.gl/LHEVPz

To Read More On Preparing Your Home To Sell, Click Here https://goo.gl/e6wJUv

To View Properties For Sale, Click Here https://goo.gl/Aiwxjm

To Get My FREE EBook On Buying Homes In Ascension Parish, Click Here https://goo.gl/ux3mYz

Kristina Smallhorn

[email protected], Your Real Estate Whisperer,

eXp Realty LLC 2900 Westfork Dr. Suite 401 Baton Rouge LA 70817 225-246-1812 Office (225) 412-9982 ext# 149 Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana

“Because You Matter”

5 Tips When Buying A Home – Take A Tip Tuesday.

January 16, 2018

Take A Tip Tuesday! 5 Tips For Buying A Home.

It’s Take A Tip Tuesday and in this weeks video, I discuss 5 big things that people should know when buying a home. Whether this is your first home or tenth home, these tips should always be helpful. In Ascension Parish, we have lots of people moving in and out an all around but people seem to forget what needs to be done when buying a home. Below I’ve listed 5 key tips to remember.

Get Approved!

I must say this about 1000 times in my past videos and I know if you have been following me for awhile I may sound like a broken record but I’m telling you, people jump the gun when home shopping and tend to forget all about being “pre-approved” prior to their home quest.

Size Doesn’t Matter!

This is another thing that some people can get hung up on. They want a HUGE home but did you know that if you have the largest home in a neighborhood you will get a lot less per square foot than your surrounding neighbors. Bigger doesn’t mean better and maybe an unwise investment.

Shiny New Toy Syndrome.

Imagine walking into a home that has all the bells and whistles, super thick granite, custom cabinets and all upgraded modern appliances. It’s your dream home but it’s over the budget you set for yourself. Delayed gratification can be better in the long run, especially for your wallet as well. Don’t get stuck with a home that you can barely furnish because you had to have the newest, latest and greatest.

Budget For Other Costs.

When you go on sites like Realtor dot com, Trulia, and Zillow, they will give you an estimated mortgage payment. Many of these sites do not factor in the other costs, like escrows, insurance, and taxes. Make sure you have more money set aside for these items.

Hire An Inspector.

I can’t say this enough, even if you are buying a brand new home you should have it inspected by a professional. Even though the new home has to pass building code inspections things get missed and the inspector you hire is looking out for your best interest. (To Read More About Inspections Click Here 3 Myths About Home Inspections)

I hope you found these tips useful If you’d like to read more about buying homes in the Ascension Parish Area, please download my free e-book https://goo.gl/ux3mYz. If you like to search for homes in the Ascension Parish Area Click Here. To watch all my tip videos please subscribe to my YouTube Channel by Clicking HERE!