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Ascension Parish Coffee Talk #10, Shake Ya Tails Crawfish!

May 12, 2017

Ascension Parish Coffee Talk #10, Shake YA Tails Crawfish.

Two local boys have started a side business on the weekends selling Louisiana’s finest spillway crawfish. Brian Schexnaydre and his good buddy Danny Armond have taken their childhood passion of catching crawfish for small dinners to now bringing large sacks to sell to the people of Ascension Parish. All you have to do is call to order in advance. Brian and Danny share their way of boiling an amazingly delicious pot of crawfish, the right way in my opinion. They share their tips and tricks to how long to soak them and cool them off. I know from trying their recipe they come out PERFECT. Make sure to contact them in advance of the Mother’s day weekend to get your sacks ordered.

“Because YOU Matter”
Kristina Smallhorn
Your Real Estate Whisperer
eXp Realty LLC.
kristinasmallhorn.exprealty.com
225-246-1812
Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to see all the local businesses I feature each week.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH0LUzFvtwb5B8EfVCF5uwg

Take A Tip Tuesday- More About “Open House” In Ascension Parish.

May 2, 2017

This Weeks, Take A Tip Tuesday.

I take a deep closer look at the depths of an open house (add sarcasm) and how some inconsiderate customers can rifle through your home. Although this is uncommon it can happen. I took a more satire type approach to giving this information only to be humorous but get the point across. Last week’s “Take A Tip Tuesday” (Link is here To Last Weeks Blog Post About Open House) was the more realistic view of what could possibly happen. Just as a disclaimer I ripped off this idea from every more experienced and gifted YouTuber. I am not staking claim to being original to this idea.

I hope you enjoyed it, Please remember to subscribe if you liked this video and would like me to do more like this.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH0LUzFvtwb5B8EfVCF5uwg

Your Real Estate Whisperer
Kristina Smallhorn
eXp Realty LLC
225-246-1812
Kristina Smallhorn is a licensed REALTOR® with the state of Louisiana

Ascension Parish Coffee Talk Episode #8, Sal Palmisano Ster-L-Kleen.

April 28, 2017

Ascension Parish Coffee Talk #8 “Ster-L-Kleen”!

This week’s show, Sal Palmisano will discuss his company Ster-L-Kleen. I believe to be one of the most important companies I’ve brought on the show. Mostly because so many homes have been affected in Ascension Parish by mold and moisture intrusion since the great flood of 2016. Unknown allergens have been floating in the air that could be keeping you sick. I know we in Ascension Parish have mold and we always will with this moisture-rich area but if there was a way to clean your air inside your home, wouldn’t you? Well, there is Ster-L-Kleen. Ster-L-Kleen has 2 different techniques that will make your home smelling fresh and your air a lot cleaner for nearly a year.

I know from personal experience in one of my Ascension Parish rental homes that this really does work. I had Ster-L-Kleen come out and do a shock treatment of Ozone and by the next day, you’d never known that the house had been closed up for nearly five years with no AC, mind you. So you can only imagine how that smelled with our wild weather here in Ascension Parish.
If you’d like a chance to win an ozone shock treatment for free you can like my Facebook Page and Ster-l-kleens as well. Ster-L-Kleens Facebook Link & Your Real Estate Whisperer Facebook Link Do Forget to LIKE the Pages to win!

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

“Because YOU Matter”

Made An Offer On An Ascension Parish Home and Got Countered?

April 27, 2017

Made An Offer On An Ascension Parish Home and Got Countered?

In this current market, you would be hard pressed as a buyer to not get countered if you’re trying to get a bargain on a home. It is a seller’s market, and sellers are less willing to negotiate the listing price downward. It’s possible but unlikely. I just want you as a buyer to be prepared for a counter offer.

Why Was Your Offer Countered?

When you make an offer on a home in Ascension Parish one of four things can happen. The buyer can either accept, reject, counter or simply let the offer expire. (Most offers come with an expiration date). So if the seller counters, there could be a lot of reasons.

Did you offer way under asking price?
Was the closing date too soon or too distant?
Did you ask for too many items like pool equipment, refrigerator, washer, dryer or expensive window coverings that the homeowner treasured
The sellers didn’t want to pay for a home warranty.
You made the inspection period too far into the future.
You asked too much for closing costs.

These are just some of the many reasons your offer could have been countered, so what do you do now?

What To Do When Your Offer Is Countered.

Make sure to review your counter carefully with you Ascension Parish Realtor®. This is when having a REALTOR® at your side is most advantageous to put you, the buyer, in the best position.

Review all your comparables with you, REALTOR®. You don’t want to overpay. Evaluate if you really need those closing costs. Make sure your interests are being protected but you’re still going to win the house. If you see that there are issues with the home you may want to accept the seller’s countered price, and then have them reduce the price after you’ve had the home inspection. It’s important to consult with your Ascension Parish Realtor to make sure that this counter offer “if it’s because of price” will appraise. Have your Realtor® reach out to the seller’s agent to get a better feel for what the seller’s position is. Are they selling because of financial hardship? Or, did the sellers get transferred? These could be great things to know if you’d like to counter the counter offer.

If all else fails, and the counter offers go flying back and forth, you may need to walk away. You have heard the expression, “plenty of fish in the sea?” Well, in the housing market new listings arise all the time and others go back on the market. Don’t get yourself too wrapped up in a home where the sellers and or listing agent are unwilling to be flexible to get the deal done.

“Because YOU Matter”

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

Ascension Parish Coffee Talk Episode #7, Galvez Hardware & Outdoor Kitchen

April 21, 2017

Ascension Parish Coffee Talk Episode #7

This week I stopped into one of my husband’s favorite hardware stores. It’s located right off Highway 42 right next to the Sonic fast-food restaurant.

The warm and friendly staff are not the only thing that will have you coming back. They have a wide selection of outdoor kitchen supplies, Yeti products, replacement hoses for your propane tanks and grills and of course everything hardware.

Donna Bruno, the store’s manager was kind enough to take me on a tour, explaining to the Ascension Parish Coffee Talk Audience, all the cool products they have. Each isle has a new adventure of products and services that Galvez Hardware and Outdoor Cooking has to offer.

Stop in for yourself, There was no way to feature all the items they have to offer the people of Ascension Parish or I’d still be filming them. Tell them I sent ya. “Because YOU Matter”

On A side note, I couldn’t pass up on that pirogue and I got the green on for my husband to do crawfish this weekend.

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

eXp Realty LLC.

What’s The Difference Between “Contingent” and “Pending” in Ascension Parish?

March 3, 2017

You see the sign in the neighbor’s yard “For Sale,” and you know what that means, but when you look on the internet and you see homes you like only to learn that they are either “Pending” or “Contingent.” What does that mean, and can you still make an offer on the home?

Contingent

A couple years ago I had a buyer who was annoyed with me because I was sending her listings that were marked “Contingent”. She thought this meant that she couldn’t have the house so why would I be sending them to her.

This is not the case! A contingent home is one that has an accepted offer but has special conditions that allow other buyers to make an offer as well. For example, a home on 123 Love Bird Lane is for sale; the Brown Family are buyers that put in an offer that is accepted by the sellers but they need to sell their current home first before they can purchase the home on 123 Love Bird Lane. The sellers Realtor® now mark in the MLS that the home is now contingent. The Smith Family sees the same home on the internet that’s now marked contingent, takes a look at it and puts an offer on the home that the sellers do not want to turn down. At this time the Brown Family is informed by their Realtor® that they can either remove their “contingency” and hope their current home closes without issues, or they can walk away from the home on 123 Love Bird Lane and find another one.

This can be devastating for Brown family, it’s a risk to remove a contingency as they could be left with two mortgage payments if their current home doesn’t sell. Some buyers are willing and able to take the risk; others not so much.

Pending

I generally don’t send listing’s that are marked “pending.” When you see “pending” above a listing, that means the home has an accepted offer and is in the inspection and financing part of the process of the transaction. The seller cannot consider other offers since there are no special “contingencies.”

In Ascension Parish we’ve seen many homes recently go pending quickly. With the recent flood, many buyers have cash in hand and are ready to move into a new home. Just know if you see a home marked “contingent,” don’t be afraid that the home of your dreams is gone! You can always ask your Ascension Parish Realtor® if the sellers are still willing to show and/or consider another offer. Remember, “it ain’t over, ’til it’s over!!”

“Because YOU Matter”

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

So…The Sellers Of An Ascension Parish Home, Not That Into You?

March 1, 2017

It happens from time to time. Buyers here in Ascension Parish find the home of their dreams, put in an offer they believe is fair and the sellers won’t budge. It doesn’t seem fair to you
and your Ascension Parish Realtor® have gone over comps and studied the area thoroughly. It happens, so what are you to do when the house of your dreams seems to be slipping from your fingers?

Try your MAX!

Discuss this with your Ascension Parish Realtor® and see if they agree with your plan to go to the maximum offer. It can’t hurt to try this tactic if it looks like the comps can support the offer. You don’t want to be in a predicament where you make an offer, but it doesn’t appraise. If a seller isn’t that into you, they could just put the house back on the market and not negotiate the appraised price. Maybe it’s simply time to move on!

This could be tough if you are absolutely in love with a home but some relationships do need to be broken at times, even with a dream home. To stand back pouting, crying and wasting energy on a house that’s wasn’t meant to be could make you miss out some great properties that come on the market, especially in our current market when houses go FAST! You just never know, sellers at times do come to their senses and revisit old offers. Yours might be one of them.

Don’t Try To Figure Out A Sellers Motives.

This just a waste of your energy and can drive you crazy adding unneeded stress. Only the seller knows why they turned down your offer. You can ask your Ascension Parish Realtor® for more insight into the matter, but if the seller is unwilling to cooperate, don’t get too emotionally annoyed.

A Learning Lesson.

Take your experience from this seller as a learning experience when negotiating on your next home using it as a litmus test of the current market. Your knowledge can make your next offer stronger and less likely for a stubborn seller to walk away. Ask yourself some questions before you go into your next deal.

Analyze what you could have done differently. Could you have gone your maximum at the beginning? Did you take too long to respond to a counter? Did you ask for too much in extras like closing costs or furnishings? Just take your time, sit back and think what you would have done differently.

Losing a home of your dreams, to put it mildly, really sucks but I promise there are other houses out there that are just as nice if not better. I have seen it time and time again when a buyer loses a home only to find one that was much better at a later date making them feel like they dodged a bullet from a bad home buying experience with stubborn sellers. I tell you all of this “Because YOU Matter”

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

What Prairieville Home Buyers Need to Know Before Closing Day.

February 20, 2017

Home buying can be exciting for some, heartbreaking for others (due to circumstances of buying) or a non event for a few. Whatever your personal feelings are about the closing process, there are some things you should know.

Don’t delay, mortgage rates expire.

When you are in the loan process, the lender will “lock” in your rate. This lock doesn’t last forever; usually 45-60 days.

Any number of issues can arise from the time of signing a purchase agreement, until the day of closing. Permits, inspection issues, illegal renovations and liens on a home can make the day of closing further away than expected. A rate lock expiration could cost you a lot of extra money.

The mortgage process isn’t over when you drop off papers.

Many buyers believe once they have dropped off all the documents to the lender, it’s smooth sailing, Well I can tell you for a fact that many times they will need to verify income, assets, credit, and retirement funds just a few days before closing!

I know buyers are excited to fill up their new home with new furniture, appliances and decor, but this isn’t a time to get a new line of credit with anyone. Any blip in your credit report can throw the whole loan process into a tailspin, as changes in your financial status can put your chances of loan approval into jeopardy.

Do your walk through prior to closing.

Do not assume that the sellers have done the necessary repairs which were negotiated during your inspection period. This is the time to make sure that they have been done to the satisfaction of the terms negotiated in the repairs request.

Also, the state of Louisiana Purchase Agreement states that the home must be in the same or better condition as the day you put in the accepted contract. I have seen closings delayed because the lawn was as tall as a small child and the home inside was a dirty mess.

Your Closing day maybe very low-key.

I know you have seen these extremely excited sellers sitting at a closing table handing over a set of keys to equally excited buyers with hands held out with joy. Well, now the rules have changed as far as closings go. Most times the buyers and sellers are in separate rooms and sign papers individually; other times the sellers come to the closing table at the end of the process, which is after the buyer has signed all their loan documents. I know this may ruin the dream you’ve held dear in your mind, but I can tell you that it will still be just as joyous to have your new home after the papers are signed. Plus, with some people, its better to be separated so the atmosphere in the closing room isn’t tense.

Be proactive!

During the waiting period prior to closing, it is best for buyers to be proactive and do their research. Make sure you have a good local Realtor® who can off set red flags and be honest with you when things are not going quite right. Always hire a qualified inspector when you have your inspections of your new home. Prior to putting in an offer on a home, get yourself a lender that you are comfortable with, and who is willing to take your calls when you have questions. Lastly, never feel intimidated to ask questions of all these people; as my elementary school teacher said, “there are no stupid questions!”

“Because YOU Matter”

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

“You’re Not From Here, Are You?!”

February 15, 2017

Throughout Louisiana, nothing makes you sound like an “outsider” than the mispronunciation of people’s last names, road names, town names and your inability to understand all the sayings you’ve never heard before! You might as well wear a sign that states “You’re not from around here.” Over the years there are some sayings and names I’ve learned that I would like to share with my fellow transplants.

What’s in a Name?

When meeting people of our awesome Parish, you’ll meet many with last names you’ve never seen before and the pronunciation will really trip you up. (Hooked on phonics rules defiantly do not apply)

Robert- Pronounced Row-BEAR this one is tricky only because if you are referring to the town of Robert it’s still said the way we foreigners know.

St. Amant- San-AmA

Robicheaux- Robe-a-shay I’ve seen this spelled a few different ways.

Aucoin- Oak-wan, This one really throws me for a loop. I still can’t figure out how those combination of letters make that pronunciation.

Hebert- A-Bear- Yep, the “H and T” aren’t even used when saying this name.

Thibodeaux- TIB-A-Dough

Boudreaux- BOOD-Dro

LeBlanc’s- La-BLAWNS

Richard- REECH-ard This one always throws me for a loop.

Melancon- MEL-AWN-sawn

These are just a few that have tripped me up, and I wanted my fellow transplants to make notes so you don’t get the hairy eyeball when you go and try to say one’s last name.

Louisiana saying’s I had never heard before I moved here.

“I can’t call it” example- “How’s your day man?” “I can’t call it”

“Make Groceries“- Going to the store and get food to fill your pantry and refrigerator.

“Lagniappe“- Pronounced, LAN-Yap..It means anything

extra.

“Come See“- Which means come over here and do this thing for me that I either don’t know how to do or don’t want to do.

“Sha“- I’ve heard this from mostly women. It’s a term of endearment for something precious and adorably cute.

“Catch a beating“- “I’d rather catch a beating than clean out my garage again” (This is a personal favorite of mine, it always makes me laugh”

“Icebox“- It’s a refrigerator! I thought for a long time it was just a separate freezer, but it refers to the whole refrigerator not just the freezer part.

“Dressed“- If you want to order a sandwich they are going to ask you “How do you want it dressed?” meaning, what extras do you want on your sandwich?

Pirogues- Pronounced PEE-Rows. It’s a type of flat-bed fishing boat that many Louisiana natives have.

Boudin- Pronounced Boo-DAN. A Cajun sausage made with pork, rice and spices.

This just touches on some of the funny words, names and expressions you will come across when moving here. It’s what makes our area so rich with interesting people and dialect. Everyday I’m thankful to be here and enjoy all these little idiosyncrasies, and I know that I have more to learn from the local natives.

Just know one more thing! People around here love their football, and whenever they are rooting for a team they spell “Go” as “Geaux,” and when they are speaking of the LSU Tigers they say “L. S. SHOE” I got this wrong for years and was teased by my coworkers for my pronunciation.

I hope this helps you when you are out in our fine Parish, and perhaps you won’t hear “You ain’t from around here, are you?”

“Because YOU Matter”

Your Real Estate Whisperer

Kristina Smallhorn

Need a Romantic Touch in Your Prairieville Home for Valentine’s Day?

February 13, 2017

It’s that time of year when we put away our Mardi Gras Ball gowns and get in the mood for love. The one day a year that we can really show our significant others that they are truly important to us. Lets be honest here, We should always be demonstrating our love year round but with our busy lives it can sometimes get put on the back burner. So it’s nice if we add some romantic touches to our Prairieville homes. So how do we do that?

Lighting.

Add some warm light bulbs in the bedroom, and in living spaces allowing natural light to spill in your home making your loved one have that soft glow of romance. Candles at night are always a nice touch but please make sure to keep them away from anything flammable. A house fire is never romantic.

If the weather is cool, running a fireplace is a nice touch. For people with ventless fireplaces be sure to crack a window for proper ventilation.

Pillow Talk.

Nobody wants to rearrange their whole home for one day, wait….I take that back… Besides Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Mardi Gras. I guess what I’m saying is that we can do something as simple as adding nice, fluffy, snuggly, softly colored pillows to our living spaces and bedrooms to create a relaxing romantic mood that can be used after Valentine’s day has past.

Rearrange?

It could be time to take a good look at your living spaces and take note if your home feels inviting now that you have the lighting, candles, pillows working. Do you need to move some furniture around? As I type this, I realized I probably need to do this myself! Decluttering spaces can make your home feel cleaner and more inviting, so get rid of all that paperwork laying around, kid toys and other useless “stuff.”

Bathrooms.

A bathroom with soft large towels, canisters filled with romantic smelling bath salts and creamy bubble bath soaps makes for a romantic space. Candles in here is a must for mood making moments, A personal favorite of mine.

I hope all of my Prairieville neighbors have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and your home is filled with love.

“Because YOU Matter”

Kristina Smallhorn

Your Real Estate Whisperer