All posts by Bettina Settles

My clients appreciate my compassion, empathetic nature when dealing with them and their transaction but more than willing to educate in a simple way to make a complex transaction understood. Being accessible and cooperative when it comes to dealing with clients and cooperative agents has earned me high praises from both. They have learned that I am dedicated, honest, and knowledgeable and can become very persuasive when it comes when working a transaction for my clients.
Communication, education, Inspiration, tips

Moms house rules apply to business too

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Potential Customers are in every corner of your world that you could turn into life time clients or referral sources. Many times how you treat the individual or their property will determine if you will have a client for life or not.

In many cases it is as simple as mom’s house rules:

  • You open it, close it.
  • You empty it you either fill it back up or let them know
  • You dirty it, clean it.
  • You throw it on the floor, you pick it up.
  • When you take it out, put it back.
  • You are running late or you are not coming you tell them.
  • When they speak, listen.
  • When you don’t have an answer, let them know, try to find the answer and don’t make something up.
  • When you see they need help, help them.

Sometimes in the heat of the business battle many of us forge and overlook the simple things and these are the once who will net us or loose us clients.

education, Inspiration, planning, tips

Traveling with the car in cold and harsh weather

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Many of us did a great job to prepare our homes and yards for this cold weather and we made sure our pantries are filled, the generator is filled and ready to go in case of a power outage. The pets have enough food and toys to keep them busy but did you think of the times when you need to travel with your vehicle and you get stuck in a 4 hour back-up due to an accident or bad roads?

Have you thought of carrying an winter emergency kit in the trunk of your car?  The State of Wisconsin has on their website a great list of things on what you should consider carrying in the trunk of your car during the winter. All the items listed could very easily fit into a medium size plastic tote.

Some examples are windshield scraper and small broom, flashlight with extra batteries and booster cables but also  snack food including energy bars,  matches and small candles or extra hats, socks and mittens. Some of the items we might not would think off.

Sure we all are a cell phone call away from help but you never know when you have to travel into a rural area that has no cell phone reception or your cell batteries are dead and you forgot the charger at home.

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, tips

Living in a house comes with responsibilities

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House and Keys in Female HandsOwning or renting a single family home is great. Yes in most cases you have next door neighbors but there not a floor above you or right on the other side of your living room wall but with living in a single family home you have as the owner and possible as the tenant responsibilities.

All municipalities have ordinances that govern how the municipality runs and who is responsible for what.  During the growing season for instance is indicates and governs that the grass is cut in the area and it is not thigh high. When it is icy and snowy outside it spells out who is responsible for cleaning the sidewalks in front of the house from ice and snow.

The ordinances are not only for business owners they are for everybody who lives or works in the municipality. Many homeowners or even tenants don’t realize that they are responsible for clearing the public sidewalk that is in front of the home they own or rent. Many tenants might be getting caught off guard when they all of a sudden receive a notice and maybe fine when they did not clear the sidewalk in front of their rental unit thinking it is the responsibility of the landlord.

In many cases the landlord has written in their lease agreement that it is the tenant’s responsibility to obey by local codes and ordinances and that does include cutting the grass during the growing season and having the sidewalks cleared of ice and snow when it is icy and snowy outside.

When you are not familiar with your local ordinance you can call your local mayors or Town Manager office to find out more.  All of them are more than willing to answer any question you might have.

buying, commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

Are you ready for the nextgen home buyer?

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three handprintsNot sure if many of us have paid attention but many of the nextgen home buyers have grown up with a huge sense of neighborhood, personal and community balance. They are not at this time in the hustle and bustle of work and life. They are not in the need to look for the next best deal. Some might not finishing high school or college at this time or when they do they are looking to make a difference in their world.

When they are ready to buy most of them are looking for a home and neighborhood that is more environmentally friendly and inclusive. They rather take public transportation, the bike or walk to their destination and when they do own a car most of them park it at home and only used it when they have to.

Looking at our current homes that we own and we can find that 85% to 90% of them might not be as energy efficient as they could be overlooked by the next-gen buyer.

The next-gen buyers in many cases have already adopted a greener and environmentally friendly lifestyle and that is what they are also looking for in a home. Sure it is not cost efficient and feasible to do a total home renovation all at once in many cases to make an older home totally environmentally and energy efficient. Things like that can be accomplished on a small scale, though many little steps.

When you are replacing windows, you night look at more energy efficient window. When the air conditioner or heater needs replacing, you might consider a much more energy efficient unit. Keep in mind, when you are still in the home you, yourself might see a heating and cooling cost savings already.

commitment, Communication, education, green, Inspiration, planning, recycle, Team work, tips

Reducing your construction trash when remodeling

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blueprintWhen buying a new custom build home or an existing home sooner or later we all contemplating making changes or renovating the home.

Due to this many of us are watching the remodel shows that are playing on TV or online for inspiration and we are fascinated by the transformation a room makes during a 30 minute show. Most of us do enjoy the sledge hammer wielding contractor or homeowner who destroy the old kitchen cabinets, bust a sink or bathtub in halve or sling the hammer thought a wall or glass door or window.

When we remodel we create in many cases building waste that ends up in a local landfill.

Per the EPA information found on their website, nationwide we created an estimate of about 170 million tons of building construction, renovation, and demolition-derived waste.

At this time not many of us building a new home form the ground up, most of us remodeling their current home or the older home we just bought. During the planning storage of the remodel we have many options we can use to reduce the remodel trash we could create by identifying the material that can be recycled, salvaged or donated. During the demolition you just need to make sure that you separate the items and carefully remove any structurally piece that can be reused by local non for profits or other outlets.

Some good examples could be a sink, faucets, tubs, cabinets, refrigerators, or stoves but don’t forget doors, windows, extra paint, wood trim or flooring, bricks, piping, copper lines…..and many more I could list.

The WBDG has a user friendly and interactive Construction Waste Management Database

http://www.wbdg.org/tools/cwm.php that contains information on companies that haul, collect and process recyclable debris from construction projects.

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VA Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans

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free patriotic eagle clipartVA offers two grant programs to service members and Veterans with disabilities.

One of the grant programs is the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant and the other the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant.

The grants can be used to either purchase or build a new home or change and modify the current home to accommodate the disability.

Certain eligibility criteria’s exists to be able to qualify for the grants. Some examples are certain severe burns, blindness, loss of use of arm or leg.

To find out more about the grants, how to apply and who qualifies go to the VA Adapted Housing page on the VA website.

Communication, education, tips

Changes to the Flood insurance

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Not sure if many have paid attention to a new law that the congress passed this year called the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12). When your property is located in a flood zone you might be directly affected by the new reform to the flood insurance.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other agencies were asked with this now flood reform to make changes to the way the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is run. One change that could directly affect the end consumer is the raising of rates to reflect true flood risk a home is in.

Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates will impact policyholders. The changes could mean premium rate increases for some policyholders over time. To find out how the BW-12 could affect your insurance policy contact your insurance agent.

commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

Moving with your pets

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HPIM0489Moving is already stressful enough on everybody. We can verbally voice our distress and dislike now our pets have ways of voicing their opinion on how things are going and sometimes is destructive.

To make a move less stressful to any pet here are a few tips:

  1. Before and during the move try to keep a normal routine for your pet as possible; like feeding at the same time, going out and playtime at the same time and keep up the normal bedtime routine as well.
  2. Get with your vet and make sure that all of the vaccinations are up to date and you have written proof as such. When you already know your pet does not travel very well, ask your vet about this. In some cases the vet can prescribe something for the pet to make it easier for them to travel.
  3. When you packing for the move, make sure you keep some of your pet’s items out of the moving truck. Pack their water and food bowl, medications, bedding, food and overnight crate separately. Keep it with you in your vehicle. Have enough food for your pet that you have enough time to either buy more or change your pet over to a new type of food when their current food is not available in the new home town. Be prepared to move your pet personally. A pet will do better when they move with their owner to the same time, together. Moving companies will not move your pet for you.
  4. When you are driving with your pet make sure you keep your pet safe in the vehicle. When you know your pet will not do well when traveling you might consider not feeding the pet before leaving. Make sure you keep your pet confined in a travel crate or maybe buckled up for safe travel. Make frequent pit stops for everybody to stretch their legs, relieve their bladder and have a quick drink.
  5. When the move has to be made by plane, call the airline to fin out what their rules, regulations and restrictions are for flying with pets.
  6. Sometimes during the move a pet can get lost or possible stolen. You might consider micro chipping our pet as proof of ownership later. Be sure your pet’s identification tags are securely attached to a collar or leg band. The ID tags should include your pet’s name, your name, address and phone number, destination address, phone number and their rabies tag. You also can get a small GPS locator that attaches to the collar to be able to track your pet right in time. Take color pictures of your pet with a written description of its size, height, weight, colorings and distinguishing marks.

When you are in the new home, give your pet time to acclimate to the new area and surroundings.

buying, commitment, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

Tips on how to choose your loan originator/officer/banker

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lockNot very many of us can pay all cash to purchase our home. Most of us will have to apply for a mortgage to buy our dream home. The mortgage lending industry is a very competitive field even more so with all the recent mortgage rule changes. The bottom line is that mortgage loan officers are still sales people and their main job is to convince you as the consumer to apply with them for a mortgage.

Never be afraid to walk away from a transaction you are not comfortable with or you dread working with the loan officer.

I have been working as a Real Estate Broker now for over 15+ years and after the worst experience with a recent mortgage transaction due to the mortgage company, here are some Ideas to get you started;

  • Don’t take the first person that comes in your door.
  • Ask someone close to you that has recently closed on a mortgage and find out if they could recommend their lender they have been working with.
  • Speak with your financial adviser, accountant, attorney or your REALTOR to help you with a short list of lender referrals.  These people deal with mortgage lenders on a regular basis and can help you filter through the massive amount of information.
  • Interview several loan originators and ask them about their experience, time in business, companies they worked for and how long they worked for each company.
  • Ask the loan originator for up to 5 referrals to call.
  • Call the referrals the mortgage originator gave you !!!

You also can search the internet.

Keep in mind advertising is shiny and you need to pull the curtain back to find the information that is important to a mortgage application like:

  • fees,
  • lock-in periods
  • points and
  • qualification requirements

Everybody you speak with will sound like they have the best deal in town. Make sure you ask and receive the Good Faith Estimates (GFE) and Truth-In-Lending (TIL) statements. This way you have everything in black and white and in writing.

No matter who you work with, your mortgage loan will go through the same process. It will be originated, processed, approved and closed by individuals who work for institutions/companies who use software and other platforms that allow them to do their job.

In many states the loan officer now has to be licensed. You as a consumer have every right to check the person or company to make sure they are truly licensed in your state to do business through the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System & Registry or Nationwide Multistate Licensing System

Last but not the least it is also important to know the difference between mortgage qualification and mortgage approval.

buying, Communication, education, Inspiration, organizing, planning, Team work, tips

20 W Troy Avenue, Indianapolis IN

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DSC_0032_1Adorable & well cared for 2 bedroom 1 bath home on nice large lot. Located on 20 W Troy Avenue, Indianapolis IN 46225 (MLS#21249664) flier

OPEN HOUSE: 10/12/2013 from 1-3 PM EDT

Home also has a living room, large laundry room with extra storage shelves, dining room, large kitchen, and bonus room that holds the freestanding wood burning fireplace. The roomy bath comes with a walk-in shower. Large master bedroom has a high ceiling and a build in corner cabinet. Home also has an additional bonus room that has built-in shelves for extra storage.

Upgrades include Roof, water heater and HVAC.

DSC_0008Property taxes are $809 semiannual per the County Tax information. Property has no exemptions listed. Property is located in the Center Township, in the IPS School area within Marion County Indiana