Megan Bower Realtor

Everyone wants their home to look like it just jumped off the pages of Coastal Living, but busy careers, kids, pets, and life can make it hard to keep everything tidy.   This guide will help you organize your home and other aspects of your life in 15 minute segments. The basic plan is to set a timer for 15 minutes every time you begin housework. Follow these simple guidelines to put your plan into action.

1. Use a timer.
You need to set a timer to make this work. Do not rely on a wall clock, your phone or your personal estimate of how long 15 minutes is. Our brains are notoriously horrible for keeping time and part of this plan is understanding everything you can accomplish in 15 minutes. A timer will alert you to when your segment is up, allowing you to reset it and move on to the next task.

2. Stay focused during the 15 minutes.
This is very important. The benefits of 15 focused minutes on any particular task are greater than two hours worth of disorganized cleaning. If you generally buzz from one task to another, you may sometimes forget what you are doing. For instance, you may go throw in a load of laundry, start doing dishes, be distracted by the smudgy windows, then notice the cat litter box, then take out the garbage and finally realize you forgot to start the washer. Staying focused for 15 minutes on one particular area will help you finish that task before moving on.

3. Do not go over 15 minutes.
When your timer goes off, quit doing whatever task you are working on. If you consistently let yourself go over the 15 minutes, you are defeating the whole purpose of the plan. It may go against your nature to leave something unfinished. But when you institute this regimen every day, you will eventually be caught up all the time and won’t be leaving any task unfinished. If you consistently find yourself wishing for a few more minutes, go ahead and change your timer to 20 minutes. The key is to decide on a plan and go through with it.

4. Don’t expect to get totally organized in one day.
The point of this plan is not to get your house sparkling in one day of cleaning. The purpose is to institute a regular mode of cleaning and organizing that you can consistently use to produce results. Give yourself a full week before expecting to notice a huge difference. Then you will see it for sure. One day, it will be time to do 15 minutes in your living room and it will already be clean. You will reach for your duster and window cloth and have the place shining in 15 minutes or less.

Have you seen the new $25 million dollar home being built on Gulf Boulevard? It’s certainly gaining a lot of attention  - not only for its size, but for who owns it.  According to reports, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is having the 34,000-square-foot mansion built, and it will include a lazy river water feature and a bowling alley! Read more here: http://bit.ly/168WcCu

Thinking about re-modeling your home?  Check out these six tips to ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment.  http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/04/real_estate/tips/home_remodeling_investment.moneymag/index.htm

In case you missed my May Newsletter, you can view all the great tips, market news, and beautiful properties here! http://go.manageagent.com/g/v/81aa5f5e/1a5c00560256/377205050f04070f

Coastal Properties Group had a record-breaking month in March selling 34 homes/condominiums for a total sales volume of over $13 million, an increase of  85% compared to February 2013. The average sales price was $403,155 and the average listing price was $423,950.

In addition, 1Q sales numbers provided by the Pinellas Realtor Association for the top 100 real estate offices in North Pinellas County ranked Coastal Properties Group fifth in closed sales volume and number of active listings for the quarter and sixth in the number of pending home sales for the quarter (based on total dollar volume).

The Pinellas-based real estate brokerage’s sales have steadily increased month after month since opening its doors in July 2012, according to Alex Jansen, Coastal’s Owner and Managing Broker.

“We continue to attract the top real estate talent in the market,” explained Jansen. “We are adding about one new top producer to the company on a bi-weekly basis and selling an average of one property per day.”

The exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate in the Tampa Bay area, Coastal is an ‘invitation only’ boutique brokerage firm comprised of multi-million dollar producing agents.

Specializing in luxury and waterfront properties, Coastal’s current listing inventory includes more than 80 properties, with an average list price of $860,000.

Private, “off-market” pocket listings are getting more and more popular in today’s buyer heavy real estate market.  Agents who have pocket listings only advertise it to their personal client list and colleagues, limiting the pool of potential buyers.  Pocket listings are ideal for the client who doesn’t want their home all over the internet and doesn’t want hundreds of people going through their home at an open house.  If you’re looking for a quick sell and trying to avoid the hassel of publicly listing your home, talk to your real estate agent about considering a pocket listing.

The Clearwater Area is excited to introduce its beautiful city and beaches to the fastest-growing tourism market – China.  We know how lucky we are to live in this tropical paradise, and always love to welcome new visitors! http://clearwater.patch.com/articles/clearwater-beaches-marketed-to-china

Some real estate terminology can be tricky, and when it’s time to buy or sell a home you want to be prepared.  This is a great article that breaks down the difference between an Appraisal and an Inspection.  I hope it helps you out! http://www.realtor.com/blogs/2013/05/08/what-is-the-difference-between-an-appraisal-and-an-inspection/

Looking for something to do this week? If so, come out to support the Clearwater Beach Restaurant Week.  I can’t wait to sample all the delicious, local cuisine.  Learn more here: www.clearwaterbeachrestaurantweek.com

Like a Phonix rising from the ashes, the housing market if making a come back.

“Historically, housing has always led the U.S. out of recessions. It is the most interest rate-sensitive part of the economy, and as rates fall during recessions, housing rises first.” – Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moodys.com

http://bit.ly/12iZWcP