Marian's Blog

Laura Baker makes a wonderful case for getting your home ready to sell.  Emotional divorce is critical and will allow the staging necessary to make your home a commodity that buyers will want. What will make you more money when selling your home than anything else you can do? Emotionally Disconne...

  Go ahead…cry my hand full. My daddy used to hold his hand cupped under my chin when I cried and he’d say, “Go ahead, cry my hand full.”  It would make me so mad!  Then I’d start to giggle and the tears would all dry up. Don’t let petty people or unimportant problems make you cry and complain.  ...

Amy Hahn tells it so well, no need for me to reinvent the wheel.  Put on something warm, throw a red scarf around your neck and I'll see you in a little while on the waterfront.  It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas on the Crystal Coast!  Clawson's Annual Christmas Sing-A-Long On Monday, D...

Small Town USA I don't just live in a small town.  I live in a small town (about 1600 residents) in the middle of a small island.  I love to visit big cities.  My favorites are New York and Paris.  But I can't imagine living anywhere other than Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina. This picture is o...

  Take the first step. You are about to take a step.  It will be one of millions you will take in your lifetime.  Some sites say you’ll take as many as 10,000 each day. WOW! How many of those steps will take you where you want to be and how many will be wasted, useless steps?  Will some of them t...

  What is DUE DILIGENCE?     For almost a year now, since 1/1/11, North Carolina residential real estate contracts have included a due diligence clause.  As with any change, there are challenges, problems, confusion and resistance. Buyers, sellers and real estate professionals have all resisted l...

  She’s a little too old to find a “Sugar Daddy” by swinging her hips and batting her eyes.   You may know her, (or him).  Instead of doing the work, studying, training and research, she’s always looking for an easier way.  She can really tell a story and make everybody laugh and make you feel li...

    Do you have a Qualified Home? Sellers often ask, “Are they qualified buyers?”   Buyers may soon start asking a similar question.  “Is this a qualified home?”   Should you have a home inspection before putting your house on the market? The new (as of 1/1/2011) exclusive right to sell listing a...

      It's scary out there.  Don’t go out alone. If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home or investment property, you are about to make one of the largest financial decisions of your life.  REALTORS® are trained to know how to make it as safe as possible. There are  ghouls and scary things ...

Here is the church...and here is the steeple. Just a little Spiritual, Sentimental Sunday note. Ted and I decided we needed a few days alone and quiet.  So we drove across the state of North Carolina all the way to the Western edge and rented a little cabin on the side of the mountains.  (shh...d...