3 Most Common Traits of a Competent Real Estate Agent

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During the current coronavirus pandemic, many people have lost their livelihoods and homes, and are forced to declare bankruptcy. Many myths are floating around the market about buying or selling a home during this pandemic, especially those properties where owners were using the 1031 exchange code to invest their capital gains. You can learn more about such properties by clicking here. 

But, homeowners who are forced to leave their homes are least concerned about these myths, and all they want to do is follow various tips to prepare their homes for sale. Staging a home for sale is not enough to get the best price because you need to have someone who can drive the hard bargain, and sell your house at the price it deserves. Competent real estate agents are the professionals who can do it for you, but it is a challenge to find the right one. We have discussed here the three most common traits of a competent real estate agent so that it gets easier for you to select the right one. 

1. Strong knowledge base:

A competent real estate agent will always be cognizant of recent trends and terminologies of the real estate market. He will have a broad knowledge base, but he will not be a jack of all trades and master of none. Real estate is an incredibly broad market and all the good real estate agents identify their niche and build so much expertise in that niche that nobody can beat them. Therefore, if you wish to sell your house, you must hire a real estate agent who belongs to the niche of the housing market. Moreover, you would be better off if he has a good grasp on the local housing market because it will enable him to understand the nuances of the local market and settle on a unique pricing strategy. 

2. Stellar relationship network:

Always remember that real estate business does not allow people to work in silos, and those who choose to do that, do not see the light of the day. This is why all the competent real estate professionals will have strong networking and the real estate agents are no exception to this rule. Therefore, make sure that the real estate agent you hire has a strong network of connections with all the major players of the real estate business including buyers, sellers, appraisers, mortgage officers, loan officers, and others. You will be able to validate their strong network because, within that community, you will find many people talking about those particular real estate agents. 

3. Engaging personality:

The personality of a real estate agent plays a vital role in determining whether a property would be sold or not because real estate brokers are not only tasked to sell properties but also themselves. Therefore, if their personalities are not engaging or they do not understand the art of selling themselves, they will not be able to sell the properties assigned to them. Always remember that good real estate agents will come across as honest, meticulous, and confident individuals. They will have a positive vibe that will make you believe in them when they say something, and if you happen to find such an agent, hire him on the spot. 

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"Baby hate kita dati, pero love na kita ngayon..."

That's the exact words that came out from the mouth of my 10-year old boy one night when he kissed my baby bump good night.

"Baby hate kita dati, pero love na kita ngayon..."

For awhile I was out of words to say. Then, I talked to him and asked him why.

Me: Bakit mo naman nasabi yun anak?

Matt: Kasi may napanuod ako nung nagkaroon ng bagong baby, lahat ng love ng parents nya sa kanya na napunta. Wala na silang time para sa kanya puro sa baby na lang.

Me: No, anak. Hindi ganun yun. Yung pagmamahal namin syo ganun pa din yun kahit andito na si baby. Saka syempre si baby hindi pa nya kaya ang sarili nya, natural lang na mas mabibigyan sya ng attention ng mommy. Pero mahal namin kayo pareho. Yun ang isipin mo anak ha...

And I hold his hands until he fell asleep.

If you haven't read yet, we are having baby #2 after 10 years. We have been praying for God's will if He will still bless us with another baby then will gladly accept it. Yun lang, hindi namin inaasahan ngayong panahon pa ng pandemia nya kami ibe-bless. No matter what this is a big blessing for us. So we are very thankful.

However, for our son this is not a good news. Yes, the first time he heard it, he's not happy with it. Nagkataon pa na nasa malayo sya that time na na-confirm namin. Tapos syempre sasabihan pa sya nang "magkakababy na ulit, hindi ka na baby ng mommy at daddy mo," and so on. 

So he hated me for awhile and he doesn't want to talk to us. Kaya noong sinundo namin sya we talked to him. We gave him assurance that we will love him and love him even more kahit my new baby na. 

We made him we love him and we appreciate him. Later on, hinahawakan nya na yun tummy ko. He will kiss it and talk to baby #2. When he first saw the baby sa ultrasound and I saw that smile on his face, I knew na-accept na nya na magkakaroon na sya ng kapatid. And I'm the happiest.

He always make our milk.

He will also remind me to take my vitamins before I sleep. Madalas na nya kinakausap si baby at lagi nya sinasabing "I love you baby, si Kuya ito."

Assurance, appreciation, love. Yun siguro yung pwede nating ibigay sa mga anak natin lalo na yung mga batang nagkakaroon ng insecurities sa pagkakaroon ng bagong baby sa family. We have to understand, especially for those kids who have been just alone for years, they are used to get all the love and attention. Don't expect them to accept it right away. Let them have space and time to think. Let them take a part in taking care of the you and the new baby in the your tummy.

Sabi ko nga sa kanya, he's so lucky to have a sibling. Not all have one.

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We are Ready for Online Schooling

 

From August 24, school opening was moved to October 05. That's for public school but for those private schools who are ready, DepEd gave them signal to start schooling. 

With that, my son's school will start on September 7 and yesterday, we had the connectivity test.

So far okay naman the connection. I can say that we are almost ready for this online schooling. If you read my Preparing for Online Schooling at Home post, we already bought a table and a chair. Like what I have said there, we had an office table at home but it is small daw. So we purchased this Yori Noji Office Desk from SM Home for ₱2,795.00, less 10% if you have SM Advantage Card or BDO Rewards Card.

Sulit na din this table because it's spacious with  measurements of L 84 x W 45.5 x 142 cm.

There are shelves where you can put their books, notebooks, pens and other school essentials they need while doing the online class. No need for additional trays na and it's easier to reach out whenever they need it.

Next naman is this computer chair I bought from an online seller at 1,900 pesos. Sa SM Home it's around 5,995 pesos kasi so I opted to look for a cheaper one but as good quality naman.

Oh di ba thats 4,000+ of savings?

Then, we also bought this Xiaomi Mi Home Security Camera 360°.

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So Daddy @chemist_dad ordered this Xiaomi Mi Home Security Camera 360° at Xiaomi Official Store at @shopee_ph last Monday lang. And today we received it from overseas pa. This is in preparation for the online class. Will post the details in my next post 😁 #securitycamera #xiaomi #shopee #shopeeph #onlinelearning #onlineclass #home #newnormal #education

A post shared by Maye Domencil (@mommymaye) on Aug 1, 2020 at 4:47am PDT

This is for us to monitor our son's online schooling even if we are away from home. Daddy A put it just over the table where we can see the view of our living  and dining room, and a little of our kitchen.

Pwede mo din i-zoom in to see what our son is doing on his laptop.

You can buy this Xiaomi Mi Home Security Camera 360° at Xiaomi Official Store at Shopee for 1690 pesos. You can use your Shopee coins and get 10% cash back.

Lastly, narealize namin, we should also buy a pair of headphone. Good thing there's Shopee kaya no need mag-mall. Daddy A bought this ONIKUMA K1 Gaming HeadSet for around 700 pesos. 

It has microphone also. Our son was so excited kasi pang-gaming din sya e. Lagot na.

So here's my son's study area. Praying we will get through this year's online class.

I am pretty sure of that because our son is always studious naman. Look!

That's how ready we are. How about you monshs, ready na din for this year's online class?

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How Spreading Kindness Is Good for You

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For most people, being able to help someone makes you feel good. The act of showing kindness to another person sets off the reward system in your brain which tells you that whenever you do a certain thing, you will get a reward. Showing kindness towards others and yourself helps to meet your psychological needs as well. Everyone needs to hold within themselves the belief that they belong and are able to relate to those around them in order to be healthy and happy. Here are three ways that show how spreading kindness is good for you.

Reduces Anxiety and Fear

When oxytocin and serotonin, the “happy chemicals,” are released in your brain, it can increase your levels of trust for other people. When this happens, fear and anxiety are also typically reduced. Boosting your self-esteem and sense of satisfaction is a wonderful way to be brave and vulnerable by connecting with another human.

Promotes Longevity

Prosocial behavior, or the intent to help other people, has been found to increase a person's well-being over the course of their life. Among older adults, it has been studied that volunteering not only improves their quality of life, but that it also supports a longer one.

Increases Mood & Peer Acceptance

Kindness creates more happiness within. Something that researchers discovered is that people not only report feeling happier when they are kind to close friends and family, but that even witnessing another person display an act of wholesale kindness as well as when you are kind to yourself, can make you happier, too.

Whenever you feel the inclination to extend an act of kindness, why not do it? Not only will you make someone's day better and help them feel better about themselves, but it will also likely make you feel better. Choose kindness and spread love today and every day!

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Preparing for Online Schooling at Home

Because August 24 is fast approaching, we are already preparing for our son's online schooling set-up. Let me share how we are preparing for online schooling at home.

First, since both of us are working outside home, we are training our son to study independently. I downloaded free workbooks at depedtambayan.org.

At first I just saved it at my son's iPad but I think it didn't help that it was on a gadget. He didn't like to answer the workshop and put the answers in a separate notebook. And I am also having hardtime checking the answers. So I just printed lessons per day. We have been doing this for more than a month now and he's getting used to it na. Ngayon nga he's doing advance study pa so gabi palang hinihingi na nya sa akin yun lessons for the next day. Ireview na daw nya or he will ask help from me and his dad for those lessons he didn't understand, especially sa Mathematics.

Then we enrolled him na. We got his books. Five subjects lang daw muna, Science, Filipino, Mathematics, English and Sibika. As per his school, they will do blended learning: online + module (books). They also told us that they will be using a software hooked to the books publication so teachers don'e need to make modules. That's great, however, we are just sad that most of our son's classmates are transferring to public schools.

I understand naman that everyone is really affected because of this pandemic, especially financially. We are not exempted too because our company reduced our work days and we are forced to file leaves. Syempre ang leave nauubos so our income is also reduced. Good thing is that we are saving a certain amount every month for his tuition fee. What we are doing is advance savings na like now what we are saving is for next school year na. Which means, for this school year, last year pa kami nagstart that is 12 months ago from the payment month, usually April or May.

That's why advance saving is a big help e. Will share how we do it in a separate post. Iba kasi kung may savings ka na atleast 6 months of your salary but some says atleast 6 months of your expenses. Hindi ka masyado mag-aalala in difficult times like this.

Going back to our preparation, we also fixed his study place. We have a small office table but he said he needs a bigger one. Syempre we want him to be comfortable so I asked Daddy A to look for a bigger study table. Luckily we found one at SM Home.

He also asked us to buy a computer chair since we don't have one at home. Again, to make him feel comfortable we looked for a computer chair. Ang mahal sa SM Home, but I was lucky to find an online seller who sells it for a cheaper price.

So that's his study and also gaming place at home. We have extra laptop and he has iPad and mobile phone naman so we don't need to buy a new one for now. I will share the details in my next post.

How are you preparing your kids and home for online schooling?

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Get Up to 40% Off on XTREME Appliances this Grandest 8.8 Online Sale Events!

Hello mga momshies! Are you looking forward to the 8.8 Online Sale events too? Naku pareho tayo. My son is asking us to buy a new TV kahit daw smaller lang than what we have. That's his condition para lumipat na sa room nya, hehe.

At sa katulad kong nag-aabang XTREME Appliances are on sale up to 40% off. 

From the Press Release Kit:

Manila, Philippines - Get lucky this 8.8 as XTREME Appliances joins both massive online sale events on LAZADA and Shopee. Avail up to 40% discount on us from August 6-8, 2020 (Thursday - Saturday).

LAZADA Brand Mega Offer (August 8 | 12 AM - 2 AM)

The two of our top-selling and high definition XTREME TVs will be part of the Brand Mega Offer Sale. Perfect for family entertainment and informational use, the XTREME V Series Smart TV has music features and has Netflix and Youtube capabilities. On the other hand, the Classic LED TV has good picture quality with  USB, HDMI, and VGA available ports. 

The Brand Mega Offer is scheduled from 12 AM - 2 AM.

SMART TV

• 40-inch XTREME V Series  LED TV 11,995 10,995 PHP
• 40-inch XTREME LED TV 10,495 9,995 PHP

LAZADA Bounce Back Sale (August 6 - 8)

Upgrade your music experience with 6 of XTREME speakers that features superior sound quality and classic retro design. Our amplifiers with speaker sets have Bluetooth, FM radio, USB, and LED display features that come with remote control. 

For your new normal kitchen needs, the XTREME gas range with 4 burners will be perfect in all types of cooking. Also part of the sale is our sophisticated XTREME Bottom Load Water Dispenser that keeps you cool and hydrated this humid season.

Speakers 

• SN-800 XTREME Amplified Speaker 7,194 5,495  PHP
• SG-10 XTREME Amplified Speaker 8,394 5,995 PHP
• AV-15SN XTREME Amplified Speaker         19,194 13,995 PHP
• AV-12SG XTREME Amplified Speaker        14,994 11,995 PHP
• XCS-850 XTREME Amplified Speaker Set 7,740 5,450PHP
• XCS-800 XTREME Amplifier Speaker Set 6,450 3,995PHP

Gas Range

• 60 cm XTREME Gas Range 17,995 14,995 PHP

Water Dispenser

• XTREME Bottom load water dispenser 7,495 6,995PHP

LAZADA Free Shipping

Catch the limited free shipping on the following XTREME Appliances:

XTREME TV

• XTREME LED TV
• XTREME “V” Series SMART TV

XTREME Speakers

• AV-12SG XTREME Amplified Speaker
• AV-15SN XTREME Amplified Speaker
• SG-10 XTREME Amplified Speaker
• SN-800 XTREME Amplified Speaker
• XCS-800 Amplifier w/ Speaker Set
• XCS-850 Amplifier w/ Speaker Set

XTREME Gas Range

• 60 cm Gas Range

XTREME Water Dispenser

• Bottom load water dispenser

SHOPEE 8.8 MEGA DEALS

But wait, there’s more! XTREME Appliances is also participating in the Shopee’s 8.8 Mega Deal from August 6-8, 2020. The items included with price markdown are the following:

XTREME Water Dispenser

• TREME Top Load Water Dispenser 4,495 3,995 PHP

XTREME Speaker

• XTREME Amplifier with speaker set 4,450 3,995 PHP
• 200Wx2 Amplified Speaker         4,495 3,995 PHP

For more information please visit XTREME Appliances Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. For the full list of products, please visit XTREME Lazada and  Shopee.

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3 Things You Need When You Own a Horse

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Owning a horse is a long-term commitment because the regal animals live up to 30 years. When taking on the responsibility and care of another living being, you need to provide shelter, food, and equipment to keep them healthy and safe. Here are three of those essential care items.

1. Shelter

Even though horses are big animals, they are sensitive to heat, cold, and varying weather conditions. With fragile legs, the equines must also be protected from muddy conditions that would cause them to become stuck in quagmire or slip and fall. Providing a secure shelter that is at least 12’ x 12’ is ideal, and placing slip-resistant mats on the floor that can easily be cleaned can protect legs and feet.

2. Insurance

Horse insurance can protect the life of your animal, but there are other types of insurance policies available to you, as well. You can choose from horse medical insurance, liability coverage, and loss of use plans. Whether you purchase the animal to be a family pet, a show horse, or a working animal, you should consider locating an insurance policy to protect the beast.

3. Pasture

Horses love to rub their skin against available objects when they have an itch. That is why it is essential to provide a pasture that is free of things that could hurt them. The area should be large enough for the animal to run, but secure enough to stand up to a horse that leans against the fencing. Make sure there are no toxic or dangerous plants in the pasture and move your horse between areas to ensure ample grazing.

Although a horse can be a lot of work, those that love their four-legged friends can develop a deep bond with them. If you decide to adopt an equine, make sure you provide them with these necessities to ensure their long lives.

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What to Consider When Choosing Home Health Help

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Long-term care can be costly and complicated. Whether you are trying to decide what your own future will look like as you age or are helping a loved one transition to a different stage of life, aging in place is an inviting option. At home health care Bethesda MD allows people to stay in their residence instead of at a long-term care facility, and there are many aspects to consider when deciding if it’s right for you.

Cost of Services

When considering your home health options, have a frank conversation about the budget, including what will and won’t be covered by the patient’s insurance and how much family can chip in. Being realistic about what you can afford will help you pick the best option for yourself or your loved one without adding financial stress to an already challenging decision.

Trust in Your Provider

Trust in the organization or caretakers you choose is paramount because, in addition to being responsible for medical care, they have access to the patient’s home. Check that the company or people you hire are licensed (if required by the state), and don’t hesitate to get a background check done to screen for credentials and past criminal trouble. For a more personal take, talk to others who’ve worked with the agency.

Aging in place allows older people to get the assistance they need to be safe and healthy without uprooting their whole life. The services offered in this kind of healthcare are as varied as the needs of the patients. Some agencies can provide both a registered nurse to help with medication management and an occupational therapist for post-surgery recovery, while an individual home-health aide might focus more on assistance with bathing or cooking. 

If an agency doesn’t fit your needs, don’t be afraid to move on.

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