We hear every day on the news how the market is declining, especially the housing market. Report after report say that the value of homes are decreasing, but a recent government report shows that the situation is not nearly as dire as it may sound. We know that bad news usually sell better than good news and it is often applied when broadcasting news.
As a wise person once said – “Some one might see the glass as half empty; I always view it as half full”.
We as humans have something no other species possess, the ability to think freely. With that comes the ability to think and view situations from different aspects. As we do, it is easy to see things in a pessimistic way.
So how does this apply towards the housing market? And the value of your home either has increased or decreased, that cannot be disputed.
This is once again back to what we talked about earlier, is the glass half empty or half full?
The recent government report shows that housing values have climbed with an average of 29% over the last five years, nationwide. It is true that we have had a “rocky” period when it comes to real estate and mortgage loans, but we are slowly working our way out of the slope and as history shows, housing values rise over time.
We are entering a new era when it comes to real estate and the realtors as well as mortgage loan officers that are around will have to step up to the plate.
Today’s society is a fast pace information jungle. We have access to information online like never before, but today’s situation also requires you to filter the information and evaluate what you read as well as what you see or hear.
Always question statements, including mine, try to find several sources and make up your own opinion.
As for housing values, my opinion is that you should follow your heart. Are you buying your home to live in it? If so, the value will most likely increase before you are ready to move on to your next home. A home is a haven for your mind and soul. Cherish it that way and good things will come from it.
To find out more, please visit: http://www.austinrealtortx.com/
Have a great day!
Kettil
“Everyday is a gift, that is why they call it the present.”
- Unknown
Source: www.Realtor.org
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Kettil’s Swedish Meatballs & Cream Sauce
Hi, my name is Kettil and I am Chase's uncle. Chases dad Daniel is my brother. Chase told me that several parents were interested in my Swedish Meatball recipe, so I figured it would be easier to post it here. If you are interested in what Chase's mom and dad does, feel free to visit our website:
http://www.AustinRealtorTX.com/
Here comes the recipe, enjoy!
(Makes approximately 50 meatballs)
Meatballs:
1 lb ground pork
2 lb ground beef
1 yellow onion
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tsp paprika spice
1.5 tsp ground pepper
1.5 tsp salt
1 egg
Mix the spices in the milk and try to pour it evenly over the meat. Add the egg and mix it in with your hands.
Chop the onion up as preferred. I usually put it in the blender so that the kids cannot see it in there. It also gives it a good even flavor.
Add the breadcrumbs little by little until the texture is good. Roll meatballs and fry them in the pan. Depending on what type of meat you use, no oil or butter is needed. I tend to try to get at least 85/15 for the beef since more fat will make it unhealthy and not taste as well.
I keep it on a medium heat to prevent them from getting burned. Do not go too low though since you want them to be a bit crispy. If you make the meatballs a bit larger, fresh parsley can be added in the middle as a great alternative; also known as Pärsiljejärpar.
Cream Sauce:
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup milk
2 tsp white flour
Soy sauce and all spice after liking
Heat the milk and the cream. Beat the flour in to reach desirable thickness. Add soy sauce and allspice/season all after liking.
Can be served with Lingonsylt, a Swedish jam sold in most stores.
http://www.AustinRealtorTX.com/
Here comes the recipe, enjoy!
(Makes approximately 50 meatballs)
Meatballs:
1 lb ground pork
2 lb ground beef
1 yellow onion
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tsp paprika spice
1.5 tsp ground pepper
1.5 tsp salt
1 egg
Mix the spices in the milk and try to pour it evenly over the meat. Add the egg and mix it in with your hands.
Chop the onion up as preferred. I usually put it in the blender so that the kids cannot see it in there. It also gives it a good even flavor.
Add the breadcrumbs little by little until the texture is good. Roll meatballs and fry them in the pan. Depending on what type of meat you use, no oil or butter is needed. I tend to try to get at least 85/15 for the beef since more fat will make it unhealthy and not taste as well.
I keep it on a medium heat to prevent them from getting burned. Do not go too low though since you want them to be a bit crispy. If you make the meatballs a bit larger, fresh parsley can be added in the middle as a great alternative; also known as Pärsiljejärpar.
Cream Sauce:
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup milk
2 tsp white flour
Soy sauce and all spice after liking
Heat the milk and the cream. Beat the flour in to reach desirable thickness. Add soy sauce and allspice/season all after liking.
Can be served with Lingonsylt, a Swedish jam sold in most stores.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Christmas is coming…
Today it is December 4th, 3 weeks till Christmas. The shopping rush has started and most people have not had the opportunity to buy presents yet. I am one of those. I have ideas of what I want to give to some of my fellow kinsmen, but I have yet to write a list or even make sure I will have money to buy gifts.
With USA at recession, prices are fairly good and most stores have some great offers. As a nation, we want to keep consumers spending money because it helps the economy. What we as consumers must think about is that we spend, but in a wise matter. We cannot get high credit card debts for products we really do not need. Try to evaluate why you want to buy someone something and if it will be a present appreciated.
The way I see it, the ones who need Christmas gifts the most are our children. They are fragile and they are in need of feeling loved and thought of. A child is generally a lot smarter than most adults want to admit and they know exactly what happens and why.
Gifts come in many different forms; toys are one of the least important presents. Take this scenario; a toy that you buy your child cost $20. They open the present and they play with it for a few days, maybe even a few weeks if it is a good preset. After that it is thrown in the bottom of a drawer and eventually sold or given away. If you instead show up at their school for a few hours, let them feel proud to have their parent there, this creates memories that will stay forever.
A great activity to do with your child is to create something with them. You can make a gingerbread house or cut paper angels that you later color. I am not saying that you should replace all the presents and only do activities with them, I am just suggesting that instead of working those two extra hours overtime so that they can get yet another toy, spend that time with your precious ones and show them their real value.
My last suggestion is to sit down, put a pen and paper in front of you and write down your happiest and saddest childhood memories, then try to give your kid the happy ones and avoid the sad ones.
I hope that this Christmas, in times where the nation is “down for the count”, becomes a year to remember. Not because you did not have all the money you needed for presents, but because you gave the things that are easy to give, valued the most and often forgotten or taken for granted. I hope this is the turning point towards a better future.
God Jul! (Merry Christmas)
Kettil
For more info, see http://www.AustinRealtorTX.com/
With USA at recession, prices are fairly good and most stores have some great offers. As a nation, we want to keep consumers spending money because it helps the economy. What we as consumers must think about is that we spend, but in a wise matter. We cannot get high credit card debts for products we really do not need. Try to evaluate why you want to buy someone something and if it will be a present appreciated.
The way I see it, the ones who need Christmas gifts the most are our children. They are fragile and they are in need of feeling loved and thought of. A child is generally a lot smarter than most adults want to admit and they know exactly what happens and why.
Gifts come in many different forms; toys are one of the least important presents. Take this scenario; a toy that you buy your child cost $20. They open the present and they play with it for a few days, maybe even a few weeks if it is a good preset. After that it is thrown in the bottom of a drawer and eventually sold or given away. If you instead show up at their school for a few hours, let them feel proud to have their parent there, this creates memories that will stay forever.
A great activity to do with your child is to create something with them. You can make a gingerbread house or cut paper angels that you later color. I am not saying that you should replace all the presents and only do activities with them, I am just suggesting that instead of working those two extra hours overtime so that they can get yet another toy, spend that time with your precious ones and show them their real value.
My last suggestion is to sit down, put a pen and paper in front of you and write down your happiest and saddest childhood memories, then try to give your kid the happy ones and avoid the sad ones.
I hope that this Christmas, in times where the nation is “down for the count”, becomes a year to remember. Not because you did not have all the money you needed for presents, but because you gave the things that are easy to give, valued the most and often forgotten or taken for granted. I hope this is the turning point towards a better future.
God Jul! (Merry Christmas)
Kettil
For more info, see http://www.AustinRealtorTX.com/
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
How to remodel before you sell
You are looking to sell your home and you happen to have some money for repairs, but what is worth fixing up? You want to focus on repairs or replacements that will benefit your sale.
As a home-owner, repainting is a fairly cheap but profitable way to fix up your house. This is definitely worth it if it has been a while since you repainted. If the walls are decent, it might not be worth it since most people want their own choice of wall paint or wallpaper. Try to paint with neutral base colors and avoid white.
In addition, if your carpets are worn out, they are a high priority to replace.
According to http://www.realtor.org/ and the National Board of Realtors, all types of window replacements as well as bathroom remodeling have a good project cost return.
Home office remodels, sunroom additions and back-up power generators are all low amount returns as far as cost vs. profit.
Does homebuyer want fixed up homes or should I sell as it is?
In our team, we always suggest that you keep repairs to the necessary parts, make your home look and feel good. It is not always worth fixing everything, especially if you cannot do it yourself. Sometimes the ones buying your home want to change things, thus making your repairs unnecessary.
If there are major flaws to the home, e.g. a roof that is damaged, you will most likely benefit from repairing and replacing it. If a home buyer is looking at buying your house and it is worth $100'000 with a repaired roof and the repairs cost $10'000, he is probably not going to buy your house with a faulty or broken roof even if you sell it for $90'000. There are often other alternatives out there for $100'000 where a roof replacement is not necessary. Even though your home sells for $10'000 less, which is what you estimated the roof to cost, they will not have to "deal" with the whole mess of fixing the roof or live in a home that is half way done.
Some things that bring down your value and that should be checked and fixed before even listing your home are:
As a home-owner, repainting is a fairly cheap but profitable way to fix up your house. This is definitely worth it if it has been a while since you repainted. If the walls are decent, it might not be worth it since most people want their own choice of wall paint or wallpaper. Try to paint with neutral base colors and avoid white.
In addition, if your carpets are worn out, they are a high priority to replace.
According to http://www.realtor.org/ and the National Board of Realtors, all types of window replacements as well as bathroom remodeling have a good project cost return.
Home office remodels, sunroom additions and back-up power generators are all low amount returns as far as cost vs. profit.
Does homebuyer want fixed up homes or should I sell as it is?
In our team, we always suggest that you keep repairs to the necessary parts, make your home look and feel good. It is not always worth fixing everything, especially if you cannot do it yourself. Sometimes the ones buying your home want to change things, thus making your repairs unnecessary.
If there are major flaws to the home, e.g. a roof that is damaged, you will most likely benefit from repairing and replacing it. If a home buyer is looking at buying your house and it is worth $100'000 with a repaired roof and the repairs cost $10'000, he is probably not going to buy your house with a faulty or broken roof even if you sell it for $90'000. There are often other alternatives out there for $100'000 where a roof replacement is not necessary. Even though your home sells for $10'000 less, which is what you estimated the roof to cost, they will not have to "deal" with the whole mess of fixing the roof or live in a home that is half way done.
Some things that bring down your value and that should be checked and fixed before even listing your home are:
- Broken windows
- Broken/leaking roof
- Holes and cracks in walls & ceilings
- Leaking or broken faucets
- Broken appliances
Hope this gives you an idea on what to do before you decide to sell your home and that it helps you get a better value for your house.
The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want!
-Ben Stein
Sincerely,
Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate
For more info, visit: http://www.austinrealtortx.com/
Monday, December 1, 2008
AustinRealtorTX - Blog, finally up and running!!
Hi and welcome to Team Olsson’s blog. My name is Kettil and I am a part of Team Olsson Real Estate. We are your source for real estate needs in and around Austin, Texas.
In our team, we have Carrie L Westfall, one of Austin’s premiere loan officers. Carrie has over 15 years of experience as a mortgage loan officer, and she has closed well over 700 loans. If anyone can get you approved for a loan, Carrie is that person.
As our Realtor, our man is Daniel Olsson. He is a dedicated and innovative Realtor who constantly continues to educate himself to become more knowledgeable and skilled to better help you as a buyer/seller/lessee. Authority and integrity are words best associated with him.
The third link to this team is I, Kettil. I am responsible for anything and everything from marketing and design, to advertisement and customer relations. I coordinate everything, I make sure that nothing is left behind and that your house gets the best exposure possible.
I also build and design web sites and I will be the one making most entries to this blog. I will talk about real estate and keep you updated on the most important topics of today’s economy. I will also write about anything else I find interesting or that is on my mind.
Feel free to comment at any time
Sincerely,
Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate
www.AustinRealtorTX.com
for more information, or
http://blog.AustinRealtorTX.com for all blog entries
In our team, we have Carrie L Westfall, one of Austin’s premiere loan officers. Carrie has over 15 years of experience as a mortgage loan officer, and she has closed well over 700 loans. If anyone can get you approved for a loan, Carrie is that person.
As our Realtor, our man is Daniel Olsson. He is a dedicated and innovative Realtor who constantly continues to educate himself to become more knowledgeable and skilled to better help you as a buyer/seller/lessee. Authority and integrity are words best associated with him.
The third link to this team is I, Kettil. I am responsible for anything and everything from marketing and design, to advertisement and customer relations. I coordinate everything, I make sure that nothing is left behind and that your house gets the best exposure possible.
I also build and design web sites and I will be the one making most entries to this blog. I will talk about real estate and keep you updated on the most important topics of today’s economy. I will also write about anything else I find interesting or that is on my mind.
Feel free to comment at any time
Sincerely,
Kettil Olsson, Team Olsson Real Estate
www.AustinRealtorTX.com
for more information, or
http://blog.AustinRealtorTX.com for all blog entries
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