Holiday Tips For Decorating And Selling Your Home!

The holiday season from November through January is often considered the worst time to put a home on the market. While the thought of selling your home during the winter months may dampen your holiday spirit, the season does have its advantages: holiday buyers tend to be more serious and competition is less fierce with fewer homes being actively marketed. First, decide if you really need to sell. Really. Once you've committed to the challenge, don your gay apparel and follow these tips from FrontDoor.

1. Deck the halls, but don’t go overboard.
   Homes often look their best during the holidays, but sellers should be careful not to overdo it on the decor. Adornments that are too large or too many can crowd your home and distract buyers. Also, avoid offending buyers by opting for general fall and winter decorations rather than items with religious themes.
   
2. Hire a reliable real estate agent.
   That means someone who will work hard for you and won't disappear during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's. Ask your friends and family if they can recommend a listing agent who will go above and beyond to get your home sold. This will ease your stress and give you more time to enjoy the season. (The Simonson Team! 303-229-6026)
   
3. Seek out motivated buyers.
   Anyone house hunting during the holidays must have a good reason for doing so. Work with your agent to target buyers on a deadline, including people relocating for jobs in your area, investors on tax deadlines, college students and staff, and military personnel, if you live near a military base.
   
4. Price it to sell.
   No matter what time of year, a home that’s priced low for the market will make buyers feel merry. Rather than gradually making small price reductions, many real estate agents advise sellers to slash their prices before putting a home on the market.
   
5. Make curb appeal a top priority.
   When autumn rolls around and the trees start to lose their leaves, maintaining the exterior of your home becomes even more important. Bare trees equal a more exposed home, so touch up the paint, clean the gutters and spruce up the yard. Keep buyers’ safety in mind as well by making sure stairs and walkways are free of snow, ice and leaves.
   
6. Take top-notch real estate photos.
   When the weather outside is frightful, homebuyers are likely to start their house hunt from the comfort of their homes by browsing listings on the Internet. Make a good first impression by offering lots of flattering, high-quality photos of your home. If possible, have a summer or spring photo of your home available so buyers can see how it looks year-round.
   
7. Create a video tour for the Web.
   You'll get less foot traffic during the holidays thanks to inclement weather and vacation plans. But shooting a video tour and posting it on the Web may attract house hunters who don't have time to physically see your home or would rather not drive in a snowstorm.
   
8. Give house hunters a place to escape from the cold.
   Make your home feel cozy and inviting during showings by cranking up the heat, playing soft classical music and offering homemade holiday treats. When you encourage buyers to spend more time in your home, you also give them more time to admire its best features.
   
9. Offer holiday cheer in the form of financing.
   Bah, humbug! Lenders are scrooges these days, but if you've got the means, then why not offer a home loan to a serious buyer? You could get a good rate of return on your money.
   
10. Relax — the new year is just around the corner.
    The holidays are stressful enough with gifts to buy, dinners to prepare and relatives to entertain. Take a moment to remind yourself that if you don't sell now, there's always next year, which, luckily, is only a few days away.

The Simonson Team is here to help you with this entire process!  We have photographers, stagers, even cookies for the "fresh baked" smell!  Call us today at 303-229-6026 so we can help you sell during the happiest time of the year!

Denver Real Estate Trends --- Is "Market Shift" A Bad Word?

The Fall Of Mankind Is Nigh!

It's the end of the known universe.  Prices aren't increasing by 10% a month and there are over 9,000 homes available to choose from.  Or, we are finally seeing the "shift" that brings buyers and sellers in to a balanced market?  Buyers aren't just accepting any old thing and overpaying for it and sellers can't just put a sign in the yard, be sold by dark and not be expected to do health and safety repairs.  This just might be the thing that saves us from another 2008 bubble bursting.  DMAR put out this interesting article and graphic showing trends and addressing the coming of balanced concerns:

"Buyers feel relief with price improvements and an abundance of listings. In July, for the entire residential market (single family and condos), there were decreases in nearly every category, including new listings, homes sold, average and median sold prices and overall sales volume. The only category showing an increase was active listings, up 9.89 percent compared to the month prior. 

It is important to note, however, that although overall inventory is up month-over-month, this was the lowest July on record for active listings, down slightly (0.03 percent) from the previous record set in July of last year. The record high average active listings for the month of July, and also the all-time record high, was set in 2006 with a whopping 31,989 listings.

By the numbers month over month, for the entire residential market, 6,814 new listings came on the market (down 10.52 percent), 5,436 homes were placed under contract (down 2.70 percent), and 5,016 homes sold and closed (down 10.79 percent). July closed out with 7,468 active listings, representing a 9.89 percent increase in inventory over the previous month. Average and median sold home prices both slowed down from the previous month, with appreciation slipping 1.88 percent to $412,312 and 3.01 percent to $354,000 respectively. Days on market closed the month at 25.
For the single-family home market, new listings dropped to 4,988 (down 12.61 percent) over the previous month. Average and median sold prices slipped month over month with decreases of 0.87 percent to $460,623 and 1.34 percent to $389,900 respectively. Year over year, single-family home prices are still up an average of 12 percent. The condo market showed the supply of new listings fall by 4.25 percent over the previous month to 1,826 units. The average and median sold prices decreased 2.32 percent to $285,531 and 2.80 percent to $243,000 respectively. Average sold prices for condos are still doing very well with appreciation of 12.02 percent year-over-year. Across the board, total sales volume was $12.4 billion year to date (up 5.70 percent compared to 2015).
Our monthly report also includes statistics and analyses in its supplemental “Luxury Market Report” (properties sold for $1 million or greater), “Signature Market Report” (properties sold between $750,000 and $999,999) and “Premier Market Report” (properties sold between $500,000 and $749,999). In July, 127 single-family homes sold and closed for $1 million or greater – down 15.89 percent from the previous month and up 17.59 percent year over year. The closed dollar volume in July for single-family homes in the luxury segment was $193,359,405 down 13.74 percent from the previous month, and up 14.17 percent year over year.

The highest priced single-family home sold in July was $5,600,000 representing seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 12,044 above ground square feet in Denver Country Club. The highest priced condo sold was $1,450,000 representing two bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2,202 above ground square feet in Denver. Both the listing and selling agents for the two transactions are DMAR members.
From June to July, there was a 15.89 percent decrease in the number of single-family homes sold over $1,000,000. Year to date, there was a 20.32 percent increase compared to last year and a 49.35 percent increase compared to 2014. Price per square foot continues to increase as well, with the average total price per square foot (all floors including basements) at $263 year to date for single-family homes, which is 4.37 percent higher than in July of 2014. The average price per square foot for condos was $551, which is 13.61 percent more than two years ago."

The DMAR Trends Committee spends a lot of time reviewing and building these reports and they ultimately do help all of us in making good decisions for our clients and our continued livelihood.

If you have questions on where things are going, call today at 303-229-6026.  Ride the Shift!

Interest Rate VS APR -- What's The Difference?

I get asked this all the time:  What's the difference between interest rate and APR (Annual Percentage Rate)?  Explanations that I have heard over the years have ranged and varied from the most complex analysis to just plain wrong.  When buying a home, you should know since it affects your total mortgage obligation and give you an idea as to whether you're getting the most "bang for your buck".

The people at Bankrate.com are some of the best at explaining in layman's terms the differences between these two.  Here's what Michael Estrin had to say on the subject:

Understanding the difference between annual percentage rate, or APR, and interest rate could save you thousands of dollars on your mortgage. But if you're like most homebuyers, you probably don't know that the interest rate and the APR measure 2 important, but different, costs associated with your home loan.

"I regularly work with clients who don't understand the APR," says Todd Huettner of Huettner Capital in Denver. "If they don't have questions about the APR or the Truth in Lending disclosure, where the APR is calculated, I know they simply didn't read it."
SEARCH RATES: View today's lowest mortgage rates.

Interest rate and APR

The interest rate is the cost of borrowing the principal loan amount. It can be variable or fixed, but it's always expressed as a percentage.
The APR is a broader measure of the cost of your mortgage because it reflects the interest rate, as well as other costs such as broker fees, discount points and some closing costs. The APR is also expressed as a percentage.

Why have both?

"The main difference is that the interest rate calculates what your actual monthly payment will be," says Sean O. McGeehan, a mortgage sales manager in Chicago. "The APR calculates the total cost of the loan. A consumer can use one or both to make apples-to-apples comparisons when shopping for loans."
For example, a loan with a 4% rate will have a lower monthly payment than a loan with a 6% rate, assuming both are fixed for the same term. Likewise, the total cost of a loan with a 4% APR will be less than one with a 6% APR.

Where it gets tricky

Separately, the interest rate and the APR have their limits. But together, borrowers should be able to use both figures to determine their monthly payments, as well as their total costs. The trick, says McGeehan, is to understand the interplay between the 2 figures.
"If a consumer is only focused on getting the lowest monthly payment, they should focus on the interest rate," says McGeehan. "But if the consumer is focused on the total cost of the loan, then they can use the APR as a tool to compare the total cost of 2 loans."

---

This chart shows the interest rate, APR and total costs over time for a $200,000 mortgage in which 1.5 discount points cut the interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point, and another 1.5 discount points cut the interest rate by a further quarter of a percentage point.

3 loans, same amounts, 3 APRs

Interest rate	4.5%	4.25%	4%
Discount points	0	1.5	3
Points and fees	$2,800	$5,800	$8,800
APR	4.619%	4.492%	4.36%
Monthly payment	$1,013	$984	$955
All costs, 3 years	$39,281	$41,220	$43,174
All costs, 10 years	$124,404	$123,866	$123,380
All costs, 30 years	$367,613	$354,197	$343,739

Remember that the greater differentiation between your interest rate and your APR, the more fees you are paying.

Contact the Simonson Team today at 303-229-6026 for all your real estate needs!

Email: Forgetting Something?

        

We live and die by our computers, smart phones, and tablets.  We bank and conduct thousands of dollars of business every day online.  We connect via Bluetooth to our cars and wireless speakers and headphones.  We are on Snapchat, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Musicly, and a bunch of other sites 24/7, but it’s time to revisit a basic basic --- email.  I personally receive over 200 emails a day regularly, but it wasn’t until I got hacked (this morning!) that I finally changed my password after almost 2 years. 

How long has it been for you?  I would bet most people haven’t changed in over a year on their email alone!  Here are some basic tips for safer email as suggested by Deborah Gales of Red Earth Software, Inc. along with, of course, changing your password on a regular basis!

1. Stop Spam & Phishing Emails

Spam is not only a nuisance; it can also pose security risks. Phishing emails entice recipients to click on malicious links and provide credentials or confidential information, which can result in security breaches.

2. Use a Multi-Antivirus Scanner

With new threats being introduced daily, it is important to use multiple antivirus engines in order to increase the rate of detection and reduce the window of vulnerability. Since email is one of the main sources of malware, it is advisable to use a fast performance multi-antivirus scanner to scan incoming email attachments for email-borne threats. Read more about why multi-scanning is essential for email security.

3. Check for Confidential Content

Make sure that no confidential content is sent via email by checking emails and attachments for sensitive information such as social security numbers and credit card data.

4. Prevent Targeted Attacks

Zero-day and targeted attacks can go undetected by anti-malware engines, since they are only sent out to specific groups and individuals. In order to protect against these unknown threats, email attachments should be "sanitized" by converting to a different file format and removing any possible embedded threats. For instance, by converting a Word file to PDF, any potentially harmful scripts can be removed.

5. Check Internal Emails

Malware is usually found in emails coming from external sources, but if an employee's machine gets infected, malicious emails can be sent via internal email. Employees are also more likely to click on an infected email attachment if it is from a co-worker. For this reason, it is important to ensure that your email security solution also scans internally sent emails.

6. Train Employees

Train your employees not to click on links or open attachments from unknown senders. Even if the email is from a known sender but somehow looks out of the ordinary, teach your employees to be cautious. In addition, have an email policy in place that lists the dos and don'ts of email use. Read more about how to create an email policy and download a sample policy.

7. Block Emails with Many Recipients

Instead of using an email marketing tool, some employees might decide to send one email and include all recipients in the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: field, for instance to inform customers about a new promotion. This can result in unintended exposure of valuable client contacts, damage to reputation, and privacy breach claims. Emails with more than 15 recipients should therefore be blocked at the server level before they can do any damage.

8. Block Large Email Attachments

Emails should not contain attachments that are larger than 10 MB. An email that's bigger than 10 MB will most probably not arrive, and the recipient might not even get an undeliverable message back. In the worst case, a large email attachment can bring a whole network to a halt. To prevent this from happening, set an email policy to block large emails and notify the sender, providing alternate methods for sending large files.

9. Archive Emails

Make sure that you keep a backup of your emails, so that if a disaster should occur, you can still revert to your backup. In addition to using backup tapes, check if your email security solution also provides mail backup functionality.

10. Add Legal Footer

To comply with regulations, make sure that each email that is sent out includes the necessary legal footer.

Remember that your internet safety is just that --- yours! 

The Simonson Team is always here to help give you great advice, whether for internet safety or buying or selling your dream home.  Call us today for a fast and simple evaluation to help you with your real estate needs! 303-229-6026!

March 2016 Market Profile -- Great News, But You Need To "Move" Fast!

Welcome to the "Blizzard Of 2016"! With over a foot of snow on the ground and yesterday's winds topping 50 mph, I thought it would be a great time to give you some news that will get your temperature up!  Read on and you will see some great info to help you make the biggest decisions of your life that much easier. The market is hot -- make that burn work for you! Call the Simonson Team today!  303-229-6026.

7 COUNTY METROPOLITAN DENVER MARKET UPDATE

MARCH, 2016

Market Metrics:

By the numbers, the inventory of available homes for sale is 3,627 homes at February month end, 4,081 homes came onto the market, 3,971 homes went under contract, and 2,925 homes closed at a median sold price of $328,000 and an average sold price of $375,696 resulting in a closed dollar volume of $1.1 Billion. 

Monthly Market Recap:

Single Family:                                                           Condo:           

Active Inventory is 2,847                                           Active Inventory is 780     

Sold Homes is 2,024                                                   Sold Homes is 902                       

Average Price is $417,538                                          Average Price is $282,106

Median Price is $360,000                                           Median Price is $226,000

Average Days on Market is 46                                   Average Days on Market is 42               

Year To Date Market Recap:

Single Family:                                                           Condo:           

Sold Homes is 4,066                                                   Sold Homes is 1,706           

Average Sold Price is $414,851                                 Average Sold Price is $276,572    

Median Sold Price is $354,000                                   Median Sold Price is $221,250

Average Days on Market is 46                                   Average Days on Market is 42

Source:  REcolorado.com – March 3, 2016

The above representation for Single Family and Condo includes real estate activity in the counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, and Jefferson.

Market Facts:

February was another amazing month in the Denver home market.  Even though consumer confidence decreased month over month, the consistent media exposure talked about the #1 home market being the Denver area.  The number of homes for sale set a new record low.  With that being said, active listings are in high demand.  Buyers and Sellers need to be aware of all facts impacting the Denver home market as the prime home selling and buying season is here.

Real estate is local.  While the above is a representation of the Denver market as a whole, please contact The Simonson Team to better understand your specific real estate market.

7 COUNTY METROPOLITAN DENVER MARKET UPDATE

MARCH, 2016

Advice to Sellers

What should you do if you are ready to sell your home?  First and foremost, don’t overprice your home, make your home shine and stand out from the competition, and de-clutter.  Many current home owners are in the process of preparing their home to be sold; but, they are doing upgrades that are costly, not necessarily desirable by potential buyers, and negative net returns.

Here are some things to think about for upgrades:  energy efficient, low emission, tankless water heater, “Next” type thermostats, kitchen upgrade, open floor plan, hardwood flooring, new counter tops, “amped” appliances, and multiple charging stations.

With continued Denver population growth and consumer demand for home ownership, market frenzy can be expected for the next several months.

 Seller preparation includes a good pricing comparison analysis, instructions on staging, what are the top improvements, introduction to a net sheet to understand the bottom line, and a conversation on how the market functions.  As such, the homeowner looking to sell a home needs a professional who is a local expert, is hyper local market knowledgeable, and can assist in the Professional plan to sell one’s home.  Now is the time to reach out to The Simonson Team.

CALL DAVID AND KRISTA SIMONSON AT 303-229-6026 TODAY!

Advice to Buyers

What should you do if you are ready to buy?  First and foremost, focus on your lifestyle and must haves.  Next, pre-qualify so you know what portion of the market you can participate in.  The current Buyer motivation relates to high rents, low number of active homes for sale, and household formation.  Last but not least, do it now.

The prime home selling and buying season is here.  Be aware of moderate home price growth and potential increase in mortgage interest rates.  Create your home buying plan and stick to it.

Know what you want in a home, where you want to live, and what price range you can afford.  Complete the pre-qualification process so you know the price range that you qualify for when you are purchasing a home.  Be prepared, manage your expectations, and be open to looking at the entire Denver market.  Reach out to The Simonson Team today about your best options and opportunities to participate and succeed in the purchase of your “Dream” home.

CALL DAVID AND KRISTA SIMONSON AT 303-229-6026 TODAY!

Take this advice to heart and you can be successful where others fail! Don't ever think that something is impossible in real estate, especially in today's market.  Stranger things have happened than what you may believe!  Call us today so we can help you realize your dreams!

,David and Krista Simonson are here for you! 303-229-6026

What did Punxsutawney Phil have to say? And did the Simonson Team agree?

A face only a mother can love. Or, if you agree that a pampered groundhog by the name of Punxsutawney Phil is the best predictor of the continued length of Winter and the early arrival of Spring, then you can love him too.  The Associated Press was on hand in Gobbler's Knob in upstate Pennsylvania and here's what they had to say:

The handlers of Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, say the furry rodent has failed to see his shadow, meaning he has "predicted" an early spring.

Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the "forecast" at sunrise, just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.

In reality, Phil's prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler's Knob, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Records going back to 1887 show Phil has now predicted more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 18 times. There are no records for the remaining years.

In New York, Staten Island Chuck agrees with Phil; an early spring is coming.

The groundhog did not see his shadow as he emerged from his home at the Staten Island Zoo early Tuesday.

The Simonson Team says:
That could mean a very active spring season for everyone! The nicer the weather, the quicker the market has proven to move for buyers and sellers!  Call us today to check this forecast and how it can benefit you! 303-229-6026!

January's Market Update!

While there is no crystal ball in real estate, market trends tend to be accurate when looking both back and forward.  Our market continues to be unique in that we continually set the bar for the nation on real estate trends and setting records every year!  REMAX Professionals put together this information and we wanted to share it with you.

We at the Simonson Team look forward to helping you realize your dreams of buying or selling a home this year through our thoughtful and thorough professionalism.  Call us at 303-229-6026 with any questions you may have.

2015 was a record setting year with 53,481 homes sold and a closed dollar volume of $19.3 Billion. Happy New Year, and whether you are a Seller or a Buyer, be prepared as Metro Denver is now one of the top destination cities in the United States. In closing the year and looking forward into 2016, the top concerns are tight inventory, home affordability, appraisal issues, tight credit, and TRID. Now is the time to reach out to the Simonson Team!

Is Coffee The Greatest Thing Ever?

Everyone has a morning routine.  We get up, wake the kids up, start getting ready for the day (work, school, etc.), and work our collective way to the door.  During that time, while some people may or may not have breakfast I personally indulge in at least 1 big cup of coffee before even leaving the house.  Quite a few people I know stop for a cup on the way to the office, and while we have three large pots sitting in the lobby, I even have my own personal coffee maker in my office!

Renee Jacques of the Huffington Post definitely sees the benefits of this "miracle elixir" as stated below.

Are we addicted to this or is it just that good?  You decide!

There really can't be any adult in this great big world that has never tried coffee. It's consumed everywhere, and judging by the amount of Starbucks locations in the United States alone, (in 2012, there were 10,924!) we love our caffeine.
And that's fine. In fact, there are many advantages to being one of the 54 percent of Americans over 18 who drink coffee everyday. Coffee can be pretty amazing for your brain, your skin and your body. Read on to discover 11 reasons you should wake up and smell the coffee...
Americans get more antioxidants from coffee than anything else.
According to a study done in 2005, "nothing else comes close" to providing as many antioxidants as coffee. While fruits and vegetables also have tons of antioxidants, the human body seems to absorb the most from coffee.

Just smelling coffee could make you less stressed.
Researchers at the Seoul National University examined the brains of rats who were stressed with sleep deprivation and discovered that those who were exposed to coffee aromas experienced changes in brain proteins tied to that stress. Note, this aroma study doesn't relate to stress by itself, only to the stress felt as a result of sleep deprivation. Now, we're not entirely sure if this means you should keep a bag of roasted coffee beans on your nightstand every night, but feel free to try!
Coffee could lessen the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
ScienceDaily reported in 2012 that drinking coffee may help people with Parkinson's disease control their movement. Ronald Postuma, MD, the study author, said, "Studies have shown that people who use caffeine are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, but this is one of the first studies in humans to show that caffeine can help with movement symptoms for people who already have the disease."

Coffee is great for your liver (especially if you drink alcohol).
A study published in 2006 that included 125,000 people over 22 years showed that those who drink at least one cup of coffee a day were 20 percent less to develop liver cirrhosis -- an autoimmune disease caused by excessive alcohol consumption that could lead to liver failure and cancer. Arthur L Klatsky, the lead author of the study, told The Guardian, "Consuming coffee seems to have some protective benefits against alcoholic cirrhosis, and the more coffee a person consumes the less risk they seem to have of being hospitalised or dying of alcoholic cirrhosis."
Studies have also shown that coffee can help prevent people from developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). An international team of researchers led by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School revealed that drinking four or more cups of coffee or tea a day may be beneficial in preventing the progression of NAFLD.
Coffee can make you feel happier.
A study done by the National Institute of Health found that those who drink four or more cups of coffee were about 10 percent less likely to be depressed than those who had never touched the java. And apparently it's not because of the "caffeine high" -- Coke can also give you a caffeine high, but it's linked to depression. Study author, Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, told Prevention.com that the proposed reason coffee makes you feel good is because of those trusty antioxidants.

Coffee consumption has been linked to lower levels of suicide.
A study done by the Harvard School of Public Health determined that drinking between two and four cups of coffee can reduce the risk of suicide in men and women by about 50 percent. The proposed reason is because coffee acts as a mild antidepressant by aiding in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.

Coffee could reduce your chances of getting skin cancer (if you're a woman).
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School followed 112,897 men and women over a 20-year period and, apparently, women who drink three or more cups of coffee a day are much less likely to develop skin cancer than those who don't.
Coffee can make you a better athlete.
The New York Times reports, "Scientists and many athletes have known for years, of course, that a cup of coffee before a workout jolts athletic performance, especially in endurance sports like distance running and cycling." Caffeine increases the number of fatty acids in the bloodstream, which allows athletes' muscles to absorb and burn those fats for fuel, therefore saving the body's small reserves of carbohydrates for later on in the exercise.

Coffee could reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Coffee also lowers risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to a study from The American Chemical Society. The study's researchers found that people who drink four or more cups of coffee a day reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent. Subsequently, with every additional cup, the risk gets lowered by 7 percent.

Drinking coffee could help keep your brain healthier for longer.
Researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Miami found that people older than 65 who had higher blood levels of caffeine developed Alzheimer's disease two to four years later than others with lower caffeine. Dr. Chuanhai Cao, a neuroscientist at the USF, and co-author of the study, said, "We are not saying that moderate coffee consumption will completely protect people from Alzheimer's disease. However, we firmly believe that moderate coffee consumption can appreciably reduce your risk of Alzheimer's or delay its onset."

Coffee may make you more intelligent.
You usually drink coffee when you are sleep-deprived, right? Well, that much-needed jolt not only keeps you awake, it makes you sharper. CNN reports that coffee allows your brain to work in a much more efficient and smarter way. TIME reporter, Michael Lemonick, says, "When you're sleep-deprived and you take caffeine, pretty much anything you measure will improve: reaction time, vigilance, attention, logical reasoning -- most of the complex functions you associate with intelligence."
Moral of the story? COFFEE IS THE BEST THING EVER. KEEP DRINKING IT.

Also on HuffPost:

What Realtors Do Behind Your Back!

Realtors continually are looking to help you buy or sell a home. Heck, we at the Simonson Team do that every day! But Realtor.com came up with a great article that truly gives a better breakdown for what we do every time we start working for you. Remember the Simonson Team when you have questions about this article or your personal market and read on!

Have you ever wondered what on Earth your real estate agent is doing behind your back? No, we don’t mean anything underhanded, naughty, or downright felonious—far from it, in fact. So relax. What we’re talking about is a mystery: In the sometimes confusing, occasionally hectic, and always stressful world of buying and selling, what are your agents really doing behind the scenes? We’re here to shed some light! For every hour an agent spends in your presence, he or she will spend an average of nine hours out of eyesight working on your behalf. Why? Because agents don’t get paid if they don’t close the deal! Unlike lawyers who bill by the hour, agents won’t receive a penny until (or unless) a sale comes through. It’s all a gamble, in which they could shoot snake eyes and come away empty-handed. This is the business. So if you’re wondering what that commission is actually going toward, we’ve compiled a list of things agents do when you’re not watching (or should be doing—if they’re not, maybe you need a different agent!).

They shop property online

Don’t we all? And yet, their real estate research goes beyond oohing and ahhing over a few photos on a Saturday night. Darbi McGlone, a Realtor® with Jim Talbot Realty in Baton Rouge, LA, estimates she spends about two hours each day researching potential properties. “This could include looking up flood zones, previewing the homes for out-of-state clients, or any number of specific things,” she says. Plus, listings come and go fast in the real estate world, so agents need to check their multiple listing service database constantly, or else they’ll miss out. Sometimes the process of matching up properties with clients can take a very long time. “I have a client who wants a Mid-Century Modern house in Carlsbad, but there aren’t many there,” says Rachel Collins Friedman, a Realtor with Sotheby’s International Realty in San Diego, CA. That means that she’s been searching the database regularly for that particular kind of property for three years (here’s hoping all that patience pays off).

They go prospecting

Of course, there’s nothing like seeing a house in all its brick-and-mortar glory, which is why most Realtors worth their salt spend tons of time driving around checking out new listings. In Friedman’s San Diego area, they call it “caravan day.” “It’s a good way to preview properties, and it’s a good time to network with other agents and talk up your listing,” she says.

They attend pitch sessions

Agents don’t spend all their time sizing up homes. According to Friedman, they also spend tons of face time with other pros at pitch sessions—gatherings of local agents at cafes where they swap listing info in order to spread the word about your property if you’re selling, or to find the house that checks every box on your wish list if you’re buying.

They spend their own money on marketing

In addition to not getting paid until a deal is done, selling agents also spend their own money on marketing: magazine and newspaper ads, fliers, hiring a photographer, glossy prints, and premium placements on listing sites. “Agents can spend thousands marketing a property,” says Friedman.

They write up offers and counteroffers

Offers and counteroffers are an extremely important part of the transaction, as they can save or net you thousands of dollars on a sale. Yet getting to the right price requires written offers and counteroffers every step of the way. “It’s time-consuming to be writing them up, explaining to the client how to counteroffer and the ways to do so, and just keeping track of it all,” Friedman says.

They stick around for inspections

You might not be present when it’s inspection time, but a good agent will be. This gives the agent an immediate knowledge of what’s going on. Anything from termites to an iffy foundation can be relayed to the buyer immediately, according to Friedman. McGlone estimates inspections take roughly two hours.

They smooth bumps in the road

Not every sale goes smoothly—buyers and sellers get difficult all the time—but good agents try to shield their clients from the high drama unless there’s a reason to fill them in. “It’s called putting out fires,” says McGlone. “It’s just fixing issues that a lot of times buyers and sellers never needed to be made aware of.”

They keep you calm when the pressure’s on

Good agents don’t just hand you a house. They can also act as a therapist, making your sale much less stressful. “People get emotional. You have to be a problem-solver and keep a positive approach and come up with a positive solution,” Friedman says. “It might not take a lot of time, but it takes emotional energy.” Tell that to your therapist.

Now that you have a glimpse into our “every day”, don’t forget to get the professional help you need to get top dollar for selling or the best deal for buying. Call the Simonson Team today at 303-229-6026!