Although this event doesn’t take place at night, it still exemplifies Louisianian culture!  The Louisiana Hot Sauce Expo promotes the Louisiana hot sauce industry, supporting large and small manufacturers, by encouraging the use of hot sauce in cooking.  There are a multitude of cooking contests and demonstrations, all revolving around Louisiana hot sauce.  The expo, which began this morning, will last until Monday and is hosted at Blackham Coliseum.  Tickets are sold until 1 hour before the expo starts at 10 AM.  Buy your tickets now!

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Lower Anxieties/Improve Marketability

One of the anxiety high points during the sale of a home is waiting for the seller’s home inspection report.  Most sellers willingly disclose what they know about their home to any potential buyers.  The concern stems from the inspector finding something that they’re totally unaware of and that it will either cost them a lot of money to correct or the buyer will simply use it to void the contract.

If the inspection does reveal some unknown problem with the home, it’s probably as big a surprise to the buyer who is not as emotionally or financially invested as the seller.  It is human nature to fear what you don’t understand and when a report identifies defects, they may simply opt-out of the home.

The solution to the situation may be for the seller to have the home inspected prior to putting it on the market.  There is still a risk of becoming surprised by an unknown defect which at that point, would have to be disclosed to potential buyers or repaired by the seller.  The advantage is that it creates a baseline to compare discrepancies that may arise when a future buyer has the home inspected.

If the seller’s inspection report is made available during the marketing process, it could give buyers a sense of confidence about the home even though they may still choose to have the home checked by their own inspector.

The cost of the inspection, possibly $500, keeps some sellers from taking this initiative when selling their home.  In an effort to minimize their expenses, they forego getting valuable, disinterested 3rd party advice that could help sell their home.  On a $175,000 home, the fee for the inspection will probably be less than 3/10 of one percent of the sales price.

Another option to the seller to increase marketability of the property and bolster buyer confidence in the home would be to offer a home protection plan.  Generally, the seller doesn’t incur cost for this coverage until the home is sold and there may even be some coverage for the seller during the listing period.  The benefit to the buyer is avoiding unanticipated expenses for specific items that are covered during their first year of ownership.

Contact me for recommendations of home inspectors or home protection plans.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

One Pan Mexican Quinoa

It doesn’t get any easier; this light and healthy recipe can be thrown into one pan and ready to eat in half an hour!  Try it with a white Sangria.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapenos, minced
• 1 cup quinoa (or substitute with rice)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
• Serve immediately.
  

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  Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Have to give a presentation?  Have to deliver some bad news?  Have to do something you just absolutely hate doing?

Eat that frog!

Okay, perhaps some explanation is in order.

“Eating the frog” is a phrase that simply means getting the most difficult or tedious task out of your way.  If you’re anxious about a particular task, you will continue to feel that anxiety until the task is done.  Therefore, it only makes sense to complete it as soon as you can!  We know it won’t be fun, and it probably won’t be easy, but in the end, you’ll realize that it was worth it–and so much better than actually eating a frog.

Please don’t actually try to eat a frog.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Most of us have probably run into this message at least once.  Having little available storage can result in problems with your phone, such as being unable to install important OS updates or having to delete photos and videos in order to take new ones.  In addition, too much stored data on your phone can cause it to run more slowly than it should.

So what should you do when you receive this message?  Here are five tips to reduce clutter on your phone and have it running up to speed.

1. Remove photos/videos from your phone.
   You don’t have to delete them entirely, though! Instead, transfer the photos and videos you want to keep to your computer, or email them to yourself, and delete the ones you don’t.
2. Go through your music library.
   Do you have any music that you rarely or don’t ever listen to?  Music files can take up a lot of space on your phone, so only keep the music you listen to regularly!
3. Get rid of some apps.
   Certain apps take up more space than others, but even very small apps can be a problem if you have several of them.  Take a look at your apps.  How many of them do you use often enough to justify keeping them? (This would be a great time to delete that addicting game that you can’t stop playing!)
4. Clear your cache.
   This is where information collected by various apps is stored–and it takes up space on your phone.  Simply go into your phones’s usage settings and clear it to free up some space!
5. Other small changes.
   There are other areas on your phone which may be accumulating space.  Be sure to check them all and sift through any outdated or unwanted information.  These include:
   • Notes
   • Contacts
   • Reminders
   • Text Messages
   • Browser History

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   Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News