VERY Helpful Do you know the difference between http and https?

Do you know the difference between http and https? Don't know how many of you are aware of this difference, but it is worthsending to any that do not. The main difference between http:// and https:// is.... It's all aboutkeeping you secure!! HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol... The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure". If you visit a website orwebpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely beginwith the following: http://. This means that the website is talking to yourbrowser using the regular unsecured language. In other words, it is possiblefor someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the website.If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information yousend to that site. This is why you never ever enter your credit card number in an http://website! But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means yourcomputer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one caneavesdrop on. You understand why this is so important, right? If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you shouldautomatically look to see if the web address begins with https://. If it doesn't, you should NEVER enter sensitive information....such as acredit card number.
PASS IT ON (You may save someone a lot of grief).

Staging or making enemies????

I am an artist at heart. So I'm more drawn to "decorating" rather then staging. However, I understand and have been professionally taught how to reach a homes maximum potential for price and sale by staging appropriately. And I must admit that I am amazing at it. You can say anything bad about me that you want as I tell others in a joking way -but you can never say I'm not fabulous cook, artist and I can really, really, really stage a home....

Thanks to shows like HGTV, many sellers are now aware of the concept and its important to know that it originated in California- and if you are selling there, you wouldn't consider not staging(both selling and staging go hand in hand).

What makes me good at staging? First and foremost I am an artist. My hobbies are painting , sculpting, refinishing furniture and creating. It actually goes as far back as my days as a dorm student at Niagara University. An artist needs to wake and surround herself to beauty. So needless to say I had a challenge as a broke college student. But I met that challenge with desire and creativity. I would "garbage shop"(rummage through people's garbage), paint, recreate and next thing I knew people were actually offering to buy my recreations.

Fortunately I have created a great lifestyle now and can actually buy my art and furniture at my discretion, but I have to admit I love to estate sale shop (Kottage to Castle-NJ a great find!) and find "pet projects" although my husband gets quite upset when I buy anything "used" or damaged". My reply is beauty is in the eye of the beholder - my eyes....and I can make anything beautiful. Which brings me back to the point of this blog.

Staging is NOT about decorating. I just staged a home this past Saturday. Because it requires me to remove emotional items from the owners eye it becomes challenging. I'm not there to insult your taste in design. As a matter of fact the home that I staged this Saturday did not need to be decorated and if they were selling it with furnishings, we could have left it as is. The point of staging is to create a visual palette for others to imagine the placement of their own furnishings. We are selling a house, not a home and its square footage. Do do so we need to "empty" all unnecessary items. And this scares many folks. I try to convince them that this just gives them a head start on the packing process, but regardless its personal to see someone attack their style and belongings and hard on the stager many times.

So now I've taken on a new job. Virtual staging. Id like to say its easier, but its not. Graphic design requires time and patience. To make a photo "perfectly enhanced" you are talking hours of labor. But I've gotten it to where I can highlight and draw attention within a reasonable time. You can see some examples at http://njtopbroker.com/virtualstaging.html. But unless I'm being paid by the hour rather then doing this in good faith and as a courtesy , you wont see perfection - but you will see results; and that's what this is all about!

A few tips on staging yourself....

remove anything that insinuates illness (diabetes reminders on kitchen fridge e.g., needle boxes) - people insinuate this as a taboo or actually feel guilty about taking a home from a sick person

remove religious items - another taboo to some unfortunately

remove any and all signs of pets

empty all surface and clear corners- this makes rooms look larger

remove dying, dead and artificial plants

find focal points of each room and highlight them by removing competing objects

In closing as boring as this may sound - Keep it plain, boring and bland. Many buyers don't have imaginations so we need to create a bland surrounding to help them out. Your style will only compete with their intentions!

For your kids...Good Stuff, written by a teacher (friend)

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it! Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself. Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both. Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity. Rule 6: If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them. Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room. Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life. Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time. Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs. Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. If you agree, pass it on. If you can read this -Thank a teacher!

Hello My Friends!!!!! HAPPY SPRING

When a realtor thinks of spring - two words come to mind. BUY, and SELL. This is the hottest time of the year for real estate transactions for several reasons. Timing - enough time to seek the perfect home and register children for schools in September, Weather- its far more comfortable unloading boxes in sunshine rather then snow. Lord knows we got enough this year here in New Jersey. Statistically speaking your chances during this time of getting the highest amount for your home exists as a seller and as a buyer the options for selection are greatly improved. It couldn't be worded better " Now is the time, Now is the BEST time".

On another note I would like to add that we have now added a new dimension to our marketing strategy called "virtual staging". Although we highly recommend reality staging, and of course offer it to our clients free of charge, we also understand that some people prefer not to do so. In this case- our computers accessing adobe photoshop recreate pictures of your home clutter free. We pride ourselves on going that extra mile to make your real estate transactions a great experience.

Hopefully as well, your reading this newsletter in time to quickly find that perfect home and go under contract by the end of April to take advantage of the tax and first home buyer incentives that I've discussed prior in the past letters. Call me any time to discuss this further in detail.

Enjoy this fabulous weather,the upcoming Holidays, the sunshine and all that Spring has to offer. I myself am off to a parade with my Springer spaniel and cocker- they too enjoy the sunshine!Love, Peace & Sunshine,

James & Christine Madalone

The James Madalone Realty Group
(908)963-8470/(908)754-1587
http://www.njtopbroker.com/
http://www.jamesmadalone.com/

Universal Health Care - interesting stats !

Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization.
Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:U.S. 65 % England 46%Canada 42%Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:U.S. 93%England 15%Canada 43%Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:U.S. 90%England 15%Canada 43%Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:U.S. 77%England 40%Canada 43%Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:U.S. 71England 14Canada 18Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health":U.S. 12%England 2%Canada 6%I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare" comparable to England or Canada .
Moreover, it was Sen. Harry Reid who said, "Elderly Americans must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age."He is "elderly" himself but be sure to remember his health insurance is different from yours as Congress has their own high-end coverage! He will never have to learn to accept "inconveniences

Feng Shui -Finding true happiness......

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much. NINE... Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

LET AUDREY ASSIST IN YOUR NJ PURCHASE

AUDREY DOOLEY - REAL ESTATE BROKER/SPECIALISTAudrey has had alot of experience in relocating people from all walks of life. For over 20 years Audrey has helped executives from such companies as ATT,Verizon,Pharmacia,Merck,Schering,Chub find apartments,condos and homes for their employees. Audrey is a certified relocation agent and has helped hundreds of people settle into the state or the country!While moving and accepting a new job most of you will be totally overwhelmed with the daunting task of not only fitting in with your new environment at work, meeting new people,impressing the boss with possible long hours initially but to also find a neighborhood, a safe environment to come home to, an affordable place to rent or buy and not have to worry if you are making the right decision. Thats where Audrey comes in.Audrey will find out what your budget is and run with it. She will drive around neighborhoods, look into affordable and competitive condos, homes,and scout out great places for you to buy or rent. It is a full time job keeping up with the inventory especially in Somerset, Union,Hunterdon Counties where the living is not cheap and the availability not large Audrey is the expert in finding the right place and the right time for the busy,pre-occupied executive.There is a huge turnover here 40 mins from Manhatten, with various train lines,express bus routes,park and rides to the city, if you are looking for real estate the very best thing (and the best kept secret) is to get hold of a Realtor that knows the area, one that not only knows whats on line but also knows all the for sale by owners so she can give you a fast,complete analysis of the task at hand so you the consumer can make the most educated decision on your housing needs.Call AUDREY DOOLEY - SHE WILL TREAT YOU LIKE FAMILY (908) 334-4664