My birthday was not too long ago; I turned.... well, I turned 30-something. And even though I'm technically an adult, reverting back to temper-tantrums and hissy-fits sometimes crosses my mind, especially when I'm extremely frustrated. However, even though I really want to, I take a deep breath and try to rationally work out my problem. Something I learned this week: this does not seem to be the mindset of a few clients I have.  It seems like a few clients this week have contacted me, over and over, whining and complaining about how I don't ever respond to them. Do I lose my cool when I send a document over to be signed and sent back, and my clients take a few days to send it back to me? Of course not. A.) I’m a professional and B.) I’m a grown up. I understand that buying a home is str... 04/25/2013

DID YOU KNOW?What IS The Main Ingredient of WD-40?Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40?No Cheating........ WD-40 ~ Who knew!I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason).I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news.He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do....probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open.Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck.I was impressed!WD-40 who knew?Water Displacement #40.The product began from a search for a rust... 04/22/2013

The NFL announced the 2013 regular season schedule Thursday and the New Orleans Saints will be featured in at least four prime-time nationally-televised games during the regular season, including two at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints will also open at home for the second consecutive season, when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8 (noon CT). Atlanta Falcons (vs. Sept. 8, at Nov. 21): This will mark the first time that the Saints have opened against the Falcons since Sept. 7, 1986 at the Superdome…It will be the fifth consecutive season and eighth time in nine years that the Saints and Falcons will play on prime time after the two clubs did so only three times between 1967-2004…Atlanta holds a 46-41 regular-season advantage in the all-time series against the Saints, althou... 04/21/2013

Everytime something strange, weird or crazy happened, my mother use to say "Hmm... It must be a full moon. All of the crazies are out tonight."  After the bombing in Boston, the fire and explosion in Texas and the numerous amounts of "suspicious packages" found at courthouses and hospitals in my home state of Louisiana, I found myself saying the same phrase.  What is going on? It breaks my heart to hear about all of the people injuried (and of course, of the ones who didn't make it). It's so scary to think about sending our children into this world, putting them on a bus in the morning, and praying that you both get to see one another at the end of the day. I hate feeling this way. I worry about my neice. I worry about my friends. I worry about my family.  Maybe one day, we can all wake... 04/18/2013

Wanna live like the Woz? You know, the inventor of the world’s first home computer? Well, now you can! Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is selling his Los Gatos, California home.   Just like designing the computer, Wozniak helped design the 7,500 square-foot modern pad more than 25 years ago.   The house sits on 1.19 acres and features six bedrooms, six full bathrooms and provides breath-taking views of the Los Gatos Mountains. Wozniak’s former home also has an outdoor koi pond and a waterfall.   The crib is going for a mere $4.5 million. That, apparently, is a discount! The house first hit the market for $5 million last February. Back in 2006, the computer pioneer renovated the place, but many of the original post-modern design elements are still in tact.       Kim Higgins – ABR, CRS, e-... 04/17/2013

Tour Fontainebleau Subdivision in Mandeville LA!  Fontainebleau, established in 1992, is conveniently located close to schools, shopping, hospitals and  the Causeway which crosses Lake Ponchatrain. The subdivision of 243 homes, provides  a pool, clubhouse, greenspaces, a beautiful pond, walking paths, children's playground and much more for its residents.  Kim Higgins is a Northshore LA Real Estate expert. Kim knows the neighborhoods in Mandeville, Covington and Madisonville in the Northshore of Louisiana. Tour Fontainebleau online and then let Kim show you personally! Visit KimHiggins.com for more information on neighborhoods in Mandeville, Covington and Madisonville on the Northshore of Louisiana!   Kim Higgins – ABR, CRS, e-ProKeller Williams Realty Services1522 W. Causeway Approach... 04/16/2013

Adorable Mandeville home with open floorplan, wood floors, fireplace & lots of windows.Wood floors and brand new carpet. Master Suite with large walk-in closet and freshly painted bath with garden tub and seperate shower. Den features cathedral ceilings and a cozy fireplace. Kitchen boasts corian counters, pretty cabinets, breakfast bar and work desk. The Sunny Breakfast Room overlooks a deck and oversized fenced lot that backs up to the woods. 2-car garage. This home is very convenient to shopping, Causeway and Mandeville schools!  Please call today for an appointment to view this home!! Click Here to See More Picture of This Home!   MLS# 944945 $196,000 3 Bedroom 2 Bath 1692 Sq Ft Living Area 2580 Total Area Double Garage   Stroll through Mandeville from the comfort of your home. Sit ... 04/16/2013

Sadly, No one really teaches Home-ownership and for what could be the largest investment in a persons life, way too many homeowners have no plan for owning and maintaining a home. There is no shortage of information on how to qualify for buying a home and how much home one can afford. What is not out there in abundance is everything else about the home and it is significant. Taking a buyer through the paces of qualifying and getting a mortgage to close is a service and it is natural that some can help the new homeowner better than others. But what about the next day after they move in and the reality of what's coming begins to face the new homeowners. Many first time buyers who have rented see the rent money going out and into the pocket of the landlord and figure they could just as ea... 04/15/2013

Real estate-related searches on Google.com have grown 253 percent over the past four years, according to a joint study from the National Association of REALTORS® and Google. “Increasingly, online technologies are driving offline behaviors, and home buying is no exception,” said Google Head of Real Estate Patrick Grandinetti. “With 90 percent of home buyers searching online during their home buying process, the real estate industry is smart to target these people where they look for and consume information—for example through paid search, relevant websites, video environments, and mobile applications.” The Digital House Hunt: Consumer and Market Trends in Real Estate leverages NAR’s custom research and Google’s proprietary and third-party research. Google’s research focused on consumers ... 04/14/2013

Most of us were raised by parents who had depression era scarcity beliefs about money and working harder. Some of these beliefs may be instilled in your subconscious. Not convinced? Do any of the following sound familiar? • I have to work long, hard hours• I have to struggle and sacrifice• I have to give up time for my family and friends• I won’t be able to have fun or practice self-care• I have to be everything to everyone• Others needs come before my own If you answered yes to any of these—but especially the last two–than you may be running around trying to please people and make sure everyone is happy. This is a sure way to have too much on your plate and have a scarcity of time. When you put these all together, it doesn’t make success seem very appealing, does it? Why would anyone ... 04/11/2013

Now that spring is here – you may want to spruce up your garden a bit. One modern way to do so is with cinder blocks. Yes, really, cinder blocks! Not only are they inexpensive, but they are an extremely useful tool to add a sleek and creative element to any space, in any garden. Take a look at what people have done with them!   Each rectangular block has two cut-outs that expand the possibilities. You can build them up and out to form any shape you desire. Also, of course, you can use any amount of cinder blocks you desire. When you are picking your plants choose varying shapes, colors and heights. Also, don’t forget you can paint your cinder blocks if you want them to match something particular in your garden or home. The natural grey can provide a chic look as well. To fill the bottom... 04/11/2013

Do you want to sell your house? Would you like to have a contract for full list price or more in less than a week? Here are three easy steps to ensure that your house is one of those “hot” properties that everyone wants: 1) Price it correctly. In real estate many factors determine price. Location, schools, amenities and features all figure into the calculation. Don’t try to “test the market” by starting high and work you way down. Price your home at market and you will do OK. Price it slightly below market and you will have buyers beating a path to your door. 2) Have the property in move-in ready condition! Buyers want to buy a house and NOT a project. Buyers want to visualize placing their furniture and do not want to think about the cost of replacing the roof. 3) Make your house avai... 04/10/2013

As much as we all text today, whether for business or personal, helpful tips are always welcome. Came across a few basic ones that are quite helpful!!   1. Enable character count.Every time you exceed 160 characters in a text message, your service provider charges you for another SMS message. If you're on a limited SMS plan, you can keep track of your character count as you compose your messages. Head to Settings > Messages > Character Count ON. From now on, you'll see an active character count above the Send button. 2. Use AutoText shortcuts to quickly type phrases.There are some phrases you might use over and over again, like On my way, How's it going? or even things like your e-mail address or signature. To type these words and phrases faster, customize your own shortcuts. For exampl... 04/09/2013

Beau Chene is one of Mandeville's premier communities.  There are currently 24 homes available for sale in the subdivision with an average price of $553,142.  This is an established community of nearly 1,200 single family homes on over 1,250 acres.  With amneties such as a golf course, club house, marina, and 24 hour guarded gate entrance this community is a great place to call home.  If you are interested in learning more about Beau Chene or other Northshore subdivisions you can visit my website www.KimHiggins.com.  04/08/2013

Eco-friendly homes have gone mainstream: most people would trade in their swimming pools for Energy Star appliances and CFL lighting, according to our survey of realtor.com users. The desire to be eco-friendly has increased dramatically in recent years. We may commemorate Earth Day in April but many people make a concerted effort to go green in large or small ways all year long. And now, in addition to hybrid cars, biodegradable packaging, and recycling efforts, our users are telling us that they are also increasingly eco-minded when it comes to their homes. Living Green: More than 30% of the respondents currently live in an eco-friendly residence and nearly 85% of those we surveyed said they would like to own an eco-friendly home. Eco-friendly residences often use green building materi... 04/07/2013

1. Monitor Your Credit.The best way to save money on everything from your home mortgage to car loans to credit card interest rates is to improve your credit score. With a mortgage, having really good credit can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. By paying bills on time and keeping the amount of credit you use to a minimum will help to improve your score over time. See this list of tips for ways to improve your credit score. 3. Get Several Quotes.It is a good idea to get several quotes from different lenders. You can check online or even call your local lenders. It is not a bad idea to get at least three different quotes. 4. Examine Different Loan ProgramsVA, RD, FHA, Reverse, ARM and Conventional are just some of the different types of loans. Different pr... 04/04/2013

Could we do a better job of helping people find homes through technology? I think the answer resoundingly, is yes. Something I saw this week opened my eyes to that possibility. But first, some background: If we break down the online real estate* search experience, it really comes down to two things: content and context. So far, we’ve done a pretty good job of bringing the former into the digital world and pretty lousy job of leveraging the latter. Real Estate 1.0 (1997-2006) The first step was to get all real estate content online. Inventory became digital, along with its supporting assets: photos, data and descriptions. So if we think about listings as the content — the “what” in this equation — the context can be loosely defined as everything else that surrounds them. Real Estate 2.0... 04/03/2013

Zero-down loan programs are few and far between these days, but one that remains available might be of interest to you –especially given some changes that make it more accessible. USDA Loan 100% financing, no down payment is required. The loan amount may not exceed 100% of the appraised value, plus the guarantee fee may be included. 30-year fixed rate mortgage loans USDA Guarantee Fee applies: may be rolled into the loan amount. Flexible credit guidelines. Non-traditional credit histories may be accepted. Fixed 30 year interest rates apply. Lenders and applicants agree upon interest rate. Eligible closing costs and lender fees may be included in the loan or paid by the applicant. Gift / Grant Funds / Mortgage Credit Certificates (MCC) /Seller Concessions are allowed in the USDA. Applica... 04/03/2013

  Making decisions and reacting to situations can be trying at times. The ability to maintain objectivity and keep emotion out of the decision-making process is important in business situations.   Decisions based on emotion or sentiment rather than on logic can often lead to bad results and can do lasting damage to employee, vendor or customer relationships, and we don't want that! You must always think about how your decision will affect the short and long-term viability of your business.   This isn't to say that there is no room for emotion in the business world. Passion leads to motivation and motivation is what makes us get things done. But rather than letting our emotions take over, we need to use them to pave the way to rational decision making and successful business practices. ... 04/02/2013

As the real estate market significantly rebounds, some buyers and sellers are dipping their toes in the waters for the first time. Inevitably, they come into the market with assumptions about how it works. Their assumptions may come from TV reality shows or watching their parents’ house-hunting experiences. Maybe they’ve learned about real estate from a co-worker’s recent home buying or selling experience. The trouble is, the new buyer or seller’s assumptions are sometimes based on outdated or generalized “real estate myths.” Here are three such myths that many less-seasoned home buyers and sellers assume are true. Myth No. 1: Spring is the best time to sell a home Historically, real estate seasons were tied to summer and the end of the school year. Families were the typical buyers or ... 04/01/2013