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Kerrville, TX Real Estate News

By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
I was just answering a comment and I realized I need to write a blog about why I love my job. My job:  Real estate broker, agent, consultant, business owner, trainer, negotiator, psychoanalyst? Yes, I wear many hats.  It can be a challenge getting all this work done and in a timely fashion.  Everything in real estate revolves around deadlines.  So some days are very hectic.  Most of mine are but there is never room for boredom.  That is one of the reasons I love my job. Meeting people. Clients, customers, lenders, title people, insurers, inspectors, builders, contractors, advertising salespeople and the list goes on.  Real estate is a great job to have if you like meeting people. Knowing people.  This is more than meeting folks, this is getting to know them personally.  Sometimes very p...
Comments 43
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
As most of my friends know, I love to cook.  Cooking is fun for me and I like to try new recipes.  I often make up my own recipes also.  I learned when I was very young, that if I were out of an ingredient I needed, there was almost always a substitute that would do.                                                                                                                                              Now, over the years, I have become very good at substituting different ingredients in my recipes.  Sometimes, the recipes barely resemble the original one.  Many times however, the new version is actually better than the old.  Such was the case today when I made a wonderful dessert that needed whipped cream and I substituted cherry yogurt.  It was delicious!  The graham cracker crust w...
Comments 14
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Do you really want to sell your home?  If so, I want to work with you.  I know that if you Really Want to Sell, you will work with me to sell it.  You will listen to my Home Enhancement Suggestions and this will make a difference for you. Yes, I really tell my clients that. Yes,  Home Enhancement Suggestions help my listings to sell.  I am working with my clients and they are working with me.  We both want the same outcome.  A contract for the best price, in the shortest amount of time.  Our goals are the same.  We are partners in this transaction, both effecting the outcome. I do not hesitate to ask my clients to pack up unnecessary items in their homes.  Clean everything!  Paint some things.  Pack up collections, family photos, kitchen counter gadgets, etc.  We go through the home try...
Comments 14
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Negotiate,     negotiate,    That's all I do. So thankful for that.  Thankful for the business.  I negotiated three contracts today.  We have 6 wins out of 3 contracts. I learned a valuable lesson many years ago.  It must be a win-win situation for everyone involved in a transaction.  When you approach your business with this mindset, you will be more successful. Some agents may be too aggressive.  Some may be too interested in the money that will be coming to them.  Looking out for your clients best interest is what you were hired to do.  This does not mean to bully the other agent or the other client.  Every deal must be fair and each party must realize some of their goals, otherwise the deal will not work. Don't let your clients be so one-way (greedy) or you be greedy either.  It wil...
Comments 55
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
  Now, I am including myself in this blog post.  I am not old but I am not young either.  I wear reading glasses and can't see to read without them.   I get frustrated when advertising is printed too tiny for me to read.  I believe most folks feel the same way.                                                                                                      I do lots of advertising whether on the internet or in print.  In our area, print media is still a viable option.  We are different from some places but real estate magazines and newspaper ads still attract buyers in the Texas Hill Country.  Maybe it is because we have so many tourists that come here and buy property while visiting. We make sure older folks can easily read our ads.  A few words easily read are better than many wor...
Comments 18
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
I have buyers waiting for the perfect property to come on the market.  Many people have heard stories about the economy being slow in some areas but I do have buyers waiting for properties to come on the market.  This is so exciting!  It has been a buyer's market for a long time now but we are seeing an increase in sales recently and some of the people that have been waiting are now ready to buy.  If you have a property you want to sell, put it on the market.                                                                                                This time of year is the best selling season in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.  Lots of people buy in the summer in our area because they come here for the natural beauty of the hills, the rivers, the exotic animals and all the summer ...
Comments 10
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Hope you all have a great 4th of July. Be safe!  Watch out for traffic when traveling on busy highways and watch those fingers when lighting fireworks. Watch the little ones.                                               If near Kerrville on Sunday, come watch the fireworks display in Louise Hays Park at the Guadalupe River by the main bridge.  Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the bands in the afternoon or bring a picnic and play frisbee with your children.  Visit with your neighbors, they will all be there.  Go swimming in the river or bring your kayak.  Horseshoes anyone, there are pits in the park.  Face painting, vendor booths, and so much more. Something for everyone.  All day event!  Come enjoy!   The Market Days on the Square will be open until 9:00 pm on Sunday for all your hometown...
Comments 5
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
The Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital in downtown Kerrville is coming down.  The new hospital opened more than a year ago and is conveniently located behind the Post Office on Hill Country Drive.  The old hospital is at the intersection of Sidney Baker (Hwy 16) and Hwy 27.  This is the Major intersection in Kerrville.  Easy to find but also in an area of high traffic.  The demolition has been ongoing for several months and the company hired to demolish it has been doing an excellent job.  This weekend, however, some of the highway lanes will need to be closed to accommodate the heavy equipment and to make sure no debris falls into traffic. If you can avoid this intersection, it would be a good idea.  Francisco Lemos is now open and is not much out of the way.  So take that route if you can...
Comments 6
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
I get up in the morning, have my coffee, pet my cat, talk with my husband, check my email. Get ready for work, send early morning instructions to the staff at the office before they get there, check messages.  Finish getting ready for work, eat breakfast.  Then I gather all the materials I gathered the night before to take to work.  Run through the ideas I came up with late last night that will improve the office and off I go.  (No time to stop and smell the roses)                                                                                                                                                        Stop to drop off papers at the title company, get more gasoline, run errands, check in at the office.  Arrive and have several people waiting to talk to me.  Click on the compu...
Comments 10
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
May has proven to be a good month real estate wise for our company.  Many offices in our area of the Texas Hill Country have also had good sales this month.  It is an indication of the economy doing better and also the tax credits that were offered finally working to stimulate the real estate industry. For our company, it is a record setting month.  I would like to see this happen every month and we will keep working hard to make that happen.  A positive attitude and hard work can accomplish many things.  I tell my agents this every day.     We start the week optimistically looking for ways to improve our service to our clients.                                                                               We stay focused on the things that really matter like getting a good price for our...
Comments 9
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Here are some of the colors of my garden. Red is for Love.                                                                                                                     Purple is for Royalty               This hot pink one is a blend of Love and Royalty. This must be a Godly plant.   I'm just glad they all live in my garden. The beautiful white blooming bush in the front yard stands for peace and I hope everyone feels peace when they enter my home.   The black-eyed Susans are like the Sun shine.  The marigolds are sunshine mixed with Gold.   The Lantana are yellow and orange and others are pink and purple.  The Indian paintbrush is Scarlet red. The bluebonnets are various shades of blue and purple. There are pretty blooms all around.  Isn't it strange that something like flowers, ...
Comments 15
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Mother's Day brings lots of memories to all of us.  Just the mention of the day itself will bring good memories of Happy Times with our Moms.   Flowers for You!     From the Creator!                                                                                                  I can remember when I was a child and saving my money to buy my Mom a gift or making something special for her at school.    I remember the precious artwork of my own children they gave me for Mother's Day.  How many of us have been blessed with a painting of the outline of our child's hand or silhouette or a heart with an "I love you, Mom "inside?  Homemade jewelry, breakfast in bed, I O U's for a chore to be done or a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers. Mothers don't always get the recognition they deserve, espe...
Comments 9
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Does your office have sales meetings or training sessions?  Ours does. Is it mandatory for you to attend?  I have heard agents talk about meetings like these in the past and complain about having to attend.  Are the meetings really for you or for them, the manager or broker.  Maybe they are for your client?  They should be. I believe everything in our business should revolve around our clients.  We say in our Mission Statement, it's all about great service to our clients.  So, is furthering our education and staying on top of the market and what's going on in our office or local MLS important for better client service?  YES!  Emphatically YES! That's what these meetings are about.  YOU and YOUR CLIENT. Can YOU afford to miss the meetings?  NO!  If your manager or broker is working hard ...
Comments 11
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
I am amazed at how many women I talk to that do not know how to cook hardly at all.  I believe there is a real interest growing in our country for cooking skills.  With our exploding health problems and obesity rates in this country, it is a good thing to begin to cook more at home. To know the ingredients that are actually going into your body could save your life or the lives of your family members.  Yes, heart disease, diabetes and cancer is overtaking our population right now.  It could have a lot to do with what we eat. You do have time for a home cooked meal.  Thirty minutes or the time it takes to go through a drive up window, the choice is yours.  A little planning ahead of menus , ingredients you will need, can be be done once a week.  Prep time in the kitchen can be saved if y...
Comments 16
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
  This dessert is both Easy and Delicious.  It also is not terribly bad for you like most desserts.  It is low in calories and fat.  Try it today or any day and thrill your family.  Always a hit! Start with angel food cake.  Slice into 3 equal parts lengthwise. Top the first layer with 1/2 can Cherry Pie filling. Add second layer and top with pineapple filling. (Directions for filling below) Add third layer and top with remaining cherry pie filling. Chill in refrigerator.  Slice and add dollop of whipped cream for finish. Delicious!  Beautiful too!  Presentation is important!   For pineapple filling:  Put one small can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup in sauce pan.  If your pineapple is in pineapple juice, add 1/3 cup sugar and stir until dissolved.  Heat on low heat.  Mix 1/4 cup corn ...
Comments 10
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
If you are new to real estate and have a burning desire to learn how to be effective and start making money quickly, find a mentor that will teach you one on one.  Follow that person around like a puppy dog and listen to all that they say and do.  Be their shadow.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more effective is teaching when it is on the job instead of in the classroom. I enjoy teaching my agents like this.  I give lots of lecture time but the actual  experience of being in the room when a listing presentation is done and the documents are signed is invaluable.  It makes all the words make sense and suddenly new agents realize how it is all put together. The best thing for me is seeing the new agents succeed.  I can tell when the lightbulb has come on and they are re...
Comments 61
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Some of you are following the progress of my remodeling project and we are coming down the home stretch now.  The new front door is in but the trim is not painted yet.  Originally, I had intended on leaving the original doors but they were too bad to try to remodel so we went with new. The primer was sprayed on the walls today and it looked weird to go in and see everything bright white.  The windows are covered with plastic and the floors covered with paper.  Yes, the floors are finished but you will have to wait to see them after the painting is complete.  We have new tile and refinished hardwood floors under all the paper.     The painting should be finished this week and on Friday the electrician will come and put up the lights, the ceiling fans and the outlet covers.        The kit...
Comments 7
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
For those of you who love to cook like I do, it's another Sunday dinner.  Here's the Steak and salad.  But it's the dessert that made this one special.  Easy and superb, Strawberry Pie.   Fresh whole strawberries immersed in a thick gel and covered with whipped cream in a flaky pie shell.  What can be better than that!                                            If you've never made Strawberry pie before, it is so easy. Almost no cooking at all.   The only cooking is in making the gel.  Take 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water.  Dissolve and bring to a boil.  Add a pinch of salt.  Mix cornstarch and water to make a thin paste and slowly add to syrup, stirring constantly to avoid getting lumps.  Add red food coloring ( more than I did here to make it redder), and if you like 1 tablespoo...
Comments 14
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
Many of you wanted to see the finished results of my remodeling project, so I thought I would take you through the steps.  This is the second post about my complete remodel of a small house here in Kerrville.                                                                                                    We've had a good week even with the holiday, we've accomplished quite a bit.  The roof is now complete even though these photos were taken during the roofing process. I used a "weathered gray" color to go with the light beige color on the exterior walls.  White trim on the doors, windows and porch.  We will add a little more color later.              The new electrical wiring is now completed as well.  Sheetrocking is in progress as well as insulating the walls. This home was built in...
Comments 6
By Ricki Eichler McCallum, Broker,GRI,ABR, e-Pro, TAHS
(CastNet Realty)
I love to remodel old homes but I rarely get a chance to do this with my business being so busy.  Recently however, I bought an old house in a good commercial/residential area.  We are ripping out and remodeling almost everything.  Thought I'd give you a look at the before pictures and in a few weeks I will give you the after pictures.        This is the lovely kitchen.                                                                                                            I hesitated to even show you the bathroom.   Kitchens and baths are the most important rooms for remodeling. Wait until you see the transformation.       The front porch had been enclosed and we took all that off and replaced it with railings.  It is in the process of being painted right now and all the windows have...
Comments 14
Kerrville, TX Real Estate Professionals