Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

"I would love to see a self-serve, fee-for-service industry where I could access online info that would help me analyze comps and come up with a price, photograph and list my property myself in its (non-monopoly) online listing. Any part of the process you could hire out (pro photographer, home stager, graphic designer, chaperone for people wanting to view your house, or whatever) or you could completely DIY. None of the above should cost thousands to do. " Ummm....isn't that what the OP was saying about flat-fee MLS? You can do this. Except: "help me analyze comps and come up with a price" Zillow will do that for free. As an REA, I will admit that it is more accurate than I care for (most of the time). Or: "list my property myself in its (non-monopoly) online listing" There are lots of sites that do this, just do a search for FSBO sites and you'll see lots. But if you want the most popular national site that thousands (? not sure, millions?) of licensed Realtors pay handsomely for (from commissions that they earned selling houses) and is probably the first site that buyers visit, then you'll have to go to MLS/Realtor.com I guess what I'm missing on this thread is where "most successful" = "monopoly" I mean, MLS isn't exactly operating like Microsoft - you do have a choice. (Yes, I know I can convert to Linux, which we've done, but a lot of specialized software only works on Windows, in fact, my local MLS only works on Microsoft Explorer - UGH!) Wish to go back to the days where you have to visit each Real Estate office in town (or each of their websites) to see each of their listings? (This is exactly how rentals work in Alameda right now and thank goodness it's a small town because it's exasperating.) MLS/Realtor.com allows us to cooperate. I know a lot of REAs resent it, but I think it's great that an ordinary person can now use MLS via flat fee. Unfortunately, it's not every ordinary person that can successfully sell their own home. I think most of the folks on this forum are "extraordinary" in their knowledge of buying and selling homes and stand a much better chance of success. If you read some REA forums (i.e. Active Rain) you'd find that there are a lot of ordinary folks who do need an REA. It's actually frightening how ignorant some buyers and sellers are about the process.

So she spent an hour getting her job done - so what? It is what it is Wrong, She spent an hour of her time, maybe more getting YOUR AGENTS JOB DONE. You make it sound as if its no big deal. This is a business, I dont expect people to waste my time. If you don't buy the house, you also dont turn into a client, so yes, you are wasting her time. I show MY CLIENTS homes (my listings) for two reasons, one because there is a slim chance the caller will actually buy it,(check statistics on how many times a caller actually buys the house they call on, its very low) but more importantly, that person usually becomes a client. In my area, I can show homes that are an hour away from me, I dont want to waste one of my saturdays showing someone a home whose agent is sitting on their a$$ waiting for someone else to do his job while he collects his 1%. Also, since the listing agent shows you the home and you're getting all your information from her, who is liable should something not be what you expected? The agent who showed and gave you the info is not the one that wrote the offer and represented you. I am assuming you are an agent, since you see the rebate deal as a bad thing. Of course, you don't have to pay the outrageous listing fees when you sell, I am an agent and I also do pay commissions. I believe in the system and when I sell one of my homes, I list them the same way I list a clients home. In one particular case, where I was selling a home outside my service area, I offered a 2% higher commission than the customary rate to get the job done. (customary at the time was 5, i listed for 7) Check previous posts before you "ASSume" anything. I wonder, do you do tell your clients upfront you will not show their house to a possible buyer unless you get a kickback? I suspect not Well two things are wrong here, 1. KICKBACKS ARE ILLEGAL in my state, so I wouldnt do it for fear of loosing my license. 2. I will show any of my clients homes to MY Customers, not someone elses. I have the feeling most sellers would think your agent was lazy for doing what he's doing. THis is the type of agent that gives real estate agents a bad name. Its sleezy! One more thing, you said you simply call and ask to be shown the house. In my area, one of the first questions agents ask is "are you working with an agent"? If you lie and say no, then you obviously realize how unethical this is. If you say 'yes', few agents out there will show you the home, because it is also unethical to meet with a buyer after they have told you they are working with someone else. Your post definitely makes me change the way I do business. Agents in my area area starting to collect fees upfront which are returned when they close on a home. Why? Because there are too many people out there wasting our time and gas doing stuff like this.

I think I'd have invited them over for a morning visit (9-11 or 12) and just put out easy things like bagels, muffins, small coffee cakes, etc. But you've already invited them for lunch. Problem is, professional people are used to getting lavish lunches thrown at them, so you're going to have to do something that's pretty nice-looking. You'll want to consider: Price--chicken is generally about as economical as you can go, and it's something most people eat Preparation--nothing that takes a lot of last minute fussing. Ease of serving--something that can be easily 'grabbed' is best Mess--this is the biggest one. Nothing with red or gooey, or fatty sauces. That just has too much potential for messing up your house, and with trying to sell it, you definitely don't want any extra work. How about this: Go to your local bakery and order small (slider-sized) rolls. You could roast some chicken breasts, slice thinly, and make the sandwiches (you could add a bit of bacon, some cheese, and/or sliced tomato to some), put on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven for 10 minutes or so, just to heat through and melt the cheese. On the side, how about a tortellini salad--mini cheese tortellini, diced celery, pepper, onion, mushroom, some julienned spinach, a little fresh mozzarella and fat-free Italian dressing, but don't make it gloppy with dressing. Then if you add a tray of fruit and one of vegetables, you're set. If you put out dips, be sure to set some of those little cups (from your restaurant supply house) next to them. For dessert? I'd go with a big tray of cookies--they're always appreciated, and those who don't want to eat a meal, may help themselves to a cookie. Oh, and a trick I learned from my RE agent? If you serve coffee, DON'T have lids for the coffee cups. That way they have to stay and finish their coffee rather than grabbing a cup and leaving. And you always want people to stay a little longer and get a better look. One thing that has nothing to do with your agent's lunch... You only have 4 pictures on your flyers and websites? Around here, it's normal for agents to have 20-30--they photo every room from a couple of angles, and also any special features (my agent put a great deal of time into getting the perfect photo of our stained glass windows). I'd see about adding a few more photos if you can. These days people really do their shopping online, and if they only see 4 photos, they may not have enough info to even evaluate your home's attractiveness and appropriateness for them. Also, can you get a slide show on Youtube? Our agent had one that panned the neighborhood, then did a 360 of most of the rooms. It was gorgeous and I'm sure that it was a help in us finding a buyer in under 6 weeks--even though there are many less-expensive homes in our area, many that have been on the market for 1-3 years! Ours is the only one that's sold recently, and for more than I really think it's worth. My agent gets ALL the credit for that--which is why I've passed some of his tricks along to you. Good luck.