JULIE GARDNER
  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS

Light it Up!

12/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Your lights look a little anemic," my sister Jill said, looking at my sad little row on the porch railing. "If you like, I can get someone to come over and help."  

​
She was right, my lighting job had been a little underwhelming, especially when compared to my neighbor's dazzling display, but paying someone to hang Christmas lights works against my Sacramento roots. Still, it was an idea worth considering.

"Okay, let's do it," I said, conceding the argument. "Ask them to come while Cliff and I are in New York." (We're hosting his law class at the house this week and it's a good excuse to decorate.)

On cue, Jill called a professional window washer we've recently discovered, who also hangs Christmas lights as a side business, or in our case - Hanukkah lights! Listen, I've done my best to embrace my husband's Jewish heritage (bagels, black & whites, rugalah, NYC - what's not to love?) but the menorah somehow doesn't fill the bill for this girl who grew up with a Christmas tree and all the assorted decorations. You can have the tree, the presents, the Christmas dinner, but I'm keeping the lights; they make me happy.  

But it's also worth noting that it required a couple of fearless guys with very tall ladders (and health insurance) to get up to the second story and hang the lines correctly. (They're even on timers.) The bonus is that it kept Cliff and me from attempting this dangerous task ourselves. Given that Cliff is already on crutches, why push our luck? (It's not worth the few bucks we'd save.) What's more, this crew takes down the decorations after the holidays are over. ("That's what I'm talkin' 'bout Willis!")

And while, certainly, this job didn't come without a price tag attached to it, I've learned that some things are better left to those who know what they are doing. In fact, there's true value leaving it to the pros who know their craft. I've spent enough time in the homes of "do-it-yourselfers" in my career to observe that, in nearly every case, the weekend work performed by the homeowner doesn't hold a candle (a Hanukah reference, thank you very much) to the skills a professional brings to bear. Which isn't to say that these self-taught handymen don't know what they're doing - exactly - but that they don't know enough (and therein lies the problem).

Paint jobs that aren't primed correctly peel almost immediately, seismic retrofitting absent tie-downs or appropriate nuts and bolts are virtually worthless, room additions without permits are invitations to a "Cease and Desist" order, loose toilets that shake, rattle and roll can have dire consequences, upside down insulation doesn't really insulate, and amateur roofs can be incredibly COSTLY! (That's not good.)  

So let me ask you this . . . "If the work isn't performed correctly, in the end, what did you really save?" I'm betting that ripping out the work to do it right will cost you far more, if not in actual dollars, than in the time you spent away from doing the things you really love, and with the people you love to do them with.(Go to the ball game or the golf course on Saturday and let someone with real experience do the heavy lifting. You've earned it.)

"Experience" is what you seek in a Real Estate professionals as well.Those of us with more time in the game, typically bring a stronger tool belt to the transaction because we've honed our skills through hundreds of sales. In short, we know where the mind fields lay, know how to answer the question marks around disclosures, understand market value vs. intrinsic value, intimately know neighborhood amenities, schools, shopping, community (you name it, we've recommended it), and can appropriately guide you with respect to the improvements that best serve a sale (and the ones that probably don't)!

BTW, if it's a consultation you seek as to what to do and what not to skip, give me a call. I really enjoy sitting down with homeowners whether they're seeking to sell now, or several years down the road. Together, we can create a list of "To Dos" that will improve your sale when you eventually decide to make the move. AND I can also recommend tried-and-true professionals I've used throughout the years (or newly discovered treasures. Thank you West Coastn' Windows @510.508.8950. The house looks beautiful.)

So as our year winds down and we start to make a punch list of all the things we really should address as we move into 2018, place "hire a professional" at the top of that list. You won't regret it and you'll potentially save yourself thousands of dollars in corrections. 

Light it up!

How can I help you?

Check out my home services list: juliegardner.com/our-team
P.S. My new email address is: [email protected]
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    Author

    Julie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 18 years and has published more than 775 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 

    Picture

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Design
    Drought
    Holiday
    Home Maintenance
    Homes For Sale
    Life
    Market
    Politics
    Renovation

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Piedmont · Oakland · Berkeley
 510.326.0840
[email protected]
DRE# 01431765
​COMPASS

  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS