Thank you very much to all of our buyers and sellers! Because of you, we have just sold our 100th listing for the year! We are also so proud to say that we have surpassed our volume from last year in just 8 months! We love what we do and we couldn't do it without our buyers and seller! Thank you!!
If you or anyone that you know is looking to buy or sell a home, be sure to contact me at jenniferhupke@gmail.com or 262-613-2548 or visit www.jenniferhupke.com to view my listings!
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
August 2015 Southeastern Wisconsin Festival List
Enjoy the beautiful August sunshine at any of the fun-filled festivals in Southeastern Wisconsin! Music, food, shopping, family-fun; there's something for everyone!
1- Mamies 33rd Anniversity and Pig Roast
3300 W. National
Avenue., Milwaukee
2- Sacred Heart Croatian Festival
917 N. 49th
Street., Milwaukee
6-16 Wisconsin State
Fair
Wisconsin State Fair
Park
7-8 Waukesha BluesFest
Naga-Waukee Park,
Delafield
8-9 St. Joseph Fun Fest
S89 W22650 Milwaukee,
Big Bend
8-9 USA Triathlon
Championships
Milwaukee Lakefront
8-9 Morning Glory
Fine Craft Fair
Marcus Center for
Performing Arts
13-16 Irish Fest
Henry Maier Festival
Park
14-16 St. James Family Fest
830 County Rd NN
East., Mukwonago
15-16 St. Louis
Parish Festival
13207 Country Road G.,
Caledonia
20-23 Milwaukee A La
Carte
Milwaukee County Zoo
21-22 St. Agnes
Parish Festival
12801 W. Fairmount
Ave., Butler
21-23 Our Lady of
Lourdes
3722 S. 58 Street.,
Milwaukee
21-23 St. Sava
Serbian Days
3201 S. 51st
Street., Milwaukee
21-23 St. Rita Family
Festival
4339 Douglas Avenue.,
Racine
21-23 Mexican Fiesta
Henry Maier Festival
Park
27-30 Muskego
Festival
Racine Avenue &
Pioneer Dr., Muskego
28-30 St. Matthias
Parish Festival
9306 W Beloit Rd.,
West Allis
Monday, July 6, 2015
25 Random Acts of Kindness to Incorporate into Your Daily Life
If you ever feel like you want to be more charitable but you
feel that you just don’t know how, what to do, or you feel like you don’t have
the time or money to do so, try incorporating a random act of kindness into your daily
life. There are countless ways for you
to give back and to make even the smallest difference in somebody’s life. Doing a random act of kindness doesn’t only
help others but, it will also help yourself in return, especially on days that you just
feel a bit down and out about any situation in your life. I have found that doing a random act of
kindness as often as I can puts a smile on others’ faces and on my own as well. You never know who you will be helping and in
what way. These are also great ideas to
influence your children and friends to try to do as well. There’s no better feeling than knowing that
you are making a positive impact on somebody’s life or in this big world in
some way. Below are just 25 random acts
of kindness ideas to try to incorporate into your everyday life. Give them a try or be creative and come up
with a list of your own!
1. Walk
ahead to open and hold a door for a stranger
2. Give
somebody a complement
3. Listen
to somebody who needs a shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent to
4. Mow
your neighbor’s lawn or do some yard work for free
5. Buy
some groceries for a family in need or an elderly in your neighborhood
6. Pay
for the person’s coffee behind you at the coffee shop
7. Stop
and buy hot cocoa for a homeless person in the winter time
8. Create
“Life Packs” and distribute them to the homeless in a nearby area (“Life Packs”
are bags or backpacks filled with items such as: soap, toilet paper, Kleenex,
hand sanitizer, chap stick, bottled water, granola bars or other snacks, heat
packs if it’s wintertime, hair comb, small shampoo, body wash, feminine napkins
for women, hand lotion, cough drops, or anything else that you see fit)
9. Stop
at a local animal shelter and spend an hour of your day playing with the
animals
Instead
of asking for birthday gifts or money, ask your friends and family to donate to
a charity of your choice (or theirs) or donate what money or gifts you do get
to a local shelter, hospital, or person in need.
10. Pay
for somebody’s bus/train fare or gas
11. Pay
for groceries for somebody in line
12. Help
somebody who is struggling to carry their groceries to their car or door
13. Spend
an hour of your time mentoring at a youth home
14. Go
through your closet and donate some clothing and shoes to a shelter or a family
in need
15. Adopt
a pet and give them a forever home
16. Help
a person in need get a job interview by helping with a resume and the
application process
17. Volunteer
an hour or so of your day helping out at a non-profit event or establishment in
your area. Check out Volunteer Match
to help find opportunities in your are.
18. Cook
dinner and take it to a single parent in your neighborhood who works all day
and struggles to get time to cook for his/her children
19. Get
a trash bag and rubber gloves and walk around a nearby park, beach, or any
other area and pick up trash
20. Choose
a cause that you support and donate anything that you can to them online
21. Collect
coats and/or blankets and take to a local homeless shelter in the winter
(animal shelters may also accept blankets too)
22. Give
your restaurant server a really generous tip!
23. Collect
children’s gently used books, coloring book, crayons, art supplies, learning
materials, toys, and anything else to donate to your local Children’s Hospital
or the children’s play area of any nearby hospital.
24. Hold
a rummage sale or bake sale and donate all proceeds to your favorite
charity!
25.Instead
of asking for birthday gifts or money, ask your friends and family to donate to
a charity of your choice (or theirs) or donate what money or gifts you do get
to a local shelter, hospital, or person in need.
Remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of time of money to make a big
difference! When it comes to purchasing
items, whatever it may be, it’s really helpful (and often beneficial to many
second-hand stores that are affiliated with an organization that gives back to
the community or hospitals) to shop at thrift or second-hand stores, the dollar
store, and rummage sales from your neighbors!
Most of these items are as good a new, especially for people and
children who don’t have much to begin with.
Anything is appreciated! Doing a
spring cleaning or a winter clean-out of your closet, home, and garage are
great ways to find items to donate as well.
You can also get your friends, family members, and co-workers involved
and see what they can contribute to the donation process. Create a tradition or an on-going act. No matter how you choose to go about it or
what random act of kindness that you decide to do, be sure to feel good about
doing it. Help to inspire others,
especially your children, to do the same.
Make a game out of it and challenge yourself and those around you to
come up with creative ideas. Choose a
month where you do one random act of kindness each day and create a blog or
social media post about it and help encourage others to do the same. You never know whose day you will be making,
what kind of impact it will be making, and just how inspired you and others
will become to want to do more. Give it
a try and be sure to tell me all about it!
Want to Help Out this Summer but Don't Know How to Find Local Volunteer Opportunities?
Summer is great time to spend time with friends and family
while soaking up some sun and simply having fun. What better way to combine all of these this
summer while making a difference in your community than to volunteer your
time! There are so many volunteer
opportunities to partake in or be involved with in different ways in your local
area and throughout your region. Summer
is a fantastic time to give back and have fun at the same time. It’s also a great way to get your children
involved in helping others.
There are countless volunteer opportunities with various
non-profit organizations this summer in your area. Some events and opportunities include:
participating in a run/walk/bike event or helping out with set-up or
registration, spending time at a local hospital, nursing home, veterans home, homeless
shelter, or animal shelter doing activities like playing games, teaching
skills, therapy, arts and crafts, cooking or serving food, or dog walking, sorting
food at food pantries, and much more.
You can be cause-specific such as supporting organizations
like: the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Autism Speaks, the Ronald McDonald House,
the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, Prevent
Blindness Wisconsin, the Salvation Army, the Food Hunger Task Force, and a
myriad of others. You can also choose by
cause areas such as: education and literacy, art and culture, animals, children
and youth, disaster relief, politics, LGBT, race and ethnicity, veteran,
elderly, women’s rights, homeless and housing, hunger, faith-based, and many
others. There are so many ways for you
to lend a helping hand this summer.
Here are some of my favorite volunteer websites to help find
local volunteer events and opportunities:
Find events in your area check out Volunteer Match
or All for Good
To find opportunities near or far visit Idealist.org
Find teen-specific volunteer opportunities at
Teen Life
Find volunteer opportunities at the Milwaukee Children's Hospital
Be sure to keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities in
your local newspaper as well.
If you have a cause, organization, or establishment that you’re
already passionate about, visit their webpage to find any upcoming volunteer
opportunities.
Clients' Day: Closing Gift Ideas
03/19/2014 at 12:10 pm • Posted in Buying a Home, Client Marketing, Dream Blue, Listing Marketing, Marketing, Real Estate Agent, Selling a Home by Blog Team • 0 Comments
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By Alicia Eisenbise, Social Media Specialist, Twitter: @aliciaATcb
Today is Clients’ Day. In real estate, the way many agents build their business is through referrals given by their past clients. If someone is receiving a referral, it’s probably because they have showed the initial client a superior level of service and attention. The question is, what do successful agents do to make their clients feel extra special and get the referral?
The ballisgroup, a boutique real estate team in Chicago, ensures their clients are satisfied by making sure their clients have direct access to the teams two principal brokers – Elizabeth and Deborah Ballis. ”We truly do whatever it takes to have a successful transaction from the first meeting through and beyond the closing. We help get the inspection items addressed, work with the client to be sure the loan moves along, go to the closing or deal with any after-closing problems that may occur. We do all of that and more.” said Eizabeth Ballis. “One of our ‘extras’ — when working with buyers or sellers in condo transactions is we give the managers and doormen a gift card to ‘thank them in advance’ for helping us and our clients. It definitely makes our clients know we are team players, helping the process move along with a happy support staff that feels appreciated and goes the extra mile, too.”
Lisa Thompson, a Broker Associate in Northwest Indiana, Lake and Porter Counties, finds that an immediate response and continued communication (even after the transaction) is key to building a life-long relationship with a client. Giving an honest opinion and protecting their best interest is also paramount to strengthening the relationship.
Closing gifts are another way to show clients you appreciate their business. What gifts have a real “wow” factor? I asked some agents and the resounding answer was that the gift needs to be personalized to the client. Many also said that sometimes the closing gift is most memorable if it is not given during the closing process because there is so much going on.
Our Favorite Closing Gift Ideas
Personalized Gift Baskets
Photo via RuffledBlog.com
Gift cards
I know this doesn’t seem personal, but it’s the type of gift card that makes it personal. If the client told the agent that they love DIY projects, they may choose a home improvement store gift card. Or perhaps the client mentioned their favorite salon or spa, restaurant or home goods store? A gift card to that favorite place would be perfect.Personalized Keepsake
Custom Home Illustration | Image via HouseLoveShop on Etsy
Dinner Delivery During or Right After the Move
No one wants to cook the first night they move into a new home. First of all, who can even find the pots and pans? That’s why I love having a local restaurant deliver a full meal to the client on move-in day or the first week in the home. Of course, the agent has to do a little planning and arrange it with the client, but it’s a memorable and thoughtful gift.
Local Membership
Although it depends entirely on the client, Elizabeth Ballis shared that the ballis group sometimes gives a membership to a local museum for clients who may be new to Chicago. This idea could extend to all sorts of memberships that would help clients explore the local community: the local pool, botanic gardens, children’s museum, etc.
Charitable Donation
If a client is active in a charity, many times an agent will learn about it during the home buying or selling process. What about making a gift to that charity in the clients’ name? It’s a gift the agent and the client can feel good about.
Home Warranty Plans
The gift of a Home Warranty is a generous one and one that may be reserved for very special clientele at a certain price point, but one that can be extremely valuable to a new homeowner. Occasionally a home seller does not provide a home warranty in the sale, in that case, Elizabeth Ballis says it could make the perfect closing gift.
Photo Gift
Photo book | image via Shutterfly
Annual Client Parties
This is the gift that keeps on giving. Many real estate agents have an event annually to encourage their clients to visit them and the client gets something in return. Some ideas are: giving out free pumpkins at Halloween, pictures with the Easter Bunny, holding a charity bowling tournament or hosting a shredding/recycle days.
What are your favorite client gifts you’ve ever received (or given)?
See even more closing gift ideas on our Pinterest Pinboard here.
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Blog Team
Contributions
to this blog come from our dedicated Coldwell Banker Residential
Brokerage real estate professionals and our regional service center
staff. We welcome your comments and questions!
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