Organizing Your Fridge

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Buying a home, food storage, fridge storage, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, Jacksonville FL Real Estate, real estate, refrigerator storage, Selling a home

Easter brings a big meal, and despite our best efforts, we seldom finish all the amazing food. Ever found your fridge too stuffed with leftovers?

The truth is, many of us don’t manage our refrigerator space well. There’s actually a ton more room in your fridge if you make smart choices about how your organize what you need to store. Here are some surprising ways to make the most out of the cold space you have in your kitchen.

1. Ditch the round storage containers. Plastic storage bins are cheap enough now that you can probably afford to replace those old circular ones with stackable square ones. Square or rectangular shapes are far more efficient for the typical fridge.

2. Prioritize the shelves. Put what you want eaten soon on a middle rack, and don’t let it drift to the back. Items which fade into the back get forgotten, and typically don’t require the coldest temperatures. Put your milk and your meats in the rearward cold zones for freshness and storage efficiency.

3. Remove tomatoes, onions, potatoes. You’re doing these veggies a favor by keeping them out of the cold. Tomatoes will get mealy and soft, while the cold amps up the starch in potatoes. Onions and potatoes can survive just fine if separated into bags and placed in a drawer away from the light.

4. Check your condiments. Many of us keep condiments in the fridge that don’t need to be chilled and can be stored in the pantry or cabinets. This includes mustard (8 weeks), ketchup (4 weeks), fish sauce (2 years), hot sauce (3 years), and soy sauce (1 year). Keep them out of direct sunlight in a relatively cool room.

5. Supplement with a beverage fridge. Sodas, beers, and other beverages can take up a lot of room in your fridge. Consider investing in a smaller beverage fridge. Many can be found for under $300. A beverage fridge will also reduce the in-and-out traffic to the main fridge, ensuring greater energy efficiency and more stable food storage temperatures. Decluttering your fridge can also promote food safety. A packed fridge prevents air from circulating and keeping foods at their optimal temperature.

If your fridge isn’t the problem, but your small kitchen is, maybe it’s time to start hunting for a bigger house! Get in touch with us, and we’ll help you find homes in your area with dream kitchens: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside – The Hanley Home Team 904-422-7626 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com

Turn the Lowball Offer into a Great Offer

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Buying a home, homes for sale in Jacksonville FL, Jacksonville FL Real Estate, low ball offer, lowball offer, real estate, real estate lowball offer, Selling a home

Your agent is required to bring you any and all offers made on your home, so once and a while you’ll receive what’s known as a “lowball” offer. Lowball offers are buyer offers which far fall below your asking price. Sometimes they’re so low that they only serve to make you angry.

Don’t get angry! While selling your home is an emotional process, there are rational, effective strategies for dealing with the lowball offer. Sometimes the lowball offer can even turn into the right price if you handle negotiations the right way.

1. Remain calm. Your urge may be to tell the buyer to go #*&@! themselves, but there’s nothing to be gained in making enemies.

2. Understand that sometimes buyers aren’t familiar with true market value. They may be from somewhere where homes are much less expensive, or they could be first-time buyers who have been counseled by friends and family to begin with lowball offers.

3. Have your agent communicate that while you’re happy to work with them as buyers, you’ll need an offer which is somewhat more competitive and at a level you could consider seriously.

4. Consider countering for a small amount off your asking price to signal your willingness to negotiate, but reiterate that you will need to hear something more in line with market value to continue negotiations.

5. Alternately, if you really are in a hurry to sell, counter with your rock-bottom offer. This number may not be close to their lowball, but it could be substantially less than your listing price. This may make the lowball buyer suddenly reconsider their position, tempted by the opportunity to purchase the property at what they consider to be a “substantial discount.”

6. Ask the buyer to justify their price. If they truly believe their offer is genuine and fair, they should be able to point to reasons why your listing price is inflated. Make them show their homework. If they haven’t done it, you’ll know soon enough.

7. Don’t fall for the “but we can’t afford more” pity play. Sympathize with their financial situation, but in no way let it sway you from the true value of your home.

Of course sometimes a stream of lowball offers can indicate that the home is priced too high. Occasionally agents will “buy the listing” by assuring sellers they can get the higher price, only to take a lower offer much later down the line. It’s not a sound strategy. If you’re looking for the honest market value of your home, get in touch with us today: Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS, Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners Southside 904-422-7626 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com