What color is honeysuckle?

Every year Pantone announces the color of the year. 2009 was turquoise, which I love. Honeysuckle is The color of 2011. I would picture honeysuckle as a shade of yellow, but it's pink. Pantone describes it. "Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It's a color for every day- with nothing "everyday" about it."

"In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going- perfect to ward off the blues" explains Leatrice Eisman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. "Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum."

Just a warning, if you're planning on selling your house soon, don't paint any rooms Honeysuckle. As captivating and stimulating as it might be, it won't help your house sell!

Any more advice on colors? Call your Eisenlauer Team Realtor.

Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883

Top 12 Home Improvements

A survey done by HomeGain shows this list of the top 12 home improvements that will help your house sell quicker. It also gives the average cost of that repair and its return on investment.

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($200 cost/$1,700 price increase)


2. Home Staging ($300 cost/$1,780 price increase)


3. Lightening and brightening ($230 cost/$1,300 price increase)


4. Landscaping ($320 cost/$1,500 price increase)


5. Repair Plumbing ($385 cost/$1,250 price increase)


6. Update electrical ($400 cost/$1,225 price increase)


7. Replacing or shampooing carpets ($300 cost/$1,420 price increase)


8. Painting interior walls ($700 cost/$1,770 price increase)


9. Repair damaged floors ($650 cost/ $1,600 price increase)


10. Update kitchen ($1,200 cost/$2,850 price increase)


11. Paint outside of home ($900 cost/$1,815 price increase)


12. Update bathrooms ($830 cost/$1430 price increase)

If you have questions about which improvement you should make on your house to get it ready to sell, please pick up the phone and schedule a time with either Realtor on the Eisenlauer Team. Their experience will help give you direction on your to-do list. We also have a list of contractors that we have worked with that we'd be glad to refer to you.

BOB 979-2883 BILL 770-2455

Your Next Assignment...

Your next assignment if you decide to accept it...Go to WHO radio website, there is a horizontal row of links toward the top. Click on Contests, then click on Best Realty Agent. Or you can just click here. This will take you to the first page of the contest. You enter your email address, then it gives you 10 choices of Realtors. Of course you choose Bob Eisenlauer. Then it will ask for name, blood type, fingerprints etc and eventually accept your vote. What do we win if Bob is selected? Nothing but recognition and free press - which is something we covet! So please follow the instructions and help us out.

Grooviest Realtors Around!

Monday night was the Annual Pleasant Hill Chamber Dinner. The theme was the groovy 70's. Bill and Bob were eager to dig out their old polyester and show off their style! What do you think? Who thinks with a big red nose and rainbow hair, Bill could be a clown?? One thing we know for sure - The Eisenlauer Team loves to have fun. They want your real estate experience to be fun and exciting. They are Easy to Work with...Hard to Beat! Call to comment on their outfits, with questions about real estate, or just to say Peace! Bob at 979-2883 Bill at 770-2455.

PUZZLED by REAL ESTATE ??

Are you puzzled by what you hear in the news? Wonder what is pertinent to the local market? First - the Eisenlauer Team, your local real estate experts are always available to help you, to answer any questions you might have. 30+ years of Real Estate experience - through good years and lean years - we're here to serve you.

• All Real Estate is Local, the national news is NOT the local news.


• For 2008, the local Association for Realtors, show that the sale price declined less than 1%.


• Interest rates are at historical lows.


• First Time Home Buyers programs are available for those that qualify.


• Forbes magazine picked Des Moines as one of their "Top 10 Places to Live" in 2008.


• FHA is playing a larger role in the mortgage market.


• In the Des Moines Metro market, there are still good buys, good interest rates and a good selection.

Call your local Reator experts with any questions, with any real estate needs.

Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883

Predictions For 2009

Here are my Predictions for 2009.

• Oprah will reveal a NEW fitness plan.
• New amazing products like Sham-Wow will entice us on late night t.v.
  
• Yankees will spend more money than any other major league team.


• New elected officials will remind us too much of the old ones we voted out.


• Someone will be voted off the island.


• Howie Mandell will get a new game show.
  
• Des Moines Register will continue to highlight Gloom & Doom
• Foreclosures will continue to be in every neighborhood.


• Mortgage interest rates will continue to be at all time LOW.
• Current economic situation will create some amazing bargains for those watching for opportunities.
• Eisenlauer Team will be ready to serve your real estate needs.

The Eisenlauer Team continue to be your area experts in real estate. We continue to sell houses and land in Polk County, Des Moines, Altoona, Pleasant Hill, SE Polk and other nearby communities. Please give us a call, or pass our name onto friends and family looking for a professional Realtor. Bill Eisenlauer at 770-2455 or Bob Eisenlauer at 979-2883.

Many Musings

Does anyone else get tired of hearing gloomy national news? If we believed it all, we'd all curl up in a fetal postition! Real Estate is Local! There are great deals in real estate, the mortgage rates are still low...and most people CAN obtain a mortgage loan! The Register did an article this week about the local market being close to where is was one year ago. So call your LOCAL experts (Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883) and don't hunker down and hide. Life is good here in Des Moines!

Early OctoberFest. Beat the rush, celebrate Octoberfest in September! The Des Moines German celebration is this weekend.

Sport Season Lap The sport seasons seem to have more of an overlap. Highschool football and volleyball are coming to the end of their season. World Series is starting. And winter is knocking at the door of the MidWest.

My Favorite Season...

Fall is my favorite season. Some reasons why...

Color - love the colors of fall.

Walking through crunchy leaves.

Warm days, cool evenings.

Making homemade soup.

Peanuts and Candy corn, eaten together.

What are your favorite thing about fall?

The pictures are of Taste of Altoona. It was a fun night, we got to see a LOT of people and try some good foood.

Don't believe all the bad news you hear. Real Estate is local, and the market in Des Moines is not the same as the east and west coast. There are bargains to be bought and the mortgage interest rate is still excellent. Price of gas in down. Your favorite Realtors are still anxious to serve you with buying or selling real estate anywhere in the Des Moines area. Bill 770-2455 or Bob 979-2883.