You know, recently we decided on this flip house to put a border of gravel around the whole foundation because that does more than a couple of things.

Aesthetically it looks much better, of course .

Second it’s reasonable in price and third it provides outstanding drainage .

So when the water from rain or your gutters you know overhang it and they’re leaking a little bit well the water hits the gravel it dissipates into the ground a hundred percent better rather than if it was just dirt.

It would just pool itself. The water builds up and then finds the cracks in your foundation which generally is on the ground and seeps into your basement and causes all kinds of problems.

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Generally , people like gravel.

However they also choose mulch which might might be in color black or red and the reason that they choose mulch is that it’s aesthetically very pleasing and the companies do treat the mulch with different types of chemicals to repel the bugs.

So you’re safe there.

However, never use wood chips.

Wood chips attract mice. It attracts all kinds of vermin. The groundhogs love it and it just doesn’t work.

I invite you to take a look and see the gravel.

So I’ll give you a sense of what we’re looking at and then a sense of what it’s going to look like when it’s done.

And again, what’s going down first is something called filter fabric paper which prevents the weeds from growing up.

And then they do use a border. They’ll use all kinds of borders.

So whether it’s cobblestone or plastic or bricks to hold the gravel in.

So here we are a day later and I just wanted to give you a look and see what it’s like to have the gravel around the foundation because this will help with the draining.

The water will hit the gravel and then seep into the ground rather than pooling.

And I’ll show you the front of the house as well.

It will be very nice when I get some potted plants here and you can see right here, it’s really stretched out very, very nicely.

And as we keep going,

You know, again, you can see where the water or the different color of gravel, the water hit it and it seeps into the ground, thus preventing it from going into the foundation.

Tonight I’m wearing my papa hat because today I had the privilege of watching my granddaughter in a dance recital.

Now anybody who has been through a dance recital understands.

It was absolutely fantastic.

The high school that put it on was outstanding and everybody really enjoyed it.

So that’s my point.

Have a great night.

You know, when I drive around, I look at homes and I see the stone placed around the bottom apron of the homes or stone pillars and it’s really very impressive.

How can you really tell whether it’s natural stone, real stone or is it manufactured stone?

What do I mean by manufactured stone?

Well, it’s basically cement that’s formed and it’s tinted and shaped so it gives the appearance of natural stone, but the advantage of the manufactured stone is that it’s generally half the price of real stone and it’s much easier to install.

Actually, you can cut it with a circular saw — I’ve done it myself — you use a special blade, but it’s very easily done and the stones are fit together nicely.

So, I want you to take a look at exactly what I saw.

Exterior Shot

So looking at this, and you can see the bottom part is all natural stone.

So he’s made a pillar, absolutely beautiful. And then the top piece that’s going around, that’s actually manufactured stone.

So you would buy that at the big box stores. That’s how good it looks as far as how natural it appears.

And in the long run, you’re going to save have the cost with manufactured stone as opposed to real stone.

I just wanted to give you a sense of what the stone would look like, you know, finished.

Now, it just has to be cleaned up.

And of course, it does have the pillar on top, but it's 90% completed, and they will use an acid or an acid wash to clear away the debris that's laying on the stone.

We'll keep you posted! That’s my point.

I'm wearing my Paul McCartney hat, which came out with his third album, McCartney 3, a number of years back.

His brand new album just came out last week, and it's called The Boys of Dungeon Lane.

Check it out. I understand it's a great album. Mine is on its way.

Have a great day.

You know, a lot of people aren’t even aware of the damage that gutters — or better said clogged gutters — can do to your house and how easy it is to remedy the situation.

So, when you’re going to look at a house or sellers, when you are selling a house, make sure your gutters are clean and working.

That’s easy to see because when it rains, if it doesn’t have a lot of debris where the downspout is, and that’s part of the gutter, where it comes down and meets the ground, that’s where the damage is caused by clogged gutters.

Because it’s clogged at the top, overfills, and then actually will seep into your basement.

So I’m going to show you the remnants of that….

That’s exactly what happened to this house.

I’m going to show you a picture of the front gutter, but downstairs where it had been leaking and you can see the stain coming down.

However, after the gutter was cleaned it took about three or four days before the floor dried up.

However, if we stroll down to the back corner — what you’re gonna see is that the water is still there and it’s still wet so we took it yesterday because it was a good day to clean.

Actually it’s starting to dry up, but when you go and look for a house— look in the corners see if it’s dry see if it’s wet — it tells the difference tells your story.

This is the front of the house and it shows you it’s clean and as it comes down the water comes down and it’s still somewhat wet there and dripping.

However, the gutters are working and that’s why the basement has dried up down in the front corner.

So, let’s take a look at the back corner.

You have to keep those gutters clean and efficient.

And as the water comes down the downspout, it has to be pitched away from the house.

So we have some work to do on this because that’s why the water is seeping downstairs.

And the plan is to put some gravel around it so it’s drawn away from the house.

So that’s my point.

You know, today I’m sort of celebrating a Yankee win yesterday — because Yankees played the Mets.

You know, the Mets are struggling and they’re in for a tough year.

I was looking for my Mets hat, but thankfully I couldn’t find it!

So have a great day.

Enjoy the game.

You know a lot of times my pet peeve is the tone has to be set when going to a house of a seller.

What do I mean by that?

Well, first of all, a seller with their sign out in front, it should be straight and upright not tipped over.

Okay. That doesn’t make a good first impression.

The second thing is, as you approach the front door I always like the lock to be clean and easily accessible. That makes a difference to the buyer when you’re ushering them in. It’s the entrance. It sets the tone.

So because we’re in springtime I really thought about this a lot — and my wife used to do this all the time — buy flowers!

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She would put them up surrounding the front door and I couldn’t figure out why.

Well, it makes such a good impression to do that. You’re setting the tone both for the seller and the buyer’s perception because now the buyer is walking into that house feeling much, much better.

So as they go in and walk around they’re going to be more and more impressed.

So I just want to show you a few flowers and you tell me what you think — so something as easy as this to hang — what a difference it would make. It makes it absolutely beautiful or you certainly can go with a few ferns let me show you that.

The ferns can cover up a lot of problems.

So it’s to the advantage of the seller to add them to the entrance and just make everything so much more attractive.

So again, my point is with the seller setting the expectation. You know, make sure your walkway’s clean. Make sure the door lock is pristine. Make sure your doors look good. Make sure the entrance is clean and free of clutter.

It just makes a difference, ultimately!

Why?

Because the seller will get the money that they’re looking for.

The buyer will feel a lot better about paying it.

So, that’s my point

Today, I’m wearing my Brian Wilson hat, again.

He just continues to be one of my all-time favorites — And I just love the Beach Boys songs — They just keep beating along!

Have a great day!

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You know, a lot of people wonder about the value of a good inspection of the home and when it should be performed.

Typically, the buyer always hires the inspector, so that inspection report is for the buyer’s eyes only.

Now, it’s up to the buyer whether or not to share that and they usually do when they want to negotiate the price.

Now, when does the inspection come into place?

Well, once an offer has been made to the seller and it’s been accepted, normally it takes about seven days to perform an inspection.

Why? Because this allows the seller to know that the buyer is serious, and wants to move forward.

What is the purpose of the inspection? What is the inspector really looking for?

Well, typically in a 2,000 square foot home, you’re going to wind up paying $450 to $600 for the inspection.

The inspector will find many, many things wrong with the property.

Sometimes it’s almost nitpicking because if the house is pristine, he’s got to offer something that you’re being charged with.

However, the red flags, what are the red flags that a buyer should look for?

Well, probably one of the most common red flags is mold that might be behind a wall, but you might see little etchings of it through a vent or through the sheet-rock.

So important that’s when an inspector really may earns his money because he’ll see the mold and it makes a difference also to galvanized pipe downstairs would indicate that the plumbing is probably pretty old.

So that’s the value of an inspection. And that’s why it’s so important.

So buyers, make sure to hire an inspector.

And if it comes to the point where you have to negotiate some of the things in that inspection report, your agent will gladly do it.

And that’s my point.

Well, tomorrow night, I’m going to see Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

I can’t wait.

So enjoy. Have a great night.

You know, when a seller wants to upgrade their home, a buyer wants to come in and see everything that’s pristine.

And one of the things that sellers do, and I’ve always advised them to do, is if they have a den, okay.

For example, and there’s an old rug there, we’ll take up the old rug.

Say your den is 10 by 15. That’s 150 square feet. That’s all.

Go to the big box scores.

Pick out a nice...

Laminate or better yet, a nice finished hardwood.

So if you’re talking $5 a square foot, that’s really $750.

And when a buyer comes in and sees it, they’re going to be astonished.

What about who’s going to put it down?

Well, actually, plenty of carpenters will come in and they’ll just charge you for a room.

Meaning —→ they’ll just charge you a square foot.

So they may even charge you that $5.

So now you’re into the room, $1,500, and you will get that back many times over because when the buyer comes in and sees that pristine floor, it makes such a difference.

This particular house, it was a foreclosure and there was no kitchen floor.

It was just ripped up linoleum.

So the contractors put down a oak wood floor to match the rest of the house and now it has to be stained yes

That’s a little bit more expensive ,but look at the pre-finish you’ll have many many options and it’ll make a great difference in your home and that’s my point .

You know I picked up this great hat. It’s a NASA hat, and it’s about Apollo.

And to think it was so unique, it was in a vintage store.

And it’s all mine now.

Have a great day.

You know, sometimes we look at houses and we want to put an extra bathroom in.

So how do we go about doing that and where can we put it?

Well, many, many people want to put, you know, at least a half bath, which is considered a toilet and a sink, downstairs in the basement.

OK, so how does one go about doing that?

Well, I'm going to show you outside where the septic system is and where the well system is.

And generally, according to laws, the septic system has to be separated, of course, from the water system.

So in this home, the septic system is located in the front yard and the water pump that supplies the water is located in the backyard.

So where do we stand in putting in the bathroom downstairs?

Well, there are things you can do and I'll show you in a minute. Now, typically in a one acre zoning area, this particular toilet or bathroom is located below the septic fields.

So it has to be pumped up, but as I stated before, the improvement in the sound as far as the pump is outstanding.

I'll give you a sense of what the pump sounds like and you really have to listen very closely because you really can't hear it. Such an improvement.

Now I'll show you the septic field and the well pump.

The well pump is located in the backyard and this is what it looks like. It's generally by code has to be at least 100 feet from the front septic.

So, let's turn around and we'll walk and I'll show you the yard and as we approach the front of the yard, the septic fields are located here in front.

And this is where the toilet water, excess water is pumped up and distributed to the septic fields.

That’s my point.

I'm wearing my Outlander hat today because Outlander is officially back.

The last season is now showing.

So, if you get a chance, catch the series. Have a great day.

My name is Chris Berger, and it’s time for Berger Point.

You know, buying a foreclosure or something that you would fix and flip is a challenge.

But what you have to do, you have to get your money in order first.

Second, you have to get the contractors lined up.

And then third, of course, you have to get ready for reality.

And what I mean by that is that the actual construction of the home is a challenge.

So with this home, the outside siding has been completed and it’s absolutely beautiful.

But now I’m going to take you inside to show you exactly what needs to be done and the challenges that are there.

So you want to do a gut job, huh?

Buy a foreclosure.

Well, you just got to put the time and effort in.

Still lots to do, but the outside is pristine, nearly perfect.

However, they have gutted the inside.

And what I mean by that is that they’re going to actually tackle the floors first.

But this was the kitchen.

So we’ll see what happens.

And as we go down the hall, right again...

All the door jams are out.

Going to be all new, brand new doors.

And this was the infamous bathroom.

That’s gone.

And again, all the stores will be refinished.

And about six weeks to go and it will be pristine.

So do a foreclosure or a flip and hang in there.

You know, tonight’s a special night for me as actually I’m going to see the Fab Four.

And the Fab Four, of course, represent the Beatles. And I have seen them before.

They put on a fantastic show.

And when you know the music, it’s a great night out.

That’s my point. Enjoy.

You know, I’ve taken many, many customers out to see houses, and ones that they’re particularly interested in, so they’ll narrow it down to one or two where they want to go after it.

And I tell them, in the meantime, pick a rainy day and do a drive-by.

Why is that important?

Well, number one, you see what the traffic flow is like.

But more importantly than that, you get to see what the driveway looks like if it’s actually holding water.

And then if you can sort of sneak a peek too, you look at the sidewalk and see if the sidewalk has puddles, because if it does, then it’s not pitched correctly.

Just like if the driveway is holding puddles, it won’t pitch correctly either.

Look at the gutters, see if they’re working, see if they’re overflowing.

These are all so important, especially the water when it hits below the basement line.

Take a look, and if you’d like, I’d like to take you outside, and I’ll show you exactly what I mean.

And that is my point.

We did have a pretty good rain today,

So checking out the sidewalk, you see the low spots and that needs to be repaired before I move in.

And let’s check out the driveway as well.

And again, you see the low spots, and when it’s dry and the weather is good, nobody notices.

However, you need to get this fixed with the seller before you buy the house.

Well, today is spring training as well.

Opening day on YES TV, so I got to watch the Yankees.

And tomorrow, they play the Mets.

And this is my custom-made hat, Aaron Judge, number 99.

Have a great day.

You know, some people think that they can’t do construction work on your house during the winter, but you’ll find out, practically all the time during the winter, construction personnel are slower than usual. And generally, you can get a little better price.

And what you have to do is just sort of, you know, go along with it and do the best you can and get out of the house as much as you can.

But here they are changing windows in probably one of the coldest days of the year in January, but just doing a great job and I’ll show you what they’re doing.

So this is what it looks like with the window completely gone.

And now I’ll take you outside and show you the great work that it looks like the house is really improving.

So if you look at the two windows there as well as another bedroom, the improvement on the house is amazing.

It’s not only warmer, but the sound of the road, which you can hear the cars going by right now, I thought the cars were just making less noise.

But no, it’s the windows. Improve your home. Go for it.

If you can do the windows during the winter, no reason why you can’t.

And in the background, of course, you see the new window on the inside.

***

Today I’m wearing my favorite hat, by Brian Wilson.

It just reminds me of summer. What a great songwriter.

Be well. Have a great day.

You know, people have pointed out for years and years why acreage on a property is important.

Now, there’s 43,560 square feet in an acre of land.

So if you’re looking at a listing and it might say one quarter acre,

0.4 acre, 0.6 acre, it gives you a sense of how many acres or how many square feet are on the property or encompass the property.

Why is that important?

Well, most people associate acreage with the amount of bathrooms that you can put in your home.

However, that’s not entirely true because what dictates how many bathrooms can be in your room is not how many square feet, but how many bedrooms you’re approved for by the town.

So if the town approves you of three bedrooms, you can then put three bathrooms in your home.

But you need the square feet or the square footage to accommodate that outside.

So that’s why acreage is important.

So when you’re looking at a listing, look for one acre or better.

Again, if you want to expand your house, you’re going to need that acreage.

So if you want to put four bedrooms in your house, you’re going to need the acreage to accommodate it.

That’s my point.

***

Today, I’m wearing my Jay and the Americans hat.

Actually, I went to a concert last night, and it was absolutely fantastic seeing them perform.

And to think that I saw them 20 years ago with essentially the same people was pretty special.

Have a good day.

My name’s Chris Berger, and yes, it’s time for Berger Point.

Recently, I had a client, and we looked at a home that was recently redone.

It was bought at an auction.

The seller completely redid it from the basement to the top of the attic.

It was just done beautifully. What a great job they did. Outside, perfect.

My point for a seller, when we come to look at a house, all the lights should be on because that makes its best appearance.

Put the lights on in the closet, put the lights on in the basement, the garage, just so we don’t have to turn them on.

In addition to that, if it’s cold outside, put the heat on, make sure it’s 70 degrees.

On the flip side, if it’s hot outside, put the air conditioning on.

Make sure it’s 70 degrees.

Because to make that kind of impression on the buyer, it’s just a win-win.

So we went downstairs and it was a little cool.

And so, you know, I advised her strongly to come back for a second look. and she did that.

But in between the first look and the second look,

I told her, I said, “You know why the cellar was a little cool?”

I mean, the basement was completely redone.

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

I said, “Because there’s no heat there!”

And she was astonished.

So we talked about it a little bit.

And after viewing it for the second time, again, she loved the house.

However, because the downstairs had no heat,

She just wasn’t interested.

And paying that kind of money, she didn’t want to put another $20,000 or $30,000 into the house.

And that’s my point.

***

Neil Diamond, one of my all-time favorites, has a great Christmas movie coming out soon.

And also, too, if you get a chance to listen to his Christmas album, it’s outstanding.

Be well.

You know, currently I’m working with a couple that is very interested in purchasing a waterfront property.

And ideally, this is the best time of the year to purchase it, because if we’re going December, January, and February, that’s when I think a water property has its least attraction.

So in saying that, I’ve spoken to several realtors down through the year, including an auctioneer, just over the past few months.

And they tell me that water properties will never go down.

They’ll just increase in value.

So yes, they may remain the same for this month to the next three or four months out.

But for the most part, this time next year, they’re going to increase in value no matter what the market does.

Now’s a good time to go look because what you want to see when you’re looking out over the lake is, you know —→

• How many trees are in the way?

• What kind of leaves are still standing?

• Are there evergreens?

• What is your view from each room?

So important.

So I encourage you, if you’re looking for a water view property, now’s the time to do it.

And also keep in mind, too, that not all lakes allow motorboats.

So what happens if they don’t have a motorboat?

You should know about that because you can take certainly a rowboat on or even an electric boat on there.

But if you are looking for a motorboat, you know, that’s going to limit you as well.

And that is my point today.

***

Now I’m wearing my METS hat because basically I’m calling this week the Mets Massacre Week.

And although I am a Yankee fan my whole life, I do have two sons who absolutely love the Mets, and especially Pete Alonzo.

So I’m grieving for them as well, but that’s baseball.

So here we go.

Thanks for listening.

And yes, it’s time for a Berger Point.

People have asked me, what should I do to sell my home faster?

And that’s a key word, selling my home faster, rather than have it sit and sit and sit.

Well, one thing, you want to make it anti-clutter. No clutter anywhere.

So that takes time and purpose.

And even if you put it in one room, you cover it up nicely in a way that it’s attractive.

It makes a difference.

And I tell people, just start with your mailbox.

And they say, Chris, what are you talking about?

Start with your mailbox.

Make sure your mailbox is standing up straight.

Make sure it’s painted.

Make sure the numbers are apparent.

So, people can see it because it sets the tone.

And that’s what you want to do because the buyer comes in and sees this unconsciously thinking, well, this is pretty neat. This is attractive.

If they take care of some of the things on the outside, they must take care of the things on the inside.

And one of the other things that I recommend is getting a warranty service on your appliances.

What is that?

Well, it’s not very expensive, but it’s really worth a million dollars to the buyer because;

• your dishwasher

• your washer and dryer

and perhaps most importantly,

• your well pump (if you have one)

• your boiler (which is part of the heating system or any part of the heating system)

is covered under a warranty, preferably for one year.

So when a buyer comes in, he sees his warranty, he has confidence that when he purchases your home, everything’s gonna work.

And it makes the buyer feel a lot better about your home, thus separating it from other homes that may be in the running.

***

So today, I’m gonna show you my hat that my daughter gave me.

God only knows, it was probably the best song that Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys ever wrote.

So thank you for listening. Have a great day.

And this is actually the front yard.

So basically you’re talking $40,000 to $50,000 just to restore this.

So you have to take all this into consideration one step at a time.

If you’re going to live in it, that’s one decision.

However, if you’re going to flip it, well, all this has to be pristine, including the driveway, which is sort of buried over there.

You know, another point to look at, always look at the siding and actually the siding for the most part is in good shape.

So you don’t have to replace that as well as the roof.

The roof was in good shape as well.

However, the windows, not so much.

So you’re looking to replace at least eight or nine windows.

That’s it for this quick tip. Contact me to help you find your first flip.

You know, I learned a long time ago, one of my pet peeves is a real estate sign.

I think the importance of a real estate sign out in front of a property, whether you’re selling or buying on either side, is that, okay, it draws attention to the house, but if the seller wants to sell the house, the buyer is gonna see that sign, make a phone call, go to the internet, go to Zillow and they’re gonna try to find the house.

And that’s so important.

Well, one of the things that really just drives me up a wall is that when you see a realtor sign and it’s like this, it’s not straight, it’s not even.

And to me, that sets the tone for the house.

If the sign isn’t neat and clean, done well, then what do you expect from the rest of the house?

Or what do you expect from the rest of the agent to do that?

Keep your signs straight and you’ll do much better.

That’s my Berger Point for today.

***

You know, we’re sort of coming into the tribute band season.

And every few months, every three months, I always try to see at least one tribute band.

And I know the Beatles are coming up playing along with the Stones soon.

So I look forward to that.

And the Fab Four, I actually saw in New Hampshire, which was a gift for my son who lives up there.

So enjoy.

Just great music all the way around.

I wanted to talk to you a little bit today about the indoor oil tank and its location.

Now here, it’s in the basement, and the line as you can see to the left of the tank — it feeds the oil burner which provides your heat, as well as, you know hot water.

If you look at the two pipes coming down the one on the right is a vent pipe and the one on the left is the feed pipe from outside.

As you can see, it’s two different colors.

So, if you see two outlets on the outside of the house — as you walk around it that indicates where the oil tank is inside.

Now with an oil tank outside in the ground, that’s a big no-no.

And that should be a red flag to anyone in the idea of purchasing a home with an oil tank in ground.

However, it can be remedied.

The seller should test it and provide that information.

If he doesn’t do that, the buyer can test it.

And the ramifications — should the oil tank be leaking outside — are enormous.

So stay clear of that.

Always test your tanks to make sure they’re not leaking.

***

Today I’m wearing my University of New Hampshire hockey hat.

And my son gave me just the great pleasure of watching him play hockey for over 12 years, winding up playing for the Division II team or club team of the University of New Hampshire.

And it was a thrill of a lifetime.

And playing hockey indeed is like having a family of friends for life because the associations that he made and I made as well, something we’ll never forget.

So that is the point of the day. Be well.

This is Chris Berger, your local real estate agent in the Hudson Valley region of New York. It’s time for a Berger Point.

I wanted to point out to you today that when you’re looking at a rooftop and you see a chimney, then you know a couple of things.

One, it probably has an oil burner and that’s how it heats the house.

Two, in all probability, it also has a fireplace.

So I’ll check this out and we’ll give you a little closer look.

One thing I wanted to point out to you is that you see the piece of flagstone across the top, and that’s for or called the chimney cap.

Now, it can either be done in stone or they actually make steel caps.

Now, as we look at the flues, the sizes, the eight by eight, which is over on the left as we’re looking at it, that’s traditionally for your oil burner.

The next size is an 8x12 or 12x12, which should be used for a fireplace and because this house was built in the 60s, they used an 8x12 flue.

However, I would recommend a 12x12 flue for a better draft, okay?

But what they do today and what they do offer in a chimney cap, you can put the cap on and has a built in fan.

So that way it draws the air up and out of the house, out of your fireplace.

Now, keep in mind the reason for the cap is to keep the water out because that will actually corrupt your system, whether it’s the oil burner or your fireplace.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the view from the roof today.

***

And there’s nothing like watching a little Neil Diamond who we saw back in, I believe, the year 2000, and a couple of other times before he retired, which, what a fabulous man and show he puts on.

And nothing better to listen to some music, enjoy the fire behind me.

That’s the Berger Point of the day.

For buyers and sellers, when you’re entering a home, it should be pristine.

It should be picked up, clean, and swept, but I wanted to show you one of my own pet peeves that just drives me crazy.

So if you look at this top landing of concrete, it’s really perfect.

There’s no imperfections.

However, if you take a step back and you look at the second step before entering, you can see where the concrete has peeled off and is slipping away and cracking.

So with that in mind, I wanted to tell you that basically on concrete, you should never use rock salt because what rock salt will do, it will damage the concrete.

So what do you use?

Well, they make a product called calcium chloride which does not damage concrete in the same way.

And it’s very good for use on pavers because the pavers actually is a much stronger

form of concrete.

So, but I would go with the calcium chloride because it’ll never discolor it.

It won’t break up the cement.

However, on your driveway, if your driveway is asphalt or blacktop, rock salt is fine.

When you go to repair something like this, they make something called Top and Bond which can be applied at up to a quarter of an inch.

*Chris Berger is NOT affiliated with this product or company*

Also too, they have a liquid top and bond so that you mix it to a runny consistency and you can actually pour it onto the concrete and it will fill all the cracks and adhere nicely to your old cement because it actually has a bonding agent in it.

***

So I’m going to tackle that in October and see if we can spruce this up.

The hat I’m wearing today is one of my fondest for sure.

It’s a New York Yankee hat.

Generally, it’s great for the winter months because it’s a little thicker, a little heavier, and it’s been a miserable season to watch the Yankees.

So for the first time today, I can actually say with pride that they won three in a row against the Houston Astros.

I go back to 1964 with watching Mickey Mantle at Yankee Stadium with my dad in the World Series.

And actually, I was given a ball that was signed by the team.

I don’t know if you can see that.

Actually, right above Mickey’s name is Yogi Berra.

So it’s been quite a journey and been bragging about the Yankees quite a bit.

This year has been a tough year.

But we have a new, exciting gentleman by the name of Jason Dominguez, who is now playing center field for the Yankees, 20 years old.

He’s going to be a phenomenal player. Enjoy.

I wanted to talk to you today a little bit about a home inspector, both from the seller’s perspective and the buyer’s perspective.

Now, I do recommend to my sellers that they hire a home inspector to come in and find the warts on the house.

This way they’ll be prepared.

They won’t be insulted that when the buyer’s inspection comes in and they see this laundry list.

They won’t be taken back.

So the seller has the advantage of doing it on his own — seeing what needs to be done.

Within reason he can go ahead and fix that and by doing this he will eliminate what’s coming from the buyer’s inspection.

So, and on the other side, like I said, with the buyer doing the inspection, hiring an inspector, he’ll go around and again, all the nitpicking things might already be fixed.

And the inspector will point out more of the larger problems.

May not be any larger problems at all.

However, if there’s an in-ground oil tank, that could be a problem where the buyer and the seller together can address that.

And that’s my point.

***

This hat has been around the block for a few times, that’s for sure.

I, at one point, was the president of our local chapter Lions Club and it was really a terrific way of meeting people.

They do do a lot of things for the community.

They do raise money and we did fundraisers many times, my wife and I, would help and Saturday and Sunday at a booth and just raise money and give it back to the immediate community.

As well as, different funds and you know it’s a good thing to make a difference.

Enjoy and be well.

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