You’re moving and want to make the best use of your time and money. Consider the following suggestions that will simplify the moving process and aid in getting you settled in your new home.
Before You Move
Set up mail forwarding at the post office
Transfer and set up utilities about two weeks before the move
Pick medium-sized boxes (18x18x15 or 22x16x15) for household items
Compare pricing on a round trip or a one-way moving truck rental, and reserve the truck at least a week in advance
Pack a moving day bag with a phone charger, change of clothes and body care products
Don’t forget water and snacks for packing day
Get Packing
Save money on packing materials by using your clothing to protect breakables
Start early so you don’t feel so rushed
Use labels on the outside of the box to note where items will go in your new space
Pack room by room
Pack the kitchen last
Moving And Unpacking
Place heavy items on the bottom of the truck, with large furniture items in the back
Distribute heavy items evenly inside so the truck stays balanced
Position small stuff on top of furniture and nearest the door for easy removal
You don’t have to unpack everything at once. Put things away correctly in your new space the first time
Make a music playlist that will motivate you to unpack
Wrapping Up
Donate non-perishable food you’re not using
Transfer and set up utilities right away
Save money by filling the rental truck gas tank yourself instead of having them do it upon return
Most buyers looking for a home seek specific features. The following summary is what buyers want, and this may help prioritize your home improvements to attract those buyers.
Structural Features
Separate laundry room on the first floor
Open floor plan between the kitchen and dining room
Get organized to make the most of your time preparing your home for sale. Prioritize tasks that establish a straightforward method to the madness and will get buyers’ attention.
Contact a Mel Foster Co. Agent
Rely on a Mel Foster Co. agent to help identify projects that will ready your home to impress and get it on the market. Take advantage of your agent’s market experience to help ensure the asking price is right from the start. Then let Mel Foster Co.’s network promote your property and find you prospective buyers.
Identify Repairs
Nearly every home requires some repairs before going on the market. Tackle repair projects that impact daily life, like replacing the sump pump, or present a danger to the house, like correcting the issue with the electrical box. Fix the wobbly front door handle and replace the sliding door to the patio that no longer closes smoothly.
Declutter And Clean
Purge your excess items by donating to your local charity so your home is clutter-free during showings. Make your home feel spacious, even if it means renting a storage unit until you move. And deep clean the house both inside and out. First impressions of your yard and the path leading to the front door should offer a welcoming vibe.
Take An Inventory For Insurance
As you sift through your belongings, inventory the valuable items. Now is the time to revisit your insurance coverage and consider updating your home insurance policy to keep your property value current. Mel Foster Insurance can provide you with a no obligations quote so you know you’re covered.
Set The Stage
Make your house feel like a home and think about keeping it staged for showings. Staged homes see a 5-15% return on investment when professionally staged as opposed to homes not staged, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Mel Foster Co. has been awarded the Website Quality Certification (WQC) from Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, a global community of 550 high quality real estate firms in 70 countries. The certification was presented in recognition of excellence in website design, content and functionality.
Mel Foster Co.’s website, melfosterco.com, received high marks in a variety of critical areas relating to website performance, including usability, design, content, interactivity, customer service and mobile responsiveness. The evaluation was conducted by Virtual Results, LLC, a real estate internet and social marketing firm selected by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® to review the websites of participating members.
The specific measurements for the WQC are updated each year to reflect the most current online marketing strategies, as well as evolving consumer preferences. Companies must be re-certified every two years to maintain the certification.
“We are pleased to recognize the 94 companies that earned the WQC this year. These firms offer consumers valuable resources relating to home buying and selling through well-designed websites with current housing information. They also provide a unique level of local market insights and the first-hand community information that only local market leaders can deliver,” said Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® President/CEO Paul Boomsma.
“We know local consumers have a choice when searching for a buying or listing agent. We want to continue to offer the best tools in the market to be the top resource for buyers and sellers and to help our agents stay competitive. Mel Foster Co. feels it is essential to invest heavily in digital marketing platforms and we are pleased that our efforts have been recognized with this international award,” said Lynsey Engels, President Real Estate Brokerage of Mel Foster Co.
Mel Foster Co. is the Quad Cities and surrounding areas representative of LeadingRE (www.LeadingRE.com). With a global membership that spans six continents, LeadingRE connects more than 550 firms and 136,000 sales associates who produce over 1.2 million real estate transactions each year. As a member of LeadingRE, Mel Foster Co. provides a quality real estate experience, global marketing reach and access to top real estate professionals in virtually any market worldwide.
For more information about Mel Foster Co., please visit melfosterco.com.
Mel Foster Co. has announced it has earned the 2022 Top Workplaces in Iowa, partnership with The Des Moines Register and Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces. The Top Workplaces program has a 15-year history of surveying more than 20 million employees and recognizing the top organizations across 60 markets for regional Top Workplaces awards.” The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through the third-party survey. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.
“During this very challenging time, Top Workplaces has proven to be a beacon of light for organizations, as well as a sign of resiliency and strong business performance,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward. Top Workplaces draw on real-time insights into what works best for their organization, so they can make informed decisions that have a positive impact on their people and their business.”
Since its founding over 100 years ago, Mel Foster Co. has become a highly preferred real estate company by top-performing agents and staff dedicated to helping clients buy or sell a home. The company utilizes a team approach that reinforces the family atmosphere at the offices. A commitment to supporting fellow family-owned businesses that help build strong communities is one of the core values that agents and staff regularly state as a reason they continue working at Mel Foster Co.
Lynsey Engels, President Real Estate Brokerage commented on receiving this prestigious honor. “Recognition as a Top Workplace in Iowa is a credit to our agents and staff who support and encourage each other. The people of Mel Foster Co. make the company a great place to work. It is an honor for the company to be recognized by our agents and staff.”
For more information about Mel Foster Co., please visit www.melfosterco.com.
Posted on
Mel Foster Co. has announced it has earned the 2022 Top Workplaces USA award, issued by Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces. The Top Workplaces program has a 15-year history of surveying more than 20 million employees and recognizing the top organizations across 60 markets for regional Top Workplaces awards.” The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through the third-party survey. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.
“During this very challenging time, Top Workplaces has proven to be a beacon of light for organizations, as well as a sign of resiliency and strong business performance,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward. Top Workplaces draw on real-time insights into what works best for their organization, so they can make informed decisions that have a positive impact on their people and their business.”
Since its founding over 100 years ago, Mel Foster Co. has become a highly preferred real estate company by top-performing agents and staff dedicated to helping clients buy or sell a home. The company utilizes a team approach that reinforces the family atmosphere at the offices. A commitment to supporting fellow family-owned businesses that help build strong communities is one of the core values that agents and staff regularly state as a reason they continue working at Mel Foster Co.
Lynsey Engels, President Real Estate Brokerage commented on receiving this prestigious honor. “Recognition as a Top Workplace is a credit to our agents and staff who support and encourage each other. The people of Mel Foster Co. make the company a great place to work. It is an honor for the company to be recognized by our agents and staff during the unique challenges of the last two years.”
Founded in 1921, Mel Foster Co. is one of the real estate leaders in the Quad Cities region of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. With Iowa offices in Bettendorf, Clinton, and Davenport and Illinois offices in Galesburg, Geneseo, Kewanee, Moline and Savanna, Mel Foster Co. serves customers in the bi-state area. The company specializes in residential and commercial real estate sales and offers a wide range of services including insurance, new construction, relocation, farm and land sales, land development, senior services, and career development. Mel Foster Co. is a multi-generational, family-owned business and is proud to continue this 100-year tradition in family leadership. For more information, visit www.melfosterco.com
About Energage Making the world a better place to work together.TM
Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 15 years of culture research and the results from 23 million employees surveyed across more than 70, 000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit Energage or Workplaces.
Mel Foster Co. celebrated 2021 at a virtual annual awards event on January 27, 2022. Lynsey Engels, president of real estate brokerage, Marc Engels, president of Mel Foster Insurance, and Rob Fick, president and CEO, collectively honored 118 award winners for their 2021 achievements and released the company’s year-end results via video presentation.
Mel Foster Insurance, a locally owned and operated independent insurance agency, continued to expand its footprint in the Quad Cities region with strategic investments and expansion in 2021. In April, the insurance division acquired Capstone Insurance Group in the Cedar Rapids area expanding its presence in Eastern Iowa. To accommodate continued growth, Mel Foster Insurance completed a major remodel to its Davenport headquarters which modernized the entire office and added an additional 2,000 square feet.
In a challenging post-derecho insurance market, the insurance division increased both total premiums written, up 7 percent, and policy count, up 3.9 percent. Mr. Engels said, “It was an extremely busy year with lots of market disruptions, but we are pleased to achieve 97 percent client retention rate agency-wide. Our entire team work diligently to provide a personalized insurance experience and we can’t thank our clients enough for their loyalty and continued business.”
“We are glad to get the major storms of 2020 that hit our local communities so hard in the rearview. It was unprecedented claim counts coupled with shortages in labor and materials and I am proud of how the team and our insurance partners rose to the occasion,” Engels stated. “Through our financial investments, growth, and market expansion we have made critical steps to position ourselves for the long term in this region as a trusted independent agency that can deliver a great insurance experience,” continued Mr. Engels.
Mel Foster Co. is the largest land developer in the region and continues to expand its existing subdivisions. In 2021, Mel Foster Co. sold 38 lots in four subdivisions. The company plans to release 70 new residential lots in 2022. Mel Foster Co. residential agents sold 75 new construction homes or condos last year. The average Mel Foster Co. new construction sales price was $452,734, up from $401,649 last year.
Mel Foster Commercial Real Estate Services led by Thad DenHartog had over $82 million in commercial real estate sales, up 15.89 percent from last year. Two of the company’s commercial brokers ranked in the top 10 of the Quad Cities Commercial MLS. “We saw another year of positive commercial real estate activity in our market,” commented Ms. Engels. “Despite what is being seen in other parts of the U.S., commercial real estate is very strong in the Quad Cities. Due to supply chain disruptions, the demand for land and industrial space was up in 2021. We expect to see this trend continue in 2022 as the market works to overcome labor and materials shortages.”
Residential real estate continued to experience a lack of inventory nationally and locally however Mel Foster Co. residential boasted a five percent increase in sales volume from 2020. The year was marked by unprecedented competition with many homes receiving multiple offers within days of listing at record high prices. The average sales price for the company was up 10.5 percent from 2020 at $194,933, and the number of days on the market was 37 compared to 58 in 2020. On average, Mel Foster Co.’s agents closed 15 transactions (buy or sell) in 2021, which is higher than the national average according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
Ms. Engels stated, “Last year was a unique time in real estate. Buyers experienced skyrocketing home prices, limited inventory, and a fast-paced sales environment. Low mortgage rates worked in buyers’ favor, and our experienced agents were able to successfully close deals despite the high level of competition.”
Across the eight residential office locations within Mel Foster Co., the company had a combined nine agents in the top 10 of their respective MLS. Thirteen agents were named on RealTrends America’s Best Real Estate Professionals list that honors the finest real estate agents from across the country.
As part of its commitment to integrating technology with new services, Mel Foster Co. partnered with MooveGuru to provide buyers and sellers a free, value-added service. MooveGuru is an automated concierge platform that sends move-related, money-saving offers to new homeowners via emails. It helps them connect with utility providers and home services to make moving less stressful.
Melfosterco.com was awarded the Website Quality Certification from Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, one of 107 companies to earn the recognition of excellence for website design, content and functionality.
Fick welcomed 19 new agents/staff and congratulated 12 other agents/staff on their retirements during the virtual awards toast. Nineteen agents were recognized for volunteering on real estate association committees or boards at the local, state or national level. Forty-five agents and staff were thanked for their years of service with the company, totaling 680 years of service. Across all three divisions, the median number of years of service among staff/agents is 15.5 years. This number is nearly double what other companies experience, according to NAR. Fick continued, “We are proud of these milestones and appreciate the loyalty our agents and staff continue to show Mel Foster Co. Many agents have long-standing relationships with their clients, serving them or their families multiple times over the years. These valued relationships and the trusted guidance our agents and staff share with clients are key factors to the success of our 100-year-old company.”
Throughout its 100-year history, Mel Foster Co. has made it a priority to give back to the communities it serves. In honor of 100 years in business, the company donated $100,000 to local charities and organizations. Twenty of those charities/organizations were selected by the company’s agents and staff to receive monetary gifts in 2021 in honor of the centennial celebration.
Mel Foster Co. agents and staff pledged to donate 1,000 hours of volunteer service in 2021 to charities and organizations of their choice to complement the corporate financial gifts to the community. The agents and staff exceeded that goal by over 400 percent, with an average of 17.5 volunteer hours per person. Ms. Engels stated, “It’s heartwarming to see how much our agents and staff care and want to make a difference in the communities and with the organizations that they are passionate about.”
Mel Foster Co. continued its Think.Buy.Be.Local campaign in 2021. In support of this initiative, the company raised money to sponsor over 40,000 meals for local families by participating in the River Bend Foodbank Community Hunger Drive. Mel Foster Co. provided over 300 coats to various non-profit organizations, adopted multiple families in need over the holidays, made and delivered baskets to seniors, partnered with WQAD for a school supply drive, held a blood drive with the ImpactLIfe, and collected toys and money for the annual Toys for Tots drive. Mel Foster Co. agents and staff supported over 100 local businesses during Small Business Week. The company is also the defending champion of the Bix 7 Brady Street Corporate Sponsor Challenge.
Fick closed the awards with a virtual toast thanking the agents and staff for their continued perseverance, loyalty and commitment to clients. “The success we enjoyed together as a company during our 100th year would not have been possible without our clients. We look forward to serving the community during the next 100 years.”
Founded in 1921, Mel Foster Co. is a recognized leader for real estate and insurance. Mel Foster Co. Real Estate specializes in residential and commercial sales and offers services for a broader spectrum of property transactions including farm and land, land development and management, relocation and new construction. Visit www.melfosterco.com for more information.
Mel Foster Commercial Real Estate Services is a leading commercial brokerage firm specializing in office, industrial, retail, land and consulting services in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Visit www.melfostercommercial.com for more information.
Mel Foster Insurance, a full-service, independent agency with dedicated professionals focused on serving clients with solutions for business risk management, employee benefits, individual/group retirement planning and personal insurance. It was founded in 1932 and represents over 25 of the region’s most financially stable insurance carriers and offers coverage for personal and business clients. Visit www.melfosterinsurance.com for more information.
Sellers want their home in top condition when it goes on the market. We know those first impressions and curb appeal matter. What can homeowners do to get their house in top condition to sell?
All In The Presentation
You only get one chance to make a first impression. Some say the first impression is the only impression that matters. You’ll often get the best return on your investment when spending money on improvements to the outside of the house. Make time to power wash your home and clear out the spiderwebs on the front porch. Keep the landscape tidy and free of debris and ensure the walkway to your home is clear. Buy the new garage door or update the front entrance door and add a fresh doormat.
Showcase Properly
Clear the entrance and kitchen of dirt and grime. Touch up any nicks in the drywall and paint walls in high-traffic areas inside, like the main hallways and bathrooms. Address any areas where stale odors or stains are noticeable in your carpets or rugs. It may be time to hire a carpet cleaner to do a deep clean. It’s important to depersonalize the home. The buyers have to envision themselves in your space, so remove personal photos where possible.
Do’s And Don’ts
DO – Almost all buyers claim they search for a home with good light. Always maximize the lighting at home, both inside and out. Be sure all the window coverings are open to let the sunshine in. Purchase higher wattage bulbs for lamps and light fixtures.
DON’T – Even if you think your pet is the most adorable one that exists, not all buyers will agree. It’s best to send your pet to a friend or neighbors’ home during a showing. Some buyers get the impression the house is not clean if animals live there, so it’s best not to have the food bowl or litter box out as a reminder.
DO – Buyers want storage. Organize and purge items in your closets so that the closets are only half full. A tidy closet only half full will give the impression that there is plenty of space.
