Lathe Lavada - November 2018

Lathe Lavada - November 2018

702-476-2000

November 2018

www.lathelavada.com

THE FIRST PRIME HOME GUIDE

WHAT I’M GRATEFUL FOR What Thanksgiving Is All About

Between work and family time, the holiday season can be incredibly stressful. With all the hustle and bustle to get ready for Thanksgiving, it’s easy to lose sight of what the day is meant to be all about: slowing down and being grateful for what we have. I’m certainly guilty of this, having spent most of November fretting about whether my family would feast at home this year or make it up to Idaho to visit my relatives. Earlier this year, I made a dream come true by purchasing a property in Coeur d'Alene to make visiting my mom and siblings easier. It’s important to me to give my kids a place to be with their extended family and get to know the lakeside town where I grew up. Of course, buying the home was just the first step. The house needed a lot of renovation, which I thankfully have a lot of experience in. I was able to make a huge amount of progress in a few months, drawing on all of my industry knowledge to keep the rehab moving quickly and within budget. Still, I wasn’t quite able to meet my goal of having the construction complete in time for Thanksgiving, and I let that eat away at me. Then I remembered what really matters about the holiday. In past editions of this newsletter, I’ve talked about “the gap” that exists between our ideal situation and where we are now. I’ve warned readers about how much anxiety

comes with obsessing over this space between expectation and reality, and this month, I fell into that gap myself. Thankfully, I have my children in my life to remind me what’s really important. Ultimately, where we feast this year doesn’t matter. Thanksgiving is about spending time with the people you care about and taking a moment to reflect on all the good things in your life. This year, I’m especially grateful for my kids’ health and the time I’m able to spend with them. You see, earlier this year, my daughter, Lily, rode her tricycle into our pool. I’d been watching her ride, and I fished her out immediately. Still, at 3 1/2 years old, it was a scary experience for my little girl. Thankfully, we’ve kept up with our family swimming lessons, and she’s feeling comfortable in the water again. My wife and I have made sure to give both Lily and Liam water safety

–Lathe Lavada Happy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours. lessons and to float together as a family. I didn’t learn to swim until I was older, and I had to spend a lot of time overcoming my own fear of the water. Being able to get our kids used to being in the pool while they’re young is a great feeling, especially now that we’ll be able to spend more time by the lakes I grew up around in the Idaho Panhandle. It’s these small moments with my kids, doing things like helping them float on their backs in our pool, that make the holiday stress worth it. I’m so grateful for these memories and the ones we’ll create down the road. We may not have had Thanksgiving in our Idaho home this year, but that’s okay. What matters is that we’re together and we’re happy.

1 702-476-2000

THAT MORNING CUP OF JOE

Coffee and Its Relationship to Your Health

What’s the first

“Once we called Lathe’s office, everything was handled very quickly and professionally,” Travis recalls. “We always had our calls returned promptly, and the projected amount we were supposed to get after the sale was what we got.” “I was so happy that we were able to sell the house and we each got what we needed and what he told us we could come out with,” Mary adds. “We were happy. We closed with no problem in a matter of days.” We had more success with this case than Travis and Mary’s original agent did because of the options available to us. As a cash buyer and an agent, Lathe has many options on the table pop up, known as “Schools of the Wise” for the intellectual conversations that happened there. In addition to coffee’s long-standing popularity, science has found several reasons to give our morning habit the thumbs-up. In 2015, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines evaluated the effects of coffee and caffeine for the first time, concluding that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle “along with other behaviors, such as refraining from smoking, consuming a nutritionally balanced diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, and being physically active.” The guidelines cite “strong and consistent evidence” that consuming coffee within the moderate range (3–5 cups per day, or up to 400 mg of caffeine per day) is not associated with an increased risk of major diseases. In fact, according to observational evidence, caffeine intake may be linked to reduced risk for certain diseases in healthy adults. Scientists think that antioxidants found in coffee, such as polyphenols, might contribute to its positive effects.

There’s one major caveat, however. While coffee shows potential benefits when consumed in moderate amounts, the sugar and other additives that many of us like to put in it get a thumbs-down. The Dietary Guidelines also note that health alone isn’t a reason to start drinking caffeine. Folks with blood pressure concerns should be especially careful and should consult their doctor about how much coffee is okay to drink, as studies have shown evidence of increased blood pressure with caffeine consumption. Everything in moderation, as the saying goes, at least when it comes to caffeine. CAFFEINE BY THE CUP

thing you do in the morning? For most of us in the United States, it’s one crucial task:

Our team is often approached by people facing tough situations. This was the case with Mary Blosser and Travis Reinink, who’d inherited a home with a lien placed on it. Having tried their luck with a Realtor, they eventually turned to Lathe for help. Here’s what Mary and Travis had to say about the experience. “I was working with an agent who was going to make me pay money to sell the house I had recently inherited,” Mary remembers. This agent had been failing to meet their needs, or as Travis puts it, “[he] promised everything in the world to us and never delivered and changed the deal on us two times.” That’s when Mary decided to give Lathe a call. “The house was upside down, so I thought, “What do I have to lose?” she explains. getting that morning cup of joe. Our obsession with coffee is nothing new. A paper entitled “The Consumption of Coffee in the United States,” published July 18, 1861, noted that “the people of the United States habitually consume more coffee than the inhabitants of any other country.” Its popularity has only increased with time; people in the U.S. consume an estimated 400 million cups of coffee a day. Of course, we weren’t the first to find out how great coffee is. Long before anyone in the Americas enjoyed the beverage, legend has it that an Ethiopian goat herder discovered the amazing effects of coffee beans — on his goats. He noticed that after eating “berries” from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic they didn’t want to sleep. News spread around the Arabian Peninsula, and cafes began to

Type

Milligrams/fluid ounce

Brewed or drip coffee

12 63

Espresso

Instant coffee

8

Decaffeinated coffee

2-5

CASE STUDY GIVING MARY AND TRAVIS OPTIONS

for structuring a sale, and our team prides itself on finding an avenue that works for each client. We were able to get both Travis and Mary money for relocation and other expenses. Rather than having to pay to offload this upside-down property, they actually got money. We were glad to have two more happy sellers, and we’re grateful they both had such great things to say about us. We’re always glad to help out folks in tough situations. As Mary says, “If anyone is interested in selling their home and they have a short time frame to do it, or they’re having a bad time selling a home, they should call Lathe. He helped me tremendously.” If you have a home you would like to sell, or are currently struggling to sell, take Mary’s advice and call 702-476-2000 today!

2

www.lathelavada.com

BEFORE YOU SIGN Show Cash Buyers Your Home

If you’ve been contacted by a local or out-of-state homebuyer with an offer for cash for your home, there’s something you need to be aware of. Often, these buyers will attempt to get you to sign a purchasing agreement before they’ve even looked at your property. There are two main reasons they may choose to do this, but the result will almost always be disappointment and frustration on your end. WHY THEY DO THIS Purchase agreements are an important step in the sales process, but if a cash buyer asks you to sign one before they’ve seen your property, they may be trying to pull the wool over your eyes. Unfortunately, many cash buyers will conduct an inspection after you’ve already signed on with them, and then use what they find as a negotiating tool. You’re in a far better bargaining position if you let buyers inspect your home first before signing a purchase agreement, since it’s easier for you to seek another offer if you feel like you are being lowballed. Perhaps worse than cash buyers who use this tactic as a bargaining strategy are the inexperienced buyers

who simply don’t know how to assess a property for cash sale. These newcomers might enthusiastically lead you into signing a purchase agreement, only for the sale to go nowhere. You see, many of those new to the business rely on outside lenders to actually provide the money for the sale, which is where reality comes knocking. These lenders will conduct their own inspection of the home, and if they don’t like what they see, deals can simply fall apart. WHY WE DON’T Unlike these other buyers, we know our business and have no interest in tricks. We always look over a property before offering a purchase agreement — that way we can give you an honest offer without wasting your time. So you know what to expect. Unlike the traditional home inspection you may expect from a homebuyer, we’re only interested in the big picture, such as the foundation of the house, if the yard needs landscaping, or whether or not the air conditioning works. No need to sweat the small stuff. If you’re considering selling your home to a cash buyer, give us a call. We’d be happy to take a look at your property!

INGREDIENTS • 5 pounds sweet potatoes • 1 cup canned coconut milk • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1. Heat oven to 375 F. On a large sheet pan, bake potatoes until very soft, approximately 75 minutes. 2. Let potatoes cool until they are safe to handle, then peel and mash. 3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine coconut milk and curry paste. Once mixed, add the mixture, salt, half the sugar, and half the butter to potatoes. SPICY, CREAMY SWEET POTATOES DIRECTIONS

4. 30 minutes before serving, heat

oven to 425 F. Spread potatoes in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

5. Uncover potatoes and dot with

remaining butter and sugar. Broil until brown, crusty, and delicious. Serve hot.

Inspired by The New York Times

3 702-476-2000

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

9550 S. Eastern Ave. Ste. 253 Las Vegas, NV 89123

702-476-2000 www.lathelavada.com

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 2 2 3 3 4

My Thanksgiving Lesson A Closer Look at Your Cup of Joe Options During a Tough Time Approached by a Cash Buyer? What You Need to Know Spicy, Creamy Sweet Potatoes How Thanksgiving Became an Official Holiday!

SARAH HALE

HowThanksgiving Became a National Holiday

Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays celebrated throughout the United States. One of the first documented Thanksgiving celebrations took place in 1621 when Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a feast together. But the banquet, which celebrated the colonists’ first successful harvest, wasn’t just one large meal, nor did it last for only one day; in fact, the feast lasted for three days. In later years, Thanksgiving also lasted for longer than a single meal. During the time of the American Revolution, Lincoln decided that the holiday would take place on the last Thursday of

due to the persistence of a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale was a successful magazine editor, prolific writer of novels and poems, and author of the famous nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was first published in her 1830 collection entitled “Poems for Our Children.” In 1827, Hale began a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. For the next 36 years, she wrote numerous editorials and countless letters to state and federal officials expressing her desire that it gain official status. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln finally declared it a national holiday, hoping that it would help heal the wounds of the country.

November. It was celebrated on that day until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in the hopes of increasing retail sales during the Great Depression. However, this plan was very unpopular, and in 1941, the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. Without the efforts of Sarah Hale, we might not have the pleasure of the Thanksgiving feast we know and love to this day. This year, give thanks for family, good food, and the resolve of one woman

the Continental Congress chose several days throughout the year to celebrate giving thanks. Then, in 1789, George Washington made the U.S. national government’s first Thanksgiving proclamation. He used this to speak to his fellow American citizens about the Revolution’s satisfactory conclusion and encouraged them to show their thanks for the freedoms they gained. Thanksgiving became a national holiday more than 200 years after its first celebration. It gained this status largely

who recognized the importance of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

4

www.lathelavada.com