Check out our December newsletter!
DECEMBER 2023
ME LV I N ’ S MON T H LY MOMENT S
205-223-6192 www.MelvinUpchurchSells.com
SANTA MELVIE!
This February, LIST Birmingham will celebrate 10 years of service to our market!! I send out this newsletter to more than 300 people every month, both snail mail and digitally. I try to keep it both light and informative. But, if I am just being honest … I send it out to get business. Recently, I had some longtime clients (friends) who did not use me to list their house. They had formed a friendship with someone closer to their age with kids in the same school system. They chose that friend to help them buy a house and also sell their house. I understood completely. Let’s be honest, I cannot maintain a close personal relationship with over 300 people. They did give me a heads-up that they chose another agent which was very classy. There were absolutely no hard feelings. But the reason I am shocked is that if they had listed with me, instead of their friend, they would have saved $13,500 in real estate commissions! Ironically, I represented the couple who bought their house.
It occurred to me, maybe I have done a poor job of explaining our Full Service/Flat Listing Fee Model. These particular clients had only used me to help them buy a home. So, sadly, it is possible they did not understand our model. Real estate commissions are hard to decipher, so I am just going to make it simple. IF YOU LIST YOUR HOUSE WITH ME, YOU WILL SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN COMMISSION! Now, if you want the details, call me and I will explain, or just go to my website: MelvinUpchurchSells.com . To make it easier, it is just like Santa Claus. Kids do not understand why they cannot have the most expensive item
on their wish list. After all, if it is coming from Santa, what difference does it make how much it costs? Sellers who choose a friend over our business model are big believers in the Santa Model . Thankfully, most of my database recognize that although they love their friends, they do not love them enough to write them a check for $13,500. My clients subscribe to the Santa Melvie Model : I would rather pocket the extra $13,500, which I can then use to help Santa with my children’s Christmas wish list. The following are some addresses of clients who are going to have a great Christmas this year thanks to the commission savings from using me (i.e., The Santa Melvie Model ):
1850 Lake Ridge Road | Homewood | Saved $41,500 (5 Star Review)
1221 Branchwater Lane | Vestavia (Tanglewood) | Saved $14,375 (5 Star Review)
931 Spyglass Drive | Hoover (Spain Park) | Saved $13,025 (5 Star Review)
Remember, Melvies will be delivered this month!
Have a Merry Christmas!
–Melvin Upchurch
My son, Bram, with Sepp Straka, PGA Tour Winner and Ryder Cup Player
• 1 www.MelvinUpchurchSells.com
Cold Weather Defense How to Winterize Your Home Effectively
“Game of Thrones” may have ended over four years ago, but here in the real world, we can still expect winter to come every single year. But the weather can be rather unpredictable across the country during this time of year. Winter weather can vary across the country — some years, we may get incredibly mild winters, and during others, we’ll experience multiple feet of snow or ice storms. So, it’s safe to say we should never take winter weather lightly. If you want to stay comfortable and safe in your home this season, you must take the proper precautions right now to winterize your home. You likely already have some strategies in place, but here are a few others to implement you might be missing. Cover your outdoor faucets. Throughout the spring, summer, and early fall, many of us are outside daily, watering the garden with our sprinklers and hoses. As we approach the end of fall, we don’t need to water as often, causing us to forget about our outdoor faucets. Unfortunately, those faucets are not insulated, which means leaving them uncovered could lead to frozen or burst pipes in your home. Don’t let this happen to you! You can go to your local hardware or home improvement store and pick up hard or soft faucet covers for an affordable price. They’re easy to install and offer great protection for your outdoor faucets!
“If you want to stay comfortable and safe in your home this season, you must take the proper precautions right now to winterize your home.”
Keep cold air out. When the temperature reaches freezing, all we want to do is cuddle up in our homes and embrace the warmth. This isn’t easy to do when cold outside air sneaks into your home. Walk through your house and determine the origin of the cold air, as it could be coming from any of your windows or doors. If it’s your windows, you will need to cover them with a window insulator kit from the local store. If the draft comes from a door, you may need to replace the door sweep. Pry the old one off with a flathead screwdriver before cutting a new door sweep to size and sliding it into place on your door. Not only will the new door sweep help you in the winter, but it will also keep pests out once the weather warms up. If you’d rather purchase a door sweep from a hardware store or online, there are many options to pick from that will fit all types of doors! Replace the furnace filter. Your HVAC system is going to put in some extra work during the colder months. It will constantly recirculate the air in your home, and your furnace filter will be hard at work removing dust, pollen, and other contaminants. Over time, your furnace filter will become dirty, and you’ll need to replace it. Do so before winter begins — if you don’t, you could experience higher energy bills, low air quality inside your home, and a damaged HVAC system. Winter weather can be unpleasant and frustrating, especially when it affects your living conditions and the interior of your home. Don’t let winter weather become the villain in your story. Take action to winterize your home now so you can rest easy throughout winter.
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This year, many friends and families will set up their Christmas trees and work together to decorate them with their favorite ornaments. Some ornaments even have their own special meaning or associated memory that sends the entire group down memory lane. While this holiday nostalgia is wonderful, the problem is that many of these ornaments are old, from when kids were little, a married couple just started dating, or a group of friends first met. People rarely add new decorations to the tree and create new memories to look back on in the coming years. But you and your loved ones can change that this year by making your own DIY cardboard gingerbread ornaments together! DIY Gingerbread Ornaments: Add Sweet Memories to Your Christmas Tree
Lastly, punch a small hole (you can just poke the pen tip through) on top of the cardboard on the ornament, feed the string through, and tie a knot at the top to make a loop. You can put the loop over a branch on your tree, and it will look like a freshly baked cookie is hanging there! If you want to make the ornament even more meaningful, have your kids, friends, or other family members make themselves (or you!) as cardboard gingerbread people! They can add their hair, outfits, or anything else to their ginger-person design. Having everyone’s ginger selves hanging on the tree together will always remind you of the time you spent with them to create these decorations. The best part is they’ll never go bad, and you can reuse them every year!
All you need for this ornament is brown cardboard (from any box lying around), a white gel pen or marker, and string.
To make your “gingerbread,” you first draw out the shape of your ornament(s) in pencil on a piece of cardboard before cutting it out. Then, use your white marker or pen to add “frosting” designs. We recommend adding some of those traditional gingerbread frosting loops around the edges before going in and adding details.
Homemade Eggnog
TAKE A BREAK
Inspired by AheadOfThyme.com
Ingredients
• 3 cups whole milk • 1 tbsp vanilla extract • 3 eggs, room temperature • 4 egg yolks, room temperature • 1/3 cup sugar • 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups heavy cream • 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg For topping • Whipped cream • Ground cinnamon • Extra nutmeg
Directions
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and vanilla, swirling occasionally until it starts to steam. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt for approximately 5 minutes until the mixture is thickened. Slowly add milk and whisk to combine. 3. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring for about 6 minutes. 4. In another large mixing bowl, place heavy cream and nutmeg. Strain egg mixture into the cream and cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours. When chilled, fill a glass with eggnog and top with whipped cream, cinnamon, and extra nutmeg!
• 3 www.MelvinUpchurchSells.com
205-223-6192 www.MelvinUpchurchSells.com 300 UNION HILL DR., STE. 200 BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
INSIDE
1
Big Savings Just in Time for Christmas
2
Your Winter Home Maintenance Checklist
3
Spice Up Your Christmas Tree With Cardboard Gingerbread Ornaments
Homemade Eggnog
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Creative, Classy Ways to Use Holiday Garland
DECK THE HALLS WITH GARLAND
Place it on the mantle.
There are many ways to decorate your home for the holiday, from ornament- adorned Christmas trees to the dazzling lights of Christmas village displays. Of course, you can’t forget the holiday garland! Here are a few ways to use garland to bring Christmas cheer to your home.
Garland will help spruce up your living room regardless of whether there’s a TV, mirror, or family photos above your mantle.
Run garland along a staircase.
The best way to add Christmas spirit to your staircases is to add some garland to the handrail. You can let it hang loose along the top of the rail or tie it around the spindles.
Bring your garland outside.
Guests will likely come in and out of your front door throughout the holiday season. Add garland to the exterior of your door to create a welcoming entrance to your home.
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