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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2016)
April 2016 — Real Estate & Home Builders Guide — Page 3M Promoting undeveloped village, tourism is not unlike selling a home A message from the Umatilla County Board of REALTORS ® Spring is here. As the weather continues to improve, there are several things that you might want to take a look at to get your home ready for Summer. Inspect your roof for missing, loose, or damaged shingles and leaks. Clean debris out of your gutters and check for winter damage. Be sure to clean your downspouts. Change the filter in your furnace and/or air conditioning system Clean your window and door screens Check your deck or patio for wear with an eye to possible repairs or upgrades Check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries if necessary Clean out the dryer vent to the outside of the home. Dryer lint can be a combustible hazard. Wash the exterior of your home and the windows. A power washer will be of benefit for this job. Check your carpets for dirt and wear. Cleaning them will reduce summer dust inside the home. Check your sinks, shower, and bath caulking for deterioration or leaks. Spring cleaning is a great time to think about the charities that could use those unwanted items sitting around your home or taking up space in the garage. Summer will be here soon. Your home will benefit all year long if you take these simple steps now. The Umatilla County Board of Realtors is a group of professional Realtors. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you. Umatilla County Board of Realtors Rocky Mikesell President. By Ilyce Glink & Samuel J. Tamkin Tribune Content Agency Q : I live in small village in New Mexico. The village was desolated when the logging industry was halted due to the Spotted Owl. We are trying to rebuild the area and would love for investors to discover the natural resources: hiking, Indian ruins, hunting, dark skies, etc. I think the location would be perfect for a big lodge and tourists. How do we go about this? I saw your article about the top 10 ski resorts in which to invest. How about the top 10 undiscov- ered pristine wilderness places? : In all the years we’ve been writing this column, we haven’t been asked about how to promote an area to real estate investors or developers. But at the core, promoting a town, metropolitan area or a single-family house isn’t too different. The process is the same, even if the goal is different. You’re looking for investment, but a home seller wants to sell his or her property. It all starts with the Internet. You can create a website that promotes the natural beauty of the area and talks about tracks of land that are available for sale. We assume you’re working with the local real estate company so that you can include links to properties that are for sale. (Perhaps the local real estate agents or brokers will co-sponsor your A Thinkstock Image efforts, with the hopes of generating more business for themselves.) Is there a local Chamber of Commerce or local tourism board? If not, you’ll want to start a loose af¿liation of local businesses and people who are interested in promoting how great the area is. Take advantage of companies like Airbnb and websites that feature prop- erties for rent by owner. As more people come to stay in the community and have a good experience, they’ll tell others, and come back with friends in tow. And online communities like Kickstarter might provide the seed money to get a larger developer interested. Try to raise awareness at the state level, and with the local community in the nearest big city. It’s possible the state tourism board will help promote your community to business leaders looking for an unusual place for a retreat. They may be able to connect you to investors as well. And, if your commu- nity has been damaged due to a wildlife protection issue, there may be federal funds available. You should investigate those. Finally, contact your representatives in Wash- ington, D.C., to see if you can get them interested in helping you out. In this, a most contentious election season, your congressional representatives and senators might be eager for a feel-good story about helping a local community rebuild. (Ilyce Glink is the creator of an 18-part webi- nar+ebook series called “The Intentional Investor: How to be wildly successful in real estate,” as well as the author of many books on real estate. She also hosts the “Real Estate Minute,” on her YouTube channel. Samuel J. Tamkin is a Chicago-based real estate attorney. Contact Ilyce and Sam through her website, ThinkGlink.com.)
