“Working” Out Who Actually Did Invent Rehoboth Beach, DE’s Labor Day
For Rehoboth Beach, DE neighbors who are curious about how Labor Day got started, most of the readily available references seem to hedge just a little. They have introductory lines like “There’s disagreement how the holiday began” (nationaltoday.com), or “More than a century after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt…”(U.S. Department of Labor).
The finger-pointing issues from both the followers of Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters Union leader, and the advocates of Matthew Maguire, a machinist and union heavyweight. “One or the other first proposed the idea” is the diplomatic way The Farmers Almanac skirts the question. The Labor Dept. is equally diplomatic. Its official history is titled, “Who Actually Invented Labor Day?”
What isn’t in doubt is the underlying meaning of Labor Day across the nation—Rehoboth Beach, DE’s Labor Day included. Small children may still find the idea perplexing (as in, “How come nobody in Rehoboth Beach, DE works on Labor Day?”); yet the root idea is to honor everyone who works for a living.
It was made a national holiday in 1894, probably because workers’ movements were gaining popular support and Congress wanted to join the parade. Regardless of whether it was Maguire’s or McGuire’s doing, it was a stroke of genius to place it at a point in the year midway between July 4 and Thanksgiving—just when people would be pining for an extra day off.
Today’s Rehoboth Beach, DE Labor Day observances may put less emphasis on workers’ movement history and more on end-of-summer family celebrations, but as we bid farewell to 2019’s summertime and say hello to back-to-school, football, and the like, it doesn’t hurt to pause a moment to consider all the hard work that goes into the workings that keep our community humming. Certainly Rehoboth Beach, DE real estate depends on it.
Happy Labor Day, Rehoboth Beach, DE—and don’t forget to give me a call whenever my professional elbow grease is called for in your real estate dealings! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Top 6 Garage Sale Tips before You Sell Your Rehoboth Beach, DE Home
As soon as you begin to plan to sell your Rehoboth Beach, DE home, you’ll soon find one thing everyone agrees upon: the need to de-clutter. But where to start? For any home that’s been lived in for years, it’s easier said than done. Most of us shrink from even thinking about what goes and what stays. But one way to wade into the project is to force the issue by picking a date and (now that you’re committed)—holding a garage (AKA ‘yard’) sale!
For garage sale neophytes, there are a number of tips that veterans agree upon. Here are six that top most lists:
· Inventory as if you are serious. That means making a list of each of the major items you will be offering, then placing a price tag on each. A very general rule of thumb is to price most at 25% of what you may have paid for items that are in “like new” condition—but that is only a guideline.
· Tables—beg, borrow, or steal as many folding tables as possible (maybe the stealing isn’t such a good idea). But most people don’t like to keep bending over to inspect items—and experts say they don’t value them as highly, either.
· Advertise. Use any local Rehoboth Beach, DE free media, social media, and, beginning a week in advance, put up strategically placed, easy-to-read announcement posters. Don’t forget to include the date, day, and hours (4 to 6 hours will be sufficient).
· Set up at least a half-hour before the sale begins. The most serious customers are likely to be “first in.”
· Get small change: lots of it. If you will be offering a number of pricey items, it could be worthwhile to invest in one of the many mobile gizmos that allow you to accept credit cards (like Square, PayAnywhere, or PayPal Here). If you go that route, practice with a few dummy transactions. On Sale Day, you won’t want your attention distracted with unfamiliar technology. Which points to the last tip:
· Get help! Enlist friends and family to share in the fun…and prevent pilferage!
Yard sales are a time-honored way to recycle the usable stuff we all accumulate. It’s also a way to fast-track the clutter elimination process that leads to success when you are preparing to sell your Rehoboth Beach, DE home. And when you list with me, you can bet I’ll have “coming soon” fliers ready to pre-market your home at the sale, too! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Boomer Wave Inspires Rehoboth Beach, DE Real Estate Investment Idea
From midway across the Pacific can an interesting commentary last week—one that noted an idea that mainland Rehoboth Beach, DE investors might find worth mulling over. The article appeared in the HawaiiHomes section of Oahu’s Star-Advertiser. It profiled an investor couple who have decided to make a change in their real estate portfolio.
The investors (“Joyce” and “Reid”) are seniors themselves. They have “been reading about the demand for senior-friendly housing”— information bolstered by the fact that over 10,000 people turn 65 every day in the U.S. That AARP statistic is a little startling until you realize that there are 77 million American Boomers who were born between 1946 and 1964.
To Joyce and Reid, that fact—plus their having noticed how local senior-friendly housing prices were on the rise—convinced them that a portfolio change might be warranted. They ultimately decided to swap their current investment property—a two-story townhome—for a more centrally-located property. It’s walking-distance centrality, in addition to a single-story floor plan, made it decidedly senior-friendly.
The decision was fortified by other observations. In their area, some senior living communities were already experiencing waitlists. They reasoned that the senior-friendly rental was likely to command increasingly higher rents. And just in case in future years they found themselves unable to obtain suitable housing, they might eventually decide to move into their investment property themselves.
The demographic repercussions the Hawaiian landlords observed is one that Rehoboth Beach, DE residents have probably been reading about, too. Rehoboth Beach, DE real estate investors might want to tuck that factor in the back of their minds when they’re weighing alternative real estate investments. I’ll be here to assist with all Rehoboth Beach, DE’s real estate investment alternatives! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Rehoboth Beach, DE Multiple Offer Scenarios Still Can Happen!
Real estate market changes can be sudden or slow. No matter how the broader market shifts nationally or locally here in Rehoboth Beach, DE, certain types of properties or price ranges can still result in a multiple offer scenario.
Buyers: never fear! If you fall in love with one of these highly desired homes, there are strategies that will help your offer stand out that DON’T involve simply offering more money.
Go beyond the pre-approval letter
The more prepared you are, the better. To get ahead, be the buyer who’s further along in the loan process BEFORE you make an offer. This means preparing all the documents your lender needs when it’s time to approve the mortgage: tax returns, W2s, pay stubs, bank statements, etc.
Find a 24/7 mortgage broker
Did you know there even was such a thing? Time is always “of the essence,” so working with a mortgage professional who is available on weekends can help when a quick turnaround is critical. That way, if you put an offer on a house on a Saturday or Sunday, your lender can contact the seller’s real estate agent directly to assure the sellers that you’ll be able to close quickly and on time if they choose your offer!
Write a love letter
Personal letters can actually work! Such a letter might include a brief intro to you and your family (and don’t shy away from including a fun fact or two to make it personal). It would go over the unique details you like about the house, the neighborhood, and the future you envision there. It never hurts to end with a note of appreciation of how well the sellers have taken care of the property.
Be flexible with the seller
It’s not always about the money. Timeliness matters. Closing dates matter. Maybe the seller needs to be out of the home quickly, so a brief inspection period (or waiving the inspection period if appropriate) could be decisive. Alternately, perhaps the sellers value more time to identify their replacement property and to move their household—so maybe a 60-day or 90-day close would be most attractive. Your agent should be speaking to their agent prior to writing your offer to find out which terms other than price matter most to the owner—I always look for that kind of background data.
Being in a multiple-offer situation needn’t end in tears—the right agent guiding the process can make all the difference. Call me anytime to discuss your search! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
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- Written by Jimmie Bachand
