Archives of real estate blog entries for October 9, 2006 (Page 2)

Blog posts


Standards Can we afford to offer anything less than 100% - 02:54 PM
Jim wrote about minimum standards the least you should be giving vs the best you can give. If we accept minimum standards perhaps we should be aware of what can happen.   All customers deserve 100% all the time here are a few of the things that can happen if we settled for less.. the worst is the last one for me since my husband is a pilot.
If 99% is good enough then
12 newborns would be would be given to the wrong parents
120,000 mis- matched shoes would be shipped yearly
2 million documents would be lost by the IRS
3000 copies of the Wall Street Journal would be … (4 comments)

D W Y P Y W D Same backwards and forwards! - 03:06 PM
Do What You Promised You Would Do!  This is from a great training flip chart from one of the other businesses I own. 
Delivering the best service and dazzle our customers with good service is key focus of team training.  This is true for just about any business and more so for those that want to run successful ones.
How are you treating your customers and is your staff treating them as quality champions or slackers.
If we took all the companies in the US and averaged out the dollars spent on customer service training it would average out to $2 per employee.
Is that … (1 comments)

Active Rain Questions? ? ? - 04:27 PM
 
Does anyone know if there is a get together planned for NAR yet and where? 
If we link to 18 other blogs will the rest of us get 3600 points?  Wasn't this what you called linking for points way back and not allowed? 
When did the rules change?
Are there rules for some and not for others? 
I reached my goal of getting to the top even with a 4500 point penalty and you know what they say someone is always out there to take your place.  I will gladly turn over this position.
I am actually writing this so those of you … (7 comments)

Is your listing priced for success or priced for failure? - 05:33 PM
“Broker Bryant, how much do you think my house is worth?” Have you heard that before? How do you answer this question? In this more difficult market, my answer is always the same. “Well, I’m not here to tell you how much your house is worth. I’m here to tell you how much it will sell for?” There is a big difference between what a house is worth and what it will sell for. If you are listing homes right now at what they are worth you may just end up with a lot of listings that are just sitting there. … (23 comments)

Connecticut Post's Sunday Real Estate Section Review - 08:32 AM
Dear Reader,
It looks like it is going to be another beautiful day here in Fairfield, Connecticut.  Unfortunately, I heard late last night or early this morning that North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and world leaders and regular civilians are running around going crazy.  I figured why not go outside and grab the Monday newspaper when I realized I never brought in the Sunday paper either maybe because it was a big Sunday NFL day on television.
I opened up the Sunday edition of the newspaper to notice that the Real Estate section of the CT Post http://www.connpost.com is … (0 comments)

Do you Fear the Orange and Blue Creatures? - 08:58 AM
Beware of the Orange & Blue Creatures!  
Dear Active Rain Members,
Okay, okay!  I know I am going to get some of the feedback that I have gotten in the past about IT or being a tech savvy person or furthering my knowledge about tech terms but with the community growing, I wanted to see if others were afraid of the orange and blue creatures as well?
Who are these blue and orange creatures?
They appear on your active rain page of your own blogs and other peoples blogs.
There are two different types of these creatures:
1.) RSS 2.0
2.) ATOM … (3 comments)

Can consistent blogging turn you into a lazy person? - 11:49 PM
 
Dear Reader,
I would like to discuss consistent blogging and its possible effects on an individuals drive to conduct their every day activities.  As a certified/licensed mortgage professional who recently started to blog consistently, I have noticed that I have lost a bit of my drive to conduct business or non-business activities.  You are usually sitting still while you type on your desktop or laptop and if you are spending 10-20+ minutes per blog and if you write 3+ blogs a day then it all adds up.  I have also noticed that once you get customed to blogging that you also turn into a person who reads other blogs as well.  … (8 comments)

Outer Banks Real Estate-Kill Devil Hills Named Top 10 Best Small City In America - 02:12 PM
According to a Bizjournals survey to identify the Top 10 "dreamtowns" of America, Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina made the list at #7. As a resident in Kill Devil Hills I am certainly biased and agree with the survey. I can honestly tell you that if you are looking for a lifestyle change or want to own a vacation home here, this is a great place to be. Kill Devil Hills is centrally located on the Outer Banks with the majority of the shops & restaurants on the Outer Banks located within the town. The beaches are great and no matter where … (0 comments)

Online Newsletters - How many can I read? - 03:03 PM

I'm going through that phase in my life where I want to get rid of clutter. If you are not middle aged, you won't understand this quite yet.  Anyhoo.... I've been sorting throught the obvious first - books and clothing (I'm never going to fit into that size again anyway.).   Then I realized I have a lot of "stuff" that arrives via email that I need to make some decisions on.  Specifically - "Online newsletters" - I don't want to stop receiving my Inman Newsletter or my Kim Komando Newsletter...but I have several others that I need to opt out of.   I mean how many … (7 comments)

I hate booties - 10:31 PM
I'm a tall guy with big feet....
I hate paper booties. They never fit over my ample shoes. I'd much rather kick off my shoes (stopped buying shoes that need lacing years ago) but in the summer that means I'm often walking around their house in bare feet (been known to wear sandals)
Sometimes I'll walk into a house with filthy 20 year old carpet and a sign at the door asking me to remove my shoes... I'm thinking that I don't even want to get the bottoms of my shoes that dirty....
Moo
… (12 comments)

Feedback...shmeedback... - 10:35 PM
Do you return calls for showing feedback? My assistant Leslie calls all agents for feedback, then... if we don't hear back we'll give it one more try.  I warn the seller's up front, that we are not going to chase the agents down anymore than that... we still want them to come back. We are probably getting 2 out of 3 agents to return calls.
I always try to return feedback calls, most of the time I don't have anything really useful, but if I do... I'll pass it on. If I have a client with a smidgen of interest, it's great … (17 comments)

Moo's on tour - 10:41 PM
I just spent the day with a transferee that won't buy until next June, we did the "look at a couple of houses to get a feel" and "area tours" They were suprised that I was willing to spend so much time with them, they asked for 2-3 hours and we were together for 7.
Do you do area tours? I know some agents won't do them...
I'm sure that you would be suprised to know that I have some opinions... Mrs Transfree said to me today "I just love it that you don't hold back, you tell us just the way things … (16 comments)

Take Time for a Soldier - 05:50 PM
 
Xerox Corporation is sponsoring this  site  letssaythanks.com.  You can send a complimentary printed post card to military personnel stationed overseas to show your appreciation and support for their service to our country.  You can chose from many designs; however, you cannot choose who to send it to.
These cards depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images were created from a pool of children all across the United States.
All you have to do is click on a card, select your personal message and hit send. These will be sent with care packages by military support organizations.
What a wonderful thing to do to show our support. Tell your … (7 comments)

Colorado Ranks in the middle for closing costs... - 12:36 AM
Colorado real estate closing costs...
Last month Bankrate released the 2006 National Closing Cost Survey results.  The findings indicted Colorado as being about in the middle (#23) of the rankings.  New York had the second highest closing costs, for the second year in a row.
The survey compares fees of the lender, title and settlement charges in 51 locations (The District of Columbia included).
To view the survey go to Bankrate.
… (9 comments)

More Fraud - 08:15 PM
As fraud becomes more and more prevalent, we have to watch not just our back pockets, but our pocket books as well.  As citizens of this country, we have fraud...almost on every street corner. 
What can we do about it? I suggest for starters we zip up the purse...
Is this AFLAC Fraud?
 
 
 
 
 
Help!
<I cannot take credit for this photo.  It's origin is unknown ~ it arrived as a joke in my inbox today ~ I wanted to share it.>
… (15 comments)

Mile High Magic - 10:34 PM
Football season is here, the Rain neighborhood is quiet, Monday Night football is on.  Tell me are you guys watching the Denver Broncos? 
If so, good choice!
Our town, no our state goes nuts with Bronco fever.  It's fun to watch, it's even better to participate.
Everyone needs a hero.  In Colorado our heroes are the  Broncos...at least at the moment...
Jake, your face is so pretty...if we promise not to compare you to Elway, will you act like a good guy and shave? Pretty please?
<photo is Larimer Street in Lodo, Denver's cool loft district, always colorful, always Colorado.>
… (7 comments)

Suddenly Dropped From Google - 10:20 PM
I recently saw this message come through the WebProWorld forum... it cracked my up.
"From what I've been reading, this recent Google page rank update/data push from last weekend hasn't really effected many websites. For us, we saw a huge drop in traffic (about 60%) and the same drop in revenues. It's especially troubling because the entire site has not been dropped. We still have a few keywords in the top 10 listings, but many have been shifted to page 4-5 and even more completely dropped. One of the pages that got completely dropped even has a DMOZ link to it. I know that doesn't … (4 comments)

SEO is Intended to Generate More Leads? - 11:09 PM
A real estate agent recently told me that...
"SEO is intended to - bottom line - generate more leads and create competitive advantage."
I don't agree - bear with me.
There's a sign on your building that broadcasts your business name and company logo - is it intended only to generate more leads?There's a business card in your wallet with your logo and name on it - is it intended only to generate more leads?Your business name and logo is on a banner at a local chili cookoff fund raiser - is it intended only to generate more leads?Most would answer "no" to these questions because brand building, … (3 comments)

Washington Real Estate Careers - 05:11 PM
Are you currently a real estate agent in Snohomish County? Are you thinking about switching broker offices for 2007? Would you like to reduce your monthly fees? Would you like to work for a company that provides custom marketing material? If so, Barnett Associates Real Estate would love to have you on our team.
About Us: Barnett Associates Real Estate is a family owned real estate brokerage office that specializes in Snohomish County residential real estate. Our family approach to business creates a warm and inviting environment for seasoned and new agents alike.
Where to find Us: Barnett Associates is located at 1212 2nd Street Suite … (6 comments)

ActiveClock? - 09:32 PM
As anyone else noticed there isn't a clock on the ActiveRain network? It may seem like a stupid thing to discuss but as a blogger I am always wondering at what time my blogs are posted and when I can post again.
If my memory searves me correctly, the ActiveRainers servers are on Mountain Time. Being on Pacific Standard Time my post times are always behind the actual posting time. It comes into play when I am having writer moments and thoughts are just wanting to spu out my fingertips. I looked early and it showed me posting three blogs today but … (12 comments)

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