Archives of real estate blog entries for November 1, 2006

Featured blog posts


Another Animal Lost to Extinction - 10:26 PM
I don't think it ever hit the endangered species list. Today marks the day the pink flamingo lawn ornament seases to be in production. No more new pink flamingos will be created. 
Since the discovery of this rare animal in 1957, 20 million of them have graced homeowners lawns across America. Their population has waxed and waned over the last 49 years.  Whether you think of them as a nice addition to the family, or a neighborhood eyesore, one thing cannot be denied. Their kitschy existence has been an icon of American culture.  I have to admit, seeing one usually gets a … (37 comments)

When a client says that they will follow you for life…. WHAT A NATURAL HIGH…. - 10:05 PM
I have been doing this for over 14 years now. Helping those to finance their new dream, may it be purchasing that new home or refinancing their current home for several reasons. Even helping those investors that want to add to their portfolio. 
I have talked to several of you on the phone from Active Rain and overall, I just love Active Rain. The continuous networking, a great Team (Caleb & Matt) that keeps this site active and improving daily, great people on here with great ideas, and just to be able to express yourself and feel like you have friends all … (9 comments)

Real Estate is about people, not money! Part 2 - 06:04 PM
Today I met with another pre-foreclosure Seller. I sure am getting a lot of these lately. Anyway, I spoke with this gentleman yesterday and could tell he was really stressed out. Life had dealt him a bad hand this year, health wise, and he has found himself disabled and unable to make mortgage payments. In fact he hasn’t made any for 5 months. His wife has just started back to work, so they are now in a position to start making payments, again. So that’s a good thing.
I’m writing this post to bring to your attention “predatory lenders” and how they … (32 comments)

Don't Volunteer Information to Prospective Buyer - NAR Legal Update - 04:54 PM
As an attorney who also practices real estate buyer agency, I sometimes chuckle when I read the latest risk management advice proffered by our trade association, the National Association of Realtors (NAR).  The latest advice from NAR, which stems from a recent case in Texas, is "Don't Volunteer Information."
A good summary of the facts of the case can be found here.  The case, Coldwell Banker Whiteside Associates v. Ryan Equity Partners, Ltd., 181 S.W. 3d 879 (Dallas, 2006) involved the purchaser of a multi-family housing complex suing its real estate broker after the purchaser discovered that the property it purchased did not have the legal right to … (19 comments)

Last Call! Enter the Carnival of ActiveRain - 11:00 AM
We have some great entries for the Carnival of ActiveRain.  But its not too late to participate.
Those of you who are waiting, don't be shy.  Send in an entry.  Caleb Mardini is offering some bonus points to the winners, and a few of our hosts have said that they will write about their category winner on their outside blogs.  
If you have any trouble with the submission site, just send your entry, with the category to activerain@gmail.com  The deadline is Midnight tonight, EST.
 
… (18 comments)

How to do Real Estate from China - 10:52 AM
...or New Delhi, for that matter. I am leaving for China next week, and was struggling with how to handle cell phone calls (with no caller ID) at $1.29 per minute. Additionally, I don't want to be bothered with calls when I am on vacation. At the same time, I don't want to disconnect from the world or family--at least on this trip.
I am so happy to have discovered a solution:
1. Make sure you have call forwarding with your cell carrier.
2. Go to Skype and set up a free account. Once that this accomplished, purchase a local telephone number from Skype for … (33 comments)

Logos, trade names and Marketing Ideas. - 01:13 PM
                             
Have you seen this LOGO?
Shortly after taking this candid shot of my kids, I decided to use it for marketing and I have been using it ever since. I have since registered the TM and copyrights. Creating an image of association is everything with out it COKE wouldn't be COKE. I have gone to many conventions and was recognized in by a group of guys from Australia that I had meet 3 years prior who yelled at me as I was going down the escalator: "Hey aren't you the "I Want My OWN ROOM, girl?" it is funny how people forget your name but an … (54 comments)

Money Merge Accounts - The Truth - 12:54 PM
This blog information has been removed due to the implications to the company highlighted.  The website we reviewed regarding this company was an unauthorized site which provided incorrect information.  A new blog will be posted when we have a chance to review the CORRECT information. 
Please disregard the comments made below as they are reactions to the original information.  Once the new post is available, a link will be provided here...
For more information on the NMA, visit http://www.nationalmortgageadvocate.com/.
… (63 comments)

Increasing your Listing and Marketing Effectiveness - 06:46 AM
Selling and marketing increases the amount of business each of us can do. In addition to increasing the amount of business we do, we may need to develop our sales skills (product and/or services), and our information (marketing materials, website, etc) to increase our effectiveness. These are all a part of our performance standards.
Starting at the core of our standards begins with developing systems and processes to help us improve/enhance our standards. If for instance, you are having a difficult time getting listings or each new listing came as a struggle, you will need to enhance your listing skills.
Put a … (4 comments)

Does it belong in the listing remarks? - 11:15 PM
OK. So the house is a dog, it needs decorating and updating and the seller's don't want/or won't to do it. The avocado appliances still work and were "top of the line", the harvest gold stool was the envy of the neighborhood...
Do you add an allowance (yawn!) to the verbage of the listing? as in "$4,000 carpet allowance!" 
I don't.
Seems to me that's best left to advertise once you've suc... um... "enticed" the buyer into the house. Why scare them away prematurely?  
Actually my philosophy is to get them to make the changes... but if I should them to be unyielding... I'll usually advertise an … (40 comments)


Blog posts


Mansion Impossible - 06:54 AM
Inane flash game where you turn houses until you can buy a mansion... mindlessly entertaining...

… (4 comments)

Come to Palm Beach county. - 06:59 AM
                                             
I wanted to share this link with you because I found it to be extremely useful especially if you have customers that are coming to Palm Beach even if it is to visit., it contains a wealth of information and best of all it is free. It includes videos and brochures coupons and more. I hope you enjoy and can use it to attract buyers and saving them thousands of $$$$$
brochure link:
http://www.palmbeachfl.com/visitors/brochures/download.aspx
… (0 comments)

Logos, trade names and Marketing Ideas. - 01:13 PM
                             
Have you seen this LOGO?
Shortly after taking this candid shot of my kids, I decided to use it for marketing and I have been using it ever since. I have since registered the TM and copyrights. Creating an image of association is everything with out it COKE wouldn't be COKE. I have gone to many conventions and was recognized in by a group of guys from Australia that I had meet 3 years prior who yelled at me as I was going down the escalator: "Hey aren't you the "I Want My OWN ROOM, girl?" it is funny how people forget your name but an … (54 comments)

Blog topic #3, Real Estate Technology - 03:24 PM
The pros and cons of Technology
Sometimes we can get completely overwhelmed with the new gadgets coming out the new software that is out there. We have not even begun to use the features of the new toy and we are ready to take on a new one. I think technology can be addiction forming.
I think that any of us spends a whole day with the computer and the cell phone off and we will feel as if our whole world came to an end.
We get caught up in the presentation of things at times and forget about functionality. We can use … (0 comments)

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU WILL MEET AT AN OPEN HOUSE - 01:54 PM
 
I held an open house for another agent and one of the tenants is a published artist.  He illustrated this book and it came on the market last Spring.  Since he is one of those "poor starving artists," I thought it may interest you as a Christmas gift.  It is a children's story with a good message.  It is a story about a very odd woman and her house that is looked down upon in the neighborhood (the message is basically, "don't judge a book by its cover.".  It costs around $15. and you can get it at Amazon.com
The illustrator, Robert … (3 comments)

A Service to Write up Your Offers - 08:28 PM
Are agents really getting this lazy?  I just received an email from a lady who started a new service where you can call in and register your buyer and when you're ready to write up an offer, you call them and they write it for you and send it to your buyer to sign.  They do offer you the opportunity to fill out a blank contract first so they'll have all your stock information and typical wording in the Special Provisions section, but besides that, you just go blank by blank in the contract and they fill it out for you.Gimme … (7 comments)

What to do when buyers won't make a move - 09:57 PM
I was recently interviewed by the real estate news service Inman News about the current state of our market.  The reporter was extremely inviting and did a great job in his strory. Unfortuntely for many Inman is a paid subscription news service.  The report was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the stories.  I wanted to share them with my AR community.  Here is story #1:
What to do when buyers won't make a movePart 1: Navigating a tough housing marketMonday, October 30, 2006
By Matt CarterInman News
Robert Whitelaw, Robert Whitelaw Real Estate Editor's note: In this three-part series, brokers and … (0 comments)

Wrestling the unrealistic seller - 09:59 PM
This is part 2 of the story that I recently participated in appearing on Inman News:
Wrestling the unrealistic sellerPart 2: Navigating a tough housing marketTuesday, October 31, 2006
By Matt CarterInman News
Stephen B. McWilliam, Florida State Realty Group Inc. Editor's note: In this three-part series, brokers and agents share tips and insight on approaching buyer and seller standoffs and ways professionals can keep a transaction moving in a slowing real estate market. (Read Part 1 and Part 3.)A rise in for-sale property inventory has halted or slowed housing-price appreciation in many markets, and sent prices down in others. But analysts say home … (0 comments)

CHEROKEE COUNTY HOME REPAIR PROGRAM - 10:39 AM
Cherokee County has limited funds available to provide grants for housing rehabilitation repairs and improvements to qualified homeowners. The funds maybe used to fix dangerous health & safety problems around the house as required by current HUD standards. To Qualify: You must own and live in your home Your family income must not be more than the maximum allowed. Your mortgage can be not more than 80% of their fair market value of the home. Your home must need repairs which would correct HUD code deficiencies. HOME funds can fix housing code problems like leaky roofs, plumbing, heating, or electrical problems. … (0 comments)

Explain to me Why Agents Don't Leave Feedback? - 04:17 PM
Something I've had such a hard time dealing with is trying to get feedback from the agent after a showing.  My company has even set us up with the "Central Showings Service" which sends out a form email 2 hours after the showing and 3 more times after words.  It isn't hard, just a click on the link, 5 questions and if you want an area to write some comments.  So that's 4 email reminders in a 24 hour period.
Even with this user-friendly service, agents neglect to leave feedback. . .And then I end up chasing them down in an attempt to … (11 comments)

Active Rain is averaging 1000 Real Estate Agents Each Month! - 10:53 PM
Active Rain has 5000 Real Estate Agents!
It was July 18th when I posted that Active Rain hit 1000 agents. It seemed like a lot  of activity in such a short time.  August 14, we hit 2000. Then on September 2006 up to 3000 agents.
 And here it is November 1, 2006, not quite 2 months later, and we have added another 2000 agents! 
This is not counting all the other categories, just Real Estate agents.
Active Rain is averaging 1000 agents a month.
Congratulations to all!  This is a wondeful group and I am proud to be a member.
Any bets on when we hit 10,000 Real Estate … (13 comments)

Justin Smith Thank You! - 10:36 AM

I had a really nice surprise in my e-mail today from Justin Smith, and want to thank him for his kind congratulations and acknowledgements.  Justin who works with his father Bart an owner in the ReMax system since 1987 had vision for a Christian Real Estate Network.
Thank you two small words with heartfelt thanks. 
Teri
… (0 comments)

Who is trading? - 07:05 PM
If you recognize these let me know..found an interesting website that Matt might like but then not sure just exactly what kind he collects or if he is interested in selling.
The link to this is here for those interested.
Now back to business thank you today for business referred to us from Colleen Kulikowski and Bryant Tutas Towne Realty, Inc .  Look forward to making some $$ together.
… (2 comments)

Real Estate is about people, not money! Part 2 - 06:04 PM
Today I met with another pre-foreclosure Seller. I sure am getting a lot of these lately. Anyway, I spoke with this gentleman yesterday and could tell he was really stressed out. Life had dealt him a bad hand this year, health wise, and he has found himself disabled and unable to make mortgage payments. In fact he hasn’t made any for 5 months. His wife has just started back to work, so they are now in a position to start making payments, again. So that’s a good thing.
I’m writing this post to bring to your attention “predatory lenders” and how they … (32 comments)

Long Cold Winter for Real Estate Professionals in Slow Markets - 11:12 PM
Dear Real Estate Professionals:
I wanted to share a true story from today which will lead me into this blog about a long cold winter for real estate professionals in slow markets.  I have a few brokerage accounts/investment accounts where I keep some of my liquids assets and trade stocks every so often.  I noticed I took $10,000 out of one of my accounts http://www.Scottrade.com and it was only for the reason of putting it into my active Checking account with Peoples Bank http://www.Peoples.com which is one of the major banks here in the State of Connecticut http://www.state.ct.us
Are you a … (10 comments)

Online cowmunities - it's just the beginning... - 10:37 PM
You never know where these things can lead... 
For many of us (those of us that are old in Internet years) our first experiences with online communities came from Prodigy, AOL or Compuserve and the forums that they offered. But, except for getting specific information, they never really grabbed my attention.
What hooked me on developing online relationships with people was Usenet, obviously this was long before Google Groups (which is an extension of the old DejaNews  Usenet archive) My ISP had their own group and I could get on there to ask questions of other users and the folks that worked there. We developed some … (11 comments)

Does it belong in the listing remarks? - 11:15 PM
OK. So the house is a dog, it needs decorating and updating and the seller's don't want/or won't to do it. The avocado appliances still work and were "top of the line", the harvest gold stool was the envy of the neighborhood...
Do you add an allowance (yawn!) to the verbage of the listing? as in "$4,000 carpet allowance!" 
I don't.
Seems to me that's best left to advertise once you've suc... um... "enticed" the buyer into the house. Why scare them away prematurely?  
Actually my philosophy is to get them to make the changes... but if I should them to be unyielding... I'll usually advertise an … (40 comments)

More on Google's Supplemental Index (Yellow Band/Secondary Index) - 11:59 PM
In case you missed it, there was a good debate ongoing in the numerous comments of a recent blog post by Mary McKnight. The debate closed in on a basic question -
Is there more than one class of index in Google?
And if so, if you have a larger percentage of pages in the "secondary index", would it affect content discoverability? The answer is clearly yes - read on.
I've done a little more research and found that the idea of a yellow band (as coined by Mary), and secondary index (as suggested by me) is more commonly known as the "supplemental index".
"Hey, pages … (1 comments)

Lynnwood Townhomes - 08:17 PM
Alder Ridge Townhomes is located in Lynnwood Washington on the East side of I-5 off of 164th & 35th avenue. It is a community comprised of 12 townhomes that share a community play area. They are being built by Haack Brothers Homes who have a reputation for quality in Snohomish County.
View ListingPrice - $339,000Amenities - complete list
1,754 sq/ft3 Bedrooms + Bonus room2.5 Bathrooms2 car garageStainless appliancesNatural gasTile counter tops (kitchen & bath)Hardy Plank siding30 year roofOne of the greatest attributes of Alder Ridge is its location Lynnwood Washington. Being centrally located, commuters now don't have to compromise living in a new home and having long … (0 comments)

Washington's Ski Resorts - 09:50 PM
These past few mornings, Old Man Winter has made his presence felt with the frost on the ground and the evenings getting down into the 20s. If you are you like me this is a very exciting time because this means the Cascade Mountains are going to be seeing loads of of snow.
Last year was a great year and I had the chance to go to Whistler with 18 friends for a ski weekend. The weekend was epic from cabin, to the village and days of skiing in powder that was to deep to measure. All I know is there … (1 comments)

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