Archives of real estate blog entries for August 25, 2006

Featured blog posts


Active Rain Contests? - 09:22 PM
Ben brought up a cool idea in his comment he posted in my last blog, Customizing the Profile Page. Ben proposed, if I may go so far as, that Active Rain should hold a prettiest profile page. I think it is brilliant idea myself and worth exploring.
Contests have always been good ways to show support to people/profiles that have contributed in unique ways while encouraging involvement and innovation. Contest also give back to the people who have taken the time to contribute to the network. I have seen contest run, on network sites by people but never by the host … (12 comments)

Buyers Cry with Happiness - 06:06 AM
I have been working with these Buyers who we`ve made numerous offers to purchase.They have been looking for almost 6 months! Many times, the Sellers weren`t willing to contribute towards closing costs. Other times, someone out bid our client.
Through it all they remained loyal to me and understood that I was trying to make it happen. When we finally executed a contract the Buyers were very Happy! I told them that until appraisals and inspections are completed we`re still a long way away!
Six weeks later we closed yesterday, The Lawyer went over the HUD, the keys were given to … (13 comments)

Home Inspectors and Their Lack of Real Estate Social Skills - 01:16 AM
Over the years I have had the opportunity to be at many home inspections other than ones that I was performing and they were both excellent learning opportunities and amusing...
Some home inspectors don't quite understand how to ... "communicate".
One time I was at an inspection and this other inspection company was there peforming the home inspection.  This inspection was a "double team"--two inspectors.  For the first fourty five minutes, one of the inspectors was on the outside of the house just banging on the siding.  I don't know what the heck he was doing--looking for decay, I suppose.  The house was … (8 comments)


Blog posts


Now more scripts in displayed content - 12:04 PM
Sorry guys... I know I just broke a lot of blog profile things (for people who had weather, etc. displayed below their profile in blog listings).   We had to do discontinue allowing javascript in any fields displayed after an attack this morning.  Which means you won't be able to do stuff like the weather displays.
If you're doing anything with <script> in your postings, descriptions, pretty much anything you enter that get's displayed it's going to be broken now.  Unfortunately, allowing this kind of thing allows loosers to hijack our site by redirecting to another site.  
… (5 comments)

Jumping Ship..........? - 04:59 PM
As I was heading over to the Seattle Mariners game yesterday with one of my oldest and dearest friends, he confided in me that he was a bit ashamed. You see, the Mariners are on the verge of losing 90 games for the third straight year. This level of futility has not been seen from them (even though all of the 80's and early 90's were miserable) since their first three years as an expansion team in '77-'80. My friend's shame stemmed from the fact that he wasn't going to the game to watch the Mariners, instead he was going to … (2 comments)

Minneapolis Planning To Sell Parking Ramps - 10:32 PM
Anybody need a parking spot?  Minneapolis has 6,761 for sale.  There are eight ramps up for sale in the heart of the city.  They are the St. Anthony, Loring, Gateway, Seven Corners, Centre Village, Courthouse, Downtown East and Riverfront ramps.
Minneapolis thinks that some of the ramp locations will be ideal for redevelopment while others will probably remain as parking ramps.  I wonder how many parking spots will be lost and how it will effect the parking downtown?
You can read the full story below:
http://www.startribune.com/535/story/636798.html
… (0 comments)

Storm Damage - 11:09 PM
The early reports are coming in with estimates of $20 million in damage from our storms yesterday. 
Unfortunately there will be unscrupulous contractors out there looking to take advantage of people.  Here is a list of things to do to help protect yourself from fraudulent home repair contractors.
*Check the Department of Commerce website or call 1-800-657-3978 to see if the contractor has a valid license to do business in Minnesota.  You may even want to check with your city to see if they also have a licensing requirement.
*Check references and compare bids.  Take a look at work the company has done … (0 comments)

Signs of Home Repair Scams - 11:16 PM
There are some things that you can look for to help protect yourself from Home Repair Scams.
*Door to door salespeople offering to do repairs more cheaply because they have leftover supplies from another job.
*High pressure sales tactics to get you to sign a contract quickly.
*Not providing a written estimate of work to be done, contract or references.
*Asking for a large downpayment.
For additonal information on hiring a contractor you can check out the publication entitled Hiring a Residential Contractor at the Minnesota Department of Commerce or the Attorney General office.
… (1 comments)

Texas Gas Prices down again! - 08:13 AM
For the second straight week, gas prices have come down.  The Texas average is down $0.08 to $2.80 for regular.  The national average was down $0.07 to $2.91 a gallon.
Corpus Christi wins again with the lowest prices in the state, down $0.11 to $2.64 a gallon for regular.
I'm seeing more and more stations at $2.69 which is a good thing.  I plays "Tour Guide" for the first time yesterday.  Four hours of just driving around with these out of state buyers so they could see what the different cities have to offer.  We're so spread out here in the Dallas area, that … (0 comments)

Reward up to $50K for Builder Saleswoman - 08:24 AM
Back in July, a Builder's rep was murders in a model home, stabbed 27 times.  There is a reward being offered and it keeps going up and up as people are eliminated as suspects and more information turns into nothing.
The theory goes back and forth as to whether or not she knew her attacker.  First, they were saying it was a crime of passion so she had to know him/her.  Then they were saying the motive could have been robbery gone bad since she's missing a watch that she was wearing during bank footage earlier that day.
I spoke with the police … (0 comments)

Dallas Real Estate- Richardson's Telecom Corridor - 08:36 AM
I've been in the Dallas area since 1984.  I grew up in Richardson, went to college in Arlington, then moved to Lewisville, Far North Dallas, then to Sachse, and now I've come full circle and have been back in Richardson almost a year.
Richardson has always been known as the "Telecom Corrdor" because there are so many telecom companies right off the main highway, Central 75.  You had Nortell, SBC now AT&T, Ericcson, and many more.  Over the past few years, since telecom kinda went bust, we've had new tenants move in.
Back in 2003, there was over 7 million sqft vacant and ready … (0 comments)

It is of course all about me! - 04:13 PM
Interesting question posed here. Personally I see social networks and professional networks as places that can only bring benefit to an individual. Me for example - right now I have access to a truly wonderful investment opportunity. Not many know about it; it's not on my website apart from through a back door; and I am a master broker for the community. I have my own money on the table (so clearly I believe in it) and if any agents with investors come to this project through me they will make 5% - but they will have to pay me 1% … (1 comments)

More on St Joe! - 04:18 PM

So here I am on the air at 540 WFLA in Orlando on my weekend show - The Home Team - which airs every Sunday at 11am Eastern and can be heard online with streaming through www.540wfla.com
Today I was a guest on the drive Time Bud Heddinger Live afternoon show on the same radio station talking about these St Joseph statues of all things. My advice is simple - if it makes you Mr and Mrs seller happy to try it then please go for it. If your REALTOR suggests it, then I'm afraid they have run out of ideas and … (0 comments)

Selling homes in quiet markets - 04:40 PM
Here in Orlando we now have almost 20,000 listings across just two counties - these are record numbers and makes this the absolute best time there has ever been in Central florida to be a buyer. But what if you are a seller? How do you make your home stand out from the crowd?
People have been trying all kinds of incentives, but to be honest at the end of the day it comes down to price in the local market conditions and presentation of the home. Get rid of the clutter is the number one thing I tell my sellers … (0 comments)

"If Walls Could Talk" comes to New Hampshire! - 10:13 AM
The HGTV weekly series, "If Walls Could Talk", which airs on Sundays, is coming to New Hampshire.  This popular series films homes with unusual stories and interesting pasts.  The show is now in its 8th season and it highlights new homeowners who make surprising historical discoveries about their homes as they explore and restore them.  Some recent stories include a Connecticut family who find a mysterious locked cabinet in their 1800's Victorian, a couple who remodel a turn of the century bank into a home and in the process find locked saftey deposit boxes and a New York man who finds out his 100 year old … (0 comments)

Not your "run of the mill" listing... - 11:28 AM
Here's an interesting one and I hope ya'll can help...
I've got an older gentleman I've been working with for roughly a month as a possible listing. He lives by himself with his dogs and birds and other animals. Due to the passing of his mother, he has inherited a house that he has been living in for almost a year. Without getting too much into the details, his financial situation has called for him to either sell the home or stay and refinance a current reverse mortgage.
The home, in my opinion, cannot be sold as it currently is.
When I say wall to … (5 comments)

Laguna Niguel Real Estate - This Weeks Featured City - 12:18 PM
Beautiful Laguna Niguel is located in South Orange County, just minutes from the Pacific Ocean, south of Newport Beach and North of Dana Point.
Living in Laguna Niguel gives you the best of both worlds. If you enjoy living near the beach with the cool ocean breezes and being in a great family community with lots of recreation facilities, this is the place for you. Driving through Laguna Niguel gives you a sense-of-home feeling, seeing the children playing at the parks and the families riding their bikes along the trails.
The nature of Laguna Niguel real estate ranges from lush hillside to picture-perfect … (0 comments)

The Answer is: Bowling Shirts - Yes, Bow Ties - No - 04:08 PM
 
The question is: What can you buy tax free in Maryland through Sunday, August 27?If you have kids going back to school and wanting new clothes, or maybe you are watching the Fall Clearance sales, then this is the time to head to the mall. From the 23rd through the 27th, Maryland is giving shoppers a break - no sales tax on clothes and shoes! The break applies to items priced under $100 and covers things like jackets, shirts, sweaters, pants, and socks. You still have to pay the tax on accessories like handbags, jewelry, and ties, but there's no limit … (1 comments)

Strength of relationships! - 04:48 PM
I did a short blog on August 22 about being quoted in the Wall Street Journal! The online article was "Make Me an Offer: Buying Unlisted Homes", and the reporter, Bob Hagarty, wrote about creative ways we use to find homes for buyers.This is an example of the strength of relationships in this wonderful business.  My good friend and fellow CyberStarTM in Berkeley, California, Ira Serkes made the connection. Hagerty heard Ira's presentation at the Inman Real Estate Convention back in January. When he called Ira for this article, Ira gave Hagerty my name as another source. And the result was the both of … (2 comments)

Body Language - 04:14 PM
Body Language conveys so much information and when it seems to be contradicting what is being said it can leave you feeling a little uncertain.  As much as we like to do things on the net and over the phone sometimes there is no better reason than to watch the body language face to face.  You can pick up on the gestures and the observations especially facial expressions to really see the comfort zone of some people. 
We are coming up on a rather large closing and the customer wanted an extension.  After a face to face meeting we agreed but … (0 comments)

Neurolinguistic behaviors.. - 04:31 PM
I first learned about this from Josh Barker many years ago at a NAR convention.  At first it seem a bit over my head but when I got back I tried some of the things he discussed and have to admit it made me smile.
Basically it helps you establish rapport with the people you are with by mirroring their body language, If you are sitting across from someone who has their arms crossed and leaning forward you do the same thing.  The more they open up so do you.  If they use hand gestures to verbalize ideas you respond with very … (2 comments)

How to use action words.. - 04:43 PM
There are some very specific words that help us learn more about a person's orientation and thus help us build rapport on a more personal level.  It is best to not to jump to conclusions and listen for what they are saying, look for themes or styles. 
Someone visual will use words like analyze, look, notice, examine, focus, idea, watch, observe, picture, see, survey.  This person will respond well to a phrase like wow look at this living room can you just see the Christmas tree over there at the holiday time.
Auditory will use words like announce, articulate, pronounce, remark, report, … (0 comments)

Help! My "thingie" is unprotected! - 06:49 AM
Ok, now that I have your attention, I need some help. I have just uninstalled all AOL components from my computer. I had AOL .9 SE, but it was really causing me problems with speed, so decided to get it off my computer. I only used AOL for mail anyway so now just check it at AOL.com. Much better. My computer is much faster.
I have a Gateway Tablet with wireless DSL from Verizon and use Internet Explorer. My problem is I am now unprotected. I have a firewall but no Anti-virus.
I don't want to load more than I need. Any … (26 comments)

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