Archives of real estate blog entries for September 13, 2006 (Page 2)

Blog posts


Sounder Commuter Train - Passengers in for Real Surprise - 01:04 AM
In this age of too many cars on the roads we now have commuter train service from the outlying areas to downtown Seattle. This new commodity called the Sounder runs on the Burlington-Northern Rail tracks which follow the waterway.  There are multi-million dollar communities along with path where beautiful homes have the rail road tracks in their front yards separating them from the water's edge. We call it a status symbol, view, beach access you get train tracks.
However, what the riders of the Sounder didn't plan on was driving thru a community called Woodway where there is a secluded beach. Now … (2 comments)

Seattle Weather - 10:52 AM
Ok, all this talk about an AR get together in Seattle sounds fun. However, someone did "flip a switch" and it seems winter has set in. After a glorious summer of 75 and sunny, the weatherman is predicting 60 degrees and rain for the next 10 days. So you "sun bunnies" that want to come play with us will have to deal with what we dish out when you're here. The good news is, stick around, because the weather changes at the spin of your head.
However, we are very proud of our city and all it has to offer. Mountains to … (4 comments)

Fear Factors - 09:43 AM
Certain innate fears affect the way we work and live our lives.  Some people find themselves paralyzed with fear while others appear to be fearless. On the job we may be not manifest these fears, because we simply avoid them.  I realized an unknown fear once while showing a loft located on the 9th floor of a building.  I stepped out onto the balcony only to discover it had an open grated floor.  As I looked down to the sidewalk below, my knees nearly gave way to the sinking of my stomach.  Whew!  I jumped back to solid ground inside faster than … (6 comments)

A Buyer's Dilemma - 10:29 PM
My current buyers are relocating to Denver from an another State.  Where they come from costs far less for housing.  Lucky for me and them, they are very realistic about their housing expectations. The transition has been difficult and all the while they have approached it with logic and reality.
Now we have the choices limited to two homes.  The homes are as different as night and day.  One is perfect and the other is a fixer.  They are both in the area's best school district.
The fixer has more potential, a bigger footprint and a larger yard.  Given time and effort, it … (16 comments)

Leaving on a jetplane... - 11:08 PM
The countdown begins, 6 days until I leave town and I'm as busy as I can be.
Two buyers deciding, two listings awaiting, 2 new personal referrals today, a CE class and then there are the webleads.  Geeze, where were  they all two weeks ago?
What law of nature requires the a feeding frenzy of business when I'm trying to get out of town?
Is it just me or does everyone have this problem.  Buying airline tickets is good for business.  Why doesn't the airline industry promote this theory?
… (13 comments)

Tag Map for AR Member Blogs? - 10:31 PM
Last night I was asking a friend to help me with a real estate blog topic because my mind was blank. He rightly pointed out that I have writers block but offered a brilliant suggestion; look at what is already being done and how can it be improved. Not giving me a specific topic I still felt constrained but then it clicked. A while back I blogged on the excessive use of tagging an the light bulb turned on.
Tagging has become an effective way to categorize blog post but most of the time there are only one post per tag. That … (10 comments)

Interesting Blob Articles On ActiveRain - 12:52 AM
Trends: Comparing Today vs. 55 years Ago:http://activerain.com/blogsview/What-Housing-Bubble-?8083Comparing Gas Prices In Your Area   [See also my article, "Driving Down Auto. Costs" for link]http://activerain.com/blogsview/Are-you-getting-the-best-price-for-gas-in-your-area-?8755Home Showing Checklist:http://activerain.com/blogsview/Home-showing-checklist-?7263Mortgage Rates - A Little Persepctive (30 Year Fixed Rates Charted)http://activerain.com/blogsview/Mortgage-Rates-A-Little-Perspective?9201 List Your Business In Google Mapshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/List-Your-Business-in-Google-Maps-?6702List Your Busines In Yahoo Localhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Yahoo-Local?6877Using Google Trendshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Using-Google-Trends?6317Keeping In Touchhttp://activerain.com/blogsview//blogsview/Keeping-in-Touch?8815Script: The French-Fry Maker  (or How Long Is The Contract?)http://activerain.com/blogsview/Favorite-Script-The-French-Fry-Maker?7971Don't Do It and Keep Your Sellers Happy:http://activerain.com/blogsview/Don-t-do-it-and-keep-your-sellers-happy-too-?5960Listing Agreement Tipshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Listing-Agreement-Tips?6937Listening Presentationshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Make-your-listing-presentation-a-listening-presentation?1203Lock and Load, Baby!  Let's Talk About Listing Presentationshttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Lock-and-load-baby-?8503Glue That Phone In Your Ear!    Keeping Sellers Happy In A Slow Markethttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Glue-that-phone-to-your-ear-?9332 Don't Call Me After 8pm.   Time Managementhttp://activerain.com/blogsview/Please-don-t-call-me-after-8pm?7963Get Your Sign Out Of The Tree   (Example of How … (0 comments)

Guide To Real Estate Research Centers, Statistics and More - 09:22 AM
The NAR has a wealth of information that is available online.  Some of it is available to the general public, other areas are for NAR members only and require you to login to access.The NAR provides a Directory of Real Estate Research Centers (Field Guide) which appears to not require any login to access:As NAR states, "Now we are providing members with alternate resources to assist in their success. Various academic institutions and independent organizations around the U.S. have established research centers to study real estate-related issues and trends. These resources include state and local association library/research sources, as well as Internet sites. The [Directory … (1 comments)

NAR Testified Before Banking Committee On Housing Market - 05:21 PM
The NAR testified before the Senate Banking Committee today as part of the Committee's hearing on the economy.  The following points were presented by NAR about the national housing market...1. Housing prices will continue to fall through the rest of 2006. (though limited)2. We are transitioning through a buyer's market as we adjust toward a more balanced market between sellers and buyers.3. Home prices were still appreciating slightly (less than 1%) up until recently.4. A third of county (by population) is still experiencing rising prices.5. The states that saw the greatest increases in home prices over recent years are now showing the greatest drop in sales.6. There is … (1 comments)

One Red Paperclip for A House - 11:08 PM
I had first heard of Kyle MacDonald, a Canadian, and his blog site called, oneredpaperclip.com, in which he was recording his journey as he attempted to trade up from one red paperclip to a house, at the beginning of this year.  By then he had already traded up to a Ford F-350 paneled truck.  Eventually I forgot about it, until I happened to come across an old blog post where I mentioned about the journey that Kyle had undertaken.  I was curious to know how it turned out, so I clicked on his link and was happy to find that during July, 2006, … (1 comments)

Where do you live? What's your life expectancy? - 08:31 AM
I just read an article about where you live and how that effects your life expectancy.  I found it really interesting to read how the numbers came out.  Income didn't necessarily play a role in this study, although it would have to to some degree, but overall location was seemed to be the key.
Here's a link to the map of the country that was put out with the article, and you can get to the article just below the map.  Put your cursor over your state, or any other state of interest, click on it and you'll see the life expectancy … (4 comments)

Learning to be an Expert... - 07:23 PM
                               The more I do this job, the more I think about what it is to be an "expert."  Nobody knows it all, but those who know the right answers to the right questions earn the title of expert.  How can you do that?  Most people who are in roughly the same demographic will have roughly the same questions.  So, ask them what questions they have.  Then, develop a coherent answer to every one of those questions and, viola!  You're perceived as an expert. 
It doesn't necessarily have to be true (that you're an expert) if you have a good support … (7 comments)

Thinking of Investing? Aim for Mid 2007 - 07:57 PM
 rismedia.com ran an article about the current downtrend in home sales and housing production today.  According to the National Association of Homebuilders, the market should bottom out around mid 2007, and then slowly begin the long trek up the mountain towards the trends of the last two years.  What does that tell the saavy investor?
Wait in April or May of 2007 and start hunting for houses.  Buy something that needs a little work in the slightly depressed market and fix it up.  Live in it for two years, and sell it when the market swings back towards the sellers.  Should make for … (5 comments)

Thinking of making a claim on your homeowners insurance? - 02:26 PM
What happens when a simple phone call to your insurance agent ends up as a claim against your insurance policy?
It happened to one Austin woman.
Lory Donett says she recently found herself at risk of losing her home, over this homeowners' policy snafu.
Open blue sky is what Donett can see now that a towering hackberry tree is gone from her yard. Last August as Hurricane Rita threatened Texas, Donett called her State Farm insurance agent to ask about cutting the tree down. She says the simple question about the tree is now reflected as a claim against her insurance … (1 comments)

Weatherstripping / Faulty or older windows / Higher utility bills - 02:41 PM
In older houses, faulty windows can account for a third of the total heat loss in winter and as much as 75 percent of interior heat gain in summer. Look for the following telltale signs that a window has lost its effectiveness:
Stand inside your house on a windy day with a lit candle near the window's operative edge. If the flame flickers or goes out, your weather stripping might be damaged. During the winter, if a window develops ice buildup or a frosty glaze on the interior of the pane, the ventilation in your home may not be adequate. Another possibility … (0 comments)

Handy Tips... - 02:47 PM
How many of these did you know about?A sealed envelope - put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm...)===================== =======================Use empty toilet paper rolls to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.=================================================For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (Wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)=================================================To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, … (3 comments)

Reverse Mortgages - 04:09 PM
At my office here in torrance california i have had quite a few clients call and ask for a reverse mortgage. Before i continue with the processing of the transaction  i explain the product to them in great detail. This is a great product if it is used properly
LOs inside and outside california are you starting to get more apps for reverse mortgages? If so how many of those are you closing? I appreciate your input
… (5 comments)

Leads - 04:19 PM
 This goes out to all of the LOs and Real  Estate Agents What lead companies do you all prefer? Here at my office we purchase leads on a regular basis. We get lending trees live transfer leads, lower my bills , really great rates and nexttag...........................
What lead sources work the best for your company the live transfer or the paper leads?
… (9 comments)

Is it time to just stop doing what you need to.....? - 08:29 PM
Have you had a tough day? No-one says,"Yes" to your real estate inquiries......no expireds are saying,"Yes" to you listing their home....no listings you have are selling......the loan you thought was going to get funded didn't......no buyers are buying......
Persistance is the key...not every day will be roses and champagine......the mundane things we do from day to day count so much more than the closings or the commissions........calling those expireds.... talking to everyone you know about real estate....making networking calls to great loan officers (Nima, for example), making out those MLS forms, inputting listings into websites, catching up on links to your websites … (4 comments)

Thanks for the Photos - 12:33 AM

Thanks to the latest Active Rain upgrade, photos are easy to insert, without going through a third party. This is the photo that should have gone with a recent blog of mine.
Photos make such a difference to a blog, and illustrate a point so well. It's been a pain to upload through a third party site, and I'm ever so grateful to AR for making it easy to upload directly. 
… (1 comments)

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