Archives of real estate blog entries for September 26, 2006

Featured blog posts


Good news across the wire for real estate professionals - 01:07 PM
 It looks like bonds are giving back from their gains after weaker housing figures have shown that the Fed's latest onlsaught of rate hikes has taken a toll on the economy as a whole. The Fed has always seemed to over-hike rates in expectation of counteracting inflation.
This would indicate that rate decreases may be in the near future (early 2007) which will then initiate an increase in refinance and purchase business.
The 10-Year T-Note is currently showing a 4.5% yield which is .75% below the Funds rate. Sounds like those of you who are building your pipelines with listings and buyers will … (9 comments)

Giving Away the Farm - 12:48 PM
Ever have a buyer or seller express frustration over not being able to "talk" to the other party?  Occasionally, I have to remind my sellers it's not a good idea to be present during a showing, because you just don't want to let something slip to the "other side."
My sellers, as smart as they are, don't believe they would be so foolish to let "the other side" know personal motives.  But I know better...
As a showing agent, it's very easy to get a seller to talk.  In fact sellers they stay at home are usually very chatty wanting to make a … (22 comments)

Dare to be Different vs. Don't reinvent the wheel - 12:34 PM
Years ago a friend lent me a book in which I was able to enjoy the Robert Kiyosaki's parable of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". It particularly hit home with me and my father. I've always kind of done things "different" from the way he would've preferred. He definitely preached the "go to school, get a degree, get a job".
Throughout my reading, I also recalled the other very common saying I've heard over and over "Don't try to reinvent the wheel." Although, I admit to seeing the logic in both of these teachings, I have a hard time just following them.
Something … (14 comments)

Yet another resource to promote your listings - 12:16 PM
We all know that blogging is a great way to get additional exposure to your real estate practice.  However, very few of us a leveraging the RSS (really simple syndication) component of blogging systems to make your blog updates and listings syndicated for other sites.  As an example, we at 4MySales.com have just recently started placing our blog RSS link on a number of syndicated real estate search engines and are getting great results.     One of the search engines that I found this weekend which may prove to be a great resource is RealtyFeedSearch.com.  The website allows real estate agents to … (9 comments)

An interesting article from NAR - 11:51 AM
Recently the National Association of Realtors reported that "The percentage of first-time homebuyers under age 25 has been increasing in response to historically low interest rates and continued confidence in the long-term housing market, from 11 percent in 2001 to 14 percent in 2005, according to the 2005 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers."  The article goes on to say that the percentage of single women purchasing homes has increased "from 14 percent in 1995 to 21 percent today".
http://www.searchhomeskansascity.com/http://www.realestateforspecialneeds.com.
… (2 comments)

Not all Radon Test Results Are Valid Indicators of a Problem - 09:58 AM
Radon Gas is everywhere. It becomes a problem only when it seeps into a home and collects into an un-disbursed concentration greater than 4.0 pCi/L for an extended period of time. The fix is usually fairly easy and typically cost $750-$1,000 (in our area) to install a monitor and fan-ejection system to draw the gas out from under the foundation and safely eject it from the home.
There are many radon tests administered that do not have long-term validity. Specifically, they have found that if a home is vacant for longer than a month, you will typically have a radon … (2 comments)

Sellsius 101 - Blogoff - Round 4 - 03:14 PM
 END OF ROUND 4
11:48 My Time - Ok so I was getting a little stir crazy there, long story short, I had to delete some stuff that I posted.  Thanks to Sellsius for the Rocky clip that put me back on the right track.
11:21 M.T. - Ardell #70 Who represents whom
                            #69 Real Estate Commissions and Redfin
10:55 M.T. - Ardell #68 What's the difference between Closing Costs and Prepaids...Your Earnest Money Deposit if you don't figure it out real fast! HA! HA!
                            #67 A funny for Property Managers.  
                            #66 The real estate developer and the frog
                            #65 Write this kid a story.  "a clean … (5 comments)

Super hero? I don't think so! - 02:22 PM
What do you do for a living? I am sure we all have been asked that question many times. How do you answer? Normally, I say something like “I’m a Real Estate Broker, I list and sell houses”. And I think that covers it all. But does it really? Is that all I am? “A Real Estate Broker, who list and sells houses." If so, then I must say, I am a sad individual. Real Estate, to me, is so much more than that.
Kristal Kraft wrote a post yesterday, referring to us as “Super heroes”. And you know, I like … (9 comments)

Offline Contact Relationship Management Software for Real Estate Professionals - 06:45 PM
Susan Milner was kind enough to bring up the topic of CRM or Contact Relationship Management in her blog today, so I thought I would give you some of the offline options that are available to you if you're one of those folks who doesn't like having their client information sitting out there online in a strange, unfamiliar world. 
Before I go into this though, I would like to thank Christian Real Estate Network for allowing me to have my geeky side!  For those who don’t know me, I’m a recovering Network Administrator (MSCE, severe Geek!).  So… let’s look at some of … (12 comments)

What's a "low ball" offer to you? - 05:59 PM
Our market has changed like many of those across the country. We are looking at longer market times and with winter fast approaching homes could easily sit until next March or April at this point.
I just put in an offer on a property that has been on the market since 05/21/06. The property was originally listed for $415k and was recently reduced to $405k. The seller will not look at offers that have a home sale contingency even though this is a move up type of home, 2200 sq ft in an expensive subdivision for that town.
Now I happen to have … (84 comments)

Selling a home? Hop on the Cluetrain... - 10:54 AM
When the market is flooded with homes for sale, builders are giving away bonuses beyond belief and your listing agent calls to set a showing, read this:
Don't play "let's make a deal with the showing time. ~ Yes, you have a life, but we have a schedule.  Help us out here, we have a short window to look at homes, don't upset it by trying to tailor it to your needs.Clean up the place.  Better yet, keep it clean all the time, it's a little more work but less stress in the long run.Don't smoke inside.  IF you do smoke do it outside … (12 comments)

Loopnet Needs Love Too: the best commercial real estate website - 10:15 AM
With so much talk about real estate 2.0 and new websites such as Trulia, Zillow, Redfin, et al...it seems everyone is overlooking commercial real estate and in particular the 10 year company LoopNet, Inc. www.loopnet.com is the best website for commercial real estate in terms of usability, functionality, and affordability. As a member and frequent user of Loopnet.com, I am excited to see the service gaining users and recognition.National Real Estate Investor recently wrote:"Online information service LoopNet, Inc. observed a significant milestone last month when it officially exceeded 1.5 million registered members on Aug. 13th.LoopNet hit one million members last October. … (9 comments)

What's broken with the conventional real estate brokerage model? - 09:48 PM
Here's my 2 cents on why the conventional real estate brokerage model isn't optimal: independent agents who are allowed to take listings at unrealistic list prices.  Agents aren't required to have the tough discussions with prospective sellers.  If the seller demands a specific list price, some agents have learned from competitive necessity to balance tough discussion with doing what the seller wants.  Some agents have been highly successful taking every listing regardless of the list price demanded by the client. But in my opinion it sends many wrong messages to the sellers individually and as an industry.  If the agents are … (19 comments)

"Hello, Is Anyone Home" - 03:07 PM
Is it growing pains in Active Rain? Do I like it? I'm not sure.
 Don't know if it's just me, but I've been noticing less comments on blogs and more and more blogs posted. Don't get me wrong, encouraging new members and new member blogs is great. However, are we diluting ourselves?
Any solutions to segregating the blogs by group - i.e., newer members (less than a month) and "seasoned rainers", those of us that have been here from the beginning - or maybe separate by state?
I feel like I'm getting "lost in blog world", I certainly comment on more than my … (38 comments)

Prospecting... - 01:54 PM
Hello All,
I love being able to use this tool to get excellent advice and I also want to say thank you for all of the support that I have received thus far.  With all of pleasantries out of the way, I do have a question...
Do you set time aside to go out prospecting?  When out prospecting, do you dress for the occaision?  The reason why I ask is because I work out at a gym (expecting my first little one, a boy ;-)) and I do not feel comfortable passing out business in sweats or in my shorts.  It just doesn't … (23 comments)

What are your criteria for adding an Associate? - 05:10 PM
I was checking out profiles to see if anyone has jazzed up their profiles yet when I started thinking about associates.  Some members have a LOT, while others only have a few or don't have any at all. Its a fact that the higher you rank in the directory, the better you chances are to have more associates. But then I started thinking, what are the criteria members are using when they decide to add someone as an associate, other than the obvious ones like you have known that person before, ergo you would automatically add them. I also was wondering if anyone … (30 comments)

Database management - 03:30 PM
I am wondering what, if anything, all of you use for contact management.
I currently use Outlook Express. I have also purchased AgentOffice & have experimented with Top Producer as well.
I find them both to be good tools but I am still happy with my simple outlook.
Today a salesperson from Top Producer was at our office after our sales meeting. She went over the benefits & ease of use for Top Producer. It sounds great but I have 2 major concerns with it.
The first being that it's online & being that all of your hard work of obtaining these clients & leads are going there. The reason … (29 comments)

Celebrating My 2 Month Addiction to Active Rain! - 10:49 AM
As I sit here & remember my first day on Active Rain I smile. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was July 27th & I was sitting in a hotel room in Georgia. My husband had an overnight meeting in Georgia & asked me to join him. He tempted me by bringing his brand new laptop computer. He got up early & left for his meeting. I saw a sign that the hotel had wireless internet, opened up the laptop & fiddled around with it a few minutes & was up & running on the web.
At first I checked my eBay, … (17 comments)

T-shirt design due tomorrow!!! - 10:13 PM
Hey everyone don't forget the deadline for getting your designs in for the AR t-shirt is tomorrow.  I just remembered and quickly put 2 together.  Just wanted to remind everyone so you don't get left out.  Hopefully we will be able to have a winner in the next few days.  Thanks.  SC … (4 comments)


Blog posts


I AM NOT A NERD--BUT THERE IS HELP FOR FOLKS LIKE ME! - 09:30 AM

I am the "help" folks’ worst nightmare—really don’t mean to be, just am.  In my home office I have a desk top ME Millennium and beside it I have a new lap-top.  On Saturday, I was busy sending out listings from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (from my lap-top and it gives me some note about it being time to update—so I hit update.  Well, then my MLS would no longer work.  I spent 1 ½ hours with “help” trying to get this fixed.   MSN Help ended up putting me back to an older version.     On Sunday, I called one of my … (0 comments)

SOMEONE DOESN'T LIKE MY FACE, OH WELL! - 08:06 PM

I just received this message through Active Rain--the guy saw me as a "Featured Agent.":
You've received a contact message from your Contact Form on the ActiveRain network.
Message details: From: Roger Ramjet Email: roger.ramjet@wipertywiperton.co.uk Subject: Your Face
Is Rubbish!Never before, not even Herne Bay innit, Have I seen such a dried up, dired up, old vag for a faced woman. Next time you're in the UK look me up.The house I looked at was crap. You'll never sell that.Ha Ha Ha.Frosty (Ramjet)
This is the first time I have gotten slammed through the internet.  Any body going to the UK--look him up for me. … (2 comments)

#2 in Minnesota - 10:06 AM
Wow!  I thought I had a glitch in my computer. I saw Bonnie Erickson & Teresa Boardman rotating in and out at the #2 spot for Minnesota.  Then I realized they had the same point totals.  What are the chances of that? 
I'm dizzy now - I better sit down.
… (3 comments)

Dell's Hiring Is Good For The Austin Area Real Estate Market - 01:56 PM
Dell is hiring in the Austin area - not just hiring, but hiring for high paying positions.  By February of next year Dell expects to hire 500 additional engineers in Round Rock.  Round, Rock, a suburb of Austin to the north, absolutely exploded with growth when Dell located its headquarters there.  This new influx of engineers will add to the growth.  This is great news for the Austin/Round Rock real estate market. Highly paid people tend to purchase more expensive homes.
… (0 comments)

Blogging: Divide and be Conquered - 04:46 PM
A comment on one of Laurie's blog posts made think about this. The comment was "Also, your blogs are very good for say blogger.com, where you could start one prevalant to your area. Here on Active Rain, if you notice the "featured blogs" or the one's with most comments tend to be more general in nature, with ideas and tips on marketing, strategies, etc."
Hmmm...So that put means that local content doesn't belong on AR? Incorrect and actually if we ever want Active Rain to turn into a site that will actually help us generate leads it needs local content, not just … (7 comments)

Pricing your home - 05:43 PM
As a listing specialist one of the hardest thing to do is price a home correctly. List Price has become even more important now that the market has become softer. Price a home to high and it will cost sellers thousands in extra carrying costs and price it to low and you give it away and cost sellers thousands of dollars. Either mistake can be just as costly.
So a few points about pricing that a seller needs to understand:
For the rest of this post please visit "Pricing your Home" … (4 comments)

What's a "low ball" offer to you? - 05:59 PM
Our market has changed like many of those across the country. We are looking at longer market times and with winter fast approaching homes could easily sit until next March or April at this point.
I just put in an offer on a property that has been on the market since 05/21/06. The property was originally listed for $415k and was recently reduced to $405k. The seller will not look at offers that have a home sale contingency even though this is a move up type of home, 2200 sq ft in an expensive subdivision for that town.
Now I happen to have … (84 comments)

Bait and Switch or just Sleazy? - 04:53 PM
A condo conversion project here in Las Vegas has been advertising on the radio that they are offering buyers a great incentive, no fees or mortgage payments for one year on any condo in the community. So far so good. Strangely, the offer is listed on their webpage any more so one of the team members called them about it before bringing the client out.
The sales person there told her its only good if the client shows up without an agent. So if a consumer is willing to make the purchase without the protection of having their own agent represent … (4 comments)

What are your criteria for adding an Associate? - 05:10 PM
I was checking out profiles to see if anyone has jazzed up their profiles yet when I started thinking about associates.  Some members have a LOT, while others only have a few or don't have any at all. Its a fact that the higher you rank in the directory, the better you chances are to have more associates. But then I started thinking, what are the criteria members are using when they decide to add someone as an associate, other than the obvious ones like you have known that person before, ergo you would automatically add them. I also was wondering if anyone … (30 comments)

New Tech - 09:27 PM
I finally broke down and bought a new digital camera. I ended up buying an 8 megapixel Olympus model SP-350.  I LOVE it. It has 30 different picture modes and can take QUICK TIME movies with sound, which makes putting up a video podcast a breeze. The camera can take pictures up to 3264 by 2448 resolution.  It also comes with an auto flash, internal 25mb memory, 2.5 inch LCD screen, plus a slot for an additional flash memory card and a hot shoe.  You can even get a cover for it so you can take underwater pictures! Can you tell … (5 comments)

Rate This Post - 06:53 AM

OK, Rainers.  Do you guys use these little Radio Buttons when reading other members blogs?
Sometimes I'm really smart.  Sometimes I'm not.  From a user-interface point-of-view, the little buttons befuddle me.
If I check "UP" will the post physically move UP in the list of posts?  Hmmm.  Guess not.
And when I do check "UP" it just sits there.  My brain feels like checking "UP" should then be followed by clicking an "OK" or "submit" button, and that after I click "OK" or "submit" the screen should refresh.
And of course, no one would never, ever even think of checking "DOWN"
… (14 comments)

Is It Just Me Or... - 06:50 AM
 
 
Have your noticed yourself opening up to new ideas lately?  Has your perceptions about companies changed since joining Active Rain?   Or am I the only person out there that has seen a change?
I woke this morning thinking about it and I have noticed in myself that I had very strong opinions about x or y company as a whole and that was a result of my interactions with people in my community that work for those specific companies. 
Because of fellow Rainers, I am not as quick to judge a company as I am an individual member of that … (11 comments)

Isles of Capri - Market Update September 2006 - 08:27 AM
 
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided by Colleen Kulikowski, Realtor.  Colleen writes about the Florida lifestyle along with writing about the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Region of Western New York.   Read her Buffalo Niagara Real Estate & Home Sales report.  Colleen continues to maintain her two Florida blogs as well:  Celebration Florida Homes &  Marco Island Homes.
An avid writer and photographer Colleen Kulikowski utilizes these talents to assist her clients in achieving their Real Estate goals.   She grew up in Western NY and moved to the Metro NYC area in 1984 where she was a successful consultant in the technology field.   She has a diverse background including event … (0 comments)

A la mode Websites - 08:45 AM

For all of you that might have Agent Xsites as your website, I would love to share listings with you...  My site is www.ParadiseReport.com... I am slowly working on customizing it.  For the most part I am happy with it, but it was an excellent choice based on how much time I was going to have to devote to that aspect.  
If you are using the site how are you finding some of the enhancements.  I have had several issues including one that has them confused and working to resolve, but they have been most responsive.  
February 1, 2008 I dropped Agent … (0 comments)

NegAm Mortgages – A New Kind Of Car? Or The Legal Pillaging Of American Home Equity? - 06:42 AM
NegAm Mortgages – A New Kind Of Car? Or The Legal Pillaging Of American Home Equity?  What is "NegAm"? NegAm is short for Negative Amortization. This is what happens when for whatever reasons, the amount of your monthly payments do not cover all of the interest rate on your loan. The potion of the interest that is not covered is added to the remaining principal of the loan. This in turn, causes your loan amount to go up. It is even possible for you to owe more on your loan after several payments than you did when you first originally got … (0 comments)

VA Loan – Compare And Contrast - 06:44 AM
  The VA loan was originated in 1944 to help veterans purchase a home. It was first know as the GI Bill and allowed veterans to buy property without having to come up with a down payment. Because of this VA loan millions of families could now become homeowners. Any veterans qualifying for this loan are guaranteed a first time home. Other benefits of receiving a VA loan include having an interest rate that is negotiable. With a VA loan you are not required to have mortgage insurance and you have the right to prepay on the loan without receiving any penalties.   
A … (0 comments)

NIVA, SISA, NIV, SIVA: Some Acronyms Explained - 06:56 AM
 During the entire lending process you will find a number of acronyms used.  What do all of those letters that look like someone just let loose on a keyboard really mean, anyway?Here are a number of different yet common acronyms that you are likely to find used in the home buying and selling process.
AFD:  Stands for Agreement For Deed, what is agreed will be in the deedAPR: Annual Percentage Rate, the interest rate that is applied to the mortgage based on an annual application.
BOM: Back on Market, the home was placed back on market after having an offer accepted, an offer … (0 comments)

The Real Estate Market Status - 03:47 PM
The Gainesville real estate market is feeling the effects of the overall market trend for the state.  The Florida Association of Realtors said many markets reported higher inventory levels and a slowing pace of sales as buyers weighed more options. Some 14,736 single-family homes sold statewide in August, down from 22,421 in the same month last year. 
Sales of existing condos were down 41 percent, with 4,375 sales in August compared with 7,398 a year ago. The median price for condos was also stable, falling 2 percent from last August to $201,300.
Although the median sales price for single-family homes was … (0 comments)

What Sellers Should Know Before Selling Their Home! - 04:04 PM
I have just posted for all my readers a flash presentation of the selling process and all one should know before selling their home. This presentation walks you thru the selling process and answers a lot of questions you might have regarding the sell of ones home.  Stay tunned for a flash presentation for buyers.  … (2 comments)

USA Today - 12:11 PM
According to the article in the Money section of today's USA Today that "in order to bring buyers back into themarket, sellers simply have to lower their prices."  This plus all the other incentives we have been seeing is adding to the buyers market we seem to be steeped in at the moment.  Our board has over 19,800 listings when last year this time we had only about 4000.  It was also on the news this morning.  This kind of publicity you think would bring buyers out in droves to get a good deal.  Have you seen them in your markets?
… (2 comments)

Related links

New Members for 2006-09-26

 Archives:

30 Sep
29 Sep
28 Sep
27 Sep
26 Sep
25 Sep
24 Sep
23 Sep
22 Sep
21 Sep
20 Sep
19 Sep
18 Sep
17 Sep
16 Sep
15 Sep
14 Sep
13 Sep
12 Sep
11 Sep
10 Sep
9 Sep
8 Sep
7 Sep
6 Sep
5 Sep
4 Sep
3 Sep
2 Sep
1 Sep
August 2006