Archives of real estate blog entries for January 15, 2007 (Page 2)

Blog posts


Heavy Rains and Indianapolis - 07:49 PM
In the last few days our area has received a heavy amount of rain.  Fall Creek twists and turns throughout our area and others.  These are pictures from today on my way home from the office.  The news reports say that this could get worse and possibly freeze in the next few days.
 
 
Normally I would see horses out in this field.  (Sargent Rd & Lantern)
 
 
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Mold Isn't Always From A Leak! - 09:03 PM
As many of you know, Mold can kill a deal faster than anything depending on the beliefs of the buyer.  Often times a mold is caused from some sort of leak in the home.  The roof, the plumbing or a leak in the foundation area.
I once ran into a situation in an attic where there was too much insulation and it had been placed over the vents.  The attic could not breath and started to build up mold in one area.  Mold remediation did take care of the matter and as far as I know, it has not returned.  Also the … (2 comments)

What's In a Number...Now? - 03:25 PM
I've talked about numbers before, often. We always seem to be counting something in real estate – listings, days we've had a listing, showings, offers, sales, settlements, commissions.
Since joining this amazing group, I've counted ActiveRain's phenomenal growth to more than 8,000 real estate agents:
Active Rain Hits 1000 agents!
Active Rain hits 3000 Real Estate Agents!
7000 + Real Estate Agents on Active Rain
Active Rain is averaging 1000 Real Estate Agents Each Month!
And talked about some very special people # 1 on Active Rain!
Nima gave me Two Thumbs Up to Margaret Rome, I would give Three but I only have Two! … (15 comments)

The Osama Bin Laden Virus - 09:19 PM
Today from England a past client of ours sent us an e-mail to be on the look out for.  Mcafee is aware of it but does not have a cure yet.
 
The message comes with the heading Osama Bin Laden Hanged  or Osama Bin Laden Captured are in the title.  It would be tempting to open but BEWARE.
It has been distributed around the world mainly the USA and Israel.  The attachment called invitation should be avoided no matter who sends it to you.
It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which "burns" the whole hard disc C of your computer. … (6 comments)

Martin Luther King, rest in peace my brother. - 10:42 AM
Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King day. Where do I begin to write a post about this? First, I need to let you know that I grew up in the deep south as a son of a Lutheran Pastor. My formative years were the early sixties and during this time I lived all over Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina. Racism was alive and well in the little towns I grew up in. I can remember marching with MLK in Foley Alabama and the "good ole boys" throwing things at us and calling us names. The fact that we were white … (68 comments)

St. Augustine Market Update: Down 40% from this time last year - 09:58 AM
Hello Active Rain Friends,
I am on I-95 south heading toward Cape Canaveral for a little cruise vacation.
We stayed in St. Augustine last night and this morning we went on the beach to get some fresh air and take a picture or two.  I am with 5 of my friends down here.  We saw a lady riding her bike and she asked if we all wanted to be in the picture and we said yes.  She then saw my black Countrywide golf shirt and said I will even take your picture too, even though you work for Countrywide.  I was … (3 comments)

CMA- Deatached Single, Wheeling, IL - 03:54 PM
 
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The Queen of Refrigerator Crap - 10:12 AM

I just read the featured blog by Ardell DellaLoggia called Is your blog a wall calendar?.  In it, she mentions agents who send out refrigerator magnets.  I've also read all the comments and no one has come to the defense of refrigerator crap.  UNTIL NOW.  Yes, I must 'fess up.  I send out Refrigerator Crap. (Note that I capitalize Refrigertor Crap - it is that important to me).  I send the stuff out faithfully.  Every year.  In fact, I wrote about sending out refrigerator calendars in a blog called Still Farming After All These Years .  Since calendars only take up a small place on the refrigerator door, I've … (22 comments)

Hey! You are selling the wrong house! - 11:16 PM

Would you update your pictures?
So... a neighbor had his home on the market last year.... He started with the agent that was listing the property that he was going to buy... when his house didn't sell he picked another.
I lightened these pics a bit. Just so that you could see them, otherwise this is the way they were.
I watched the workmen come and go. They installed brazilian cherry flooring in the kitchen, foyer, hall & powder room. They also upgraded the appliances to stainless steel.
The seller's took the time to re-paint the strongly colored rooms
It says it in the listing.... but with 214 days … (40 comments)

Qualty Education in Washington State - 04:06 PM
The Education Week Quality Counts survey ranks Washington's public school education 4Th for 'K-12 Achievement' with a score of 14. Scores ranged from a high of 22 for Virginia to a low of -23 for New Mexico.The survey also ranks each state in a 'Chance for Success' category. Washington came in 22 with a score of 6. Top ranked Virginia scored 22 and bottom ranked New Mexico scored -22.The quality of our schools effects Snohomish County real estate values, so our #4 ranking is good news for all home owners. I applaud all Washington teachers and students for their achievements!Wonder what … (1 comments)

Washinton Realtors Hill Day - 04:22 PM
 I will be in Olympia, Washington, our Capital on Wednesday, January 17, along with 2000+ other Realtors from Washington State participating in our Legislative Day activities.  This "Hill Day" tradition gives us the opportunity to visit our State Legislators and discuss bills we would like proposed to further our goal, Homeownership.
This year we are concentrating on the Growth Management Inrastructure Account - measures should be pursued to provide sufficient funding for the needs of infrastructure necessary to accommodate growth. A specific account should be created that provides infrastructure funding for projects necessary to accommodate growth.  This account would provide funds for … (1 comments)

State's Job Numbers Show Strength - 04:34 PM
This excerpt taken from the NWREporter February 2007 will give you a picture of the healthy workforce and economy that Washington is currently ejoying.  This means we need more affordable housing in our local areas so that people can live in the towns in which they work thus stopping congestion on the freeways.  "A HOME IS WHERE A JOB GOES AT NIGH".  See my post regarding attending Hill Day in Olympia to fight for this Washington employers continued adding jobs in November, while an increase in the number of people looking for work caused the unemployment rate to rise slightly to … (0 comments)

Here's what happened in the greater Knoxville, Tennessee area last year (2006) - 10:11 AM
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Thanks to MLK, My Grandmother Can Buy a Sailor Suit - 07:50 PM
A new agent on my team talked with me about how strange it was having to explain to her young child why we have Martin Luther King Day today. Her daughter didn't understand why the world used to be the way it was. She is Caucasian and we had some unique stories to share. 
For background, my parents were young when I was born. My mother was 18 and father was 20. They are still married and have been through tough times, but always taught me that I can do anything in life as long as I made the effort. I … (38 comments)

Where did the Specs go??? - 02:26 PM
Every so often I will take a client on a tour of all the spec homes that are available in areas such as Maricopa and Queen Creek.  These areas within Pinal County are a bit further out, but its hard to beat the bang for the buck one can get in comparison to areas in the East Valley such as Tempe/Chandler/Gilbert.
Lets take Maricopa, for example.  I would estimate I am out there on average about once every month or two.  The last time I was there was probably in November - and boy did the builders have spec homes.  Every subdivision … (6 comments)

Change in the Real Estate Industry - Engage it! - 10:46 PM
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/10/real_estate/new_tech_trends_rock_real_estate/index.htm?postversion=2007011009
Anyone read this article?  It discusses how technology is changing the Real Estate industry.  Mentions of alternate business models, valuation websites and blogs.  The old way of doing real estate is dead.  I especially find the next to the last line very interesting
"Inman says that real estate professionals have two choices when it comes to confronting the changes wrought by technical advances: engage it or pretend it isn't there."  Inman is obviously a reference to Brad Inman.
I would like to point out to the agents and other real estate professionals on AR - for the most part, this community is doing exactly … (5 comments)

Introducing Rio Rancho and Sandoval County - 12:13 AM
 Rio Rancho is on the way to becoming the second largest city in New Mexico. Located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe it offers a lot of the best of the Land of Enchantment. We have desert and mountains...we didn't have a Starbucks until this week--now we have two. The University of New Mexico is building what will be the second largest campus in the state here in Rio Rancho.
 Much of Sandoval County is a blank palette still/ There are miles and miles of open land that will stay that way because it is tribal land or federally protected parkland. There are … (0 comments)

The Value of "Values" in our profession - 11:20 PM
Values are the things that we believe in and which we think are important. Each person has a value system, which has been influenced by their background and their philosophy of life.
Contrary to what some may think, to a successful salesperson values do matter - they are at the heart of everything they do. Our inner values ultimately determine who we are and who we will become. It is a good idea to prioritize our values in such a way that when they conflict with one another we will have a pre-established idea of which ones we don't dare to … (0 comments)

When FOCUS and DIVERSIFICATION work together - 11:22 PM
Diversification (in a sense, the opposite of "focus") is an important aspect of strategy. You do not want all of your eggs in one basket. Suppose you spend many months or even several years building a substantial down-line in a particular program, and then the company fails or your account gets canceled because of some unforeseen event. Your income can suddenly disappear!
My enthusiasm is higher when I'm in control of as many different projects as I can handle. Prospecting for new clients, setting appointments, returning phone calls, solving impasses, negotiating price and closing a transaction are the ingredients of a … (0 comments)

When is it enough? Don't overdo it... - 11:29 PM
I remember a specific time (in my rookie years) when my sales manager asked us to role-play. We were supposed to overcome certain objections. I thought I did a good job, but was criticized for overselling. The presentation had been taped and I watched it a few times and found out exactly where I failed. This experience helped me to become self-conscious. Many years since that experience I still watch for signs of trying to sell to a client that is already sold into the product, service or idea. What a trap it can be!
A client is ready to close … (1 comments)

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