Archives of real estate blog entries for December 19, 2007

Featured blog posts


What's In A Real Estate Professional? - 04:49 PM
Over the past few weeks of reading blog entries of all shapes and sizes, topics and conversations, listings, tips, promotional ones, motivational ones, rants and a few very funny jokes as well I find myself today thinking I'm as confused as ever as to what makes one real estate professional stand out among the crowd from all of the others.  If I'm confused, I can only imagine how a customer might feel.
On this site alone, which as of now, has 62,223 members, just under 34,000 have stated that they are a real estate agent.  That equals only a minute fraction of the … (19 comments)

System performance issues - 03:26 PM
We are experiencing some system performance issues. Please bear with us. We have all hands on deck looking into the matter. So if you were wondering.......it's not you, it's us!!
UPDATED: We found the issue.............in fact, I just sat here and listened to Matt explain it to Jerry............I won't even try to pass on what he was talking about. Let's just say, we know the problem and these guys are going to get it fixed. But it might be an issue over the next few days :( Matt is working on a short term solution, the longer term solution will be a … (73 comments)

The Campaign Trail - 01:46 PM
Doing what the politicians do.  That means getting out there on the campaign trail and getting votes!  That is exactly what I want potential prospects to do!  I want them to vote for me! 
In 1980 there were 761,000 Realtors, in 2000 there were 766,000 and in 2005 it nearly tripled and there were 1.3 million.  NAR projects this to dwindle to 900,000 which is a 31% decrease.  The fact that I am still here is because I do what the politicians do.  I continue to campaign for votes.
Most agents get into the business because they want to try it out.  Because … (24 comments)

Improve your lead conversion, by improving your leads... - 01:00 PM

We all want "good" leads. I remember my years at my previous broker when we were driving 1,300 web requests a month (to the company - not counting direct to agent, office leads), we were closing around 4-6% of the requests for real commission dollars (*after appointments). We looked at our lead sources and consistently the "for sale sign" and Web were the biggest sources of "leads". Naturally, since they were the biggest sources, we tossed more money at them: bigger signs, easier to read, colored posts that could be sign miles away, larger budgets for keyword buying, site optimization, etc. … (31 comments)

Update on the Farm Bill and Its Impact on Section 1031 - 04:59 PM
A little over a month ago, I wrote a blog about Section 12504 of the Farm Bill that was under consideration by the Senate at the time. (You can read it here.) The focus of the blog was the general impact on Section 1031 that a particular subsection of the bill might have. The gist of the whole thing was that the proposal sought to redefine the concept of "like-kind" property, which until now has had a very broad definition when it comes to real estate.  (You can exchange raw land for an apartment building, three rental houses for an industrial … (30 comments)

HOW DO YOU HANDLE CLIENTS WHO GO BEHIND THE SIGN? - 05:06 PM
 
It doesn't happen often, or perhaps I don't hear about it in our small community of Shell Knob,  but I had a client  who I had been working with on a specific listing I have, call the seller direct this week.
My seller is a small developer who had listed several lots with me.  He called and wanted to verify if he had listed these two lots, and when did they expire?  He also told me about receiving the call from my buyer.
 Needless to say, this real estate agent's antenna went up.  These two lots expire next month. What is really going … (58 comments)


Blog posts


System performance issues - 03:26 PM
We are experiencing some system performance issues. Please bear with us. We have all hands on deck looking into the matter. So if you were wondering.......it's not you, it's us!!
UPDATED: We found the issue.............in fact, I just sat here and listened to Matt explain it to Jerry............I won't even try to pass on what he was talking about. Let's just say, we know the problem and these guys are going to get it fixed. But it might be an issue over the next few days :( Matt is working on a short term solution, the longer term solution will be a … (73 comments)

Panama City Real Estate - Don't forget the animals this holiday season... - 07:56 AM
I'm an animal lover.  I can't help it!
I have 2 wonderful dogs (see pictures) and I love them both dearly.
I always get my animals from a shelter and I've never been disappointed with a single one of them. 
Yes, some require special attention, but once they settle in they are loyal devoted friends for life. 
Here is a link to a  wonderful opportunity to help animals in need.
Every click in the purple box on this page sends free food to animal rescues. It is sponsored by the animal rescue site of PetFinders.com.
It is completely free - no obligation or annoying followups.
You can do this … (1 comments)

Great Greeley Homes Reduced Today! - 04:21 PM
Greeley is located at the scenic western edge of Colorado's plains region, about 50 miles north of Denver. The Rocky Mountains provide a hazy blue and white backdrop about 30 miles to the west, while vast grasslands and farms of the central states open up east of the city. As the Weld County seat, Greeley acts as a business center for the region's thriving economy. With 2,200 farms and 420,000 acres of irrigated land, Weld ranks among the top five counties nationwide for agricultural product sales, and is the leading agricultural county in the state in terms of cash receipts.
Greeley's … (0 comments)

Homes for the Holidays: 4 Reasons Now is a Prime Time to Sell a Home - 08:38 AM

Serious home buyers are always ready to make a purchase when they find the right home at a good price. That's why the holiday season is just as a good a time as any to sell a home-in fact, it can be a great time.
Home sellers need to seize the opportunity by preparing their home, so that it is ready to show a buyer at anytime. RISMedia gives us four good reasons to either put a home on the market right now during the holiday or keep it on the market if it already is listed with a real estate firm.
1. Homes look their … (2 comments)

2007’s Top 10 Holly-Jolliest Cities - 09:25 AM

Dallas or Houston? Tampa or San Antonio? While there may not be any snow, and you're more likely to need sunglasses than a coat, these southern cities are tops when it comes to decking the halls. According to data provided by Superpages.com, Dallas outdoes New York as this year's Holly-Jolliest City - Houston takes third, and Tampa is fourth.
Top 10 Holly-Jolliest Cities:1. Dallas, Texas (16)2. New York, N.Y. (14)3. Houston, Texas (12)4. Tampa, Fla. (11)5. Pittsburgh, Pa. (10)6. Portland, Ore. (10)7. San Antonio, Texas (10)8. Fort Wayne, Ind. (8)9. Redmond, Wash. (8)10. Brooklyn, N.Y. (7)
*The number after the city denotes … (2 comments)

How to deal with an Internet stalker! - 08:09 AM
I have an Internet stalker. I wasn't sure about it until today, but now I know for certain. The stalker takes the form of anonymous comments on assorted blogs of mine and e-mails from e-mail addresses I don't recognize.
The person either knows me or has researched me because the comments and e-mails contain information that only would fit one of those two categories. It has been quite amusing to be honest and I'm not sure if I should be upset (which I'm not) or regard it as a compliment!
So how do you deal with someone like this? Ignore them? Answer them? … (21 comments)

Global warming - do nothing! - 09:03 PM
I have long said that we should do absolutely nothing about global warming. When you start messing with science things only ever go wrong!
One of the main reasons is that I personally don't think our current cyclical climate change is anything to do with us - it is as I just stated, cyclical.
No one seems to want to discuss that Mars is warming right now at the same time we are and apart from those two little cars we put up there, I don't think anyone is seriously blaming mankind for Martian problems with climate change.
But back to the point. Let's … (33 comments)

Sunrise On The Ranch - 09:10 AM

I've been sharing here various views from our little part of the country over time.  Here's another one. 
This morning I went out to feed the critters, and ask I stepped to the back door and looked out, I saw the sun just coming up.  It was so beautiful that I ran back and got my camera, went out and took a couple of shots, and then just stood and watched.  Even though this is a relatively common view from our window, it still makes me pause and consider the beauty that's all around us every day if we just take time … (4 comments)

Fed Restrictions Should Further Weaken the Real Estate Market - 04:59 PM
As a result of the recent sub-prime mortgage scandal, the Federal Reserve has taken many actions to avoid a global credit crisis, which it now aims to further mitigate through tightening the standards that lenders use to determine whether a potential borrower is eligible to receive a mortgage loan. Chairman Ben Bernake has stated that more rigid restrictions would "promote responsible lending," even as 2 million Americans with sub-prime predatory loans will likely default over the next year, furthering the housing slump.
The first area in which restrictions have been made is on the borrower's end. Now, all lenders must … (3 comments)

Austin Board of REALTORS® Shuts Agents and Mac Users out of MLS - 10:32 AM
If you haven't already heard, the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABOR®) upset agents this month when they switched over from the TEMPO MLS system to the new MLXchange. The perception is that the switch was mishandled, causing frustration from licensed members, their assistants and consumers.
The #1 rule in change management is to thoroughly test your new system or process and roll out the switch in phases. Although ABOR® advised agents to start using MLXchange late summer, it quickly became apparent that the new MLXchange system was not ready for prime-time.
Complaints of the new MLXchange system include:
MLXchange is not … (6 comments)

New Hampshire Among Best Prepared for Emergencies - 01:25 PM

In this day and age, it's somewhat comforting to know that I live in a state that's highly rated for emergency preparedness.  New Hampshire was rated as one of fourteen states that could "adequately handle pandemic crisis", in a report just released, "Ready or Not?  Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism".
While nice to know my home state is rated highly, I truly hope we never have to find out just how well we'd perform with any major public health emergencies!
The Trust for America's Health rated each state in the country on ten different categories.  The 10 key indicators used to … (14 comments)

Cocoa Florida Commercial Property For Sale $149,000 - 10:35 PM
Commercial Property For Sale in Cocoa North
• 1,250 sq. ft. commercial -  $149,000 USD - Lease available
Cocoa North, Cocoa  -  Four Spacious built out offices with warehouse space attachedTile flooring, colonial doors and storage garage with roll up bay door and bonus storage above the warehouseBrighthouse high speed internet available
Property information
Advertised by Brady Pevehouse of Perrone Realty Search the Brevard MLS
… (0 comments)

Edited: Outing of a Plagiarizer... A Thief Disguised As An Active Rain Member - 05:53 PM
This post is about outing a plagiarizer.....
I was notified by one of my fellow REALTORS® that an Active Rain member was stealing my posts and putting them on his blog.  
Hell, we all know that my stuff isn't the most famous stuff read, so all I can figure is this guy must be pretty hard up.
Please check who is selecting you as an associate... he has quite an impressive list of who's who from AR as Associates on his blog.
I am extremely pissed about this and think this guy is a real (as Bob from AR would put it) Chickenshit.
Here's the … (50 comments)

Shell Island in Pinellas County: Boaters vs Environmentalists - 05:49 PM
Shell Island or Shell Key in Pinellas County Florida has long been a boating destination. Weekends the small island has boats anchored all around the island. Some people camp out on the island, or stay on their boats. Partying is the goal of most of the boaters. Many bring their dogs.
People concerned about the environment - Shell Island is a preserve - see fewer and fewer places that protect birds and wildlife, and don't want these destroyed by people.
Some boaters and partiers are responsible. A few aren't, and leave a mess behind.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has banned alcohol and … (11 comments)

GORGEOUS BANK OWNED HOME FOR SALE - 02:22 PM
… (4 comments)

The Right Way To Search For A Home - 12:03 PM
If you are going to search for a home, you will most likely begin your search on the Internet. While there are many sites available on which to search for homes, all are not created equal.
To get the most accurate and up-to-date search results, you need to be searching on the MLS. Other home search sites often don't have a complete and current database of homes for sale.
A real estate blogger in Dothan Alabama posted a great article about this recently. You can read it at his Dothan Home Search site. 
Click on Pensacola Real Estate News news about the Pensacola Real Estate market.
… (0 comments)

Cincinnati Real Estate Market Report 24 hour update 12/18/2007 - 05:16 AM
Here is a daily update of Cincinnati real estate activity.
In the Cincinnati area currently your home must be in top condition and priced correctly to sell. If you have any questions about Cincinnati real estate or need a Cincinnati realtor please feel free to contact me.
… (0 comments)

New Listing - 12:10 PM
… (0 comments)

Market Time in the Bellefonte School District - 08:58 AM
How long does it take to sell a home in today's current market in the Bellefonte school district?  There are several stat's to consider.
Average DOM (active listings) - 145
Average DOM (closed in past 6 mo.) - 92 days
Absorption Rate - 5.4 months
What does it all mean? I will explain each statistic and it's relevance.
Average DOM (active listings) - This number takes all current listings and averages the market time that all of the homes have been on the market.  Currently, homes in Bellefonte that are actively 'For Sale" have been on the market 145 days or about 4.8 months.
Average DOM (closed past 6 mos.) - This number tell … (0 comments)

Two Steps Forward For The New Year! - 09:11 PM
 
OK...time to take a breather and plan your business for 2008, if you haven't already.  From my perspective, here are two top steps you can take to a more prosperous (and happy) New Year for you and your business.
Take A 2-Day CRS Course
The CRS (Council of Residential Specialists) offers the absolute best courses in our industry.  Their length, the quality of the instructors and the quality of the materials you are presented with combine to insure that each course will help you build a better business...and have a better life!  Check out the list of courses on the Council's site, choose … (12 comments)

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