Archives of real estate blog entries for February 23, 2007 (Page 2)

Blog posts


Newbie Realtors - 05:41 AM
 
  I am not sure that this is much of a Blog. To me it is more of a Blurb. Anyay, I have been a Full Time Realtor since March 31, 2005. In 2005 I was with the Yellow Company and they had some training and gave me a Mentor. My Mentor had not sold anything in over 2 yrs. I had doubts. Another Mentor was assigned to me soon after the first at my request. This Mentor was slightly more successful. She sat me down week after week and had me sit and WATCH her answer phones. She would not … (11 comments)

Make an Offer - 03:50 PM
We, in the real estate business, say that the so-called "spring market" starts right after the Super Bowl.  Since the Super Bowl is now over, from a realtor perspective, the spring market is underway albeit in the very early stages.  If you are new to the market, or have not bought or sold real estate in Bucks County for a long time, I thought it might be helpful to disucss the process of making an offer so that you can be better prepared, once you reach that point in the buying process.
So lets presume that you have spent an appropriate amount of time getting … (0 comments)

How do YOU Practice Real Estate? - 01:32 PM
This is a typical home. The abode of a typical family.
  Daddy works, mom most likely works too.
They have 2- 4 kids.
Maybe a dog or cat.
Possibly a turtle or rabbit.  ;-D
They own 2 cars and several bicycles.
They MIGHT own a motorcycle or two also.
If they have any other toys they are in the garage; possibly a boat or jetski.
They have a lawn mower OR a lawn service to keep their grass looking good.
They have LOTS of furniture and if they move will need a BIG 18 wheel truck and a CREW of people to help.
They have friends and family that know their telephone … (3 comments)

Croatian Naive Art in St. Petersburg, Florida - 04:35 PM
Located across from Straub Park on Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, at the base of Parkshore Plaza, is Croatian Naive Art, a gallery and museum collection of Croatian art. Founded and owned by Jim and Donna Nannen. What a wonderful, colorful collection!  
Sue Cooper-Street is the Museum Director, and is quick to welcome you to the gallery and make you feel at home. Comfy leather furniture encourages you to talk with Sue or Jim about the art and artists - and anything you want to know about St Pete as well.
Hungry after seeing all this art? Moon Under Water … (1 comments)

Hooker Tea Company, Beach Drive, St Petersburg, Florida - 04:53 PM
 Looking for an early morning wake-up cup of tea? a mid-afternoon tea latte cooler? an evening put-me-to-sleep tea? The Hooker Tea Company at 300 Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg, Florida, is the place to find it. Shawn Hooker and his associates not only offer more than 100 varieties of loose tea, they help you choose among them.
 They offer free internet access for those who want to tea online, and comfortable chairs for conversationalists. They have a wide selection of tea pots, tea cups and assorted tea accessories - many choices for gifts.
Green tea, black tea, white tea, red tea … (2 comments)

So You Want to Blog, Huh? - 08:14 AM
If you've decided to jump on the bandwagon and start blogging, consider why it is you're doing it. Is it because it's the latest trend? Everyone else is doing it? Or is it for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Perhaps you just want a venue to speak your mind. Whatever your reasons for blogging, you should start with a purpose. Decide from the beginning what it is your blog is intended to do.
There are probably as many reasons for blogging as there are bloggers. People blog to establish credibility in their industry, build brand awareness, discuss hot topics and much more. It's … (2 comments)

Housing Market Collapse? - 08:58 AM
I keep hearing about how bad the housing market is in our area. People keep talking about when home prices are going to fall like crazy. With the second best year in Real Estate sales on record in the state of Ohio I don't think it will be anytime soon.
RE: Ohio's Home Sale Activity Report - Year end 2006
Home sales activity throughout Ohio in 2006 fell just shy of the record‐breaking results
posted during the preceding year, reports the Ohio Association of REALTORS®.
"The overall performance of our housing market last year was, by any standard of measure,
remarkable...as we were able to post … (0 comments)

KW Family Reunion: Observation - 06:42 PM

I was priviledged to be asked to conduct 2 seminars at the recent KW Family Reunion.  I enjoyed my time immenseley...a truly enthusiastic group of businesspeople who created a vibrant spirit.  When I took a look at the cards of those who asked me to subscribe them to my online newsletter, though, I was in for a surprise.  Actually 2 surprises:
First, a surprising number, perhaps 10%, had no Web site address on their card.  According to this year's NAR survey, approvimately 80% of today's buyers & sellers start their search for a home/agent on the Web.  A business card with … (2 comments)

I coined a word - TRIBLOGULAR and I did it on Active Rain - 11:00 AM
I coined a word!  I may have even coined two words.   Why does it matter?  Because Seth Godin said to do it...
#18. Coin a term or two.
Because Sellsius Blog did it... unzillowable
As Maggie Knowles is my witness TRIBLOGULAR is my word.  Mine, mine, all mine (read "Mine, mine, all mine" in the voice of a possesive two year old for the full effect.)
I don't know how I missed Maggie's comment on Sellsius° Blogs entry about their New Years Resolution to NOT use the term blogosphere, Maggie wrote on January 5, 2007:                               
On Sellsius° Blog's "My New Years Resolution Stop Using the word Blogosphere" 
Maggie … (14 comments)

When West Meets East - 12:41 PM
Thanks to efforts by Jay Rockefeller, Joe Manchin, Robert C. Byrd and others, West Virginia has been blessed with great new job opportunities, many of which are in the form of jobs created by Japanese companies. West Virginia offers a great source of dedicated employees and a climate much like Japan.  We appreciate the great jobs and the generosity of the companies like Toyota and Diamond Electric right here in Putnam County, which make contributions to local schools and communities. 
If you've read some of my other blog entries, you know how I love West Virginia and that I have a soft spot for animals.  I also … (1 comments)

Sweeten Up Your Open Houses - 03:51 PM

Just thought I would share one of my ideas with the other members of Active Rain.  I made these candy bar wrappers using Windows Publisher and tried to keep the look and feel of a candy bar as I created them.  The nutritional information is still below the wrapper in case anyone has special dietary restrictions.  They are simply wrapped and taped around a regular Hershey bar such as you would find in the checkout line at a grocery store.  (I'm sure they think I have a SERIOUS chocolate addiction when I check out with a whole box of these!)
I can easily change the … (36 comments)

Ashwood Park and Ashwood Creek - 04:08 PM
Ashwood Creek and Ashwood Park are new sub-divisions in the south west side of Naperville.
Ashwood Creek has more moderately priced homes: Starting around $600,000 going up to $900,000. These homes have all the bells and whistles. Brick fronts; landscaped yards; 3 car garages; full deep basements; 9 and 10 foot ceilings on the first floor; first floor offices; mostly wood floors on the first floor; spacious master bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms with both baths and showers; his and her sinks; nice upscale wood cabinetry; and BIG closets.
Ashwood Park has slightly larger homes with a higher price point: $700,000 to well over … (0 comments)

Green Trails Lisle Illinois - 05:03 PM
Green Trails is a large sub-division with several ponds; walking paths and smaller lots.
It was built in the 1980's on land that was once owned by the monks at the adjoining abbey, St. Procopius. The abbey originally purchased the land in 1896 from the Morris Neff family.
The streets are narrow and winding with many cul-de-sacs so you can't speed thorough the sub-division. On the east side is both a pond and part of the DuPage Forest Preserve. There are deer, racoons, coyotes, foxes and other assorted wild life in the forest.
The homes are in areas according to the original builder's pricing. … (0 comments)

Legal Update via John Reilly's blog - 05:51 PM
John Reilly is one of the Tres Amigos of Real Talk, a real estate list serv that has been operating for years.
John recently was in San Diego and attended a seminar given to Association Executives by Laurie Janik, NAR's legal counsel.  
John reports: The cases ranged from arbitration matters, MLS suspensions, fair housing issues, anti-trust, to the use of the term MLS or MLS service in a web domain name. One case that was dismissed involved a discount broker who alleged boycott against a REALTOR association for not doing enough to prevent the alleged boycott by local brokers. Another … (3 comments)

Marin County Luxury Home Prices Edge Higher - 07:47 PM
Prices for high-end luxury homes continue to rise.  A recent survey by First Republic Bank shows that prices in the Bay Area edged up by 1.5% in the last 3 quarters of 2006, as compared with the same period in 2005.  The average price of homes in First Republic's survey was $2.92 million.  The upward movement of price in that market segment can be attributed to low inventory in the $2 million to $4 million dollar market.  The survey also noted, however, that prices slipped by 1.5% from the third quarter of 2006. 
In Marin, 28 homes have sold this year … (0 comments)

A Small Reminder of Why I Love Staging - 09:07 AM
Hi Ladies,
 I had to share something amazing that happened to me this week with one of my clients. It reminded me that the reason I am in this business is not because I love houses, but because I love helping people. I was called in by an agent to help a husband and wife prepare their home for sale since they were downsizing into an active adult community. When I went over to the house I was a little deflated. The home had wall to wall carpet in a primary color (hallway, livingroom,dining room, guest, den and master bedroom) there was … (7 comments)

Stability Is The Word In Tampa Real Estate This Week - 07:43 AM

Not much to report this Friday regarding any changes in the state of the Tampa residential real estate market. The number of listings available for sale in Tampa increased slightly, along with an increase of the number of properties under contract pending a closing. Simply stated, demand has kept pace with supply over the last 7 days.
However there is mostly an optimistic view from individuals in the business currently. I have spoken with lenders, Realtors, title agents and home inspectors over the last few days and all are reporting an increase in activity and all had a relatively positive … (0 comments)

Directing traffic to a low traffic listing/neighborhood - 02:13 PM
Hi all!  I'm still in my first year of real estate (10 months and counting) and I just won my second listing.  The house is great, it's in a subdivision where the houses range from $350K to $800K.  The problem is, there are roughly 60 houses in this subdivision and there are currently 10 houses listed in the neighborhood.  Almost all of them have been on the market for a year or more.  Only 1 house sold in that subdivision last year.  My question is, what are some good ways to drive traffic and interest to this property/subdivision?  I'm doing open houses, … (0 comments)

What I learned in my first 10 months as a Realtor - 03:28 PM
I'm not really sure what I was thinking when I went into Real Estate except that I knew I needed a change from the everyday grind of the 9-5 job.  I was tired of working for "the man" and wanted to be my own boss/person.  I also went into it with the usual "I really like looking at houses" attitude that so many of us have when we start out. I mean really - what's better than checking out great homes?  I still love that part of the job! But this isn't about what I like, it's about what I learned:
 1. … (34 comments)

1902 Rolling Hills Trail, Fisherville, KY (SOLD!) - 09:21 PM
Located at 1902 Rolling Hills Trail, Fisherville, KY 40023
$379,900 
This magnificent cape cod is located on a cul-de-sac and features a spacious open floor plan. The vaulted great room offers an inviting fireplace and french doors opening to the sun room and large deck - natural lighting is abundant!  The deck expands the entire length of the house and wraps around the above-ground pool.  Relax on your deck and enjoy the scenic, park-like view.  Master bedroom has a fire place and opens to a wrap around porch and sunroom; the master bathroom has a fantastic whirl pool tub and walk-in closet.  The … (0 comments)

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