Archives of real estate blog entries for June 16, 2007

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Anatomy of a Land Sale. Chasing Waterfalls. Part II - 02:25 AM
update: if you like this post, please subscribe to my blog! Thankyou!
UPDATE: Part III  is now up...
In Part I of this unfolding land sale transaction, our  client, JT told me that when he first became interested in 1031 Exchanges in conjunction with conservation development, he considered himself lucky to bump into one real estate professional who understood the intersection of a "cultural creative" investor and his quest for land with a waterfall he could steward.   
Surprised, I noted that there‘s a market trend toward sustainability in design and construction as expressed in  conservation development properties.
 But all that aside, this land transaction was … (43 comments)

what to do with my listings when I am going to vacation? - 10:34 PM
I need to ask your ideas what I have to do with my clients and their listings when I am going to vacation. In my opinion, real estate does not have any vacation and my clients are always on the first place. In nowadays, we have enough tools to keep connection, to contact with the clients: phone, e-mail, and text messages, fax...etc. The main point is I will still working even tough I am out of country because of keeping my clients happy, my listing active and being on the market. On the other hand, I can make my vacation exactly … (34 comments)

What Do You Do To Advertise Your Open House? - 11:21 AM
What lengths do you go to advertise your OPEN HOUSE?...
The Chad: Real Estate GeniusAdd to My Profile |   More Videos
There 's talk that Open Houses don't sell houses.
Well, I've sold houses from holding Open Houses. Not many, granted but it does happen.
Are you willing to take the chance that your Seller's home is not one of the 1% that sell from an Open House?
In this Real Estate market, I would think that a good, conscientious Realtor would be doing everything in their arsenal to sell their Seller's house.
An Open House is a great venue for meeting all … (36 comments)

So You Thought - setting your hours and flexible schedules - 02:29 AM
They said "This is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I can set my own hours and my schedule is flexible"....For those who channeled into this real estate business from a corporate job most definitely feels the difference about setting your own hours versus having to show up at work between 8am - 5pm. 
Sure enough. All that above is true. Or is it?
As I become a small business owner, I have never worked harder in my life. I constantly think of ways to improve the business. Granted that I am rather "new" in this business, I … (43 comments)

Playing Fair in the Blogbox: "The Core Rules of Netiquette" - Blog Tips for Rain Drips - 03:33 AM
Rules???  We don't need no 'stinkin' rules!
The more I write and publish to my blog here on ActiveRain and on SOUNDBITEBLOG, the more I realize there are no hard & fast rules for blogging, but simply opinions, preferences, and common sense social netiquette.

So let's start with Proper Netiquette, or, "Playing Fair in the Blogging Sandbox."
According to Wikipedia, "Netiquette is a catch-all term for the conventions of politeness and respect recognized on Usenet, in mailing lists, in live chat systems, and on other electronic forums such as Internet message boards. These conventions address the relationship between personal behavior … (136 comments)

Do You Mastermind? - 12:35 AM
Mastermind groups can be a valuable resource for any business professional.   Next month will mark the seventh year I have been a member of a real estate related mastermind group.  Originally, our common interest was belonging to a coaching group called By Referral Only.  That common thread drew a group of like-minded individuals together and it's still growing strong.  We have people who are part of the core group that actually formed about ten years ago and continue to invite others to join us.  Our attendance is typically 15-20 people each month.
What we do is meet to discuss a topic that … (40 comments)

How Far Is Too Far With Photo Editing? - 07:49 PM
Just because you CAN digitally retouch a photo, it doesn't mean you should.Some digital retouching is obviously overdoing it. I'm a fan of photo retouching in general. Because a great deal of digital photo editing is perfectly appropriate and certainly would not be misleading the consumer. It's a life saver for dark rooms, for example. I received a spam email this week from a company offering digital photo editing for real estate. You may have received one too. The text of the email seemed innocuous enough.
Do you have Real Estate Photos that could have been better if only...?A car wasn't … (148 comments)

Homeowners Insurance Needs Serious Reform: The Case of the Dog Bite - 10:52 AM

Returning from a vacation, a  couple in a upscale neighborhood was greeted with the shocking news that the District Attorney had called while they were gone, informing their teenage son the family's beloved pet would be picked up and euthanized within days. The crime? The dog had bitten a neighbor about a month earlier. The motivation: MONEY from HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE.
The very next day the dog was hidden away in another county, and put in doggie boot camp while its owners attempted to figure out how to save his life.
Although the bite was not severe, still, it was a bite, and the neighbor almost immediately came to the conclusion he … (21 comments)

Range Pricing, why it works - 12:17 AM
When I have posted listings with range pricing, I am surprised in the wide response. ranging from disdain to wondering why people don't just offer the lowest price.
First a bit of background, then I will give a good example of how it has just worked.
Let's start with it's origin.  According to a training, Range Pricing was thought up in Australia in a slow market.
It was scientifically tested and actually worked to increase the likelihood of an offer in a slow market.
Range pricing was designed to have a 20% range.   The idea was to offer an incredibly low bottom end price to … (24 comments)

Grand Central Terminal: Restored, Rejuvinated and still Spectacular! - 11:26 AM
 1871 Originally Grand Central Depot Reborn "Grand Central Station"
Constructed of glass and steel, it rivaled the Eiffel Tower and Crystal Palace as one of the most dramatic engineering achievement of the 19th century. When the steam locomotive era ended the existing station was demolished to create a new double level terminal for electric trains.
Re built "Grand Central Terminal"
In 1913 Grand Central Terminal opened and became an anchor for the real estate development in the midtown Manhattan neighborhood.
During the 1920's, hotels and apartment buildings began to rise on Park Avenue, skyscrapers simultaneously were erected along East 42nd Street. On Lexington Avenue, the Hotel Commodore opened  and the … (20 comments)

WHAT DO DEFENDANTS AND SELLERS HAVE IN COMMON? - 11:05 AM
Their outcomes are increasingly being influenced by television!
Anyone who owns a television is probably aware of the advent of 'CSI' (Crime Scene investigation) shows.  CSI: Las Vegas, CSI: Miami (my personal addiction), CSI: New York, Without a Trace etc.  Add to that the number of TRUE crime shows, The New Detectives, Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, City Confidential, Case Crackers, Dr. G, Psychic Detectives, et al and you can clearly see the public is being inundated with information about how crimes are and should be solved.  As jurors expectations are being affected, hopefully criminals will get the picture, they will be caught but I'll save … (17 comments)

A change is in the air...... - 01:27 AM
… (48 comments)

When You Don't Get The Listing...Losing Graciously - 11:31 AM
Very few agents get every listing that they want to get. Understanding that you need "at bats" and that "no" is part of the Real Estate Experience is important to learn early on.There is a whole host of reasons why sometimes I don't get the listing. (Sometimes, of course, I turn down business, but that's another post.) But no matter what, whenever I don't get the signed listing, I always thank the seller for considering me - and I mean it. Usually I send thank you notes too (admittedly, sometimes I forget to do this when I get busy). Occassionally those sellers hire … (47 comments)


Blog posts


Time-lapse moving - 01:11 PM
This is kind of real-estate related (well, maybe not, but what you guys do usually causes moving)... but it's fun...
I've been trying to figure out how we're going to do one of these videos for Kat (my wife) who is driving the entire length of I-90 in a few weeks from Seattle to Boston (we're going to be living on both costs for a while - so she can be closer to her parents).
Currently we're using Flix for the capture and VirtualDub for the post processing. The guy who wrote Flix is great, he's even hacking his code to … (6 comments)

We have a new moderator - 10:18 AM
I've added Craig Schiller as a moderator on ActiveRain.  He will help to bring a different perspective a stager rather than an agent/broker.  He doesn't plan to be very active, just will occasionally participate by helping to feature a different flavor of posts.
Welcome to the moderators group Craig...
… (9 comments)

Fremont Fair Solstice Celebration is Going on Now, June 16 - 17, 2007 - 01:10 PM
 
It is beautiful out right now and a perfect way to start your summer would be to attend the Fremont Fair.  It is going on today and tomorrow.  The SeattlePI.com has an article “Come one, come all to welcome summer with Fremont's goofy parade and fair” that talks about some of what you will find there--"an eclectic mix of art, music, crafts and people."  
The parade starts at noon today and begins at Northwest 36th Street and Third Avenue Northwest, heads east to Northwest 35th Street and Fremont Avenue North, south on Fremont, then east on Northwest 34th Street to … (4 comments)

One big chunk of downtown Seattle up for sale - 10:00 PM
 
The Seattle Times had this article today by Amy Martinez "One big chunk of downtown Seattle up for sale".  It is nearly 13 acres in what is known as the "Denny Triangle" and it is something the Clise family has been accumulating for four generations.
Martinez says in her article "The Clises held on to their land and considered cashing out only after the city adopted new rules last year allowing developments in the Denny Triangle to rise 40 stories or more.
With a core staff of 35, Clise Properties is too small to develop the land on its own, Clise said. … (1 comments)

Listing In High Plains Village at Centerra - 04:55 PM

High Plains Village is a great community made up of condos, townhomes, cottages and larger single family homes. The amenities of this community are pretty hard to beat and include close to I-25, within walking distance to shopping, restaurants, coffee shops, Loveland Sports Park, the new Medical Center of the Rockies, several corporate employers and so much more.  As a resident, you get to enjoy the 2 lakes, 8 miles of walking trails, 275 dedicated acres of open space, a dog park, numerous community parks and the High Plains Environmental Center experience.
Please feel free to call me @ 970-744-1075 or e-mail … (0 comments)

Widget - 11:05 PM
… (0 comments)

So That's How He Did That - 06:12 AM
Bob Carney posted a blog here that contained his Active Rain Blog Subscription list.  A couple people commented about it.  I thought I'd play around with the idea to figure out how he did it.  Well, here's how:  He copied and pasted.
Assuming you have already subscribed to a few blogs, when you click the Blogs tab in Active Rain, you land on a screen that looks something like this:
Just drag your mouse over your list og Blog Subscriptions (Start at the first blogger, not the navigation words), then hit Edit -> Copy (or CTRL C if you prefer) ... now you … (9 comments)

Who's On Your Blog Roll? - 09:48 AM
Bob Carney started it by showing us his Blog Subscription list, and in a comment here, invited me to show mine.  Anyone else who'd like to share theirs ... how about you post it on your own blog, then put a link in the comments here directing everyone to your blog post.  This should be interesting.
This is the list of blogs I subscribe to as of about 7:46 AM PDT June 16, 2007:
… (14 comments)

Groundwater district floats rule changes - 10:23 AM
 By John LowmanThe Facts
Published June 15, 2007
ANGLETON - Proposed changes to Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District rules would clarify commercial vs. residential water use and discourage export of water from the county, officials say.The district's board had a public hearing on the issue Thursday with a half-dozen residents attending. Local changes are in line with House Bill 4114, which passed the Texas House and Senate and is awaiting Gov. Rick Perry's signature.If the district's revised rules pass a 30-day written public comment period, residential and agricultural wells would remain exempt from metering and fees. Commercial users - which would include … (0 comments)

Little Manatee River State Park, Wimauma Florida - 03:10 PM
OK, let me first start by saying how disappointing this park was!  It was only $4 to get in, but for what we saw, that $4 was a waste of money!
The park ranger gave us a map of the park, so we set out to find a place to eat and enjoyed a picnic lunch before we set out on our 6.5 mile walk that would take us along the Manatee River.
The brochure she gave us showed the map of the park with the trails along side of the river.  We thought, this will be cool.  We should be able to get … (2 comments)

Orlando Florida | Dining Options! - 03:07 PM
 
Orlando Florida has so many wonderful Restaurants!   There are so many choices and it is always fun to try new places with your friends!  And when you find that special place it is great to share it!
The Orlando Avenue Top Team has been writing about various Restaurants in the greater Orlando Area.  Here are a few Restaurants that you might enjoy
Azteca's Mexican RestaurantShakers American CafeViet Garden RestaurantHigh Tide Harry'sMona Lisa RistoranteVines Grille & Wine BarThe Black Hammock Restaurant and Fish CampCall me today if you are looking to buy or sell Real Estate in the Greater Orlando area (407) 288-0017.  Visit our … (5 comments)

Celebration Florida | Mirasol at Celebration - 04:46 PM
 
Celebration Florida has a new luxury condominium walking distance to the heart of Celebration.  The Mirasol is a luxurious, resort-like condominium with 209 condos. 
Details in each condo include crown moldings, cultured marble vanities, French doors, spacious screened porch, high-speed Internet and Direct TV service.
Mirasol at Celebration Amenities include: Library, Tennis Courts, Veranda Club Room, VIP Guest Suite, Walking Trail, Bocce Court, Business Center, Café Ole , Car Wash Area, Fitness Center, Heated Pool, Deck, and Spa.
 
 
 
 
This information is provided by Colleen Kulikowski, Realtor.  Colleen writes about the Florida lifestyle on several locations for the Orlando Avenue Top Team.
Celebration Florida Homes BLOG  Paradise Report Website  Marco … (0 comments)

Orlando Florida | Last Minute Father's Day Gift - 04:59 PM
It is the 11th hour -- tomorrow is Father's Day!  Looking for another unique gift for Dad for Father's Day?  Give a gift certificate to Dad to the Richard Petty Driving Eperience at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando Florida.  Not in Orlando the Richard Petty Driving Experience to take advantage of this unique gift -- no worries.  Call 1*800*Be*Petty to purchase your gift certificate or schedule your Driving Experience!  There are twenty locations that provide the Richard Petty Driving Experience around the country!
… (2 comments)

A Simple Summer's Evening. . . - 11:13 PM
It's been hot, very hot in Indianapolis the last few days.  So what do you do to keep cool and still enjoy the warm weather?
Have you tried an evening's drive around sunset time over to the Geist Resevoir?  (Fall Creek & Brook School Rd.)  I enjoy taking a drive in the convertible.  It's cooler in the evenings, relaxing and beautiful.
HINT:  You could also add a stop over at 116th street & Brook School Road at the Ritter's Ice Cream or maybe over at the McDonalds on Olio Rd.
Either way, take some time to enjoy the view, spend time in your community and enjoy … (5 comments)

Broker Bryant Image Contest...WINNER!!!! - 04:39 PM
OK folks, it's time for me to announce the winner of the "Broker Bryant Image Contest"(check out the link to view all the entries). I had 60 images that were submitted by 23 members. Some were individual efforts and some were joint efforts. This contest far exceeded my expectations and I should have enough images to last me awhile. But hey, just because the contest is over, don' t feel you have to stop making them, feel free to send me images at any time. I will use them and every time I do you get some link love out of … (51 comments)

Real Estate Purchase Contract Dates - 06:21 PM
 I'm a fairly new agent with about a year and half into the real estate biz.   I mostly work with buyers.  I have earned my GRI designation which has helped me to be more confident.  In my GRI Contract Class the attorney teaching indicated it is important to have specific dates on the contract for the various deadlines.  I find it is hard to plan specific dates before a contract is accepted because you never know how long the negotiation process will take.  I'm in a ski town and most sellers are out of state and most buyers are from out of state.   My new thought … (5 comments)

Bloggers: Do You Have Multiple Websites? Is Your Blog Your One Website? - 01:04 AM
I got interested in blogging because of my success from web marketing, particularly business grown from my own websites. (In recent years, 30-40% of my business comes to me from the web.) I started my first website in 1998 (www.PopeHandy.com, which will eventually be called www.DelightHomes.com). The provider there is Intelitouch and the biggest plus is the number of pages and how customizable the content is. A few years ago I added a second site with Best Image/#1 Expert. Initially it was tied to my name and was www.MaryPope-Handy.com, but the more I read, the more I realized it's better to move away from … (6 comments)

Looking for Ghost Stories in (and near) Los Gatos. Know of any? - 11:08 AM
Los Gatos has the coolest stuff, particularly in the oldest part of town: great shops, cafes, restaurants, bars with live music, beautiful parks, free music series and on and on.And, like a lot of older towns, it has a few residents that just didn't want to leave when they died. A few places are haunted.I collect ghost stories and am looking to sleuth out a few more places in (and near) Los Gatos. Do you happen to know of any? I wrote about his on my blog, Live in Los Gatos, today. There you'll find a list of the places I … (2 comments)

When You Don't Get The Listing...Losing Graciously - 11:31 AM
Very few agents get every listing that they want to get. Understanding that you need "at bats" and that "no" is part of the Real Estate Experience is important to learn early on.There is a whole host of reasons why sometimes I don't get the listing. (Sometimes, of course, I turn down business, but that's another post.) But no matter what, whenever I don't get the signed listing, I always thank the seller for considering me - and I mean it. Usually I send thank you notes too (admittedly, sometimes I forget to do this when I get busy). Occassionally those sellers hire … (47 comments)

How the Internet Has Changed the Way New Agents Get Settled into the Biz - 11:59 PM
Today I was out clothes shopping and I bumped into a gal who works as an admin for one of the competing brokerage's office (where I worked a very long time ago).  She made the comment that the reason so many new agents don't make it is that instead of coming into the office and hanging out with seasoned agents and learning from them, they are all at home, "working on their computers".
I thought her insight was worth sharing.I'm not sure what the odds are today, but it appears to me that more agents get their license and then drop out … (13 comments)

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