Archives of real estate blog entries for July 13, 2007 (Page 7)

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SHERIFF'S ESCORT - 02:14 PM
ETHICS FAILURE?
A sad event occurred this week in our local real estate community.  There was a broker/manager who had to be physically escorted out of the office by a Sheriff's deputy.
We are a small town, with a population under 3,500 nine months of the year.  It swells during the summer months due to the summer lake citizens.  There are  four real estate offices with about 20 licensees.  So this event was well known almost instantly, as the office was quite visible in a shopping strip.
I know we are not the first town to have a broker who operates outside the rules, … (15 comments)

The Agent Didn't Present The Offer, What? - 05:21 AM
I had lunch with a friend yesterday.  She and her soon to be husband have a house on the market out of this area.  They are selling because they needed more space and have purchased another home.  My friend, let's call her Seller 1, has given the listing to her daughter, let's call her Agent 1, who has been in the business for about three months.  Her daughter feels she is too new in the business and tells Seller 1 that she would like her boyfriend, who has been in the business for a couple of years to share the listing.  Agent … (6 comments)

Asbestos in Your Home - 05:41 AM
So, a couple of months ago I wanted to post articles about Asbestos, Radon, Lead and other environmental hazards in the home.  I went to the Federal Goverment site where they have wonderful and very informative pages about all these issues.  I was new to Active Rain.  I was aware of the rules about plagerizing, copy and paste, etc. but sometimes you can know about this but when you sit to write decisions have to made as to how to handle the blog.  As you do this longer and read other posts you learn what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. … (0 comments)

Living in Westchester County is Good for Your Health - 07:12 AM
If anyone is considering a relocation to Westchester County, New York the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has issued a report saying that we in Westchester County are a healthier population than the rest of New York.
Less obesity, less diabetes and please read this for yourself.  It amazes me that money is spent by the Federal Government on studies like this, but maybe I am missing the importance or relevance of the information.  But since they did spend the money I am glad it is a good thing for those of us who live here.  So, from the CDC, click … (1 comments)

SEO AN HOUR A DAY: One-way links, reciprocal links, three-way-links. What's best? - 01:23 PM
There are a lot of rumors about one-way links, reciprocal links and three-way links on the Internet. Which of these links work best for your business and which links do you need to get higher search engine rankings?
What are one-way links?
A one way link is a simple link from one website to the other. For example, if you link to http://finance.yahoo.com/ and that page doesn't link back to your website then it's a one-way link from your site to their site.
What are reciprocal links?
A link is a reciprocal link if you link to a website and that website links back … (13 comments)

What's A Seller To Do? - 10:21 PM
While considering the prospect of marketing your home, you know doubt have had several conversations. Some of these conversations with lay people and others with real estate professionals. During some of these conversations if not all, you may have heard the proverbial term "It's a Buyer's Market".
The question that begs to be answered is "What's a Seller To Do? While there are no guarantees, there are certain things that can be done to maximize the salability of your home.
Assuming that you don't have a real estate professional that you have been working with, the first thing you want to do is … (7 comments)

Latest update on What's hot in Vernon Hills Lake County Illinois real estate market? Find out what is selling! - 09:34 PM
Updated as of July 13, 2007 While real estate market in Northern Illinois is still somewhat slow, we have some great news for residents of certain subdivisions in Vernon Hills, Lake County, IL! Not only have the whole market conditions in Vernon Hills improved since the Fall of last year, but there are areas that show above average sales activity!!! See bellow if you are in one of those areas ...
Hawthorn Club ... out of 3 homes currently listed in the MLS, 2 are under contract (that is 66%) ... everything else that was under contract has already closed.
Centenial Crossing ... out of 5 … (1 comments)

Current real estate market conditions in Vernon Hills & Indian Creek, Lake County, IL - homes, condos and townhomes for sale - 09:48 PM
Is Vernon Hills area your target market? Are you think about buying or selling real estate in Vernon Hills or Indian Creek? Here is our latest market updated for homes currently on the market through the MLS of Northern Illinois ... data as of 7/13/2007
Vernon Hills & Indian Creek homes and condos: 
Single Family Homes ... 182 currently listed (active & under contract)                                      31 under contract ... YES ... 17% of homes listed are under contract ... definitely an improvement compared to last year!
Attached Homes ... 192 currently listed (interestingly enough, it is the same number as for Single family homes!!!)                               29 under contract ... … (1 comments)

BEAUTIFUL Golf Course, Lake home located on large lot in Shadow Wood! - 10:24 AM
                                                           LIVE IN YOUR OWN RESORT!!! 
Exquisite home on an end, cul-de-sac lot with the preserve on the left side and lake and golf course down the center give great privacy to this lot. This home faces northeast, overlooking the lake and the second green of the Shadow Wood North golf course. The view out the back is free from all other homes. The interior is well planned and spacious. Featuring 3 bedrooms, 3 full and two half baths, this home is ready to move into. The kitchen is very large with many cabinets. The floors are bamboo except for the three bedrooms. The … (1 comments)

Raleigh, NC Real Estate: Fervor or Fever? First-time Buyers making it all worthwhile! - 09:35 PM
Took my Sweetie out for a pizza tonight in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Piccola's Pizza and Italian in Cameron Village.
4 Stars on the pizza!  4 stars on the service!  Tummy feels good.
And then Sweetie got the bonus side trip; we went to a nearby home that I helped a young couple buy this week.  They closed on Tuesday.  In a side note, it was a FSBO, and painless to boot.  Kudos to the Seller!
I wanted to pick up my lockbox, and wasn't surprised to see the house lit up and the new owners working away at 9:00 on a Friday night.  They are excited!  … (2 comments)

Thanks for your feedback! Use this green template on your posts! - 08:40 PM
… (31 comments)

Ann Arbor ART FAIRS, July 18-21st - 11:13 AM
The Ann Arbor Art Fairs are almost here, July 18-21, all over the downtown and E. and S. Universities area. Please note that this is in reality 4 ART fairs, all held at the same time each year and Ann Arbor pulls in over 500,000 visitors each year.
The Four Art Fairs are:
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair                    
Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair
                                                                  Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair
                                                                  South University Art Fair
Do most visitors know that this is really 4 Art Fairs ? NO  Do they care? NO All everyone cares about is the art fair is the one of the biggest … (25 comments)

Luxuary homes sales - 06:35 AM
I find I have luxury homes for sale with so many features that if I am not there for the showings, the buyers do not recognize all the great features. Some agents do not want the listing agent there. Have you thought about marketing these features in the home? I put out brief notes in each room within a picture frame. All the high tech wiring is behind the walls. What about the frame around windows made of steel in lieu of wood framing. Plumbing that has separate lines for every source in the home. These are big ticket items that … (2 comments)

Luxuary homes - 07:14 AM
There are some agents ok with my being there and they do understand the security purposes. I think they are concerned about their buyer disclosing too much. Unfortunately, there are about 25% that really dislike it. Even if I am there, I try to give them their privacy to tour the home so the picture frame notes often bring questions so there is a smoother transition for me to discuss amenities.
Any other great marketing tools that have worked for anyone on these higher priced homes?
… (2 comments)

I really don't feel like drinking the kool-aid anymore.....The "Real Thing" works for me. - 08:11 PM
Before I ventured in Real Estate I owned an insurance agency, I won't name names other than to say my clients  were in "good hands".
The thing that drove me CRAZY about the company was the quarterly meetings. You get in the car, drive for 2 hours to their "regional pep rally". They schedule it after lunch and before dinner so they don't have to feed you.
When you arrive, you and 50+ other agents and crammed in a room with a maximum capacity of 24, (according to the fire marshall postings). Unnamed company was too cheap to get a larger room. They … (6 comments)

Buyer's market caveat - 07:05 PM
The real estate market is soft in many areas around the country. Some predictions say that it may get even softer in the coming months in select cities, while other places show signs of the market leveling out. Anyhow, it's a bona fide buyer's heaven in the adversely affected regions, including Las Vegas. They can make offers below the list price, they can request closing cost help from the seller or ask for some other creative incentives and not get laughed at. That is the nature of the residential real estate arena today.
A soft market typically causes bank repo counts to increase, … (6 comments)

The New Wild West of Real Estate...Negotiating a Short Sale! (Part 1) - 06:55 PM
* This blog post is part of a 6 part Series on Short Sales.
Short Sales are a hot topic in Grand Rapids, Michigan right now.  Indeed in the entire country! Currently about 1 out of every 13 homes on the local real estate board has a little red tag in the listing comments that reads:  sale subject to bank's acceptance of short.  When real estate agents see these notations, many groan.... Why?  Because, negotiating a short sale is the Wild West of Real Estate these days! There is no shortage of surprises, twists and turns in the process.
Five years ago, a home … (12 comments)

The New Wild West of Real Estate...Negotiating a Short Sale! (Part 2) - 07:34 PM
*This is part 2 of a 6 part series.  Click here to read Part 1.
Well if you're a Seller who is having difficulty making your mortgage payments, it is better to be proactive rather than scrambling to react to an ever increasing level of stress and challenging circumstances.  This is because you have more options available to you by accepting the responsibility of reigning in a financial situation which is charging out of control. 
As the increase of Foreclosures runs rampant throughout the country, some banks are even being proactive in approaching customers who are showing indications of difficulty with making … (6 comments)

Market Yourself With A Better Calendar Next Time ! - 01:39 PM
Calendars and the real estate industry seem to go together like cookies and milk and every year REALTORS® and mortgage professionals dutifully set aside a handful of important marketing dollars to produce them to send to their client and prospect lists.  But are these calendars doing any good in the marketing effort?  Could you create a 'better' calendar that marketed you more effectively than what's been done before?  I think you can!  Here's how:
1)  Remember that most folks will get many calendars tossed their way each year but one or two will actually get used consistently.  Figure out how to be one of them!
2)  … (8 comments)

You're The One That I Want! - 03:04 PM
As Midori sings, It's Friday!  It's Friday!
My mind is going in a million directions right now, I can't concentrate. I thought I would play on Youtube and find something to share my giddy mood. I found the purrfect thing for all of you!
I love music.
I love animals.
Mix them together like this woman and her puppy did and what a show! This impressed me more then the Lipizzaner Stallions! (Sorry about that Stallions!)
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

… (27 comments)

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