Archives of real estate blog entries for January 9, 2008

Featured blog posts


Is Your Title Company Misbehaving? - 07:02 PM
Have you ever wondered about the integrity, or competency, of a title company after leaving the table?  To say that an enormous amount of money is blindly entrusted for proper dispersement is a serious understatement.  On a monthly basis, we could be talking about tens of millions of dollars gushing through the escrow accounts of average sized title companies.  Who's keeping track of all the money?  You'd be surprised to know the answer.A question recently asked on Mortgage101.com, click here to read, describes the consequences of a title company screwup.  A week after closing, a buyer was informed that his loan … (54 comments)

I May Be a Baby but So Are You! - 04:04 PM
I have posted on Ageism before, mostly on how it relates to real estate.  I have written how it is easy for clients to trust an older, though less experienced agent vs myself based on the appearance of longevity.  The topic intrigues me and I found my brain wrapping around it in a different way today.  Apparently we real estate agents aren't the only ones that have this issue in our midst.
I found myself in dire need of a dentist.  My last dentist mismanaged my billing to a point that I had to leave, though I hated to give up the … (28 comments)

The Virtual World is More Real Than We May Realize - 10:19 PM
I just now stumbled across a dead-on article from last May about online marketing or social networking and how it should be used.  This article draws some very real similarities between the way we network online and our real-life interaction with people.  
"trying to sell your products, services, or yourself when you first meet someone is the fastest way to ruin a networking relationship before it begins."
How often have we seen this happen, right?  I see it in professional associations all the time.  New members jump out and give everyone the impression the only reason they're there is to get something for … (37 comments)

Cicerone's Top 20 Bloggers of 2007 - 07:08 PM
Without a doubt, this is the hardest post I have ever made. Compiling a list of my favorite bloggers was easy, the hard part was limiting the list to twenty. There are at least twenty other bloggers just as deserving and for them I truly meant no slight.
However, I'm positive you will find this elite group of twenty individuals incredibly talented, smart, insightful and very deserving.
Cicerone's Top Bloggers of 2007
The Thinkers (Egg Heads):
Brian Brady - From a pure marketing perspective, Brian Brady is a combination of Jay Conrad Levinson, Tom Peters, Milton Friedman, John Boyd, Claude … (26 comments)

Top Ten Reasons you should join us at Real Estate Connect for an ActiveRain Gathering!! - 03:28 PM

 
 
My apologies to Tom Plant. This list is WAY overdue.
We are having an ActiveRain gathering in NYC during the Real Estate Connect Conference presented by Inman News. The gathering will be on Wednesday January 9th from 7-9pm in the lobby at the Paramount Hotel in Time Square. Any time we get a chance to get out and meet some of our members, we are thrilled. So in recognition of the get together being in the home of the real Top 10 List, and because Jon thinks they are a good idea, here goes............
Top Ten reasons you should join us at … (72 comments)

REALTORS are Dropping Like Flies... - 04:09 PM
I don't know if any of you read the article today, As Housing Slumps, Realtors Quit  today by Patrik Jonsson but, I wanted to, of course, sum it up and put MY spin on the article!  In summary:
One REALTOR was spotted, pulling her FOR SALE signs up in an established Georgia neighborhood, and when asked by the author, she voiced relief.  This agent had a taste of the 'good life' when the market was at the top but, now is relieved to be rid of the stress! 
All across the U.S., the number of agents that are letting their licenses lapse is … (127 comments)

I think I just lost a $6,000,000 listing! YEAH!!! - 10:07 AM
I had a potential client call the other day. Here first questions were:
  1. Did I have any experience with large land listing and sales (yes)
  2, What was my background ( I gave her the short form of my bio, which covers about 26 years and all levels and activities in real estate)
  3. What is the cheapest commission I would work for (hey you had to see this coming)
I told her I generally did not discount my services and that commissions are always negotiable. But to really answer her question I had needed to know a few things first.
  … (77 comments)

YOU Can't Advertise on My Blog - But I Can! - 11:05 AM
 
Did you ever find yourself thinking about something you heard or read days earlier?  That happened to me, recently, after reading Brian Block's You Can Advertise on My Blog -- NOT!!
While I agree completely with Brian about NOT allowing advertising on my blog, it occurred to me that "advertising" on my blog is exactly what I do - I just never thought of it that way.   Just look at the bottom of the blog you're reading now to see my "ad" for ME.  I started doing this with Localism posts so readers can access my website or blog without detouring through all the text on … (70 comments)

Two new clients from AR in one Day!!!!!!!!!!! - 09:53 AM
I had a pretty good weekend and was looking forward to the new work week.  I get up Monday morning and I am headed over to a friends house to help him work on a few things.  Then BAM!!!!! the phone rings.   I answer it and come to find out she found me on localism.  So I get her info and by Tuesday we sign a Buyers Rep. Agreement. 
Then a few minutes after we hang up the phone rings again.  This time it is an investor who is looking in the UT area for 4-8 units.  I asked him where he … (131 comments)


Blog posts


Woodbridge CT Market Report January - December 2007 - 11:00 AM

Current Active listings in Woodbridge (1/10/08) 69Number Sold Last 12 Months 94 (7.8 Sold Per Month)Number Sold Last 6 Months 48 (8.0 Sold Per Month)Number Sold Last 3 Months 23 (7.7) Sold Per Month)Current # of Months Inventory: 9              For a Full report of Woodbridge Connecticut Real Estate Market Report for December 2007 visit our web site.
… (0 comments)

Orange CT Market Report for December 2007 - 06:41 PM
   Current active listings (1/10/08) in Orange CT 66123 homes sold in the last 12 months (10.2  per month) 62 homes sold in the last 6 months (10.3 per month)27 homes sold in the past 3 months (9.0 Sold Per Month)Current # of months inventory: 7.3
 For a full report of Orange Connecticut Real Estate Market Report for December 2007 visit CTHomeTeam.com
… (0 comments)

Volunteer Positions Currently Open for Boards and Commissions in City of Seattle - 12:54 PM

Sarah Nopp has a post this morning entitled “Volunteering Opportunities in Olympia, WA”—after reading it I decided to see what volunteer positions are open on boards in the City of Seattle.
The following boards and commissions currently have openings in the City of Seattle:
 Fire Code Advisory Board - Mayor Greg Nickels is inviting candidates to represent retail business to apply for appointment to the Seattle Fire Code Advisory Board. The 15-member board advises the mayor, the City Council, the Fire Chief and the Fire Marshal about fire code issues in Seattle.
City regulations require that board membership include specific … (2 comments)

Online Trend: Consumer Use of Real Estate Sites Strong in ‘07 - 10:31 PM
According to RISMedia, a recently released report compiled from analytics and user statistics for the real estate industry reinforces the fact that the real estate consumer is moving increasingly toward real estate Web sites as their source for listings and industry information. The report was released by VisiStat, a provider of real-time Web site visitor statistics.
Supporting indicators include:
- Overall traffic growth for 2007 (over 2006) was 36.8%- Return visitors made up 47% of all Web site visits- The average visitor clicked through 14 site pages during each visit- Monday and Tuesday were the most trafficked days of the week, with thehighest activity … (3 comments)

Routine Repair = Maintained & Marketable - 10:50 PM
 
Think you might try to sell your house in a few years? Then now's the time to do what you can to make your house market ready, says Bill LaHay in a Universal Press Syndicate story published by the Orlando Sentinel.
While most people have heard of readying one's house just before putting it up for sale, keeping one's home maintained during your entire ownership is both a time saver and a money saver, he says.
Among his tips:
Don't let routine maintenance slide - repair leaky faucets, replace cracked window panes. Create a "wow" feature to make your home stand out from the … (2 comments)

Apple Valley Home - SOLD!!! - 04:02 PM
Apple Valley Home For SaleLocation: RegattaThere's lots of space in this traditionally designed 5 bedroom, 4 bath home. Great features including living room with bay window, family room with gas fireplace, Master bedroom suite with soaking tub & sep shower, professionally finished lower level w/wet bar and maintenance free exterior. Regatta Park is right behind the home and offers a playlot, ball fields and supervised summer puppet theater. One year home warranty included.InformationContact InformationDonna Quanrud763-286-9124Contact Reply FormForward to a FriendView Other FlyersPricingAsking Price: $384,900Property Location15638 Finch AvenueApple Valley, MN 55124View MapLinksVirtual TourFeaturesBedrooms: 5Bathrooms: 4Year Built: 1999Subdivision: RegattaLot Size: .28 AcresGarage Size: … (1 comments)

New Airport Check-in Procedures... MUST READ!! - 06:07 PM
For all you Frequent fliers out there, here it is... finally!!
New Airport Check-in Procedures...
This eliminates getting to the airport 2 hours early, but you still have to take off your shoes.  I'm surprised she's not carrying a see through purse as that still needs to be scanned too.
Our airport security is getting a little ridiculous...
… (9 comments)

Dejavu all over again? - 08:40 PM
I saw this in the Modesto Bee this morning.
Having taken over the 23-unit Rosegate town house project at Rose Ave and Scenic Dr through foreclosure, First Interstate Bank was pondering whether to rent the units or try to sell them. 
Was this the latest news of Modesto? No, this item was in the Yesteryears column. This was from this date 25 years ago. 
My point is that real estate is cyclical and always has been.  In my own personal experience I bought a house in the late 1980's for about $150,000.  Within a year the value had gone down about $25,000.  … (0 comments)

Fort Myers Beach " OPEN HOUSE " Thursday Jan 10, 2008 9 AM Reduced $100k - 09:42 PM
 
Fort Myers Beach " OPEN HOUSE "   Thursday  Jan 10  , 2008    9 :00  -       Reduced $100k
 Wouldn't this put a smile on her face !
Gorgeous 3/2 direct Gulf front home. Totally decorator furnished home.  I will be hosting this Thursday starting at 9 AM .  If you have been looking for a move-in ready beach front this is it.   If you are on Fort Myers Beach  Thursday  morning stop in and and say " HI".  This beautiful home is a real charmer with light. bright beachy colors and decorator upgrades. Furnished and ready for you to move in !  Just reduced $100k to $1,695,000 .   Call me direct for … (0 comments)

WordPress.org Themes - 06:50 AM
Disclaimer:  I am a long time TypePad blogger.  However, I figure a well-rounded blogger should be familiar with more than one platform, so I've taken to dabbling a bit with WordPress.org. 
While TypePad is second nature to me, WordPress isn't, so as I do stuff, I make notes and take screen shots, so I can remember how to do what I did the next time I need to do it. 
And I've been posting those notes here on Active Rain so that a). I can find them again when I need them and b). maybe they'll save someone else a little time and … (15 comments)

WordPress Image Problem - A Solution - 10:11 AM
Margaret Woda's comment here got me wondering ... "I am missing something in this WordPress/Image/Internet Explorer/Two-Dot/Headache business.... what am I missing?"
Aww, man.  This might be the answer.  Here are the basic steps to adding an image with the WP Visual Editior in either WordPress.org or WordPress.com.
In the lower panel Upload, you click browse, and choose an image from your computer.  You click "open" to select, and then "Upload"
Then you select either "Thumbnail" or "Full size" and "Send to editor".
Then you click on the the image to select it, and click on the little tree icon to set alignment and spacing.
But wait, hold … (20 comments)

MORE RELIEF FOR MORTGAGORS? - 01:51 PM
Some sub prime mortgage borrowers are getting a bit of relief and based on the following story, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson Hints at Expansion of Rate Freeze...read the full story.
This whole debacle is an amazing flood of blame games...Investors groan over borrowers who "cannot read" and borrowers scramble to blame the system because they are flirting with defaults based on, largely agreements that they took upon themelves...can I get a few bloggers to add their blog-sense to all this?
Blogins from the folks at LantierRealty.com
… (0 comments)

A Tribute To My Grandpa, Thomas Watkins - 07:12 PM

Thomas WatkinsMarch 5, 1925 - January 9, 200882 years old
Married 58 years to Lillian Watkins
Many words describe the type of person my grandpa was:  Funny, charming, witty, honest, loving, hard working, stern, loyal, jokster, reliable, old fashioned, strict, solid, good, jack of all trades, man of his word, kind, stubborn and family man are just some of many that come to mind.
When ever I entered their home, his words to me were always...."Well there she is...hey squirt".  I was always "squirt" to him.  Very rarely did he ever call me by my real name.
In my younger years, the majority of my memories are … (15 comments)

Taking my Broker glasses off and looking at Poinciana FL. - 03:36 PM
 
Folks, as you know, normally when I write about the market in Poinciana FL, I am always telling you guys how sales are down 60%, values are down 30% and basically how my market is in dire straights. Well today, I want to look at Poinciana from a different perspective.
Instead of looking at Poinciana through the eyes of a Real Estate Broker, I want to take a minute to look at Poinciana from the perspective of someone looking to move to Central FL.
Here are some stats that will help put Poinciana in a better perspective.
In January of 2006 there were 57,730 … (32 comments)

Market Update for San Jose, Santa Clara County, and Silicon Valley - 10:54 PM
The numbers have been crunched for December and for all of 2007 and it's not a lot different than what we expected.Overall, sales are WAY down. And overall, prices are UP. How does that work? In a nutshell, only the best homes are selling - homes that are in ideal locations (no busy roads, no high voltage power lines, you get the idea), nicely updated and priced aggressively.  Homes that aren't all of these things go on the market, get a little attention, and then proceed to NOT sell.You can read a very detailed report, complete with charts and graphs, for … (2 comments)

Thank You .... To the neighbor.... - 12:19 AM
I try to be courteous when posting any directional signs on Idaho Real Estate I have for sale.  If not a public right of way or vacant land, I typically ask permission from the home owner by knocking on their door.
Very rarely will I get someone to say "no", but it does happen!
When they approve of my sign on their corner, I make note of their address & then look up the owner information & mail them a nice thank you note, usually with a gift certificate for dinner or a couple free car washes or something...Just a note to show … (11 comments)

1207 BAREFOOT BAY DRIVE, ORLANDO FL, 32824 - 08:40 AM
 
MLS # S4622069      1207 BAREFOOT BAY DRIVE, ORLANDO FL 32824 $$$169,500
MAINTENANCE FREE LIVING!  WELL CARED FOR HOME& COMMUNITY W/ INGROUND POOL.  NO NEED TO LIFT A FINGER -  ASSOCIATION WATERS & CUTS THE GRASS, EXT MAINT, ROOF, BUILDING INSURANCE, WATER/SEWER, TRASH REMOVAL &  SECURITY
Kitchen
Dinning Area
Living Area
Bedroom
For more listings like this one and many more in the Central Florida area call Steve Glose with Keller Williams Realty direct at 407-616-7286 or visit www.thefloridalivingteam.com
 
 
 
Permission has been granted to post this listing
… (1 comments)

11018 YORKSHIRE RIDGE CT, ORLANDO FL 32837 - 08:44 AM
 
MLS #S4622724   11018 YORKSHIRE RIDGE CT, ORLANDO FL 32837   $$$174,800
A/C SYSTEM LESS THAN 1 MONTH OLD! GREAT DEAL! GREAT SCHOOLS! CENTRALLY LOCATED - CERAMIC TILE, FLORIDA ROOM, FENCED YARD, NEW APPLIANCES, COMMUNITY POOL - LOW HOA DUES.  PRICED LOWER THAN ALL OTHER 2 BED UNITS IN COMPLEX! EXTERIOR IN PROCESS OF BEING PAINTED - INTERIOR FRESHLY DONE!
Pool Area
For more listings like this one and many more in the Central Florida area call Steve Glose with Keller Williams Realty direct at 407-616-7286 or visit http://www.thefloridalivingteam.com/
 
 
 
Permission has been granted to post this listing
… (0 comments)

1326 IVY MEADOW DR, ORLANDO FL 32824 - 08:49 AM
 
MLS #S4631863     1326 IVY MEADOW DR, ORLANDO FL 32824   $$$245,000
BEAUTIFUL HOME! READY TO MOVE IN..LOTS OF UPGRADES, OVERSIZE LOT AND GREAT LOCATION. CLOSE TO THE  AIRPORT, SHOPPING PLAZA, SUPERMARKETS AND MUCH MORE. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT. SELLER VERY MOTIVATED.
Kitchen
Living Room
Back Yard
For more listings like this one and many more in the Central Florida area call Steve Glose with Keller Williams Realty direct at 407-616-7286 or visit http://www.thefloridalivingteam.com/
 
 
 
Permission has been granted to post this listing
… (0 comments)

2725 STRATHAM CT, KISSIMMEE FL 34741 - 05:31 PM
 
MLS # S4628928   2725 STRATHAM CT, KISSIMMEE FL 34741    $$$$395,000
wonderful lake view hse with all stainless appliances, wine rack, located in one exclusive Communities on Central florida , close to Major Attactions and highways BEAUTIFUL OVERSIZED LOT WITH GORGEOUS POND VIEW, PRISTINE AND CLEAN CONDITIONS , LOOKS AS MODEL HOME,FINEST NEIGHBOORHOOD ON AVERY ELEGANT AND SECURE GATED COMMUNITY CLOSE TO LOOP CENTRE , THEATERS, RESTAURANTS ,SHOPS ,FAST ACCESS TO AIRPORT AND MAJOR ATTRACCTIONS .OWNER WILL HELP TOWARD CLOSING COSTS AND FINANCING
For more listings like this one and many more in the Central Florida area call Steve Glose with Keller Williams Realty … (2 comments)

Related links

New Members for 2008-01-09

 Archives:

31 Jan
30 Jan
29 Jan
28 Jan
27 Jan
26 Jan
25 Jan
24 Jan
23 Jan
22 Jan
21 Jan
20 Jan
19 Jan
18 Jan
17 Jan
16 Jan
15 Jan
14 Jan
13 Jan
12 Jan
11 Jan
10 Jan
9 Jan
8 Jan
7 Jan
6 Jan
5 Jan
4 Jan
3 Jan
2 Jan
1 Jan
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006