Archives of real estate blog entries for October 17, 2008

Featured blog posts


OMG! I have been here for a year! A Year in Review.... - 08:13 PM
Time does fly when you are having fun! I have been a member of Active Rain for a year as of October 5th and I must admit I had no idea it had been that long!  Here is how blogging on AR has given me confidence, friends, and money!
 So what has Active Rain done for me? A.  I have developed somewhat of a voice as I have blogged away and continue to strive to do more as I go.  I have started other blogs as a result of my confidence from getting a strong start here on Active Rain.  I … (53 comments)

FHA Loans - FHA Mortgages are not a bad mortgage !!!!! - 02:05 PM

We have been in a doom and gloom housing market for the last 6 months to a year. Largely due to the part of the media and uneducated loan officers and realtors. Let me tell you something, there is still plenty of mortgage money to lend.
The problem is that you have some lenders that don't know anything other than conventional mortgages. Or they aren't FHA approved to do FHA Loans. And not to knock realtors, but there are many realtors that have been in this business for 20 years or so, that keep relating to FHA mortgages of the … (50 comments)

Effective Blogging Techniques For Smart Bloggers ONLY! - 08:01 PM
Now that real estate blogging is becoming more mainstream compared to a year ago when just a tiny fraction of us were venturing into the real estate blogging game, I've noticed there's been a big disconnect with both quality content and direction that leads to NOWHERE. 
This may be due to the influx of new bloggers venturing in or people trying to SEO shortcut success. I've noticed quite a few blog posts that don't offer the content promised in a headline and in some cases the links provided in the content do not lead to the information advertised in the post. 
… (51 comments)

How About An Intense Debate? - 01:55 PM
Recently I have been updating all of my social networking tools..which includes one of my favorites Mybloglog...in doing so...I found a few more social networks that I did not belong to.
Do I want more??????  NO, not really...but I know..we need them..for SEO..for on line presence.  I haven't been crazy seeing some of the political posts that have come up..as a matter of fact..with the network so large...it seems...there is always...always...some great debate... about anything and everything.

I know we can talk about anything...we can do as we please...after all its our right..and many make this loud and clear.  I … (28 comments)

Time for Landlords to Turn Their Heads and Cough? - 01:52 PM
 
There is an increasing number of accidental landlords in Scottsdale and Phoenix right now.  What many prospective tenants do not realize when shopping for a place to hang their hats for the next year or two is that the new landlord might be on unstable footing.  Unable to keep up with mortgage payments and unable to sell, leasing the home is becoming the trendy way to staunch, or at least slow the bleeding for many struggling homeowners.
The tenant will not bat an eye at the proposition of completing the requisite application, credit and background checks as an integral part … (63 comments)

Sarasota Association of Realtors - SAR | TheSarasotaMLS.com Is History | Maybe You're Next - 01:33 PM
A friend of mine, Marc Rasmussen, lost his domain name recently. The members of the Sarasota MLS board took it upon themselves to make sure he no longer has rights to his domain of several years, TheSarasotaMLS.com because the domain has "MLS" within the name. Oh, and let's not forget that Marc's site was and is beating all of the board member's sites, plus the association's site for the search phrase "sarasota mls." But that surely wasn't at issue, right? Marc won his case with the NAR, but lost his domain with ICANN. You can read the details here.
From … (113 comments)

Blogging's Magic Bullet... - 10:33 AM
Blogging is tough, yes? Blogging isn't always the easiest activity in the world. In fact sometimes the simple process of putting a word, one word on the page is agony.
Wouldn't it be great if we could record a few of the millions of thoughts we had all day long and process them painlessly into a blog? Oh my would I have some incredible blogs!
Of course that isn't possible. Instead I have to rely on my memory to kick in the next time I'm sitting in front of the 'puter. Ha. Another problem, what was it I wanted to blog … (95 comments)

Got an IRS Audit? I did! - 01:47 PM
I was notifed about 8 weeks ago of my impending audit and I set my date to  go in. I will share what happend and some tips to help others avoid some of the collecting of data issues I had to face. 
Keep your receipts!!! this is where I lacked. SO I had to get my bank statements in order to prove my expences. TIP: Collect your receipts as you go. Keep a file for personal and business. Write on the receipt what you used it for if its not obvious. Don't loose receipts. There is a new program call Neat … (49 comments)

Homeowner Defaulting on Loan to get the "Bailout" - 02:03 PM
I am sure that you are well aware that there are home buyers out there, that are in their home because they work hard, make their payments on time, and could afford the loan they took out on their home.
But now where are they left?  OUT in the cold I say, I have seen many people that are considering defaulting on their loan ON PURPOSE so that they themselves can take advantage of the government bailing out scrupulous homeowners that should not have been placed in their homes to start with. 
It is leaving the homeowners frustrated and essentially wanting … (90 comments)

Expanding Your Sphere of Influence - Leave Cyberspace and Network in the Real World - 08:20 PM
Recently, I read another blog post that asked the question "How do I expand my sphere of influence?"  The simple answer is by networking.  When it comes to networking, you need both a web strategy and a real world strategy.  Your web strategy will most likely focus on social networking sites like ActiveRain.com, LinkedIn.com or other sites. 
Effective networking, however, requires personal contact and personal contact means 1-on-1 interaction.  If you are new to a neighborhood or a city and are looking for entrepeneurial or social groups to join, you might want to start your search with MeetUp.com.  By using MeetUp.com, you can search and … (42 comments)

Is It The Package Or The Size That Counts? - 08:03 PM
Hard! This is really hard! How does a quality home compete with larger homes which are inferior? When it comes to marketing, I think it is much easier to promote size over quality. I've had a few challenging listings this year. I don't know if it's my locale but I've lived in other parts of the country where quality is everything. The Northeast is a little pricey, okay it's a lot pricey. This is different. 
New York ranks as one of the highest states when it comes to property taxes. I never have figured out why that is because I know I am not getting anything more in return … (44 comments)

Referrals - Your Answer To The Economy Crunch - 01:32 PM
Today I went to a BNI meeting in Roanoke Virginia and the speaker was Dr. Ivan Misner.  For those of you who don't know Dr. Misner is the founder of BNI.  It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet him.  It was well worth the trip.
It has been said and most of us believe that we all only really six degrees separated.  We are all connected one way or another, just six degrees away.  Dr. Misner's book The 29% says that Six degrees Separation creates an Achilles heel.   He says only 29% of the people ( … (35 comments)

ActiveRain @ REBarCamp - Knocking on the Doors of Opportunity - 02:38 PM
What is an REBarCamp?  Why Would I want To Go?  Who Is Going To Be There?  How Will This Benefit Me or My Business?  What Are The Topics?  Where's it at?  How Much Will It Cost?  The Door is Unlocked                          
Knock on the door of your choice to find out more about REBarCamp.  You only get one choice so make it a good one.  This is not "Let's Make A Deal" or the "Knock Knock Game", this is YOUR chance to see if "keys" to Industry Secrets and WEB … (79 comments)

Stop Trying to be Like Everyone Else and Be YOU!! - 08:08 PM
When I first got into real estate about four years ago, I tried to emulate the trainers I had.  The hardest thing for me to do was the formal listing presentation they taught.  I hated it.  It felt unnatural, but I was brand new and didn't know any other way to do a listing appointment. 
I spent countless hours making a brag book about myself.  (Hated that task too.)  I was told you just HAD to give it to sellers to show them how wonderful you were.  And of course, I HAD to have a list of ten or fifteen things I would … (85 comments)

Plagiarism - I'm the Latest Victim and I'm Fuming!!! *** UPDATE *** - 02:11 PM
***WARNING***   This is a rant, not my usual type of post I know, but I'll try to keep it as professional as I can.  Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do though.  I'm hoping that the Stage It Forward moderators won't delete this post.  I know that they have to "weed out" the non-staging posts - a huge job that gets no thanks, but I feel it's really important that everyone read this.  I guess it is somewhat home staging related - I'm a home stager and this post is about my home staging website, so here it goes.
----------
Well, I'm the … (153 comments)

Recession Proof Your Business With Referrals - 08:02 PM
My most recent post Referrals - Your Answer to the Economy Crunch is the beginning of some of the points that were discussed by Dr. Ivan Misner yesterday in Roanoke Virginia. He is a great speaker.  He talked for about an hour or so and covered a great many topics that can recession proof your business.
In order to get a referral you have to be good at your craft.  Whether it be real estate sales or a loan officer or home inspector you must be able to demonstrate knowledge in your field. From there we are able to establish trust … (37 comments)


Blog posts


Free Halloween treats,for your clients and friends. - 09:36 AM
I posted this blog, I guess in the wrong place but if you follow this link you can get to it.
 http://activerain.com/blogs/rosaelenaklein

I have enclosed the how to info on my original blog, I hope you guys enjoy. You don't necessarily need to use it for Halloween. I give them to my clients in reverse order and say before and after closing faces.  The truly love these pictures, Doing the entire family is fun also. Kids love to do it themselves.
… (0 comments)

How About An Intense Debate? - 01:55 PM
Recently I have been updating all of my social networking tools..which includes one of my favorites Mybloglog...in doing so...I found a few more social networks that I did not belong to.
Do I want more??????  NO, not really...but I know..we need them..for SEO..for on line presence.  I haven't been crazy seeing some of the political posts that have come up..as a matter of fact..with the network so large...it seems...there is always...always...some great debate... about anything and everything.

I know we can talk about anything...we can do as we please...after all its our right..and many make this loud and clear.  I … (28 comments)

The Sarasota MLS Bites One of the Hands That Feeds It - 11:21 AM

Marc Rasmussen, a successful Sarasota REALTOR®, has been in a fight with his local MLS regarding his own Sarasota MLS website that originally had the domain name "thesarasotamls.com".  You can read all the lengthy details about TheSarasotaMLS.com Gone and my take about how The Sarasota MLS Attacks Its Own Member.  The story was also picked up by Inman News and I'm glad the word is spreading.  There are a few posts already on AR about it so I won't rehash the entire situation.
But what I did notice in reading all the posts and articles already created was some misinformation, … (16 comments)

18 Cape Woodbury - Newport Beach CA - $2,795,000 - 08:03 PM
Home | Site Map
For more information, photographs and other available properties, go to :
Orange County coastal real estate in Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach & Newport Coast
… (0 comments)

Do You Toot Your Own Horn... to excess? - 01:01 PM
What do you think about people who always have to toot their own horn?  I'm always cruising around ActiveRain and other sites.  I read information from a lot of the same people on many different sites.  Over and over again, in almost every answer they post for someone, they have to say how much experience they have and how great they are.
"I've been doing this for 16 years."
"I've been in the business for over 20 years."
"I close 20 deals a month so I know what I'm talking about."
"I close millions of dollars every year."
There are many … (20 comments)

Richardson TX Home for Sale- 609 Palomar Ln 75081 - 01:17 PM

What a Fabulous Updated & Meticulously maintained 4 bedroom home with 3 large living areas in a highly desired area of Richardson, College Park East!
Updates include Granite Counters, Fixtures, Faucets, Hardware, Hardwoods, Tile, Paint, Sprinklers, Garage Door & opener, Plantation Shutters, 2" blinds, & much more.
Features include Vaulted Ceilings, Brick Fireplace, Finished Sunroom, Skylights, Covered Patio, Mature Trees... Foundation work with warranty. Trip to Bahamas or Mexico included, ask for details.
You can view the Visual Tour here.
 




… (2 comments)

Carrollton TX Condo for Sale ONLY $45,000 - 08:35 PM

Great condo for first time home owner or an investor wanting some easy rent. 2 bedrooms & 1 bath on second floor corner unit in the back with a semi-private balcony, great for BBQ'ing.
Tile floors, Linen Closet, Walk-in Closets. Newer Washer & Dryer and the Fridge to remain. Priced thou$and$ below market value for the buyer to complete minor updates.
The Complex is not FHA or VA approved.
Trip to Bahamas, Mexico or Dominican included, ask for details! 
All this for ONLY $45,000 in Carrollton, TX.
 
 



… (10 comments)

Barack is just like us! - 06:22 PM
Oh man! How many times have you been in a hotel and really wanted to order room service until you saw the charge? With me it's plenty and every now and then I give in to it, but not often and not with anything extravagant!
Well Barack "I'm just like you" Obama was in the Waldorf for a very important dinner the other night. In fact you will have seen some funny blogs on the subject.
Problem was he got hungry before the event. Now I don't expect him to pop downstairs to the bar and order up a quarter pounder, … (32 comments)

Do You Have Your Financial Ducks in a Row? - 08:36 PM
Are You Quacking About A Home Loan? Do You Have Your Financial Ducks in a Row?
The most critical part of purchasing a home or investment property is having all of your financial ducks in a row.  In today's real estate market with all of the banking changes in guidelines, some buyers still think that they can wait until they find the perfect home to talk to a lender. The reality is...now is the time to do it.  Waiting could cost you the buyer thousands of dollars by missing the chance to lock in a lower interest rate....not only that but, … (1 comments)

Fort Myers Beach " Relay For Life " fight against cancer golf Tournament - 03:35 PM
Calling all Fort Myers & Fort Myers Beach area golfers !    Please mark your calendars for Nov 29, 2008 to take part in the annual Fort Myers Beach " Relay For Life " fight against cancer.  The cost is $50/person and includes all course fees, cart, lunch and drinks.  Tee off time is 8 AM at the Bay BEach Golf CLub.  This is a great event for a terrific cause!   For additional details and to support the cause call Bob Bunting at 239  850-9293.  See you there !
… (2 comments)

What Are the Chances Seth Godin Will Review My Book? - 02:51 PM
 
Sharon and Missy and Colleen have talked about marketing guru Seth Godin's newest book, Tribes. In a series of innovative and gutsy marketing moves, first he invited people to join a new networking site called Triiibes if they would preorder his book. Then, before the book was officially published, he sent a free copy to everyone who had ordered and paid for a book. With that surprise copy came a letter of thanks, and a request that everyone keep and read the free copy, but give the one they paid for to someone else. Absolutely stunning!
Most of you know … (43 comments)

Sales UP in Denver - 07:45 AM
Well if the previous note about new listings being the predictor of future sales did not work for you, take a look at Denver's closings in September. We have seen an activity that is very strong in the month of September, and the reader needs to remember that Real Estate is still probably the best investment for its stability and appreciation. Call or drop me a note if we can help you or yours or just stop by DenverRelocation.com for some good information and advice
… (0 comments)

No Short Sale For You!!!! - 05:13 PM
I HATE strongly dislike having transactions fall apart at the last minute. Last Friday, I was supposed to close on one of my Poinciana Florida short sale properties. It was a pretty difficult deal that required almost 3 months of negotiating with Wells Fargo. 
After many days of going back forth on the negotiating of a promissory note we finally arrived at an agreement between Wells Fargo and the Seller and received the written "Short Sale Approval". All was right with the world!!! 
The next step was to make sure the Buyer was still on track by getting a closing date … (48 comments)

Short Sale w/ CitiMortgage - need an escalation - 12:16 PM
I have a phone to my ear.  I've literally been on hold with Citi's short sale dept for over 40 minutes this morning.  I need to find a way to escalate beyond the negotiator on the file.  Here's the situation.  They approved the short sale.  BUT, buyer's appraiser could not appraise it at the purchase price.  So Citi sent out another BPO agent.  Who still came in with a higher value (10%) than appraisal.   Well the problem there is that the appraiser took a declining market adjustment.  He made a more than 3% per month adjustment on each comp used.  I … (10 comments)

September, 2008, Wichita, KS MLS report - 10:05 AM
Wichita, KS metro Area
Real estate report, September, 2008
  
Existing home sales fell 15.6% from the same period in 2007.  New home sales were down 15.1%.  Total existing sales dropped from 831 to 701 units.  Median # of days on the market increased slightly from 27 to 39 days.  Average price remained stable at $105,000.  New and existing home inventories remained stable in the Wichita market compared to the large increases nationally in real estate inventory.
  
Mortgage rates have risen ½ to ¾% over the last month but are still in the 6 to 6.5% range. 
  
Next … (0 comments)

Keeping Your Cool in Stressful Times - Watching the Wild Ride in Home Values and in the Stock Market - 01:01 PM
What to do, what to do? The markets are a mess! Here are some thoughts to help keep your cool in scary times.
There's a lot for those of us in Silicon Valley to be feeling stressed out about lately. Between the stock market's wild ride and sinking home values in Santa Clara County (and around the country), it's a little nerve-wracking. These times are especially upsetting if you're a senior and plan to retire soon.  For years, people looked at their homes with the fond sense of "this is my retirement fund" - or at least a good part of it. Some … (0 comments)

Blogging's Magic Bullet... - 10:33 AM
Blogging is tough, yes? Blogging isn't always the easiest activity in the world. In fact sometimes the simple process of putting a word, one word on the page is agony.
Wouldn't it be great if we could record a few of the millions of thoughts we had all day long and process them painlessly into a blog? Oh my would I have some incredible blogs!
Of course that isn't possible. Instead I have to rely on my memory to kick in the next time I'm sitting in front of the 'puter. Ha. Another problem, what was it I wanted to blog … (95 comments)

Faith in the Economy - 09:41 AM
When you stop to think about it, our whole economy is based on faith: faith as small as knowing that the check you receive from your employer is going to be accepted by your bank and that the check you write to buy your groceries will be accepted by the supermarket.  Faith as large as knowing that if you borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a home, you'll pay the money back as agreed.
Based on that faith, markets are created where goods and services are traded, homes and real estate investments are bought and sold, and stocks, bonds … (0 comments)

Pueblo West Happenings This Coming Week - 04:22 PM
A special meeting of the Pueblo West Metro District Board of Directors will be held on Oct 21, at 6:00pm, at the metro district office.  The meeting will discuss expansion of the water and wastewater treatment facilities to include proposed rate hikes.  The board will be receiving public comment at this time.  Get Involved!
Where I'll be this weekend:
Saturday, October 18, Fort Carson Military Retiree Appreciation day at the Special Events Center , Building 1829, Fort Carson from 7am to 12pm.
Saturday, Oct 18, Pueblo West High School 9th Annual Crafts Sale from 9am to 4pm.
Sunday, Oct 19, Pueblo … (0 comments)

Layoffs at Zillow - 03:47 PM
Inman news and several other sources are reporting that Zillow.com has laid off 25% of it's work force or about 40 people.
Rich Barton, Zillow CEO said in their company blog: "This week we are reducing our workforce by 25%. This was an incredibly painful decision for me and the leadership team, but, in the end, we concluded that we had no choice but to securely batten down the hatches as we sail into a major economic storm."
Zillow has been widely critized in the real estate industry for publishing online estimates of house values called "Zestimates" that were wildly inaccurate.
… (2 comments)

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