Archives of real estate blog entries for November 1, 2008

Featured blog posts


Getting Featured...Which Way? - 08:16 PM
The intent of the posts written by  Castellum Realty, Top 100 ways to get featured on Active Rain and Top 10 Bloggers with featured posts , and Midori Miller, Featured Post or Featured Quality?, was to help all of us learn how to write featured posts.
No doubt they did a good job, in fact a darn good job.  However, I still have a couple of questions.
Do I need to include all 100 ways to write a featured post in one post?or Do I write 100 posts, each using one of the tips in the list?  Would that then guarantee me 100 features … (75 comments)

Listing Router....Show them First - 08:26 PM
Kelly Koehler wrote a post that asked several important questions, if you haven't read it, please go do so. The essense of the post was that you have only a couple of seconds to capture the consumer.
In other words make it look good, make it count.
Here is a screen shot of my IDX Search Site. I show them what they are going to see, before we ask them to register.

When the consumer picks out the area they want to look in and clicks the Search button, then they see this, with the photos, Google maps and Google … (61 comments)

Sorry.....we don't take verbal offers BUT......... - 08:18 PM
Hi folks. Don't you just hate dislike verbal offers? Next time you have a REALTOR(R) wanting to present a verbal offer, why not try this? OK, a REALTOR(R) calls me up with a verbal offer from his Buyer for one of my listings. It goes something like this:
"Hi Broker Bryant I have an offer for your listing. My Buyer is only in town for a few hours and wants to make a verbal offer so we don't waste our time."
"I'm sorry my Seller will not negotiate verbally. It's in my listing agreement that all offers to purchase must be in … (89 comments)

Outstanding October: Active Rain Success Stories of October 2008 - 08:44 PM
Happy Post-Halloween! 
Tired of all the election news?  Well, the good news is that it's almost over.
In the meantime, you should be reading Outstanding October: Active Rain Success Stories of October 2008 as posted in the Active Rain Block Party group.  One of my favorite things here (besides experiencing my own success) is to read about the success of others and learn from their efforts.
There's no better place than the Active Rain Block Party group to read about the success that people are experiencing and which you too can experience with consistent blogging efforts.  This group was established … (37 comments)

The Audacity of Hope for an End to Declining Market Values - 08:15 PM
I am continually fascinated with the idea that Buyers today feel it is only in their best interests to buy when properties values are in decline. At least they are constantly being told that by the talking heads and the prognosticators. I guess the idea now is to buy at the bottom of a market, having seen the outcome from buying at the top of the market. So where's the bottom?
What is often not factored in, is that as Buyers force the values further down and with the next level of buyers doing the same thing, then those new lower comparables become the market … (34 comments)

Service: Isn't It Nice To Get As Good As We Give? - 08:11 PM
For the life of me, I don't understand why real estate agents are right up there with corrupt politicians on the Great American Dis List.  Most of the agents I know are pretty scrupulous about stuff like showing up on time and doing what we say we'll do for our clients.  And while there are certainly some exceptions, I think it's safe to say that most of us do a good job most of the time.
So, this week, I encountered a couple of breakdowns with service providers myself.
I had a new back door installed on my house.  The contractor … (31 comments)

Shameless Self Promotion With Big Huge Labs - 08:13 PM
Have a Flickr.com account?  Take a lot of pictures?  Ever heard of Big Huge Labs?
 
Big Huge Labs lets you link to your Flickr images and create all sorts of nifty little gadgets, albums, trinkets and doo-dads to put on your sites, blogs, email or print for your own use.  I just created a really neat "Pocket Album" on big huge labs.  A pocket album is a regular size sheet of paper that will hold eight images of your choice.  Big Huge Labs will configure the photos so that when the page is folded and snipped in just the right … (61 comments)

What Would You Do If Your Broker Said Stop Blogging? - 10:26 AM
Did you know that many businesses have banned some technologies.. technologies such as facebook, IM and Skype?
According to Peter Bradwell, a Demos researcher and author of the UK think tank demos report, believes that the benefits outweigh the risks.
He also pointed to the use of Facebook and LinkedIn in developing working relationships, although he admitted that a lot of organizations tend to ban these applications..
Read the full story because its really educational and useful! I remember about a year ago..reports of bloggers being sued started to surface on the net.  Hmmm..look where we are at now...a lotta suing going … (110 comments)

Stop Making Excuses - Start Marketing Yourself Today - 12:40 AM
 Now, as some of you may know, I often will use a private conversation with my current and former colleagues - both inside and outside my brokerage - as a source of inspiration for my blog posts.  I use a variety of devices to protect the innocent such as waiting several weeks or even months before commenting on a particular discussion or series of discussions. 
TOP EXCUSES FOR NOT DEVELOPING NEW BUSINESS
So I was engaged in a discussion regarding the reasons "why" we procrastinate and avoid doing personal marketing, networking, prospecting and business development activities.  Here are the top excuses … (60 comments)

new Active Rain blog theme: Jazz # 1, group news, geeks & gurus - 10:29 AM
.

 
 Every once in awhile, stuff happens on Active Rain that makes me re-think why I'm here and what is the real purpose of The Art Of Marketing You group ???
 

 In the past week there was a mini flood of posts about what should or shouldn't be featured, how to comment, how to reply to comments, etc... Yes I know people are entitled to their opinions, complaints, etc... as well as voicing how they think things should be done. I have kind of a busy life so I try to stay out that kind of stuff.
… (75 comments)

WARNING! Horn Tooting: The Inman List of the Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate Bloggers for 2008 Is Out, and We're On It! - 02:13 AM
After what has been an absolutely whirlwind year of company growth, product development and business travel, it’s hard to believe we had any time to blog at all.  So, I have to admit, being recognized for the 2nd year in a row as one of the most influential real estate bloggers, came as a bit of a surprise… albeit a pleasant surprise.
I’d like to think that the reason that I have been recognized as being so influential is because of the success of the many hundreds of real estate bloggers that we have developed over the last 2 years.
Collectively our clients have published 10’s … (45 comments)

The Scary Speed Of Social Media Conversations (Eyejot & Twitter) - 10:24 AM
67% of all statistics are made up on the fly.
It may actually be higher than that, since I just made that one up on the fly. You get the point. This morning, I read a report on MarketWatch that struck me as more than odd. It struck me as misleading. So, I decided to use my EyeJot This! bookmarklet and put out a little video message on Twitter.
What you see below is the instant conversation that took place. It's best to read it from the bottom of this post to the top. And it illustrates a couple of things … (55 comments)

The payoff is 200K at last! But the reasons I write blog posts have nothing to do with points! - 10:23 AM
Since I started posting on ActiveRain, I have looked forward to the day I reached the seemingly unattainable tally of 200,000 points. It was a lofty goal, and one that would take a lot of work and dedication.
I have just edged past that mark, unbelievably only the 95th active member to do so, so I understand the momentous nature of the occasion. There are many things that I have learned along the way,
First and foremost, it's not about the points. If you are only seeking points to get a more prominent position in your area, then you are wasting … (72 comments)

The Active Rain Police: So now what, everyone gets booted? - 08:10 PM
The Active Rain Police: So now what, everyone gets booted? [Image of cop goes here...hmmm...afraid to post it] Think about it. We now have an Active Rain Policeman. He will be reading everything looking for copywrite violations. I understand the need for this, but my question is, exactly how far does this go? We all get crazy little things by email that may be worth sharing, especially jokes, or helpful hints, maybe even a recipe. We all belong to various groups where we gather to build and nuture relationships, and to share some of these wonderful things that others share with … (85 comments)

Gotta get something off my mind… - 12:40 AM
I will warn you upfront that I am writing this post from a place of being really frustrated with all of the injustice in the world. I have seen things in the past few days that I just cannot get out of my head…images that are permanently etched on my heart.
 
At the beginning of the week, I attempted to schedule a showing for an investment property (duplex) in Durham. I called five or six hours in advance of the showing, but my showing was declined at the last minute…demanding 24 hours notice. I then asked for a showing … (80 comments)


Blog posts


What Would You Do If Your Broker Said Stop Blogging? - 10:26 AM
Did you know that many businesses have banned some technologies.. technologies such as facebook, IM and Skype?
According to Peter Bradwell, a Demos researcher and author of the UK think tank demos report, believes that the benefits outweigh the risks.
He also pointed to the use of Facebook and LinkedIn in developing working relationships, although he admitted that a lot of organizations tend to ban these applications..
Read the full story because its really educational and useful! I remember about a year ago..reports of bloggers being sued started to surface on the net.  Hmmm..look where we are at now...a lotta suing going … (110 comments)

Buyers and Sellers Become Unrealistic In This Market - 09:30 AM
Paulia and I have been sharing ideas this week for a good blog entry.  I have been asking her about behavior changes in buyers and sellers as many have had to rethink housing plans due to a shifting real estate market.  I asked Paulia to check her 'send box' to see what types of email questions she has been responding to, as this is a great source of information for the here and now.One such individual who wrote Paulia was interested in purchasing a condo on prime Lake Hamilton property in Hot Springs, AR and gave Paulia a laundry list of … (6 comments)

School system meltdown!!! Someone help our kids!! - 09:54 AM
Over in California a group of Kindergartners (yes - you read that correctly) have been forced to sign a pledge card in support of the gay community. The State's school system is refusing to say what action - if any- will be taken against the teacher.
The image - a link from Fox News - shows the card with the "signature" of this Kindergartner.  And before the anti crowd start in on me let me tell you two things. 1. The best person at my wedding is a Lesbian(and a school teacher). 2. My kids' nanny when they were very young … (32 comments)

WARNING! Horn Tooting: The Inman List of the Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate Bloggers for 2008 Is Out, and We're On It! - 02:13 AM
After what has been an absolutely whirlwind year of company growth, product development and business travel, it’s hard to believe we had any time to blog at all.  So, I have to admit, being recognized for the 2nd year in a row as one of the most influential real estate bloggers, came as a bit of a surprise… albeit a pleasant surprise.
I’d like to think that the reason that I have been recognized as being so influential is because of the success of the many hundreds of real estate bloggers that we have developed over the last 2 years.
Collectively our clients have published 10’s … (45 comments)

Closing the Bookstore Down - 06:22 PM
I was driving home from Austin this afternoon, listening to KUT (our local PBS station) on the radio. 
Since the Texas Book Festival is this weekend, Folkways was playing songs related in some way to books.  I heard a song that I had never heard before, and it struck such a chord that hours later, after going to the grocery store, running errands, and feeding critters, I had to look it up.  I only had a couple of phrases out of it; finally thought to check the KUT playlist, and there it was. 
The song is Closing the Bookstore Down by … (4 comments)

Sorry.....we don't take verbal offers BUT......... - 08:18 PM
Hi folks. Don't you just hate dislike verbal offers? Next time you have a REALTOR(R) wanting to present a verbal offer, why not try this? OK, a REALTOR(R) calls me up with a verbal offer from his Buyer for one of my listings. It goes something like this:
"Hi Broker Bryant I have an offer for your listing. My Buyer is only in town for a few hours and wants to make a verbal offer so we don't waste our time."
"I'm sorry my Seller will not negotiate verbally. It's in my listing agreement that all offers to purchase must be in … (89 comments)

The Blossom Manor neighborhood of Los Gatos - 04:42 PM

One of the most sought-after areas among first time Los Gatos homebuyers is Blossom Hill Manor, also known as Blossom Manor or simply The Manor. What's the draw? Often it's the award winning Los Gatos schools, two of which are within a mile: the newly remodeled and renovated Blossom Hill School and Fisher Middle School. Also highly valued is the proximity to grocery stores, banks, coffee shops, and much more - many so close that a car is not needed to reach them. More reasons for the enduring popularity -  a good proximity to parks & freeway access points and a quick … (3 comments)

Welcome to the Surrey Farms Neighborhood of Los Gatos - 05:34 PM
Surrey Farms is a highly sought after neighborhood in the Kennedy Road area of east Los Gatos.  A comforably sprawling enclave (gated, but the gate never closes) of low-key but spacious ranch style homes reside on large, half-acre lots. 
The area once did have horses and a large stable, but those days are now long gone. It is a charming area because it is so unpretentious.Homes in this area have become far more affordable recently, with some now in the mid 1 millions (appx 1.5 mil).You can read much more about Surrey Farms over at the Live in Los Gatos blog.  I invite you to see some pictures … (0 comments)

List Prices and Trends in Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park, Willow Glen and West San Jose - 06:31 PM
Prices are getting pushed down in virtually all parts of Silicon Valley and in San Jose particularly. Even so, the downward pressure is not uniform among all home types and price points. The San Jose real estate scene is varied by region, home type, condition, school district, and many more factors, including the number of nearby foreclosures and short sales.
The four areas studied appear to be doing better than the city as a whole. For instance, here's the graph of list prices for all of San Jose (which has about a million residents spread over many districts):What is fairly consistent … (0 comments)

Cool webcams - 09:26 AM
One of the great things the www has brought to everyone is access to cool webcams all over the country and the world. Here's a few if you want to add some realism to your daydreams.
I didn't realize these things were so common and so....everywhere. Big brother is here.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming (and quite a few other places nearby)
Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee
More Great Smoky Mountains park from another direction and location
Purchase Knob, Great Smoky Mountains
Marco Island, Florida, a favorite with snowbirds.
Earthcam, tons of great web cams all over the world, you can look … (3 comments)

What's New? - 06:51 PM
Debt-Free Living, what a concept, but is it possible in our society?
How about some humility and servant-hood in our leadership in this country, would that be a nice thing? 
                                                      
Idaho has been blessed with a low unemployment rate, however, there are those who seem to continually depend on public assistance when they are capable of working a normal job.
Spending of American dollars to help other countries is generous, but maybe generous to a fault. I believe in furthering Democracy, but let's take care of the home land first!
Check this quote out...   
"The budget should be balanced, the … (2 comments)

Is your home a Public Speaker? - 07:37 PM
I found this article about public speaking very interesting, because a) I enjoy speaking in public, b) it's a "sales thing" and of course, c) I always want to become better at what I do.
So, what does this have to do with real estate in Idaho? Well, if you are selling your home, you are ultimately giving a presentation.  When you review the 7 reasons below, take a look at what your homes in Idaho are saying to their audience.
I hope you can find a good take away in this article.  Whenever you have a home in Nampa or … (0 comments)

October 1st in Boise, Idaho! - 07:47 PM
Housing Trends in the Boise Real Estate Market:
Let's take a look at the recent activity from our Intermountain MLS Data for Idaho real estate activity in the Boise area:
Boise Capitol
 
The following chart shows activity comparisons of number of homes sold in any given month from 2004 through September of 2008 in the Boise Valley. 2005 was obviously the peak year for Idaho Real Estate as well as for real estate across the country.  There seems to be more opinions that we have reached the bottom of the pricing range for the Boise Idaho Real Estate Market:  Now we hope to see the … (2 comments)

Should I Take my Home off the Market During the Holidays? - 08:00 PM
                                                                          
Many sellers think about taking their home off the market during the holidays. This may be the best time of year to find a serious, qualified buyer who may be in town visiting family for the holidays. This article spells out some good advice for sellers during this time of year.  When you are thinking of buying a home, think of Idaho Real Estate!  Call Don Wixom for quality service throughout the year!

Should I Take My Home Off the Market During the Holidays?    
          Written by Blanche Evans 
When you look at your November and December calendars you may … (9 comments)

Fall Garden Tips - 10:25 PM
If you are in New England it's time to put the garden to bed. And if you are new to gardening, here are a few guidelines for you to follow to have a perfect garden next year.
Annuals are just that, they are a once a year plant that does not typically withstand our winters. Get a head start now by gently removing them at root. Spread any leftover compost or wood chips over your perennials once they have died off.  Buy more if necessary. The compost or wood chips will help protect the roots if it is an especially cold … (1 comments)

Forclosure Stats and Help - 11:37 PM
An analysis by First American CoreLogic reveals that  7.5 million single family homes are worth less than what they owe on their mortgage.  2.1 million were close to being upside down as of the end of September.
An automated valuation model was used to analyze the huge database of public records and produce what American CoreLogic claims is the industry's first state-level assessment of households that have negative equity.
 Analyzing 42 million properties with mortgages found the states with the highest  upside down mortgage percentages were Nevada at 48%, Michigan at 39%, Florida at 29%, Arizona at 29%, California at 27% … (0 comments)

TAKE THE DAY OFF - 04:08 PM
Not advise I give much,  but Tuesday November 4th would be a good day to take off.  This important day comes around every 4 years and the older I get the more I appreciate just what this day means.  Take the time to help out at your local polling place or maybe spend sometime explaining this crazy America process to your children.  You might even help other who need transportation or be a baby sitters so they too can exercise their rights.  
We will all be glad when the TV ads stop and the media ends the sometimes mindless analysis of every spoken … (1 comments)

Rental - One Month Free - No Deposit - 1600 E TEXAR DR PENSACOLA FL 32503 - 08:37 PM
What a wonderful place..... to call home. On the water

… (2 comments)

Rental - One Month Free - No Deposit - 14520 #1A PERDIDO KEY DR PERDIDO KEY FL 32507 - 08:42 PM
What a wonderful place..... to call home.

… (2 comments)

Rental - One Month Free - No Deposit - 54 CULPEPPER ST PENSACOLA FL 32533 - 08:46 PM
What a wonderful place..... to call home. Milestone  Subdivision just off 9 mile road.

… (2 comments)

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