Archives of real estate blog entries for December 12, 2008 (Page 8)

Blog posts


Just Believe!! Realtors and Affiliates Make a Differance in San Ramon California - 05:53 PM
Yesterday the Realtors Marketing Association of San Ramon Valley gathered for their Annual Holiday Breakfast.  
The recipients of this fundraising event were:
     Marines Toys for Tots  Delivering hope for needy children at Christmas
      Food Bank Contra Costa and Solano Counties  Working to end hunger
       Meals on Wheels  Delivering hot meals to homebound or disabled elderly
       Special Olympics Providing sport training year round for disabled youth
 
 Thank you Pat Herrera, Blackhawk Real Estate Co. and Kris Viers, US Bank Senior Mortgage Consultant, our co-chairs of the event.  Your hard work and leadership made this event so successful!! It was … (6 comments)

Love Your Neighbors in Danville California.....Just Ask When Staging Your Home!! - 07:20 PM
One of the homes we staged this week had a super floor plan, corner lot, in a great neighborhood of a very desirable area.  I've staged many homes in this neighborhood and several of this same floor plan.  When I received the contact information I thought to myself "Wonderful, Another one" 
 I arrived and here is the photo of the main room upon entrance of the front door.

   
After my staging presentation about appealing to many potential buyers, neutralizing, de-cluttering, de-personalizing the home, it was apparent I had resistant clients.  I knew my points were not going to win!!    … (23 comments)

Great Neighborhood, Fabulous School, Lovely Home - Sold - 12:53 AM
This home is a SCREAMING DEAL!!! Ask me why. … (2 comments)

Jim Cramer says the surplus housing will dry up by this Summer...what say you? - 06:20 PM
 Jim Cramer of CNBCs "Mad Money" says tonight, that with rates are in a (what he calls) "free fall" and with the prices of homes dropping, that this housing inventory should dry up by the summer...
I don't know about you..but I am with him, I am seeing housing prices in our area continue to drop while days on market continue to decrease also, which means..people are buying homes because the prices are so low... What say you?  

 
  Your Northern Virginia Realtor 703 407 7088 Konnie Mac FREE No Strings attached...search MLS to to www.KonnieMac.com
Homes for sale in Manassas Virginia … (0 comments)

Just Getting Warmed up... - 08:18 PM
 Okay..so I am working with the Growth Leader program...and I love, love the website... It's like getting a new computer or new fangled telephone, there are so many things I can do with it, that I have not even scratched the service of all the capabilities.  One of the coolest tool on the website, is they somehow import your listings, to upload to Craigslist....how brilliant!!
I received my first prospect the other day, and am very excited to, not only get more, but to get to work.  I know this is the start of great things to come...!  So stay tuned...!! 
 
… (4 comments)

Northern Virginia Holiday Display: Bull Run Festival Of Lights - 08:40 PM
 
 
 
 The Bull Run Festival of lights is a Holiday Display of lights at Bull Run Regional Park.  It is two and a half miles of professional animated light displays.  There is also a Holiday Village, with an ice skating rink, foo and gift vendors.   
It runs from November 26, to January 4 from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. It's open Christmas eve and New Years Eve. Admission is $15.00 per car/van, $25 for Van w/ 15-24 people, $50 for buses (Monday - Thursday) Rates go up on weekends.   You can also go on line to get a coupon for the weekdays.  Click here to … (0 comments)

Holiday Happenings in the D.C. Metropolitan Area - 09:15 PM
 Christmas is my favorite time of year, and every year I seek out the best of the best in Holiday Light Displays... This year I stumbled across one I have not seen before, and thought I'd share it with well....anyone who was interested.    And the best part....it is absolutely FREE!! 
Christmas Pageant of Peace on the Ellipse (south of the White House), Washington, DC.
The National Christmas Tree and the Pathway of Peace is illuminated each evening after the lighting ceremony from dusk until 11 p.m. through January 1st. Weeknight performances will be performed from 6-8:30 p.m. Weekend performances will be performed from … (0 comments)

Holiday Happenings in the D.C. Metro Area: The Morman Temple - 09:23 PM
 
 Anyone who lives in the D.C. area and has traveled around 495 near Kensington, MD, has seen this enormous building reaching for the sky....my kids always thought is looked like the magic kingdom...but its the Morman Temple..and impressive piece of architecture.  Each year  the temple grounds opens up to the Festival of Lights...it is simply gorgeous...there are nightly performances, and a live nativity scene... and best of all...it's FREE!!  Happy Holidays.
  

 
  Your Northern Virginia Realtor 703 407 7088 Konnie Mac FREE No Strings attached...search MLS to to www.KonnieMac.com
Homes for sale in Manassas Virginia Homes for Sale … (2 comments)

Active Rain for Idiots! - 08:41 PM
I must say I thought that the auto save doo hickey at the top of my post is new and interesting. Methinks this will save me losing my written work, which has happened before and it is mighty frustrating.
However, maybe it's just me, but when I click on "NEW POST", my entire last post is still sitting there. I have to delete the entire thing so I can start a new one.
Am I doing something terribly wrong or is this the new Active Rain?
… (2 comments)

The ULTIMATE (and first) CLIENT APPRECIATION PARTY. - 09:33 PM
Long before I ever contemplated Real Estate and long before I found Brian Buffini, I worked for Outback Steakhouse. I started in Ormond Beach Florida and then transferred to Ellicott City, Maryland. I was "un-officially" the marketing coordinator. Unofficial because I was never officially trained in that field. "My Theatre degree hardly qualifies!!!!
Anyhow, one of my lasting endevours was the "OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE CUSTOMER APPRECIATION PARTY". 
 
The concept in it's infant stage all those years ago was to THANK loyal patrons for their business throughout the year. They would be invited to a party to enjoy FREE food and drink that they usually pay … (8 comments)

JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING. - 10:33 PM
I can't start to count the amount of times I have watched "Finding Nemo" lately. Anyone who has children will appreciate that these little people can watch one movie over and over and over again without any problem.
I have an alert two year old who knows every character and enjoys this movie every time he watches it- usually insisting that his Mother watches it with him!
One particular part towards the end of the movie is when a fishing boat scoops up a whole net full of fish including Dory (Ellen Degeneres) who sings "Just keep swimming" the entire movie. Little … (10 comments)

What’s up Doc? A New Green San Francisco Chiropractic Office - 11:55 AM
As Bugs Bunny used to say “What’s up Doc?” In the newly opened chiropractic office the reply would be “green”, as in green building. Yes, green building continues its march into the homes and offices across America and some doctors realize that sustainable interiors means healthy patients (or at least healthier). Take for instance, the new Executive Express Chiropractic designed by Martinkovic Milford Architects and built by Peacock Construction. A small place to be sure but the designers make good use of space to mention the healthy additions.
When we entered, we couldn’t help but notice the curved leather wall. We … (0 comments)

Main Line Antiques Show 2008 a big hit - 05:20 PM
The Main Line Antique Show was a big hit this year with several new dealers and a range of new arts being displayed. Once again about $70,000 was raised for Surrey Services for Seniors. My brother Paul Vandekar from New York was exhibiting and made several sales. He had taken three booths and had a large display of porcelain, pottery and sailors woolworks as well as some prints. I ended up helping him over the weekend with my son Jeremy as his stand required a lot of packing to be ready to move out at the end of the show.

… (0 comments)

Please Save Our Environment Before It Is Stripped Away! - 01:42 PM
This is a plea for our environment.  President Bush is trying to destroy one of the few places we have to enjoy our beautiful nature.  Bush's plan is to auction off hundreds of thousands of acres of land near national parks.  A week from today, he wants to lease 276,000 acres of pristine land.  Areas such as Arch's national monument, Dinosaur national park, Canyon Lands national park, to name a few.   
Bush is planning a midnight regulation which would do the following:
1) Weaken rules on drinking water, allowing higher arsenic levels.
2) Allow coal companies to dump into streams.
3) Oil … (0 comments)

Pat Zaby's Cost of Waiting to Buy - 06:31 PM
I couldn't possibly say this any better, and I've been saying it in the past in several different ways, so I'm going to give you Pat Zaby's article on the topic:Cost of Waiting to Buy by Pat ZabyThe financial news is full of stories warning about the inability to predict the bottom of the stock market. A 40% decrease in stock prices in one year have uncovered some great values available for investors and buying them at their absolute lowest price will not make much difference for the people who hold them for a while.Home prices are very much the same. … (1 comments)

:: I Qualify: Therefore I am :: - 11:49 AM

Consumption on a per capita level in the United States and Canada has grown in our lifetimes reaching a point within the last ten years that could be considered glutinous. If nothing else it certainty has proved to be unsustainable as we are witnessing in our economy
You cant just blame consumer society for this. It has been instilled into us from birth through marketing. Our sense of self worth and the value of life in general is dictated to us. From the growing numbers of glossy weekend news paper inserts to magazine, television and radio advertising. Where ever we … (24 comments)

November Market Report - 06:36 PM
November Residential Highlights
 
Sales activity continued to slow in the Portland metro area during November. The number of closed sales dropped 39.9% compared to last November. The 1,041 sold properties was the lowest sales total since February 1993. Pending sales also fell 31.7% compared to last November. New listings decreased 20.2%. Comparing November 2008 to October 2008, new listings dropped 25.5% (2,687 v. 3,605). Pending sales declined 12.6% (1,108 v. 1,268) and closed sales were down 28.9% (1,041 v. 1,465). The inventory of homes grew to a record 15 months, assuming that the 15,611 active residential listings are sold at … (1 comments)

When Does Serving Your Clients' Interest Go Too Far? - 02:24 PM
Here's something the the NAR Code of Ethics:
Article 1 When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client. This obligation to the client is primary, but it does not relieve REALTORS® of their obligation to treat all parties honestly. When serving a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant or other party in a non-agency capacity, REALTORS® remain obligated to treat all parties honestly.
Here's my question:  When do Realtors, in their zeal to "protect and promote..." , really do a disservice to their clients by effective … (11 comments)

Market Snapshot - December 12, 2008 - 07:01 PM
Interest rates are falling. Home Loan Rates at Four-Year Low! Flagstaff home buyers and sellers are keeping me busy -- but never too busy for more! Give us a call if you want to be in a Flagstaff home, or sell one!
Here's what the Northern Arizona real estate market did on Friday:

Note: Information in the chart is complied by and based upon multiple-listing-service data from the Northern Arizona Association of Realtors® and is deemed reliable for sales reported to the association, but is not guaranteed and does not include all sales in the market area. This information covers all … (0 comments)

Want To Know If You're Buying In A "Safe" Neighborhood? - 10:29 PM
So...you're a savvy buyer and you really like the house, but how do you know if the neighborhood if "safe"?
"Is this a safe neighborhood?" you wonder.
 
Well, if you're working w/me and you ask me that question, I'll tell that, as a REALTOR, I can't answer that question for you. 
 
I'll tell you that "safe" is totally subjective, and you need to check out that type of information for yourself.
Then I'll guide you to the information you need to make an informed decision.
I'll tell you to go to CrimeReports.com, put in the address of the home … (1 comments)

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