Archives of real estate blog entries for April 11, 2008 (Page 6)

Blog posts


Boston Rocked! - 01:48 PM
Just as we knew it would, the Brian Buffini Boston Turning Point, was AWESOME!  Brian was so giving of energy, information, a bit of humor, a bit of humility and he couldn't wait to give it out to us.  The room was so quiet that you knew we all were holding onto every word he spoke.  If someone sneezed in the back of the room, many bless you's were announced, quietly heard. 
Whether this was your first event with Brian, or your 20th, I know we all came away stronger, more confident and with a system in place to improve our … (9 comments)

"DON'T GO POSTAL!" - 07:11 AM
Many of you have joined my Sphere of Influence (SOI) email list so you can take a peek at the material I email to my SOI on a monthly basis. In the continued spirit of sharing, I thought I'd also share a snail-mail mailing I'm doing in "celebration" of the USPS's upcoming penny increase to the price of stamps...
Below is a picture of a simple notecard I created. I'm mailing it to my friends with my business card and a pane of 20 penny "transition" stamps enclosed.  I printed it on stock paper and used brightly colored greeting-card-sized envelopes.
Pretty simple, not … (34 comments)

Historic Downtown: Farmingdale, Long Island, New York by Feng Shui Long Island - 06:01 PM
Farmingdale, Long Island, New York---Then and Now
**The OLD days of Long Island....Wide Open Spaces, here a Nursery
As a 30 year resident of this town, I've been here longer then our new Mayor...For anyone familiar with Long Island, I moved all the way from Wantagh (The Gateway to Jones Beach) to arrive at what I consider the exact middle of Long Island...Farmingdale.  We are neither the prestigious North Shore nor the trendy South Shore but are right in the middle, bordering two Counties, Nassau and Suffolk.
**Our Columbus Day Fair, Main Street and Conklin, Farmingdale, Long Island, 2007
My personal facts that I know … (21 comments)

Orlando, Windermere Fl. Real Estate - 2008 The Best Year to Buy a Home in 35 years - 06:59 AM
"2008-the Best Year to Buy a Home in 35 Years!"  In April of 1973, mortgage rates were about the same as they are today. Since that time, we have only had mortgage rates this low during 2001 and 2002, the height of the seller's markets where there was little inventory. In the last two major buyer's markets, one in the early 1980s and the other in the early 1990s, the rates were much higher. In 1978, interest rates were at 9.75 percent, en route to 18 to 21 percent in 1980. In the early 1990s, the rates were hovering in the … (0 comments)

More information on Self Directed IRA's & Real Estate - 03:59 PM
Here is some more information about Real Estate IRA's that I got from Equity Trust Company.  I believe this is part of several informational emails I will be getting.   I will repost them as I get them, to keep everybody informed.
Real Estate IRAs
Earn 50% More on Real Estate Deals with an IRA
Historically, real estate has provided many Americans with a stable investment vehicle that provides both income and appreciation. One of the greatest tools available to real estate investors is government-sponsored retirement plans, such as IRAs.Very few Americans realize that they have the option to self-direct their IRAs and … (0 comments)

NW Mortgage Professionals Gathering - May 22nd, 2008 - 08:08 PM
Feel free to pass the word!  RSVP for this free event at http://www.whitewolfemortgage.com and click on the NW Mortgage Professionals Red & White Badge.
This meeting is for mortgage professionals who want to stay up to date on the latest changes, trends and history of our profession.
The purpose of this Meetup is to help each other. In cases where lawmakers are proposing law changes, we are often times unaware of it until it is too late. We aim to change that.
Come to the first meeting prepared to get to know one another. We will discuss what we would like to … (2 comments)

A Successful night...Prudential Verani Spring Seminar - 07:26 AM
Last night we held our Spring Seller seminar.
We held it in our office at Prudential Verani REALTY in Hampstead. We have two good sized conference rooms and figured we might have 10 -12 people show up.
Our goal was to have everyone in one room with 6 presenters. We had planned light refreshments and thought a 2 hour time frame would be adequate.
The reality was that we had 18 people show up and had to split the presentation up into 2 rooms and the program ran closer to two and a half hours with people mingling and talking for another 30 … (14 comments)

The 5 Reasons Why My Clients Should Care That I'm A Buffini-head - 11:20 AM
I just returned from the latest Turning Point retreat in Boston.  For those of you who don't know about Turning Point or Brian Buffini, I'll give you a brief introduction.
Brian and his company teach a life system for Realtors and Lenders to help us manage our businesses in lives in a very open and unrestrictive business.  The program seeks to make us better Realtors - and better people. 
That sounds great, but why should clients care what book I'm reading or seminar I'm attending?  Would you want a doctor operating on you who hadn't been trained in the latest surgical techniques or … (3 comments)

Buying a home in rural Chatham County just got easier - 07:04 PM
Today in the Savannah Morning News, they have an article that says the USDA Rural Development Agency is making low-interest loan funds available to eligible applicants to purchase homes in rural Chatham County such as Pooler and Bloomingdale. 
With the number of homes and recent financing fiasco, this will allow buyers to buy a home at a reasonable price with a realistic annual percentage rate. For more information, see Special Loan Program. 
 Picture: © 2008 Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited, and its licensors. All rights reserved. … (0 comments)

Automatic Gas Shut Off Valves for Earthquakes - 05:53 PM
I still don't see very many of them but there is a relatively new safety item called an automatic gas shut off valve.  It is a valve that goes on your gas line, near the meter, that will automatically shut off in case of an earthquake (obviously a California issue).  Here's what it looks like.
The shut off valve is the red box near the wall.
I have heard that some insurance companies are now requiring them when someone buys a home.  If you're looking into buying a home you might want to check on that.  I've heard the minimum price starts at $300 … (10 comments)

Bracing for the Big One - 06:08 PM
Another earthquake safety item in California are braces for the water heaters.  The braces keep the water stationary during an earthquake to prevent the unit from falling over or from a gas line, water line or electrical line from breaking.  Most people are familiar with earthquake braces and that two are required.

However there is one aspect that few people seem to be aware of.  A water heater between 53 and 75-gallons requires a 3rd earthquake brace at mid height.  This is due to the extra weight of such a large water heater.  However many builders and plumbers don't seem to be aware … (11 comments)

A Water Fountain in the Cabinet? - 07:07 PM
Sometimes as a home inspector you see things that make you laugh and really wonder what people were thinking when they installed something.  Here's a great example.
I was inspecting a house the other day and was in the kitchen.  I was looking for the air gap for the dishwasher but couldn't find it.  The dishwasher was on the kitchen island.  I finally did find it here:
The air gap is the white plastic piece.  It does not go up through the counter (like it should).  Here's the problem, sometimes this happens:
The line from the air gap to the garage disposal gets clogged and … (8 comments)

9 signs your Buyer is cheating on you - 02:16 AM
The honey moon is over. You now have to face it. This buyer does not want to date you any more.Is it time to move on. You better believe it!                                             
  Your buyer does not show any enthusiasm when you call
  your buyer does not respond promptly to your e-mails  
  your buyer already postponed 3 times  dating you 
                                              a threesome is not what you had in mind..not to mention a foursome!
 your buyer has always an
excuse as to when you will seriously date
  your buyer gets more and more vague as to having a steady relationship  
  your buyer … (8 comments)

L'immobilier en Floride:pour l'Euro et le Dollar Canadien:prix très intéressants - 11:59 PM
Bonjour visiteurs de langue Française !Bienvenue a l'immobilier du sud-ouest de la Floride avec nos villes de Fort Myers and The Beach, Sanibel, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs et Naples  où nous avons un grand inventaire de propriétés pour tous les goûts et échelle de prix. Avec un euro fort vous serez étonné par les énormes possibiltees immobilieres en Floride et en conséquence je travaille regulierement avec des clients qui parlent Français et recherchent des affaires. Je peux vous soutenir et vous guider le long  de ces transactions et également offrir mes dix ans d'experience en tant qu'agent immobiler et specialiste de proprietees residentielles.
                                
 
Vous … (6 comments)

Low Down Payment Home Loans - Darren Stewart - OakStar Bank - 11:54 PM
With MHDC Bond Money program letting us  know that it could be awhile before the next issue of bond money I wanted to write and post here to all of the agents that assist First Time Home Buyers that there are some alternatives.  I am a firm believer in the MHDC bond money programs but they are subject to market conditions and the investors that invest in the bond money program do have to have a good return for their money. 
Where does that leave your pre-qualified home buyer when 100% loan programs are disappearing? 
First we want to make sure we ask all of the right questions, of … (1 comments)

Relationships... - 07:14 PM
Draft

It's all about our Relationships...


I had a business (brainstorming) meeting this morning (it was great as always) as I left I thought to myself, this business is truly about relationships (not that I didn't know that already, but this morning just reaffirmed it). I thought to myself, it doesn't matter whether they are a client, fellow Realtor or service professional. It's all about developing the connection, the relationship and trust.

I consider myself blessed with all the relationships I have developed; clients, Realtors and service professionals. When I have a client that needs a referral … (20 comments)

Funny how? ...ps...I'm back! - 12:35 PM
imagery by a.j. pinto idea by ben osbun inspired by dennis hopper edited for content by mona petro edited for language by american express directed by joe pinto featuring geno petroHaving a great group of office mates to work with (and pull my leg)...priceless. Oh wait, that's the other company. What's in your wallet? No...that's not them either. Anyway, I don't leave home without it. And that's the Word on this Chicago street. Anyway, get ready...I'm back!Peace, G.
… (5 comments)

Someone give Ben... a brake! - 11:06 AM
… (0 comments)

Stay as young as you feel... The fountain of youth! - 12:10 PM
ELITE REALTY7448 W.Sahara Ave. #106 • Las Vegas, NV 89117Office: (702) 856-6680 • Cell: (310) 529-5360
Website: http://www.lasvegas-buyandsell-realestate.com/ • Email: arina.lv@gmail.com … (12 comments)

Foreclosure in the Utah Real Estate Market - 08:04 AM
Over the past few years national foreclosure statistics have been on the rise. 
Whether reading the newspaper, watching the news, or surfing the internet, the number of foreclosures and short sales made headlines.  Due to our strong economy and desirable real estate locations, foreclosure trends in the Utah real estate market were at a slower pace when compared to the national average.   In 2008 it’s evident that’s no longer the case, as foreclosures are beginning to have a greater impact on our Utah real estate market.  Realtytrac.com is reporting that one in every 678 Utah households has foreclosure filings, which … (0 comments)

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