Lenn Harley Is My Hero! Maryland and Virginia Buyers Call Her! - 09:47 PM
Today I had to email Lenn Harley looking for a favor. Now one thing I know about Lenn, boy does she ever work and work hard. Probably different from many, I have had the chance to chat a few times and I am so mesmorized talking with her and today I learned a valuable lesson from her..she is without a doubt an impressive Broker.
I emailed her this morning and she responded back but not in the answer that I would expect but one that I truly got excited about and it made me just respect her even more.
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King County Stats for March 2008 - 11:29 AM
King County Sales Stats for March 2008.
King County homes sales dropped 46% in March '08 compared to March '07.
March Sales: 1,277 in '08
2,358 in '07.
Median Home Price in March is down 5% from $450,000 in '07 to $425,500 in '08.
YTD (Year to date) Sales Jan '08 thru March '08 are down 41% from '07.
YTD Sales: 3,467 in '08
5,840 in '07
YTD Median Home Price is down 3% from $440,000 in '07 to $427,250.
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Woodbridge CT Town Library Hosts GARDEN TO WOK: Growing & Cooking Chinese Vegetables May 21, 2008 - 02:03 PM
GARDEN TO WOK: Growing & Cooking Chinese Vegetables Cooking Demonstration with Norma ChangWednesday, May 21, 2008 @ 7:00 pm at the Woodbridge CT Town LibraryLet Norma Chang, The Traveling Gourmet, introduce you to the joy of gardening. Learn which Chinese vegetables are suitable for growing in your area, their cultural requirements, when to harvest and how to store to maintain optimum quality. There will be a "Show-&-Tell" of available vegetables and a cooking demonstration with tasting will be part of the program.
Norma Chang is a certified Master Gardener, and is the author of several Chinese cookbooks including Wokking Your Way … (0 comments)
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"Makeover2Takeover" Week One Challenge - 09:03 AM
Let the Games Begin!
Today marks the official start of our 'Makeover2Takeover' Team Contest Event.
To follow all the weekly 'Happenings,' be sure to the join the 'Makeover2Takeover Group.
The field of 16 Teams, comprised of both seasoned Real Estate veterans (Mentors) and their eager Apprentices, will face weekly elimination challenges leading up to the 2008 Inman SF Connect, where only 3 Teams will remain, and the Last Team standing will be crowned the Winner!
It's only been a few days since the list of official Teams were made public, but the fun-spirited boasting and competitive 'taunting' has already begun in … (51 comments)
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Alyssa Turned 6 Months Old - 08:41 PM
As of May 16, Alyssa is now 6 months old. For those who have been following along, this past weekend was my first Mother's Day, and this same weekend last year is when we announced to our friends and family the news.
She is hitting milestones sooner than most babies. She's been rolling over since she was 3 ½ months. She broke her first tooth through on April 30 and her second tooth followed on May 10. She's also sitting up on her own, which the doctor is amazed by all these things.
She amazes me everyday! Boy, … (18 comments)
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The truth from the front lines in Iraq - 12:19 PM
This is United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant William "Spanky" Gibson. A couple of weeks ago, Spanky was a guest on my radio show and since then I am very proud that I am now able to call him "friend".
Spanky lost his leg to a sniper's bullet in Iraq and after his incredible recovery - which includes running, skiing and competing in the "Escape From Alcatraz" swim in the waters of San Francisco Bay - Spanky volunteered to go back to Iraq.
After his appearance on my show, I set up a blog where a number of you posted comments … (31 comments)
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I love getting compliments like these - 07:59 AM
I woke up this morning to check my emails, and recieved this one from the daughter of a Client that I am helping Buy and Sell a home.
"Hey Andrew: Thank you for all your help that you have done for me and my family. U are totally a different sales agent that I have met. U actually care about your clients and take the time to explain things to your clients. My mom is very pleased and blessed with the help that u provided to her so far. That all I hear is Andrew this and Andrew that. … (6 comments)
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Do you have a system when meeting buyers for the first time? - 08:36 AM
With the high costs of fuel these days coupled with the fact that there are still large inventories in most cities, it's important that we spend our time wisely.
I have to admit that when most times when I received buyer inquiries about a listing of mine the only questions I would ask are; Are you pre-approved? Which lender? And are you already working with an agent? And of course jot down some contact info.
Needless to say I would show a couple listings that are similar to the one they called me about to see if I can see some … (6 comments)
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Below average buyer agent commissions - 01:58 PM
I was doing some showings over the weekend in an area south of Greater Milwaukee and I started to notice a very ugly trend:
Homes listed with below average co-Broke Commissions. Now this is coming from an agent that almost always does above average co-broke commissions.
I was showing homes to my clients. They do have a buyer agency agreement with me based on my getting paid the average co-broke fee from the sellers. I know they are not going to want to pick up the .5% or more at closing, so I'd probably waive the fee, or do whatever I could … (5 comments)
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How Will The US Economy Recover? - 01:02 AM
You would probably have to have been living on a remote desert island for the better part of two years to not see any signs of the slowdown in the economy of the United States. Since August of 2007, the real estate market has been reeling from plummeting house prices, due primarily to increasing defaults on sub-prime mortgages. While these mortgages were issued to millions of borrowers with patchy or relatively poor credit ratings over the past several years, interest rates remained unusually low before the Federal Reserve began to increase rates over 2005-2006.
Up until late 2006, this process … (3 comments)
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Investing in a Down Market - 01:08 AM
All investments depend on making returns, which in turn are affected by macro cycles such as the Great Depression or the dot-com boom. When a market is receding, it makes more sense for long-term, stability-seeking investors to look elsewhere upon first glance. However, in the case of the housing market of many parts of the US, the likelihood of long-term housing depression are still relatively slim. Furthermore, other factors will continue to influence the stability of housing pricing in the short term.
Likely investors in most areas will be able to get great values for some time, but housing prices … (0 comments)
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@NAR_MidYear Meetings...It's a wrap! - 10:56 AM
It's been four days of a whirlwind tour at the N.A.R. Meetings in Washington, D.C. Every year in the spring the National Association of Realtors along with all the Societies and Councils come to D.C. The purpose is to convene, make plans, educate and to gather the members for political purposes.
State Associations gather their members and take them up on Capitol Hill to meet the powers that be. N.A.R. has long been a protector of personal property rights and all things real estate.Although I am not personally involved with the political side of real estate, I took the opportunityon our … (16 comments)
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What is your Most Effective Weapon for Speeding Short Sale Processing ? - 07:09 AM
The answers to this short sale question could helpful to all of us....we submitted a short sale package to a lender now months ago....It was well documented...over 340 pages of information organized...phone calls from the attorney involved and still.....the answer is always "in 3 weeks".....and that is supposedly read from some computer log....
What is your most effective/efficient weapon for getting short sales processed beyond documentation ?
… (0 comments)
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If you Knew You Were Going to be An Unfair Target...What Would You Do ? - 07:52 AM
IF you knew that you were going to be reported to your local board....or to the state that holds your license for charges manufactured by someone who not only doesn't know all the facts but has known to be emotionally and mentally unstable....What would you do ? How would you head the problem off at the pass ? OR does your board/state hear everything....not knowing the source is less than solid ?
… (1 comments)
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Does Anyone Know Any MAGIC Cures ? - 08:05 AM
We have a young investor who bought a couple of investment properties a few years ago with no money down. The properties are in the inner city and he has done his best to not only maintain but improve them as well and has provided housing at reasonable cost to tenants. Now....the mortgages were adjustable and he wants to re-finance. The comps appear to look like he not only has precious little equity...he would be upside down if he sold in today's market. He wants to re-finance and stabilize the interest rates....the steady adjustable climb is turning the once … (3 comments)
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Have Gas Prices POSITIVELY Influenced How you Deal with Buyers ? - 08:28 AM
We have all had the experience of taking buyers to homes that you know they would never buy...not because of a price issue but perhaps for other reasons.... they are more Curious than Serious. Have you changed how you deal with buyers....? Do you spend more time than you have in the past on the "front end" examining their motivation for buying, their likes, dislikes, realistic features in their price range ? Driving distance to employment ? Have gas prices made you a BETTER Realtor ?
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Mail or Entourage - 06:57 AM
For those of you using a Mac I am curious what you are using as your e-mail software. I have been using a Mac for over a year now and I have just been using the "Mail" program that came with it. I bought Microsoft Office and it came with Entourage. I am curious what advantages I will gain by making the switch. Prior to my switch from the PC I was using Outlook. I have a feeling Entourage may be similar but I thought before I made the switch to Entourage I should check with other ActiveRain members and see … (8 comments)
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YouTube Higher Resolution Viewing Option is Now Available - 09:46 PM
I just learned that you can change your YouTube settings to allow your viewer to show the higher resolution videos. It will take less than 60 seconds to make the changes and here is what you do: First step is simply log into your account. Select "Account". Scroll to the bottom and you will see "Video Playback Quality and select it. Then select "I have a fast connection" if you truly have a fast connection. Select save...then exit and you are all set.
Sam
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Marketing Materials for Luxury Properties - 07:06 PM
There's a lot of great advice about marketing luxury homes, the photography, how to profile for buyers, etc., and the designations available. It is great stuff, and I've learned a lot. I'm wondering whether anyone can recommend products like presentation folders, such as those used for a listing presentation, that stand out as being top-of-the-line. What about other "physical" products to go along with that...any creative ideas? Also, I know of one photographer locally who does high-end flyers, but I'd like info on other suppliers and products that have worked successfully. Thanks very much.
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Christianity and Real Estate --- Alex Harb needs some prayer to minister..... - 11:56 PM
Hello everyone.....
As we march together into a membershipnumbering 4 digits (1,000 family members) in the group "Christianity and Real Estate" I find myself in a quandry...
Last month I was asked to lead a group of men in our churches next Mens God Encounter coming up at the end of this month.
A God Encounter is a mini retreat that is two and a half days long and helps us to find out what is hindering us from Gods best in our lives and equips us to kick out the bad and rejoice as we embrace the … (8 comments)
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