Archives of real estate blog entries for June 22, 2008

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Active Rain & Reciprocity - 10:52 AM
Active Rain and Reciprocity
Active Rain & Reciprocity

rec·i·proc·i·ty

-noun 1.  A reciprocal state or relation. 2.  Reciprocation; mutual exchange. 3.  The relation or policy in commercial dealings between countries by which corresponding advantages or privileges are granted by each country to the citizens of the other.

How does this term, reciprocity apply to Active Rain?  I've spoken with a few Active Rainers about my 'habit' here in the Rain:  I login, go to my BLOGS tab and look at the right hand column.  Here lies the Active Rain members to whom I have subscribed.  I … (60 comments)

Blog Police Corps-We’re looking for a few good men (and women!) - 12:26 AM
A couple of weeks ago, an Active Rain member accused me of acting like the Blog Police.  He might be right, though I'm not sure that's always a bad thing. 
Let me state for the record that I never was a hall monitor in grade school, BUT sometimes as I wander the halls (I mean blogs) on ActiveRain I do occasionally feel the urge to do some monitoring.  There are lots of great blog posts on ActiveRain, but there are few that are not so great; blatant advertising, lame SEO attempts, political rants, religious rants, and off-color (and sometimes racist) jokes that make … (41 comments)

A Crazy Day of Ups and Downs in the Life of a REALTOR - 10:54 AM
We all have good days and bad, and some truly crazy ones mixed in that drive the stress level up, and tire the brain. It’s part of the real estate business, and life in general.
Showing property downtown, to me, is a huge challenge. It was so in Boston, and it is here in San Diego as well. I don’t do this often but when I do I can always expect some major challenges – finding the properties, finding parking and feeding meters, traffic, the dreaded parking meter sadists, difficult access to condo towers, getting lost in buildings, keys that don’t … (47 comments)

Watch Out For Seller Subsidies! - 12:23 AM
We have a sort of culture in my office that brings to mind some of the really good things about blogging on Active Rain – actually there are a bunch of Evers & Company bloggers who see Cati Bannier and I having so much fun and learning so much, they are jumping on board!The other day, an agent sent out a sort of  “all call” email with a dilemma.It was her listing, and it’s supposed to settle next week.  The offer included a seller subsidy.  So far, so good.But our boiler-plate contracts say that if the seller subsidy winds up exceeding … (45 comments)

Are you running your business like a business? - 10:52 AM
This weeks challenge to the MakeOver2Over Contest is critical to having a successful business. The rules were to come up with two systems, one for your Buyer Clients and one for your Seller Clients.
 
Years ago the book that changed my life was the E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. Occassionally in our life time we find THAT book that is life changing. The E-Myth Revisited was that book for me. It was a huge WOW factor for me. Seriously I have read and re-read this book a dozen times, I have bought it and given it out multiple times. Once … (61 comments)

REALTORS - Do You Attend Closing? - 10:51 AM

 

Do you attend closing?
I know that closings are handled differently from state to state, but in Florida it is typical for a title company to process the documents and for the buyer(s) and seller(s) to sit together at the title company to sign the paperwork on closing day.
The entire closing usually lasts about an hour, although it could be shorter or longer... much, much, longer (that's another post).   

Cas and I have always elected to be present at closing to cover last minute questions and to share the moment with our customers.  I'm often surprised when agents don't attend  … (88 comments)

Internet...Boon Or Bane...!!! - 12:23 AM
I'm a lover of new gadgets, electronic devices, and neat new toys...especially time and energy saving ones! But I got to thinking recently about how in some ways all this new fangled technology was messing up and infringing on my lifestyle!
I'm a rather efficient kind of guy...matter of fact...no nonsense...yes, with a sense of humor, but not sacrificing professionalism or pride in workmanship...if something is worth doing, then it's worth doing right... follow me here...
Remember when computers first came on the scene...we referred to 'artificial intelligence'...well they're still 'artificial intelligence', but only faster and more complicated and more exotic...
… (41 comments)

STEPS TO BUYING A HOME - IT'S A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BUYER'S AGENT. - 10:53 AM
BUYING A HOME CAN BE A JOYFUL EXPERIENCE, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM AN EXPERIENCED BUYER'S AGENT.  STEP #1LET'S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER and LEAVE THE DRIVING TO US.Many experienced buyer's agents like to start the home buying adventure with a tour of homes. You get to know us and we get to know you. We'll take you on a tour of a home or two to show you how working with a dedicated buyer's agent will show you how to preview a home. Some folks walk through a home.  An experienced buyer's agent looks deep in to the soul … (47 comments)


Blog posts


My favorite commercial in a while - 12:31 PM
This video has so little to do with real estate that I cannot even think of a clever tie in.  No abstract principle. Nothing.  I saw it first about a month ago and enjoyed it, and then just stumbled upon it again this morning and realized that I needed to share it.  I hope someone else out there likes it as well. F.A.B.
 
… (29 comments)

Downtown Redmond Condo (SOLD) - 02:58 AM
Downtown Redmond living in casually elegant Frazer Court in the midst of all urban conveniences. Enjoy life. Save gas. $324,500 (SOLD) Built in 2001, this 1-bedroom, 722 sq ft condo was renovated and upgraded in 2006.
More info and photos...

The address is 16275 NE 85th St #411, Redmond, WA 98052, MLS Listing 28103167 Call your agent or Gerhard Ade at 425-891-8213 or or send Email for more information.
… (0 comments)

Seattle Real Estate News - 12:43 PM
Distressed by Distressed Properties Law? On June 12, the Washington State “Distressed Properties Law” took effect. That’s House Bill - HB 2791 If you have the time to plow through the bill, here’s the whole official mess as a PDF file. If you have a shorter attention span, read the June 6 Press Release from the Washington Attorney General. In their desire to protect homeowners who are "distressed about the possibility of loosing their homes" the law makers may have done more harm than good....more
Issaquah Highlands Home Hunting This is a great time to buy homes in and around Seattle, … (0 comments)

Checking Out Active Rain CSS Style Sheets - 02:22 PM
Now that I have an Active Rain virtual helper, I can figure out all kinds of stuff without too much disruption (disruption to blogging, that is, other stuff I need to do is on hold.  :-)  )
Want to check out someone's Active Rain CSS style sheet?
Click View -> View Source (or Page Source in Firefox)
Look for a line near the top of the code that looks sorta like this:
<link href="/stylesheets/cache/default.css?1214102933" media="screen" rel="Stylesheet"
Select and copy this part of the line: /stylesheets/cache/default.css?1214102933
Then up at the Web address bar in your browser, type http://www.activerain.com  then paste in the code … (2 comments)

Local Housing Inventory Has Been Declining - 07:46 AM
Over the past year, the Manatee County housing inventory has slowly been declining.  Excess inventory is starting to get burned off and we are moving in the direction of more "normal" numbers and a "normal" market.  We still have a lot of inventory on hand, but we don't have as many new listings coming on the market each day as we once did.
In June 2007, there were 4,341 Single Family Homes on the market.  Today there are 3,859.  That's about an 11% decline over the past year.
In June 2007, there were 2,047 Condos on the market.  Today there are … (0 comments)

New Apollo Beach Real Estate Blog - 01:12 PM
I just launched a new blog for Apollo Beach, FL called Apollo Beach Real Estate.  It is ready for public viewing and we will be adding more community information in the near future.  Feel free to go check it out and let me know what you think.
Becky and I are always eager to hear any feedback.
… (1 comments)

What is BTEC and do I really care? - 08:12 AM
 
Buffalo Homecoming will be an amazing read more about it here. 
BTEC showcases the CEO's of twenty of Buffalo's most professive "new economy" high tech companies.   Buffalo Homecoming's BTEC will be held at the Statler Grand Ballroom this free event is not to be missed!  The stereotype of Buffalo is that it is a town filled with blue collar lunch bucket factory workers with a love of chicken wings and Canadian Beer. Well, the wings and beer thing is true, but Buffalo is also home to a growing and thriving new economy.
This is a networking event at which larger companies can … (0 comments)

Pay Tribute to Tim Russert at Sunday Brunch - 08:16 AM
 
Pay Tribute to Tim Russert at Sunday Brunch
What better venue to honor Tim Russert than among enthusiastic Buffalo boosters from all over the nation, as the culmination of an event that he supported and that celebrates his beloved hometown?
We will pay tribute to Tim Russert in a brief but solemn ceremony at Noon during the Buffalo Homecoming Sunday Brunch at the Buffalo Zoo on Sunday, June 29. Congressman Brian Higgins will help us honor Buffalo's best ambassador in the heart of the city he loved so well and we will all recall and share in his enduring legacy … (2 comments)

Western New York Real Estate Week In Review June 22, 2008 - 04:22 PM
 
 



Importance of Showing Instructions
You are considering listing your Western New York home for sale. You are interviewing agents and trying to decide which one is the best to represent your home sale. You are weighing a lot of factors like commission, advertising and staging. I want to talk about a couple of very important aspects of selling your WNY home. Accessability of your home for sale.
WNY Market Report
Clarence NY Homes Sold in Past 30 days & Market Report»
Clarence sales in the past 30 days include 22 homes sold. There are currently … (2 comments)

3 Supreme Ct , Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 - 11:38 PM
… (21 comments)

NEWSPAPER AD REVENUE PLUNGES...........Drudge Report - 05:17 PM
NEWSPAPER AD REVENUE PLUNGES, SPREADING FEAR IN INDUSTRY... DEVELOPING...
Tech Crunch, November, 2007
"Newspaper ad sales continue their long, sad decline, down 7.4 percent in the third quarter."
New York Times, March, 2008
"Newspaper advertising revenue fell 7.9 percent in 2007, the second-worst year in more than half a century, the Newspaper Association of America said on Friday. Those figures include continued growth in online advertising."
Journal Communications, May, 2008
"CHICAGO Journal Communications Inc. reported after markets closed Thursday that its April revenue fell 5.3% to $35.91 million, driven down in part by ad revenue that was off 9.6% at its … (4 comments)

Welcome to "Local Attractions - Hidden Gems" and Posting Guidelines - 12:56 PM
Welcome to the ActiveRain Local Attractions - Hidden Gems Group!
The objective of this group is to get the word out about local attractions and especially ones that are hidden gems -- to allow others to discover and enjoy them for themselves. This can be natural or man made, but its something special to your area. The primary purpose of this group is to share the attraction highlights with others who may be thinking of moving or visiting your "local" area, as well as making residents in and around the attraction aware of it, so they can check it out for themselves. See … (0 comments)

Ideas for your real estate office... Books "Office Design" and "Showrooms" by teNeues - 03:33 PM
With the changes taking place in the real estate industry many agents and brokerages are looking for ways to update or change their real estate offices.  In some cases business models have required brokerage to cut back or eliminate larger office space while other firms have chosen to expand and grow their space.  Both of these groups are faced with making changes to their physical office space.
Well known teNeues Publishing Group has a wonderful selection of books that focus on design and styling.  I am a big fan of their books titled "Office Design" and "Showrooms".  I love these books because … (1 comments)

Horse Property in Waddell, Arizona - 10 Acres Irrigated - 11:03 PM
This property is awesome!!! Very few properties with this much acreage in the Phoenix, Arizona Valley. Located at the foothills of the White Tank Mountains with amazing views, grandfathered irrigation rights AND it can be split. Presently zone R-43. Waddell is a beautiful and rural community with beautiful tree-lined streets, irrigation ditches and horse properties with 1+ acres.
Horse Property ~ 10 Irrigated Acres in Waddell, Az 9418 North 173rd Avenue, Waddell, AZ 85355 View Map A true find! For those that are interested in those "wide open spaces" with mountain views, irrigation with grandfathered water rights, horse set up, AND … (8 comments)

Zionsville ranked the 57th best city to live in the United States - 10:15 AM
As I have said over the past years, you can't beat Zionsville as a place to live as well as invest in.  Prices are higher in Zionsville, but home pricing appreciation will more then compensate for this.    Remember, LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
If you are looking for a place to invest, I would consider buying a home in Royal Run and renting it out.  Home prices there are the lowest in all of Zionsville, and the homes in this area will only become more valuable and in higher demand over the next several years as Amazon.com, a few pharmaceutical companies build plants, … (0 comments)

Why is America's #1 Beach in Florida? - 10:26 AM
Caladesi Island State Park Beach, Dunedin, Florida
Because it is.
No, seriously - why not some of the beautiful beaches in Hawaii!  Truth be told, most of America's #1 beaches as named by Dr. Beach since 1991 ARE in Hawaii - the first one, Kapalua Bay Beach, and 11 others - so Hawaii has had 2/3 of the top beaches. But now to the reason they're not #1 now ...
According to the rules of Dr. Beach, once a beach has been #1, it is excluded from consideration in future years (it does make some sense - after all, who would … (2 comments)

People Want a Reason - 11:53 AM
Point 2 in Home Business Marketing Lessons from the Homeless Dude was Be Specific - i.e., give a reason. Why should I buy? (Thanks, Marti Garaughty, for linking to this from your post.)
This relates so well to my husband's recent stay in the hospital for a carotid artery "correction". Fortunately he was only there 24 hours as he is NOT a good patient! Everything that anyone did (ask him the same questions on who he was and why he was there) he grumbled about why they were doing that. After surgery, he was so full of grumbling that I actually … (5 comments)

Brazil in St Petersburg this afternoon - 12:26 PM
St Petersburg has lots of cultural festivals, the most known being the annual SPIFFS International Folk Festival, which celebrates the culture, traditions and foods of many nations.
This afternoon is the Brasil Arts Festival at Nova 535 at Dr Martin Luther King St N, St Petersburg. This is their third annual festival and will feature the O Som do Jazz music group. Tampa's Volta ao Mundo will present a demonstration of capoeira, which blends dance and martial arts.
While watching you can enjoy a caipirinha, a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaca, a rumlike liquor.
Visit David Manson and his Brazilian wife … (4 comments)

I'll pay you NOT to list your house! - 11:38 PM

Today I was speaking with another REALTOR(R) about sellers who will not price realistically based on what the market will bear...and buyers who want to wait and wait and wait to see if prices will fall just a little lower...
She had just received a check that had so many deductions it was painful! For the sale of a home, she made under $300!
I smiled, because my daughter who babysits for a living actually had a month this year where she made more than I did!
I think that it would be best if we headed this off at the pass. … (17 comments)

Gas prices?! - 01:37 PM
Well, it finally happened.  I finally got GAS SHOCK.  I've been saying that no matter what, we're all going to continue to consume gas and price is little deterrent to usage. 
Now, I'm thinking that the key in all that is usage.  Personally, I love my truck.  I drive an Ford Expedition and I love the room it affords me for clients and for my family.  However, I can't keep up with gas costing as much as it has recently and I've thought I should downsize.  Hey, if could save a little money on gas, I could afford to have a … (6 comments)

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