Archives of real estate blog entries for August 6, 2008

Featured blog posts


Words of Encouragement for New Bloggers - 12:53 PM
Most of us need to occasional hear or in the case of blogging read that the efforts that we put into our blogs will lead to connections with consumers, community leaders and other local authorities.
Whenever a new blogger post on Active Rain it is always great to see the number of people who stop by and say hello.  We read about the success that Active Rain has brought to the businesses of many of the agents, loan officers and stagers and I know in the beginning of my blogging days it helped me know that some interesting things could occur … (86 comments)

The Second Commandment of Blogging (Learned the Hard Way) - 01:02 PM
We all know the First Commandment of Blogging:  CONTENT IS KING.
'Not sure if I learned this the hard way (through the School of Hard Knocks) or the easy way (someone shared their wisdom with me), but I've known for a long time that good content attracts both google and readers.  It has been the "secret" to selling Crofton Maryland real estate in this market.
When I headed to Texas in June, my broker-owner Ed White was covering for me here in Maryland - After about a week, he said "This is crazy... Are you always this busy?"  I was sending him about one or two leads … (118 comments)

Homeowners are delusional - 08:23 PM
 
This won't be new news to any of you listing agents working with frustrated sellers, but most homeowners haven't adjusted their expectations of value yet. Everyone realizes that house values have declined; but no one wants to believe that their home has declined in value. Here's the data from ZillowBlog to prove just how delusional homeowners are when they ask themselves "what is my house worth?":
62% of U.S. Homeowners believe their home’s value has increased or stayed the same in the past year. In reality, 77% of U.S. homes have declined in value over the past 12 months. While … (37 comments)

TITUSVILLE FL - C'mon...let me show you around (LOCALISM FEATURED) - 01:36 PM

… (29 comments)

Microburst Rips through Home and Saint Charles....PRICELESS!!!!! - 12:00 PM
Wow....wanted to write a great post on the ressurection of Brett Favre last night.  However, we had a storm that came through our town.  I grew up in Saint Charles and never heard or have seen what I saw last night.
It started with my brother and sister and our spouses and my father taking my mom out to celebrate for her 70th birthday.  We got to dinner and the storm rolled in.  The place that we ate at made us leave the restaurant and move to a place with no windows as the epicenter of the storm rolled over.  After … (13 comments)

The Art Of Marketing You with wallpapers(new series), meet Bruno - 12:52 PM
 
.

 
 
 

 
 One of my favorite and most effective online marketing tools is giving away free wallpapers and calendars. Not the kind of wallpaper that messes up your kitchen walls but the kind you download from the net and use as a background image on your computer monitor.
 

 Since I've had some questions and a lot of great feedback about wallpapers I've posted on Active Rain in the past few months, I thought it was about time to take a closer look at The Art Of Marketing You with wallpapers. So in addition … (83 comments)

homes.com call ended ABRUPTLY when I threw it back at him - 12:18 PM
The phone call came in at 8:15 am and the moment I said, "This is Jennifer" ---- that little sales rep just rambled on and on and onnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!! Oh but I let him ramble - waiting for the best time to jump in and throw it in his face!
His ramblings were about things like, "As a fellow sales professional I bet you would love to know how these other agents get on the first page of google", and "For a small monthly fee WE at homes.com can get you on the front page of google"... YADA-YADA-YADA.
Then he gets to the … (62 comments)

Adding Photos to Localism just got WAY better. - 01:06 PM
Wow - have you tried the new  PHOTO UPLOAD feature on Localism yet?
It's a great improvement.
Start by logging in - (same UN and PW as ActiveRain.)  Go to the town or community you want to embellish.  Look under the picture for the link..  UPLOAD PHOTOS.
You can add a whole bunch at one time.... when you go to select the picture you want, just use CONTROL or SHIFT to pick them, then upload them all at once. 
You'll get a chance to input a description... when doing multiples this is nice to copy and paste the same line of … (86 comments)


Blog posts


Another Endorsement and The Primary Election is Right Around the Corner - 08:39 PM

 
I received an endorsement today that I am very pleased and proud to receive.  It is from the King County Police Officers Guild.  I think that my work on Katie's Law probably had something to do with it.  I have always felt that police officers were my friends and when I was little I would wave at them when they went by.  I even took the test to become a King County Cop and passed--but things got in the way and I let that opportunity pass.
The Primary Election is on August 19th and I hope every one exercises … (2 comments)

Farmington Woods Condo! - 03:53 PM
… (2 comments)

Update on "I Think I am Being Scammed!" - 04:46 PM
Well, it looks like all of you were right!  Back in June I posted that I had accepted a referral from a Denver agent who referred a Russian gentleman to me.  I was in contact with the man several times a week for the past couple of months. 
I sent him some homes for him to look over (all over $1 million) and he selected one that he wanted to buy.  Of course I was excited about this.  He did not plan to come take a look at it (1st clue).  He wanted to put his money in MY escrow account.  … (8 comments)

Military Referral Partners Wanted!!! - 04:58 PM
Thanks for taking a look at my blog!  My website ranks very highly for a couple of our local army and air force installations.  If you are familiar at all working with military clients via the web, you know that typically the spouse is on the computer the same day they get an inkling (is that a word?) that they will be pcs ing out of the area.
I routinely get service members contacting me up to 6 months ahead of their scheduled departure date.  Many times they have a home to sell near their current duty station or base.  I … (2 comments)

Feng shui your listings - 10:49 PM
You never need to mention the word "Feng Shui" to your sellers. Let's bring in good energies to your home is what I say to the ones who are open to trying something different. Feng shuiing your listings is the same as the concept of staging your listings. Declutter the inside and clean up the yard.
Phiroum SvyCertified Real Estate Feng Shui specialist.
… (2 comments)

Brett Farve coming to Tampa - deal could be done today! - 09:24 AM
Brett Farve is waving goodbye to the Green Bay Packers and numerous reports are now saying a deal will be done with the Tampa Bay Bucs - TODAY!
The Tampa Tribune is reporting the following: LAKE BUENA VISTA - His feelings seemingly too hurt to return to the Green Bay Packers, iconic quarterback Brett Favre was close to finalizing an agreement Tuesday that could make him a Buccaneer as soon as today.
A deal between the two teams was nearing completion after Favre had substantive talks with the Bucs, a source close to the negotiations said.
Favre previously rejected opportunities to … (20 comments)

Fort Myers Beach 3/2 Gulf front steal, - 08:45 PM
Just finished the annual " Parade  of Homes " !
Owner will include one of the hot " SMART " cars with the purchase of this home !
 Wouldn't this put a smile on her face !
Gorgeous 3/2 direct Gulf front home. Totally decorator furnished home.  I will be hosting this  listing on Thursday starting at  9:30 AM .  If you have been looking for a move-in ready beach front this is it.   If you are on Fort Myers Beach  stop in and and say " HI".  This beautiful home is a real charmer with light. bright beachy colors and decorator upgrades. Furnished and ready for you … (1 comments)

A Very Brief History of Mount Washington - 04:37 AM
It is said that Mount Washington was named for Colonel Henry Washington, who came to Southern California in 1855 to survey the state's base lines. He spent a great deal of time in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, and is credited with  surveying the Los Angeles River.
Originally a part of the huge, sprawling Rancho San Rafael, the area was only sparcely settled owing to its initial lack of accessability. Panoramic views were not a consideration in those days, and often only the bases of the hillsides were dotted with residences. A school was built, however, in 1906, near the … (1 comments)

Highland Park Transit Village - 06:19 AM
Developers McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS), are proposing to build condominiums, townhouses, and commercial space on the current site of public parking lots between Figueroa and the Gold Line between Avenues 56 & 59.
The York Blog has some in depth coverage:
http://yorkblvd.com/2008/04/20/highland-park-transit-village/
http://yorkblvd.com/2008/08/05/highland-park-townhall-update/
Copy of Waltarrrrr's brochure here:
http://highlandpark.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/hptv.pdf   (Don't believe everything you read on the internet)  :-)
If you'd like to voice your opinions or concerns, here is your chance:
The Highland Park Chamber of Commerce & Kiwanis Club of Greater Highland Park invite you to attend a presentation on the new Proposed Highland Park Transit Village.McCormack Barron Salazar, the … (6 comments)

ONE IVY WALK in Smyrna~Vinings, GA...a "MasterWork" Community - 12:08 AM

 

… (0 comments)

Greater Milwaukee Market Stats 7/1/08-8/6/08 - 11:55 AM
 
 
 
Whew, Back from a much needed vacation.
This is something I do every 2 weeks to keep myself up to date on the numbers in the areas I work in. I thought I would post the results for you out there as well.
 These are for single family homes only in the areas I most often work in. I know there are other areas of Milwaukee that I am leaving out. If you have question on a particular area listed below or that I left out, please feel free to contact me.
The system I use is:
____ … (1 comments)

3408 Deep Willow Ave Baltimore, Maryland 21208 - 10:49 PM
… (13 comments)

New Centennial Colorado web pages - 06:47 PM
at http://www.denverrelocation.com/centennial.html
… (0 comments)

Local New Bern News - Market Update - 10:28 AM
This column is customized each month so that I can share with you, the current monthly statistics. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions! Or, visit my website at http://www.newbernhomes.com/
HOMES SOLD (Closed), July 1 through July 31. (From NB Board of Realtors MLS System) Under $100K = 14 $100K-$159,999 = 36 $160K-$199,999 = 26 $200K-$249,999 = 28 $250K-$299,999 = 12 $300K-$399,999 = 9 $400K - $499,999 = 2 Over $500,000 = 4 Total = 131
NEIGHBORHOOD PROPERTIES "SOLD"NEIGHBORHOOD PROPERTIES "FOR SALE"For the BEST Internet Marketing, and the Most Responsive Service in New Bern, Contact DIANNE!Email Dianne(252) … (0 comments)

Austin Originals: Kerby Lane Cafe - 11:25 PM
Austin is full of originals from people to music to landmarks, this town has a personality all its own. Some things are bound to come and go. With any growing city, turnover is common in business (particularly locally-owned and operated establishments), but some businesses manage not only to survive, they thrive. Kerby Lane Cafe is one of these Austin originals that has beaten the odds and firmly established itself as a culinary landmark in the Live Music Capitol of the World.
No matter what time of day you find yourself hungry in Austin, Texas, you can find a healthy, delicious … (0 comments)

You Stop Posting - Your Traffic Drops: What Does This Tell You? - 06:56 PM
I was reading a series of comment threads over on another post and I saw this one - it reminded me that you need to think critically about correlation and causal indicators when making conclusions that affect your business.
The comment is about ceasing blog posting for a few weeks and the observed impact on traffic. Indeed, the many commenters in this thread concluded that consistency was critical to blog marketing performance.
"I was out of town 3 out of the last 4 weeks.  I was shocked at the drastic change in traffic.  The good news - I seemed to have … (11 comments)

Knol: I think This Is Going to be Big - 07:46 PM
Google opened up Knol to everyone this week and I have a hunch this will be an important idea. Knol (unit of knowledge) is like Wikipedia but with some subtle differences. It will likely become an important player in the knowledge publishing space because ...
Google has great search technology, and no information has any value until it can be found. It's an authenticated publishing model; like the scientific community, experts can peform checks and balances on other "experts". The smaller or mode discrete a knowledge artifact is, the greater its value. Knol accomodates this idea. Create an account and tie … (1 comments)

Planned High Voltage Transmission Power Line - 05:03 PM
Due to the high demand for the electric power the the eastern seaboard now the Allegheny Power and American Electric Power are seeking for approval to run another big power tower crossing the eastern panhanle of West Virginia. We have to go along with progress but on the other hand these big tower are not a beautiful sight. I hope to whatever the final decision it will not have a big impact to local property owners and the beauty of the area.
… (1 comments)

Thinking Ahead, Planning Ahead - 12:13 AM
Univeral design is something that more and more builders are finally coming to see the value of as Boomers age. I am working with a couple who are in their middle fifties and quite active but she recently wrecked her knee.
They are looking to downsize and to a single story since stairs will be out of the question, even if her surgery is successful--doors wide enough to accomodate a wheelchair are suddely very important and master bathrooms with a separate shower,preferable one that has a seat are much more desireable. These are people who are planning to stay in the … (0 comments)

A Day Trip from Mesa, Arizona - The Salt River Canyon and its Historical Bridge - Part I - 03:50 PM
Just about one and a half hours north and of east Mesa, you enter the beautiful Salt River Canyon. High cliffs, red dirt, and from the top to the bottom - about 4.5 miles where you come to a close up view of the river and the historical Salt River Canyon bridge. Along the way down or up are pull outs, and at the bottom, a beautiful bridge, red water running through the Salt River, white clouds, and amazing views.
As a child - here I am reminiscing again - we drove through the Salt River Canyon to reach the White … (9 comments)

Related links

New Members for 2008-08-06

 Archives:

31 Aug
30 Aug
29 Aug
28 Aug
27 Aug
26 Aug
25 Aug
24 Aug
23 Aug
22 Aug
21 Aug
20 Aug
19 Aug
18 Aug
17 Aug
16 Aug
15 Aug
14 Aug
13 Aug
12 Aug
11 Aug
10 Aug
9 Aug
8 Aug
7 Aug
6 Aug
5 Aug
4 Aug
3 Aug
2 Aug
1 Aug
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006