Archives of real estate blog entries for January 2, 2009 (Page 3)

Blog posts


Navigating Today's Market - 08:34 AM
Santa brought me a GPS unit for Christmas!  It's hard to believe that I haven't had one until now but I am for the most part finding it quite useful. There are some moments though when I will argue with it!  Here is a summary of my first argument with my GPS.
 
Point "A" is the intersection of Old Lost Mountain Rd and Richard Sailors Parkway.  Point "B" is the intersection of Brownsville Rd and C.H. James Parkway. The GPS unit told me to take Old Lost Mountain Road into downtown Powder Springs then turn left and then make a … (4 comments)

Meet a great graphic designer! - 09:10 AM
The Country Walk welcome committee has been working on ordering some coffee mugs as welcome gifts for our new residents.  OK, really Lauren MacDonald has been doing the work  :-) .

Anyway, when she submitted the artwork from our current logo it was just too old.  Nobody has the original artwork and the only logo available was lifted off the neighborhood website.  That one looks like it was scanned and pasted many times.  It was fuzzy and the resolution was quite low.  The manufacturer for the mugs said it just wasn't clear enough to use.





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Keep Your Home Dry This Winter by Taking Proper Care of your Roof - 04:12 PM
 

The roof is one of the most important structural elements of a home. A home inspector such as Stu Anderson from WIN Home Inspection can evaluate the pitch (or slope) of a roof, its overall condition, as well as common risks associated with the type of roof that sits atop the home. An inspection can also assess other factors (such as nearby trees) that could impact the roof, and whether it appears leak-prone.
Most leaks result from improperly installed "flashing" - the material used to connect parts of a roof to other parts of the home (chimney, windows, adjoining … (0 comments)

Keep Your Home Dry This Winter by Taking Proper Care of your Roof - 04:16 PM
 

The roof is one of the most important structural elements of a home. A home inspector such as Stu Anderson from WIN Home Inspection can evaluate the pitch (or slope) of a roof, its overall condition, as well as common risks associated with the type of roof that sits atop the home. An inspection can also assess other factors (such as nearby trees) that could impact the roof, and whether it appears leak-prone.
Most leaks result from improperly installed "flashing" - the material used to connect parts of a roof to other parts of the home (chimney, windows, adjoining … (0 comments)

It's a new year...what are you going to make out of it? - 01:01 PM
2009 is upon us now and has me thinking that 2009 will be much better than 2008 for real estate.Why? Well interest rates will spur some re fi's and people that have been sitting on the fence will come off the fence and purchase...at least some!
There are Very few things in life we can control...your thoughts are one of them.It is not only important to watch your thoughts but critical.
There is an old saying that "you can't afford one negative thought". I happen to believe this and try my best to stay positive.
Keep track for one day as … (2 comments)

Shasta County MLS shows less than 1500 homes on the market for sale... - 02:26 PM
This time of year is no different from other years where the active avaiable homes dip during the depths of winter.Right now on the local MLS here in Redding there are under 1500 homes for sale that are active.
This repesents a real drop from 9-12 months ago where the inventory was closer to 2000.
With interest rates hovering near all time lows and the inventory going down right now I think we will see some signs of life in our local market.
There has been a temporary hiatus of many banks during the holiday season to postpone their foreclosures so … (0 comments)

PMI Company Wants To Have Seller Sign a Note - 07:21 AM
I received a question from a REALTOR today, who read:
A Realtor's Guide to "PMI & Short Sales"
Let's call her Susan.  She explains:
I have done several successful short sales in my career but recently felt the "sting" of the bank claiming they will submit our current offer on the table for approval... providing the seller agree to sign a note to the PMI company for 15K for 10 years at $125.00 a month. If he refuses they claim the short sale will be denied. The outstanding loan balance is 132,000Offer amount 117,500Offer amount will net the bank 104,980BPO 119,000My … (49 comments)

Price Stability in Denver Home Market Bodes Well for Buyers & Sellers - 11:00 PM
The most recent Case-Shiller Home Price Index for October 2008 for the Denver real estate market shows a seasonal decline of 1.5% and a year over year decline of 5.2% which puts Denver among the three best performing cities out of the twenty analyzed.  Denver home prices improved slightly from a 5.4% YOY decline to 5.2%, one of only two cities to improve.  As I've said before, Denver is largely escaping the huge price drops experienced by other markets. ....looks like the Denver market may be bottoming as we head into 2009!
Call me today to see what's available in Denver … (0 comments)

Stylish Contemporary in a great location in Cary! - 07:29 AM
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A Blogging Behavioral Study: "Commentus Deleticus" - 04:39 PM
During a recent trek into the deep interior of the Rain Forest, to study the grazing habits of the North American Blogger (Posticus Obsessivus), a new species was discovered.
Commentus Deleticus was first observed playing what appeared to be rudimentary game of 'Hide & Seek.' When encountering a comment on their blog that presented an opposing or contrarian opinion, this variety of blogger would eradicate the comment in its entirety, and quickly retreat back into their writer's lair.
Hello? McFly? There's a reason why it's called 'Conversational' blogging.
… (22 comments)

7 Things about Me that You couldn't care less about and have no desire to Know! - 05:30 PM
This is the place where I say that I hate Claire Culver. Well, I don't hate her. I just hate MeMes. They need to go ByeBye. They were fun the first 2 or 3 dozen times I got tagged. Okay, so I'm a party pooper. Send me to bed without dinner!
These are the rules:
Create a blog post with a link to the person(s) who tagged you. List these rules in your post. Share seven facts about yourself in the post. Identify seven of your friends or contacts whom you will "tag" to be part of this meme. At the … (38 comments)

"Don't be Shy!" - Using Social Media to Expand Your Sphere in 2009 - 06:54 PM
Getting Your 2009 'Social Media' Game On!
This is the second installment in a series geared towards helping you better formulate your 2009 Marketing Plan to include goals set specifically for implementing social media strategies.
… (0 comments)

Real Estate Blogging and The Free-Labor Economy - 09:30 PM
I don't feel like "free labor" - but I can see why some people might think that describes me.
In case you missed it, there was an article in Business Week on December 28 titled Will Work for Praise: The Web's Free-Labor Economy.
When I saw this title, I immediately thought of ActiveRain and the hundreds (thousands?) of other businesses that have grown exponentially through "free labor".  As the article points out, thousands (millions?) of us invest many hours online, sharing our expertise and experience and/or creating entertainment to build a for-profit business for someone else, without receiving any direct compensation.
… (73 comments)

607 St. Dunstans Ave., Baltimore, MD 21212 - 02:37 PM
607 St. Dunstans Ave., Baltimore, MD 21212
Price:  $285,000
You won't want to miss this beauty!!  This home has been totally renovated from top to bottom, everything is new here. 
The home is conveniently located in Baltimore's Govans neighborhood within walking distance of Belvedere Square and it's quaint shops, The Senator Theatre, Zen West, Ryan's Daughter and many other local restaurants.  From Govans you can easily get to downtown Baltimore and also to Towson and to the Baltimore beltway to Hunt Valley and to Harford County to Aberdeen Proving Ground or the other direction to Ft. Meade.
The Govans neighborhood is … (1 comments)

B & O Railway Museum - Thrifty Tuesday Events - 04:58 PM
All Aboard!
Baltimore's B&O Museum is offering half-price admission for all visitors the first Tuesday of every month! Visitors can tour many of the Museum's facilities including the 1884 Roundhouse where you can climb aboard a real locomotive and see the most comprehensive collection of American railroad artifacts in the world.
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of railroading in America. The Museum is home to the oldest, most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the Western Hemisphere including an unparalleled collection of 19th and 20th century railroad equipment. The complex is housed on a … (1 comments)

Raleigh area buyers - the list price is just a thought! - 03:25 PM
Raleigh area buyers - the list price is just a thought!
 
The list price really doesn't mean too much these days. Its a starting point. It gives you an idea of how much the seller would like to sell for, but it doesn't really mean that much anymore.
 
Lets face it with 18 months of inventory buyers can afford to shop around for the best value. With multiple homes in a neighborhood buyers can make offers on multiple properties until an offer is accepted.
 
Everyday I examine my "Hot Sheet" (data collected from the Triangle MLS with closed … (0 comments)

Looking for an Accountability partner - 09:21 PM
I am looking for a Real Estate Accountability partner.  I want to partner with a like-minded agent to keep each other accountable for our goals and activities.   I have been a full-time agent for 5 years and need to add another level of structure to my daily / weekly / monthly routine.   Here's a snapshot of what I'm lookng for:    - A very brief early morning phone conversation to establish and commit to our activities. - Full-time agent (franchise or brand not importanat) - Must have written goals - East Coast preferred (because of time zones), but not from Massachusetts - … (3 comments)

2009 Goal Setting, Step-by-step and for Free - 09:23 AM
I am screaming from the rooftops that 2009 is here and we are going to, for lack of a better term, TEAR IT UP! I am so grateful to have received so much wonderful feedback from all of you since my Thanksgiving message and on from the other messages I have shared with you, so, how can I give even more back? I was recently asked what I wanted to do or do better in 2009 and this was my answer:
To impact as many lives as possible by providing value and by helping others find or explode their passion!
That … (0 comments)

Carlsbad Real Estate Market Report - December 2008 - 07:14 PM

The Carlsbad real estate market continues to evolve, and the statistics for December show a number of changes from October. These data do not include any private sales nor manufactured housing; the numbers are derived from the MLS and are believed to be accurate but are not guaranteed.
Media reports speak in general terms, rather than local, so that information may not represent the reality of our local Carlsbad real estate market. Having data from a knowledgeable agent about the local market conditions benefits you as the buyer or seller.
In December 2008 there were 85 homes sold in … (5 comments)

Life Lesson #2009 - coincidence? I think not! - 07:45 PM
...and so, it's that time again...a brand new year with hopes and plans for continued growth in mind, health, spirit and business.  While reflecting on ways that I can ‘simplify' a life that always seems to encompass way too many projects and commitments, I realized that I need to ‘think outside the box' more often.   I also need to let go of some old false beliefs - one in particular being that I must give everything 150% of my time and attention.  That just isn't realistic, nor does it compute! 
I was rather blown away today when I received an e-mail … (29 comments)

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