Archives of real estate blog entries for December 1, 2009

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Using Your Email's CC and BCC Features for Fun and Profit (Okay, Maybe Just Profit?) - 10:35 PM
Once, I was working with some clients who were....challenging, to say the least.  They seemed to distrust everyone involved in the process, and both husband and wife alluded to suing the other party in the transaction more than once, as well as their own lender.  They never pursued any legal action, thankfully, since they had no case of any kind.
Since they had trust issues, I decided that one of the best things I could do was to use the "BCC" (blind carbon copy) feature on any emails I sent to the other parties involved, so that they could see all … (121 comments)

When Letting It All Hang Out May Not Be A Good Thing - 06:38 PM
Today I wanted to write about and solicit your opinions particularly in the online world of social media about "transparency." That is revealing more the personal side of ourselves on blogs or social media like Active Rain or Facebook or with our tweets on Twitter. Sometimes this may not be a good thing. As one might say about your portrayal, "Too Much Information."
Particularly as a business person your image stays out there on the Internet. But especially Gen Y and the Millennials generation, some of them just don't seem to care about any perceived "reputation" they are tarnishing.
A recent blog … (93 comments)

Realtors® Please Stop with the New Listings! - 06:13 PM
It has occurred to me recently that a vast number of Realtors® love to post their listings here on ActiveRain. This is clearly evident when looking at the ActiveRain Blog Dashboard. Sometimes listings will fill the entire time line.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that I have see many agents mark their blog posts as Members Only.
This begs me to ask the question to all those Realtors® that only post their new listings as to WHY? Please don't get offended, but could you create a blog that is more than just a republication of your new listing.
… (185 comments)

Let's Hope Short Sales Become More Timely - 05:58 PM
Well, 21 hours ago The U.S. Treasury set  the long-awaited guide lines on a plan for mortgage companies to speed up "short sales" of homes to stem a rising tide of foreclosures.  These guide lines address the problems that have often caused Realtors, buyers and sellers to avoid short sales.   The new guidelines will set limits on the time it takes a bank to approve an offer.  Mortgage servicers will have 10 days to approve or disapprove a request for short sale, and when done the transaction must fully release the borrower from the debt.
It also prohibits mortgage servicing companies from reducing real estate commissions … (54 comments)

December calendar, REsources, WordPress in Plain English - 05:50 PM
 

 Hi guys... thx for the emails asking where I've been and if I'm OK. Yes, I'm alive, well and just really, really busy. I'm stopping by to drop off our new December calendar that you can use, edit or give away on any of your own sites / blogs.
 

 The image above is a preview of the December wallpaper/calendar we're giving away on my art website Its an untitled painting I just finished for a client (a surprise Christmas gift for his wife).
 If you'd like to use the image above on your own blog or website, … (69 comments)

Instant Gratification Can Get The Best Of Us - 04:18 PM
I was going through boxes of old records that I can finally discard and came across some files filled with the old shiny fax paper only to find there is nothing on them. Totally disintegrated!  It made me think of how we used to transmit data and documents back and forth and how long it took.
We'd meet with a buyer, write up an offer, take it to the listing agent (sometimes meeting halfway in a parking lot) and the listing agent would go meet with the seller and present the offer.  
If we went back and forth a few times … (80 comments)

Real Estate Technology...or Terminator in waiting? - 11:39 AM
 
Are Real Estate Offices going to go the way of land line phones? With many families adopting a new austerity plan, dropping many if not all the services provided by their local home phone provider. We all have cell phones and office lines, who needs hard lines at home? Further evidence of this phenomenon are the young buyers and tenants I work with, when its time to change over utilities, they often opt-out of a local phone plan altogether.

 
How Many of you still rely on walk-ins for a portion of your income? I still find enough off … (79 comments)

And The Winners Are....So Many Are Winners - 10:13 PM

Active Rain Works...My Challenge - Can We Prove It?   There were so many more winners in this contest than just the 13 names listed below...starting with counting myself a  winner with the idea. My sellers are winners getting their properties seen by people all over the country. ActiveRain is a always a winner by having so many professionals making our industry so much better. Those who commented are winners. Those who made contact either by email or phone are winners..thank you all and you know who you are.
Some time ago, Bob Stewart challenged us with a reward of lots of points. … (35 comments)

Active Rain Gathering on 12/11 in Southern Maryland...Woo Hoo!! - 10:18 AM
Last year I went to my first Active Rain Gathering that was held in Annapolis. What fun!! I got to meet..in person.. Jeff Bolonger, Margaret Rome, Peg Silloway, Pat Kennedy, Audrey-June Forshey, John McArthur and Lewis Portez before I had to leave for family obligations. It was absolutely awesome to see and talk to these bloggers I had been following here on the Rain.
So why Southern Maryland this time around?? Well, a few weeks ago I met via email an Active Rainer from Southern Maryland, Cheryl Ritchie, quite by accident. The next thing I knew we were on the phone chatting away. Well since then we have chatted … (39 comments)

PSSST got a secret for you on how to get BofA to wake up and take notice! - 10:22 PM
PSSST got a secret for you on how to get BofA to wake up and take notice!  OK I have to give you the back story first.  I am working a short sale that was originally a Taylor Bean Whitaker loan.  Well we all know what happened there.  Well after being handed off to Bank of America and then treated like a red headed stepchild and handed off again to Countrywide.  Oh joy, oh joy! Well for going on three months we have been beating our heads against the wall and just screaming in the dark.  So I got the idea … (132 comments)

New Google Ranking Factor in 2010: Site Speed - 04:32 PM
Straight from the horse's mouth, Google's resident webmaster liaison Matt Cutts explains that "I think a lot of people in 2010 are going to be thinking more about 'how do I have my site be fast'." 
Is Google planning to take in to account load times of web sites?  I think they've already measured and weighted this metric in the past -- the concept of page load time is nothing new.  How much weight Google's alogorithm load speed holds I'm not certain, however, any webmaster worth the web they weave knows that having a fast loading site is priority #1.
Who is going … (96 comments)

ActiveRain Breaks 2000!!! - 04:05 AM
ActiveRain breaks 2000 posts for a single day!!!After a somewhat lack luster weekend of postings, it seems as if the ActiveRain community has hit the "Post Blog Entry" icon with a vengeance. According to my "unofficial" records, it appears as if this community has broken the 2000 posts in a single day record. How cool is that? I get my unofficial tally by clicking on the "Today" link next to Time: (Time: Today | This Week...). I click next until I come to the last post of the day. By subtracting the previous days blog number from this blog number, I … (80 comments)


Blog posts


Reality bites...Please Help Me Support A Friend - 06:28 PM
See my smiling avatar...it really isn't smiling today. As a matter of fact...I feel a weight on my chest..like a building..right on my heart.   You see my life changed at about 2:45 today when I recieved some alarming news from a good friend..she was diagnosed with breast  cancer. 
She's not just an ordinary friend but an online friend. She's brave and kind and someone I met on the site... someone from our community.  The Activerain community.
I've been a long time supporter of breast cancer awareness right now, I'm feeling a bit pissed off and frustrated..you see I am tired … (17 comments)

Do Something Nice for a Cop! - 06:23 PM

When I was a kid walking to or from school and saw a policeman I would always wave, I was taught that they were my friend.  I even took the test to become a State Patrol Trooper "back in the day."  Anyway, this is not about me. 
This post is about the Seattle/Tacoma area cops being put through hell lately--being human targets.  The latest story is not  finished yet--the police are searching for friends and family that helped Maurice Clemmons (one may have even helped drive the get-away car after he shot four cops).
Cops work to protect us and … (2 comments)

CLIMATE HOAX - TEMP DATA DUMPED - 03:03 PM
On Friday of last week, I was hosting BHL on 540 WFLA and my guest was one of the world's leading authorities on the planet's climate - Lord Christopher Monckton - who apart from anything else, is the former Science Adviser to Margaret Thatcher's government.You can listen to that interview by CLICKING HERE.One of the things we kept returning to was the now proven hoax of the whole Global Warming fiasco - a problem that could easily lead to the biggest tax bill in the planet's history in the form of Cap and Trade, and perhaps more importantly, the president going … (20 comments)

Cute Christmas Trees ...... - 07:51 PM
A very worthwhile thing.
Via International Financing Solutions :
Christmas Crafts by Kristin

 
Some of you on AR may have seen my previous blogs about my sister Kristin. For those who have not, Kristin was born with Cerebral Palsy. Every day she wakes up and has to deal with her mental and physical disabilities, yet every day she is always happy and smiling. In many ways she has the mind of a child but in other ways she is just as bright as any other 39 year old lady. Kristin is also one of the funniest people I know. She is … (0 comments)

Crescent Gate Active Adult Community - Sturbridge MA - Homes For Sale - 04:58 PM
Crescent Gate Active Adult Community - Sturbridge MA is Sturbridge's premiere choice for adult living.  It is an active 55+ neighborhood with all of the amenities you could possibly need.  There are currently 5 homes offered for sale at Crescent Gate ranging in price from $162,900 to $339,900. 







Crescent Gate Active Adult Community - Sturbridge MA is convieniently located right off of Route 20 in the center of town close to shopping and dining.  This neighborhood offers both detached single family style condos and apartment style condos. 
 
 
Local on-site amenities included at … (1 comments)

And The Winners Are....So Many Are Winners - 10:13 PM

Active Rain Works...My Challenge - Can We Prove It?   There were so many more winners in this contest than just the 13 names listed below...starting with counting myself a  winner with the idea. My sellers are winners getting their properties seen by people all over the country. ActiveRain is a always a winner by having so many professionals making our industry so much better. Those who commented are winners. Those who made contact either by email or phone are winners..thank you all and you know who you are.
Some time ago, Bob Stewart challenged us with a reward of lots of points. … (35 comments)

7 months after submission we have Short Sale approval from Chase!! - 05:38 PM
 
Yep....7 months ago I submitted a complete Short Sale Package to Chase on April 27 2009. After many months of frustration I received another Chase Short Sale Approval yesterday. We are closing on 11 December.
You know sometimes I am left just scratching my head. This one should have been a no brainer. The Sellers are both retired and disabled. They were able to purchase this home in late 2005 using a $100,000 cash settlement they received from a wrongful death suit for their son. Their son had always wanted to live in Florida so they took the $100,000 and … (30 comments)

Stinging Fork Falls State Natural Area - 07:27 AM
Tennessee is a state with lots of scenic beauty and lots of outdoor recreational activities.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has created an awesome lake and river system for boaters, fishermen, and all sort of water sports. East Tennessee, the part I live in, is home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with over 900 miles of hiking trails, campgrounds, and beautiful mountain scenery.

Another little known and used part of Tennessee outdoors is the huge amount of state park, scenic areas, and protected natural areas dotted all over.
I visited one I had never been to today; Stinging … (2 comments)

Questions & Answers about the new homebuyer's tax credit - 01:49 PM
By now most have probably heard that Congress passed an extention of the $8,000 tax credit for people who buy a home and have not owned one in the past 3 years. Most call it the "first time buyers' credit even if that is not entirely accurage.
Here's a list of the relevant changes in the extension that were not all present in the original one.
Extends the deadlines for purchasing and closing on a home. Creates a credit for existing homeowners who buy a new principal residence. Raises the income limits for those claiming the credit. Here's a few common … (1 comments)

Stowe Vermont Home for Sale - Motivated Sellers! - 04:29 PM
Stowe Vermont Home For Sale - Very Motivated Sellers!
From time to time, a truly great buy comes along.  This 2008 home has many features including 5 bedrooms each with a private bath, radiant heat, cinema room, attached two car heated garage, and  an easy to care for .5 acre lot.  This home also features central air conditioning (not common in Vermont), an open floor plan, and outstanding finish detail.  It is located in Stowe, Vermont on the South side in an area fondly named "Moscow".  This makes it ideal for commuting to Waterbury, Montpelier or Burlington.  Of course, the Stowe Mountain Ski … (0 comments)

7828 WHITE ASH ST, ORLANDO FL 32819 - 10:53 AM
 
 MLS# O4862590                 7828 WHITE ASH ST, ORLANDO FL 32819     $$$ 225,000 $$$

SHORT SALE. BANK APPROVED PRICE! Enjoy the Dr. Phillips/Windermere lifestyle. This 4 bedroom home with a private fenced backyard, is perfect for entertaing. Home is zoned for Palm Lake Elementary, Southwest Middle, and Dr. Phillips High. Life in Dr. Phillips offers over 30 top notch resturants, Barnes & Noble, the new Whole Foods, YMCA, Orlando School of Ballet, and much more. Live in a Dr. Phillips neighborhood and the HOA is optional! Listing price may not be sufficient to pay the total of all liens and costs … (0 comments)

14427 ESTRELLA DR, ORLANDO FL 32837 - 10:57 AM
 
 MLS# O4896468            14427 ESTRELLA DR, ORLANDO FL 32837      $$$ 229,999 $$$

NOT A SHORT SALE or BANK OWNED - Very serious Sellers - Original Owners. Clean & Open floor plan.  Spacious rear yard - walk to elementary school! 3 Bedrooms Plus Office/Den to accommodate all of your needs. This home offers an awesome kitchen area for the serious cook in the family! The home offers neutral decor & has tile in all of the traffic areas. All appliances included! A must see
For the latest status on this property and many more like it in Orlando, contact Steve Glose with … (0 comments)

2722 TALOVA DR, ORLANDO FL 32837 - 11:01 AM
 
MLS#  O4944160            2722 TALOVA DR, ORLANDO FL 32837    $$$ 249,900 $$$

Beautiful 3 bedrooms/ 2.5 baths home with a private pool.  The master bedroom is located on the ground floor and the master bathroom features a stand up shower.  The large kitchen has an eating in space. The family room has a wood burning fire place and sliding doors that takes you to the relaxing screened pool surrounded by mature landscaped and trees.  There is an extra bonus room that can be use as a study, library or an office.  There are cathedral ceilings and it has an open floor … (0 comments)

Be Our Guest....Build/Re-Build Your Real Estate Career..Dec. 3rd Brookfield WI - 08:58 AM
  Your attendance at this Career Building Seminar is Confidential..Come on and see what you are missing and soak in the information...Give a gift to yourself this holiday season !
 
             The Difference Maker:
                      How  Top Agents Outperform the Market
 
                               Presented by
 
                            Mr. Todd Butzer
 
                    Former CRS Instructor and  Wisconsin State Convention  Speaker…90 minutes of a fast paced look at why/how some agents prosper while others struggle.what you can do right now  to make a difference  !
                No Fluff….the reality of what will make success YOUR reality…committing to the changes that will do … (0 comments)

Decisions ....to be or not to Remain Being.... - 07:44 PM
  Did you ever notice that there are people in your life...that when THEY want something...they know your number..your cell, your home, your fax,....text...e-mail....front door....carrier pigeon...after all, it IS what is going on in their life...what they need, want, have to have...and NOW  !
  Now ....YOU need....an answer, a recipe, a contact for....the name or number of.....an explanation about...and they quickly disappear into the blogosphere....the shadows, sea of abyss...never  only to be heard from again when THEY need, want, have to have.....(I am soooo not talking about the needs of buyers and sellers.)
   Be it resolved in this new … (12 comments)

Leipers Fork Sales Report - Nov 2009 - 11:09 AM
I was so excited when I pulled up the Sales Numbers for November for Leipers Fork Home Sales.  It really looked like things were starting to pick up!  However, when I started looking at the numbers, that excitement soon faded.  Why?
For awhile now, I've been preaching about being realistic in the pricing of homes in and around Leipers Fork.  While Leipers Fork has long been a very desireable area - known for its famous inhabitants - this mindset has clouded reality.  November's numbers show just how clouded some of our seller's views have been - and why homes are sitting … (2 comments)

How to set the price in Pensacola, Pace and Gulf Breeze Florida. - 06:03 PM
Charles Stallions, CRS, CSP, CBR, CDPS, - 800-309-3414, a leader in real estate investing, buying and selling. Lead Real Estate negotiator for several investment clubs as well as investors throughout the US. Call Charles for a list of references before buying or selling you what some consider being their largest investment.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
THOUSANDS OF HOMES.... One Address www.charlesstallions.com
Pensacola, Pace and Gulf Breeze Homes for sale
Looking for a home to rent, sell or buy in Pensacola, Pace or Gulf Breeze Florida then this site was designed with you in mind.  E-mail charles@charlesstallions.com for a complete list of foreclosures, short sales, homes for sale or for rent in Pensacola, Pace or … (2 comments)

I Thought I'd Heard Everything In 33 Years As A Realtor - 06:08 PM
Here is a great post and should prove why sellers and Realtors are not the same. In Pensacola, Pace and Gulf Breeze let a professional do the job. We are in the market place everyday selling hundreds of homes while a homeowner only has one to sell. A professional Realtor will get hundreds of calls and what do you know If I have yours listed then that is the one I'm selling.
Via Karen Kruschka - Fairfax Prince William Stafford County VA Real Estate Service (Long & Foster America's #1 Privately Owned Real Estate Co.):
Once you've hit the 33 year mark … (4 comments)

One Nation Under God - 08:18 PM
Why is it always the majority that is punished in the name of religion. I think those that won't stand up for what they believe in will fall for anything.
As a seller in Pensacola, Pace and Gulf Breeze Florida these are the ones that will sell you down the river quick like, I call them two faced. If you don't believe as I do at least you know I'm honest and that alone is reason enough to do business with me.

Via Rich Sellers, Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge:
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA … (4 comments)

Fire Safety tips for this Holiday Season - 08:41 PM
Here it is Pensacola, Pace and Gulf Breeze florida. Tips for fire safety. I saw this post and knowing I couldn't write it better myself decided to pass it on.
Via Chris Smith Prudential Ronan Realty:
Have you remembered to check your smoke and/or fire alarms for the winter season?  In Ontario you should have at least one on each floor.  Single level domiciles should have alarms near the kitchen and all sleeping areas (not bad advice no matter where you live). Christmas Tree Ensure that artificial trees are flame retardant.  If you are choosing a real tree, tap it on the ground … (2 comments)

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