Archives of real estate blog entries for August 21, 2009 (Page 9)

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LOL Friday: Insane Belgian Train Station Dance - 08:55 AM
I received this from a friend...enjoy! See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing. … (1 comments)

LOL Friday: Keith Urban and "Kiss" (Oh, I mean Taylor Swift) - 08:56 AM
Here is another really great one sent to me by a good friend. Read the article, but be sure to watch the video. Enjoy!
 
Keith Urban, "Kiss A Girl"
… (0 comments)

Buyers: If it Sounds Too Good To Be True--It Probably Is! - 02:09 PM
As a result of the meltdown of the real estate industry, there are, indisputably, some really great opportunities for buyers. Yesterday, I heard a radio commercial advertising an opportunity to buy foreclosed homes. The call to action was an 800 number where you would receive a list of foreclosed properties that you could consider. The advertisement had the woman telling her friend that she was in a new home for $100 a month. Excuse me?! That would mean that she bought a property with a loan of roughly $17,000 if you assume a 30 year payment and a rate of 6.5% … (9 comments)

I AM NOT REALLY THAT GENEROUS. JUST A BIT NEUROTIC... - 03:49 PM
My Chicago Bear's Football Schedules arrived this week. 
This is always a fun week for me as an agent.  I love the marketing aspect of the business, and distributing the magents keeps me pretty busy...
I have been addressing envelopes this afternoon.  It has been a great opportunity to reconnect with my database.  A quick email requesting an address...
One of my friends responded that it was "Very generous of you" to spend the time following up.  I had promised him a schedule earlier...
"I am not really that generous," I answered.  "Just a bit neurotic."
I had promised him a schedule, therefore he was … (9 comments)

What $1100 Down can buy in Apple Valley - 05:02 PM
… (0 comments)

Apple Valley Horse Property with Pool - 05:12 PM
… (1 comments)

Sometimes a picture is just too good not to share - 12:38 AM

Meet Mr. Magoo.  He came to me via a call for help from a fellow Realtor.  A rescue Shitzu who needed a home.  Who could resist this face?
I'm totally in love with this little guy!
I felt inspired to share this photo after reading Debbie Aldrich's Post featuring her daughter's new puppy.  3 cheers for pet adoption & rescue!
 
… (6 comments)

Relaxation in a can. An idea that could revolutionize real estate. - 09:45 AM
One Canadian may have just had the idea of the century.... the "anti-energy" drink, Slow Cow . Relaxation in a can...I love it.
According to the development team, the drink is made of mostly natural ingredients such as chamomile, passion flower and Valerian, that are meant to calm without making the consumer drowsy.  One other ingredient is billed as the best kept secret in medicine, L-Theanine, an amino acid found in tea plants said to induce a relaxed, yet focused state of mind. 
I LOVE this idea!  Realtors could have a case of this on hand for our anxious buyers and sellers.  Keep … (5 comments)

Real Estate Physical Therapy Part II: Does Your Forehead Enter A Room Before You?? Forward Head Posture - 01:12 PM
 Does your forehead enter the room before you?  Forward head posture can be acheived slowly over a period of time by your body adjusting to repetitive postures.. such as sitting at a computer or driving a car...something that we as agents do a lot of.
Proper alignment of the body, starts with the head..the ear in alignment with the shoulder... forward head posture is when the ear and chin extend out over the shoulder.  (see below)
 
                                
This shift in your center of gravity, rounds out your shoulders and over a period of time, this habitual posture may result in … (3 comments)

Friday Fotos - Tomball Cougar Art Sculptor! - 12:52 PM

The above oak tree was a causality of Hurricane Ike.  It is on Baker Street in Tomball which I travel often.  I watched the artist sculpting the tree from my car as I traveled back and forth on Baker Street.  I figured the cougars had something to do with the cougar being the mascot of Tomball High School.
I found a youtube video that our local Tomball Potpourri News made that explains it all. The artist who carved the tree is Master Wood Carver Nathan Smith, a local Tomball artist.  He carved two cougars in a rocky cliff setting out of this … (37 comments)

vFlyer Custom Theme of the Week by Donna Baker at Dickson Podley Real Estate - 12:42 PM
This week, I wanted to showcase a custom theme designed by our very own design team at vFlyer. It seems only fitting, given that this month we are offering a free custom theme to the first 50 existing annual subscribers who contact us and the first 100 new annual subscribers. (For more on this promotion, click here.) I chose a theme from Donna Baker at Dickson Podley Real Estate in Monrovia, California. Donna's theme incorporates the design of her website (which is great, by the way) so that her vFlyer listings are perfectly integrated with her other web content.
 
While … (3 comments)

How to Choose a Neighborhood: Steps #4 & 5 - 06:26 PM
August 21, 2009
5 steps to finding a place where you belongHere are the last two steps, #4 & 5 to choosing a neighborhood.  If you missed the others, check out my blogs from earlier this week.  Hope these tips have helped you in your home search.
STEP 4 -- Find the Clues
Once you've done the background research, visit neighborhoods that made the preliminary grade in person. There's no better way to paint a real picture of life in the neighborhood. Use your senses to get a complete picture of the prospective community.
Sights:
Remember your first impression. What do … (0 comments)

Frequently asked decorating questions. - 09:28 AM
To continue our decorating series. Any ideas what the universal decorating question might be?   Well, here it is!
 "I want to redecorate but need help picking a color/s.  I just don't know what color/s to use"!
 So, here are a few color tips that I hope you find helpful in beginning the color selection process.  And, don't forget, a professional decorator can provide you with valuable assistance in making these all important color decisions!
 Decide on your dominant color.  You might want to repeat that color elsewhere - at least once.  Use colors unequally for better color proportion and balance.  Color-connecting … (0 comments)

FREE Buyer Agent. Not really! - 02:30 PM
Buyers are so used to the services of the buyers agent being explained to them as "FREE, I get paid by the seller!" that they have no loyalty in many cases because agents do not explain the buying and transaction process correctly. Many buyers do not understand that agents are on a commission and do not get paid unless they sell a house and that as a buyers agent they represent the buyer and their loyalty and fiduciary duty is to the buyer..
How about if the buyer paid a retainer, would they select their agent more carefully? What about paying on … (0 comments)

Real Estate Client Referrals - My Facebook Page of the Week - 01:03 PM

Congratulations to Real Estate Client Referrals (RECR) for absolutely rocking their Facebook Business Page!
Disclosure: I create custom designed Facebook Business Pages.  Each is different and represents the flavor of the business it represents.  As I find interesting pages or tabs I’ll highlight them in this series even if it’s not my own work.  This page is my personal Facebook Business Page of the Week.
How Real Estate Client Referrals Rocks their page It’s very simple really.  Clint Miller ( their Internet Marketing / Sales Manager)  is the workhorse behind the page and the head contact at the website.  Clint regularly puts out engaging content on it’s wall.  He’s answering questions, he’s posing questions, … (2 comments)

Banned by Facebook! - 01:18 PM


Straight from my email Inbox
Q. “Mike, if I am in business (let’s just say I’m a real estate agent) do I set up a Facebook profile for my business or do I setup a Business Page?
A. Looking just at the Facebook Terms of Service (TOS) Section 3, Point 1:
3.  We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it. We need your help in order to do that, which includes the following commitments:
You will not send or otherwise post unauthorized commercial communications to users (such as spam). “Mike, that’s easy!  I NEVER send out Spam!  NEVER!”
Hold on there Buttercup… … (119 comments)

My listing is on Twitter - 06:39 AM
With all the hype of Twitter and social media you need to get on board or get left behind. I recently saw someone do this and thought it was a great idea. We follow friends, celebrities, people we don't know or people we want to know more so why not find out what is going on with the house you bought.
I represent a Builder in the Rockland area (near Ottawa, ON) and one of his listing now has a Twitter account. These are new homes being built and the entire process will be "twittered". It's a great way for the … (5 comments)

What Would 4,560 More Properties Mean For Your Listing's Competition? - 10:08 AM
There is a great deal of talk lately about the upward climb in sales, that maybe we're seeing the bottom of the market, and that prices are down from this time last year, but it's the 5th straight month of sales increases, and the best sales record in several years . . . so maybe prices are stabilizing, or even headed up a little? That's happening in some places, and yesterday's great REO panel of experienced brokers even said it's impossible to underprice a property today because it will get multiple offers and sell for more.But take a look at the … (1 comments)

Grand Rapids Michigan Summer Concert ~ Great Lakes Irish Music Festival - Aug 22, 2009 - 03:04 PM
Wearing o' the green would be appropriate for attending the
Great Lakes Irish Music Festival held at Fifth Third Ball Park,
 this Saturday August 22, 2009  11:00 am - 9:20 pm. 
Gates open at 11:00 am and the first entertainment hits the
stage at noon.
Of course there will be Irish food available for purchase, bangers
and beer, for starters, plus other delectable Irish delights.
 
The musical entertainment will be performed by international acts:
Quinn's School of Irish Dance, Stephen's Green, The Elders,
Brendan Nolan and the Screaming Orphans.   Michigan's Fenian's
Players will once again take the stage to regale the crowd … (0 comments)

Grand Rapids Michigan 5th Most Affordable Homes in US - 05:44 PM
It looks like the most affordable homes in the United States are in the
Midwest, according to CNNMoney.com's latest posting about the Most
& the Least affordable cities to buy a home.  New York and the California
dominate the least affordable cities to buy a home today.
 

 
Grand Rapids Michigan comes in 5th Most Affordable with an affordability
score of 92.9%.
 
CNNMoney's lineup is as follows:
MOST AFFORDABLE
Indianapolis, IN     median home price - $107,000 Youngstown, OH    median home price - $ 73,000 Detroit, MI            median home price - $ 86,000 Dayton, OH           median home price - $105,000 Grand Rapids, MI   median … (2 comments)

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