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Time is money. One of the oldest marketing techniques involves creating an overwhelming sense of urgency that compels fence sitting consumers to take immediate action.
Facebook, Twitter, Email…how many people can you talk to in a day…or are you just updating people on you? Can you have phone conversations in 140 characters or less? Can you talk through your blue tooth while you multi-task on other things. How much of the conversation are you really hearing? Do you find your best thoughts written here on AR rather than said to someone who needs to hear it.
Growing up my brother and I were fortunate to have grandparents who enjoyed telling stories about their lives. We learned about the Native Americans who used to camp at my maternal grandparents farm in the Kickapoo Valley in Wisconsin and about my father's familiy living during the depression in a small town in northeast Arkansas. Some of the stories we heard were about relatives we would never meet. There were also the stories about our parents antics that they wish had been kept buried in the family vaults. The great part was that not only family history being passed down but … (42 comments)
Last week I blogged about not caulking at the base of storm windows, which is a simple no-brainer. Another place that should never be caulked is the space between the siding and the flashing above a window; this piece of flashing is often referred to as drip flashing, drip cap, or head flashing. Caulking this opening shut is a very common defect, even on new construction.
If you are SEO blogging for search engine placement, it would behoove you to know how Google actually spiders your site. I will try and explain how it all works in simple, easily digestible, layman's terms. 
Everyone knows you should wait until Spring to sell your house, right? That's when the buyers are out, right? Well, MAYBE... The current market is a tricky one, and depending on your circumstances you might want to list your house for sale NOW! But there are several factors to consider, and you must tread carefully if you decide to list your home for sale during the holiday season. Here are some tips and things to think about if you decide to list your home for sale now.
These Days, Giving 100% Just Isn't Enough.
One of my pet peeves is driving through neighborhoods, trying to locate the house I am to inspect, and see no visible address numbers from the street. That, or they are cleverly placed in the same illogical spot on every house, but not at all visible from the road.
Full Timers Are NOT NECESSARILY Better AgentsPart Time Agents Are NOT Necessarily Lesser AgentsOk, you need a real estate agent. Let me say that again --- You NEED a real estate agent IF you are buying or selling real estate. 
I saw two articles that got my attention today. In the first article, Realtors Ask Mortgage Industry to Ease Underwriting Policies, Jann Swanson noted that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and its President, Vicki Cox Golder, recently "appealed primarily to FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac" to make the approval of mortgages easier so that qualified buyers could become homeowners. The second article was the Senior Loan Officer Survey, in which author Adam Quinones expressed that mortgage lenders expect standards to remain tight. I am going to take the guess that Ms. Cox Golder unfortunately did not have the opportunity … (43 comments)
Flat out… If a seller expects to earn money from a short sale transaction, you need to re-route their expectations or walk away!
I was reading AR Ambassador Richard Wessier's recent post "Creating a sense of urgency amid a sea of complaceny" and it got me thinking about the typical attitude of sales people. I must warn you; I am generalizing a bit but I don't think I'm too far off from the truth.
I am going to be honest with you:. I AM ONE OF THE BIGGEST REALTORS IN AUSTIN Yep, you heard me right. At 6 feet, 4 inches, 270 265 260 pounds (ahem), there aren't many out there larger than I am. As Ron Burgundy from Anchorman stated, "I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal". Just think about it. There are so many things that I bring to the table that the (no offense) average-sized agent cannot. First of all, I can probably lift the table by myself. Let's be honest - this is of … (55 comments)
Making an offer in New York is different from most parts of the country because purchase and sale contracts are not prepared by agents, but by attorneys after agreement and inspections. Therefore, offers vary from nice clean memos with clear terms on company letterhead to a phone call. Memos are great. Emails are OK. Phone calls are hated. Our typical seller client will not render a decision until all terms have been put in writing and a pre approval is furnished. There is no sense in disclosing an accepted offer and possibly scaring a good buyer away if the current "buyer" … (68 comments)
You might think carrying a copy machine in my bag would be quite cumbersome . But tonight I discovered that I had what was necessary to do just that. One of my clients is hospitalized and we have a settlement quickly approaching.
So as I watch the early morning traffic reports; I think of many conversations I have with buyers who are moving into the Washington DC area for the first time.
As some of you may already know, ActiveRain is a pretty cool place to work. In addition to our beautiful downtown Seattle office, we also take part in a variety of fun activities to help build camaraderie and keep us bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, even during these gray winters!
Have you ever wondered why your blog posts did not get a single comment? Do you want more comments on your posts?
One of the things I love about Active Rain is that you just never know what you're going to learn or come across. From Short Sale Expertise and video via Broker Bryant to all things Real Estate via Lenn Harley, Active Rain is a living encyclopedia of knowledge! And sometimes you learn things you weren't expecting. Take, for example, the idiom that was left in a blog comment on my hyper local blog about McDonalds. Donald Tepper wrote, "You pretty much made a silk purse out of a cow's ear." 
Is Your Charlotte Neighbor Selling Their Home TOO? It's tough enough selling one home or even two in a neighborhood but, what if you, as a seller, are faced with multiple homes for sale in the same neighborhood, complex or even on the same street? Did your neighbor JUST put their Charlotte home on the market? Face this situation with a positive outlook! Multiple Charlotte homes for sale, on your street could just mean that your neighbors are all being transferred at the same time you are--or this could mean that you're all upsizing or downsizing at the same time! Don't … (32 comments)
As Realtors, we are constantly on the go, whether it be for work, or family. We go full-out 60mph, sometimes weeks at a time, without a day-off. Granted, our work isn't that physically demanding, it's not as though we're pushing a jackhammer all day, but it does take it's toll.
Told you so...Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!
I just got yelled and hung up on .....I'm ready for the next cold call brrrrrrr.
I just want to share this story – last week I posted a comment on an AR Blog. The nice Realtor that I posted on actually sent me a "personal" email thanking me for commenting on her blog and suggested that I start blogging. She actually went to "reciprocate" on my blog and noticed that although I had started setting up a blog page, I hadn't posted ANYTHING!! If I can say it this way, I actually felt like she was reaching out her hand to me and was telling me "it's ok, you can come out of the shadows - no … (30 comments)
A few years back, an acquaintance called and asked me to sell his property. I agreed, I mean...I didn't have to twist his arm or anything.
Brand New Luxury Villa with Garden Views … (0 comments)
If you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off during Thanksgiving, you are more than likely not giving yourself enough time to prepare.
The writer of this post makes some very good comments about what it takes to sell a home sometimes. Everything can sell. My job is to help you make the best sale you can.
I just looked at the clock and realized what time it was. Three years ago today, at 9:54am, my beautiful Alyssa was born!! Yes, the time has flown by!
Fall colors West Coast Style. I know I have blogged many times about how much I love living in California's Central Valley. Well here I go again.
Here is some very good advice from Realtor Magazine on how you can Conduct Your Own Energy AuditFor your home. Energy costs are skyrocketing, and making sure your home is not allowing a lot of "cold air" in through outlet sockets, light switches, or around windows and doors that are on "outside walls" is a good way to lower your energy costs. Also be sure you have the correct amount of insulation in your attic space. Many times during construction, the proper amount is not installed, or is not evenly installed, and having some more added is well worth the investment. … (3 comments)
Amazing Cedar built pool home is calling your name! Come check out your private home which includes an all brick fireplace with built in heater for the cool nights, artesian well, French doors to your Florida room and views to the pool! Also on this property is a separate building possible mother in-law suite game room or workshop if you choose. Endless possibilities awaiting for you! MLS 127763
I had to run some errands today and happened to have my camera with me. Here are a few more pictures of the beautiful trees in Georgia. Hope you enjoy them. We don't have real vibrant changes in colors of the trees, but I thought these were pretty. I hope you like them.
Visible and legible addresses are vry important for everyone...whether it is for your mail, the UPS or other delivery person or a visitor who does not know the area. Most important is that emergency vehichles must be able to find your home...make your address easy to see...day and night...for everyone's good.
As anticipated, Facebook unveiled its revised messaging product today. The site's roughly 500 million users send over four billion IMs and Facebook messages everyday (though only about 350 million actively use the Facebook messaging platform). These numbers make it clear that part of Facebook's future relies on it's relevancy as a communications platform, and thus the launch of the code-named Project Titan. Though Facebook users will eventually be able to get a Facebook.com e-mail address, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook engineer Andrew Bosworth were careful to explain that this is not yet another e-mail client. Instead, it's a rethinking of the Facebook … (1 comments)
View additional listing details at 1122 North Mulberry Street in Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
If you're shopping for a new home, chances are, whether you cook or not, the kitchen is an area of great interest. The bathroom is also likely high on the list to inspect. That's because we spend a lot of time in both of these rooms, socializing and taking care of the, ahem, important stuff.
A new category of homeowners has emerged in recent months--those who voluntarily walk away from their mortgaged property. The rising ranks of this group are not comprised of people who can't afford their mortgage payments and thus go into foreclosure; rather these defaulters are homeowners who choose to let their Montgomery real estate holdings go rather than continue to pay on a home which is worth less than what they owe.Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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