Archives of real estate blog entries for June 3, 2010

Featured blog posts


Got a Share Button? You should get one for your websites. Seriously... - 11:45 AM
 
Got a Share Button? You should get one for your websites. Seriously...
http://sharethis.com/
Sitting on the dock fooling around with my website coding. I started adding a "Share This" button on the end of some of my posts at CarolynTannStarr.com and even tossed one on my sidebar over here at ActiveRain.com to share the Wordy C blog... I am going to have to manually do this 256 times over there to share each individual post before I take a crack at doing it 952 times over here (which will be a digital S&M moment - LOL).
It would be nice … (79 comments)

What's On Your Silver Platter??? - 09:54 AM
Blogging is a daily task for me.  There have been many posts on the topic of why people blog, and today Michael Thornton wrote one titled "What's Your Excuse?"  He referred to people who join Active Rain but do not blog.  Blogging is a great exercise for the mind.  One should attempt to blog a variety of topics, and as Lenn Harley's first bit of advice to me, blog about what you know. 
Blogging has become a significant part of my marketing, and I've devoted much time in an attempt to produce quality posts.  Some posts are easier than others to … (120 comments)

Bank of America Short Sales, Equator FRUSTRATION! - 05:12 PM
If you haven't heard a homeowner or a Realtor complain about Bank of America (BofA) short sales, you must be out of the loop..or you were just smart enough to stay away from the nightmare.  I have dealt with and closed several short sales with Bank of America prior to the Equator system and I currently have 3 Bank of America short sale listings under contract. 
Is EVERYONE frustrated with the Equator system or is it just me?  I attended a class yesterday at Orlando Regional Realtor Association (ORRA) yesterday and what was supposed to be a 2 hour course, could … (100 comments)

UNDERPRICED SHORT SALES: GOOD FOR WHO, WHAT, & DOES IT WORK? - 05:42 PM
 

I just found out the property I was making an offer for my client on last night has well over 30 offers!! Asking price was $39,000 on Short Sale. Many offers came in around $100,000. My Question is:Do you think Sellers should be underpricing their Short Sale Homes by 10%, 20% or ?This was underpriced by about 70%....Why?
Causes a stir for nothing, at least that's how I feel about it.  When I told the Listing Agent it was severely Underpriced, he responded, "That's how the Seller wanted to price it."
How do you feel about it and why?
… (208 comments)

Quick Tips to Showing Your Home - 11:23 AM
Quick Tips to Showing Your Home
  
Your home is for sale, you've been keeping it tidy and the yard mowed.  While Realtors usually give you time to prepare the house for showing, there are times you will receive a call that a Realtor is "just around the corner" and wishes to show your house.  Don't Panic...Follow these quick tips to showing your home provided by the professionals at Lifestyle Realty Group:
 
•¨     Turn off TV and tune the radio to soft rock or classical station.
 
•¨      Turn every light on in the house, open all drapes and blinds.
… (28 comments)

Is it a losing battle for brand-name brokerages? - 10:37 AM
Are new business models winning a fight with older brokerages? (Flickr photo by red betty black.)
The new June issue of the Real Deal has a piece about an unsurprising development among brokers.  In the article, which correctly quotes me, writer Candace Taylor notices that many brokers are questioning the value of their affiliation with name-brand firms in New York City.
Referring not only to commission splits but also to annual fees up to $5,000 that brokers must pay their firms, plus errors and omissions insurance, Taylor notes:
Most agents are willing to fork over the cash in exchange for the … (49 comments)

Why old school marketing won't sell your house - 09:46 PM
Some folks in the real estate biz have been reluctant to migrate their marketing efforts online.  You know who I'm talking about... and I don't have to worry about any of them reading this because THEY DON'T BLOG and the internet scares them.  They are missing out and so are you if they are working for you.  If you are hoping to sell your home in the greater Boston area, you need to call me if:
You ask your agent about their Google rankings and they say "what's a google??"
If that's even close to the response you get... run screaming … (84 comments)

FHA 203k Rehab Loans and VA Loans: Mortgages for the New Economy - 03:15 PM
By:  Elaine VonCannon, RE/MAX Hall of Fame, ABR, SRES, REALTOR, Notary Public, Team Manager, NARPM, Member of the Va. Commercial Alliance, Award Winning Agent
Are you searching for a home and disappointed by the options available? Perhaps the home you can afford is too small for your requirements, or in need of extensive repair or upgrades. Two important federal government loan programs may be available for home buyers who qualify. These include VA Loans (Veterans Administration) for military personnel who have served in the Armed Forces and a 'fixer upper' loan, the FHA (Federal Housing Authority) 203k Rehab Loan. These two … (11 comments)

How to Price Your Home To Sell in Today's Real Estate Market - 06:12 PM
How to Price Your Home To Sell in Today's Real Estate Market
Recently I've faced the dreaded "price reduction" conversation with a few sellers who's homes have not yet sold.  Since price positioning is everything in this market - from initial pricing to price reductions - I believe that it's important to have open and honest discussions with sellers before listing their home for sale and then again at least every 30 days.  More often if there's no traffic, i.e., the house isn't being shown.
While preparing an analysis in advance of a "price reduction" discussion with a seller who's home was priced just … (49 comments)

Make Your Website Sticky - 05:59 PM
30 to 50 Return Visitors Each Day
Without realizing what I was doing my St Augustine real estate website has turned out to be very sticky. Several months after launching the site my stats were showing that the "page view count" was four to five times the visitors count and the number of returning visitors was more than the unique visitors.
This was great! I was getting 30 to 50 people returning to my website every day. But why? In developing the site concept I wanted to include content that home buyers wanted to see. It took a month of … (78 comments)

Recent ActiveRain Features and an Apology From Our Team - 03:01 AM
We recently made a mistake by featuring a few posts that we believe violated our community guidelines, and by doing so we believe we harmed the reputation of this network of professionals. Our entire team apologizes for this and I take full responsibility as one of the posts was something I featured. 
As a result of this snafu we revamped our methodology for featuring posts and even added the 'suggest' button. In the future, we will make every effort to only feature posts that reflect our quest to "represent our industry in as true and professional of a light as possible".
… (172 comments)

Mining For Property Records - Do You Know Where Yours Are? - 07:04 PM
This afternoon I attended a seminar that was presented by one of our go-to guys for permit research. He also helps home owners through the process of "righting" their violations of unpermitted work. The room was packed with agents from all over the County.
The first 15 minutes was worth the price of admission! While agents have been visiting our County permit department and re-learning how to operate fiche machines every time we do permit research, some of the BEST property records have been elsewhere all along.
Our County assessor's office has records that can only be accessed by the legal … (33 comments)

Rain Camp Washington DC June 10, 2010 Woo Hoo!! - 12:08 AM
Rain Camp is Coming To Washington DC June 10th
Are you signed up to attend? I sure hope so because I sure would like to meet you!!Think about it...What a great opportunity to not only learn but to meet other Rainers. Did I mention meeting other Active Rainers? It's a Rain Party and you just gotta be there.Ok....I guess you get the picture.
Rain Camp in Washington DC is Thursday June 10thRegistration starts at 8amBut you need to register and have your ticket and a copy of your acceptance email to get in
RainCamp is a full day Conference packed with … (16 comments)

Look What We May Have Started with The ActiveRain Point System - 06:25 PM
It's not a game, but some may think it is... Now before you watch this video, (and I know it's longer than most would prefer) take special note of the message at the very end. Although very subtle, it will make you really think about how "any point system" ties into business and our personal lives. The message received here may vary from viewer to viewer, but the "Points" should still be the same. … (108 comments)

If You Are Struggling To Pay Your Bills- You Need To Read This Post - 07:04 PM

One of our daughters went to a coupon class about a month ago. She and her sister do not want to be in debt for anything other than a modest home, even their cars are almost paid off. They only have credit cards to use as ID and for online purchases which they then try to pay in full each month.  They did not want to go alone the first time so I told them I would show them how to save money using coupons and the sales, especially the buy one get one free sales each week. Since we go … (107 comments)

How Is Video Helping YOU? - 01:40 PM
How is Video Helping YOU?

There have been quite a few blogs recently about the ubiquity of video. Last month, Lee and Pamela St. Peter wrote YouTube hits 2 billion views per day - are you CASHING in?, and Holly Weatherwax posted Don't Tell Us What We Want to Watch... on May 18. Both blogs were about the news that we now have  more YouTube viewers than the three major networks during primetime combined, with interesting implications for how we do business as realtors.
Today, Amy Jones posted If you don't think video is big, listen to this.... There are … (45 comments)

APPRAISAL - RANT - 05:22 PM
Last week I was contacted by a Bank to list a property on behalf of one of their clients that was unable to look after himself or his home and had been transferred to a nursing home.  The property had been handed down to this gentleman by a member of his family and over the last 20 years not a flick of upgrade had been done.
Its the Bank's obligation to get an appraisal done by two individual from different companies and this was done.  Then the Bank asked me to do a market evaluation.  Oh Boy were we far apart.  … (33 comments)

SNEAKY.....BANK OF AMERICA.......LOAN MODS.......... TAKES THE CAKE........... - 09:38 AM
I have clients that have been negotiating a loan modification with this bank for 1.5 years now. They have sent in all that has been required and requested and then they have sent it in again and again.
In addition, they have been in contact with this Bank 1-2 times a week for over 14 months trying to get the case closed and settled. After repetitive contacts and visiting with all the different departments and of course the famous on hold for Guinness record times......they state that the mod is FINALLY going out in 2 weeks.
Four weeks go by and … (81 comments)

Thanks ActiveRain - Another Check in the Bank! - 12:07 PM
Thanks ActiveRain, here's another check directly related to my activities here!

Back in February, I had just entered the room of the Texas Association of REALTORS®' Professional Standards Committee yearly training class.  I sit down next to my new friend that I had met at Raincamp in Dallas just a couple of days earlier. He saw my Tweet that I was heading to class, and he saved me a seat, how nice!There was wi-fi in the room, awesome!! I connect really quick to do a last minute check of morning emails prior to class beginning... and that's when it always … (62 comments)

GREAT JOB Kendra Todd and Active Rain University! - 03:28 PM


I was hesitant to sign up for this Thursday's session of Activerain University's "How To Brand Yourself an Expert and Build a Six-Figure Real Estate Business" because there was a "celebrity" speaking. Although truly admiring Kendra Todd's sharpness on The Apprentice and her HGTV accomplishments, I simply didn't want to hear a one hour sales pitch from anyone no matter what their deemed accomplishments were. As Realtors, our email inboxes are full of "pitches." I'm glad to say it wasn't like that at all.
I joined the webinar 10 minutes into it (how rude of me!) and was … (34 comments)

Will Technology Ultimately Put Us Out of Business ? - 01:53 PM
Will Technology Ultimately Put Us Out of Business ?

I think the short answer is, the consumer directed on-line transaction is fast becoming more feasible. It wasn't but a few years ago when we were as real estate professionals told that the real estate on-line transaction was on the way. Technology can and maybe will provide for consumer directed transactions at some point. As real estate professionals we were once sole purveyors for consumers of all information about real estate. We have filled the Internet sites with property information, strategies for the optimizing transactions and how to's and what not … (103 comments)

WHEN DID A DROPPED PEBBLE CAUSE AN EARTHQUAKE?? - 07:21 AM
HA!  DID YOU KNOW THAT BY DROPPING A PEBBLE, YOU COULD CAUSE AN EARTHQUAKE?
If ActiveRain members know one thing by now, it should be that, there are many eyes watching. 
If a member has a penchant for denigrating an individual or group and thinks that they can simply "slip it in" to an otherwise unremarkable post, THINK AGAIN.
THERE IS NO PARALYSIS BY COMMITTEE in the ActiveRain Brain Trust. 
TO BE PAINFULLY CRUDE. . .  DON'T LET THAT BOIL JUST FESTER.  LANCE THE UGLY THING AND GET RID OF THE STINK.
So they did.
FROM THE ACTIVERAIN COMMUNITY GUIDELINES:
We encourage free speech and … (136 comments)

What's Your Excuse? - 06:34 AM
What's Your Excuse...     Although this post may not warm the cockles of your heart, sometimes the elephant in the room needs to be addressed. I have been a member of ActiveRain for close to 3 years. I have seen folks come and go. Business is a numbers game and the 7/93 rule applies to everything - even blogging.     Looking down the blog roll at any given time of the day, the same familiar icons steadily parade down the page - Lynn, Craig, Richard, Debe, Missy, Sally, Todd - just to name a few. These folks understand that there are no excuses … (89 comments)


Blog posts


"SOLD" IN 90 DAYS ANOTHER "STAGING TO SELL BY MARIA" - 01:17 AM
… (2 comments)

Help a Fellow Agent and Get a Chance at a Prize - 11:35 AM
Morgan Carey of Real Estate Webmasters (REW), has done it again.  He is sponsoring a contest and offering some great prizes.  He has also provided prizes for contests sponsored by other organizations in the past and he's sharing again.
This is for a great cause.  Carolyn Capalbo is an agent in Northern Virginia that has suffered in the search engines for a search of her name because of current events.  You can read the full story that offers more links and also explains the REW contest and prizes offered by clicking the link.
What's In a Name?
I remember the feeling … (0 comments)

Lacey Homes For Sale - 10:23 AM
Lacey Homes For Sale
Capitol City Golf Club features affordable golf course community homes in Lacey.  This 3 bedroom 2 bath home offers you a chance to own a great home in the Capitol City golf course community. This affordable 3 bedroom 2 bath home offers a fully fenced back yard and spacious covered deck for year round relaxation. The interior is well cared for and provides unexpected features like a full master bath and large walk in closet. Plenty of cabinet space awaits the cook in the kitchen and the floor plan makes excellent use of the nearly 1500 sq ft … (0 comments)

North Tacoma Homes For Sale - 10:54 AM
North Tacoma Homes For Sale
The North End of Tacoma is a vibrant community filled with many housing choices.  Available homes range from modest 1 story bungalows to magnificent homes offering views of the Puget Sound and Commencement Bay. 
This North End home has been painstakingly maintained and upgraded and is a fine example of the type of homes available in North Tacoma. If attention to detail and quality of construction are important to you, this home is a must see.  Pride of ownership shines from the moment you enter the meticulously maintained grounds and continues up the fine porch into this carefully upgraded home.  … (0 comments)

Tacoma Foreclosures | Tacoma Bank Owned Homes - 11:06 AM
Tacoma Foreclosures
Bank Owned Home blocks away from the 6th Avenue restaurants, shops and nightlife. This 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home has a remodeled kitchen, updated bathrooms and a dining room with french doors. New carpet and laminate flooring throughout. Newer roof, 6925 square foot lot and updated electrical panel top off this Tacoma Bank Owned Home. 
View Full Details and additional photos of this North Tacoma Foreclosure:http://www.brettsellshouses.com/idx/properties/73967/details.html
Search by city, subdivision, school, zip, mls number and map. You will see multiple photos, satellite image, full MLS descriptions and Google street view. Search Tacoma Bank Owned Homes and all surrounding areas.

Listed by … (0 comments)

Graham Building Lot | Bank Owned - 11:21 AM
Graham Building Lot
Graham is located in unincorporated Pierce County and offers many housing and development choices.  Opportunities range from reasonably priced building lots, homes in subdivisions of all sizes  and large homes on acreage with unparalleled territorial and Mt Rainier views.
This Bank Owned building lot presents an excellent opportunity to own a 1 acre lot in Graham's well established, 'The Country', neighborhood. Situated in a cul-de-sac, at the end of a paved road, this building lot has wonderful views of the mountains and the valley.
View Full Details and additional photos of this Bank Owned Building Lot:http://www.brettsellshouses.com/idx/properties/16658/details.html
Search by city, subdivision, … (0 comments)

Maintaining a Healthy Lawn this Summer in Cheyenne, WY - 07:58 AM
Everyone wants to have the title of the ‘greenest grass in the neighborhood,' and you can too.  Summer lawn care is very important especially during the hot summer months that we have in Cheyenne.  The high temperatures and lack of water that we experience here can help make this a tricky task.  According to RealEstate.com, in Wyoming watering and insect control are two key factors that will help you obtain and maintain the lawn you've always wanted.
Watering
Not enough water can kill your lawn, but too much water can weaken your root system.  It is key that your lawn gets just the right amount … (0 comments)

Why Your Real Estate Website Traffic Could be Changing - 09:18 PM
 
If you've noticed your real estate website traffic going up or down, it could be due to changes in Google's world.  Two fairly major changes are happening with Google, and have been ongoing for the last few months.  Here's the short version explanation.
GOOGLE'S CAFFEINE UPDATE
Google has announced a Caffeine update.  This update is said to be making changes "under the hood".  The objective is to make their indexing capabilities much more powerful and flexible, although there is a possibility that some rankings will be affected, too.  I don't believe this update is fully completed at this point, but it may … (14 comments)

The Montgomery County Market - June 2010 - 02:31 PM
Montgomery  County is located just outside Washington, DC.  The area includes the National Institutes of Health, a large hi-tech research area and a wide range of communities from the District line to Sugarloaf mountain.  Information about the county can be found at Montgomery County. What will . . . $200,000, $400,000, $600,000 or $800,000 buy in Montgomery  County

If you would like to see any of these homes
CALL US AT 301-509-5111
SEARCH FOR MORE HOMES HERE

… (0 comments)

The Anne Arundel County Market - June 2010 - 02:34 PM
Anne Arundel County is located between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC.  The area includes Fort George Mead, the State Capital in Annapolis and a wide range of communities from the Patuxent River to the Cheasapeake Bay.  Information about the county can be found at Anne Arundel County. What will . . . $200,000, $400,000, $600,000 or $800,000 buy in Anne Arundel County

If you would like to see any of these homes
CALL US AT 301-509-5111
TO SEARCH FOR MORE HOMES



… (0 comments)

The DC Market - June 2010 - 02:36 PM
Washington, DC  is not only the Nation's Capital, it is home to a wide range of neighborhoods. The area is divided into four quadrants..NW, NE, SW and SE and a wide range of communities from the Anacostia River to the Potomac River.  There are shopping areas, a zoo and Rock Creek Park.  There is no city in the world that looks more beautiful than Springtime in Washington. Information about the District can be found at Washington DC. What will . . . $200,000, $400,000, $600,000 or $800,000 buy in the District of Columbia

If you would like to see any of these homes
CALL … (1 comments)

The Howard County Market - June 2010 - 02:37 PM
Howard County is located between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC.  The area includes Columbia , Historic Ellicott City and a wide range of communities from the Patuxent River to the entry into Baltimore City.  Information about the county can be found at Howard County. What will . . . $200,000, $400,000, $600,000 or $800,000 buy in Howard County

If you would like to see any of these homes
CALL US AT 301-509-5111
SEARCH FOR MORE HOMES

… (0 comments)

The Frederick County Maryland Market - June 2010 - 02:39 PM
Frederick County creates a triangle with Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC.  The area includes Fort Detrick, the Presidential retreat near Thurmont and a wide range of communities from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the farmlands to the east.  Information about the county can be found at Frederick County. What will . . . $200,000, $400,000, $600,000 or $800,000 buy in Frederick County

If you would like to see any of these homes
CALL US AT 301-509-5111
TO VIEW MORE HOMES

… (0 comments)

Thanks ActiveRain - Another Check in the Bank! - 12:07 PM
Thanks ActiveRain, here's another check directly related to my activities here!

Back in February, I had just entered the room of the Texas Association of REALTORS®' Professional Standards Committee yearly training class.  I sit down next to my new friend that I had met at Raincamp in Dallas just a couple of days earlier. He saw my Tweet that I was heading to class, and he saved me a seat, how nice!There was wi-fi in the room, awesome!! I connect really quick to do a last minute check of morning emails prior to class beginning... and that's when it always … (62 comments)

Praying for Revival - 03:10 PM
Lord, we pray Revival in our land, our churches, and in ourselves. Forgive us for doubting you or for indifference that you can bring it about. We cry about our nations leaders and the direction that the world seems to be heading. And certainly, We are to be looking for the return of Jesus for we will see Him as He is, but we are to have confidence in Christ and keep ourselves pure, even as Christ is pure.
Lord, forgive us for our actions and our inactions, when we don't speak the Truth. The world tells us we need to … (1 comments)

Countdown to Lummis Day, The Festival of Northeast Los Angeles, June 6, Susie Hansen Latin Band - 06:39 AM
The fifth annual Lummis Day Festival will move its main stages to a new location, Heritage Square Museum (3801 Homer Street) this year, where the best of home-grown Northeast L.A. music, dance, food and community resources will be presented amid the historic buildings that are preserved on the Heritage Square site.
The Susie Hansen Latin Band will perform on Stage One at 4:45 PM. 
 

 
Before shifting to Heritage Square, the two-part Festival will stage its opening event at Lummis Home (200 East Avenue 43), beginning at 10:30 am with readings by some of L.A.'s most critically acclaimed poets … (3 comments)

Celebration Roses for 15,339 Days - 12:05 PM
 
Celebration Roses for 15,339 Days
This Saturday was Lee's  birthday but I still got roses…lots of roses…enough to make two gorgeous arrangements. I like arranging flowers in square vases – creates a nice contrast to the soft roundness of these magnificent roses. This time I think they were even prettier than the green ones. The colors were so vivid that each photo seems better than the next one.

But Sunday was also special and another reason to enjoy the flowers - it was our anniversary. When asked my age, my standard answer is forty-too much. Golly, I think I got married the … (11 comments)

Working With Sellers ! What a Deal! Only $5 for 5 Hours Including Lunch! - 02:33 PM
Working With Sellers!  What a Deal! Only $5 for 5 Hours including lunch!
** Margaret Rome is speaking at 10:45 AM.**
 It's almost a free lunch!
Here's a great event for rookies and pros alike - we can always learn something, right?  Join me on Monday, June 7, I'll be part of the workshop, "How to Do Real Estate form A to Z."
It's presented by the GBBR (Greater Baltimore Board of REALTORS®) Rookie REALTOR® Society, and promises to be a day full of fun and learning.
You can go to gbbr.org to register and pay the $5 for 5 hours … (16 comments)

Spring, 2010 real estate update for Wichita, KS - 12:00 PM
2010, Real estate update
Real estate closings were up 42% in the April-may time period, primarily due to the federal tax Credit that expired April 30, 2010.  Closings for May and June should be much higher than a year ago since June 30, 2010 is the cut off for closings if you want to qualify for the program.
Contracts written in May were still very solid for the 1st two weeks but faded the last two weeks to about ½ the previous two weeks level. This is usually the trend in May due to the end of school terms, graduation, River … (0 comments)

"Our Financial Advisor Said it May not be a Good time to Buy a House...." Said the Would-be Buyer - 07:41 AM
    We had been to a couple's home to do a pre-listing and had given them a list of "fix and spruce" and contractors who could help with various jobs.  They had combined households and as my Mother would say, they were trying to "put 10 pounds of flour in a five pound sack," and it wasn't fitting.  Neither wanted to part with the furniture and "stuff" to the degree that you could see walls and have clear paths in every room.  They were uncomfortable and with both people working, the proceeds of the sale of one home in the bank, … (27 comments)

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