Archives of real estate blog entries for May 20, 2011

Featured blog posts


A Real Estate Blog Content System - 09:58 AM
 
Are You Getting It All Done???  It’s been a good year for lead generation – but it’s soooo time consuming! I haven’t been as consistent as I wanted to be… but I have done a pretty good job of creating a SYSTEM for blogging and creating content that makes the phone ring!
Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Geo Location… Is your head spinning? This commitment to Generate Leads Online could require a change in your routine.  It generally means you are going to get out of your comfort zone a bit… But it’s important, and working with all of these Social … (72 comments)

(Deep Breath) Fear Of Real Estate Video Production, You Have To Face The Facts. - 08:45 AM
If the chances of a search engine picking up your real estate video link increases 50 times why wouldn't you embrace the media as one powerful property marketing tool, weapon? When you see the front page search engine index results and one or two video mini players appear on the Droid, lap top or computer desk top screen, can you resist toggling and watching, listening?
Delivery of a message using the eyeballs and the ear drums is way more powerful than read, read, read.
It's like your favorite plate of food with the meat cut up, the potato peeled, buttered with … (39 comments)

Best Wishes to Doug and Steven - 06:49 PM
With heavy heart, I regret to inform the community that our VP of Sales Doug Ching and our Blog Trainer Steven Graham have decided to leave ActiveRain to pursue another opportunity.  I was informed about their decision this afternoon.  We wish them well in their new positions.  Doug shut his mortgage company down in 2009 (in the heart of the real estate downturn) to come work for Jon.  Steven worked with Doug at his mortgage company.  They are a package deal and they travel together.  They are a great team.
Everyone here at ActiveRain wishes them all the best in their … (109 comments)

Profile Picture No No's - 10:54 AM
 
Have you ever looked at a friend’s Facebook or LinkedIn Profile Picture and though, “WHAT??” How about the folks who only use a picture of their puppy, or a For Sale Sign?
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m all for puppies. I’m pretty keen on babies and kittens, too, but not in our profile pictures! There was a time when we framed and displayed those photos at home or, perhaps, on our desk at the office. Things are no longer as simple.
Today, our workplace is not limited to just one desk in just one office. To some extent, we’re … (59 comments)

"If You Think You Are Down On Your Luck, Check The Level Of Your Effort"...unknown - 09:23 AM
If your goal is to make "big bucks" then you can expect to devote a significant amount of time, money and effort to prospecting for new business.  How you market yourself and your inventory is in direct proportion to the return you'll receive on that marketing investment. 
The nucleus of your marketing should be via the Internet.  Blogging is the core of my business now, and the other methods of marketing are integrated with my blogging.  Most of my work hours are devoted to online marketing via ActiveRain, Trulia and Wordpress.  Remember; don't put all of your eggs in one basket.  … (49 comments)

Are your loose lips costing your clients? - 10:40 AM
Are your loose lips costing your clients?
Recently I had a multiple offer situation. While discussing one of the buyers offers with his agent the agent went on quite a rant about their client - How they had wasted a bunch of the agents time looking at houses while unqualified, then he had proceeded to get them through a very time consuming credit recovery process and by now he was pretty fed up so "they better just buy a house soon".
Okay - good to know. Now I like to shoot the breeze with my colleagues as much as the next agent, but to give up this … (84 comments)

You Don't Want To Bother Your Agent, So You're Bothering Me? - 09:34 AM
You Don't Want To Bother Your Agent, So You're Bothering Me?
The last time I answered the phones at the office, I had two similar calls the same morning.
The first caller was looking for a place to rent and called about a specific property listed by an agent in the office, but which was no longer available. After talking to the caller and getting the criteria he wanted in a rental home, I suggested a few places for him to check out which were listed by other brokers.  When he asked if I could show them to him that afternoon, … (51 comments)

Success in the Rain - 08:02 PM
It's raining success all over this place!!!!  Somebody get a mop and bucket 'cause I don't think this downpour of success is letting up anytime soon.  I'm so proud of our members for sharing their stories and feel it's important for us to all remember from time to time.
Jetting off to Dallas on Monday for an amazing 2-day RainCamp has me feeling pumped!  I can't wait to see those beautiful familiar faces and meet some new ones.  We've got an all-star panel lined up and as one of the guys here at Headquarters likes to say, "It's going to knock … (30 comments)

Good Riddance To The Voodoo Doll Of Magical Thinking - 01:14 PM
I have been accused of living in la la land a time or two or often, and while I think I am generally positive someone recently said I saw the glass as half empty so maybe there is hope for me yet as a realist with optimism but truly living in the REAL WORLD.
There is however a caution for all of us in real estate and in life that I wanted to bring up and I call it
Good Riddance To The Voodoo Doll Of Magical Thinking
Thinking with a magical sense is not a good thing to do because … (34 comments)

So how many leads did you generate today? Or, ummm... Did you? - 01:40 AM
Until you have the amount of leads necessary to to get the income that will allow you to achieve your goals in real estate...  Then prospecting is all you should be focusing on...
So are you?  Are you lead generating first, or are you doing everything else first, and if there is time you get around to it.
Prospecting is talking to people about real estate, and putting yourself in a position where someone could say "yes"...  Yes they want to work for you.  So if you ask enough people in any given period of time, eventually someone will say yes...
Too often we rationalize with … (88 comments)

I FLIPPED Over This Master Bath Shower! - 05:38 AM
A recent inspection of a flip, as I call them, was loaded with fun.  Except for the many hours during the inspection of head pounding trying to figure out what is going on, and the boatload of tools necessary to do that, and the extensive verbiage and necessary syntax of the careful report writing to follow (which of itself requires many applications of ice to head and neck) - well, EXCEPT for all that, inspecting a flip is loaded with fun!
And I FLIPPED over this master bath shower!
The tile was done so the larger piece was toward the outside.Very … (53 comments)

Is Early Occupancy OK for Short Sales? - 05:22 PM


Move in without closing first? Whoa! I just got an offer on a Destin Florida short sale listing with an early occupancy clause.  The buyer wants to move into the property before closing and short sale approval.  Is that a good idea? One of the negatives of short sales is the waiting time for the buyers during the short sale process. It could take 60-120 days for a short sale approval, then another 30 days for the buyer to close. Some buyers “bail” because they get wandering eyes or are tired of waiting so long.  The solution for some … (175 comments)

ActiveRain Technology Update: May 20 - 02:18 PM
Happy Friday Everyone!  In our commitment to improving communication on ActiveRain technology, this is our weekly update.
Progress we are making:
We continue to optimize the database and the configuration of the hardware to deliver better stability, more reliability, and better speed for ActiveRain. On Tuesday May 17, we experienced a sporadic login problem with ActiveRain that lasted roughly from 6am PST to 8am PST.  ONLY some of our customers were not able to login and some of our customers were not able to access the site at all.  It turned out that one of the eight servers was not functioning properly.  When caught, Chris … (59 comments)

What Happens When You Become "Too Available”? - 07:50 AM

I often see many associates who get sucked into the “interrupt-us all-the-time-us” black-hole when they become too “available” to clients and prospects. The key to long-term success is a constant focus on your business prospecting. Your focus is lost when anyone can break into your schedule at will. You have to padlock your availability into pre-designated times…
 
A Top Level Producer minimizes their distractions by “booking” their appointments.
 
REALTORS are the most interrupted professionals in the world. As Professionals we need to better educate our clients to how they may only have access to our time … (194 comments)

Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll... - 08:43 AM
Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll...Have you been there, done that, and most importantly - bought the t-shirt?  No matter what we were like when we were younger, our pasts usually include, shall we say, a somewhat "wilder" side of our current selves. And, we've all been sobered by building our adult lives, and most recently, by the state of the economy over the past several years.
 

 
So it's no wonder of we find ourselves hanging on to "remnants" of things past, sometimes in the quite literal sense. If you having trouble clearing away tired old clothing, … (66 comments)

Google Maps - Embed a Picture on Your Map - Part I - 05:48 AM
Google Maps - Embed a Picture on Your Map - Part I. Narragansett Beach- Narragansett RI 02882- Extraordinary Dusk.  I have to share this picture I am embedding into Google Maps on my Google maps because it captures the essence of the evening walking along Narragansett Pier in Narragansett RI.  It was a bit past dusk and the juxtaposition of lights, coloring, high tide on Narragansett Beach just drew me in.

  Luckily I had my camera with me and I could take the shot. So this is your first step to embed a picture into Google Maps- get a … (65 comments)

Exporting and Importing ActiveRain Content - 12:09 PM
How Do You Export and Import ActiveRain Content?  I can show you...
But First, A History Lesson for those interested:
Let me start off by saying that the reason ActiveRain created and provided the export XML feature on your My Home page was initially because rumors had started that ActiveRain "owned" your content.  This is not true.  This rumor echoed beyond the streets of the community and people outside AR in the blogosphere encouraged some members (who didn't know the truth) to begin building Wordpress blogs. 
When we launched the new export feature, it helped secure the fact that members … (68 comments)

You Are NOT Going to Believe What Active Rain Did! It Cost Me 3,000 Points! - 08:38 AM
The past few weeks have been a little, how shall we say, stressful?  Tiring?  Frustrating? 
Such is the life of a busy real estate agent during the spring season, though, right?
Add in some severe neck and shoulder muscle strain, mix with a couple of high maintenance clients (yeah, I can say that, because they never recognize themselves, EVER), blend with poor posture and VOILA, you have my life the past few weeks.
And while I like to think I'm the rather stoic type - stiff upper lip and all that - well, I have been pretty vocal about my … (117 comments)

"I don't have anything to do." WHAT?!? - 08:27 AM

I was out with a group of REALTORS not too long ago and some were complaining that business was so slow that they had nothing to do.  I thought to myself, "how is that possible?"  In this business there is ALWAYS something to do.  I asked, ‘how about prospecting for leads?'  They all agreed that, yes they could spend more time actually looking for more business.
We then had a discussion on how to go about it and I was, frankly, a little stunned at some of their definitions of 'prospecting.' So, I wanted to just provide a little refresher on what prospecting … (33 comments)

Retired Millionaire - 05:12 PM
Okay, there was a very tiny hoopla yesterday when I ended up with a million points, joining a group of a dozen or so, who have, at this moment in time, racked up that many AR points. But I cannot dwell in the past. Let me be blunt. I have now fulfilled my goal in life, by being an AR millionaire, so it is now time for me to retire.
Therefore, as of today, I have turned over the reins of my firm, King of the House Home Inspection, to the next generation.  My grandson, Mason, has assumed the role of President, CEO … (105 comments)

Rodney Dangerfield would be proud of appraisers... - 12:53 AM
Talk about not getting any respect.  Appraisers rank right up with home inspectors on the most  unrespected meter.  They too are thrown into a briar patch right between the buyer and their dream home.  Then comes the seller who also wants his or her way and expects to be deemed priceless.

Now throw in a bunch of new laws and regulations to protect the so called consumer and the poor appraiser is made out to be a crook.  Go take a look at who owns the four largest appraisal management companies set up by our gov't.  These four appraisal management … (61 comments)

Amaze, Amuse, Delight and Surprise Your Clients - 06:45 PM
Amaze, Amuse, Delight and Surprise Your Clients  You've probably heard this before. Perhaps not. But in this competitive real estate market, and with all the options buyers and sellers have, you need to consider how to amaze, amuse, delight and surprise your clients. 
I didn't make up this quote (I believe it was Stephen Covey) but the profoundness of those 4 simple words is unmistakable. 
If we reflect on our own customer service experiences, no doubt there have been some that totally impressed us, perhaps even surprised us with how wonderful the experience was. The type of experience we want to … (36 comments)

Does anyone ever profrad their lstgins? - 12:35 PM
I have been both amused and appalled at everything from simple misspellings to incorrect words chosen to entire phrases created apparently from whole cloth.  Sometimes what I consider an everyday term becomes a whole new adventure when issued from the keyboard of another listing agent. 
I've intended to write this post for awhile, but a colleague who came across "working hore property" spurred me to finally start. Obviously a typo, and humorous to those who read it, it doesn't show much professionalim on the part of the listing agent. 
If you're too busy to proofread, you're too busy. Period. If you … (87 comments)


Blog posts


Resorts for Sale Mexico - International Real Estate for Sale - Mexico Real Estate - 04:50 PM
Mexico Pacific Beachfront Retreat - Top Vacation Spot … (0 comments)

Rustic Waterfront Cabin - Mason County WA - 02:41 PM
Rustic Waterfront Cabin - Mason County WA
 Your waterfront cabin and retreat sits on 75 feet of waterfront on Oakland Bay near Shelton WA. The .23 acre lot offers easy beach access and a rock bulkhead. Oakland Bay is a calm bay that is perfect for kayaking, seal watching, abundant clamming, and an occasional Orca whale sighting. The 240 square foot cabin is one room and the interior is finished in cedar and the exterior is Pan Abode. The cabin also has a gorgeious 1800's wood stove for cooking and heat. The cabin has no utilities but community water is on … (2 comments)

How to Flush a Water Heater - 12:03 PM
OK, this isn't just a post about how to flush a water heater, it is about how to flush one that you can't get a hose on.  The water heater in my Apache Shores home has a pan under it, just as it should.  It also has a hose bib and valve so I can supposedly screw a hose on, turn on the valve and drain sediment from the bottom of the water heater.  The problem is that the hose bib is angled in a way that prevents a hose from hookin gup to it.  So what to do?
The answer … (2 comments)

The Most Common Mistakes I See in People's Homes - Part 4 - 01:05 PM
For all of you Selling a Home Shar has finished her series on Common Mistakes on Staging.  I am putting the last one her for those Selling a Home.
If you are Selling a Home for free tips and free home evaluation go to HomePointRealEstate.com.
Via Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN - Shar Sitter (Rooms With Style):
The Most Common Mistakes I See in People's Homes - Part 4What are the most common mistakes people make in their homes? As a Home Stager and Designer I see them over and over and they are quick and easy to fix.
Check … (1 comments)

Pittsburg California 94565 Homes for Sale - 02:26 PM
Pittsburg California 94565 Homes for Sale
Pittsburg California 94565 is a dynamic East Contra Costa Community.  Homes for Sale in Pittsburg California 94565 are very popular as people see the value in the community.  What is it people see in Pittsburg California 94565 that make them want to live here:
Quality Affordable Homes for Sale! Many fine parks and community activities. A revitalized Down Town. Easy Commute to Central Contra Costa County and beyond via Highway 4, Kirker Pass Road, and Bailey Road. Opportunities for real appreciation in Home Values. Although Homes for Sale are well priced and bargains can be … (0 comments)

Antioch California 94509 Homes for Sale - 03:41 PM
Antioch California 94509 Homes for Sale
Antioch California 94509 is a dynamic East Contra Costa Community. Homes for Sale in Antioch California 94509 are very popular as people see the value in the community.
The Antioch California 94509 zip code is one of two in Antioch California.  Antioch California 94509 is the more established part of town featuring many fine ranch style Homes for Sale and is popular with investors. 
What is it people see in Antioch California 94509 that make them want to live here:
Quality Affordable Homes for Sale! Many fine parks and community activities. A revitalized Down Town. … (0 comments)

Is Hyper Local Hyper Boring? - 04:08 PM
I do a lot of Hyper Local Blogging and it works.  However, what I have also noticed is that it is harder and harder for me to find post that are of real interest to me or better yet worthy of the Reblog.
Now I know some great bloggers and they write really good post.  But honestly when I go to their blogs and all I find is stuff like Trailer Park Short Sales in East Podunk March 1 to the 10 no matter how good the charts, graphics and pictures are I just don't want to read it. 
I like … (2 comments)

Meet ActiveRains Newest Millionaire! - 03:20 PM
Meet ActiveRains Newest Millionaire!
Activerain has a new millionaire as of today.  Meet Steven Smith of Bellingham Wa.  Steven is a home inspector in the State of Washington and owner of King of the House Home Inspections Inc.  Steven is millionaire #11 on Activerain.
Reaching the million point mark here on AR is a very impressive achievement as can be seen by the fact that there are only 11 out of more than 207,000 members.  I look forward to reading more of Steven's post and to the next millionaire.
Be sure to stop by and congratulate Steven on his success here … (6 comments)

Granite City IL Real Estate Market Report and Homes For Sale - 07:27 PM
Granite City Illinois, 62040 is a town of just over a population of 30,000 people located in Madison County, IL. Granite City is convieniently located near St. Louis, MO. and is home to Granite City Steel, and has great access to Interstates 70, 270, 55, 255, and I-64.
There are currently 272 Active listings of homes for sale in Granite City with an average list price of $98,461
 
Displaying matches 1 through 107 of 107With an average sales price of $60.077, the average sales price of the New Construction Homes For Sale in Granite City has been $225,000 Local Scott … (2 comments)

Albuquerque North Valley Land for sale - 11:21 AM
Private 0.258 Acre Building Lot on Cul-deSac in Albuquerque North Valley. Very quiet, no thru-traffic! Tree-lined to the East, Ditch-lined to the North. Established neighborhood with nice custom homes around. Electric, Telephone, Gas, Water, Sewer and Cable in Street. Owner Financing negotiable.
Albuquerque North Valley Land

… (2 comments)

There, Their and They're ~ Could we have an English Lesson? - 07:18 AM
I know I can't be alone in this, but it completely drives me nuts to see there, their and they're used incorrectly!A quick lesson:There is a place, you can tell because it has HERE in it, also a place.Their... means it belongs to someone, you can tell because it has HEIR in it, a someone.They're... is a short cut for "They Are". So, if the sentence would still make sense if you switched it to "they are", then that's the right one to use.Board is a noun, bored is an adjective which describes a noun. So if you are board, there's a problem!Two … (2 comments)

Nice is Good But I Need My Service. - 05:37 AM
Nice is Good But I Need My Service.
 
It hasn't happened for awhile but  it happened on Wednesday... my internet and email slowed to a frozen crawl. A call to Verizon got me an answer several hours later..trouble on the line...their line. No problem, they will have someone out on Friday between 10 and 2! Friday!!
That's three days with this kind of service..not acceptable. You might remember this post when I first got the service.
                                            
 
Everyone was extremely nice..they have been trained well. Nice is good but I need my service. So I went from … (26 comments)

No Header - 07:04 PM
Is anyone else experiencing this with their blog? My header has disappeared! I don't know where it went. I have not been working on it and not sure why it went away. If anyone has any solutions on how I can get it back, please let me know.
Debra
… (9 comments)

Open House - Massapequa - Sunday, May 22 - 1-3 p.m. - 30 Pembroke Drive - 05:23 PM

Open House Sunday, May 22, 2011
1-3 p.m.
30 Pembroke Drive, Massapqua
Brand new to the market and waiting just for you is this four level split with oversized rooms, on a beautiful, gently winding street in North Massapequa's school district #18 (Plainedge).  This lovely Long Island home, in Nassau county sits smack dab in the middle of a charming community with well manicured lawns an updated facades.   If you think you know what to expect with this property, you're probably wrong.

There's a lot of love in this house and it shows.  From the gleaming hardwood floors, to the … (1 comments)

Put On Your Glasses, Get A Translator, Do Something . . . But Read The Damn Thing - 10:27 PM
I had to laugh tonight when I took a few minutes off from a project I'm working on.  It seemed only natural to segue over here to read a few posts before gluing my nose back to the grindstone.  I know this is a subject that comes up all the time but sometimes I do just wonder at the sheer idiocy of making a cut and paste, generic comment on a four line post.
It made no sense, as they never do, and it would have taken this shining star no more than two minutes, if that, to read the post.  C'mon … (5 comments)

Teacher Discount when buying or selling a home - 09:14 PM
Homes for Heroes
Homes for Heroes: Military Personnel, Police Officers, Firefighters, First Responders, Veterans, Teachers, and Nurses     I am proud to be one of a few Real Estate agent that is affiliate of the Homes for Heroes program. This program may interest many of my clients, their friends, and families.The Homes for Heroes program allows me an opportunity to say thank you to military personnel, police officers, firefighters, first responders, veterans, teachers, and nurses!As a son of a veteran, spouse of a teacher, and father to two daughters who are or are about to become teachers, I am aware of … (0 comments)

Montgomery Real Estate For Sale: 2428 Oxford Drive Montgomery, AL 36111 - 12:21 PM
… (0 comments)

Open House - Great neighborhood close to parks, schools, restaurants, and golfing!! - 10:15 AM
911052 Kai Kukuma St, Ewa Beach, HI, 96706
4BR/3BA Single Family House
offered at $475,000
Year Built 2006
Sq Footage 1,524
Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 3 full, 0 partial Floors 2
Parking 2 Car garage
Lot Size 5,520 sqft
HOA/Maint $0 per month
DESCRIPTION
First Open House Sunday (5/22/11) between 2-4pm. Great neighborhood close to parks, schools, restaurants, and golfing. Large 4 bedroom with central AC, laminate flooring, lush tropical landscaping, and sprinkler system. Spacious kitchen for entertaining. This home will get buyers quickly so bring your best offer. This is a Short Sale. DIAL 808-227-2703 FOR ASSISTANCE.

… (1 comments)

FREE Outdoor Event Downtown Silver Spring - Indonesian Street Festival - Saturday May 21st - 02:04 PM
This Indonesian-themed event will take place on Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.  Admission is FREE The festival will have a range of demonstrations and activities. Meant for all ages, children will have their own section where they can make arts and crafts including puppets.
Food vendors will offer dishes such as many different versions of satay (meat skewers) and a lot of other Indonesian food.
A fashion show by Batik Boutique will show of a line of brightly colored traditional clothing.
Indonesian music will be heard throughout the day. House of Angklung, an all-bamboo orchestra, will play alongside more … (1 comments)

28th Annual Strawberry Festival Saturday May 21st in Colesville, Maryland - 09:53 PM
This event is interesting, family friendly, old fashioned and fun.  Take a short drive out to the "Silver Spring Countryside" for the Colesville Strawberry Festival, where residents have enjoyed this special event for over 25 years.  The Festival takes place at the Colesville Elementary School and Community Center at the intersection of Hobbs Drive and New Hampshire Avenue from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM rain or shine.You can pick up large quantities of Srawberries while enjoying assorted food, exhibits, games, antique cars, goods for sale, plant sales, a craft fair and entertainment by community groups.Parking is Free and all proceeds go C-4, The Colesville Council … (1 comments)

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