Archives of real estate blog entries for June 4, 2011

Featured blog posts


Is “Pool Culture” part of your area’s local lifestyle? - 08:22 AM
I had a call from a potential buyer that currently lives in a Northeastern state. As we delved into a conversation about the lifestyle in Newnan, he made an interesting observation:
He said that after looking at many aerial photos of Newnan, he noticed that very few homes had swimming pools. I guess that is something that I had never really thought about before.
And come to think about it, nearly all of my clients that requested swimming pools as part of their search criteria were out-of-staters, most from the Northeast.
So I blurted out that “Pool Culture” was not part … (92 comments)

The Hollyhock House in Los Angeles - a beautiful creation of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright - 10:20 AM
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House is a beautiful example of this famed architect's work. The Hollyhock house was built for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall between 1919 and 1921 and was Frank Lloyd Wright's first Los Angeles project.  The majority of his buildings are actually in Oak Park, Illinois where he designed 25 structures that were built between 1889 and 1913. Write is famous for his prairie style architecture of open spaces, and earth hugging buildings and furniture to match!

Frank Lloyd Wright had a prolific 70-year career during which he designed a plethora of amazing buildings. He has been called … (17 comments)

Dogs in heat - 09:15 PM
Dogs in heat
First get your mind out of the gutter; this is actually about dogs in the heat.   As the summer approaches and the temperatures climb, it is important to keep your dog cool (I don't mean to put cool sunglasses or leather a jacket on him).  Dogs do not have sweat glands and can't cool themselves off by any other means than panting, which is not as effective as sweating. Unfortunately, wearing a fur coat in 90 degree weather does not help so overheating dogs is a big problem as they are much more susceptible to heat stroke than … (53 comments)

The Top 5 Regrets People Have On Their Deathbed - 10:49 AM
The Top 5 Regrets People Have on their Deathbed Sounds like a depressing topic, but it actually makes you stop and think. At least it certainly has given me reason to pause. I'm currently in Montana, where I was born, visiting family. Those of you that have moved away from your family can relate. The visit home to see Mom. (My father passed away in '94) Listening to the same stories, over and over.....and over. You have to laugh after awhile...or you just might cry. Trying to get your point across, but Mom knows better (sometimes yes..sometimes....NO?)  But then you pause...and … (105 comments)

How to Revive Old Blog Posts and Increase Reader Buzz - 03:16 PM

If you have been blogging for some time you undoubtedly have posts that you felt got less than their deserved attention.   While you were busy pouring your opinions, expertise and witty repartee into each article, crickets were heard chirping in the background.  So why not revive those old blog posts and bring them back to life?!
The key to this is taking an old post and putting a new face on it.  Refresh the content with innovative ideas, your top recommendations or personal stories.  Make it engaging and fun to a whole new audience while increasing your blog loyalty and … (63 comments)

How the Housing Crisis Affects the Value of Your Skokie Home - 09:28 AM
If you think you don’t have to worry about selling your Skokie home and moving on when the need arises, think again.
Every day means your house is losing value.
That’s right. Every single day.
Face value
Overall, economic and market forces continue to plague the real estate marketplace, and will for some time to come.
One of those market forces has to do foreclosures and short sales.
Short end of the stick
Over the past year, 38% of all single-family detached homes sold in Skokie were ‘distressed’ homes ... either foreclosures or short sales.
Digest … (4 comments)

Don't Believe Everything You Read About the Housing Market - 10:47 AM
Since about April, I have been running crazy with real estate business.  May was an extremely busy month.  I think I had two days off in may where I actually didn't do real estate or talk to anyone about real estate.  That's great.  I will have time off in November and December and January.  It's kind of like the saying, "Who needs sleep? You will sleep when you are dead."
I have been noticing in the paper, on the rare occasions when I have time to glance at it, that they are talking about home sales dipping and new construction starts … (80 comments)

All Things in Moderation, Especially Calls to Bank of America's Short Sale VP - 12:11 PM
I got this great Chinese proverb last week inside a fortune cookie from Fortune House, and now I can't remember it. Drats. It was something about gaining pleasure from things in moderation, without excess. All things in moderation. That's true. Just about too much of anything is a bad thing. Too much sun will burn. Too much food will fatten. Too many drugs will kill. You can over do it. When I was 5, I pounded the free cream soda at my dad's company picnic because it was free. And yummy, I thought. I probably drank 8 or 10 bottles of … (55 comments)

How's the Market, You Ask? Why Do You Want to Know? - 05:56 PM
I'm a Realtor and as such, part of my job is to let people know that I'm a Realtor. If I don't, I will never have clients, and if I don't have clients, I won't be a Realtor for very much longer.*

To let people know that I'm a Realtor, I sometimes wear my name tag, I write on this blog, I use social media, I sponsor events,** and I advertise my listing and myself in different ways.
Because of this, I don't think that a day goes by without someone asking me: "So, how's the market?"
Dear Curious mind,
… (30 comments)

Wait till you see what I found ~ and it will make your blogging easier! - 08:28 AM
Some time ago I wrote about Tags - 'Taggled up over Tags?'  Well, I was going to get organized.  But as we all know good intentions....  yeah right. So today I was looking for a previous post that I had done to add the link to Dog Days in June...  but I was having a problem finding it.  Then low and behold  I found something right on the side of my edit page that I never noticed!! <insert pic>
 
 
Right there that little box - more info... list my tags?
 
 
 
 
Well the 1st … (163 comments)

Does This Home Make Me Look Fat? - 09:20 PM
We are all aware that McDonald's Franchises have infiltrated our US and have the finest Real Estate possible. Location, location, location....right? I was so hungry for breakfast this morning while driving back from Wichita Falls, that yet again I found myself trapped in their web of deceit.  There it was, easily accessible at the perfect exit for a quick stop, a quick meal and a break and then to jump right back on the Interstate without missing a beat.  The Golden arches were towering above and beyond any of the other signage and I guess a bit of their Marketing Campaigning worked … (84 comments)

The Arrogant Buyer Who Lost Out - 07:40 AM

The Arrogant Buyer Who Lost OutThe Arrogant Buyer Who Lost OutMost of my listings get multiple offers. Maybe not right away, but when the price gets into THE ZONE they do. This is the story of a spacious two bedroom one bath bank owned condo. I listed it at a price I thought was reasonable. 30 days went by with no offers, so we dropped the price. Now I thought the price was great!During this time I showed the unit to a buyer couple. They had all cash. They also insisted that the bank would take less - WAY less, … (82 comments)

Is There Any Form of Marketing You Won't Do Because.... Well.. Umm... You're a Little Yella? - 04:15 PM
Is There Any Form of Marketing You Won't Do Because.... Well.. Umm... You're a Little Yella?
Here are various forms of marketing that we use in our business and the excuses I hear from people on why they don't do them:
Door Knocking: "I just don't have time.." "It hasn't proven to be that effective anyways." "I don't really feel like getting yelled and cussed at today." "I'm Yella!"
Cold Calling: "Nobody ever answers anyway." "Most people are on the Do not call list so whats the point!" "They will just hang up on me." and "I'm Yella!"
Just Talking to … (29 comments)

Financing Real Estate Is Positioned To Get A Bit More Expensive - 11:39 PM
Financing Real Estate Is Positioned To Get A Bit More Expensive

Implementation of the Risk Retention Regulation is bound to change lending procedures now and in the future. Just when we all had hoped that we would be seeing a housing market recovery in each of our own local markets, we are about to get a lesson on how housing is going to be financed and regulated.
I fear along with so many other changes that have already been implemented with new underwriting standards, this new regulation creates a new de-emphasis on home ownership. Having "skin the game" is the … (32 comments)

Have you ever needed to write a blog and lacked the inspiration? Brilliant ideas! - 06:51 PM
Better yet, have you ever written a blog article that was absolute crap?  Depending on the situation, most bloggers face the unsavory possibility of having absolutely nothing to write about.  BTW - this is all about humor.  No matter how many lists of ideas they have, they get a bad case of "bloggers block" and can't seem to put two coherent words together.  The result is often, well...crap.  I know I've written a festering pile of bad blogging in my long history of articles.  However, the kind of garbage written depends on who is writing and when.  Some folks desparate for … (27 comments)

The Banks are so broken… Consumer fights back, turns the tables - 10:14 AM
The Banks are so broken… Consumer fights back, turns the tables
But then again we pretty much knew that. The following is my synopsis of what was reported in The Naples Daily News this date. In 2009 a couple from Ohio purchases a foreclosed property from Bank of America for cash.
In 2010 Bank of America filed a foreclosure suit and attempted to foreclose. We can just imagine where this story might end but, this one is a good ending. Actually, a great ending!
After weeks on the phone with the bank and representation by an attorney the foreclosure suit was … (29 comments)

Can Your Neighborhood List Serve Be A Great Prospecting Tool? - 08:24 PM
The neighborhood where I live and farm has this list serve.  And sometimes it's great to have.  Other times, it makes me crazy.
A lot of the information is really useful.  If you are looking for a teenager who will babysit or mow your lawn, just ask.  If you want to know when the next neighborhood meeting will be, it'll be posted on a message sent to all of us.  If Willie the Labradoodle goes missing, I can file an Amber Alert, and if I don't find him within the next fifteen minutes, some kind neighbor will invite him in and … (44 comments)

Open House Tips - 10:16 AM
In a couple hours I will be holding my very first open house. Even though it is not my listing I'm really excited and hope to pick up some clients! Please send my any tips/suggestions that you've picked up over the years that would be useful to a brand new agent. Thanks!
 
Josh Law
Josh@CBFunkhouser.com
www.AugustaRealEstateTeam.com
… (52 comments)

If You're Such A Hotsh*t Agent, Why Does Your Online Presentation Stink? - 11:06 AM
Sometimes, we find ourselves having a head scratching moment. This morning, I had something that I had to explore, and here I sit, scratching my head. Allow me to explain. On Thursday, we had dinner with some good friends, who are thinking of putting their house on the market. I sold them their current home, so I know them as buyers and not sellers.
We spoke about their last experience listing a home, the neighborhood and time frames. Then the conversation turned back to them as buyers. Our friends are upper management types, but not what I would describe as high … (121 comments)


Blog posts


USA Hotels for Sale - GA Real Estate - Business for Sale Augusta GA - Economy Flag Hotel - 12:34 PM
Georgia Economy Flag Hotel … (0 comments)

Five Reasons Now is the Right Time for Buying a Home! - 03:15 PM
Five Reasons Now is the Right Time for Buying a Home!
I do want to start off with a story and a word of caution.  About 4 years ago I was talking to a guy that wanted to sell his home - however, he felt with the slight market down turn he needed to wait a bit for prices to bounce back.  He never got back to me about selling and I think the house was foreclosed on.  He missed his window of opportunity.
If you can buy right now there has never been a better time for Buying a Home.  … (3 comments)

Discovery Bay Deep Water Dock Homes for Sale! - 04:01 PM
Discovery Bay Deep Water Dock Homes for Sale!
Deep Water Dock Homes are one of the best reasons to live in Discovery Bay.  Discovery Bay is for Boaters and what better way to live a Boating Lifestyle than with a Deep Water Dock Home in Discovery Bay.
Discovery Bay is a charming and eclectic community with a wide style and size of homes.  There are many unique custom built homes.  This is great for someone looking at Discovery Bay Deep Water Dock Homes for Sale, but it also makes it hard to track home prices.  The relatively small number of sales … (0 comments)

You Must Be A Deadbeat To Do A Short Sale!! - 06:05 PM

Short Sales are tough business and there are lots of good reasons to do a Short Sale.  This post talks about Short Sales and some of the reason for doing one.
Click here if you have questions about Short Sales.
Via Bryant Tutas-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc:
Hi folks. Short Sales. Why do I spend so much of my time messing with these things? Isn’t it true most people are just doing them to avoid honoring their promissory note? They borrowed the money....they should pay the mortgage. Deadbeats! I closed on a Short Sale a few months ago. The Seller had owned the house … (0 comments)

Do I Have To Miss Payments To Do A Short Sale? - 06:13 PM
 
Short Sales are tough business and there are lots of good reasons to do a Short Sale. This post talks about Short Sales and some of issues around making the payment on the home.
Click here if you have questions about Short Sales
 
Via Bryant Tutas-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc:
Maybe. Maybe not. Some lenders/investors will require that you are 30 days late to receive short sale approval and some won't. As a Florida Short Sale Broker who has handled lots of successful Florida Short Sales I still haven't figured out what triggers the "You must be late" requirement. Just … (1 comments)

Why Would a Lender Accept a Strategic Short Sale? - 06:17 PM
 
Short Sales are tough business and there are lots of good reasons to do a Short Sale. This post talks about Short Sales and some of the reason for doing one.
Click here if you have questions about Short Sales
 
Via Bryant Tutas-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc:
Hi folks. Judy Chapman wrote a very good article titled  "To do a strategic short sale or not to do a strategic short sale ... that is the question". 
If you haven't read Judy's post please take a minute to do so.
A couple of her readers didn't understand why a Lender … (0 comments)

To do a strategic short sale or not to do a strategic short sale ... that is the question - 06:22 PM
 
Short Sales are tough business and there are lots of good reasons to do a Short Sale. This post talks about Short Sales and some of the reason for doing one.
Click here if you have questions about Short Sales
 
Via Judy Chapman (Koenig & Strey Real Living):

Maybe you’ve heard the term ‘Strategic Short Sale’ before. Maybe you haven’t.
Here’s the quick and dirty definition of a Strategic Short Sale —
A Strategic Short Sale occurs when homeowners who purchased at the top of the market — then watched the value of their property decline to such … (1 comments)

Not All Short Sales Are Pre-foreclosures - 06:27 PM
 
Short Sales are tough business and there are lots of good reasons to do a Short Sale. This post talks about Short Sales and some the issues about foreclosure and late payments.
Click here if you have questions about Short Sales
 
Via Bryant Tutas-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc:
Did you know that? It seems many folks don't. If they did they wouldn't tell me  "Your Seller needs to accept my low offer because it's better then being foreclosed on".
Pre-foreclosure means a Notice of Default has been filed. Payments haven't been made and the loan is in default. Foreclosure is … (0 comments)

Short Sales & The Point of No Return - 06:39 PM
 
Short Sales are tough business and there are lots of good reasons to do a Short Sale. This post talks about Short Sales and some of the reason for doing one.
Click here if you have questions about Short Sales
 
Via Tni LeBlanc REALTOR® Santa Maria CA Homes Central Coast:
Short  Sales & The Point of No ReturnHave you reached the point of no return?  I meet and speak with people considering short sales almost everyday.  Some are ready to begin the process and some are not.  I tell each one of them -- I don’t talk people into … (2 comments)

Don't Over Sell It! - 07:09 PM
I work with a lot of investors and there is often a particular type of home I reccomend as a good investment.  Sometimes this changes based on the clients particular wants or needs but generally there are some specific things I look for.
Sometimes a client will snag a particularly good deal on a home.  Now I always shop with them for the best deal and on those rare occasions when I nail down a contract for $5,000.00 or $10,000.00 less than what some of the comps are and that is great.
But this does not always happen, in fact the … (1 comments)

To Hell with Active Rain - Well for Today anyway! - 07:15 PM
We often talk about the Pop Tart Agent that hops up to help a client on a moments notice.
Well today my 12 year old came over from his mother's house.  His older brother is gone and the brothers just younger than him are gone too.  The babies are here, but they cannot keep him busy.  It is a lousy rainy day.
He wants to Talk with ME - Hang Out With Me!  Listen to My Advise!  He is asking me Questions about How he can be a better pitcher!
Well I was going to get all my Blog Post done … (10 comments)

What are We Doing? - 12:35 PM
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16
Time To Speak Up! Stop your silence, are you not the majority?
When God is for us and we have nothing to fear, for I am not ashamed of the Gospel message of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, to resurrect the dead, from fear to faith in Him.
The power of satan is when he gets good people to say and … (3 comments)

Please Don't Let me Sit Here NAKED - Dress Me Up!!! - 12:43 PM
Hi Kathy,
I hope you don't mind but I suggested your blog and taking the time to "re-blog" it as well. Sellers that have vacant homes, just scream out to potential "home buyers" that I am desperate and making two payments, please come along and low ball me, because I really need to sell this puppy!
Via Kathy Burke-Sensational Home Staging-Danville (Sensational Home Staging & Design):
Don't Let Your Listing Sit NAKED  ---  STAGE It & DRESS It Up!!
 
Do you have a VACANT aka NAKED home that is going on Market...OR...already sitting & sitting & sitting on Market Naked?  DRESS it … (2 comments)

Bank-Approved Short Sale in Albuquerque Ridgecrest - Reduced Price! - 01:42 PM
… (0 comments)

A Burger, a Quesadilla and a Steak Sandwich...Tarks in Greenspring Station - 12:57 PM
The settlement was over and it was pretty darn near supper time. We decided to celebrate with A Burger, a Quesadilla and a Steak Sandwich...Tarks in Greenspring Station
 
 
Tarks was so close... Bridget,   Kathleen and myself decided to stop by and celebrate Kathleen's new home. Tarks, located at Greenspring Station right at the belway and I-83, is friendly, elegant and we were immediately welcomed by all the staff.
On this 100 degree Baltimore day, it was pleasantly cool in this elegant restaurant. We could have eaten outside but chose the chill of the refreshing air conditioning.
 
 
A burger, a quesadilla and a steak sandwich...all … (12 comments)

How To Keep The Buyer On Board During The Short Sale Process. - 08:28 AM
Hi folks. If you list and sell Short Sales, as I do, then you know there is nothing worse than going through a 4 month Short Sale Approval process only to find out the Buyer has walked from the transaction. It wastes a lot of time and it places our Sellers one step closer to being foreclosed on. So as a Short Sale Listing Agent what can we do? Here are a few things I highly recommend:
Take a large non-refundable deposit. Make sure the buyer and their agent are fully aware of the process. Negotiate enough time in the … (17 comments)

A Comprehensive Look At The Real Estate Market in Merrick, May, 2011 - Sold Homes and Current Listing Inventory - 09:22 PM

When considering buying or selling real estate in Merrick on Long Island, you'd be wise to take a look at the statistics and see what they're telling us.  Understand, however, when you do your research, you can only see data of homes sold during a finite time period, in this case, May 1 - 31, 2011.  It may not include the style and/or location of a property that is of interest to you, so the numbers could be skewed. 
While statistics can certainly give us some indication of what current real estate market conditions are in Merrick, they are just one of many reference … (2 comments)

Dogs in heat - 10:26 PM
We shouldn't need this reminder year after year, but we do . . . for the love of our animals and their well being, I'm reblogging this in the hopes that, like ripples on a stream it reaches out and touches a lot of people.  Take care of those special beings as they so willingly and lovingly take care of us.
Via Ray Waisler NMLS #6621 Specializing in Jumbo FHA & VA (Home Savings of America-Atlanta, GA Lending Nationwide):
Dogs in heat
First get your mind out of the gutter; this is actually about dogs in the heat.   As the summer approaches and … (1 comments)

They Just Don't Build Em' Like This Anymore! - 12:50 PM
… (0 comments)

Denver Charm - A Must See Home! - 12:52 PM
… (1 comments)

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