Archives of real estate blog entries for September 13, 2011

Featured blog posts


Sometimes Doing The Right Thing Is Talking Your Cient Out Of Buying A Property - 08:29 PM
Over the last few days my role as a Realtor® has been to talk my clients OUT of buying a property instead of talking them IN to buying it.  Now many folks would say "but that's crazy" however my role as a Realtor® isn't about doing what might put a few bucks in my pocket but about doing what is right.The client had their eyes on a piece of property in a very nice area in Fairfax County.  A few years ago I had helped the couple sell their smaller townhouse and buy a new bigger one.  I knew then they … (149 comments)

I've been around the block a few times~ Have you? - 12:06 AM
I've been around the block a few times~ Have you?No, I don't mean how much experience I have. Although my 15+ years in real estate would certainly include me in any old timers club. ....... I can remember when.... ..well some other post, maybe.Here's what I mean when I ask, "Have you been around the block a few times?" When you take a new listing, or when you are about to interview for a new listing, it is most adviseable, no I mean imperative, to walk and drive around the block, and around the neighborhood.Here are some things you must look … (50 comments)

Divorce and Real Estate Can Be Sticky - 08:59 AM
Divorce is the legal breakup of a marriage.  Did you know that up to 60% of marriages wind up in divorce today? 
I often speak to couples that are considering a split and would like to either sell their family home, or, one of the parties would like to buy an individual home of their own.  This can be a sticky situation.
In one situation, the husband is leaving the wife and has told her that he doesn't want anything and she can do anything she wants with the house. The wife, not being able to afford the house, wants to sell it.  … (134 comments)

How To Animate Your Housing Reports With Video - 02:21 PM
The First Annual ActiveRain Talent Competition has motivated me to learn more about video blogging as a way to improve the amount of people that I "connect with" in my daily blogging. This is something that I have wanted to learn for quite a while, but due to time constraints, it always seemed to be put on the back burner.
I wanted to get started, so I created a how-to video showing how to put your website URL on the back of your car. I used a question from 'Rainer Debbie Sagorin and turned it into a video tutorial on How … (47 comments)

Did You Notice Anything New About Me This Morning....That's Right, I'm Wearing my Shiny New 200,000 Point Button! - 09:59 AM
Did You Notice Anything New About Me This Morning....That's Right, I'm Wearing my Shiny New 200,000 Point Button!   Have you ever said this to your significant other assuming they would notice your new haircut, dress or that you lost ten pounds?  Well my dear Active Rain friends, I got me a shiny new 200,000 button!!!  It's been a long, hard road, but I have finally done it!!   No, it really hasn't been a hard and long road.  It's been a fun and very rewarding experience.  I have met some terrific people along the way and learned a whole bunch about where … (105 comments)

Buyer Services are not FREE! They’re just Financed. - 08:56 AM
OK, be warned. This is a rant, but I need to get it off my chest.In this tough market, with so many sellers underwater, there is an increasing need to work with buyers and we’re seeing even seasoned listing agents working with buyers out of necessity. But with it, the frustration is increasingly oozing out of AR on the lack of buyer loyalty, how no one wants to sign a buyer agency agreement, that even if they sign it, you can’t enforce it, etc, etc, etc. See Mimi Foster’s excellent post An Intense (and embarrassing) real estate lesson to see a … (36 comments)

The Real Estate Professional's Role After A Natural Disaster - 06:16 PM
As many of you know, we in Central Texas, have been dealing with wildfires, that have destroyed over fifteen hundred homes. The stories of loss, despair, heroism and emotion fill our local evening news. The daily broadcasts are filled with images that are stunning to say the least. But today that news became reality, as I met with some folks who suffered a loss, and are looking for a new home.
 
Real estate professionals see homes on a daily basis. We sell, lease, and look at homes through what are usually favorable conditions. Divorce and foreclosure happen, but the actual … (53 comments)

Selling Your Home "IS" Stressful! - 08:08 PM
Selling Your Home "iS" Stressful!  May be the biggest understatement ever made.  
The facts are, it is stressful but that is because of the process of selling.  It requires both strategy and commitment to sell your home.
Career professionals can help you reduce the stress of selling but can not eliminate the stressful situations created within the selling process.
One of the ways real estate professionals help you is outlining the selling process so you know what to expect and when.
First sellers have to decide how they are going to sell, on their own of with a real estate … (31 comments)

3 Technology FREE Ways to Stay on Task - 07:21 PM

In our hectic go-go world, maintaining focus can be difficult. When we have everything from phone calls to emails to daily appointments tugging at us, keeping ourselves on track and on task is no small feat.
While I reserve Tuesdays typically for a Technology Tip, I also realize that technology can be our greatest enemy when it comes to maintaining balance and focus within our business.
Below are 3 Simple Ways to Stay on Task and minimize the distractions that end up sucking the life out of our days.
Shut Down Your Technology
Shutting down your … (55 comments)

Closing Gift: Warranty and champagne, or packing boxes? - 01:45 AM
As a buyer, if you had a choice of a one-year warranty worth $270 and a $50 bottle of sparkling champagne versus $100 worth of packing boxes....which one would you choose?
Seeing that this is a buyer who is single and who may not know how to fix anything, it seemed like a no-brainer to give her a home warranty. The champagne is to toast the close of escrow.
Are tangible gifts more valuable than non-tangible gifts?
The answer must be "It depends."
It depends on who the recipient is and what her priorities are. Read the signs. Listen to … (86 comments)

How Tight Are Buyers' Shoes? - 12:37 AM
I have posted a few times recently about Buyer Broker Agreement, one post was featured and there were a lot of comments, another one wasn't and there were very few comments. I thought like I did not succeed and I did not see the reason to keep trying until I ran into a very good Alan May's post If you represent them, set them free.  I was glad he posted it. I think that agents would benefit from reading it.
The stunning lesson from reading comments to my blogs was that often times we do not walk in Buyers' shoes. It … (130 comments)

How to Deal with a "Border-Line" Short Sale! Palm Beach County, FL - 12:22 PM
How to Deal with a "Border-Line" Short Sale! Palm Beach County, Florida
In a recent conversation with a client, it got me thinking on how to deal with a client on a non-Short Sale listing and marketing efforts going forward. Yes, I've done all of the usual approaches (Active Rain, Craigslist, etc.) but still the client is faced with a dilema, do they have the funds to cover any variance in payoff or "go short". Some in the industry may even call this some type of "hybrid strategic default". Of course, the obvious questions come up as to drop in commission, but really! I know ever listing … (16 comments)

Are You Ordinary - or Extraordinary? And How Do You Know? - 11:11 AM
Recently, I ordered a file cabinet from (insert big box office supply store here) online.  It referenced an additional shipping fee, which I took to mean "it's big and heavy, so we are charging you more."
What I did not understand it to say was "we are having it delivered to you on a tractor trailer.
Because if I HAD gotten that message, I would have been able to say, "uh, we live on a windy, narrow gravel road in the woods and if you're longer than 26 feet, you cannot - I repeat, CANNOT - turn around.  Plus, part of … (73 comments)

Is Your Listing Everywhere on the Internet? - 09:36 AM
Is Your Listing Everywhere on the Internet?
There are more than 1 million REALTORS® in the US who will list your home with a claim of top-notch internet marketing. But just like the old promise of I’ll advertise it, the promise of on the internet needs to be investigated and understood, because on the internet doesn’t necessarily mean everywhere on the internet.
Buyers today search for homes on a variety of websites. (Click to see my listings on different sites)
National real estate websites like Realtor.com®, Zillow.com®, and Trulia.com®. Regional broker websites like Bairdwarner.com®, LongandFoster.com®, and Ebby.com® National brand websites used … (69 comments)

Five Easy Steps to Stage Your Kitchen - 04:34 PM
Five Easy Steps to Stage Your Kitchen
In a previous post you learned the five easy steps to stage your bathroom.  In this post you will learn the five easy steps to stage your kitchen.   Follow these posts to get the most money you can out of the sale of your home.
1.  CLEAN
Clean is the first step in most staging adventures.  In kitchens, the counters should be cleaned, and if they are granite, polished.  Floors, sink and appliances should also be cleaned.  And don't forget the windows!

2.  DECLUTTER
Take away most items you use daily from the … (68 comments)

ActiveRain is on the Road Again - 04:57 PM
Who's attending MegaCamp, CAR or the John L Scott Sales Forum?  ActiveRain will be present at all 3 just waiting to meet, greet and shake your hand!  The booths will be stocked with one-of-a-kind tshirts for a lucky few. Stop by the ActiveRain booth at any one of the above mentioned events and ask for the Insider Secrets to Driving Traffic.  You will be handed the map to maximizing your online presence instantly.  I can't believe they're giving this out for FREE!!!

MegaCamp is rounding up the troops in Austin,  September 19th through 23rd.  ActiveRain will have 3 superstar staffers … (64 comments)

Gutters can also prevent your walls from rotting - 06:03 AM
While everyone thinks about gutters being one of the most important aspects of maintaining a dry basement, gutters can also play a major role in preventing water intrusion at the exterior of the home.
As water drains off the roof and hits hard surfaces next to the house, such as decks and patios, a lot of water splashes against the house in an unnatural manner.  Houses are designed to shed water from the top down.  When water travels up against a house or sideways, it can have a devastating effect.
One of the worst areas that I regularly find problems with is where a roof … (33 comments)

Cache in on google... - 05:42 PM
Let's talk about your google placement strategy for a moment. Placement, being found and Lead generation is exactly why we are all here. Sure, we all love to write and not just about Real Estate. So, how can we find the right balance of posts vs posts that will stick?  It's time to study your cache cycle with google. Winning google's heart is not easy. It's like a balancing act. On one hand google loves fresh content and on the other hand if your content varies too much they can penalize you for it.  A cache is a snapshot of your web … (77 comments)

Read My Lips....NO! - 11:20 PM
Each week I do an update to each of my sellers on the status of their listing, all activity, whats happening in their neighborhood, area comps and etc.
The showings on one particular listing have been very few to zero this past two weeks.  After reviewing all activity and numbers I recommended to the sellers that it is time to make a right price adjustment.
They told me that they needed to think about that.  This morning I received a call from the sellers relating that they did not wish to reduce the price, but they would like new pictures for … (66 comments)


Blog posts


USA Appalachian Mountain View Luxury & Leisure Condos & Townhouses for Sale - Blue Ridge Mountains NC Real Estate - 08:27 PM
Mountain View Luxury & Leisure Condos … (0 comments)

ActiveRain is on the Road Again - 04:57 PM
Who's attending MegaCamp, CAR or the John L Scott Sales Forum?  ActiveRain will be present at all 3 just waiting to meet, greet and shake your hand!  The booths will be stocked with one-of-a-kind tshirts for a lucky few. Stop by the ActiveRain booth at any one of the above mentioned events and ask for the Insider Secrets to Driving Traffic.  You will be handed the map to maximizing your online presence instantly.  I can't believe they're giving this out for FREE!!!

MegaCamp is rounding up the troops in Austin,  September 19th through 23rd.  ActiveRain will have 3 superstar staffers … (64 comments)

Oakley Ca Homes - 09:57 PM
Oakley Ca Homes
Oakley Ca Homes are excellent homes in a variety of neighborhoods, price ranges and styles.
Oakley Ca Homes run about 20 to 30% (or more) less in price than a similiar home in Brentwood but are still quality homes in quality communities.
There are many older single story Ranch Style Homes that are in good condition and just ready for the right buyer.  There are also many newer homes ranging from entry level and single story homes to large executive style homes.  There are even some homes on acerage. 
Oakley Ca Homes offer something for everyone.  Oakley has … (2 comments)

Bank of America - Short Sale Horror Story - BOA Screwed Themselves and My Seller - 10:19 AM
Back in early June, I listed a short sale and received an offer in under 4 hours. We submitted it to the bank. 2 months later, the BPO was done. 2 weeks later, we received approval of the contract via email. We spent the next two weeks trying to get the written approval so the Cash buyer could close, and making sure the foreclosure was being postponed and the auction would not take place on September 6.  The Friday beforehand, we had not received word, and we reminded them again that since it was a holiday on Monday, they needed to … (12 comments)

Senna Hills Homes for Sale - Austin TX - Market Report Year to Date - 02:58 PM
The Senna Hills community in Travis County is having a fabulous year, compared to last year.  Back in June, I wrote a Senna Hills Market Report that detailed the first half of 2011 and mentioned how the Senna Hills Home Sellers have finally started coming around. The trend is continuing.  At that time, there were 19 sales already, and three months later, there are 22 sales with 3 more under contract, which is 25 thus far and the year isn't over.  In 2010, Senna Hills had 24 sales total! I ran some sales history year to date in 2011 and compared … (4 comments)

Baltimore City Votes...Did You Get Your Sticker Today? - 10:02 PM
                     Baltimore City Votes...Did You Get Your Sticker Today?  
                 
 
                           
 
 
                   9:22 p.m. 9/13/2011 (reported in the Baltimore Sun)  

 
(i) -- incumbentComptroller Joan M. Pratt ran unopposed  
Copyright © 2011, The Baltimore Sun
 
 
 
           Baltimore City Votes...Did You Get Your Sticker Today?  
   
                                              ########  
 
 
To search the MLS  either to buy a home or to keep an eye on your own neighborhood, I have made it easy to … (5 comments)

This is What I Call Service! Rome Apple Service - 11:28 PM
This is What I Call Service!
Rome Apple Service 
 
If you have been following my posts, you know that recently I became the owner of the iPad 2 My Very First Apple Product...!  Once again a thank you is owed to my daughter Erica, who signed me up for a basic workshop at the Apple Store on Sunday. 
 
 
 
                                             
 
It had been a pretty busy week with the ActiveRain MeetUp in Baltimore … (15 comments)

I Have An Attitude And I Want To Share It With You!! - 07:20 AM
A listing attitude that is.
My attitude, from the moment a potential Seller calls me, is that I'm hired. I don't spend time at a listing appointment selling my services. My time is spent doing my job as their Broker. And my job is to educate them on the selling process, market conditions and pricing. My entire presentation is based on the assumption that the listing is already mine. In fact, when I go to a listing appointment I'm going over to place the property on the market NOT to sit through a REALTOR® interview. This is a mindset that … (28 comments)

Buyer Services are not FREE! They’re just Financed. - 08:56 AM
OK, be warned. This is a rant, but I need to get it off my chest.In this tough market, with so many sellers underwater, there is an increasing need to work with buyers and we’re seeing even seasoned listing agents working with buyers out of necessity. But with it, the frustration is increasingly oozing out of AR on the lack of buyer loyalty, how no one wants to sign a buyer agency agreement, that even if they sign it, you can’t enforce it, etc, etc, etc. See Mimi Foster’s excellent post An Intense (and embarrassing) real estate lesson to see a … (36 comments)

Mount Vernon Ohio Ranch Home For Sale - 08:12 AM
If you interested in viewing more listing details about this home be sure to visit 1307 North Mulberry Street in Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
We have created a special listing link so thqt yoy can view our available Knox County Ohio homes and they are organized in price order from $100,000 and under
Sam Miller Team of REMAX Stars Realty (740) 397-7800  Knox County Ohio Real Estate
… (3 comments)

Dave Liniger left me a book in my mail slot - 11:21 AM
Thanks for pointing out a very impotant book for all of those in sales positions..times are touch but they do not have to be if we do not allow ourselves to listen to the Ducks rather listen to the Eagles.
 
We have purchased the book for all of our 256 agents here in the New England area and we recommend it to all our partners etc...
 
Thanks again and see you at next convention....
 
 
Jay
Via Cheryl Ritchie, Southern Maryland Real Estate (RE/MAX 100):
Dave Liniger left me a book in my mail slot.
Well, someone left it there … (0 comments)

13266 Lardeo Circle -- $4,500 - 05:21 PM
… (0 comments)

Welcome home to Rivercrest * Potomac Falls Neighborhood in Northern Virignia - 05:27 AM
Spacious Rivercrest Brick Front Beauty! … (8 comments)

$5000 Grants for First Time Military Buyers - 06:31 PM
The most recent news of Pentagon's Foundation had an "Dream Makers" article about first-time military buyers and an available grant they can apply for up to $5,000 towards down payment and closing costs. For those whom are eligible, such as; Active duty personnel, military retirees, veterans, and U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.
In an effort to help the dream of home-ownership come true, please share this with anyone you know who may be eligible.
In addition, here are all the details below from the PentagonFoundation site!
Applying for a Dream Makers Grant The Dream Makers Program offers grants for down payments … (1 comments)

There's No Place Like the Upper West Side: Landmark Feast - 01:25 PM
 

Landmark Feast is an unprecedented outdoor farm dinner celebrating the Upper West Side and life’s essentials—great architecture, parks, people, food—all key to a sustainable future.
On Sunday, September 25, 2011, the Arthur Ross Terrace at the American Museum of Natural History will be transformed into an extraordinary outdoor dining room for a four-course sit-down dinner—served family-style at one long, communal table under the stars—featuring best-quality local food prepared by the Upper West Side’s most brilliant chefs, all of whom are donating their time and talent, including:
    In addition, a pre-dinner walkaround of cocktails & tastings will … (5 comments)

mortgages - 08:14 PM
Last Thursday, President Obama proposed a $447 Billion Job Stimulus Plan, which was larger and broader than most had expected. The program calls for tax cuts, state aid, infrastructure spending, on the job training, plus some surprises like tax cuts for small businesses to encourage hiring and a "Helping More Americans Refinance Mortgages" or HARP plan.  There are no details to the HARP plan as of yet, as the President has just instructed his team to work with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and lenders to develop the plan.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted … (0 comments)

Eloise Gardens - Haile Plantation Home for Sale - Courtyard Pool Home - 09:56 AM
Eloise Gardens is located on the south side of Haile Plantation in Gainesville FL.  If you are looking for homes in Gainesville, let me help you find YOUR dream home!
Gainesville Luxury Living - Courtyard Contemporary … (3 comments)

Mountain Rest, SC Active Listings for 9-13-2011 - 04:25 PM
Mountain Rest, SC Active Listing for 9-13-2011
There are currently 37 active listings in Mountain Rest, South Carolina. Currently, the listings range in price from $13,750 to $595,000 and the homes range from approximately 500 square feet to 3500 square feet.  Mountain Rest also includes many properties, which join Oconee State Park or Sumter National Forest.
These listings encompass all areas and styles within the Mountain Rest area.  Mountain Rest features mobile homes, acreage tracts and single-family detached homes.  These properties include everything from homes with smaller lots to large acreage tracts providing for a wide range of lifestyles.
We have 2 new … (0 comments)

Barrington real estate listings in Cyberspace - Is anyone out there? - 06:29 PM
When you've got Barrington real estate to sell, you need exposure. Exposure will ultimately bring you a buyer. By listing with a Barrington Realtor, you'll get exposure to all the other Realtors and their clients. In terms of where your buyer is that pretty much accounts for 80% of buyers. But what about all the buyers who are just researching, the ones in the early stages, the ones not yet ready to start offically looking for a new home. We all know they are online surfing the cyberspace waves and looking at listings.
Do we? Well we know but what about … (1 comments)

I think I can solve the Politics issue! - 11:23 AM
Ok, let's get this out there.  I love sports.  More precisely I love professional sports. I'm a fan of the NFL and a good NASCAR race can't be beat.   I also love to follow the political discussion.So what if we were able to combine the two?
When you watch NASCAR,   there is no question about who the cars race for.  They are plastered with ads from Planters Peanuts to UPS to Viagra...
What if we required our candidates and elected officials to appear in offical "race suits" so to speak and they had to have all their "sponsors" on their … (3 comments)

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