Amy's Blog

Lenders & Appraisers : No More Silent Treatment!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:09:49 -0700

Via Facebook and the Realtor Action Center, I just read this article by Kenneth R. Harney in The Washington Post regarding Fannie Mae and appraisals. Fannie Mae, beginning in September, must contact an appraiser where there is a discrepancy between the value they give a property and that of the electronic, non-onsite valuation process.

Wow! That's a welcome change from what HVCC has been allowing! Lenders can talk to the appraisers? Awesome! Feet-on-the-ground appraisers can use their experience and better judgement to uphold a sales price? What a novel idea!

For the most part, I think we've been pretty fortunate in this area. I haven't heard of too many appraisals coming in several tens of thousands of dollars under sales price. But we certainly do have neighborhoods that have been devastated by distressed sales. And those same neighborhoods will also have regular, non-distressed sellers who need to sell their homes. These folks are the ones we don't always think about when dealing with foreclosures and short sales.

Will an experienced, LOCAL appraiser be able to make adjustments for comps that are distressed sales? Let's hope so. Is this one step back up the ladder to a more stable housing market? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Want More Money For Your House? Lower Your Price.

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 09:00:02 -0700

I've said it more than once, and I'll say it again: Mr. Seller, I know that your neighbor sold his comparable home for a much higher price than what I'm suggesting you list at. But that was 4 YEARS AGO!

You had your turn! It is now a buyer's market, and buyers will not only not pay what you want to list for, they probably won't even LOOK at your home!

You've hired me for a reason-- You want to sell your house and you think I can help you do that. PLEASE listen to what I tell you.

J. Philip Faranda posted far better than I can, thank you sir!

Via J. Philip Faranda (J. Philip LLC) Westchester County NY:

Every so often, I have a listing celebrate an anniversary. I hate anniversaries. No broker wants to have a listing that doesn't sell for a year. Every year-old listing has a story of old offers they regret not accepting and a journey of chasing the market. Recently, I had a year-old client dismiss my recommendation of a price reduction with the words "you just want to make a sale."

Well, duh. That's what you hired me for, isn't it? The rub here, is that the house has an offer on it, but he doesn't like the offer! On a $450,000 listing, we have an offer of $400,000. I suggested that we reduce to $425,000 in the hopes of getting a more reasonable buyer who might be willing to pay $425,000. He rejected the idea with the above-referenced glibness. This isn't the first time this has happened. Last year, I sold a $575,000 listing for $528,000 because reducing to $550,000, even with two offers on the table of below $525,000 at that time was an anathema. Here's what these people don't understand:

Overpriced listings, if they get offers at all, are more likely to get offers from lowballers.

Reasonably priced listings are more likely to get offers from reasonable buyers.

Lowballers pay less attention to asking price and make offers on homes that fit their criteria for what they think the house is worth. Asking price isn't a big consideration. They assume everything is overpriced and don't care if they insult or annoy. It's business. Reasonable people consider asking price as part of their criteria and seldom look over their price point. They are more indicative of the conservative, cautious buyers that make up the bulk of the market in this economic climate. They aren't interested in making a killing as much as they want to avoid making a mistake.

If a listing has been on the market for a longer than average time and has a low offer far below asking price, it makes sense to lower the price to a reasonable price point in between to attract more eyeballs that often didn't see the home because it was listed higher than their maximum. Not every buyer offers 80 cents on the dollar. Overpriced people think that is the case, because their only experience with offers comes from a different breed: the lowballer. And because they don't lower their price, they either die on the vine or are forced to take less than they might otherwise get.

But what do I know? I only do this for a living.

We Are Westchester County, NY Real Estate. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.

J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service.

I am one of New York's premier short sale REALTORS.

J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.

Free MLS Search! Register for a Free Listingbook account and search the MLS like an agent.

I am hiring agents.

All content/images, unless noted, are the property of J. Philip Faranda & may not be used without permission

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:25:28 -0700

I had lunch today with a good friend and sometime real estate investor. Its been awhile since we've gotten together, just the two of us, to catch up on life, work, family, etc.

She's always checking out local Jefferson County, West Virginia listings through my website and asked how busy we've been.

Well, I told her, the first part of the year was great! Lots of first time buyers worked with us so they could benefit from the tax credit. However when that little gem went away, it seems lots of buyers went away too!

And having just read Lenn Harley's excellent post MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES - THIS WEEK - JUST WHEN I THOUGHT IT COULDN'T GET ANY BETTER, IT GOT BETTER!! I told her I really didn't understand this phenomenon.

Lenn makes a great point that with interest rates this good, MOST buyers, first time or otherwise, are going to gain a whole lot more over the life of a loan than that little tax credit would have given them ONE TIME ONLY!

So, while you may not get a check from Uncle Sam, you're going to be much better off in the long run.

Come on buyers! Rates are historically low, there are lots of homes to choose from and we're ready to help you find one! As we say out here in the country,

"Make hay while the sun shines!"

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

A Change Will Do You Good

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:38:16 -0700

In the last several weeks, this Sheryl Crow tune has been bopping along in my brain.

Change is good, so they say. But it isn't easy to accept and often isn't welcome. There have been some pretty significant changes in our office lately and the one I'm talking about now is the change to our logo.

Here is our old logo:

When we were getting ready to open our new company, we worked long and hard on this little beauty. Name choice, colors, the "swirls" --all of it, it was a labor of love. It didn't look like anything else out there. And we plastered that baby everywhere: our signs, the front door, above the door, all our mailings, heck we even printed logo labels and put them on candy bars at open houses!

Flash forward about 4 years.

Its time to get some new marketing materials printed--handout postcards, a couple of banners for a local trade show we were participating in. As if by ESP, Inna Hardison emails me a flyer for discounted printing services from her company, Ha Media Group. "Perfect timing!" I tell her. I send her my logo, a basic idea of what we're looking for and she and Jon are on it.

Over the next day or so, we talked and emailed frequently. I know our logo has probably too many colors and that if they need to "clean it up," that's fine. She and Jon sent me an email with our logo proofs and I couldn't wait to see them!

WOW!

And then:

Frankly, this was more than simple "cleaning up." I couldn't deny that these logos are beautiful, sleek and professional. But they are very different from our original. From each of our agents to friends, husband, gosh, even people walking in front of our office, EVERYONE agreed that these new logos must be used!

Change is good, change is good-- I kept repeating to myself. Sort of became my mantra for a few days, which then turned into the Sheryl Crow song. I love that song, but it became a little annoying, like songs stuck in your head often do...

So of course, I finally realized, we must use these new logos. It was time for a change. Our company is growing and evolving. This logo is a more grown-up version of the original.

My love letter to the Hardisons and Ha Media Group will be another post, but I can't stress how much I appreciate their expertise and guidance through this process. They are THE BEST!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Jefferson County West Virginia Market Statistics

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:09:34 -0700

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

I'm a Realtor AND I Have a REAL Job!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:06:37 -0700

When you read my title, you may have been under the impression that I list and sell real estate on the weekends and in the evenings: AFTER I finish my "Real" job. You know, the one where I make a steady paycheck, receive benefits and get paid vacations.

Wrong.

I list and sell real estate every day, at least 9-5, and usually on the weekends and in the evenings too.

This post has been prompted by a phone call I received Sunday morning. An agent called to question me about one of the listings in my office. She had a buyer who desperately wanted to see the house, but must sell his current home before purchasing another. "I have a REAL JOB," she claimed. "I don't have time to chauffeur people around who can't actually buy a house at this time!"

Apart from her attitude, which was disagreeable to say the least, the part that truly irked me was that she was implying that my chosen profession of Realtor is somehow NOT a real job???

Not only do I come to my office every weekday, but I also show property in the evenings, attend home inspections on the weekends, write offers, list homes, answer client questions, take pictures, prepare advertising materials, install signs and lockboxes, etc. whenever necessary!

I work hard at this "job," and its more than annoying to have others who ought to know better disparage me and my job. Very frankly, if that's how you feel about the profession, you clearly shouldn't be a part of it.

Don't get me wrong, there are lots of capable and thorough "part-time" Realtors out there, I know, I've worked with some of them. Everyone needs to do what is necessary to provide for themselves and their families.

Unfortunately though, I see things like limited information in the mls, a couple photos of a new listing instead of the potential 30 that could be included. Then there's the vanishing addendums, missing signatures on the contract, or inspections that don't get ordered on time because "I'm sorry, I'm at my real job...I just don't have time to handle the details of this real estate transaction."

So who ends up taking care of everything?

Me, the one without a real job.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Ranson West Virginia Home!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:55:20 -0800

I'm not terribly fancy. I'm certainly not pretentious.

But...

I've been cared for over the years. I can offer enough space without breaking the bank paying utility bills. I have a nice yard, but it won't take all day to mow my grass.

My owner is willing to look at all offers. He is the only owner, and thankfully, is not in distress! No short sale or foreclosure at this location!

I'm close to the schools and the local hospital. If you work here in Jefferson County or even in Maryland or Northern Virginia, Ranson is a good place to come home to.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

RESPA -tory Therapy

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:07:13 -0800

RESPA-tory therapy is what we'll all need after the first time we have a closing with the new requirements and HUD-1, right?

Last week before the new changes went into effect, Mike Briel (our local go-to closing attorney and all around good guy) came in with his worthy assistant, Tiffany Hine, to give us a quick overview of the changes. Fortunately, we are blessed with wonderful lenders and Mike is a great closing attorney, so the bulk of explanations to our buyers will be handled by them. And we know that the more we use the new forms, the better we'll get to know and understand them.

Today, I received the following message from Rick Boswell, our local Board of Realtors President and broker of the local Century 21 Franchise. With his permission, I'm including his message on this post:

"As we turn the calendar and focus on the year ahead, I want to make sure everyone is aware of the regulatory changes regarding the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Final Rule, which went into effect on January 1, 2010.

As of this past Friday, HUD requires that lenders and mortgage brokers provide consumers with a new, standard Good Faith Estimate (GFE) that clearly discloses key loan terms and closing costs. Closing agents are also required to provide borrowers with a new HUD-1 Settlement Statement that clearly compares consumers' final and estimated costs.

The new RESPA rule became effective in January 2009, but HUD had provided a one-year transition period for the mortgage industry to incorporate these changes.

While the responsibility for the implementation of new GFE and HUD-1 documents primarily impacts the mortgage lenders and settlement services companies who must provide these documents to consumers, RESPA applies to everyone in the real estate profession. All brokers and sales professionals should be well aware of these changes to the documentation that your clients will receive from their lenders and at the closing table. This is especially important for those of you who have affiliated business arrangements such as a joint venture title or mortgage entity.

With this in mind, here are several online resources from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and HUD for you to review:

· NAR's online RESPA homepage, which includes an archived presentation from Phillip Schulman, Esq., a partner with the law firm of K&L Gates in Washington, D.C., who specializes in RESPA and real estate law

· HUD's online RESPA resource center

· HUD's new RESPA rule seminar

· New Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and HUD-1 forms

Although HUD recently announced a 120-day restraint in enforcement for non-FHA originators and other settlement service providers who demonstrate good faith in implementing RESPA's new rules, the department still expects all loan originators to begin using the new GFE and revised HUD-1 beginning January 1, 2010.

Again, the intent of the new RESPA rule is to clarify disclosures and reduce closing costs for consumers, so it is in your best interests to familiarize yourselves with the new documents. This letter is not legal advice and is not a complete description of all changes to the rule. Agents under their brokers direction should seek legal advice from an attorney familiar with RESPA to implement the required changes."

I, for one, am going to take a deep breath and get the RESPA-tory therapy I need!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

VREBC: It Kicked My A** But It Was Great!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:37:56 -0800

I just finished participating in the VREBC and it was FANTASTIC!

No technical guru am I to anyone except the girls in my office (I can usually figure out a connection problem or un-jam the copier--they really need me in there), I have been excited about this event since mid-December when I registered.

There were over 2600 attendees and 28 speakers, I think. Of course, I couldn't listen to them all: 4 different presentations each hour...but of those I attended, just so much great info!

I have pages and pages of notes which I will start dissecting immediately. vrebc.com will also have recordings of the sessions for future listening enjoyment.

I'm whupped, though, for sitting at a computer all day long...my brain is a bit on the fried side.

But I'm saying right here, right now: I resolve to be a consistent blogger here and on my outside blog. And I will learn to love twitter, which I joined months ago and don't do anything with.

There. That said, I plan to see you all again soon, this week even!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Adorable Charles Town Rancher!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:23:58 -0800

I'm so cute!

Not to make any of the other ranchers out there jealous or anything, but really I am just adorable! And I am looking for some new owners!

My current family has plans to move, so I could be your new home! You'll love my floorplan with 3 good sized bedrooms, 2 full baths plus my fenced in backyard. I even have an inground wading pool there! My owners have taken great care of me and I don't think you'll need to do anything but unpack your belongings.

Just a few minutes to Route 7, my location makes for an easy commute to northern Virginia and the metro DC area. Charles Town is a sweet little place to call home, I think you'll love it here! Why don't you take a look?

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Simply Spectacular!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:13:53 -0700

This home is Simply Spectacular! Lovingly maintained contemporary ranch, perfectly situated on a wonderfully landscaped parcel of just under 6 acres. Horses are welcome in the neighborhood and a wet weather stream runs in the back of the property. The land is completely enclosed with board fencing and has numerous plantings, flower and veggie beds, plus several storage buildings.

An easy open floor plan is perfect for a family or for entertaining. The sunroom in back leads to two separate deck areas. The crawl space is accessed from the attached 2 car garage, but you'll also find plenty of storage in the extra 2 car detached garage!

Merely 3 miles from I-81 in southern Berkeley County, so commuting to the DC Metro area, Hagerstown or Winchester is oh-so-simple!

Click here for more pictures of this beautiful home:

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Avon Bend Annual Community Picnic

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:20:45 -0700

Avon Bend is a beautiful neighborhood near Charles Town, WV nestled in a curve of the meandering Shenandoah River. I'm partial to the place: I have lived there almost 15 years and am currently the homeowner association president.

We had our annual community picnic on Saturday. Couldn't have asked for better weather, and with about 100 people attending, we all got to meet new neighbors and visit with old friends.

A moonbounce, 3-Legged Races, horseshoes, a 50/50 raffle and doorprizes, not to mention all the wonderful potluck food, made this event one to remember!

Good friend to Avon Bend and 2nd VP of the association, our Debbie W. spearheads the picnic every year. From shopping, cleaning and planning to making sure everyone gets doorprize tickets, a big plate of food and then cleaning up after the shindig is through, she makes it all happen! Many thanks Deb!

(That's her in the white top in the middle, calling out winning doorprize ticket numbers)

We all know how lucky we are to live in this great community. It features 6 acres of private river-access property and a wonderful playground with a swingset, basketball half-court, horseshoe pit and bath house.

Across a small footbridge over the Bullskin Run, we have a large pavilion and firepit. Use of these areas is available to all our residents.

The association offers other events throughout the year, including an Easter Egg Hunt and outdoor movie nights in the summer.

All this and would you believe our homeowner association dues are a mere $30 per YEAR!?!

Yeah, I know I'm the president of the association, but I think its money well spent!

To find out more about our community, visit:

www.avonbend.org

Maybe next year you'll be attending the community picnic as our newest resident!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Carrington Homes at Huntfield in Charles Town, West Virginia

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:47:00 -0700

This morning we were invited to a breakfast meeting and tour of the model home at Huntfield by Carrington Homes. Below is the picture of the Elm Hollow Model:

Karen Leier, the sales representative:

She treated us to pastries, juice and coffee. She even gave us goodie bags! We were thrilled to find CHOCOLATES!

Huntfield is the only West Virginia project for Carrington, though they have other projects in Northern Virginia and Maryland. This is a large neighborhood which will eventually offer single family, townhome and active adult residences plus a retail area. Common area parks, totlots and a pool and clubhouse are in the plans as well.

Carrington has some very nice models to choose from, all except one come with a 2 car garage standard, base prices as low as $199,900! Some other standard features include 9'ceilings on the main level, recessed lighting, basements and 42" maple kitchen cabinetry.

Huntfield is well located in Charles Town, Jefferson County on the south end near the new Washington High School, only about 5 miles or so from Route 7 in Northern Virginia (great neighborhood for those commuting to the metro area.) Our office is just around the corner and we are quite familiar with the subdivision. Now we have this builder's information at our fingertips ready to share with our clients.

Many thanks to Karen at Carrington Homes for an enjoyable and informative morning!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Happy Birthday Artie-Baby!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:21:18 -0700

Today is my dad's 69th birthday. His name is Art, but he's also known as Artie, Artie-baby and Daddio.

He's mostly a quiet kind of guy, prone to losing whole afternoons immersed in a book (usually something about history - he went through a whole Civil War phase a couple years ago).

He instilled in us (my sister and 2 brothers) a love of Indiana basketball, the White Sox at old Comiskey Park, board games of all kinds (he always wins at Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit) and Texas Hold 'Em.

He was born in 1940 on his parent's farm in a tiny little town called Hebron in northwest Indiana. At that time they didn't have indoor plumbing. My siblings and I found that unbelievable! The youngest of 6, he remembers life on the farm as tough. His dad was a German immigrant who was very strict and uncompromising on chores and homework.

He's still friends with someone he's known from childhood, my Aunt Jackie (not really an aunt, but that's what we've always called her.)

He and my mom divorced when we were quite young, but he's always stayed involved in our lives. He credits this to our wonderful stepmom, Carol. They've been married more than 30 years now. We spent every weekend with them going to Chicago's Brookfield Zoo, Museum of Science and Industry, or just out to my grandparent's farm to enjoy time with all the cousins and eat a great meal, most of which was picked from the garden that day.

I attribute my love of reading to his genes, as well as my awesome sense of direction and ability to hold my liquor :) Unfortunately I DID NOT inherit a proficiency at the grill. He can cook just about anything on the Weber. My personal favorite is his turkey.

While his hair is now white, when I think of my dad I always see him circa 1971: long brown hair, sideburns and a moustache that tended toward red, wearing jeans and a Harvey Wallbanger t-shirt. Its always a bit of a surprise when I see him since we've gotten older. I know that sounds funny, I see him quite a bit, I certainly know he's in his 60's and has white hair, I just don't think of him that way. Of course he probably gets quite a shock when he sees me too, picturing in his mind's eye a freckled little girl with pigtails and crooked teeth and instead seeing a "pleasantly" plump fortysomething with a granddaughter of her own!

Time goes by so quickly as we get older, I remember my elders telling me when I was a kid. Boy is that ever true! But my dad isn't too old to mow his own yard, play with his grandchildren or even go swimming in the lake (which he just did this summer). So....

Here's to you, Artie-Baby, Happy Birthday!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Waiting for my New Owner!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:23:23 -0700

I'm a huge 3200 sf home, built in the late 1980's. My owner has taken great care of me over the years, but now he needs to move. He's already found a new house (not as nice as me! ~ don't tell him I said that ;-) ok?)

I sit on a peaceful 3 acres in between Charles Town and Martinsburg, WV and am not too far from the northern Virginia metro areas. Do you have children? They'll love running around in my yard and swimming in my pool. Do you like entertaining? Granite counters in my kitchen are beautiful and I have a huge formal dining room for serving dinner.

Upstairs there are 4 gigantic bedrooms and closet space galore. My owner's room could hold 2 king size beds! I have a bathroom and dressing room there with closets and an ironing board that hides in a cupboard. The main bath upstairs has a walk-in linen closet!

Lots of Realtors came to see me last week, and they liked what they saw. They thought my asking price was reasonable and that I showed nicely. A couple of them think they may know my potential new owners, but we'll have to see about that. You really should come see me too. Just call your Realtor or mine, Amy Salisbury at Leading Edge Properties in Charles Town, WV.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Can We Please Just Close This Deal???

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:38:50 -0700

As if short sales (that name being as ridiculous as "jumbo shrimp"), poorly executed appraisals, appraisal reviews and tighter credit restrictions weren't enough to slow down our market, now I'm seeing major problems with deeds holding up closings!

Just this week I found out that one of my closings will have to be postponed for a week due to an unrecorded deed from a foreclosure attorney. Now I'm a little fuzzy on the logistics, but this is the gist of it: The original owners of the foreclosed property filed a quitclaim deed. The house was then foreclosed. The attorney for the asset management company had not, as of this past Monday, filed the deed transferring title. In order for my buyer to settle his purchase of the foreclosure, the state's trustee must issue a new deed, which he can't do because the asset management attorney had not filed his deed yet.

I'm so confused.

Call me crazy, but I thought you had to actually own/have title to a property to sign a listing agreement to sell said property. Call me foolish, but I thought you had to own/have title to a property to accept an offer for sale of said property.

I must be crazy and foolish, because the asset management company did indeed list for sale and accepted an offer from my buyer on this property.

HOW IS THIS LEGAL???

And it happened again yesterday. Another agent in my office was scheduled to close a cash deal today on a foreclosure listed with another local agency. She got the call in the afternoon that not only would closing not happen today, but they are not sure WHEN it will close. Why? The closing attorney cannot write title insurance on the deed. There are so many clouds and defects, it is uninsurable.

How did this property, and the one my buyer is purchasing, make it to the active listings in the first place?

I learned many years ago to always check the courthouse for a deed when listing a property. Very honestly, if my sellers provide me with their deed, I do not go check for myself at the courthouse. And given that our tax records are now online, I can check the most recent recorded deed book and page number against the copy of the deed that I've been given.

Several local real estate agencies do the majority of listing foreclosed properties in our area. Is the answer to put title searching on the listing agent's list of tasks to do before activating the listing? Maybe so.

Isn't it illegal to list for sale property that is not owned by the person or entity signing the listing agreement and contract? I think it is.

So what's the answer? This is probably a question best suited for some local attorneys, but what do you think? Have you had any experience with this type of problem?

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Once Its on the Internet, Its Out There Forever

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:40:27 -0700

If I didn't believe that before today, I definitely believe it now!

Well over a year ago, I posted about pending litigation against Richmond American Homes of West Virginia. At that time there were 10 homeowners filing suit over non-functioning radon pipes. Shortly after the post I received a call from the attorney representing these homeowners. He had read my post and we had an interesting discussion. That was that.

Today I was asked permission to be quoted in the next e-newsletter for AARST (American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists, Inc.)!!! The editor had found my blog!!! Wow...who knew?

Thinking it might be a good idea to update the information from my 1 year old blog post, I found that the CBS Affiliate in Washington, DC, WUSA-9, had done a story just the other day about this lawsuit, so here's the link: http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=83411

I found out that a second suit has been filed on behalf of over 100 homeowners. Because this is all pending litigation, nobody's talking, so there's very little additional news to report at this time.

The original post I wrote in June, 2008:

Lawsuit filed against developer (edit/delete)

Good Morning!

Our local paper (Martinsburg, WV) has a story on the front page that M.D.C. Holdings, dba Richmond American Homes of West Virginia is being sued by 10 homeowners for allegedly failing to install functional radon pipes in their new constructions. It says that one homeowner claims that fake pipes were installed to intentionally deceive the building inspector!! WOW!

As far as I can tell there are no realtors/brokers named in the suit at this time.

I know that when I've shown new constructions, I've pointed out that pipes, not mitigation systems, were in place. I also have given my "Radon Speech" many times to prospective buyers of all types of homes (what it is, what it does, EPA recommendations, etc.)

I believe that Richmond American builds homes in other areas of the country and was wondering if similar allegations have been made. Anyone know of anything?

Thanks, Amy

Here is the link to the AARST Winter Edition:

http://www.aarst.org/radon_reporter/Radon_Reporter_Winter09.pdf

The upshot of this whole thing is that I think its wild that a post over a year old would generate any interest whatsoever! You just never know, do you?

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

4th of July is So Special This Year

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:00:55 -0700

Proudly introducing one of the newest members of the United States Army:

Our son, Pvt. Robert Salisbury graduated from Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC last week! He is currently in Advanced Individual Training at Fort Bliss, Texas. What we thought would be 10 weeks of training has somehow become 20. Oh well, the more he learns, the better!

We had a wonderful visit with him. Its amazing how different he seems - from the physical aspect (he's much stronger, has more stamina, etc) to the quiet confidence in himself he now possesses.

His wife, Kate and daughter, Lily, were also there and what a blessing to see their little family together again!

Lily was understandably a little stand-offish with her dad, but by Day 2 had clearly warmed up to him again. Although I don't think babies are an accepted part of the uniform, I think its a pretty fitting form of neckware, don't you? LOL...

Not sure when we'll see him again, very possibly not until he finishes his AIT. We can talk, though, and that's great. For now, the pictures will have to do!

So, yes, this year Independence Day has extra special meaning for our family. We know we're not alone in feeling this way. So many of our young people are making extraordinary sacrifices for all of us. Thanks to all of them and their families! We're proud to be among your ranks this year!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Hey Congress! This is an American Short Sale

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Sat, 16 May 2009 06:31:36 -0700

The following is very sad and very true:

About 5 years ago a couple purchases a house using a sizable down payment. She works for the government, he's a self-employed contractor.

A year or so later, he was killed in a head-on collision. About enough insurance to bury him.

She stayed in the house as long as possible, but knew she wouldn't be able to make the payments by herself. She contacts me to list the house, cleans it out, repaints, makes all the necessary repairs and moves into a rental. List price is good, many many showings but only one not-so good offer, which her lender/servicer would have to approve. The full short sale package is submitted: financials, late or no payment history, hardship letter, everything!

The mortgage company finally responds to the not-so-good offer by telling her, don't sell short! Move back in! We want to work with you to let you keep your home! YAY!!!

So we take the house off the market. She moves back and is actively working with her mortgage company to modify her loan.

Last week she calls me. The mortgage company has denied her loan modification.

Sold comps, actives and pending sales have all plummeted in value. Her house is now back on the market at a lesser asking price than the original not-so-good offer.

She's angry. I'm angry. The government she works for and pays taxes to can't/won't help her.

This is an American short sale. And its my definition of INSANITY.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Franchise or Independent?

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:58:16 -0700

Earlier this week I was asked this thought-provoking question:

"Do you think you've lost business since opening your independent brokerage rather than buying a franchise?"

The person who asked is a broker-owner of a nationally recognized franchise, very successful and well respected. And I have to tell you, I was really taken aback.

After a few seconds, I responded, "Honestly, that's the first time I've been asked that question. Much more frequently, its:

"OMG! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU OPENED A REAL ESTATE COMPANY IN THIS MARKET!!!"

After some good natured chuckling, I said that no, my business partner and I had healthy databases of past clients, friends, etc. We did pretty heavy marketing of the company when we originally opened and have continued staying in touch with our sphere of influence. We've recruited some good seasoned agents and the company has grown nicely over the last couple of years.

We've been courted by a couple of franchise owners since opening. And while we love discussing the options, so far, we've always decided we like things just the way they are.

Here's what I don't know: How many more transactions would we have closed if we had national marketing behind us? Maybe if I had time to research this I'd have my answer. Unfortuantely, between running the business and listing and selling real estate, there just aren't enough hours in the day to delve into that research.

Here's what I do know: Real estate is local. We're local. Our marketing is local. Our clients know who we are (or are referred to us by someone they know who's worked with us), where we are and what kind of service we provide. Communicating with the corporate office is a phone call to my business partner first thing in the morning and talking to her from my desk across the room from her's. We've had business meetings in the park at a picnic table with Moolate's from DQ. Reviewing year-end numbers and strategic planning sessions have occured with nothing more than reports from Quickbooks and a calculator.

This is the way we like it. I'm certainly not knocking those who prefer the corporate structure of a franchised real estate agency, but for us, independence is the best.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

The Today Show...Its My Sister!

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:28:13 -0700

Michelle Campbell Bell, my youngest stepsister, works with Childhelp.org. She has been a horse lover her whole life, and even studied horse whispering. Childhelp is a non-profit organization that offers a chance to children who have been the victims of abuse. Michelle works with the kids in their equine program.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Michelle is the gorgeous girl with the dark curly hair. I remember when she was a bratty little pre-teen. Hardly seems like more than a couple months ago. She's now a married mom of 2.

Meesh, I couldn't be prouder of you!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

To Be or Not To Be...

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:04:11 -0700

That is the question. To be a Realtor or not to be.

For a dear friend of mine, the answer is not to be. A true veteran of real estate in my local market, I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am that she will no longer be a fellow Realtor.

She has weathered down markets in the past. She has ridden the wave of incredibly strong markets. This time, though, she decided she had had enough. She's moving on to another type of business completely. Because she's my friend I will whole-heartedly support her decision, but my heart is heavy.

Its scary that someone whom I look to for advice and support has decided not to stick with her chosen profession. I hear that little voice of doubt saying, "and YOU think you can make it???"

But I'll tell you - I've gotten pretty good at tuning out that little doubt-y voice.

Since opening our brokerage in 2006, I swear, half the battle has been to keep a positive attitude and just believe that I CAN BE SUCCESSFUL. I've had to learn skills I never knew I would need. And the most important one is recognizing the opportunity in ANY market and working it.

No, short sales aren't fun. But they still need to be listed and sold.

No, REO's aren't fun. But they still need to be listed and sold.

No, telling past clients that they have no equity or are upside down isn't fun. Explaining to buyers that they can get a cheap mortgage and buy an inexpensively priced home only if they have stellar credit isn't fun. But I've learned to do these things. A lot of these sellers and buyers still need me. I try to help them find a way.

I thank God that I've been able to keep my attitude positive. It really is powerful. I thank God I've been able to find the opportunity. It really is out there.

So for me, the question is: To be or not to be? To be a Realtor? Yes, of course. I positively love what I do.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Quiet Snow in Active Rain

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:20:28 -0800

So its been about 2 weeks since I've written a blog post or a comment. Well, see, I had a nasty cold that kicked my a** for over a week. By the time I got back to work, things had predictably piled up on my desk. I've gotten pretty much caught up, so back to the Rain!

I have a couple of new projects: Chairing the Education Committee for our Board and taking over the helm of our homeowner's association.

Just call me Madame President.

Ok, you don't have to.

I'm honored to be involved with both organizations. I'll talk more about the Ed. Comm. in later blogs, but right now I have to brag on my neighborhood. Avon Bend on the Shenandoah is a pretty community located next to the Shenandoah River, which actually curves around our community. Its beautiful. The Blue Ridge Mountains hover over us providing a gorgeous vista throughout the year.

Last night we got some heavy, wet snow. I took these very unprofessional shots from my deck this morning:

Both of these shots are from west to east. Mr. Sunshine puts on a pretty spectacular show almost every morning.

I know this isn't really about REAL ESTATE, but who cares? And I probably should have waited to post on "Wordless Wednesday," but remaining wordless isn't my strong suit...

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Tag, You're It! Yes, another MeMe...

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:33:05 -0800

I've been tagged again. The culprit is Tammy Lankford from Lake Sinclair, Eatonton, Georgia.

1. Create a blog post with a link to the person who so happily tagged you. See above!

2. List all of these rules in the post. Feel free to cut and paste this.

3. Share seven things that others may not know about you. Do I or have I HAD a life outside of real estate?

4. Identify seven friends, contacts or near enemies in which to adorn this MEME. Tag them at the end of the post and give a link to their blog.

5. Contact each of the tagged members and let them know that you were indeed fast enough to catch them and that you did indeed tag them...no matter how much they say you missed them! No schoolyard rules in this MEME, nope you gotta do it if you are tagged. Sorry guys!

So the 7 things you don't know about me:

1. I am recovering from a frozen shoulder: Very minor, non-invasive surgery on Jan. 2 has allowed me to move my left arm again. Prior to, I had extremely limited range of motion. I'm sleeping better and completely off the heavy duty pain meds. Thank you Dr. Foster!!!!

2. I love ABBA: I'm a child of the seventies and have loved this band since then. I've seen "Mamma Mia" in Las Vegas twice (my husband is such a good sport) and finally the movie on Christmas. "Waterloo" is my favorite ABBA song. However, I really hate "Dancing Queen," probably their most popular song.

3. I used to play handbells: Years ago when my kids were young I was a member of the handbell choir at St. John's Episcopal Church in Salem, VA. That time was very special to me, as I had to concentrate on the music and not on kids, home, etc...Currently, I'm working toward establishing a handbell choir at my church here in Charles Town, Zion Episcopal Church.

4. I'm still friends with my best friend from 3rd Grade: Her name is Lori, we were in school together for only 2 years, but have managed to stay in touch all this time. She now lives in western IL and its been years since we've seen each other. But we talk usually once a year and have been letter writers our whole lives. Email makes it all a lot easier now!

5. Favorite things to shop for: Shoes, books and jewelry. Since the market has been down, I've had to severely curtail my visits to DSW and Amazon. While I still get alerts for my favorite designers, I hardly ever watch QVC anymore. These 3 are just too tempting.

6. I was a Pom-Pom Girl: Again, back to the 70's - This group did a half-time show choreographed to "Get Ready" by the Temptations during Pop Warner football games. We wore blue bodysuits and white tennies and my mom made my pom-poms.

7. Tomorrow I will likely be elected President of our homeowner's association: Barring divine intervention, that is...! There's always hope for a nomination from the floor, but after serving on our Board for several years, it will probably be my job for at least one year. We have a wonderful neighborhood and neighbors, so I'm hoping things will go well...

Ok, now for the really hard part...who to tag???

Sheldon Neal, that funny British guy...http://activerain.com/shelbrit

Donna Marrone, let's see if she does this ... http://activerain.com/dmarrone

Deb Brooks, she'll be sorry she called me ... http://activerain.com/blogs/lakelivingston

Katie Van Nes, cause she's new here in the Rain ... http://activerain.com/blogs/katiekvannes

Sita Mulder, she's new too, and I love that she is Agent Mulder! ... http://activerain.com/blogs/agentmulder

Ok, I'm not tagging 7...only 5, sorry!!!

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!

Stepping Out On Your Own

Amy Salisbury West Virginia Realtor/Jefferson/Berkeley (Leading Edge Properties) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:34:30 -0800

While commenting on a post by Todd Clark, I realized I had stumbled upon an idea for a blog post of my own.

His post : http://activerain.com/blogsview/859391/Could-my-2009-start-with-a-brokerage-move talks about a big decision he's considering: stay where he is, move to a different brokerage, or possibly jump out on his own. I've been where he is now...unsure of how to proceed with my real estate business.

I'll try to keep the background brief: About 3-ish years ago, my dear friend, Susan Williams, and I began a rather tentative discussion about whether or not we should try to open our own brokerage. Somewhat disatisfied with our current office, we started kicking ideas around about how we'd handle particular situations differently. Turns out, there were lots of ideas, which lead to even more ideas, and suddenly, 6 months later, we had a business plan, office space and another trusted Realtor who would be our broker.

Leading Edge Properties, LLC was born!

We certainly have days when we think, "if we had known then what we now know, we might not have opened up."

There are many more days when we think, "if we had known then what we now know, we still would have opened, but we'd have been a lot more frightened!"

Because, let me tell you, owning your own brokerage can be a pretty scary thing:

*No one else to turn to when you have a major problem with a client, transaction or whatever.

*No one else to turn to when there are not enough closings to meet the monthly financial obligations.

*No one else to turn to when you just want a day off!

And while the vast majority of our fellow agents and past brokers are totally supportive of us, there have been many naysayers along the way. Yes, we opened just about the time the bottom fell out of our market here in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Yes, sales prices are dropping, meaning less commission coming in on our closings. Yes, there are expenses you don't realize you're going to have.

But -

There's no way either of us would have had the time or energy required to do this back when the market was hot. Due to limited finances, we set this company up with frugality in mind! We have been extremely careful about our marketing plan and the dollars spent there. We purchased used office furniture and equipment. We've seen other brokerages scale way back in the last 2 1/2 years by closing offices, cutting services, etc. Because we started frugally, we've been able to weather the economic storm somewhat more easily.

We have two main guiding principles that we drum into each other and into the agents who now work with us:

Set The Tone - We found that the tone being set in many of the other companies was that of a more corporate mentatlity. That type of thinking often countered what was best for the people working at those offices, but more importantly, it didn't jibe with what was best for the people we (the agents) were representing.

and

Real Estate is a PERSONAL/PEOPLE thing. When you take the people out of the equation, you're never going to do a good job. Real people buy and sell real estate for personal reasons. Real people have real needs in their purchases and sales.

A brokerage that runs like a factory doesn't do anything to encourage agent or client loyalty.

By being "People-centric," we're able to look at individual needs of our clients and also our agents. We believe this concept will allow us to succeed, even in these tough economic times. By being ready, willing and available to incorporate our clients' needs into the way we market their properties or help them complete a purchase, we believe we offer a much better fit than the "one size fits all" corporate mentality of many other brokerages.

Change is painful, scary and usually rewarding. I don't have a crystal ball: even if I did, I seriously doubt it would be working now, so only time will tell if our little company will ultimately be successful or not. What I am sure of is that we strive to work hard and smart. We believe in what we're doing. We're positive that, even if the worst happens, we know that we gave it our all.

Amy Salisbury, Realtor/Owner

amy@askleadingedge.com www.askleadingedge.com

Leading Edge Properties

130 Augustine Avenue, Unit 54, Charles Town, West Virginia 25414

304.724.9191

Striving to provide excellent customer satisfaction in all things real estate related in the beautiful Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, just an hour west of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.

Serving Jefferson County: Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown. Berkeley County: Martinsburg, Inwood, Bunker Hill, Falling Waters, Hedgesville, Gerrardstown.

Please feel free to email questions and comments!