Subject: Please tell every dog or cat owner you 
know  

Before Spring gets here, and we start to work in our yards

Even 
if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do.

Yesterday 
one of our dog agility friends experienced a  tragedy and 
wanted me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving 
friends and family.

Over 
the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa 
Mulch from Target to use in their garden.  They loved the way 
it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their 
garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough 
to eat and dev oured a large  helping. She vomited a few times 
which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting 
lethargic in any way.

The 
next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her  morning 
walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died 
instantly.

Although 
the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further 
investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic 
to dogs and cats.  Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, 
and they claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of 
the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety 
of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all 
dogs won't eat it.

Cocoa 
Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and 
other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal 
ingredient 
called 'Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells 
like  chocolate and it really attracts dogs.  They will 
ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already  occurred in 
the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution, check what you are using 
in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in 
your gardens.

Theobromine 
is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is 
toxic to dogs.  Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic 
quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to 
caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of 
garden mulch made from cacao beanshells developed severe convulsions 
and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the 
ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts 
of theobromine.

PLEASE  
GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION!  You would think no one 
would want to use this stuff for fear of killing a neighbors pet.

How are other people staying motivated in this market here are few of my suggestions. I start each day with affirmations then I start calling at least 6 past clients just to say hello and ask how they're doing (hour of power). Send out notes to people I have met and then I get on the social network sights. Any more suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Every professional hits a plateau at some point in his or her career. Plateaus come in many forms, some are financial, others are motivational. Maybe an agents productivity is down due to the bottoming out of the cyclical real estate market, while another has been distracted by other forces allowing someone not to fully concentrate on ones work. Whatever the reason, the effect is usually the same lower productivity and a decrease in income. I would like to know your thoughts on how do you keep focused in this market and not hit these plateaus.

Can anyone answer this question I invited a fellow agent to join activerain and he said he went on the site and it was $49.00 a month either he was on a wrong site or does it have to do with being invited by someone? I re-invited him I have never known anyone getting charged for being on activerain. Since I have all you wonderful people reading my blog has anyone ever used Plaxo and how is that different from Activerain.

I just started to really get into this social networking and it is amazing the people you connect with I know some professionals say they don't see the value of social networks and are too busy to participate in them but frequent users argue that it makes great business sense to create a presence on-line where prospective home-buyers and sellers would be looking would love to hear some of your success stories

So while headlines trumpet a national lending crisis and plunging real estate prices, the fact is that many of the Bay Area's (San Francisco Bay Area) mature neighborhoods remain sound and historically strong

In the past 10 years bay area homes (San Francisco Area)have appreciated more then 110%

On average homes have doubled in value 8.6 years

Mortgage rates continue to remain near historical 25-year lows.

Sticking to our principals has seen decades of tough and good times!!!

Make careful choices, make wise investments by doing so, you can survive-even thrive during hard times.

Business philosophy has always been based on investing and planning for the long term. That same approach has also been invaluable to helping your clients identify their best options when selling or buying a home.

Although, we can't control economic cycles we can help our clients make the best possible real estate decisions.

Has anybody heard that the 15,000.00 credit that passed the senate last week might not pass of course ths would not go in to effect until the president signs the bill but all of a sudden I'm hearing this might not pass can anybody give me any feedback thanks in advance

Pay down your revolving debt-don't move debt around to several credit cards

Be current on bills and stay current-if paying bills on time is an issue consider paying your bills on-line or consider having automatic payments

Don't open a lot of new accounts- instead maintain your current accounts

If you're having trouble making your payments- contact your creditors you would be surprised how willing they are to help you especially now in this economy. I once heard Donald Trump speak about when he was having all the financial problems and how he contacted the banks directly and worked things out  you can do the same

GOOD LUCK!!!

I just attended the Convention for Sell-a-bration in San Francisco what a great event, great classes and I met some wonderful people from all over the world!!  I learned new ideas and shared proven results with different people -made some great connections. If anybody attended this I would like to get your feedback on this event.