Uncommon Rain

Joe's Barber Shop | Norfolk, MA

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:31:41 -0500

Joe's Barber Shop is located at the intersection of Routes 1A and 115 (Pond Street) in Norfolk, MA, just behind the Horse 'N Carriage Restaraunt.

Joe gives a good haircut and nearly guarantees you won't lose an ear in the process. He also talks a little about one of his old clients who used to stop in before he became The Tom Brady.

508-385-5030
Sun-Mon: Closed
Tues-Fri: 7:30am-5:30pm
Thurs: Until 7:30pm
Sat: 7:30am-3:00pm

Bring cash or hit the ATM across the street.

Haircuts $14, Seniors $11, Beardtrim/Outline $5

Frankly Unacceptable

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:58:22 -0500

Snow in September?

Today is September 15th. We haven’t seen snow in these parts since…maybe early May (part of our ridiculous New England weather patterns). Yet, this photo came up as the main MLS photo for a currently active listing. This is not a listing for some cozy Breckenridge, CO ski house, this is a local Massachusetts home. There is only one reason for snow in photos for active listings in September. L-A-Z-Y. One of the industry’s most dreaded four letter dirty words. C’mon people! You can’t be bothered to update your exterior photos to reflect the change in seasons? Sure, keep the snow one in there if you want, (it does look pretty), but don’t keep it as your very first, main photo. It tells me two things.

You’ve had the listing for a long, long time
You’re too damn lazy to do the minimum required for your job.

The price tag on this one tells me there is a sizable commission check at the end of the rainbow if the agent can actually get this one sold. What? Isn’t that paycheck enough motivation for you to get off your butt, take the trip over to your listing and snap a photo? Are gas prices really too high for you?

Poorly taken MLS photos are bad enough. But at least they tried! Sometimes the skillset just isn’t there. But I saw the other photos for this listing. The agent can take a fairly decent photo. They’re just too lazy to keep the photos current. There is only one thing worse than a seasonally outdated MLS photo in my opinion…

This one trumps a snow photo in September!

One of the "Most Prettiest" Streets in Medfield, MA - Causeway Street

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:47:19 -0500

Causeway Street, Medfield, MA 02052 from Mike Lefebvre on Vimeo.

Causeway Street runs southwest from Main Street (Route 109) to Orchard Street. If you're traveling west down Main Street towards Millis, take your first left after crossing Route 27 and you will be on Causeway Street. The video doesn't do the scenery justice and I think you'll agree with me if you take the drive in person, Causeway Street truly is one of Medfield's "most prettiest" streets.

"Summer in the Valley" Photo Contest

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:34:00 -0500

: Photo by Greg Randolph

The Trustees of Reservations wrap up their Summer in the Valley photo contest this month (contest ends September 21st). Categories for entries include: Plantlife, Wlidlife, Family and Friends, Scenics, From the Past and New Discoveries. Quoting from the official rules:

From June 21 – September 21, visit any of The Trustees properties in the Charles River Valley and submit your best photos in six categories. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each category. A Best in Show winner will receive a grand prize. For more information, ask a ranger at a nearby Trustees reservation for the contest rules and entry form, or click here to download the entry form (pdf).

The Best in Show winner will receive a Trustees membership, plus a winter share of locally grown produce from Powisset Farm. Category winners will receive Trustees gear. Contest open to Trustees members and nonmembers.

Winning photographs will be selected in each of the categories below, plus a Best in Show winner will be chosen.Winning photographs will be displayed online at www.thetrustees.org and at the Rocky Woods Visitor Center in Medfield, September 27 and 28 before being displayed at the Medfield Library for the month of October and the Dover Public Library in November. The Best in Show winner will receive a Trustees membership and a winter share of produce at Powisset Farm. All category winners will receive prizes, while all contestants will share in the fun of exploring some of the most beautiful areas in the Charles River Valley.

For complete details on "getting your camera on" and entering this contest, please visit the official Trustees of Reservations rules page. Good luck!

MyTechOpinion.com Vlogging Contest

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:23:30 -0500

The folks over at MyTechOpinion.com has asked the RE.net to talk about what technology has had the biggest impact on their real estate business. They have poised the question in the form of a little contest over at their site and I would strongly encourage everyone to jump over there and see some of the really, really cool things that others are doing with technology in the real estate industry.

The video above is my little story of how technology has given me a little boost in my first year in the real estate business (first year selling real etate, I've been appraising real estate for the last 6+ years).

And I would be remiss if I didn't give mad props to my peeps at ActiveRain for being the first ones to officially encourage this kind of behavior from me. It was ActiveRain who sent me to NYC to hang with Seth Godin for the day. A day I will never forget. Thanks ActiveRain!

So please check out some of the tools and tricks our colleagues are incorporating into their real estate business, and above all TRY SOMETHING NEW! I had no idea how to make a video when I got my Mac in January of this year. Trial and (lots and lots and lots of) error, folks! Good luck and please share with me any cool gadgets, sites and tools you come across. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a sucker for this technology stuff....

It's All About the Net!

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:21:18 -0500

I have a soft spot for FSBO's. Before I was selling real estate, and I was simply appraising it, my wife and I sold our very first home all by ourselves in West Roxbury, MA. The buyer who ended up purchasing the home told us she had an agent representing her. But considering she found out about the open house from an ad in the Boston Globe, she came to the open house unaccompanied, and her "phantom" agent never so much as contacted us, we told her we were not willing to pay her "agent" a commission. She agreed. Bought the house and we saved $21,250 in commissions. See why I have a soft spot for FSBO's?

But once in awhile I come across a FSBO who just doesn't get it. Like this thread I commented on over at Trulia Voices earlier today. This seller in Cambridge was asking why there might not be much activity on his seemingly decent-sounding listing. A few of us chimed in with some ideas, and then along came "Kevin", a home seller in Needham. His advice for the Cambridge home seller was this:

Well, I did a little research, found out the specific home that "Kevin" so triumphantly listed and sold all by his lonesome and saved so much money on. I couldn't help but reply with my findings:

Like I said, I DO have a soft spot for FSBO's and I'm ALL ABOUT people saving money. What I don't have much tolerance for is stupidity and arrogance. This guy was proudly waving his FSBO flag, trying to show us all how smart he was, when in fact the market stats tell us that he would have most likely pocketed close to $7,000 more if he listed with a real estate professional. I know from personal experience that this isn't always the case, but isn't it ironic that the FSBO who most likely left a good chuck of change on the table is the first one to spout off? That's why I couldn't resist with my rebuttal.

So sellers, whether you're FSBOing or listing with an agent, remember this simple fact when selling your house.

It's all about the net.

A Week Without Twitter

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:42:55 -0500

Last night (this morning) at 1:44am I got an e-mail from the fine folks at Twitter, telling me that they had manually reset my password and I could now log back into my account. My last previous tweet was July 24th, just over one full week ago.

On July 24th my account was mysteriously deleted with no warning or advance notice. Just completely gone. After a few strategically directed tweets from fellow twitterers on my behalf the account was restored within a couple of days. All my followers were there, all my tweets were there, all my followings were there, just one small problem....

I could not login to my account. I forgot what e-mail I registered with (further evidence that I have too many e-mail addresses). Entered my user name (RealtorLefebvre) and Twitter told me it didn't recognize me. Ouch!

While I tried to get online help from Get Satisfaction, I continued to enter any and all e-mail addresses I might have registered with. Finally I got a message saying that instructions to reset my password had been sent to the e-mail address I entered! Ureka! I was in luck....

Unfortunately, during my Twitter outage I had also switched brokerages and the e-mail address I registered with was from my OLD brokerage, an e-mail account I no longer had access to!

Back to Get Satisfaction with details of my new dilema. That was yesterday afternoon. This morning I was back in Twitter business!

This issue probably could have been solved in less than a week if I had been more adamant about my pursuit for a solution. The truth of the matter is after the initial shock wore off that my account was deleted, and I saw it had been restored, I didn't worry too much about it. Occasionally I would see what some of my favorite followers were saying, but it honestly didn't matter much to me. I was too busy with other important things.

And that's the point. After a full week of no Twitter I looked back to try and gague what I had missed and the answer for me was not much! Nothing actually. For me, Twitter is a fun social networking tool and part of the overall reason I was recruited to my new brokerage, but speaking after a full Twitter-less week, I can honestly say that I don't feel I missed a beat.

A big "thank you" has to go out to @gregoryng, @paulocepek and @ericawallace who all tweeted on my behalf to try and help get a remedy to my situation. Hard to say what kind of direct effect they had (@ev <twitter founder> actually responded early to @gregoryng which was cool), but it's the thought that counts. Thanks! All good people. Quality tweets. Well worthy of a follow.

So today I am back on the wagon. I now know where my friends are grabbing coffee, I've been tipped off to a few great posts online and I've been ridiculed for the Sox trading Manny Ramirez (which was a GREAT trade, BTW!). But I also have specific confirmation of a fact that I've always held true. There is most certainly life without Twitter.

And truth be told, it's a pretty damn productive life without Twitter as well!

Are Agents Showing Your FSBO?

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:04:06 -0500

I was involved in an intereting thread over on Trulia Voices last week concerning FSBOs. I was the first to respond (at the bottom), but the discussion got very lively soon there after.

The basis of the thread turned out to be, "Do agents avoid showing their buyer clients FSBOs?"

Two very different opinions came out. One, from a colleague of mine Marla Mullen, co-founder of Territory Real Estate, an exclusive buyers agency offering rebates to their clients here in Boston. And the other from a couple of local agents who admitted they are less likely to show FSBOs offering a "low" commission.

My approach is show my buyers any home that matches the criteria they are looking for, regardless of the amount of money I will potentially make on the deal. Obviously, not everyone agrees with me on this one.

I also believe as technology pushes us forward. we'll see more home sellers trying to FSBO. It's not for everyone, but before I was in real estate sales (back when I was just an appraiser), my wife and I sold our West Roxbury home ourselves to a buyer with no agent. Couldn't have gone smoother and the $22,000 savings was HUGE to say the least.

This anti-FSBO sentiment that seems to run rampant through the RE industry is based purely on fear. As the industry becomes more transparent (with the help of companies like TerritoryRE) opportunities for web-savvy sellers up for the task to successfully FSBO will only increase.

So my approach has always been to be a resource for FSBOs rather than try and belittle, berate and scare them into listing with me.

Well, in this case it seems the scare tactics of a couple of commission-chasers did the trick. I was connecting with the sellers outside of Trulia and learned that they have decided to lower their price and list with a local agent next week. Keep in mind they had been getting lots of activity, just no offers.

In my opinion, based on looking at their listing on MLS and looking at the property with my appraiser hat on, the price reduction alone might have been enough to get the house sold. Going FSBO is definitely not for all home sellers. There is a lot of work involved. I know. I did it.

But I hate to think that based on some borderline unethical tactics and opinions of a couple greedy agents, that homeowners think that ALL agents avoid showing their clients FSBO properties.

I am most definitely in business to make money and take care of my family, but my first priority is to best serve my clients.

In this case we were talking about a difference in commission of about $1,800 (2.0% vs. 2.5%). Personally, I am not nearly willing to sacrifice my reputation and ethics over a couple thousand dollars.

So how about it fellow agents? Does a FSBO situation or a "slightly lower than typical" commission (in these parts a 2.5% co-broke is the norm) influence your decision on whether to show a buyer a property or not?

I'd love to know if I'm the "kooky" one, as one of the Trulia respondents on this thread so eloquently put it.

First Week at Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty in Hopkinton, MA

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:42:16 -0500

Mike's interview on Real Estate Radio USA (7/24/08)

Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty website

Today marked the end of my first week at Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty in Hopkinton, MA. It's been a fantastic experience being part of an already well-establish brand in the area and watching the exciting transformation and re-launching as a Sotheby's franchise.

Stay tuned for future developments as the company grows and continues to gain market share in the high-end segment of the Metrowest, MA market.

I feel extremely lucky to be part of this evolution of a brand. If it sounds like I'm simply being a "company man", my apologies because I am truly pumped-up to show up to work everyday and very optimistic about what the future holds!

Real Estate Recruiting in a 2.0 World

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:01:14 -0500

I recently got a promotion that started on Twitter.

Most of you who know me, know I am still fairly new on the sales side of the business (my background is in real estate appraisal). In fact, on June 4th, 2008 I wasn't even one full year into the business when an anonymous tweet came through.

I didn't follow this person, didn't even recognize her. Loved your video on ActiveRain! Opening a new office nearby. Want to chat? was her tweet...

She is a big ActiveRain fan. She found my winning video there. She hit up my profile and thankfully disregarded my absolutely pathetic excuse for "points".

My ActiveRain profile links to my LinkedIn profile, my AIM account and practically every single way humanly possible to reach me online! She read my blogs.

We communicated on and off for 12 days with out speaking a word "live" to each other. We were obviously both very comfortable and adept at these social media methods so through IM, twitter, text, etc...we learned a lot about each other. I Googled her and her broker/owner. She did the same to me (and STILL wanted me to come in to interview! Imagine that?) Her office had a "secret announcement" coming up that she was extremely excited about but couldn't tell me just yet.

Nearly two weeks later I was sitting with the owner/broker of the office discussing an opportunity that was being presented to me based on my pioneering, progressive, Web 2.0 ways. Keep in mind, as a rookie REALTOR struggling to survive his first year in the biz, I had no "Top Producer" status, no big book of business and no money coming in the door with me on Day 1.

My resume was online. It was my social media presence. My "impressive" connections to industry "heavy weights". It was the creativity shown in the property videos and websites I had created. It was a digital map of my past, present and in her mind, my future.

My local twitter pal Aaron Strout wrote an awesome post about a similar non-real estate experience he had recently in the hiring process.

If I was a broker, hiring a staff of agents, I would:

Google their name, alone, in quotes, with "real estate" on the end...try a bunch of combination.
Read their blog. Don't have one? Next! (that's just me...but if less than 5% of agents are actually blogging, there are certainly some success stories in the other 95%)
Check their LinkedIn page. Any recommendation on there?
Follow them on Twitter.
Set up a google alert for them and see how often they are showing up online.
Send them an e-mail that needs a response "ASAP"..see you quickly they respond. If not quickly, why?
Send them a text message seeking a passive reply. How quickly do they text back?

I'm not saying that social media is changing the way all HR departments operate and hiring processes run, but for certain types of industries, there is definitely a new twist in the recruiting game.

So if you are in one of those industries that might be effected by the evolution of social media (um...in case you were wondering, YES, real estate is one of them), get yourself out there. I was pretty impressed on a recent Google search I did for Mike Lefebvre Real Estate.

Just by getting my name out there, making some connections within my industry, engaging in the conversations going on and adding a healthy dose of shameless self-promotion, I was in a position someone with my limited production should not have been in.

I got the job. Started officially today. And I'm very optimistic about where this turn will take me.

At the end of the day, real estate is still going to be about the time you are spending face-to-face with qualified buyers and sellers. But if a little social networking/blogging ultimately gives me the opportunity for a promotion that will get me more face-to-face time with these qualified buyers and sellers, I'd be crazy not to, right?

Oh, I'm also meeting with a local couple I connected with on Trulia Voices later this week to discuss helping them buy their first home. Haven't spoken "live" yet, but we sure know a whole lot about each other.

If this is what Web 2.0 is delivering for REALTORS willing to put in the time, sign me up! PS- Connect with me here!

The Dutch Love Me! (or at least I think they do....)

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:27:44 -0500

News sweeping through Amsterdam, and all of the Netherlands for that matter, is that the famous American Realtor, Mike Lefebvre aka The "Uncommon Agent" is kicking butt and taking names! (not literal translation, but I like it).

Ran this post through the translator on my mac's dashboard and it only made mildly more sense. Any Dutch-speaking ActiveRain members please tell me if this is favorable or less-than-favorable?

Dutch Coverage of The Uncommon Agent

Change is good!

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:38:30 -0500

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I have just become affiliated with Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty in Hopkinton, MA. I struggled with the decision a bit early on, being still relatively new in the business (just over one year), but it was too hard for me to deny my gut feeling that this office is truly destined to do some great things!

And, I was recruited entirely online! Didn't speak live to anyone there for about a week. They are big AR fans, saw my award winning video, looked up my profile, started following me on Twitter, linked up on LinkedIn, began IMing over AIM and a week later I was sitting in the office discussing the opportunity. The ownership and management are incredibly forward thinking and believe as much as I do that the internet has changed the face of real estate brokerage for good!

So the next time someone asks me, "Have you actually made any money off Twitter?" I will reply with, "I just got a phenomenal promotion exclusviely off Twitter!"

Change is good! I can not express how excited I am to hit the ground running tomorrow with my new brokerage. Already lined up a couple potential leads just by stopping by the office this afternoon!

Being active on social network definitely DOES pay off. Just some times it's not exactly how you expect it to.

Stay tuned for more updates on my re-birth into the business!

Oh, By The Way...I Liberated Myself Today.

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:51:45 -0500

When I signed up with my broker just about one year ago, it was mandatory to enroll in Brian Bufinni’s “100 Days to Greatness” training. First day on the job, I was throwing down an extra $400-something in the hopes of obtaining “greatness” in 3 months or so.

Not wanting to cause trouble my first week on the job (saved that for the second week), I dutifully obliged. I attended all (OK, well most) of the sessions in the 14 week program. I followed the scripts (mostly). I did the role playing. I sent the cards (still do). Did the pop-bys. Worked the database (still do). I was a (pretty) good student (like a B/B+ student). I believe I took away what the real core of the program is. Stay in touch with people. Make yourself available. Be consistent. Be helpful.

Today I liberated myself from a part of the program I always had internal conflicts with. The 100 Days to Greatness starter kit includes a bunch of oval stickers with the program’s catch phrase on them. “Oh, By the Way…I’m Never Too Busy For Any of Your Referrals.” I never felt comfortable working that into my scripts, so I certainly never felt comfortable sticking it on the back of a handwritten personal note. Yet the pages of labels remained at my desk, taunting me with “Just drink the Kool-Aid, Mike. Put us on your notes. What have you got to lose?” It’s just not me. Never was. I would never say that to someone. Brian Bufinni actually trademarked the “Oh, By The Way…” portion of the phrase. The US Government would agree: It’s Brian’s, not mine!

So today I tossed all the labels. Gone. In the trash (see photo above). I supposed I could have passed them along to another agent in the office who actually uses them, but the act of throwing them away was extremely liberating for me. I feel I turned a page in my real estate career development.

I guess my main point isn’t an anti-Bufinni theme, but rather that I firmly believe “greatness” does not come in a box or arrive hand wrapped at your doorstep in 100 days. And it doesn’t have to cost you $400 bucks either. And here’s where I’m gonna get a little touchy-feely with ya….you’ve been warned.

Greatness is within all of us. It’s just buried a little deeper under a bunch of other crap for some, and bubbling over at the surface for others. Inspiration brings it out in us. The uninspired may never get the chance to see it in themselves, while others are lucky enough to tap into it like a fresh flowing keg of Guinness Stout (mmmm……come to think of it some of my most inspired moments have come after a few rounds of fresh Guinness).

There are countless coaching and training programs out there promising the elusive silver bullet for REALTORS. And based on the apparent success of a lot of these programs there’s definitely a market for it! New agents breaking into the business (and established agents looking to rejuvenate their careers) are obviously willing to listen to someone promising results that buck the trend of hard work and long hours.

I’m sure many agents have found success with the various programs, but for me, as a newer agent, I find enough FREE-OF-CHARGE inspiration in the real estate blogosphere to tap into the greatness inside. Whether it’s what Jeff Turner is doing with video and technology, what Jennifer Allan is doing with her sales approach, what Mary McKnight is doing with SEO and blogging or what Mark Eckenrode is doing with unique marketing techniques.

Some days, all I have to do is log-on and I can feel the “greatness” bubbling to the surface (or is that the Guinness, again?). For me, it’s a phenomenal time to be in this business. I feel the changes that technology is ushering us through will be looked back on as “revolutionary” in the not-too-distant future. Maybe I’m just new and not jaded yet, but I know sometimes I have to force myself to actually go to bed because I am so pumped up about a new approach that someone I’ve never met halfway across the world turned me on to.

For me, “greatness” is right out there in front of us. It’s in the pioneering approaches my colleagues across the globe are taking to redefine the rules of real estate. And thanks to the “connected village” the internet has created, I am lucky enough to be a part of it all.

(Damn, what happened to my East Coast cynicism today? I guess some days the pint glass REALLY IS half full! Barkeep! Another round….drinks for all my friends!)

How NOT to Sell a Home in Metrowest Massachusetts.

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:19:38 -0500

OK, so this is hardly the most original idea for a blog post (closer to the least original probably) and tons of people have done it better and earlier, but I just had to share this photo I came across while looking for properties for my buyers.

Our local MLS lets you post up to 30 photos per property. This listing has one photo. Uno. Singular. The one you see here. I guess of all the photos the agent had of this property, he felt this one summed it up perfectly. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what does this photo say? The agent has 15 listings. All of them with one photo. 13 of them as blurry as this one. He must have got a new camera for the last 2 listings, because they look awesome. Advances in technology! His current average days on market is 323 days. Hard to say for sure if there is a direct correlation, but it’s pretty much an accepted fact that listings with a higher quantity and quality of photos get viewed more online. I think he’s one of those “We Buy Houses For Cash” guys because each property lists him as an owner. A search for any property sold in the last 12 months with this agent’s name attached came back at “0″. Don’t get me wrong, I am a certified rookie and no “Top Producer” by any stretch of the imagination, but I can take a decent picture and know the benefit of posting 30 shots vs. 1 shot. If this investor is in the “we buy houses and keep ‘em” business, more power to him. But if he’s in the “we buy houses and re-sell them for a profit” business he would do well by investing in a better camera ($100) and a Property Marketing 101 class (FREE all over the RE blogosphere).

It’s hard to get the average consumer, like my clients, (not the real estate investor) excited about seeing a property like the one shown above.

Good For My Ego...

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:41:47 -0500

Today I have been humbled by the positive response I've gotten throughout the real estate blogosphere from a handful of well-respected colleagues who seem to appreciate the "uncommon" ways I'm trying to market myself as well as my properties.

I guess, as a newer agent, I benefit from never really learning the "old" ways to do things and just kind of pushing forward with what (more often than not) makes sense to me. I absolutely LOVE the fact that the internet has given us each the individual freedom to blaze our unique marketing trails and throw a lot of stuff against the cyber-wall in the hopes that something might stick. Imagine if I "ran an idea up the flagpole" with a bunch of billboards and shopping carts? Any futile hopes of a break-even ROI are slim to none!

The internet (or internets as some of my clients call it/them...seriously) blasts open the doors to an entirely new way of thinking about marketing real estate. Some of my ideas seem to catch a fire, others not so much, but the barrier to entry of cost is relatively non-existant for most of them! So what the heck? Try it! What have you got to lose (other than a few precious hours of your life fiddling with iMovie '06 because the new version makes separating the audio from the video damn near impossible...but I digress)?

It's a brave new real estate marketing world, and I often find it hard to sleep at night because I'm so amped up for what might be next! Coffee at 10pm could have something to do with it as well.

So, to all my RE.net friends below, "Checks are in the mail, boys!" : )

Original post from my favorite yankee fan (isn't that like jumbo shrimp?): Trulia Blog

Uber props from my Canadian brethren: Ubertor Real Estate Blog

From the "He said it, I didn't" category, Dustin "4Realz" Luther chimed in: 4Realz

And transplanted Red Sox fan, Mr. Blue Goose himself declares: Blog of Geese

Gentlemen, you guys have all been part of my RSS reader since I blindly jumped into this game just over one year ago today. I already had a ton of respect for each one of you. It just increased a little bit more today! Thanks. I am humbled, grateful and slightly swollen in the head.

Off to capture some more video...

Questions for Seth Godin from the ActiveRain Community

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:09:19 -0500

Today, I leave for NYC to spend a day with Seth Godin at his charity seminar tomorrow. Travel report to follow. If anyone has good questions they would like me to ask Seth regarding real estate, please send them to me at: mike@14sanford.com

Talk to you all soon!

Mike

ActiveRain, I thank you, and Seth Godin may never forgive you!

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:40:35 -0500

This was put together a lot quicker and a lot dirtier than the winning video, and leaves a bit to be desired in my opinion, but I wanted to get a "thank you" video message out to everyone who was involved in the contest. Whether you were a viewer, a commenter, a fellow video submitter, a judger, a picker, a grinner, a lover or a sinner...I want to express a sincere heartfelt thanks to all who participated. I feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world for the chance to spend a day with one of my business heroes, Seth Godin, in NYC. Thanks for encouraging my behavior and I will be sure to put together a video diary of my travels to New York. Enjoy the show!

PS- This video is about 2 minutes too long, and I apologize for that. But like TS Eliot said, "If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter." And my 15 minutes of fame is.... just.... about..... over......

Steak Out in Franklin, MA

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:02:14 -0500

30Jefferson.com

Mike Lefebvre (Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:40:29 -0500