Ain't Misbehavin'? How Your Behavior May Affect Your Loan Approval. - 06/27/08 01:14 PM
The announcements earlier this week of the lawsuits against Countrywide, the nations largest lender overshadowed another important legal action pending against credit card issuer CompuCredit by the Federal Trade Commission in Atlanta earlier in the month.
According to the latest Business Week article by Jessica Silver-Greenberg..'Your Lifestyle May Hurt Your Credit.'  As Greenberg notes, most borrowers understand that timely payments on their balances are important to maintaining access to credit.  But many are unaware that this is NOT the only criteria which may be reviewed to assess their credit worthiness.
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! What if the following happened to … (16 comments)

Eco~Stewardship of the Online World... - 06/27/08 12:18 PM
Twitter is over capacity.Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again.

It's become an all too familiar bane of popular sites like Twitter.  Messages about the sites being overwhelmed by too many hits from their users which are causing them to malfunction.  Active Rain also struggled recently to resolve technical issues which made the site load with frustrating slowness or...not at all.
Will there come a time where WHAT we post will be restricted?  Is the Internet an unlimited portal or will we discover that there ARE limitations...and that we all have to exercise responsible restraint in our … (12 comments)

8 Great Ways to Reinvent the Old Pre-View Home Tour! - 06/24/08 12:10 AM
Late last week, I posted a blog post about how one might re-imagine the Home Pre-View tour that has been a Tuesday Morning Tradition for agents across the Grand Rapids area for decades. I admitted that it had been over a decade since I had been on a Broker New Listing Pre-View Tour as this activity fell into disuse for a number of reasons...notably, more Independent agents working out of their homes, Virtual tours and the price of gas.
              
Since we have new agents in our office, they wanted to have this experience, so we arranged to tour some of our home … (47 comments)

Imagine... - 06/19/08 08:23 PM
It's been over a decade since I've participated in a real estate caravan. How about you?
                  
So, a recent post I read 'Caravan... going, going, gone', by Margo Currie about some of her misgivings about the demise of this real estate weekly activity peaked my interest.  Many companies have stopped mandating the practise of going to pre-view new home listings.
Designated agency probably contributed to this trend by changing the fiduciary relationship that individual real estate agents had with clients whom they were not directly representing.  There have been a number of other factors which have made this option less attractive … (16 comments)

RE-Visiting...'This is Awesome...Just Not in My Backyard.' - 06/19/08 06:43 PM
Over the past couple of weeks, we've all watched with deepening horror, the spectacle of what water can do when its' power is unleashed without restraint.  It's been difficult to see communities being submerged underneath massive amounts of water.
Recently, I spoke with a dear friend who lives in Iowa just to see how they are doing.  Fortunately, they are not in a severely flooded community although they have had to deal with over 3 inches of water in portions of their basement.  They consider themselves fortunate.
Our conversation reminded me of a blog post I wrote a year ago.  While … (11 comments)

Forgiveness is not human...it's Divine - 06/18/08 11:24 AM
This video arrested my attention today. The courage of the people of Rawanda continues to inspire the world. The image of the acid eating through the container is one which is unforgettable. It puts the work of forgiveness into an entirely different light. We forgive for ourselves as much as for the sake of others. … (12 comments)

How To Avoid Costly Blogging Adventures... - 06/16/08 10:40 PM
Earlier this year, the State of Michigan approved 2 Blogging courses for Real Estate Professionals.  One of the courses, Blogging Basics for Real Estate Professionals, (K1062) could not have been more timely.  My newsfeed just came across the most recent article from Inman News by Glen Roberts entitled 'The Long Arm of the Law Reaches Bloggers.'
According to Roberts, millions of dollars have been awarded to plantiffs who have filed cases against bloggers; one of the most famous being the lawsuit against this Miami agent.
It's not just about defamation and slander or even copyright infringement.  An issue which many real … (37 comments)

Blogger's Choice Spotlight ~ June Edition - 06/14/08 11:08 PM
 
Hosting the Blogger's Choice Spotlight was a task that I found myself enjoying much more than I thought I would.  You see, it has been a very busy week...which in real estate is a great thing.  As a result, simply keeping up with my own blog was a challenge.  But an interesting thing happened as I started reading through the posts for selection.  When you read good stuff...blog reading can be refreshing and fun!
That was certainly my experience as I read many of your posts this week.  I Thank the members of Blogger's Choice for your contributions and dedication … (24 comments)

RE-Framing...This Thing Called Motherhood - 06/13/08 09:13 AM
Many of you are aware that I am a writer for the Mothers Fighting for Others Blog; a charity dedicated to helping women and children in need across the world.  I've admired Rocky Turner's dedication and commitment to this cause & recently had the privilege of joining the Board of her organization.  This post shares my thoughts on the state of 'mothering' in our world.  Click on the link to finish reading & visit Rocky's site.  We're doing some really inspiring things!
*Originally posts June 4, 2008
It feels a little ‘unstylish' for lack of a better word to be writing about motherhood … (6 comments)

5 Reasons Why your Grand Rapids, Mi Home Did Not Sell Today! (Part 1) - 06/11/08 10:12 PM
 
Over the past couple of months over 2,000 homes have Sold in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.  If you're reading this post and you have NOT sold your home, you may be wondering WHY your home was not on the list. 
While it's easy to blame the market or popular to blame your real estate agent, this doesn't change the fact that thus far your efforts to sell have been unsuccesful.
So, let's explore some reasons WHY your home may not have sold by exploring the answers to the following questions.  
Did You Price Your Home for the Current Market?
… (6 comments)

Tempest in a Teapot...How Stormy Market Conditions Are Creating Positive Change! - 06/10/08 02:34 PM
Summer weather roared in with blazing high temperatures and strong storms here in Grand Rapids, Michigan!  It's been a little while since I've been able to look out my window at a clear blue sky and gently swaying trees.  In some ways the recent rush of climatic activity is a metaphor for the real estate situation here in West Michigan.
2008 has been a year in which we have seen some stormy conditions.  The year commenced with the down draft in the mortgage sector due to the sub-prime lending crisis.  In fact, until just recently, most of West Michigan was considered a declining market … (21 comments)

Simplicity... - 06/05/08 10:01 PM

 
Sometimes the profound emerges from the most unlikely places in ordinary life.  Like a phrase distilled from the shroud of a mist...Simplicity is what happens when the details are stripped down to their bare essence.
The photo of the wedding scene above is taken at the Cobblestone Manor.  The lawn has been set with lawn chairs.  The entire stage has one simple purpose...the uniting of the bride and groom.  The gatherings purpose to witness the love they share. 
It's Memorial Day weekend, a time for remembrance and the creation of romantic memories.  Simplicity distilled to it's core...unfettered and free.
 

The … (15 comments)

What I Know To Be True... - 06/03/08 04:51 PM
It's almost 3 years since Audu Real Estate set out an independent shingle.  As I was going through an old notebook, I came upon a letter which I had written to people in my circle of friends celebrating the one year company anniversary that had just been completed a few months earlier. 
As I re-read this letter, which I had all but forgotten, I was struck by some of the thoughts that I shared.  In addition to giving a brief update on the business and my family, here's an excerpt which I wrote about "What I Know to Be True..."
                       
… (25 comments)

A Tale of Two Ladies, Two Homes & A Closing... - 06/03/08 01:02 PM
One never knows how a transaction will turn out.  Nor are we ever fully cognizant of the manner in which our lives and experiences will intersect. What happened this past week is a testimony to the mysterious workings of life that have a way of binding us together.
A couple of years ago, Ed Vogt, a real estate agent with Audu Real Estate started working with a new home buyer.  The process would be intermittent, interrupted by life from time to time, but Faye the home buyer and Ed continued forward with dodged determination and goodwill. 
As the Broker, I was not intimately … (20 comments)

 
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Lola Audu~Real Estate Broker/Owner Grand Rapids, Michigan Real Estate

Grand Rapids, MI

More about me…

Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate

Address: 3659 Alpine NW, Suite 102, Grand Rapids, MI, 49321

Office Phone: (616) 791-0511

Email Me

Grand Rapids, Michigan real estate information including houses for sale, rent and home buyer/seller tips. Also includes wisdom and insights from Lola Audu, CRS Associate Broker.

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