arkansas: Reading the newspaper each morning is one of my greatest pleasures.
- 02/26/08 08:36 AM
This blog is because of Gary Woltal's blog about advertising and whether to do print advertising anymore or just stick with the internet. It made me do a little thinking. Thanks, Gary, for making me think. : )
I'm lost without my newspaper every morning and I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way. I stumble out of bed, make some coffee, feed the cat, get a little juice and some lemon for my coffee and then walk to the street to get my newspapers.The most important of all of the above is my newspapers. I get the state newspaper and the local newspaper. I think I … (8 comments)
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arkansas: The effectiveness of several signs on a property should not be overlooked.
- 02/25/08 11:22 AM
Two times at least I have taken listings after other agents had failed in marketing them. Two of those listings come to mind now.
One was a neat log cabin that was in a corner in a very desirable area of town. When I was called to list and they told me about the property I was surprised to find that it had a large amount of road frontage. I told them we needed to put up three signs, one in front of the house and two others on the land as it stretched along the road. These signs made it easy for … (20 comments)
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arkansas: I am sharing my tips on how to sell your home, personally written by me.
- 02/23/08 05:14 AM
I decided years ago that the people who list their homes need some tips on how to make it show to its best advantage. I could talk to them and tell them things but I felt something to put in their hands would be better. Therefore, I sat down and put down very specific things for them to do. It has worked many times. The sellers would go step by step through this list and their homes would absolutely glow. And they'd be so proud! I'm sharing this with my activerain friends.
Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO
http://www.barbarasduncan.com/
Barbara@barbarasduncan.com
TIPS ON SELLING YOUR … (12 comments)
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arkansas: What's a Jimmy Choo shoe and does it mean anything to you?
- 02/20/08 12:50 PM
I do like to read books and one of the last ones I read was "The Devil Wears Prada." It was so enjoyable that I decided to see the movie and it was terrible. Books are almost always better than movies. But in the book the fashion things that were lauded included Jimmy Choo shoes. I'd never heard of a Jimmy Choo shoe and didn't know whether it was some made-up name.
While getting off the blog circuit for a few minutes I was reading the latest issue of Newsweek, "The Editor's Desk." He was discussing Michelle Obama and her campaigning. A … (18 comments)
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arkansas: Searcy Arkansas welcomes our new Harp's Food Store!
- 02/19/08 07:39 AM
Wednesday, February 20th
Please help us welcome
Harp's Food Store
2525 West Beebe Capps
9:45 a.m.
The invitation just came in. We in Searcy Arkansas are to have our new Harp's Food Store grand opening and ribbon cutting tomorrow morning at 9:45. It seems as if it was just yesterday that they started building this lovely new building at 2525 West Beebe Capps Expressway.
In the beginning of my real estate career, the location of this store was just country. We had friends who lived beside this property and it was a long drive (so it seemed) to get to their house. If anyone had said then that this … (6 comments)
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arkansas: I met a dog named Jurisprudence and it was a pleasure.
- 02/18/08 01:33 AM
I was in downtown Searcy AR last week checking with the closing company about a closed property. Actually picking up my check! : ) As I was walking to my car I met one of our attorneys going to his office. He worked long and hard and has beautifully redone an old office building right downtown.
He asked me to come in and see his office and I was pleased to do so. As I was walking into one room this huge animal came running up to me, either to bite me or sniff me. It turned out to be a sniff. The … (11 comments)
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arkansas: Three acre lot in Searcy AR with mineral rights included.
- 02/17/08 01:32 PM
SOLD Searcy AR is loaded with new people in town. The folks are here because of Fayetteville Shale and the extraction of gas from the shale. We have never seen anything like the excitement of old-time residents who start getting royalties from land that has been in the family for many, many years and all the owner got to do was pay taxes on it. Now it is almost like a rent house.....collecting a little money!
We see sellers fight over 2 acres of mineral rights when selling a property! It's like a tug-of-war! Buyer insists on mineral rights; seller insists on … (0 comments)
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arkansas: Is your email ADDRESS on the front page of your web site? Check and see.
- 02/15/08 11:42 AM
Dick Betts visited Searcy AR today and taught a class on technology and how we'd better stay informed about all the new things. I felt guilty when he asked if we text message. Well, I haven't thought I needed that. That is wrong! According to Betts everyone born after 1986 texts all the time. He also said we have to get our email and the internet on our smart phones. Guilty again. I thought I was doing so well just to have my contacts on the phone and use it for the lockboxes.
The other thing he advocated was blogging. He did … (26 comments)
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arkansas: I went to a Dick Betts class today and got scolded by the teacher!
- 02/15/08 11:27 AM
What a day! I survived Valentine's Day dinner that was made harder by my husband's insistence on perfection. (See earlier blog) I was up washing tablecloths and doing house-hold chores and the phone rang. I saw Dick Betts photo on my phone and thought he was calling on one of my blogs! Instead he bellowed, "Where are you? We have a front-row seat for you at my classes TODAY and we can't start without you!"
Ohmygosh!!
"Dick, is this the day of your meeting in Searcy? I forgot all about it! And if you read my blog yesterday you'd know why!" … (10 comments)
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arkansas: Foreclosures seem to have become a large part of my business.
- 02/12/08 11:53 AM
As few as five years ago, we had almost no foreclosures in my area. If we had one sent to us to take care of it was a huge learning experience to figure out what to do. Last year I closed 19 foreclosures.
I had another one assigned to me today. Now I know the procedure. Drive to it, see if it is vacant, leave a door hanger sign with my card on it. If vacant, call the locksmith and change the locks. Put signs in the windows warning about trespassing and theft and vandalism. Call the utilities and get them on. … (4 comments)
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arkansas: The empty house that I showed had a person asleep in the closet.
- 02/11/08 11:07 AM
While attending our continuing education and ethics training over the weekend I met this agent from a nearby town. She reminded me of our past relationship. Her city does not use the same lockboxes that our city uses. Thus if she wants to show any of our houses, we have to arrange to get her in. I met her at a house that is on a busy street. It's a big old house that is probably 80 years old and it was empty.
I let her in and hung around a few minutes to lock it up again as soon as she finished … (63 comments)
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arkansas: Continuing education class was today....with break-outs...UGH
- 02/09/08 09:54 AM
My state of Arkansas requires 6 hours of continuing education each year. We are also required to have a class on ethics every 4 years so I "killed two birds with one stone" today and attended a class that was sponsored by one of our banks in town. The bank provided the food, the instructor, and door prizes!! I love them.
It seems that each time I go to an education class anymore the instructors do this "break into small groups, appoint a spokesperson, and report back what you think about this" type instructing. I hate that and wonder if you do … (27 comments)
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arkansas: When a new agent comes into the business, I lose customers and so do you.
- 02/08/08 12:12 PM
I was reading another post where the agent was bemoaning the fact that she'd lost another deal because of a new agent's being a friend to a cousin or some such. I tried to comfort her with the following words.
My observation has been that every time a new agent appears in our Board, I lose a few customers. The new agent has friends, relatives and relative's friends who will use them even if they are new and clueless in real estate. Don't sweat it. It's just one of the facts of real estate. But it is painful. I lost a long … (32 comments)
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arkansas: Those true stories about real estate deals? Small town appropriate?
- 02/08/08 11:49 AM
I was reading through several blogs over the past few weeks and really get into some of those stories that you relay to us on ActiveRain. They are first hand, interesting, and pretty specific. I, however, live in a small town of 20,000 where lots of us know lots of people!
If I tell you a first hand story and it is viewed by many people in this town, the readers would probably know exactly who I was talking about and what the transaction was. Being fairly new to this blogging business, I'm not sure how to have things read by members … (6 comments)
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arkansas: Tornado warning! What do you do to prepare?
- 02/06/08 06:11 AM
Awards luncheon for RE/MAX offices was in Rogers AR and a van load of us was driving the 3.5 hours back home during all sorts of tornado warnings, heavy rain, thunder, lightning!! We got calls from home saying that we were traveling in between two big storms and for us not to drive too fast or we'd overtake the one in front! The broker driver had a heavy foot so we had to keep warning him to slow down......
We got up today to the news and heard there were numerous tornados and several deaths in the state of Arkansas. But while we … (5 comments)
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arkansas: My husband warned me about the seat over the back tires in a van!
- 02/05/08 12:34 PM
My husband, the car dealer, told me that if I'm riding for hours in a van that I'd better grab a seat up front; he said the seat above the rear wheels will give you the roughest ride of your life. Well, he was right again. We had a group gather today for a combined 7 hour drive to Arkansas RE/MAX Awards Luncheon in Rogers AR. I got seated above the tires and each bump was terrible. My head almost hit the top of the van.
But the nicest agent gave me his seat up front. He never complained at all. At the … (5 comments)
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arkansas: Our new Harps Grocery in Searcy AR is almost finished.
- 02/04/08 11:53 AM
I am impressed each time I drive home and see the progress made on our new Harps Grocery in Searcy AR, our little town of about 20,000 people. Our appetites are whetted. What will they offer? Great deli? Fresh seafood? Produce that will rival Wal-Mart's?
If you have one in your town you might satisfy my curiosity and give me hints. There are gas pumps too. Will we get gas discounts because we buy groceries inside? I pulled over today and took two photos of the store. I'm posting them. Does it look the same as the one in your town?
… (23 comments)
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arkansas: How to annoy a caller right away.
- 02/02/08 06:47 AM
David Knox wrote an article in some magazine recently that I was looking through. Seems as if he titled it "How to annoy a caller right away." He was talking about offices and how folks in the office answer the phone. I agree completely that staff and agents should be very aware of their phone techniques.
But I also started thinking of how some agents annoy ME with their voice mails that I have to get so often when they are not available. I may call to get permission to show, to ask a question, to get a quick response for sure! … (37 comments)
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arkansas: Driving by our new Harp's grocery store on my way home.
- 01/30/08 11:36 AM
I drive past the construction of our newest grocery store each day on my way home. We had this lovely commercial corner that I can remember dated back to farm land not many years ago. It sold for big dollars to Harps Grocery, a name that I'd never heard of.
The construction has been so fast! Evidently they have built so many stores that the workers just repeat what they've learned at other construction sites. The store is looking lovely and reminds me of the fantastic grocery stores that I've visited in larger cities. It will also sell gasoline and the pumps … (9 comments)
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arkansas: What happens when gas & oil exploration comes to your town?
- 01/28/08 11:29 AM
In White County Arkansas we are in the midst of gas and oil exploration. Natural gas has been found in the Fayetteville shale that is found here. We have many many new people in town to help with the wells, the roads, the housing, etc.
We also have people who own their home with perhaps 2 acre or 8 acres wanting to keep their mineral rights if they sell the property. In all previous years, it was just not mentioned.....whatever mineral rights you owned went with the property. The ones who owned the mineral rights outside the land didn't even pay taxes … (1 comments)
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