Real estate blog entries tagged with arkansas by Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR (RE/MAX Advantage)

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arkansas: 1991 reports from Africa about snakes - 12/24/07 01:38 AM

It has been a long career and a satisfying one and an interesting one. During the lull for Christmas, I read old letters that I'd written to my kids. One is from 1991 when I was managing 5 houses for missionaries in Africa. They'd come home to visit about once a year and they were interesting to visit with. Here are two paragraphs from my letter.
The missionaries from Africa were back in my office today. They were telling abut their favorite true snake stories from Zambia involving them. She said she found a dead cobra under her favorite rocker that she'd … (5 comments)

arkansas: Never advertised tax benefit in Arkansas - 12/21/07 12:58 AM

My real estate career has been a long one but I must admit that I learned something about my county, city and state that I didn't know; and I didn't learn it until probably 5 or 6 years ago. We have a monthly meeting and invite a guest to speak. This particular meeting had a guest from the country tax assessor's office speaking.
She explained about how taxes were collected, etc. We all knew about our tax credit of $300 for your personal residence. What we didn't know was that at the age of 65 we could FREEZE our taxes on our … (4 comments)

arkansas: What is written into a contract takes precedence over printed items. - 12/20/07 01:11 PM

I know that all states are different with contracts but probably all law is basically the same. In Arkansas we have a 10 page contract for making an offer. One page is all about inspections. It tells how the buyer has the right to hire a home inspector or do the inspection himself and make sure he is happy with the condition of the property. This is to be done within 10 business days. The page is so complete that it should allow the most discriminating buyer to feel at ease with what he can do.
It amazes me then to get these contracts where … (0 comments)

arkansas: Making lemonade out of lemons....my broker. - 12/11/07 12:29 PM

We had a class today that was sponsored by our Board of Realtors. It was about our new state forms and how they were changing at the first of the year. It was a class that should have been attended by everyone, especially the brokers.
Our Board consisting of about 120 agents had about 40 people in attendance. Our office with about 35 touted full-time agents had 13 show up, sans broker.
After two hours of squirming and learning we were released with some new knowledge in our heads. When I got back to the office and attacked the broker about his not being … (14 comments)

arkansas: Spelling out in the contract that the seller pays closing costs. - 12/11/07 11:23 AM

Possibly if you were once a school teacher, you will remain a teacher all your life in some form or another.
My present teaching or preaching is regarding a contract where the buyer is asking the seller to pay for the buyer's closing expenses.
Invariably, the contract will state this. "Seller will pay up to $3500 of buyer's closing costs and prepaids." Let's analyze this sentence. It specifically says that the buyer is asking the seller to pay closing costs up to $3500 AND the prepaids.
Now I know that the selling agent meant for it to include the prepaids in the $3500! They'll say … (18 comments)

arkansas: How to write a good contract beginning with the names. - 12/11/07 11:12 AM

I do get frustrated from time to time because agents seem to overlook the very simple things about a contract. I nearly always get a contract that starts with the name or names.
One will say "Bob Smith" as the one offering to buy the property. The agent only had to ask Mr. Smith for his FULL name as it would be on a deed and he'd probably say Robert J Smith or something like that. How can an agent be so careless as to not care what the full name is. If the contract is accepted it then has to … (14 comments)

arkansas: Example of a listing that frustrates hard working agents - 12/09/07 12:27 PM

This particular listing is a nice house. It has high ceilings, is all brick, has wood windows, 2800 sq. ft. of living space, hardwood floors, several acres, double oven, Jennaire stove-top and lots of other great features.
But in our MLS there is one photo. We can put in 12 pictures. When the agent was filling in the features, he/she put "see remarks" in 9 places. These places were for exterior, heating and air, kitchen equipment, lot, other rooms, road surface, roof, stories and utilities. When "see remarks" is used it should be explained in the remarks section. On this listing the … (26 comments)

arkansas: TreoTricks also fixed other things wrong with my Treo 650. - 12/05/07 12:17 PM

A few days ago I reported that my old friend, the Treo 650, had been returned from TreoTricks in California who had repaired the speaker problem which seems common to the 650. It was gone for less than a week and it fired back up just fine. http://treotricks.blogspot.com/2006/01/treo-650-audio-jack-fix-part-1.html
After using it for a few days, I have discovered two other things that seem to have been corrected. One was that on my ekey links the wording was either gibberish or foreign and I couldn't find a way to fix that. None of my geek friends could do so either. I just lived … (2 comments)

arkansas: This time it's a strange email giving me my password.... - 12/04/07 11:17 AM

This is a new one for me. I'm used to getting spam, spam, and more spam. I'm used to getting bank notices, paypal notices, and other things which I quickly delete.
Today, however, is the first time I've received my password through email from a company that I one-time-only ordered from I know that if you click "I forgot my password" they'll email it to you. I've done it several times. But I did not go to Mrs. Field's and ask for my password! It came to me by email and it gave the computer number, I believe, that requested it. I … (10 comments)

arkansas: It is dues paying time again... - 12/04/07 05:28 AM

I've been writing checks for dues. I signed VISA for ABR dues for $104.50. I signed VISA for CRS dues for $155.00 for state and national dues. I wrote the Chamber of Commerce dues for $175 and another $250 for a group that solicits businesses to our area, and another $125 for a link from their web site to mine. Thank goodness for e-PRO and GRI who don't require dues. It's also time to renew local, state and national dues for NAR. And we can't forget ARPAC contributions.
We should be diligent in our Boards and watch to see who advertises these designations without … (21 comments)

arkansas: My old Treo 650 is back from California - 12/03/07 11:58 AM

My Palm Treo 650 which gets me into lockboxes, keeps up with my client database, phone numbers, etc. and would let me do email and everything else if I preferred "broke down". The speaker didn't work when someone called me. They could hear me but I couldn't hear them. After "googling" the problem it sounded like a common thing with 650's.
I bought myself a 680 and never liked it as much as my 650. There is a link on the internet http://treotricks.blogspot.com/2006/01/treo-650-audio-jack-fix-part-1.html that shows how to fix the phone if you are clever enough to be able to do it. … (8 comments)

arkansas: Need help with drawing lines on Google Earth - 12/02/07 12:39 PM

I love Google Earth but have spent the last few hours trying to figure out the easy way to draw lines around an odd shaped 20 acre parcel of land. My lines wiggle and wobble.
So if any of you tech experts can give me a simple explanation, I'd appreciate it. I also have trouble keeping that line panel off the property view that I want to draw on. There is SO much that we could do with Google Earth if we just learn how.
… (10 comments)

arkansas: Folk art from Arkansas - 12/02/07 01:59 AM

Every time I drive by this place in our area I'm fascinated by the chickens and other animals that are created, I assume, on the premises. I decided that you out there in Active Rain might like to see them too.
These sculptures seem to have one weakness and that is the small feet. They usually have a concrete block placed on the feet to keep them from blowing over in the wind. But the colors of the used metal that they are made from are very appealing.
… (7 comments)

arkansas: The plumber found nothing to winterize at this REO - 11/30/07 12:28 PM

It's time to winterize in the South so I sent the plumber to one of our REO's and warned him that it probably wouldn't be a difficult job because the house had no water heater. (He'd already finished a NICE REO that had the water heater above the garage so he said it was a good thing I winterized that one.)
He called back with frustration in his voice asking, "Barbara, how much would they PAY someone to take this house off their hands?" I replied that I told him it wouldn't be lovely. He said, "There's nothing here to winterize. They … (9 comments)

arkansas: How Google Earth can be your best friend - 11/29/07 07:17 AM

I have a listing with 3 acres. It has always been so hard to pinpoint corners and see what the overall view is like. With Google Earth on your computer you type in the address and you are zoomed right into the area. You can tell where the trees are, what is pasture, and the location of the buildings on the property.
I used to spend lots of money ordering aerial view photos from the Highway Department. I'd sometimes spend $40 for an enlargement of an area.
The property at the left is an aerial view of a house, a shop, a barn … (21 comments)

arkansas: Not keeping appointments on showings - 11/29/07 06:10 AM

Too often one of our listed clients will call and say that the agent who made an appointment to show the house didn't show up. I always tell my listed clients to turn every light in the house on, open the blinds, leave and the person showing should turn off the lights.
I've had it happen to me. You drive up to the front of the house and the potential buyer says, "Oh, no, I don't want to see that house." My preference for handling this situation is to leave the buyer in the car with the explanation that we made an appointment … (9 comments)

arkansas: Lots of gas exploration going on here....how to handle it? - 11/27/07 01:07 PM

Searcy Arkansas has always been a very quiet town with several industries and a very progressive outlook. We have been discovered by the gas and oil companies. We have what is called Fayetteville shale and companies are coming in droves to lease or buy our mineral rights, drill on our lands, and provide lots of new jobs in the town.
Two years ago, if we sold land it was understood that any mineral rights that were owned by the seller went with the land. It was in the fine print of the contract and still is. No one gave mineral rights a … (1 comments)

arkansas: Searcy AR is the home of Harding University - 11/26/07 05:49 AM

Searcy AR is a small town of about 20,000 people and is home to Harding University, a Church of Christ school with over 6000 students. Approximately 49 states and 53 foreign countries are represented at Harding.
Within the past 5 years or so, Harding has been on a building program that has made several streets in Searcy look wonderful. I especially like the new entry that was put up on our main drag, Race Street. I have tried to take a picture of it. Some of you picture experts will think it is poor quality and so do I. My photo doesn't … (0 comments)

arkansas: Happy Thanksgiving to all with special emphasis this year... - 11/22/07 09:19 AM

Today is the day to stuff yourself with turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, green bean casserole, hot rolls, etc. I have been there and done that. I even cooked the turkey and dressing and giblet gravy and I really don't like that highly advertised green bean/onion ring casserole.
But for some reason this year, I feel much more thankful for our wonderful country, our wonderful freedom to do things as we want to do them without fear of government. Reading one or two books on how life can be in countries without freedom, especially for women, is enough to make me more thankful. … (5 comments)

arkansas: If I didn't wave at you today would you hold it against me? - 11/20/07 04:58 AM

Sitting at the bank yesterday in the little drive-through lanes, I was looking at the SUV beside me. I thought the vehicle looked familiar and that I might know the person in it. But to save me, I couldn't see who it was. The windows were so dark I couldn't tell who the driver was. I couldn't even see if the person in it was waving at me!!
This is so common that I told some new people in town to whom I was showing property that it is safer in the South to stick up your fingers and wave to people … (4 comments)

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