arkansas: Renters can be so funny..... - 11/18/07 01:28 PM
Today an old friend of mine called and was looking for a rental property.  She has been renting a "darling" house, as she calls it, for about 4 or 5 months.  She, however, is unhappy with that house because she says she has rats.
She first had mice, so she said.  She complained to the landlord and he gave her some decon to put out to take care of the mice.  She said, "The mice ate the decon and it just made them grow bigger.  Now they are RATS!"
I asked her why she didn't just take matters into her own hands and have … (0 comments)

arkansas: The unofficial history of garages in the South. - 11/17/07 05:44 AM
We've been discussing garages and how the guys love them to the extent of having no room for cars almost.  The garage is filled with BIG BOY TOYS.  Because of these discussions I decided to put to pen my history of garages in Searcy AR and probably all over the South.
In the 50's and 60's when houses were being built you could tell the more-wealthy from the less-wealthy because of the carports.  A two-car carport usually denoted more influential citizens.  Driving through our planned subdivisions that started at that time, you'll see more single carports. The most expensive of all might … (3 comments)

arkansas: Raise bathroom vanities for easier use. - 11/12/07 04:44 AM
Standard height kitchen cabinets are comfortable for everyone.  It seems that the smallest or shortest child can reach them easily.  Or if they have trouble, they find a climbing tool.  Mine used to pull out a cabinet drawer and stand on it.
Why is it, then, that builders still build those little short vanities in the baths.  You go into a new house and the bathrooms have vanities that must have been the standard height when all people were shorter!  I do believe that folks have grown taller over the years.
The ideal height for bath vanities is the same as for kitchen … (3 comments)

arkansas: Read a good book to appreciate our freedom. - 11/11/07 08:15 AM
It's been a very quiet weekend with most of the deer hunters busy in the woods, the sports lovers gone to games and others planning for holiday months ahead.
Me?  I read a good book.  "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini is a novel that has been on the best seller list, endorsed by Oprah and others.  It is a book that will hold your interest as you dread what's going to happen next.  It is based on history and I've always liked historical novels. 
The best thing about this book, however, is that it made me feel thankful that we … (1 comments)

arkansas: We are sold on heat pumps in our climate. - 11/09/07 08:39 AM

We'd always had gas heat and electric air.  We'd even had gas heat and gas air!!  (That must be a thing of the past.) While building a new house, we definitely planned to have gas heat again.  We were contacted by this excellent power company individual who convinced us we needed a heat pump.  My husband was hard to convince.  He'd planned to have two cha units and close off half the house from time to time.
But this guy was a super salesman.  He said if we did what he planned for us he'd guarantee our heating and cooling bill would average … (3 comments)

arkansas: Blocked number phone calls? - 11/08/07 12:35 PM
In the last few days I've received calls from friendly people that I shouldn't have answered.  This afternoon I looked down and saw "blocked caller" but answered.  She was from Real Estate Advocates and started giving me a really good sales pitch.  She has a lot of personality and started asking to see if I would qualify to be in their program.
After a few more questions, I told her I'd like to ask her a few questions.  One was, "Are you trying to sell me a lead service?"  She side-stepped that one pretty well and said the first months were free, … (13 comments)

arkansas: A way NOT to make the house sell... - 11/08/07 02:54 AM
One of my favorite memories while in this business was brought to mind by my broker today.  He was talking about his first house.  He had just become a married man and his dad was a builder so he had dad construct his house.
It was in a new neighborhood, looked good from the street, and he decided to sell it.  I was the lucky one that he called to list his house.  He at that time had no inkling that he'd someday be a broker and own the RE/MAX office in Searcy.
I went into the house and was amazed at … (0 comments)

arkansas: No knobs or pulls on kitchen cabinets? - 11/07/07 11:07 AM
Is it just an Arkansas trend or is it nationwide......this thing about having no knobs or pulls on cabinetry in the kitchens and bathrooms?
It is a thing that I personally couldn't live with.  More and more builders are putting in kitchen and bath cabinetry and leaving off any way to open them easily.  I realize there are some cabinets that have an indention for fingers to open it easily.  But often there is nothing.  One has to just grab a-hold of the side and hope it opens!
In my opinion, which is not worth much, the pulls, knobs or handles are not … (9 comments)

arkansas: The next thing OUT is carpet? - 11/05/07 02:05 PM
I just blogged about wallpaper being so out of style.  Now I find myself worrying about carpet.  Yes, carpet.  All my clients go into the houses and say they love the hardwood floors! 
And the very newest "IN" thing in Arkansas (which probably means that in California it was "IN" about 5 years ago) is concrete floors.  It amazes me that people actually want to walk on cold concrete, scored a bit to give it a little tile-ish look.  The older clients will just frown and point out the inevitable cracks in the floors and think there is a foundation problem.  … (6 comments)

arkansas: Now we need a larger monitor... - 11/05/07 07:23 AM
It seems that no matter how hard we try, we just can't keep up with technology.  I've had several computers and never thought too much about the monitors.
I had a monitor that stuck out about 24" from the wall but it worked just fine as long as you could find a desk big enough to hold it.
I thought I'd really done it all when I traded that thing for a 17" flat screen monitor that required little space.  It didn't work any better, just took less space.
My daughter then gave me a 19" flat screen monitor.  I used it at … (11 comments)

arkansas: Old school house in Searcy AR. - 11/02/07 09:29 AM

Searcy Arkansas Public School.  I saw this old postcard and found it so interesting.  The school no longer exists but I believe the house beside it does.  Old pictures of our home towns are so interesting. 
(0 comments)

arkansas: Copper is a hot item in our area... - 10/31/07 03:20 PM
  
 
I had an REO out in the country with quite a bit of privacy.  When I found it the condition wasn't too bad but it had to be trashed out and the yard mowed.  I had the utilities turned on and sent the cleanup crew to clean it.
I sent the yard man to mow.  They each used the electricity and water.  When I went up on the next afternoon, I couldn't get the electricity to come on.  After checking the meter pole I found what you see in the photos above. The copper wiring had been cut, jerked out of … (19 comments)

arkansas: Great haunted house story in Quitman Arkansas - 10/28/07 04:56 AM
We all love a good scary story at Halloween.....or any time!!  In the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the state newspaper, they had a very good story about a tiny city near Searcy AR called Quitman.  It has a picture of the old Victorian style house in downtown Quitman.  Quitman is much older than I realized since it dates back to the Civil War.   This house dates back to 1890. 
The story is called "The Legend of Dog Boy" and tells about how this child named Gerald Floyd Bettis was a bad egg from birth and grew up to mistreat all the animals he collected … (3 comments)

arkansas: Expensive property but worth it..... - 10/25/07 09:37 AM
 
SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD! 
All cities have best-selling areas.  In our city of Searcy AR folks usually have preferences.  Some prefer manicured lawns, privacy fences and easy-access to everything.  They usually choose River Oaks, a lovely subdivision on the East side of town.  Others say, "I don't want a neighbor too close to me."  They want a large yard and don't mind driving 10 minutes to get home.  These buyers choose the West side of Searcy.
This particular property that I have for sale has 8 acres!  Right in the middle of that most-wanted area of Searcy! The house has about … (2 comments)

arkansas: Searcy looks good after being away for awhile. - 10/24/07 02:48 PM
Why is it that we always want to go on vacations?  Do new things?  Travel to foreign parts?
I guess it's our sense of curiosity.  It is also good for us to go places, see things, do different things, witness other cultures.  One of my fellow Realtors just got back from a tour of Italy.  She stayed gone for two weeks and is filled with awe after seeing the Colosseum in Rome and other sites of the ancient world.  My broker has gone right now to Mexico to build a house for some deserving family in that country.
Me?  I just took … (1 comments)

arkansas: Branson MO is a nice place to visit... - 10/23/07 12:50 PM
Everyone needs to take off for a short time and just be with friends and visit another town.  I have just returned from Branson Missouri after a two night stay there.  Branson appears to be the vacation mecca of the South if you don't want to gamble.  It has so many shows to choose from, all wholesome and family oriented.
Each time we visit we come back amazed at the number of hotels, apartments, theaters and shopping areas that have been put up.  This time we saw the Titanic sitting there at rest and waiting for visitors.  I also don't remember earlier seeing the … (3 comments)

arkansas: Tarantulas come along in the fall...a Halloween story. - 10/21/07 12:49 AM

Way back in the 80's when creative financing had to be done I ended up owning a house in order to sell a house!  That is not unusual but this particular house was not one that you'd want to own.  It was an old farm house type with high ceilings, wood floors, large double-hung windows, ramshackle doors and on the edge of town surrounded by big trees.
 
Sounds like a dream house....right?  Well according to the people who lived there it was not.  She was wanting a better house.  One of the reasons she wanted a better house was because of the … (2 comments)

arkansas: We need name tags on everyone! - 10/19/07 03:41 AM
Along with photos on our cards as Realtors, I have a pet peeve with the bankers, mortgage brokers, Wal-Mart employees, etc., when they have a first-name only name tag.  Well how many Jennifers are there?  How many Marys?  How many Jims?  How many Roberts?  And there must be several million Lisas.  I like seeing both names for memory purposes.
The banks in my area are really bad about running their smiling employees pictures with NO names.  I really want to know the names of all of them, first and last.  With one bank you have to know which Lisa you want because they … (1 comments)

arkansas: Pictures on cards vs. no picture? - 10/19/07 02:54 AM
Some controversy always exists on real estate cards and what you should have on them.  My habit has always been to throw away the cards with no photos because there's no way for me to remember that person without a picture.  (Having taught Art, I'm strictly a "one picture is worth a thousand words" person.
And, yes, time does fly and the pictures might be a bit dated but it is still a picture.  One agent said, "But I look so bad I don't want my picture on a card."  One of those dynamic speakers at convention just bellowed, "Well, do you … (10 comments)

arkansas: Opportunity time? Is that what you call it? - 10/17/07 01:06 PM
In our little town of Searcy AR brokers have told agents that they'd be given "opportunity time" which meant that the agent would be the one on "duty" when a customer either called or walked through the door of the office.  That lucky agent had the opportunity to turn the customer into a client....one who bought or sold something through the company.
In earlier days the agent sat up in the front lobby and actually greeted the customer as they came in or called in.  In these days of mega offices and agents, the receptionist is the one who greets the person first.  … (4 comments)

 
Barbara S. Duncan,  GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR (RE/MAX Advantage)

Barbara S. Duncan

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Searcy, AR

More about me…

RE/MAX Advantage

Address: 200 W Mulberry, Searcy, AR, 72143

Office: (501) 268-1115

Mobile: (501) 278-6817



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