Members: 113,050 - 2,743 Online Now
 



tours: Not pet friendly? Don't let that be known... - 10/16/07 07:07 PM
I grew up with outside animals.  They were wonderful.  Dog named Spot, cat named Kitty, and the animals were happy outside.  They never got sick, never needed a vet.  I guess you raise your kids the way you were raised. My kids were always mad at me because I didn't allow … (6 comments)

tours: Be careful what you say when showing a house. - 10/16/07 12:32 PM
We all have different tastes in houses and how we would decorate them.  Through the years I've learned not to express MY opinion too strongly about a house and how it appears.  I remember having this house that was in a pretty good area with a pretty good lot but a … (6 comments)

tours: From Treo to Treo to Treo..... - 10/15/07 09:31 PM
These smart phones are really smart and the folks who made them are possibly the smartest.  They make them start having problems just as the warranty runs out.  My first one was a Treo 600.  I loved that thing.  I loved having people admire it as we used it to get … (3 comments)

tours: I just love Google Earth and you will too.. - 10/15/07 04:38 PM
It has always been difficult to figure out where property begins and ends if it is a parcel in the country.  I used to order aerial view photos from the Arkansas Highway Department.  I'd pay about $40 for an enlargement of the area.  They were great in helping sell acreage.
Now we … (5 comments)

tours: I finally got noticed..... - 10/15/07 01:20 PM
As I wrestled with problems in my office, a fellow agent came by and said that he'd found and enjoyed my blog!!  WHAT!!  Someone from my office found it?   Read it?  Enjoyed it?   Well, not exactly.  He'd found it and commented on it but he'd not read all of it.
Not reading … (3 comments)

tours: This is a beginning... - 10/14/07 06:09 PM
I was reading someone's blog and they were distressed over some agent's low offer.  I am afraid that I feel the same way from time to time.  But I start remembering one of the smoothest agents that I've ever met and her starting line to a seller.  She'd coo, "This is … (9 comments)

tours: The market becomes slow from here until Christmas. - 10/14/07 05:19 PM
I don't know about your cities but in my area, one can feel a slowing of real estate at this time of the year. And once Thanksgiving gets here, it seems that everyone starts taking off for Christmas.  Showing houses at Christmas is not ideal because you can't see the house … (4 comments)

tours: Things have become easier in some ways... - 10/11/07 08:50 PM
While calling on two clients today and talking to them about listing, I thought thankfully about how easy it is to go to my computer and pull up the court house information sheet that is available.  We pool our funds to pay for the service and it's the best $5 per … (5 comments)

tours: I'm afraid I've been bribed by a seller... - 10/10/07 12:11 PM
Today is Wednesday, our day to go and tour the new listings.  My husband the car dealer once said, "You real estate agents and insurance agents have it made because you don't own the inventory and have to pay interest on the inventory."  Over the years I've realized how profound that … (11 comments)

tours: What is a slow day in real estate? - 10/06/07 08:45 PM
A slow day in real estate happens when most of the state meets for a football game and you stay home.  Most of the spammers must be watching football because even the email is almost devoid of viagra spam.  The cell phone does not ring.  Your home phone does not ring.  … (12 comments)

tours: Does a faster cable connection really make a difference? - 10/05/07 09:10 PM
Having cable internet connection turned out to be better than my experience with satellite internet.  The thing that bugged me the worst was going to see a streaming video and having it stop and start and stop and start so I asked the cable company if it would REALLY make a … (8 comments)

tours: Who can really represent a buyer well? - 10/04/07 09:16 PM
It is my belief that in order to represent a buyer, you need to know the area well enough to do a good job.  I have had experience where a person from a city 50 miles away comes in to a city they don't know in order to show houses that … (2 comments)

tours: Just what in a house is a room???? - 10/03/07 09:51 PM
I've been struggling with doing another bpo and keeping in mind that I am not a fee appraiser and am expected to do a good job for this REO listing.  And each time I get to the part that asks how many rooms the house has and I despair again.
What, pray … (9 comments)

tours: What do they teach in driving training these days? - 09/30/07 08:31 PM
I'm freshly home from a trip to South Carolina....well, I'm home but not fresh.  The traffic there and in my state of Arkansas makes me wonder what sort of training folks get before getting in control of a vehicle.  I was taught to look in the rear view mirror when passing … (4 comments)

tours: A fun rap tune from Searcy AR - 09/25/07 08:28 PM
 
I'm not a big fan of rap mainly because I can't understand so many of the words that they are saying.  But I'm a big fan of my hometown Searcy AR and my Alma Mater Harding University in Searcy.  There's a really fun rap tune on youtube that I saw today.  … (1 comments)

tours: How many of you are aware of USDA Rural Development houses.... - 09/24/07 07:23 PM
After responding to a blog about Habitat for Humanity I thought it might be a good idea to mention the USDA Rural Development Direct Loan to everyone.  I wrote the following. "Habitat for Humanity is no doubt a great idea and it does provide homes for many people.  But I worry … (2 comments)

tours: A couple of helpful tips learned at convention this week - 09/23/07 08:33 PM
What I learned at convention is impressive.  One of the questions presented to us by one of the speakers was "What percentage of shoppers will be shopping on the internet first in two years?"  In other words, before contacting a realtor, they'll be surfing first.  My guess was correct when I … (5 comments)

tours: How one may get started in the REO business. - 09/22/07 09:30 PM
Several questions have been asked about how to become an REO agent.  I looked back and came to the conclusion that I never solicited the business.  I happened to be on "phone duty" one day when a bond money REO came through.  They wanted me to check out a little house … (0 comments)

tours: Is there a market for used water heaters? - 09/12/07 10:04 PM
There must be a market for used water heaters and used central units.  I seem to be getting an REO a week and they have usually been occupied for a year or less and were owned by the sub-prime borrowers who had nothing to lose.
The one I went to today had … (5 comments)

tours: Attending the REO auction can be good for your career. - 09/11/07 08:08 PM
The consumer seems to thing that if he goes to the auction for a foreclosure at the court house, he may get a good deal.  This is hardly ever the case.
I attend them about once a month if I know something interesting is up for foreclosure. At these auctions there are … (2 comments)

tours: Take a different path to your destination. - 09/11/07 07:55 PM
 
We learned something very valuable back in the early 80's when we were fortunate enough to have a little broker training.  We got together and pretended we were making cold calls.  Imagine that!  Now we have to figure out if someone is on the do-not-call-list before we can call them at … (3 comments)

tours: The weekly caravan to tour listings in the 80's and now. - 09/10/07 07:58 PM
 
In the early 80's we signed up in our small town to get Multiple Listing Service and lockboxes.  The next thing that our California transplant gave us a hint about was touring listings.  He said, "Well, in California we all got together on Wednesday and had a caravan to preview all … (0 comments)

 
Real Estate Agent: Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR   (RE/MAX Advantage)
Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR
Searcy, AR
More about me…
RE/MAX Advantage

Office Phone: (501) 268-1115
Cell Phone: (501) 278-6817
Email Me





Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog
ATOM 1.0 Feed for this blog

Find AR real estate agents and Searcy real estate here on ActiveRain.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
© 2007 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved