Meet Sophia...Such a Hot Cat - 01/31/12 12:18 AM
It was a cold and rainy day but when I arrived at the baby shower, Sophia was laying in front of the fire.

I reminded me of a water color when they paint the cat curled up in front of a blazing fire. She laid there for at least an hour and didn’t care that the house was full of people making noise. Everyone stopped to pet her and had to step over her since she never moved. She is such a funny girl!

I used to do open houses for the owner and we are old friends. … (26 comments)

YOU'VE GOT MY PINTEREST - 01/30/12 12:54 AM

 
 
 
I have to be honest, I had never heard of PINTEREST but thought I would click on Paula's link and check it out. Very interesting site full of pictures, ideas, things to share. I think this is a great place for all of us ActiveRain members to check out for yourself. Thanks Paula for the tip!
 
        Via Paula McDonald, The Woodlands, TX ~ 936-203-0279 (Chevaux Group, PLLC):
YOU'VE GOT MY PINTEREST!
If you haven't found the time to discover "Pinterest" then you are missing out.  This is a great site that helps … (20 comments)

ALERT: Short Sale Fraud Alert Nationwide - 01/29/12 01:42 PM
I attended a webinar this week about Short Sale Fraud. As a real estate agent, I thought I knew all I needed to know on this subject but I was amazed. Here are some of the highlights.

 
Homeowners find themselves in a bad situation as their house is under-water and they need to sell. These homeowners need help from Real Estate agents but not fraudsters. If you as a Realtor are even involved in a fraud transaction, you are putting your license at risk.
 
Short Sale Flipping- As the listing agent, not disclosing to the bank that there … (50 comments)

Success in the January Rain! - 01/28/12 02:22 AM
I just found out about this success story contest by Kerrie. If you post your story, you will earn 500 points and that cannot be much easier.
We all learn from each other and the success stories already posted are great. I have been reading them for the past hour. Take a few minutes to read them and then post your success story.
Work hard and success will follow you!

Via Kerrie Greenhalgh (ActiveRain, Community Builder):
There are days when our inboxes seem to never empty, the phone won't stop buzzing, deadlines are on the horizon and you don't even … (6 comments)

Good Grooming is so Important - 01/28/12 01:29 AM
Going to the Beauty Shop is Exhausting.
Monday, it was cool and cloudy so I put on Gidget’s hoody and she went outside to play. When I took off her hoody later, I realized how unkept and ungroomed she looked.

So I made an appointment and took her to the groomers. She likes to go to Coventry Pet Grooming & Boarding on 412 Tennessee Street, Redlands CA. She has the same groomer everytime she goes there. Her groomers name is Julie. Thanks Julie!

♪♪♪♪♪  ♪♪♪♪♪♪  ♪♪♪♪♪♪  zzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s  ♪♪♪♪♪♪

Just a little tired here….a big yawn and nighty-night. Good … (12 comments)

3 Tips to Stay On Track or Get Back on Track. - 01/27/12 05:45 PM
It is already January 26, 2012. Are you on track yet for this year? Here are my 3 tips to help get you on track.
 
1.    LISTS-Make lists of tasks needed to be done. I am a big list maker. I love 3X3 Post-its as they give me little lists to add to my calendar book.
Then I cross off the items I have completed. This gives me a sense of satisfaction. Now, if I do not complete everything on my list for today, my list for tomorrow will add the items I did not do today. I also … (10 comments)

Get Off My Alligator - 01/26/12 01:15 AM
Get Off My Alligator
 
I did a post a couple of months ago about my little Chihuahua, Tootie, getting on the alligator and just standing there for long periods of time. Here is a picture of her on the Alligator.

But now, Gidget, my little wired hair terrier is getting on the alligator and upsetting Tootie.

Sorry Tootie, But I am now Queen of the Alligator!

This is my Alligator!

Now Tootie is very sad! She squints her eyes when she is mad.
**********************************************************************************
 Call Kristin Hamilton at 909-557-6966 to list your home.
Inland Empire … (18 comments)

Invite Others to our Community....Meet Felix - 01/26/12 12:16 AM
Invitation sent to become a Member of ActiveRain. I sent Felix an invitation a few days after he had signed up in January 2012. What a coincidence! I thought Felix would be a great asset to ActiveRain and that it could improve his business, learn some new ideas and have a lot of fun meeting others. Felix is a great Title Rep., a hard working professional, meets and greets with all the real estate agents/ brokers in the area and is just a really nice guy. I took most of this info off his profile below:
Office Address: 1998 Orange Tree … (4 comments)

SEO.... 3 Little Words That Are So Important to Driving Traffic To Your Web - 01/25/12 12:39 AM

 
 
I went to a technology class yesterday and the instructor gave us lots of great ideas. The one thing that really caught my attention was “Google Ad Words.” Google’s site is free so I decided to try it out.
Type in any word, phrase, or website name, and Google creates a list of keywords with how often they're searched, their competition and more. This tool has many uses, but is designed to assist in choosing bidding words and bidding amounts for Google AdSense. The instructor told us to pick words or phrases that are LOW or MED but … (18 comments)

Meet 2 of My Favorite ActiveRain Bloggers - 01/24/12 12:30 AM
This month I am doing the 2012 January Blogging Challenge. One of the nine areas we have to blog about is “invitations” and then we feature them after they accept. Unfortunately I have invited quite a few people but no one has accepted yet. So our option is to write about one of our favorite bloggers. I have many so it was hard to narrow it down to one. I have to do 2 separate blogs so I am honoring 2 of my favorite ActiveRain members tonight…Part 1. Please go to their blog and check them out for yourselves. I think you … (22 comments)

Welcome A New ActiveRain Member..She is a New Years Day Recruit. - 01/23/12 02:26 AM
I would like to introduce Jennifer Frost, a new ActiveRain member since January 1, 2012. She has been in Real Estate since 1985.
New Member Contact Information:
Email:      Contact Jennifer Frost (Prudential Verani Realty)
Address:  One Verani Way, Londonderry, NH, 03053
Web:        www.itsyourmove.us
Phone:     603-320-5020
 
Jennifer’s Blog “It’s Your Move” is already up and running. I read a very well written post on her blog entitled  The Seller's Survival Kit. Please stop by and read her blog as it was very interesting and she had some very good ideas.
Everyone should welcome Jennifer Frost and make her feel … (14 comments)

Highland Real Estate Market Reports 4th Quarter 2011 - 01/22/12 06:45 PM
Highland Real Estate Market Report 4th Quarter 2011

 
 
 
Please let me introduce myself for anyone who does not know me. I, Kristin Hamilton, experienced and local Realtor® who is also involved in community programs to better this area. I sit on the board of several organizations and I work 24X7 for my real estate clients. My office, Keller Williams Realty is located in Redlands, CA. Call me at 909-557-6966 to list your home!
 
I have prepared a chart showing 3 Categories: Active Listings, Pending Listings, and Sold Listings in the city of Highland, CA from July … (6 comments)

Redlands Real Estate Market Report 4th Quarter 2011 - 01/22/12 06:35 PM
Redlands Real Estate Market Report 4th Quarter 2011

 
 
 
Please let me introduce myself for anyone who does not know me. I, Kristin Hamilton, experienced and local Realtor® who is also involved in community programs to better this area. I sit on the board of several organizations and I work 24X7 for my real estate clients. My office, Keller Williams Realty is located in Redlands, CA. Call me at 909-557-6966 to list your home!
 
I have prepared a chart showing 3 Categories: Active Listings, Pending Listings, and Sold Listings in the city of Redlands, CA from July … (2 comments)

Loma Linda Real Estate Market Report 4th Quarter 2011 - 01/22/12 06:24 PM
Loma Linda Real Estate Market Report 4th Quarter 2011

 
 
Please let me introduce myself for anyone who does not know me. I, Kristin Hamilton, experienced and local Realtor® who is also involved in community programs to better this area. I sit on the board of several organizations and I work 24X7 for my real estate clients. My office, Keller Williams Realty is located in Redlands, CA. Call me at 909-557-6966 to list your home!
 
I have prepared a chart showing 3 Categories: Active Listings, Pending Listings, and Sold Listings in the city of Loma Linda, CA from July … (0 comments)

Good Search Engine Optimization (SEO)….Sign Up for Google+ - 01/22/12 10:29 AM
Good Search Engine Optimization (SEO)….Sign Up for Google+.
Yesterday, January 21, 2012, Google opened its website to all who want to sign up according to the Huffington Post. You do not have to have an invitation as you did for the past 6 months.
 
Google announced that it is launching nine new features, including open signups. Go to the Official Goggle Blog site for details.
 
Sign up for Google Plus, the newest social media site that is in competition with Facebook. This is an important area for you to generate some Google juice back to your email … (6 comments)

The Ants Have Invaded….No More PICNIK. - 01/21/12 12:47 PM
The Ants Have Invaded….No More PICNIK.
Today, while writing my 2012 Jan Blog Challenge and uploading photos into the free site PICNIK, I saw the new message posted.

I am going to show how easy it is to edit. Here is the picture.

 
Cropping it and enhancing the color and clarity.

I am loading a picture into the site.

Framing and adding text. I love this reflection image frame and it is now a free feature until site closes.

Here is the finished photograph ready to be inserted into my blog.

 
This site is … (20 comments)

Angry Birds or Just Hungry Birds - 01/21/12 12:47 AM
Angry Birds or Just Hungry Birds
T OnEaE Early on this cold morning, I got up and filled the bird feeders. Lately, the birds have been hanging around all day until the food is gone. It had just been about two hours and I heard a lot of squawking in the backyard.

Was I ever surprised as both feeders were empty!

They were buzzing the patio.

The crows were even mad at me.

This bird was up in the tree squawking at the top of his lungs.

Don't get behind on your job. Stay … (14 comments)

Singing Legend Etta James is Singing with the Angels - 01/20/12 08:14 PM
♪♪Singing Legend Etta James is Singing with the Angels♪♪Ett
Etta James, 73 years old, passed away today at Riverside Community Hospital, Riverside, CA. She died from complications from leukemia with her husband and sons by her side.
Etta had a rough childhood but  but got her first Grammy at 15 years old. She has had 5 Grammy’s, has a star on “Hollywood Walk of Fame” and in 1993 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
 

 
 
 
Here Etta is in 2009, performing at the New Orleans Jazz  Fesitival. Etta James, known for hits as "The … (2 comments)

The Weltanschauung Theory of Homeownership…The American Dream - 01/20/12 02:54 PM
The Weltanschauung Theory of Homeownership…The American Dream

As a Realtor, I sell real estate to all people who contact me. That could be a homeowner who wants to sell their home, a buyer looking for a place to live, or a buyer who is looking for investment property or many other scenarios. Our job as real estate agents is to help all types of buyers and sellers. I strive to do my job professionally and make my clients happy.
I really like to help buyers find a home to purchase. Whether it is their first home or not, it is … (8 comments)

ActiveRain University Webinar - Farming with Facebook - 01/19/12 12:04 AM

ActiveRain University Webinar - Farming with Facebook
I believe in the ABC’s of farming to get known and build up a farm. There are many types of farming: Door Hangers, Door Knocking, Newsletters, Freebies, Postcards, Letters, Note Cards…….and now there is farming on FACEBOOK.
 
Yes, I know that sounds funny but it is true. You never have to leave your office to generate leads. What you need is the buyers or sellers email address right? So if I told you there is a way to pay for leads vs. throwing money away on bus stops, magazine and newspaper … (8 comments)

Meet My Assistant Tootie - 01/18/12 05:33 PM
“Meet My Assistant Tootie”
It is a new year and I have a new assistant that I would like to introduce to you. She just sits around smiling at me.

She drinks my coffee all the time. 

She does not seem to be doing much work so I think I am going to have let her go.
Isn't my Tootie darling?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Call Kristin Hamilton at 909-557-6966 to list your home.
 
Inland Empire Homeowners, please call me for a Comprehensive Market Analysis to assist you with marketing your home for sale and getting the best price possible. Buyers, … (22 comments)

? Does Your Blog Have Curb Appeal? - 01/18/12 12:58 AM
? Does Your Blog Have Curb Appeal?
How do I pick a theme for my daily blog? I have 5 main categories.
1.    Market Reports: New Listings, Solds (reo, short sales, conv.).
2.    Listings: New and Reduced Price.
3.    Real Estate Subjects: short sales, homebuyers, homeowners.
4.    Localism Posts: Events, Businesses, Landmarks, New Businesses.
5.    Photo-blogging- Taking pictures and posting with short stories or inspirational verses.

 
Market Reports- I have been doing Market reports for 3 cities in my county for about 1 year. I recently learned how to do charts on Excel. I searched the AR site and … (14 comments)

Choosing Interesting Themes on the Rain - 01/17/12 10:50 AM
Choosing Interesting Themes on the Rain
 

 
 
Interesting & Popular Subjects-Catchy titles to draw the reader in. You need good curb appeal to get the reader to want to stop and view your blog.
Good Quality Material-Make it worth their time to stop and read plus you want the reader to come back again for more. Sometimes you can add a zinger to your article that makes the reader go….WOW I didn’t know that!
 
 
SEO Friendly- Search Engine Optimization runs a blog. The theme should be SEO friendly in terms of its structure and coding. A … (20 comments)

San Bernardino Listing Reduced to $105,000. - 01/17/12 12:11 AM
San Bernardino-2756 N. Berkeley Ave REDUCED to $105,000.
… (8 comments)

Let's Welcome a New ActiveRain Member - 01/16/12 10:23 AM
Let's welcome a new ActiveRain Member today!
Let's Welcome a New ActiveRain Member
 
Thomas “Chopper” Russo. Chopper is a real estate agent and works for:
RE/MAX Traditions Real Estate at 383 Ramapo Valley Road, Oakland , New Jersey 07346
 
 
 
Here is his contact information:
 
Web: http://www.trusso.remax-nj.com
 
ActiveRain Email: Contact Thomas "Chopper" Russo (RE/MAX Traditions Real Estate)
 
Designations: ABR, CDPE, CNE, SFR
 
Cell:     201-240-5200
Office: 201-337-6600
 
FaceBook: 
 
 
I believe to succeed in real estate that we must think out of the box. His picture did that for me. I am a … (10 comments)

ActiveRain University…A Wealth of Knowledge for All Members ♪♪♪ - 01/15/12 05:11 PM
♪♪♪ ActiveRain University…A Wealth of Knowledge for All Members ♪♪♪

After I joined ActiveRain, I was sent a welcoming email and told to go to this link, ActiveRain University Blog, and there I would find many links to help me get started.
 

 
I did my own thing for a couple of weeks and then decided I was spending way too much time trying to figure out how to format posts with my pictures. So I went to AR University and was amazed at all the help I found. This is a great resource center to answer … (6 comments)

“Getting Points The Honest Way” - 01/14/12 07:19 PM
“Getting Points The Honest Way”
ActiveRain has strict standards. All organizations have standards that the members are expected to abide by. To see these rules, go to the Community Guidelines. ActiveRain calls them guidelines but they are to be followed. Anyone violating the rules can be shut down and in some cases, never allowed to join again.
 I took this following statement directly off the ActiveRain Community website. “Please take these rules seriously. Don't try to look for loopholes; instead, take them to heart and respect the spirit in which they were created.” These are strong words and all members must … (22 comments)

Laguna Beach….A Day in the Sand. - 01/14/12 02:06 PM
Laguna Beach….A Day in the Sand.
Yesterday we spent the day at Laguna Beach, CA and the weather was beautiful for winter. Water was a little cold but that did not stop the visitors from swimming.
I have a new camera, so this is my first real shoot. I am taking photos of my favorite subject; birds.

More birds.

.
Notice how this guy blends in so well to the sand. Isn’t Mother Nature wonderful?

 
This looks so beach like with a Lifeguard Vehicle in the sand.

This guy was zooming the beach. It is … (14 comments)

The Integrity of the Active Rain Real Estate Network - 01/13/12 09:38 PM
I was so surprised when this all came out yesterday. I typically do not get involved in politics or common gossip. But this situation is neither and it seems pretty serious. All month we are blogging on Trust, The High Standards of the ActiveRain Community, and the Weltanschauung Theory that ActiveRain stands behind. With all of us blogging daily, then we find out from J. Phillip today and Kerri Greenhalgh yesterday that there is a big sham going on with two of the active members and they are holding a photo contest as well.
I am very angry, sad and disappointed.......But … (8 comments)

Lie to me - 01/12/12 09:40 PM
This is such a great article and very inspirational. It is something that we can all relate to. This post was written by one of my favorite ActiveRain writers, "Mimi Foster".
Mimi has such a grasp on life and always writes on such inspirational  subjects. I am sure you will enjoy this article entitled "Lie to Me" and if you have time, go to her post and read some of her other articles. I think you will agree and see why she is a popular amongst us.

                              … (6 comments)

What in the world is Weltanschauung? - 01/11/12 11:34 PM
What in the world is Weltanschauung?
Frankly I had never heard of this word or theory before. Weltanschauung pronounced “welt·an·schau·ung”. Webster dictionary defines this term as “World view; philosophy of life; a framework through which to interpret the world”. Additionally, it refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it.

After reading this I thought to myself ”Oh yes, this is what ActiveRain is all about”.
ActiveRain believes that it is in the best interests of real estate professionals to build a community that is focused … (14 comments)

ActiveRain…..A Place For Professionals - 01/10/12 10:37 PM
ActiveRain…..A Place For Professionals.
I joined ActiveRain about a year ago. I signed up, read some posts and thought AR was great. Then I got busy doing other tasks and forgot my password and logged myself out and moved on…Big mistake.
Then one day I was GOOGLING (can Google be a verb) something and a great post popped up written by an ActiveRain member. I was so impressed that I got back on ActiveRain that week and started blogging and photo-blogging. Taking pictures, writing articles and meeting professionals all over the country. This was a turning point for me and my … (26 comments)

Full Moon Over 5 Cities - 01/09/12 10:07 PM
Full Moon Over 5 Cities
Tonight as we were driving home from Newport Beach, CA, the full moon was peeking up over the hills as we left Orange County and headed for Riverside County and the Inland Empire. I have a new camera and I continued to take photographs until we got home. (I was not driving) I have a new camera so I had no idea how they would turn out as I am not proficient with it yet. But they did come out clear so I am sharing them. I absolutely love the full moon stage as it is … (12 comments)

Get Off the Fence and Out of the Tree and Get Your Business On Track. - 01/09/12 11:42 AM
It is January 2012 and time to get your business  plan written for the entire year. I am listing a few suggestions here for you to consider.

1.    Try “Short Sales” as there are so many out there and the banks are approving most of them instead of letting them go to foreclosure.. And the first time you close one…you will be on cloud nine. Once you close a couple of short sales, you will be hooked forever.
2.    Knock on doors at FBSO listings.
3.    Work Expired Listings and Farm your Farm.
4.    Send out Email Newsletters.
5.    Mail … (6 comments)

Week 2: Best Worst Picture- Russell Ray Photo Contest…House for Sale and includes Water Tower. - 01/09/12 10:37 AM
Week 2: Best Worst Picture- Russell Ray Photo Contest…House for Sale and includes Water Tower.
I was doing a BPO and I took this picture as a drive-by. When I got home and downloaded the picture, I laughed and laughed as it looks like the water tower is in the backyard. The picture had to be accurate but I guess I could have shot it without the sky. Anyone insterested in a water tower?

**********************************************************************
 
 Call Kristin Hamilton at 909-557-6966 to list your home.
 
Inland Empire Homeowners, please call me for a Comprehensive Market Analysis to assist you … (10 comments)

Week 1: Best Worst Photo- Russel Ray Photos January contest... my Alien Dog - 01/07/12 03:10 PM
Week 1: Best Worst Photo- Russel Ray Photos January contest.
I must admit, I usually trash my bad photos aka “bloopers” but I have a few that I liked so well that I kept them as a laugh.
Below is my “Alien Dog CoCo” who normally looks pretty average but this picture got a lot of response when I posted it on Facebook. I had my camera on automatic so the flash came on when I took CoCo's picture and ....large alien eyes appeared.

 
Call Kristin Hamilton at 909-557-6966 to list your home.
Inland Empire Homeowners, please call me for a … (20 comments)

Plant Your Seeds for the Spring Crop....and Soar Like an Eagle - 01/07/12 11:33 AM
Plant Your Seeds for the Spring Crop….and Soar like an Eagle.
While working as free agents, you must farm for business. I remember my first broker said to us in a meeting “The phone doesn’t magically ring. No you must not be a Secret Agent but get your name out there so clients will call you.” These words are so true.

 
Plant your seeds; newsletters, farming materials, mailers, postcards, door-knocking, internet advertising plus hundreds of other ideas to plant your seeds.

 I like this bird as he is upside down trying to get berries. The bird … (12 comments)

Realtor Expenses Take a Big Chunk of our Commission Checks - 01/02/12 01:15 PM
 
Realtor Expenses Take a Big Chunk of our Commission Checks
The NAR fees, the State Fees, Errors and Omissions Insurance, Supra Fees, MLS fees, Desk Fees, Office Printing fees and Training fees all add up to a lot of expenses for any agent and especially for new agents.
 

Other expenses too like clothes, nails, shoes, gasoline, car repairs, car signs, advertising of listings and sometimes a nicer car. Plus we need equipment like cameras, signs, sign riders, open house gifts, advertising materials, web sites, computers, cell phones, iPads, ink, paper, stamps, colored flyers and a lot of office supplies. All these … (30 comments)

Christmas Sweaters for the Girls - 01/02/12 11:39 AM
Christmas Sweaters for the Girls
Our daughter lives back east so we spend a lot of our time spoiling our 3 dogs like kids. I am always buying them new collars, t-shirts, chewies and of course they all got new Christmas sweaters. I took pictures too so I hope you enjoy them.

My terrier, Giget, wore her sweater all day but the other two could not wait to take theirs off.

CoCo wore hers only until the presents were opened and I got a few pictures. She is very good at getting the sweater off by herself.

Tootie … (10 comments)

Happy New Years Day on the Rain - 01/01/12 12:42 AM
©Happy New Year to all the ActiveRain Members and Staff©.
This has been quite a fun year and I have met some really nice friends on the Rain.
May 2012 bring everyone Good Health, Happiness and even Greater Success.
We have shared good times, sad times, great articles, new technology, successes and losses, fun contests and many, many, many photos. Please stop share one of your favorite photos below in the comment section.
 
Happy New Year from my dog CoCo.
 
Happy Holidays and stay safe!

… (28 comments)

 
New%20krist%20945%20size Ambassador_large

Kristin Hamilton CDPE, SFR, CHS, Realtor Redlands/ Loma Linda Homes for Sale, CA

Redlands, CA

More about me…

Keller Williams Realty

Address: Attn. Kristin Hamilton, Realtor, 301 W. Redlands Blvd., Redlands, CA, 92373

Office Phone: (909) 557-6966

Cell Phone: (909) 557-6966

Email Me

I am a Southern California Realtor and have a wide variety of interests. First of all Real Estate is my real love and focus point but I do have hobbies. I am interested in photography; nature, landscaping, lunar and solar phases, but Birds are my favorites. I also enjoy scrapbooking, blogging, and traveling; beaches, deserts, and mountains. I am also involved in the community as I care about the Inland Empire and making it a better place to live. I write this daily blog composed of nature, real estate news and interesting stories in Southern Califoria and other places across the United States.


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