Word of mouth is still great advertising. - 04/30/11 01:07 AM

Advertising. It's all about getting our names out. There are dozens of avenues to accomplish this from internet blogging to the simple business card. And one of the oldest and most effective forms of advertsing is good old fashioned word of mouth.
A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a lady who wanted to meet me to inquire about me listing her house. It seems she was a member of a card club within her subdivision. As it so happened, I had recently listed one of the other card club member's home and it had quickly gone … (11 comments)

On Active Rain baby steps soon becomes giant strides. - 04/23/11 02:22 AM
  We all have to start somewhere and it's no different on Active Rain. I look back upon my own decision to start blogging and my first visit here. I think about all the good advice I've been given and the new friends I've met.
 In Southwest Missouri there are mega agents in the area just as there are mega bloggers in the rain. In both instances their name recognition sets them apart. These bloggers are informative and fun to read, but what I really enjoy is watching a new blogger grow and bloom into a mature blogger. Usually they start with simple posts sometimes just … (9 comments)

"I get by with a little help from my friends" - 04/21/11 11:38 AM
 
Many years ago The Beatles put these lyrics to music and a classic was born. Over the last few weeks many people, but most importantly Margaret Woda, Alan May, Richard Yates, Donna Foerster and Glen Roberts all helped me reach a personal comment milestone.
It all started when I wrote a blog about reciprocation and I credited Margaret Woda's post: Active Rain Comments-Reciprocate, Acknowledge or Both. In it I stated some people can post a shopping list and get a 100 comments. Others; not so much.
Alan May then took the challenge with I'm posting a shopping list.
Richard Yates called … (11 comments)

Nothing Wishy-Washy about Pamela Seley - 04/18/11 01:38 PM
 
Years ago on Seinfeld, Kathy Griffen played a stand up comic who started using Jerry for comedy fodder. Everything Jerry did to stop Kathy kept coming back to haunt him in the form of new rants. It was a funny episode that I'm sure some of you may remember.

Well today I had a comment on a post from Pamela Seley so naturally i checked out her blogs and how I'm glad I did. It seems Pamela doesn't like Bank of America and she's not afraid to say so.

A few were funny, a few made me shake … (1 comments)

Doll collector's delight in Branson, Missouri - 04/16/11 11:59 PM
 
They call it Kewpiesta, a week long celebration of one time Ozarks resident Rose O'Neill and the Kewpie dolls she made.
Every year the International Rose O'Neill Club gathers in Branson in recognition of the marvelous work Rose created and this year it will be held at Bonniebrook. So whether you're looking to pick up a rare Kewpie to add to your collection or are simply interested in learning more about this unique doll, Kewpiesta is certainly the place to start your search.
While in the area make sure you check all this area has to offer and if you are … (0 comments)

Great Food, Great Time, Helping Charities. Can it get better than this? - 04/15/11 10:56 AM
  If you are in Southwest Missouri this weekend you have to stop by and visit The Springfield's Rotary Club's 12th annual Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival.
What is it you ask? It's over 60 teams from all over coming together to compete for the best barbecue in a 'Kansas City BBQ Society' Sanctioned event. And the best part (or maybe the second best part if you really like ribs) is that all proceeds go to 5 charities in the Ozarks.
Last year this event raised over $160,000 and it just keeps getting better and better. So put on a bib, stuff your … (5 comments)

It's almost time for Sucker Day! - 04/15/11 12:48 AM
If you live in Southwest Missouri you are familiar with Nixa's Sucker Day. If not, I'm here to tell you about it. Since 1957 when local barber Finis Gold started this long standing tradition, the people of Nixa have closed up shops and shut down schools to eat deep fried fish (Suckers) grabbed from the nearby Finley River.

This year it falls on May 14. Booth rental for arts and crafts is $45 and entries for the Sucker Day Parade will be accepted until May 1.
Sucker Day in Nixa, like Apple Butter Days in Mt. Vernon, the Broiler Festival in Crane and Ernte … (6 comments)

A real life commercial for the iPhone - 04/14/11 04:34 PM
 
People usually love or hate their phones. I have a college age son who I'm not sure could not function without his. But I can't say much. I can't imagine a day at the office without mine neither.
My office partner also has a college age son. He had bought an airline ticket to fly from Oklahoma City to Chicago to check out graduate school at Wheaton University. After getting out of class he hurried to the airport to find he had left his driver's license at home.
Now for most of us that would be a problem, but a … (1 comments)

Don't you love surprises, at least good surprises? - 04/14/11 10:05 AM
I've noticed that with each passing year good surprises happen less often. We become seasoned to the world and both Christmas and Easter become less about the magic of a surprise left by a mythical man or bunny to spur the economy and more about the religious side of each holiday.

But sometimes surprises do come and I think it makes them all the more special. Well today on the way to the office, I took a back road and low and behold just like they do each year right before Easter, the Dogwoods have bloomed. And even Monet himself could not have … (3 comments)

I guess I did my part and feel better doing so. - 04/14/11 12:28 AM
With Spring, I've decided to become a little more religious with my treadmill. I've promised to follow my Eat This - Not That guidelines. The lunches at Wendy's and Dairy Queen have been traded for Chipotles and Subway. And did I mention my probiotics? I think you get the point.
After all, I'll soon be breaking out the shorts and while right now I don't even want to think about bathing suits, that time will soon be here.
Well guess what? Is seems like my neighbors in Christian County, Missouri have been following my lead. Today a study released by The University of....let's … (11 comments)

Too good to make up - 04/13/11 12:27 AM
Earlier today I posted a blog about first impressions and how important the primary picture can be. In the earlier post I showed how the listing agent used a picture of a toilet as his first picture on the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors MLS.
I went on to explain that I hoped it was just a mistake. After all, in the Ozarks half million dollar homes are not all that common so one expects great curb appeal.
So my curiosity got the better of me and I revisited the before mentioned listing. Honestly, I half expected to see a front picture … (15 comments)

First Impressions. Someone didn't learn about them. - 04/12/11 12:22 PM
I was looking at new listings on the our local soutwest Missouri MLS last night and came across this picture.

And as you see there's nothing special about this picture other than it's the opening picture, the first shot you see of this half a million dollar home. Now i understand in some parts of the country half a million bucks is not a lot of money for a house, but in this neck of the woods it can buy a mansion and what do you see? A Toilet.
So I thought that maybe the agent decided to use it to … (7 comments)

If you're a size 4, please don't read. Otherwise.... - 04/11/11 10:32 AM
When not busy selling real estate, I love to shop and one of my favorite places to shop in southwest Missouri is Weezies "Upscale Resale" on the square in Ozark, MO. (103 E Church St in Ozark, MO)
  A great selection, a friendly staff and top shelf names with unbelievable prices. Can it get any better than that? I have bought several items from Weezies and always saved huge. Her clothing is always in like-new condition and she only carries the current style. You won't waste your time looking through their great selection. 
  Stop by or give them a call at 417-485-0089 and tell them Billi sent you. You'll … (8 comments)

World Fest opened yesterday At Silver Dollar City in Branson - 04/08/11 11:35 AM
 
   One of my favorite things to do is take my son to Silver dollar City near Branson. and one of my favorite events that takes place there is World Fest. It started yesterday and will run through May 8.
They bring in artists from all over the world to perform and the food is unbelievable. Some of the new performers this year include the Mayorov Russian State Circus, Canadian Powerhouse, Rhythms of Rajasthan, Irish Eyes are Smiling and a Slovenian Polka Party. Combine these groups with some of the returning groups of last year and you have a feast for … (2 comments)

One lunch and learn I'm really looking forward to. - 04/07/11 01:08 AM

Tomorrow my home office is having a lunch and learn to introduce our new web site that each agent can customize to fit our particular needs.
Keep in mind that while Murney Associates is the biggest real estate agency in Springfield, Missouri it's not a nationally known agency like.....well you know who I'm talking about and quite frankly our company web site was a little lacking (I'm being nice here).
But hopefully that is quickly going to change. So tomorrow I plan to swing through Chipotle Mexican Grill and grab a chicken burrito before leaving my old web site behind and … (8 comments)

What a smart idea. Moms take notice. - 04/06/11 02:51 PM
One of the better things about showing houses in southwest Missouri is seeing both the good and bad ideas that home owners have come up with to make their lives easier.
Sometimes the ideas are so silly that they make you laugh. Once, when I heard a client ask "What the hell is that?", I knew we had stumbled on such an innovation.
Other times the innovations are ingenious. Like yesterday while showing houses around Springfield,I came across an idea in a laundry room that I just had to share. Now keep in mind that these pictures were taken with my cell phone, so … (6 comments)

6 counties, 1 bobcat, 2 flocks of turkeys, 4 houses, a near rear end collision later... - 04/06/11 12:47 AM
Last week I blogged about showing several houses in 5 counties and the escapades that went with these showings including too much junk food and no offer. This week these cash buyers were back with four more houses to look at scattered throughout southwest Missouri.
So today I spent the day driving through six counties across some of the prettiest farmland one could ever hope to see with Red Buds and Bradford Pears in bloom and an abundance of wild life including a scampering bobcat and two of the biggest flocks of turkeys that I have ever seen. As a matter of … (7 comments)

If Chris Hanson enters your office, your life just hit the crapper. - 04/04/11 11:48 PM
  We've all seen his work, especially the Dateline series "To Catch a Predator" and we've sat in our homes wondering how stupid can these men be? Well tonight on TV I saw Chris in action again, but this time he was exposing women who were swindling people out of not hundreds nor thousands but hundreds of thousands and in one case over ONE MILLION DOLLARS!
And get this: IT"S ALL LEGAL!
He showed woman after woman who claimed to be fortune tellers reel these people in before sucking them dry of their money.  And yes, one poor man got so caught up in it, … (13 comments)

A Perpetual Spring Surprise. - 04/04/11 01:39 PM

Imagine waking up one day to hundreds of blooming daffodils around the borders of your yard. Now imagine it when you had no idea that they had even been planted. Well that's exactly what happened to me last spring.
       
A very good friend of mine decided one weekend when I was out of town visiting my mom, to plant 300 daffodil bulbs. Needless to say they took me totally by surprise when they popped up last spring. Well here we are a year later and my yard is alive with color. I swear they are prettier and healthier this second year. It even seems … (6 comments)

 
Billi Evans (Murney Associates)

Billi Evans

Springfield, MO

More about me…

Murney Associates

Address: 620 W. Republic Rd, Springfield, MO, 65807

Office Phone: (417) 879-7234

Cell Phone: (417) 773-6505

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