Are You Selling Real Estate The "Island Way"? - 09/28/07 09:20 PM
I am heading home tomorrow...leaving a nice week in St Martin behind. And with this vacation I have learned a new way to sell real estate...
It goes like this.  I get a call from an old customer and they want me to give them a CMA...I say "Sure...I'm pretty busy right now...maybe I'll get back to you next week when I have more time...'kay?"
I was traveling with people this week that had a theft on the beach here.  I tried to help them file a police report.  The FIRST MISTAKE...never help anyone ELSE file a pr...not worth it.
"Wrong side of the … (4 comments)

Hello From Sunny Saint Martin! - 09/25/07 06:41 AM
I think I found the solution of most of the economic problems in the US...and in addition I may have stumbled onto the solution to all of the ice and snow heading my way in Boston this Winter...basically these problems may be solved by setting up "shop" here in St Martin where I am suffering this week with my wife and my IN-LAWS!  Next time I will solve another problem...NO in-laws.  But this is not a blog about family problems...this is a blog about economic problems.
Last night at dinner as I went to pick up the check I was glad to … (1 comments)

Canadian Dollar Now At Par With US Dollar - 09/21/07 07:04 AM
Sometimes it just doesn't pay to lower interest rates.  Just when you think everything will improve with an interest rate cut the currency becomes devalued leading to higher prices on imports.  So inflation now becomes an issue...and the Fed needs to raise interest rates to control inflation...and so on.
So...what is the real problem here?  I imagine it is our country's need to police the globe, fight wars, defend freedom etc...and we have to pay for that...and how?  Taxes of course, but maybe taxes aren't enough?  Perhaps we print a little extra cash here and there to pay for those fighter jets, … (7 comments)

The Fed Made A Mistake In Lowering The Rate!? - 09/19/07 11:51 AM
For weeks now I have been musing over why the Fed hadn't lowered the rate.  I saw the foreclosure rate soaring, property values dropping, interest rates climbing, and mainly just a lot of pain on "Main Street".  I was screaming for everyone I believed by blogging here and complaining that the Federal Reserve seemed to be detached from reality.  There must be something to it...I still believe that I was right because here they are lowering the rate...but is it really what they should have done...and WHY did they do it?
I think they did it because of the sub-prime meltdown and … (2 comments)

Newton Centre, MA Colonial-SOLD - 09/17/07 03:27 PM
Located in Newton Centre on the carriage lane of Boylston Street close to the Bowen Elementary School.  Includes 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths, oak hardwood throughout, high ceilings on the first floor, fireplace in an extra large livingroom, a 3-season porch, large deck, attached 1-car garage.  Improvements include a new roof and new windows all within the last 2 years.  SOLD for $470,000. … (0 comments)

BOSTON & BOSTON METRO-WEST SHOW PRICE INCREASES! - 09/10/07 08:56 PM
Downtown Boston Condominium sales are ahead of 2006 in total sales absorption and just a little behind 2005 and is showing upward pressure on pricing:
                                    Average Price Jan. 1 - July 13                                    2006      $575,689                                    2007      $660,230
                                    Median Price Jan. 1 - July 13                                    2006 $455,000                                    2007 $480,000
MetroWest Single Family Home market is 11% above the sales activity for the same time period last year and is almost at 2005 numbers. The high-end is particularly strong showing momentum in the $1M+ price segment over the last 3 years.
                                    For time period of Jan. 1 -June 13:                                    2005   19% of sales were over … (0 comments)

$200,000 Price Reduction Today! - 09/10/07 06:36 PM
237 Rice Road, Wayland, MA is a very unique and rare offering available now for the discriminating buyer/s. 237 Rice Road is the first NEW single family dwelling available on the estate side/north end of Rice Road in over 10 years. Rice Road is among the most exclusive and picturesque (scenic) roads in the subject town of Wayland and comparable to any within the surrounding communities of Weston, Wellesley, Lincoln, Concord, Sudbury, etc. Located ¼ mile from Route 20/Weston Line and in close proximity to Routes 30/128 & 90, this home offers the tranquility of (modern) country living teeming with wildlife yet … (0 comments)

My New Luxury Property Magazine Is Available - 09/09/07 08:56 PM
 
Well, it's now available. Just off the press and in our hands is my new luxury property magazine.  Included are properties from coast to coast, the average price well over $2 Million.  Any AR broker can advertise on the website: castlesmag.com or castlesmls.com for free.  Broker accounts cost nothing and all properties with a list price over $1 Million can be listed for free. 
Plans are in the works to publish another magazine with a focus on the ultra high price luxury properties.  The expected minimum price of these properties will be $20 Million.
There is a limited number of copies of … (3 comments)

Proud To Be A Preferred Broker In A Relocation Network - 09/09/07 08:47 PM
 
A relocation company has chosen my company as one of their "Preferred Brokers".  The areas that we will cover for these relo leads include all of Boston, Cambridge, Dedham, Belmont, Framingham, Natick, Wayland, Brookline, Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Watertown, Waltham, West Roxbury and Weston, Massachusetts.  Initially we will start the program with 4 full-time agents handling the relo leads, but we expect to hire an additional 6 or more since we will expect to be receiving over 100 of these "scrubbed" corporate relocation leads over the next 12 months that will need expert service.  We are proud to be chosen and excited to be part of … (3 comments)

Castles Magazine: New 19 Home Sub-Division - 09/08/07 10:23 AM
http://www.castlesmag.com/Listings/ListingDetails.asp?ListingID=517&SearchStateProvinceID=32&SearchCity=&SearchZipcode=&ZipListing=&SearchPriceFrom=0&SearchPriceTo=1000000000&SearchWaterfront=&SearchSki=&SearchCondo=&SearchResort=&SearchCountryClub=&SearchFarmOrRanch=
Take a look at out newest listing in Watchung, New Jersey.  19 new homes priced from $2.5 Million.  Over 6,000 sf living area.  Click on the link above to see the listing.
ALSO: Brokers feel free to open a free account while you are there.  The Castles MLS is an International database of luxury properties...all priced $1 Mil and higher...totally free...
castlesmls.com or castlesmag.com
… (0 comments)

AR Google Search Secret! - 09/08/07 10:02 AM
So you see your competitors "naturally" ahead of you in the Yahoo and Google searches.  What can you do to make your name, page or site Google/ Yahoo friendly? 
PPC..."pay-per-click" is one way...a VERY expensive way to get on that first page.  Google didn't get to raise 500 Billion $'s by not knowing how to charge your credit card.  Sign up for PPC and you will see what I mean.  I have done it before and you can't believe how fast those clicks add up.  There is a better way!
AR WILL bring customers to your door if you learn a few little … (10 comments)

AR Is Great...And I Apologize - 09/07/07 12:19 PM
I was griping again about something last evening...I was running ads on AR and my account was mangled with someone else's ad...I wasn't hacked as I suggested...AR just had a tech malfunction with their new advertising system.
My gripe wasn't unnoticed though.  An AR user or two commented on my blog that I was a baby...so to speak.  Over only $100?  was one comment.
It wasn't the money...it was the problem with communication...and I have AR's phone number now...and contrary to the notion that AR is not run by people...I actually spoke to Bob...who was great...and everything is back to normal...except I had to … (3 comments)

HELLO!??!!! ACTIVE RAIN!!!??? ANYONE HOME??? - 09/06/07 07:47 PM
I was pretty excited to see that not only could I blog on AR but now I could advertise on AR as well.  I wear several hats and not only do I own my office, act as President of the Weichert broker council, develope property etc...I also publish "Castles(R)" Magazine dedicated to luxury properties (castlesmag.com).  So with great anticipation I signed up to run a nice banner ad on AR and offered all of its brokers FREE ADS!
I must admit I was pretty disappointed with the results...are the brokers on AR doing so well that free marketing isn't worth anything to … (7 comments)

Realtors Sacrifice FSBO - 09/05/07 10:16 PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20590374/
Just joking about the FSBO's...actually it was a discount broker who was sacrificed.  Kidding again...sorry.
Now that I have got the jokes out of the way that link above reminds us that the entire world doesn't think exactly like us...unless you actually think that goat sacrifices create better luck!
Maybe that airline is on to something though...not that I'm suggesting goat sacrifices to help a listing get sold...but wouldn't that be cool if there was a broker from Nepal who really believed that a goat sacrifice would work...and he or she got transferred to say California as the spouse of a Nepalese executive...the … (0 comments)

Weak Home Sales...Again? - 09/05/07 09:51 PM
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/070905markets.aspx
Is this not the 200th day in a row that we have to hear about this?  I don't understand why my office's sales are up over 50% of last year's total sales as of last month.  Is it that there are fewer offices and agents handling more business?  Did all the "weak hands" close up or quit the business?  Why is there no report of the increase in business that the REAL real estate PROFESSIONALS are experiencing instead of all of this negativity...things can't be bad for everyone except me and my team.
My guess is that negative news promotes newspaper sales...or … (4 comments)

Weak Home Sales...Again? - 09/05/07 09:51 PM
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/070905markets.aspx
Is this not the 200th day in a row that we have to hear about this?  I don't understand why my office's sales are up over 50% of last years total sales as of last month.  Is it that there are fewer offices and agents handling more business?  Did all the "weak hands" close up or quit the business?  Why is there no report of the increase in business that the REAL real estate PROFESSIONALS are experiencing instead of all of this negativity...things can't be bad for everyone except me and my team.
My guess is that negative news promotes newspaper sales...or … (0 comments)

Countrywide May Be A Better Company When The Dust Settles! - 09/05/07 06:31 PM
This blog could have easily been titled "Countrywide Finally Pays The Bill".  Countrywide Mortgage owed me less than $500 for months.  Almost six months to be exact.  My phone calls weren't answered and the bill went unpaid...until last week.
Finally the check came in.  I have a couple of thoughts about why this happened at this time but the one I like best is the following:
Countrywide Mortgage had a good look at itself in the mirror...and in the press...and in the stock market...and Countrywide didn't like what it saw.  And finally they did something about it.
Imagine owing less than $500 for an … (1 comments)

 

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