Blogging About Birmingham Alabama Real Estate: www.charitacadenhead.com

ASK AN AMBASSADOR: 10 Active Rain No No's To Avoid!

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:44:55 -0700

If you've ever wondered what not to write about in a Active Rain blog post, well here's a good starter list for ya. Of course when all else fails, you can always, always, always rely on the "when in doubt" rule.

Via Liz and Bill Spear RE/MAX Elite Warren County Ohio: Cincinnati to Dayton, Liz and Bill Spear (513.265.3004 www.LizTour.com):

Ask An Ambassador: 10 Active Rain No No's To Avoid!

When you first start out in Active Rain, there's plenty of opportunity to learn from Active Rain University, other bloggers, etc. But some things may not get expressed clearly and early, so here's a collection of tips to avoid trouble in the Rain!

1. Don't comment without reading the post. The WHOLE post. If you want to show people you're just about the comment points, leave a comment that indicates you didn't bother reading the post. While you got your 25 points, leaving a "Hope you sell your listing soon" comment on a home inspector's post about a bad HVAC installation just isn't smart Rain play. Sometimes it's better to leave no comment at all than the wrong comment.

2. Don't write about volatile topics unless you're prepared to take the heat. If you express a strong opinion on something, don't be surprised if everyone doesn't share the same opinion. And how you react to that difference is going to say a lot about you, and what the rest of the Rainers will think about you.

3. Don't copy someone else's work and call it your own. This SHOULD be a fundamental, but not everyone gets it and "I found it on the Internet so it's free to use" seems to be the view of some. LEARN ABOUT COPYRIGHT. Don't claim points for an article that is 95% copied from another source.

4. On the same topic, don't use photos you don't have rights to. Again, back to copyright. A Google Images search is NOT the best place to find photos and clipart unless you know how to use the searches to find which ones are free to use.

5. Don't miss opportunities to participate, especially when you're first starting out. Get out there and comment in many places. Get to know people. Subscribe to the ones you like. The dividends will come later when there are referrals to be given.

6. Know the difference between Members Only and Public. Your comments need to be filtered according to the audience. If the poster is CLEARLY addressing their local buyers and sellers, it's not cool to go on their post and try to make them look like an idiot. It's not really cool on Members Only either, but at least less heinous. You don't want to be THAT GUY or THAT GAL that the poster cringes everytime they get an email notification that you've left a comment on their post.

7. No self promotion on other's posts. Blog posts are about the writer. No big logos or 13 links to all your websites in the comments, or pointing back to your own blog post (there are exceptions to linking, but if you're newer, link at your own risk).

8. Don't lose your ideas. To blog you need ideas. Capture them whenever possible. A note, a draft post, whatever works for you, but don't let your best ideas go POOF because you forgot what you were going to write about.

9. Don't get too wrapped up in point chasing. We'd love to write 10 posts (or more) every week, but reality is we don't always have time for it, and we're not going to let the quality of our writing suffer for the sake of another 225 points.

10. Don't stop learning. Blogging is a continual evaluation of what works and what doesn't. Don't be afraid to change your approach until you find the "magic" formula that makes your phone ring. Too many posts directed to other agents chasing comments and gold stars and your area home buyers and sellers won't have a reason to call you.

11. Bonus tip: Don't neglect SEO. If the search engines can't find you, the consumers can't find you. You don't have to be an SEO guru, but learn the basics to at least give yourself a fighting chance.

Keep on Blogging!

Liz and Bill aka BLiz

REALTORS(S) Serving Warren County Ohio & Adjacent Areas

The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite
Elizabeth & William Spear
Ask for us by name if you visit the office!
Two locations: Lebanon & Mason, OH
Liz direct: 513-265-3004
Bill direct: 513-520-5305
Fax: 866-302-8418
MailTo: LizSpear@Go-Concepts.com
Our Website: www.LizTour.com

OUR SERVICE AREA:

View Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite Primary Service Area in a larger map

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Got a question about Metropolitan Birmingham real estate? Just ask Charita. Need a good Realtor(R) to help you find a new home or sell the one you already own? Just shoot me an email. In need of a rental property? Subscribe to be notified whenever we list a new rental or home for sale.

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

The Post That Made Carla Muss Jacobs An Active Rain Millionaire

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:55:21 -0700

Well folks, she did it. She went and blogged herself in the millionsphere. Yep AR member Carla Muss Jacobs is now a member of the mile high (millionaires) club. Congrats to Carla for blogging well done.

Via Carla Muss-Jacobs - Principal Broker/ Owner | Buyers Broker | Buyers Agent EBA (503-810-7192 | BuyersAgentPortland.com):

The Post That Made Me An Active Rain Millionaire

It's with a lot of emotion that I write this. I do not know where I would be without ActiveRain. With all the sincerety in my soul, if it wasn't for ActiveRain my life -- both professionally as a Real Estate Agent, and personally as a . . . person . . . would be at a loss.

ActiveRain came in to my life when I was suffering with a medical injury. A botched surgery and for the many years that I suffered I was online . . . blogging, posting, commenting . . . I learned a heck of a lot, and made friends. What GREAT FRIENDS and I was able to concentrate on real estate at a time when I wasn't able to do much else.

We all went through a lot here in the past million points. We were online blogging about the mortgage meltdown, the priate banksters . . . oh, what we all went through together!

And with each post or comment made or received I felt connected . . . and it's so wonderful to be a part of ActiveRain through all our stories.

MAN . . . do we have stories!!

We've shared sad news, the passing of our beloved pets . . . and the tragic loses of our loved ones. We've cried with each other, and we've laughed.

Each one of these million points is a memory to me, of some kind or the other, and compiled into my nice little ActiveRain world that means so much to me.

My own WordPress blog . . . BuyersAgentsPortland.com is kicking some serious SERPS.

Last month I had 22,266 page views and 16,012 total visitors (of which 8,770 were unique). I worked hard on that site, and on my ActiveRain posts. And if it weren't for ActiveRain . . . I wouldn't have these numbers! Now to work it into my 10-year plan, and retire!

The trip of a million points takes the FIRST POST -- which I wrote way back when. ActiveRain sustained me, encourgaged me . . . and will continue. For as long as I'm selling real estate, I'll be here. Someday, ActiveRain will be my virtual rocking chair on the front porch . . .

There are so many people that helped me in so many different way . . . personally, I would love to give a shout out to each and every one of you! But I know I'd miss someone -- so please accept my thanks!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

From the bottom of my butt . . . ('cause that's much bigger than my heart) . . . . . . . .

I LOVE YOU ACTIVE RAIN!

and

THANK YOU!

EBA Portland ~~ 100% BUYER REPRESENTATION ~~ 100% of the Time

EBA Portland, LLC is an Exclusive Buyer Agency serving the Metro Portland real estate market since 1999. If you’re a Buyer in the Metro Portland area (including: Beaverton, Tigard, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Downtown Portland,) and contemplating a purchase, talk with a Buyer’s Agent . . . better yet, talk to an ExclusiveBuyers Agent. Exclusive Buyers Agents do not work for listing brokerages or Sellers. An EBA’s fiduciary dutyis: 100% BUYER REPRESENTATION . . . 100% of the Time.

Carla Muss-Jacobs
503-810-7192
Carla@carlahomes.com

BuyersAgentPortland.com

All rights reserved ©

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Let's Get Carla Muss Jacobs Over the Hump

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:44:19 -0700

Let's Get Carla Muss Jacobs Over the Hump

I was just checkig out my friend Carla Muss Jacobs blog and noticed that she only has 437 points to go before she's an AR Millionaire. Now if I know anything about AR members, and I think that I do, I just know you'll want to rally around and post comments to some of Carla's blog post and go ahead and get her over the hump.

Come on will ya. Let's do it for Carla. She'd do it for us.

The countdown starts NOW!

Rainmaker, Carla Muss Jacobs

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

ActiveRain Weighs in on What to Blog About

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:26:39 -0700

Wondering what to blog about? Well wonder no more. For us Oldbies, it's often hard to keep cranking out blogpost after blogpost especially if we do it daily. But with new members especially, the questions is always "what do I blog about." Wel the AR crew has just kicked started your blogging with the following suggestions.

Now get to blogging.

Via ActiveRain University (ActiveRain University):

New to blogging? Not sure what to write about? Need some help getting started?

Fore more information on the blog ideas provided in this presentation, follow these links

Blogging about Local Events

Blogging about Local Businesses

Blogging about Your Listings

Blogging about Neighborhoods and Subdivisions

Blogging Your Frequently Asked Questions

Find more blogging ideas like these with templates in the Blogging Blueprints post

---

Subscribe to this blog to get the latest information from ActiveRain University

Keep Up In the Rain!

Need Ideas of What to Blog About? Check out
Inspiration Station on ActiveRain

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Virtual Tours to Sell Fayetteville Houses

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:18:54 -0700

One of my all time AR favorites has been MIA for a while, but now he's back in action. I know that I like, Clark Cook was an AR favorite. Please stop by, read his post, comment about his new service and welcome him back into the AR fold.

WELCOME BACK CLARK COOK.

Via Clark Cook (1st Choice Realty of Fayetteville, LLC):

Fayetteville Realtor, Clark Cook, has a new service he offers clients to help sell their house. 360 tours. He believes virtual tours are necessary to effectively showcase a property for sale. But the homeowner and potential buyers are the ultimate judge of that. You know when you’ve done a good job because you get that Wow factor as the tours are being viewed. The response he get most often is wow! That’s beautiful!

What few people know is Clark has over 30 years’ experience as a photographer/videographer. His career as a photographer began in 1970 after a one year tour in Vietnam. The Army sent him to photo school in Fort Monmouth, NJ in October of that year. After a 14 year break in service he returned to the art/craft in 1988 as an Army Civilian working at the Airborne Board, Fort Bragg, NC for another 24 years, before retiring September 30, 2011.

Modern technology has made getting the correct exposure and focus a lot easier for the novice but to capture stunning images requires having an eye for composition, creativity, knowledge, skill, and the right equipment. Without it you’re just taking pictures. And, if you are trying to sell a half a million dollar house you need someone who can do more than just take pictures. On that note it is worth mentioning that more expensive houses tend to benefit more from a virtual tour simply because they are larger and feature high end finish carpentry, design, architecture, and landscaping.

If you are considering using the service it’s important to prepare your house before the shoot begins. Keep in mind that the purpose of a virtual tour is to attract potential buyers to schedule a showing. Its job is to convince them that your property is a must see. Creating a virtual tour is a time consuming event if done properly, and most realtors don’t have the time, knowledge of photography, skill, or equipment to do the job.

Finally, if you are having second thoughts about the benefits of virtual tours, show your sellers a presentation of a house for sale with a virtual tour, and on without a tour and see which one they like better. Case closed!

201 S. McPherson Church Rd. Suite 208
Fayetteville,NC 28303

910-339-1335
910-261-9580

Fayetteville Realtor Clark Cook

clark@clarkcook.com

Ready To Find Fayetteville Real Estate?

Get Started Here!

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

active rain changes - where do I find the "old stuff"

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:42:30 -0700

For Newly minted Newbies, this may not make sense, but for us Oldbies and Newbies that joined more than a month or so ago, this will come in very handy. I like the new layout. It doesn't seem as crowded as the old layout. It looks fresh, clean, and crisp. Thanks Juli for this helpful post.

Via Juli Vosmik - Scottsdale/Cave Creek, AZ real estate 480-710-0739, AZ license: SA582226000 (Dominion Real Estate Partners, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ):

I'm probably the last person who should be writing this because I barely know how to turn on my computer. But, recently, active rain made some changes - some really good, some not so much - but ONLY because I'm old and it's hard for me to make changes.

If you're looking for where the "states", "contests", "Q&A", "Inspiration", "Product Reviews" and "University" went to - look under resources in the top blue bar of any page - see the screen print below.

How about where did all of the active rain "peeps" go that you are subscribed to? Go to your home page, then click on "following" in the gray bar. It took me a while and I hope this helps one or two of you get caught back up in active rain.

Now, my wish list for upcoming changes to the active rain gurus and powers that be.......may we pretty, pretty PLEASE have a button in the "groups" section which would automatically alphabetize the various groups we've joined instead of by the date we joined which is what shows up in our search section. This could be particularly valuable this month with the challenges. PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE?

Have an Active week everyone. See you on the rain.

Scottsdale and Cave Creek Real Estate

Juli Vosmik

Dominion Real Estate Partners, LLC

480-710-0739

Helping you make informed decisions whether buying or selling homes in Scottsdale, Cave Creek and north Phoenix Arizona. I know the area - I live here.

A portion of all sales is donated to the various animal rescue and humane societies.

AZ license SA582226000

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Know Your Neighborhoods June Challenge

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:24:50 -0700

This is what Active Rain is really all about so I'm hoping that every active real estate agent on the AR network will be taking part in this challenge. Of all of the AR challenges, I think this type of challenge serves as the epitome of what AR is all about. Good luck.

Via Liz and Bill Spear RE/MAX Elite Warren County Ohio: Cincinnati to Dayton, Liz and Bill Spear (513.265.3004 www.LizTour.com):

Know Your Neighborhoods June Challenge

You know the best way we've found for blogging to make our phone ring & email inquiries to hit our Inbox? Giving area home buyers and sellers SPECIFIC, LOCAL real estate related information that they can't find elsewhere. Niche blogging is the gap that Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and the rest of the big websites can't cover. It's the realm of the agents on the street, all of us, the bloggers of Active Rain!

And with it being June, it's the perfect time to get out in your neighborhoods and get to know them better, and share that knowledge! Trees are green, flowers are blooming, and there aren't any major holidays that will date your photos with jack o' lanterns and inflatable Santas! Wait, photos you say? That's right, to get points for the Know Your Neighborhoods challenge, you (or your hired mercenaries assistants) need to get out into your neighborhoods and provide some LOCAL photos particular to that neighborhood. And to be clear, just a photo of the housing entrance facade isn't going to cut it. No one lives in the entrance, buyers don't buy the entrance no matter how attractive. You're welcome to include that entrance photo, but we want house/condo pictures because that's what buyers want to see! And if those communities have pools, clubhouses and parks, go for it (but not mandatory)! Slideshows and videos count too if that's your preference!

These posts can be working for you for YEARS!! Especially if you've got the ability to add a live link for searching for homes for that community!

And did we mention that Active Rain has made this challenge SOOOOOOO easy that even a caveman can do it? That's right, they've provided TEMPLATES! Now you don't have to use them, but we kind of think Bob and company know a thing or two about blogging and making your phone ring. So if you want the NEIGHBORHOOD BLOGGING TEMPLATE, just click the link and look for the two links under the video for the html code and a link to a sample neighborhood post so you can see exactly how it's done!

So what's it going to take for you to get 2000 bonus points??

You must in the month of June 2013:

Write 6 posts, each about a unique subdivision, condo or location in your market area. These posts need to be about something you can list or sell, NOT local businesses and parks (although those are important too!).

200 words minimum. Give the consumers useful info, you know they want school districts, HOA fees, price ranges, home styles, what can I do here, etc. Nothing mandatory, but the better you do at representing the neighborhood, the more likely your phone rings!

Media must be included. Home photos and/or video at a minimum. Maps are cool, but not required, but you'll probably never find a better opportunity to put your Google custom map skills to work!

Leave ONE comment in the comment section of this post with links to all 6 of your posts once you've completed the requirements.

What happens after that? We get a list to our esteemed Kerrie and she'll credit your points in July! And you know there's a holiday in early July, so no bothering her about your "missing" points until at least July 12th!

What else do we expect to happen in July? We expect you to NOT stop at 6 subdivision posts! Get out there and know your neighborhoods! Take more pictures, make a field trip out of it! Stock up enough to keep you blogging for months and through the snow season if need be (no comments from the warm area peanut gallery about snow....we have to take it in account for our market and our blogging plan!).

Okay, home inspectors, stagers, mortgage specialists, flooring people and other non-agents, we're not forgetting about you! In lieu of neighborhood posts, strut your knowledge in a different way, show you KNOW YOUR SPECIALTY! Give us six posts that either address a Frequently Asked Question, a niche of your business, or something else specific to YOUR area and expertise! The intent is the same as the agents with the subdivision posts, posts that will continue to work for you long after you click submit! And yes, still a minimum of 200 words and some eye candy! Just post your six links after you're done! Easy Peasy!

Any questions, leave them in the comment section below!

Know Your Neighborhoods and Your Stuff!

Liz and Bill aka BLiz

REALTORS(S) Serving Warren County Ohio & Adjacent Areas

The Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite
Elizabeth & William Spear
Ask for us by name if you visit the office!
Two locations: Lebanon & Mason, OH
Liz direct: 513-265-3004
Bill direct: 513-520-5305
Fax: 866-302-8418
MailTo: LizSpear@Go-Concepts.com
Our Website: www.LizTour.com

OUR SERVICE AREA:

View Liz Spear Team of RE/MAX Elite Primary Service Area in a larger map

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

ActiveRain is More Than Blogging, it's an Education

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 07:23:58 -0700

I just had to come back and re-blog this because as a relative new member, I think your post will be an inspiration to other Newbies. I know at first it must have seemed like you'd died and gone to Realtor® heaven, and probably bouncing off of the walls with all of the infor available, but sooner on later, we all get our AR grove and settle in to what works for us best.

Via Marc McMaster, RE/MAX Centre Realty, State College, PA (RE/MAX Centre Realty):

I've only been actively reading, commenting, and blogging on ActiveRain for a fairly short period of time. My first actual blog post is in January of this year. This will be my 41st blog total. Compared to some of the folks on here that have over a million points, I'm definitely a newbie. I'm still looking forward to hitting that first 100,000 points.

Since I've been here I've learned a lot. I makle it a point (almost) everyday to get on and read at least the featured posts for the day and I comment on most of them too. I've learned a lot from those posts. This site is a wealth of information. The coolest part is that you get to see everyone else's viewpoints. Real estate is so different across the country and even up north for some of our Canadian posters as well. The longer we stay in real estate we get into a groove of doing things one way and we're always afraid of change and doing things differently. ActiveRain has helped me see things differently on a lot of issues and to even see new ways to handle old issues that I've been dealing with in my 10 years in the real estate industry.

The best part is that anyone can use this information. We get posts from REALTORS, mortgage lenders, home inspectors, flooring experts, furniture experts, copy editiors, you name it, we pretty much have it all here. How is it even possible that someone can't find some benefit to reading just a few posts a day? Every day I see how different some markets are and how differently the real estate laws and best practices are working throughout the country.

ActiveRain is more than just blogging and trying to increase SEO and relevance. It's an education. Try and make it a point to at least read something on here every day. You'll become a better professional and even more, a better person for it.

Marc McMaster, ABR, e-PRO, GREEN, CDPE

Associate Broker

RE/MAX Centre Realty

1375 Martin Street

State College, PA 16803

814-231-8200 Ext 379

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

BOA Have a Heart!!!

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:01:10 -0700

I am sick of BOA and all of the rest of the banks playing with people's livelihood. This is ridiculous and even more so when homeowners do the right thing and follow all of the rules.

Via Gail Robinson, REALTOR, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT (William Raveis Real Estate, Southport, CT):

BOA SENT ME A DECLINE LETTER TODAY AS MY HUSBAND WAS BEING ADMITTED INTO HOSPICE

I made all the trial loan modification payments on time over the phone via my BOA Customer Relationship Manager, yet today I received a FedEx letter stating that my permanent loan modification was DECLINED. At the same time as the letter arrived, the hospice nurse came to sign my husband up for in-home hospice care. Can you believe this????

The letter from BOA states "Thank you for contacting us regarding the Home Affordable Modification Program. While we realize this decision comes at a difficult time in your life, we regret to inform you that we are no longer considering your request for a modification because after being offered a Trial Period Plan, you did not make the required Trial Period Plan payment by the end of the first month of the trial period."

I made the first trial payment on 3/4/13, the second one on 4/2/13, and the third one on 5/2/13. The original letter from my BOA Customer Relationship Manager outlining the terms for the trial period dated 2/25/13 stated, "To participate in the Trial Period Plan, make your first month's trial period mortgage payment as soon as possible, but in no event later than 30 calendar day after 4/1/2013."

Since I made the first payment on 3/4/13 and it was not due until 4/1/13, it seems to me that I am in compliance.

This was so upsetting that I could not focus properly on getting my husband admitted into hospice. My husband is very upset. He has Stage IV, Pancreatic Cancer and was diagnosed 4 years and 4 months ago. He's now in the end stages of the illness.

Can you see where I made an error? Perhaps I'm not thinking straight due to the stress of putting my husband in hospice today. It's an emotional day.

Why wouldn't my BOA Customer Relationship Manager call me to tell me ahead of time that this letter was going out? Why won't she return my calls. I have had to ask for an Appeal, but this is the last thing I need to focus on right now. My attention should be 100% on my husband in his final days.

BOA have a heart!!!!

Links to previous posts where the AR community rallied around us to convince BOA not to foreclose on our home:

Today I Was Told by BOA My Home is Going into Foreclosure

Thank You to My AR Friends and Friends of Friends

BOA Sent Me the Trial Loan Modification Papers Today

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Do you want to earn a quick 500 points?

Sun, 05 May 2013 06:06:37 -0700

Hey we all want to know about how to rack up those points don't we? There's no pretending that the points aren't fun to watch as they climb the mil high points ladders. So when there is opportunity to get more points, we like to spread the word right?

Via Debbie Reynolds, "The Real Debbie Reynolds" (Prudential PenFed Realty):

Do you want to earn a quick 500 points?

There is a way that you can earn a quick 500 points simply by writing an ActiveRain Success Story. Yes you can and you can get them right now. On your profile page all the way at the bottom is a section for ActiveRain Success stories. If you will add a short paragraph about some success you have had from ActiveRain, you will be rewarded 500 points. Be sure to make it 3 or 4 lines and chances are it will take that long to tell your story.

Now you may ask what would constitute a Success Story? It could be a relationship you have developed through ActiveRain. It could be a referral you sent or received through the Rain. It could be business you received from a fellow Rainer or from the public seeing your blogs. How about an idea or technique you learned from reading a blog that has helped your business? Just use your imagination.

If you have been in the Rain for any length of time you have had successes. This is the place to share those successes and blow the horn for ActiveRain.

It will work every few months but I don't know exactly what the secret formula really is. I do know that every few months if you write a story you will be rewarded. So go on, give it a try. When you do get the reward, the points will be added immediately.

Do you want to earn a quick 500 points?

Be sure to come back to this post and let everyone know it works. But don't think you can beat the system and write several at one time and get multiple reward points, it just doesn't work that way. If it works and you would like others to know about it too, go ahead and re-blog this post.

Here's to your success and Sharing it in the Rain.

Want To Know What Debbie Has to Say?

If you are needing Real Estate services in Clarksville TN it would be my pleasure to assist you!

.

"The Real Debbie Reynolds" at DebbieReynolds.net

Prudential PenFed Realty, 2503 Wilma Rudolph Blvd., Clarksville, TN 37040

An independently owned and operated member of BRER Affiliated, Inc.

Not affiliated with Prudential. Prudential watermarks used under license.

931-920-6730 (office)   931-320-6730 (cell)

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Get Ready for the Summer Season Contest!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:49:14 -0700

The Banana's at it again with her Get Ready for the Summer Season Contest. Every season has it's marketing challenges and this is just one way to make marketing more fun than it already is.

Via Anna 'Banana' Kruchten - Phoenix Real Estate Broker,CRS 602-380-4886 (Phoenix Property Shoppe):

Get Ready for the Summer Season Contest!

Summer is just around the corner and it's time to spruce up your local marketing efforts! So what does that mean you ask? It means now is a good time to Make Your Blog POP with information about local events taking place during the summer time. Here in Phoenix summer means something a little different than it would, say in Baltimore, Maryland. It's darn hot here in Phoenix and people are always looking for ways to cool off and beat the heat. So what I'd write about might be totally different than what you might write about for your market.



For example: I like to write about areas in Northern Arizona where many Phoenicians go during the summer months to cool off.  That might mean writing about cool camping spots, local events, site seeing ideas, fun resorts, my favorite hiking spots or picnic areas. Or - perhaps I could write about local summer camps for kids of which I know parents would love to know about. There are also a number of 'water parks' which are big hits during the hot summer months for big and little kids!

You name it the sky is the limit with fun stuff to do in Arizona and any state for that matter!



Get Ready for the Summer Season Contest!

The challenge is to to find interesting and fun things to do in your area during the summer months and write informative blog posts for your readers and the general public. Along the way you'll find new things to take part in over the summer months and get a chance to share the fun with your readers! It's almost time for some summer fun! Bring on the Fun!

Have fun with this contest! Bring out your creativity, spirit and passion!

Get Ready for Summer Contest Details

1. Write 6 posts about summer activities going on in your area. Each post must be a minimum of 300 words.

2. Each post must include your original photo(s) or a video that you have created.

3. Contest starts May 1st and ends at midnight pacific time on May 31st.

4. All entries must be linked (in one comment only) to this post AND you must email Kerrie and give her your AR name and include the 6 links to your summer season posts

5. 2000 points will be awarded to all participants that successfully complete the challenge!

On Your Mark - Get Set - Have Fun Blogging!

Get Ready for the Summer Season Contest!

*****************************************************************



Thanks for reading my blog!



Anna 'Banana' Kruchten
Owner/Broker, CRB, CRS, GRI, e-PRO
Phoenix Property Shoppe
602-380-4886

Search for Phoenix Area Homes Here

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Stuck in Draft Mode: Fiduciary is NOT a License to Lie for Your Client

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:10:11 -0700

Stuck in Draft Mode: Fiduciary is NOT a License to Lie for Your Client

Admittedly, I've had topics (titles) to sit in draft mode for a year or more. Sometimes, it's just because I've forgotten about it or sometimes it's because I think it's a really, really good topic and I want to write about it doggone it. I know some of you may feel the same way.

But hey, if it's that great of a topic, why haven't you written and posted it yet? Well there could be many reasons for that such as:

One particular post that I kept in draft for a long time, contained a video that had been sitting in draft for so long that the post was no longer relevant (at least to me)
I had a great title and by gosh I knew it was a great title. Problem was that I just didn't have or couldn't come up with a post to complement the tittle. I know. It's crazy right?
I was just venting. Truth is, after you've blown off the steam by writing the post and letting is stew a day or so, just go ahead and delete it.

Richard Weisser's post "How do I get out of a real estate contract?" reminded me of a title that I have had sitting in draft mode for quite sometime: Fiduciary is NOT a License to Lie for Your Client. I really want to write this post, but you know what? I'm going to delete it from draft mode and I'm putting it out here so that one of you can pick it up and run with it if you feel like you could write a really good post on the subject. I know I've caught more than a few agents in lies to get out of contracts.

There have been times in the past that I've had a topic in mind and rather than write about it myself, I'll contact another AR member that I feel could do a better job of writing a post about the subject than I could. Just ask Gene Mundt, Alan May, Brenda Mullen, Carla Muss-Jacobs, BLiz Spear and Jennifer Prestwich just to name a few. Oh there have been many more believe you me. I'll pass off a good topic to another blogger in a heartbeat. How about you.

How long do you keep a post in

mode?

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Adding Social Media Icons in Your Blog Signature

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:47:54 -0700

Hey how do I get all of that fancy stuff to show up at the bottom of all of my blog post? Wonder no more, Instructor Craig Daniels to the rescue in his usual classroom fashion. Don't you just love the way he teaches. It's do elementary, even I can do it.

Via Craig Daniels - Technology Instructor/Project Consultant (located NYC - remote assistance everywhere! :):

How is your social media presence? Likely, because you are on ActiveRain, you have a pretty good social portfolio for your business because we are discussing strategies here all the time! I'm pretty sure you are on Facebook and Google Plus and LinkedIn. Many have Twitter and Pinterest accounts. If you have an active YouTube channel, kudos to you because so few are doing it and yet it is something consumers love! Perhaps you use Foursquare also. Do you enjoy photography - I'm sure you have Flickr and/or Instagram pages.

With all of the above sites to curate, why wouldn't you want an easy gateway to share these sites with those who come to visit your blog? The best place to do so is in your blog signature, the block of text that shows up on the bottom of each of your posts.

Let's add some social media icons to our signatures! Let's talk about how.

Finding the Icons You Want

There are quite a few sites where you can download icons. The icons come in all sorts of shapes. You can search google images for free social media icons. My criteria in selecting an icon batch is (1) they are free (2) they do not require attribution (3) they have the pixel size I need and (4) they have ALL the social sites that I want to link to.

Point (4) is actually harder than it sounds. Some sets might be missing a pinterest icon or a foursquare icon and then I re-continue my search!

A Good Icon Set

I found one set of icons that met my criteria on a site called contentfrog. They have shared the icons that they created with others to also be able to use. They gave an adobe illustrator file and a pdf file for us to extract the icons from. I have taken the extra step of extracting the icons to graphic files in two different sizes (larger/smaller). There are two variations of the twitter icon also shown below. I personally like the bird symbol twitter icon the best. I also prefer the smaller 48 pixel sizing, but see for yourself.

64 pixel sized icons



twitter alternate icon

48 pixel sized icons



twitter alternate icon

Setting Up Your Blog Signature

If you want to use the icons above, select the icon row above for the size you want and copy it to the clipboard. (tip: click your mouse in the white space just in front of the first icon, hold your mouse button down as you drag over the top of them all. Release the button and they will be highlighted. Copy to clipboard via Ctrl+C on windows/Command-C on a Mac)

Head over to where you can edit your blog signature information. On ActiveRain, you get to that page by clicking your name in the upper right side of the page and choosing "Blog Settings" On that page you will see a box for your signature. Paste the icons from your clipboard there.

Next, we have to select each of the icons in turn and create hyperlinks to our specific landing pages for each social site. After selecting an icon, click the link button on the toolbar at the top of the editor box.

In the icon rows that I created above, there are nine icons. If you are not truly active on a social media site, it is better to leave those icons off. Consider you link to you "YouTube" page but somebody goes there and there are no videos uploaded. That would be a bad experience and you may lose their interest!

Whether you use the icons above or choose others, having icons in your blog signature is a great way for others to get to know you better through your other channels on the web. Getting to know you better is the desired prerequisite to the step of actually contacting you!

About the
Author
Craig Daniels is a Technology Manager residing in NYC who specializes in applied technologies in the fields of Architecture and Real Estate. Craig focuses on finding the best uses of tech as can be used to help a business be more successful. He is keen on always seeing the perspective and viewpoint of his audience and he tailors his teaching to be easily understood. He teaches by means of this blog, online courses and webinars, as well as one-on-one remote sessions with persons located throughout the country and beyond.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

IMAGINE IF YOU CHALLENGED YOURSELF FOR 31 DAYS?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:18:50 -0700

I think this is a great idea that Paula blogged about: Applying the principles of the AR 30 Day Challenge to other areas of our lives. I have really been trying to think of a way to committ to exercising and I have tossed about the idea of a month straight. Heck today I even went to the gym to see what they had to offer. I'll let you know how that works out. What's could be your personal 30 day challenge?

Via Paula McDonald, RE/MAX The Woodlands, TX 936-203-0279 (Chevaux Group, PLLC):

IMAGINE IF YOU CHALLENGED YOURSELF FOR 31 DAYS?

Just imagine if we all took the lessons that we learn here on Active Rain for a 31 day challenge and applied them to some area of our lives? Participating in Kerrie's March Challenge got me thinking that if I can write a blog post everyday for a month, that I could certainly challenge myself in other ways.

Here are a few that I would like to do at some point:

Writing personal notes to family, friends and clients each day.

Clean eating for one straight month. No junk food, no preservatives.

Exercise everyday of the month. Walking, jogging, weights, just something each day!

A random act of kindness each day.

Organization spree. Every day of the month choose one day to organize something. A drawer, closet, files, garage, car, purse, briefcase, etc.

Call a current or past client each day just to say Hello.

There are so many others but these are a few that I would like to challenge myself on. Maybe I will do one every other month and by the end of a year, they will have all been completed! It is worth a try!

What could you challenge yourself with?



"Have you fully lived today?"

   Paula L. McDonald ~ REALTOR^®

       Broker Associate - RE/MAX The Woodlands & Spring

      26113 Oak Ridge Drive Suite D ~ The Woodlands, Texas 77380

936-203-0279 Direct

Selling The Woodlands real estate and surrounding areas!

Paula@ChevauxGroup.com

Copyright 2013 Paula McDonald

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

The Seller Just Bought Their Home Back

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:25:40 -0700

No one ever intends for the seller to buy their home back, but it happens and the sellers sometimes doesn't even know what hit them until the morning after. The fact is, that the morning after (the offer) is sometimes the right time to respond. Too often emotions get in the way of making good decisions and sometimes, sleeping on it is just what the offer ordered. If nothing else, it leaves the door open for further negotiations instead shutting down would could turn out to be a ratified contract.

Great post by Karen.

Via Karen Feltman, Relocation Specialist (Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA Skogman Realty):

The Seller Just Bought Their Home Back

We have all been there. In the heat of battle, we get the buyer and seller to that last little counter to meet in the middle...and we are just stuck...no one wants to lose. No one wants to give anymore. So the seller decides to "stand their ground", after all, it is the "principle of the thing" right? And in that instant, the seller just bought their home back.

It was a move of pride. And a silly one at that, especially the morning after when they realize that they are back at square one. You can't just slink back to the other agent and beg the buyer to come back to the table. You had a real buyer, one that had negotiated to give you the best terms. The buyer let you keep your new refrigerator. They accepted a credit for a washer and dryer so that you didn't have to buy new ones yourself. They agreed to push back the closing date and live with the parents for a couple of weeks. But darn it, they wouldn't let you win. They wouldn't just pay that extra $500. And that is like what not even $2 per month difference in their payment, the sellers huff and puff. Really? Let's think about what the buyers are saying.

Because there are plenty of other sellers out there that will love to sell their home and are motivated to get moving to their new home! Whether they are moving out of the area, or they are excited to take advantage of the low interest rates to move up to that bigger home, other sellers are just more motivated.

My advice to my sellers in this situation is always the same. I get out the absorption rate. I talk about the timing and the market conditions. I talk about the likelihood that the next buyer that comes along will expect a discount on the price, a price reduction. And then, dear seller, you are taking even less for your home. And in the meantime, you paid one or two more mortgage payments, lost a few dream houses you had your eye on, and had to reduce your price....the whole time wishing that you would have given up that $500 so that you could have moved by now.

I recommend that you sleep on it. Let the numbers rest and look at them with fresh eyes in the morning. Focus on the future, the prize...the terms are just as important as the price. Is it worth the money to gamble on the "next offer"? Sometimes the answer is no. And if the answer is yes, maybe I am not the best agent for you. Maybe you are not as motivated as you told me you were. Maybe your situation has changed and you haven't told me. Because a motivated seller wouldn't let $500 keep them in a home that no longer meets their needs. Just my opinion.

Keep smiling!

Karen

Karen Feltman, REALTOR®, ABR, AHS, CHMS, CNE, CRS, e-Pro, green, GRI, SRES, TRC

Skogman Realty

411 First Avenue SE, Suite 500

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401

Office 319-366-6427

Mobile 319-521-0701

Fax 1-888-370-3108

www.KarenFeltman.com

Licensed in the State of Iowa

© 2013 by Karen Feltman, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Relocation Specialist

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Last Week's Favorite Newbie First Post March 24 - 30

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:48:27 -0700

Last Week's Favorite Newbie First Post

HAPPY EASTER ACTIVE RAIN

AR IS AS MUCH ABOUT MOVING FORWARD AS IT IS ABOUT REACHING BACK. So as you think back, try to remember how you wished that someone had reached out to you or at least spotted your post and made a comment on that post (and kept coming back to see what you were up to). Well I think these AR Newbies probably feel the same way. They were all great post, but unfortunately I couldn't spotlight them all.

In the interest of time, you may not be able to stop by them all, but if you could just click by as few or as many as your time will allow.

The Week of March 17-23, 2013

Leave a Professional Sounding Outgoing Message in your Voicemail by Connie Chambers
Okay people, can we please do this. Many of us have this same pet peeve and yet we do it ourselves. Perhaps it's been a while since you've updated your voicemail. Now might be a good time to check it or double check it in case it needs an update.

Shorten Your Short Sale Closing Time by Diane Langston
I really like this post because it reminds me of prospective buyers that don't want to quality before looking and they always say "oh, the money ain't no problem. I got that." Okay we understand that but now we just need proof. Based on Diane's post, the same principle applies to short sales: ok, ok we understand you can't afford the house anymore, but we just need proof.

Great No-Cost Marketing Resources by Lora Zibman
All of us are familiar with the try before you buy method of selection which resources are right for us. Afterall, that's probably how many of us ended up as Rainmakers (we tried ActiveRain before we signed up for a Rainmaker account). Lora identifies a few freebies worth investigating. You may already have similar services or you may be in need of a switch. It cost you nothing to check them out.

Getting Homes Under Contract in a Hot Market by Troy Warrick
Troy shares some of the methods that he uses to get homes under contract for his buyers. Some creativity is in order these days and we all have a few tried and some still tucked under our belts?

What Are Buyers Looking For? by Susan Gehring
I have probably read some of those articles that Susan is referring to. You know the ones that have the pulse on what buyers want when shopping for a home. Who knows better what buyers want than agents that work with buyers. Susan has put together a short list of buyers wants and I'm sure some things can be added to it as well. What do you think?

In My House The Analogy of the Construction of a Contract by Rebecca Straley
I had said before that not enough thought goes into written sales contracts and not enough time is spent thoroughly reviewing them. Rebecca takes the tasks very seriously. The State contract, although covers a lot of ground, there is still much to be constructed when preparing offers and negotiating contracts.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Consequences of Decisions When Buying and Selling a Home

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 06:30:13 -0700

Consequences of Decisions When Buying and Selling a Home

It's always a shame when negotiations don't result in a sale. After all, you have a seller that wants to sell a home and by all appearances, a buyer interested in buying said home. One would think that those offers would or could always result in a contract. Needless to say, some things just get in the way. More than anything else, I'd say that the following examples cause more lost transactions than anything else.

Pricing based on the seller's need rather than based on the home's value
What happens here is that the buyer may submit an offer at market value which falls well below the seller's needed price. In a contentious moment, the seller may be furious and offended. This is a situation that perhaps could never result in a contract unless the seller faces the conclusion that the need has nothing to do with value.

Buyer submits an offer that is grossly under market value.
Again seller may take offense, but the offer in hand is better than none at all. I think that sellers should resist this apparent new trend of their agent's advice to "not accepting an offer and suggesting that buyer submit a new offer." In my little, itty bitty mind, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Sure I wish that buyers would just come right or don't come at all, but I certainly if I were a seller, I wouldn't want to risk loosing a perfectly good buyer due to a condescending jesture as requesting a new offer. Why wouldn't a seller just counter the darned offer? If you can help me to make sense of this strategy, I'm listening.

Both parties refuse to accept the reality of the situation
The one that really suffers the most is the seller because their home will continue to languish on the market. The buyer on the other hand (after loosing out on a number of homes) will finally come to the conclusion that s/he'd better wise up and make offers that had a great chance of being accepted. Eventually they'll be a homeowner. But the seller......well if reality never sets in, they'll just continue to pretend that their home is for sale.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Who's A Rainmaker Now Baby? Kelly Bogan That's Who

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:01:28 -0700

Who's A Rainmaker Now Baby? Kelly Bogan That's Who.

You might remember that I featured Kelly Bogan in my Last Week's Favorite Newbie First Post. She was the one that wrote the post titled: On Being Brave and Taking Chances.

Well since that time, Kelly has become a Rainmaker so I want to congratulate her on seeing the value of a Rainmaker account and not hesitating to make it Rain.

I'm hoping Kelly will write a post about why she became a Rainmaker so that she can inspire other Newbies to see value that they may not yet realize.

And I want to ask you to check out the posts that she's written this month. It looks like she's serious about this bloggin thing.

Congrats again to Kelly Bogan, Rainmaker.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Ask An Ambassador- Why Should I Be a Rainmaker?

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:38:21 -0700

I know that becoming a Rainmaker cost money. I paid that price for a Rainmaker account. It took one phone call from Ann Allen and the next thing I knew, there was a blue badge under my name.

If you are wondering whether the Rainmaker account is worth the price, just read Debbie's post and then decide whether it's right for you. I'm not saying that it's right for everybody, but it certainly is attractive for those that want to attract business.

Via Debbie Reynolds, "The Real Debbie Reynolds" (Prudential PenFed Realty):

Ask An Ambassador- Why Should I Be a Rainmaker?

I hear that a lot from members in the Rain that just signed up as members. There are even some members that have been around the Rain for years that are still just members. Though there is nothing at all wrong with this approach, some of the services and benefits are not open to you unless you are a Rainmaker. You are missing out on some of the best parts.

The benefits that I think are the most powerful to Rainmakers are having an outside blog and your own domain name. You can choose to post your blogs in two places for added exposure. Now that is doubling your power. Also as a Rainmaker your posts are indexed by Google meaning you can actually see the traffic going to your posts with the number of clicks and views. This is called a traffic report. It is much cheaper than paying for Google Adwords. The more you post the more you can track. There is power on the web with our ActiveRain blogs if we are Rainmakers. I think this is what is fueling my blogging.

By being just a member, you are only sharing your blogs with the ActiveRain community. I see listings and open houses being posted by members (not Rainmakers) and I want to just shout out that the public isn’t seeing your post and we other agents and the community aren’t going to be your buyer. What’s the point? Maybe you just don’t know that.

When you post public then your blogs can get some Google juice meaning that they can rise through the Google rankings to better your chances of being found by buyers and sellers that will want to use your services. That is the reason that lead me to ActiveRain in the beginning.

The whole ActiveRain community will still treat you kindly if you aren’t a Rainmaker. But I think if you are an active blogger, you simply must make the investment in the Rain. It is so much better for you.

They (the ActiveRain staff) make it so easy financially to upgrade. You can pay monthly. It isn’t very costly and is less than most monthly MLS services. And for those of you into earning points, when you have reached the half million mark you pay no more. Now that is some sweet reward.

So if you are serious about your business and want to do the things that will make your business grow, then seriously consider becoming a Rainmaker. I did it from day one and have never questioned my decision.

There may even be a special deal for you to become a Rainmaker. If you will contact me I may be able to help you save some money. Who doesn't like to save money?

Why Should I Be a Rainmaker? It makes good business cents sense. Contact any of the staff at ActiveRain to upgrade. If you still aren’t convinced then talk personally with Bob Stewart or Kerrie Greenhalgh at ActiveRain. They know the ins and outs and can help you understand how easy it is.

Want To Know What Debbie Has to Say?

If you are needing Real Estate services in Clarksville TN it would be my pleasure to assist you!

.

"The Real Debbie Reynolds" at DebbieReynolds.net

Prudential PenFed Realty, 2503 Wilma Rudolph Blvd., Clarksville, TN 37040

An independently owned and operated member of BRER Affiliated, Inc.

Not affiliated with Prudential. Prudential watermarks used under license.

931-920-6730 (office) 931-320-6730 (cell)

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Birmingham Reads: An Opportunity to Give Back

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:11:11 -0700

Birmingham Reads: An Opportunity to Give Back

Don't forget that April 18, 2013 is Birmingham Reads Day. Birmingham Reads provides an opportunity for volunteers to go into the Birmingham Schools and read to children and hand out books. It is such a worthwhile effort. I saw the call a few months ago and I wasted no time volunteering and on top of that, I recruited some of my family and friends to do the same. Like me, they didn't hesitate to answer the call.

It only takes on hour of your time. Can you spare an hour to read to a child. it's the equivalent of a lunch hour (with permission for commute time from your supervisor).

Birmingham Reads is sponsored by Better Basics. Click below to volunteer

BIRMINGHAM READS

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

WHAT'S THE KEY TO BLOGGING? IF YOU CAN TALK, YOU CAN BLOG!!!

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:05:22 -0700

The simplicity of Paula's post is as close to genius as you can get if you ask me. The one thing that new bloggers overlook is that writing a blog post is just like "verbally" explaining a concept to someone except you are putting your "verbal" explanation in writing format. Why didn't I think to explain it like that?

Via Paula I Hathaway, Senior Vice President, LBA (Douglas Elliman Real Estate):

IF YOU CAN TALK, YOU CAN BLOG!!!

When we are about 1 year to 18 months of age, we learn to talk....We put sentences together soon after that...That is the first step to blogging ! You heard it right! Talking is essential to being able to blog!

Many agents do not even TRY to write a blog post---I just found that out; maybe I knew it at some level but I had someone tell me that just now and I believe it!

I think that all it takes is an interest in a subject; if you can carry on a conversation about it, you can blog about it!

"But it does not take a "writer" to learn to blog" is what I told this agent ---

That, in my humble opinion, is the problem people have with blogging; they just don't understand that putting down on paper statistics or local information does not take a master writer! I was not a writer and I have expanded my writing now so that many people now read my posts!

All it takes is an interest in becoming informed so you can inform...this wonderful business of real estate is not a matter of taking people into houses now and writing up offers---it has become much more than that.

The public does not want to buy a house if they don't know anything about the state, the county, the town or village and the STREET they may end up living on!

In my opinion, if you can talk, you can write--at least you can write information and statistics down in such a way that the public finds it interesting--nothing more than that! That is not going to require a degree in literature--as I said if you can talk and carry on a conversation, just write it down as if you are talking about it---that is the key; no mystery to it! And those who succeed at blogging have discovered that.

HOW DO YOU VIEW THE IDEA OF BLOGGING---DO YOU THINK IT NECESSARY TO BE A "WRITER" TO BLOG???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**ALL INFORMATION AND CONTENT IN THIS BLOG IS ORIGINAL TO PAULA I. HATHAWAY

Paula I. Hathaway, Senior Vice President, Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Southamtpon Village Real Estate Specialist since 1995; Also Specializes in North Sea, Noyac, Water Mill and Bridgehampton, New York

Diamond , Gold and Chairman's Circle Awards; Top Producer since 2005

Click here to see my Hampton's website to see all my listings; please email me or call me for all your real estate needs in Southampton, Bridgehampton and Watermill:

http://www.elliman.com/paulahathaway

http://www.hathawayhamptonhomes.com

http://www.realestateshows.com/671362

http://www.realestateshows.com/671345

http://www.realestateshows.com/651587

http://www.realestateshows.com/flyer.php?id=654265

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

The Best Priced Home in Center Point's Arrowhead Subdivision

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:34:41 -0700

The Best Priced Home in Center Point's Arrowhead Subdivision

There is no doubt that I just listed the best priced home in the Arrowhead subdivision in Center Point located at 2808 Arrowhead Drive, Birmingham, AL 35215. I'll be more than happy to arrange a showing.

This beautiful home has a combination of hardwood flooring and laminate hardwood that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. And who doesn't love the ceramic tile (bathroom and kitchen), not only for its appeal but because of the ease of care in cleaning it. Granite counter tops are nice, but then so is the marble counter top in this home's kitchen.

Did you say finished basement? Check that off your list to because this home has it and there is a full bathroom in the finished basement too. I hate to use the term "trust me", but I'm going to use it anyway when I say "trust me" you'll want to see this house if you are looking in the Center Point/Arrowhead area. No question about it.

Schedule a showing today.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

3 Bedroom/2 Bath Home in Arrowhead Subdivision Clay Chalkville Schools

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:39:16 -0700

3 Bedroom/2 Bath 1.5 level home

Overview
Maps
Photos
Description

$71,075

Single Family Home

Main Features

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1 Unit
Interior: 1,750 sqft
Lot: 00 sqft

Location

2808 Arrowhead Drive
Birmingham, AL 35215
USA

To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below:

Charita H Cadenhead

Keller Williams Realty
(205) 527-1112
bhamwiire@gmail.com
http://www.bhamwiire.com

Listed by: Keller Williams Realty Metro North

Our recent listings

Possible Short Sale Center Point Alabama
Bank Approved Price of $45,000

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Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

Last Week's Favorite Newbie First Post - Week of March 17-23

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 03:48:27 -0700

Last Week's Favorite Newbie First Post

In the interest of time, you may not be able to stop by them all, but if you could just click by as few or as many as your time will allow.

The Week of March 17-23, 2013

Fraud at the Closing Table....Don't Let This Happen to YOU By Paul Bernstein
Each of us needs to always be on high fraud alert and this seems to be the new version of kiting checks. There is a rule of thumb that just can't be overlooked and that is trust your instincts.

On Being Brave and Taking Chances by Kelly Bogan
Kelly is new to real estate and Active Rain. Already she admits to sabotaging her success, but one thing that struck me was her declaration that "This blogging is also one of those activities that falls in the 80% of things an agent shouldn't be wasting time on." If Kelly is lucky, she will soon realize what a goldmine she has stumbled upon here at AR.

What's New in Real Estate by Janice Greene
I really like that Janice stepped out on her first post and incorporated video. It's a professional video featuring KW's Jay Papasoan, but it was still a brave step by a Newbie to use video and serves to remind us that we should pay attention to the quality of our own videos. Now that I think about, Janice is probably just new to the AR blogging platform. So we just want to welcome her and hopefully she can share some tips about her own blogging style.

Must Do For First Time Buyers by Robert Sopheia
One thing a love about new members is that write for the public. Not that communing with fellow Rainers is bad, but even we stress that our post should be focused on buyers and sellers. I hope Robert is around long enough to become a Rainmaker and stay around so that the public can view his consumer-centric post.

The Driving Force Behind Real Estate Deals And What Sells a Community by Cindy LaLonde
What do you bring to the real estate table? That's the question that Cindy ask. It's hard not to pause and think about this for a minute. We know that many have years of experience and that is what keeps you in business, but besides the years, what is that unique thing about you that keeps you coming back and keeps you in business.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!

The Term Lowball Offer Only Applies When Homes are Priced Right

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 08:59:21 -0700

The Term Lowball Offer Only Applies When Homes are Priced Right

When offers are made and presented, the one thing that we all have to remember is that a lowball offer is only a lowball offer if the house is properly priced. Should the buyer decide to make a realistic market value offer on an overpriced home, then everyone will have to prepare themselves for:

Seller denial, defensiveness and offensiveness
Listing agent denial that s/he listed a home that was is properly priced

If the buyer's agent has done a good job of explaining to buyers how to derive at an offer price (based on the solid foundation available sales data)), then the buyer will be in a much stronger position to make a good offer. Furthermore, the buyer's agent will be in a better position to present, defend and negotiate from a standpoint of being able to justify the offer price.

When a buyer makes a lowball offer on a home that is properly priced, the buyer is not giving the listing agent anything to work with to reinforce that the offer is a reasonable one to be considered.

Comparable sales don't lie and are to be considered an indisputable truth. Always be prepared to make offers that you can support with available data. If the seller doesn't accept then they just prove themselves incapable of analyzing information of further make themselves look really silly.

Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series)

BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door

Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice

Charita H. Cadenhead, Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty Metro North
Gardendale, AL 35071
www.charitacadenhead.com
charita@charitacadenhead.com
(205) 527-1112 - cell
(800) 496-7431 - Fax

One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Charita Cadenhead: I'm Everywhere You Want to Be!