real estate professional: Stairway to Endless Possibilities
- 05/04/09 04:53 PM
The trials I've faced and the tribulations I've crossed to get to the point and time of NOW. Climbing the stairs, step by step and as each period in my life approached the steps became harder to climb. Ups and downs and all arounds.
At long last....clarification. The meaning of defining success for my 'self'. It is an achievement to become comfortable in this vast world and in this mystery called life. Each person has their own meaning of success and we conquer the steps by going through each situation and circumstance and turn them into learning lessons.
We fall and get … (27 comments)
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real estate professional: Are You Documenting Your Transactions?
- 04/13/09 11:50 AM
Documentation of a transaction is one of the most important parts of a transaction. It is imperative that I get as much in writing (black and white) as possible. With technology at the tip of my fingertips I long ago learned that my emails were to be my ‘documentation of choice'.
Why are emails my documentation of choice?
We speak on the phone to get status on all parts of our transactions but is that protecting you and your client when relying on "memory"? By taking the chance that the other party is saying that that isn't how it happened?
"Here say" … (62 comments)
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real estate professional: Homework Assignment from Broker Bryant
- 04/10/09 10:47 AM
The following homework assignment was proposed to us by Bryant Tutas Broker/REALTOR(R) Tutas Towne Realty, Inc. He wrote a post Is it brains, brawn or beauty? and asks these questions:
What sets you apart from other REALTORS(R) in your area? Why would the consumer choose to work with you instead of your competition? Once you have their business, what do you do to keep it? Well, I like homework assignments so I'm going to do it during a slow Good Friday morning at the office. (yes, I finished what needed to be done so far....besides, I'm a multi tasker LOL).
Here goes:
1) … (31 comments)
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real estate professional: Building a Reputation Over a Lifetime
- 04/07/09 05:33 PM
She packs up loads of books, pamphlets, documents and brochures for her listing appointment. Hmm...she snaps her fingers as a signal that she almost forgot something. The camera and flip video; and she grabs them and places them in her satchel as well.
Hair neatly combed and dressed in a nice pantsuit she retrieves the lint brush from the kitchen drawer and gives her pants a good go over; lest the seller take notice to the little lint balls that accumulated on the knees of her pants. Darn that Gary....he threw a wash rag in with the dark colors when doing the … (31 comments)
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real estate professional: What Constitutes a Great Realtor®?
- 03/30/09 02:21 PM
Is there a criteria for what makes for a great Realtor® besides following the COE? I'm sure we all have our criteria for being the professional we are as well as what it means to be successful in this business. We also know that continuuing education, gaining more knowledge, staying up to date with the current laws and contracts of our states are musts.
There are MANY other points but the bottom line is we think ....and DO in the best interests of our clients.
How about what does NOT constitute a wonderful agent? I'll name a few and you folks … (34 comments)
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real estate professional: Real Estate is NOT JUST A PAYCHECK
- 01/29/09 05:23 AM
It's TAX time again! What does that mean for Realtors®? The one thing that changed this year for me was that my tax man finally made me put my expenses in categories. In the past I listed each one line by line (date by date) and I guess he got sick of categorizing for me. LOL.
Another reason to bring this up again... is so the consumer realizes it's not just a paycheck and running to the bank. I put heart and soul into helping my clients sell their home or buy a home and though it is a means of making … (79 comments)
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real estate professional: Can You See The REAL Me?
- 11/12/08 03:27 PM
We as Real Estate Professionals strive to be all we can be online. We write about our industry, our local areas, joke around and give information from Real Estate to Mortgage Programs, Staging, Home Inspections, Blogging, Social Networking and so on and so on.
There is a fine line between being transparent and letting it all hang out though isn't there?
We give a little of ourselves, our personalities, our expert advice, tips and tricks and all sorts of things while writing online. But when it comes to displaying inappropriate behavior online I really start writing.....A lot. I'm being transparent with … (44 comments)
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real estate professional: YOUR Online Presence & The Aftermath
- 11/02/08 07:07 PM
If there is one thing that I truly believe causes conflict with friendship and professional relationships is the behavior that comes with discussing and ranting about religious and political views. Okay, it's more than that. It's the trying to incite an online 'riot' of sorts.
Yup, we all have our opinions and when it starts getting mean, nasty and downright negative it's disrespectful to this platform as well as the intent of this network. A REAL Estate Network. Then to top it all off with the ulterior motive of trying to force ones opinion down another persons throat it is then that it becomes unprofessional and downright judgmental and prejudiced.
… (136 comments)
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real estate professional: Be Creative, Unique & REAL
- 10/14/08 09:44 AM
For those of you that have not read Rich Jacobson's post on "Taking Advantage of a Good Thing" - AR Community Guidelines Re-Visited you may want to dive in and learn.
****The last part of our guidelines was stated in Rich's post:
"Do not attempt to selfishly manipulate search engine results through blackhat SEO techniques, such as Keyword Stuffing, or by posting endless copied sections of your local MLS. Violation of this guideline may result in an immediate termination of your ActiveRain account/profile."
We as Real Estate Industry Professionals respect each other & work as a team....so why is it so hard to … (71 comments)
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real estate professional: Give a Little.....Gain a Lot.
- 10/13/08 01:25 PM
There have been many situations during the course of my life where I have had to give a little in order to gain a lot.
In relationships - It's definitely a give and take situation. Though I keep healthy boundaries it's still impertive that I give a little and I don't always have to win. In business - It's also a give and take situation where I have contributed credits, items or repairs so the transaction works....runs smoothly. A few months ago one of our trees by our bedroom was cut down because it was diseased. During high winds there were branches that broke and often … (34 comments)
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real estate professional: I LOVE My REAL Estate Profession Because....... (Challenge)
- 10/13/08 05:06 AM
A year ago we were challenged by Mike Mueller who wrote his post What do you Love about your job? to write about "why I love my profession". I thought this would be a great time to remember why I continue to love my profession and why I am determined to succeed in the Real Estate Industry.
It sure feels good when I take the every day challenges in our industry and turn it into a prize winning ending.
There are no two transactions alike and I continue to have many learning lessons as I have the past year. So I have added … (116 comments)
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real estate professional: Please Educate YOUR Clients!!
- 10/11/08 04:47 PM
This afternoon my seller called me and said a woman knocked on his door. She said her husband was parking the car and they wanted to come in to look. My seller asks the woman if she has a Realtor® and she eagerly gives her Realtors® business card to him.
My seller is great at following my instructions :) He hands the woman HER Realtors® business card and hands her mine while telling the woman she needs to let her Realtor® call me to make an appointment.
Please educate your clients!
My MLS agent instructions say to call the LISTOR (me) … (50 comments)
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real estate professional: Hawaii VA Loan Process: BE PREPARED!
- 10/03/08 04:49 AM
There is no doubt that Military Relocating to Hawaii need housing and most active duty and vets are still taking advantage of their VA Guaranteed Loan.
VA Guarantees a percentage of the loan and you still have to go through a Lender that actually does do VA Loans and it is for your OWN PERSONAL USE. (not all banks, credit unions and loan companies do VA Loans). The Veterans Administration Guaranteed Loan is most likely the best choice for most miiltary because they can do 100% financing and roll the funding fee into the loan. For disabled vets who are … (23 comments)
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real estate professional: Professional Attitudes & Behaviors Online
- 09/16/08 12:27 PM
Professional Attitudes & Behaviors ONLINE should hold true as the same offline. We follow what is stated in our Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. Even if your profession does not specifically have a Code of Ethics it is pretty much common sense to respect others in our industry as well. Our COE specifically states, "The duties imposed by the Code of Ethics encompass all real estate related activities and transactions whether conducted in person, electronically, or through any other means.
More specifically I read many a rude comment about other agents or peers from members here on Active Rain. It also brought … (84 comments)
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real estate professional: Illusion or Reality?
- 09/12/08 04:35 AM
An illusion is a distortion of reality. We look at an object and it appears to be something that really isn't but when we train our brain to look at the object differently then we may perceive the object differently as well. Some illusions take on different perceptions from the assumptions a brain makes. Smell, a disorder (like a headache) and so forth may appear differently under certain circumstances.
We are all human and we all have different thought, beliefs and values. With this in mind we know that ALL humans think differently and therefore have different opinons and when it comes down to it we … (26 comments)
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real estate professional: From Braless to Aging Gracefully
- 09/04/08 04:44 AM
In the 70's I romped the city braless. Yup, women were standing up for their rights and wearing no bra and saran wrap dresses. Now look at us. With gravity taking its course we throw them over our shoulders and age gracefully. We snicker at the young folk who do not allow nature to run it's course (on the other hand if you're like me you refuse to spend a bunch of money to keep those tummies tight and inserting silicone to keep other places perky) or allow themselves to calm the rebel inside.
Back in the day, I opened my mouth and … (71 comments)
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real estate professional: Buyer Credit AND Lower Offer? Who Says?
- 08/31/08 04:26 PM
Hawaii Military Relocation clients love a Realtor® that knows there 'stuff' regarding the area, the military and VA Loans for their Hawaii Home Buying experience.
I have been working with clients since May of this year and they are finally arriving tomorrow.
I will be picking them up from the airport and we will be hitting the pavement hard Tuesday morning for showing appointments. I have been working for the last couple of hours setting appointments and think that maybe with this holiday weekend I should have started earlier.....or else agents don't work on weekends.
I managed to get ahold of … (28 comments)
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real estate professional: The Signs Say -WE BUY HOMES!
- 08/24/08 03:51 PM
I know there's a lot of these "We buy houses" signs all over the nation...but right here on Oahu?
We went out yesterday and within 10 minutes of each other there were signs for "WE BUY HOUSES".
One was right in our residential area and the other one right on the highway.
Now, we are always instructed to not place our Open House signs on the highways (and this is just for a couple of hours) so why do these guys get to have theirs up 24/7?
These advertising bits are all over the internet and on streets. … (108 comments)
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real estate professional: The POWER of MY Thinking Reflects on MY Business
- 07/26/08 07:08 AM
It USED TO BE a slow year. The energy I throw 'out there' has a way of turning the course of my life when I am thinking .....POSITIVE. ..... and Vice Versa of course.
Let me expound on this a minute.
My beliefs have changed drastically over the years and I am grateful for the things I do have. Of course I'm human and everyone gets into a "mode" or phase where it just seems like the world is caving in from all sides although it's UP TO ME in how I handle each and every situation that crosses my path. No one "MAKES … (32 comments)
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real estate professional: Are YOU Setting Healthy Boundaries With Your Clients & Peers?
- 07/25/08 03:05 AM
Believe it or not, there is a name for people pleasers. The ones who do not know how to be straightforward and only tell people what they want to hear. They let OTHER people dictate how they 'should' feel about a certain situation and under certain circumstances allow others be the bearer of bad news. They let OTHER people dictate how they 'should' be and you can see in their mannerisms that they are ...well...not so confident in themselves.
Otherwise known as Codependency.The definition is: A Dysfunctional Relationship With SELF. Yup there's a name for it all right. I can't fix anyone (you … (67 comments)
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The trials I've faced and the tribulations I've crossed to get to the point and time of NOW. Climbing the stairs, step by step and as each period in my life approached the steps became harder to climb. Ups and downs and all arounds.
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