beverly hills real estate: Making Time - 04/28/09 10:28 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
It's important to make time for the things that are important to you. Time has a way of marching by regardless of our wishes. If we don't schedule what is most important to us it has a way of slipping to last on the list. I have a friend who has said for years that she wanted to work out and get in shape, but it never happened. Last summer she sat down with her planner and scheduled time to go to the gym every day. Now she is in the best shape of her life.
The first … (5 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Google Reader - 04/28/09 10:24 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Google Reader is a free service that comes with a gmail account. Google Reader helps you to create your own personal "newspaper" geared toward your specific interests. If you see a Blog that you like you can subscribe to it in Google Reader and the blog will automatically publish on your reader whenever it posts. This is a great way to keep track of Blogs that you enjoy.
When you access your reader it clearly displays all of the Blogs that you subscribe to but it also will offer an array of Blogs and articles that it thinks … (2 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: The Economic Stimulus Package - 04/27/09 07:33 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
We've all been waiting to see what help for home owners would be coming down the pike. The new $8,000 refundable tax credit may not be all that we had hoped for, the $15,000 tax credit had a nicer ring to it but it was split over two years, still this is at least a jumping off point.
With the cost of owning approaching the cost of renting more and more people should be moved to buy. An $8,000 incentive will hopefully be the straw that topples the camel's back and encourages more buyers to the market. Let's … (6 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Knowing Your Business - 04/27/09 07:28 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
There is absolutely no substitute for knowing your business. You can be the nicest most sincere Realtor on the block but if you don't know your business you can't possibly do right by your clients.
It's essential to know your niche market inside and out. If you aren't an expert in your field you need to ask yourself why not! If you aren't passionate enough about your business to be an expert in your area, you may need to reevaluate.
As a Realtor in today's market you also need to be up to date on all new legislation. … (2 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Virtual Assistants 101 - 04/25/09 10:36 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Virtual assistants are people you hire to work from a location other than your office. I use virtual assistants for any task that I can benefit from hiring someone else to do. If I don't like a task, I hire a virtual assistant. I don't like posting blogs, it's time consuming and not a good use of my time. So I have a virtual assistant post the blogs for me. That way I have more time to write the blogs, which is a better use of my time.
I also hire virtual assistants to do things I am not … (2 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Self Talk - 04/24/09 04:32 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Self talk is what we say to ourselves throughout the day. The power of self talk can not be under estimated. If you are having a rough day, stop for a second and consider what it is that you are saying to yourself. Are you saying things like, "Why is this happening to me?" or "Why does this always happen to me?" What you think becomes what you say and what you say becomes what you do. If you think negative thoughts and talk to yourself in a negative way you will expect negative things to happen. You … (2 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Safety Tips for Realtors - Part II - 04/24/09 04:28 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
In the last Blog we talked about some of the ways you can protect yourself when showing property. I shared suggestions for things you can do before viewing the property. Here are some suggestions for things to do at the actual viewing.
1. Never wear expensive jewelry or carry valuables on you. Keep your cell phone on you at all times, but everything else stays home or at the office.2. Park on the street, not in the driveway. This seems counter intuitive, but think about it. If you park in the driveway you can easily be blocked in. Yes, you … (4 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Safety Tips for Realtors - Part 1 - 04/23/09 08:35 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Showing property is a necessary element of selling Real Estate, but it means walking into empty homes with complete strangers. There are definite ways to protect yourself during home previews if you are willing to take the steps. Here are some suggestions:
1. Always have your charged cell phone with you and have a regular schedule of checking in to your office. I call my office every hour, so they know if they don't hear from me something is wrong.2. Never ever show a property without having the client come into your office first. This serves 2 purposes, they meet … (5 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Assessor Scam - 04/23/09 08:28 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
It is unfortunate, but in times of economic strife con men flourish. What is worse their prey is often the people who can least afford the scam. There is a current scam happening in Los Angeles that we all need to be aware of and make our friends, families and clients aware of as well.
Home owners are receiving letters that are worded in such a way that they appear to be from the County Assessor's office. They are not, they are from private companies. The letters tell the home owner they can pay lower taxes if they … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Feng Sui - 04/23/09 08:24 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
I am a fan of Feng Shui. Having been a successful Realtor for many years I have walked into a wide range of rooms and I can tell you that rooms convey a mood, a mood that affects how people perform and act in the room. Rearrange the furniture and the mood will change.
For those that are skeptical of the principles of Feng Shui I offer the example of a messy desk. Sit down at a messy desk and notice how much work you get done. Clutter and loose papers on a desk top draw your attention … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Vertical Life - 04/22/09 04:11 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
There is so much to love about the vertical life. One of my favorite things about living vertically is the simultaneous advantages of living in a private residence while being surrounded in the ultimate in comfort and safety.
When I come home I am treated to the privacy of my own residence. I am completely unaware of the people who live above and below me. My home is quiet, serene and free of anyone else's influence.
At the same time I never have to worry about coming home to a dark front door, or worry that I might … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Renewal - 04/22/09 04:07 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Spring is a time for renewal. Even the religious holidays at this time of year are about renewal. Spring is a great time to look around your condo and consider how you can breathe new life into the space. Often it doesn't take much. Consider taking one room and doing an easy weekend makeover.
A fresh coat of paint in the foyer can make a world of difference for your entire home. Simply changing the accent pillows on the sofa or on your bed can transform a room. I am a big fan of fresh flowers largely because … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Tax and the Homeowner - 04/16/09 12:20 PM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Home ownership has plenty of advantages, but one of the easiest to recognize is the tax advantages. It is widely known that a great time to purchase property is when the cost of ownership is similar to or less than the cost to rent. If the cost to rent is even close to buying the owner will generally find that after taxes are taken into consideration it is actually cheaper to own than to rent.
Imagine being able to build equity, having the freedom of home ownership and all for less money than to rent. Why wouldn't you … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Tax Credits For First Time Home Buyers - 04/15/09 10:11 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Are you interested in buying a condominium? The new economic stimulus package has a special enticement just for you. If you have not owned a primary residence in the last three years the new law considers you a "first time home buyer". In some cases you can even own a vacation home and still qualify. If you buy a home this year, before December 1st you can potentially qualify for an $8,000 refundable tax credit.
If you keep your home for more than three years the tax credit does not ever have to be repaid. If you sell … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: REO Condominiums - 04/15/09 10:07 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
I believe in being honest with my clients. There are times when honesty is not appreciated; it is in those times when I think it is doubly important to be honest. I am versed in the sale of REO property. I am REO MAC trained and certified, and like a lot of people I was excited last summer to tell my clients about the exciting deals that were available in the REO arena of Real Estate for Los Angeles. REO properties are those that have been foreclosed on by the bank, they failed to sell at auction and … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Think Green! - 04/14/09 09:51 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
With all the talk about recycling, reducing and reusing it's important to remember one of the most essential elements of living green, which is thinking green. Let's face it we have all gotten used to doing things one way and it's hard to break old habits. But if we simply start to "think green" it won't be long before we find our selves "living green". All it takes is asking yourself, "What can I do today to reduce my carbon footprint." Notice I didn't say "erase my carbon footprint". If we simply think about what we can do, … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Green Kitchens - 2 - 04/14/09 09:15 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
Two important elements in any green kitchen design are countertops and flooring. There are ample choices in green countertops depending on your taste and budget. You can even utilize recycled tiles reclaimed from demolished sites. You'd be amazed at what you can find. There are also tiles and other countertops made from recycled paper, hemp, engineered stone, even concrete. This is a fast growing market so there is already a wide array of color choices to choose from.
Green flooring is also seeing a grand expansion. Bamboo is one of the more popular floorings on the market. It … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Green Shopping Bags - 04/13/09 11:31 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
More and more people are seeing the light and using reusable shopping bags. Why? What harm can a little plastic shopping bag do? You'd be surprised. Plastic and paper shopping bags require a great deal of energy to create. Once they are used they clog landfills and the plastic bags pose a threat to sea and wild life. As the bags decompose they shred into smaller pieces that animals mistake for food. Ingesting the bags can make the animals sick and potentially kill them. The cost of recycling plastic bags is significant. It is much smarter to use … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Green Kitchen Appliances - 04/13/09 11:26 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
If you are redoing your kitchen or just ready to purchase some new appliances you will want to think "green". Traditionally the kitchen is the room in the house that uses the most energy and frequently the most water. It is worthwhile to invest in appliances that utilize these resources with the least waste. Even if you pay more for the appliance the savings on your utility bills should make up for the added expense.One easy way to shop for appliances is to look for the energy star label. Appliances that wear this label have been rated by … (0 comments)
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beverly hills real estate: Green Websites - 04/11/09 09:21 AM
By Coco Clayman-Cook
If you are looking for some informative sites on the web for "Green Living" here is a great list that was shared with us by my good friend and Celebrity Lifestyle Designer, Erin Ferucci.
Greenhomeguide.com - this is a great resource for green construction and design components.Saveourenvironment.org - a great comprehensive site with a useful "green gardening technique" section.Greenercars.com - this site features ratings on all cars for mileage, emissions, etc.40mpg.com - there is a great calculator on this site that will figure out exactly how much money you will save by driving a car that gets 40 … (0 comments)
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