McKinney (Collin County) Real Estate Blog

How a Ruptured Appendix Made Me Thankful to be a Realtor! What are YOU Thankful for?

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:13:56 -0600

November.

It's a month filled with Thanksgiving. At this very minute I'm filled with thanks for many things: my health, my family, my country and my faith.

However, today it's my particular profession that I'm thankful for. And for one very specific reason that doesn't have anything to do with buying or selling a house:

This is my 8 year old, Mason.

You may (or may not have) noticed that I've been somewhat MIA on Active Rain for a while.

In mid-October Mason became very ill for almost a week before doctors finally realized his appendix had ruptured. The entire week he was ill, prior to being hospitalized, I was able to stay at home with him and attend to his every need. I didn't need to call in to HR to let them know I wouldn't be coming in to work. I didn't need to risk losing a job because I couldn't make it in to the office. I stayed with him. Moms, you know how important this is.

After doctors realized what had happened and he was admitted to the hospital, I was able to stay with him again.

I am so thankful for this simple fact.

Our jobs, as Realtors, allows us flexibility. Actually, any business owner or self-employed person has this luxury. But I'm doubly blessed because I have a partner that could handle this business while I was unavailable.

I'm so thankful that I made the plunge into the scary, challenging world of owning your own business.

I'm so thankful that I'm not married to Corporate America and all of it's rules and restrictions.

While being a business owner is not void of risk, it is certainly worth the rewards.

What has your profession made YOU thankful for?

The New and Improved Home Buyer Tax Credit

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:58:01 -0600

A fellow Realtor on the East Coast in Massachusettes very clearly outlines the new changes regarding the highly anticipated Home Buyer Tax Credit! This change will help out so many home buyers and sellers...I'm giddy!

Read on...

For help buying or selling in the McKinney, TX or Collin County area give me a call!

Via Claudette Millette - Metrowest Mass Exclusive Buyer Broker (The Buyers' Counsel):

The much-anticipated extension to the home buyer tax credit has finally been approved. The Senate's vote yesterday resulted in a 98-0 win and today it was passed in the house. The bill now moves to the President's desk for a final signature.

First-time home buyers have been eligible for tax credits of up to $8,000 since last January as part of this year's economic stimulus package. The newly backed program will expand the credit to include existing home owners.

Under the revised program, those who have owned a home for at least five years will be able to apply for tax credits of up to $6,500 when they purchase their next home.  To qualify, buyers will have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30.

The maximum purchase price on a home will be $800,000 with vacation homes not eligible. Income limitations are $125,000 for single tax payers and $225,000 for joint filers.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) have been lobbying hard for the extension and expansion of the tax credit. NAR claims that so far, about 1.4 million first-time homebuyers have qualified for the program and they estimated that 350,000 of these buyers would not have otherwise purchased.

The tax credit is also set to be extended for another year for military personnel serving outside of the United States until June 30, 2011.

Senator Johnny Isakson, who heavily pushed for the extension, along with his own version that would have increased the credit to $15,000 stated, "This is probably the last extension."

But, is this really true? When April 2011 comes around and the housing market is still not in full recovery mode, will the politicians be able to let this go and actually come to an end, or could it possibly become a more permanent subsidy?

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Copyright 2009 - Claudette Millette, Broker, Owner, TheBuyersCounsel - 800-392-1446  - E-mail

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When I Grow Up... Have You Ever Contemplated a Career in Real Estate? Informational Meeting 11/30 in McKinney, TX!

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:56:48 -0600

WHAT: A Career in Real Estate? Join us for a Q&A Ladies Night!

WHEN: Monday, November 30 2009 @ 7:00

WHERE: d + b real estate, located on the beautiful historic square in downtown McKinney

207 E. Virginia Pkwy, Suite 203 - located above the Lavendar Tea House

If you've EVER contemplated what a career in real estate might be like, then now is your time to get your questions answered!

Laura & Kim, d + b real estate's owners, will be leading a casual informational meeting about the process of getting your real estate license, the fees and costs involved and all of the in's and out's of a career as a Realtor.

Enjoy some light snacks and perhaps a glass of wine as we provide a comfortable setting in which you can get all of your questions answered.

You MUST RSVP by November 29. Feel free to bring a guest!

Email: Kim@RealFamilyRealEstate.com or call 972-838-5394

Plano, TX Home for Lease Close to Schools, Commuting, Shopping & Dining - $1600 per mo

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:29:10 -0600

Spacious 3 bedroom plus study home located on a generous cul de sac lot just minutes from EVERYTHING:

Tollway, 121 and 75
Children's Medical Center in Plano, Plano Presbyterian & Medical Center of Plano
Stonebriar Mall, Shops at Legacy, Willow Bend Mall
Award winning Elementary School
Major employment centers: EDS, JC Penney HQ, Frito Lay

Immediate move-in available. Pets approved on a case by case basis. Preferred 12-month lease, but may entertain shorter terms. Call today for a showing of this ideal Plano rental home!

Collin County (Texas) Real Estate Statistics for September 2009 - Your Market Update

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:47:55 -0500

Real Estate in Collin County, TX is beginning to look beautiful as the leaves on the trees begin to start turning colors. For those of you that have lived here any length of time, you know that this doesn't last long. Our area usually goes from green to dead and lying on the ground in no time flat. This time of year also begins the tapering off in real estate activity for the year.

Read below for how McKinney, Allen, Frisco and Plano real estate markets did in September 2009.

Allen: 866 sales (-18% from prior yr); Avg sales price $238,657 (-3% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 74 (-9% from prior yr)
Frisco: 2169 sales (-4% from prior yr); Avg sales price $276,713 (-7% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 79 (-11% from prior yr)
McKinney: 1430 sales (-11% from prior yr); Avg sales price $220,550 (-1% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 80 (0% from prior yr)
Plano: 2239 sales (-22% from prior yr); Avg sales price $261,312(-5% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 63 (-7% from prior yr)

The number of sales are down across the board for each city - down from 4% in Frisco to 22% in Plano! None of the cities showed an increase in the average sales price, and almost each city showed the days on market decreased.

What does this mean for home sellers? It's CRUCIAL to price your home accordingly!! The first 2 weeks on the market are the most crucial. With fewer sales on the books, your home needs to be the cream of the crop!

You also need to have a REALTOR with an agressive marketing campaign and dominant internet presence. Gone are the days of throwing a sign in the yard and placing on the MLS hoping it sells. When interviewing agents be sure to ask about this! Also ask how the new Appraisal law (HVCC) and neighborhood foreclosures or short sales will impact how you price your home. It could also affect whether or not you close the sale of your home ON TIME.

With all of this being said, DFW is still doing GREAT when compared to the rest of the nation! If you want more information about the Dallas or McKinney Real Estate market, go to www.TexasRealEstate.com. Each market is different - contact a REALTOR for information about YOUR area!

As always, remember, sellers have control of only TWO things:

Price! Don't overprice - enough said.
Condition! Consult a home stager...it's necessary.

Search homes for sale in the Collin County real estate market.

Allen, TX Home For Sale - 4,000+ Sq Ft with POOL/SPA for $225,000!

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:34:00 -0500

Incredible deal in North Bethany Lakes in Allen, TX. This 4,000 square foot home with salt water pool offers SO MUCH living space! For $225,000 you just can't beat it!

Amazing 4000+ sq ft Allen, TX Home with Pool/Spa UNDER $250K!

Price: 225000

Beds: 4

Baths: 3.5

Sqft: 4022

Year Built: 2001

Property Address:
1707 Lake Tawakoni Dr.
Allen, TX 75002

If you have been looking for a home in sought-after Allen, TX with 4,000+ square feet of living space AND a pool/spa for UNDER $300K, then you can stop your search NOW! This 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home has so much to offer! North Bethany Lake Estates is located in Allen ISD - minutes from 75, shopping, dining and schools - this location can�t be beat. A Texas-sized family room is located at the front of the home and offers a brick fireplace. The spacious kitchen and breakfast nook offer a breakfast bar open to the grand foyer, island and cabinets with custom pull-out drawers to maximize storage. Upstairs you�ll find the master retreat equipped with a see-thru fireplace. You�ll be finding excuses to relax in the garden tub next to a roaring fire! Bring all your games, a pool table or LOTS of toys and have fun in the gameroom! A Jack-n-Jill bath connects two bedrooms, a third bedroom makes a great guest retreat and a home office complete the 2nd floor. Inside the home you are greeted by a dramatic staircase and many architectural details that make this home stand out, including: art niches, soaring two-story foyer with arches, rounded drywall corners, plant ledges, tray ceilings in formals & master and moldings. The formal living and dining rooms make entertaining a breeze! New lighting fixtures have been installed throughout the home for an elegant feel. Car enthusiasts will LOVE the garage with tiled floor!

Utility room has space for extra fridge/freezer
Energy-efficient Solar Screens
Upgraded carpet, ceramic tile entry and kitchen, wood floor at staircase landing
Study upstairs could be 5th bedroom
Ceiling fans throughout - including garage!
Foley Pebble Tech Pool & Spa
Enclosed Dog Runs for the 4-legged family members

Contact Information
	d + b real estate Kim Daugherty 207 E. Virginia Suite 203 McKinney TX 75069 972-838-5394 More Listing Information d + b real estate - McKinney\'s Newest Boutique Real Estate Choice! Email Me

Where to Live in Collin County, TX? McKinney or Frisco? Allen or Plano? McKinney or Allen?

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:21:12 -0500

"Where should we live? McKinney or Frisco? Frisco or Allen? Allen or Plano? Plano or McKinney? How do we decide?"...

The above question scenario has been asked by more than one relocating buyer, to his or her spouse, in the midst of planning a move to the North Dallas area. It usually occurs after touring homes in these four popular cities in Collin County, TX, and it can be really hard to decide.

The cities of McKinney, Allen, Frisco and Plano are all conveniently located north of Dallas in growing Collin County. For the sake of this comparison, I feel that all four cities have similar housing options, great schools, family-friendly attractions and similar home prices. For that reason, I won't go into those details as much as other unique factors that are specific to each city.

So how do you break it down?

After spending the last 5 years working with relocating buyers to Collin County, I've learned a few things about what draws some buyers to one city, while others choose for a different location. Perhaps this analysis will help YOU in your decision as well...

McKinney, TX!

Rolling topography & beautifully landscaped neighborhoods. Crape Myrtle Trails, too!
2 of the largest Master-Planned communities in North Texas - Stonebridge Ranch and Craig Ranch.
Innovative retail & residential community unlike any other area in Texas - the neighborhood in Stonebridge Ranch modeled after a city in Croatia - Adriatica!
One of THE BEST thriving historic downtown squares in Texas!
Compared with all 4 cities, McKinney has the lowest average sales price.

Plano, TX!

Home to numerous employment centers and headquarters...work and live in the same city!
Older neighborhoods mixed with brand new areas.
Closest to Dallas (furthest South) - just head south on 75 or the Dallas Tollway.
Near build-out, which could mean Plano experiences price appreciation faster than surrounding cities to the North.
Plano historically has the lowest days on market out of all 4 cities and the highest average sales price.

Frisco, TX!

Home to 3 professional sports teams - Frisco Rough Riders, FC Dallas Soccer & Dallas Stars Official Practice Facility. Don't forget about the worldclass Velodrome - the Superdrome. One of only 27 in the COUNTRY!
SHOPPING - Stonebriar Mall, IKEA & NUMEROUS specialty shops.
Commuting is easy - convenient to Hwy 121, Tollway and Hwy 380.
Still plenty of NEW homes to choose from if you'd rather build than buy a re-sale. Actually, "new" is a great word to use for Frisco - new homes, new retail, new dining...guess that explains why Frisco has been one of the fastest growing cities in the country!

Allen, TX!

People love Allen for the great School Spirit! Home of the 2008 Texas State Football Champs! (And in Texas THAT is a big thing!)
NEW retail centers and shopping galore! Fairview Farms opened in 2009. The Allen Premium Outlets draw lots of shoppers as well.
Some of the mosts fun outdoor parks in the area! Celebration Park will be a favorite for the kids!
Don't forget about draws like the Allen Community Ice Rink and year round swimming in the Allen Natatorium.

Now, I KNOW I'm probably leaving out some GREAT features of each city. If you're a resident, and I've overlooked something, let me know and I'll add it to the lists. What's the reason YOU chose to live in these great cities??

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 7: Paving the Real Estate Road

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:33:43 -0500

Note: This 7 part blog series is directed towards all those stay-at-home moms out there who always thought a career in real estate would have to wait until the kids were grown, and to the women Realtors out there struggling with finding the balance between their "ideal of success" versus what truly makes you happy. It's not a business model for everyone, but is something that has been on my heart to share for some time now. Take from it what you will, and know that everyone's journey in life and in real estate isn't and shouldn't be the same for it to be a SUCCESS...

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In this Series I’ll cover:

Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business model

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

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Part 7 - Paving the Way for Future Success in Real Estate

Our economy isn't in the best shape right now. I'm pretty sure that everyone reading this knows of at least 3 people that have either lost a job, been turned down for a home loan or had to deal with a Foreclosure or Short Sale personally.

You see, when you go to work for "Corporate America" there are certain risks involved. One of them being layoffs. Downsizing. Pay cuts. You rely on others for your financial benefit.

Now that's not to say that being a business owner is void of risk. Hardly. However...there is one important variable. The boss = YOU! When hard times come it just means working harder. Smarter. Different. Only YOU can fire yourself.

Being a self-employed, independent contractor (Realtor) means that YOU area a business owner. Only YOU decide how to spend your day. Where you spend your marketing dollars. What hours you will make yourself available for work. If you don't want to dress up that day and would rather work at home on the laptop in your PJ's, MORE POWER TO YOU! Of course there are reprecussions for taking your business TOO casually...but like I said...if you do things that would get you fired from other jobs, you just might find yourself firing YOURSELF!

So how does all this philosophy apply to beginning a career in real estate at a traditionally younger age?

1. Many business owners BEGIN their careers after college working for "Corporate America". It isn't until they are unsatisfied working hard for someone else, making someone else richer when they decide to leave and go out on their own.

There are many good reasons for this. Two of the biggest reasons are the knowlege that is gained through working for someone else, and perhaps saving money for the future business venture.

Starting a career in real estate however, has lower barriers to entry.

Obtaining a real estate license can be done relatively easy (as discussed in part 3) and in a relatively quick manner.

The financial startup is MINIMAL when compared to opening your own clothing store, restaurant or other franchise.

**If real estate is something that interests you, then take the leap of faith NOW! If you can make it NOW, in a "down market", then you will be SET when the market picks up. And it will. History tells us so.**

2. But, I have a young family. How can I do real estate AND enjoy spending time raising my kids?

Ummmm...if you have this question go back and read posts 1-6. Seriously.

It can be done. EASILY! You just have to have the right expectations about your business from the beginning!

Real Life Case Study:

Let's say that in your first 5 years in the business you & your partner set a goal to conservatively close 8 - 10 transactions per year. Easily doable goal for balancing work with your partner AND being at home.

Let's say the average sales price in your area = $200,000. Let's assume a 6% commission, with you splitting this commission with the cooperating agent, thus making 3% ($3,000) per deal.

8 deals x $3,000 = $24,000 or 10 deals at $30,000.

(Note: How you and your partner split deals is a personal matter, but needs to be factored in).

So $24,000 - $30,000 per year isn't bad.

In addition to making good money for your family in a job that you can not be fired from, guess what else is going on during these 5 years?

You are making lots of connections.

You are closing deals, turning customers into raving clients that will be added to your database.

Your family is growing and kids begin attending school. Your kids friends' parents go into your database.

Your school age kids will begin activities: sports, church groups, play groups. Guess what? These names are added to your growing database.

Can you see how momentum will pick up?

All of these connections will know that YOU are in real estate. They will relate to you because you are in the same stage of life that they are in. You slowly gain credibility. You continue taking educational courses. Earning designations. Creating a niche. Farming your community.

These steps pave the way for a very prosperous future. When the kids are gone, and you find more time on your hands, you can crank up the heat and begin adjusting your goals upward. Now, you're closing 30-40 transactions per year. You might even build your own team of buyer's agents. The future is YOURS!

And guess what? Your friends who are also finding themselves empty-nesters will begin pondering a career in real estate...

...and you can smile and help them on their way!

Collin County (Texas) Real Estate Statistics for August 2009 - Your Market Update

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:14:14 -0500

School has started again for McKinney and surrounding North Texas cities. This time of year typically begins the tapering off in real estate activity for the year.

Read below for how McKinney, Allen, Frisco and Plano real estate markets did for August 2009.

Allen: 757 sales (-19% from prior yr); Avg sales price $236,133 (-5% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 75 (-7% from prior yr)
Frisco: 1928 sales (-6% from prior yr); Avg sales price $278,464 (-7% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 81 (-9% from prior yr)
McKinney: 1259 sales (-13% from prior yr); Avg sales price $220,845 (-2% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 79 (-1% from prior yr)
Plano: 1977 sales (-24% from prior yr); Avg sales price $261,227(-5% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 64 (-6% from prior yr)

Like the previous summer months, what strikes me the most are the number of sales that are down across the board for each city - down from 6% in Frisco to 24% in Plano! None of the cities showed an increase in the average sales price, and the days on market all showed decreases.

If I may, I'd also like to address my fellow REALTOR's reading this market update (if you are not an agent, feel free to skip this paragraph). When you read that sales are down about a quarter from where they were last year, what does this mean to you? It tells me there are agents FIGHTING to get the same number of deals sold as last year. It tells me that some may even throw in the towel if they are not able to keep up the same production over last year. You don't have to give up! I'd be happy to help you find a way to keep more of your money, while staying in this industry as we go through the tough times. There are options out there that don't involve quitting a career you may love.

With all of this being said, DFW is still doing GREAT when compared to the rest of the nation! If you want more information about the Dallas or McKinney Real Estate market, go to www.TexasRealEstate.com. Each market is different - contact a REALTOR for information about YOUR area!

As always, remember, sellers have control of only TWO things:

Price! Don't overprice - enough said.
Condition! Consult a home stager...it's necessary.

Search homes for sale in the Collin County real estate market.

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 6: 5 Free & Inexpensive Ways to Promote YOU

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:50:02 -0500

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Part 6: Free & Inexpensive Ways to Market Your Real Estate Business

ROI

Perhaps one of the biggest mistake a newbie Realtor can make is jumping in full throttle, ready to go, itching to write their first contract WITHOUT a plan as to where they will get business and how they will FUND these marketing endeavors. It's very easy to get bombarded with marketing catelogs featuring new, fancy pens/magnets/calendars/mouse pads/umbrellas/T-Shirts/Dog Bowls/Toothbrushes/Dental Floss/Toilet Paper/(insert useless gadget here) with your name and brokerage logo written ALL OVER IT. In Sequins. And Flashy lights. With sirens.

You know what I'm talking about. You've flipped through the pages. You've been tempted to throw money at those things. Perhaps you have. Maybe you've spent an entire year's worth of commissions on those things. It's tempting at first. You want the world to know that you now hold a real estate license and are worthy of the title, "Realtor".

But the question you need to ask yourself is - WHAT IS THE ROI?

ROI is the Return on Investment. If you spend $250 on 25 water bottles with your logo on them, what are you hoping the return will be? If you can't see a substantial ROI, you should consider skipping it.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy promotional materials. Sometimes we spend money on these items in order to "get our name out there". But when first beginning, there are a number of FREE & INEXPENSIVE ways to do this. Reap the rewards from some of these ideas and use the money you've earned to place in a marketing account. Then use the money you've made (Cash - NOT CREDIT) to purchase these items.

But until then, concentrate your marketing efforts and dollars on the best FREE & INEXPENSIVE (and most powerful) sources of business. I present...

THE 5 BEST FREE/SUPER INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

1. Active Rain

This absolutely, positively deserves top billing in any new agent's toolbox as the number one place to spend money. And only a little money, at that. Seeing as how I can make an entire post about this one tool alone, I will only highlight the benefits from spending your time and money here. I'll leave it up to you to read all the information-packed posts at www.ActiveRain.com and learn for yourself what the site has to offer.

** FREE ACCOUNTS - Sign up for FREE and gain access to the wealth of information about EVERYTHING real estate related. Hear from Realtors, lenders, inspectors, stagers, title companies, appraisers, builders and everything in between.

This is a SAFE HAVEN where new agents can come ask questions and not fear "looking stupid" for not knowing something. You WILL have questions in this business, and not just as a new agent. Seasoned agents turn to AR for advice on transactions, marketing, technology and support in general.

It is here at AR that you will begin to build your own REFERRAL NETWORK. Begin to build relationships with agents across the nation and you will end up with a solid go-to guide when referring your clients to agents in cities from Sacramento to New York, Minneapolis to Austin and all over the globe. Play your cards right and you will RECIEVE referrals, too!

** RAINMAKER ACCOUNTS - Upgrade your account and then the WHOLE WORLD (not just members) can read your blog posts. Many agents are using Active Rain blogs (for their super Google juice) as their SOLE source of new business leads.

How does that work? Example: Buyers go to the internet to begin their home search. They google "McKinney Real Estate" because they are moving to the north Dallas/ Collin County area and they want to know about homes and neighborhoods in their price range. (I just happen to BE a McKinney Realtor!).

It is my goal that while they are google-ing away, all of my area hyper-local blog posts on Active Rain will be the information that they find on Page One of Google. They read my blog. Learn about my area. Then they call ME to be their agent. It happens like this ALL THE TIME.

Did this cost me millions of marketing dollars? NO! It cost me my time and perhaps monthly subscription amount to be a Rainmaker.

** OUTSIDE BLOGS - Pay just $19.00 per month for an Active Rain powered outside blog and choose your domain name and customize a blog for just about any niche you want a piece of.

What do you mean? Let's say I want to concentrate on first time home buyers in McKinney, TX. I will flag any of my AR blog posts that relate to first time buyers to feed to this particular "outside" blog. This way I don't have posts about selling a home or how to stage a home mixed in with first time buyer related posts. The domain name can be specific to first timers too. Try the same thing for Luxury Homes in McKinney, TX. Or perhaps a specific neighborhood in McKinney, like Stonebridge Ranch real estate and cater to that market. The choices are endless...

2. BLOGGER

A free blog with Blogger (or any other blog platform) allows you to make as many hyper-local blogs, in much the same way as the Active Rain outside blogs. You will have to work on building in proper SEO (search engine optimization) and adding the proper widgets, but the premise is the same. And it's FREE! I have a Blogger blog for my neighborhood, Stone Brooke Crossing. We update neighborhood real estate info along with social activities and other fun links.

3. FACEBOOK!

Personally, I think Facebook is one of the most FUN ways to stay connected to your SOI.

Yes, another acronym. SOI = Sphere of Influence. SOI = everyone you know. SOI = your Christmas card list.

Facebook makes it easy to let everyone know - on a frequent basis - that you are a Realtor. Now, there's etiquette as to HOW to do this without annoying all your "friends". Otherwise you could see a case of the incredible shring facebook friend list. No one wants that.

But, more importantly, you need to set up a separate business page where you can invite your friends to become a fan of your business. Here you can post info about your listings, current market updates, invitations to open houses, local information, etc. I just love the functionality of using Facebook in your business. (Oh, and search Active Rain for hundreds of tips on optimizing Facebook to work with your real estate business. I'm telling you - AR is where it's at!)

Oh, and it's FREE!

4. TWITTER

Twitter, for me, piggybacks on the benefits of sites like Facebook. It is a constant subtle reminder in the back of all of your "followers" minds that you are in the real estate biz.

It also allows you to easily hook up with other agents across the country for purposes of expanding your referral network. Follow them and they will follow you. It's about reciprocity and the sharing of information.

Twitter has an application allowing agents to "tweet" your listings at Tweetlister. For Free. Yet another tool to add to your real estate marketing arsenal that DOESN'T break the bank.

5. The "Brian Buffini" Style of Referral Networking/ aka YOUR DATABASE

Brian Buffini is a really funny Irish guy that moved to America only to begin a massively successful real estate business until he created an equally successful real estate COACHING business. His method? Keeping in touch and asking for referrals from people you know. Almost TOO easy, right?

The premise is simple and it is EFFECTIVE! After all, we all would rather work with "warm leads" or people we know or that were referred to us over cold leads, cold calling and strangers. Correct? It all boils down to constantly keeping in touch with your database with a system of varying communication methods.

You can incorporate this inexpensive form of marketing like this:

- Each day write 5 personal notes to people you know. Just to say "Hi". To announce that you are now in real estate. To thank them for going to lunch with you. WHATEVER. Just take the time to send a HAND WRITTEN note. It's powerful. Cost? 5 stamps.

- Each month stop by (or as Buffini says - "pop" by) 5-10 of the people on your database. Bring with you a small, inexpensive (less than $5) gift that is related to real estate and ask them if they know of anyone who needs help buying or selling real estate. If they do, ask them to keep you in mind and refer you. Cost? Under $50.

- Each month mail out a newsletter, or perhaps e-newsletter, to your database. Set yourself up as the "expert" in all things real estate and create credibility amongst those people that you know. Cost? Free to $50-$100 depending on how large your database is, and the form of communication (mail vs email).

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Can you see the power of using these 5 tools to get your real estate business off the ground?

Can you see that most of these strategies mainly involve your TIME, not money?

Can you see that you can easily fit these strategies into your daily schedule and perform most of these tasks from a home office or computer?

You don't have to spend a TON of money when it comes to marketing yourself in real estate. If you plan your business the SMART way, with your partner, and with a PLAN, you shouldn't be out much money in this area.

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In this Series I’ll cover:

Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business model

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 5: Time Blocking

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:27:10 -0500

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Part 5: Time Blocking - How to Make Real Estate Fit Into Your Life - Without Letting It TAKE OVER Your Life!

1. PRIORITIES

Before you can begin filling in your schedule for the week, you need to have your priorities in check. I'll just say this now - if you don't make time for your family, your kids, your friends or for God - real estate will creep in and fill every nook and cranny of your life. It will slowly take over and you will be left stressed out, worn out and ready to quit the business. Sure, you may have more money in your pocket (ideally) than when you begain your new career, but what price can you put on your sanity? What price can you put on family time? That's not why you began this business!

Fill in these "appointments" first - before anything else. And yes, a soccer game IS an appointment. So is date night with your husband. And don't laugh here, but so are holidays...they were meant to be spent with family. NOT clients. Sorry! That's just how it is... how is HAS to be.

I also know of several agents who make it a point not to work on Sundays. That is a personal decision each person has to make for themselves.

-----> So step ONE, is to lay out your weekly schedule and fill in all days you want to devote to non-real estate things. Do this with your partner. This way you can make sure that if you have something going on on Tuesday, that they can be available. If they are busy Monday - then you make it a priority (if possible) to cover business on Monday.

Remember, the reason I suggest partnering up is that as moms we know exactly how busy our schedule can get with just kids activities. If you can balance your real estate business between the two of you, then there should almost always be someone available for real estate emergencies!

2. MANAGING TRANSACTIONS

One of the many benefits to being on a team is that the workload is cut in half! I'll explain how my partner and I manage our transactions and then you can use this example to structure your work:

Sellers:

a. Listing Appointments:

BOTH of us go on listing appointments together. I think that this is a powerful move when the seller can physically see that they will have TWO agents working for them. It's also helpful to balance out personalities. We know that not everyone always clicks with a personality type, but perhaps your partner will! Does the seller have difficult questions? Two heads are better than one when you find yourself searching for the perfect words. You get the picture...

When scheduling listing appointments where both moms have husbands that work outside the home, schedule appointments for the evenings when they will be home to tend to the kids. If this doesn't work, then see if a weekend appointment is available.

b. Listing Maintenance:

Weekly updates, printing flyers, answering emails, website and blog updates - all of this can be done from a home office and can be divied up to whom ever is available.

COPY EACH OTHER on all outgoing correspondance to insure that both of you are on the same page on each and every transaction.

c. Contract Negotiations:

Appoint one agent to do the contract negotiations - from start to finish. However long it takes. Some transactions are easy, others are harder, but the workload will balance out in the end. Trust me.

The other agent will negotiate repairs and maintain the transaction from this point to closing. Again, sometimes there won't even be any repairs requested. But on the flip side, repair negotiations can sometimes be the most time consuming part of the deal.

Help each other where needed, and always communicate daily as to where the transaction stands. The other agent will appreciate your teamwork, and your availability to answer questions more promptly than if there was just one agent.

Buyers:

a. Showings:

In the case of buyer clients, it usually happens that whoever makes the first contact with a buyer is the one who initially goes on showings. Every transaction is different in regards to how many homes are shown, but if appears that many, many weekends will be required to show homes, then we usually split these appointments between the two of us.

At the first meeting with the buyer we make it clear that we are a team working for them, and the buyer recieves BOTH of our business cards.

b. Contract Negotiations:

Which ever agent shows the buyer THE home they want to buy is usually the person to write up the contract and begin the second phase of the transaction.

c. Inspections & Closing:

By now your partner has shown the buyers homes and secured them in a contract. From this point you attend the home inspection with the buyer and negotiate any repairs. Prior to closing you attend a final walk thru, maintain communication with the buyer's lender and attend the closing.

3. LEAD GENERATION

Yet another benefit to partnering up with another mom is that your sphere of influence is DOUBLED! You have twice the pool of referrals! It's important to continually nurture this database. How? I won't go into real estate marketing 101, but it's important to send out a business announcement as soon as you partner up with a newly taken photo of the two of you. Let them know of your new venture and that you would appreciate their support.

Make lead generation something that BOTH of you do weekly. Incorporate it into your daily life! Writing and sending out personal notes can easily be done while kids are napping, or while you are waiting at a long soccer practice. Share your good news when you see friends at the PTA meeting. Seek out your friends for play dates and let them know that you are in business. ASK FOR REFERRALS!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

In this Series I’ll cover:

Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business model

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 4: Choosing Your Brokerage

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:42:07 -0500

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Part 4: Choosing Your Brokerage - All about Commission Splits, Training & Corporate Culture

By now you've read about why it's never too early to begin a career in real estate, how to partner with another mom to make a "dream team" and finally HOW to make it all legal and become licensed (at least for the state of Texas - check with your state's real estate board)!

Now that you've got that fancy schmancy license, you need to decide WHERE TO HANG IT!!

As I think about describing the process of choosing your new brokerage, a good analogy is shopping for a loan. Why? Well, since we're in the real estate industry, I thought it would be a good analogy. But seriously, it's like you always hear - you've got to "compare apples to apples".

You can't go out and interview 3 lenders and just take the one with the lowest interest rate that was given on your good faith estimate, right? There are so many more other factors to consider: fees, buy-down points, customer service of the lender, good looks (just kidding - making sure you are reading), reliability on actually getting your loan closed, etc. It's like that for brokerages too.

So let's look at the factors to consider when shopping for your new brokerage. When going on your interviews make a list and number it 1 - 6 and make notes about all of the following:

1. COMMISSION SPLITS.

Let's just get this one out of the way, because I know you are all were going to skip around my post to find it and read first anyway, so I'll just cut to the chase and discuss it first. Many of you may be thinking that this is the most important piece of the puzzle. It IS an important one, but by itself is not the most important.

There are several schools of thought on commission splits & income. The most commonly seen are: Percentage Splits (50/50, 70/30 etc) where your split increases as your production increases, Flat Percentage Splits (the same split regardless of production), 100% Commissions or even Salary.

Tip: Ask if there are different splits for teams. This can save you & your partner money!

The split is important, but unless you combine this number with the other expenses involved, you aren't getting a true picture.

You also MUST factor in fees for the following...

2. LEADS.

How are these distributed?
Do they cost money or are they free?
What are the quality of these leads?

Tip: Some large franchises offer all their agents free leads through their local or national websites. Go out to lunch with some of their agents and talk to them about quality of leads and what percentage of their business they get from these leads. Ask very candid questions and make notes!

3. MONTHLY OFFICE BILLS - Exactly what fees will show up on your monthly office bill? Things like:

copies
Realtor.com upgrade subscriptions
showing service fees
E & O insurance (are these monthly or per transaction?)
local Chamber membership dues
office newspaper ad fees
monthly franchise fees
desk fees
phone/fax fees
office website fees and the list can go on....

Tip: Ask to see if the office manager or broker can draw up an example of what your first month's office bill would look like. Find out what is mandatory and what is optional.

Tip: If a large portion of your office bill is devoted to advertising, find out how much of the business that agents are bringing in is associated with these fees. It doesn't make sense to pay for old-school or ineffective marketing if it doesn't bring in results.

4. TRAINING -

Beyond the state required continuing education that everyone needs, what kind of training is offered to the agents? You will find that there are offices who place a large emphasis on training, and those that don't.
Is this training MANDATORY or OPTIONAL?
Is there a FEE for this training?
Ask to see a calendar of training courses they offer.
Ask WHO does the training - agents, the broker, office manager, in-house trainer or industry experts?

5. OFFICE POLICIES & PROCEDURES -

By this I mean find out about things like Floor Time - a designated time where agents have to man the phone or front door. Are you REQUIRED to do this, and if so how frequently?
Find out about the office support staff - do you have a receptionist, office manager or transaction coordinator?
Is there a sales production requirement? Do you have to maintain a certain sales volume in order to keep your license active at that office?
Does this office prefer that agents work out of the office or do they embrace having the agents work out of their home?

The traditional "bricks & mortar" stores/offices have a tendency to prefer that agents rent space, thus taking some of the financial burden off of the business owner. Virtual offices or a mix of the two are becoming popular, as these don't bring along with it the high overhead cost of conducting business that is passed on to the agents.

6. CORPORATE CULTURE -

What I mean by this, is when you look at the mix of agents in the office, do you get a sense that there is teamwork?
A family environment? Or do you feel like a minnow thrown in with some big sharks?
Is there a good mix of veterans and rookies, or are they all narrow-minded old-schooled agents that frown upon a new agent as "competition"?
Ask how long agents in your office have been there. If there is rapid turnover, find out WHY!
Is technology embraced?
Heck - just look to the company mission statement. Does it strike a chord with you?
What about things outside of business - like a social calendar? I'm not saying each company needs to have a mixer schedule like back in sorority/fraternity days, but is there a lot of "all work and no play"? Or vice versa? FIND OUT!

Tip: Sometimes these things aren't evident right up front. It can take some time to get a feel for this and where you might need to get creative. Ask to attend an office meeting or social event in order to talk to more of the agents. If a broker is proud of the environment that the office has, then they should embrace having you ask!

7. NATIONAL FRANCHISE VS INDEPENDENT BROKERAGE -

Ahh, the age old question. Big name national brokerage vs. local independent. Here's my schpeal...

I've been on both sides for this great debate, so I can speak with some experience on the topic. I've been with 3 national brokerages, ultimately leading to the opening of my own independent office. I've also been on the other end of a transaction opposite agents of all kinds of brokerages. From this experience, here is what I've learned:

BOTH options have good agents AND bad agents...great agents AND horrible agents.
BOTH options provide training for their agents, however I've learned that no matter how great the training is that is offered, it's always up to the agent to take advantage of what is offered. Great training does not a great brokerage make...
..Nor does national advertising, an expensive website, big office or little office, lists of million dollar luxury listings or $100,000 starter homes...

The success of an agent has to do with the AGENT - either they have the drive or they don't. Don't make the mistake of seeking out a brokerage to MAKE you successful. Look for one that can support you, guide you and encourage you to the top. Don't rely on someone else doing that FOR you. It won't happen. Find a place that can support you financially, professionally and personally.

Do this one step right, and your real estate career (and your happiness) is beginning MILES ahead of your competition!

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In this Series I’ll cover:

Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business model

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 3: Becoming a TEXAS Realtor (R)!

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:09:51 -0500

Part 3: How to Become a Texas Realtor, and How Much it Will Cost

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Part 3: How to Become a Texas Realtor, and How Much Will it Cost Me?

Before making the plunge into real estate, it's important to know exactly what kind of eduction and training you need, and HOW MUCH IT WILL COST YOU! Just like beginning ANY business, you need to know the fees involved. I'll break it down to the basics for the State of Texas requirements.

****It's important to reference the Texas Real Estate Commission website as rules can change.

1. You must be 18, a citizen of the US (or lawfully admitted alien) and a LEGAL RESIDENT OF TEXAS. If one of those statements does NOT apply to you, do not pass GO and do not collect $200.

2. Get Educated!

There are NUMEROUS places to recieve your real estate education. It's important to find one with a good reputation, a high percentage of applicants passing the state exam on the first try and one that offers class times that work with your schedule. Still don't know where to start? Call up a local brokerage and ask what schools they recommend.

My Choice for the DFW Area (and NO, I am not a paid spokesperson to write this) is Champions School of Real Estate. They have a great reputation and offer all sorts of options to fit into your schedule: web classes, correspondance classes, classroom settings, nights, weekends, fast tracks, you name it!

This is important for you moms, because we all know that attending a class 5 days a week from 8 to 5 can be down right impossible without paying a babysitter, or really taxing your new business partner!!

Education Requirements:

Before you go sending off a real estate license application, you must FIRST send evidence that you took the following classes:

Principles of Real Estate core courses (60 hrs), Law of Agency (30 hrs), Law of Contracts (30 hrs), Additional real estate Core course (30 hours) and another 4 semester hours (60 classroom hrs) in core or related courses. This last tidbit includes college courses - see the website for a list of acceptable ones.

$$$$ Education Costs will vary depending on your provider. Estimate between $500-$1000 for all training, depending on how many courses you need (based on if you already have college credit to apply).

3. Send in the PROOF! Mail copies of certificates or transcripts of the above to TREC. When they give you the green light to move ahead, you'll recieve a letter will be sent to you letting you know you can now apply for a license. No letter, do not move forward

$$$$ Send in $30.00 with your transcripts.

4. Apply! Go online (to greatly speed up the application process) to apply and pay for the Inactive Salesperson License.

$$$$Pay $97.00 Original App Fee + $10.00 Recovery Trust Account fund (only pay once in app process)

5. Study and Pass the Test! Once you've been given a 2nd green light from TREC, saying they've recieved your application, you can then obtain a copy of the Candidate Information Brochure (CIB) which has the details of when and how and where to take your state exam. PSI is the company that administers this test and they have several locations where you can go and take the test.

Note: I would recommend taking the Exam Prep courses offered through the different real estate schools. It greatly increases your chances of passing the exam on your first go-round!

$$$$ PSI Exam Fee $61.00

6. You May Get Investigated - by filing a real estate application, you give authorization to be investigated by the commission. This may not happen until AFTER you've already passed the test, so if you've got a shady past it may come back to haunt you...

7....Including Checking Your Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Repayment History! Don't stop paying your student loans if you want to continue a career in real estate is the bottom line here.

8. Find a "Home" for your License! You cannot practice real estate without having a BROKER sponsor you - or "hold your license". You should interview several brokerages that you are considering working for. They are all DIFFERENT, so do your homework!! When you have decided upon your new brokerage, you can include a Salesperson Sponsorship Form with your application.

***ONCE A BROKER HOLDING AN ACTIVE LICENSE HAS MAILED A REQUEST TO TREC TO ACT AS YOUR SPONSOR, YOU MAY BEGIN TO ACT FOR THE BROKER AS AN AGENT! BUT NOT UNTIL THIS HAS BEEN DONE!! DON'T PRACTICE PRIOR TO LICENSURE!!

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How Much Does All of this Cost?

I've already included a few fees in the above section that pertain to just ACQUIRING your license. They are noted with a "$$$$".

Education Fees: varies, between $500-$1,000

Application Fees: $198

So before you even hold a license, you have spent between $700-$1200.00.

?? What if I don't have that much money? One idea is to throw a garage sale and use the proceeds towards your education. Have an expensive handbag that you don't use all that often? Hock it on Craigslist! After all, your goal is to make money in this career and you'll be buying a newer bag later on! The point is, if you want to do this you need to commit to finding the money to do so. Real estate has one of the lowest start up costs when looking at all the businesses you can get into.

YOU'RE LICENSED:

Once licensed, you will have the following quarterly and annual fees. There are also a number of other fees that will vary greatly from broker to broker. Finally, there are examples of common expenses that most agents use.

NAR, TAR & CCAR(local board) Annual Dues $406.00

MLS Quarterly Dues $106.75 per quarter

Annual Supra Key $168.00

Errors & Ommissions (E&O) Insurance - varies by broker. Some are annual fees, others are per transaction or monthly fees.

Brokerage Annual Fee - varies by broker. Some large franchises have an annual fee assessed to agents.

Brokerage Monthly Office Bill - varies greatly by broker - can include or not include charges for copies, chamber of commerce membership, office advertising/websites, showing service subscription fees, Realtor.com upgrade fees, voicemail services, desk fees, fax fees etc....

Continuing Education - varies by provider, but approx. $150 - $200

License Renewal Fee - $51.00

Common marketing expenses: business cards, signs ($50-$100 each), lockboxes ($25 for Combination boxes up to $100 for electronic boxes), website, or anything that you can dream up!

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On a personal note: Lastly, since we just covered expenses, I'd like to make an important note to those of you wanting to begin a career in real estate. This series is geared towards stay-at-home moms, but I'm sure many of you reading can apply the information to your own situation. Understand This: Real Estate is a COMMISSION ONLY profession. That means, you can spend all of this money and not make one penny. Seriously. Think about it.

If you are not in a situation where your household depends on your income, then you have an advantage. A rather large one I would add. But if you are a single parent and you are getting into real estate, OR if your family REQUIRES you to regularly bring home X dollars of income, then I would recommend doing 2 things FIRST:

Pay off ALL debt. Don't know how? Easy: Go to Dave Ramsey's book My Total Money Makeover. Follow it and enjoy financial peace.
Save up for 6 months of living expenses. It may be that long or longer (especially given your local real estate climate) before you earn an income.

In the next post in the series, I'll cover how to choose a brokerage - about commission splits, training programs and corporate culture! Stay tuned!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

In this Series I’ll cover:

Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business model

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture, oh MY!

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 2: Forming the Dream Team

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:34:17 -0500

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There's power in numbers. Two heads are better than one. Two for the price of one!

There's no "I" in team. TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More.

Choose any cliche and you can apply that philosophy of teams directly to real estate.

In Part 2 of my Series on "Breaking the Stereotype", I'll lay out the basis for this particular business model in real estate. It's also the most important:

Partnering with another like-minded mom to create your "Dream Team".

If you read my introduction post to this series, you'll remember that 58% of Realtors are women, and that the average age is 52. I examined reasons as to WHY I thought this was, and it came down to your idea of a "successful" real estate career.

I'll explain: If a mom were to choose the ideology that success only came when you were earning 6 figures by working 90+ hours per week, then this series is NOT for you. I am speaking to the women who believe that success equals bringing home a good income by choosing to take on fewer clients now, by partnering with another mom, allowing you to spend more time at home with the family. Clients get a less-stressed out agent. Kids and Husband get a happier, more balanced mom that spends time at home with more cash to contribute to the family! Win-win, right?

But how can you work real estate, even if you did choose to take on fewer clients, AND juggle your kids at home?

PARTNER UP!

There are several advantages to teaming up with another mom, and it makes total sense in real estate:

Combining Skill Sets - not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses. Find someone that balances out your skills, and you've created a synergistic team!

Shared Expenses - Signs, lockboxes, websites, marketing and advertising all add up! Sharing these expenses with someone else makes sense and can help ease the burden of all the start up costs involved in real estate.

Child Care - you've got a client that HAS to look at homes on Monday? No problem - one agent does the showings and the other stays home with the kiddos! I'll go more into this in post #5 on the topic, but partnering up with another mom means you don't have to scramble to find a babysitter and PAY for one! To me, this is probably the #1 reason most moms don't start their career until later in life. Have you even looked into the cost of childcare?? The idea of paying upwards of $600 per month for childcare in a commission only job is INSANE.

Freedom to Vacation! Going it alone in real estate can sometimes mean being "on call" 24/7. Knowing that your partner is going to hold down the fort while you're away is priceless!

Offering "Two Agents for the Price of One". This ties in with #4. You get to offer your clients TWICE the availability. This is great for buyers who need to look at homes days/nights/weekends/holidays AND great for sellers - you can tell them that if someone calls and wants to see their home right away, you've got 2 agents and good chances that ONE of them will be available to help that interested buyer on the spot!

I am absolutely 100% blessed to be able to work with my sister, Laura (that's us in the photo having fun at our grand opening in March). Working with family is not for everyone, but for us it couldn't be better. We are a yin and yang situation - we balance each other out almost perfectly.

Choosing someone to go into business with is perhaps the most important decision you will make in this business model. Pick the wrong person, and your ship sinks too. Pick the right person and the sky is the limit!

Here are a few things to keep in mind and ask yourself when deciding who to partner up with:

Does this person have a similar work ethic?
Are this person's goals in line with my own?
Are they financially responsible?
Would I want to have this person represent ME in a real estate transaction?
What skills does this person bring to the table?
Do I get along well with this person socially?
Can I see myself taking turns watching this person's children?

Oh, there's a million other questions, but you get my drift...

As women we all have pretty good intuition. You know who you could and couldn't do business with. When you find the right partner, it just feels right! Of course, the best advice I could give is to pray about it, make a list of your pro's and cons, and get a business agreement IN WRITING!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

In this Series I’ll cover:

Introduction - Why you should begin a career in real estate before the age of 50. Why you should BREAK the stereotype!

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business mode.

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture, oh MY!

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

Breaking the Stereotype - How to Begin a Career in Real Estate BEFORE the age of 50 - Part 1

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:38:10 -0500

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According to statistics from the National Association of Realtors:

59% of Realtors are Female.

The median age of all Realtors: 52.

Stereotype =

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I am one of the luckiest women in the world. I get to stay at home with my 2 boys (7 and 1). My husband has a job with benefits and is in a field that is somewhat protected from layoffs (he’s a firefighter/paramedic). But I am also a working professional. I have the best job in the world. I’m a Realtor! I’m a Broker and owner of my own real estate company.

I am NOT 52.

I am 32.

Do I feel successful? Yes! But what is my definition of "successful"? Each person has their own definition.

On Success

For some Realtors, their picture of success is to be the #1 listing agent for their office, closing over 150 transactions per year, with a collection of awards and accolades hung on their office wall. They make 6 figures. Work 90 hours per week. But they are happy, and this is their definition of success.

Real estate can suck you in, causing you to adopt the same type of definition of success if you are not careful. If you are a competitive person (and many agents are), you might see the "successful" #1 agent in the office and want to top that person. You then follow their path...but that's NOT the piece that answers this puzzle.

However, for me and my family (and perhaps yours), THIS type of success does not bring happiness.

What is MY definition of success?

Success for ME is being able to close 1-3 transactions per month. It means that I get to volunteer at my son’s school. I get to attend his swim meets. I can sleep in from time to time, and go on a vacation with my family. I’m home for most dinners…and I even cook some of them!

...By doing so, I’m able to give my clients the BEST use of my time. My KIDS and HUSBAND also get the best use of my time.They also get the very best ME.

I didn’t always understand that this could be done though…

After having my first child, I knew I was doing the right thing by staying at home and raising him. I couldn’t fathom leaving him with someone else for 8-9 hours per day while THEY got to experience his firsts before I did.

However, I also felt that after all of the focus on him, I was left feeling a little depleted emotionally. You see, I am the kind of mom who NEEDS a creative, “professional” outlet in which to expend and direct some of my energy. I felt guilty about this at first, since I knew so many moms out there that JUST wanted to be stay at home moms. I was envious of them, but also guilty that I didn’t feel the same way. But I soon realized as more of friends began having babies that I was not alone.

There is a sect of moms out there, not often talked about, who want their cake, and want to eat it too. I wanted and needed this kind of balance. It was out of this desire that I began my search for the “perfect” job. Did one exist?

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The Beginning...

So it was in my days as a stay at home mom/Army wife when I came across an ad for a Century 21 Career Night in Alexandria, VA.

Real Estate? The wheels immediately began turning…

-Unlimited income potential

-Ability to create my own schedule

-Can work from HOME office

So my husband and I attended, and I knew this was it. We signed up for real estate school, got our licenses and that was my intro to real estate.

Fast forward 7 years...

...and I’ve observed a couple of things. The majority of Realtors ARE women. Most of them ARE over 50. Every single one of them got started in real estate late in life. Why?I think it has something to do with your idea of success.

I needed to figure out a way to work real estate on a “full time” basis, while at the same time being at home with my family. I didn’t want to work 90+ hours per week. I didn’t need to make 5 closings every month to survive. We could make it on my husband’s salary alone, but any income I brought in enabled us to pay off our debt. It would allow us to save. And in this economy, I KNOW there are families out there like ours. As job security becomes more and more unstable, we all need to save. We all need to become DEBT FREE.

I'm getting to my point...

So why do I believe in encouraging more young women to begin their career in real estate?

1. Buyers want an agent they can RELATE to...not another grandparent. Someone who knows exactly what they are going through at their stage in life.

2. Parents make GREAT Realtors. Jason Crouch wrote a spot-on article on the subject. READ IT!

3. MOMS are even better. We KNOW exactly how a family runs – what floorplans will work for a family and what wont, what’s going on in the schools, where the nearest grocery store is that carries gluten-free products and who has the best Karate program in town. We have kids ourselves. Moms are nurturing by nature.

4. Gen X & Gen Y WANT an agent in touch with today’s technology – texting, email, twitter updates, Facebook profiles.

5. By focusing on starting out our real estate careers with a different picture of success in mind (less transactions but more quality time at home with family), we can over time develop our clientele, educate ourselves in the profession (there’s a LOT to know) and prepare a road map to success for when we can handle MORE transactions when there’s less family at home.

I know the above reasons 1-4 to be true for a fact. About a year ago, before opening my own brokerage, I was approached by another big-name brokerage about joining their new office. This particular brokerage receives a LARGE amount of relocation business, but their clients (buyers) hadn’t been satisfied with the Realtors that were available to work with them. Why? In the words of the recruiting agent, “they were all much older than these younger relocation buyers”. The buyers were desperate for someone LIKE THEM – going through the same life stages – purchasing their first home, experiencing the birth of their first child, the “terrible 2’s” and all the fun that follows.

[Disclaimer: Hold on...I know what some of you are thinking. Does this mean that I think older agents are obsolete? HECK NO!! All I’m saying is that the average age of agents is 52, and there is a large percentage (niche) of buyers out there desiring a younger agent to represent them...and this is to whom my post is directed.]

**What I'm saying is that I believe that you don’t have to wait until your kids are all grown up in order to have a successful career in real estate.

When done the RIGHT way, you can have your cake and eat it too!

By realigning your idea of real estate “success”, by defining your professional and financial goals, you CAN have a successful real estate career and enjoy the benefits of staying at home with your kids.

How?

Without further ado, I present a different business model, a “How To” guide for women with young families who want to begin a career in real estate NOW – who want their cake, and want to eat it too. We’re busting the myth that being in real estate is only achievable once the “kids are older” and you are too… You can make your dreams come true now, while doing something for your family and yourself.

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In this Series I’ll cover:

Forming your Dream Team – Partnering with another like-minded Mom creates the BASIS of this Business mode.

The Basics – How to Become a Licensed Texas Realtor. What fees are involved.

Choosing Your Brokerage – Training, Commission Splits & Corporate Culture oh MY!

Breaking Down the Workload – Time Blocking! This is how you get the part of "eating your cake too".

Free and Inexpensive ways of Marketing Your Business – with an emphasis on Blogging & Social Networking

Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Future – When the kids are older, and when your friends just start to think about a career in real estate...you're already on your way!

McKinney Spotlight On: Yogolution - The NEWEST Place to Get Healthy Cold Treats!

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:47:55 -0500

McKinney, TX Spotlight on Yogolution - the newest place in town to get a sweet, healthy and COLD treat!

Oh, how I love being the first to find a new hot spot in town. And I really think I'm really on to something here. Like I'm Indiana Jones and I've just discovered a rare hidden jewel...

What is it? YOGOLUTION!

Located just South of the McKinney/Allen border on Hwy 121, tucked into the new shopping strip that faces Lifetime Fitness, Yogolution's modern sign subtley calls out, "Try Me".

And so I did.

My husband and 22 month old son, Gavin, made our way over to the new spot right after a butt-kicking of a Spin class at Lifetime Fitness. And what better way to replenish the 600 calories we just burned? A frozen, sweet treat! And while they didn't have the exact calorie and nutritional content on hand, the writing on the wall was there. Literally (from their website):

These phrases, as seen on their under-construction website, were written all over the interior of the shop. I immediately felt better, all guilt gone away. I wasn't eating something BAD, rather something oh, so very good!

So how is Yogolution different, and why should you check it out?

The store is self-serve. I believe there were 12 flavors ready to be sampled...I had watermelon, blueberry, coconut, strawberry and chocolate samples. It was some of the best frozen goodness I had ever eaten.

After grabbing my own cup, filling it up with how ever much I wanted, of whatever flavor I wanted, I made my way to the check out where there was a topping bar. The topping bar had fresh fruit, cheesecake pieces, brownie bites, candy, and everything you'd expect to find as a "mix in" at many other ice cream shops.

Not bad for only 39 cents per ounce!

Inside the yogurt shop was a very calm modern feel - glass tiled walls with blue and white accents made a very clean backdrop to this new destination. There was an adjacent patio with tables for enjoying your yogurt when the weather invites you outdoors.

I asked the cashier when they opened, and was surprised to learn just 5 days ago!

And back to why you should try it out.. I think this picture should say it ALL!

Collin County (Texas) Real Estate Statistics for July 2009 - Your Market Update

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:40:29 -0500

This time of year brings JOY to parents everywhere...why? Summer Break in McKinney, TX is almost officially O-V-E-R! It's time to start school shopping and praying on bent knees that your kids make the grade this year. But what grade did real estate in McKinney and surrounding Collin County cities get for activity in July 2009?

Low interest rates, the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and plenty of homes to choose from are all attracting potential home buyers. Is it enough, though?

Let's look at how Collin County real estate market shook out for July 2009:

Allen: 653 sales (-22% from prior yr); Avg sales price $235,520 (-5% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 76 (-7% from prior yr)
Frisco: 1649 sales (-8% from prior yr); Avg sales price $276,369 (-7% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 81 (-10% from prior yr)
McKinney: 1048 sales (-17% from prior yr); Avg sales price $222,721 (-1% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 82 (+2% from prior yr)
Plano: 1676 sales (-25% from prior yr); Avg sales price $263,372(-4% from prior yr); Avg Days on Market: 64 (-7% from prior yr)

Like May and June, what strikes me the most are the number of sales that are down across the board for each city - down from 8% in Frisco to 25% in Plano! NONE of the cities showed an increase in the average sales price.

What does this mean for home sellers? I'll say it yet again. LISTEN UP: It's CRUCIAL to price your home accordingly!! The first 2 weeks on the market are the most crucial. With fewer sales on the books, and many more homes to choose from coming on the market as the selling season gets going, your home needs to be the cream of the crop!

If I may, I'd also like to address my fellow REALTOR's reading this market update (if you are not an agent, feel free to skip this paragraph). When you read that sales are down about a quarter from where they were last year, what does this mean to you? It tells me there are agents FIGHTING to get the same number of deals sold as last year. It tells me that some may even throw in the towel if they are not able to keep up the same production over last year. You don't have to give up! I'd be happy to help you find a way to make more money, while staying in this industry as we go through the tough times. There are options out there that don't involve quitting a career you may love.

As always, remember, sellers have control of only TWO things:

Price! Don't overprice - enough said.
Condition! Consult a home stager...it's necessary.

Do you need a Collin County Realtor with an agressive international marketing strategy to get your home SOLD? Contact the Barron-Daugherty Team at d + b real estate today. Summer is still here and homes are still selling- call us for a NO-PRESSURE home market analysis today. 972-838-5394.

Search homes for sale in the Collin County real estate market.

McKinney Spotlight On: McKinney TX Home Inspector Gene South, Texas Property Inspection

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:00:19 -0500

McKinney Spotlight On McKinney, TX Home Inspector, Gene South

Ask any real estate agent how important it is to have a good home inspector on their team, and they'd agree that a great inspector was worth their weight in GOLD!

When I first encountered Gene South on a home inspection for one of my buyers, I remember thinking as I left,

"Why don't ALL inspectors do as thorough of a job as Gene?

Why aren't ALL inspectors as nice as Gene?

As knowledgeable?

As COMPETENT? etc, etc..."

From that moment on, I have recommended Gene South with Texas Property Inspection to ALL of my home buyers. Yes, he's part of my "Dream Team".

Gene's background in real estate actually begins as a local Realtor. It is with this unique background that I believe gives Gene such an advantage. Gene knows that by presenting even the most insignificant problems in the wrong way can scare off a buyer. This is why he's great working with first time buyers. He takes the time to walk through the home, point out any defects, answer questions and even suggest an easy fix for small problems.

Why is this important? Let's say the Texas Inspection Report points out that a stove lacks the proper anti-tip device. Because of this, he is required to check the box "In Need of Repair" on the report. Does this mean the stove doesn't work? Does it mean the stove fails to heat properly or is in need of replacement? NO! As Gene would EXPLAIN, it just means a $5 part needs to be added to the back of the appliance so that it is compliant with the code home inspectors are to follow when doing their reports on state promulgated forms.

Had this NOT been pointed out to a buyer, this buyer could be led to believe the stove doesn't work, therefore it's going to cost a fortune to fix, and they should cancel their contract, exercise their Option and go on to the next house.

OK, that's an extreme example, but not an unrealistic example of what could play out on any number of other instances.

Gene South takes each inspection seriously and treats them in the same manner - whether it's for a 7,000 square foot estate, or a 1100 square foot fixer-upper. He takes NUMEROUS photos - both interior and exterior - to back up his report comments. He reviews these with the client at the end of the inspection and makes it easy to discuss some otherwise difficult areas to access - like furnaces in the attic, or shingles on top of the roof.

In Gene's personal life, he is married to Stephanie South and they have 3 kids.

Gene provides detailed reports, attention to detail, honest opinions and is someone you can call on for questions - even AFTER the inspection is over and you've moved in.

Call Gene at 972-658-6152 or email him at gene.south@tx.rr.com.

McKinney Spotlight On: Christmas Light Installation Company, North Pole Festive Decor

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:51:55 -0500

McKinney Spotlight on Christmas Light Installation Company:

North Pole F. D. (Where the FD stands for Festive Decor!)

NPFD owners, Kevin Daugherty & Greg Hodges, met while in the Collin County Fire Academy. Quickly becoming good buddies, these guys decided to tap into a market that had a lot of demand: The Christmas Light Installation Business!

Like many off-duty firefighters, Kevin knew he'd have the time available to devote to this business during the three month window of time it required.

Now in their third season, their clients keep coming back due to their good prices, great service and dependability.

For many people the idea of installing their own Christmas lights just makes them start to dread the holidays. If you just call NPFD you can have a warm and festive home, without having to climb ladders, bear the cold weather (yes, Texas does get cold!) and take it all back down a couple weeks later!

Kevin said that NPFD has a unique way of offering Christmas Light installations to their customers. Here's how it works:

1.) Kevin & his crew will measure and custom-fit your home with christmas lights according to the client's needs - colors, theme, design and budget.

--------> In the first year the customer pays a one-time light set up fee and an installation fee. Years 2 and beyond the customer only has to pay for an installation fee!

2.) The light installation can take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days, depending on the design.

3.) Once the Christmas season is over, Kevin & crew go back to collect the lights and stores them for his customers.

When the next Christmas season rolls around, Kevin already has their lights ready to go on the home!

If you visit the North Pole F. D. blog, you can see the different lighting packages available.

They give free quotes, so there's no harm in having Kevin or Greg out to your house to see how they can help you.

North Pole F. D. services Collin County cities, including:

McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Plano, Fairview, Prosper and Melissa.

What Do the MNHS Swim Team, Chinese Food & Car Washes Have in Common?

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:48:19 -0500

What do the McKinney North High School Swim & Dive Team, Chinese Food and Car Washes have in common?

+ + = ????

By themselves, nothing.

But when you put them all together on Saturday, August 8 at the Panda Express on the corner of Virginia Pkwy and Stonebridge Drive you come up with one AWESOME fundraiser that EVERYONE loves.

Drive your dirty car on by the Panda Express beginning at 10:30 am and make a donation to the MNHS swim & dive team. Help them raise money for scholarships and equipment that they'll need for the upcoming 2009-2010 year.

While you're getting the car cleaned, step inside where you can eat some yummy Panda Express chinese food - my fave: Orange Chicken and Spring Rolls! 20% of your order will also go towards MNHS fundraising efforts. It's a win-win. You get a clean car & lunch, and they get some much needed funds for their organization!

Make sure you tell Panda Express that you're there for the swim & dive team and they'll toss the 20% in all day long.

On a personal note, a few of the coaches of the McKinney Sea Lions Swim Team attend MNHS. My son, Mason, was a part of the team this summer - his first season - and he LOVED it! These kids put in a lot of hard work and deserve some community support.

Stop on by!

Open Letter to First Time Home Buyers

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:06:29 -0500

Fellow Realtor, Erik Hitzelberger, out in Louisville helped sum up the timeline for first time home buyers to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit. Read below...I can't make his post any better. OH! But call ME when you're ready to buy your first McKinney (or Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper or Fairview) home! Not Erik. He'd have one heck of a commute!

Via Erik Hitzelberger, --Louisville-Bullitt County Real Estate (RE/MAX Alliance):

Dear Procrastinating First Time Home Buyers:

I know you. I've seen you in the mall on December 23rd. I've watched you race through town en route to the airport; screeching up to the terminal just in time to prevent your mom from giving up and getting in the cab. I even saw you run over the neighbor's cat on your way to the post office on April 15th. (Actually, disregard that last one. I'm sure it was just a large stick). You excel when the stakes are high. You thrive on knowing you'll succeed where mere mortals would stumble. Your methods are a bit unorthodox, but you always come through at the buzzer. In most circles, I would be you.

The significant difference here is that I own a house. For better or worse, I don't have a stake in the $8000 tax credit game. You do though. You have the opportunity to change your life for the better and you plan to do so. Tomorrow.

My only concern is that tomorrow may not be when you think it is. By now, you know the tax credit expires December 1st. As this is month's away, I'm sure you've given little thought to actually looking for a house. There are far more pressing deadlines to be dealt with. I know you are busy, so I won't take up much more of your time. But, you need to know...

December 1st is the wrong date.

To be eligible for the credit, you have to take possession by December 1st. When everything was working well, it took around 30 days to close a loan. These days, things don't work well very often and it's not going to get better once you and your brethren leave the couch. Underwriters are scarce and banks aren't about to staff up for the onslaught knowing there is a going to be a huge void immediately afterwards. It will take at least 45 days to close. With that in mind,

October 16th is the real drop-dead date.

Reset your internal clock.

NOW!!
You'll Miss the $8000 Tax Credit After

I'd tell you to start now, so you can take advantage of the best deals, but it would be a waste of breath. So, I'll just say,"Call me when you are ready."

Sincerely,

Erik

* * * * *

Erik Hitzelberger is a licensed REALTOR with RE/MAX Alliance in Louisville. If you need a Louisville Real Estate agent please email me or call 502.921.3989.

I specialize in the following areas of the Metro Louisville Area: Prospect, Middletown, Jeffersontown (J-Town), Fern Creek, Okolona, Shepherdsville, Mt Washington, Hillview, Brooks and Pewee Valley. Click the following links to learn more about Louisville and Bullitt County Real Estate or to Search for Louisville Homes

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McKinney Spotlight On: McKinney TX Dentist, Dr. James Barnes DDS

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:50:57 -0500

McKinney Spotlight On Dentist, Dr. James Barnes, DDS

I have a confession...

I lived in McKinney for quite some time (won't confess to how long) before I finally sought out a local dentist.

I'm guessing that like many of you reading this, a trip to the dentist does not rank too highly on the list of enjoyable ways to spend your time. I know few people who really love the sound of drills, smell of...well, I don't really know what that smell is, but you know what I'm talking about - floss, or flouride and latex gloves and sterile cleaning solutions. I don't know. Anyhow, back on track...

I finally ponyed up and made an appointment. I knew the receptionist for Dr. Barnes, and she guaranteed that the dental hygenist who cleaned my teeth was gentle and one of the BEST and that Dr. Barnes wouldn't be scary or drill-happy.

Just look at his picture - does he look like a crazed dentist? Not one bit! He's knowledgeable without being cocky, honest and up front without being rude, and all in all a NICE GUY!

The receptionist was right on the money! I had a GREAT experience. Seriously. Short of having my nails done or having a massage done at the same time, it was as good as it could have gone! Well, minus the work that I need to schedule to have done. But that's MY fault.

You can read about this awesome McKinney Dentist on his website.

He provides a full menu of services and his staff was friendly and accomodating. So, if you've just relocated to McKinney or are in the process of moving to McKinney, TX - give Dr. Barnes a call and set up a cleaning. Don't wait like I did!

Dr. Barnes and staff are located at 5080 Virginia Pkwy in McKinney TX. That's at the NW corner of Virginia and Lake Forest Drive.

Memories of My Childhood Home - A Lesson in Simplicity from Carrollton, TX

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:20:46 -0500

2104 Benbrook Drive, Carrollton, TX 75007.

That was the first address I ever learned to memorize. The first one I ever scribbled in crayon in elementary school.

It was also the first address I ever put on a drivers license. I still remember the first time I learned to back out of our curved, sloped driveway in my stick shift Hyundai hatchback.

It was the address that even as I typed it today, I have a flood of emotions and memories come at me like a tidal wave.

View Larger Map

Jason Crouch, fellow Texas Realtor and Active Rain member, created a special blogging contest asking AR members to blog about Memories of their Childhood Home. I think of that home time and again, and have reflected on that home more intently since beginning my career in real estate.

Why?

My childhood home serves as a lesson in SIMPLICITY. I'll explain...

...when I first entered real estate I was a Buyer's Agent for a team. I worked ONLY with buyers. There were wealthy buyers, buyers with some savings and others were just able to scrape up the required funds to close on their first home. But what I found, was that regardless of income levels, some buyers were conservative and chose to purchase a home that met their needs that fell well under what they qualified for. Others, on the opposite end of the spectrum, pushed the limit of exactly how much home they could afford. To them, bigger was better, and appearances meant everything.

...now rewind back to my childhood in that home on Benbrook Drive. The year was 1979 and I was two. We were a family of five living in a 1608 square foot home. My home did not have a gameroom or media room. It did not have a study. It only had one living area. Four bedrooms and 2 baths.

And guess what - I don't ever remember growing up thinking that I was deprived of living in what we would consider today a "small" house.

But here is what I DO remember:

I remember the exact corner of the living room that our Christmas tree was displayed, down to almost every ornament that we brought home to hang on the tree. My mom never had a "themed" Christmas tree - only allowing a few certain colors or styles - we had a wide assortment of her 3 kids' best ornaments, hand made with love.
I remember my bedroom - and the fact that while in Junior High and High School you could not see one square inch of the wall due to New Kids on the Block posters.
I remember the UGLY wallpaper MURAL we had hung in our kitchen. Yes, it was a mural of some kind of tropical water garden. HID. E. OUS!
I remember fighting, laughing and crying with my brother and sister. And of course, nearly dying in my garage from suffocation when my older sister (now business partner!) tried to choke me for refusal to help her clean (don't worry, we laugh about it now).
But I also remember the not so happy times, but I won't go on about those. All in all, I had a GREAT childhood!

You see, that house taught me many lessons.

**It taught me how to be a great mother - that your house doesn't have to be perfect (cosmetically) to provide a safe, fun and nurturing environment to raise my own kids.

**It taught me a lesson in financial responsibility. Who CARES about the Jones'. They're in debt, foreclosing on their house because they had to keep up with everyone else.

**It taught me how to be a better REALTOR. When possible, I like to remind my clients that the HOUSE they are about to buy will be their HOME. And there is a difference. I like to remind my clients that bigger isn't always better. More expensive homes don't mean happier homes.

I look at my kids and the memories I help them make in my home today and I look to my past to help guide my future. Do I try too hard to keep up with the Jones'? Do we really need a bigger home when we all fit so nicely in this one? Will my kids remember where we put our Christmas tree and celebrated holidays with the family?

There's value to reflecting upon your childhood...

Thanks for the challenge, Jason!

McKinney Spotlight On: Market Street - the ULTIMATE Grocery Store in Town!

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:19:01 -0500

A great grocery store is always on the list of top ten places to find for every new buyer in a strange new town. OK, it's in the top three. Why? Immediately upon move-in you need to easily find a place that sells these necessities: toilet paper (obvious), cleaning supplies (in case the previous owners were not so tidy upon move out), microwavable kid-friendly meals (cause face it, McDonald's is getting old and you're not about to cook in a dirty kitchen) and for the hubby: cold beer (because between the moving of the heavy stuff, the drive to the new city and the wife stressing about where things will go - it is indeed a necessity).

Of course you can always stop by the big discount superstores - yes, McKinney has THREE Super Walmarts - but for something more you have to check out Market Street!

Here's 10 Reasons WHY I go to McKinney Market Street:

The BEST seafood and meat department - hands down!
I like some organic foods, and Market Street offers organic choices side-by-side the Lucky Charms and Doritos.
FRESH Sushi made daily! (I can just HEAR you west coast transplants sighing some relief.)
An awesome Olive Bar
They offer pre-made dinner items that I can take home, heat up, throw in some pretty serving dishes and call it homemade gourmet for all my dinner guests :).
Incredible wine selection.
An in-store Cafe, offering: brick oven pizzas, comfort food galore, fresh caesar salads made to order in front of your eyes, a gorgeous salad bar with some yummy premade salads and fruit, and sandwich/burger shop.
- I often take the family here for dinner because everyone can get what they like. I head to the salad bar, hubby grabs some chicken fried steak plus all the southern fixin's, my oldest goes straight to the make your own pasta bar and the baby, well, he eats off all our plates! He's not picky (thank you God!).
Cooking Classes! Upstairs next to the gift shop is the classroom used for a variety of culinary classes! They offer classes for beginners, advanced and even mommy-n-me classes.
The Customer Service!!!!! Sorry about all the exclamation marks, but if you visit you'll understand why. They even INSIST on taking your groceries out to your car for you.
One of the few stores that still offer Maternity Parking Spaces/Stork Spaces. All you pregnant mommas out there know just how valuable these are. Especially when you're trucking up to the store in 110 degree heat to get that gallon of Chunkey Monkey ice cream for the 3rd time that week day.

Market Street is located at 6100 W Eldorado Pkwy in McKinney, TX

McKinney Spotlight On: McKinney TX Photographer, Kym Jackson of Portraits by Kym

Kim Daugherty, McKinney REALTOR, TX Broker (d + b real estate) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:49:08 -0500

Born and raised up North, in blustery Minnesota, Kym Jackson knew that when she grew up she wanted to do two things: be a mommy and run her own photography business. After she married her highschool sweetheart, Brad, he was able to convince her to leave the land of 10,000 lakes (and 10 million mosquitos!) to settle down near his childhood hometown in North Dallas. However, Kym left a strong following of loyal photography clients and began making plans for her business in McKinney, TX.

Soon after purchasing a home in McKinney, TX Kym was able to fulfill her other dream of becoming a mom - and had two beautiful kids. Not leaving behind her dream of continuing her career as a photographer, she transformed a room of her house into a working studio. Taking advantage of her two new beautiful subjects, and many nephews, nieces and friends' children, she incorporated her passion for photography and the joys of motherhood into one.

Kym's children's and baby portraits are by far some of the most unique and emotion filled pieces that you can find. She has a knack for capturing each child's personality on film and mastering the difficult task of snapping a shot at just the right moment before a happy grin turns into a sad grimace.

If you've just moved to McKinney, TX or surrounding cities (Allen, Plano, Frisco or Prosper) and are looking for a photographer, I would encourage you to book a session with Kym. Sure, you could seek out the standard big-chain photography studios, where everyone under the sun has the same backdrops, OR you could schedule a personal session at a location of your choice, your own home, or in Kym's very own studio.

In addition to Children's photography, Kym also specializes in the following: Wedding Photography, Maternity sessions, Newborns, Families, Senior Portraits, Business/Professional Headshots and sittings, Holiday Card designs, Custom Birth Announcements, Business Card design, Real Estate photography and product shots.

As a personal note: Kym has done over two dozen sittings for our family - yearly Christmas card pictures (AND Christmas card design), maternity sessions, newborn sessions INCLUDING designing a birth announcement that features one of her photos) and yearly children's birthday photos. Professionally, Kym shoots pictures for all of my real estate listings and has done my business card headshot and design. I have never met someone so dedicated to their profession and whose passion is evident in each piece of work she puts herself into.

Find Kym online at www.PortraitsbyKym.com, or become a "fan" on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/McKinneyPhotographer.

Call Kym direct at 214-280-2122. Tell her that the "other" Kim referred you, and she'll take great care of you!