Cathy Worrilow's Blog

Are you and your company "Disability Friendly"?

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:58:02 -0800

I say this without in disrespect for anyone, especially those afflected with any type of disability.

Over the last few years I have become well aware of the needs of those with a disability. I look at the location of parking spaces, whether or not there is access on sidewalks, walkways, doorways and even elevators for anyone who is disabled. I become more aware of the problems that thousands face each day when I had surgery last year and had to use a wheelchair for a month.

I was shocked to see the struggle that wheelchair bound men and women go through just shopping. Items were to high to reach, or you had to bend over freezer walls, hard to open doors and more. Just getting into many of the stores was a chore in itself. Handicap parking was located in the front of most places, but many of them had you parking far off to the side of the building or down in the parking areas where you were put in traffics way. Getting into many businesses was a chore because they had no access to sidewalks and no handicap parking at all. In several stores I could not get the wheelchair through the isles because of items in the way, or too much stuff in the isles.

Many businesses forget about those who are handicap or disabled when they sit their business up. Can they get to your business from the sidewalk, through your front door, into your offices, and into the bathrooms if they have public access?

Now the reason I bring this whole matter up is this, my husband is in a wheelchair. Hes very computer smart, wants to work, yet everytime hes tried to talk to someone about a job they use one excuss after another to put him off. He finshed real estate school and wants to go and get his license, but was told by several brokers as well as agents to try another field as they could see no way for him to work in real estate. We have talked about working as a team, I do the leg work and he does the paperwork. Don't most teams do that in real estate anyway? Here is a man that wants to work and pay his way through life, and yet he has had road block after road block put in front of him.

We recently went to a business in a town close to us, and they not only did not have handicap parking, they had no access to their sidewalk, no wheelchair access to their front door, and we had to push him in through a delivery entrance only to have to meet with the person in the hall because they had all step downs to each office. This was an attorneys office! We have since found one to handle our affairs that is Disability Firendly!

I don't take things for granted anymore since my husband and I were married 4 years ago. I notice everywhere we go whether or not a business or home is accomidating to those with disbilities. It still surprises me that many still are not!

Are you and your company Disability Friendly? Do you have access for them to enter and access what you have to sell, service or provide?

Heres a test, try this for the next few days: Where ever you go see if you can notice the access possibilites for those who are handicap and disabled. Put yourself in their place. Then look and see if your business is capable of granted access to all your customers!

Help For Homeowners Article from Realestateloans.com

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:20:22 -0800

Via RealEstateLoans.com Mortgage News (National Mortgage Professionals):

Article courtesy: http://trishsublette.realestateloans.com/ and http://www.realestateloans.com

Help For Homeowners And Soon-To-Be Homeowners

trishsublette 28 February, 2009 09:04 General, Mortgage Help, Refinancing, Help for Homeowners, First Time Homebuyers, Tax Credit for First Time Homebuyers, President Obama's Housing Initiative Permalink Trackbacks (0)

My Gosh! My head is in a whirlwind! First came the Economic Stimulus Plan for 2009; and right behind it came the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. Is help on its way? I think so. The news for homeowners and soon-to-be homeowners is promising. So, get your documents ready because now is the time to either refinance or purchase a home.

Here is what the Economic Stimulus Plan has to offer for the soon to be homeowner:

The $787 Billion stimulus bill is made up of tax cuts and spending programs aimed at, just as the name of the name of the plan implies, stimulating the US economy. One of the major benefits of the plan is a tax credit for new homebuyers. According to the plan, first-time homebuyers who purchase homes from the start of the year until the end of November 2009 may be eligible for a tax credit of $8,000 or 10% of the value of the home, whichever is lower. Therefore, if the home you purchase is valued at least $80,000 you will eligible for the $8,000 tax credit. If the home is valued less than $80,000, the tax credit will be 10% of the value of the home.

The $8,000 tax credit is a true tax credit. It's a dollar-for-dollar tax reduction, rather than a reduction in a tax liability. In other words, the $8,000 is not subtracted from your income before taxes are applied. Instead, the tax credit is deducted from taxes due. So, if you were to owe $8,000 in income taxes and would qualify for the $8,000 tax credit, you would owe nothing.

Even more amazing, the tax credit is refundable, which means you can receive a check for the credit even if you have little income tax liability. For example, if you owe $4,000 in income tax, the $8,000 tax credit will be applied to the amount owed... and you will receive a check for the remaining $4,000!

The tax credit starts phasing out for couples with incomes above $150,000 and single filers with incomes above $75,000.

The tax credit is applicable to any home that will be used as a principle residence. Qualifying "homes" include single-family detached homes, as well as attached homes such as townhouses and condominiums. In addition, manufactured homes and houseboats used for principle residence also qualify. The only catch is that buyers will have to repay the credit if they sell their homes within three years.

The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan is twofold:

This plan includes two initiatives to help struggling homeowners. One is a refinancing program for homeowners with less than 20% equity in their homes, or who owe more than their home is worth. The second program attempts to lower monthly payments for homeowners at risk of losing their home. Many of the plan's details are still being worked out and will not be announced until March 4. Here is an overview of the plan's main components.

Refinancing Initiative

For those whose homes are in an “upside down” position, meaning the mortgage balance is more than the current property value, refinancing the mortgage may be possible. This initiative is open to homeowners who have conforming loans which are guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who owe up to 5% more than their home is worth.

According to the plan, "responsible" homeowners, those that have been making their payments, but are struggling to do so, can refinance their mortgage into a 30- or 15-year, fixed-rate loan based on current market rates. The refinanced loan, however, cannot include prepayment penalties or balloon payments. For many families, this low-cost refinancing may help reduce their mortgage payments by up to thousands of dollars per year.

As with the rest of the plan, details about this initiative will be released at a future date--including what, if any, credit score requirements will be included.

Stability Initiative

The stability initiative aims at providing help to individual families, as well as entire neighborhoods, by helping reduce foreclosures and stabilize home prices. Remember that a foreclosure in the neighborhood affects everyone – prices go down, property values are reduced.

This plan is intended to help homeowners who are struggling to afford their mortgage payments, but cannot sell their homes because prices have fallen significantly. The goal of this initiative is simple: "reduce the amount homeowners owe per month to affordable levels." To accomplish this, lenders are encouraged to lower homeowners' payments to 31% of their income by lowering their interest rate to as low as 2% or by extending the terms of the loan. In addition, lenders can also lower the principal owed by the borrower, with the Treasury Department sharing in the costs.

An important part is that homeowners who are current on their mortgages but are struggling can still apply for this program. As such, this is one of the few programs designed to help homeowners who may face delinquency soon, but are current at the moment.

This initiative also includes a number of additional elements and incentives, including an extra incentive for borrowers to keep paying on time. The initiative will provide a monthly balance reduction payment that goes straight towards reducing the principal balance of the mortgage loan. As long as a borrower stays current on his or her loan, he or she can get up to $1,000 each year for five years.

It is important to note that both the refinance initiative and the stabilization initiative are for owner occupancy residences only. Neither plan is for investment property. My Comments

In a nutshell, we should all have hope of a recovery. This recession has been hard on all Americans. I truly believe that the first step out of this recession is the stabilization of the housing market. We would be silly not to take advantage of these soon to be available programs. March 4^th is just a few days away, so pay close attention to news broadcasts and to my blog. I will keep you posted as to what steps to take. In the meantime, gather your documents together – 30 days of paystubs, the last 2 years of W-2’s, and 2 months of bank statements (all pages). If self-employed, you will need the last 2 years of tax returns (all pages).

Granted, these plans will not help everyone. But, for the majority, those who did not buy more than they could afford, they are a lifeline. Grab onto and do your part to get this economy moving again.

Quick Thinking...Humor

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:55:57 -0800

I just had to reblog this, its funny!

Via Randi Brammer (Whispering Pines Realty):

I have always been in awe of people who can think on their feet, so when I heard this, I just had to share.

A man takes his family on a trip. He boards the plane with his wife and 6 kids. When everyone is settled in, a lady leaned over to him and asked..."Are all the kids YOURS?"

He looked at the lady, and said, "Oh NO, I work for a Condom company, and these are the complaints!"

Photography Tips for Listings

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:05:13 -0800

How many times have you looked up a listing on MLS or any website for that matter and found only one photo of a home or business? How about in magazines and flyers? How many of the pictures that are posted are of only the front of the listing and no others?

I can say I have seen many and most of the ones are dead center pictures with no care in what is actually in and around the home yet what lies behind that front door. I often wonder if they are ashamed to show what the interior and the whole exterior looks like. Are they hiding something by not showing the listing is what some have asked me. Of course then there is my all time favorite of no pictures at all. Hello, am I suppost to blinders on my customers when I take them there so they cannot see it as well in person?

Luckily for me I am married to a photographer and he has taught me a few tips when taking any type of photo and I am happy to pass those tips onto anyone who wishes to use them.

Listing Photography Lesson

Take more than one or two photos when covering your listings. Your listing is your advertisement tool for the world to see. Think of the home or business like it was a model and shoot numerous pictures.

Front of the House

Sometimes taking more shots of the front of the home is a must because the back of the home or sides may not be so eye appealing. However, if your seller is truely wanting to sell that home, yard clean up and curb appeal should be a priority before photos are takent. When taking the shots of the front and back as well as the sides, a few taken at angles will work just as nice as those straight on shots. Show the home off!

(Have sellers remove automobiles out of the driveway when taking the photos, as well as childrens toys, lawnmowers, etc.) To add a little color use plants and greenary in flower beds or planters and pots to add a little zing to the homes curb appeal) Agents don't forget to leave your car out of the photo as well!

Photography Lessons for Listings

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:30:32 -0800

Luckily for me I am married to a photographer and he has taught me a few tips when taking any type of photo and I am happy to pass those tips onto anyone who wishes to use them.

Listing Photography Lesson

Front of the House

(Please remove automobiles out of the driveway when taking the photos, as well as lawnmowers, trash cans, and childrens toys)

Inside the Home

Here again the sellers are trying to sell their house, not their home, so staging is a priorty here again before doing your photo shoot! Clean off counters, desks, make beds, put away toys, and remove anything the sellers don't want sold! Yes, if the chandler is leaving with the seller go ahead and replace it before the pictures are done.

Yes I realize that there are many home owners who do not want the inside of the homes photographed, but you do need to explain that people need to see what they are selling and it will help with the sale of the home.

Take your pictures from different angles in each room and take them with the lights on! Show off those important features especially in kitchens, baths and bedrooms. Try to include doorways to other rooms in the photos as they will make the home look roomy. Bathrooms and Bedrooms should always be shot from angles to show the room at its best.

The important step in doing any listing photography is just making sure your sellers realize they are selling a house and not their home. They are going to move anyway, so declutter before hand and this will save both them and you as the agent time. A well staged home inside and out will make lovely photos and help the sell of the home much faster.

Also remember it is harder to sell an empty home too. So light staging can go along way here as well.

Digital cameras come in handy now days, but so do the ones that do videos as well. This can help when you want to sit up a virtual tour.

Make sure you take enough photos that will give you plenty to work with. For a listing at least 10 photos should be a good start.

Happy Shooting!

Did You Call Yet?

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:29:13 -0800

Via Dinah Lee Griffey Bringing the Northwest Home (Windermere Peninsula Properties):

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public next month.
REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.. It takes about 20 seconds.

I hope you find this information helpful. I will be doing this immediately!

CA AG Busts Another Ponzi Scheme. Yeah!

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:28:30 -0800

A Must Read blog!

Via Gene Wunderlich - Selling Southwest California Homes / Temecula & Murrieta (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage):

And the beat goes on - or maybe I should say the beatings continue. Always good to see miscreants get their come-uppance. Unfortunately for more than a thousand people the come-uppance comes up too late to save their 'investment' and, in some cases, their retirement.

It's precisely this variability that makes this type of fraud so difficult to prevent. Although the two articles I posted earlier also involved Ponzi schemes and affinity fraud, the crimes are as different as night & day. In one, people with Hispanic surnames convinced other people with Hispanic surnames they could get them into homes they couldn't afford - sometimes multiple homes at once - and made money off them. In the second case, African Americans took gross advantage of other African Americans by promising returns of up to 50% a month for investing in a scheme to help others avoid default.

In this case we have rich white dudes taking advantage of other (formerly) rich folks in a scheme that is pretty sophisticated. Of course if it's going to be based out of Irvine and the perps live in Coto de Caza you know it's going to be an upscale scam. No use wasting that opportunity just to scam a few million when your are surrounded by 'fat mooches'. This caliber investor would be less likely to be suckered in by a two-bit scam so you tailor the scam to the client and -viola - $52 million to spend on vacations, Beemers, airplanes, etc. Hey, if you're going to go - go large eh?

Hopefully they'll be going large for the next decade in the Greybars Hotel & Spa with a close companion named Bubba.

News Release

January 23, 2009

For Immediate Release

Contact: Christine Gasparac [Press Secretary] 916-324-5500

Contact: Scott Gerber or Christine Gasparac, (916) 324-5500
Scott.Gerber@doj.ca.gov or Christine.Gasparac@doj.ca.gov

Print Version

Attorney General Brown Files Criminal Charges in $52 Million Ponzi Scheme

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2009
Contact: Christine Gasparac or Scott Gerber (916) 324-5500 or Special Agent Supervisor Randall Hew (323) 855-4743

Attorney General Brown Files Criminal Charges in $52 Million Ponzi Scheme

ORANGE COUNTY – Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. yesterday filed 89 criminal charges against 6 men who “callously conned” more than a thousand people, including retired senior citizens, out of $52 million through sham real estate projects, using the investors’ money to buy planes, expensive cars and lavish vacations.

“These six men callously conned hundreds of people into investing $52 million into a company that they treated as their personal bank account,” Attorney General Brown said. “They fraudulently took investors’ money and spent it on an array of luxury items, relying on a Ponzi scheme to keep investors at bay.”

From 2001 to February 2006, Irvine-based Carolina Development Company peddled $52 million worth of stock to more than a thousand investors. The company claimed the proceeds would be used to buy and develop luxury resorts and upscale communities adjacent to golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Greg Norman. Investors bought anywhere from $15,000 to $1 million in stock, including senior citizens who invested their retirement funds. The company bought some land, but did nothing to develop it, despite its claim that 85% of the $52 million invested would be used for land acquisition and development.

To persuade investors to buy shares of Carolina Development Company, the defendants claimed that Arnold Palmer had partnered with them. The defendants promised that investors would reap huge dividends and assured those who invested a minimum of $100,000 that their investment would be secured by deeds to specific parcels of land. None of these claims were true.

The defendants diverted more than $24 million for extravagant bonuses, personal medical bills, airplanes, fancy meals, BMWs, concert tickets and luxury vacations. To keep investors at bay, the defendants engaged in a Ponzi scheme, paying some investors “returns” on their investment using money from the new investors.

Department of Justice agents served arrest warrants against the following six defendants, who were charged with grand theft and securities fraud in Orange County Superior Court:

Lambert Vander Tuig, 50, of Santa Margarita, currently held in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Jonathan Carman, 45, of Laguna Hills, currently held in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Mark Sostak, 50, of Ladera Ranch, currently held in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Bail is set at $4.5 million.

Scott Yard, 47, of Costa Mesa, remains at large.

Soren Svendsen, 43, of Coto De Caza, is currently being held in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Bail is set at $2.2 million.

Robert Waldman, 48, is scheduled to turn himself in to authorities.

On Wednesday, representatives of the Attorney General’s Office obtained arrest warrants from Orange County Superior Court Judge Selim Franklin.

These criminal charges were preceded by civil actions brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC in 2007 won a $29.2 million judgment against Lambert Vander Tuig, the president of the company, and a $2.1 million judgment against Jonathan Carman, vice president of the company.

If convicted, defendants Vander Tuig and Carman could receive sentences in excess of 10 years in state prison. The remaining defendants would be subject to lesser prison sentences.

The criminal complaint and affidavit are attached.

# # #

You may view the full account of this posting, including possible attachments, in the News & Alerts section of our website at: http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/release.php?id=1660

Realtors - we're part of the solution, not part of the problem. Make it so.

Gene Wunderlich - Selling Southwest California Homes including Temecula, Murrieta & The Southern California Wine Country

Remember, Don't wait to buy real estate - Buy real estate and wait.

' CA AG Cracks Another Fraud. Yeah!'

The opinions in this commentary are strictly Gene Wunderlich's personal opinions. While any reasonable and/or rational indivdual should agree wholeheartedly, the opinons reflected herein may not necessarily be those of SRCAR/GADBLOG, ActiveRain, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, The Valley Business Journal or any local or state government or other mental institution.

What are You Tolerating?

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:00:15 -0800

This is a great post that just cried out to be reblogged!

Via Chris Pollinger (Mastery Coaching):

You are tolerating more than you think. We put up with, accept, take on, and are dragged down by people's behavior, situations, unmet needs, crossed boundaries, unfinished business, frustrations, problems, and even our own behavior.

So what are you tolerating? Take a couple of minutes to write down stuff you that you are putting up with. Not the stuff you can't change or have no control over, but things like that 5 lbs that hangs around because it really doesn't bug you enough to motivate you to go to the gym. Or that pile of papers that has sat on the corner of your desk for the last 3 weeks.

As you think of more items, add them to your list. Do you have to do anything about them? No, not really. Just becoming aware of and articulating them will bring them to the forefront of your mind and you'll naturally start handling, eliminating, fixing, growing through, and resolving these them.

Carpe diem,

You can also click on one of the following links to have the mastery coaching blog with helpful life and business tidbits geared to real estate's elite delivered to your computer,

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Realtor holds sign--->Pictures

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:35:10 -0800

I had already had a class on doing this same thing, and as you can see it actually has benefits, advertisement that only costs a little money and time, and exercise. Wow, I love it!!

Via Richard Bowman (RE/MAX Realty Advantage):

Hey someone send me some pics of myself standing on the corner. I thought I would share them here.

Out with 2008 and EXIT into 2009 with a Happy New Year Message to All!

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:04:58 -0800

As you raise your glass tonight to toast out the old year and ring in 2009, take a moment to remember those who have lost so much this past year, take a moment to be thankful for those things you have gained this year, and for what you still have when that old clock strikes 12.

I have heard many people lately talk about all they don't have, and yet, wonder if they realize what they still do have;

1. A country where we are still free to come and go as we please, within reason.

2. If your able to get up and make it through the day, your still living.(many have lost their lives this year from wars, natural disasters, accidents and more)

3. Be thankful you still have a job (thousands do not)

4. Do you still have a roof over your head? (thousands do not)

5. Do you have food on the table?(many are doing without)

6. Do you have clothes and shoe?(many do not)

7. Do you have a family, loved one, or children to go home to?(many do not)

I could go on and on, but my point is even I had to wake up to realize I still have whats important, and so do you! It's where you remember to place the most important on your list with the least important.

So for 2009 make a list tonight starting with what you do have thats important and go down. You may be surprised to find you have more than you could have ever imagined. For those who think money is the most important thing, well it is important but not the most important.

Tonight,today, go outside, sit under the blue sky, breath and take 5 minutes to think about what matters to you, write it down and tonight toast to 2009 with a new and renewed life to come.

May everyone have a Happy and Safe New Years Eve and may 2009 be your best year yet!!

Experience is the best teacher, and Today I Taught Myself!

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:10:50 -0800

Yes, experience is said to be the best teacher, for some learning from others and for some of us that would be learning for our ownself. Today I learned a very important lesson when dealing with another realtor in unfamilar territory. I was showing homes to a new client today and had already arrainged to pick up keys for several homes that had no lockboxes.(man I love those things). I drove an hour to the first stop to pick up key 1 for one home. Then went 15 more minutes down the road to realtor number 2 to pick up keys for their listings. Bam, Shock, "NO KEYS" and the office assistance had not even left my information for showing the listing. So I waited patiently while they took another 15 minutes of my time to set up the showing, and when all was done, still NO KEYS! I was told to go ahead and by the time I reached the property someone would have the doors unlocked. I left and went to the next town, another 20 minutes away, showed several homes with lock boxes and then came the ones with the keys. House number 1 with key number 1 did not open front doors! I had to travel out to the back and figure out they had given me a backdoor key and one garage key. Not good when the customer arrives at the same time you do? Well at least the home showed nice, even though I was not told the present owners were in the middle of moving out and there was a big mess. Anyway, back on the road to the next two homes with "keys". The next home was a pass from the driveway, as the customer did not want to live next to a grocery store that had its dumping section near the home. (Not mentioned anywhere in the listing notes, or by the agent), and before I even got back in the car, I received a call about the "house with the missing keys", they could not find them, so the neighbor had broken in the back door for them, to show the house. They were speaking loud enought the customer heard! Next we were given directions to show the home, and guess what? They sent us on a wild goose chase. Yes, how embarresing. I had lead my customer miles out of the way. I stopped the car and had to call their office to find out that the directions on the listing and the ones from their office were both wrong. Finally I was able to call and get the right directions from my husband of all people. Thank goodness for the computer!! We did travel to the home anyway and were in and out in less than 2 minutes. I understand houses are left empty, and housing situations on foreclosures, but this home smelled so bad, and at least someone could have cleaned a bit. Needless to say, out of 6 homes, only 3 showed well. The day ended with me traveling back to the other towns to deliver keys and to hear one agent tell me that "the home my client was interested in was priced at what the owner was only going to take, no lower offers period" and that was that. I got in my car, drove an hour back home, thinking all the way:

Mental Notes to Thyself:

Double check showing times and addresses

Locate Properties hours before showing times

Make sure the agency that has listing also has keys!!

Pack a map, or a mapping device would be handy.

A flashlight, because someone forgot to tell you there was no electric in the home.

If the agent your dealing with acts like they don't know anything, they probably really don't(sorry but today was an unbeliveable experience)

Don't forget to give the buyers a copy of the listing/a paper to take notes

Well another day in the backroads of Tennessee, and another wonderful day of experience, that has left this girl self taught once again.

Discovering Tennessee's Hidden Sales Opportunities!

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 10:35:48 -0800

While out taking our daily drive for photography and relaxtion, we ventured onto the back roads of Moore County. We were amazed at the old farms and farm land sitting there for sale. Of course we also noticed that most of the properties we were running across were listed, For Sale By Owner! Now it was striking to me to discover that areas just like this one in Moore County Tennessee are just as commonly found in other areas here in the Middle and Southern Tennessee areas.

We ventured on through the old roads of Moore County and then came back through the back roads of Lincoln County that cover the towns of Lois, Kelso, Flintville, and even Mulberry. Counting the For Sale Buy Owner Signs and Realtor placed signs. For Sale Buy Owner beat out the Realtor signs by 20! Wow, 20 more For Sale Buy Owners than Realtors, can you only imagine!

We stopped at a local store in one of the towns, and I went in to get drinks and snacks for us. The old time store fit the town and there were several gentlemen sitting on the benches and chairs out front. They noticed my Realtor signs on the car and asked me were I was from. Not hesitating, I introduced myself, and told them a little about myself and my company. They were very nice and I was able to find out through several of them that the reason most of the ones who were selling were ready to find smaller homes, or move out of the area towards the city, or retire in Florida. My question of why list For Sale By Owner instead of with a realtor and I was immediately answered, "because they do not want to come all the way out here" or "why give someone my money when I can sell it myself." I then asked how long the homes I saw there had been for sale, "several months on two of them and about a year on the others," I was told.

I went to my car, gathered up pens and business cards, walked back to the men on the porch and handed each one a card and offered my services if they should ever change their minds or know of anyone who would like the services of a realtor.

Searching through the back country on the way home, we again focused on the properties we were coming across and I began to feel like a kid in the candystore. No road is to long and no journey is to far for me to find great opportunites even in todays economy. Maybe the hidden sales opportunites will soon become found treasures for investors and buyers alike!

Cathy W.

Perfect Time for Investing in Tennessee-Buy some Land or a Home for Christmas

Cathy Worrilow (Farm & Home Real Estate & Auction) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:49:58 -0800

While many are watching television and listening to the radio to see what is becoming of our economy these days, they tend to forget that what happens in states miles away may or may not affect what is going on in their own backyard. If you do not look at California's weather map to see what your weather is doing today, why look at their housing market. Now to my point:

The housing market as well as land here in Tennesse is still stable, yet many are in a panic and therefore ready to get rid of their property even at a reduced rate if they have too. Yes, there are many homeowners that are losing their homes here just like everywhere else, but there are still many who are not, and they are just ready to give in, or they are ready to downsize.

This makes for a great opportunity for Investors for property and homes. I know many who still think the stock market is the way to go, but land is a great investment that does not disappear. True, homes may go down in value, but even if the home is blown away, the land is still there. So while many are either fighting to find ways to invest their money or they are ready to downsize suggesting investing in land and homes is a great idea.

Now with Christmas upon us it is a great time to buy land or homes as not only a lifetime investment, but how about a gift? A gift to grandchildren, children, or even ones on self is something that will give and truthfully cannot be returned! Investment in several acres can offer numerous gifts, or just give that hunter in your life a retreat of his or her own.

So next time someone says the market is bad, tell them Not in Tennessee and there is land and homes for the taking and giving!

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!!

Cathy Worrilow