When times are tough... - 01/30/09 07:20 PM
With the economy the way it is today, a lot of people that have a structured settlement have been looking at cashing them out. With that said, there are a number of companies that provide liquidity to owners and holders of periodic payments resulting from structured settlements, annuities, lottery winnings, government and commercial contracts and other secured future payment obligations. The biggest reason for cashing out these settlements in the past has been anything from buying a property to burying a deceased loved one. Today, that has changed as the people that are cashing these out need the lump sum to … (2 comments)

Are you investing in your future? - 01/30/09 02:48 PM
Last week, I wrote a post entitled Home Values. In this post, I mention that in buying a home in today's economy, most people have to think long term and not a quick dollar. If you stay with this type of thought pattern, then buying a home today should be on your agenda. What concerns me the most is the people that think that they should buy today and attempt to flip the house in a year or two. Personally, I think that this is the wrong mentality to have.
Back when I was growing up, buying a house was a … (5 comments)

My Search for the Perfect Phone - 01/30/09 02:43 PM
The last time that I went looking for a mobile phone, I thought that I was going to pull my hair out. I went from service provide to service provider trying to find the right deal with the right phone. In each store I had them give me 3 deals. Each sales person went through the spiel of why I should go with them and I listen.
After hearing all of it, I was no better off than when I started. I finally decided that I would have to do my own research through the Internet and make my decision for … (0 comments)

I have been nominated for a Texas Social Media Award! Wanna help me win? - 01/30/09 02:35 PM
 
I am sure you do not go a day in Active Rain without reading a post that mentions Jason Crouch. I use to think that I was on the net a lot, but this guy is everywhere. Recently he was nominated for an award and I think as a community, we should get behind him.
As will all reblogs that I do, I have disabled the comments. You can comment on the original post.
 
Via Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC):
The Austin American-Statesman (our local paper) recently created the Texas Social Media … (0 comments)

Operation Gratitude - 01/29/09 12:19 PM
A while back there was a group created entitled BLOG FOR A CAUSE. The group has inspired me to write many post about things that are near and dear to me. Well, today, I get that opportunity today. This time, it is for something that should be near and dear to ALL of our hearts. Today, I get to write about the service men and women that serve our country and lay down their life daily for us to live free.
Today, I ran across a website called GalleryCollection.com who deals in cards. These are Business Thank You cards, holiday cards, … (2 comments)

Into the Great Wide Open (300,000 and beyond) - 01/29/09 08:04 AM
Before I get to deep in this post, let me first say that I could never sit here and individually thank the 174 people that subscribe to me, the 15 people that I have invited and accepted that invitation to join ActiveRain, the 128 associates that I have, or the countless others that have had a direct or maybe an indirect influence on my life and my blogging career. Please do not feel left out if you are not mentioned in this post. You all are special to me, some more than others (just kidding), and I do not know what … (15 comments)

If at first you don't succeed... learning lessons from an 8 month old! - 01/28/09 02:20 PM
 
If you do not follow Alisha Harrison, then you are missing a real treat. I came across this post yesterday and just had to reblog it. I think that it says all we need to hear.
As always, I have blocked the comments and you can go back to her post and comment. Thanks for reading.
 
Via Alisha Harrison ~ Allyn, Belfair and Hood Canal real estate expert! (John L. Scott, Belfair):
My daughter is such an inspiration. She is 8 months old. She is crawling like a pro but that isn't good enough for her. She is pulling herself … (0 comments)

AT&T gets in on the bundled package - 01/28/09 02:18 PM
Many communication companies have gotten into the home phone, high speed Internet, and television game. Some, like Comcast, Time Warner, and Charter, use there own service with all there and offer a packaged bundled. Typically, you get this bundle at a better price that if it were all separate. The first company that i ever remember doing this was Comcast.
The reason that I bring this up is the fact that homes are starting to pick up in sales again and the new tenants needs to know what is in the area. Being able to direct them to some choices is … (2 comments)

If you need inspiration.... - 01/28/09 12:40 PM
It is never to far away, if you just look. But, if you are having trouble finding some, let me share a news clip of a "feel good" story that will send chill bumps up and down your spine. This is not a new video, but it will do the trick. Please enjoy. … (8 comments)

Reliable Internet - 01/28/09 11:50 AM
Over the last 9 years, I have moved 7 times. The funny thing is, all 7 times have been for work. In each of those moves, I have had to change Internet services. I have had Road Runner, Time Warner High Speed Internet, Comcast High Speed, AT&T DSL, and Sprint DSL. After "testing" all of these out, if I had my choice of Internet Service Providers, or better know as ISP, I would take the Time Warner any day of the week.
Time Warner Internet Service seemed to be the only one that I never had a complaint about. That fact … (2 comments)

Diamond in the Rough or JunK? Depends On Your Perspective - 01/27/09 06:49 PM
When I started reading this post, I could see where it was going. However, it went beyond where I thought it was going and I was amazed. Debbie Malone pulled this article together and I mean it is a real gem. If you do not read her blog, this will change your mind. As always with reblogs, I have blocked comments. You can go directly to Debbie's article and comment there.
Via Debbie Malone, Realtor (R), Lynchburg, Smith Mountain Lake, VA (RE/MAX 1st Olympic):
Time to break out the Tom Brady Pez Dispenser- after two years the MAN CAVE is finished and … (0 comments)

Is Home Owners Insurance got you BLUE? - 01/27/09 06:37 PM
Have you ever wondered if you were paying too much for home owners insurance? How would you know if you were? When is the last time that you had a check up on your Home Owner's Policy? Well, this is the article that your insurance people do not want you to see.
When I write a loan for my customers, the first thing that I keep in mind is their financial position. If there is a place that I can save them money, then I do just that. If they have their own insurance people, then I typically do not interfere … (0 comments)

International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 01/27/09 05:07 PM
 
History has a place in all of our lives. Whether we choose to bury it or embrace it is the choice that we have to make. Rich brings an important post to the blogosphere today and I am more than happy to reblog it. I really need not say more than that. His post is very adequate.
As always, I have blocked all comments as you can comment on his post.
 
Via Rich Dansereau Loan Officer Knoxville TN (Home America Mortgage):
January 27 was recognized in 2005 by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The … (0 comments)

Time to see the world. - 01/27/09 04:59 PM
Most of you know that I love to travel. It is something that I consider very therapeutic and relaxing. Whether it is going on cruise holidays or visiting a country like China, it is all about letting go and having a good time. It is hard to do that when you are tied to your laptop, PDA, or Blackberry.
Planning a vacation is for the birds as well. This is why most of my out of country vacations are planned by a travel agency. It seems that they have the knack for lining up the best tours and excursions that each … (2 comments)

The Curse Of The MeMe - 01/26/09 06:16 PM
OK, lately I have managed to stay out of the way of these pesky little bugs, but not today. My good fiend friend in Aiken, South Carolina hit me with another one. So, if you do not like MeMe's go away.
I was given the following 'rules':
1.  Create a blog post with a link to the person who so happily tagged you.  2.  List all of these rules in the post. Feel free to cut and paste this.3.  Share seven things that others may not know about you.  Do I or have I HAD a life outside of real estate?  4.  … (20 comments)

Do you plan or day or does your day plan you? - 01/25/09 01:53 PM
Over the 20+ years that I have been in my working career and even prior to that, I have always had a "To Do" list. I use this as a guide to manage my day so that I know what has to be done. I want to make sure that I do not look up and it is 6 PM and I have still not gotten anything done. With that said, I wonder how many people do not do this. I can remember that when I was a manager for a large mortgage company, I managed close to 30 employees. One … (22 comments)

Shoes make the outfit - 01/25/09 01:52 PM
When I had to dress up to go to work, the last thing I would chose was my shoes. I can remember when my day use to go to work. He basically had 3 pair of shoes; a black pair, a dark brown pair, and a light brown pair. When I got of age, that just never seemed to work for me. I had to have many different pairs. It was not always about the color as much as it was the style for me.
When I first started buying shoes, I never thought that they could be so many different … (4 comments)

I Need My Sports Fix. - 01/23/09 07:12 PM
Most of the people that know me know that I am a huge sports fan. What is funny about this is I am a huge Direct TV because I am a huge sports fan. For those of you that have Direct TV, you already know what I am talking about. For those of you that do not, then you do not know what I am talking about. So, let me see if I can break it down for you.
As long as you have an unobstructed view of the southern sky, you are golden when it comes to acquiring any of … (4 comments)

Gaming Social Media Networks - Today's Rant - 01/23/09 09:13 AM
Lately, there has been an onslaught of people that have been gaming social media. What people do not realize is, in doing this, there is really no personal benefit to the process. In the end, everyone loses. So, let me shed a little more light on what I am talking about. Typically, in networks like Twitter, Stumble Upon, Digg, FaceBook, MySpace, Reddit, and Mixx, the goal is to acquire as many friends as possible that will follow your updates. The problem with that scenario is that there are people out there that will send out invitations and then a few days … (10 comments)

Furnishing a home - 01/21/09 04:26 PM
Lately, I have been thinking about getting into the Rental Business. Well, more specifically, the landlord business. I have been looking at a few properties here in Knoxville and been toying around with the idea of buying distressed homes, fixing them up, furnishing them, and then renting them out. I have yet to decide if it is something that I want to tackle.
With that being said, Knoxville is a great place to own rental property because of the college. However, there are more than just students that live here. There are also adults that have children that are in need … (9 comments)

Australian Open - 01/21/09 03:49 PM
If you have not been keeping up with the Australian Open, then you might be surprised when you read this. Lleyton Hewitt lost his match in 5 sets to Fernando Gonzalez yesterday. Then, today, David Nalbandian was put down Yen-Hsun Lu in 5 sets as well. I have linked to both of these stories if you have not have a chance to read them. Hope you enjoy.
Follow me on: , , , , , , , About the Author If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a … (5 comments)

Professional Virtual Tour - 01/21/09 02:45 PM
I was watching one of those home improvement channels last night and happened to see a thirty second commentary by one of the hosts for these shows. In these short spots that have been running with some frequency lately, the host was emphasizing the importance of having a professional photographer take the photos for your print and internet advertising for your listings. Her reasoning for this was that professionals know just the right angles to use to capture the best scope and lighting of what is being photographed. I was curious, with all of the avid photographers who are professional realtors, … (6 comments)

Prejudice Cannot Be Tolerated - 01/21/09 12:18 PM
Yesterday, I got to witness history along with the other billions of people around the world that actually got to witness Barack Obama make history. But, it was not the moment that he placed his hand on the bible, not the moment that he stumbled through the Oath of Office, and it was not the dynamic speech that he finished off with that I remember the most. No, none of these sat with me as much as one thing that took place yesterday on that stand. That particular moment actually belongs to Rev. Joseph Lowery and the end of his benediction. … (4 comments)

New to Blogging and Need Help - 01/20/09 06:11 PM
From the day that I started blogging, I have always thought that there needed to be a place that someone could turn to for input on what one needs to do to get started. I have scoured the internet high and low looking for this information. Finally, in disgust of not being able to find the information that I wanted, I decided to do something about it.
As of February 1, 2009, people now have a place to turn for this. We at R & D Art are proud to announce our new line of classes. We have a total of … (10 comments)

Palm Beach Attorney - 01/20/09 02:57 PM
When I lived in Florida, it seemed that I was never more than 2 hours around from anything in the center of the state to the bottom. Well, that is, with the exception of the keys. Having this luxury gave me the ability to spend weekends at whatever each I wanted. I could go to the west coast beaches and play in the gulf, or the east coast beaches and play in the Atlantic. The thing that I loved about the East side was A1A. For those of you that do not know Florida well, this road runs north/south along the … (6 comments)

Are You Part of History in the Making? - 01/20/09 10:53 AM
Today represents history being made. Today, the first African-American will be sworn in as the President of the United States. Today is the Inaugural Day that many of us have been waiting on. Not only are we swearing in the first African-American President, but we will also have our very first African-American First Lady. Today is truly a day of first and I can proudly say that I am glad to witness it.
As much as I could continue in the political realm of first, this is not a political post. The opening comment is only used to set the table … (10 comments)

Sports Fix - 01/19/09 07:50 PM
Almost everyone that knows me knows that I love and cannot get enough of sports. Whether it is football, baseball, tennis, track and field, or basketball, to name a few, they run in my blood. Some more than others, but still, they are there. One of the things that I like about Comcast.net is their sports section. With football season going on, the NFL sports section gets me going. It helps to feed my need and desire for news on the game.
The good thing about the sports section in Comcast.net is it is not just filled with the NFL. They … (8 comments)

R & D Art: The Classes - 01/19/09 03:58 PM
 
I am happy to be able to reblog this post from Rich. It is with great excitement that we have unvieled the list of classes that will be taught through R & D Art. I also can not wait to be able to share the list of available products that can be purchased through R & D Art. Well, I will leave it at that. Rich's post will pretty much shed light on everything.
I have blocked comments here so that you can comment on the original post.
 
Via Rich Dansereau Loan Officer Knoxville TN (Home America Mortgage):
I am … (0 comments)

Love is in the Air - 01/19/09 03:41 PM
Shopping has changed a lot over the last several years. When I was growing up, you could call a florist on the week of Valentines and place an order for a dozen roses and have them show up at the right place without any concerns. When it came time for Christmas, you would go the week before and get all the gifts that you needed within a couple of hours without having any hassles. Today, this has all changed.
For many people, shopping for Valentines is a month long chore. The reason being is a simple one really. You just do … (4 comments)

Introducing R & D Management - 01/19/09 12:00 PM
Before I get into this post, let me just clarify that this blog is not the announcement that this post preempted. That is a bird of a different feather and will actually be divulged February 1st instead of the end of this month. Now that I have that little bit out of the way, let me get into this particular post.
I have had some people ask me lately if I was leaving the mortgage industry. The answer to that is "NO". I am merely taking a step back and Rich is running The Thornton Team @ Home America Mortgage. As … (8 comments)

Finding the Right Host - 01/15/09 01:07 PM
Since I started blogging back in September of 2007, I have learned a ton about blogging. Some of the knowledge that I have learned, I owe to ActiveRain and am very grateful for them and the site. Some of the knowledge I have learned from other sources throughout the Internet. And finally, some of the knowledge I have learned from trail and error. One of the things that I have learned that is a common denominator is the fact that regardless where I am on the net, if you do not have a good web hosting service, it does not matter … (2 comments)

An End to a Era - 01/15/09 10:55 AM
As the month of January draws closer to the end, we prepare for one era to end and a new one to begin. This might be one of the most historical changes of office that we will ever witness and I am proud to be a part of it. It is my personal hope that people will give President Barack Obama a fair shake before sentencing him to a fate worse than the last eight years. However, this is not what this post is about and before I digress, let me get back on track.
As one era ends and a … (14 comments)

Investing in a Latin American Vacation Home. - 01/14/09 03:11 PM
Over the years, many North Americans have been vacation in Latin America. Whether it is Costa Rica, Panama, or Mexico that you love to visit, maybe it is time that you consider investing in a vacation home. Can you image being able to jet away any time that you want and not have to concern yourself with finding a place to stay. Having a vacation home would be a better investment than spending the money on a hotel or rental. Some of the best Costa Rica Real Estate is more affordable than most people would think. Could you imagine waking up … (14 comments)

Stop Abuse - 01/13/09 12:19 PM
Over the year and 4 plus months that I have been an ActiveRain member, I have met a lot of wonderful people. Collectively, ActiveRain has one of the largest voices today. With that said, I am asking for some help. Abuse is a gripping fear that has it hands around America throat. Whether it is child abuse, domestic violence, or animal cruelty, it is all the same. All abuse needs to be eradicated.
I think that people look at these three different abuses differently. Some say that children have no choice and need to be removed from the abuse. So say … (11 comments)

A Big Giant Disappointment. - 01/12/09 02:12 PM
It has taken me a little while to come to grips with yesterday's outcome. After spending the better part of the afternoon and this morning with my therapist, I was told to come to grips with it an move on. Much like they do with all the players. Here is something else that I will come to grips with. The Giants did not beat themselves. We got beat by the Eagles.
If there is one thing that I hate it is the fact that people say, we did not get beat, we beat ourselves. That is the biggest pile of horsecrap … (15 comments)

Are you a BIG show off? - 01/12/09 01:28 PM
I have a confession to make to all the ActiveRainers here. I am jealous of a particular person here and I can not hide it no more. Chris Fisher is the person and the reason is a simple one. Chris is getting ready to live my dream. For those that do not know, she is getting ready to tour the country for StagersLIST doing expos all over the USA. That has been a life long dream of mine to travel from major city to major city putting on one show after another for the course of one year. But, alas, I … (5 comments)

Behold, the Rate/Term Refinance! - 01/12/09 10:55 AM
 
I thought that I would take the liberty to reblog this great article written by Jason Sardi. I have to agree with this article because I believe that we as Americans have gotten away from something that our fathers and their fathers before them instilled in us. That is that home ownership is not about keeping up with the Jones, but to invest into something that will shelter and protect your family for years. And, one day, you should be able to turn over the keys to you child or maybe a grandchild.
That is something that does not happen … (0 comments)

My Favorite Holidays - 01/12/09 10:47 AM
With the New Year in full swing, we are now ready to start celebrating a whole new set of holidays. Some of my favorite early holidays would have to be Valentines and St Patricks Day. Neither of these holidays is observed as a national holiday but both are widely celebrated as one. For Valentines, it is all about the hearts, roses, chocolates, and jewelry. For St Patricks Day, it is all about the wearing of green, the luck of the Irish, and the green beer.
This year, our group has decided to wear some St Patricks t-shirts on St Patricks Day. … (3 comments)

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures - 01/11/09 08:45 PM
 
For those of you in ActiveRain that do not follow Kathy Passarette, then you need to read this article and maybe you will change your mind. This is the best advice that I have had the honor of reading so far this year. It is advice like this that has put Kathy and will keep her heads above her competition.
As always, I have blocked the comments so that you can state them to the person that deserves them.
 
Via Kathy Passarette, L.I. Staging/Decorating (Creative Home Expressions):
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."  Origin unknown.   From Wikipedia:  It means that … (0 comments)

Marking Time - 01/10/09 08:05 PM
Time is one of the most creative of human constructs. It has become such an integral part of our lives that it is easy to forget that it is actually a human construct. The integration of time in the very description of our state is unmistakable; past, present, and future are built into our very syntax. I make no judgment on time and its place in our lives. From when early man first traced the movement of that yellow orb across the heavens to the advent of atomic clocks, time has played a central role in our lives.
I bring up … (5 comments)

Rebounding Markets - 01/10/09 06:57 PM
I thought that I would do a reverse reblog and bring in a post from the outside world. Most of you know my business partner, Rich Dansereau. What some of you do not know is that he has an outside blog through Blogger called "Rich talks Real Estate". After reading this blog, I had to reblog it here for everyone to read. If you would like to comment on it, please do so on his blog. I have blocked the comment feature here. Via Rich Dansereau According to a report today by Forbes.com, the proverbial bottom of the economic market has … (0 comments)

Music and Sounds: Making of a Video - 01/10/09 06:05 PM
Have you ever been watching a 360 tour of a property and wondered why there was no music. Did you think to yourself that it would flow just a little better with some music. What about when you are making a 360 tour? Have you ever thought about how great it would be to add music to it?
Well, today, I came across a site that sales sound effects as well as music. One of the great things that I liked about the sound effects were that these are Royalty Free. For our business, the word free is king. The less … (7 comments)

Wacky Horse Laws - 01/10/09 05:45 PM
 
When I read this, I could not keep from laughing so hard. I knew that I needed to share this with all my readers. I have that you enjoy as much as I did.
As always, I have locked out the comments. This way, you can comment on the original post.
 
Via Brigita McKelvie - Lehigh Valley, PA, Residential, Rural & Horse Properties (Vision Realty Group):
Came across some really wacky horse laws from around the country that I would like to share.  Sit down and have yourselves a good horse laugh.
 
Omega, New Mexico - Every woman … (0 comments)

Are you up for a Gamble? - 01/10/09 01:15 PM
It is funny that when I talk to people today, they tell me that the biggest reason that they are not ready to move forward with a buying a home is that it is just too much of a gamble at this point and time. Personally, I do not see buying a home the same as online gambling. However, they are the customer and I have to respect their position. With that said, as much as I respect someone's opinion, I would like to compare in contrast buying a home like visiting an online casino. Think of it like this. When … (5 comments)

My Referral's Referral referred me another Referral. - 01/09/09 01:07 PM
There are two types of leads that I like. The first is a lead from a business partner. The second, and my personal favorite, is a referral from a satisfied client. Well, since expanding my scope of businesses, I have been getting business for R & D Art and it is not from any type of advertisement. The new clients are actually coming in from clients that are using us.
What I like best about this is the people that currently use us know the value of the service that we have provided so they do not mind referring us to … (11 comments)

Brain Teaser (2nd Edition) - 01/09/09 11:12 AM
OK, so the first one went over so well that I figured that I would bring you yet another one. There were some great stabs at the first one and then there were some that we just so far off base that it was funny. So, here is how this works. I am going to give you a brain teaser and I will interject someone's name from ActiveRain and link to them in the brain teaser. This will make it a little more fun. At the end of the day, I will come back and aswer the brain teaser. *Please do … (15 comments)

Where is the Beach - 01/08/09 09:16 PM
OK, I have had it and it is time for me to get out of here. I need a vacation and I need it now. I miss the beach and I miss being on the water. About this time of the year I could put on the wet suites, get the jet skis ready, and toss in the wake boards. If you have never spent a weekend in the waters of the Caloosahatchee River, you do not know what you are missing. And, what made it even better was the fact that I could drop the skis in 5 minutes up … (12 comments)

2009 Event Solutions Spotlight Award - 01/08/09 02:34 PM
Some of you might remember a post that I wrote a while back asking for some voting support for a friend of mine. James Auerbach of Showtime Events is in the running for Rising Star Male. The last time he was a nominee and now he has made it to the Finals. I am really excited for James and I know that he is excited too. If you would like to place a vote for James, you can do so by following the instructions below. Thank you for your time and support.  
Hello and Happy New Year! I was hoping … (4 comments)

Shopping in Great Neck - 01/07/09 05:00 PM
For those of you that know me, you know that I am a huge fan of shopping. As far as I am concerned, they can create a paying career for shopping. I would be applying for it today. Something else that I like to do that would rival my desire to shop is eating. This might run neck to neck in things that I love to do. And, specking of neck, some friends of mine were recently in Great Neck, New York.
Apparently they went to Long Island to visit some friends over the holidays. One day, their friends decided to … (5 comments)

Something Positive Happened to me Yesterday (4th edition) - 01/06/09 08:37 PM
Well, it is that time again. I know you got something positive to scream. If I keep up these hours, it is going to be the death of me. I need to get back to posting this first thing in the morning to give people time to comment in with their positive news. So, let's get the ball bouncing in the rain. Yesterday, one of my outside blogs, received the most unique visitors, page views, and comments that it ever has in all its existence. Follow me on: , , , , , , , About the Author If you are … (6 comments)

Home Improvement in Washington DC - 01/06/09 08:14 PM
I have a very good friend that bought a house not too long ago. In buying the home, he knew that he was going to have to do some improvements to it. Now, I do not know about you, but Washington DC is a very busy place and not a place that you can just jump in the car and run to the local home improvement store and be back in 5 minutes.
We were talking just a week or so ago and I told him that home improvement in Washington DC is best left up to the pros. The last … (0 comments)

If you could, would you? - 01/05/09 09:03 PM
Over the last several months, I have developed a friendship with Robin Green out of South Carolina. We both write for Today.com and we belong to a few other social networking sites. A few days ago, Robin asked if I minded joining a site that would help support her daughter. When it comes to kids, I have that weak spot so anything that is going to help them out, I am all for. The fact that it is free makes it even better. So, let me get to the point of this whole post. Nikki, Robin's daughter is going to race … (7 comments)

What a day - 01/05/09 07:44 PM
It is 8:33 PM and I have been sitting at my desk almost all day. What has blown me away is the fact that this is really the first time that I have had a chance to log into ActiveRain. Being this busy is a great thing and all of our hard work has started paying off. One of the big projects that I had to work on today is an article that I just published on PREP and I think that it is something worth reading if you get the time. Just follow the link. One of the reasons that … (5 comments)

Something Positive Happened to me Yesterday (3rd edition) - 01/05/09 07:31 PM
Did you think that I forgot to do this? Well, I can never forget to do things like this. (What I can do is forget to take it out of DRAFT form though). After we got it steam rolling yesterday, I am sure that there are many more positive things that have happened to us. For those of you that are not familiar with this post, let me give you a little history. I wanted to do something daily that promoted only positive things that had taken place in our lives the day before. Yesterday's post was excellent and I am … (3 comments)

Something Positive Happened to me Yesterday (2nd edition) - 01/03/09 11:49 AM
Yesterday, I started this running thread in an attempt to fish out the positive stories that we encounter daily. Even though there was a lot of good feedback, the comments were still missing the meat of what I was hoping would appear. There has to be something positive that happens to people daily. I can not believe that a person can go through an entire day and not have one positive experience. So, if you do not mind, share with us that one positive experience that happened to you yesterday. I will start it out by telling everyone that I received … (13 comments)

Feed the Starving - 01/03/09 08:49 AM
So many times I have heard people make a comment along the lines of "If there was something that I could do". Well, today, I am giving you that very chance. Join me at Free food for animal shelters and make a click a day to help send food to animal shelters. I mean really, how hard is it to make one click a day that will help feed a starving puppy, kitten, or some other animal that someone did not want. As much as we are on the internet daily, I think that one click a day is a simple … (10 comments)

Something Positive Happened to me Yesterday (1st edition) - 01/02/09 12:59 PM
I have been thinking about doing this for some time now and after the new year, I thought that why not ring in 2009 with a positive attitude. This is a simple process. I am going to write a little blurb each and every morning and then post it hoping to fish out something positive that happened to people the prior day. It can be something simple or something complex. The only key is that it has to be construde as having a positive effect on you. I get it started. Yesterday, I made my first sell of 2009 for R … (13 comments)

In my opinion - 01/02/09 11:58 AM
It seems that whenever I am not feeling well, I have a tendency to speak my mind more clearly so that people can relate to what I am trying to say. Yesterday was not different in my opinion. I wrote an article entitled Ringing in the New Year. Personally, I thought that many of the points in this article was right on target with what the American public needs to hear. So many times I get frustrated when I hear the news media spreading half truths to keep the American people in turmoil. It is as bad if someone in our … (4 comments)

Is Integrity Dead? - 01/01/09 12:27 PM
People sit back and look at the current housing crisis and wonder how it got here. well, in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons that it got here was lack of integrity. Frankly, I thought that we were coming out of the wood work because most of the people that used that word loosely duck out the back door when the walls started first crumbling. Apparently, I was wrong. People that lack judgment and integrity still are in our industry. But, it is not just in blogging networks like ActiveRain or social outlets like twitter any more. For those of … (16 comments)

Brain Teaser - Edition One - 01/01/09 11:44 AM
I am going to attempt to do this on a regular basis once a week and see how it goes. For all of you that say that it is not Real Estate Industry based and therefore does not belong on this site, you might want to ever come back to read one that has this title. For all the rest, it will go this way. I will post the teaser and let people take a guess at the answer all day long. Before I get ready to sign off tonight, I will come back to review the guesses as well as … (25 comments)