New Movies and Things to Do in Iowa City & Coralville This Weekend - 01/29/10 10:57 AM
Another week bites the dust and as we head for another chilly weekend in Iowa City and Coralville. Cabin fever? Let's see what we've got going on in Iowa City and Coralville with my weekly round up of movies and events for January 29 through January 31.As always, I'll start with new movie releases. Slow week this with just 2 new movies to share with you. The first is vintage Mel Gibson in Edge of Darkness. After the death of his daughter Thomas Craven, a Boston detective (Mel Gibson), takes to the street looking for vengeance. A classic revenge movie by … (5 comments)

Things to Do in Iowa City: Let's Start With Theaters... - 01/28/10 08:52 PM
What's the biggest misconception about Iowa City? That would be the rural image folks have about our area. As someone who relocated to the Iowa City area 10 years ago I have plenty to compare this to and I can tell you that it ain't so...That we have a vibrant college town with absolutely loads going on. In fact there is so much to do I decided it's worthy of a series. I figure my best plan is to break down all the things you can do in this surprising town into categories and will start with theaters... Coral Ridge Mall … (2 comments)

Iowa City Real Estate: What Are The Chances of Selling Your Home at an Open House? - 01/26/10 06:29 PM
What do you think the chances are of your home selling at an open house? Probably not great. At least not here in the Iowa City area. (I represent sellers in the Iowa City real estate market and can only speak for my area of course). Selling a home is all about getting the right buyer in the right home at the right time. Seems to me the stars need to be aligned just right for all of that to happen on a day that you and your agent choose! 
Does that mean if you have a home on the market … (1 comments)

New Movies and Things to Do in Iowa City & Coralville This Weekend - 01/22/10 10:38 AM
The weekend is almost here - again! Amazing how time flies. Seems like it comes around quicker every week...  Once again it's time for my weekly round up of movies and events in Iowa City and Coralville for January 22 through January 24.Not a blockbuster weekend this weekend. I have 3 new movies to share with you. The first (and probably the best) is Extraordinary Measures, starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser. It's a film based on a true story about a father, (Brendan Fraser) getting together with a brilliant, but unconventional scientist (Harrison Ford) to save his dying children. Definitely … (0 comments)

How 3% Can Make All the Difference - 01/21/10 12:55 PM
 
This is an excellent post from Julia Odom explaining some of the new rules in the FHA mortgages. The  3% reduction in seller concessions is the big one and the one likely to have the biggest impact on first time home buyers.
 
Via Julia Odom, Chattanooga Real Estate (Select Realty Professionals):
{{You're gonna have to hang in there with me, this one definitely gets filed under 'boring but important'}}
Today, HUD announced new rules for FHA mortgages that will go into effect in the near future ("summer" whatever that may mean). Those who don't eat, breathe, and live real estate … (0 comments)

What to Watch Out For When You Make an Offer on a Condo in Iowa City - 01/19/10 01:14 PM
What to watch out for when you make an offer on a condo in Iowa City So you've found the condo that's perfect for you and are all set to make an offer. You'll write up a purchase agreement and here in the Iowa City area we have an addendum where you get 5 calender days to review the homeowners condominium association documents. If you find something that doesn't suit you, then you can walk away from the deal. Here are a couple of things you should REALLY be watching out for:Along with the condominium bylaws, (that you are going to … (1 comments)

New Movies and Other Events in Iowa City & Coralville This Weekend - 01/15/10 12:18 PM
The weekend is upon us again. Time for my round up of movies and events in Iowa City and Coralville for January 15 through January 17.First, let's look at new movie releases. Two new movies to share with you this week. The first is The Book of Eli, with the movie-drawing magnet Denzel Washington. Will he topple Avatar from the top spot? I'm not sure, but I doubt it. A wastelands movie with Denzel up against top notch fantasy fiction... I'd say we have a face-off this weekend. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Whatever … (4 comments)

My Real Estate Photos Don't Suck - A Few Tips on How to Improve Yours! - 01/14/10 12:07 PM
Please do me a favor, if your photos for your real estate listings suck, please take heed of this post. This is one of those if she can do it, so can I posts... I'm not an expert, but my photos don't suck and there's no reason for yours to either. Good photos can be achieved without breaking the bank and with a little effort and attention to detail. So we're real estate professionals, but we wear a lot of hats. We learn other stuff, we can learn to be half way decent photographers too...The first thing is to buy a … (9 comments)

Iowa City Real Estate: Don't Pay $59.00 For A Duplicate Warranty Deed - 01/12/10 09:36 AM
Iowa City Real Estate: Don't Pay $59.00 For A Duplicate Warranty Deed
 
If you live in the Iowa City area you don't need to pay $59.00 for a duplicate warranty deed. Now I'm pretty sure you don't need to pay that anywhere in Iowa or the rest of the country, but since I am only 100% certain of my facts for around here I will limit this post to talking about that. At the beginning of the year it seems there are some shady companies out there wanting to make a fast buck. They send out letters to unsuspecting new … (0 comments)

New Movies and Other Events in Iowa City & Coralville This Weekend - 01/08/10 10:16 AM
Let's take our mind off the weather and take a look at what we've got going on in Iowa City this weekend. This is my weekly round up of movies and events in Iowa City and Coralville for January 8 through January 10. January is a trying month after the Holidays and sub zero temperatures are not helping that. If you're looking for a distraction, we've got plenty to offer here in our busy little area. As always, I'll start with new movie releases. Three new movies to share with you this week. The first is Youth in Revolt, the screen … (0 comments)

If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words I Guess it's Time for Me to Kick it Up a Notch... - 01/07/10 01:49 PM
Logged into AR this morning to find two featured listings from the group activerainphotoblogger. I was impressed. Way to go Debi and Myrl. I joined this group a while back thinking I could learn some valuable lessons. I think good photos are the cornerstone to listing homes for sale online, (not to mention marketing online in general) and was sure it was the place to learn. Now I'm having trouble coming up with anything close to the level of perfection many members of the group have, but figure if I hang out in such illustrious company it is going to rub … (7 comments)

Almost Wordless Wednesday. It's Cold in Coralville today... And here's someone who is even less impressed than me! - 01/06/10 10:09 AM
It's cold in Coralville again today... 5° Fahrenheit to be precise.  (-15° Celcius). We have another winter storm warning from 6.00pm Wednesday through Thursday. I say another, because I'm already having trouble keeping up with how many winter storms we've had this winter! Now if you think I'm unimpressed by all this cold weather, below is a photograph of a certain someone who is even less impressed than me! This is my cat Tigger and I actually think his body language says it all. He is hating this weather with a passion, (and is usually very vocal about it). He insisted … (7 comments)

North Liberty Real Estate Market Report December 2009 - 01/05/10 01:06 PM
North Liberty Real Estate Market Report December 2009
As we kick off a new year I have lots of data to share with you in my monthly report on what's going on in the real estate market in North Liberty Iowa.  I'll start with a year over year comparison of the monthly and quarterly numbers of homes sold in North Liberty for the period ending December 31, 2009. Followed by a year over year comparison of annual home sales in North Liberty for 2009. Homes Sold in North Liberty December 2009 Compared to December 200817 homes sold in North Liberty in … (0 comments)

Coralville Real Estate Market Report December 2009 - 01/05/10 11:18 AM
Coralville Real Estate Market Report December 2009It's the beginning of the month and time for my monthly report on what's going on in the real estate market in Coralville. With an entire year to look back on I have a lot of data to share with you this month. I will start with a year over year comparison of the monthly and quarterly numbers of homes sold in Coralville for the period ending December 31, 2009. Followed by a year over year comparison of annual home sales in Coralville for 2009. Homes Sold in Coralville December 2009 Compared to December 200812 … (0 comments)

Iowa City Real Estate Market Report December 2009 - 01/05/10 09:19 AM
Iowa City Real Estate Market Report December 2009I have so much data to share with you this month that it was tough to know where to start! I decided to do it chronologically. First a year over year comparison of the monthly and quarterly numbers of homes sold in Iowa City for the period ending December 31, 2009. Followed by a year over year comparison of annual home sales in Iowa City for 2009. Homes Sold in Iowa City December 2009 Compared to December 200848 homes sold in Iowa City in December 2009 compared to 41 homes sold in 2008. That's … (2 comments)

156 countries sing at the same time: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE - 01/02/10 08:55 PM
 
In December I reblogged Julia Odom's post, Ever heard of the Lazarus Effect? to raise awareness for Aids in Africa. It's not Aids Awareness Month anymore, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be thinking about what we can do in the fight against Aids. Here's a wonderful post from Pacita Dimacali showing what we can do when we put our minds to it.
 
Via Pacita Dimacali - e-PRO, SRES, CDPE, MBA East Bay, North CA real estate (Gallagher & Lindsey):
On December 7, 2009, at 1:30 pm GMT, musicians from 156 countries played "All you need is love" together. The … (3 comments)

Take the Plunge: Build a Better Website with Wordpress - 01/02/10 06:48 PM
After years of grappling with template websites and being unhappy with the results I've taken the plunge into the Wordpress world and built a better website.

Wordpress is a blogging platform, right? No, it's much more than that! The possibilities with Wordpress are endless as to what you can achieve with your website, with only your own creativity setting the boundaries... Of course that's oversimplifying it a bit, you need to work with a great Web Developer too. That's where I got lucky when I emailed Kaspars Dambis, a member of the Wordpress Community for his help. We hit … (27 comments)