The Air Force Memorial soars into the sky. This striking and very simple memorial immediately draws your eyes up to the sky, a very fitting tribute to the men and women who have served or are serving our Country in the Air Force. The site overlooks the Pentagon, parts of Arlington National Cemetery and Washington DC in the distance. 

Today, I made a very solemn visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Having been raised in Arlington, VA, this sacred place is very dear and near to my heart. I was here when JFK was assassinated, when MLK was shot down and experienced many other life-changing events. Every time I come back to see my family I make a point to re-visit some very special places.  The day was overcast and chilly with the forecast of rain.  Here area few photos I took today:

The many wreaths on the gravestones were very touching....so many.....

There is a great deal of discrepancy about between the real world and what the media is saying about short sales and loan modifications nad foreclosures.  A few days ago , I was listening to the Today Show and an expert was telling the stressed out public that if they are considering a loan modification or short sale that the lender is wrong to tell them that they won't do anything until they are in default.

EXCUSE ME??????  As a REALTOR, I hear nightmare stories from sellers who have been contacting their lenders daily to try to get loan modifications to save their homes. Others, who have been trying to sell their homes with no luck, trying to get lenders to work with them with answers such as "unless you are behind in your payments, we don't want to talk to you'.....what is so wrong with this picture?  So once you are behind, whether you had to move for work or just financial reasons, the lenders have you over a barrell....you now are in default, you are in behind your payments (although they won't talk to you unless are?)....what a quagmire this has created, and our Congress is absolutley at a standstill...to our Country's downfall!

So, experts, whom do our clients call? 

Competing for ranking in ActiveRain makes us all better!  My primary market is Lakewood, CO., and I have achieved a great position in my local market place on ActiveRain.  I am second only to a home stager...and my use of "only" is not to diminish my collegue who has worked hard to get into the position of #1, but to make others aware that it is important to move up the ladder and attain the best possible visibility you can.

With that said, my goal is to work up the ladder in Colorado.  I consistently place 62 and 63 in the rankings, thanks to a Realtor in another market (not my competition at all!) who is determined as I am to move up the ranks. He is steadfast in blogging to add points to his site just as I am to match his input and to create interest in my site.  I absolutely love this.....why?  Because it makes us focus on putting out information regularly (and with us....daily), and the result is going to be a benefit for all of our customers and possible clients.

The bottom line is that the public wins... we have fun competing and the ActiveRain members who have been sitting on their laurels, had better watch out....we are heading your way and will start competing for your prestigious standings.  We have such a wonderful venue through ActiveRain....let's make it proud!

Having a good title company makes for a smooth transaction. I have been a Realtor for 15 years and having a good, professional title company can make the difference between a difficult transaction and one that moves through like a sharp blade on smooth ice.

I have two companies that I use regularly....depending on the location of the property for sale.  My last sale was a home in Denver, Co., and I used Fidelity National Title Company to handle the transaction.  From the time I got under contract to the passing of the keys, Fidelity was there to provide professional, timely and expert service.  A special thanks to Lin Furlong, my closer, who responded to all of my questions in a timely fashion.  A special thanks to all of her peers and support staff that supported me in my sometimes irregular requests.  You were awesome.  Thank you for your great service.

Thirsty?  When I first got my Nikon DSL camera, I did some experimenting of close-ups of a lemon slice.  I really liked how it turned out so I decided to revisit the subject.  This time, I sliced a lime and used a variety of backgrounds.  Photography is such a wonderful part of my life and I have incorporated some of my photos in a tour on my website.  I hope you might take a moment to visit and as always, your comments are very much appreciated.

Your comments are appreciated

Earlier this year I attended the Moab Photo Symposeum for the first time. We arrived early so that we could get up and photograph the sunrise.  This was my first trip to Moab and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of my surroundings.   This arch has been photographed thousands and thousands of times, yet capturing it in my own camera made in one of a kind...my very own original. I hope you enjoy these images.  They are "unprocessed" for those of you that are into photography.

A different angle:

Denver Market Update for October, 2011

Metro Denver Prices:

             Single Family Average Price:                    Oct 2011    -  $269,503

                       (Detached Dwelling)                      Sept 2011  -  $280,289

                                                                          Oct 2010    -  $287,048

             Condo Average Price:                              Oct 2011    -  $160,723

                       (Attached Dwelling)                       Sept 2011  -  $159,980

                                                                          Oct 2010    -  $159,119

Percent of Change in Available Inventory:                       -33.73%

            (October 2010 vs October 2011)

Number of Combined Homes Sold this Month            Oct 2011   -   3,183

            vs. Previous month                                     Sept 2011  -   3,337

            vs. same month last year                            Oct  2010   -   2,842

The above information was obtained from Metrolist - the Denver area multiple listing service.  For more information on the Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, Golden and surrounding areas, please contact me.

November in Denver, CO is living up to it's reputation - that is - November is the 2nd snowist month of the year, with March being the first.  The Denver Post had an article in today's paper indicating we should prepare for a snowy November.  And of course, today is November 1st and we have snow in the forecast.  According to the news, those of us that live in the Denver Metro area should expect 5-9 inches of snow beginning tonight with clearing on Wednesday afternoon.

Happy snow everyone!

This is a follow up on how to eliminate junk mail and solicitations that I blogged about previously here on ActiveRain.  After visiting my mother, both of my sisters and I have been collecting all of the mail requests for donations from the many organizations across the country.  To date, within a period of less than 45 days, my mother has received over 148 requests from different organizations....and this number does not include duplicate requests, even after they have possibly received a small contribution.  Please read my blog to find several resources that can help you and your family get control of this problem.