2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 30 - Learning More about Screen Shots and Video Screen Capture - 12/30/11 09:48 PM
Screen Image Capture and Video Screen Capture Software are important tools in my business.  As 2012 approaches, I need to review the Software that I use.   SnagIt, Jing, Screenr have served me well... but should I look at others?
 
     We all take "Screen Shots".   Programs like SnagIt by TechSmith include tools similar to Microsoft Paint - you can add captions, call-outs, arrows, highlights, boxes and so much more.  I have used SnagIt for a long time, and highly recommend it.


 
     Video Capture - if you have seen my Videos on my YouTube Channels, or … (5 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Days 28 and 29 - Decisions about Photography, Cameras, DSLR Cameras, and Camcorders - 12/29/11 10:53 PM
My current camera is an Olympus Stylus 1010.  It's 10.1 Megapixels with a 7X zoom, and I love it... until I see the quality pics that someone gets with a DSLR.  For Video, I have a Canon Vixia HG20 HDD Camcorder... I am quite happy with it, and will continue to use it.  
 
     Where I am now:  I use a Tripod to steady the shots.  I have a basic understanding of shutter speeds and lighting, but in all honesty I usually set the Cameras to "Auto".  I need to get better at "custom settings" for photos and videos.
… (4 comments)

December's Season of Celebrations and Sharing - "The Three Kings Celebration" for Children - 12/26/11 09:38 PM
Santa Claus does not bring gifts to children in Spain.  Instead, The Three Kings bring gifts on Epiphany.  On January 3, Tallahassee children can learn about the Epiphany Holiday, with its traditions, crafts, and holiday recipes. 

      Mission San Luis de Apalachee of Tallahassee will host a day camp for children ages 8 through 13.

 

 
     Children will learn about the Spanish National Holiday known as "El Día de los Reyes" (The Day of the Kings).  This occurs on January 6, the day of the traditional Christian Holy Day of Epiphany. 

     This Holiday … (3 comments)

December's Season of Celebrations and Sharing - Splash Children's Experimental Color Camp! - 12/26/11 12:03 AM
Artist / Instructor April Saler will be teaching "Color Concepts" to children ages 6 to 12 at LeMoyne Art Gallery in Tallahassee, Florida.  The day-long classes will be held Tuesday December 27, Wednesday December 28, Thursday December 29, and Friday December 30.  Take your child, or take a child, and let April introduce the youngster to "Art" and "Artists"!
 
     The cost for the 4 day event is $95 for Members, $105 for non-Members. 
   
 

 
   This Piece is featured on April's Facebook Page 












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2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 25 - Working with Maps, Internet Maps, and MLS Maps - 12/25/11 08:31 PM
Getting "Mapped Up" for 2012!  Maps and Map Searches are a critical part of the Real Estate Business.  The MLS Map Search is a powerful tool.  Knowledge of the Property Appraiser Parcel Maps and the County Zoning Atlas is imperative.  Internet Maps from Google, Bing, MapQuest and Yahoo offer numerous choices and features. 
 
 
     One of my 2012 Goals is to become more familiar and more comfortable with the multitude of Maps and Map Searches that are available.
 
 
 
     Aerial Views, Street Views, Hybrids, Road Maps... I want to know all of the features offered by … (4 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 24. "I am Upside Down - When Will the Market Recover?" - 12/24/11 11:57 PM
My wife and I were enjoying an early lunch at one of favorite restaurants.  The Manager, whom I have known for 20+ years, came by to talk.  "Fred, when will the Real Estate Market Recover?"  He bought a house during the Boom for $375K; it may be worth $225K today.  

     My Answer:  "Maybe 2015 or 2016, if the American Economy also recovers.  But I do not expect Prices to go back up..."
 
     His challenge is that the restaurant he manages, opened a new location about 10 miles farther away.  His commute increased accordingly.  I know that … (6 comments)

December's Season of Celebrations and Sharing - Christmas Service on Christmas Day! - 12/24/11 10:57 PM
Tallahassee Churches will be holding Christmas Day Services on Sunday, December 25.  It is always special when Christmas falls on Sunday!  Many Traditional Protestant Churches in Tallahassee will hold a "Liturgy of Holy Communion".  Other Churches will feature Nativity Dramas, and Sermons proclaiming the Birth of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

 
      This will be a good day to attend Church, with family or with friends. 

      Consider giving a ride to those who cannot otherwise make it to Church.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * … (6 comments)

December's Season of Celebrations and Sharing - Tallahassee High Schoolers Provide "Soup and Socks" - 12/23/11 11:40 PM
Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Florida - the Homecoming Queen, and other Students have joined together to help the Homeless.  Their first concern:  "Soup and Socks".  Meanwhile, Students at Godby High School are serving Chili to the Homeless and the Less Fortunate.

     "I can only imagine on Christmas day having to go to a kitchen with people I don't know," said Miss Rickards High, Onyeka Ugochukwu.


 
     These Students are going above and beyond, to reach out to the Truly Needy.  They are personally involved in "face to face" distributions to the Homeless; not just "Fund … (2 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Days 22 and 23 - Retrieving Data from 3 Hard Drives - 12/23/11 10:52 PM
Day 22 was my 26th Wedding Anniversary... very little Real Estate business was done... a couple of Blog Posts, check in on a few things.  Today, December 23, it was time to Retrieve the Data from 2 Windows XP drives that came out of Desktops, and get data off a failing laptop that uses Windows Vista.


 
      First up, I used an Easy Connect Cable to transfer the data from the old XP Drives to the Windows 7.  This was not Easy! 


    











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December's Season of Celebrations and Sharing - GMA's Greatest Christmas Light Show is in Tallahassee, and it is Patriotic - 12/22/11 11:40 PM
"Good Morning America" viewers voted for their Favorite Holiday-Decorated house.  The winner is the Whitis Family of Tallahassee!  Take your friends and family for an evening drive through Southwood Subdivision, to view this Patriotic Display that uses music + tens of thousands of LED lights! 
 
     This Tribute to America's Troops and Veterans will make you Laugh, Cry, Sing, and Cheer!

    The Whitis Family is using this as a Fund-Raiser for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.  See their sign below.
 
 

 
 
    The Good Morning America episode where the Whitis Family is … (3 comments)

To my Dear Wife: Happy 26th Anniversary To, "The Vision" - 12/22/11 06:45 PM
In the early 1980's I saw "A Vision".  A lady who could stop traffic was in the supermarket.  I had never seen anyone so beautiful.  Could I work up the nerve to talk to her?  Too late!  She was in the check-out lane, and then she was gone.  But that was only the beginning...
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     While shopping for groceries, I noticed a lady in the produce section that looked like a movie star.  How could I approach her?  What could I say?  I took too long... she was checked out and gone.  I had seen someone … (6 comments)

December’s Season of Celebrations & Sharing - Ice Skating in Tallahassee, Florida! - 12/21/11 11:49 PM
Ice Skating in Tallahassee?  Outside, in the City Park at Kleman Plaza?  How? It was 75 degrees in Tallahassee today.  No Problem -  The City of Tallahassee wants its residents and visitors to enjoy "The Winter Festival".  The "Ice Skating Rink" is open all day December 22 through December 24. 
 
 

 
 
 
       For $6 you can rent skates and have an hour of fun, on the synthetic composite ice (hey, this is Florida, it's the best we can do).  You will need to rent the skates - because who in Florida owns Ice Skates?)

… (3 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 21 - Routine Tasks, Client Calls, Re-Arrange the Furniture - 12/21/11 09:31 PM
Today I successfully completed some "Routine" tasks, that have to be done.  Plus some preparation for up and coming 2012, and a few incoming calls from clients/friends.  We re-arranged the office; I much prefer the new layout.  I took inventory of the Supra lockboxes, and made sure they are functional.
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Changing the Layout of the Office
 
     I re-arranged the office... I have an extra computer monitor on the "client side" of my desk, so that they can see what I see.  I set up an older laptop for "Guest Users", to keep them from loading viruses or … (2 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 20 - Doing a Tough "CMA" for some Friends - 12/20/11 11:51 PM
My friends built a very large house in the 1990's.  It is approximately 3000 Square Feet.  The neighborhood that they built in is mostly 1950's houses of about 1500 square feet. 

     The House is in a superb location.  They asked me, "What is our House Worth?"  Okay, we have desirable School Zones, close to the Hospital, and easy access to main highways. 
 
    First of all, let me state that these are long time friends (25 years plus).  I have helped them with several sales and purchases. The Owner works for the State, but he is … (3 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 19. Looking at Vacant Land used as a Dump :( - 12/19/11 10:47 PM
This is magnificent land.  High and dry, good drainage.  Lots of Hardwood Trees.  Quiet and Secluded, in a desirable area.  But we have some issues.  There are some old "Household Dumps" with lots of rust and glass. 

     Worse, there are dump truck loads of construction waste, concrete, and asphalt that was dumped onto the property years ago.


 
 
     The trash dumps are going to involve raking, and putting the jars, metal, and other items into trash containers.

     But the two dozen or so Dump Truck sized piles of asphalt, concrete, construction waste, and … (2 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 18. Senior Citizen Seller; Functionally Obsolete House - 12/18/11 11:28 PM
Today I had a telephone conference with 2 daughters of a Senior Citizen / Widow who is planning to sell her house.  She seldom stays there.  The Roof, one of the HVAC systems, and other components are from 1985 when the house was built.  Daughters are pushing their mother to sell.  The son does not want his mother to sell the property.
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Pros:  This House is in a prime location.  It is built on a very large lot in a quiet subdivision.  There are few comparable houses for sale in the immediate area, and none on this street.

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2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 17: Lowe's & Home Depot and Politics & Religion - 12/17/11 11:20 PM
Today I went to buy Building Materials for some rental houses we are working on.  I could go to either Lowe's or Home Depot.  Lowe's is in the news for cancelling its advertisements on the TV Show "All-American Muslim", and Home Depot is in the spotlight for funding Gay Advocacy Groups. 

     Would either of these Issues affect your decision on where to shop?
 
     Lowe's is one of many sponsors to back away from the "All-American Muslim" TV Show. This Reality Show portrays Muslim families living in Dearborn, Michigan. 

     The "anti-Jihadists" are in an … (4 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 16 - Meeting a Seller to Plan an "Exit Strategy" - 12/16/11 11:57 PM
My Friends/Clients talked with me today about their "Leftover Investment Properties", their 2 Vacation Houses, and their Personal Residence.  "We are in our late 60's; we need an Exit Strategy.  We should have Sold years ago.  If Obama gets Re-Elected..." 

   These people want out from under their Rental Properties; even the Vacation Homes are becoming burdensome.
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     During the "Boom", my friend made $500,000 Net after Taxes, on several Townhouses and some Land. 
     He 1031'd the Proceeds into Income Vacation Property:  A Beach House, and a Mountain House.
 
     The Wife insisted at … (4 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Days 14 and 15. Sub-Contractor Cigarette Butts; Cops came for the Problem Tenant - 12/15/11 10:51 PM
The Problem Tenant that I mentioned the other day... yesterday her friend threatened her with a knife, screaming and yelling.  The Sheriff was called.  Today, on another property - a lady friend called me; "The Contractor has thrown cigarette butts all over my yard! What can I do?  Does he have to clean them up?"
 
     Yesterday, the Problem Tenant got worse.  The Landlord called me this morning from the rental property:  "The neighbors called the Sheriff last night at midnight, complaining about loud music, and yelling and arguing. 
     When the Deputies arrived, they met a lady with … (6 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 13 - Talking with a Landlord, about his Problem Tenant - 12/13/11 11:59 PM
This afternoon I met a Landlord / Friend.  He does his own Property Management. This Rental house was becoming a "Hang-Out" for Partiers, Couch Crashers, the Perpetually Stoned, and other persons on the dark side of the Social Spectrum.
      He went to the property to deliver written notice to comply with the Lease (per Florida Statutes Chapter 83, the Florida Landlord Tenant Act). 
 
     When he showed up to deliver the notice, he told "several guys standing around with beers in their hand" that this was not the Local Hang-Out; they needed to leave (they left). 

… (4 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 12 - Checking in with GoDaddy - 12/12/11 11:27 PM
GoDaddy was recently sold for $2 Billion Dollars.  It was worth it, because GoDaddy provides superior service.  I have numerous domain names registered with GoDaddy, and several Websites hosted or designed by them. 

     Today, I talked with a GoDaddy Rep on the Telephone, to make sure that everything is in order at the beginning of 2012.


 
     When you think of "GoDaddy", the first thing that comes to mind may be the trashy images of scantily clad women.  But forget about that (unless you are in their Target Market of young males).  GoDaddy is a … (9 comments)

Happy 102nd Birthday to my Great Aunt Mary! We couldn't do Video, so this Video is from her 100th Birthday - 12/12/11 10:19 PM
Happy Birthday to my Great Aunt, Mary Laing Smith.  Aunt Mary was born in 1909.  There was no Chevrolet Motor Company.  World War I had not yet been fought.  There was no United Nations.  Her brother bought a new "Ford Model T".   
 
     We could not film a Video of her birthday, so enjoy this Video from when she was only 100. 

     The lady on the left is her granddaughter, cousin Robin. The lady on the right is her sister Dores, who is 90 in this video, and the little boy blowing out the candles is great-great-great … (3 comments)

Has NAR Chef Lawrence Yun been Cooking the Books? NAR Forced to Revise "Over-Estimated" Sales Numbers - 12/12/11 08:47 PM
Wall Street Journal reports,  "A real-estate trade group [NAR] said Monday it plans to lower its estimates of how many homes were sold in the U.S. since 2007, after analysts came up with evidence that the group was overestimating sales."

     NAR has been providing embellished, errant data for 5 Years.



 
     Many Realtors have raise their eyebrows when reading NAR Housing Sales Reports.  "Times are Good and Getting Better" is the feeling of most Housing Reports from NAR.  But those of us in the Industry know better... we have watched Sales Drop, not Increase. 
… (6 comments)

2011 December Blogging Contest Day 11 - Inspecting a House, without an Inspector! - 12/11/11 11:50 PM
The  House has been completely gutted, including the interior walls.  The shell and the roofing truss were retained.  Everything else is New, from the Kitchen to the Bathrooms to the HVAC.  It was "finished"; we needed to Inspect it.
 
   I have been visiting the house 2 or 3 times per week during the Renovation.  Everything was torn out (including the interior walls).

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     First up was the Foundation.  This is an above ground off-grade house set on concrete pilings.  The Builder brought in the Jacks, and leveled the house off.  Some of the pilings had to … (2 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 10 - Today I met Face to Face with a Building Contractor - 12/10/11 11:32 PM
Today, I Previewed some Houses that are being Rehabilitated by a Building Contractor.  He has 5 houses on a parcel of land; at least 3 are "Illegal Duplexes", all are in dire need of Repair.  By listening to this Builder, I gleaned valuable knowledge, and got up to date on Building techniques, Building Codes, and more.
 
     The houses were Trashed and Damaged when the Builder acquired this land.  The previous owner had rented them to migrants, illegal aliens, transients, and whoever else he could squeeze a buck out of.  One house had 18 mattresses in it!

 
  … (3 comments)

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 9 - Records and Paperwork - End of the Year Review and Wrap-Up - 12/09/11 11:40 PM
We are required to keep records of Contracts, Offers, Closing Statements, and the myriad of other Paperwork (or Paperless) Documents pertaining to Real Estate Transactions.  There are also cell phone records and emails.
     The IRS has record-keeping requirements; so does the Florida Real Estate Commission.   My Accountant and my Lawyer have additional suggestions and guidelines for me.

     Granted, I "File" this stuff at the time it is created.  At the Closing Table, I do a summary of everything that pertained to that Transaction.  Then it goes onto the Hard Drive, onto a DVD, and into the Cloud.  I … (9 comments)

2 Videos: The New YouTube! A Quick Overview, and How To Edit Channel Button - 12/09/11 08:35 PM
YouTube has changed dramatically.  A completely new YouTube was launched on December 1.   How do I Edit my Channel?  How do I change the Settings?  Can I still Customize the Background?
 
     Google knows that Social Media is the Future of the Internet.  They are endeavoring to make YouTube more of a Social Network. The new Design looks eerily similar to Facebook and Google+.  The "Feed" is straight out of Twitter.
 
 
Watch the 2 Videos Below (5 minutes each)

     (1)  A Quick Look at the New YouTube Layout Platform Design
     
     (2)  How to … (22 comments)

Football - Tim Tebow Does it Again - Broncos defeat Vikings, late in the Game - 12/05/11 12:02 AM
Denver Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow rallied late in the game to beat the Minnesota Vikings.  The Denver Post opined:  "Tim Tebow is not only the man of the hour.  He is not only the Broncos' quarterback of the year.  He better be their indisputable quarterback of the future."
 
 
 
     Just as he did at the University of Florida, Tim Tebow operates as a dual-threat quarterback, able to pass the football, and able to run with it. 
     In the second half of today's game, Tebow completed 6 of 8 passes for 178 yards.  On a 2-point conversion, … (8 comments)

 
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Fred Griffin, Tallahassee Florida Real Estate Broker

Tallahassee, FL

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Fred Griffin Real Estate

Address: 4828 Anhinga Lane, Tallahassee, Florida, 32309

Cell Phone: (850) 339-4861

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