BUY, SELL OR INVEST WITH PAUL GRIFFIN

A FELLOW REALTOR IN NEED - PLEASE HELP AND RE-BLOG!!

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:45:47 -0600

Lets Help Jack Together!

We are now up to 191.52 in donations!! Please keep them coming! Thank you so much for all you're doing!

Recently I posted a blog to help a friend / colleague of mine in my office at EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls, ID. His name is Jack Wise and he has just recently been diagnosed with throat cancer and has very poor chances of recovery. As you can probably imagine, this is a very emotional and traumatic experience for Jack and his family as it would be for any one of us and our families.

Like a good majority of us "independent contractors," Jack has no health insurance coverage for he and his family because of the high costs of private insurance plans. Without this necessary medical coverage it usually means that health providers in our wonderful medical industry here in the United States probably will not give him the kind of care every one of us would deserve. In Jacks case, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that he, as so many others without insurance, will probably suffer beyond what he should have to suffer while battling this terrible ailment.

In my opinion, the last thing in the world a family should have to worry about in a time like this is money. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that they will probably have to just like any of us would. It is for this reason that I'm writing this blog post. I have created a PayPal account and a website for people to go and donate money to Jack and his family in their time of need. Please visit the following site and donate any amount you can for Jack and his family. Even if a few thousand people donated just one dollar it would help the family immensely with the living costs that they will need during this trying time.

Just think, it costs $5.19 for one Carmel Macchiato from Starbucks or $4.00 or $5.00 for a McDonald's Value Meal from McDonald's. Imagine if 1000 people from Active Rain and around the world donated the dollar amount of just one of these items to Jack and his family?

Please visit the following site and donate if you can... At the very least, please e-mail this link to as many people as you can and spread the word for Jack and his family and keep them in your prayers. Let's make a difference just this once in the life of a fellow Real Estate Professional without insurance. This story is all too familiar... let's make a difference this time!

The Jack Wise Donation Site

Thank you so much for any support...

Please also feel free to leave your comments on this blog to keep it alive as long as possible...

Paul

A Fellow Realtor in Need - Please Re-Blog!

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:46:33 -0600

The Jack Wise Donation Site

Thank you so much for any support...

Please also feel free to leave your comments on this blog to keep it alive as long as possible...

Paul

SPAM

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:37:14 -0600

Spam Premevara

I just love GMail! I was clearing out my Spam box a few days back and noticed that you get free spam recipes every time you go into your spam box section of gmail! I immediately proceeded to ask my wife if she could try one of these recipes out for me. I'll be the first to admit, and I'm especially not ashamed to admit it right now, that I really like Spam! It's high in cholesterol, fat, salt and all those good things for the body! Anyway, I had her make this recipe for me and I would highly recommend it to all the closet Spam lovers out there!

HINT:

If you don't want to get too involved with a huge recipe using spam you can always just slice some up and throw a couple of slices of cheese and some mayo between two pieces of bread too! Mmmmmm Mmmmm good! I also like to make a grilled cheese sandwich with thinly sliced spam!

I'm not really sure why I'm blogging about this other than to support GMail! It really does block out the spam mail that you get. If you haven't tried it lately it comes highly recommended by me.... right along with the real spam! :o) Both are great resources for anyone in the RE world!

Have a blessed day!

Team Member needs prayer...

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:17:19 -0600

I have a team member that needs prayer. He is a great guy and was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and is now starting his treatment with chemo and radiation. Please keep him in your prayers. Thank you...

Update to original blog post (see also my comments in the comments section below)... 11/12/2008

Just an update to anyone that may be following this blog post. My buddy came into the office the other day and stated that his doctor told him that he only had between 5% - 15% chance of survival. To top things off, he and his family do not have insurance either... Life is so tough for some...

May God please shine his light on Jack & his family and help them out in this dire time in their lives. Oh Lord, please be with them! Most of all, may Your Will be done... Amen

If anyone would like to donate to this great guy and his family please contact Tello Baird, the broker/franchise owner, at the Idaho Falls EXiT Realty office. He is taking donations from the local board here in our Snake River MLS as well. Even a dollar or two would be most appreciated... Please, if nothing else, keep the prayers coming! The information for donations is as follows...

EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls

2157 E. 17th St.

Idaho Falls, ID 83404

Office: 208.522.0711

Fax: 208.522.0726

Tello Baird's Mobile: 208.339.0711

Tello Bairds E-Mail: tellobaird@gmail.com

I have also set up a paypal donation button and web site for Jack and his family here. Please donate freely if you are able! Thanks so much in advance!

Computer Security

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:55:03 -0500

Computer Security

Let me just start by saying that I'm not a computer geek by any stretch of the words but I can boast just a little here...

I haven't ran computer virus software consistently for the last 8 years and I don't plan to run one anytime soon either. The general media and computer stores of the world would have you believe that you can't get by without having some sort of expensive virus software installed, updated and running at all times on your computer while it's in use. While, this may be true for many people that have absolutely no intellect when it comes to computers at all, my wife, kids & mother come to mind here, it's not always true for a great deal of people. There are some things that you can do to protect yourself without using a virus scanner. Education is the key!

A quick note about virus scanners...

Many people should use a virus scanner. Many people will not take the time to learn about computers, the Internet and how it all works. For people that don't want to take the time to learn (and I'm not saying that's a bad thing either! We need to keep the computer savvy in a job!) there are a plethora of good virus scanners out there. They can range in price anywhere from free (AVG) all the way to $135.00 for a two year download of Norton. If you're going to use virus software I would recommend the following programs that I've played around with a little...

AVG (Free Addition) - http://www.avg.com This one slows your system a little but not bad and does a good job of auto updating it's virus files. I've had several friends that swore by this one.

Trend Micro PC-Cillin - ($85.00) - http://www.trendmicro.com I was even actually talked in to using this one for a while by one of my truly geekish friends. You hardly even know this one's installed until it asks you to pay another $85.00 to update it...

Norton Security - ($135.00) - http://www.norton.com I've heard it both ways on this software package... People either love it or hate it. I, personally, hate it. If there's one that slows your system down at all this is it!

These scanner systems can definitely keep you safe and secure (to a point) if you use them properly and keep them up to date. The biggest problem I see with people is they do not keep these things updated once they've thrown the money out there to buy them! Thousands of new virus' are discovered each month and the only way you can secure your computer with your virus scanners is to update them consistently. The biggest mistake I see folks make is setting their scanner to auto-update and then they don't have a consistent connection to the Internet? How's it suppose to download without a connection to the Internet? Even with high speed Internet access it takes more than a quick e-mail check (on/off) session at Starbucks to update your virus engine. I recommend connection to the Internet at night and have it update while you're sleeping if it needs to.

Password Safety!

Obviously, resetting your password often just makes sense. Just because it makes sense, however, doesn't mean people do it! I'm even guilty of this one. Along with resetting passwords, here's what I also recommend...

Don't have just ONE set common password that you use for everything! The most secure things most people use are banking sites and auto bill-pay sites in my opinion. Unless they work for the CIA or something??? My suggestion... Have ONE password for your banking site that is only used for YOUR banking site and change it every month. For the rest of the auto bill-pay things you can have one common password and change it every few months or so or whenever it asks you to do so.
E-Mail Passwords: I almost hold my e-mail password more super-secret than any other for a few reasons... First, if a virus or hacker invades my e-mail, they can send out bad things to all my 800 contacts. Contacts that I've done business with in the past, contacts that I'm trying to do business with in the future, family, friends, etc... I don't know about you but I always feel so sorry for a fellow Realtor when I get an ad for viagra or antibiotics from them in my e-mail... Second, it's the password I use the most and it's easiest for me to remember AND it's the easiest for me to "give up" to people... so be careful! Thirdly, my e-mail is strictly confidential between me and my wife and whoever I'm talking to in that e-mail. Yes, you heard me correctly, me and my wife! I'll talk more about that later, however, on another blog... Anyway, my e-mail is usually another separate password. (** That makes 3 so far!)
All other passwords: If it's not a super-secret secure site for me I'll usually use yet another common password for all the rest. Examples would be Shopping Sites, Forums, Networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, AR, etc...
Never, Ever, Ever, Ever set your password to be remembered in your computer! If you're using things like Google's Toolbar auto-fill feature or Windows auto-fill feature you're just asking for trouble. Though these applications are secure they are NOT perfect and hackers are ever changing their techniques. Do yourself a favor, keep a little notebook with you with all your passwords before you use this feature. There are programs that claim to help keep all your information safe and secure. These programs have consistently been hacked and proven to be ineffective. If you've used these features in the past and don't know how to delete them e-mail me or call me and I'll help you erase them from your systems... You don't want to be paying for someones coffee in Milan tomorrow morning! Another thing, don't let your computer or websites "remember you" unless it's a password you don't hold dear to your heart. If you allow a password to be "remembered" by a website you're risking someone else gaining access to that password... period.

So, there you have my ideas on passwords! I have 4 official passwords! One for banking, one for auto bill-pays, one for e-mail and one for all the rest... Only my wife and I know them all! Oh, and my advise on auto-fillers... Never, Ever, Ever, Ever use them! No matter what anyone tells you! NEVER...

Surfing and all the rest...

Passwords and other information are stolen by hackers using several different methods. Now a days you can visit a site, pick up a trojan worm and lose a password in less than 5 minutes if it's stored on your computer! My advise to people using the Internet is to just use their common sense. If it's a website you don't know about or that someone hasn't recommended to you for music, video or software downloads then don't use it! Even if someone has recommended it to you, make sure you know their recommend is credible. Here are some tips...

Don't go to Internet sites unless you KNOW them. NOTE: A site being recommended to you by a friend may not be credible!
Don't download ANYTHING unless you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the file is credible. NOTE: A file being e-mailed to you from your best friend may not be credible!
Learn file formats and what they can do! Learn what a picture format extension looks like, (i.e. jpeg, tiff, img, gif, etc...) learn what fax extensions look like, (i.e. pdf, tiff, etc...) know what executable file extensions are, (i.e. exe). Finally, understand what they can do. (i.e. PDF files generally won't hurt you and won't deliver anything to your system.)

Just remember, if anything looks, feels or seems different at all in any way then don't mess with it. Protect your passwords, learn extensions, learn how your computer works and you'll be just fine! If you ever have any questions don't hesitate to ask me or someone that's very computer savvy and save yourself the headache of taking your machine in to be "cleaned" by a tech guy... (They'll probably just recommend a very expensive virus software anyway!)

One last thought here... and some resources!

Don't let your kids, co-workers, colleagues, friends or anybody on your computer. Buy them their own or tell them to use their own. As a last resort, if they have to use yours and you don't want to seem rude then let them use it but stand over their shoulder till they're done! I promise, you won't be sorry you did! Here are a few resources you can utilize to help keep you safe!

For software downloads and trials...

http://www.downloads.com or http://www.cnet.com (Also a great electronics review site!)

http://www.tucows.com (Be vigilant here too! This site has always been a good resource for me though.)

For music...

http://www.itunes.com (An obvious choice for most but I'll still post it here...)

For computer learning...

http://www.microsoft.com (Look for free tutorials and editorials on computer & Internet security)

http://www.cnet.com (Again, a great site for learning about software, computers and electronic gadgets.)

Blogs! Find people with good computer blogs that know what they're talking about. Subscribe to them and learn from their tips and tricks! Remember, if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask me anytime! Since RE isn't very busy I usually have plenty of time to help people!

Make it a great day!

Homes for Sale in Idaho Falls, ID

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:07:31 -0500

Here are some videos I've put together of my listings here in Idaho Falls. If you have any questions I'd love to answer them for you! Any constructive criticism from anyone is also welcome. I'm not a professional videographer, not many people are from Idaho Falls, ID, and I'm learning more and more as I do this on a daily basis! Feel free to comment at will!

Make it a great day!

The financial meltdown: Is it the Starbucks effect?

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:25:36 -0500

The financial meltdown: Is it the Starbucks effect?

Is Starbucks a stock to watch? As a financial indicator who would ever guess that watching a smaller company (and I say this with my tongue in my cheek) would make sense? I would have never guessed until I read this article. Daniel Gross, a columnist for Newsweek suggests that the global financial melt down could be predicted by watching places where Starbucks has set up shop in this article. It's a good read and an interesting take on what could prove to be true in my eyes.

My wife works for the local Starbucks here in Idaho Falls, ID so that the family can have some kind of health insurance. For 20 hours a week Starbucks will reward it's partners with an insurance program through Aetna Insurance. It's darned good insurance too when you consider that it's going to foot 75% of the bill for my daughters braces and for the entire family of 4 it only costs $150 for us to have good insurance. Keep in mind, she's only working about 25 hours a week to have this benefit. Name 2-3 other companies that would offer something similar to this... I'll bet you have a hard time doing so. If, on the other hand, you do find a company that will offer this benefit I'll bet they won't also pay for any schooling you decide to do as Starbucks will.

Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

Breaking News: Good News for Real Estate? Largest Monthly Home Sale Percentage Increase in 5 Years Reported RISMedia

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:29:38 -0500

Breaking News: Good News for Real Estate? Largest Monthly Home Sale Percentage Increase in 5 Years Reported RISMedia

A little better news from under the medias radar again it would seem. This is an interesting article that may be worth a little more study it would seem. It is a direct contradiction to everything you might hear in the "other" news from around the world and the nation.

Could it be that things may be bottoming out? Could it be that this was truly just a cyclical trend that is starting to correct itself? It's anyone's guess but would more than likely be very welcomed "good" news in the world of real estate sales. I would very much like to see things start moving again even though Idaho Falls still has not taken the direct hit that the rest of the nation has with regards to negative growth rates. In fact, Idaho Falls, they are saying, has been having a positive growth rate.

The only concerns I would have, locally, are that usually Idaho Falls lags behind the rest of the nation for trend setting. If this holds true in this case then we should expect a negative growth rate at some point. If this "negative" growth rate is coming my only question is when? I've definitely noticed a major slow down in my selling this year and will be more than interested to see what happens this winter...

Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

Merck's Free Radical - No Real Estate Today!

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:17:44 -0500

Merck's Free Radical - Forbes.com

Stephan Friend, a scientist with an attitude towards the future of cancer research. One has so many mixed feelings about this morally and ethically but once cancer has touched your life stories like this become heroic. My hats off to a guy that fought cancer in kids and is trying to find a cure for this dreadful disease that comes in many forms to all races and ages from every part of the world.

I just thought I'd write something a little off the topic of Real Estate for once. Lord knows we need a break from the mundaneness of the financial world and "housing crisis" for just a few minutes! A person can only handle so much economy news before they jump off a cliff. It's nice to know that throughout all this mess there's still people like Stephen Friend trying to make a difference in the lives of people the world over.

Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

How Capitalism Will Save Us - Forbes.com

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:22:25 -0500

How Capitalism Will Save Us - Forbes.com

An interesting little positive bit of news for the day. "How Capialism Will Save Us." I still don't quite understand how we can really call ourselves "capitalists?" But hey!!! Positive news is much better than negative stuff so I'll take it! Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

EXiT Recruitment

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:12:34 -0500

Just wondering if there are any fellow EXiT Realtors that are utilizing online avenues of recruiting. If so, are you seeing any success? What online avenues are you using for the purpose of recruiting?

I personally find it difficult to recruit people and "make them believe" in the program when I'm not face to face with them...

Thoughts, comments, derogatory remarks...??

Thanks and Make it a Great Day!

Rural Development

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:08:52 -0500

I'm sitting here in a CE class and learning about Rural Development loans here in Idaho. I gotta tell ya, this is incredible. If you aren't using RD loans you're missing out! RD loans are 100% loans that people can qualify for with very low credit scores. If you haven't already, I would recommend taking a class on RD loans.

There's my kicker for RD programs for the day!

Make it a great day!

Paul

Mary Kay

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:28:31 -0500

Speaking of different business models and my recent brokerage change in my last post made me think of something... My beautiful wife sells Mary Kay Cosmetics. She is also my assistant. I always told her that I would help her by doing something with my real estate stuff to promote her Mary Kay business... (i.e. websites, print media, etc...)

My question is in regards to ideas to help me do this... Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might incorporate this into my RE business? Any and all ideas are acceptable and hoped for!

You're not just helping her business out by doing this, you're helping out a loving husband to help his wife succeed!

Thanks!

Make it a great day!

Looking at the EXiT System Seriously

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:10:59 -0500

Well, I just moved to EXiT much to the dismay of the team I have been on for 3 years. I've been watching EXiT grow in my area for over a year now and studying the system for a little longer.

In my heart I was always an MLM guy. I've tried a plethora of different MLM business' and have never really done good at them so I always steered clear of the EXiT system as well. Hear me out...

Watching the local Idaho Falls EXiT get larger and more organized made sense in our sinking market... No desk fees, the thought of making residual income, etc... . Little did I know how dead wrong I really was about the whole system! The EXiT system is NOT an MLM at all! It's a SINGLE level marketing system that some have called a "binary" system. In other words, you don't get someone under you, make money off them and then make money off the people they get under them as well. It's one level deep. You sponsor an agent and make money off their deals, they sponsor an agent and make money off their deals and the cycle goes on. It's a very interesting system with a small split (usually 70/30) comparative to some of the larger offices and there's the possibility to make "residual" type income as well. I was growing more excited the more I looked into the plan...

It goes on... If I retire, I still get to make money off the people that I sponsored into the system. Oh, and yes, I can still recruit more people in. If I die, my wife (or whomever I name beneficiary) still makes the money off the people I sponsored in. The kicker here is that she can still sponsor people in and make more money (without being licensed). My interest level grew further...

I finally made the nervous and "out-of-the-box" jump over to EXiT yesterday. I'm changing listing agreements, putting in new signs for my existing listings, ordering new signs and riders for future listings and will be concentrating on updating all my stuff in the MLS today. What went form nervousness and excitement has now changed into fatigue. I plan to honestly blog here about my successes and failures with the EXiT company. This will be my 4th company in 5 years and the biggest things I pride myself on the most is my honesty and integrity. Posting my honest findings about the company here will not only allow me to keep an ongoing track of how I do but it will also help you, the readers of my blog, to get a "glimpse" into the business yourselves!

Happy reading and make it a great day!

Realty Times - Real Estate News and Advice

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:01:32 -0500

Realty Times - Real Estate News and Advice

Here's a great site I thought I'd bring everyone's attention to for Real Estate News. I'm sure most of you already frequent the site but for those of you that don't it's a pretty cool site to check out! I usually click on it once a day just to get a quick look at what's going on in the Real Estate World. Usually it's pretty positive and unbiased news about the market too, this is always a plus when you consider what the "other" news has to offer. :o)

Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

Prayers Needed!

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:51:58 -0500

Well, I'm fairly new to AR but I can already tell I'm going to love it! Being able to get on and share my faith with the rest of the RE world when I live in a very small, very closed minded religious area of the country is invaluable to me! I'm not bashing anyone nor would I ever do so but a little diversity will be a good thing! I've enjoyed reading through all the postings I have read so far and can tell it's going to be a hard place to leave to get out in the field and work! :o)

All that being said, I'm going to be changing RE Brokerages this week from a private area brokerage to EXiT Realty! I'm excited for the move but a little (a lot) nervous about the move at the same time. It's always nerve racking to change offices... Please pray for me and my family in this lower market that I'll be successful and have a good transition and do good things for us all.

Thanks in advance!

God Bless!

Paul

-- Remember, Jesus was probably not a blond haired blue eyed, surfer dude that went around being nice to everyone. He fought for what He knew to be right and taught us to stand firm for the Word of God! Never be afraid to make a defense for your faith! -- 1 Peter 3:15

Bad news bucks up the dollar - Sep. 12, 2008

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:17:23 -0500

Bad news bucks up the dollar - Sep. 12, 2008

A little bright spot in the news! The dollar is rebounding after a 5 year fall! You can't beat that if you're in the market woes like everyone else around the nation. This is a great article and a must read to brighten your day a little. Unless of course you're the ever pesimest, then you'll be depressed anyway... :o)

Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

Exit Realty Questions, Comments & Derogatory Remarks

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:40:54 -0500

It looks as though I will be joining the fastest ever growing real estate company, EXIT Realty! I'm excited about the potential move and hope it will be a good experience. The current office I'm in is a supposed "100%" office, even though I don't believe this is truly possible, and the office fees are killing me in our slowed economy.

Does anyone have any comments or derogatory remarks with regards to this real estate company? Has anyone recently joined that has any tips or suggestions? Has anyone studied the company and is thinking of joining but still hasn't gotten off the fence?

I'd love to hear everyone's comments and remarks with regards to EXIT Realty. I really like the plan so far from what I've studied and can't seem to find any downfalls with the current business plan. I love the idea of residual income and the potential of leaving something for my family if anything happens to me. The retirement thing isn't that bad either but I don't use the "R" word yet! :o)

Make it a great day!

Paul

What is UR txt msg str@tegy? | Tech News on ZDNet

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:14:06 -0500

http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-220218.html

Here's an interesting article on text messaging. I've read many articles on this subject but this one makes me think a little about the possibilities. Especially when I'm seeing more and more Realtors using this technology in their real estate business.

I know, I know, you're thinking, "Great, another item of 'to-do's!'" I blog, I run my web page, I do my follow up calls, schedule meetings, etc... The solid fact of the matter is, however, unavoidable. This business is NOT an easy one and when things get tough people tend to get tougher with their ideas and practices! Technology is and has been coming and there have been many fresh young-blooded people very savvy to this portion of life entering the real estate business for many years now. They are going to be thinking up fresh new ideas to incorporate them into their business practices successfully changing the way the market churns. I think it would be wise for all of us as Realtors, Mortgage Brokers and Inspectors to learn everything we can with regards to new technologies. Text messaging, believe it or not, fits this mold!

Have a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

Republicans Take Heart; Heart Takes It Back - Yahoo! News

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:25:23 -0500

Republicans Take Heart; Heart Takes It Back - Yahoo! News

Normally I try and stick to Real Estate issues but this one just plain took the cake for me today... I have to blog about this most recent article that caught my eye. If you can stand to read through the whole thing about a couple of adult "cry-babies" you'll see what I'm talking about. So, here goes, sorry if my thoughts offend you... no, on second thought, I'm not. Until the liberals of this country take it away, I still have my first amendment rights of free speech as a citizen of the United States of America...

Ok, I think things are just plain getting out of hand here...

I mean, come on!!!! We have people committing "real" crime every day of the week and then there's this crap. I'm going to jump on my soap box here a little. In the article above it references Heart as throwing a fit because one of their songs was used at the Republican National Convention. Supposedly, the Wilson sisters are upset because they were never asked before their song was played at the convention for VP Palin's entrance and exit at the national convention. I am a supporter of McCain but that has nothing to do with this blog. I'm just completely sick and tired of people being all upset about stupid things. Again, give me a break! We have much much much bigger issues to deal with than this crap, it's not even worth reporting yet the mainstream media will blare it all over the news... Just another example of liberal media for ya! I'll bet that if they did some research ol' obama probably didn't get permission from all the artists that were used at his flamboyant convention either.

Let's start concentrating on the issues that matter...

GRIFFINDER.COM

Media Spin and Lazy Agents!

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:27:55 -0500

Real estate quakes and aftershocks Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors Inman News

This was a great read today on Inman News and sparked me to think of a couple of good points. First, the media, we don't need them hyping everything up and putting a huge spin on things. Let's face it, 80% of America lives and dies for the news everyday for an average of 4-6 hours a day. Many places are even mounting flat screen televisions on their walls in the waiting rooms so people can sit and watch the news while they wait for service of some kind. Sick... Am I the only one, seriously, that is so sickened by this? For reasons to numerous to list here, I can't stand how much people watch the television!!

In this article Kris talks about how the media hyped up a small earthquake she experienced in California while she was on the computer. She goes on to say that the only bad thing that happened was a can of paint spilled at one of the local stores and it played over and over and over and over again on the media. Much like when we had all the flooding earlier in the year. I remember, while I was sitting at a table in a local restaurant in Salmon, Idaho waiting for a hamburger, I sat and watched a house get washed away about 15 times in a 10 minute period!! Two beautiful little children and their mom and dad were standing off to the side watching this happen and the media played it over and over and over again! Since when did we get off on human suffering in this country so much? Since when did we actually pay to see children and families suffer? I don't understand this...

The second point that came to mind for me was about offices and the world of selling Real Estate. Every office I've worked at since I started in this business in 2001 has wanted me to spend an enormous amount of time within the walls of that office. "You should be in at 6:00 AM and out at 5:00PM!" they would say. In this article, Kris brings up some pretty good points with regard to sitting around in offices. How much do clients really care about your big office with your cherry wood desk, cappuccino machine around the corner, a playing room for the kids or all the awards hanging on your walls? Ask yourself, where do you normally draw up contracts? Reflect back on your last few listings? Do builders like you to come to their office or will they drop everything and come to yours? If I were a betting man, I'd say they'd rather stay in their environment! I've found that some of my most successful times in real estate were spent out in the "field" among the houses for sale by owner, people cleaning up their yards or down by the river where, in my area, many people gather for various reasons. Even in the winter, we have a good four seasons around here, sitting in the office will do you no good unless you're writing contracts in it.

Good article Kris... I tend to agree with you for the most part. I do think the office is a needed place but I do often wonder about building 20,000 - 30,000 square foot buildings to house 60-70 agents doing nothing... I wonder if a few conference meeting places with a couple of computers would suffice? Just a question...

Make it a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM

New Video Tours

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:22:28 -0500

I'm doing new video tours and thought I'd post one here for the rest of the "Realtor World" to see and tell me what they think. Let me know your questions, comments and derogatory remarks about these videos when I post them. I love constructive criticism! Well, ok, I don't "love" it but who really does right! :o)

http://5193Treyden.griffinder.com

Thanks!

Paul

Represent REOs with caution | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News

Paul Griffin (EXiT Realty of Idaho Falls) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:37:57 -0500

Represent REOs with caution Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors Inman News

If you are a Real Estate Agent be careful when you're representing REO's! I just read this article on REO's and real estate agents having to deal with them when they list these properties for the banks. There were some surprising facts that I didn't know listed in the article.

Most of the Realtors that speacialize in this type of listing from these REO relocation companies say they have to take a reduced commission as well? What's wrong with this picture? I don't know if it would be worth it after reading this? Many times, the REO company will have you do inspections, make reports on those inspections and over see repairs of the properties you are listing for them. Furthermore, a lot of times they will have you cover the utilities while you're selling it. The article states that you would be stuck with the utility bill should this lender go under... not something I'm sure I would want to have happen?

Here's something from me on this... I've done several relocation deals for the government in my area and, at first, I was letting them give me whatever they wanted for a commission structure. Now, however, after talking with a good friend of mine that has been in the business a lot longer than I have, I always tell the relo company that the commission structure will be 8% (5% to me and 3% to the buyers agent) From this point the negotiations begin. They will try and play "hard-ball" with you at first but stick to your guns and they will come around. I always try and end up at 7% with them through negotiations as I feel I earn the extra 1% throughout the process. If I have to go with a 6% total commission structure (taking 3% for my side) it's better than 5% total structure only taking 2%. It's just not worth it if you're not going to make any money. Everyone thinks "every" Realtor has deep pockets and when they go out of the game or go under everyone thinks it "serves them right" but nothing could be further from the truth in many cases...

Have a great day!

GRIFFINDER.COM