Hang In There Baby! Or If You're Totally Miserable, Don't! - 11/30/07 07:53 PM
This week, I've noticed a lot of posts about real estate agents who are thinking about throwing in the towel. And I'll admit to having shared theses feelings a few times in my long career. So here are some thoughts on what's made it work for me over the long haul.
Throughout … (79 comments)
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Washington's Last Leaves - Our Ginkgo Trees - 11/29/07 08:07 AM
When I first moved to Washington, DC from New York, I was struck by the abundance of trees in the city. And lining the street of my new home in the Valley Vista Apartments (now the Valley Vista Condominium), where about twenty beautiful Ginkgo trees.
What's noteworthy are the beautiful leaves. They … (16 comments)
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If You Have To Sell Over The Holidays - 11/28/07 04:04 AM
Conventional wisdom says to avoid listing your house between Thanksgiving and New Years. Nobody looks then except for the Scroogiest of the bottom fishers. Oh, yeah?So, is there any way to make the best of trying to sell a house when everyone is at the mall buying Christmas presents?Yesterday, I showed … (60 comments)
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This Dog Won’t Hunt? Don’t Be So Sure! - 11/27/07 08:54 PM
When I came into the real estate business, interest rates were creeping down from eighteen percent. There were agents in my office who hadn’t sold a house or apartment in four years. In many ways, this was the best possible time to get into real estate.I had to learn quickly to … (6 comments)
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"Bring Your Decorator" and Other Real Estate Euphemsims - 11/25/07 02:33 PM
Once I listed a house that was a total dump. It had been inhabited by a group of wild and crazy graduate students who shared quarters with a pet goat. The goat had actually eaten several sections of an antique oak staircase. The place was truly awful.
And it smelled like a … (47 comments)
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The Return Of Willy-The-Hyper-Active-Labradoodle-Puppy - 11/24/07 09:11 PM
On this Saturday after Thanksgiving, I have something to be thankful for.
Willy's back!
He's my incredibly cute, though incredibly energetic, Labradoodle.
While my bathrooms were being redone, and with all the lead paint dust loose in the house, my sister, Bairbre, and her dog whisperer boyfriend offered to dog-sit. Now that … (16 comments)
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So, You Want a Little Whine With Your Blog? - 11/24/07 11:36 AM
OK, I don't like to whine in a post. So, this isn't a whine, it's me blogging my way out of a whine!
Evey year of my real estate career, I have had some transaction work over the Thanksgiving holidays - you know! I give myself something extra to be thankful for. … (10 comments)
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My Newbie of the Week - Week 1 - 11/23/07 07:40 PM
Last week, while I was flipping through comments on my posts, I noticed an unfamiliar name – Krista Fuchs from Exton, Pennsylvania (in Chester County). Her comments were funny and made me laugh. So then I clicked on Krista's blog and started to read her posts. They were funny and made … (33 comments)
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The Art of the Mac - 11/23/07 06:43 PM
Why do they need crowd control at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York?This picture was not taken on “Black Friday” or even on the day the I-phone was released. I took it on a normal Saturday morning, about 20 minutes after the store opened up. The store was … (8 comments)
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A Realtor Giving Thanks - 11/22/07 10:04 PM
My family just left, and Ms. Super Organic Heritage Turkey is a carcass that is going to turn into some fabulous turkey soup. I have been totally blessed with an amazing family and friends who constantly give me reasons to give thanks. And when I’m sitting looking at the remains of … (15 comments)
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Getting Uncomfortably Close to the Food Chain! - 11/22/07 04:33 PM
Every Thanksgiving, my family descends on my house for the traditional feast. I do the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. And other family members bring appetizers, wine, salads, potatoes, side dishes and dessert - usually my sister Joan's sinfully delicious pecan and pumpkin pies. And each year, my search for the … (34 comments)
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An Observation About Real Estate Transactions - 11/21/07 10:19 PM
I had a settlement this afternoon that went like butter. It was flawless.
This is the one that started off with a seller in the jungles of Sri Lanka with iffy email and spotty electrical power even if the email was working. It took forever to get the thing ratified.
Then the … (14 comments)
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Just Unbelievable - And Then Some! - 11/19/07 12:22 PM
A few minutes ago, I got an email from these guys. GULP!Like most folks, I felt a little flip flop in my stomach at any communication from the tax guys! Then, I read the note: After the last annual calculations of yourfiscal activity, we have determined that youare eligible to receive a … (25 comments)
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Garbage In - Garbage Out! - 11/19/07 11:38 AM
It seems that more and more often, our transactions are affected by information collected by other industries and government entities. We've become used to dealing with squirrelly credit reports - the ones that include deadbeat entries chalked up by a distant cousin with a similar name as our client's. Then there … (10 comments)
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Are Cell Phone Users The Next Smokers? - 11/17/07 10:26 AM
On my recent train ride from Washington to New York, I inadvertently sat in the “Quiet Car”. Never had I seen or heard of a “Quiet Car” in my life! But Amtrak now has them. And I found out it was the "Quiet Car" because my Blackberry rang, and I answered … (34 comments)
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A Walk In The Park - 11/17/07 09:48 AM
Washington, DC where I live, and New York City, where I am visiting, have something important in common. Both have beautiful urban oases designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The topography of Central Park was carved out by the glaciers that covered the area during the Ice Age. The Park has outcroppings … (8 comments)
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Knights In Shining Armour - 11/17/07 07:11 AM
Yesterday, the sun came out, and we took a walk up 5th Avenue to a favorite old haunt of mine, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When I lived here, my fifth floor walk-up apartment was in a run-down brownstone around the corner, and I visited the place often.
The Met is an … (5 comments)
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The Fun Lunch! - 11/16/07 09:08 AM
It was a rainy day in The Big Apple, and I managed to find a big bunch of sunshine named Mitchell Hall, a favorite Rainer who gives me blog envy - he gets to write about the market in New York City, my old home! He gets to list and sell … (12 comments)
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OK, This Time I Didn’t Get Carded! - 11/14/07 07:56 PM
I’m sitting on the Metroliner speeding along the tracks from Washington to New York.
I went up to the kiosk at Union Station to buy my ticket, and I noticed they had a reduced fare for “Senior Citizens”. Upon further investigation, I discovered that I actually qualified. The screen on the … (11 comments)
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Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! - 11/11/07 06:56 PM
When I was a little girl, one of our family rituals was the Saturday morning trip to the public library with my Dad. We would return home with arm loads of books and records.The books were for bedtime stories he read to us, but the records were for right away listening … (6 comments)
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I Got Carded Today Buying a Bottle of Wine! - 11/10/07 04:04 PM
I just got home from Whole Foods at Tenley Circle. They did the equivalent of a "5 Wow" service.
When I got carded on my 30th birthday, I was really flattered.
Then, as I grew into the "woman of a certain age" stage, it stopped happening.
Now that I'm beyond the "certain age' stuff, … (15 comments)
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The Perfect House But For One Little Thing! - 11/10/07 08:54 AM
Last week, I ran out to Fairfax, Virginia to blitz a bunch of houses in two neighborhoods that looked promising for some favorite clients. And one house was a knock out - a total Wow House.
Except!
As I walked down the hall from the living room toward the master bedroom, my pulse … (20 comments)
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Getting to a "5 WOW" Real Estate Practice - 11/09/07 09:54 PM
All over the country, local boards of Realtors and many companies give awards each year to the "Top Producers" in real estate. They’re usually based on how many houses an agent sells in a given year or the agent’s dollar volume. And sometimes companies give good office citizen awards to agents … (16 comments)
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I'm Really Starting to Resent Having to Shred Junk Mail! So I'm Getting Even! - 11/08/07 06:55 PM
Last night, I sifted through bags of junk mail, and a lot of it was the stuff you're not supposed to throw in the trash - you know, credit card solicitations and offers to lower your mortgage interest rate.
Identity thieves could be skulking around my back alley right now trying … (18 comments)
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It Was a Two-Cat Night - 11/07/07 10:56 AM
Like most real estate agents, I have various types of contractors on a resource list that I share with my clients. And it's hard to get on and easy to get off my list.
Lately, as I think about ways to make myself more referable, I've been considering my list of … (18 comments)
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The Carrier Pigeon Has Landed! - 11/06/07 10:12 AM
In my last post, you heard my tale of botched electronic communications.
It had a happy ending!
In the middle of the night, a fax showed up at the listing agent's home office, she emailed it to me early this morning, and my buyers have now initialed the minor changes in the … (21 comments)
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You'll Think I Made This One Up! But You Couldn't Make This One Up! - 11/03/07 07:58 PM
Last Tuesday, I wrote an offer. It's a really good offer on a house that's been on the market for a while. It had nice, but messy, tenants who made it challenging to get into. The listing agent had a terrific virtual tour posted, and I had some buyers who were … (23 comments)
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When Your Goals Get Bigger Than You Are - 11/03/07 11:14 AM
So, I left the Turning Point with a blue thingie at the bottom of my name tag. Yes, I decided to go for the coaching program. I joined Cub Net.
During the goal setting portion of the program, I realized that I have a lot on my plate right now.
I love … (14 comments)
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The Turning Point - Friday Afternoon Break - 11/03/07 10:32 AM
One of the core activities for Brian Buffini’s program is to write three personal notes every day and mail them to three favorite people – clinets, friends, favorite aunts – who might be in a position to refer you business. So, as our afternoon break began, my Blackberry buzzed. It was a … (18 comments)
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Hello From The Turning Point – Friday’s Lunch - 11/03/07 09:57 AM
Brian Buffini earns another “5 Wows”! It’s Friday lunch break. There’s no signal here, so I won’t get to post this until I get back to Washington. Getting away once in a while is important. Taking a vacation helps me to clear my mind and recharge my batteries. Two days at the … (6 comments)
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The Turning Point - Thursday Lunch Break - 11/03/07 09:37 AM
Brian Buffini gets my “5 Wows” rating. I don’t know if your real estate practice ever need a shot in the arm, but right now, mine sure does. I’ve been helping people to buy or sell houses for almost 25 years, so I' know what I'm doing, and I need a way … (6 comments)
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