Joe Spake's Memphis Real Estate Blog

Realtors try to hop on the Social Media Bandwagon

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:43:07 -0600

Looking at some of the vendors at the NAR Convention last week, old school, pre-technology is still a big seller. Realtor courses are still being taught that don't mention the new media, continuing to emphasize cold calls, mass mailings, scripts and door knocking. I am not criticizing my colleagues who have been and continue to be very successful with those techniques. If it's profitable, more power to them. I always find it interesting how the vendors adapt to current realtor "needs" - this year solutions included REOs, foreclosures, short sales, and the shiny new Realtor tool, Social Media.

Technology is not about machinery anymore

Those comfortable days of putting data in a machine to store, manipulate and access have been supplanted by having to actually go beyond the machine and interact with people who are using the web for 2-way communication. Adoption of new media requires a bit more commitment than hiring someone to do "that computer stuff". It's not enough that those potential customers can see your listings, and bio, and that business picture of you that was taken in your high school days, now they want to have a conversation with you. And that conversation is not necessarily about real estate.

Social media was all the buzz at the convention. Related sessions were well attended. But social media is more than sitting in a ballroom for a couple of hours listening to an expert panel telling the audience how they use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to enhance their businesses, and trying to explain the engagement that grows from social media properly used. Success takes a commitment - a commitment to a new culture.

But I don't want to commit to that culture of "playing on the computer all day". Can I hire an assistant to do it for me? How do you find time for that? How can I get my listings on Facebook and Twitter? How much money can I make? How do I get to be a cool kid? What is a cool kid? Can I just buy a magic bullet that will take care of all this stuff and make me a social media star with thousands of friends and followers without spending all that time and energy engaging in the conversation?

Oh, there were magic bullets offered by the convention vendors, for sure, and there are plenty more ammunition dealers who weren't on the floor.

Tara Hunt (AKA @missrogue)spoke at the convention. Her presentation was Unlocking Buyer Happiness with Whuffie. Social capital? Whuffie? Sounds kind of weird. It was far from a packed house, with a fairly large number of folks wandering out during the presentation. If Realtors really wanted to learn what the new media and new culture is all about they should have been listening intently to what Tara had to say, or at least buying reading her book.

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The NAR Predicts Sunshine and Lollipops

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:14:30 -0600

What are your thoughts about Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist? He he served our industry and the consumers well with his overly optimistic predictions?

Via Linda Davis (RE/MAX Realty Group):

I just returned from the National Association of Realtors convention in San Diego. NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun spoke to a room packed with REALTORS® and projected that real estate prices would climb about 4% in 2010, while the number of home sales will increase 15%. He also predicts that foreclosures will peak during the first half of 2010 and that Realtor incomes will go up 20 percent next year.

I'm an optimist. Sometimes I even show Pollyanna tendencies, but I just can't join the partying that is breaking out in real estate offices across the nation based on his predictions.

In newspapers and blogs, the mockery has already begun. Take this typical response to Yun's predictions from The Wallet Pop blog: "The good news: National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun is predicting that home prices will rise 4% in 2010. The bad news: Lawrence Yun has never been right about anything in his entire life, ever."

A comment on Yun's prediction on the FreeRepublic website by the Antiyuppie was simply "This guy (Yun) was hired because Baghdad Bob had already been snagged By Al-Jazeira. Really."

The Wall Street Journal's Market Watch reported Yun's predictions and has received 200 comments. The most popular comment as voted on by readers was by Economutt, "Gee, I better run out and buy a house before they're all gone. ;-)"

How many times does an economist have to be wrong before people stop taking him seriously? Why do NAR economists as well as real estate association executives feel the need to serve as cheerleaders?

Wouldn't a good dose of reality serve us, as well as the public, better?

Linda Davis has been selling real estate in Ledyard CT for 32 years. You'll find Linda's profile on her Online Buesiness Card.

Old Time Rainers keep asking if I'll ever do another Carnac Post. I'm trying to muster up some predictions for 2010.

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268 N Avalon - Rehabbed and ready in Evergreen Historic District

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:11:35 -0600

Just listed this down to the studs rehab in Evergreen Historic District: Here's the Flyer:

268 N Avalon - Evergreen

268 N Avalon, Memphis, TN 38112 View Map

Down to the studs Rehab. Gleaming hardwoods, new carpet and paint, Knock-out Kitchen with Corian counter tops and stainless steel appliances.
Welcoming, full width, front porch with swing. Huge deck and 2 car garage in Back. You will love the sunroom off the living room, and the family room near the kitchen is great for entertaining. The Master suite up features built-ins, whirlpool, double sinks and separate shower.
Enjoy the many amenities of the Evergreen neighborhood: walk to the Zoo, Snowden School, and Rhodes.

Details

Asking Price:

269,900

MLS:

3184756

Bedrooms:

Bathrooms:

3.5

# of Floors:

Garage Size:

2 car

Subdivision:

Evergreen

Year Built:

1922

Property Amenities

Contact Info

Joe Spake
Broker

Main 901 725-7766
Cell 901 870-3440
Dir 901 274-1847
Email | Website

All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

Here's the Animoto Show

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Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:39:11 -0500

Spring Forward - Fall Back

Most of us in the USA revert back to Standard Time on Sunday Morning, November 1. Set your time keeping devices back one hour before you go to bed Saturday night if they don't take care of it themselves. Don't forget to remind your clients. There always seems to be a handful that forgets about it. They will be very grateful to you

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1990 Manila - Cooper-Young, Memphis, TN 38114

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:29:31 -0500

Cute Cooper-Young Cottage

1990 Manila, Memphis, TN 38114 View Map

This Cooper-Young cottage, has been well-cared for and updated. If you are looking for a starter home at very reasonable price, or downsizing from a larger house, make this cozy space your home.
Convenient to all the amenities of Cooper-Young, and quickly accessible to Downtown and East Memphis, this location, neighborhood, and neighbors are sought my many looking for the Midtown Experience!

Details

Asking Price:

$112,000

MLS:

3183553

Lot Size:

0.14 ac

Bedrooms:

Bathrooms:

# of Floors:

Subdivision:

Cooper-Young

Year Built:

1928

Property Amenities

Contact Info

Joe Spake
Broker

Main 901 725-7766
Cell 901 870-3440
Dir 901 274-1847
Email | Website

All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

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What's my Memphis are home really worth?

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:33:41 -0500

What is the real value of your house in the Memphis area? By definition the value of a property, be it a house, a car or a horse, is what a willing seller is willing to accept and what an able buyer is willing to pay. The agreed amount of the executed transaction is true value. That being said, there are resources to approximate true value. We realtors are called upon to provide valuation information when we list a house or represent buyers. You trust us for our expertise in pulling together sales history, market information, competition, neighborhood conditions, and other factors to come up with a reasonable valuation, based on our knowledge in real estate sales. An appaisal is a formalized declaration of value by a licensed real estate appraiser. But appraisals produce more than just a magic number. Appraisal information is driven by variables such as type of loan applied for, government guidelines, and appraiser knowledge of neighborhood. The Memphis Area Association of Realtors and Chandler Reports, a private company, maintain separate databases of property information and sales data, that realtors and appraisers draw from. The Shelby County Tax Assessor's office appraises properties for the purposes of taxation. It is physically impossible to do a full appraisal on all properties in the County every 3 years, so updates to appraisals are based on computer models, and often do not reflect actual comparable sales data. Evidence of the imperfection of the system can be seen in the significant number of property owners who appeal successfuly in having Assessor appraisals changed. So here we are in 2009, in the domain of web 2.0. We are seeing valuations of local properties from companies no where close to Memphis. Using public and consumer provided information and ever evolving algorithms, companies like Zillow, Trulia, and Cyberhomes are providing valuation information. It is interesting to compare the valuations provided by these sources. Check your house (or a house you have wondered about) at the Assessor's site, and an online site like Zillow. They are free. You may be shocked by the difference. For a fee Chandler will provide you with comparable information about property; an appraisal will caost you usually $300-400, or you can call your realtor to pull it all together for you.

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Replace your e-newsletters with lifestreaming

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:48:02 -0500

You may have noticed that I have discontinued the weekly “Real Estate News Summary, that I called “The Cutting Edge – real estate news you don’t usually see in the mainstream media." The content for the weekly post was clipped and shared from both very popular and somewhat obscure real estate blogs, mixed with my blog posts and comments, and pictures. The weekly post is discontinued in favor of an automated lifestreaming post (WP Lifestream plugin does it automatically)

Lifestreaming?

Put very simply, lifestreaming is a log of your (selected) social media activities, and can include many social, sharing and bookmarking platforms as well as blog feeds. But the term can mean a lot of different things. I actually have 2 lifestreams – one that is real estate oriented and one that is a little more personal and with more emphasis on social media and Memphis. Bottom line – you can share what you want in one place.

The Tools

I started “Real Estate-The Cutting Edge” as a Friendfeed group. Friendfeed basically consolidates your presence on the web into a stream that can be read or subscribed to via RSS. You chose which platforms are included in your feed, for example, you may want to include your Facebook, Twitter, your blog, Linkedin updates, Yelp, etc., or any other networks where you are making a contribution or that you receive information from. Since I use Delicious to bookmark and share much of the information I find from blogs I read, I also add my Delicious feeds, so readers can see what I have bookmarked. This is the information I share in the “Real Estate-The Cutting Edge” feed.
You can direct this information to your main Friendfeed feed or make as many specialized groups as you like, each of which has a specific RSS feed for subscribers. So stop wasting time formatting and editing e-newsletters. Offer your clients the feed if they are RSS users; use a plugin on your blog like WP Lifestream; or, if you are more old fashioned, copy, paste, edit and clean up the contents of your feed and publish that. Here's is what I offer clients and readers who are interested in what I think is important about the real estate market, Memphis or the world in general: Subscribe to Real Estate, the Cutting Edge Feed at http://friendfeed.com/real-estate-the-cutting-edge Subscribe to my Delicious bookmarks Feed at http://delicious.com/joespake or, better yet, subscribe to (or just read) my blog for the automated news summary post at http://memphisrealestatebuzz.com

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Labor Day Weekend Festival in Memphis- check this lineup!

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:57:24 -0500

Every year I volunteer at the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival, and I really want to share the FREE festival with the world. This year's stellar line-up is truly world-class. It's Memphis' best kept secret.

If you are nearby, or thinking of a Labor Day Weekend getaway, its not too late to plan a trip to Memphis for the festival. SEE YOU THERE

2009 Festival Schedule

This schedule is partial and subject to change before Labor Day weekend September 5-6.
View by music genre. View stage map.

Saturday, September 5th, 2009 Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Verizon Wireless Stage
Main St.@ Peabody Place Ave.
1:00 p.m. TBA
2:00 p.m. Ghost Town Blues Band Blues
3:00 p.m. Smoochy Smith & Hooch Rockabilly
4:00 p.m. Devil Train Bluegrass Jam Band
5:00 p.m. Sweet Angel R&B
6:00 p.m. The Bo-Keys Funk Soul
7:00 p.m. Los Cantadores Latin
8:00 p.m. Elmo & The Shades R&B & Blues
9:00 p.m. The Brown Singers Gospel
10:00 pm. Bobby Rush Soul, R&B

ArtsMemphis Stage Stage
On Peabody Place at Gayoso Lane
11:15 a.m. Dandelion & The Raindrops
                  Music for the Family
12:00 p.m. TBA
12:30 p.m. TBA
1:00 p.m. Elaine Blanchard-Voices of
                  the South Children's Storytelling
1:30 p.m. Randal Morton Banjo Workshop
2:00 p.m. Desert Rose Dancers Belly Dancers
2:30 p.m. Kenneth Jackson Basically Blues
3:00 p.m. TBA
3:45 p.m. The TN Boltsmokers Bluegrass
5:00 p.m. Johnny Yancey & The Sanctuary Jazz
                  Orchestra Big Band 
5:45 p.m. The Millennium Maddness Fancy
                  Trick Drill & Drum Show Team
6:30 p.m. Last Chance Jug Band
7:30 p.m. Barbara Blue Blues
8:30 p.m. Jack Oblivian & The Tearjerkers
                  Indie Rock
9:30 p.m. Amy LaVere Indie Folk Rock

Folklore Store Stage
12:15 p.m. TBA
1:15 p.m. Joe Scott Baseball Stories
2:15 p.m. Mary Unobsky & Kim Richardson
Songwriting Workshop
3:15 p.m. Tori Norton Folk
4:15 p.m. Roy Harper Country
5:15 p.m. Kim Richardson Folk
6:15 p.m. Slidin' Clyde Roulette Blues
7:15 p.m. Paul Taylor Psychedelic Folk & Funk
8:15 p.m. Sidney, Cidney, Sidney R&B
9:15 p.m. William Lee Ellis Blues
10:15 p.m. Hope Clayburn & Soul Scrimmage
Jazz Funk Fusion

Folklore Hall Stage
12:45 p.m. Los Cantadores Trio Mariachi
1:45 p.m. Greg Hisky &
                   His Whisky Dixie Flyers
2:45 p.m. The Jumpin' ChiChis Jazz
3:45 p.m. The Annointed Cowans Singers
                  Gospel
4:45 p.m. Chris Parker & Kelley Hurt Jazz
5:45 p.m. Grassfire Bluegrass
6:45 p.m. The Sensational Six Gospel
7:45 p.m. Eddie Bond Country
8:45 p.m. Joyce Cobb & Hot Fun
                  Jazz Rock & Blues

Comcast Gayoso Stage
Main St @ Gayoso Avenue
3:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Deborah Swiney
3:30 p.m. Agitators Rock
4:30 p.m. Tempeh Four Jazz Funk Jam Band
5:30 p.m. The Moments of Joy Gospel
6:30 p.m. John Paul Keith &
The One Four Five's Indie Country
7:30 p.m. TBA
8:30 p.m. Al Kapone Rap 
9:30 p.m. Exodus Reggae

Verizon Wireless Stage
Main St.@ Peabody Place Ave.
   1:00 p.m. TBA
   2:00 p.m. The Golden Keys Gospel
   3:00 p.m. Delta Highway Blues
   4:00 p.m. Billy Lavender featuring Brad
                   Webb & The Pocket Rockets Blues
   5:00 p.m. Sonny Burgess & the Pacers
                   Rockabilly
   6:00 p.m. Giant Bear Orchestral Funkabilly
   7:00 p.m. The Mellowtones Gospel
   8:00 p.m. Blind Mississippi Morris Blues
   9:00 p.m. Jason D. Williams Rockabilly/Boogie
10:15 p.m. Darrel Petties & SIP Gospel

ArtsMemphis Stage
On Peabody Place at Gayoso Lane
11:15 a.m. Music for Aardvarks Memphis
                  Music for the Family
12:00 p.m. TBA
12:45 p.m. TBA
1:30 p.m. Chinese Dance & Martial Arts
2:00 p.m. Edward Oluokun Yoruba Drumming
2:30 p.m. Pyramid Dancers Belly Dancing
3:00 p.m. David Bowen Guitar & Memphis
                  Music Workshop
3:30 p.m. TBA
4:00 p.m. Two Way Radio Indie Rock
4:45 p.m. TBA
5:00 p.m. Mark "The Muleman" Massey Blues
6:00 p.m. Fitz's Ultimate Cooking Hookers
                  Music That Smells Good
7:15 p.m. Promise Jazz
8:15 p.m. The Papa Tops West Coast
                  Turn Around Country
9:15 p.m. Tonya Dyson & Green Onions Soul

Folklore Store Stage
1:15 p.m. Hattie Childress Quilt Making
2:15 p.m. TBA
3:15 p.m. Roy Harper Country
4:15 p.m. David Evans Jug Band Workshop
5:15 p.m. Dan Montgomery Trio Rock
6:15 p.m. Niko Lyras & Vicki Loveland
7:15 p.m. Super Chikan Blues
8:15 p.m. Ms Nickki Soul
9:15 p.m. Valerie June Trio Folk

Folklore Hall Stage
12:45 p.m. Los Cantadores Trio Mariachi
1:45 p.m. TBA
2:45 p.m. Memphis Klezmer Allstars
3:45 p.m. Singing Southern Jubilees Gospel
4:45 p.m. Dani Rock
5:45 p.m. Gary Topper Trio Jazz
6:45 p.m. Lisa Lambert & The Pine Ridge Boys
                  Bluegrass
7:45 p.m. Orange Mound Jazz Messengers
                 Jazz
8:45 p.m. Kate Campbell Folk

Comcast Gayoso Stage
Main St @ Gayoso Avenue
1:30 p.m. TBA
2:30 p.m. JD Reager & The Cold-Blooded Three               Indie Rock
3:30 p.m. Charles Johnson & Kwest
                  Jazz Gospel
4:30 p.m. TBA
5:30 p.m. Will Graves Soul
6:30 p.m. Bluff City Backsliders Jug Band
7:30 p.m. FreeWorld featuring Dr. Herman Green
                  Jam Rock & Funk Band
8:30 p.m. Susan Marshall Jazz, Rock & Blues
9:30 p.m. The Daddy Mack Blues Band

Y'ALL COME SEE US! LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING SO WE CAN GET TOGETHER.

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Summary of Real Estate News from the Cutting Edge - August 26, 2009

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:56:12 -0500

Real Estate News Summary for week ending August 26, 2009 Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge August 26, 2009 You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge. If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

26 AUG 09

FBI Postures for Fight Against Escalating Mortgage Fraud | A Bird's Eye View "The FBI’s annual mortgage fraud report showed that losses in the first half of the 2009 fiscal year exceeded fraud committed during the same period in the previous fiscal year by about $208 million. In 2008, lenders reported 63,713 separate incidents of mortgage fraud. That’s more than one-third more than the previous year. The FBI anticipates the number of cases for mortgage fraud to exceed 70,000 this year."

Housing prices - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com

Matrix » [REALTOR Mag] The Trouble With the HVCC "I often disagree with NAR and have frequently pointed out their missed opportunity to earn the public trust despite their interests as a trade organization, but hey - they are coming from a different vantage point. However this time I agree with their view on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (the position itself rather than how they get to it.)"

24 AUG 09

The XBroker Mortgage Real Estate Marketing Technology » Drug Cartels, Cancerous Growth and The F*cked Mortgage Industry "Who is to blame for the housing and mortgage markets undoing depends on who you ask. Consumers blame everyone, brokers blame banks, banks blame brokers, appraisers are in the cross-hairs, even real estate professionals are not immune to the finger pointing…I think Michael Jackson had something to do with it all, but I can’t prove that."

Investors defaulting to make money | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "For most homeowners, foreclosure is like a fatal illness that starts with losing control of their finances and ends with a sickening feeling when the bank finally seizes the property. Post-foreclosure, a homeowner's credit rating gets trashed and he can be in financial purgatory for years, making it nearly impossible to buy or rent property. But while foreclosure typically spells disaster for homeowners, for some New York City investors it may actually be a good business decision."

MLS, Cluetrain, and Social Web – One Step At A Time, Gingerly « The Notorious R.O.B. "Why would I list my house with an agency if upon being posted online, it gets hammered by criticism? Because the agent in question would have prepped me for it. She would have sat me down and explained the facts of life in real estate, so that such negativity doesn’t faze me."

Business thrives on 'Whuffie' factor | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "Tara Hunt elaborates on this concept in her book, "The Whuffie Factor." According to Hunt, the five steps that you must take to create Whuffie for your business are: 1. Stop talking and start listening. 2. Become part of the community you serve. 3. Create amazing customer experiences. 4. Embrace the chaos. Communities are made up of people, and people aren't predictable. 5. Find your higher purpose: What can you give to others and still be profitable?"

Calculated Risk: Comment on First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit

BloodhoundBlog.com | If You Want to Close Deals, Force Registration | National real estate marketing and technology blog | Realtors and real estate, mortgage and investment news "Let me repeat that: If you want to close more deals, force your users to register to view property listings on your website. I can back this up with hard data. I can back this up with recent data. If you allow open registration on your IDX/RETS site, you do not receive better leads than the broker/agent with forced registration."

23 AUG 09

Calculated Risk: SFGate: First-Time Homebuyers Competing with Investors "Since January, I've put in 10 bids (on foreclosed homes); some were up to $80,000 over asking price and were still turned down," said [first-time home buyer, Jay] Nielsen, 41, a medical assistant. Each time, the banks selected offers from investors with all-cash offers - even when those offers were lower than his, Nielsen said. "Cash is king right now," said Glen Bell of Keller Williams Realty in Berkeley. "

Real Estate Blog - 3 Essential Books to read if you are using Social Media in your marketing Real life interests me more than stories about it. You would never know I was an English major by looking at my home library. Since I have been teaching some social media business topics lately, it seems that I am called upon to provide handouts with links and useful tidbits, so I have started putting together a list of essential books that relate to the subject.

Why I Love Social Media – It’s about real people — The Phoenix Real Estate Guy "I use social media to meet people. Meet as in real life, face-to-face meet. Not just meet across the keyboard. I don’t do it for “leads”. I do it to meet people, to grow, learn and share. And I’ll freely admit, I do it for fun. Yes, it has led to business which is a wonderful ancillary effect, but that is not my primary purpose in engaging in social media"

Great start in Midtown : Real Estate : Memphis Commercial Appeal My client featured: "She has three snakes, a cat and a rabbit (plus a roommate). Animals, as you can tell, figure large in her life, and the Midtown house she acquired in June had to be able to handle that."

22 AUG 09

HomeGain 3Q 2009 Realtor Survey on Home Prices via Sellsius Blog

Calculated Risk: More on Existing Home Inventory "It is important to watch inventory levels very carefully. If you look at the 2005 inventory data, instead of staying flat for most of the year (like the previous bubble years), inventory continued to increase all year. That was one of the key signs that led me to call the top in the housing market!"

21 AUG 09

Calculated Risk: Existing Home Sales and First-Time Buyers First-time home buyer activity has boosted existing home sales, and will continue to boost existing home sales (reported at close of escrow) through November. # This level of first-time buyers is completely unsustainable - even if another tax credit is enacted. There was significant pent up demand from potential first-time buyers who were priced out of the market in 2004-2006, and then were afraid to buy as prices fell. But demand from these buyers will wane. (Like "cash-for-clunkers" demand waned).

Housing Recovery: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance Karen Weaver, global head of Deutsche Bank's securitization research division, takes a more measured approach. She thinks it's too "quite early to be calling a bottom" nationwide. "The green shoots are more like crabgrass."

20 AUG 09

Isn’t everyone feeling depressed these days? - Housing Doom "Nearly half of a group of 250 people in Philadelphia whose homes were in foreclosure reported depressive symptoms, and 37 percent "met screening criteria for major depression; according a study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine."

Promoters, detractors are your business | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "Real estate satisfaction is short-lived and clients do not engage in transactions often enough to sustain it for repeat business. A real estate transaction lacks word-of-mouth promotional appeal, provides no social currency, the risk of a failed referral, and is limited by local marketing reach."

How Many Problems Can You Handle At The Same Time? | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "At any given time we all have a limit. That limit varies depending on a number of factors: the nature of the problems, the emotion tied to the problems, how far down into “seriousness” one is, even how well rested or hungry one is at the time. Bottom line, it becomes too much when there is more external push against self than there is left of self to push back."

New Appraisal Rules For Real Estate Creating Worse Issues For Industry : The Real Estate Bloggers "Appraisals have been a sore spot in the real estate market in the past decade. When things were booming, pressure was placed on appraisers to make the value hit the loan amount. This caused prices and values of properties to skyrocket. Then when the downturn hit, appraisers realized their culpability in the boom and tightened their standards. Real estate agents were bamboozled as property sales were constantly getting stuck at the appraisal stage as the values were regularly coming in under the loan amount. "

For up-to-date real estate posts, subscribe, free, to The Cutting Edge or subscribe to the Cutting Edge RSS Feed

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1911 Mignon, Memphis, TN 38107 - Classic Midtown Bungalow - Rhodes College Area

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:01:04 -0500

Classic Bungalow - Rhodes College/Vollintine-Evergreen

1911 Mignon, Memphis, TN 38107 View Map

Classic Brick Bungalow in sought-after, Rhodes College vicinity of Vollintine-Evergreen District.
3 Bedrooms/2 Baths
New Kitchen with Corian Countertops
Hardwood Floors
Central Air and Heat
Large Front Porch
Patio
Shady Fenced Back Yard
Storage building (easily converted back to 1 Car garage.
Snowden School District
Great Location:
Walk to Rhodes College, Zoo, Snowden School, and shops on McLean
Minutes from Downtown and East Memphis

Details

Asking Price:

$164,900

MLS:

3179328

Bedrooms:

Bathrooms:

# of Floors:

Garage Size:

1 Car

Subdivision:

Vollintine-Evergreen

Year Built:

1927

Property Amenities

Contact Info

Joe Spake
Broker

Main 901 725-7766
Cell 901 870-3440
Dir 901 274-1847
Email | Website

All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

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3 Essential Books to read if you are using Social Media in your marketing

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:40:01 -0500

I don't think I have read any fiction in over a decade. Real life interests me more than stories about it. You would never know I was an English major by looking at my home library. Since I have been teaching some social media business topics lately, it seems that I am called upon to provide handouts with links and useful tidbits, so I have started putting together a list of essential books that relate to the subject:

The Cluetrain Manifesto: 10th Anniversary Edition Written over 10 years ago by Internet visionaries,Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger,Cluetrain could have very easily been written a few months ago. I lost my orignal copy and had to replace it with the updated 2009, 10th anniversary edition. Cluetrain is the Bible of Web 2.0 Marketing and PR. You can read it online free here. Manifesto item number one sets the tone of the book: Markets are Conversations.

Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers , by Seth Godin. Also published in 2009, Godin's assault on push (or interruption) marketing has withstood the test of time. The book helped me understand the power of Opt-In, gave me a good basis for my early explorations in Internet marketing, and fostered a healthy attitude for working in the social media.

The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business by Tara Hunt, is my latest read. It seems that the term "social capital" keeps popping up these days. Well, Whuffie IS social capital, and this book is about building it, working for it earning it and putting it to proper use. Whuffie is the currency of Social Media and Web 2.0 Marketing. Whether you are a new media neophyte, or a power user who "gets it", I think you will find this book to be an interesting read.

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Labor Day Weekend Music and Heritage Festival - Memphis

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:27:25 -0500

No other event represents the rich musical heritage of this region better than the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival. You'll see and hear the Mid-South's best singers and musicians performing traditional blues, rockabilly, country, bluegrass, klezmer, soul, jazz, gospel and that good old sweet soul music. But the Festival is much more than just a celebration of the past. Memphis still has a lot to offer musically from alt-rock and alt-country to hip hop to drum lines to neo-soul to techno funk to Latin jazz. This Festival is dedicated to presenting the wealth of talent that made - and continues to make - Memphis one of the great musical melting pots on the planet.

2009 Music Genre List (updated 8.18.09)

BIG BAND
Johnny Yancey
FUNK
Hope Clayburn & Soul Scrimage
FOLK
Tori Norton
Kate Campbell
Kim Richardson
Susan Marshall
Valerie June Trio
Paul Taylor
JUG BAND
Last Chance Jug Band Bluff City Backsliders
GOSPEL
Darrel Petties & SIP Sensational Six
The Mellow Tones
The Brown Singers Moments of Joy

BLUEGRASS
Pine Ridge Boys Grassfire
JAM BAND
FreeWorld
Tempeh Four Devil Train
Giant Bear
LATIN
Los Cantadores
Los Cantadores Trio
BOOGIE WOOGIE
Jason D Williams
KLEZMER
Memphis Klezmer Allstars
R & B
Sweet Angel
Sidney, Cidney, Sidney
INDIE
Two Way Radio
Amy Lavere

BLUES
Agitators Blind Mississippi Morris
Daddy Mack Blues Band
Elmo & The Shades
Ghost Town Blues Band Super Chikan
Billy Lavender featuring Brad Webb and The Pocket Rockets
William Lee Ellis
Slidin Clyde Roulette
JAZZ
Jumpin ChiChi's
Orange Mound Jazz Messengers
Promise
The Gary Topper Group Niko Lyras & Vicki
Loveland
Chris Parker & Kelley Hurt
ROCKABILLY
Sonny Burgess & the Pacers
Smoochy Smith and Hooch

COUNTRY
Eddie Bond Greg Hisky & His Whiskey Dixie Flyers
Roy Harper
Papa Tops
West Coast Turnaround
ROCK
Joyce Cobb
Dani
Dan Montgomery
Susan Marshall
RAP
Willie Firecracker
Al Kapone
REGGAE
Exodus
SOUL
Bobby Rush
Tonya Dyson & Green Onions
Will Graves
Ms Nickki

This is one of my favorite Memphis Events. I volunteer every year. I will be managing the Folk Lore Hall Stage. Please come by and say Hi. photo courtesy of flickr some rights reserved

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Weekly Real Estate News Summary -August 19,2009

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:52:15 -0500

Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge August 18, 2009 You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge. If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

18 AUG 09

Study Says Homes in More Walkable Markets Get Higher Prices 'Green' is low real estate priority | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "Most respondents in a survey of Better Homes and Gardens magazine readers said they most value ample storage space (74 percent) and closet space (74 percent) as very important in house hunting, while just 22 percent said they rate "eco-friendly" features as very important."
Walkable neighborhoods also bankable | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "Homes in neighborhoods where goods, services and fun things to do are located within walking distance can command a price premium of $4,000 to $34,000 over otherwise similar homes in less walkable areas, according to an analysis of recent home sales."
Homeowners More Optimistic About the Future Than Any Time in Past Year | Zillow Blog - Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News"Four times a year, we field a survey with Harris Interactive to get a pulse on how homeowners perceive the value of their own homes and their local real estate market. Our quest – to find out how realistic homeowners are about their own homes’ values, and how optimistic (or not) they are about the coming six months."

17 AUG 09

Suckface With Facebook Today or Tomorrow, You’ll Just Plain Suck. True or False? | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "Everywhere I go, I hear earfuls of Facebook yadder. It’s a time suck. It’s a tool. It’s the future. It’s a fad. I don’t get it. Who cares. Get a life. I’m an addict. Don’t you work? Etc. You hear it too, right?"

16 AUG 09

Commercial Real Estate Lending Picking Back Up : The Real Estate Bloggers "Reports of commercial real estate lending are coming in, a welcome sign for an industry that has been hit hard by the credit crunch. It looks like there is more money available on the West Coast, but anyone who owns commercial property and is unable to roll over their loans must be thinking there is light at the end of the tunnel now. "

15 AUG 09

Fishing for the details takes all the fun out of real estate fish stories “So some nice folks bought more home than they could afford during the housing boom. They couldn’t make their payments, so they put the home on the market for more than it was really worth, even back then. It sat on the market for four years, through a normal listing or two, through a short-sale listing, and then it finally sold to your friend as a lender-owned home. Is that about right?”
A Price That Works In A Market Headed South via the Housing Bubble Blog“‘When your neighbors house is on fire you don’t wait to call the fire department to help put out that fire, because the danger is it’s not just going to destroy that home, but it’s going to spread in the neighboorhood and destroy other homes as well,’ he said. ‘The effect of foreclosures has been to accelerate and deepen the declines in value, particularly in communities where it’s been concentrated. Studies have shown that those are not natural declines or declines that would otherwise happen.’”

Calculated Risk: Hotel Owners Walking Away "... From San Diego to Dearborn, Mich., an increasing number of hotel owners in the U.S. market are simply walking away ...Distressed noncasino hotel loans now cover more than 1,000 properties with a cumulative loan value of $16.8 billion, according to Real Capital Analytics ...."
Calculated Risk: First-time Home Buyer Frenzy With a growing sense of urgency, first-time buyers are searching for homes, worried that time is running out on an $8,000 federal tax credit. Real estate agents say they're seeing a surge of first-timers who want to close on a property by Nov. 30, the deadline for the credit. The rush has set off bidding wars and stirred up a normally quiet August market.

14 AUG 09

First-time Home Buyer Frenzy A few key points: This has boosted existing home sales, and will continue to boost existing home sales (reported at close of escrow) through November. This will put upward price pressure on low-to-mid level homes during this period. This is the also the target price range for most cash-flow investors. At the same time, the foreclosure moratoriums and modification programs have limited supply - especially in the low-to-mid priced areas.
Price cut on 1 in 4 listings | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News One in four homes on the market as of Aug. 1 had its asking price reduced at least once, although price reductions were smaller on average in July than June, according to an analysis by real estate search site Trulia.

13 AUG 09

Geology vs. Weather Calculated Risk: Report: Record Foreclosure Activity in July "RealtyTrac ... today released its July 2009 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 360,149 U.S. properties during the month, an increase of nearly 7 percent from the previous month and an increase of 32 percent from July 2008. The report also shows that one in every 355 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing in July."
BloodhoundBlog.com | Am I being Paranoid about what the NAR is calling the “Recovery?” "Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a recovery. I would love to see a recovery. Did I mention that really strong sales would be great? The issue for me is that sales that are still 3% below a year ago doesn”t look like a recovery to me."
Calculated Risk: Jim the Realtor: Investor Watch Calculated Risk: National Data: Distressed Sales and Types of Buyers Here is some national data on the number of distressed sales in Q2, and the types of homebuyers. This is from a survey by Campbell Communications (excerpted with permission).

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Real Estate News Summary for week ending August 12, 2009

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:26:00 -0500

Real Estate News You Don't See on the News - from The Cutting Edge August 12, 2009

You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge. If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week's real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

12 AUG 09

Is The Average American Home Shrinking? For Now It Is : The Real Estate Bloggers The typical size of a home sold in the United States is 7 percent smaller according to the US Census Bureau. With a shrinking economy, tougher financing , higher energy costs, and the demographics of home buyers changing that all makes sense. But the important question to builders and home owners alike is, will it last?

11 AUG 09

Ginnie Mae has become a high volume subprime lender - Housing Doom "Much to their dismay, Americans learned last year that they "owned" Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Well, meet their cousin, Ginnie Mae or the Government National Mortgage Association, which will soon join them as a trillion-dollar packager of subprime mortgages. Taxpayers own Ginnie too."

Real Estate Blog - What Is ActiveRain? - A Message From the Staff!

Realtor Technology Report -2009 Realtor use of technology survey prepared by NAR. Our industry is making some progress, but we still have a long way to go.

Whatever Happened to Folk Media? » The Buzz Bin "Professionalism and the marketing machine behind and invested in "social" media, the only growing segment of the marketing business, has robbed us of what the true communications breakthrough is... That common people can now create and participate in media without professional barriers or training. That's what is truly meant by social, conversational, or perhaps, yes, even that antiquated word from the 60s, folk media."

Bizarre Real Estate Practices #873 (and #874) - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy "Could it be the absurdly low entry "barrier"? Let's face it, all it takes is some butt-time in "real estate school" and an ample checking account balance to get a real estate sales license. If you are 18 and take 90 hours of "education" you can have a real estate license in as little as nine days."

10 AUG 09

Property portals: Expect casualties | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "When the boom years return to the overseas property market, the Internet landscape will have changed drastically. Nobody will mourn the death of the one-man-band overseas property portal. Scale always wins and history never remembers who came second."

09 AUG 09

37 Steps Toward Becoming a 1.5 Real Estate Agent | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius 'In this 2.0 versus 1.0 world of disruption, confusion, chaos, I want to lead my business forward. Even though I am a great agent, I must continue to find new ways of demonstrating my greatness to consumers both on and offline. I do not want to become caught up in a stereotype, nor do I want to become the far left, or far right fringe. I want to appeal to as many opportunities as possible, I want stand out in a sea of repetition, and most importantly I want to do it effectively, and efficiently- I am by all accounts "The 1.5 Agent."'

Calculated Risk: Research on Homeownership Rate through 2030 "[T]he period from 2010 to 2030 will see the most remarkable change in America's built environment since the end of World War II. The changes will be driven by monumental demographic shifts coupled by important changes in housing preference. The landscape of the new American metropolis will be very different from the old one ... the end of the spatial expansion of metropolitan areas and a new era of infill and redevelopment."

08 AUG 09

Matrix » Real Estate Brokers/Agents Have An Image Problem "I think NAR really missed out on a great opportunity during the transition from housing boom to bust a few years ago to be a trusted resource for the consumer. Short sighted thinking then is hard to erase from the collective consciousness." Yep, while the market was sinking, NAR was yelling buy, buy, buy!-js

Calculated Risk: Another Apartment-to-Condo Conversion Disaster The property, which had a failed attempt at trying to convert into a condo-hotel because of Clark County regulations, sold for $604 per square foot when it first entered the market. The average price was $539,000, Murphy said. Through June, the average resale price has fallen to $87,611 or $121 a square foot, Murphy said. With that drop in price has come rising foreclosures. Murphy reports that 201 of the 680 units or 30 percent have been foreclosed upon, and that number is likely to rise. The foreclosures have been running as high as 25 a month so far in 2009, he said.

07 AUG 09

Tough Commercial Market Sees Defaults Occurring on Hotel Properties : The Real Estate Bloggers With the significant downturn in commercial property values, lenders are on the hook more and more for some very large loans to hotel and retail companies. Fitch Ratings has come out with a report stating that 64 properties with loans over $100 million are late and in trouble.

06 AUG 09

Will half of all mortgage holders end up underwater? - Housing Doom "The percentage of "underwater" loans may rise to 48 percent, or 25 million homes, as prices drop through the first quarter of 2011, Karen Weaver and Ying Shen, analysts in New York at Deutsche Bank, wrote in a report today."

Estate of Things » Blog Archive » Realtor vs. Appraiser: Are they being pitted against each other? "The HVCC states that Realtors and mortgage brokers are prohibited from selecting appraisers. Lenders can select "in house" appraisers, but due to restrictions, many are hiring appraisal management companies (AMCs) to obtain their appraisals." Since roll-out, Realtors and mortgage brokers claim low-ball appraisals are killing their deals, and some appraisers feel the real estate industry is just pointing fingers.

Independent vs. dependent contractors | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "There are some brokerages that cross the line in how they treat agents. They have mandatory meetings or mandatory floor time and tend to treat agents like employees without giving them any of the benefits that a W-2 employee would be entitled to."

Craigslist Rental Scam Being Run From Nigeria? : The Real Estate Bloggers "The FBI has released a statement that a new Craigslist Rental Scam is being run out of Nigeria. Famous for the Advance Fee Scam, or 419 fraud , the Nigerian con artists are now targeting renters in America to try to collect rental deposits on homes they do not own. " - One of my listings was hit twice by this scam about a year ago. js

Calculated Risk: Foreclosures: One Giant Wave, Still Building "To say there is a second wave implies the (current) wave has receded," [Sam Khater, senior economist, First American CoreLogic] "I don't see that the wave has receded."

05 AUG 09

BloodhoundBlog.com | Should Realtors "Interview" Lenders? | National real estate marketing and technology blog | Realtors and real estate, mortgage and investment news - This post poses and answers some very pertinent questions. js

Aspirational marketing: it's about them | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "Today's affluent consumer is more likely to value the customized services of a personal shopper than they are an oversized designer bag. In fact, when asked to define "luxuries," the item that often rates highest is time and being able to spend that time with family."

Authenticity and the Social Web : Speaking of Real Estate One of the more significant bits of advice that I came across in my research and writing was the importance of being genuine. To use social media successfully, you have to be yourself. This sounds easy, but there's always a temptation to project an image of yourself that overstates your abilities or experience, or perhaps alters your demeanor to fit a potential client's perception of an ideal real estate professional.""

How About a ‘Disappointment Index' for Real Estate | Rain City Guide "So here's the question: why are these discounts so big? Are the agents not able to estimate market value and expected selling price any better than that? Or are the Sellers not listening to their agents and overriding them? "

The Federal Reserve's proposed changes to Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) | Rain City Guide it seems like Bernake is seeking to further complicate and confuse the mortgage/homebuying process-js

I Hate Most Every Sales Pitch And Most Salespeople But Make My Living Selling | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "It's true. I really don't like salespeople, I don't like to listen to a sales pitch and anytime someone says, "I just need twenty minutes in person to explain it to you", I already know in advance that whatever it is I don't want it. And, for sure, I don't want to listen to them explain it to me."

High End Housing The Weak Spot in Housing Market : The Real Estate Bloggers "The lower and middle end of the housing market may be solidifying, a welcome chance to breath for many of us, the top end is showing even more weakness. The Wall Street Journal has an outstanding article here. "

Real Estate Man Is LandlordFor Sex Offenders In Florida : The Real Estate Bloggers "A fellow sex offender, Randy Young, is capitalizing on this and has become a landlord to sex offenders. He has learned the laws in the state and has scouted out properties where these sex offenders can live legally and is renting them out to the criminals as they leave prison."

Photog Annie Liebovitz Could Lose NY Homes | Zillow Blog - Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News "It's hard to understand how Annie Liebovitz, the "it" photographer of the past four decades, known for her portraiture work of celebrities such as John Lennon, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and who makes a seven-figure salary from Vanity Fair and Vogue - not to mention her work for Gap, American Express and others - could possibly be in the severe financial mess she's in."

Calculated Risk: Jim the Realtor: A CRE Foreclosure Cornucopia -Another interesting video from Jim the Realtor

04 AUG 09

Calculated Risk: Barclays Analysts: House Prices Still Falling "While an S&P/Case-Shiller index for May showed the first month-over-month price increase since 2006 and a 2 percent seasonally adjusted annualized drop, a more-accurate reading probably would have been an annualized decline of 10 percent to 15 percent, [Barclays' analysts Ajay Rajadhyaksha and Glenn Boyd] wrote."

03 AUG 09

Is Social Media a Threat To Your Personal Safety? | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "A friend of mine recently tweeted about a killer new computer system they purchased. Later, they went on to tweet how they were traveling to Disneyland for vacation."

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How are we doing with Technology?

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:55:12 -0500

The Realtor Technology Report - 2009 is available online.

Here are a few highlights from the "Executive Summary"

Technology Sourcing

Respondents seek new technology through:

• Real estate news websites (59%)

• Colleagues (57%)

• NAR (47%)

• Local REALTOR® Association newsletters (38%)

• Broker (37%)

• Magazine advertisements (35%)

• State REALTOR® Association newsletters (31%)

55% would like to receive information on real estate productivity & enhancement tools for their mobile device.
• MLS information; information suitable for consumers; mortgage apps; and integration with lockbox are among the mobile device tools that interest respondents for their mobile device.

32% of respondents use the Blackberry as their primary mobile device; another 14% use a Palm Treo; 10% use an iPhone.

The top three tools that respondents plan on purchasing or replacing in the next year are: smartphone with email/Internet connection (42%); notebook/laptop (34%), and digital camera (26%).

57% find value in the technology provided by their broker. 13% of respondents indicate that their broker does not provide any technology.

48% would like their broker to expand the technology provided. Several suggestions include: training on technology tools; blog hosting; leads; Wi-Fi; and tech support.

Social Networking

Of the respondents using social media tools:

• 28% are comfortable with it and another 27% are somewhat comfortable. [Interesting- that's only 55%-js]

• 76% use facebook while another 58% use LinkedIn.

Of all respondents, 16% do not use any social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)

25% state that social networking is effective for business purposes. Another 38% feel that it is somewhat effective, while 26% are not sure.

Lead Generation

Referrals (83%), repeat business (82%) and the internet (53%) are very important in generating leads.

The top five web sites where respondents' listings are displayed:

• REALTOR.com (83%)

• Broker's or Office's site (83%)

• Local Association or Local MLS site (73%)

• Trulia (51%)

• Zillow (50%)

Respondents indicate that the top three tools used to keep in touch with past clients are email, phone call, and postal mail. These were ranked in order by respondents.

How are we doing with technology as a profession? Are we keeping up with the technology use and needs of the general population. I realize that any Realtor even reading this post very probably has a technology advantage over the majority of NAR members. Look over the entire survey. I would like to hear your thoughts.

The Survey

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Real Estate News Summary for week ending August 4, 2009

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:01:06 -0500

Real Estate News You Don't See on the News - from The Cutting Edge August 4, 2009

You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge. If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week's real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

03 AUG 09
Is Social Media a Threat To Your Personal Safety? | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - "A friend of mine recently tweeted about a killer new computer system they purchased. Later, they went on to tweet how they were traveling to Disneyland for vacation."

Matrix » [NIMBY] Peter Schiff's Predictions Met With Disdain, Yet Were Accurate - "Here's a few Peter Schiff clips that many of you may have seen, but its worth refreshing your memory. What is particularly interesting in this clip is the lack of content within any responses given by all those who disagreed with Schiff. Just disbelief, distrespect and misinterpretation of historical trends."

02 AUG 09
Man who utilize magic bullet often shoot self in foot | Joe Spake's Weblog We are a people much more concerned with Result, rather than Process. And that is how social media is changing our values. It's all about the process. Here is a 9 word magic bullet for business success with social media. [Actually 3, 3 word phrases] And it's absolutely free:

200 Units And Just One Tenant - Housing Doom "The New Jersey family of five purchased their unit four years ago, when Fort Myers was in the midst of a housing boom and any hints of an impending financial crisis were buried in lofty dreams of expansion and development. They made a $10,000 down payment and eagerly watched as builders transformed an empty lot into an opulent high rise, one that now symbolizes the foreclosure crisis." For some reason, the Horizon, in downtown Memphis comes to mind.-js

01 AUG 09
Realtors in the Coffee Shop and Everywhere | BloodhoundBlog.com | National real estate marketing and technology blog "...One is saying, ou should get your real estate license. It's easy. Well the online course is no fun, and the test is a drag, but you can make easy money if someone writes an offer through you. I don't have to work if I don't want to, but when my husband and I want to do something, I start trying to sell a house or find a buyer. If I'm lucky, I pop a few thousand or even more. You could do this. It's easy."

Real-Estate Advertising: Forget Houses, Go With Head Shots - Adages - Advertising Age "They round-up four bucks from every agent in the office, pool their money together, hire a high-end designer and secure the biggest ad Metro Richmond has ever seen."

Busted! First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Fraud - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy "You make up addresses, you flat out lie and tell your clients you can qualify for the tax credit by working two jobs, and you skim a thousand bucks off your clients refund and you don't think you are in the wrong?"

31 JUL 09
Survey: Real estate recovery in '09 unlikely - Memphis Business Journal: "Only 10 percent of respondents to a recent survey by LoopNet Pulse Poll, an online survey of commercial real estate and investment professionals, said they expect to see a recovery of transactions this year...That's down from 33 percent in a previous poll conducted in May, said a news release."

31 JUL 09
The Billy Mays 5-Step Guide to Easy Selling | Copyblogger "Madison Avenue style brand marketers who believe asking for an order even once, unless it's in small grey type, is undignified, contemptible and just plain bad manners, absolutely loathed him." - I think we can all learn something from Billy Mays-js

Chicago Real Estate Company Sues Woman Over Twitter Tweet

Big Brokerages - how do they really work, and what's changing? | Seattle Real Estate | Rain City Guide Is the business really changing? And do the different generations - Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y have different preferences that would favor one business model over another?"

So Many Heads in the Sand-Why Foreclosures Happen | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius How can you expect the problem to go away?

30 JUL 09
Thanking them ... Old School | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "The other day I had a discussion with someone that wants to build her referral base for her loan business. I asked "what gesture do you make to thank your clients?" In short, the answer was nothing."

28 JUL 09
The Housing Bubble Blog » Mommy? What's A Demographic Nightmare? "If we define boomers as those born between 1948 and 1964, and assume the average aged hippie freak gets hustled off into assisted living at age 81, barring a population explosion during a prolonged economic depression and a whole lot of unforeseen variables I don't have the energy to come up with right now, it could well be 2045 before all those houses are absorbed."

I want to short sell my home! The banks not being fair! - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy "Here's the deal folks. When you signed your loan papers, you promised to pay a specific amount. You signed a legally binding contract saying you would make the payments. You also signed that you were aware the lender could take your home if you didn't pay."

How About a ‘Disappointment Index' for Real Estate | Seattle Real Estate | Rain City Guide "At what point does the listing agent walk away and let the Seller find a more compliant agent to list the house at a visibly above-market price? Or does the agent take the listing and hope to work it down over a span of time, perhaps several months."

Calculated Risk: Case-Shiller House Prices for May

Trying to Sell? Clean Up Any Neighborhood Eyesores via Memphis Daily News "When Vicky Black's one-story home in Port Richey, Fla., was on the market, prospective buyers told her they liked it. Unfortunately, they made negative comments about her neighbor's home, which has a stone lawn and little curb appeal....."

Real Estate Blog - 5 Reasons for Firing A Client "Purely and simply, even the best client relationships can turn bad...and when they do, it's time to end them by firing the client."

Calculated Risk: "Precipitous" House Price Declines at the High End "Last week the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that distressed properties accounted 31 percent of sales in June. Distressed sales include REO sales (foreclosure resales) and short sales, and based on the 4.89 million existing home sales (SAAR) that puts distressed sales at about a 1.5 million annual rate in June."

Calculated Risk: Distressing Gap: Ratio of Existing to New Home Sales "Last week the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that distressed properties accounted 31 percent of sales in June. Distressed sales include REO sales (foreclosure resales) and short sales, and based on the 4.89 million existing home sales (SAAR) that puts distressed sales at about a 1.5 million annual rate in June."

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4457 McCrory, Memphis, TN 38122

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:28:31 -0500

Joe Spake | Revid Realty | 901-274-1847

4557 McCrory, Memphis, TN

Reasonably Priced - Well-Maintained. Many recent updates, spacious kitchen and den. Large lot with fenced back yard

3BR/1BA Single Family House

offered at $69,000

Year Built	1951
Sq Footage	1,362
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1 full, 0 partial
Floors	1
Parking	Unspecified
Lot Size	12,632 sqft
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Hardwood floor	- Family room	- Living room
- Breakfast nook	- Refrigerator	- Stove/Oven
- Attic	- Laundry area - inside	- Yard

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

4557 McCrory	Photo 1
Photo 2	Photo 3
Photo 4	Photo 5
Photo 1	Photo 2
Photo 3	Photo 4
Photo 5	Photo 6
Photo 7

Contact info:

Joe Spake

Revid Realty

901-274-1847

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Aug 4, 2009, 6:16am PDT

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Midtown Memphis - Architectural/design features

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:30:03 -0500

I couldn't resist sharing the interesting window and interior door casings is a 1928 English-influenced bungalow in the Vollintine-Evergreen section of Midtown Memphis. The Midtown Section of Memphis is a treasure of bungalows buillt between 1920 and 1930, in a variety of styles.

Most of the original red gum casings and moldings have long been painted over, so it is a real treat to find the beautiful, smooth-grained original wood. I have never seen this type of casing corners, though.(also not the dainty picture rail running all the way to the window on the right.

Also, although painted, this closet door follows the same theme. This reminded me of art deco laden interior scenary from the movies of the 1930s.

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Box Car House - Memphis, TN

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:26:37 -0500

Ran across this interesting house made of railroad box cars, in South Memphis.

Creative Commons License - Some rights reserved

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Real Estate News Summary - Week ending 7/28/09

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:14:25 -0500

Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge July 28, 2009

You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge. If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

28 JUL 09

The Housing Bubble Blog » Mommy? What’s A Demographic Nightmare? "If we define boomers as those born between 1948 and 1964, and assume the average aged hippie freak gets hustled off into assisted living at age 81, barring a population explosion during a prolonged economic depression and a whole lot of unforeseen variables I don’t have the energy to come up with right now, it could well be 2045 before all those houses are absorbed." I want to short sell my home! The banks not being fair! — The Phoenix Real Estate Guy "Here’s the deal folks. When you signed your loan papers, you promised to pay a specific amount. You signed a legally binding contract saying you would make the payments. You also signed that you were aware the lender could take your home if you didn’t pay." How About a ‘Disappointment Index’ for Real Estate | Seattle Real Estate | Rain City Guide "At what point does the listing agent walk away and let the Seller find a more compliant agent to list the house at a visibly above-market price? Or does the agent take the listing and hope to work it down over a span of time, perhaps several months." Calculated Risk: Case-Shiller House Prices for May Trying to Sell? Clean Up Any Neighborhood Eyesores via Memphis Daily News "When Vicky Black's one-story home in Port Richey, Fla., was on the market, prospective buyers told her they liked it. Unfortunately, they made negative comments about her neighbor's home, which has a stone lawn and little curb appeal." Calculated Risk: "Precipitous" House Price Declines at the High End "Last week the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that distressed properties accounted 31 percent of sales in June. Distressed sales include REO sales (foreclosure resales) and short sales, and based on the 4.89 million existing home sales (SAAR) that puts distressed sales at about a 1.5 million annual rate in June." Calculated Risk: Distressing Gap: Ratio of Existing to New Home Sales "Last week the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that distressed properties accounted 31 percent of sales in June. Distressed sales include REO sales (foreclosure resales) and short sales, and based on the 4.89 million existing home sales (SAAR) that puts distressed sales at about a 1.5 million annual rate in June."

26 JUL 09

Hey You Get Off of My Cloud “Sandwiched neatly between the RealTime is God and RealTime Who Needs It crowds is a new group that embraces both positions while moving forward rapidly.” REALTOR Most Despised – An Open Letter | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "Never mind that you roll up in a brand new Lexus next to your first time buyer’s 1987 honda civic hatchback, and are dressed to the hilt- I’m sure they’ll let that go easily when they look to you for advice on how to manage 10% down when they only have 5%." -- Funny, yet disturbingly true!-JS

25 JUL 09

BloodhoundBlog.com | Why should you enlist a buyer’s agent to help you buy a home? Because you’ll get a much better deal — even if you pay full price

Commercial mortgage delinquency up 585% - Memphis Business Journal: "Delinquencies on commercial mortgage backed securities soared $10 billion in June, hitting a 12-month high of almost $29 billion, according to Realpoint Research."

24 JUL 09

On Dual Agency — The Phoenix Real Estate Guy "I don’t care how much experience you have, I don’t care how fair you are, I don’t care if you can walk on water. One agent can not get the seller the most money and save the buyer the most money in the same transaction. Period." The Housing Market Is Getting Less Bad!: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance "No, house prices are not "bottoming." Prices likely won't bottom until late next year at the earliest. And they will then likely crawl along sideways for years."

Calculated Risk: More on Foreclosure Modification Scams

23 JUL 09

I wish my Realtor/Agent would … | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius "13 things Loan Officers wish the agents they work with would consider, understand, do or NOT do. Like marketing & sales, sometimes the relationships between agents and Loan Officers can be love & hate. From an ecosystem perspective, they are essential to one another, yet there can be tension." But, We’re ALL Ethical! | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius Read the Smart Money post (linked in this post) that started this, and the response from NAR president. - J Calculated Risk: Lawler on Sticky House Prices "Though Mr. Lawler was among the more bearish of housing economists when the market was still bubbling, he recently has been arguing that prices for low- and mid-range homes are stabilizing in many parts of the country ..."

22 JUL 09

Judge to lender- If you want the property back, you need to prove it’s yours - Housing Doom "In a stunning victory for borrowers, a New Jersey court has dismissed a foreclosure action filed against the borrowers by Deutsche Bank Trust Company America as alleged trustee for a securitized mortgage loan trust after Deutsche Bank willfully, and despite the entry of three (3) separate court orders, refused to produce documents demanded by the borrowers which included documents setting forth the identity of the true owner and holder of the Note and mortgage, the complete chain of title to ownership of the note and mortgage, payment application histories, and documents as to the securitized mortgage loan trust." 3 social media myths | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News "Now, these three myths are more or less arbitrary, and entirely my personal opinion, which means I welcome spirited debate and even some light name-calling in response."

21 JUL 09

Twitter for Beginners: 5 Steps for Better Tweeting "Twitter is immensely useful as a utility for joining in the global conversation and sharing thoughts, opinions, information, and media. But for new users, there’s also a fairly steep learning curve. For many people new to Twitter, the site doesn’t immediately “make sense” and it can be a bit daunting. But there are things those users can do to make the service more useful from the get go."

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2723 Kenwood Rd - Bartlett, TN - Quiet Setting - Good Schools - Convenience

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:16:57 -0500

2723 Kenwood Road - Bartlett

2723 Kenwood Road, Bartlett, TN 38134 View Map

Dramatic and spacious vaulted Greatroom, with new hardwood floor, gives this home a contemporary open feel. The large, eat-in kitchen has new tile and updates. The large lot features a fenced back yard with 2 patios and in-ground pool.
You will enjoy the quiet cul-de-sac, nearby parks and shopping, and great schools.

Details

Asking Price:

$159,000

MLS:

3176471

Lot Size:

0.36 acre

Bedrooms:

Bathrooms:

# of Floors:

1.5

Garage Size:

2 Car

Subdivision:

Surrey Crosing

Year Built:

1987

Property Amenities

Contact Info

Joe Spake
Broker

Main 901 725-7766
Cell 901 870-3440
Dir 901 274-1847
Email | Website

All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

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Real Estate News Summary (week ending 7/14/09) - from the Cutting Edge

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:50:38 -0500

Real Estate News You Don't See on the News - from The Cutting Edge July 14, 2009

Your Comments, please:
I decided to try out a new and more useful format for this week's Real Estate News Recap. Let me know what you think. I started the week in the old format and changed on Staurday. Your input is welcome.

You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge. If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week's real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

NEW FORMAT:
14 JUL 09

FrontDoor Unlocked - HGTV's FrontDoor Real Estate Blog » Would you move to one of Money Magazine's Best 100 Small Towns?

Calculated Risk: As Foreclosure Activity Surges, Obama Considers Rental Option

"Under one idea being discussed, delinquent homeowners would surrender ownership of their homes but would continue to live in the property for several years ... Officials are also considering whether the government should make mortgage payments on behalf of borrowers who cannot keep up with their home loans" - This is rather troubling...

13 JUL 09

REALTORS by Choice - Trainers by Circumstance | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius

"It is getting so old! to think of the many times we have to hold other agents' hands through a real estate transaction just because we want to do the best for our clients who need deals to work out. We totally understand that the real estate market is tougher than it has ever been and we expect deals to be more difficult, but how many agents are out there that are clueless about their job?"

Linkbuilders: Please Get Less Obvious About Your Commenting Tactics | GeekEstate Blog

"To the linkbuilders out there, please just do us all a favor and stop these SPAMMY tactics - you're benefitting no one and damaging your clients' reputations in the process........"

How Are Builders Dealing With Chinese Drywall Problems : The Real Estate Bloggers

"If you have a new home, check out the drywall that it was built with. As we have reported before, there have been some serious problems with Chinese drywall that are making families sick. ........"

Calculated Risk: Appraisal Update

"Last Friday Freddie Mac updated their appraisal guidelines and clarified that the appraiser is not required to use distressed sales (REOs, short sales)"....

Calculated Risk: Shiller on Housing

"One thing is true about housing, it is a very inefficient market - and it shows momentum. And in fact, when the rate of decline slows that is evidence that the rate of decline will continue to slow because there has been a second derivative effect that is actually in the data historically." Robert Shiller, July 13, 2009

Calculated Risk: Lenders Walking Away

".......The foreclosure, however, failed to go through after the California-based lender decided it didn't want the gutted house. Lass said he found out for certain that he still owned it from the Journal Sentinel.......".

12 JUL 09
BloodhoundBlog.com | What drives your fear of flying solo?

"In my endless quest to dispel the many myths surrounding what it takes to thrive as an independent broker, I've compiled a list of the top ten ways agents deceive themselves into thinking that they can't - or shouldn't - set up shop on their own."

Rent Dodger Lives Here: A Landlord Resorted to Public Shaming to Oust Rent Dodger - Neatorama

"When landlord Elaine Stenson couldn't get her tenants to pay their rent for months and ignored legal notices to vacate the premises, she decided on a very old (medieval, actually) technique: public shaming........"

OLD FORMAT:

How to be Transparent Without Showing Your Chest Hair | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/real-es... - Saturday

Calculated Risk: Sacramento: 70 Percent Distressed Sales in June - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... - Saturday

Demand for FHA, VA mortgages at 19-year high - MarketWatch - http://www.marketwatch.com/story... - Saturday

Hilarious Comments Overheard in Real Estate | - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/real-es... - Friday - Some pretty funny stuff. (edit | delete)

Impact of the HVCC | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/g-rants... Friday

From the Idiot Files: Use an Electronic Lockbox! - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy - http://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com/from-th... - Thursday

Tales From the Dark Side #1 | Rain City Guide - http://www.raincityguide.com/2009... Thursday

10 Mistakes Homeowners Make in Selling Their Home - http://activerain.com/blogsvi... Thursday

Got a Facebook Page? Here's a new way to get the word out | Joe Spake's Weblog - http://joespakeblog.com/2009... July 9 -Cool new widget to promote your FB page

Sellers Market, Buyers Market or ..............Lenders Market? via ActiveRain - http://activerain.com/blogsvi... July 9

Duct tape and real estate | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News - http://www.inman.com/news... July 9

Calculated Risk: FBI: U.S. Mortgage Fraud "Rampant" and "Escalating" - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... July 8

Lenders Buried Under Load of Mortgage Re-Works : The Real Estate Bloggers - http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009... July 8

Living with the HVCC | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/g-rants... July 8 - Important post for Realtors and lenders alike. Misconceptions about HVCC are monkey-wrenching the real estate business and disappointing consumers.

Calculated Risk: Apartment Vacancy Rate at 22 Year High - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... July 8 - Does this mean everyone is moving back in with their parents?

Secrets of Recruiting Gen Y - http://www.jonathannicholas.com/2009... July 8

Capital One buys Downtown's Horizon Project - http://memphisrealestatebuzz.com/2009... July 8

Cost vs. Value: Two Ways You Can Make It Better : Speaking of Real Estate - http://speakingofrealestate.bl... July 8

Secrets of Recruiting Gen Y - http://www.jonathannicholas.com/2009... July 8

The Resounding ‘Pop!' Echoes Across The Nation - http://thehousingbubbleblog.com/...July 7

About My Professional Photo- Dear Ginny, WTH? | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/g-rants... July 7 - Is your professional photo the place for your pet, laptop, mobile phone, or kids?

Using Real Estate Social Media to Broaden Community Non-Profit Efforts | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/g-rants... July 7

Consumer loan delinquencies rise to record high - Memphis Business Journal: - http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis... July 7

Calculated Risk: More Evidence of the "Foreclosure Backlog" - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... July 7

Memphis Area Real Estate Sales - May, 2009 - http://memphisrealestatebuzz.com/2009... July 7 from Memphis Real Estate Buzz

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Promote your Facebook Page with new widget

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:17:53 -0500

Those folks at Facebook keep slipping in goodies. After the latest land rush for vanity URL's for pages, FB pages seem to have gotten more attention. Go to your page, and in the left column under your logo picture in the Edit Page section, you will now see Add Fan Box to your Site. This nifty feature generates a widget for your website or blogs lets visitors "Fan" you on the spot! You have some control over content and size, but here is the full-tilt version for my page http://facebook.com/memphisrealestate

UPDATE: Sorry folks, code for widget will not function here. Follow the simple instructions above to get yours.

Here's the way the widget looks when it's working (note: this is a screenshot, so it doesn't function)

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Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge July 7, 2009

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:24:34 -0500

Your Comments, please: I have had fun aggregating real estate news stories from a variety of sources and posting the resulting links weekly. You may have noticed that I missed last week’s post. I am trying to improve the look and utility of this regular post, so please bear with me. If you have suggestions as to improving the format or the direction you would like to see this post go in, please comment. No matter where I end up with this feature, you can always get the raw feed and subscribe at The Cutting Edge If you use RSS, subscribe here: Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

50 Do-It-Yourself Marketing Ideas for Your Real Estate Business | MyTechOpinion.com - http://www.mytechopinion.com/2009...
Calculated Risk: The Booming Repo Business - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009...
Calculated Risk: MBA: Record Home-Equity Loan Delinquencies - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009...
Haunted House? Michael Jackson Already Haunting Neverland : The Real Estate Bloggers - http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009...
What it takes to fix housing - Housing Doom - http://housingdoom.com/2009...
Real Estate Search – Google to Punk Your Local MLS? Is It Possible? | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/real-es...
America’s New Ghost Towns - http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs... Chilling! - js
FHA Website Gives Misleading Information About Reverse Mortgages - Housing Doom - http://housingdoom.com/2009...
Realtor on Realtor Action - Is the RE.net a waste of time? | GeekEstate Blog - http://www.geekestateblog.com/realtor... yesterday Is social media really bringing business your way, or is it just a big cocktail party for your Realtor buddies?
7 Ways to Make Twitter Easier & Worth Your Time | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/real-es... Sunday
Neighborhoods are the heart of the City - http://memphisrealestatebuzz.com/2009... Sunday from Memphis Real Estate Buzz
The Housing Bubble Blog » Realtors Conclude Value - http://thehousingbubbleblog.com/... Sunday
BloodhoundBlog.com | Private ownership of the land is the source not just of our freedom but of our civility and of our humanity itself - http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/Bloodho... Sunday
Calculated Risk: Songs for the New Depression* - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009...Saturday - Loudon Wainwritht III - Includes "Paul Krugman Blues"
Calculated Risk: LA Times: 'Another wave of foreclosures' - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... Saturday
Sell This Pig! | Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/g-rants... Friday from - who ever thought it was a good idea for real estate agents to write advertising copy?
Why those who can pay walk away from mortgages - MarketWatch - http://www.marketwatch.com/story... Friday
Mortgage Lending Drops as Interest Rates Rise - Surprised : The Real Estate Bloggers - http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009... Friday Mortgages are harder to get than ever, IMO
Memphis Daily News - Is Twitter the News Outlet for the 21st Century? - http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editori... Friday - Twitter is gaining credibility and importance as a news source.
Real Estate Crash: How's Your City Doing: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance - http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ti... Friday Yahoo Finance - real estate market crash update
Calculated Risk: Another Involuntary Landlord and Summary - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... Friday
Businesses urged to put best Facebook on : Business News : Memphis Commercial Appeal - http://www.commercialappeal.com/news... Thursday
Real Estate Blog - Why Loan Officers Kill Deals, Cost You Time and Money and Anger Customers - http://activerain.com/blogsvi... July 2
Calculated Risk: NAR: Pending Home Sales Index Increases Slightly - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009... July 1 Pending home sales numbers are meaningless if the sales don't close.
Calculated Risk: House Prices: The Long Tail - http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009...July 1 Home prices still going down, but now at a slower rate
Why Home Inspection Negotiations Fail viaSeattle Real Estate | Rain City Guide - http://www.raincityguide.com/2009... June 30
via BloodhoundBlog.com | Do It Yourself and More Nonsense From Otherwise Intelligent Folk - http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/Bloodho... June 30
Housing Plan Stuck, National Recovery In Hands of Real Estate Market - via The Real Estate Bloggers - http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009... June 30
Matrix » AMC Appraiser: How Am I Supposed to Appraise This Thing? - http://matrix.millersamuel.com/... June 30
Where is the Real Estate Industry Headed? via Real Estate Opinion MAG - AgentGenius - http://agentgenius.com/g-rants... June 30

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Happy July 4, from Memphis!

Joe Spake (Revid Realty) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:18:54 -0500

One of Midtown Memphis's best known events is the Midtown Memphis' Central Gardens July 4 parade on Carr Avenue. The turnout is always great, and it's a real neighborhood happening with fire trucks, police, free hot dogs and drinks.

Just another reason that Midtown is one of Memphis' favorite places to live.

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