Since I see to have a fetish with new cell phone techonology, and since I seem to be bound to stay with VZW forever it was time for me to get the Black Berry Storm.  I must say as far as form factor I couldn't be happier.  It is sleek, with a bright screen, and feels good in my hand.  The clickable screen at first is weird, but once you have played with it for about an hour it will seem like old hat, and actually make a lot of sense.

The phone ships with firmware .75 which is much more stable than the original release of .65.   However if you search the net you can find the OS updates that make the phone run almost like it should.  BB seems to be turning these out quite frequently and although not official they certainly help.  (Although technically you aren't supposed to put them on your phone as it may void your warranty, and the tech help wont support it if you call).   Note to self dont call tech support! 

With the updates the accelerometer works great!  The camera is much improved, and the battery life is really good. 

You'll have to trade in your ekey if you are using it on your palm as BB doesn't supprt the infrared but who care when you have such a sleek phone in your pocket.  If it is cold where you are, be aware that you won't be able to use the phone with a glove on.  It needs your finger to complete the circuit.

MMS, SMS, and email is fast, and for those coming from a pull device requiring setup like WinMo, the BB works immediately.  I was actually surprised at how well it worked.   I just typed in my godaddy email address, and password and away we went.  I didn't have to tell it what socket to look for or configure mail servers.

I miss not be able to bluetooth sync my device with my outlook but that is coming, and I guess it wouldn't hurt me to slow down and tether the thing up to sync.  

Oh yeah, it comes with an 8Gig memory card and works great as a MP3 player.  Just load up your playlist and go!

I wouldn't recommend this phone to someone that does not want to learn new technology and is used to a physical keyboard.  The touchscreen with the click seems to be fairly accurate but it does take some getting used to.  The current operating system (.75) is stable but not super fast and you may find yourself getting frustrated. 

I would recommend this phone to someone who is looking for a great convergence device. It is getting better with each OS leak and is shaping up to be really awesome. It is a great planner, email machine, and has a lot of stuff to play with now that there is a host of 3rd party apps, and themes.  If you are into new technology and fast learner and want a beautiful phone this one is for you.

It seems BB has another convert....Now WinMo will have to work hard to win me back.

I completed my ABR course along with the elective and have the required transaction but I am yet to hear from REBAC about actually getting the right to use the letters.  I thought this would happen much faster.  Have any of the ABR's out their found the referral network to be a profitable an acitve group? 

I thought I would take a moment and talk a little bit about a nightmare that we as Real Estate pros. are running into out there. As one of the more popular workout strategies in the banks bag of tricks is the time consuming short sale. Short does not referr to the time it takes to get one of these things done. I have taken part in a few of these and I have become quite adept at securing an offer on these properties submitting the short sale package, and closing. I have done two in the last 3 months as a matter of fact, and am just starting a new one.

For those of you who don't know short sale is a procedure where the bank allows a seller to sell for less then they owe, Typically you also try to get their expenses covered too,. For instance a seller owes 100,000.00 but market conditions dictate that the most they could get for their home is 90K. You would present that offer less your commission, taxes, and attorneys fees to the bank. You also have to submit a hardship letter stating why the seller is having a hard time paying their bills as well as a wealth of financial info.

This is where it gets difficult because each lender has different and specific requirement and it is usually at least 25 pages of material. Once that is complete you fax it to the bank they have 60 days in which to approve the offer, and it seems to take at least the full 60. At which point you can then sign contracts. The trick is they usually give approval for 2 weeks at a time. You then have to request extensions until the actual closing date. Which we know in NY can be 45-60 days away from the contract date.

If it goes through your seller client will be happy that this burden has been removed from their shoulders (check with your accountant because I think there is a special tax break on the forgiven portion of the debt). Your buyer client might have gotten a great deal on a home. You as the Realtor might be the only one who gets beat.

How you get paid:
The commissions are pre-approved by the bank however if there is not enough money to pay you because of fees or fines the attorneys at the closing will start to look for money to pay the rest of the bills. Title insurance, title closer, agents, attorney and so on. Beware that the first pocket they dip into will be yours because you are getting the largest pay out at the table. We all know how much work we do to get them there and it stings even worse when you have spent hours dealing with a faceless bank that has employees all around the world.

You should have a plan of action to protect yourself already worked out with your client. Will they cover the shortage, will you and the other agent split the difference, will you split the shortage proportionally or equally around the table.
You should also notate your listing that the commission, and sale price are subject to 3rd party approval.

 No seriously I know we haven't spoken in awhile but it is not because I dont love you that I haven't written. I could go through a list of excuses but I guess none of them are that good. I am working alot. I am married now, and have a family, I commute 2 hours a day, the olympics are on....Okay that last one doesn't really count since they only started a little over a week ago.

I know, that in the past I have promised you more frequent updates, I even added mobile access to the blog so that I could fill you in from the road and I let you down. Although some of the pictures I have sent you have been awesome.

For all of these things I apologize, and I hope that you forgive me. I know you heard around town that I have been playing around with facebook and updating daily there...But to be honest that is because I have someone to talk to there...Where people engage me, and where my friends already hang out. Anyway I didn't want to upset you I just wanted to let you konw whats up.

In the past you have been just for fun and I have kept you seperate from my others. But it would seem that my professional life, and my personal life are coming closer and closer together and it might be time that we all exsist as one...Now I am not suggesting that our all night benders and personal thoughts are right for every audience but my professional musings could often be of use to you. You might need to know what a short sale is or what the ID theft coverage on your insurance policy actually covers.

I am sure that you also want to see pics. of my two little kids, and how awesome they are. You might even want to laugh at me. I have plenty of ridiculos things that happen and you deserve to know about those as well. So here I am back at it. Stay tuned for a professional post a bit later from another blog that I have and maybe some more fun stuff.

Since I last wrote and in the mean time a lot has happened.  Both proffesionally and personally.

 I wanted to write a little bit about a Darryl Davis Seminar I atteneded yesterday.  It was put on by my office Keller Williams Central Valley.  Vinny Rommano our Team Leader at the market center is a world class Real Estate Trainer, and I have been working very closely with him over the last few months. 

 Through some career coaching he has helped me grow my business from non exsistant to healthy, and then doubled it.  Now with another baby on the way I am looking to take my career to the next level.  I think this Darryl Davis seminar ( I am attending one in Newark, NJ next week) is just what I need to reenergize and refocus my efforts.

 Do any of your have any experience with these Seminars?  How did you like them?  What did you get out of it?

I have taken the listing machine program, and have read Darryls books.

I was out showing homes last summer.  The sky was bue, the birds chirping and you could hear kids playing in the Street.   I was showing an aggressive investor a building in a neighborhood that was on the rebound.  The city of Newburgh is undergoing some great revitalization and my investor was excited to see some areas that are on the up-swing.

We had viewed a listing which could easily be consider the "worst place to live in the entire world" and were standing outside in the sun, trying to burn the bugs off of ourselves.  There had been a young lady standing next to us for a while whom seemed to be a little out of place.  She was dressed in a provocative manner and had been staring at the 3 of us for some time, always keeping her eye out for the gentleman on the corner who in turn was keeping an eye on her.

All of a sudden in the middle of going over the purchase paper work the doors of the car in front of us fly open and men storm out onto the streets.  With no warning at all half dressed women were running and screaming in all directions one even did a "dukes of hazard" type of slide across the hood of my car.  Police were screaming and threatening the use of mace and girls were running down the street in their underwear.  Unbeknownst to me and the other agent the downstairs apartment was being used as a "House of Ill-repute".

The police had chosen that day to crack down on crime in that area.  The other agent and my investor didn't seem to mind the going's on, but I said "I am getting the hell out of here".  "My face is on my business card and this is the last thing in the world I want to be in the paper for."  I will see you later.  That deal never made it to the table.

Suffice to say I was the hit of the team meeting the following Tuesday as I provided the warning  - Know the area you are showing.

What a strange place.  It's assimilation into our everyday lives is amazing.  We use it for everything.  Need a phone number, do you want to know who won American Idol, or are you searching for a home.  How about buying clothes, or looking at pictures, or even designing a rooms layout and color after you move.  You can do it all on the web.

There are some key items that your web page should have especially if you are in Real Estate.  You should keep it simple.  A button to search for homes and a button to get a Free Highest Price Analysis on your home.

It should also have a way for the people who are searching for you to contact you.  A big CONTACT ME button works just fine.  Lots of pictures is also an essential item... It keeps the reader coming back.    Virtual Tours are cool too, although don't forget to turn down the music, it can be annoying, especially if you are shopping in the middle of the night...Remember its open 24/7.