diary of a realtor: Oh, Those Broker Remarks... - 01/29/11 11:38 AM
Broker remarks... I guess you gotta love 'em.  
I was reading Charita's blog post today about agents who call to ask if the seller will take $xxxk for the home.  What a timely post- I saw broker remarks that addressed this very frustration.
If I may quote... ahem.... (this is brought to you by the Denver Metro mls, and are actual words in the "Broker Remarks" section- spelling/grammatical errors and all- of an active listing) 
Seller pretty firm on price, would rather rent it out than give it away.  Lo ballers need not apply on this one.
Huh.  Well, I … (19 comments)

diary of a realtor: The Formula for a Featured Post? Ancient Rainer's Secret.... - 01/27/11 11:16 AM

 
Some days, the blog posts just roll right off the fingers.  Other days you have to duct-tape yourself to your chair until you can squeeze something out of your brain
 
As any AR Addict can attest to, it seems that no matter which situation we are in, we seem to always strive for that "feature".  
 
I have really had my bloggin' mojo on this past week.  I have had 2 such features and it has put me on cloud 9!!  (So thank you, thank you, thank you, my AR friends!!!)
Yesterday's post about attitude really hit … (9 comments)

diary of a realtor: What Did You Forget? Your Attitude? - 01/26/11 03:30 AM
Whenever the phone rings at my house between 8:05 and 8:45, I feel like just answering it with "what did you forget?"
 
You see, we live across the street from school, so if my daughter forgets something (her flute, her lunch, her math homework), she gets right on the horn to ask me to bring it.  Some days, I just can't.  I'm already out the door and running.  Other days, I can do it.  Thankfully, it doesn't happen too often.
 
This morning's call got me thinking though.  What do you forget sometimes?  Your wallet?  Your datebook?
 
How … (76 comments)

diary of a realtor: I Just Got Tagged for a Meme Post.... Thanks Alot, David Ames! - 01/17/11 12:18 PM
So, there I was, minding my own business...  when WHAM!  I got TAGGEDfor a MeMe.  What?  What do I do now? (ok, I have to know- is it pronounced like "meem"?  "Mee Mee"?  "Mem"? I gotta knooooow!)
Here are the general rules:

Here's Eleanor's MeMe Rules (please paste the following paragraph into your post as you are tagged)
What is YOUR Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) is for 2011. I'd also like to know more about you, and your background, what is it about you that makes this BHAG so important?  What experiences are you bringing with you into 2011 that will make … (15 comments)

diary of a realtor: Excuse Me, Mr. Short Sale Agent, Your Lies are Showing - 01/14/11 05:57 AM
Oh, Mr. Agent.  Don't you know your lies are showing?  
Why are you being such an a$$?
I got a call this morning from a friend.  She was in a near panic about their "agent".  (I use the term loosely after what she told me today.)
She has had a really rough couple of years.  She has had heart surgery twice in the past 5 years and she's barely 30 years old.  They have 5 kids and bills piling up around them, especially medical bills.  It was no surprise when she confided in me last year that they just couldn't … (9 comments)

diary of a realtor: A Tale of Two Sewers: Volume 2 - 01/13/11 09:25 AM
 
A Tale of Two Sewers: Volume 2
Why you should know your sewers AND your clients.
Yesterday, I told you about my client Ivan Investor.  Ivan bought and sold a fix and flip house in Denver and between the time he had the sewer scoped when he bought the property and the time he sold it after rehabbing it, an offset in the sewer line occurred.  Luckily for the buyer, Ivan repaired the sewer line.
This is not fun for the seller, but at least in Ivan’s case, he knew a reputable scope company and was able to understand where … (2 comments)

diary of a realtor: A Tale of Two Sewers: Volume 1 - 01/12/11 01:38 PM
A Tale of Two Sewers: Volume I
 
If you have ever purchased property in Denver, you know that you should always get a sewer scope.  Always. 
Many of the sewer lines in the city are about 100 years old and are made of clay.  That’s how they did in those days.  It was the technology of the time, and they have withstood many years. 
The other thing that many of the homes in Denver have is trees.  The other thing that Denver has seen is construction and renovation.
Can you see where I am going here?
Enter Ivan … (7 comments)

diary of a realtor: If the House is a Rockin', Don't Bother Knockin'- Winter Edition - 01/09/11 04:50 AM
It's that time of the year again.  Or should I say of the quarter...
Yesterday, I canvassed my neighborhood for a little over 3 hours handing our my quarterly newsletter for 4Q 2010.  In October I posted how I do this in my blog and how you can use the idea for yourself. (see: "If the House is a Rockin', Don't Bother Knockin")
I have to admit, I wasn't feeling too good about it this time around.  Every time I go out, I have this little hesitation at the beginning.  
Will a 7 year-old tell me off and slam the … (3 comments)

diary of a realtor: Don't Forget to Clear Your Walk, Belle Creek! A Lesson Learned the Hard Way by Jennifer Prestwich, Your Belle Creek REALTOR - 01/03/11 09:23 AM
 

Don't Forget to Clear Your Walk- I learned this lesson the hard way... 
 
Section 19-1 of the Commerce City Municipal Code is a ZERO Tolerance Ordinance
 
Exhausted, we pulled up to the front of our home, after an 18 hour cross country drive.  We had not stopped to rest overnight, preferring to get across Iowa and Nebraska in the frigid temps as quickly as possible. 
We came home to plenty of snow.  We had been gone for over a week and had no idea when the snow came, or how many times it had snowed, but a … (8 comments)

diary of a realtor: The Final Day- How Was Your December? And how to get your bonus points.... - 12/31/10 07:43 AM
Happy New Year, Everybody!  I posted yesterday about the end of the Challenge, but today I just couldn't stay away...
I have received so many messages from my fellow Rainers.  Most of them have been words of thanks and gratitude for creating this Challenge.  
All I can say to that is:  Thank YOU!!  And you have yourself to thank for taking the Challenge on!
It is so exciting to hear about the success of my fellow participants.  Kathleen Frawley   sent me the sweetest email.  Seems she has had a gangbuster December with blogging and making new friends and living in abundance. … (4 comments)

diary of a realtor: Are We There Yet? Moving in Slow-Mo...? Days 20 and 21 - 12/21/10 06:30 AM
It really never changes, does it?  No matter how old we get, we ask this question.  
It doesn't matter where we are going.  We just want to GET THERE!  

Something happens in this week before Christmas.  With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we forget that we have to put one foot in front of the other to get ourselves across the street.  
 
That was why I initially shared the idea of the 31 Days of December Challenge.  Sometimes those around us are moving at break-neck speed.  
 
Other times, they are hibernating. … (21 comments)

diary of a realtor: The Early Report Is In- Home Selling Data for Belle Creek-Henderson Colorado, by Jennifer Prestwich, Your Belle Creek REALTOR - 12/18/10 06:28 AM

Although 4th quarter is not yet done, there is plenty of information to share about the home sales in Belle Creek since October 1.  
As your Belle Creek REALTOR®, I pride myself in keeping my neighborhood up to date on the activity in the neighborhood.  Here's a snap shot:
 
Since October 1, 2010- 6 Homes have sold! The average net sold price was $154,140.  (This price reflects the sold price minus any concessions or buyer down payment assistance) The average price per square foot of the sold properties was $92. Average time on market for the sold properties: … (4 comments)

diary of a realtor: I'm All A-twitter! - 12/15/10 04:06 AM
I'm All A-twitter!  Anyone out there like Twitter?  
It seems that many of us have a love/hate thing going with the 140 character micro-blogging site.  I happen to love it.
I was introduced to Twitter originally by Drew Shope.  He stood in front of a class on Social Media for REALTORS that I attended looking like a 14 year old who was skipping school.  (Come to find out, he was 24 at the time)  
But who better to help an old fart like me navigate the social media world for business?  

So, I jumped in to Twitter … (14 comments)

diary of a realtor: Where in the World is Henderson Colorado? - 12/01/10 02:50 AM
 
Where  in the world is Henderson, Colorado?
I get this question all the time!  People seem to think that this small town must be somewhere way out on the eastern plains of Colorado, or on the border of Wyoming.  They are shocked when I report that it takes me 15 minutes to get from my home in Henderson to Lower Downtown Denver.
So here are the facts:
History
In 1859, John D "Colonel Jack" Henderson bought an island on the South Platte River in a bar for the sum of two barrels of whiskey.  He set about building a trading post, … (5 comments)

diary of a realtor: Tips for Texters- Textiquette for the Twenty-First Century - 11/23/10 03:51 AM
Tips for Texters.  
A very scientific study was just conducted regarding the usage of texting for business and social relationships.  It was conducted by a non-profit group that is untainted by political or economic influences so that it could provide the most objective data possible.
It was commissioned and conducted by me.
Being somewhat of an old fart, I am sometimes surprised by how much I text.  But if we are going to be using these new-fangled "cellular phones" to communicate with those young whipper-snappers who are buying houses now, we'd better get used to it.
In fact (and I … (3 comments)

diary of a realtor: Uh Oh. I was either Grounded or Cast into the Fiery Pits of Hell..... - 11/17/10 06:03 AM
I guess I was a bad girl.  I didn't even know I was doing it.  But there is always someone watching- whether you are 4 years old or somewhere around 40....
There has been so much talk about copyright infringement on AR.  Just the other day, Russel Ray  launched a lively discussion on this very topic.  (If you haven't read it, you really should.)
And I just dare you to "borrow" Lenn Harley's images.  She will sue your a$$- and win.  (Way to go, Lenn!)
Just yesterday, thinking I was being such a good little blogger, I created a post about what … (69 comments)

diary of a realtor: Ever Considered Becoming a Landlord? - 11/16/10 11:12 AM
As many of you in the Denver area are aware, being a Real Estate Investor is a tough business.  Fix and flips have gone by the wayside for the "casual" investor who thinks it could be a "fun" experience.  
What we are finding at Your Castle is that it is a hyper-competitive market for the fix and flipper.  This is because the margins have become so compressed.  The best client for fix and flips nowadays are general contractors.  They can buy the fixer and keep their crews busy and their overhead covered, while selling at a break even point.
Not … (5 comments)

diary of a realtor: Cruisin'.... NOT my cup of spam. - 11/12/10 03:39 AM
I'm sure we have all heard about that ill-fated cruise to the Mexican Riviera that had a fire in its engine room that killed the power.  Reports of nothing to eat but Spam and Pop Tarts, no plumbing, and no air conditioning abounded.
Now, I am really not a boat person.  Trust me, I have tried.  It's not that I don't think they are cool or pretty or romantic.  It's just that when I get on the ocean, I have a small barfing issue.  (For some reason, this doesn't usually happen on a lake.  Go figure...)
But over the years, I have … (13 comments)

diary of a realtor: A Mouse in the House - 11/11/10 09:07 AM
He's so adorable!
Aren't mice cute?  So tiny, so soft, such little feet.
Unless they're in your house.  You ever notice that a mouse in a field or running across the road is something you barely pay attention to?  If you do see it, the reaction is something akin to "oh look!  Mickey!"
But when they invade your space, they take on unparalleled power.  They can drive you into a shrieking, jumping, standing-on-the-kitchen-counter kind of a madman.  (And who ever thought of the idea to stand on something?! ...which we all do when we see one...  Those critters are climbers!)
And they … (10 comments)

diary of a realtor: "99% Right=100% Wrong" - 11/04/10 11:57 AM
5 Lessons Learned from Yoga
If you've visited my blog before, you know I'm a runner.  But one thing I haven't mentioned yet is that I also practice yoga.  
Bikram Yoga.  (Yup- that's the one where you bend and twist and breathe in a 105 degree/40% humidity room.  For 90 minutes.  And, yes, I am a bit tetched.)
I took a break from that ended up being about 4 months long.  I started Bikram Yoga about a year ago and even took my daughter to class this summer.  Then she broke her elbow... we went on vacation... I was training … (2 comments)