real estate: Life without real estate??? Inconceivable!!!!
- 10/13/09 01:57 AM
Life without real estate??? Inconceivable!!! Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking at my son's school to the career connections classes (four in all) about my profession. My son is in the seventh grade at Mountain Valley Middle School at Canyon Lake, Texas and all seventh and eighth graders have to take the career connections class where they learn about different careers and what you need in terms of skill set, education and personality types to succeed in those trades. My son brought home a form and asked me to fill it out and basically I was volunteering to do … (6 comments)
real estate: Recap from the 81st Texas Legislature.
- 08/24/09 08:25 AM
Recap from the 81st Texas Legislature I am proud to be a part of such a pro-active state REALTOR association with an incredible hand in governmental and political affairs. The Texas Association of REALTORS has a long-standing commitment to their members and the private property owners of Texas to protect their rights. TAR once again had a successful lobbying season in the lastest Texas Legislature. Below is a recap of the progress made by the TAR team on important REALTOR and private property rights issues. The Texas Association of REALTORS® put forth an ambitious agenda for this session. For the most … (0 comments)
real estate: All those little letters after agent's names may not mean what you think!
- 08/24/09 08:08 AM
All those little letters after agent's names may not mean what you think! I remember my first designation. It was the GRI and I worked really hard to get it my first year after I got my license. I worked for a broker who is an industry icon that I respect immensely and she had more little letters after her name than I even knew existed. I wanted to earn those letters too! At first it was an ego thing...but once I finished the GRI I knew it was about personal growth and using my new-found knowledge to serve my … (11 comments)
real estate: What I learned about real estate from a three year old boy...
- 08/15/09 05:27 AM
What I learned about real estate from a three year old boy were some interesting lessons about life, my business and myself while surrounded by dinosaurs, superheroes, farm animals, boats and hotwheel cars on the dining room floor. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in life that I forget the little things that mean so much. In the month of July alone I have had a friend pass away, struggled in my business, taken care of my mom who has been not feeling well, had another friend go through some horrible personal trials, worked long hours in the extreme Texas … (6 comments)
real estate: Plan??? What Plan???
- 06/22/09 01:10 AM
Are you one of those agents that wakes up in the morning and doesn't have a clue where you are going? Do you wander into the office at 10:00 in the morning and look for the closest box of donuts, cup of coffee and a fellow agent to shoot the bull with? If this is you...READ THIS BLOG!!! OR... Are you one of those agents who hits the floor running every morning with a time blocked day of productivity and revenue generating activities and limits unnecessary interruptions via a daily plan that fits into a weekly plan that fits … (14 comments)
real estate: Don't lose sight of what's really important...
- 06/21/09 10:39 AM
We blog a lot about what's going on in real estate... but today on Father's Day I want to remind you to slow down, take a look around and savor the moments in your life. Remember your "why" for being in this business and think about your family, friends and faith. The next listing, qualified buyer, inspection, loan app, appraisal, BPO, short sale or training session will still be there when you come back and the world certainly will not stop revolving on its axis because you took a time out! I lost my Daddy four years ago May 15... … (12 comments)
real estate: Am I breaking child labor laws???
- 05/27/09 02:41 PM
It's far from a sweat shop...but I can be a slave driver... I am getting serious. I am making commitments. I am walking the walk. I am putting my 12 year old son to work in my office this summer! Okay...before you all go all "poor little guy" on me...he gets to go to basketball camp, boy scout camp, band camp and youth camp...so it won't be like he is pulling 40 hour shifts for his entire summer vacation! He is so awesome on the computer and instead of driving humvees in a combat zone... or slaying the latest arch-enemy … (12 comments)
real estate: 30,000 Points and an Upgrade!
- 05/26/09 03:08 PM
I joined Active Rain in 2008, set up my profile and read a couple of blogs....I liked it...but it wasn't a priority in my marketing. I had taken a hiatus from actively listing and selling real estate to manage a 50 agent office and be a company trainer. So I didn't log in very often and even though I continued to urge fellow agents I was training to embrace social networking and blogging, I wasn't really walking the walk. In January I walked away from my salaried job to open my own brokerage firm with my Mom. This is when … (10 comments)
real estate: UUMMMMM....Haven't we been down this path before???
- 05/20/09 01:48 AM
I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THE "WAFFLING" THAT HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE... regarding the $8,000. FTHB Tax Credit and I must say that I am seeing some shear stupidity beginning to surface. I am no philosopher, but I have been through enough real estate and economic cycles to know a storm brewing when I see one. First we need to understand the basic premise that "nothing is FREE!" and that if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS $8,000. TAX CREDIT THINGY... First it's FREE, then it's a loan, then it's … (1 comments)
real estate: 2511 George Pass - PRICE REDUCTION - Now only $64,937!
- 05/19/09 02:46 AM
LUXURY CANYON LAKE, TEXAS LIVING! If you love living on a lake...this is for you! If you have an airplane...this is for you! If you have always wanted a place in the Texas Hill Country...this is for you! If you want a good deal...this is for you! BREATHTAKING HILL COUNTRY VIEWS! 1.134 acre home site in this upscale gated and master planned community on the north shore of Canyon Lake. Neighborhood amenities include: gated access, central mailboxes, curbed streets, excellent restrictions, central water, underground utilities, private airport, 28 acre waterfront park, pool and pavilion. THIS IS FOR YOU... … (2 comments)
real estate: Because you believed in me...
- 05/15/09 02:26 AM
I am an accomplished woman. I am a single mom. I am a successful REALTOR. I am an entrepreneur. I am a dreamer. I am a fighter. I am an optimist. I am... because you believed in me. Four years ago today I lost my father. Daddy was way too young to die. He was only 66 and was taken from us too early by a brutal disease that he bravely fought for three years. Leukemia is something that happens to other people...but that day it happened to my family. I was blessed to be at Daddy's bedside when he … (6 comments)
real estate: Happy Mother's Day to a great REALTOR!
- 05/09/09 02:02 AM
MANY OF US ARE BLESSED TO BE REALTORS... I am blessed to be a second generation REALTOR who was introduced to the industry by my mentor, friend and mom. I am a only child and my late father was an engineer in the computer industry, so the companies he worked for moved us around...A LOT! During my childhood I moved 14 times...that is a lot of real estate transactions. I spent time in Dallas, Houston, Boston, Atlanta, Escondido CA, Hermosa Beach CA, San Ramon CA and being a native Texan was delighted to round out my tour of duty in … (3 comments)
real estate: Do buyers who need a reason to buy??
- 04/03/09 09:14 AM
I was catching up on some reading today and came across the headline: 6 Reasons Why It's Still a Good Time to Buy. That grabbed me because I am hearing people all over the place moaning with woe about that horrible horrible real estate. Let's face it no matter where you are...if you can afford it, real estate is a fabulous investment. Now is a great time to buy...and I was impressed with this little list that the Wall Street Journal put out...so I forwarded it to the agents that I am broker for and suggested that they create ways to … (5 comments)
real estate: and then a State Trooper said "ladies, come with me!"
- 04/01/09 01:10 PM
Yesterday was an awesome day in Austin, the state capital of Texas! It was officially proclaimed by the Texas Senate "REALTOR Day" at the capitol. The Texas REALTORS did not disappoint and showed up in full force to let our legislators know exactly where we stand on key issues affecting our industry and the precious private property rights of our fellow Texans. I have not heard a final count, but the number 1800 was floating around yesterday. Can you imagine 1800 REALTORS in one place? Mayhem...Chaos...or perhaps just good old Unity! It was an amazing day and as you can see … (5 comments)
real estate: Does anyone remember when real estate on the internet was new?
- 03/30/09 02:23 AM
I am continually amazed by the ease of marketing properties, agents and brokerages online these days. I remember when most agents were still saying the internet would never last, it would replace REALTORS and that the general populace would never go there first! Hmmmmm...I am so glad that I was progressive thinking back then and bought my first website even though most of the agents I worked with thought I was insane! Okay, now I ask the question..."Who is insane???" Back in the day (man I am sounding like some old codger lecturing the whipper snappers!) you pretty much had three … (3 comments)
real estate: Nothin' like fresh air and sunshine to sooth the soul...
- 03/29/09 06:29 AM
It is a gorgeous day in the Texas Hill Country! Yesterday I blogged about licking my wounds after being told I basically wasn't good enough to handle a listing. Ouch...that kind of feedback hurts! I generally handle negative feedback well, I have learned to let it roll off my back as my Mom and business partner has taught me to do. I thought a lot about why that call bothered me so much yesterday because I am one of those people who is compelled to analyze where things went wrong and how I can learn, grow and get better from each … (3 comments)
real estate: A "bad" market equals new housing starts, new development and increased property values???
- 03/27/09 02:57 AM
First let me start with a caveat...I am a Texas REALTOR who does business in the Texas Hill Country and we are very fortunate that we have not been exposed to some of the tragic fallout of the economic woes that plague many other markets. With that being said I wake up this morning curious about what defines a "bad" market. I have been invited to a Broker/Agent coffee in a couple of weeks being hosted by a developer (who I used to work for) announcing the grand opening of their latest (4th) upscale gated community in a rural/resort market. I … (2 comments)
real estate: I am really diggin' this gig!
- 03/24/09 02:49 PM
I am an only child and they tell me that means that I am a combination of the first born, the middle child and the baby of the family all rolled into one package. I am the mom of an only child and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Jordan is a great kid and since he was 11lbs 2oz at birth, he will always be an only child! Where is this going you ask? Well I have heard it said through the years that having one child is easy and having two children is easier...I always thought that … (3 comments)
real estate: Laundry, dirty dishes, raised toilet seats, pets and sick kids...not in your listing photos please!
- 03/22/09 07:11 AM
Ahhhhh....ugly listing photos! We have all seen them, heck you may be one of the guilty agents who has taken them and worse yet...actually had the audacity to publish them for the world to see. Let's face it, the days of being able to take a crummy photo of your latest listing (notice I said "A" crummy photo) and just have other agents who take equally crummy photos see it,are long gone. Now you take a photo and it better not be just one, it better be a plethora, and whammo your photographic skills or lack thereof is plastered all over … (7 comments)
real estate: "brush your teeth, don't take dorky pictures and don't buy truckstop curios!"
- 03/21/09 09:00 AM
Some say that the definition of "mixed emotions" is watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your new Mercedes...I am facing a new breed of mixed emotions this spring break...the parental kind. My son started middle school this year which was a big change and to make matters more challenging he went from a small Christian private school to a larger public school. I have had some adjustments to make and I think all in all, Jordan is adjusting better than I am. I have never been an overbearing or overprotective parent because as my friends and family tell me, … (3 comments)
Life without real estate??? Inconceivable!!!
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