Your REAL ESTATE Broker- Choctaw & McCurtain Counties, Oklahoma

I Want My Wrap Back From Holiday Inn.

2008-07-03T15:25:26Z

Ok, it's like this. Last week I stayed at the Holiday Inn on Financial Plaza in Shreveport, Louisiana. I took a white terry cloth wrap with me for going back and forth to the pool.

On Saturday afternoon, after housekeeping had finished with my room, my wrap was missing even though I had hung it on the shower curtain bar and had put the towels in the floor so that they could see the difference.

I called the front desk that evening and some very nice gentleman said that he would go find it. I did not hear back from him.

On Sunday as we prepared to check out, I called the front desk again to ask about my missing apparel. The wrap or sun-dress like cover up had not been turned in and they didn't know anything about it. They connected me to housekeeping when I got voice mail.

When we checked out, I asked again at the front desk. They sent me to housekeeping. I left a description of the missing clothing, my phone number, etc.

I called back on Tuesday and asked the front desk again. They didn't have a clue even though I talked to the same lady that I had talked to when we checked out. She transferred me to housekeeping again and I got voice mail again. I left a message.

This is Thursday and I still have not heard from them. Have you ever tried to find a phone number for customer service on the Holiday Inn Website??? Not to be had.

I want my wrap back, it was my favorite!

Holiday Inn, are you listening???

Log Home Builders - Here's A Great Tool For You!

2008-07-03T15:13:15Z

A Dovetail Jig for Tongue and Groove Logs - Appalachian Style Logs.

This is made by Great Northern Dovetailors

Sold new for $1800 - has been used on the construciton of 1 home. In Excellent condition, ready to go to work. Sure makes it easy to do the dovetailing on your lots. Slide your logs in and cut. They will fit like they're supposed to!

For Sale for $1200

Located in Neosho, Missouri

Call Judi Barrett for more information at 580-212-5946

Waterfront Cabin Lake Raymond Gary 2 bed 1 bath 160 ft shore line $67,000

2008-06-24T22:23:15Z

WATERFRONT CABIN for sale on Lake Raymond Gary. This is situated on a nice large lot with a very gentle slope, almost flat, to the water. Main part of the lake.

Build a boat dock, fish from the back yard. Secluded get-away for week-ends or looking for a full time residence?

2 bedroom, 1 bath.

Pine wood interior walls,

screened in sleeping porch with laundry hook-ups on the porch.

Master bedroom and living room both open onto the screened porch.

Vaulted ceiling.

160 feet of shoreline.

Listed at $67,000

Another Exclusive Offering on Lake Raymond Gary from Integrity Real Estate Services, Judi Barrett broker - call me at 580-212-5946

The Best Place To Buy Sheets!

2008-06-21T08:10:39Z

I have been buying sheets and bedding for some time now at Smart Bargains. If you enjoy quality sheets in the higher thread counts and like a good price on them, you've got to check out their site.

I've ordered from them several times. They ship promptly and it's always right. They also sell other things but I haven't ordered anything from them other than bedding at this point.

Integrity Real Estate Services

Grandchildren & Children = Are You Being a Good Example?

2008-06-21T06:45:07Z

The Blessings of Grandchildren

That old saying, “If I had known how much fun grandchildren were going to be, I would have skipping having children and just had grandchildren,” has some truth in it.

I don’t think that it’s the difference in children...whether your own children...or your children’s children (grandchildren).

I really believe that it’s the difference in our perspectives as we grow a little bit older.

As I begin to enjoy the “twilight of my youth”, it becomes really clear that life is short and it goes by so quickly. I know that it will not be long before my grandchildren will be grown, because I watched it happen with their parents.

It was only yesterday when their parents, my children, were their ages. I want to keep them small but I know that’s not going to happen…life goes by quickly and they grow up whether we want it to or not.

Those first few years of life are so important in many ways. Our children are learning from us in ways that we do not even think about. That makes it extremely important that we handle the things that life brings us in ways that will be a good example to them.

It is important enough that we should stop and think about the example that we are setting because when it gets absorbed by the little ones around us, they are learning to handle those situations when they grow up.

Some things to think about: • Am I setting the correct example for my children in my attitudes and actions toward others, especially toward them, but also toward clients, customers, neighbors, check-out people at stores, other drivers on the road... , everyone?

• Am I setting the correct example in my attitude toward things? Remember these words, “Use things and love people NOT use people and love things.”

• Do I properly care for the things that I own? Not only are they learning from us about dealing with people, but they also pick up on how to take care of things that we own. The children of today will grow up to be the clients of tomorrow.  Teaching them to care for their rooms and belongings may equate into them taking good care of their home some day.

I am a Christian, so as I deal with my children, grandchildren, clients, customers, etc it is important that I think about that. We are supposed to be showing the world Christ in us.

Also as we take care of the things that God provides for us, we are being good stewards and setting that example. I am always feeling like I need to be a better example and handle things better than I do and I pray that each day I am a better person than the day before.

Ponderings for June 20, 2008

What's Your Favorite Meeting Place That Clients Can Easily Find?

2008-06-18T07:48:59Z

June 17, 2008

"The Depot" is one place in Fort Towson, Oklahoma where everyone knows it's location. That makes it my favorite spot to meet clients. Yesterday, I made use of it twice. Met a client there to cancel a contract and later in the day met clients there to show them vacant waterfront lots around Lake Raymond Gary.

The Oklahoma Uniform Contracts are great because they provide buyers a time frame to do their inspections and if a property is not going to work for them, they can cancel the contract and get their earnest money back. Such was the case yesterday. This helps give buyers the confidence to make an offer on a property, knowing that they will have an inspection period.

Met a really nice lady yesterday that became a client before the meeting was over - Listing appointment for lake property at Lake Raymond Gary. This is going to be a property that will be looked at much, one of those that matches what I've been asked for over and over by buyers.

Lunch from The Corner Store. If you haven't read my blog on THE place to eat in Fort Towson, "The Corner Store". It is here. We did carry out and took it to our lake house to enjoy our lunch and the view. Then it started raining....just in time for my showing of vacant lots. But we donned our rain coats and looked anyway. Great folks. I believe that they will really enjoy living at Lake Raymond Gary.

One of our clients that bought a lot is having a new fence built and asked for some help in relocating some giant concrete blocks, so we took care of that and then headed home. The day is never over if there are websites to be updated, so computer time came next along with phone calls to clients, giving them updates on listings and pendings.

One last chore, on the riding lawn mower and finally Finished for the day.

Ended it with the Celtics beating the Lakers!

How was your day?

Call Judi Barrett for your real estate needs in McCurtain County and Choctaw County Oklahoma. We know the area! 580-212-5946 or email judi@integrity-realestate.net Office is located in Idabel, Oklahoma but we travel from Haworth to Hugo for our clients.

Oklahoma Alarm Clocks Set Themselves!

2008-06-17T07:37:18Z

We have a very unusual alarm clock at our house.

A Red Bird.

A real alive wild red bird.

This year since early spring, this red bird flys smack into our sun room windows. He does it over and over until he gets tired, goes for a rest and then he's back at it again.

It starts BEFORE daylight and then through-out the day, he will be back at it. I don't know if he sees his reflection and is defending his territory of if he wants inside my sunroom.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud. That will wake you up. The sun room conncects to our bedroom so that bird is my alarm clock at about 5 am every morning!

Help! What can I do???

He is really skiddish though, when you get close as if to take a pic, he's gone!

So a pic of his relative will have to do.

¿Cómo podemos poner una propiedad "bajo contrato"?

2008-06-15T16:04:55Z

¿Cómo conseguir una propiedad "bajo contrato"?

He sido formulado esta pregunta a través del teléfono muchas veces.

Para colocar una casa o terreno "bajo contrato" se inicia con su oferta. Hable con el agente de bienes raíces acerca de cuánto quieren ofrecer para la propiedad. Él / Ella puede ayudarle a hablar acerca de lo que tienen propiedades similares vendidos en la zona. A veces la gente ya sabe cuánto quieren ofrecer.

El agente de bienes raíces va a hacer su papeleo para cometer su oferta a la escritura. Un serio depósito se efectúe a mostrar buena fe intención de completar la transacción. Permite que el vendedor sabe que usted es serio acerca de su oferta y tienen la intención de compra. La seriedad de depósito está en manos de la oficina de bienes raíces hasta que un contrato válido es acordado y firmado por ambas partes, el comprador y el vendedor. A continuación se deposita en una cuenta de garantía bloqueada que se celebrará hasta el cierre, momento en el que el importe de la seriedad de depósito forma parte de su cierre y los fondos utilizarse para pagar su compra.

Hay diferentes secciones en el Contrato Uniforme de Oklahoma que utiliza nuestra oficina y nos vamos sobre los a una hora diferente. Cualquier parte de los términos de la oferta es negociable. La lista para el agente vendedor está obligado por ley a presentar a todas las ofertas del vendedor hasta que el vendedor acepta una oferta.

El vendedor puede aceptar su oferta, rechazar su oferta, o hacer una contraoferta. Una contraoferta es un rechazo de su oferta y una oferta diferente (contiene los plazos distintos de su oferta) para que usted compre el vendedor.

Una oferta puede ser retirada por el comprador hasta el momento en que es aceptada y firmada por el vendedor y entregado al comprador, o si lo autoriza, a la venta Broker. Si es una contraoferta hecha por el vendedor, puede ser retirado por el vendedor hasta el momento en que haya sido aceptada por el Comprador, firmado y entregado al Listado de Broker.

Antes de hacer su oferta de compra. Si esto no es una compra en efectivo, usted debe tratar de obtener una aprobación condicional del préstamo de una institución de crédito. Pre-calificación le ayuda a determinar cuánto puede gastar y lo que su pago será. Se le dice al agente que te tomas en serio sobre la adquisición de bienes inmuebles.

Para sus necesidades de bienes raíces en el sudeste de Oklahoma, por favor, dame una llamada. Judi Barrett, a la integridad corredor de servicios inmobiliarios. 580-212-5946.

Visite nuestro sitio web. Hacemos un montón de fotografías de nuestras propiedades, además de visitas virtuales y videos streaming. Si usted está pensando en vender mi casa en zona, con la forma en que mis clientes mostrar las propiedades y leer a través de los testimonios de mis clientes.

Integridad Real Estate Services, que actúa McCurtain choctaw y Condados en el sudeste de Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Uniform Contract for Purchase of Real Estate = third in a series

2008-06-15T08:31:00Z

If you are considering selling or buying real estate in Oklahoma, you may encounter the Oklahoma uniform Contract for Purchase of Real Estate published by the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission.

If you've missed the first two posts on this, you may want to read.

First one - How do we go about placing a property "under contract"

Second one - covering the first three paragraphs of the Oklahoma Uniform Contract

Today we're going to look at paragraph 4 of that contract. Paragraph 4 contains a list of equipment, if existing on the Property, unless otherwise excluded, shall remain with the Property at no additional cost to Buyer:

Those things are:

• Attic and ceiling fan(s)
• Bathroom mirror(s)
• Other mirrors, if attached
• Central vacuum & attachments
• Floor coverings, if attached
• Key(s) to the property
• Built-in and under cabinet/counter appliance(s)
• Free standing slide-in/drop-in kitchen stove
• Built-in sound system(s)/speaker(s)
• Lighting & light fixtures
• Fire, smoke and security system(s), if owned
• Shelving, if attached
• Fireplace inserts, logs, grates, doors and screens
• Free standing heating unit(s)
• Humidifier(s), if attached
• Water conditioning systems, if owned
• Window treatments & coverings, interior & exterior
• Storm windows, screens & storm doors
• Garage door opener(s) & remote transmitting unit(s)
• Fences (includes sub-surface electric &
components)
• Mailboxes/Flag poles
• Outside cooking unit(s), if attached
• Propane tank(s) if owned
• TV antennas/satellite dish system(s) and control(s), if owned
• Sprinkler systems & control(s)
• Swimming Pool/Spa equipment/accessories• Attached recreational equipment
• Exterior landscaping and lighting
• Entry gate control(s)
• Water meter, sewer/trash membership, if owned
• All remote controls, if applicable
• Transferable Service Agreements and Product Warranties

At the end of the list, there are two very important areas. The first is where you can include things that are not on the above list and the second is where you can exclude things that are on the list.

If any of these things do exist on the property and you as a seller or as a buyer do not want them included in the sale, make sure that they are written on the exclusion line 4(B). If there is something that you want included in the sale and it's NOT on the list, make sure that your agent gets it on the inclusion line 4(A).

Next post in this series will go over time frames and inspection periods.

Contact Judi Barrett, broker, Integrity Real Estate Services, Idabel, Oklahoma for your real estate needs in Southeast Oklahoma - from Haworth to Hugo - specializing in rural homes and farms AND LAKE RAYMOND GARY.

580-212-5946

http://integrity-realestate.net

http://integrityrealty1.com

http://choctaw-county.com/

http://waterfront-lots.net/

http://seokmls.com

http://commercialpropertylist.net

http://broken-bow-lake.com/

http://www.okhuntingland.com/

http://mccurtaincounty.net/

AND OTHERS......

If you want to sell property in McCurtain or Choctaw County, we do the most to get your property in front of the world!

Hugo Oklahoma PRCA Rodeo Results June 2008

2008-06-10T18:05:37Z

The results of the Hugo PRCA Rodeo June 5-7, 2008 as reported on the PRCA site

Picture of D V Fennell winning first place on Festus

It Was A Wild Ride!

Hugo PRCA Rodeo
Hugo, Okla., June 6-7

All-around cowboy: Steven Dent, $1,496, bareback riding and saddle bronc riding

Bareback riding: 1. D.V. Fennell, 83 points on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock Company's Festus, $1,197; 2. Buddy Gulley, 82, $898; 3. Dennis Foyil, 81, $599; 4. Steven Dent, 80, $299.

Steer wrestling: 1. Beau Clark, 4.3 seconds, $1,922; 2. (tie) Dean Gorsuch and Daniel Adams, 5.0, $1,425 each; 4. Spud Duvall, 5.5, $928; 5. Teddy Johnson, 5.8, $596; 6. (tie) Ronnie Fields and K.C. Jones, 6.0, $166 each.

Team roping: 1. David Lewis/Kipp Harrell, 4.7 seconds, $916 each; 2. Jojo Lemond/Martin Lucero, 4.8, $758; 3. Nick Sartain/Matt Kasner, 5.0, $600; 4. Phillip McCoy/Dale Simpson Jr., 5.6, $442; 5. (tie) Dakota Shipp/Justin Copp and Gavin Foster/Chuck Butler, 6.4, $221 each.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Steven Dent, 82 points on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock Company's Sister Sara, $1,197; 2. Bobby Griswold, 81, $898; 3. Rowdy Rathmell, 80, $599; 4. Marty Hebb, 77, $299.

Tie-down roping: 1. Shane Hanchey, 8.5 seconds, $1,550; 2. Randall Carlisle, 8.7, $1,283; 3. Ken Bailey, 9.3, $1,015; 4. Kody Curry, 9.5, $748; 5. Seth Emerson, 9.9, $$481; 6. Jeff Chapman, 10.1, $267.

Barrel racing: 1. P.J. Burger, 16.58 seconds, $1,257; 2. (tie) Tana Poppino and Mary Burger, 16.79, $988 each; 4. Maegan Reichert, 16.80, $778; 5. Fallon Taylor, 16.82, $599; 6. Jodi Rush-Cuccurullo, 16.90, $479; 7. Naomi Smith, 16.93, $359; 8. Mandy Smith, 17.03, $239; 9. Michelle West, 17.04, $180; 10. (tie) Gina Cates and Tana Renick, 17.07, $60 each.

Bull riding: First round: 1. Clay Lewis, 82 points on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock Company's True Believer, $418; 2. Blake Rowan, 77, $314. Second round: 1. Tate Stratton, 87 points on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock Company's Blue Wolf, $418; 2. Clay Lewis, 85, $314; 3. Blake Rowan, 80, $209; 4. Cody Sundby, 77, $105. Average: 1. Clay Lewis 167 points on two head, $418; 2. Blake Rowan, 157, $314; 3. Tate Stratton, 87 points on one head, $209; 4. Cody Sundby, 77, $105.

Total payoff: $33,393; Stock contractor: Rafter H Rodeo Livestock Company. Rodeo secretary: Shelley Hall. Officials: Kelly Corbin and Phil Sanders. Timers: Betty Hall and Tammy Braden. Announcer: Wayne Wise. Specialty act: Gizmo McCracken. Clowns/bullfighters: Dustin Adams and Greek Ellick. Barrelman: Gizmo McCracken. Flankman: Chad Cometti. Chute boss: Dell Hall. Pickup men: Butch Braden and Tim Ziebell.

Too Busy To Harvest! That's Just Not Right!

2008-06-08T14:59:25Z

We've had such an early season here for everything this year. Or so I thought until I realized that we are well into the month of June.

There are certain things that make me feel rich - fresh veggies growing in the bins, big juicy plums hanging from the plum trees, nectarines shining in the sun, apples glistening as they grow toward the autumn, the pecan trees blooms assuring me of an abundant harvest.

I turned around twice and most of the plums had over-ripened and fallen from the trees, same thing with the peaches and nectarines. Weeds are overtaking my bins.

Life is too busy when you can't enjoy playing in the dirt to bring forth a harvest. We only get one trip through this life and I plan to slow down and enjoy it.

Anyone else enjoy growing things?

Statute of limitations on reformation of deeds does not necessarily apply - Oklahoma case

2008-06-08T13:18:12Z

The five-year statute of limitations for reformation of deed does not necessary run from the date the deed was recorded, but from the date the mistake was discovered.

A group of 19 people claimed that they had only intended to convey rights to the surface land and not the mineral rights, when they sold the land in 1997.

The case was heard by the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals and that court decided that the ruling by the District Court of Logan County was wrong when it decided the statute of limitations of 5 years applied to this case.

When the property was sold in 1997, the contract clearly stated that no mineral rights were to go with the property. The Closing Acknowledgement and Release stated “land only,’ and the abstract certification and Commitment for Titel Insurance indicate sale was for surface rights. The warranty deed though did not include a reservatio nof minerals.

According to an article on CNET Networks, the buyer was willing to re-convey the mineral rights back to the previous owners when they discovered the mistake in 2004 until someone approached him to lease the minerals and convinced him that they were his.

Read the whole article here.

Oklahoma Uniform Contract for Purchase of Real Estate = second in a series

2008-06-08T08:22:25Z

Oklahoma Uniform Contract for Purchase of Real Estate - #2

This past week I posted on “How Do We Go About Getting Property Under Contract” because that question is often asked. If you’ve never purchased property through an Oklahoma Real Estate Brokerage Office , such as Integrity Real Estate Services, then you may not know what the steps are or what to expect.

Today I’m going to go over the first three paragraphs contained in the Oklahoma Uniform Contract for Purchase of Real Estate.

Paragraph 1 - Legal Description
Paragraph 2 - Purchase Price, Earnest Money and Source of Funds
Paragraph 3 - Closing Funding and Possession.

The Oklahoma Standard Contract made available through the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission is only 4 pages long until you add in any related addendums and/or attachments. Those become part of the contract and can end up being several pages long. As we go through the contract over the next few days, we will also go over possible addendums and attachments.

The Real Estate Purchase Contract is valid and binding once it has been correctly signed by both the buyer and seller. Those signatures can be on the same document or on separate identical Contract Counterparts (fax copies, photocopies, or carbon copies).

1 – Legal Description – This area of the contract should have both the legal description as it is on the title held by the seller and it should also contain the physical property address of the property.

The Standard Contract states that the sale includes “all sub-surface/mineral/water rights owned by the Seller unless specifically reserved by the Seller and noted in the Contract and excluding mineral rights previously reserved or conveyed of record.” So if you purchase using this contract, all mineral rights that the seller owns are passed to you UNLESS the Seller reserves them in the contract.

For some interesting reading on Mineral Rights and the Conflicts that get into the court system in Oklahoma:

Surface, mineral rights issuesin Oklahoma murky territory

2 - Purchase Price, Earnest Money and Source of Funds. Unless a Financing Supplemental Agreement is attached to the contract and checked at the top of the first page of the contract, the contract is designed for a cash purchase. We will talk about the Financing Supplemental Agreement and mortgages in a later post. This section has your purchase price which includes the amount of earnest money indicated on the blank for that. It also tells you that the balance is due at closing. The earnest money will be held by the Listing Broker in a trust account unless buyer and seller agree and instruct it to be held otherwise. If the trust account is an interest bearing account, the interest is paid to “Oklahoma Affordable Housing Foundation”.

3 - Closing, Funding and Possession. At closing, the buyer brings the balance of the purchase price plus closing costs, paid by either cash, cashier’s check, certified check, wire transfer, or other certified funds. Many closing companies will not accept cash. The closing company should contact you prior to closing about payment: acceptable form and amount. They should supply you or your broker with a copy of the settlement statement prior to closing. The Buyer will need a photo identification (i.e. driver’s license,etc.) at Closing.

This section also contains the date that the transaction will close by, unless extended prior to closing. The closing can take place ON or BEFORE that date. In another section, we will discuss some automatic extensions that are built into the contract, such as if there is a title problem. This section has a place for a time when actual physical possession will transfer from seller to buyer.

This area lists the standard closing costs paid by each side unless the contract is altered by agreement between the buyer and seller.

Next time we’ll pick up with what accessories, equipment, and systems are usually included in a purchase.

Property is selling in Southeast Oklahoma. Call me for your real estate needs, whether buying or selling. Judi Barrett, broker, Integrity Real Estate Services, Idabel, Oklahoma. Serving both McCurtain and Choctaw Counties. Specializing in Lake Raymond Gary waterfront properties. For your Lakefront desires, call me 580-212-5946 and let me tell you about Lake Raymond Gary at Fort Towson, Oklahoma. The “little gem” of Choctaw County and Southeast Oklahoma.

Graphic courtesy of Image Chef.

D V Fennell Bareback Bronc Rider Scores 83 at PRCA Rodeo Hugo, Oklahoma June 6, 2008

2008-06-07T13:19:07Z

D V Fennell has been busy as he travels around the states doing what he does best! And that is riding bareback bronc horses in rodeos and doing promo ads for those companies that use him to advertise fo rthem.

D V has some room for new advertisers via patches, appliques, etc. This is a great way to get your logo or business name in front of tv cameras, on youtube, in the newspapers, etc., when they talk to D V, they'll be looking at your logo. This can be an excellent way to reach your target audience, especially if you work with rural properties or farms/ranches,

Here's a Youtube video of a ride made last night at a PRCA rodeo, in Hugo, Oklahoma where D V scored 83 on a horse named Justus. D V is our son. He currently lives in Neosho, MO.

Introducing one of our local McCurtain County, Idabel professionals: Bob Terry with State Farm Insurance.

2008-06-06T14:11:20Z

As a way of helping those that are relocating to our area, I have decided to introduce different professional and business people in our area that provide needed services.

This blog is to introduce you to Bob Terry. My husband and I got acquainted with Bob Terry when we opened a State Farm Health Saving Account. Bob is the local agent for State Farm. I didn't have a picture of Bob to use here, but you can visit his website here.

For those of you that don't know this, State Farm has banking services. In fact, I check with my local bank and several places, trying to find a local place to open the health savings account. State Farm was the only place that I found that we could do that locally.

As we visited with Bob and we asked him about other services that he can offer, we discovered that he is a Certified Financial Planning Practitioner under the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards, Inc. He holds various professional designations and has almost 18 years experience in insurance and financial services.

The State Farm office does home mortgages and commercial lending too! Our office appreciates our clients having another good source for loans.

My family has found Bob to be very client oriented. He seeks out the services that his company can offer that will benefit his client. I've only heard good things about him and believe him to hold to the highest standards.

So, if you're moving to our area Idabel, Oklahoma or anywhere in McCurtain County, OR if you already live here - Bob Terry can offer you many financial services that you may need - insurance, banking, mortgages, retirement accounts, financial planning, etc. His office is located at 902 NE Lincoln Rd,Idabel, Oklahoma 74745 and their phone number is: 580-286-5627.

And for all of your real estate needs as you relocate to our great area, contact me, Judi Barrett, broker, at integrity Real Estate Services 580-212-5946.

How Do We Go About Getting Property "Under Contract"?

2008-06-06T08:17:10Z

How to get a property "under contract"?

I've been asked this question over the phone many times.

To place a home or land "under contract" begins with your offer. Talk to the real estate agent about how much you want to offer for the property. He/She can help you by talking about what similar properties have sold for in the area. Sometimes people already know how much they want to offer.

The real estate agent will do your paperwork to commit your offer to writing. An earnest deposit is made to show good-faith intention to complete the transaction. It lets the seller know that you are serious about your offer and do intend to purchase. The earnest deposit is held by the real estate office until a valid contract is agreed upon and signed by both sides, the buyer and the seller. It is then deposited into an escrow account to be held until closing, at which time the amount of the earnest deposit is part of your closing funds and applied toward your purchase.

There are different sections in the Oklahoma Uniform Contract that our office uses and we'll go over those at a different time. Any part of the terms of the offer is negotiable. The listing broker for the Seller is required by law to present all offers to the Seller until the Seller accepts an offer.

The Seller may accept your offer, reject your offer, or make a Counteroffer. A Counteroffer is a rejection of your offer and a different offer (contains different terms than your offer) made to you buy the Seller.

An offer can be withdrawn by the buyer up until the time it is accepted and signed by the Seller and delivered back to the Buyer, or if authorized, to the Selling Broker. If a Counteroffer is made by the Seller, it can be withdrawn by the Seller up until the time it is accepted by the Buyer, signed and delivered back to the Listing Broker.

Before you make your offer to purchase. If this is not a cash purchase, you should try to get a Conditional Loan Approval from a lending institution. Pre-qualification helps you determine how much you can spend and what your payments will be. It tells the Broker that you are serious about purchasing real estate.

For your real estate needs in Southeast Oklahoma, please give me a call. Judi Barrett, Broker at Integrity Real Estate Services. 580-212-5946.

Visit our website. We do lots of photographs of our properties, plus virtual tours and streaming videos. If you're considering selling property in my area, look at the way that I display my clients' properties and read through the testimonials from my clients.

Integrity Real Estate Services, serving McCurtain and Choctaw Counties in South East Oklahoma.

When You Buy a Product Look The Packaging Over!

2008-06-04T07:03:38Z

Many of you may have received this email over the past couple of months or maybe even before that:

"I've been using aluminum foil for more years than I care to remember. Great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over.

The roll always comes out at the wrong time.Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, "Press here to lock end".

Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too.

I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one, too! I can't count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.

I'm sharing this with my friends who did not know this. I hope I'm not the only person who didn't know about this."

I'm not sure where the "forward" originated, I received it from a friend. I didn't have one of those little boxes in my kitchen this morning, so I went to Snopes.com to check it out and there it was, added last month.

I buy canned sodas in the 24 pack box, and fought with the boxing for quite some time until I realized that it has perforated area to remove and then the box fits in the refrigerator nicely, functioning as one of those little dispensers that you can pay for to put your canned sodas in.

I'm usually in too big of a hurry to look packaging over when I buy something - I have, and you probably do too - too many things to do to take the time to examine a box or bag, etc. BUT I have determined that I will start. It's probably going to save me time and frustration.

Everything that we can do to make life simpler, easier, and more efficient give us more time to enjoy friends and family.

For your real estate needs in S E Oklahoma, please give me a call. 580-212-5946.

Have a good one.

Judi

SO DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE TECH SAVVY BUYERS THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH SEARCH ONLY ON REALTOR.COM??

2008-06-02T23:10:11Z

Ok, I've read some of the stats that are supposed to put the fear into me that I need to use Realtor.com. One stat that saw from one state association states something like 87% of buyers shopping online for a home search REALTOR.COM

So?

Do you believe that they LIMIT their search to that website?? Come on now. These tech savvy, internet savvy buyers that can get to REALTOR.COM to look for property, only know how to get to that website and not other website? These tech savvy internet savvy buyers looking for property and using the internet to find it DO NOT KNOW HOW TO JUST DO A GOOGLE OR YAHOO SEARCH? You've Got To Be Kidding!

I believe that the stats are higher than that quote for people looking for property in Southeast Oklahoma that search my website: http://integrity-realestate.net or http://integrityrealty1.com

I quit using REALTOR.COM because i get more referrals and leads from MY WEBSITE and from other free websites, not to mention a website or two that allows me to post unlimited pictures, virtual tours, videos, etc. all for a flat fee of $39 per month. Then they sindicate m listings onto several sights.

Here's to Doing A Good Job! It doesnt' take REALTOR.COM to do that.

Does Coffee Taste Better in Your Favorite Cup?

2008-06-02T22:48:41Z

Mine Does!

Coffee tastes better in certain cups, tea better in certain glasses. A drink of water from certain glassess quinches the thirst better. A drink from the wrong cup or glass leaves me still wanting....it lacks something.

How can that be? I don't know but it is true.

Part of the enjoyment of something is the atmosphere in which we partake of it.

The same is true of your home. If you want to sell your home, you would do well to create an atmosphere that quinches buyers' thirst. Buyers are thirsty for "their" home, not yours. That's the reason that it is recommended that you de-personalize and de-clutter your home prior to putting in on the market and having buyers walk through.

You want potential buyers to identify with your home emotionally, to imagine themselves living there.

For more tips on how to get your home sold....visit our website: http:integrityrealty1.com

If you live in McCurtain County or Choctaw County and are interested in selling your property....now is the moving time and property is selling - people are moving. Listings being taken.

Contact Judi Barrett, broker Integrity Real Estate Services, Idabel, Oklahoma 580-212-5946

Lake Side Addition at Hugo Lake - Formerly Sawyer Bluff

2008-06-02T17:15:43Z

The Choctaw County Industrial Authority got a whale of a bargain in 2004 when it purchased some property at Hugo Lake - Sawyer Bluff- one of the camp grounds surrounding the reservoir. They only paid $110,000 for the 64 acres from the U S Army Corp of Engineers. It was a pretty quiet sale.

According to an article published by The Oklahoman, the sale is under investigation by the FBI. Two years after purchasing the property, the Industrial Authority sold 62 of those acres to a local developer for $500,000. Again, it was a pretty quiet transfer. Waterfront lots were mostly contracted VERY early on.

The land was subdivided and many of the lots sold for $45,000 to $50,000 for various size of lot. Many of them less than 1 acres. THERE IS NO RURAL PIPED WATER OR SEPTIC SYSTEM in the addition. You cannot not build a boat dock. Most of the lots are NOT waterfront, Most are not even lake view.

About a month ago, an auction was held to auction off the remaining lots that had not sold. There were lots under contract to buyers at $45,000 (had not closed yet) that had lots adjacent to them that sold for $12,500.

Lots sold for between $5000 and $12,500.

Interesting things happen in the real estate market.

Looking for Property in Southeast Oklahoma For Sale? Look No Further.

2008-06-02T13:01:59Z

Whether it's a home in Idabel, Oklahoma, or maybe in Hugo, Fort Towson, Valliant, or Haworth

...around Pine Creek Lake, Hugo Lake, or waterfront on Lake
Raymond Gary. Call me, Judi Barrett, broker at Integrity Real
Estate Services at 580-212-5946. You can click on the
the arrows at the bottom to get to more pages of listings!

You're Hurting My Ears!

2008-05-30T21:42:29Z

Do you have a system that plays music for your callers "listening enjoyment" while they are on hold when they call your office?

It seems that just about everyone does anymore. I HATE IT!

I am very careful about what I listen to and allow into my ears, head, and heart. I really do resent it when I call my bank to take care of business and they plug me into a system that puts "stuff" into my ears that I would not get near if I had a choice.

I was on hold for my banker today and I had to listen to a song that was extremely violent. The singer kept talking about killing someone. It was loud and I resented it.

Switching banks would nto solve the problem...I have encountered this in several instances lately. It seems to be an increasing choice for companies to do this.

If they only knew that it truly does make me want to switch who I do business with...

So are you driving away customers and clients with the music that is being played into their ears by your telephone system?

My Favorite Map Links

2008-05-28T18:54:27Z

My favorite map links:

http://multimap.com - Multimap has great clarity in their aerials. One of my favorites for aerials. I prefer to send multimap links to my clients to show them the location of property. It is my choice for aerials.

http://msc.fema.gov - For flood zone maps. Simple and quick to use to find the flood zones on a property.

For finding co-ordinates for a property Then the lats and longs can be plugged into other sites for their mapping on my properties.

U S Census Bureau - Great free maps to use on your website.

Soil Type Maps - Great asset when you broker land.

Sale Contract in 6 days

2008-05-22T17:58:24Z

My office strives to get our listings "out there" where they can be viewed on the internet, as quickly after listing papers are signed, as possible.

We recently listed a gorgeous 1700 sq ft home on 4 acres near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. We immediately had a showing within 2 days and an offer within 4 days, followed by a sale contract in 7 days.

Don't get me wrong, the owners of this home had done their job. The home was clutter-free, very clean, very neat, and the furniture was appropriately arranged to show off the lovely details of the home in the pictures. Everything was perfect.

Not only that, but based upon what I've already told you, these clients were easy to work with - they and I were immediately on the same page - Get this home sold!

They priced the home according to our cma and everything fell into place.

So - if you want to sell a home, do as these smart sellers did:

1. De-clutter and clean.

2. Clean and de-clutter.

3. Have I mentioned yet to De-Clutter and clean?

4. Stage the furniture to show off your home.

5. Call a good real estate agent to market your home.

6. Listen to the real estate agent that you have hired.

7. Price according to the CMA that your agent will do for you.

8. Leave the home when the agent is showing it.

Happy Selling to you!

For a good real estate broker in Southeast Oklahoma, call Judi Barrett at 580-212-5946 to get your property marketed worldwide.

Integirty Real Estate Services

Beautiful Earth-Bermed Home Situated on 2 Acres For Sale Broken Bow, Oklahoma 74728 $148,000

2008-05-22T17:44:57Z

Custom Quality Built Earth-Bermed Home. Beautiful Home with detail to quality. Bermed on three sides with the South brick faced side open to the 2 landscaped acres. Stately trees and strategic plantings of flower beds make this a really enjoyable yard. Large front porch and garage.
Home was remodeled a few yeras ago and has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, Living Room with brick gas fireplace, large eat-at bar in the kitchen, dining room, den, and laundry room. Central heat/air.
Home has a convential roof line with a storage area in the "attic". 2200 sq ft. Lovely home with many advantages due to be earth bermed.
Call me about this one of a kind offering!
Judi Barrett 580-212-5946
judi@integrity-realestate.net

Features

Interior Features

▪ Carpeted Floors	▪ Ceiling Fan	▪ Fireplace
▪ Laundry Room

Cooling

▪ Central Air

Exterior Finish

▪ Brick

Heating

▪ Central Electric

▪ Forced Air

Roof

▪ Composition

Lot Features

▪ Landscaped

▪ Lawn

▪ Trees / Shrubs

Appliances

▪ Dishwasher

▪ Dryer

▪ Washer

Call Judi Barrett at 580-212-5946 to view this beautiful earth-bermed home.