Kevin's Blog

Country Living

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:26:37 -0500

Enjoy COUNTRY LIVING in this just listed 3 bed 2.5 bath bungalow in country setting offers hardwoods, 2 fireplaces, formal dining, walkin closet, swimming pool, double detached garage, double carport rocking chair front porch, large deck and more. Get more information and pictures at http://kevinteetersrealty.com

Tons of storage for a growing family all this for only 150,000 call today 828-228-5076

Putting Lenoir, NC On The Map!!!

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:07:38 -0500

What's Great About Lenoir, NC?

In the September 2008 issue, National Geographic Adventure magazine included Lenoir, NC among "The Fifty Next Great Adventure Towns." Lenoir is included in 50 innovative towns that are attractive for investment and relocation. The authors of the article, Sarah Tuff and Greg Melville, were quoted as saying "...this year we selected 50 innovative towns that aren't just prime relocation spots right now, but smart choices for the future. Not only do they have the action. They've got a plan."

Big Businesses Choosing Lenoir

The article mentions Internet giant Google, who recently located one of its data centers in Lenoir. The data center is located about a mile away from downtown Lenoir and currently, there are around 500 workers building the complex.

Location, Location, Location

With the appealing climate, great cost of living, lower taxes, and proximity to Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lenoir is growing in industrial, commercial and retail development. They've also recently had hi-tech newcomer VX Aerospace and pharmaceutical company Galexe Pharma Sciences open locations in their community.

Real Estate Booming In Lenoir

The median home prices in Lenoir, NC is $115,000 and mountain views starting at $299,000. For those wanting a return to nature and beautiful surroundings, the homes here are available and affordable, which is leading to an unprecedented boom in residential growth. Over 13,000 acres of residential developments will include amenities such as hotel facilities, condos, lakes and world-class golf.

Lenoir Receives More National Recognition

Recently, Businessweek.com ranked the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 14th best housing market in the U.S. for 2007. Lenoir was also named an All American City in 2008.

What Can You Do In Lenoir?

Because Lenoir is just minutes from Hickory, Morganton, Boone, Blowing Rock, the Pisgah National Forest, Wilson Creek, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, there is much to see and do in Lenoir. Camping, kayaking, hunting, fishing, waterfalls, hiking trails, off-road driving, and mountain biking are all available in selected areas.

Want To Learn More?

Contact me and I'll be happy to talk with you about all this wonderful area has to offer. Thinking about your next vacation? Consider Lenoir, NC and plan your adventure now!

6975 Stone Mountain Road, Lenoir, NC 28645

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:46:12 -0500

$834,000

Price Recently Reduced

139 acres of breathtaking mountain views in Western North Carolina

6975 Stone Mountain Road, Lenoir, NC 88645

From: Keller Williams

Listing Type: Resale

Lot Size: 139.0 acres

Scenic views. Great development potential. Near the Blue Ridge Mountains....

If you love the mountains and nature, your going to love this property. It's natural springs and trails perfectly compliment the gorgeous views.

4566 Fox Road, Lenoir, NC 28645

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:11:54 -0500

Recently Listed

8.87 Acres of Development Property

4566 Fox Road, Lenoir, NC 28645

$100,000 2 br 1 ba 1,100 sqft Single-Family Home

From: Keller Williams

Listing Type: Resale

Status: For Sale

Year Built: 1968

Price/sqft: $91

Lot Size: 8.87 acres

MLS # 9541882

Great property for small farm or to develop. Seller is motivated. Bring all offers....

Re-Blogging, Copying your Web site, and Stealing Your Work - Oh My!!

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:50:51 -0500

Worried about someone taking your online works of art? How many of you are familiar with Creative Commons licensing?

Visit Creative Commons and view their About page at: http://creativecommons.org/about/.

They offer tools and services, and some interesting opinions to consider when you create something. You can reserve some rights, put your work in the public domain, or even replicate a copyright as it was first introduced. I found this site very educational. While Creative Commons is intended to protect certain rights of creation, the primary role of the CC license is to foster proper distribution and attribution of content. In other words, CC seeks to expand works rather than limit works.

Basically, copyright is used to tell someone to ask permission before using certain material. A Creative Commons license is more of a notice that your content can be used, but a polite request to let the content owner know that you will be using their content. Creative Commons is voluntary for content creators who want to publicly clarify their rights independently of existing copyright law. One a content creator chooses and posts a CC license, it would not be likely they would dispute their choice in the future.

Creative Commons licenses attach to the work and authorize everyone who comes in contact with the work to use it consistent with the license. This means that if Bob has a copy of your Creative Commons-licensed work, Bob can give a copy to Carol and Carol will be authorized to use the work consistent with the Creative Commons license. You then have a license agreement separately with both Bob and Carol.

On the Internet, it is wise to clarify use and restrictions in lay terms, but also in terms with legal meaning, and meaning to search engine spiders. This approach acknowledges the reality or content in the modern age more so than traditional copyright law.

The CC licensing seems to be much more feasible in our "wired" society. The CC licensing seems to be a quick way to address content ownership issues. In our times of instant messaging, blogging and Web streaming, I can see how CC licensing would be utilized.

What do you all think about this new approach to copyrights?

Do You Use RealBird?

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:28:20 -0500

I would like to invite you to join RealBird.com, the leading online real estate marketing service. I have uploaded the widget to my Active Rain site. The widget that I selected gives my blog viewers the ability to search by homes, agents or values, gain access to my blog, view my Web site or see my featured listing.

Some of the services they offer include:

The Listing Publisher provides advanced services to market your real estate properties online. Create stunning single property websites and publicize your listings with automatic distribution to 3rd party classified sites and with widgets on your website, blog and ActiveRain profile. You can also create draft presentations and use them to win more listing interviews. The service is for residential and commercial real esate agents and brokers.

Post a new listing  - Instant single property website (or create a draft prior to listing interview)

Manage current listings  - Photos, videos, open house dates, post it on Craigslist etc. (Bunch of new features)

Publicize  - Map widget, RSS widget etc.

Visitor stats   (New)  - The industry's most comprehensive set of web analytics for your listing sites. Powered by Google, Clicky and MyBlogLog.

The RealBird® Virtual Tour is a low cost add-on option to the free RealBird Listing Publisher.

In order to add a Virtual Tour to your MLS listing record and gain incremental exposure through the widespread IDX distribution on your local market, you have to include an unbranded virtual tour that does not show any of your contact information. The RealBird Virtual Tour provides you a way to easily create a custom, unbranded version of your free RealBird single property website for MLS inclusion, at an unbeatable price point.

RealBird® Map-based MLS Search

Unique MLS search solutions including map-based property search and MLS hotlist widgets with built-in viral marketing features for a richer property search experience. Our low-cost solution is "plug & play" and works nicely with your existing IDX provider. It can be embedded into your website, blog and social networks. These widgets are visually impressive and interactive, providing easy-to-use, state-of-the-art features for your visitors, such as "Just Listed" notification, social bookmarking, sharing and tools for tracking market activity.

RealBird® Real Estate Yellow Pages

Promote your real estate services on SearchOnMaps.com - RealBird's premier real estate yellow pages, property search and home valuation portal. Supports all the features of the RealBird Listing Publisher and much more.

Who is it for? Any type of real estate professionals: agents, brokers, mortgage lenders, appraisers, title companies, builders etc.

Only $89 per year Learn more, see why Get listed, sign up today

You have the ability to display slideshows for your featured listings, which are great eye-catchers to boost your sales. Get started today. Visit their Web site at http://www.realbird.com/. Happy posting!

SEO and Web Site Architecture

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:18:12 -0500

Architecture is defined as a unifying or coherent form or structure. Thus, it is fitting that site architecture is the manner in which the components of a computer or computer system are organized and integrated (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Simply, it is the process of organizing Web site content.

Any successful Web site has been designed with integration as a foundation, as site architecture controls the flow and content of a Web site. When you have quite a bit of information, you want to ensure you separate in an organized way that leaves the Web site visitor not feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information. Additionally, not all of the information may be relevant to each visitor, so you will want to ensure they can quickly filter out the information they will not need. Thus, an organized structure and flow are necessary for successful Web site navigation.

When evaluating the successfulness of a site's architecture, we must evaluate the following:

•· Directory structures, which will include an overview of HTML, root directories and sub-directories.

•· Navigation schemes, which will include text-based versus graphics-based schemes, multimedia effects, pull-down menus and hypertext links.

•· URL structures, which will review domain names, file names and hyphenation.

•· Web page types, which will explore the various types of pages, which can include Home page, services page, and search and search results page.

•· Page layout, which covers how the different types of Web pages may need different layouts to be effective.

•· Cross-linking, which will review vertical and horizontal cross-linking and then navigational linking to related pages.

It is also imperative that the site architecture flow with the business plan and Web design. Also needing some exploration is why many search engine marketers have only specialized in advertising and have not focused on site architecture. We will explore search engine optimization (SEO) as part of the overall site architecture.

Directory Structures

To understand directory structure, we must first understand root directories. The top directory in a file system, the root directory is provided by the operating system and has a special name. For example, in DOS systems, the root directory is called \ (Webopedia, n.d.).

Generally, your most important pages on your Web site are closest to the root directory. Your root directory should include the home page (index.html) and the Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt). The robot exclusion standard, also known as the Robots Exclusion Protocol or robots.txt protocol, is a convention to prevent cooperating web spiders and other web robots from accessing all or part of a website which is otherwise publicly viewable (/ROBOTS.TXT, 2008).

By placing the most important Web site pages are at the root level, you are ensuring that the search engines and visitors to your site are viewing the important pages. Generally, a Web site should have the following subdirectory structure:

/cgi-bin, /css, /images, index.html, /logos, /pdf, robots.txt, /scripts

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the main markup language for Web pages. HTML provides a way of describing the structure of text-based information in a document. It does this by expressing text as links, headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on. An HTML file is a text file containing small markup tags that tell the Web browser how to display the page. The HTML will supplement that text with interactive forms, embedded images, and other objects (XML Master, n.d.).

With the directory structure, the URL for a home page would be http://www.yourdomain.com/index.html. For a B2B Web site, the URL for the services page would be http://www.yourdomain.com/services.html.

Navigation Schemes

A Web spider, sometimes referred to as a Web crawler, is a type of bot that starts with a list of URLs to visit. As the spider visits these URLs, it locates all of the hyperlinks on the page and adds them to a list of URLs to visit. The Web spider from one machine sends HTTP requests for documents to other machines on the Internet (Blum, Keislar, Wheaton and Erling, 1998). HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, is the protocol of the Web and determines what you can and cannot send or receive on the Web. Many Web sites, including search engines, use Web spiders to provide current data. Web spiders can create a copy of all the visited pages for the search engine to index as downloaded pages to provide faster searches. Web spiders can also be used to automate certain tasks on a Web site, such as checking links or verifying HTML code.

A Web site's navigation scheme can be thought of as a map, depicting how the various pages relate to one another. As with any map, it should show how visitors will travel through the site as they click on links or use the application interfaces. The navigation scheme should be reflected in the navigation bars that are used throughout the various Web pages.

Now that we have defined Web spiders and given a general overview of navigation schemes, it is important to note that some navigation schemes are more spider-friendly than others. Usability tests have shown that navigation bars and hypertext links are more spider-friendly than D-HTML pull-down menus and navigation buttons (Thurow, 2004).

While you do want a Web site to be spider-friendly and to have a cohesive map, it is important to remember the visitor's view. The Web site should be one in which visitors find visually appealing with ease of navigation throughout the site. Also try to avoid application interfaces that require users to make additional downloads before they are able to proceed with viewing the site's content. This could result in visitor frustration and cause potential customers to not return to the Web site. Focus groups are a great way to determine what visitors find appealing in terms of site navigation schemes.

To view a site with poorly planned Web site navigation, please visit http://web.archive.org/web/20070124205212/http://www.deptofenergy.com/. Once you click on the link, your browser will actually be re-sized, you will not be able to tell what the business is, and I believe the flashing is actually something that can lead to seizures for some visitors. Because of the volume of complaints about the original site, whose site gave you no indication they were an energy company other than the URL, the company re-designed their site in 2007. The new site can be viewed at http://www.deptofenergy.com/. This new design uses navigation much more successfully.

URL Structure

Search engine spiders may not be able to reach pages not closely tied to the root directory, which is something to consider when developing sub-directories. It may be helpful to use keywords in the URLs of sub-directories so that the search engines will recognize the page. An example could be the difference between insurance-sales.html and sales-insurance.html. If a search engine returned both of these, which one would direct viewers to the appropriate site? It is critical to have a consistent formation of URLs so users are sure to know the Web site is specific for the information they are intending to locate.

Also, file names should include keywords and not generic terms. As with our example above, if your company sells three types of health insurance, it would be a mistake to call your products something like this:

www.abcinsurancecompany/pdt1.html

www.abcinsurancecompany/pdt2.html

www.abcinsurancecompany/pdt3.html

This only tells a search engine that you offer something called pdt. A better example would be something more along the lines of:

www.abcinsurancecompany/flexspendingaccount.html

www.abcinsurancecompany/healthsavingsaccount.html

www.abcinsurancecompany/medicareadvantage.html

You would also want to ensure that your home page links to each of these pages.

Another area of controversy is whether to use hyphenations in domain names and file names. Hyphenations are recognized by most search engines as text dividers in URLs, while most search engines like Google ignores underscores (Faceries, 2004). Using hyphenations can be appropriate if, for example, your company is named ABC Insurance Company and that domain name was already registered to another company. If neither domain has been registered, purchasing both can be a good way to protect your brand. One disadvantage is that visitors may not remember to use hyphenations and may have difficulty locating your business or be directed to another business site.

Web Page Types

When searching for information on a site, each page visited must either provide the content being sought or take them closer to that content. There is some debate over how many types of Web pages exist. Regardless of the exact number, the main types of Web pages typically include the following:

•· Home Page - Often referred to as a landing page, the home page is considered by some as the least important page on a site. Its main purpose is to send visitors in the right direction. Also, depending upon the size of the site, the home page can be a combination of other pages described below, which would increase its importance.

•· Content Pages - The content pages should contain the content the visitors are looking for and are considered the most important Web pages. The content pages allow users to gather information and visit more content pages to obtain additional information.

•· Galleries - This page is the most important "link in the chain," as it is a listing of links to content pages. Visitors will select their content page from within the gallery.

•· Departments - For larger sites that have too many links to only have one gallery, a Department page is used to list all galleries. Visitors should clearly be able to know that the department pages listing all galleries are different that the gallery pages listing all content pages.

•· Search and search results page - For sites that have a great deal of content, a search feature allowing visitors to easily scan the contents of the site to easily find what they are looking for will make navigating the Web pages much more user-friendly.

•· Product page - While this will not apply to all Web sites, the product page should list all products being offered by the company. This can be done in a simple list, as hyperlinks to pages giving more detail or in a catalog format.

•· Services page - The services page should cover all services being offered by the company hosting the site. As with the product page, this may not apply to all Web sites.

•· Forms page - The content on the forms page will give any forms the company is accepting from consumers and will not apply to all Web sites. There are variations for the form page, as well. Some company Web sites will choose to have forms available in HTML or PDF, while other sites will have forms that can be completed online and sent directly back to the company.

•· News/media page - The news/media page will highlight any noteworthy news the company wants its visitors to be aware of, as well as highlighting media coverage and press releases for the business.

•· Shopping cart pages - For companies who offer a product page, it may be more convenient to offer visitors the ability to place orders via the shopping cart pages. While shopping, the consumer can place items they want "on hold" in a shopping cart and once they are finished shopping, proceed to their shopping cart to place their order. This will usually include the ability to make a payment, which will require payment pages, as well as shipping and billing pages (Spool, 2005).

In visiting http://www.walmart.com/ , you can see that there are various page links vertically along the left side of the page, horizontal links at the top and bottom of the page, and image / text links throughout the center of the page. The Shop pages are laid out in a different format than the Services and Help pages. Likewise, the Online Directory page is formatted much differently than the Terms of Use page.

Page Layout

Because there are many different types of Web pages, the layout for one type of page, such as a shopping cart page may not work for a different type of page, such as the forms page. Visitors to your Web site would not expect to locate your product information on the News page or Home page.

Search engine visibility can be improved with proper Web site page layout. Google's PageRank was created just because page design and layout are so important.

PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at considerably more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; for example, it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." Using these and other factors, Google provides its views on pages' relative importance (Google, 2008).

Another important factor for search engine visibility is download time. Ideally, the Web site should have a Web server that gives the search engine spiders the Web pages as quickly as possible. Search engines measure download time, as do visitors to your Web site, as well as cloaking, which is delivering one version of a page to one visitor and another version to others (Webmaster World, 2007). If a cloaked page does not have the same file size as the actual page that visitors see, the search engines realize that the Web site owner is likely participating in Spam practices.

Search engines also prefer files that are 100k or less. If an HTML file is larger than this, some spiders will not read past the first 100k of information. PDF files are typically read up to 750K, as is the case for AltaVista. Google actually indexes up to 2,000K for a PDF. Therefore, the size of your files could have an impact based on the visitors search engine choice and how they are reaching your Web pages (Thurow, n.d.).

Cross-Linking

We can break down internal Web site cross-linking into two categories: vertical and navigational linking. To understand both, a basic understanding of breadcrumbs is necessary. Bread Crumbs are a series of links that leads to the current page. The visitors navigate the website with ease, because the visitor can go back and forth with ease (ABC Article Directory, 2008).

Cross-linking, also described as internal link architecture, refers to how you inter-link various pages within your own Web site (The Online Marketing Guy, n.d.). This is vital for allowing visitors to navigate through your Web site to various topics and to link to other areas of your site when items are related. It is not necessary to link every page to every other page on your Web site. This can be over-kill and could cause too many links to be displayed, causing frustration for your visitors.

To see vertical cross-linking, you simply need to verify the breadcrumbs. An example of this might be:

Home > Health Insurance > Health Savings Account > Compare Available Products

If visitors want to know more about health insurance, they can click on the "Health Insurance" text link. If they want to find out more about Health Savings Accounts, they can click on the "Health Savings Account" text link.

Many Web sites, however, fail to group related pages through navigational linking, which can sometimes referred to as related or horizontal cross-linking. Navigational linking helps organize the Web site content into logical groups for users. The most easily used navigational links are text links, followed by linked images. Text-based links can be used with most Web sites to pass value between the Web pages. Linked images can be clicked on as a button to go to the next page. Some Web sites have also been designed with Javascript-based navigational menus. While these can appear like text links, they do not work with spiders and are typically not indexed by search engines because they are not seen by the spiders. In these cases, bread-crumbs can be added to help the spiders find the information and ensure search engine optimization (The Online Marketing Guy, n.d.). For example, once the visitor has found information about the Health Savings Account they are interested in, what do you want them to do? From the "Product Information" page, are they able to link to the "Apply Online" page or the "Contact Us" page?

Business Plan

The business planning process has several components, but the primary purpose is to identify business goals and measurable success factors. The Web site architecture is the IT roadmap for implementing the business plan; it should provide the implementation details for the site. Too often the business plan and Web site architecture are designed and implemented by different areas who are not communicating with one another. Ultimately, the Web site should not be designed reactively to reach a new market not considered in your original business plan, but proactively as a way of completing your existing business plan. The Web site architecture and business plan should be constantly reviewed together and adjusted cohesively to changing business requirements.

Additionally, a successfully designed Web site should be planned with future growth in mind. The design should be scaleable to be useful and to grow with the business. Too often, a Web site is implemented, only to be forced to have a major re-design every time a new product or category needs to be added. When a visitor finds your Web site online and receives a "We apologize for any inconvenience, but this site is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance" or "Site down due to construction," this can lead to lost sales.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) requires that Web sites be well-designed and easy to navigate. To put simply, SEO is just an extension of proper Web page design. By making a Web site that is not too complex and readily accessible, the search engine robots have the easiest route to index the site. This also creates a better experience for the visitors to the site.

Search engines change their search criteria based on their company, their version, etc. Some search engines only specialize in advertising or search engine optimization. The search engine companies typically do not create Web sites, nor do they perform usability testing on page layout, design and navigation schemes. An ethical search engine marketer will follow the terms and guidelines set forth by the search engines. Search engine rankings tend to rely on three components:

1. Keyword rich text - A page must contain the words and/or phrases that people type into search queries.

2. Search engines must be given easy access to that text.

3. Other people must consider a page's content to be valuable. If a person thinks content is valuable, that person tends to link to the page that contains the content (Thurow, 2004).

Of course, no search engine measures these components in the same manner. Rather than attempting to keep up with each search engine's criteria, it is better to focus on good text and good links. This will ensure that the information on your site is reliable, accurate and easily found by the search engine robots.

It is also important to note that search engine ranking is not the same as search engine indexing. Search engine ranking determines how to rank the content, which is a technical task. Search engine indexing is getting search engines inside your site to understand the content, which is part of a business plan or strategy.

According to OneNaught.com (Shah, 2007), some steps for improving indexing include:

•· Sufficiently clean URLs to avoid page weight dilution

•· Good use of the <title> element

•· Proper use of redirects and other HTTP status codes to help search engines

•· Sitemaps

Typically, there is very little a developer can do to improve ranking, as this is mostly determined by a site's popularity. As part of the business strategy, a business should determine how to have content good enough to cause other businesses to want to link to the site. This will ultimately lead to higher ranking from search engines.

Conclusions

Web site architecture development and maintenance is not an easy process. The site's directory structure, navigation schemes, URL structures, page types, page layout and cross-linking may work on well on some pages but not with others. It is important to develop clear and logical layout and design to ensure overall functionality, scalability and usability for a Web site.

It is important to develop site architecture as part of the business plan to prepare for the future of the business. Additionally, search engine optimization should be determined by the usability and friendliness of the site. Being ranked by a search engine through advertising is not the same as being indexed by a search engine.

References

Architecture. N.d. Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved May 5, 2008 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/architecture.

Webopedia. N.d. Root Directory. Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/r/root_directory.htm.

About robots. (2008, April). /ROBOTS.TXT. Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.robotstxt.org/robotstxt.html.

Introduction to HTML. XML Master. N.d. Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp.

Blum, Thom; Keislar, Doug; Wheaton, Jim; and Wold, Erling. (1998, January). Writing a Web Crawler in the Java Programming Language. Retrieved May 8, 2008 from http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/ThirdParty/WebCrawler/.

Thurow, Shari. (2004, November). SEO and Successful Site Architecture. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from http://www.interactivereturn.com/successful-site-architecture.htm.

Faceries, Fabien. (2004, August). Google test: hyphen and underscore. Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www.prweaver.com/blog/2004/08/26/2-hyphen-and-underscore.

Spool, Jared. (2005, November). The 8 Types of Navigation Pages. Retrieved May 14, 2008 from http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2005/11/28/the-8-types-of-navigation-pages/.

Google searches more sites more quickly, delivering the most relevant results. (2008). Google. Retrieved May 15, 2008 from http://www.google.com/technology/index.html.

Cloaking. (2007). Webmaster World. Retrieved May 18 from http://www.webmasterworld.com/cloaking/.

Thurow, Shari. N.d. Download time and search engine visibility. Retrieved May 20, 2008 from http://www.searchenginesbook.com/downloadtime.html.

Ezine Ready Article. (2008). ABC Article Directory. Retrieved May 20, 2008 from http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/ezineready.php?id=7279.

Cross Linking and Internal Link Architecture. N.d. The Online Marketing Guy. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from http://www.theonlinemarketingguy.com/cross-linking/.

Thurow, Shari. (2004, November). Search Engine Spider, Index and Ranking. Retrieved May 24, 2008 from http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2004/11/29/search-engine-spider-index-and-ranking.

Shah, Anup. (2007, September). Explaining Natural SEO: Search Engine Ranking vs. Indexing. Retrieved June 5, 2008 from http://www.onenaught.com/posts/30/explaining-natural-seo-search-engine-ranking-vs-indexing.

How Do You Handle Clients Wanting A Road Trip

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:35:31 -0500

In recent months, we all have felt the pains of the increase in gas prices. I have been facing a growing trend where clients are more interested in taking Saturday afternoons with me to just hit the road and look at homes. Some of these clients have been working with me for months. They have been pre-approved, know exactly what they are looking for, and are ready (or so they say) to make an offer on something.

Maybe the higher costs of gas have caused cabin fever and I am a good excuse to get out of the house. Whatever the reason, I have spent the bulk of my Saturday afternoons for many months with the same few clients. This causes my weekend time with family and/or other clients to be limited.

How have others of you dealt with this? At what point do you say enough cruising and let's make a decision? Is there a politically correct way to do this?

6 Months away from Active Rain - A Decision to Remain Active

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:35:37 -0500

6 Months away from Active Rain - A Decision to Remain Active

I started on AR back in March. I like to compare this to sticking my toe in the pool to check out the temperature. Was all the hype I had been hearing about Active Rain true? I spent a few weeks browsing the blogs and checking out many of the groups. And then I stopped visiting Active Rain all together. It wasn't intentional....Just other things captured my attention and I stopped visiting the site.

After spending 6 months away, I made the decision to come back and for good reason. What I have realized in my time away is that all the great ideas in the world are out there. However, it just simply is not possible for me to think of them by myself. I can go through successes and failures all alone, but spending quality time reading what you each have done or been through has been a lesson all of its' own.

What benefit has Active Rain brought me? Well, unfortunately my AR participation has not given me any referrals. However, I have sent out a couple of referrals. I can't really blame Active Rainers, as I did drop off completely for 6 months. However, I have been rejuvenated and have a desire to blog with my peers and share my own experiences in hopes that they help others along the way, as I have been helped in reading your posts. The more I learn from AR, the more sites I link to and the more ideas I try with my own business. In months past, it was because of reading fellow Rainer posts that I linked up with Trulia and RealBird. As recently as yesterday, I learned about Twitter and www.openhomes247.com. Each time I log in, I am inspired and see the passion that so many of us have for Real Estate.

I know in the beginning, my original goal was to just rack up points. I reached number two in my city, even though the points were not that high, and just convinced myself I had achieved something great on Active Rain. That's about the time I stopped logging in. In retrospect, I should have realized that the real way you gain points is to share something about yourself and your experiences. For that, you are rewarded by Active Rain. If I'm not number one in my city/county/state - well, okay. However, the goal is to keep the points accruing because that means I'm invested and am an active participant in our community.

Thanks for reading my post. I look forward to more time invested.

Millionaire Real Estate Agent - Six Myths

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:01:54 -0500

Keller Williams founder, Gary Keller, wrote the national bestseller The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. In the book, he describes The Six MythUnderstandings Between You and High Achievement. In light of all the economic buzz, I spent some quality time this weekend reviewing these myths.

Myth: I can't do it.

Truth: Until you try, you can't possibly know what you can or can't do.

Myth: It can't be done in my market.

Truth: Yes it can, but you may need a new approach.

Myth: It would take too uch time and effort - I would lose my freedom.

Truth: Time and effort are not the deciding factors in success.

Myth: It's too risky. I'll lose money.

Truth: Risk is in direct proportion to how we you hold your incremental costs accountable to producing incremental results.

Myth: My clients will only work with me - only I can deliver quality service.

Truth: Your clients aren't loyal to you; they are loyal to the standards you represent.

Myth: Having a goal and not fully realizing it is a negative thing.

Truth: Having a goal and not trying to achieve it is a negative thing.

I think if we all think about these myths and truths, we can each find a new way to revitalize and energize our efforts with our clients and business goals. Even in light of economic conditions, people are succeeding every day.

If there is one thing I have learned, failure should not be feared. It is only in the face of failure that we find opportunities for success and ways of doing things better next time. It is with affiliations like Active Rain and having a network full of professionals that I have come to realize that I have an entire network of peers, willing to share ideas, successes and failures. I thank you all for the wealth of information and know that our industry will continue to prosper because of the dedication we all have to our profession.

House Hunt - Still Going Strong

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:01:26 -0500

Several months ago, I posted a blog about joining House Hunt and how it had been the best marketing decision I had made. I have been a member of House Hunt since April. I am receiving approximately 20 referrals a week because of my involvement with them. I've had 4 closings already as a result of my affiliation with House Hunt. I have 425 clients in my people bank from House Hunt. I would guesstimate that 80-85% of my active files are as a result of House Hunt. I can't sing their praises enough and am still very glad I made the decision to join forces with them.

HouseHunt - Best Marketing Decision I've Made

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:41:59 -0500

A couple of months ago, I made the decision to sign-up with HouseHunt. I must say this was one of the best marketing decisions I have made for my business. Having now been listed as the preferred agent for my area, I am receiving dozens of leads every day from interested buyers clicking anywhere online for properties in my area.

The great thing is that once you sign-up with HouseHunt for your area, no other Realtor in your area can compete with you. You are the exclusive Realtor for your area at that point.

From their site, potential buyers can search real estate by city, find local Realtors, view housing market trends, find investment properties, see the safest cities and the top most expensive cities.

If you haven't joined yet, no worries. Just visit http://www.househunt-inc.com/ and you can complete the process.

Information from their website:

The HouseHunt System for Success^TMis based on increasing the sales and net profits of one real estate professional per community. This significant new business is achieved through HouseHunt's proprietary system and tools which utilize the power of the Internet. HouseHunt's exclusive territories are unlike most other company models, which attempt to sell their product to as many agents as possible.

The system delivers a consistent flow of buyer and seller leads, provides a competitive edge over the competition for obtaining listings, brands the agent as the leader in their community, and builds and maintains client relationships with its automated follow-up systems.

The System for Success^TM has produced incredible results for hundreds of real estate professionals, including: the largest national franchises, regional independents, and small boutique agencies.

"What I love about the system is that I no longer have to prospect for new business. Every day I turn on my computer, check my email and start calling the leads that I receive from my HouseHunt.com and moveUp.com territories."

Established in 1995, HouseHunt was created with one simple purpose: To help real estate professionals utilize the Internet to increase their market share, sales, commissions and net profits. The founders of the company combined two completely different backgrounds and abilities to develop one of the most powerful and revolutionary success systems in real estate today.

Dr. Satoaki Omori is a rocket scientist originally hired by NASA to create the combustors for the space shuttle. As a founder of HouseHunt he utilized his expertise to develop systems and technology that continues to keep HouseHunt in the forefront of search engines. Dr. Omori has also been instrumental in implementing the efficient systems that allow our agents to remain in touch with their prospects and save thousands of hours and dollars.

In addition to his career as a certified public accountant, Mike Bearden was also a highly successful and reputable real estate agent, broker and developer beginning in 1978. As the co-founder of HouseHunt, Mike continues to apply the real estate knowledge, marketing, and sales expertise along with his extraordinary customer service standards that sets HouseHunt apart from other lead-generation companies.

HouseHunt takes great pride in its ability to elevate real estate professionals to succeed in the real estate business. We believe that it is not about us, but about YOU.

Water Shortages Could Impact Home Sales

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:51:55 -0500

I'm posting an article showing that the river that serves western North Carolina has been designated as the most endangered river in America. The end of the article goes on to list the 10 most endangered rivers in America - one is NC/SC, Ore, Col, NY, SD, FL, NM/Ari, Maine, Miss/LA, and Wyo/Neb.

This certainly could impact home sales and is something businesses are already beginning to join forces to help with the efforts to protect the water supply. This is something we should all be concerned with, as it will impact water supply to homes in these areas.

Today a national environmental group will name the Catawba the most endangered river in America

The Catawba River, beset by growing water demand, drought and what critics say are failed policies to protect it, is the nation's most endangered river, an environmental group says.

American Rivers, a Washington-based advocacy group that has turned out most-endangered lists since 1986, put the Catawba at the top of its 2008 list to be released today.

The group accused Carolinas decision-makers of "sucking their rivers dry" to continue development as a historic drought lingers over the Catawba basin. Neither state, it said, has a long-term water plan to ensure the river survives future growth.

But public officials say the Catawba, the subject of detailed studies and the beneficiary of new conservation efforts, has been far from ignored.

The amount of water pulled from the Catawba is projected to more than double over the next 50 years, one of those studies shows. Charlotte's chief water supply, Mountain Island Lake, could struggle to meet demand during a severe drought by 2048.

"The biggest issue is simply the impact of population growth and development," said Rick Gaskins, executive director of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation, which nominated the Catawba to the endangered list.

"It's not that you can't have growth and development with good environmental quality. It's that if we continue on the course we're on, we're headed for trouble."

For a century, electricity fueled by the Catawba has driven the Charlotte region's growth. But in recent years, that growth -- and the resulting clamor for water -- has strained the river.

Last year was the driest on record in the basin, and followed a four-year drought that ended in 2002. Public opposition to the quest for Catawba water from distant Concord and Kannapolis -- "stealing," American Rivers said -- focused attention on water rights. South Carolina sued North Carolina before the Supreme Court on that question; the case is pending.

"This is the bottom line, in my opinion: If your resources are stretched to the limit, your growth period is over," said Paul Braun, a long-time river advocate in Morganton. "Every summer, if it weren't for these lakes, that river would be bone dry."

Duke Energy's renewal of its federal license to manage the Catawba, to expire this year, focused attention on the basin's future.

Fifty-year projections of water supplies and demand are the most extensive analyses in the state. Local communities last year put into action a drought-response plan, created by the license terms, that is credited with keeping lake levels high as the dry spell continues. A water-management board, paid for by local water agencies in both Carolinas, was created in December.

"I look at this proposed new license as a really big improvement in the sustainable management of the river," said John Morris, director of the N.C. Division of Water Resources. "I see all those as positive things."

Year-round conservation programs -- American Rivers criticized a lack of them -- now have residential customers of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities using less water than at any time in recent history, says utility conservation manager Maeneen Klein.

"Nobody turned on their tap and didn't have water" during the record-dry 2007, Klein said. "If anything, this year has proved that we probably lead the state in protecting our water supplies."

Report: Not hopeless

American Rivers said the endangered list is meant to depict rivers "at a crossroads" in public policy, not necessarily those with the most severe problems."These aren't 10 hopeless rivers," spokesman Garrett Russo said. "These are things that can be fixed."

The Catawba's problems are far from solved, said N.C. Rep. Mitch Gillespie, R-Marion, who agrees with the "endangered" label. Gillespie has been a legislative leader in making it harder for communities such as Concord and Kannapolis to siphon water from neighboring river basins, such as the Catawba.

"As of yet, we've not had a good debate on it," Gillespie said.

Bill Holman, a former state environment secretary now advising a legislative commission on water issues, said other N.C. rivers share the Catawba's problems. The Neuse River's appearances on the endangered-rivers list, he said, spurred policies to reduce nutrient pollution.

"I thought it helped move the debate at that time," Holman said.

The study commission now under way is designed only to look at the state's options in allocating water. Controlling growth, Holman said, remains a local issue.

South Carolina's legislature is also debating water issues, including a bill that would regulate withdrawals from rivers and lakes. The bill's chances of being enacted before the legislature recesses in early June are uncertain, observers say.

The "endangered" designation of the Catawba helps South Carolina's claim before the Supreme Court that the two states need a fairer way to share the water, said Mark Plowden of the S.C. Attorney General's office.

"When a national organization of that size and recognition singles out that very same river, it lends a great deal of credence to what we've been saying for two years."

Most endangered rivers, 2008

Catawba-Wateree (N.C.-S.C.)

Rogue River (Ore.)

Cache la Poudre (Col.)

St. Lawrence (N.Y., Canada)

Minnesota (S.D., Minn.)

St. Johns (Fla.)

Gila (N.M., Ariz.)

Allagash Wilderness Waterway (Maine)

Pearl (Miss., La.)

Niobrara (Wyo., Neb.)

SOURCE: American Rivers

http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/584175.html

Date Accessed: April 19, 2008

Dreams, meet reality.... 3,600 acres

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:56:22 -0500

The Coves at Round Mountain - New Development in Western North Carolina

The Coves is a spectacular gated community spread out among 3,600 lush North Carolina mountain acres. A wide array of homesites to choose from, ranging from 1 to 5+ acres and starting from the $70's, it's easy to pick your perfect getaway. Just select from spectacular mountain-ridge or mountain-top lodges, large acreage single-family homesites, private cabins by the river, lakeside cottages, or an equestrian paradise. Then get ready to meet your dreams.

Community Highlights & Amenities
Gated master planned community on over 3,600 acres
Over 4 miles of river frontage on the Johns River
1 to 5+ acre homesites from starting in the $70K's
A wide array of homesites including:

Large acreage single-family homesites
Spectacular Mountain ridge & Mountain top homesites
Rustic lodge and villa homesites
Riverfront homesites
Lakeside homesites
Equestrian homesites
Condominiums (at Lakeside Village)
Villas

Signature equestrian facility with miles of groomed trails
Signature championship golf course and driving range
Golf clubhouse (5,000 sq. ft.) with pro shop, bar & grill and spectacular panoramic-views
Tennis Club & Aquatic Center
State of the Art Fitness Center & Wellness Spa
Canoeing, rafting and kayaking on the Johns River & Wilson Creek
River Pavilion with canoe and kayak storage
Hiking and equestrian trails connecting to the nationally-acclaimed Pisgah National Forest
Planned 160-acre breathtaking lake with outstanding fishing, canoeing and more . . .
Seaplane landing facilities & dockage
Lakeside Village with restaurant and community lodge
Spectacular Golf Resort Village Clubhouse for pleasure & entertaining
Sportsman Club

Directions From Lenoir:
From 18 South turn right onto West Caldwell School Road.
Go to stop sign.
Turn left on Abington Road. Follow Abington Road for 6 miles
At stop sign, turn left- travel approx 1 mile
Turn left on Valley View Circle
The Coves at Round Mountain sales center is just over the river on the right

For more information, please visit http://www.thecovesnc.com/.

Mountain Air

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:47:45 -0500

How many of you have a community in your area that is atop a mountain with breathtaking views? To reach this community, most residents use the private mountain runway. It must be one of the most spectacular communities I have ever visited.

Mountain Air was named "America's Best Community." I wanted to share some of the information and photos from their website: http://www.mountainaircc.com/location/index.php

Located atop of Slickrock Mountain - truly among the highest elevations in North Carolina's unspoiled Blue Ridge Mountains - Mountain Air puts you in the heart of a vibrant, culturally diverse area.

Mountain Air is just 35 minutes from Asheville, whose unique combination of culture and Southern charm earned it its ranking by Barron's magazine as one of the "Top 20 Places to Retire in the World."

With elevations reaching 4,919 feet, Mountain Air stands less than 10 miles from Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern United States. Here, you'll never be closer to the clear, starry skies. The sunrises will never be nearer or brighter. And you'll never feel more profoundly exhilarated by the vastness and beauty of creation.

North Carolinians....Your support is needed for a worthy cause....

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:12:33 -0500

My wife's company just launched a wonderful health initiative. At the beginning of April, walkers started in Asheville, NC and will continue walking all the way to Wilmington. They plan to cover the entire state. If you live in NC, they could be making their way through your town.

Anyone can participate, even if you are not one of the walkers making your way across the state. All you have to do is log in, record your steps (you'll need a pedometer) and you could win $75,000 (and lots of other prizes).

I wanted to share the information from their official website, where you can also track the walkers making their way across the state.

http://walk.millionstepmarch.com/challenge/

The Million Step Challenge is no small feat. Bike, row, walk, or run your way to a healthier you. To participate, log in the steps you have taken to be more active and you will be eligible for weekly drawings.

Adults should engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine.

The Million Step Challenge invites you to become physically active and join in our march for physical activity in North Carolina.

Create an account and sign in to record your physical activity in the form of steps. And don't worry, if you are unsure how to count your steps you can use our conversion chart. Download it and convert your preferred method of physical activity into steps.

Winners will be chosen weekly based on online Challenge participation. Log in, log your steps and you may win one of these great prizes!

Target Distribution Center

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:55:53 -0500

The Community Leaders, in Catawba county have landed a deal with Target. They are going to build a 1.6 million square feet distribution center. This facility will employ approximately 1000 people. This area is feeling the effect of furniture leaving the US and welcomed the oppertunity to diversify our community. There was concern about water consumption and growth in the area however this facility will consume much less water than a textile plant which was a large source of employment for this area at one time.

What's Great About Hickory, North Carolina

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:58:52 -0500

HICKORY, NC

Hickory is located in North Carolina's Piedmont region, 50 miles northwest of the City of Charlotte and 80 miles east of Asheville. Reader's Digest has named it among its "Ten Best Places to Raise a Family," and it is easy to see why. The schools are top-notch, the economy is thriving and the neighborly values trump all else in this lovely city near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Real estate options consist of single-family detached homes, condominiums and townhouses as well as land lots for custom building. Hickory is the banking, commercial, medical, and transportation hub of a 350,000-person metropolitan area, with over 38,000 of those people living in the city limits. Hickory is famous for its furniture and hosiery industries, and is now known for its telecommunications industries, which produce much of the world's supply of fiber optic cables. The economy of Hickory and surrounding Catawba County continues to thrive due to population growth, economic diversification and the overall strength of the region. Hickory's position as the region's economic/employment center continues to strengthen. Getting around is easy as Interstate 40, US Highways 321 and 70, intersect in the city. With a picturesque location, tree-lined streets and a historic central business district, Hickory has almost as much Southern charm and hospitality as its residents. With plenty of smiling, friendly faces everywhere you turn, you will quickly feel at home and be glad that you moved to this enchanting city in Western North Carolina.

REAL ESTATE

The real estate market in Hickory consists of a wide-variety of housing options including single-family detached homes, condominiums and townhouses. Many of the homes in town feature lake views or sit on wooded lots. Single-family detached homes are available in a variety of prices starting under $100,000 and ranging up to the mid-upper $400,000s but can go beyond for the most gorgeous, spacious homes in town and around the lake. There are also condominiums available for sale in Hickory, and the prices start under $100,000 and go up to around $400,000 with prices averaging around $150,000. Some of the condos feature community amenities like swimming pools and fitness centers. There is also plenty of land available for custom building.

Hickory began as a small Piedmont region city whose growth and development moved it from a late 19th century trading center on the Western North Carolina Railroad to a thriving 20th century manufacturing center for furniture, hosiery, and textiles. It originally received a charter in 1863, when it was known as Hickory Tavern, named after a popular resting spot for weary travelers that dates all the way back to the 1790s.

Today, from abundant recreational activities to a thriving arts culture, Hickory offers plenty of fun and entertaining attractions. Hiking, fishing, swimming and boating are all popular and accessible activities for area residents. The temperate climate also offers golfers year-round opportunities to improve their game. With more than 10 public courses in the Hickory metro area, there is something for every golfer from the beginner to the pro.

Schools here offer tremendous educational opportunity to the youth of Hickory and the mission of the Hickory Public Schools is to develop each student's skills to be a responsible citizen and have a lifelong love of learning. Catawba County offers residents quality healthcare close to home. The area's two outstanding critical care hospitals, Catawba Valley Medical Center and Frye Regional Medical Center, both offer specialized medical care and innovative clinical services. The county's healthcare sector continues to receive recognition for its commitment to cutting-edge technology and compassionate care. The city's historic sites and museums weave a rich tapestry of tales, memories and discoveries. There are plenty of places to go hit the trail and marvel at the countryside. The arts are alive and well, stirring the soul through music, dance and drama.

Known as the furniture manufacturing capital of the world, approximately 60 % of the nation's furniture is made within a 200-mile radius of the Hickory Metro area. The Catawba Furniture Mall contains 350,000 square feet of furniture stores, and the Hickory Furniture Mart is 20 acres of 100 showrooms, carrying more than 1,000 famous lines. Each year, more than a half-million visitors come to the area to browse and shop at the numerous furniture outlets.

Hickory continues to maintain its position as a strong economic region because it excels in providing both new and relocating businesses and industries with an excellent infrastructure, access to a productive labor force, outstanding technology and training, and proximity to a vast number of suppliers. This region, selected twice by Inc. Magazine as one of America's top entrepreneurial areas for both traditional and high tech industries, offers businesses with the necessary tools to excel in a world-class business environment. Money Magazine has named Hickory among its most livable cities and the city has twice been named an All-American City.

If you are considering moving your family, Hickory has it all-a beautiful climate with four seasons that are as distinct as they are mild, challenging places to work, low cost of living, diverse cultures, a vast array of recreational opportunities, arts and culture and an unparalleled lifestyle. It is an ideal place to live, work, play, raise a family and retire.

RealBird.com

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:27:25 -0500

At the advice of another Active Rainer, I have just signed up with http://www.realbird.com/. What a great site! I would like to invite you to join RealBird.com, the leading online real estate marketing service. I have uploaded the widget to my Active Rain site, where you now have the ability to see a slide-show of photos for my featured listing.

To give you some information about the benefits of RealBird, I'm giving you some information from their website:

Put your business on the map!The RealBird® Real Estate Yellow Pages service is the industry's first map-based real estate business directory for consumers. Home buyers and sellers can find real estate professionals in their area, your active and open house listings and can lookup home valuations quickly. Fresh off the vine: Co-brand the RealBird Real Estate Yellow Pages service and provide your visitors a nationwide home valuation, yellow pages and home search service branded under your own name.

The Listing Publisher provides advanced services to market your real estate properties online. Create stunning single property websites and publicize your listings with automatic distribution to 3rd party classified sites and with widgets on your website, blog and ActiveRain profile. You can also create draft presentations and use them to win more listing interviews. The service is for residential and commercial real esate agents and brokers.

Post a new listing - Instant single property website (or create a draft prior to listing interview)

Manage current listings - Photos, videos, open house dates, post it on Craigslist etc. (Bunch of new features)

Publicize - Map widget, RSS widget etc.

Viewer Stats (New) - The industry's most comprehensive set of web analytics for your listing sites. Powered by Google, Clicky and MyBlogLog.

I would recommend that you take a few minutes and sign-up for this wonderful addition to your e-Marketing experience.

Lake Rhodhiss Development - Lake Rhodhiss, NC

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:44:26 -0500

I have been working with a developer that is bringing a new lake development to Western North Carolina. This community is being developed to showcase the wonderful scenic views. This new lakefront community will put residents just five minutes from I-40 and only one hour from Asheville, Charlotte or Boone. The proposed amenities include a lake clubhouse with day docks, gated entry with greeter's cottage, swimming pool, tennis courts and a fitness center. The homes will range from $90,000 to $450,000. The Settings of Lake Rhodhiss offers the best of both worlds, with lakefront property that has scenic mountain views.

For more information, visit their website at http://www.thesettings.com/. If you are interested in the development, please let me know, as I am already in contact with the developers.

Pictures have been copied from The Settings website in an effort to show you the area where the new development will be located. For more pictures and information, you may visit their website.

Greater Hickory Classic - PGA Tour

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:21:33 -0500

For any golf fans looking for a reason to visit North Carolina, take a look at the event below taking place in Hickory, NC (my home town) September 8-14, 2008. If you end up attending, let me know. We could plan a networking event while you are here.

http://www.greaterhickoryclassic.com/latestnews.html

Article below accessed from above site on March 21, 2008

NEW DATES, PURSE FOR THIS YEAR’S GREATER HICKORY CLASSIC AT ROCK BARN

January 2, 2008

The Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn Presented by Kia Motors has announced a date change and an increased purse for its 2008 PGA TOUR Champion’s Tour event. The tournament will now take place September 8-14, 2008, one week earlier than originally planned, to avoid conflicting with the Ryder Cup. The tournament has also increased its purse from $1.6 million to $1.7 million for 2008.

“We appreciate the Champions Tour’s efforts to minimize conflicts for players and fans with regard to our event and the Ryder Cup,” said Jim Correll, the tournament’s executive director. “We are also pleased to offer increased prize money this year, which should make the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn Presented by Kia even more attractive to the pros and keep us on par with other Champions Tour tournaments in similar markets.” For more information about the 2008 Champions Tour schedule, please visit www.championstour.com.

The Real Estate Tomato - Who Knew?

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:11:02 -0500

While I love Active Rain, I am always looking for ways to network and market business. I ran across a site today called The Real Estate Tomato. For those of you curious, I'm posting some of their Q&A from their website below.

I also see that there is an Active Rain member "Real Estate Tomato." I'm looking forward to joining this additional blogging experience. From the few articles I browsed this evening, it looks to have some fantastic information in the blog posts.

What is the Real Estate Tomato?

The Real Estate Tomato is a destination for real estate news, emarketing, internet insight, services and products. Our mission is to provide Realtors with the news, knowledge, service and technology to make them more successful. As we grow to embrace the tools of Web 2.0, our future will be defined as thedestination for Realtors to get their daily eKnowledge.

Why Tomato?

Tomato is the unfinished fruit. Ripe, round, red and attractive on the outside, but somewhat amorphous and liquidy on the inside; versatile and tasty; a symbol of growth and production and a projectile of disgust. All these elements define our aim with the Real Estate Tomato as we look to enlighten, encourage and entertain Realtors throughout the world.

Google

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:36:59 -0500

Has anyone been keeping up with the latest developments with Google? I ask because Google is in the finishing stages of building its 215 acre facility in Lenoir, NC (Caldwell County). I'm curious what overall effect this new business will bring to an otherwise depressed region in light of all the furniture industry changes. Just last week, the $31 billion merger with DoubleClick and Google was finalized. It will be an interesting ride, especially in the real estate market, to see what happens to this area with such big business moving into town.

Six Determining Factors

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:45:33 -0500

Please keep in mind that six determining factors will cause a home to sell, or to not sell. Once again, those factors are: Price, Terms, Condition, Location, Market conditions and Marketing. If a homeowner, who wishes to sell, focuses his attention on making as attractive as possible each of these factors, he should be successful in marketing his property.

139 Acre Mountain Property - Western NC

Kevin Teeters (Kevin Teeters Realty) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:07:02 -0500

Please visit my website for more information: http://kevinteetersrealty.com/home.asp.

Address: 6975 Wallace Coffey Place, Lenoir, NC 28645

Price: $973,000

Beautiful Blue Ridge mountain property with breathtaking views!! A must see!! If you love the mountains and nature, your going to love this property. It's natural springs and trails perfectly compliment the gorgeous views.

Developers take note: site capacity for many homes

Motivated sellers! Make an offer today!