A Day of Grateful Attitude - 01/31/11 11:04 PM
Arctic cold temperatures descended upon Metro Denver today.  Last week I was rejoicing in 69 degree weather and now we are at 2 degrees and expected to fall below ZERO tonight and for the next few days!
Burr!
I got to spend the day in a nice warm court house, while doing my civic duty.  Yes, I finally won a lottery,  I get to be a juror this week!
It was an interesting day to say the least.  We recessed early and on the way home while it was still daylight I noticed my favorite local homestead the Schweiger Homestead.  
… (5 comments)

Relocate to Gmail - A Step by Step Story - 01/30/11 11:57 PM
Gmail is brought to us by Google, with it is a packed-full warehouse of goodies in the form of apps.  In my continuing saga of touting the benefits of working in The Cloud and at the same time minimizing expenses, I've now written this step by step tutorial on how to make the move.
In a previous post Funnel Your Email Address Through Gmail I spoke of how to send all your email accounts to Gmail, thus consolidating them in one handy IN THE CLOUD spot.  I repeat for those who didn't catch the point, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LOSE … (17 comments)

Funnel Your Email Address Through Gmail - 01/30/11 10:03 AM
Recently I wrote a post about how much I like using Gmail.  Like many people in the real estate business I've had an email address for a long time.  In fact my original email address attached to my domain of Denver Real Estate and Relocation had to be "retired" because I was getting so much spam from it all I did all day long was delete and delete some  more.
I was so sad to lose my original "branded email" but the work involved with keeping it just was worth it anymore.
But now I have a solution.  Gmail.
Gmail has … (155 comments)

School Districts Play an Important Part Home Values - 01/30/11 12:15 AM

School might be a faint dream from the past for many older buyers, maintaining a home's value is something that should concern anyone who plans to sell one day.
The quality of school districts effect property values significantly. Neighborhoods in areas where the school district is well-run providing children with a good education and a high graduation rate will win out over districts where the schools aren't as successful.
Buyers should always consider looking into the school district and comparing test schools when moving to a new area.  This holds true even if the buyers don't have children.  Home values … (4 comments)

Gmail Offers a Passport to Many FREE Services - 01/28/11 11:19 AM
Business people are finding more and more way to leverage FREE these days.  One of the best places to do this is Google.  Yes, Google is known as the world's best search engine, but the company offers an amazing amount of other services that are so powerful.  We just shouldn't be ignoring them!
Gmail it's time to give your computer's hard drive a break and start using The Cloud.  Using gmail means you don't have to spend you day deleting emails on your smart phone and then again on your notebook, netbook or big PC at home.  Yes, admit it, I … (15 comments)

Story Selling - Vlogging - Denver MiniREBarCamp - February 2011 - 01/28/11 12:35 AM
Join us at the Denver Board of Realtors for the MiniBarCamp on Friday, February 11th at 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.  This month's featured topic will be all about the ins and outs of video blogging.
Ben Yost, Mortgage Banker  will present on YouTube Channels and how to monetize your videos to get leads!  He generates 20-30% of his business from his YouTube Channel and promises to show us how to do the same.
Jennifer Pollock of Keller Williams who's site Mayfair is My Playground has been Vlogging for quite sometime.  She will share her success story with us as well.
Mark … (4 comments)

Google Has a Voice and I LOVE it! - 01/26/11 01:32 PM
It's not the first time I've gone on recored stating that I LOVE Google!  Each and everyday Google delivers good things to me, leads, maps, gmail, calendars.  Oh I could go on and on!
Today in particular I got yet another call from a solicitor.  This call was the THIRD one in a row, as if yesterday and the day before when I said, "NO!" didn't matter.  Today because it's Wednesday maybe they figured I would change my mind?
Sure.
Daily calls are more than just annoying they rank up there with harassment.  They interfere with my train of thought, my … (13 comments)

King of the Mountain - 01/24/11 12:08 AM

These days the customer is King of the Mountain. The customer has tons of resources available to them, from MLS-IDX to aggregators that deliver property listings to them while they lounge in the privacy of their homes.
The consumer can research all aspects of their potential real estate purchase via the internet, school district ranking, crime statistics, locations of amenities and the popularity of the local coffee shop.
Having all this information doesn't necessarily guarantee it's accuracy nor does it mean the consumer understands it.
Very few consumers purchase real estate frequently enough to know much less understand all the … (4 comments)

The photos sell the home - 01/21/11 08:38 AM

As a real estate broker there's nothing more exciting that having an opportunity to sell a home that is photogenic.  Homes where the seller is a designer and has taken extra special care to create a warm and wonderful environment are really fun to sell.
In fact sometimes they end up selling without much help from me.  Unfortuneately homes like that are few and far between.
Most people don't live in the home the way it needs to be when you sell it.  It's obvious why home stagers do so well when they enter into the home selling scene.
Home … (7 comments)

We Have Tons of Fun in Denver! - 01/20/11 10:53 PM
Denver is a fun place to live!  Proof of that fact is under-construction right now, downtown on the lawn of the Civic Center. 
Crews are busy building a ramp for an International Competition of skiers and snowboarders.  This gigantic ramp dwarfs the nearby buildings as it towers into the sky.
This event is a big deal. Big Air in an International event that has been held around the globe. It's debut in Denver is the first time the event has been held in the U.S. Of course the Denver location is a natural, as Colorado has the best snow on earth … (6 comments)

What are you focusing on? - 01/19/11 08:21 PM

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It happens to everyone, we get focused on a "thing."  In our effort to claim our goal, we sometimes miss other opportunities. 
I've been exploring options of putting my business in the "cloud."  Google has been my first and foremost choice, mainly because it is versatle, stable and will be there when I need it.
Google has a user interface that is  known for it's simplicity.  Sometimes it's so simple it fails to make sense.  I.E. when trying to send an … (6 comments)

Selling Your Home? Make It Appealing! - 01/18/11 12:59 AM
Homeowners sometimes get so involved with keeping the interior of the home nice and neat, they often forget the exterior!
In the winter months most people enter and exit their own homes via the garage door, thus never giving a second thought to shoveling the walk.
Many communities will send out a painful reminder in the form of a summons.  Not shoveling the sidewalk can actually be a crime! 
When working with my clients as a buyer's agent, I tend to expect to walk thru some snow.  It's not what we prefer to do nor do I want to risk my client's "life and … (3 comments)

Call for Entries ~ Lone Tree Photographic Art Show & Sale - 01/18/11 12:15 AM
The Ninth Annual Lone Tree Photographic Art Show and Sale presented by the Lone Tree Arts Commission and the Lone Tree Photography Club. This juried exhibition runs from April 16 to May 8, 2011 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at the Lone Tree Golf Club and Hotel, 9808 Sunningdale Boulevard, Lone Tree, Colorado.
… (4 comments)

Metro Denver REBar Camp - 01/11/11 12:55 AM
Metro Denver real estate industry people might be surprised to learn we hold a MiniBar Camp every month at the Denver Board of Realtors.  This group is open to everyone and is free.
Unlike the large, annual REBar Camp, we run this one a little differently.  Each month we have a presenter speak on a topic.  Then we have an open session to discuss the topic further or bring up other technology related subjects.  The session lasts for about 90 minutes.
In January, Jim Renshaw of Land Title will be presenting "How to Get Quality Backlinks to Your Site."  Jim is … (10 comments)

National Western Parade ~ Denver, Colorado - 01/08/11 12:05 AM
In Denver the holidays don't end when we turn the calendar to a New Year!  In fact the fun is just beginning because every January the world comes to Denver to see the National Western Stock Show, one of the largest of it's kind in the world!
The fun begins with the traditional Parade now 17th Street.  Now this isn't any ordinary parade, it's a true Rodeo Parade complete with beautiful Rodeo Queens, horses, wagons, old-fashioned tractors and my favorite, Texan Longhorns.
They all march down 17th Street with the tall urban buildings behind them, looking very majestic and most of … (5 comments)

Paperless Contracts So Easy A Child Can Do It! - 01/06/11 11:19 AM
Our brokerage decided some time ago to go paperless.  It's been an interesting journey of many months, well years actually.
The first step was to find an electronic contract using digital signatures.  Our MLS offered one as part of our fees, so naturally we gave that a try.
It turned out to be one that was configured for use all over the U.S.  Needless to say it was confusing and very difficult to use.  Customer service was available, but their responses were less than desirable.
We quit using the FREE service.
Next we signed up with a local Colorado company, CTM … (4 comments)

 
Kristalkraftdenverrealtor Ambassador_large

Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~720-279-4599

Denver, CO

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The Berkshire Group Realtors

Address: 3801 E. Florida Avenue Suite 400, Denver, CO, 80210

Office Phone: (720) 279-4599

Cell Phone: (720) 279-4599

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Soapbox musings for and about Denver relocation and real estate.

Author Bio: Kristal Kraft is a Colorado Real Estate Broker specializing in relocation to and from the Denver Metro area. She is an amateur photographer, cyclist, golfer and enjoys traveling just for the fun of it!


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