Seller, Your First Agent was Great! - 02/28/08 06:45 PM
What do you tell your seller about their first agent?  Are there times that you know the initial listing agent quite well and know that they are very good agents?  When that happens what do you say?
There have been a few times when I have been asked to list a house that had been listed by an agent that I respected.  I had no problems letting the sellers know that.  If they complained about the property not selling I have come to the defense of the agent if I know that the agent has done an excellent job marketing the property.  … (28 comments)

Call Seller Directly - Here's the Phone Number - 02/27/08 04:40 PM
Are you finding that there are agents that input listings along with all information the buyer needs to go and purchase a home on their own.
Evidently they are doing this for a reduced commission as they are not providing full service to the seller.  That's fine.  It is the arrangement they have made with the seller.  However, when they put the contact information so that the buyer does not need a REALTOR®, they are undermining our industry.  We are paying fees to maintain a multiple listing system that is being used to potentially give away our business.
The drip e-mail system has … (22 comments)

I Finally Came Home - 235 Photos Later (Part 3) - 02/26/08 04:29 PM
Make believe I am still chugging down Route 522 heading to Lake Anna and home.  What would I be seeing along the way?
Perhaps it is another lonely looking barn, no longer providing the shelter it once did.  These are the sights that capture my attention as I drive along Route 522.  I love the rolling hills and the sparseness of the trees.  It gives an almost desolate feel to the landscape and yet I know that once the trees bud, which will happen not too long from now, this scene is going to look entirely different.  Yes, the barn will still be … (9 comments)

Do You Have What it Takes? - 02/25/08 09:30 PM
Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman caught my attention last night with her latest post.  Do You Value Long Term Potential Clients?   My answer:  A resounding yes.  They are the very foundation of my business. 
Sally posed the questions Do you work with long term leads? What's in your Potential Client agenda?
When I worked as a REALTOR in Northern Virginia many years ago, I would have probably considered a long term client one that I worked with for a number of weeks.  Here at Lake Anna I have learned to consider a long term client one that I work with for a number of years.  Years can be … (12 comments)

ONLY $18.95 an Acre - Have I Got a Deal for You - 02/23/08 05:02 PM
Looking to invest in some property?  Don't have much money?  Well, I can sure help you.
For the mere sum of $18.95 you can have your very own place to call home.  You may not be able to get there but you certainly can look at it...at least at night.  The view may not be the greatest and you may be unsure if you are looking at the right spot but you know it is there.  You have documentation to prove it!  With that deed in hand the world will know you own a piece of the moon.
Last Sunday while watching Sunday Morning on … (6 comments)

Voting in Virginia - 02/22/08 11:41 PM
On the way to Connecticut to visit my mom, I took a few minutes to cast my vote.  Virginians had their primary almost two weeks ago and the turnout was terrific.
Voting, for my precinct, was held at the Spotsylvania Volunteer Fire Department on Partlow Road.  It is the same place where I've been going to vote since moving to Lake Anna in 1992.  There have been times that I have worked outside in support of candidates so it is a familiar place. 

What makes it nice is that most of the poll workers have been there each and every time I've gone.  … (5 comments)

Ever Look For Savings? - 02/22/08 11:16 PM
Recently we needed ink cartridges for one of our printers.  As I was in the Fredericksburg area I stopped in Staples.  They had the products I needed and home I went. 
Later, while on the computer, I decided to check out the same products on officedepot.com to compare prices.  The difference was almost enough to make me wish I had driven about three miles more (what's three miles in a Toyota Prius Hybrid) and gone there.  Still curious I decided to check out the same items on Amazon.com.  To my delight* the prices were even better. 
Below are the items and the cost.
Canon … (15 comments)

My Male Magnet - 02/22/08 11:03 PM
Women of all ages, if you are looking for a little attention from men of all ages there is one surefire way to do it.  I absolutely guarantee success. 
#1 solution of all time...Simply buy a Toyota Prius. (Perhaps Marilyn Monroe standing over the grate may vie with this for first place.  If you look like Marilyn Monroe you may consider going that route...it will be a lot cheaper except where do you find grates these day?????  Unless you live in New York City you would have to factor in airfare.) 
                        
Now that I have shared with you how to get those men to pay … (5 comments)

Rainer Named 2007 Educator of the Year by VAR - 02/19/08 06:21 PM
Just wanted to share the good news and to congratulate our esteemed fellow REALTOR®, Matt Rathbun, for being named 2007 Educator of the Year by the Virginia Association of REALTORS® (VAR).
Below is the article as it appears in our latest issue of Bulletin, from the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS (FAAR).
Congratulations to Matthew Rathbun, who was named by VAR as its "2007 Outstanding Real Estate Educator of the Year."  He was presented with the award during a banquet at VAR's annual Legislative & Education Conference. The award is given to an individual who exemplifies leadership and service in real estate education at … (3 comments)

Competitor is not a Four Letter Word - 02/18/08 09:28 PM
Why are we sometimes leery to use the word competitor?
REALTORS® are competitors.  If we weren't we would not survive in this profession. 
Team members are competitors.  They join together, work together for the common good but they are competitors.  If they are first string you better believe they want to stay one step ahead of their second string competitor that is chomping at the bit to take that spot.  If you don't think so, you have never played competitive sports.
Real Estate is a competitive sport. 
We compete for listings we compete for sales, we compete for awards, for rankings, for our spot in … (3 comments)

Since When isn't Good, Good Enough? - 02/14/08 12:38 PM
Whatever happened to that good old-fashioned word good?  Like so many others, I have gotten caught up in superlatives.  This is great, that's wonderful, I'm #1, You're #1, we are all wonderful agents, I'm the best, and on and on.
Good according to Wikapedia's definition (for economics and accounting) is:  a useful object or service.  Now that sounds pretty good to me.
Wouldn't we like to know that our clients believe we are useful?  
Perhaps it is time for us to settle back and realize that this world is made up of many, many REALTORS® that provide very professional service.  We are not unique.  If … (13 comments)

A Family's Love - 02/14/08 08:42 AM
  This Valentine's Day I'm spending in Connecticut with my mom.  I am here not out of necessity but because I love her and enjoy being with her. 
Fortunately for me, I have children that I love also.  And, lucky me, they return the love.  I would like to share this e-card I received from my daughter this morning. 
It is the first message I opened and what a great way to begin the day.
http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=EG4067272751052M248341883Y&product_id=
My family also includes a husband that is very dear to me.  A future post will be dedicated to that love.
On this day, as everyday, it is … (18 comments)

It Is Not All GLOOM and DOOM - 02/13/08 10:49 PM
It is definitely not all Gloom and Doom in the real estate market.  This post deals with one community's steps to combat the downturn it has experienced and the number of abandoned and foreclosures that have resulted.
Long before this became a national dilemma, it became one for Flint, Michigan and other areas within Michigan.  With the problems experienced by American automakers, communities dependent on that industry came upon hard times and leaders within those communities have sought solutions for their housing problems.
In 1999, the Michigan State Legislature created a new, streamlined system for returning tax-reverted properties to productive use. In the process, they opened the … (2 comments)

I Finally Came Home...235 Photos Later (Part 2) - 02/11/08 08:55 PM

Oh, what we have to do in the line of duty.  Imagine having to spend perfectly good time running (driving) around the countryside taking pictures.  Woe is me!  But then I chose to be a REALTOR® and we have to do what we have to do.
 
 
This is a good time of the year to go out "shooting" as it is so much easier to see things that might not be as visible when the trees and shrubs are in full bloom.
 
 
By sharing photos of our surroundings folks a better idea of whether they might … (20 comments)

Digital Photo Know Hows - 02/11/08 02:38 PM
As a neophyte in the world of photography, I am always looking for ways to learn more about it.  The number of books I'm accumulating and the Web sites I am discovering are very helpful.  Even though I am not necessarily putting into practice the things I am "learning" the examples used are a delight to look at.
Here is a site that I have found to be full of helpful information.  Hopefully you will too.
http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/index.html

The explanations on how to achieve the best digital photos are pretty clear and not so technical that a non-pro has trouble understanding.
Enjoy.
… (10 comments)

I Finally Came Home...235 Photos Later - 02/10/08 10:16 PM
What could I have been doing?  I went off to Sperryville to meet clients that live in Winchester, VA.  They do not have a fax machine and needed to initial a few places on a contract we had just finished negotiating.  Not recalling (no surprise) whether I had ever been to Sperryville before I made sure I had a camera with me. 
 
About 10:00 a.m. I met my clients and spent about a half hour chatting with them.  The ride home should have taken about an hour.  It took approximately five! 
 
  
 
As I drove along the fun was spotting things that added … (26 comments)

Would You Say You Lived in Bumpass? - 02/09/08 08:43 PM
People tend to be amused when they hear where I live.  Bumpass.  Now that's a different name.
Several years ago I met a man while traveling from Sitka back to Juneau, Alaska on the overnight ferry.  He was checking tickets and saw the address on the ticket envelope.  Yes, he knew where Bumpass was.  At first I was...Oh, sure.  But, he did.  His folks lived down here right by Lake Anna and sure enough he knew quite a lot about the area. 
Currently there are several postal addresses for the Lake Anna area:   Spotsylvania,   Mineral, Bumpass, Louisa, Partlow, and Orange. 
What difference does a … (6 comments)

How Many MORE Days Will it be on the Market - 02/08/08 12:43 PM
As properties are sitting on the market longer and longer many people are asking the question, "How long has it been on the market?"  That's an answer we can provide. 
Sometimes it takes a little detective work because a property may have expired, been withdrawn, re-listed, etc. and depending on the multiple listing system and how it tracks this information it is not just one number but possibly a combination of numbers.
However, the important number is how many MORE days will it be on the market.  If clients are interested in a particular property this is the number that becomes more important … (5 comments)

TV SHOWS are NOT ENOUGH - 02/04/08 02:36 PM
The recent issue of REALTOR® magazine has an ad by a title insurance company with the title, My training was watching reruns of "E.R." overlaid on a big photo of a "doctor."  The ad is pretty effective in that it certainly gets across the point that it takes more than "watching" to know what you are doing.
In made me think of our profession(s).  It is not enough to watch some TV shows and then think we are knowledgeable.  It takes much more than watching episodes of "Designed to Sell" and "Designers' Challenge" to become a stager and/or interior designer.
It is the … (3 comments)

Catching Raindrops - 02/01/08 08:45 PM
Spending a rainy day on the Rain has enabled me to catch up on some great posts.  I'd like to share some them with you and also some "Raindrops" that I've discovered or rediscovered. 
When I first stepped into the Rain I was unsure what to do.  There were posts I read and really enjoyed but I didn't realize that I could subscribe to those particular members nor add them as associates.  Now I'm trying to go back to find them.  In the beginning I felt that I was in a downpour, now I'm able to separate the individual raindrops and hope not to … (8 comments)

Enjoying a Rain Day in the Rain - 02/01/08 11:29 AM
In the past when we had a rainy, rainy day I would pick up a book (usually one that had been long neglected...since the prior rain day) and curl up to read.  Well, today is one of those rainy, rainy days and here I am on the Rain.  Instead of just reading, I'm taking this opportunity to read and write.  I've visited a number of posts today and commented on all.
Instead of being out showing homes I'm sitting in my sun room, minus the sun but still a wonderful view of Lake Anna, just relaxing.  It's a good feeling.  I had an … (10 comments)

 
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Kate Elim, Realtor® 540-226-1964 Selling Homes & Land at LAKE ANNA

Spotsylvania, VA

More about me…

Dockside Realty

Address: 4634 Courthouse Road, Mineral, VA, 23117

Office Phone: (540) 895-9400

Cell Phone: (540) 226-1964

Email Me

Kathleen "Kate" Elim
Dockside Realty
4634 Courthouse Road
Mineral , VA , 23117 United States
540-226-1964

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