Mark Hitz's Blog

It's Fall

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:42:22 -0700

Yesterday my kindergartner announced that it was the last day of Summer. She did a spinning movement with arms stretched high and announced "goodbye summer, see you next year".

This morning she announced that today it was Fall. She opened the window shade and started explaining how things were changing because it was now fall. We walk outside to get into the minivan for school and she says "dad, doesn't it just feel like fall? So different than yesterday."

She is heading into her 5th fall and vividly remembers last years pumpkin patch adventures. Such joy and excitement. At 5 she is able to grasp the "feeling" of changing seasons .

I, on the other hand, had not bothered to reflect on the seasonal changes. Not until my kindergartner reminded me.

So take some time today to reflect on the changing of seasons - not from a realty perspective but from life's perspective.

Do You Avoid Sex Offender Discussions?

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:52:46 -0700

Do you avoid discussing Sex Offenders with buyers?

There is a free Registered Sex Offenders Map Application I downloaded onto my Droid called Safe Neighborhood which made me think about how registered sex offenders may affect home buyers. The name implies that if there are no sex offenders living there, it is a safe neighborhood. The App opens up a map google of were you are and shows map dots of all the registered sex offenders.

Of course this info is available on many internet sites as well. It just made me think that I avoid any discussion about sex offenders in area neighborhoods. It's not my job to condemn neighborhood because a teenager was busted for having sex with someone a couple years younger.

Just curious how y'all feel about this topic. Do you avoid it?

3 bathroom cleaning tips for home sellers

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:53:53 -0700

Here are 3 quick bathroom cleaning tips because home buyers want to see clean bathrooms. These are all tips provided to me by past clients.

Keep rolls of basic white paper towels handy. Wiping everything with a disposable paper towel is quick and easy from mirror toothpaste splatter to soap scum on the sink.
Use Scott's Liquid Gold (spray can) to remove slight water stains on bathroom wood cabinet faces. Spray the Scott's on a paper towel and wipe. A little goes a long way. Spray the paper towel not the cabinets to avoid overspray on the floor tile. Also works great on kitchen cabinets.
Keep a Magic Eraser Sponge in the shower. No cleaning chemicals - just use water with the Magic Eraser. See how quickly it removes soap scum.

Keeping the bathroom in Show Condition can be challenging but these tips will minimize stress.

Will An Energy Star Refrigerator Pay For Itself?

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 01:44:02 -0700

Yes. I discovered that a new Stainless Steel Energy Star Refrigerator will pay for itself in electricity savings. My 1989 Almond Fridge works perfectly but after 21 maintenance free years I just want a Stainless Steel Fridge.

I need a good reason to dump the almond fridge since we are in a recession. Here's the answer: an energy star fridge will save me $880 in electricity savings over the next 5 years. Hopefully Stainless will still be in style.

If you go to the Energy Star Website they have a Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator. You simply plug in the model number and the website gives you specific results like mine below:

No Big Old Garage Beer Fridge! I always wanted a Garage Beverage Refrigerator and was thinking of using the almond one. At $241 per year in electricity, it's cheaper to buy a new 3.3 compact for $159 with annual electricity cost of only $29.

Before you think you are getting a "deal" buying a big old used fridge for your garage beverages, I suggest you check out this Energy Star site and learn the true cost of a cold beer.

I hope you found this post helpful ~ Mark Hitz

The Colony TX Homes For Sale ~ Local Real Estate Market

The AR Point Diet ~ How to loose 92 AR Points

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:55:29 -0700

If you want to loose 92 Active Rain points then my advice is to simply go to sleep. The big red box on my Home Page said 25,001 Points just before I logged off last night (I was thinking it would have been fun to see 25,000 exactly). This morning I log in and the big red box says 25,009 points. Now if you get 100 points for just logging in, then 25,001 + 100 = 25,101 not 25,009.

Somehow overnight I lost 92 Points. I'm sipping my coffee thinking "if only I could loose Pounds as easily. I should post about this - the AR Point Diet". I quickly created a one line draft post.

It made me wonder "If someone DELETES my comment, do I loose 25 points?" Can anyone answer this? Still 92 points don't divide into 25.

Then I was thinking perhaps my 100 log in points hadn't been credited yet. If this was the case, how did I gain 8 points while sleeping? (which is much more like the diets I have tried)

Time to look at other people's new posts. Paula Hathaway wrote an excellent post. I commented and reblogged it. 25 points and 25 points. Then I got the kids to school & did my morning routine.

I come back to AR a couple hours later and my point total is 25,159. 25,001 (last night) + 100 log in + 25 comment + 25 re-blog =25,151 points. So now I have gained 8 unexplained points - That's why I HATE Diets.

If anyone is missing 8 points; I have them over here.

I bet the AR points software monitors more data sets than the Apollo 9 Command Center.

Has anyone else had an unusual point change for no apparent reason?

Enjoy the day -

Mark Hitz, Realtor The Colony Texas Real Estate and Homes For Sale Report

Avoid the $200 Fine AKA Texas School Zone No Cell Phone Laws

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:04:42 -0700

The Texas No Cell Phone Use in School Zones Law went into effect over a year ago so the police are no longer giving out warnings. They simply write a ticket for a $200 fine.

So put the cell phone down before you get to the school zone. "Sorry, I need to go, there's a school zone ahead."

In addition, individual Texas cities are adopting stricter laws as technology changes and attorneys look for loop holes. This includes No Motorist Handheld Devices in School Zones. So yes, driving in a school zone while using an I Pad is going to cost you $200.

Others cities simply expand the No Cell Phone Use to include No Texting and No Apps. So you can't use the excuse "Honest Officer, I wasn't using my cell phone while driving, I was only surfing Facebook".

Others provide exemptions: If you are parked in a school car line or in a parking space.

Handsfree devices seem to be excluded but don't take my word for it.

Texas cell phone rules for school zones will continue to change. The best way to avoid the $200 fine is to just put down the cell phone.

Related Speeding Issue: I recently learned that an Allstate Insurance survey says the average Texas fine for speeding in a school zone is $211.

If you speed through a school zone with a phone stuck to your ear expect to pay an average of $211 + $200 fine = "ouch".

$411 each ticket is a great way for cities to put money into their tight budget.

Of course the reasoning behind the rules make perfect sense. Studies show that people on cell phones are distracted.

We don't want distracted drivers hitting our children. Stiff fines help protect our kids and save lives.

Can you imagine the ongoing mental anguish of both the driver and family of a school zone fatality?

What if the driver was you?

Let's be safe out there.

Mark Hitz, Realtor

The Colony TX Real Estate and Homes For Sale Report

PS - I got the idea to write this blog post this morning as I was driving the kids to school. I drive through 3 other school zones. Some woman in an Escalade blew past me in a school zone. I pull up next to her at a stoplight and she has a cell phone stuck to her ear and she is doing hand gestures with her "free hand". The light turns green and away she goes. Where's a cop when you want one?

Garage Fire Goes Undetected

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:37:22 -0700

The Fire Investigator determined the cause of the fire was a faulty lawn sprinkler system control panel in the garage. The home was monitored for burglary & fire but the smoke detectors were located in the bedrooms and halllways. The fire had to burn through the garage & utility room before smoke finally reached the smoke detector outside the master bedroom. Half of the home was in flames before the fire department arrived.

I sold this 5 year old home to some good friends after the home was rebuilt / repaired from the fire.

Here's what I want you to think about. You pay ADT to send help quickly in an emergency. Yet so many fire detection systems only conver half the house. Fires that occur in the garage, laundry room, utility room and attic are not being monitored by smoke detectors. Rarely do I see Heat Detectors monitoring the other areas. This doesn't make sense to me.

Smoke detectors are used in the bedrooms and adjacent hallways. Smoke detectors save lives.

Heat Detectors are used in the other areas like the attic, garage and utility room. Heat detectors sense the heat generated from a fire and alert the monitoring company to send help.

You wouldn't have half of your windows and doors monitored for burglary so why do you want only half of your home monitored for fire? Fire detectors are not expensive and require NO batteries. So have your monitoring company install heat detectors.

I had my home upgraded with Heat Detectors for $200 and no additional costs to monitor or maintain.

I hope you found this blog post motivating.

Mark Hitz, Realtor.

The Colony TX Real Estate and Homes For Sale

Backing Up Data Was Simpler Than I Thought

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:52:20 -0700

On Friday my laptop died and I didn't have a back up plan. I learned that backing up data from my computer is really simple. If you don't currently back up your computer then hopefully this may motivate you to get off your backside and get backed up.

I procrastinated because it sounded complicated and expensive. I learned that it is more complicated and expensive if you procrastinate.

There are two basic ways: 1. using an online data storage site like Carbonite or 2. buying an External Hard Drive.

I decided to get an External Hard Drive because my failing laptop wouldn't connect to the Internet. The Best Buy store was empty at 2 pm on Friday. So I quizzed the 3 spiky haired 20 yr old sales people about which external hard drive was the best.

As they explained pros and cons, I created my criteria: Simplicity, Speed, Cost, Encryption, Storage Space.

I chose a 2TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive for $119.00 on sale.

Simplicity- all software is installed just plug it in to the USB.

USB 2.0 Speed- it matters. Remember how fast the first AOL Dial Up was and the difference wihen you first used a really fast T-1 or DSL connection? Files keep getting bigger so how fast will it copy files? It is USB 2.0 but is upgradable to USB 3.0 for $29. USB 3.0 will be hitting the shelves soon. Who cares about speed? If you are just copying 1 file then speed doesn't matter. If you are copying 200,000 files then speed matters. Remember the original USB 1.1? It moved data at 12 MBits per second. When USB 2 came out I thought it would be twice as fast but it was 40 times faster than 1.1 at 480 MBits per second. 3.0 is 10 times faster than 2.0 and moves data at 4.8Gbits per second (4,800 MBits per second).

Secure Data Encryption. I want the data on this external hard drive secure in case someone steals it from my home. It has internal software built in with data encryption. Micorsoft 7 also has encryption.

2 TB Storage Space. I don't want to worry about running out of storage space. They had: 500 Gig for $79; 1TB (1,000 Gig) for $99 and 2 TB (2,000 Gig) for $119.

Cost. It was on sale for $119. Price always drops over time. Remember when 256M flash drives were $30 and now a 4Gig flash drive is now $11.

Is there a better external hard drive out there? Probably but I don't want to spend days researching. The one place I do research technology at is called cnet.com. Here is their review.

If you need a good External Hard Drive go to Best Buy during an off time and ask the geeky kids some questions.

Since I bought this hard drive I didn't even explore Carbonite but people on this forum use and recommend it.

I hope you found this post helpful.

Regards, Mark Hitz

How low interest rates make affordability levels skyrocket

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:07:24 -0700

Dan Rosenberger from Harvest Realty in Westfield Indiana wrote a great blog below on how current interest rates make homes more affordable.

The chart Dan uses to illustrate a $1,000 monthly mortgage payment with differing loan amounts really helps home buyersunderstand what a 4% interest rate means.

No matter if you are in the Far North Suburbs of Indianapolis or the Far North Suburbs of Dallas, this information rings true.

Via Dan Rosenberger (Harvest Realty):

We have all heard about how these are the lowest interest rates since some time in the past. (A few years ago they were saying the lowest rates since the Eisenhower Administration.) In the first few pages of a Google search I really couldn't find the last time mortgage rates were as low as they are now.

What low interest rates do to affordability is illustrated on the chart below:

Monthly Payment Interest Rate Term Years Loan Amount

1000 9 30 124,280

1000 8 30 136,283

1000 7 30 150,306

1000 6 30 166,791

1000 5 30 186,281

1000 4 30 209,495

The monthly payment of $1000 (principal & interest only) would have covered a mortgage of about $136,000 back in the days of 8% interest rates in 2000. It would have been good for about $166,000 when rates were 6% about two years ago.

With rates between 4% and 5% like we are seeing now, the loan amount is getting close to $200,000. Your lender can show you what is possible with current rates.

When you consider in the fact that most areas have some good deals in the months following the expiration of the tax credits, affordability is soaring. With that said, people should normally buy "less house" than what some ratio chart says they can afford. Low rates can make a higher priced home fall within affordability levels, or they can be used to own a home with a comfortabe lower payment.

Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana real estate represents one of the most affordable areas of the country according to recent surveys. Contact me for informtion about finding your affordable home in the Indianapolis-Carmel Indiana area. (And yes, we would be happy to show you foreclosures, HUD Homes and short sales.)

Please note the following: The above chart is for illustration purposes only. This is not an offer to extend credit. Annual Percentage Rate (APR) will vary for your specific loan, Consult your mortgage lender for information about APR. The chart above shows approximate loan amounts for $1,000 principal and interest payments at various interest rates. Your lender may require additions to your monthy payment for property taxes, insurance and other items.

The Colony Texas Free Co-Serv Home Energy Audit

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:33:46 -0700

Co-Serv homeowners in The Colony Texas can have a free home energy audit. Co-Serv has an Energy Management team who conducts free energy audits on Co-Serv members' homes.

Every Colony TX Homeowner wants lower utility bills. Everybody likes free. Get a free home energy audit and lower your utility bills. There is only one "catch". This is only for Co-Serv members.

Many homes in The Colony Texas are serviced by Co-Serv. If Co-Serv provides electricity to your home, send their energy mgmt team an e-mail energyaudits@coserv.com requesting a free home energy audit.

The auditor will inspect your home's windows, doors, attics, appliances, heating and cooling units. They want to pinpoint where energy dollars are being wasted. They use a variety of monitors and tools, including infrared cameras.

You get a detailed report. What you do with that knowledge is up to you.

Ok - It might not be free. If you schedule an audit, they show up and you are not there, they will charge you $50 on your next electric bill. If you are there, it's free. If you want them do an additional Door Blower test, they charge $75. Plus you only get one free audit every 12 months. If you want more, they will charge you $100. Basically they have created some costs to keep people from abusing the system.

So send them an e-mail and get your energy audit scheduled. I would like to hear from you afterwards to know how it turned out.

Mark Hitz, Local Colony TX Realtor

The Colony TX Real Estate and Homes For Sale

Google Instant and fighting for 1st Page Results

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:23:35 -0700

On Wednesday Google Instant was launched and if you care about where You Are Found On Google, you really should understand how it works. It's almost easier for you to just try Google Instant than explain it however I need to provide screen shots to clarify my concern.

Every Google Search Term has 1st Page Results right? Most people click a choice from the 1st page because it's easy. You focus on search terms that will get you found, What happens when people stop choosing YOUR search terms because Google Instant has made it easier for them to choose the More Popular Search Terms?

Google Instant gives you search result choices as you type each letter which will shorten your search time. More people are going to choose a search term before they type it out.

For example, you have paid big $$$ and tons of effort to be found when someone Googles:

"Dallas Real Estate Agent"

How is Google Instant going to work? Let's see...

Someone starts typing Dallas Rea____

They see...

Two things I want you to look at above:

1st - Dallas Real Estate Agent IS NOT A CHOICE YET

2nd - The top 3 choices - They STAY THE SAME AS WE TYPE MORE

You type the L in Real and here's how it changes.

Dallas Real_____

Dallas Real Estate Agent is still not a choice

You keep typing...

Dallas Real Estat_______

Still no Dallas Real Estate Agent

It's not until you type...

Dallas Real Estate ______

Do you get to choose Agents

Google Instant is here to stay. We in the real estate world need to take the time to "think like a client" and search on Instant to understand what "results pages" they are being offered as they type.

This is especially important for people who "buy their way on to first page search results".

I hope this has been helpful. Mark Hitz The Colony TX Real Estate

New HUD Homes sales procedures announced

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:09:13 -0700

The HUD home buying process is certainly changing. Dan's blog below was quite an eye-opener. Some HUD changes sound positive but it will mean relearning a process that we have gotten comfortable with.

Lowering the 5% to 3% is certainly negative because of all the addtional work involved with a HUD. Perhaps this new process will lower the amount of hours a HUD contract currently requires.

Regards - Mark Hitz

Via Dan Rosenberger (Harvest Realty):

HUD has announced several changes in the way HUD Homes will be sold. Here are some of the changes:

Commission available to a buyers broker will be up to 3% instead of the previous 5%, but some lower-priced properties will have a commission of up to $1250 for the buyers broker.

Days to close has decreased from 45 days to 30 days.

Owner-occupants will have a bidding priority for 30 days on properties eligible for FHA insurance(Category IN and IE) instead of the present ten days. Simultaneous bidding will be for ten days, with bids reviewed on a daily basis after the initial ten days.

Owner-occupants will have a bidding priority of 5 days on properties NOT eligible for FHA insurance (Category UI) instead of the present ten days.

Bids from investors are considered when the property's owner-occpant priorty period is over.

All information on properties nationwide will be on one website, hudhomestore.com

New listings may come out on any day of the week instead of one designated day.

There will be a procedure to allow open houses at HUD Homes.

Earnest money will be held by HUD's designated closing agents instead of the broker.

HUD will have multiple asset managers and field service managers in each state.

The field service managers will start implementing use of electronic lock boxes on HUD Homes.

Each field service manager will select the electronic lock box system that they will be using.

Some of these changes are expected to roll out as early as this month. Roll-out dates will vary by state.

The above notes were based on a webinar produced by HUD. There were many more question submitted than the time available to answer them. We expect that there will be further information made available in the next week or two. In the past, there have been variations in procedures by state. Asset managers will be given responsibilities for marketing/sales in their assigned states.

Since I am just reporting some of the information that was presented in a webinar, questions would be best directed to HUD. They have given two ways to contact the FHA Resource Center: Call 1-800-225-5342 (I-800-CALLFHA) Monday thru Friday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Time, or by email to info@fhaoutreach.com. In addition they have a Frequently Asked Questions section at http://www.fhaoutreach.gov/FHAFAQ/

I'm Ranked #1 on Google Instant - Something's Goofed Up!

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:48:03 -0700

Does Google Instant KNOW it's me searching for me so I get ranked #1? Seriously, is Google Instant that smart or will anyone searching find me ranked the same? I read Jay Lloyd's post Google Instant the end of SEO? and went to Instant to try it myself.

My Websites are now ranked higher in the organic search results on "Google Instant" than I ever ranked on regular "Google". I am thinking that Google has figured out who I am and shows me what I desire - #1 Organic Search Result Status. I am now wondering that if anyone else searches Google Instant for these same search results will they indeed be very different? If Google really does "know who I am" and skew the results accordingly, how am I ever going to know my real Search Engine Rank AKA SERPs?

Remember "Organic Results" mean you didn't pay for them like the sponsors on the top and the right side.

I am a Realtor in a bedroom community of 40,000 so the Realtor competition isn't like the big cities. The city is called The Colony, TX. You can't just search The Colony without the TX because of all the 13 colonies.

So here are my 4 basic search terms that I search for OFTEN on this laptop - and Google tracks how often I search:

The Colony TX - broad search term for the city itself.

The Colony TX Real Estate

The Colony TX Homes For Sale

The Colony TX Realtor - Which provides the coveted Google 7 Pack showing 7 offices on a Google map.

DRUM ROLL

Here are tonight's Google Instant SERPs...

The Colony TX - My Website ranks 3rd!Official City Website 1st. Wikipedia 2nd. Then Me. That can't be right.

The Colony TX Real Estate - My websites rank 1st and 3rd. Realtor.com ranks 2nd. Then come all the other big hitters: homes.com, yahoo real estate, trulia, realestate.com, zillow, you know the list.

Ok - I'm getting pumped after looking at these. Now I Google Instant search:

The Colony TX Homes For Sale - 1st and 3rd again!This time Homes.com ranked 2nd. Both of my sites beat Realtor.com and all the big guys. Now I am positive Google Instant is skewing the results just to show me "what I want to see".

Time to look at the last Primary Search Term where they have the Google 7 Pack Map:

The Colony TX Realtor. I am listed B. on the Google 7 Pack Map. My websites are ranked 1st and 2nd.

I have no idea how Google Instant works but I like it.

Are you seeing similar instant results when you "Google search yourself"?

Important Reminder - you have to Google for "google instant" and go to the "instant" site.

Regards Mark Hitz The Colony TX Real Estate

Do You Copyright Your Pictures? Do You Even Care?

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:40:52 -0700

Do you care if someone else uses one of your pictures? I use to. Now I focus on the Marketing Potential.

You automatically "own copyright" on original digital pictures but do you really care if someone else uses one of your photos without your permission?

"Yes" or "No"?

My mom told me not to get mad about the weather because I had no control over it. I view the Internet www like world wide weather. When I push the send button and upload a digital picture into the clouds I have no control over it's use.

"But it's mine. People should just know that." How? Is there some mandatory Internet copyright course required before people are allowed to surf the net? There are no world wide Internet photo police that I have seen.

If you owned a dog and let it run freely without a collar and never registered it, should you be upset when someone else takes it in? How do you go about proving it's your dog?

Obviously pictures aren't pets. They just took a copy of your dog. You still have the original.

The easiest deterrent is to add text to your digital picture prior to pushing the uploading button.

One way to look at digital pictures being copied: another free source of marketing. Sometimes I put copyright info directly on the picture. Here is an original digital picture recently taken at Hawaiian Falls in The Colony Texas. Before uploading it to my Localism Blog Post for The Colony I added my copyright:

Another way of deterring people is to Watermark or put copyright info in the middle of the picture so they cannot crop you out:

Look on the left side mid way up you will see roof tops which is a neighborhood called The Legends. I actively List and Sell The Legends Subdivision in The Colony Texas so perhaps this photo should point that out to potential buyers and sellers:

So do you really care who copies your pictures?

Did this blog post make you think differently?

Do you currently insert copyright text?

Are you going to insert copyright text on your photos to market yourself?

Regards Mark Hitz, Realtor helping buyers and sellers in The Legends Subdivision The Colony TX

178 Light Bulbs Experiment for Google, Yahoo and Bing SERPs

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:53:08 -0700

If you want a glimpse of how Google and Yahoo Search Results really happen then skim this post.

Yesterday I wrote a blog post titled "178 Light Bulbs" about energy efficient lighting choices in a large home. I decided to incorporate a Search Engine experiment using the term "178 Light Bulbs" to see which search engines would rank my post. I checked and discovered there is no competition for this specific search term.

The Experiment: How Fast will Google, Yahoo and Bing find my blog post? Where will it rank? Will they index my jpg pictures?

Remember if you want a very specific search use the "quotation marks" which will only return pages with these words in this exact order. I am searching for "178 Light Bulbs" not light bulbs or 1780 lights bulbs.

6 hours after blog posting: No Yahoo. No Bing. 1st Place 1st Page of Google. No Image Results.

24 hours after blog posting: 1st and 2nd Place 1st Page Yahoo. No Bing. 1st Place 1st Page of Google. No Image Results.

Important Side Bar Comment. Yesterday I screwed up; didn't save my 178 bulbs draft post; lost it and ended up rewriting the whole post. This morning I wrote another blog post about loosing my draft and how important it is to always save often as a draft. I only posted this Newbie Draft Posting Tip blog to the Newbie Group - Members only - NOWHERE ELSE. Not a single person commented but Yahoo found it anyway. So look carefully below at what Yahoo Search Results just found!

Look carefully at the Yahoo Highlighted activerain.com lines and see that these are both different from the Google search results page. Google grabbed it from the specific blog post. Yahoo grabbed it from my main Blog which has all of my posts - the RSS feed. Plus the Newbie only post which is unusual.

Three unique places. No duplicates. No Bing (yet).

I get confused by acronyms but here is one you should know: SERPs. Search Engine Results Pages. If I search for "178 Light Bulbs", what results page will my blog show up on?

I drafted my 178 bulbs article with the intent of providing useful original content to the reader. Then I came back and thought about SEO (search engine optimization). I started having fun inserting "178 light bulbs" in the post. Made sure it was in the beginning of the title and beginning of the first paragraph. It showed up a total of 7 times so not quite "stuffing" because it was a long article. I didn't count words to figure out a density.

About Images: To make the experiment more interesting I decided go for SERPs on Images as well. I want Google, Yahoo and Bing to spyder / index my jpgs. I inserted 10 digitial pictures into my post. I thought I would be smart and use file names like 178-light-bulbs-kitchen.jpg but I learned active rain renames them AR1234567890.jpg so don't waste your time with jpg file names. Still I made sure when I inserted each jpg I gave it a unique description and title beginning with 178 Light Bulbs. Since Google spyders don't "see pictures" they rely on the description and title you provide to explain what the picture is about.

So if you go to my post 178 light bulbs and put your cursor on top of any picture, the unique description will pop up.

What this confirms so far...

Google is a rocket. Yahoo algorithms work different than Google. Bing stinks so far.

Even posts made just within a specific group will show up in Yahoo search results so be mindful of what you write!

Use Basic SEO by having the correct words in the right order in these important places:

1. Title

2. Description

3. Opening Sentence

4. Used in text body but not overstuffing.

5. Anchor Text (the words that are highlighted in a link).

6. Images - description and title.

I haven't unravelled a great mystery of the universe. However it is cool to see how AR / Google and Yahoo interact. I hope this has been interesting.

Please let me know of your SERPs Success stories.

Regards - Mark Hitz, Realtor serving the Far North Dallas Suburbs including The Colony TX Real Estate.

My Bad - That's Insulting!

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:18:20 -0700

"My Bad". Americans are bad about slang terminology especially when the phrase has multiple meanings. When someone writes or says "My Bad" what do they really mean? Before you say it or write it you should really know how they might take it.

It doesn't really matter who coined the phrase or what it meant 30 years ago in sports.

What does My Bad mean today?

If you look at this black and white picture without any supporting information, what does it mean to you?

It's hard to say? That is exactly my point.

Here are some possible My Bad definitions found on the Internet site Urban Dictionary.

a). A way of apologizing when you don't really care about the situation. Similar to saying "whatever".

b). A way of admitting a mistake, and apologizing for that mistake, without actually apologizing.

c). A combination of an apology and a dismissal. Basically, saying "oh yeah, I did that, but I don't care".

d). A grammatically incorrect way of jokingly acknowledging a wrongdoing. The terrible grammar tends to drive literate people up the wall in absolute irritation.

e). It's my fault and I'm sorry.

f). Your definition.

g). The other person's definition.

So when is it appropriate to use the phrase My Bad in a real estate conversation?

"The low-ball offer you faxed over was illegible and missing signatures!"

"My Bad?"

I think I will stick with "Sorry", "my mistake" and "I apologize" on the rare occasion I might make a mistake. You say you know me better than that? My Bad.

Mark Hitz, Realtor - Serving the far north Dallas Suburbs.

Newbie Draft Posting Tip I Learned From Others.

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:51:53 -0700

Today I ignored what someone on AR explained about always saving my post as draft. I learned the hard way as my post was toast. I had fun creating a blog post titled 178 Light Bulbs and decided to include pics which took took a couple hours. The post was a side project on the laptop while I did other things all morning - like play "go fish".

I didn't bother to post it as a DRAFT as instructed. It would have taken me all of 5 seconds to do but I didn't. When it came time to post it to members, I push the button,,, 45 seconds of waiting... Then I see this Active Rain Intermission Curtain informing me AR was working out some bugs. When AR came back online my post didn't exist anymore.

I had to start over from scratch. Why? Because I didn't "Draft save" my work as I went.

Here's the "Draft Save" tip: From your home screen click on Write A Blog Post.

Type in a rough title and a sentence of content.

Then scroll down and find the word Visability: Public.

Click on the drop down box next to Public and click on DRAFT. What DRAFT means is you can post it to yourself - it's a way of saving work.

Then scroll down to the bottom and click on Post Blog Entry - The click OK for the disclaimer box.

Congrats! You have created a draft blog. Click on the word EDIT to take you back to writing your blog post.

So every so often go down, click on Post Blog Entry and save your draft. That way if it crashes, you can always go back to the last saved draft.

I like Draft because it shows you what your post will really look like when posted. "Wow I need to run Spell Check."

One more benefit of saving it to draft is that you won't feel so rushed to publish it. You may decide to come back later and add a picture.

I hope this helps keep your draft post from being toast. ~ Mark

Labor Day @ Hawaiian Falls The Colony TX 2010

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:10:17 -0700

Today Labor Day 2010 was the last day at Hawaiian Falls Adventure Park in The Colony Texas. As you can see from the photos it was a gorgeous cloudy 93 degrees. Perfect water temps and not too crowded.

Breaker Bay wave making pool is always a fun place to relax when you don't feel so adventerous.

The Hawaiian Falls Kona Cooler Lazy River is a enjoyable for all ages!

Tubes provided. Float down river as long as you want. The hard part is deciding when it's time to leave.

There are plenty of water slides and rides to keep your heart pumping at Hawaiian Falls The Colony TX

Next year buy your family season passes and enjoy The Colony Texas summer!

Mark Hitz The Colony TX Realtor

178 Light Bulbs | Old vs CFL vs LED

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:26:17 -0700

178 light bulbs can create a large electric bill depending on the kind of bulbs you use. I recently sold the home pictured below that has 178 light bulbs. It was vacant, I was doing a photo shoot and I kept flipping on light switches. I wondered how many light bulbs are in this place? 1, 2, 3... 178 bulbs and only 6 are energy saving CFL compact florescent lights (or as my 5 yr old says: ice cream cone bulbs). I didn't count low voltage yard lights, oven lights, under counter lights, pool lights or bulbs in the attic.

I went outside and looked at the meter. It was spinning fast enough to make me cringe.

If I was buying this home what would I do? What makes sense? Time to blog.

I don't want to spend my life on a ladder changing light bulbs. I don't like looking up and seeing a bulb burn out either. 178 light bulbs means there is always 1 burn out if they are the old kind.

Time to go to Lowes and use that 10% Realtor Benefits client coupon.

How long do bulbs last and how much do they cost:

Old incandescent bulbs costs $1 and last 700 to 1,500 hours.

CFL Compact Florescent Light bulbs are getting cheaper - multipacks - $3 each. 8,000 to 10,000 hours (6 to 7 years of average use). However some CFL bulbs fail within a year.

LED Light Emitting Diode bulbs are still expensive. $20 - $40 each, depending on how many LED's are in the bulb. LED bulbs last 50,000+ hours which is longer than you will own the home.

First pick the low hanging fruit. Easiest to reach and most used bulbs in the house.

Install CFL bulbs in all the Bathroom Light Bars starting with the Master...

Now the kitchen ...

Next are the 9 ceiling fans. In Texas we use ceiling fans year round.

The major manufacturers are now making reliable CFL ceiling fan light bulbs. They handle the vibration well and are rated for 6 years. 11 watt bulbs give off the same amount of light as the old 40 watt incandescent.

Since ceiling fans require a step ladder, I want to change all of them at the same time.

Perhaps I will never have to change a ceiling fan bulb again.

Now for the can lights and spot lights.

Replace the old 65 watt bulbs with 15 watt CFL bulbs. Same amount of light but last 6 years and at a fraction of the electricity.

Done with the "No Brainer" upgrades. Now it's time to make some decisions.

I don't use the dining room light often and frankly I like the look of the current chandelier bulbs. Leave them "as-is".

I am also leaving the garage bulbs unchanged. In the winter the CFL bulbs need time to warm up and when I'm in the garage I need light.

10 Outside floodlights. Change to CFL Floods. I considered LED Floodlights but at $30 each that is $300.

The entry is the biggest challenge. The ceiling is vaulted to at least 25 feet. There are 7 can lights that are not accessible by ladder. When one of those burns out, I will have to hire a handyman with a scaffold and a telescopic pole to change out all the can lights.

CFL or go with the more expensive LED lights?

CFL bulbs do fail sometimes in a under a year. Due to the labor cost of the handyman I only want to do this once.

So I choose 7 LED floodlight bulbs x $30 = $210.

The chandelier is 18 feet off the ground and has 12 torpedo bulbs. 12 LED x $30 = $360. A tall stepladder may reach it. I will replace with $3 CFL bulbs that I can afford when the handlyman is changing out the floods.

I hope you found this blog about the 178 light bulbs useful as you think about your home's energy efficiency.

Enjoy home ownership ~ Mark Hitz, The Colony TX Realtor serving all far north Dallas suburbs.

2010 Pirate Days of Texas in The Colony Oct 16 17

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:23:28 -0700

Mark you calendars! The Colony TX Oct 16 & 17 Pirate Days of Texas 2010 festival held at Stewart Creek Park on Lake Lewisville. Sat Oct 16th 10 am to 10 pm. Sun Oct 17th 11 am to 6 pm.

The Colony Texas is a Far North Dallas Suburb located on 35 miles of Lake Lewisville shoreline. Located just north of the Hwy 121 Tollway, The Colony is between Lewisville and Frisco.

Tickets for this year Pirate Days of Texas festival at the gate will be $10 for Adults, $5 for kids 5 to 12 and children 4 and under are free. Discounted advance tickets to the festival are currently available online. The one day tickets are $9 for adults, $4 for kids 5 to 12 and children 4 and under are free. Two day advance tickets are $17 for adults, $7 for kids 5 to 12 and 4 and under are still free.

All the food and drink vendors will take cash so bring plenty of booty!

Come dressed in your pirate garb and walk around saying ARRRRRRRRRR. Trust me you will fit in just fine.

You never know who might show up dressed like a pirate - after all George does live here now!

Of course you don't have to wear a pirate hat but it's fun for kids of all ages.

Pirate Days Entertainment includes the bands: Needfire, The Bilge Pumps, Allie Noel, Scurvy Rickets and the Peg Legs, The Rumble Kings, Identity Theft, Agents of Solace, and Queen Anne's Lace.

Blue Moon Buccaneers pirate reenactment and demonstration crew the will be there with their cannons in the SeaWolf . They have a land based ¼ scale replica of a pirate ship that demonstrates life aboard a pirate ship. Plus skits and dance routines for the family to enjoy.

New this year is the Toruga Marketplace, a historically accurate period marketplace including a working blacksmith.

Do You GeoCache? Beginning at 10am on Saturday, October 16th, Pirate Days of Texas presents the return of Jean Lafitte's Loot GeoCache Treasure Adventure and Scavenger Hunt.

The Captain Kidd's Adventure Cove will feature the return of the massive Treasure of the Caribbean and Buccaneer Ship bounce houses, ICZAP Lasertag, Annabel Lee's Treasure Dig, an expanded Curse of the Red Eye Pirate Crazy Croquet course, Nerissa the Mermaid Storytelling and Magic Shell Wishes, and a new and improved Pirate Bay/ Great Colony Reef activity zone.

Different this year, will be the Ponies and Pal Petting Zoo that features miniature horses, miniature zebu cows, and from Madagascar, Lance the Ring Tailed Lemur.

On Saturday, October 16th only, The Colony TX Boy Scouts will present several activities including a Climbing Wall.

Last year they had pirate pet themed events. So as far as I know - leashed friendly dogs are welcome.

Plug this into your GPS: Stewart's Creek Park, 3700 Sparks Road, The Colony, TX 75056

View Pirate Days of The Colony in a larger map

See you and your family there! Mark Hitz, The Colony TX Realtor

How Important are The Colony Texas School Ratings ~ LISD TAKS Ranks

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:44:13 -0700

All parents want to send their children to a good school and The Colony TX has good schools in the LISD. Relocating home buyers ask me "how are The Colony Schools?" or how is a specific elementary school. I start walking a tightrope. The TAKS ratings of The Colony Schools is the only uniform measurement to compare schools so that's the best overall ranking of LISD schools. So, yes TAKS ranking of The Colony Schools is very important simply because that it the only "apples to apple" comparison that is available.

You can go to websites like Greatschools.org who are the self proclaimed best independent source but reality is they pull info from the TAKS ratings / tests. Plus irate parents feel the need to vent there. If there are 600 kids per year in an elementary school and greatschools gets 6 "unverified parent" comments per year, is it really a good source of knowledge? 1% from an "open forum". I didn't think so.

Here is my local guide to The Colony Texas Schools ~ LISD in the Lewisville Independent School District. You will find TAKS information, links to all the school websites and more. Let me know how I can improve my webpages.

Regards,

Mark Hitz, The Colony TX Realtor

TAKS ratings are:

1, Exemplary

2. Recognized

3. Academically Acceptable

4. Unacceptable (ouch)

Here is a list of the LISD Schools

EXEMPLARY
Bluebonnet Elementary
Bridlewood Elementary
Camey Elementary
Castle Hills Elementary
Creekside Elementary
Degan Elementary
Donald Elementary
Ethridge Elementary
Flower Mound Elementary
Forest Vista Elementary
Garden Ridge Elementary
Hebron Valley Elementary
Heritage Elementary
Hicks Elementary
Highland Village Elementary
Homestead Elementary
Indian Creek Elementary
Liberty Elementary
McAuliffe Elementary
Morningside Elementary
Old Settlers Elementary
Prairie Trail Elementary
Southridge Elementary
Stewart's Creek Elementary
Timber Creek Elementary
Valley Ridge Elementary
Wellington Elementary
Briarhill Middle School
Downing Middle School
Durham Middle School
Forestwood Middle School
Lamar Middle School
McKamy Middle School
Shadow Ridge Middle Sch.
Killough LHS-North
Flower Mound High School
Hebron High School
Marcus High School

RECOGNIZED
Central Elementary
College Street Elementary
Coyote Ridge Elementary
Hedrick Elementary
Lakeland Elementary
Owen Elementary
Parkway Elementary
Peters Colony Elementary
Polser Elementary
Rockbrook Elementary
Vickery Elementary
Arbor Creek Middle School
Creek Valley Middle School
DeLay Middle School
Griffin Middle School
Hedrick Middle School
Huffines Middle School
Killian Middle School
Lakeview Middle School
The Colony High School

ACADEMICALLY ACCEPTABLE
Independence Elementary
Lewisville High School
Lewisville Learning Center

Newbie Etiquette Q: Commenting on Comments

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:02:48 -0700

Dear Miss Manners, I Need an AR Etiquette Question Answered that's rolling around my head. Only posting this to the AR Newbie group. You write a "members only" post. It gets comments. Some are insightful comments and others are "good post".

Now what?

Is it ettiquette to comment back to each person with a comment? I see some, where the original poster will respond with individual comments back.

I see some, where they have one response post for 10 comments and will single out names with short replies.

Mark - good thought

Sue - spot on point

Karen - thanks

Doug - what are you drinking

I see some, where they respond to a few comments that spark their interest or deserve a reply and they ignore the mundane comments.

I see some where there are 40 comments and NO reply.

What's the reply etiquette on AR?

Also, is it ok to state disagreement comments to other comments? I agree with the author however comment #28 is misleading in that...

This place is SOOOOOO polite compared to the open forums. Then again, AR is real people with real names. Perhaps the ability to delete comments you don't like curbs negativity as well.

Thanks - Mark

Driver Launches Car into Air at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Toll Booth

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:28:19 -0700

I live near the DFW airport and they charge you a toll to park and exit so there is a long row of toll booth attendants. In front of each toll booth is a concrete triangle of sorts to protect the worker. If you look at this picture below you will see the concrete triangle in front of that black jeep.

I have often sat in the toll booth line and wondered what would happen if someone hit that triangle driving really fast. I guess the technical term for the concrete is a "Rampart" - from the days of castles.

Well it happened early one morning.

Since the Driver was not really injured I find it amusing.

Here is a 12 second security camera video that will have you saying WOW.

Enjoy - Mark

The Colony TX Morningside Elementary School Boundaries ~ New LISD Boundary Map

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:04:02 -0700

Morningside Elementary School in The Colony Texas boundary map has changed shifting children to Peters Colony Elementary and Owen Elementary. The LISD boundary map 2010 - 2011 shows the new boundaries.

Home Buyers, If you are looking at The Colony TX homes for sale and want your child to attend Morningside Elementary School you need to verify the MLS accuracy as there are unintentional errors by listing agents. Over the 2010 summer Lewisville Independent School District LISD made Elementary School boundary map changes for Morningside Elementary, Peters Colony Elementary and Owen Elementary.

The 2 Middle school boundaries have not changed in 2010. The Colony High School is the only high school.

Morningside Elementary School boundaries reside inside of the Legends Subdivision in The Colony Texas. If you look at this map: 27 is Morningside and the red lines are elementary school boundaries.

Currently if you are a homeowner in the Legends subdivision, your elementary children will either attend Morningside or Camey.

Visit my website SoldOnTheColony.com for The Colony Texas Real Estate Market information and insight.

The $1 Must-Have Home Security Solution

Mark Hitz (Keller Williams ) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:03:17 -0700

The $1 Home Security Solution. It's called a window thumb lock and it costs a buck. It takes no tools to install. No handyman needed. Yet these little aluminum thumb locks really work to keep burglars from opening your windows and coming on in.

Homeowners spend a lot of money on a sturdy door and deadbolt lockset but forget that their windows are the most vulnerable access point for a burglar.

Here are some pictures I took of the thumb locks I use on my windows.

Easy install. No skill required.

With the thumb lock in place you cannot open the window, even with the regular lock unlocked.

Here's a really nice feature. You want to have your windows open a few inches for a cool breeze but you don't want to leave your windows unlocked. With this thumb lock you can position it so the window can be opened a few inches.

I also use them on my upstairs windows as a "Safety Feature" for my kids. I have the thumb lock installed to allow the window to be opened about 8 inches but no more. I figure kids and pets cannot fall out a 2nd story window that only opens 8 inches.

I bought my window locks for about a buck each at the local Ace Hardware Store. I just googled Aluminum Window Thumb Locks and found you can order them online at True Value hardware.

For other useful home security tips, visit my blog on the 6 Second Garage Break In for Dummies. I plan on writing more about home security so feel free to subscribe to my blog.

I've tried to write this so it's an easy re-blog as well.

Hope this helps keep you, your family and your home safe.

Mark Hitz, The Colony Texas Realtor

Monthly Payment	Interest Rate	Term Years	Loan Amount
1000	9	30	124,280
1000	8	30	136,283
1000	7	30	150,306
1000	6	30	166,791
1000	5	30	186,281
1000	4	30	209,495