Need Home Alarm System Recommendations - 04/29/09 09:09 AM
I'm building a new home and I want to install an alarm system.
I think I want something more than just the sign that says,
"Home Security Provided by Colt"! 
(Even though Colt will definitely be on the premises!  :-)
We'll be located off the beaten path so I would like to install a monitored alarm system and would be very interested in your advice.
The only two companies that come immediately to mind are ADT and Brinks, and I'm sure there are other good ones.  I lean toward ADT because they are the one recommended by my insurance company, … (5 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - Dinghy at Sunset in The Sea of Abaco - 04/29/09 08:28 AM

 
Photo © Mike Hendren 2009
 
… (25 comments)

JOTT - Voice to Text and Much More! - 04/28/09 03:47 PM
JOTT is one of those really cool little applications for the iPhone (maybe other phones, too - I don't know) that can be a true productivity tool.
I frequently use it to leave myself notes while driving - be sure and check your local laws about cell phone usage while driving before doing this one. :-)
What it does is allow you to dictate a short message to your phone, which is then uploaded to the JOTT website where their people convert it to text.  In a few minutes, it is back on your phone as a text note.  But, it … (13 comments)

RE/MAX Professionals and Prestige R.E. Group Form Partnership - 04/27/09 06:07 PM

POWERHOUSE REAL ESTATE GROUPS  FORM PARTNERHIP
(Denver, CO – April 23, 2009)  Two long-time Denver real estate leaders today announced the formation of a new partnership and a new vision for the future of the local real estate industry.  Prestige Real Estate Group and RE/MAX Professionals are becoming RE/MAX Professionals: Colorado's most Prestigious Real Estate Company (www.prestigiousdenverhomes.com).
As one entity, they will offer their customers the experience and expertise needed to navigate today's housing market.
"Both of these companies have individually earned many coveted industry awards and accolades," said Rob Terranova, Mountain States Regional Vice President, RE/MAX International.  "This partnership … (3 comments)

EMAIL Etiquette - Being a Spammer is SO EASY! - 04/26/09 06:02 PM
I think I could collect 100,000 email addresses in one month - no problem.  From there, millions would be a piece of cake. We, or some of us, make it so easy for spammers to gather up email addresses.  I’m sure you get those emails where the first page (or two) is the list of email addresses that particular email was sent to - sometimes it seems like it must have been EVERYONE in the sender’s address book! Well, folks, with a little education and a few seconds of your time that can be stopped! I’m sure you all know about … (22 comments)

Speechless Sunday - Abstract Sailor's Sunrise - 04/26/09 06:43 AM

Photo © Mike Hendren 2009
… (20 comments)

Beat Rising Postage Rates - with the FOREVER STAMP - 04/22/09 07:26 PM
Postage rates are going up again! ? !
Yes, you already knew that.  On May 11, 2009, the United States Postal Service is raising their rates again. 
The price of a 1 oz. First-Class letter goes from $.42 to $.44.  Now, to complement all of those 42 centers you have already, you'll need to buy 2 cent stamps to go with them.  However, there is a way to beat this in the future.
  How?  With the Forever Stamp.  This is a stamp that you can still buy for 42 cents, but it will always be valid as First-Class postage … (14 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - Guess What? - 04/22/09 04:01 PM

Photo by Mike Hendren
… (36 comments)

Pilot's Eye View of Mt. Rainier - Through the HUD - 04/20/09 06:03 PM

In my pre-Realtor days, I was a pilot. While flying for Delta Air Lines, I was fortunate to fly as Captain on their Boeing 737-800 which was one of the first airliners to have a “heads up display” (HUD) for the Captain. This HUD is a piece of clear glass that hangs in front of the pilot, near the windshield, and displays all of the necessary flight data, including altitude, airspeed, and heading. This image shows Mt. Rainier, in Washington state, not long after take-off from Seattle. The HUD shows that we were climbing through 10,980 feet at an indicated … (21 comments)

URGENT - Realtor Safety Tip - This Could Save Your Life! - 04/17/09 07:07 PM
Personal protection can be a touchy subject.
Personally, I'm a big fan of a Colt .45 semiautomatic pistol and a concealed carry permit.  But I realize some people aren't comfortable with firearms.  So, the next best option might be pepper spray.  A third possibility is your car keys - that's right your car keys!  And I don't mean the keys themselves (although they can be a formidable weapon), I'm talking about that little black thing with buttons that unlocks your car doors!
A while back, I got one of those forwarded emails with a safety tip in it and, of course, … (25 comments)

TGIF! Let's Play! - 04/17/09 11:41 AM
Pitter - patter - pitter - patter - pitter - patter - - - - - - - - plop.
I stop typing in my computer and look down from my desk to see our little Maltese, Bella, standing there over her favorite toy, a small, stuffed leopard (looks kind of like the pink panther) with one of those squeakers inside.  She has an expectant look on her face - a “come play with me” look.

She is all of six-pounds of white, furry, fluff and has more energy than the famous Energizer Bunny.  All tensed up and ready to … (16 comments)

Monument Valley, Arizona - Go There! - 04/16/09 07:15 PM
 
Monument Valley is the aptly named area in northeastern Arizona. These are just two of the magnificent formations that rise up from the desert floor, some reaching heights of 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain.  They are beautiful at any time of day, but the best times are early morning or late evening, especially for photographers. They are not exactly in a convenient location but there is lodging available within a few miles.  This would make an excellent side trip while traveling between the Grand Canyon and Moab, for instance. In addition to gorgeous scenery, you just never know what … (6 comments)

Combining Images in Photoshop - 04/15/09 07:29 PM

Photoshop is an amazing piece of software. 
One of the really cool things it can do is merge images in several ways.
Two possibilities are:
Merge to a panorama, or Merge into a composite. The panorama is very useful when you have a scene that is just too wide (or tall) for the lens you may have available.  So, you can shoot a series of images, overlapping them by about 20% or so and then through the magic of Photoshop, those images can be put together into a seamless panorama.  That is the technique I used for the photo of … (5 comments)

Oklahoma Windmills - Alternative Energy - 04/14/09 04:07 PM

 
 
I took this photo at one of those windmill farms near Ft. Supply, Oklahoma. There must be over a hundred of these huge windmills, there - they are quite a sight!
 
This image was actually taken a little before sunset, looking directly into the sun with the towers silhouetted. The original image was considerably underexposed, but while playing with it in Adobe Lightroom, I changed the white balance to "tungsten", bumped up the exposure by a little over one stop, and this was the result.
 
I think it looks more like a moonlight photo than one … (7 comments)

Denver Area Market Update - 04/14/09 03:28 PM
By all current indications, the "storm" is receding.  The residential real estate market, here in Denver, is beginning to show signs of recovery, finally.  The salient statistics for our market are:
Current active inventory is at a 6 year low. Homes under contract are up over this time last year. Most of these positives, so far, are in the homes priced under $500,000.  What this means is that we should start to see some price appreciation in that price range as the market shifts from a buyer's market to a seller's market.  So what does this mean to buyers and sellers?
… (2 comments)

Why You Need an Improvement Location Certificate - 04/13/09 12:08 PM
Should home buyers require a survey of the property? 
Maybe - Sometimes - Explore other options.
Here in Colorado, in subdivisions, buyers rarely ask for a survey of the property.  (Acreage, of course, is a completely different scenario and USUALLY needs a survey to verify boundaries, easements, encroachments, etc.)
However, even smaller lots in the middle of subdivisions are not immune to "hidden problems" regarding the properties integrity.  These kinds of problems, though rare, can include:
encroachments easements unrecorded rights and other adverse conditions Sometimes, in lieu of a survey, a faster, cheaper option is the "Improvement Location Certificate" or ILC.  … (0 comments)

Are you really ready to buy a home? - 04/13/09 08:15 AM
 
Andrea put together an excellent list for things home buyers need to consider as they go through the process of finding and buying a new home.
 
Via Andrea Swiedler (Prudential Adams & Associates, REALTORS):
The news is all good, interest rates are lower than ever. Housing prices are down. The first time home buyers $8,000 tax credit is a great incentive to purchase a home this year. What to do first?
Find a reputable lender. Find out how much you are qualified for, make sure that you look at what your mortgage payment will be per month, include your real … (0 comments)

RED FRIDAYS - Support our Troops! - 04/10/09 03:33 PM
You've probably seen the email.  You know, the one that encourages everyone to wear red on Fridays to show support for the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.  I don't see much red on Fridays and I have to admit I don't always remember, either.  But I do unconditionally and completely support and admire everyone who wears, or has worn, a uniform in the U.S. Military. My Grandfather, my Father, and every one of my uncles served in war time - Granddad in WWI and the others in WWII.  Our family was so incredibly lucky that they … (18 comments)

St. Elmo, Colorado - Out of the Way Ghost Town - 04/09/09 03:28 PM

St. Elmo, Colorado. This little tiny town may be small but it is big on character!  This is the storefront of one of the few buildings in St. Elmo and if you go there, probably the small general store will be the only business that is "open for business", but you'll probably still find something in the store that you just can't live without! To get there, you will need to drive about 8 miles south of Buena Vista and then turn west on Rd. 162.  Then it's a steady climb and a beautifully scenic drive until you reach St. … (8 comments)

San Francisco, California, Cityscape - 04/08/09 04:06 PM

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. 
You have the vast Pacific Ocean on one side and the San Francisco Bay on the other side.
The incredible Golden Gate Bridge crosses to the north and takes you right into the famous California wine country.  The ciy itself is very diverse with a thriving downtown area and of course the always popular China Town.
I took this photo several years ago from the window of the hotel I was staying in.  The varied colors, play of light and shadow, and the alignment of the streets made an interesting composition, I … (8 comments)

Wind Power at Sunset in Oklahoma - 04/05/09 10:58 AM
I also shot this photo at the windmill farm north of Ft. Supply, Oklahoma. This time, I got the exposure right and just adjusted the blue and orange to make the image more pleasing - to me, at least.These huge, power generating windmills are amazing. This particular group must contain over one hundred windmills scattered over several miles. When the wind blows and the blades turn you can hear a powerful humming sound.With enough of these, we'll be able to help reduce our dependency on foreign oil and begin to also reduce pollution caused by the use of fossil fuels.
… (15 comments)

PASSWORD, PASSWORD, WHO REMEMBERS THE PASSWORD? - 04/04/09 08:51 PM
 
Here is some more info aobut Roboform.  See my post, below, about 1Password.
 
Via Paula Swayne Realtor - Land Park, East Sac & Curtis Park Homes Specialist (Windermere Dunnigan Realtors, Sacramento (916) 425-9715):
My husband and I couldn't be more opposite when it comes to passwords.  He changes his constantly and for no particular reason.  There is nothing to relate his passwords to as far as I can tell.  I add "as far as I can tell" because he won't tell me what they are either...and if there is a situation where he has to tell me, then he will immediately change it after … (0 comments)

TOO Many Passwords!? Here's Help. - 04/04/09 05:47 PM
I know - this is CRAZY!  I have 185 passwords and many of them are different.
Paula Swayne wrote a post today, "PASSWORD, PASSWORD, WHO REMEMBERS THE PASSWORD?", where she talks about the enormous number of passwords we're all required to use and a software program that offers to solve that problem.  The program is Roboform.  It's for PC's, so since I'm a Mac guy I won't go into any detail except to say I have used it and it's great!
For us Mac users, I highly recommend 1Password.  It is awesome and basically does it all.  It will:
remember your … (25 comments)

How To (possibly) Recover a Deleted Blog Post - 04/03/09 07:52 AM
Yep - I did that very thing, this morning!  Posted to my blog and then hit the wrong delete button, sending my new post and 2 comments into the ether of cyberspace.  I couldn't find any thing on ActiveRain that would allow me to recover that post, BUT - - it can be done.
If any of you "accidentally" hit that Delete button and want to get it back, don't panic and DO NOT CLOSE your browser.  What worked for me was hitting my browsers "back" button until I got to the page that still had the original post and comments … (10 comments)

Help For America's Homeowners - 04/02/09 10:15 AM

"Uncle Sam" is doing a few things right!  They have finally stepped up to help responsible homeowners continue to be able to afford their mortgage payments. Most homeowners pay their mortgages and pay them on time.  But there are circumstances, often beyond our control, that make it difficult to continue to make those payments.
The current economic difficulties have led to lost jobs and lower incomes for many Americans. The drop in values of most homes has made it impossible for many people to refinance their mortgage at a lower, more affordable interest rate. Some have been caught in the … (6 comments)

Buy Now? - Sell Now? Do the Math - 04/01/09 02:54 PM
Let’s clear one thing up first.  What you paid for your house or what it USED to be worth are meaningless numbers. 
Now, please don’t “kill the messenger" but that is just the cold, hard truth.  I feel your pain - I’m about to put my own house on the market for less than I paid for it almost six years ago - financial losses of any kind hurt.But, instead of dwelling on a painful past, let’s consider some possibilities for a brighter financial future.If you currently own a home worth $300,000 and you are considering selling and moving up to … (7 comments)

Think BEFORE You Click! - 04/01/09 08:02 AM
Good News!  The "Conficker" worm that was supposed to wreak havoc on PC's around the world, today, has been broken.  Well, sort of - from what I read, they've figured out how to get rid of it but maybe not stop it completely.  We'll have to "stay tuned" for more on that one.
What all of the media attention regarding this worm threat should have done, though, is remind all of us about the multitude of threats that are lurking just on the other side of that firewall.  Spams, scams, a new virus, computer eating worms, Phishers - the list seems … (6 comments)

 
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Mike Hendren

Castle Pines North, CO

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Mike Hendren Photography

Address: Castle Pines, CO, 80108

Office Phone: (303) 335-0468

Cell Phone: (303) 503-1101

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