Trey's Blog

The Opening Day Of Deer Season In Texas

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:17:29 -0600

I have been an avid hunter most of my life. It is not that I enjoy shooting animals as much as it is that I love the the outdoors, wildlife, and nature in general. I help take care of a wildlife managent program on our family ranch and never realized until recently how important quality management of the deer population is in Texas.

Don't harvest enough and problems will come.

Take to many and more problems will follow.

Today was opening day of deer season in Texas and yours truly really didn't want to get out of bed to make the 30 minute drive..... so I stayed in bed later , got up drank some coffee, worked on active rain , then grabbed my lawn chair, and walked to the pasture behind our residence to wait on bambi. The walk is only 100 yards so if I wanted to go to bed so I could do so easily.

I got seated and then my pet cat walked up and started meowing...just what a great hunter needs. Almost took up cat hunting !

Needless to say I did return home quickly wihout Bambi!

No Sir ...That Is No Kitty Cat! It Is a Bandit Under The Home!

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:17:22 -0600

Recently while having an inspection performed on an older home , it became necessary to cut an access panel in the floor in order to examine the crawl space under the floors. Little did we know we would discov er a bandit under the home!

Once the contractor got a hole opened up, he turned on a flashlight and I noticed some small kitty prints in the dirt under the home and said something to the gentleman about them.

The man looked at me with a funny look on his face and said " No sir those are not kitty tracks....there is something much bigger under this house!

I said politely "no you are wrong ."

He then laughed and told me to look closer so I bent down in the hole. It then was ovious that he was looking at a set of tracks that I couldn't see earlier..... And this little bandit was definitely a little bigger than a kitty!

Is It Good Business To Advertise The Word Foreclosure?

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:20:45 -0600

Every since I can remember it has been debated as to whether or not it is beneficial or detrimental..... to say that a property is a foreclosure in advertising that property. Of course it is the client's choice on the matter and personally I have always respected that choice, and followed the client's instructions, as one certainly should.

But nevertheless the debate goes on. My personal feeling is that is doesn't hurt and it may even help to say something in the ads. The prospective buyer is going to find out eventually one way or the other. Sometimes sellers are worried that a buyer prospect will offer less if it is a foreclosure. My personal feeling is that a buyer is going to offer whatever he or she wants to offer, no matter what is beingmadvertised, particularly on the first go round of the negotiation process. I believe the mere fact that the word "foreclosure" appears in an ad is not going to cause a buyer to run away either. I feel that the opposite is true and that by saying a duck is a duck more folks will call because it is

. In this day and age a seller of a foreclosure should seriously think hard about putting too many limoitations his representative. It is difficult enough selling a quality home that is ready to occupy immediately, much less a foreclosure that more often than not needs substantial renovations.

If you sell foreclosures, do you recomend to sellers to advertise "FORECLOSURE" ?

Wordless Wednesday Dessert Time....Hungry?

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:00:40 -0600

Photos by Milam F. "Trey" Thurmond, Broker, CRB, GRI, SRES.

For all your real estate needs in Bryan-College Station , and Aggieland Texas .....including Residential, Land, Investments, Commercial and Property Management Services. Now is a great time to buy or sell or lease real estate. Call or email me today and I will get right to work to meet your real estate goals.

Serving BCS for 31 Years!

Classic Realty Associates

3600 Hwy 6 S. #100 College Station, Texas 77845

979-694-8844 trey@txcyber.com

Only One Vote

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:27:55 -0600

This morning my wife and I were running a little late. Our voting place is 5 miles from our home which is 30 miles from the office. I couldn't locate my voter registration, and told myself since we were late that I would try to come back later and vote. In Texas you can vote with an alternate ID like your driver's license. So that was the plan....even though it would mean another 60 mile round trip that I would do it anyway.

Now mind you on today's ballot in our county, there were no candidates, only amendments to the Texas Constitution, eleven to be exact. Now ....most folks don't get fired up about amendments when it comes to voting, at least as much as they do about candidates, including yours truly, but I made up my mind to do it.

So at lunch a jumped in the truck and headed to the polls only to realize I did not have my driver's license with me either. Rats! That would add an other 10 miles to the trip. That was it I just wouldn't vote.

Then this little voice started saying...." Chicken" Go vote!

So I drove home got my license went to the polls and voted. It looked like only 58 people had voted at the station halfway through the day . I hope my extra 70 miles was worth it for constitutional amendments.

Then I thought "What if?" What if that one vote makes the difference?

It could.

Patriotic Sea Gull

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:51:46 -0600

We Attended World's Largest Haloween Party!

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:27:33 -0600

http://www.lonestarrally.com/html/lonestarrally.html in Galveston, Texas!

Today we accidentally came on to what is billed to be the world's largest Halloween Part in Galveston Texas known as the LONE STAR RALLY. We went for a day of seafood and legstretching sightseeing and walked right into the middle of one of the largest biker rallies in America. Things were never dull as there was a constant parade of bikes and interesting people. After a couple of hours we headed to the Bolivar Ferry for some fresh air.

Photos by Milam F. "Trey" Thurmond, Broker, CRB, GRI. For all your real estate needs in Bryan-College Station , and Aggieland Texas .....including Residential, Land, Investments, and Property Management Services. Now is a great time to buy or sell real estate. Call or email me today and I will get right to work to meet your real estate goals.

Serving BCS for 31 Years!

Classic Realty Associates

979-694-8844

trey@txcyber.com

Two Underdogs Meet

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:23:16 -0500

Last week two underdogs surprised the world!The Texas Aggies trumped Texas Tech and Iowa State licked Nebraska. Today the 2 underdogs that whipped up on the big boys meet at Kyle field in College Station, at 2:30 pm. Why is this game important? Because both teams are going to be really fired up coming off similar victories over major teams. I expect this to be an exciting game with lots of xtra effort being put forth. We will be there for all the action and I hope the world recognizes that there is talent out there other than Texas and Oklahoma. Gig em Aggies!

Sheriff's Sales In Texas

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:04:05 -0500

A Sheriff's Sale In Texas is how properties with overdue very delinquent taxes , penalties, and interest are collected by the state and then distributed to the taxing entities owed. The buyers who pursue these type sales should be knowledgeable about many facets of the sale.

Do your homework!

A sheriff's deed comes without warranty.
Some liens may not go away.
There are rights of redemption , after the sheriff's sale, by the person or entity that owned the property before the sale . The period of time varies as to whether or not the property was a homestead. They can come back within the specified time frame and buy it back for what you put in it plus 25%
Seek legal advise and perhaps have a title search done on the property.
Check on the mineral status, floodplain, encroachments etc
Go find the property and view.
Are there tenants or owners still there?
Go see your tax office for details.
Have money available.
If handeled properly a Sheriff's sale can be the source of some good values.

Our Annual Designated Broker Meeting

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:10:13 -0500

Today the Bryan-College Station Regional Association MLS Service held its annual meeting. As part of the by laws, this annual meeting of Designated Brokers has to be called, and the new slate of officers elected plus the business for the last year and the new budget for the new year, must be approved. This may have been the smoothest meeting I have ever been to in several decades and is really a testament to the good job that the president Joy Caldwell, and her board did over the last year. My thumbs go up to them!

As a former president I personally know that the position requires a lot of work and patience. And many times, like most volunteer positions, it can be a thankless job. Also it can be difficult to get a quorum of brokers together at 9:00 in the morning, so for the last 2 years it has been held at 11 AM with a lunch at Christopher's a local gourmet restaurant. Food always seems to do the trick when it comes to Brokers!

Never Stop The Conversation In Negotiating

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:51:40 -0500

Doesn't matter if you are working with the most difficult client in the universe, a troubled child, a spouse, or a co-worker. If your goals and desires include moving forward, making progress, and reaching closure.......

Keep those lines of communication open.

Never Stop The Conversation!

I often wonder how many real estate transactions a year never reach the closing table because an agent felt intimidated by asking one more time, if there was an alternative that would please their clients..... some other option that they might agree to. We use to call this action NEGOTIATION SKILLS.

If you are presently involved with selling REO's, or short sales, then chances are you probably have learned a tad about re-honing your negotiation skills. None of us ever wants to talk someone into signing a contract on a property they don't want. But if it is blatantly obvious that your clients really want a property badly enough, or you know they really need to sell. Well.....isn't it your responsibility to use that nogin and all that sales training to keep the wheels turning to cause the process to turn into a successful transaction? Right?

Those of us that survived the real estate slaughter of the 1980's learned a lot about personal survival and negotiation skills. "NO" was not a word we took mildly. We hit the streets running every morning, ate sack lunches, and were willing to work any sized transaction big or small. But probably one of the most useful lessons we learned was that nothing else matters if you don't communicate!

I really enjoyed Clint Miller's blog http://activerain.com/blogsview/1305427/let-s-talk-about-what-is-really-wrong-in-real-estate

Clint, in a no-nonsense manner pointed out the importance of follow up and staying in touch.....another way of saying:

Keep those lines of communication open.

Milam F. "Trey" Thurmond
Broker, GRI, CRB, SRES

For all your real estate needs In Bryan College Station, Texas

Classic Realty Associates
3600 Hwy 6 South , Suite 100
College Station, Texas 77845
(979) 694-8844 -110
Cell: (979) 229-8465
Fax: (979) 694-2299
trey@txcyber.com

Scripture for the Week -

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:53:37 -0500

Larry Betag posted this scripture this week. Because it just about covers our behavior in all aspects of life...Particularly in the world we live and work in today, I felt it important enough to reblog....PLease read it , and read Larry's regular blogs.

Via Larry Bettag - Cherry Creek Mortgage:

As part of my plan to better myself, I try to be disciplined in my bible reading. Today....it was Luke, Chapter 6. Here's the quote for the week...

²⁰Looking at his disciples, he said:
   "Blessed are you who are poor,
      for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,
      for you will be satisfied.
   Blessed are you who weep now,
      for you will laugh.
²²Blessed are you when men hate you,
      when they exclude you and insult you
      and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

²³"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
²⁴"But woe to you who are rich,
      for you have already received your comfort.
²⁵Woe to you who are well fed now,
      for you will go hungry.
   Woe to you who laugh now,
      for you will mourn and weep.
²⁶Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
      for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Love for Enemies

²⁷"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³²"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful
Larry Bettag - Regional Vice President, Midwest Region

Illinois FHA Specialist

630-417-7172





An Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee

My Biggest Challange Is A Surprise Even To Me

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:21:40 -0500

For the last 5 years, once a week I have participated in a mentor reading program at a local school. This has turned out to be a personally rewarding event , so the 30 minutes a week seems like the least I can do to help make a difference in a child's education. Many of these kids are from lower economic levels and many are from broken homes. The combination of the two is quite common also. And to top things off sometimes just when it seems I have made progress with a kid I discover he or she has moved. Often times the move is a result of being evicted or other family crisis. Naturally I can't get involved there, but I still wonder if the student will continue to read and progress.....or will they digress? Usually I will never know.

But for the most part the kids I have had the good fortune of working with do well ,and it is indescribably rewarding to have a student come into a semester with a chip on his shoulder , mumbling when spoken too and fighting you the whole way ...and then a few months later running into class wondering what took you, the mentor, so long to get there. And by the end of the semester they are reading fairly well and with a big smile on their face.

So why is something so positive like this such a challenge? Because every now and then a student comes along that you just know is going to sink. I then tell myself that all my other problems at work or in life, don't hold a candle to the difference a little patience and perseverance can make with that kid. I can't throw up my hands and walk away.

So every time I even think about not showing up for that 30 minute a week visit I consider the consequence . So I think I will go another year helping young minds hold on to hope with the power of reading.

Wheelock Texas Pioneer Days A Success!

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:07:43 -0500

This weekend is the annual Pioneer Days Celebration and fund raiser for the volunteer fire department and today's turnout seemed pretty substantial for this great little community just outside of Franklin, Texas at the Wheelock community. Ponytails and pistols, gospel and bluegrass, horse rides for the kids, lots of arts and crafts, and plenty of good BBQ were just part of the days festivities to celebrate the old pioneer days of Wheelock, Texas. Some lore and some facts say that Wheelock missed being the capital of Texas by just a couple of votes. Others say that in its heyday it was rather wild with over 20 saloons...of course a saloon could have consisted of a makeshift lemon aid stand type bar with one bottle , 2 glasses and a barkeep. Still today it is a wonderful and history filled little bedroom community. Many folks commute daily to Bryan-College Station and Texas A and M University from Wheelock.

For information on land and homes availiable in Wheelock and other surrounding communities in Robertson County ...contact a Robertson County esident:

Milam F. "Trey" Thurmond
Broker, CRB, GRI, SRES

Classic Realty Associates
3600 Hwy 6 South , Suite 100
College Station, Texas 77845
(979) 694-8844 -110
Cell: (979) 229-8465
Fax: (979) 694-2299
trey@txcyber.com

403 Rock Springs College Station Texas 77845

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:57:22 -0500

For all those tired of a large home with all the associated upkeep this 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Patio home by Classic Homes could be the solution. Located In Spring Meadows subdivision just minutes from shopping, Pebblecreek golf, and St, Joseph medical services, this is an ideal home for retirees or anyone just seeking to simplify. For 40 years Classic homes has strived to provide quality built homes to the College Station and Bryan Texas area.

Raised ceilings, elegant wood trimwork, wood floors and granite counters are just a few of the quality features you will discover in a Classic Home.

3 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths Living dining In House Laundry Room 2 Car Garage

Asking $235,000 1950 sq. ft Heated +- MLS 57875

Estimated complete on 12-09' owner-agent

See at more at http://www.classicbcs.com/WebSite/Properties.aspx?sId=1256&pr=33

Milam F. "Trey" Thurmond
Broker, CRB, GRI, SRES

Classic Realty Associates
3600 Hwy 6 South , Suite 100
College Station, Texas 77845
(979) 694-8844 -110
Cell: (979) 229-8465
Fax: (979) 694-2299
trey@txcyber.com

Crockett Rockets Celebrate 6o Years In Bryan Texas !

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:22:48 -0500

Crocket Elementary School will be celebrating 60 years of service to central Bryan on November 3rd.

The 60th anniversary party is on Nov 3rd. Kristin Little the planner needs help in recruiting people who attended Crockett to help. If you are interested or know people who are.......... please call her at 979-209-2960.

Sixty years ago was 1949. I began school there in 1958 when I enrolled in the first grade, having graduated kindergarten from Mrs Baird's Happy Day Kindergarten which was located across the street from Crockett.

Crockett Elementary was named for Davy Crockett " King of the wild frontier, and freedom fighter who died at the Alamo. I can remember sitting in the gymnasium at Crockett listening to a speaker broadcast the beeping noises from satellites and then later on the first American to be sent into space.

Before The Drought Was Over In Texas.... Silent Sunday

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:02:01 -0500

Copyright 2009 Milam F. "Trey" Thurmond, Broker, CRB, GRI. For all your real estate needs in Bryan-College Station , and Aggieland Texas .....including Residential, Land, Investments, and Property Management Services. Now is a great time to buy or sell real estate. Call or email me today and I will get right to work to meet your real estate goals.

Serving Bryan College Station Texas for 3 decades!

Quality Service Certified Platinum O5' 06' 07'
Classic Realty Associates
3600 Hwy 6 South , Suite 100
College Station, Texas 77845
(979) 694-8844 -110 979-229-8465 cell

Are You a Tadpole In a Pond Full of Bull Frogs?

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:24:41 -0500

It is tough getting a real estate career going . Sometimes newer agents really do feel like a tadpole in a pond full of bull frogs.

At Classic Realty Associates, we realize this all too well and it is the reason we offer a little extra boost to all our new agents. Weekly sales meetings are informative but our Monday Agent Enhancement training sessions help not only new agents , but give experienced ones a little adrenalin boost now and then too. And once a month we offer a risk reduction meeting that typically addresses issues that could come back and bite any of us in the rear. This week's topic was flood plain issues and the speaker was from the City of College Station. He knew his business well and showed the new guys how the city systems functions and then explained a lot of terminology. We know there is so much to learn in real estate that just can't all be discussed in outside training due to lack of time. We make it a point of difference to try and fill that gap on a daily basics.

So .... all you tadpoles out there.....don't worry . One day you will be a bull frog in the pond too. You'll be hoppin' with the best of them! If you areconsidering a real estate career or an office change we know the place where tadpoles and bull frogs alike will get all the support and training they want.

http://www.classicbcs.com/WebSite/index.aspx

Speaking of tadpoles we are always playing with animals at our home. My wife decided last week to catch a few tadpoles. So we are having fun watching them develop. The are about an inch and a quarter long . In a few days their legs should begin to grow. Then it's back to the pond in the back 40 and in with all the big frogs!

Ribbet!

Are We Hacking At Branches?

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:52:56 -0500

This post by John Mulkey is absolutely outstanding! In a nutshell...... It says so much about our society and how we all have to step up to the plate.

Via John Mulkey, Housing Guru (TheHousingGuru.com):

After more than a year of the Great Recession, many are pointing fingers at politicians, bankers, Wall Street tycoons, lobbyists, and at their neighbors for making financially irresponsible decisions. And what have we gained? Little of consequence.

Many seem to believe the problem doesn’t lie with us, but with a vague and indeterminate “them.” Few are willing to take personal responsibility for the nation’s problems and find it much easier to lament their plight, throwing up their hands in defeat. But they fail to acknowledge that: No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood.

Neither politician nor lobbyist sees their complicity in the corruption of our political system. The teen stealing a candy bar doesn’t view his actions as a symptom of growing dishonesty. The unfaithful spouse cannot envision endangering the sanctity of marriage. The classroom cheat, careless driver, dishonest businessman; all see their actions as separate and unique. But it is the combined actions of individuals that create our society.

And it’s not just our deeds; by failing to take action we are also responsible. When we—each of us individually—fail to hold politicians and business leaders accountable; when we fail to contact them to express our concerns, we encourage dishonesty and indolence. While only a small percentage of voters ever contact their senators or representatives, 100% of lobbyists do. And few take the time or effort to “vote with their feet,” and refuse to patronize corrupt businesses, while those same businesses spread their tentacles ever deeper into our daily lives.

Henry David Thoreau said: “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” Are we just “hacking at branches?” Have we misdirected out energy, noisily shaking our fists while avoiding our responsibility? Let’s strike the root and truly make a difference.

The Housing Guru: The one source for all your housing questions

Are There Others In Your Office That Look Up To You?

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:46:59 -0500

In real estate sales , mentoring is becoming more and more of a terrific way for newbies to break in to the business and receive hands on training on a daily basis. If there is someone in you firm that is new and looks up to you and admires you and you have a lot to offer.... then why not offer to mentor them!

It will be greatly appreciated and could become a few extra dollars in your pocket in the future. Don't expect much in the beginning . Let a thank you suffice. You will be rewarded in warm fuzzies though if you treat them fairly and honestly.

Flood Plane Issues Can Kill Transactions If You Are Niave

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:36:53 -0500

Often times a perfectlyy good real estate deal can sink like the Titanic when it is determined that a home or the land it is on lies within a flood plane.

This can happen during any numeber of stages during the course of a transaction .....but is generally discovered, if not already known by the sellers, when the survey is performed or occasionally when an astute agent checks local flood plane maps of record including municipality or FEMA record. Additionally lenders often times use service companies to independently check the records to determine flood plane status on a property. Are these sources gospel?

Not always!

These maps are being amended all the time, so even if you have a pretty current one chances are that it may no longer be current. You can check alternate sources including other surveyors, municipalities and even FEMA, but the lender is still going to go with the independent source. So it will require some effort to convince that source if they are wrong.

This is why it is imperative that agents do a little homework themselves when listing or selling a property. It is always a headache and embarrassment to get almost to closing only to discover the property is in the flood plane

Of course there is always good old flood insurance if the buyer is willing.

Words For The Left..... and Right fom Thomas Jefferson

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:17:39 -0500

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned ....this is the sum of good government."

I believe Jefferson was a very wise man who saw things from many points of view.

How would you interpret this statement?

I think it has to do with the taxation of those who work and earn.

Or how about this one....

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government fom wasting the labors of people under the pretense of takeing care of them."

Owner Financing For Seniors....A Great Investment Strategy

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:51:09 -0500

Investment property can be tricky. And especially so in an uncertain economy. And We are all wondering when interest rates are going to head back up and what kind of dramatic effect that baby will have on income property sales. Nevertheless there are a few astute investors out there that have taken the bull by the horn and cashed in on the benefits of owner financing.

Good gosh ...when CD's are paying less than 2% and money markets in the fractions of a point and the stock market is volatile what is left that is safe and particularly so for retired individuals on fixed incomes. The last place you want to store that money is in a mattress.

I know several individuals that are in their late 70's and some in their 80's that own and manage rental property including single family homes, duplexes and fourplexes. A few of these folks take care of light maintenance and general repairs themselves. I think it is great that they are doing this and especially so since they save dollars and get in a little needed exercise all at the same time.

But there reaches a point when the responsibility may begin to be more of a burden than a necessary and sometimes welcome event. This is when it may be time to consider selling some or all of your rental property.

There may be several advantages to selling right now.

1.The capital gains tax rate of 15% for individuals expires in 2010! Will it be renewed? We don't know. But given the state of the economy I will stick my neck out and say NO. That in itself could be a motivator to go on and sell now. Oh i can remember some high rates a few years back...they were a real killer!

2. Owner Financing. If you sell a rental property right now and have little or no current debt on it .....well what will you do with the profit? Will you reinvest or why not consider in owner financing? The advantages of steady monthly income with someone else paying for taxes, insurance, and maintenance could be a blessing. Also you can structure the loan to accomodate you life situation. Get a reasonable downpayment. Structure the terms of the financing to ammortorize over 20to 30 years and have it balloon (come due) in a shorter period. Many of us may need more disposable cash as we approach our latter years and require increased medical care and expense.

3. More Free Time! time to enjoy grandkids and great grandkids. Time to fish, time to garden and time to travel. Most of all ....Time to spend with friends and family instead of behind a paint brush or calculator!

The Number One Rule Of Sales.....Do Something!

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:51:27 -0500

That 's right . The number one rule of sales is to just do something. Many agents sit back waiting for that something to fall in their lap. Some get lucky. Most don't.

The next time you find yourself playing the blame game, procrastinating, or searching for an excuse to avoid what you know you ought to be doing.....tell yourself no way...then go out and pick an action. Doesn't matter what it is .....just Do something!

Here are a few actions I choose from when blame time or slump periods hit:

Look through all the notes on your computer, your cell, and on your desk. There is money in them thar scraps of paper. Names , leads, dollars!
Start calling your SOI.. Pick 2 or 3 each morning and just call them and touch base.
Do a quick target mailing to an area you have never worked before.
Drive a different route to and from your office and destinations each day ....you might discover hidden treasure ( new FSBO's ) you didn't know about.
Check expireds and withdrawns.
Check out FSBO's in your local newspaper.....most will eventually call an agent. Why not be that agent?
Remember to put on name badge and keep it on.

I realize these actions seem like elementary things......but you would be surprised how many fail to do them. Don't fall into the trap of becoming complacent. Do something!

Very "Deer" Time On A Speechless Sunday

Trey Thurmond, College Station , Texas Homes (Classic Realty Associates) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:07:24 -0500

Serving Bryan College Station Texas for 3 decades!

Quality Service Certified Platinum O5' 06' 07'
Classic Realty Associates
3600 Hwy 6 South , Suite 100
College Station, Texas 77845
(979) 694-8844 -110 979-229-8465 cell