ActiveRain Launches Outside Blogs - How Do You Get Yours? - 10/29/08 07:58 PM

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Builder:
Google offers Blogs, Yahoo offers Blogs, and now ActiveRain offers RE Blogs!!  I am so excited that I get to announce this!  ActiveRain is pulling all the stops and releasing the "BIG" storm today.  It's been a long time coming, and now it's finally here!
ActiveRain "Outside Blogs" are launched today. The best news of all, no three month trials, no temporary access, FREE for as long as you're a member.  You're going to love the ability to create one post, and then with the check of a box, send it to your Outside Blog.  That's … (0 comments)

Latest Craig's List Scam - 10/29/08 07:54 PM
While at a Mike Ferry training seminar in Canada, I became aware of another Craig's List Scam taking place in Canada - likely in the US as well.  Although I can't recall the news channel that reported the store, here is the long and short of it:Con artist are identifying currently listed property and placing "for rent" ads on Craig's List.  Once an interested party is hooked, they charge a rental fee (sometimes even first and last month's rent) in exchange for keys to the house.  The money and keys are exchanged by mail - yes "bad" keys are actually mailed.  … (1 comments)

Craig's List Scam Alert - 10/29/08 06:28 PM
 
Via Tim Lamont:
I got a call recently from one of our office managers.  It seems one of her agents took a call from a consumer warning us about one of our listings on Craig's List.  It seems when the consumer contacted the "owner" she got a reply indicating that the owner was out of state; however, if the consumer sent a $500 key deposit a key to the property would be sent overnight to the caller and the $500 returned when they sent the key back.
Needless to say, we do not put our listings on Craig's List and this was … (0 comments)

THE A LIST OF TOP 10 LEAD GENERATION TIPS FOR GREATER RESULTS! - 10/29/08 06:03 PM

Via Liz Ward Small:
TOP 10 LEAD GENERATION TIPS FOR GREATER RESULTS AND GREATER INCOME!
_________________________________________

 A WALL OF WORDS BUT WELL WORTH THE READ!
 
Looking for leads in all the wrong places...Could be a great country and western hit but it sure is not how you wish to spend your day! In an effort to bring forth my heart and soul into my new active rain world I have borrowed the draw of giving you a list in hopes to mingle and meet you! Even better than that - I hope to really give you something of substance and … (2 comments)

Listing Router 'Whiteboard Explanation' - 10/29/08 05:45 PM

Via Bob Stewart - ActiveRain:
Kelan and I take you through the new ActiveRain Listing Router. Watch as I explain how we are going to increase your business and get the traffic looking in your market to your website.
IMPORTANT NOTE The "Listing Router" will ONLY show up on your pages when LOGGED OUT of ActiveRain. Update In response to well-founded member concerns about people 'kicking the tires', testing Listing Router to insure that their campaigns are working correctly and being charged for such: We've decided to make Listing Router FREE for the first two weeks (until November 11th 2008) Anyone … (0 comments)

Five Easy Steps To Short Sale Approval - 10/26/08 12:40 PM

Via Karen Archambault:
Five easy steps to Short Sale ApprovalI have been working with short sales and the more we do the more we learn.We started out trying to send the offer over to the bank for approval before the seller signed and it just wasn't working.  The last sales that were approved were done completely different.  Here are the five easy steps to short sale approval! :) Step 1.  As soon as you get the listing get the sellers to sign a Third Party Authorization and fax it over to the bank/banks.Step 2. Present the offer to the Seller and counter-offer … (0 comments)

Paint: The Cheap Fix for 'Ugly' - Before & After Pics - 10/26/08 12:32 PM

Via Patty Carroll, ASP®, SRES® & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX, Vancouver WA:
We have always told friends, family & clients that painting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve the appearance of a home.  After years of renovating our own homes, you would think we would stop being amazed by the transformations.  But this is just too good ... we have to share.
We bought a place at Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway in May 2006.  We were told that it sat for 8-10 years with little or no maintenance.  If there had ever been stain on the deck or siding, it had … (1 comments)

Can Fluorescent Lighting Really Save You Money? - 10/26/08 12:30 PM

Via Patty Carroll, ASP®, SRES® & Scott Carroll - RE/MAX, Vancouver WA:
We have heard and read about the benefits of changing to fluorescent lighting, but just never really bought into it.  We thought that fluorescent lights were expensive to buy, put out an ugly white light, and probably wouldn't make a big enough differ in the monthly electric bill to warrant the cost.  What DID catch our interest, though was that they last longer.  With 14 foot ceilings in the living/dining area of our recently renovated "church home", the idea of going 5-7 years without changing bulbs was attractive!
With that … (1 comments)

Green vs Solar...Which Roofs Panels Are Better? - 10/26/08 12:29 PM

Via Shakeh Avanessian, REALTOR®:
Going green is possibly the smartest thing any homeowner or property owner could do for today's ecosystem. One of the easiest ways to go green and save are green roofs.
Green roofs are extremely beneficial, be it from trapping and filtering storm water, providing habitats for birds, insects and small animals, and especially bringing life to urban neighborhoods with color and life. These roofs are covered by grass and plants, which also provides insulation when winter comes around the corner and blocks out heat during summer. Chicago hopes to cover millions of square footages with these green panels, … (1 comments)

Appraising Homes in a Declining Market...What you need to know for your Clients - 10/26/08 11:45 AM

Via Mary Thompson Lake Lanier Appraiser in Georgia:
Prior to these past 1-2 years, it has been a long time since Appraisers have had to deal with appraising homes in a declining market. Lenders really hate it when we mark the dreaded declining market box or the oversupply box or note that the days on market is over 6 months . But we are checking those boxes more and more these days.

As for how we define declining markets, well that may differ from appraiser to appraiser or location to location. We define declining market when we look at the sales prices of the same or similar homes in the prior … (0 comments)

SELLING REAL ESTATE IS LIKE PERFORMING AT THE IMPROV! - 10/25/08 02:38 PM

Via Lenn Harley:
REPUBLISHED BY LENN.
An interesting post today by Angela Lucaj , "Acting Classes?".  reminded me of something I wrote back on January 1, 2007. 
Enjoy.
                                                                   * * * * *
HOW WE ANSWER A BUYER'S QUESTIONS MAY DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE SELL THAT HOUSE, or ANY HOUSE.You've been out with a nice family for the past 3 weeks, every Saturday and Sunday from mid-morning until dark.  The buyers are hard working, need to buy a home and you've reached a point where there is nothing left to see in their price range.  You and the buyers are now touring their favorite … (0 comments)

You Know How Much Money You Want to Make. But, Do You Know How Much Commission it Will Take to Make It.? - 10/25/08 12:41 PM

Via Mike Saunders:
How much money do you want to make next year? $50,000.00? $75,000.00? $100,000.00? $1,000,000.00?
Let me rephrase that question. How much after tax profit do you want next year? Do you have any idea how much gross commission it will take to make that amount of money? Do you know how many sides it will take to make that gross commission? And do you know how many listing/buying appointments it will take to get that number of sides?
I do! One thing I understand is that the commission I make and the profit that I have at the end … (0 comments)

FSBO For Sale by Owner - 10/25/08 12:15 PM

Via Norm Odeneal Arlington Virginia Realtor:
Thinking of buying or selling For Sale By Owner? FSBO
We need to talk.
Buying?  O.K. I understand...the seller doesn't have an agent I can save some money.  If they are not paying a commission...I can buy for a price that does not include commissions.  Maybe so BUT I doubt it.  Is the seller offering a fair price?  What is normal for the market?  Are sellers paying the buyer's closing costs? What was the last sold price for the neighborhood?  What about inspections and negotiations?  In a buyers market you the buyer get more than just … (0 comments)

How to Syndicate Your Blog - Meet My Two Most Important Subscribers - 10/21/08 08:03 PM
 
Via Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate:
A couple of weeks ago, I added Feedburner to the sidebar of my ActiveRain blog.  If you aren't familiar with this service, it allows you to syndicate your blog via email without the requirement of a specific feed reader.  In other words (simpler words), someone can sign up and receive all of your new "public" posts by email.  My wife and mom were my first guinea pigs, and I signed up myself just to see the format, which I really like, since it seems to keep both the formatting and images intact.
… (1 comments)

Good Faith Estimates -- Knowing the basics - A must read !!! - 10/17/08 07:00 PM

Via Jeff Belonger -- The FHA Expert.com -- FHA Loans -- FHA mortgages -- Mortgages :
Good Faith Estimates -- Such an extremely vital part when shopping for a mortgage. Yes, rate is some what important, but seems to be the primary focus so many times. Not to sound rude or out of character, but a monkey can quote a rate. And I am dead serious about this.
For any of you in the process of buying a home or refinancing your current mortgage, this is a must read.
I have been in the mortgage industry for over 16 years and … (0 comments)

Do you invest in "your" business in these 5 ways? - 10/17/08 06:43 PM

Via Anne Marie Malfi, Owner/Virtual Assistant, Bucks County,PA:
There are many reasons you have chosen your career of real estate, one of the reasons might be because it affords you the opportunity to be independent.  As an entrepreneur this often times leaves you with the task of investing in your business yourself.
As you've heard in many of my recent posts the one person you can truly depend on when it comes to your business is you.

So let me ask you, are you doing everything to make the most of your time?  Are you planning out your day - your appts, networking, … (0 comments)

Now Vs. The Great Depression: No Comparison! Count Your Blessings. - 10/16/08 07:43 PM

Via Mike Jones:
Paula Swayne (AR) in Sacramento wrote a post based on a Charles Schwab Co. analysis of today's economy, and she put a link to the Schwab article in her post. 
(Thanks, Active Rain, for making it so easy to communicate!)
I followed the link, and found this chart.  We ought to have stuff like this on billboards in every city in the nation!
Count your blessings!
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.Think of me as your Tucson expert.
… (0 comments)

Real estate Marketing 101- the good ole fashion way! - 10/09/08 08:21 PM

Via Judy Greenberg- Buffalo Grove/ Long Grove/ Vernon Hills Real Estate :
Can't sell your home?  With the number of sellers on the market, compared to the number of buyer-its no wonder.  I have been successful this year using the following strategy learned in my marketing 101 class.
Instead of relying solely on email and the internet and other social networking arenas, maybe its time to  pick up the phone and actually network with your colleagues.  Yes that's right, I'm referring to  good ole  fashion human interaction!   It worked for me on my last 3 closings!- maybe it can work for you!
 
Sale … (1 comments)

B of A $8.8 BILLION SETTLEMENT May Prevent Thousands of Foreclosures in IL, Other States! - 10/08/08 08:57 PM

Via Dean Moss - Dean's Team Chicago Real Estate Team:
It appears as if a good part of the old Countrywide Home Loans mess, acquired by the venerable Bank of America when they purchased the sub-prime loan giant earlier this year, may be headed to a somewhat happy ending.
During the "Old Days" for Countrywide, here in Chicago and across Illinois, the popular lender was one of the most active companies offering low-down payment, low-initial-interest-rate home loans to thousands of home borrowers.  Many have since gone into default, paying very few, or, in some cases, no payments on their new mortgage loan.
… (0 comments)

"She Hit Him With a Stick!": Making Your Own Judgment About the Neighborhood - 10/08/08 04:28 PM

Via Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate:
As a busy real estate professional and long-time Northern Virginia resident, I've been in and out of houses and neighborhoods throughout the region.  There are many communities where I'd feel safe carrying wads of cash and walking around in my pajamas on the street at 2 a.m.  However there are others neighborhoods where I wouldn't want to be caught without a bullet-proof vest, mace and a taser in broad daylight for fear that the 32 cents in my pocket and the clothes off my back would be stolen.  Okay, that might be … (0 comments)

IF YOU HAVEN'T FAILED, YOU'RE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH - 10/06/08 08:42 PM

Via Richard Iarossi:
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE FAIL ON OCCASSION:  It's how we learn and improve.  If somebody tells you they haven't failed, it's probably because they aren't trying hard enough.
There's nothing inherently wrong in failing...if we use it to better ourselves.   
OUR CAREERS ARE ABOUT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT:  None of us were born with the silver real estate spoon in our mouths.  While there may be an elusive "Natural Real Estate Agent" out there, they tend to be few and far between.  Real estate agents, over their careers, tend to continue to make small improvements in their performance.  Constant tweaking of … (0 comments)

Generating MORE Prospects... - 10/01/08 09:54 PM

Via Claudia Wicks:
Last blog we discussed the fact that so many agents are going back to the basics to generate business.  I gave a couple of examples. Here are a few more simple ways to generate prospects:
On your voicemail greeting, ask for a phone number AND an email address.  Leave your email address when you leave a message.  That way, your customers and clients can get back to you easily and comfortably.  You're on email late at night- so are they!  They cannot call you then, but they can email you.  Many people like the anonymity of email rather than … (0 comments)

 
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Mike Hughes Services Newton, Brookline, Lexington, Waltham & Watertown

Newton, MA

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RE/MAX Leading Edge

Address: I'm Always Mobile, but Right Now, I'm in Newton, MA

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