7 SEO Secrets to Dominate your Local Market - 10/31/09 01:16 PM
 
Via Jonathan Washburn (ActiveRain Corp):
All of these suggestions are free to implement and will generate very high quality incoming links and a pretty healthy amount of traffic.
You can use your ActiveRain profile just fine with each of these items but you will likely generate the best results with your own Individual Blog. (If you don't have an Individual Blog yet click here to get one.)
Please note that pretty much all of the items below require that you have a free account with the applicable website.
1. Submit yourself to Google Local. Make sure to put in your blog … (19 comments)

How To Use Your Active Rain Blog To Get Listings! - 10/29/09 12:25 AM

Via Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.):
How To Use Your Active Rain Blog To Get Listings! There are many ways in which agents use their Active Rain blogs for buyers, like in relocation packages and email alerts. Since our focus is on getting listings and Bob Stewart has this contest going on about how we share our Active Rain blog to build existing relationships I thought that I would share how we incorporate our Active Rain blog on a listing presentation over the phone or in person. We also use our Active Rain … (5 comments)

Realtors: How has your life changed because of this Market? - 10/29/09 12:18 AM
 

How has your job changed in the past couple of years?   My business card says Realtor Broker, but my job entails so much more nowadays: I am a social worker, general contractor, psychologist, loss mitigator, asset preservation specialist, credit counselor, short sale specialist, reo specialist, foreclosure counselor.  My days are spent solving problems.  That’s really what should be written on my card:
 
Mirela Monte, Problem Solver
 
Do I sell Real Estate anymore?  Yeah, and lots of it, but the quality of my life has deteriorated immensely.  I work 80 hour weeks, not for the money, but because … (77 comments)

Signs You've Had Too Much Coffee... - 10/27/09 11:00 PM
 
You've worn the finish off your coffee table. All your kids are named Joe. Chuck Yeager thinks you need to calm down. Instant coffee takes too long. Juan Valdez named his donkey after you. People can test their batteries in your ears. People get dizzy just watching you. Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house. The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse. The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake. The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you. When someone asks 'how are you' you say, 'good to the last drop'. You buy milk by … (16 comments)

FORECLOSED WE STAND: How are States Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands & How is This Going to Affect America? - 10/27/09 10:00 PM
Foreclosures increased over 80% in 2008.  The figures are no less scary in 2009:
The foreclosure rates in several states were up significantly lately: Arizona was up 36.1% for September.   Florida was not far behind with a 29.67% increase, followed by:  Texas 24.38%,  Michigan 18.22% and California with a 15.57% increase.   All 50 states saw an increase in foreclosures, but not all were as drastic.  For example, the increase in Kansas was only 3.65%.
The major increases were driven mainly by changes in urban areas.  In Arizona, the statewide foreclosure deluge was fostered by a massive 81.37% increase in Phoenix … (9 comments)

5 steps to protect yourself on Facebook - 10/27/09 08:55 PM

Via Robert Rauf (REMN The Real Estate Mortgage Network):
Facebook is the world's largest social network. Disregarding this, people share all kinds of information on Facebook without thinking about who's seeing it or what effect their comments and pictures might have on them in the future. One study revealed 30% of employers use Facebook to vet job applicants. Those goofy party pics could cost you more than your dignity! So what can you do to protect your privacy on Facebook? The site itself offers lots of privacy controls and security features. Here are five steps to take to activate them:
1. … (1 comments)

Will The Bank Accept Your Lousy Offer? - 10/26/09 09:24 PM

Will the bank accept your lousy offer?  Let’s re-iterate the facts:
 
1.     This is a Buyers’ Market.
2.     There are plenty of Distressed Properties to choose from.
3.     A qualified Buyer (one who is buying in cash OR is pre-approved for a loan) is worth his weight in gold, or brick, sort of speak…  You know what I mean...
4.     Banks are not in the business of owning homes.
5.     The longer a vacant home stays on the market, the more it deteriorates.
6.     Banks are not in the business of owning homes.  Hey, wait a minute, I’ve said … (18 comments)

15 FREE Sites to Post Your Open Houses! - 10/25/09 01:20 AM

Via Tina Merritt - Virginia Beach Real Estate (Long and Foster Real Estate):
Not advertising your open house is just like having a party and not inviting anyone.  Why bother?  Pull out a calendar and SCHEDULE your open houses.  PLAN for them.  And, most important of all, ADVERTISE them!  Make sure when you advertise, you also add directions that are easy to follow - (not everyone has a GPS).  
Advertise a drawing for a free Flip video camera.  You can find them on Amazon now for about $50.  After 4 or so open houses, draw a name and make a big … (6 comments)

SHORT SALES... Looking at the Bright Side... - 10/23/09 11:07 PM
 
I've been doing a lot of Short Sales for the past couple of years.  I've done short sales on and off through the years, before the term "short sale" had even been coined.  We used to call it "upside down mortgage".  It was an infrequent occurrence.  I was good at it because I really wanted to help my clients move out of their financial quagmire, so I was very persistent with the bank.  There was no "Loss Mitigation" at that time, or at least I wasn't aware of any such term. 
My, how things have changed in the past few … (11 comments)

7 Steps To Fiscal Discipline: - 10/23/09 10:47 PM

My father used to caution us kids against consumerism: “Look around you; most people never have enough money.  When they make two dollars, they spend four.  Me and your mom, when we make two dollars we spend 10 cents.”

I must admit that daddy’s teachings went against what I learnt in school.  Our society encourages “spending other people’s money” – “leverage”, they call it.   
 
Here we are in 2009, scratching our heads.  What happened?  Is this “leverage” thing not all it’s cracked up to be?  Should we have been more prudent?  Maybe it’s time to go back … (11 comments)

LOL FRIDAY - How To Spy on Your Kids by Using The Social Media - 10/22/09 11:44 PM
 
Isn't technology great?  Now you can keep tabs on your kids' every move via the social media.  Here are two wonderful videos providing great tutorials on how to employ Twitter and Facebook to monitor your grown child’s every move.  Neurotic moms never had it so good!  
Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids
  Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection         Join me for LOL FRIDAY on the Optimist Group!  
… (16 comments)

Angel Tree Children Ministry - 10/21/09 10:53 PM

 
When mom and dad are in prison, what happens to the children? 

Angel Tree Ministry is a non profit organization trying to infuse hope where there is none.  They take these kids camping, teach them valuable skills and cater to their spiritual and emotional well being.

Here is a message from Rev. Donna Phelps and her husband Garry:
 
Yes!  It's that time of year again and right now we have 568 kids waiting to see if they will be remembered as one of the Angel Tree Children Ministry.  

When Mom or Dad is … (15 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - Views of the Waterway in Little River, SC - 10/20/09 11:39 PM
Life is easy in Little River, SC.  With warm and sunny days, 5 minutes to the Beach and lovely views of the Waterway, who wouldn't want to live here? This is where you'll find that laid back lifestyle, away from all the hustle and bustle of the Big City.  Lazy afternoons spent fishing or just rocking on your front porch sipping some cold sweet tea.  Ahh, this is living. Ya'll come down soon, ya hear? Mirela Monte, Your Little River Real Estate Agent                          Join The Optimist Group!  
 
… (11 comments)

They Wear Hats, Berets, Scarves and… Body Hair?!?! - 10/20/09 11:11 PM
  Picture this:  a sunny afternoon at the Zoo.  The young couple holding hands decides to take a break from it all and sit down on a bench under the trees.  She lays her head on his lap and stretches her arms, revealing…   “What?  What’s THAT?” he exclaims pointing to her armpits.   “What do you mean”, she innocently asks, fluttering her eyes.   “That, that”, he maintains, vehemently pointing to her armpits.   “You mean this”, she says touching the hair under her arm.   “Yes, THAT!  You have hair under your arms” he says incredulously.   “Of course … (6 comments)

Thinking about getting a Divorce? Not in this Market! - 10/20/09 10:13 PM
 

2009 may go down as the year with the least divorce filings in recent history.
 
Nationwide, the number of divorce filings is down substantially. When the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers polled its 1,600 members, nearly 40 percent said that filings were down by 40 percent. "There is a lot of fear, so people are staying put," says Gary Nickelson, president of the Academy. "People look at their assets and their liquidity, and they realize they don't have any."
 
During these hard times many couples are opting to postpone getting divorced for obvious economic reasons.  In the … (9 comments)

The Surprising Science of Motivation - 10/18/09 04:20 PM
 
The new Business Operating System is based on three things:
 
1.     Autonomy:  The urge to direct our own lives.
2.     Mastery:  The desire to get better and better at something that matters.
3.     Purpose:  The yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
 
The 20% rule Google employs:  Engineers can work on anything they want for 20% of the time.  Almost half of the all the new Google products were birthed during this 20% time.

There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.  The typical Rewards programs … (4 comments)

Prepare to Lose All Productivity – Say Hello to Redux! - 10/18/09 03:36 PM
 

 
Bring your Twitter and Facebook Streams to Life.  This is the most fun I’ve had online ever!   Still in Beta mode, Redux makes is easy to see all the Twitter and Facebook links, videos, and pictures in your stream, without having to click on them.  They simply appear to the left of the entry, so you can instantly view them.  One click will also allow you to share them with your Friends or Followers.    Here is the full Mashable blog and invite to Redux.  Enjoy!   Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                     Proud Optimist! … (6 comments)

Computer savvy Administrative Assistant needed for busy Real Estate office in North Myrtle Beach - 10/17/09 05:48 PM
 
Computer savvy Administrative Assistant needed for busy Real Estate office in North Myrtle Beach.   Do you strive to be the very best in everything you do?  Are you friendly, bright and personable?  Are you an inveterate multi-tasker organized to the Nth degree?   
If this sounds like you, please send us your resume to:   ContactUs@BuyersChoiceSC.com   Visit us online at:   www.MyrtleBeachHomes.US   We have a great team of Top Producers.  We provide consistent and outstanding training in Real Estate Practice and Investments, Short Sales and Foreclosures and the latest in technology.  If you have always considered a career … (6 comments)

Smart Commenting on Blogs - a Valuable SEO Tool - 10/17/09 11:57 AM
 
 

 
 
Smart Commenting on blogs can be a valuable tool providing:   1.     High PR back links 2.     New Readers – Subscribers 3.     Productive Niche Research 4.     Networking – Partnerships   This video is the best tutorial I found on the subject.  Here are the links to the sites provided on the video:   Comment Kahuna   Google Reader   Google alerts   Please give me some feedback on this and let me know if you’d like some more such tutorials!    Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                Join The Optimist Group! … (10 comments)

LOL FRIDAY - Subliminal Real Estate Sales? - 10/16/09 12:29 AM
… (21 comments)

Twitter Top 100 - This is The Best Twitter List Ever!!! - 10/15/09 08:45 PM

I know it's not Christmas yet, but I just couldn't help it: I wanted to make your day.  If you are a Twitter addict like myself, you will cherish this list.  Who loves you baby? 1 TweetDeck 2 FriendFeed 3 TwitterFeed 4 Ping.fm 5 Twhirl 6 Twellow 7 Tweetie 8 Twitturly 9 Twitterholic 10 #hashtags 11 Seesmic Desktop 12 Twitterrific 13 BrightKite 14 Twitscoop 15 TwitterFox 16 TwitterCounter 17 TwitterBerry 18 HootSuite 19 TwitterFon 20 Tweet Scan 21 Mobypicture 22 TweetLater 23 WeFollow 24 TweetStats 25 Monitter 26 Twitpic 27 FriendOrFollow 28 Twitter Grader 29 TweetValue 30 HelloTxt  31 Twistory … (29 comments)

Two More Crazy Websites – Really! - 10/15/09 07:21 PM
 

As if the web was not yet full enough with the bizarre, here come two more websites to fill in that niche:   WhoCanISue.com   And   IJustMadeLove.com   Just in case the names did not reveal it all:  WhoCanISue.com will help you determine if you indeed have a potential lawsuit on your hands and will hook you up with the right attorney.  Using Google maps, IJustMadeLove.com will let you put a pin on the exact spot of the World where you’ve just had your amorous tryst.  Perusing the map, it became obvious to me that there are a … (12 comments)

CCD – The New Health Scare - 10/15/09 06:27 PM
 
 
“If honeybees become extinct, within four years Human kind will become extinct”.  Albert Einstein
 
Apparently, over the last three years, more than one in three honey bee colonies have died nationwide, posing a serious risk to our natural food supply.
 
One cause of these losses is an alarming phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, or “CCD.” When a hive experiences CCD, the honey bees mysteriously desert their hive and die. CCD symptoms have been reported by more than thirty-five states across the U.S. and in many other countries.
 
Researchers do not know exactly what causes CCD, but … (8 comments)

The ActiveRain Ambassador Program - 10/14/09 05:02 PM

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain):
The ActiveRain Ambassador Program
Today we are launching the new 'ActiveRain Ambassador' program for members of the ActiveRain community.  We have been kicking around the idea of setting up this program for months now and think we have finally come up with something that will work well and benefit ALL members of the network.  What is an "ActiveRain Ambassador" and how does this program work? 
Since the inception of ActiveRain, there has always been a "Pay It Forward" spirit amongst our membership.  Invitations sent out by members were often followed up with courtesy calls … (2 comments)

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines - 10/14/09 04:45 PM

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain):
How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines.  There are three important audiences to be writing for: 1. Other members and friends of your Social Networks. 2. Consumers, Subscribers, and a Target Audience of readers.  3. Search Engines.  I'm sure this is preaching to the choir, but this is important information to be shared if you want to get maximum exposure and results from your Blog posts with consumers, visitors, and with Google. Google Juice? I'll drink to that! :-)
Blogging for Customers and Search Engines correctly is a key component … (2 comments)

A Little Bit of Faith Goes A Long Way - 10/13/09 11:32 PM
 
Via Sandy Shores, Melbourne/Palm Bay FL, Brevard County Real Estate & Investing (M & M Real Estate Inc. www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com):
… (8 comments)

4 free online photo editors - Linkroll #4 - 10/13/09 10:48 PM

Via Real Bird (RealBird Inc.):
Before the week is over, here is a quick linkroll of some free, online image editors. I use some of them regularly and while none of them can replace Photoshop - the mother of all desktop photo editors from Adobe - they are sometimes better suited for quick jobs like cropping, photo touchups, simple effects, mark up and sharing etc. This is just a quick link roll post, no reviews or tutorials, only a quick share. Try a few or try them all and decide which one you like.
Picnik - One of the first online image … (2 comments)

12 Things You Absolutely Have To Do While in Myrtle Beach: - 10/13/09 10:34 PM
 
 
1.    Walk barefoot on the Beach.  This is generally a lot more pleasant in the summertime, but you have to take your shoes off and feel the sand and the Ocean water at least once during your stay, regardless of the season.   
2.     Swim in the Ocean.  The Atlantic water is warm during the summer and there is nothing more magical than an evening or early morning swim.  I have spent hours on end in the water and come out refreshed and energized every time.  Try it!  With so many lovely swimming pools, it’s sometimes hard to convince … (3 comments)

How To Buy A Bank Owned Home! Via YouTube - This is Funny! - 10/08/09 11:19 PM

Via Lisa Wetzel CDPE carsonvalleyland.com (RE/MAX Realty Affiliates):
… (6 comments)

LOL FRIDAY: Odds & Ends Borrowed from Friends... - 10/08/09 11:07 PM
 
I love to give homemade gifts. Which one of my kids do you want?   I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.   I like you. People say I've no taste, but I like you.   I wonder what life would have been like if you had had enough oxygen at birth.   I’m not into working out. My philosophy: No pain. No pain.   I went to San Francisco I found someone's heart. Now what?   I was told to wear loose fitting … (6 comments)

Thankful Thursday - Remembering the Important... - 10/08/09 12:44 AM

 
This video touched my heart.     Life goes by so fast.  We are so busy, so preoccupied with the mundane that we forget the important...    This clip is such a good reminder.  Please watch it and share your Thankful Thursday story!   Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                Join The Optimist Group! … (13 comments)

Darlene Olivo, The Darling of Myrtle Beach Real Estate, Turns 29 ...Again! - 10/06/09 11:53 PM
 
We had a Birthday yesterday.  Our own, Darlene Olivo, turned 29 yet again.  We were so busy yesterday and got the dates mixed up; we almost missed celebrating her birthday.  We had a quick, impromptu get together at the end of the day with cake and good wishes, and Dar, as we lovingly call her, was gracious enough to come back into the office and leave her pork roast cooking in the oven, just because we asked her to "pretty please come back in for a few minutes."   Darlene has been with Buyers’ Choice Realty for about three years.  … (5 comments)

Here is a Prime Example of a Myrtle Beach Foreclosure: - 10/06/09 09:37 AM
  I keep reading about the horrible state of foreclosed properties in other areas.  Although I have also seen some beat up REO’s in our Myrtle Beach area, most of the time they are just brand new homes in various stages of completion, just rotting away.   
Here is a prime example of this, in a Bank Owned property that just came on the market today.  This is a 4,900 sq.ft, 5BR/4.5BA home located on an acre and a half in a fine Myrtle Beach subdivision, priced at $499,900.  

  Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach REO Realtor … (13 comments)

You Can Take This to the Bank: NO, I Will NOT Cut my Commission!!! - 10/05/09 11:08 PM
 
There is a lot of talk lately about the market heating up.  In my own microcosm, my brokerage firm, we currently have 15 transactions waiting to close.  Of these, 12 are distress sales, either REO’s or Short Sales.    80% of my current business consists of Distressed Property Transactions.  Markets like ours, Las Vegas, and other “vintage” hot investor activity locations have seen plummeting prices and endless foreclosures.  This brutal market has decimated our Realtor base.  The few of us still standing are huddling together like lonely soldiers seeking safety amongst their own.    Is the frenzy of activity we’ve … (14 comments)

Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Condos: Should You Buy Now? - 10/05/09 09:27 PM
 

 
There are currently 2,342 Oceanfront condos for sale.  In the past 90 days, 284 such condos have been sold.  Based on these figures, 4.04% of our Oceanfront condo inventory is being sold per month.  At that rate, we have a little over 2 years worth of inventory.
 
Lowest Sold:
$37,000 for a less than 400 sq.ft. Efficiency at M Grande Resort
$38,000 for a 400+ sq. ft. Efficiency at the Landmark Resort
$40,000 for a 500+ sq. ft. 1BR/1BA at Caravelle Tower
 
Highest Sold:
$1,875,000 for a 3,000+ sq.ft. 5BR/4.5BA at Vista del Mar – Grande … (6 comments)

Do You Flickr? - 10/03/09 12:20 AM
I just opened up my Flickr account tonight.  What took me so long?  Jeremy Blanton gave me the idea.  Jeremy is such a whiz when it comes to all this web gadgetry and social media.  Watching him do his magic is both entertaining and awe inspiring; the man is a genius! Getting back to Flickr: if you haven't done so already, you should!  Just get yourself a Yahoo webmail address (mine is Mirela.Monte@yahoo.com), then go to Flickr.com and garner yourself a free account.  Start uploading your pictures and creating your magic.  Here is mine: Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection                                     Join … (19 comments)

LOL FRIDAY - This is How Girls Fall... - 10/01/09 11:45 PM
… (17 comments)

LOL FRIDAY - A Good Man! - 10/01/09 11:40 PM
… (8 comments)

Beautifully Imperfect - Thankful Thursday - 10/01/09 12:55 AM
… (15 comments)

 
Ambassador_large

Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela Monte

Myrtle Beach, SC

More about me…

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection

Address: BUYERS' CHOICE REALTY, 702-3 Sea Mountain Hwy., North Myrtle Beach, SC, 29582

Office Phone: (843) 280-7283

Cell Phone: (843) 251-2378

Email Me



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog