Fort McMurrays Real Estate Blog

Low-Cost Tips to Get your Home Ready for the Holidays in Fort McMurray

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:41:06 -0600

Low-Cost Tips to Get your Home Ready for the Holidays
It's that time of the year again and even though getting your home ready for the holidays can seem like a chore, it doesn't have to be. Fortunately, it doesn't even have to take up much time or money, either. You can do it in a few easy steps. Just get in the mood to be creative.

Add colour and texture
Simply displaying some richly coloured pillows or throws in any room can give the room a different feel. Choose warm and spicy colors, or maybe something with mirror work to catch the light and add to the glowing effect and sparkle of the holiday season.

Neutrals, metallic and peacock shades are the hot holiday hues of 2008, so don't feel like you have to stick with the traditional red, green and white schemes.

Artwork, throws and mirrors can also add a new splash to the walls.

Spread some warmth
Changing the shades on your lamps to warm coloured ones can make the light appear richer. By lighting candles in holiday scents - ensuring, of course, they're displayed in safe areas away from flammable objects - your room can take on a warm glow.

Revamping or creatively using what you already own can also create lush looks in leaner economic times. For instance, filling a clear glass bowl or vase with ornaments of a single bright colour can make for an eye-catching display.

Another trick that makes for a pleasing display that is kind to the wallet involves bringing in some evergreen cuttings and using ribbon or other household items to dress them up. And you can make old wreaths look new by attaching fake berries, sprigs or pine cones.

You can also refresh your old decorations by dressing them up with paint or glitter.

Make it cozy
There's no better time than the present to get started on your holiday cleaning. If you rid your rooms of clutter, especially those catch-all coffee tables and kitchen counters, your home will seem much more inviting.

Piles of junk mail, unfiled bills and magazines not only look messy, but can also interfere with your cleaning efforts. It's much easier, and faster, to dust a clear surface than to clean around three months' worth of the latest decorating magazines and some early Christmas cards.

To eliminate - and prevent - clutter, everything should have a designated space. Magazines, for instance, can be placed in a bin under the coffee table, while children's art can be stored in a chest or accordion-style folder.

And to encourage an even more inviting atmosphere, think about arranging your furniture in conversation groups. You have to move the furniture anyway in order to get rid of those dust bunnies, so why not try arranging them in a fresh, new manner?

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:08:13 -0600

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret

The greatest thief of human happiness and abundance is ungratefulness. Any lack in our lives - whether in money, health, or relationships - is simply the evidence of a lack of gratitude. If you focus on lack you are not being grateful, and that will bring more lack into your life. Yet the simple state of radiating gratitude summons everything to you.

No matter who you are or where you are, you can change your life with gratitude, but you must feel it with your whole heart and radiate it from every cell. Gratitude is not a mental exercise, and in fact, if you simply use your mind for gratitude it will have little or no power. True gratitude comes from your heart! You must think gratitude through your heart, speak gratitude through your heart, and feel it intensely in your heart.

Then practice gratitude relentlessly. As you practice gratitude you will attract more thoughts and feelings of gratitude. In a short time your entire being will be saturated with it, and you will experience a happiness that is beyond what you can imagine. This is what is ahead for you when you choose gratitude as your way of life. And if you can really live in this highest state of gratitude, you will never have to ask for anything. Everything you want will be given to you before you even ask, because gratitude is the magnetic substance that opens every single door in the Universe.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States. To celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to share an excerpt with you from The Secret Daily Teachings, which is being released in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia on December 9th. This excerpt presents an easy way to start using gratitude and integrate it into your life by making every Thursday "Thank You Thursday." As you "Thank your way through every Thursday" you will open the most powerful receiving channel within you.

From The Secret Daily Teachings - Thank You Thursday

"Today is Thank You Thursday. Today and every Thursday is your day to say and feel "Thank you" in as many ways as you can.

Write a list of all the people and events you want to give thanks for.

Return thanks today to those who have done things for you.

As you walk say "Thank you" in your mind with each step you take.

As you drive, make each time you stop your cue to say "Thank you."

At various times in the day, think and feel "Thank you" inside you seven times in a row.

Look for every opportunity to say "Thank you" to other people, and say it with so much meaning that the person looks right at you.

Thank your way through every Thursday, and make "Thank you" your predominant thought, feeling, and words of the day.

"Thank you" - two words, inconceivable potential power, and all they need is you to put the power into them by expressing them.

Thank you!"

Excerpt from The Secret Daily Teachings

. . .

May the joy of gratitude be in your heart,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret... bringing joy to billions

An Ants Philosophy

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:52:50 -0600

A great Real Estate teacher and coach Brett Noel sent me this piece that I just had to share

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy

Ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, and they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a great philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

Ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

CRM Your Salespeople Will Love

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:11:11 -0600

This is a great article by Mike Stevens about CRM

Executive Summary

CRM can bring enormous benefits to corporations, but only if users adopt it. Therefore, winning over sales organizations and obtaining buy-in at all levels are crucial to the success of any CRM initiative. Front-line salespeople are often the major source of resistance. In the past, when they have asked the question, "What's in it for me?" the answer has been, "Not much." The newest solutions from leading software providers such as Oracle change this, with features that let salespeople work the way they want to, reduce their administrative burden and genuinely support personal success in every aspect of the sales process. This white paper provides a brief overview of documented CRM successes to indicate why it's so important, discusses CRM adoption problems in general, then presents a detailed description of the features that directly benefit individual members of the sales force. It also offers some tips to help foster high adoption rates.

CRM: The Adoption Rate Challenge

CRM works. According to Software Magazine, roughly 30 percent of companies that deploy CRM report "significant improvement" in sales organization performance, including shorter sales cycles, increased win rates, fewer order errors and faster rampup to full productivity for new reps.

1 http://www.salesandmarketing.com/m sg/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_cont ent_id=1003589960

2 http://www.crmlandmark.com/saasma rket.htmQuantifiable successes reported by Oracle customers include 3: · 200 percent increase in profits over two years (BT) · 300 percent increase in sales (ViewSonic) · $17 million savings in monthly billing costs (Verizon Wireless) · 25 percent reduction in callhandling times (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) · 32 percent increase in retail checking customers (PNC Bank)

In the past, sales executives who have seen numbers like these and turned to CRM for help achieving them have faced a major hurdle: user adoption. According to an AMR Research study in 2002, 47 percent of companies faced "serious challenges" with user adoption. This year (2007), CSO Insights reports that only about half the companies it surveyed had CRM adoption rates of 75 percent or higher. The unfortunate truth is, 3http://www.oracle.com/applications/cu stomer-relationship-management.htmlorganizations cannot reap the substantial benefits of CRM unless user-adoption rates are high, and this is not always the case.

For sales organizations, an unsuccessful deployment can have a negative effect on sales performance, not to mentionmorale and management credibility. For IT departments, poor adoption rates are a disaster. In a business climate where budgets are tight and resources scarce, unsuccessful initiatives take resources away from other projects, lower the credibility of IT and leave the problem the initiative was supposed to fix unsolved. Therefore, achieving high adoption rates is a critical imperative.

CRM is becoming increasingly popular. In 2001, fewer than 45 percent of companies surveyed by sales consulting firm CSO Insights had deployed CRM in their sales organizations. Now, that figure has reached 66 percent,1 and IDC predicts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31 percent for on-demand CRM from 2004 to 2010.2 There's a good reason for this growth:

The Resistance to CRM

Why does CRM encounter resistance? There are several reasons. The first is that rank-andfile salespeople on the front lines often perceive CRM as a tool that exclusively benefits management. It lets "them" track performance more easily, create forecasts for upper management, while for "us" it only means more paperwork, CRM Your Salespeople Will Love Copyright © 2007 Oracle Corporation and IT Business Edge. All rights reserved. 2 less flexibility and more snooping.

The question, "What's in it for me?" has no satisfactory answer. These criticisms had at least some justification in the past. It can be argued that early CRM was designed primarily with management in mind. There was nothing wrong with its promises of centralizing customer data in one place, integrating previously siloed views of the customer, not to mention more accurate forecasts.

However valuable these capabilities were to an organization as a whole, they were management features with little connection to the everyday realities of selling.

A second issue -- and some would argue the most important -- was the amount of "wasted" time spent meeting the needs of the systems. Early CRM put salespeople in data-entry mode when they wanted to be in sales mode. Every half-hour spent filling out forms was a half-hour not spent in front of a potential customer.

Finally, non-intuitive user interfaces that were hard to learn aggravated all the other problems, and there typically was no integration provided for productivity tools salespeople already used, such as Outlook and Excel.

In the eyes of salespeople, CRM imposed a burden on their most precious resource - time - with no demonstrable benefit. On the practical level, it posed daily problems, and on an emotional level it generated resentment.

Supporting Sales Success

With more than 12 years' experience in CRM, the Oracle team has developed an approach to CRM that addresses all these issues in ways that make life easier for salespeople and specifically foster success throughout the whole sales process.

Lead Generation. Every sale begins with a lead, and if that lead comes from a typical leadgeneration process, such as a direct-mail campaign or a Web banner, it should be carefully qualified before it reaches the salesperson who is supposed to act on it. Failures in this area are so common that many salespeople simply ignore these leads (if they can) or deal with them grudgingly.

In contrast, Siebel CRM On Demand, Oracle's subscription based CRM service, provides leadqualification scripts that assign a numerical value to every lead based on a combination of parameters defined by the sales organization, such as budget size, budget status (approved, pending, etc.), decision timeframe, location and so on. Salespeople need only follow up on leads that meet a predefined threshold score. This reliable, objective lead-qualification system has two important positive effects on salespeople:

· They understand the process for qualifying leads, so they can trust it.

· They don't feel they're wasting time following up on leads, because leads are prequalified.

· Ultimately, they can increase their close ratio, because the percentage of viable deals entering the pipeline is higher.

Background information. Oracle's Siebel CRM On Demand provides contact information, a history of prior interactions, related deals (such as with a different division in the same company) and other Salespeople can obtain all the background information they need on a single screen, instead of having to hunt through multiple enterprise databases. important data that help salespeople refresh their memories or get up-to-speed with a customer they've inherited from someone else.

Sales call preparation. While preparing for sales calls can take hours, CRM On Demand significantly reduces that time. For example, at any stage of the sales process (however that may be defined by the organization), a list of specific resources is available, such as PowerPoint presentations, white papers, success stories and the like. These can be downloaded with a single click. CRM On Demand can even be linked to Google maps to provide singleclick driving directions. (This feature is typical of the end-userfocused enhancements in CRM On Demand. In terms of application design, it's a trivial feature. But for a salesperson hurrying out the door to make a sales call on time, it's a huge benefit.)

Better lead qualification, better background information and better access to sales resources all genuinely help salespeople maximize their time, work more efficiently and close more deals. Rather than feeling at crosspurposes with management, salespeople using CRM On Demand can feel that their goals and the goals of management are aligned.

Keeping Organized

Some salespeople are wellorganized. For others, organization is a challenge. Either way, Siebel CRM On Demand is a support, not a hindrance. It gives salespeople quick access to existing information about accounts, provides convenient ways to collect and add new information, and lets salespeople create and prioritize tasks to help them stay on track during busy days with constant interruptions. Existing information. In most businesses, crucial information about deals and customers - everything from contact phone numbers to invoicing data - is scattered over a variety of corporate database and back-end systems. CRM On Demand presents the primary information salespeople need to work their deals in a clear, single-page format. For leads, to give one example, this includes basic contact information, company background (revenues, number of employees, etc.), associated accounts and information about the lead itself, including its source.

Other relevant data, such as order histories from a back-end financial system, can be made available with a single click. New Information. Obviously, part of a sales rep's job is to collect information, and again, CRM On Demand makes this easy. The input forms are simple, they can be customized to meet individual or group needs, they can be accessed by a variety of endpoint devices (laptops, mobile devices, desktop computers) and the user doesn't even need to be online to access these functions. Tasks. The CRM On Demand home page gives sales reps a quick overview of everything they need to do, including scheduled meetings, tasks (created inside the system either by the rep or automatically) and alerts, which typically are sales department messages and notifications. To help salespeople make decisions on how to spend their time, tasks can be prioritized by due date or by the size of the associated deal.

User-Friendly Flexibility

One of the biggest barriers to adoption of CRM systems is the learning curve. CRM On Demand minimizes the challenges of adopting a new system through a combination of familiarity, customization and online help. This is an important benefit of the system. No matter how many features a CRM application may have to help salespeople work more efficiently and close more sales, these features are useless unless they are easy to discover and use.

Familiarity. CRM On Demand is a Web-based system, so the navigation is virtually second nature to any computer user. The system also can be configured to use the familiar terminology within the organization to describe stages of the sales process or the quality of various sales opportunities. Customization. Screens can be modified at the enterprise or departmental level to add new fields or redesign forms. Even individual users can customize the look of their screens, adding, moving or deleting sections as they desire. For salespeople, the result is a system that bends to the way they work, not vice-versa, and this is powerful support for adoption.

Finally, CRM On Demand eliminates user frustration through a comprehensive, contextsensitive help system, so users can get quick, concise explanations of how a particular feature works and how it can help them.

Integration for Ease of Use

One of the most important ways CRM On Demand supports the way salespeople work is through integration with third-party applications. Many would argue that the most important is Microsoft Outlook, the first application that many people in business open every morning. Due to the Siebel/Outlook integration, users can read their e-mail and, when something related to leads or opportunities appears, transfer information to the Siebel system without leaving Outlook. Moreover, the transfer method is simple dragand- drop, with no typing required. CRM On Demand also can interact with Web-enabled back-office systems that previously might have required a separate log-in. This could provide, for example, a list of all the orders a customer has placed within a given time period.

In addition to integration with software applications, CRM On Demand can also integrate with mobile devices, such as BlackBerry, Palm and Windows CE-based devices, so salespeople on the road can have a choice of access modes. (This flexibility also helps the IT department.)

Best Practices

Coaching

While the "compelling event" concept has merit, there are many other ways to look at the sales process. CRM On Demand is completely flexible so that the most successful sales processes can be cloned.
CRM On Demand offers a unique coaching feature that helps users emulate the best practices of the company's sales stars - or simply follow basic best practices that have proven effective over time. The coaching screens are available at various stages of the process, and provide detailed suggestions on how to move the sales process forward. The screen below, for example, begins with the common premise that sales are motivated by a "compelling event," and explains not only how to determine from a customer what that event might be, but also how to take the process several moresteps forward.

Sales beginners who want and need guidance welcome this feature. But experienced salespeople who are new to the company also can benefit from these features, as they help explain what otherwise might be unfamiliar terminology. In short, it's yet another element that can lead salespeople to view CRM On Demand as a help, not a hindrance, to success.

Indirect Benefits

The features and benefits outlined above are important because they affect salespeople directly, but CRM On Demand provides important indirect benefits as well. The most obvious involves leads.

The system includes a leadmanagement process that, like the lead-evaluation process, operates objectively based on business rules that can ensure fairness, prevent favoritism and eliminate embarrassing mistakes, such as assigning the same lead to two different sales reps.

A coaching feature guides new employees through the sales process with customizable best-practices screens. Less obvious, but arguably more important, are CRM On Demand's analytical capabilities. CRM On Demand is the only subscriptionbased hosted system that offers a built-in data warehouse that can provide insights into historical trends. These insights don't affect salespeople's' day-to-day lives, but they enable a company to make better decisions in marketing, and even with new product development. These decisions ultimately affect salespeople's'pocketbooks. For example, if adjustments to lead-generation activities result in a higher percentage of qualified leads at the front end of the sales process, this ultimately will be reflected in higher sales volumes - and bigger commissions.

The point here is that if the sales organization as a whole is more successful, the company will be more successful, and this success can translate into important personal benefits, such as job security and more attractive compensation packages.

Tips for Success

While CRM On Demand has been designed to encourage highadoption, the process by which the system is implemented can have a significant positive -- or negative - - effect. Here are some suggestions based on years of experience with CRM deployments in a wide range of organizations. Review existing processes. There could not be a better time to review your total sales process than when you are thinking about a new CRM application. In addition to the core process, don't forget about potential integration with other applications, such as Microsoft Outlook or, if you're an Oracle shop, Oracle E Business Suite.

Establishing links with these systems can further streamline the sales process, and any change that speeds up or automates tasks will help garner sales force support.

Sell management. In survey after survey, upper management buy-in is cited as the No. 1 factor in obtaining high adoption rates. This should be no surprise. Senior managers control the important "carrots" and "sticks" that influence adoption by the rank and file. Communicate with key upper-level stake-holders, and point out the benefits that are important to them, such as more accurate forecasting and strong analytical capabilities, including historical data for trendspotting.

In addition to persuasion, consider making executive adoption mandatory, and designate CRM On Demand as the means of running the business on a daily business, such as communicating about sales opportunities and reporting to upper management. Consult directly with salespeople.

In the past, CRM systems have been designed primarily with management's needs in mind, but to foster high adoption rates the needs of front-line salespeople are very important. When you solicit their input about how CRM could help them sell more effectively, you achieve two objectives:

· You receive valuable input on the ways day-to-day aspects of the sales process can be improved (along with a healthy dose of griping, it must be admitted).

· From a psychological point of view, you lay the groundwork for acceptance of the initiative. To build credibility, however, it is important that you have direct contact, as opposed to indirect contact through managers. Minimize data entry. Data entry is a thorn in the side of most salespeople, who view it as a necessary evil at best, with no value to them personally. There are three strategies related to data entry that can help this situation:

· Reduce the data you collect to a minimum. Ask the obvious questions, such as "Do we really need to know this?" and "Is this data actionable?" Fight the tendency to achieve completeness - and be prepared for some political battles.

· Explore importing data from other systems (in real time) to reduce the amount of typing required. CRM On Demand supports this.

· Provide check boxes to answer questions when the input can be pre-defined (such as purchasing time frames). Ensure adequate training. No matter how intuitive an interface may be, users need a certain amount of training. Make sure they get it. Set up a help desk for the first month or so that will accept phone calls as well as e-mail questions. And leverage the variety of training packages offered by CRM vendors like Oracle. Providing immediate relief to frustration will help keep adoption rates high over time.

CRM Your Salespeople Will Love Copyright © 2007 Oracle Corporation and IT Business Edge. All rights reserved. 6 Ensure adequate consulting. Sometimes it's best to engage experts. Oracle can provide frontend consulting to make sure the start-up process goes smoothly. Sell the users. Remember, most salespeople view CRM as a management tool. The value of the sales force-friendly benefits outlined in this paper may not always be self-evident to users. Therefore, it's vital to remind them on a regular basis of the ways the system can make their lives easier and help them sell more.

Conclusion

CRM can bring enormous benefits to a sales organization, but only if adoption rates are high. Oracle's Siebel CRM On Demand has been specifically designed to foster high adoption. When it's combined with an appropriate implementation process, sales organizations can feel confident of success.

Oracle

Oracle (NASDAQ GS: ORCL) is the world's largest enterprise software company. Oracle technology can be found in nearly every industry around the world and in the offices of 98 of the Fortune 100 companies. Oracle's Siebel CRM On Demand delivers the industry's most complete subscription-based solution for sales, marketing, and service, providing organizations of all types and sizes with rapid time to business value. Oracle is the world's leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest independent software company. Visit our Web site at: www.oracle.com/crmondemand.com

IT Business Edge

IT Business Edge delivers the information, analysis and context business technology decision makers need to maximize returns on IT investments and align IT initiatives with business objectives. As a Technology Intelligence Agent, IT Business Edge provides content different from that of a traditional IT publisher, news service or analyst firm. Our editors monitor all these sources - plus many others - for critical IT information that they translate into actionable advice for high-level IT and business managers. Subscribers access our practical content and useful decision-making tools through a rich Website, targeted e-mail newsletters and varied RSS feeds. All these outlets feature our business-focused blogs, exclusive interviews with field experts and industry insiders, plus our database of more than 20,000 abstracts summarizing content from 2,500-plus sources. Visit our Web site at: http://www.itbusinessedge.com

About the Author

Mike Stevens began his career as technical writer in semiconductor manufacturing, and then switched to marketing. At his own Silicon Valley-based agency, he worked with an impressive list of clients, including HP, EMC, Fujitsu, and Microsoft. His primary focus for the last seven years has been enterprise software.

Fort McMurray MLS Market Stats for October 2008

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:37:21 -0600


McMurraysBestHomes.com Fort McMurray Alberta MLS Market Stats
Updated November 4, 2008
October 2008		$ Value of Units Sold for Current Month	# of Units Sold for Current Month			# of New Listings for Current Month	# of Active Listings End of Current Month	$ Average Unit Price for Current Month
RESIDENTIAL
1. Single Family		$43,553,501	63			165	452	$691,325
2. Multi-Family		$9,655,600	21			68	136	$459,790
3. Other/Duplex		$4,598,800	9			24	40	$510,977
4. Mobiles		$45,000	1			3	6	$45,000
5. Mobiles/Own Lot		$6,075,500	14			27	92	$433,964
6. Other (Out of Town)		$530,000	1			18	103	$530,000
TOTAL		$64,458,401	109			305	829	$591,361
NON-RESIDENTIAL
1. Vacant Land/Lots	$400,000		3			28	146	$133,333
2. Commercial	$875,000		1			3	20	$875,000
3. Other	$0		0			8	16	$0
TOTAL	$1,275,000		4			39	182	$318,750
GRAND TOTAL	$65,733,401		113			344	1011	$581,712
Number of Residential Units Sold According To Price Category:
Under $69,999				1	$170,000 - 199,999				0
$70,000 - 119,999				0	$200,000 - 249,999				0
$120,000 - 129,999				0	$250,000 - 299,999				1
$130,000 - 139,999				0	$300,000 - 349,999				3
$140,000 - 149,999				1	$350,000 - 499,999				27
$150,000 - 169,999				0	Over $500,000				77
This information is obtained from independent research of Fort McMurray MLS activity and does not necessarily represent all the activity in the market. We believe the information herein represents an accurate picture of the market although we don't warrant it to be so.

Objections are Opportunities

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:34:00 -0600

A friend Dirk Zeller of RealEstateChampions.com sent me this article that I want to share with my fellow REALTORS

We all want the people we are trying to sell a home to, to just "roll over and buy". Even a neophyte Agent finds it easy to make this type of sale. An unskilled salesperson fears hearing objections, but a great salesperson views objections as opportunities.

When you get an objection from buyers or sellers, make sure that you hear clearly what they are saying. If you interpret the objection wrong, the answer you give, no matter how eloquent, will not be sufficient to overcome their area of concern. Let me give you a few techniques I have used to turn objections into dollars. I pause to make sure I clearly understood, and then repeat what they said or ask them to explain further. This technique will do a few things for me. First, I can confirm what their objection was to ensure I understood it properly. Second, it enables me to be well prepared when I respond. I bought myself a few seconds while my brain prepared my answer. I was able to respond in a powerful, well-planned manner. Third, I avoid the big mistake of trying to answer the objection before the buyer or seller gets the objections completely out of his mouth - as if stopping the buyer or seller from stating the objection completely

Your mental approach to an objection will determine your success or failure. Most Agents dread hearing an objection, but most objections result from one of two situations. One is the seller or buyer has legitimate concerns regarding the property and/or your skills to sell his home. The other occurrence of objections is because your presentation was not good enough. You did not convey the confidence that you are the person for the seller to hire for the sale of his home. You did not make a convincing enough presentation for the buyer to purchase the home you showed him. The clients' desire to work with you is a natural ending to a good presentation. If the presentation is weak, the objections will flow like a river. There are really only about forty possible objections in the selling process of real estate. The question is why haven't you learned them all? If you wrote them all down and practiced them for half an hour a day for the next s

The problem is we do not regularly practice countering objections in real estate. The Dallas Cowboys spend four to six hours a day practicing football. The players and coaches spend a couple more hours a day reviewing film and studying their play books during a two month span in spring training, and then they play four practice games in pre-season to prepare for the real NFL season. Next, the players and coaches spend a few hours a day practicing and watching films, five or six days a week to prepare for one 60-minute game. They will spend forty to fifty more times practicing and preparing for the game than actually playing the game. How skilled in sales would you be if you adopted that regiment? How about if you practiced even one hour a day on your skills at overcoming objections? You would become an unstoppable real estate sales person.

The second observation regarding objections is they truly are an opportunity to get a signed contract. When a buyer or seller gives you an objection, he is presenting you with an opportunity to close. He is basically saying, "I like this, but there is one factor I do not like." The buyer might say, "If the home you are showing me had a larger patio, it would be right for me." All you have to do is get him a larger patio, and you have made a sale. You must put your problem-solver hat on. If you solve his problem, then you get the opportunity to ask him to buy. The client can say, "Yes", or give you another objection. If he gives you another objection, you get another opportunity to solve the problem and ask him to buy. This procedure may continue for a few objections. Do not give up; you are getting closer to a sale. As long as you are able to continue to solve his problem, the client will buy. Remember, you are the problem solver.Too many Agents adopt the position of a deer looking in the headlights when an objection comes their way. These Agents have a negative mental attitude towards objections. They view objections as a big wall between them and the sale - a wall so tall they cannot see a way around, over, under, or through.

Join the ranks of the highly-skilled and highly-paid professional REALTORS®. Change your mental approach to objections. Implement a practice program. All it takes is a daily commitment to practice for at least 30 minutes. Commit today; you will not believe the results 60 days from now.

Focus on Success in Life and Business

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:32:01 -0600

A friend Dirk Zeller of RealEstateChampions.com sent me this article that I want to share with my fellow REALTORS

The ability to focus is crucial to achieving success in any endeavor we try. Why do some Agents work 70 hours per week while others can work 40 hours and get the same results? From personal experience, I know I would not have been able to work a four-day workweek without intense focus. How well do you focus? How well do you stay singly concentrated on the task in front of you?

We counsel our clients to time-block their days in order to learn a deeper focus. This time-blocking allows them to stay focused on one thing at that moment. When Michael Jordan is shooting a free throw, he is singularly focused on the free throw. He is not thinking about the foul, the next play they will run, or the defensive scheme to use against his opponents. He is focusing on the free throw and nothing else.

There are always people and circumstances that will try to take you out of your focus such as your prospects, other Agents, your staff, and your clients. The key is to not be distracted by outside forces. During an NBA game, when the visiting team is shooting a free throw, the crowd has long thin balloons that they wave violently to distract the player. Since the backboard is glass, if the shooter is not focused on the rim he will miss the shot. All he should look at and focus on is the rim.

We all have a few rims that we need to focus on every day such as prospecting, lead follow-up, listing appointments, showing property, and writing and negotiating contracts. By focusing intently on these rims daily, you will achieve massive success in real estate sales.

We are all focusing on something at every moment. For example, right now you are focusing on this article. How often are we focusing on the wrong thing? The key is to be focusing on the right thing. If you carry a lighted flashlight that is focused up instead of down at your feet, what would be the odds that you would trip in the dark? The odds, I say, would be fairly good. The flashlight is pointing at something; it just might not be pointing at the right thing.

The most successful people focus on the process, not the product. The product is a natural outcome of doing the process well. The process repeated daily truly separates the producers from the non-producers. The process needs to be broken down to what they need to do each and every day to get the product they desire.

The process in real estate is very simple. It is:

Generate new leads daily
Follow-up on the leads you have daily
Ask all leads for an appointment daily
Qualify all leads and appointments daily
Practice your appointment skills daily (i.e. buyer interview, listing appointment, scripts and dialogues, and objection handling)
Go on appointments daily
Ask your appointments to do business with you

If you focus on this process and incorporate it into your daily routine, the product of commission earned, sales made, listings taken, and financial independence for your family will be assured.

Creating Daily Success in Real Estate

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:30:17 -0600

A friend Dirk Zeller of RealEstateChampions.com sent me this article that I want to share with my fellow REALTORS.

Creating Daily Success in Real Estate

The journey to a successful life should be enjoyed. True success comes from accomplishing the daily activities that will lead you to your ultimate goals in life. Failing or neglecting to accomplish the daily disciplines will lead you down the path of lost opportunities and lost income.

If the penalty for not accomplishing your daily activities or disciplines was implemented or assessed today, we would look at neglecting them differently. The truth is the penalty for neglect is more visible in the future than it is today. The person who eats fried foods does not pay the penalty at 35, he pays at 55. The person who fails to save 10% of his income for retirement is not penalized at 40, but at 60.

If we were zapped today from neglecting the daily disciplines rather than in the future, our daily disciplines would change. We have to make the neglect more painful than the activity. There are three disciplines that must be done daily in real estate for success; working on growth, administration, and working ON your business. Let's look at each individual area comprehensively.

Growth

Growth is the part of the business that brings in the revenue for your business. The more time you spend of your day in growth, the more income you will make. Most Agents work on growth activities at the last minute, when they are running short on funds. The problem is that is too late. To have a steady business income you need a steady approach to growth.

Growth is the prospecting that you do daily. It is the listing appointments that you have for the day. It is the lead follow-up that you are doing on the people who want to buy or sell. It is the meeting with your lender to work on your competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Growth is the critical part to any business. Without growth a business will fail. I know a lot of Agents who are highly skilled in growth and poorly skilled in administration and working on their business, who earn large amounts of money. I know of very few successful Agents who are not highly skilled at growth. You can have huge deficiencies in administration and working on your business but still win the game. You cannot be deficient in growth and win.

Administration

These are the activities that complete the income stream:

Processing the listing so Agents can find it in the MLS
Processing the sold property through escrow
Communicating with your clients on a regular basis
Directing your staff and monitoring their progress

These activities, done well, will enable you to turn clients into fans who will look for new business for you. You will need one to two hours daily for administration. If you create a good system and have a highly trained and skilled staff, your time spent in this area will be reduced. In the perfect system, administration gets done well, but the Agent spends little of his personal time on it.

On your business

This is the time that most people neglect. This working on your business really separates long-term success and growth from just running faster on the treadmill of life. Long-term financial success lies in this section of your day. The ability to earn more profit is also located here.

We are all really employees of our own little real estate business. We are the ones who bring in the business and make the system go. The more time we plan, read, strategize, practice, role-play, and implement our ideas, the more ownership we gain. Becoming the owner of your real estate business only happens through diligent work on your business. Instead of being the employee who works to draw a salary and pay the bills, why not become the one who orchestrates the company? Be the one who has something to sell when he wants to try something else and/or retire.

What do you think your business would look like in 90 days or even six months if you were to implement the below daily routine?

Growth: 3 hours
Administration: 1 to 2 hours
Business: 1 hour

Time block these activities into your daily routine. You will be amazed at the results you will achieve, even in one week. Do not allow the distractions to overtake you and your new daily focus. Do not neglect to do the things that will lead you to success. Do them daily without fail.

The Market has changed in Fort McMurray!!!

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:58:35 -0600

We have gone from listing and selling within a week or two, to actually having some inventory for the Buyers to look at. For the last six months the number of listing has grown. The largest increase in the number of homes has come in the month of October with over 181 new listings. The Average price for a family home in Fort McMurray, Alberta has remain stable at $650,000 through most of the summer and fall.

Timberlea Fort McMurray remain the hottest Real Estate area in Fort McMurray with over 825 listings to date this year and sales of 512 units. Timberlea is the fastest growing new area in the city. Timberlea has a mix of starter and move up homes ranging in price from $520,000 to $1.5 Million. Timberlea also has a great mix of multi-family units ranging in price from $400,000 to $650,000.

For complete up to date market information in the Fort McMurray area please visit www.mcmurraysbesthomes.com or call Patrick Dardis at 780 215 7355

Just Listed in Fort McMurray

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:38:18 -0600

If you are tried of city life then this beautiful home located in the historic Waterways is a must see. Two homes for the price for one. The upstairs suite has been gorgeously renovated with natural wood trim and comes with extra large family room and master suite. The laminate flooring is commercial quality through the main floor. The basement is a spacious 2 bedroom suite, plus a den, mother-in-law suite complete with kitchen, laundry and wood burning fireplace. Most of the appliances are near new. The roof has just been replaced. There is parking for 4 in the back plus an oversized single garage. New RPR and all permits for renovations. This home is Talking House. Visit www.mcmurraysbesthomes.com for complete details and viewing call Patrick Dardis at 780 215 7355

7208 Bulyea Ave

The Credit Crunch & Your Mortgage

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:47:29 -0500

A friend Gary Tagg sent me this report.

With the election now in the past, the big news headlines are all about the economy. Terms such as "credit crunch" have been coined to try and describe what the international financial sector has been experiencing.

We thought we would spend a few minutes and go over how this credit crunch has affected the mortgage markets.

1. Existing Adjustable Rate Mortgages

If you are fortunate enough to be in a floating interest rate mortgage, you have probably noticed your payments decrease over the past several months. You will also notice in November that your payments will have gone down again.

Prime, which your mortgage rate is floating against has gone from 6.25% all the way down to 4.0%. For many of our clients, that means an interest rate less than 3.5% on your mortgage. These current rates are likely to stay low (or even up to 0.75% lower still) until 2010.

The Bank of Canada released a statement on Tuesday indicating that we are still likely to see a few more rate cuts saying "some further monetary stimulus will likely be required" and has indicated that inflation in 2009 will be close to 0.60%, much lower than the ideal 2.0%.

2. New Adjustable Rate Mortgages (and Home Equity Lines of Credit)

While we used to offer rates as low as Prime LESS 0.90% on Adjustable Rate Mortgages, those rates have slowing edged their way up. In the last 4 weeks, we have seen two trends with this type of mortgage offering:

1. Rates have gone from being LESS than Prime to being MORE than Prime. Today, our lowest Adjustable Rate Mortgage is at Prime PLUS 0.75%.

2. Some lenders have stopped offering floating rate products altogether. For a few days even CIBC stopped offering them, but brought them back (albeit at a much higher rate) a few days later.

3. Fixed Rate Mortgages

We have recently seen rates on Fixed Rate Mortgages go up, but they haven't yet increased beyond levels we have seen in the last year. If you are currently in a Fixed Rate Mortgage, you can rest assured that your payments will not change until your mortgage comes up for renewal.

4. Mortgage Renewals

If your mortgage is coming up for renewal, there are many factors to consider. Please give us a call at 1-877-241-8934 or visit http://www.albertahomemortgages.com before signing any renewal papers!

Once you know that you are ready to purchase a home in Fort McMurray, please visit www.McMurraysBestHomes.com or call Patrick Dardis of Royal LePage True North Realty at 780 715-1382

Home Maintenance Checklist for Fall and Winter

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:37:30 -0500

Home Maintenance Checklist for Fall and Winter in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

As the winter season approaches and the air become crisp, it's time to start thinking about preparing your house for the season. The winter season means spending more time indoors, hence roofs need to shed rain and snow, windows and doors need to reject the cold, and the heating system needs to keep rooms comfortable. If any of these components don't hold up, you might be faced with scrambling around in the wet, cold and dark to fix them.

By handling these important yet reasonably easy tasks now, you can avoid considerable grief later.

Outdoor Preparation

Check the roof for cracked or missing shingles, bald spots on shingles, missing or damaged flashing, and other conditions that might allow leaks. Replace any roof shingles that are missing or damaged. Seal minor cracks or tears with roofing cement.
Check the gutters. If they are clogged with leaves and debris, clean them. Gutters prevent basement and foundation flooding and water damage to siding, windows, and doors.
Check the siding for cracks or damage and seal any leaky spots with clear caulking compound.
Windows and doors. Make sure they are properly sealed with weather stripping and replace any damaged parts. Weather stripping prevents drafts and winter heat loss.
Trim trees and bushes away from the house.
Cover air conditioner and barbecue to prevent winter damage.
Store lawn and patio furniture in a shed or basement. If space is limited, weather-resistant covers can protect outdoor furnishings.
Close your pool before leaves start to fall, and night-time temperatures begin to drop and you risk an algae bloom.
Drain and shut off outdoor water faucets and remove and store garden hoses.
Store kids toys indoors or in an outdoor shed to prevent rusting and fading.
Check and repair exterior lighting before daylight fades.
Scrape peeling paint and apply touch up paint to your siding, trim and fences, and apply waterproofing sealer to your deck if necessary.
Examine driveways and walkways for cracks. Larger cracks should be sealed to keep out water.

Lawn and Garden

Prepare planting beds when the soil is relatively dry. By adding soil and mulch to your beds, you'll be a step ahead for spring planting.
Plant spring blooming bulbs and perennials.
Protect roses, saplings and small trees by sheltering them with a burlap screen.
Pull weeds to reduce the number of seedlings next spring.
Mow grass short for the final cut of the year by reducing the cutting height gradually to 3.5 cm (from 7.4 cm) until the grass stops growing.
Check ground grading around the house. All surfaces next to the walls should be sloped to shed water away from the house. This is most important on warm winter days, as melting snow runs quickly across the surface of frozen ground. If the grading is incorrect, water will potentially flow into the house, causing basement leakage. Now is the time to use a shovel to re-slope the grass, or call a paving contractor to correct a negatively sloped walkway or driveway.

Indoor Preparation

Bring container plants inside and make sure they are free of pests. Doing so may enable plants to survive the season and bloom again in spring.
Caulk around window and door casings to keep out air and water. If your house has wood siding with window frames that stand out from the siding, caulk the top and sides of the frame. Don't caulk under the sill as this space should be left open to allow moisture inside the wall to escape. If your house is brick or stone, with window frames that are set into the finish material, caulk all four edges of each frame where the brick mould meets the masonry.
Clean or replace Furnace filters as needed. Check and clean dryer vent, air conditioner, stove hood and room fans. Keep heating and cooling vents clean and free from furniture and draperies.
Ensure that all smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers are in good working order. Replace batteries as needed, or at least twice each year.
Have your heating system checked by a licensed heating/air-conditioning professional. Most furnace manufacturers recommend annual inspections.
Have your chimney(s) inspected by a chimney service and, if necessary, cleaned. Cleaning is generally recommended at least once a year for an active fireplace.
Store plenty of salt or rock salt, snow shovels, and any other items you will need during the winter.
Examine the basement floor and walls for cracks or leaks; seal as needed.

If you plan to reside elsewhere during the winter months, you may want to partially shutdown your home. In addition to the tips above, consider the following:

Leave the temperature at its lowest setting, usually between 5 to 7 degrees Celsius or install a low-heat thermostat to maintain the air temperature at approximately 5 degrees Celsius
Turn off and drain the water heater; leave a reminder to refill before restarting.
Keep the electricity on so lights will continue to function (put lights on timers).
Unplug the microwave, clothes dryer, televisions and other appliances not in use.
To avoid large repair bills and the hassle associated with breakdowns, take the time now to develop an action plan for the coming months. You'll feel secure in your warm home or while you're away from home.

A Fort McMurray winter can be hard on a house, following the easy steps above will help preserve your investment and prevent any unnecessary chores or repairs that might be difficult to do during winter.

For all your Real Estate needs in Fort McMurray, please visit www.McMurraysBestHomes.com or call Patrick Dardis of Royal LePage True North Realty at 780-715-1382

Dealing with Indoor Mould

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:17:25 -0500

What is mould?

Mould is microscopic fungi, a group of organisms which also includes mushrooms and yeasts. Fungi is highly adapted to grow and reproduce rapidly, producing spores and mycelia in the process.

You encounter mould every day. Foods spoil because of mould. Leaves decay and pieces of wood lying on the ground rot due to mould. That fuzzy black growth on wet window sills is mould. Paper or fabrics stored in a damp place get a musty smell that is due to the action of mould.

Mould, however, can be useful to people. The drug penicillin is obtained from a specific type of mould. Some foods and beverages are made by the actions of mould. Good mould is selected and grown in a controlled fashion.

Mould is undesirable when it grows where we don't want it to, such as in our homes. Over 270 species of mould have been identified as living in Canadian homes. Mould that grows inside may be different from mould found outside.

What makes mould grow?

Mould needs moisture and nutrients to grow. High moisture levels can be the result of water coming in from outside, through the floor, walls or roof; or from plumbing leaks; or moisture produced by the people living in the house through daily activities like bathing, washing clothes or cooking. Water enters the home when there is a weakness or failure in the structure. Moisture accumulates within a house when there is not enough ventilation to expel that moisture.

Different kinds of mould grow on different materials. Certain kinds of mould like an extremely wet environment. Other kinds of mould may be growing even if no water can be seen. Dampness inside the material can be enough to allow the mould to grow.

What are the health effects of exposure to mould?

In addition to often ruining surfaces and materials upon which it is present, certain strains of mould can also be quite damaging to our health. Indoor mould has been implicated in causing cold symptoms, headaches, difficulty breathing, skin irritation, allergic reactions and aggravated asthma symptoms. Pregnant women, infants, the elderly and those with respiratory problems or weakened immune systems are more susceptible to mould.

How do I know if I have mould?

Mould may be any colour: black, white, red, orange, yellow, blue or violet. Dab a drop of household bleach onto a suspected spot. If the stain loses its colour or disappears, it may be mould. If there is no change, it probably isn't mould. Sometimes mould is hidden and cannot be seen. A musty or earthy smell often indicates the presence of mould. Even when you don't notice a smell, wet spots, dampness or evidence of a water leak are indications of moisture problems and that mould may follow.

White salt marks forming on concrete might indicate that excessive moisture is moving through the foundation. Get your weeping tiles checked by a professional.

How can I prevent mould?

Keep it out. Although mould usually develops due to the conditions outlined above, it can also be brought into the home on furnishings, potted plants, stored clothing and bedding material that we might bring in from outside. It's important that you check that items are mould-free before bringing them into your home.

Keep it clean. Old-fashioned housekeeping is the first line of defence against mould. There are no strict guidelines for how often to give your home a good scrub, but people who are more sensitive to allergens should clean more often, perhaps on a weekly basis, while others might be able to go two weeks between rigorous cleaning.

Keep it dry. You should keep humidity levels low in your home. Give your home as much ventilation as you can comfortably achieve. Opening windows when cooking or when taking a bath or shower helps to reduce the amount of moisture in the air and you should keep on top of any areas that are prone to condensation. Wipe down kitchen work surfaces regularly and clear up any spills or stagnant pools of water. If some materials cannot be completely dried (eg., drywall or insulation), you should replace them.

Keep it uncluttered. Don't store boxes up against concrete walls or floors. This could lead to moisture getting into the boxes and creating a haven for mould while damaging your goods.

How do I deal with mould and moisture?

Keep an eye out for leaks by identifying small pools of water, any discolouration or wet spots. Fridges, freezers, air conditioners and leaky washing machines are all easy targets and either a visible mould patch or a musty smell is usually the giveaway.

There are various products on the market that will help, such as fungicidal products. Wipe down affected areas with a fungicidal product that carries a Health and Safety Executive "approval number". Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo mouldy carpets. Where possible, remove lining paper and wallpaper where you suspect mould growth, treat the plaster and then paint or paper the area again. After treating mould-affected areas, redecorate using a good-quality fungicidal paint.

If you have problems controlling mould or a family member suffers from respiratory or other health problems that appear to be aggravated inside the home, seek a professional by contacting your local Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CHMC). The CMHC can provide you with a list of individuals who have completed the CMHC Residential Indoor Air Quality Investigator program.

Today's Housing Market Offers Unique Opportunities for Home Buyers

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:23:55 -0500

The news is filled with headlines about the state of today's housing market south of the border-"Foreclosure sales are up." "Real estate prices are down." "Borrowers are defaulting on sub-prime loans." It's easy to be confused and uncertain about whether now is a good time to buy a home.

Although the Canadian market is not as robust as it was a year ago, housing prices have been stable for several months, mortgage rates have dropped this year and there is overwhelming choice of homes currently available in all price ranges. All these factors add up to an ideal market place for first time or move up home buyers.

The turbulence we're seeing in the housing market is not all problematic. For some, it has opened up new opportunities. If you have good credit and your finances are solid, you may be able to benefit from today's housing market.

As a first-time home buyer the current market offers you many advantages, such as:

1. Lower interest rates
Today's long-term fixed mortgage rates are relatively low. The Bank of Canada had dropped the key interest rate a couple of times in the last few months. Today's historically low interest rates mean you'll benefit from increased buying power if you're shopping for a home.

2. More negotiating power
In the hot real estate market of a few years ago prospective home buyers often found themselves in a bidding war when making an offer on a home. Today's cooler market means buyers have more bargaining power. More sellers are now willing sell at less than list price or offer other incentives.

3. Wider selection of properties
Today's larger inventory of homes for sale means more properties to choose from. It also means home buyers can afford to be more discriminating and take the time to find a home with all of the features that they are looking for.

4. Sales incentives
Many new home builders are beginning to offer incentives to lure buyers. In some cases, they're offering price discounts or complimentary extras such as granite kitchen countertops or upscale appliances. Some private home sellers are also throwing in a variety of incentives such as paid closing costs or free home inspections.

Historically, the housing market has been cyclical. Every period of sustained price increases has been followed by a period of declining values. It's therefore not surprising that after the boom of the last few years, we're currently experiencing a housing market correction. In most parts of the country, the days of being able to profit from buying and selling a property quickly may be over, at least for a while. But owning a home and building equity in real estate is likely to remain a sound long-term investment.

The fundamentals of the Canadian economy and today's buyers market suggest that now is an excellent time for prospective buyers to explore opportunities to buy a new home. Consult with your agent, do some research, and buy, buy, buy!

The Inspiration for the film "The Secret" can from....

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:49:48 -0500

The Inspiration for the film - The Secret

The inspiration for the movie came from a simple little book written in 1910. It's called the "Science of Getting Rich" and its author was a man called Wallace D. Wattles.

This is a summary of Wallace's book:

There is a universal energy from which all things are made. This energy fills the entire universe.

When you form a thought in your head, you tap into this energy, and you actually create that which you are thinking about.

Mankind has the ability to create a thought and cause the subject of the thought to be created within this field of Universal Energy.

To activate this ability, we must learn to harness our creative mind. Typically, we function with our competitive mind. But to create things with thought, we need to activate the creative mind.

We can come into harmony with this Universal energy through the act of expressing gratitude. Gratitude unifies our mind with this all encompassing Universal energy.

To manifest something new, simply hold an image of what you seek in your mind. And express gratitude to the Universe for having granted this to you. To achieve wealth, apply this same principle - hold a clear vision of the wealth you hope to attain. Then express gratitude that this wealth is coming to you. You must have unwavering faith and devout gratitude.

All that you include in your mental image will come to you through the physical realm - through the process of natural ways such as trade and commerce.

To claim this wealth, you must be active. You must do all that you can do each day to make this vision a reality. Especially strive to deliver to others something of value greater than what they paid you for.

Those who practice these instructions will get rich. And the riches they receive will be in the exact proportion to the definiteness of their vision, the fixity of their purpose, the steadiness of their faith, and the depth of their gratitude.

There Is A Science In How To Get Rich

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:49:37 -0500

There is a Science In How To Get Rich, and it is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic. There are certain laws which govern the process of acquiring riches; once these laws are learned and obeyed by any man, he will get rich with mathematical certainty.

The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way; those who do things in this Certain Way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich; while those who do not do things in this Certain Way, no matter how hard they work or how able they are, remain poor.

It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects; and, therefore, any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich.

That the above statement is true is shown by the following facts:

Getting rich is not a matter of environment, for, if it were, all the people in certain neighborhoods would become wealthy; the people of one city would all be rich, while those of other towns would all be poor; or the inhabitants of one state would roll in wealth, while those of an adjoining state would be in poverty.

But everywhere we see rich and poor living side by side, in the same environment, and often engaged in the same vocations. When two men are in the same locality, and in the same business, and one gets rich while the other remains poor, it shows that getting rich is not, primarily, a matter of environment. Some environments may be more favorable than others, but when two men in the same business are in the same neighborhood, and one gets rich while the other fails, it indicates that getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way.

And further, the ability to do things in this certain way is not due solely to the possession of talent, for many people who have great talent remain poor, while other who have very little talent get rich.

Studying the people who have got rich, we find that they are an average lot in all respects, having no greater talents and abilities than other men. It is evident that they do not get rich because they possess talents and abilities that other men have not, but because they happen to do things in a Certain Way.

Getting rich is not the result of saving, or "thrift"; many very penurious people are poor, while free spenders often get rich.

Nor is getting rich due to doing things which others fail to do; for two men in the same business often do almost exactly the same things, and one gets rich while the other remains poor or becomes bankrupt.

From all these things, we must come to the conclusion that getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way.

If getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way, and if like causes always produce like effects, then any man or woman who can do things in that way can become rich, and the whole matter is brought within the domain of exact science.

The question arises here, whether this Certain Way may not be so difficult that only a few may follow it. This cannot be true, as we have seen, so far as natural ability is concerned. Talented people get rich, and blockheads get rich; intellectually brilliant people get rich, and very stupid people get rich; physically strong people get rich, and weak and sickly people get rich.

Some degree of ability to think and understand is, of course, essential; but in so far natural ability is concerned, any man or woman who has sense enough to read and understand these words can certainly get rich.

Also, we have seen that it is not a matter of environment. Location counts for something; one would not go to the heart of the Sahara and expect to do successful business. Getting rich involves the necessity of dealing with men, and of being where there are people to deal with; and if these people are inclined to deal in the way you want to deal, so much the better. But that is about as far as environment goes.

If anybody else in your town can get rich, so can you; and if anybody else in your state can get rich, so can you.

Again, it is not a matter of choosing some particular business or profession. People get rich in every business, and in every profession; while their next door neighbors in the same vocation remain in poverty.

It is true that you will do best in a business which you like, and which is congenial to you; and if you have certain talents which are well developed, you will do best in a business which calls for the exercise of those talents.

Also, you will do best in a business which is suited to your locality; an ice-cream parlor would do better in a warm climate than in Greenland, and a salmon fishery will succeed better in the Northwest than in Florida, where there are no salmon.

But, aside from these general limitations, getting rich is not dependent upon your engaging in some particular business, but upon your learning to do things in a Certain Way. If you are now in business, and anybody else in your locality is getting rich in the same business, while you are not getting rich, it is because you are not doing things in the same Way that the other person is doing them.

No one is prevented from getting rich by lack of capital. True, as you get capital the increase becomes more easy and rapid; but one who has capital is already rich, and does not need to consider how to become so. No matter how poor you may be, if you begin to do things in the Certain Way you will begin to get rich; and you will begin to have capital. The getting of capital is a part of the process of getting rich; and it is a part of the result which invariably follows the doing of things in the Certain Way. You may be the poorest man on the continent, and be deeply in debt; you may have neither friends, influence, nor resources; but if you begin to do things in this way, you must infallibly begin to get rich, for like causes must produce like effects. If you have no capital, you can get capital; if you are in the wrong business, you can get into the right business; if you are in the wrong location, you can go to the right location; and you can do so by beginning in your present business and in your present location to do things in the Certain Way which causes success.

Ten Things To Avoid If You’re A Home Buyer

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:43:54 -0500

Are you a home buyer looking to purchase a home sometime soon?

If so, there are several things you should avoid when you enter the home buying process. And if you aren't careful to avoid them it is possible that your closing will be delayed or even canceled. Your adherence to the following rules will put the keys to the house in your hands quickly.

First, don't damage your debt to income ratio by making a major purchase before closing. If you decide you can't live without that brand new Benz, you might have to wait on owning a home. The bank could easily determine that your sky high car payment would hinder your ability to pay your mortgage. Wait until after you get the house to do some spending. No one expects a brand new house full of furniture and a sports car in the driveway unless you are a famous sports figure or Donald Trump.

Secondly, don't change jobs if you don't have to. The lenders like to see consistency versus constant job hopping. If you are just miserable with your job, maybe you can switch to a different job within the same field. Or you can tough it out until you have the house and then start putting out resumes.

Also, a home buyer should never surrender their earnest money to a For Sale by Owner Seller. There isn't anything stopping the sellers from spending the money before the transaction goes through. If the deal should fall through you'll have to fight tooth and nail to get that deposit back. You should put the deposit into a trust account. You should be able to find an attorney willing to hold the deposit for you until the transaction is finalized. Your contract needs to state what will happen to the deposit in the event that the transaction falls through.

In addition, never let emotions guide you. Stay practical and realistic during the home buying process. Some sellers are willing to fix some of the problems with the home and others may not be as willing. Don't let that refusal close the door on your dream home. Conversely, you shouldn't let your loyalty to the home blind you to costly repairs down the road. You certainly don't want to be in a money pit.

Furthermore, don't forget to have the utilities activated. The utility companies might need a few days to switch the service. Don't forget to cancel the service at the old residence. That seems simple enough, yet many people forget that step entirely.

Another costly mistake a home buyer might make is forgetting to secure hazard insurance. Talk to your insurance company right away because the lender will want to see proof of coverage for the new home at closing. Failing to line up the insurance will lead to delays in closing.

You should not get too personal with the seller. After all, this is a business transaction, so it should be treated professionally. If you get into too many personal discussions, you might say something that could be taken the wrong way by the seller. You might have been joking about the ugly green carpet in the guest bedroom, but the seller might have taken that as offensive. In the end, it could hurt the dynamics of the transaction. You should be friendly, but professional.

If the appraisal comes in too low, don't freak out. There are several solutions to this dilemma. The seller might be willing to come down on the price of the home. The buyer can put more money down if they are committed to that home. The buyer and seller can negotiate the deal or the appraisal can be disputed.

Don't forget to use your agent. It is the agent's job to keep up with the daily details of the deal, including the lender, the seller, and the seller's agent. It is also your agent's responsibility to set up a final walkthrough prior to closing.

Lastly, don't forget to take care of your end of the deal. You must be on the same page as the lender. Provide them with the paperwork they need and answer their questions in a timely manner. Failure to do so will keep you from opening the front door of your new home.

These are some of the most common mistakes home buyers make. Educating yourself about the process will ensure a smoother transaction and a definite housewarming party. For complete support in buying your next home I would be pleased to offer my professional services, visit www.mcmurraysbesthomes.com

10 Things an Owner Can Do to Increase The Value of Their Home

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:34:06 -0500

There are many things a home owner can do to increase the value of their home. This can be done interior or exterior, from do-it-yourself for the smaller projects to hiring a contractor for the larger jobs.

You can give your home a face lift a little at a time. Most home owners don't have the finances for a complete over haul done all at once. To most people, their home is their largest investment and they would like to keep it in prime condition. Although the price of your home is mostly determined by the current market conditions, there are several things you can do to maximize your homes value.

1. Decorative moldings can be used throughout the home for interior to exterior, to trim doors, floors, walls, windows, fire places and ceilings. These moldings can be found at practically all home improvement stores and are fairly easy to install to enhance the look of any room.

2. Kitchens tend to be the greatest investment that many potential buyers look at the most. Replacing cabinets and counter tops, can be done gradually at your own discretion or you may choose a more creative way to improve the old ones by painting the cabinets and replacing the knobs or handles.

3. Vinyl windows are a great way to increase the value of any house. These windows function better than the old wooden windows by opening for easy cleaning and they conserve more energy in the months when heat or central air will be used the most. They do not require painting and they can really make a house look beautiful.

4. Adding a new roof can make a very strong impression. The roof is the first thing people see and this can play a strong role in how much your house will sell for. A new sturdy roof provides protection from leaks that make ugly stains on the ceilings in your house that can lead to more damage.

5. Installing vinyl siding, if you don't already have it, this can add up to $10,000 to the value of your house. If you have fairly decent vinyl siding already, you can hire a power washing company to clean the siding and give your house a fresh new look.

6. Painting the interior or exterior of a house can transform a house completely with a few coats of paint. You can be as colorful and creative as you like and you can take your time doing so, one room at a time.

7. Flooring absolutely makes the difference in any room. Whether you use linoleum, tiles, wood or carpet, a new floor can make all the difference.

8. Adding new appliances such as a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer can greatly improve the value of your home. Along with adding a new water heater, furnace and central air unit.

9. Exterior landscaping can enhance a homes value by keeping a well maintained yard to adding strategically placed flowers and shrubs. You can also plant an attractive garden or install a small fish pond. Deciding to install or replace a fence along your property line will also be a great attraction to potential buyers, especially the ones who have children.

10. Adding a new deck is a great asset to the exterior look of your home. These can be made from a variety of wood and sealed to preserve the natural appearance. A new deck will provide the outside recreational area to grill out, while relaxing in a comfortable patio set and enjoying the great outdoors and fresh air.

Adding value to your home can be as simple and as affordable as you want it to be. Most improvements can be accomplished a little at a time, all depending on your time and budget. Smaller improvements can be made by simply adding potted plants along the stairs up to your freshly painted front door or by adding a small table or work of art in your foyer.

A visit to the home improvement store or looking through magazines can spark creativity when remodeling your home. Even if you have no idea where to start, one spark can lead to another and another, until before you know it, you have created a beautiful home that you may never want to leave.

For more great acticles on real estate please visit www.mcmurraysbesthomes.com

What Gets Owned Gets Done

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:56:33 -0500

A great real estate coach and leader sent me this piece that I thought sould be shared. Thank you Dirk Zeller of RealEstateChampions.com

Ownership is the real buzz word in team building. If an individual has ownership of production numbers, a project, or a solution to a problem, they will work to create a more successful outcome for the team. If they feel personally vested in the results, customer satisfaction, and financial performance, the net results for the team will always be better.

Ownership does not mean you have to give up a financial stake in the company, stock, or anything that would equate to a true percentage of ownership in the company. Having ownership is a feeling of a perceived position of power and decision making that connects with a feeling of pride and reliance on them for the success of the team, a particular project, or a specific client.

There is a balance between ownership and entitlement. Entitlement can happen when the member of the team injects too much personal pride and assumes the view or stance that they are irreplaceable; that the team could not function without their contribution. Team members who adopt the entitlement mentality are a danger to themselves and to the success of the team. As the real team or business owner, you must move swiftly to cure the entitlement mentality. It's truly like a highly contagious disease that can be caught easily by anyone who is exposed to it. To wait for it to run its course, as you would for a cold or the flu, could cause death to your team. At the very least, it will create a short-term sickness for all on the team.

Ownership is empowerment to the team member. You are giving them their own area and results to control. A Buyer's Agent could own the results of a subdivision you are representing or the open house results. They could own the interactive voice response system for lead generation. They would need to respond promptly when calls come in and track the results they achieve in contacts, leads, appointments, and revenue from the IVR system. Breaking the responsibility up into specific areas or divisions of your business creates an ownership mentality.

Using Personalized emails work

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:06:20 -0500

Anyway, here are some facts about personalizing e-mail campaigns that I cannot ignore:

"Personalized emails generated 42.7% more click-throughs on average to the web copy than non-personalized email. Personalized emails generated 403% more sales on average than non-personalized emails. Personalized emails generated 42.8% fewer unsubscribes on average than non-personalized emails."

That is enough scientific fact to please even me. I will never send out an impersonalized email ever again!

Go to www.MLXJET.com for your branded email. Use my discount code and save 50%. My discount code is PD5831

Just Reduced to $475,000

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:50:26 -0500

I have completed my first Video Tour of a listing in Fort McMurray, Alberta Canada. the Address is 98 Grant Way and can be veiwed at the following link http://www.wellcomemat.com/video/7CA2D7A01B

For complete details visit www.mcmurraysbesthomes.com of call Patrick Dardis at 780 215 7355

It was a SREAMING HOT DEAL at $485,000 but the deal just got better, it has been reduced to $475,000. This 1216 sqft manufactured home has brand new flooring in living room and the bedrooms. Situated on a corner lot backing on to a school playground you couldn't ask for more but this home has more to offer, 3 good sized bedrooms, 2 baths, all appliances, and window blinds and designer coverings are included. The master suite come with a jeeted Jacuzzi tub. For the snowy winter months just a head of us there is a 24' x 24' garage to park your cars in, off street parking for 6 more cars and a spot for RV parking also if you choose.

Ten Biggest Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Part 2

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:10:22 -0500

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention saves a pound of cure. Consider this article, in two-part, your prevention formula. Just watch for and avoid the following ten frequent real estate agent mistakes to steer clear of trouble and success-eroding errors. Here, in Part 2, I will cover the second five.

Making Yourself Available to Prospects and Clients 24-7
The most respected professionals are not available to their clients round-the-clock. They set normal professional work hours, they conduct business in their offices where clients come to meet them, and they make after-hours appointments a rare exception.

Doctors, Dentists, Attorneys, Accountants, and Financial Planners are service professionals, yet none make themselves available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. In contrast, most Real Estate Agents follow a work schedule that runs practically round the clock. What results from this workaholic approach is a loss of momentum and eventual burnout.

Give yourself a break. Take back control of your time. Set working hours, manage your days, schedule personal and family time each day and week, and commit to vacations that allow you to restore your energy and enthusiasm. Remember, real estate isn't your life. Rather it's what you do to fund your life.

Failing to Communicate Frequently
The biggest complaint by customers of Real Estate Agents is lack of communication. The antidote is to establish a great communication system that you and your clients buy into.

As you launch the Client-Agent relationship, explain the frequency of communication you will have with your clients and check to make sure that level of communication meets their needs.

As your clients' deal becomes a pending transaction, reconfirm the level of frequency and method of communication they prefer. Some people only need e-mail updates; others, like me, prefer the personal connection that a phone call offers.

Lastly, don't quit communicating with your clients after your commission check is cashed. Ongoing communication will win you clients for life and the kind of endorsements that lead to new clients and sales.

Being Inconsistent
This is the old tortoise versus the hare lesson. In real estate, as in most other endeavors, if you're consistent your efforts will lead to larger-than-expected rewards; if you're inconsistent your results will be notably disappointing. Inconsistency derails success faster than any other factor.

To a Real Estate Agent, the consistent activities of daily prospecting, daily lead follow-up, daily practice of sales skills, daily personal development, weekly planning, and scheduled evaluation time will create exponential return compared to the effort invested. On the other hand, occasional bursts of activity create work with little payoff.

As an easy analogy, say that you want to lose five pounds next month and that you need to increase your physical exercise by moving your body 60 miles over the upcoming 30 days in order to achieve your goal. You could put in the miles over a few muscle-aching days (after which you revert to ice cream sundaes and afternoons on the sofa) or you could commit to walk or run two miles a day for each of the next 30 days. Which approach do you think offers the greater probability of success? The consistent approach will always win out.

Ignoring the Fundamentals
The fundamentals of real estate sales success aren't exciting or exhilarating and for that reason it's easy to get sidetracked by new ideas that seem more interesting and innovative.

Consistent prospecting, client communication, transaction management, and flawless property marketing are hardly flashy and they never make headlines or draw crowds. In fact, on some days they feel downright boring. Meanwhile, sales gimmicks generate enthusiasm, attention, and publicity spotlights - even if for just a quick moment in time.
Agents seeking public recognition can count on being rewarded by flashy promotions, but they can't count on making more money. Remember this line like a mantra: You can build your business for your ego or you can build it for your income, but you can't do both at the same time. If financial success is your objective, stick to the fundamentals.

Talking Too Much, Listening Too Little, and Then Going Silent
We were given two ears and one mouth . . . God is brilliant! Unfortunately, most of us use our mouths twice or three times more than we use our ears.

When working with prospects and clients, follow this advice: Use your mouth primarily to ask questions. Contrary to popular belief, the person who asks the questions is really the person in control, not the person who is talking or answering questions. Then once you ask a question, accept and enjoy the pause and silence that precedes the response. Your power as a salesperson is intensified if you are willing to withstand the temptation to barge into the silence that follows your question.

Five Easy Ways To Make Your Listings Shine

Patrick (Pat) Dardis (Royal LePage True North Realty) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:32:22 -0500

Via Kristina Pratt, Realtor - St. Louis' Illinois Suburbs:

In a tougher market, it's really important not to lose sight of the little things that make your listings stand out from the crowd.

Here are five simple things that Nancy and I have found to be highly effective:

1. Take Some Extra Time With Your Photos

When taking photographs, make sure all the blinds/window treatments are open. Also, make sure to take some extra time to shoot a lot of different angles. It's hard to tell how well a picture will look on the small LCD of your digital camera. Now that we don't have to use film anymore, it's so inexpensive to take a few extra shots. All it costs you is your time. On average, we take 8 - 10 shots of each room. We pick the best ones to showcase in the MLS, and use the others on our website as well as sites that we syndicate to.

2. Internet Marketing Is Where It's At

Don't just list the house on the MLS and your standard company/franchise website. Advertise your listing everywhere that you can. A good place to start is postlets.com - you can create free property fliers and syndicate it to websites for free.

3. Stand Out From The Crowd

Don't just put a standard MLS listing sheet in your brochure box, or hand them out at open houses. With a little bit of time in a program like Publisher, you can create full color, custom fliers specific to each property. This helps people notice your flier after a day of showings because it stands out.

4. Go The Extra Mile

Take time to write your descriptions. Make sure to make the prospective buyer feel like this could really be their dream home. Take them on a tour of the home in your description. Use as much space as your MLS will allow. Expand on it on your custom fliers.

For example, instead of this in the MLS:

Custom home on five acres. Three total fireplaces, including one in master suite that is complete with balcony. Large kitchen is perfect for entertaining, and overlooks family room. Home features wrap-around porch, seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, and two car garage. Home-site is partially wooded.

Try this:

Love at first sight. You must see this charming country retreat on five+/- acres with seven bedrooms. There's a place for everyone. Beautiful windows overlook the acreage, lush landscaping and stunning wrap around porch. A dream kitchen with double ovens, ice machine and gas cook-top makes entertaining a pleasure. Three fireplaces and master suite with double closets and private balcony add to the appeal.

5. Provide a custom property folder for your listings

Remember that some buyers looking at your listings will be relocating to the area. It's a good idea to have a binder in each of your listings that has a copy of the following:

a. MLS Sheet
b. Disclosures (I like having everything someone needs to write a contract right there in the house).
c. local information on services such as nearby hospitals, airports, shopping, dining and entertainment

These are just a few things that Nancy and I have been doing in order to sell our listings in a tougher market. I hope you can get some ideas for your own listings.

Visit us on-line at www.justduckyhomes.com