Patti's Blog

Dream Castle In Dove Mountain (Golf community NW Tucson)

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:33:04 -0600

Gorgeous David Baird home in exclusive Dove Mountain, home to Accenture Golf, eligible for membership in prestigious Gallery Golf/Sports Club. Dramatic turret entry with beautiful chandelier and custom paint. Built-in mahogany entertainment center in great room. Backs to natural preserve with sunset and mountain views from lovely patio with outdoor fireplace. Kitchen upgraded with stainless and travertine. Click HERE for additional photos and MLS info.

Own Your Own Ranch In Tucson

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:31:26 -0600

Gorgeous custom Santa Fe w/casita on 3.2 ac of pristine desert adjacent to Sag. Natl. Park, fresh Citron designer paint, vaulted wood beam-tongue&groove ceiling in GR & MBR. Adobe tile floor, dual pane windows/doors, new granite counters, ceiling fans, antique tub in MBR. PebbleTec pool, cov'd patio, deck, lush landscaping. Corral/2 cov'd stalls, direct ride to park trails. Real SUBDIV., no MSFR's. Click HERE for more photos and MLS info

Gorgeous Home For Sale-Gated Community ~ Oro Valley (NW Tucson)

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:29:48 -0600

Gorgeous home in gated Villages of La Canada with golf course and jogging path! Lovingly maintained with new carpet, light bright paint, fireplace, spacious rooms, high ceilings, balcony off Master bedroom/2 closets/garden tub/separate shower. Plantation shutters, mature landscape. Close to Lambert Park and El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Club. Plans drawn up for potential pool.

Click HERE for photos and MLS info

Follow Up On Remax Post

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:40:45 -0600

Whew, have been busy since the new year began...just wanted to follow up on the original message. I'm sorry if I haven't responded to any of your comments, there were SO many, it wasn't possible.

I do not personally know anyone from these offices as I am in Tucson but my heart goes out to them and the company owners, it's a tough real estate storm we are weathering now.

Here are two articles which came out shortly afterwards. Let me know if you hear of any other updates.

"Shuttered Re/Max may have future" http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/1225biz-remax1225.html

"Re/Max corporate chief flies in on Christmas Eve to check on Phoenix closure" http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/12/24/daily14.html

Remax2000 in Phoenix Area Closes Doors 2 Days Before Christmas

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 12:12:29 -0600

Remax2000 shuts down on the 23rd leaving 350 real estate agents out of work as well as 20 administrative employees in Gilbert, Arizona. All 13 offices will be closed. Employees learned the news via emails and phone calls. Their current listings will follow them and deals in escrow will not be affected. The reason for the closure is lack of sales. If you would like more information about this article click this link:Major real estate broker shuts down

For more information about real estate in Tucson visit my website at: RealEstateInTucsonArizona.net

Accenture Match Play To Be Held In Dove Mountain (Near Tucson)

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:57:52 -0600

The Gallery Golf Club in Marana Arizona will host 64 of the best golfers in the world February 18-24th, 2008, for the Accenture Match Play Championship. Last year was a huge success, the community was very supportive and 1.5M was raised for charity. I attended last year and saw Tiger Wood play, it was so exciting! A new Ritz Carlton resort has broken ground in Dove Mountain and it is planned that the event will be held there in the following years. For tickets and more information click here. At the very least tune in to see how absolutely gorgeous Dove Mountain is on TV!

Javelinas!

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:58:11 -0600

One of the fabulous things about living in the beautiful Sonoran Desert is that we have unique wildlife and a lot of it! Javelinas are one of my favorites because they are just so darn cute and they travel in big groups. It is not unusual to see them in packs of 12-15 and often with babies in the middle of the group. Contrary to folklore, they are not scary or dangerous...unless cornered or threatened. If you sit outside at sunset or sunrise it is not unusual for a group to come by and point their little snouts up in the air to sniff for food. They grunt like little pigs and are always foraging for food. They are not afraid of people but we try not to 'tame' them as not all human will be kind to them and they need to keep their distance for their own safety. If you would like to learn more and get the scientific stats here is a good website, click here to read more.

Real Estate & The Web

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:47:11 -0600

Inman News published an article by Steve Kropper today which discusses the future of real estate and how the web will have a part in it. He talks quite a bit about "junk" leads. These junk leads only have a conversion rate of about 1-2% and take a lot of time to maintain. He mentions the need for a call center to make the web effective and a good supply of virtual agents to handle the leads. Although he does mention Lending Tree a couple of times because they do sell leads to the industry, and he does say that one solution might be opening brokerages as Lending Tree did, he never mentions RealEstate.com!!! Wow, it made me realize how new we are and that we really are front runners in this technology. Our state of the art call center really does capture the buyers right when they need help and warm transfers them to us skillfully and politely. We are doing just what he says the industry needs. Let me be clear on one thing, this is PART of a successful practice. We all still network like crazy, develop our own leads and know that there is nothing like a referral! In this market, and always, we need to work every angle and find our niches, what works for us! Here is a link to the article.

RealEstate.com Acquires Top Producing Windermere Branch (NW Tucson)

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 06:27:10 -0600

This is HUGE news locally! RealEstate.com is the future of real estate with unparalleled Internet exposure, combined with the top producing office in NW Tucson it is a match made in heaven! WOW, how lucky we are to have each other, let the good times roll. Click here for article.

Canadians Flocking to Arizona!

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 06:19:28 -0600

One of my best friends is Canadian. I convinced her to move to Tucson. It didn't take much convincing! What's not to love about so many warm sunny days, starry nights, giant suguaros, breathtaking Catalina Mountains, cooler temps than Phoenix and easy access to great vacation spots like Mexico, San Diego, Utah, New Mexico, and Las Vegas. Tucson airport is one of the easiest to navigate, and it's purple! Did I mention southwestern food? Click here for the article here: http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=7399562

Is it really that bad?

Patti Mallen (RealEstate.com Realtors) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:17:25 -0600

The latest "bad news" article in the local Tucson news made me wonder, if it is really that bad out there why do we still have so many Realtors® in Tucson?

Having been a real estate junkie since 1989, I know how addicting real estate can be. When you win, you win big. You have to have a certain risk taking spirit to start your own real estate business but it takes having won to really keep you hooked. Maybe there will be a tax deduction for real estate 'gamblers'.

The truth is, it isn't so much of a gamble, it's a lot of hard work which pays off over time. It's treating your clients like you would treat your best friend or family member and earning their respect and loyalty. It's loving what you do and being really good at it!

Agents making it now are working their butts off, there is so much inventory to know, comps are tricky, marketing is so much more important...the days of sticking it in MLS and watching the offers roll in are gone. People might think I am crazy to hold 3 open houses this weekend but I need to know that I am doing everything I can. I am either with a client, following up on leads, doing research or networking and yes, I do work more than 8 hours many days. Let's not forget that you don't "sit" an open house, I get more work done during a slow open house than you can imagine! Of course I am happy to be interrupted by a visitor :-)

Oh, one other thing, I was asked if I prefer working with sellers or buyers this week. The answer seemed obvious to me, I love working with both because I know how buyers are thinking and I know how sellers are thinking. It makes you more well rounded. I think some agents are stuck in the mentality of "I'm only a listing agent". This might be a good time to reevaluate that as the belts tighten. Plus it's great to work with buyers in a buyers market, again obvious, but overlooked.

I thank my lucky stars (did you see the night sky tonight-spectacular, brilliant!) that I work for a company with a strong Internet presence and great leadership. When "the faucet gets turned on" as my sales manager says, I will have everything in place and be ready to run with it. That faucet will get turned back on because we all know Tucson is a gorgeous place to live and that has not changed.

BTW, if you see me working at Macy's during the holiday rush, it's just for the discount on clothes ;-)

Here is a link to the article. What is your experience?

http://www.azstarnet.com/business/216394"