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learning: The long journey has ended - 11/21/10 10:58 PM

What took about two months for my ancestors has taken my family about 11 days to complete. The Oregon Trail from Utah to Oregon was a fun journey and we learned a lot and it was a better history of the trail than my kids ever would have gotten in the classroom. It was tiring, even for me and I wasn’t hiking 22 miles a day. But, I’m glad to be at the end of the trail and back home again. I am here to help my clients home just like the Oregon Trail, real estate can be an adventure … (16 comments)

learning: History 1886 style… We may teach our kids, but we are still up to learning ourselves - 11/15/10 11:09 AM

Ever hear the phrase, “sleep tight” or the song, “Pop Goes the Weasel”? Both phrases came from the 1880s and though I had heard both of them before I didn’t know the history behind them or really even what they meant. Like the line from “Princess Bride” by Inigo Montoya “I don’t think that word means what you think it means”.
First let’s go with the phrase sleep tight, though I’ve said this to my kids, I clearly didn’t know its history. In the 1800s they didn’t have bed springs, so they used ropes. If you ever used rope, … (6 comments)

learning: How do you find the cream of the crop when it comes to agents? Activerain of course! - 11/03/10 03:12 AM

How do I know this? Look around your office, think back to December 2008, how many of those agents do you still see in the office? Or better yet, how many of those agents are still even in the business? Would you say 75% of them are still at your office or are still in the business? If I could count the number of agents I met in December 2008, I certainly wouldn’t expect to see 75% of them still in the business.
The fact is, I did check and of the ones from 2008, only 43% of the agents … (37 comments)

learning: As a homeschooling parent, sometimes you need to go to the experts - 10/05/10 10:46 AM

As many people know we homeschool our children and it is a decision that we never have regretted. But, there are times that we just don’t know a subject good enough to want to try to teach our children ourselves and so we seek the advice of an expert.
Saturday was one of those times we seek the advice of an expert, this expert happen to be Grandma. My daughter got a sewing machine for her birthday and my wife knows how to sew, but nothing like Grandma, so we trekked over to Grandma’s house and let the expert teach … (10 comments)

learning: When you get free training, do you really get what you pay for? - 08/09/10 10:44 AM


One thing I’ve always done throughout my career in real estate, and even my other businesses, was I always had a thing about learning. I was always learning better ways on how to make more money through getting prospects and then turning prospects in to clients. That is the basic necessity of any and all business, find people, educate them to your services and turn them in to clients.
But, in real estate, unlike any other business I had owned, there was always the next free course. WHY? Well, they certainly weren’t doing this out of the goodness of … (49 comments)

learning: Fire Station Number 50 – Tigard, Oregon - 04/14/10 07:20 AM

Last week the boys from my son’s Boy Scout troop and my oldest daughter got to tour Fire Station Number 50 in Tigard, Oregon. Now, I love to learn and I have to say, the one thing that really, really surprise me was the siren that used to sound on the show “Emergency” from the 70s, no longer exists.

So, how to they wake up the fire fighters today if there is a fire? Well, it is an alarm that is quieter and sounds more like a door chime than an alarm to wake people up for an emergency. … (16 comments)

learning: I’m a little excited, my oldest daughter has started to ask questions about getting in to real estate - 03/11/10 01:41 AM



By Todd Clark (Broker/Sales Coach) 503-524-9494

Though she can’t sell real estate legally in Oregon until she is 18, I can certainly start her with the basics. I think I’m going to start taking her with me to open houses, a couple closings, and really start to introduce her to the players in the real estate game.

I figure, in 7 years when she can finally get her license, she may have the jump start that I didn’t have when I started. I think also, she will be really good at blogging, being she has already … (22 comments)

learning: I won’t lie to you, I’ve never done a short sale before - 01/27/09 09:41 AM
I got a call about one of my listings the other day and this agent had a very interested buyer in one of my homes that happens to be a short sale. But, she said, "I won't lie to you, I've never done a short sale before."
I said that is fine, before I did my first I hadn't either. She had to laugh at that and I gave her a run down of the process and what happens during what can be a long process unless you met the right person within the bank.
She said to me, "Wow, you … (15 comments)

learning: We always try to protect our children, but I didn’t realize - 01/20/09 10:51 PM
As many of you know, my family has chosen to home school despite my parents, grandparents, and even my brother all being teachers or having been teachers. But, one of the things that they criticized us for in that decision is that our children weren't getting the social interaction that they needed.
Now, I personally disagree with that because they are involved in sports, church youth groups and even girl scouts, so they get plenty of social interaction as far as I'm concerned. Even if you talk to most people who meet our kids they say they are the most well … (12 comments)

learning: Will all the great agents in the room please take one step forward (WHOA…Not so fast there buddy) - 10/28/08 01:00 AM
Have you ever run in to an agent that thinks they are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but you just want to slap them upside the head and bring them back to Earth? As far as I'm concerned two things make a great agent. First is their clients and the second is dedication.
I was asked by an agent who is in a bigger office what they should do with an agent that is trying to copy her in every way, including her farm areas. She is worried about her farm because this person is a self proclaimed real estate … (10 comments)

learning: My nine year old plays Monopoly and she is cruel! - 09/14/08 10:07 AM
Everyone knows the game of Monopoly and we all know what properties we want to own and which ones are less desirable. But, when you are playing a game about buying real estate, you better know your competitor or they may go for the throat and that is exactly what my daughter did when she started to lose.
You see my wife being the wise investor she was, bought some lower end properties, you know the ones I'm talking about! (Mediterranean and Baltic Ave) Well, it seems my daughter didn't want those properties and wanted only the ones that made her … (24 comments)

learning: Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow! - 02/23/08 12:11 PM
I don’t know if you remember the old Fleetwood Mac song by that title, but it was really a great song and said a lot in 5 Minutes and 19 seconds. It seems when I hear that song it gives me hope that no matter how bad today is, I should just forget about it and start thinking about tomorrow.
I think today I’ve decided that I am not going to write any more negative posts. Today is the day that I start with writing about what is good in life and real estate, and start thinking about tomorrow, instead of … (21 comments)

 
Helping Families Home is a blog set up to help families find that perfect home for them. I have a family and I understand how hard it can be to find a home that everyone is happy with. Let me help you find that home and help your family home.


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