Regina's Blog

Government Affairs Update

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:00:22 -0800

A little Delaware Gardening News

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:20:15 -0700

One of Delaware's best features is the variety of plants and flowers that can grow here. We are really fortunate to have four distinct seasons without it really getting way too hot or way too cold.

Lately, homeowners have become more environmentally aware of their impact on nature. They are starting to pay attention to the plants in their yards as well. The native plants of Delaware are as varied and beautiful as anyone could want. My all time favorite, honeysuckle grew along the country roads outside of Newark, Delaware where I was raised. I will always remember bumping along in the big yellow school bus on those June mornings, smelling them and thinking about the last days of school.

I am in favor of this new trend because Delaware has a lot of wetlands and marshes that are already fragile. Some plants have the capability of throwing things out of balance. I recently found an excellent ebook from the University of Delaware that lists "problem plants" and their corresponding "better plant: choices.

Ebook Link

Also, there's an upcoming plant sale.

The Delaware Native Plant Society, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the native plants of Delmarva, will be having it 8th Annual Native Plant Sale on November 1, 2008 from 10Am-3PM at the Delaware Native Plant Society's Nursery at 818 Kitts Hummock Road at the St. Jones Research Reserve in Dover. Hundreds of trees, shrubs, herbaceous species, ferns, vines and grasses will be available at reasonable prices. Come early, because there are limited supplies of most of the plants and trees and lines start forming early. Call 302-735-8918 or email ezuelke@juno.com. Good food and beverages, free of charge, will also be available. [Reprinted by permission from Debbie Reed's Blog]

Visit Delaware Native Plant Society

Hope to see you there.

The MOST Important Meeting...to me

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:23:43 -0700

Meeting with buyers and sellers is what real estate agents do. Meetings at the settlement table is really important. It is critical for the agent to maintain the professional and confidence that their clients want to see.

However, in a few days I will be in what I consider my most important meeting. It will be with a bunch of 5 year old girls on their first night in Girl Scouts...and their parents.

It all started several weeks ago when we went to a open house. My little girl, Ruby, went off with the older scouts to the kitchen in the church hall while the troop leader talked to the moms about this and that. I could hear the girls giggling and chatting as they worked on "something" together. And after the troop leader finished, the girls came out with little treats they had iced and planted candy on. They looked like little goopy bugs, with their M&M eyes and licorice whips stuck here and there. Of course, they were for the moms, of course the little girls ate them.

Ruby was very pleased with her creation and the look of achievement in her eyes was all it took for me to know that I would be stepping up to the plate to be a troop leader.

The last weeks I have gone to training meetings and the like. I have received binders of info books about Safety and since the Girls Scouts are changing - 2 books on what Daisies should be getting out of the program.

My co-leader has been very busy doing this and that, mainly keeping me on track. I am the people person and she is the detail person. She is very concerned about how the meeting will go and she is preparing very diligiently. I love this woman. I will be talking to the parents and handling the meetings.

I could estimate how many leads I might get and justify that this is time well spent for my career. And to some degree I have, though, there is no guarantee. I just know that Thursday night, I get to put that spark of achievement into seven sets of eyes.

Wish me luck.

Obama's Running Mate from Delaware?

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:58:58 -0700

My husband who reads newspapers and watches news sometimes until 2:00 am told me this morning that Obama has probably picked Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate for November's elections. Biden is from Delaware and I am from Delaware so for a Delaware kind of thing, I am happy.

Biden has tried to get the Democratic nomination for President at least twice so this is probably a nice runner up kind of prize.

Personally, I vote for issues not for people and I still can't figure out who stands for what with all the flopping around but I do congratulate Obama for a smart pick - Biden has a lot of experience in DC which Obama does not have.

Jeff, my husband, told me Biden boarded a plane last night presumably to meet Senator Obama later on today.

Children just seem to know

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:31:59 -0700

My daughter seems to be one of those children/people that knows when some one is hurt, down or sick and she'll make an effort to make them feel better. It is really sweet and sometimes it can be a little scary.

Today after dinner, I looked at my husband and daughter watching tv and said - no, let's go for a walk instead. As everyone was getting on shoes, my little girl Ruby looked at me at said I want to give that flower to Peyton's mom that would be my neighbor in the back. So we stuck it in a "vase of convienence" that would be a water bottle and left the house.

As we are turning the corner, we ran into Dave Ferguson, Peyton's dad. He was taking a walk with Davin, his son, Allie his littlest girl and their new puppy. He told us that Joy (Peyton's mom) had an accident last week and she was still hurting. She had been riding her bike and fell off in such a way as to cause the handle bars to gore her. Owww!

So we all walked to my neighbor's house and Ruby gave her little flower, it was a daisy, stuck in the water bottle from Giant to my neighbor Joy.

We don't see these neighbors all that much because they live behind us and I have decided not to try to figure out how my five year old knew that Joy needed that flower.

So What's for Sale in this Neck of the Woods

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:47:17 -0700

I am headed out to Illinois soon for a wedding and we will be driving. I live in Delaware so that is a 12 hour trip, sometimes less. My husband and I are slightly insane but we like the drive AND it gives me a chance to pick up other towns' and states' real estate guides.

Everywhere we go, I am on the hunt to find the local guide and see what is going on in someone else's neck of the woods. My husband, on the other hand, has a Wal-mart obsession and shopping in a Wal-mart in Western PA at 3:00 am is actually kind of fun.

I love checking out other people's copy and advertising style. Each area always seems to be a little different and I have always appreciated the effort it takes to put out a magazine. (My first job out of college was for a local community paper doing manual layout - border tape and exacto knives.)

And sometimes it is just nice to know what I could buy in Zanesville, Ohio if I wanted to be equidistant between my daughter's 2 grandmothers. The thought does cross my mind and I really like the people in Zanesville, they have always been super nice when we stop for gas and stuff.

So, look for Delaware tags on a gold Toyota 4X4 in the next week. (Once we get out of Maryland, DE tags are rare) If you stop me, I'll give you one of our real estate guides if you are interested.

A DRT recommended Vendor in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:23:55 -0700

Rehoboth Home Services do a little bit of everything, but what stuck out to me was that they will inventory and catalog a home's contents to so that the owner of family can decide to donate or keep the items. Here the information from their flyer.

Our mission with Rehoboth Home Services is to provide professional service. We finish what others started! Here are some of the expanded services we provide.

• Realtor Services

• Home Owner project management

• Landscaping and grass services

• Power Washing

• Home organization

• Court appointed Guardianship

• Senior Services. If you need help around the house call us

• Local moves or pick up of bulky items

• Freight services

• Home watch services for out of town clients

• Estate Services

• Transition service to assisted living facilities

• Interior/Exterior demolition

• Trash services

In the last three years we have serviced over 2,700 clients with their individual needs. Our firm specializes in getting the home organized from start to finish. You will be tickled pink with our service!

Call Rehoboth Home Services at 302-344.-1007 or visit them online www.rehobothhomeservice.com

We used the owner when he had another junk removal service and were always happy with the results.

Back on track...again...and again

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:29:56 -0700

I don't know why I do this to myself, I fall out of the exercising band wagon and stop watching what I eat and all of the sudden those pounds I managed to lose come creeping back. But what is the worse is the lethargy.

I recently started running again and believe me I am not grace in motion when I run but I really like it. Of course, the first thing that comes back is increased energy, well that, and the blisters on my feet.

Of course when I start running again, the first thing I want to do is enter a 5K and on my latest visit to my the Seashore Striders website http://www.seashorestriders.com to find one, I found a link to a website that let's you use google map to build a course and most importantly it gives you how many miles you are running. In my case, it is about 1.6 but it is always nice to know.

Here is a course I built and saved. I live in Lewes Delaware and Delaware is a flat state especially by the beaches, but this program also shows you the elevations.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=232334

This helps me keep motivated so I don't fall off the exercising band wagon as often.

My ActiveRain Success Story

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:04:59 -0700

I have been a member of Active Rain for just over a week. I have known about ActiveRain for about six months and knew that it had a lot of merit because of the marketing and education potential.

Today AR hit 100,000 and today I used my participation in ActiveRain to keep a major listing for the Debbie Reed Team.

I was asked to meet with the client because of my internet marketing background and things were going smoothly but with no real committment from the client about extending the listing agreement.

Then I mentioned my participation in a social network/marketplace of REALTORS and the client knew what I was talking about and was highly enthused that we are invovled.

My team leader, Debbie Reed, was thrilled.

So Thank you Active Rain and congratulations on your 100,000 member.

Bored at the Beach?

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:37:33 -0700

It is great to come to the beach to play in the sand and swim with the kids, take them to the boardwalk and mabye a summer movie. Occasionally, the weather does not cooperate.

Here's a suggestion - take them to the public library to look at books and hang out, albeit quietly.

Rehoboth Beach Public Library is on the main drag of Rehoboth Avenue.

http://www.rehobothlibrary.org/

And the Lewes Library is off of Kings Hwy in Historic Lewes.

http://www.leweslibrary.org/

Both have a children's section with books, magazines, toys and the Rehoboth Library has a computer set up with children's learning software.

So come to visit us at the Delaware Beaches even on a rainy day you can find great things to do. A few hours in some place new might save a rainy day.

Interrupting Child can be a GOOD thing

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:16:30 -0700

Hi I know it is hard to shush your kid(s) when you are on the phone. I try not to feel like a heel but I have figured out something positive about an interrupting child.

Like most everyone in real estate, you really don't get a day off especially when you are negotiating a contract. Clients never like to be told that it is your day off. With cell phones it is easy for your client to reach you and the expectation is that you will be there. So when a client calls and I am off, I say that I am not in the office today.

And just like most moms, I have to hide from my 5 year old whose really seems to like interrupting me on the phone. She can be in her room looking at books or outside on the swing set. It is like radar. She knows I am on the phone and must have my attention. So I go from room to room trying to handle what ever situation needs handling and trying to keep her from interrupting.

Occasionally, a client will go into repeat mode. The same point over and over, since I believe that sometimes people just need to do that, I am reluctant to cut them off. That when I start letting my daughter interrupt me and say to her "Oh sweetie, just give mommy a minute, please." The person on the other line suddenly realizes that when I say I am not in the office today, it is a polite way of saying it is my day off and I'm with my kid.

They don't get mad or feel too bad and I'm off the hook. Of course, my daughter decides I'm no longer needed and moves on to her next project.

I like to think of this as a win win solution.

Do You iGoogle?

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:45:16 -0700

In the never ending effort to centralize my information but still have it available to me anywhere I go, I have been tinkering with iGoogle. A user can log in and get a "home page" where they can have a variety of widgets, links (my favorite) and rss feeds. I also have a page devoted to real estate rss feeds and the like to do my best to keep on top of what is new.

That's were I learned Trulia got $15 M in capital recently and now I am focusing my efforts on getting my team's listings represented. The Debbie Reed Team is located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware which is a resort town visited by the 4 metro areas surrounding it of Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Philadelphia, PA and New York, New York. So we market to those areas - we get alot of second home and retirement home business.

Another part of Google is Google Docs which are online spreadsheet, word processing and presentation software. This is not a new idea. It was been discussed by techies in the late 90's and even I said "Oh, no, I will never do that!

But now it seems like it could be a good idea. Of course, it is not nearly robust enough to handle business - I have not figured out how to merge yet.

I am using it alot for my personal stuff and for my internet research. I am forever reading articles and postings and I want to remember them or sections. Being able to copy and paste into a format that I can access from any computer and my web enabled phone is great. Waiting for someone or something, why just pull out the phone and do some more reading.

I know it is a matter of time - especially with cell phones turning more into little laptops more and more - I'll get that merge capability!

What's your Opinion - Software Survey for Realtors

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:14:12 -0700

My co-worker and I have been put in charge of finding better software to keep track of our team's listings, showings, contacts, calendars and to do lists.

We really hope to keep track of all the places we put on listings on the internet.

We also want to send out reports to our clients about what we are doing for them.

What do you use?

What do you like about it?

What do you dislike?

Thanks in advance to everyone who speaks up.

I'll post the results so everyone can benefit.

Beach Living

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:15:59 -0700

People have told me that I am lucky because I live at the beach. "It must be a perpetual vacation!" Well...yes and no. Unfortunately, I don't like actual beach all that much - not crazy about sand.

There are things to do, of course, Rehoboth's pride and joy - Funland www.funlandrehoboth.com - it's an absolute delight. I have a five year old who would like to go every night. After tickets, parking, french fries and ice cream - it's more than I can spend. But going in September right before they close we can run from ride to ride, it is wonderful.

Everyone seems to like the beach. Traffic is steady, can get a little crazy but it is not as bad since the construction on our main highway is finally done. It's a challenge though with people on bikes, shoppers attempting to cross all six lanes of heavy traffic from outlet to outlet and, well, the drivers who are not familiar with the area. I drive an old, heavy and safe volvo that I nicknamed Tank.

The real estate market is different here. While we have people who need a primary residence and we also have people who want a vacation home, a retirement home or just investors, not so many investors right now. Sometimes our buyers feel no need to make decisions and our sellers are trying to be patient. The Debbie Reed Team has developed excellent client communication and every day I am on the hunt for ways to beef up our listings' presence across all medias (within budget.)

Maybe, I could move but I have always loved Delaware. It is not my birth place - my father was in the army. However, my heritage dates back to when William Penn owned most of Delaware. And Southern Delaware has a lot of that Southern Hospitality.

And then there is the joy of watching people buy that other dream - a little cottage/condo by the beach. After all the sand is swept away and I am sitting on the back deck, I get to see some of the most glorious sunsets ever.

www.wilddelaware.com has some pictures of them.

Doing what I do best in real estate

Regina Lundeen (Delaware Association of REALTORS®) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:01:13 -0700

Real estate, in my opinion, is an ever changing industry and with the internet, it seems like everything is changing really fast. I started in real estate in 2000, not as a licensed agent but as a listing and tech assistant. I have seen first hand how email and websites have both increased and decreased customer satisfaction and agent frustation.