We have a client who has become a dear friend, who worked hard over the past couple of years to put herself in a position to be able to buy her first home. We're so very proud of her and she's so very proud of herself. Add to that, she's a giver, so it's just natural that she wants to share her experiences as a new homeowner with others who could benefit from them.

Earlier in the week, she sent me an email outlining what she had to do to file for her first time homebuyer tax credit and I thought it'd be great if she'd outline exactly the steps she had to take in a blog for other buyers to see. She agreed, and was quite excited about it. In fact, she did a bang-up job with the blog post!!

Well, that got me thinking about how valuable it would be for consumers to see these types of posts on a regular basis, so I asked Fallon if she'd be willing to do a monthly blog post about the adjustments she faces as a new homeowner and what she learns in the process. She, of course, agreed, because she's so excited about her new home and the road ahead of her!

Sure it's great when I blog about these things, but how much better would it be for the consumers out there if they could read the first-hand accounts from our actual clients, as they take the steps of buying and selling their homes?

As an iPhone lover who's unfortunately still using PCs (hopefully not much longer), I can totally appreciate this new Mac ad. In fact, I almost spit my coffee out watching it.

With all of the hype lately about Windows 7, I've been wondering why it is that we, as Americans, are so easily duped by marketing. We fall for the same empty promises over & over, whether they be from politicians or computer companies.

• Does anyone REALLY believe that Microsoft suddenly figured out how to get it right and Windows 7 will magically be bug-free? Yeah, this time it's going to be different!
• Does anyone REALLY believe that our government suddenly figured out how to stop the misuse of our tax dollars and if we just let them run THIS aspect of our lives, they'll do it right and everything will be fixed?!

I, for one, go on track records and past achievements when I'm evaluating whether or not to believe something that's being marketed to me. Generally speaking, past performance IS an indication of future results. ALMOST every time.

I know this; Windows has done more for selling me on Apple products than Apple has. IMO, if Windows had a product that could actually compete with Mac, I wouldn't have had to shop around. When I did, however, I found that there is a better way.

p.s. Special thanks to my buddy Sam Soffes for sharing the link to the Mac Ad!

Whether we were for or against the Economic Stimulus Plan, it's tough to argue against the effectiveness of the Home Buyer Tax Credit. It's helped move some buyers to action who might've otherwise waited in the uncertainty of where the housing market was heading.

As you know, the current housing tax credit expires in just over 45 days, which could very well slow down what has been an instrumental increase in local home sales; instrumental in the stability of our local economy and in the recovery of the national economy.

That said, IT'S UP TO EVERY ONE OF US TO TAKE ACTION TO KEEP THE TAX CREDIT ALIVE.

I'M ASKING ALL OKLAHOMA REALTORS AND INDUSTRY-RELATED PROFESSIONALS TO CLICK HERE AND SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES THAT YOU WANT THIS ECONOMIC RECOVERY TO CONTINUE.

To those of you outside of Oklahoma: PLEASE spread this to your locals as well. We need the help of ALL industry professionals to spread the word let's make a difference!

Being one of only a handful of agents in my market who've embraced social media in my business, I get a lot of questions about the how and why of blogs, facebook, twitter, etc, so I've recently decided to help others by sharing what I know in a 'classroom environment.' Monday morning will be the frist such class and I'd like to demonstrate to my fellow agents, by example, the power of Active Rain.

With that in mind, I'm asking for my fellow Rainers to chime in with the why and how of Active Rain. What's it done for your business? Feel free to share real-life stories, links to any AR blog posts that you feel address this well, and advice on how to get started. My hope is that these agents will get to see, firsthand, the power of interaction on AR, so go ahead and tell us your story!

I believe the following video may open a few eyes as well:

Here's a HOT property that's about to hit the short-sale market:

• 4 Beds
• 3.5 Baths
• 4 Living Areas
• 2 Dining Areas
• 7,780 square feet (MOL)
• 3.36 beautifully-landscaped acres (MOL)

More info to come in a day or two!

12301 Dutch Forest Pl

Ryan Hukill
Hukill Group - Paradigm AdvantEdge
405.802.4663

 UPDATE: After careful consideration, and determining that this seller's needs are not in line with our business specialties, we decided to decline this listing. If you're in the market for a home in or around Dutch Forest, please let us know and we'll be happy to help you find the perfect home.

We've found a couple of needs to fill, and have created a new blog to do so.

We're now handling pre-foreclosure properties all around Oklahoma County. These types of properties typically attract a different type of buyer than a typical listing, so we've created a blog to display ONLY short-sale and investment-type homes. This should serve as a direct resource for investors and home buyers looking only for pre-foreclosure and foreclosure homes.

CHECK IT OUT!

It's a long-awaited upgrade that brings the 'most advanced mobile phone on the market' up to speed with a feature I had on the free phone AT&T gave me in 2001... MMS, or Multimedia Messaging Services, which allows you to send a photo to others via text message. Sorry, but I had to poke a little fun, as I've been baffled by how this amazing phone was missing such basic features from it's introduction.

So, I've already had several people email me asking how to get it to work. It's a basic, simple upgrade of the OS, but still confuses some folks, so here's a step-by-step on how to upgrade your OS to give you the ability to use MMS:

1. Turn on the computer or laptop that you use to manage your iPhone/iTunes
2. Open iTunes on your computer/laptop
3. Plug your iPhone into your computer/laptop with the white USB cord that came with your phone
4. Once iTunes recognizes your iPhone, it may automatically prompt you to upgrade your OS.. if it doesn't, just click on 'Check for Update'
5. It'll prompt you to backup, then update your OS. Just follow those prompts and be patient... if you have a lot on your phone, it's going to take quite a while to complete this process.
6. Once your computer tells you it's done, you'll need to uplug your phone, power it off and wait 30 seconds or so, then turn it back on.

That's it... you're done and you now have the ability to send and receive MMS messages. Enjoy!

2936 SW 127th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73170

Looking for a ton of square footage, an open floorplan, a true mother-in-law suite, Moore public schools, a swimming pool, hot-tub and huge covered outdoor living area?

If any or all of those are a yes for you, this house is a must-see. Check it out:

For those of you using your Facebook profile and your iPhone to connect with friends, clients, colleagues and neighbors, you might want to make sure you have the most recent version of your apps, because the new Facebook app is light years ahead of the old one.

Not only is the interface easier and more familiar, it offers functionality that the old one simply didn't. I couldn't pull up fan pages on the iPhone before, but now I can. It's easier to upload pictures, update your status, reply to messages and so much more.  Here are a couple of screenshots for ya:

 

Having lived in Cedar Pointe up until a year and a half ago, I have a lot of great things I could tell you about this small, close-knit Edmond community, but if you found this, you've probably already chosen Cedar Pointe as your next home. Now it's time to find the right home, right? Here's a great one I just listed yesterday:

4 Beds, 2.5 baths, 3-car garage and so much more. The thing you'll notice from the pictures is the wonderful decor and the perfect condition of this open, inviting home at 1920 Cedar Pointe Ln. Click here to let us know when you'd like to see it in person.

Originally posted at my Edmond Real Estate Blog.