Consumer confidence rose last weekto the highest level in five months as an improveing job market and falling gasoline prices buoyed holiday shoppers.
The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index climbed to minus 45 in the period that ended Dec. 18 from a reading of minus 49.9 the previous week. That marked the biggest seven-day gain since January. The monthly expectations gauge climbed to minus 17 for December, a seven-month high.
As seen in the Columbus Dispatch, Friday, December 23, 2011
MLS: 211039446 Bedrooms: 3 Full Baths: 2 Partial Baths: 1 Sq ft: 1873 Lot Size: 60x125 Style: 2 Story Garage: 2 Car Heat Source: Gas Taxes: $2603.00
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
Well cared for one owner home! Huge deck in rear! Finished basement offers approx 333 sq ft of space. Clean and ready to move in. Wonderful location just east of Delaware off St Rt 521. Close to shopping, Alum Creek State Park, Community Walking Path & Park. Listed by Joe Jackson of The Jackson Team. View this home on YouTube!
CONTACT INFORMATION
The Jackson Team Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty 100 E. Wilson Bridge Road Worthington 43085
MLS: 212004038 Bedrooms: 7 Full Baths: 2 Partial Baths: 0 Sq ft: 2670 Lot Size: 111x111 Style: Duplex/Double Heat Source: Gas Taxes: $4607.00
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
322-324 E. 20th Ave. Currently a Two BR and 5 BR all leased as one unit. Great Location near OSU! CABS & COTA bus line. Good option to rent 2BR & 5BR seperately. Lease is 11 payments of $3,290, lease ends 7/31/12. In Historic District. Iuka Ravine. Listed by Joe Jackson of The Jackson Team, Keller Williams Capital Partners
CONTACT INFORMATION
The Jackson Team Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty 100 E. Wilson Bridge Road Worthington 43085
O love the message that is used to invite others to active rain I have some folks who have joined that I have invited and will work on some other good real estate professional to add their content to Active rain
One of the main catalysts for the growth we've experienced over the years, in terms of number of members, has been the ability for our members to invite other real estate professionals to the site.
One of the benefits of inviting others to the site is you earn points for doing it. (and who doesn't love some good old fashion points?) Every person you invite to ActiveRain, that creates an account, earns you 250 points. In addition to the initial 250 points you earn for inviting them, you also earn ten percent (10%) of the total points they earn on the site. We did this because we wanted there to be an incentive for people to reach out and help the people they invite to the site, as opposed to just patting them on the back and saying "good luck and have fun"
That 10% often ends up far exceeding the 250 points you get for inviting them. As an example, here are the lines in the point summary (as of 1/5/2011) for the two people that invited our current point leaders, Todd Clark and Lenn Harley:
Yep, someone was here before Todd and Lenn and sent out the invitation that caused each of them to sign up. Since Todd and Lenn are both over a million points, the folks who invited them have gotten more than 100,000 points each for having invited them. That's a lot of points.
Could you be the person to invite the next ActiveRain millionaire?
How do you invite others to join ActiveRain and get credit for it? It's simple. Here's how. On the left hand column of your 'my home' page, there is a link for 'Invite Others' (If you are logged in, you can click there and it will take you to your invite page). Once you land on the invite page, there are two ways to invite someone.
The first way (as in the example below) is to use the form we provide and input another professional's email address. Once you hit the 'send invitation' button, we do the rest.
The other option, which is often overlooked, is the ability to use a unique URL that is specific to your user name on ActiveRain. That URL is
http://activerain.com/action/referrals/arbob
That URL happens to be the one I would use to invite other people to ActiveRain. Your unique URL will have your user name at the end where mine says: arbob. Your specific URL is given in bold on the 'Invite Others' page. When inviting someone from ActiveRain, you can only invite one person at a time. If you wanted to invite more than one person at a time, let's say everyone in your office, this may take a while. Instead, you could use the unique URL and include it in an email you send to your office distribution list.
Again, you can find the invite area by going to your 'my home' page (which is a link at the top right of every page on the site) and looking down the page a bit in the left hand column, or you can access it (if you are logged in) by clicking here.
Go on now, play with it and invite some of your friends in the business, peers whom you believe would benefit from the immense knowledge shared on a daily basis here in the Rain.
In your ActiveRain blog, there are quite a few customizable elements that
you have control over. It is like moving into a house though, there are so
many things on your "to-do" list that you start with "first-things-first"
and then eventually you get to the other things. So in AR, you probably
start right away with your profile page. Perhaps you pick a background color
or image for your blog. Eventually, you create a nice looking header
graphic. Finally you start noticing "everyone else" has little widgets
and gadgets and gizmos over there on the right hand side in what is called
the sidebar. You say, hey! I want that too! This post is for you when you
are ready for that step.
The sidebar starts at the top with your portrait and basic contact
information. Underneath that is the all-important subscribe button. The next
area of the sidebar (from the subscribe button down to the links area) is
all yours to do as you please!
When you go to your "My Home" dashboard screen. On the
left you will see the "Settings" menu. Go there and notice
that there are four main boxes that you can fill in (Blog Title, Blog
Description, Blog Description/Text Version, Signature). What you put into
the "Blog Description" box is what shows up in your
sidebar. You can simply type in some descriptive text (in plain text mode)
about you and that is good thing to do for starters. However, in order to do
badges, widgets, and gizmos you are going to have to paste in little
snippets of HTML code.
Before I go into the HTML stuff, let me stop and mention the Blog
Description (text version) box. What you want to write in there is
what you want Google to know about your blog. This
information is set in a backend meta tag "description" and so is not
visible. However, take a little time and write a few lines of google-centric
targeting about what your blog is about and keep in mind keywords for how
you would like to be found.
OK - now lets move on to the visible part. The side bar
gives you an effective area of 218 pixels. If you exceed
that, it will overflow the edge and look not so nice. So when you go out and
get code for widgets, try and pick the version that is that size or smaller
(widgets usually give you options for size variations). In this post I'm not
going to list all the widgets out there but some examples are Facebook,
Twitter, Realbird, YouTube, etc, etc) As you browse others' blogs, you will
get the idea of ones that are nice and you also want to get. The
basic concept is... a widget is a preset block of HTML code that you
copy/paste into your blog. You don't have to understand the code,
just copy it and use it. If you have multiple widgets, you will have to
understand just elementary HTML to see where one widget ends and the other
starts. That way when you want to cleanup your sidebar (e.g. change the
order of widgets or remove one) you will know where to start and end your
editing at. You might at this point get the sense for this is not
for the faint-hearted so if that is you, simply stick with this box
as plain text - just write out the words that you want to describe you and
your blog.
Finally, in this post, I want to share how to add to the sidebar
a badge or graphic of some sort that is also a hyperlink to
something. Let's take for example my twitter bird graphic that launches you
to my twitter page.
You need to generate HTML code on your own that you can paste into the
sidebar. This is one simple way to do that. Start a new TEST post in draft
mode. In that post, upload and insert your graphic and
attach a hyperlink just as you are familiar doing when you write blog articles.
Save the post
(in draft mode of course, otherwise people are going to say what is that??)
Note: you need to save the post to switch between normal and HTML views
without losing your edits. Also you want make sure that the graphic you
uploaded becomes permanently saved on the AR servers.
Now go back and edit the post and click over into the HTML view.
Highlight the HTML code that begins with the tag and everything between
that and the ending tag -- you will see the
tag reference in the
middle of all that. Copy that code to your clipboard and then head over to
your settings page and paste it in. Voila!
HTML code is not difficult when you understand a few basic principles.
I'm going to save HTML instruction for other posts, but if you already know
the basics you should be fine. I would recommend that when you are modifying
your sidebar with new stuff, you may want to select all and save
the text
somewhere in case you get all tangled up and need to "restore previous"
:)
My final recommendation for the sidebar is do not go overboard picking
every widget known to mankind there. This is only distracting.
Find a few select ones that are truly useful and ones that a consumer who
finds your blog might appreciate!
About the Author
Craig Daniels is a Technology Manager residing in NYC who specializes in applied technologies in the fields of Architecture and Real Estate. Craig focuses on finding the best uses of tech as can be used to help a business be more successful. He is keen on always seeing the perspective and viewpoint of his audience and he tailors his teaching to be easily understood. He teaches by means of this blog, by means of regular webinars, as well as one-on-one remote sessions with persons located throughout the country and beyond.
Peggy must had found the one Realtor out of 700,000 that does not take refferals. Simply do not understand why any Realtor would not welcome a referral from another real estate professional
I recently had an opportunity to try to find a stellar REALTOR® for some relatives who are thinking of relocating to another state. My relatives understand how referrals work and were only too happy to have me screen people and provide someone who would provide superior service.
So I began the process that I have done so many times--searching online for professionals who will take the same degree of interest as I would, talking to those whose web presence gives me an idea of how they work, and asking others in my networks for suggestions. Each client is different and I try to find what I think is a match for them (an inexact science to be sure, but I have good intuitive skills!).
I had narrowed down my search to a few people and shared the information with my relatives. One of the people I chose seemed to match their style--both were fairly analytical, detail-oriented, and number-crunchers. However, when I called the agent and told him that I would like to refer someone to him, he seemed to be surprised. He said he doesn't do referrals! I was a little stunned, to say the least, so I asked him why he doesn't. He told me that he can't afford to give up any type of referral fee so he just doesn't do them.
It's his choice, I suppose, but why would anyone turn down a referral? Maybe he is too busy and prefers to work only with his own clients, but I didn't sense that. I think he is not busy enough and doesn't understand how vital referrals are to business, even if you have to give up a small part of your commission.
Why I Love Referring People to Others
When I give someone a referral, it says that I trust that the person will do as thorough a job as I would. I don't pick names out of a hat. I research who they are, what markets they work in, what type of personality they have, how conscientious they are, etc. Then I talk to them over the phone to pick up more cues. I don't work for free; I earn a referral fee. Most of the time, the referral works out great and it beats taking chances with unknown agents.
Why I Love Getting Referrals
When I get a referral from someone, it is (to me) the greatest compliment anyone can give me. It says that they trust that I will do a good job for them; I don't take that lightly. I gladly pay a referral fee because without the referral, I wouldn't have that business.
So when someone tells me that they don't do referrals, I say that's unfortunate--for them. I love giving referrals and I love getting referrals.
If you are considering moving to the sunny south for your retirement years or are just thinking of exploring homes for sale in another state or area, let me know. I will work hard to find you an agent who will do as good a job as I would.
And if you are thinking about moving into the central Connecticut area or if you know someone who is, give me a call! I will take very good care of them.
Peggy Chirico, REALTOR® Serving the Greater Hartford Area Prudential CT Realty peggychirico@gmail.com
860-748-8900
If you are buying or selling a home in Hartford County or Tolland County, please call me, email me, or visit my website. I would be happy to help you with your home search or provide a market analysis for your home.
The Form 35R Request for repairs was much less demanding than we had anticipated. Out of the 19 things that the inspector called out, only 5 repairs were requested. Jackpot! We had thought that the inspection may have blown the deal. I was confident as I called my seller with the good news.
As they say, "one man's treasure is another man's trash" and my client wasn't nearly as happy with the requests. He looked at each request as a check that he had to write and didn't want to hear how I saw it as a small obstacle to overcome before closing on his FULL PRICE offer.
Of the 5 issues, 3 were electrical and dangerous, 1 was the replacement of faulty wall heaters (DANGEROUS!), and the last was a window with leaky seals. My thoughts were to agree to the 4 "things that could kill a guy" and let the buyer worry about the window. What I did not consider was the theseller/owner was the one who had performed the dangerous electrical work!
After an hour of heated discussion I finally reached an agreement with my client to repair the 3 electrical issues and replace the heaters which had been recalled. I was on the home stretch! (I thought.)
"REPAIRED OR REPLACED BY A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN" was how the request was worded but, I can now tell you, that was not what the seller read. The seller's impression of the contract seemed to be that he had to go back in and make the issues "look" like they were safe. Boy was he wrong!
Rather than call a licensed electrician to do the work, he decided to do the work himself and save a few bucks. He re-wired the spots in question, bought new heaters online and installed them himself. That seemed like a good idea until the bank appraiser guy comes along (who used to be a county building inspector) to do the appraisal and discovers the poor quality work. He called it out as a condition of lending and went on his merry way.
The seller blew a gasket but had no choice but to now hire an electrician to fix his shoddy work. Electrician's bill = $375.
Closing came and went without a hitch. On a cold day in November (about 2 days after the closing date) my phone starts to ring off the hook. It seems that the buyer/new owner decided that she needed a little heat in the home and turned on a few of her new wall heaters. The home filled with smoke in about 2 minutes flat and everyone evacuated. She gathered her courage and ran into the smokey house to turn off the heaters.
After several hours of convincing my client that it wasn't actually "her problem" and explaining the fact that he was most probably going to end up in court and ALSO POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS FACT THAT HE COULD HAVE CAUSED THE HOME TO BURN DOWN AND MOST LIKELY KILLED SOMEONE, he finally agreed to replace the heaters (again) and have a licensed electrician repair the burnt wiring and install them. New heaters (this time the right ones) = $675.00. Electrician's bill = $450.00
In an effoort to save a few hundred bucks the seller cost himself an extra $1000 and almost landed in jail!
Mark Hall
Foreclosures for Sale Vancouver Washington - Direct links:
Unique Garden Rd home with a huge 1st floor family room and full 1st floor bath, modern kitchen appliances!. Enjoy both an oversized deck and a screened porch in the rear. Close to shopping, bus line and all local public and private schools! Listed by Joe Jackson of The Jackson Team, Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty.
Scientists in Congregations is supported by the John Templeton Foundation which calls for a sustained creative collaboration between practitoners in the fields of science and theology. The next seminar is Tuesday March 6th at the University Baptist Church at 50 W lane Ave in Columbus Ohio. A light supper will be offered at 6:15pm with the program beginning at 7:00 pm
Remember the whole robo-signing fiasco that lead to state’s Attorney Generals filing suit against the nations largest lenders?
Well, there is a proposed settlement on the table.
Now the question is, who gets what? * 17 Billion for principal reduction. * 3 Billion for foreclosed borrowers who can prove some sort of fraud with their loan or foreclosure. * 850,000 borrowers will get a $20,000 Principal Reduction.
Sounds good, right? Not so fast,
4,000,000 Already foreclosed, lost their homes.
6,000,000 In the foreclosure process (will lose their homes to foreclosure IF they don’t do a short sale.)
11,000,000 Now Underwater on their Mortgages. You read that right…eleven million homeowners are STILL UNDERWATER.
Think there will be any sort of meaningful housing recovery anytime soon?
Watch this video in its entirety. The housing info is about half way through…
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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