I've been in real estate for over 23 years; I've lost my excitement---I've lost my way.
That was my mindset with the real estate slowdown of 2008. This year, i tried to get over that malaise that had set in, and truthfully got ahead a bit, but not enough to say I have regained my enthusiasm for this business. I am looking for something that will lift me out of that "ho-hum" feeling. Any suggestions?
Blogging wasn't even on my mind; reading some of these new blogs, I see I got lost in the shuffle. Every blog seems to be about "short sales", HUD houses, foreclosures, etc. Aren't there some normal, owner-owned real estate being sold out there? Maybe I'm being naive, but I swear there are homes being sold that aren't in distress!
Please, someone must be selling good-honest-realpeople-housing! Share with me, my mind needs it.
You have to obey and follow. Being a type-A businesswoman, sometimes that is very hard for me to do. I hem and haw and many times outright just refuse to obey. After all, i know what's best for me (what does God know?) In a deep pit is where I usually end up. After a period of "doing it my way" I was up against a wall, and shared with a client who has also become my dear friend, Donna. She listened to my ramblings, then told me this story (it's her story, so sorry Donna, if I don't paraphrase it exactly the way it was told to me).
Donna is a waitress, and an excellent one! One day driving into work, she was musing on her lot in life, getting a bit discouraged that at age 50+ she felt she had not accomplished perhaps as much as she thought. She was still a waitress, living with her fiancee, and collecting stray animals whenever she could. She did not feel that she was successful, nor accomplishing anything of any importance. She said a little prayer to God to help her see what her purpose was in life, to help ease her unease at her lack of accomplishment...after all what major impact does a waitress have in anyone's life. She realized that her thoughts were focused on the things she had NOT done in her life; serving others as a waitress hardly seemed to count for anything. So she changed her prayer to add, "thank you God for blessing me as a waitress and thank you for giving me a job in this economy! Help me to see you in everyone I meet today."
She got into work, and immediately got very busy, serving her clientele. Her first table had an older woman, quietly sitting by herself. Donna felt sadness at seeing someone eating alone and set about trying to make the lady comfortable with her service. She solicitiously asked if she wanted extra water, if the food was to her liking, and if she wanted the daily paper to read. When the meal was over, Donna brought the bill and asked the woman if she could do anything that would help make her stay in the Valley more pleasant. The woman replied that Donna was very kind and she appreciated her question.
Donna collected the bill and the credit card off the table and started to walk away to the register; she noticed that the tip was for $100. Alarmed that the lady had made an error writing the tip, she turned around to walk back to the table. She was almost there when the lady said to her," It's not a mistake; you earned it dear!" Donna was flabbergasted...how could this be? The lady's bill was only $23- and she was giving her $100- as a tip? The look on her face must have been funny because the woman stated, "Don't look so shocked - you are by far the best waitress that I've had in a long while...I hope you stay doing what you do, because you are very good."
Donna said to herself, "Thank you God for answering my prayer."
It's amazing how we as human beings can become so anesthesized to our everyday world that we start to take for granted many of the wonderful things that are given to us.
Let me share a story. In 1990, my hubby and i decided to give up all that was familiar and dear to us, and move north to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It wasn't easy to do. Our families were not in favor of this move. For years, we felt like pariahs to our own families, as we were "the black sheep". We weathered the criticism, the disdain for moving "so far away" and eventually (finally) were forgiven. So here we are. In the best, most beautiful area in the world. Looking out our back deck we see glorious views, awe-inspiring sunsets, and occasionally a deer or a turkey. Recently though, I noticed we were taking all this natural beauty for granted; so I started to take daily photos and post them. Here are today's photos taken after yesterday's 16-inch snowfall. Enjoy!
COFFEE ANYONE?
Living in the White Mountains...what more can anyone ask for. If you would like to MOVE, please contact me. My neighborhood is a new community (there are 3 houses and 4 owners so far) and we would LOVE new neighbors! Go to www.royalview.net for more info. Thanks for looking!
Yesterday, we took a scenic drive past Pinkham Notch (which is lovely itself!) and went to Bretton Woods. For those of you who have never been to Bretton Woods, I think it snows every day in the winter months. The views are beautiful! Talk about eye candy. The people are friendly. And if you ski, you have found heaven on earth.
Here are some of the photos that we took:
Snow over historic Mt. Washington Hotel (one of the Grand Dames of the last century!)
Views from the top of the mountain - just above the chair lift. Some of these properties are listed at over 1 million!
This is why we're here at Bretton Woods; to take pictures of a condo listing slopeside at Rosebrook! For only $299,900 (very well-priced almost $50K less than competitor) you can call this 4-bedroom, 2 bath, fully furnished unit "home".
These days anyone can be a great video master. All you need is a digital video camera to record, transfer and share! After experimenting the last few months, I have come up with a list of "video tips" that work:
1. TELL A STORY. Don't just start shooting. Plan out your "story" - what do you want to capitalize on this short clip? Have a beginning, middle and end in mind before you start to record. This can be as simple as panning the outside landscaping on a home, then ringing the door bell before you proceed inside a home!
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Include only images the audience needs to keep them informed and interested in your subject. That means editing the video for a final version that is clean and focused. There are lots of free editing software out there. For snazzy tutorials on many of them go to www.video-tutes.com.
3. KEEP IT BRIEF. Most folks can only assimilate information in short bursts, so try to keep your video brief. Once again, that means editing to eliminate excess material. For real estate videos highlighting property my suggested length is around two minutes. It sounds short but your audience won't stay with you much longer than that. Also www.you-tube.com is now confining the length of their videos to 10 minutes.
4. KEEP IT STEADY. There's nothing more aggravating (or nauseating) than shakiness on a video. Avoid this by purchasing a tripod (there are many available for as little as $30) or keeping as steady as possible. Be careful of zooming in and out too fast---it makes the video uncomfortable to watch.
5. PROPER LIGHTING. Proper lighting is essential for capturing details. Practice experimenting with room lamps and window shades to see what comes across on video. Sometimes too much light can also ruin the video...so try out different scenarios to see which one works best for your video camera. Do a couple of quick videos in varying lights to compare. For those of you that want much more information than I can give you, read this blog on lighting.
6. LABEL IT. How many times have you taken videos and later can't remember where it was? I always name the video and label it with the location and date for future filing.
7. FINAL PRODUCT. Polishing up your video with simple editing can be the difference between a mediocre video and an outstanding one. You can add voiceovers, music, sound effects and some editing software allow you to put dialogue balloons with text in them.
When I first began using Twitter, I was incredulous that this type of medium would be of any value to either me personally or to my real estate career. My thought was "why would anyone care to know what the heck I am doing every minute of the day?" I was talked into creating a profile by my office manager because as he proclaimed, "It's social networking Rose, just like going to the Chamber After Hours!" So I went for it. Incredibly, I have found that i like using Twitter for a variety of reasons.
1. I have made many new friends! At last count, I was following over 1,000 people and had over 800 following me. Exponentially, i had grown my sphere of people in just a couple of months. Some of these people have become really good and close friends with shared experiences and social benefits.
2. I have learned so much during my time on Twitter. I've learned about twitter tools such as www.twitpic.com (which allows you to post pictures), www.tweetlater.com (to continue your twitter presence if you know you can't get to your computer for length of time) and www.tweetdeck.com (helps you organize your "tweets" or posts). In a round-about way, I've learned about marketing myself in an entirely different way.
3. My Activerain Blog traffic (and coincidentially my website also) has increased significantly. When I added Activerain to my Twitter account, any blog entries that i write get automatically updated on Twitter; so my audience enlarges with Twitter.
4. It has helped me to stay up-to-date on current events. Even by checking into Twitter updates once a day, I am able to parse through the information and gather what is important to me. Last week, I found important and valuable information about listing short sales! But it could be information considered mundane to others, but to me was significant such as recipes, books to read, and pets.
5. My writing has improved by using Twitter. I have learned that being clear, concise, and correct all contribute to my effectiveness as a writer. Since i only have 140 characters, it has forced me to write short, bite-sized informative chunks of information.
6. It has shown me reality like I've never seen it before. While I have always considered myself a straight-forward and authentic person, (not subtle at all), I never gave much thought to how others might react to that. Being on Twitter, I have come to realize that all people have quirks, that they experience the same wide range of emotions that I do, and that everyone has both good and bad sides to their personalities. By sharing all this on the Twitter forum, people (or tweeple) are able to share themselves in a unique way.
7. I have loved the way Twitter has enabled me to stay in touch with people that I enjoy and that matter to me. While other mediums are also capable of doing much the same, Twitter is so fast that it creates a quick and easy bond. My relationships with others have improved, my level of communication has increased, and my feeling of well-being is enhanced!
8. It is addictive (I admit it). Twitter is seductive. My husband asked me recently, what is so fun about writing "what I am doing" umpteenth times a day? I realized that isn't what Twitter is about; it's about sharing yourself to others, and allowing them to share themselves with you. It can be funny, emotional, sad, or just plain entertaining.
9. It is relatively quick, easy, and free way to invest your time. I limit my Twitter Time to once in the morning (for about 5 minutes) and later in the evening while dinner is cooking (another 5 minutes).
10. I haven't realized a sale as a direct consequence of being on Twitter, or if by "marketing" myself as a realtor on Twitter will lead to any business, but I suspect that it will. Just the fact that 1000 people are now aware of me as a professional, should translate into tangible business in the future. As one of my "twitnicks" said to me, "Twitter gives you another way to build your brand". I think it just might do that.
Late last night I was reading in the Bible about the power of light. There was a particular passage that really stuck in my mind: "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:18
What does this Bible verse have to do with virtues and vices in 2008? Simply this: if the CEO's of companies had believed in God versus Satan, had curbed their greed, had served their clients and their stockholders instead of themselves, the word "bailout" would not have become the most-used term in the English language. If these leaders had become bearers of "light" to their people, instead of bringing darkness, we would not have had the "year of the bailout" in 2008!
The height of vice was very apparent in the saga of Bernard Madoff. Despite several warnings about disgraced Wall Street money manager Madoff's investment methods, he successfully dodged regulators for years. Today, the House Financial Services Committee plans a hearing to find out how the SEC failed to detect Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme. How could a man of his standing within the financial community carry out such an elaborate plan to defraud so many people?
"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!" The answer for us in 2009 is quite simply- WAKE UP! Let us not be deluded into thinking that vice is a thing of the past. There are many pitfalls just waiting to be tripped into. Our main defense is to remain vigilant and to expose the perpretrators. Even if the infraction seems minor, look these people in the eye and say "don't do that". Only when we remind ourselves that we are the light will we be able to change anything. God is totally separate from darkness. The darker the darkness, the brighter Jesus' light shines!
We're not getting a bailout here in the Mt. Washington Valley in northern New Hampshire. We are offering lots of ski deals to vacationers though; in the hopes that enticements not bailouts will work.
Cranmore Mountain is offering two-for-one lift tickets from Monday to Thursday (no holidays). They also offer a package deal of 3 tickets for $135- which is pretty good being only $45- per day. If you buy a lift ticket after 2:00 p.m. you can ski that day and continue onto the next day also (that's the "After 2, tommorrow too" deal)...for more information on Cranmore in North Conway, go to www.cranmore.com.
Shawnee Peak just 20 minutes east of North Conway in nearby Maine, offers 40 trails, of which 19 are lit for night skiing. Some Mondays, you can pack up the car full of people, and the whole carload pays $75 for the day (be sure to arrive before 11:00 a.m.) Monday nights bring tickets for $12-$14; Tuesday nights are two-for-one ski passes and $15- on some Tuesday nights (call first to confirm which nights offer the discounted prices). Thursdays are men's day and Fridays are women's day; both are $28 lift tickets. Got a honey who likes to ski? Take him or her on a date every Saturday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for just $15. You can splurge on champagne later at these prices.
Attitash in Bartlett has a special promotion; buy a lift ticket and get a $10- off coupon for your next lift ticket, purchased between January 9th and March 1st. Go to their website at www.attitash.com for more ways to save at Attitash.
King Pine in East Madison is no slouch either; my daughter-in-law took advantage of their ice skating for just $12 this past weekend and loved it! Their ski packages are great: $45 Saturday night family deal (2 adults, 2 children); their senior deals are worthwile also. Those aged 65 to 69 can ski for just $28.
At Wildcat in Jackson, there is a $25 Sunday afternoon ticket. Wednesdays are two-for-one on any non-holiday. Your birthday? You can ski free here on your special day.
Last but certainly not least, Black Mountain still has their family special in place; two adults and two children ( 6-17) can ski for $79 midweek and $99 on weekends and holidays.
These are some of the "snow much fun" here in the Mt. Washington Valley!
The Mt. Washington Valley comes alive in the winter months, as the mountainsides are dotted with happy skiers and snowboarding, ice skaters out of a Victorian painting, and vacation fun is at its peak!
With the backdrop of the Presidential mountains, many of our local scenery is right out of a Currier and Ives print. Winter nights are magical as sparkling lights illuminate snow covered trees. Mt. Washington is the picture of everything a New England resort should be with its charming villages, icy rivers and snow-covered mountains rising magnificiently against blue skies. With seven terrific downhill ski areas, ice skating at Ham Arena, cross-country ski trails and lots of lakes and ponds just begging to ice fish on, and you can see that recreational fun is plentiful.
At the end of a bustling day, whether it be from snow-sports or from shopping at the many outlet stores, local restaurants and pubs offer a fireside to warm your tootsies and savor a hot toddy.
Many of the towns are still dressed up from the holidays; it adds to the festive air. Experience small New England Villages with their town commons and white steepled churches, many covered bridges, and of course country roads and ski trails...here are some photos to enjoy (taken by Jackson XC, and posted on their website: www.jacksonxc.org. Many thanks to Jackson Ski Touring Foundation in Jackson Village for these wonderful photos!)
The famous Jackson Falls, as the tumultous water slowly turned into ice art!
A lone skier cuts the first path on the ski trail.
Ever wonder what silence feels like? Untouched and beautiful after a snowstorm, this path could lead to many adventures.
We have an agent in our office that is the local Fannie Mae representative. Fannie Mae listings are now flowing into the agency on a weekly basis. They range from affordable housing such as mobile homes, to luxury homes that command your attention. All of them at bargain-hunter prices!
My personal favorites are these two:
Enjoy Life right on the Bearcamp River! Click here for full details.
This Colonial in the heart of North Conway, NH is a best buy! Click here to check this out.
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.
COFFEE ANYONE?
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