Debbie's Blog

A New Perspective

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:55:50 -0500

I get so wrapped around the axle each day with thoughts of real estate - why things are slow, why houses aren't closing, why the economy is the way that it is, what are we gonna do, why, why, why.....

Then I find out that a past client and friend has breast cancer and has just gone home from the hospital to recuperate. This really puts real estate in perspective for me. It honestly makes me feel bad that I'm so focused on real estate and my life, that I don't know what's going on in other's lives - especially since I speak with this woman quite frequently on Facebook. I missed her posts!

I've made a decision, starting today, to try and focus off on other things and not focus so much on real estate. I know in time it'll turn around - I've been in this business 20 years and it always does.

Thanks for letting me share.

Keeping Busy during Real Estate Downturn

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:47:10 -0500

In my downtime, I have turned to keeping busy - I'm doing such things as:

Taking free classes down at our Board.

I am involved in several 12-step programs - so, I've been hitting more meetings.

I'm learning to do more social networking - everytime there is a class or webinar - you'll find me there.

Exercising every day - and

Spending time with my hubby - in fact - this is one of the reasons for this post - I'm wondering if anyone has seen the movie "State of Play"? What did you think of it?

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

I'm giving up the Fight

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:14:16 -0500

I am so done with trying to get Hewlett-Packard to do the right thing and replace a defective 7310 All-in-One printer with a known problem. I'm not quite sure why they don't have more the mentality of DisneyWorld - treat the customer right and it'll come back to you 10-fold. I'm just the little guy here.

Instead of replacing the printer, I get this email from an HP case manager - it read in part: my offer to you is as follows: Replace your defective unit with a L7680 remanufactured unit at $143.99 with free express shipping. The offer is only valid until close of business day - 07/04/09.

I ask you - why would I pay $143.99 for another printer when HP should just do the right thing? I'm done with their products.

Door knocking in today's market

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:12:46 -0500

How many of you out there have personally tried door knocking recently and actually gotten someone to answer the door? Or, is door knocking a thing of the past? If you have actually gotten someone to answer the door, what types of real estate materials did you hand out? What has been your success ratio in converting these individuals to a closed sale? My husband and I are having a discussion on this, and he suggested I poll the AR community. Thanks!

Have You Ever Wondered Where Your Clipbook Viewer is?

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:18:29 -0500

How to quickly open the ClipBook Viewer

I've often wondered when I cut and paste something, and a screen pop-ups and ask "Allow Access" to the Clipboard, exactly where the Clipboard is. I finally found out how to make a Short-cut so that you can actually see the Clipboard.

The Clipboard is a temporary holding area. You can actually see the information that you have copied to the Clipboard by using the the ClipBook Viewer. For some reason, the Clipbook Viewer is not listed in the Start Menu of MS XP, so if you want quick access you just create a shortcut.

To open the ClipBook View

1. Right-click on the desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

2. Type %windir%\system32\clipbrd.exe in the location field.

3. Click Next to continue.

4. Type a Name for this Shortcut - I used "Clipboard".

5. Then click Finish to create the Shortcut.

I wish someone had told me about this - I spent a while trying to find out what I had actually put in my Clipboard. I'm sure a lot of folks know about this - but, I thought I'd pass it along for folks that don't.

I can't believe I never knew this - you'll probably want to try it out yourself.....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:07:28 -0600

I can't believe that I have lived all these years and did not know this------so, I thought I would share what a client sent me.

Don't any of you tell me you knew this and didn't share it!!!!

Was this something we were supposed to learn from our Mom's?????
I can't believe it's been there all this time.

I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself.
Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box?
You know when you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box.
Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over.
The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time.
Well, I would like to share this with you.
Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it,
and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, Press here to lock end.
Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place.
How long has this little locking tab been there?
I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too.
I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too!
I can't count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out,
when I was trying to cover something up.
I'm sharing this with my friends.
I hope I'm not the only person that didn't know about this .
I know you're going to go and check your boxes, so go ahead!

2009 is going to be fine....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:12:36 -0600

Okay, we did it right this year - we had black-eyed peas and collards on New Year's Day and had leftovers last night. I know it's going to be a good year this year - we added the collards. I'd never had them before, so I asked someone in the grocery store how to fix them. They were quite good.

It's so great to have 2008 behind us. It wasn't a great year like we'd initially thought we'd have - Real Estate sales were down; but there were plenty of things to be grateful for: we have our health, a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs; the girls are doing well in school; our granddaughter is doing great. We've had plenty of time to get things situated for a fabulous 2009.

Is there any great advice from ya'll out there on what you're planning to do different this year? I'd love to hear.

It never ceases to amaze me....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:33:58 -0600

It seems that my brain is always focused on real estate, especially now with the economy the way it is; trying to keep in front of my past clients. I send out Activity sheets every 6 months to past clients. Then I follow-up with a phone call to see if they have any questions. So, I'm all thinking about real estate; the client answers the phone and says something like....I haven't seen it yet, I just got back into town. Well, then we start talking, and I find out there's been a death in the family, or, the had to put their dog down, or they've lost their job or whatever. Then, I feel about a 1/2" tall - all I'm thinking about is real estate and they're having life issues. This is very interesting to me and it just serves to remind me that life happens and maybe real estate is not all that I should be focusing on. I've had this happen twice over the last week. Interesting......

Any of ya'll had similar situations?

How Do You Ask for a Referral from Past Clients?

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:37:11 -0500

I have a question that maybe some of you can help with - when and how often do you ask a past client for a referral? Do you come straight out and ask for it? Do you beat around the bush? How do you do it?

My husband and I have debated this for the last 10 years. We feel that if someone were to call us and just out of the blue ask us if we knew of someone that was in need of a Realtor, that we would be offended - like they didn't want to talk with us, they just wanted to get information about someone else.

I generally beat around the bush toward the end of the conversation and say something like, "do you see yourself making a move in the next 6 months? Who do you know that may be in need of my services?"

Any better way to do this?

We've Started Our Own Little Firm....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:51:30 -0500

Hi all...it's been a while since I've been on AR - lots of things have been going on. We made the decision to leave RE/MAX after being with them since 1993 and opened our own little real estate firm. It was something that we've thought about for a long time; and the time just seemed right. We're very excited about our decision. Things are certainly looking up!

If anyone out there has made a similar decision, I'd love to hear some feedback. What good things did you do? What things could have been done better? How's it working for you now?

Thanks for any input you can provide!

Have a nice Memorial Day!

How do you Handle Presenting Repairs to Your Seller?

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:25:10 -0500

In a market where a seller is lucky to get an offer, I find that inspections can throw a huge wrench in the works. I normally present the Summary sheet to my seller and I suggest that he consider fixing whatever the buyer wants fixed. I explain to the seller that all repairs are negotiable, but that the buyer could walk if not satisfied with the outcome. For the most part, I allow the seller to make the decision.

How do you handle inspections?

I'm trying to find a Blog that someone posted....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:21:08 -0500

....about why not to leave an office in this type of real estate market, maybe kinda like the grass isn't greener.... It's been within the last 2-3 days; but trying to go back through all these blogs is cumbersome and I'm not making any headway. If you know of the blog, and could send me the link, or the author, that would be great!

Help!

Debbie Arriero

Here's Where My Thoughts are Tonight....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:32:13 -0600

..... UNC Chapel Hill. My daughter is a Junior there; she came home last night for spring break. She works at The Daily Tar Heel (newspaper), and yesterday before coming home, she was going from door to door interviewing people that heard the gunshots that took the life of Eve Carson, the Student Body President. As one can imagine, everyone at Chapel Hill is distraught about this senseless killing. It affects everyone that has anything to do with the University. I feel awful for Eve's family.

I have tried to work today, but kept going back to The Daily Tar Heel web sites, or others in the area, to get the latest updates. Hug your kids tonight. You never know if something will happen.....

Honey Do List

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 05:16:15 -0600

Hi all! Some time back, someone wrote about a Honey Do list. I must share about my most recent event that came up yesterday. The HVAC register in the kitchen hasn't been blowing out air for some time; no big deal, I would just crank up the heat and go stand on the vent in the Family Room. Then, yesterday, I was in the laundry room, playing with my daughter's 3 lb Chihuahua, Bonnie Blue, and I noticed that there wasn't any air coming out of that register either. Normally when the door was closed, that room would get really hot (I used to do my ironing in there); so, I'm sitting there thinking Bonnie has been freezing for the last week! So, a little investigation and I find that that register is in line with the register in the kitchen.

Well, I decide that's okay, something's definitely not working here. I post a note on my kitchen cabinet, that if my husband hasn't investigated the vents by 8am Monday, December 31st, I'm calling the HVAC guys. Well, wouldn't you know that he gets under the crawl space yesterday (before the rain came), crawls out and says "good catch". Evidently we've been heating our crawl space for some time! Some of the ductwork had come undo at a joint, and there you have it! Well, wouldn't you know that I now have heat in my kitchen AND Bonnie Blue has heat in the utility room!

Being in real estate has definitely heightened my senses as to what to look for with repairs, etc! And, we didn't have to call the HVAC guy!

I hope your holidays were GREAT and may you have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2008!

World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:36:58 -0600

My last blog, I talked about where are all the buyers? But sometimes buyers aren't quite everything I don't guess. I've had more time to do other things like:

For anyone that loves horses, I must share my experience of seeing the World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions this evening. The show was held in Charlotte at Bobcats Arena and was absolutely wonderful. These horses did everything with precision accuracy. There were spectacular leaps and maneuvers; there was an intricate, equine ballet, showing moves through the highest level of dressage. They prance, march and intricately weave their way across the floor to the music of ballet. They were just awesome. There were even 2 Andalusian horses in the show. My daughter used to work in a stable, and it was her treat to take me to the show. I had my very own narrator of some of the steps that the stallions were doing. I highly recommend seeing the show!

Have a great week!

It's a wonderful time to buy!

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:30:26 -0600

Our market in Charlotte, NC still isn't as bad as some of the other markets out in the country. It boggles my mind how many great deals there are out there right now - and there's this huge lack of buyers! Don't they know it's a GREAT time to buy right now - it's a Buyers Market? There are so many people in apartments, that could be in homes; but I guess they just don't realize it.

Yesterday, another Realtor and I were talking about just this; and I know there's been extensive conversations about this in our office. Where'd all the buyers go? And how can we convince them that now is the time to buy? I think the media(s) have scared them off - bad lenders, bad mortgages, scandalous builders, etc. Any suggestions on how to get these buyers back on track?

Happy Thanksgiving

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:35:52 -0600

I must say with the real estate business the way it is right now in Charlotte, NC, it is giving us the opportunity to see our granddaughter on most Sunday's. You know what's better than having your own children? It's having a grandchild. This is Madison Marie.

I don't blog much, still learning, so, I thought I'd share a little about Madison. She's our only grandchild right now. She's 17 mos and really acquiring a personality. It's so cute when she comes over - she runs into your arms when you open the door. It's wonderful; you can play with them all day, and then send them home with their parents! We just love it!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

I'm new to this group.....

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 16:00:19 -0500

I"ve been getting my feet wet over the last several months to blogging on Active Rain, and have just joined this group and wanted to introduce myself. The Art of Marketing sounds like a really great group to get a lot of good feedback and ideas. I mostly use my web site nowadays, as my marketing tool. But any ideas I can pick up would be helpful. I've been selling real estate since 1990, have most of the usual designations, and am partnered with my husband Salvador, as The Arriero Team. If you'd like any more information, please visit my web site: http://arriero.com/. Have a great day!

Wow this stuff really worked!

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 04:33:47 -0500

In the Charlotte Observer yesterday, there was an article about WD40. Now we all know to use WD40 on hinges, screws, door locks, etc. Well, this article suggested that it could be used on smudges, scuff marks, etc on hardwood floors, vinyl floors, etc. I'm here to share with you that this stuff actually worked! We've had a large mark on our hardwood floors that's been there since we bought the house, in 1999! It was gummy; I've tried everything over the years, but it never came off. Lo and behold, the WD40 worked! Well, next thing I knew, my husband was trying it on the vinyl floor that has scuff marks - viola! Then he really got carried away and tried it on the scuff marks on the clothes dryer. That stuff worked there too!

So, if you have some place that needs help, try some WD40. I plan to recommend it to my buyers and sellers for those little marks that just won't go away.

I'm new to this group - but like referrals...

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:57:57 -0500

I am a ABR, ASP, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, and SRES. Guess I just love learning. I've been in the business since 1990 and do this full-time as a profession. Please visit my web site at www.Arriero.com. If I can be of service to anyone in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area, just let me know. Have a great day!

Giving Feedback (or the lack of it) once you have shown a home.

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:26:27 -0500

I think that the real estate industry as a whole has gotten very slack on giving feedback to the seller. I remember back in the day, when there was no buyers agency, we represented the seller and it was expected to give feedback. With the start of buyers agency, in NC sometime in 1993, it seems that feedback has gone out the window. I would say that this is not good business practice. The sellers are entitled to know what the buyers think about their home. I tell my sellers if you can fix it do so, and if you can't, say there's a huge hill in the back and nothing can be done with that, don't worry about it. Sellers expect us, as listing agents, to find out what the buyer is thinking. Let's try to be a bit more proactive in giving feedback, either positive or negative. I think the sellers DESERVE it.

What do you call it when a ranch/basement is not a ranch/basement?

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:15:13 -0500

Okay, here's a question. What do you call a home that looks like a ranch from the front, and obviously looks like a walk-out basement from the back? I called it a ranch/basement. I have a seller that's having heartburn. They purchased their home about 21 years ago from a builder that called their home a "4BR 2BA home on 2-levels." That's what they want to call it. I can't put that in "TYPE" in MLS, you know you have to fill out 2-story, 1.5 story, etc or other; I explained to them if I put "other" that it may not come up in a specific search if someone is looking for a ranch/basement or 2-story, etc. They want the lower level rooms under "lower level" as opposed to "basement" rooms. I thought having a ranch/basement is good, especially in the south, when people are coming from the north. How do you handle this?

Charlotte NC real estate market

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:20:46 -0500

Charlotte, NC. Where's that someone may ask? It's a wonderful city, only 6 hours to Washington, DC, 8 hours to Orlando, 4 hours to the beach, 3 hours to the mountains, and has great weather. Plus there is loads to do here. Football, basketball, great uptown entertainment, The Arts and more!

Someone emailed me a recent ABC's Nightline story on the Charlotte real estate market. According to the report, Charlotte is one of the boom areas in the United States. There are only about 7 areas. Because Charlotte has not experienced the severe high's like California, or the severe lows, of say the Midwest, Charlotte continues to grow - at an estimated rate of 80,000 residents per year! That's hard to imagine! No wonder we Realtors stay busy!

South Charlotte is one of the areas in Charlotte, which continues to boom! Charlotte is very school driven; some of the best schools are in South Charlotte, in Areas 4 & 5. Once a home is listed in South Charlotte, it can be sold before you know it. It's very common to have homes sold in hours or days. I market and sale in South Charlotte, as well as live in South Charlotte. Ask me!

Just curious - how is your market?

Microsoft Outlook - Words of Wisdom

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:11:26 -0500

I want to thank everyone that has been giving me guidance as I find my way around Active Rain. As I was preparing to really get into this blogging thing, and was reading and observing, etc. something happened that has slowed my progress on learning to blog. But, never fear, I'll be back at it soon.

Here's what I'd like to share. I didn't know this, and maybe someone else out there doesn't either, and my mistake can help you! Believe it or not, once your emails (Personal Folders) gets to 2.0 GB, it becomes corrupt, and it's looking like it's next to impossible to access. No warning, it just disappears! A screen will pop up and tell you to run the Inbox Repair Tool, (what it doesn't tell you is that it probably won't work). Trying ScanDisk doesn't appear to work. Long story short, you may find something that will allow you access, after many hours, days; but you probably won't!

So, the moral to this story is to back-up or Archive your Personal Folders files (your emails), just as you would your contact database, financial database, etc. I know I will from now on. I had no idea that all the years of saving emails as a paperless traill, would end up like this - if I needed to access something, I so far can't possibly get to it!

Hope this doesn't happen to you!

Suggestion to Join the Newbie Group

Debbie Arriero, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES (Arriero Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:41:31 -0500

I've just joined Active Rain and posted my first blog this morning, and several comments back to me have been that I should join the Newbie Group. So, here I am. Any advise that you can give would be greatly appreciated!