Don Rogers View of O Fallon Missouri and St Charles County Missouri Real Estate

It's that time of year and what a WONDERFUL time it is.........Part 2 of 2

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:14:56 -0600

It's that time of year and what a WONDERFUL time it is.........

For some of us it may have started earlier this year but for the majority of us it started right around or after Thanksgiving. I am talking about the Christmas shopping season. With it comes a lot of running to make sure that we find that perfect gift for those that are very important to us in our daily lives...Mom, Dad, Wife, Husband, the kids, our significant other, friends, peers, oh well you get the picture. Also thrown in the mix if that isn't enough there are all of the parties that we are invited to. Whew, one gets tired just thinking about all of the busy-ness we have in our schedules over the Holidays...It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

As we are running thru stores and attending all of the parties and focusing on all of the people I mentioned above we have a tendency to forget about those that are not right in the front of our minds. Maybe the money is a little bit tight and we just don't have enough to get all of the things that we have on our list. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

Did you know that there are some things that you can do that won't cost very much money at all? These are not FREE but will only cost you very little! Here is a short list of things that you can do that will not cost you much but will cost you just a few minutes of time.

Why not start either an inter office competition or maybe inter agency competition by:

Sending our troops this holiday season phone cards so they will be able to call their loved ones this Holiday Season or anytime they choose to. Just click on the picture on the left and send a card or cards in the amount that you choose to someone that won't be home for the holidays and show them that you care and thank them for their service. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

At the same time you could adopt a service man or woman or even a group of troops. You could send them a care package all throughout the year in thanks for their service. Everybody knows of someone overseas or you could go online and signup for the program. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!
What about starting a food drive, and surprising a local food pantry with some much needed food and personal care items. I hear that they are in need of a lot of food due to the amount of people out of work right now. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!
On that same line you could organize a group of folks to assist in serving a meal at a local shelter or doing a meal for someone at a local Ronald McDonald house. What a nice thing to do for the family of a sick child and away from home at Christmas. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

Then lastly, you see that change in your wallet, no not the bills just the change? Take just one quarter for each family member with you, at the time, and drop it in that red kettle you walk by as you enter or exit a store. It will only weigh you down or cause you to list to one side because of the weight in your pocket or purse. Shucks, you have been talking about losing weight anyway. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

This is a very short list of things that one could do this and every holiday season. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

God bless you and may you have a Very Merry Christmas and a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!

It's that time of year and what a WONDERFUL time it is........Part 1 of 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

It's that time of year and what a WONDERFUL time it is.........Part 1 of 2

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:50:04 -0600

It's that time of year and what a WONDERFUL time it is.........

Did you know that there are some things that you can do that won't cost any money at all? They are FREE! Here is a short list of things that you can do that will not cost you anything but just a few minutes of time.

Remember our troops this holiday season by just sending them a card and you can do this without even the cost of a stamp. Just click on the picture on the left and send a card to someone that won't be home for the holidays and show them that you care and thank them for their service. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

You see that coat hanging there in your closet? You know the one I'm talking about, it's the one that you have been saying you are going to throw out for the last 2 years....Put it in the car now and while you are out you can drop it off in one of the many clothing drop boxes that you pass everyday on your drive around town. This will help someone less fortunate that you stay warm this winter. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

You can take a break from shopping for about an hour, while you are out, and drop into your local Red Cross Blood Donor center and donate a pint of blood. Don't worry your body will replenish that little bit you have just given to help someone else. Who knows you may need someone to do the same for you or one of your family members one day. It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

Then there are pets in shelters and rescue centers that need some attention. There is a way that you can help the shelters everyday of the year and it will not cost you one penny. Honest, just click on the logo on the left and sign up for a daily reminder and when you get it just click on it to donate .8 of a bowl of food to a local shelter. Now there is something that you can do that will cost you just a little bit and that is go to a local shelter or rescue center and adopt a pet. Well you were thinking about one for the family for Christmas anyway, right? And they will cost less than that pedigree pup or kitten you were thinking about.

It's that time of year! And what a WONDERFUL time it is!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The City of St Peters MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:17:23 -0600

The City of St Peters MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

The City of St Peters MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 331 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out St. Peters MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in St Peters MO.

Residential:
	2 Bedrooms	3 Bedrooms	4 Bedrooms	5+ Bedrooms
Active # Homes	15	186	122	8
Avg. List Price	$168,693	$197,765	$273,094	$268,706
Avg. Days on Market	209	101	111	161

# Pending Home Sales	1	39	10	0
Avg. List Price	$99,900	$151,525	$234,702	$0
Avg. Days on Market	115	77	67	0

Sold # Homes	0	17	6	0
Avg. Sale Price	$0	$161,631	$180,967	$0
Avg. Days on Market	0	54	98	0
% of List Price	0.00	97.48	99.29	0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/30/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of St Peters MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St Charles County MO too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The City of St Charles MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:46:20 -0600

The City of St Charles MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

The City of St Charles MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 517 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out St. Charles when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in Saint Charles MO.

Residential:
	2 Bedrooms	3 Bedrooms	4 Bedrooms	5+ Bedrooms
Active # Homes	37	257	206	18
Avg. List Price	$212,636	$228,949	$341,375	$572,373
Avg. Days on Market	224	130	152	178

# Pending Home Sales	7	36	26	3
Avg. List Price	$110,371	$177,008	$281,261	$367,267
Avg. Days on Market	16	86	82	46

Sold # Homes	2	23	14	0
Avg. Sale Price	$105,500	$159,287	$297,862	$0
Avg. Days on Market	17	69	113	0
% of List Price	100.09	97.46	95.16	0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/30/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home before the holidays give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of St. Charles MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. If you are relocating to Saint Charles County MO.

Give Don Rogers a call today at 314-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The City of Wentzville MO Real Estate Trends for the weeks of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:48:57 -0600

The City of Wentzville MO Real Estate Trends for the weeks of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

The City of Wentzville MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 369 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out Wentzville MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in Wentzville MO.

Residential:
	2 Bedrooms	3 Bedrooms	4 Bedrooms	5+ Bedrooms
Active # Homes	27	191	129	22
Avg. List Price	$129,177	$223,342	$342,031	$595,750
Avg. Days on Market	203	160	212	150

# Pending Home Sales	0	23	12	0
Avg. List Price	$0	$154,804	$235,858	$0
Avg. Days on Market	0	78	147	0

Sold # Homes	2	13	4	0
Avg. Sale Price	$134,350	$158,277	$217,500	$0
Avg. Days on Market	36	82	65	0
% of List Price	98.82	95.69	96.69	0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/30/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. When homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. Wentzville MO is a fast growing city here in St. Charles County and as you can see we have a variety of homes in the city for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St Charles County MO too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The City of Lake Saint Louis MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:23:24 -0600

The City of Lake Saint Louis MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/14/09 – 11/28/09

The City of Lake St Louis MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 147 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out Lake Saint Louis MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time to buy now is the right time for real estate in Lake St Louis MO.

Residential:
	2 Bedrooms	3 Bedrooms	4 Bedrooms	5+ Bedrooms
Active # Homes	7	54	71	15
Avg. List Price	$185,514	$249,166	$364,769	$601,585
Avg. Days on Market	87	130	146	136

# Pending Home Sales	1	7	8	6
Avg. List Price	$224,000	$226,486	$306,463	$1,005,433
Avg. Days on Market	14	84	75	134

Sold # Homes	0	4	3	0
Avg. Sale Price	$0	$238,350	$230,000	$0
Avg. Days on Market	0	200	159	0
% of List Price	0.00	95.85	99.01	0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/30/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of Lake St. Louis MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St. Charles County MO. too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

South Dakota, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:11:44 -0600

South Dakota, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

This post is a result of two posts by my friend Richard Weisser down in Georgia. The first post was "How do you expect to get drenched in the rain if you don't even want to get your feet wet?" dated 5/21/09 in which he offers 6 suggestions to those of us here in Active Rain. In addition he also offers his personal guarantee "So, for those of you that want to succeed at blogging, I offer you this challenge. Before you throw in the towel, write at least one hundred quality posts before you make your value assessment. It takes that long to develop the correct skills and disciplines and also to create a body of content large enough to have a significant SEO impact on your business. Now that is some guarantee wouldn't you say? Richard then follows that post with another post titled "Achieving national celebrity status as a result of ActiveRain blogging becomes a reality! (of sorts)" where he talks about a recent interview with Realtor Magazine on line where he was interviewed about blogging for business. So, IMHO, Richard is not only a celeb but one that knows where of he speaks.

With the numerous posts talking to newbie's here in Active Rain on how to be a success in their blogging venture to improve their visibility to the public I am setting out on a quest. I am not going to suggest things to newbie's or those that are less active on AR; I am on a search for some of these folks for introduction to our AR family. Here is my 3 step plan:

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday
Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post
A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

The end result will be, hopefully, an increase in activity with more members becoming visible. Now there is a really BIG problem with this plan. I will not be able, my rule, to suggest those that have not done a post and posted their picture to their profile. You see there won't be any secret agents, lenders, stagers, inspectors, etc. shown. Sorry, if you want to be considered I need to see who you are, sorta like your picture on your business card.

Today I am looking at the state of South Dakota, where Active Rain has a total of 156 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Duane Hosek #1 and Richard Ives Realtors #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Dawna Kuck with Best Choice Real Estate in Brookings, SD.

Wendy Rost with HJN Team Real Estate in Sioux Falls, SD.

Team VP with Best Choice in Brookings, SD.

Alan Kindsfater with Tri-State Realty in Belle Fourche, SD.

Ellee Nestegard with Team USA Mortgage in Sioux Falls, SD.

Paul Hayman with Hayman Residential Engineering in Rapid City, SD.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to Tennessee; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in Tennessee next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

South Carolina, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:54:50 -0600

South Carolina, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday
Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post
A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

Today I am looking at the state of South Carolina, where Active Rain has a total of 3298 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Jim & Maria Hart #1 and Mirela Monte #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Lisa Presnell with Lowcountry Real Estate in Beaufort, SC.

Wendy Thomas with Allen Tate Realtors in Rock Hill, SC.

Kurt Scrivens with East Coast Fractionals/Scrivens and Associates in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Beth Rowlett with Healthy Realty in Charleston, SC.

Karla Valero Vincenteno with AgentOwned in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Butch Knightner with C21 Bob Capes Realtors in Anderson, SC.

Meredith McWhorter with C21 Boling.com in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to South Dakota; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in South Dakota next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhode Island, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:54:34 -0600

Rhode Island, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday
Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post
A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

Today I am looking at the state of Rhode Island, where Active Rain has a total of 577 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Karen Hurst #1 and Huiting Zhuang #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

George DeVine with Landmark Mortgage in Newport, RI.

Peter Spinella with Spinnaker Group,Inc. in South Kingstown, RI.

Erica Sousa with William Raveis Chapman Enstone in Newport, RI.

Howard L Weldon with Winthrop Real Estate Solutions, LLC. In Warwick, RI.

Christopher Rotondo with Watermark Realty, LLC. In Warwick, RI.

Peter Micheli with RE/MAX Central in Coventry, RI.

Suzanne Caldeira with Shamrock Financial in East Providence, RI.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to South Carolina; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in South Carolina next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How To Use ScribeFire to Enhance Your ActiveRain Blog Posts

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:22:36 -0600

Active Brad has done it again with some really good information on how to spruce up your blog. Give it a look and see what you think.

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain):

How To Use ScribeFire to Enhance Your ActiveRain Blog Posts

Scribefire.com is a great 3rd party add-on to the Mozilla Firefox Browser. Lately, the emails and calls have been coming in about how to setup AR Blogs, get API's, and how to use Scribefire with ActiveRain Blog posts. First off, the reason I mention Scribefire is that it is one of the few third party apps I have found that works well and doesn't conflict with the AR Network HTML format.

Really Important

Some members on AR use MS Word, Publisher, Front Page and other sources which often times (but not always) has hidden HTML codes, tables, and formatting that is incompatible with ActiveRain. You've seen them, you know the ones, these are the posts that show funky looking codes, push the sidebar half way down the page, and make Blogs look like "you know what" when they load on your computer screen.

Why Use Scribefire?

Though the AR Blog Post editor may seem somewhat simplified and to some, a bit archaic, it still does a great job for creating great text content, adding images, photos and links, and producing search engine friendly creations. However there are many who want to customize and create larger fonts, add color to their fonts, use a different style of font etc. This is where Scribefire does a great job and works well with AR.

THE MAIN REASON FOR POSTING THIS

Where most of our members get hung up is when downloading Scribefire as their Firefox add-on. Somewhere in the process, Scribefire asks for your Blog URL, API, and other information that IS NOT NECESSARY to begin using the Scribefire tools on ActiveRain. The requested and "perceived as required" information is ONLY for use on Blogging Platforms where you plan to use ScribeFire as the total replacement tool for creating your Blog posts. IE: Wordpress, Blogger, Self-Hosted Blogs etc. NOT ON ACTIVERAIN.

Here's the Scoop on How It Works

Go to Scribefire.com, download it and add to your Firefox Browser. BYPASS all the additional questions and other stuff they want you to enter. (unless you are using scribefire on another blogging platform) To begin using the Scribefire tools and options, just press the "hotkeys" FUNCTION + F8 while in the edit mode of a Blog post, and the Scribefire Window (shown below) will open up in the lower section of your computer screen. Now you will have two areas to work in, your AR Blog post, and the Scribefire editing window.

Create your text, change your font color, select a larger sized font, use a variety of different style fonts, have a field day, and when you're done, just highlight the section you've created in the Scribefire window, copy it (CTRL+C) and then paste it into your AR Blog post body (CTRL+V) You can do this using the ActiveRain WYSIWYG tab. Save your post in "draft" mode to be sure everything looks just as you want it, then make the necessary changes you want before making your post public.

DISCLAIMER.. I mean Warning.. NO... A QUICK TIP!

One thing to be careful of is that you don't go CRAZY with Font Colors and sizes. Sometimes the colored fonts and multiple sized text can make your Blog Post hard to read and unpleasing to the eye. Yellow font colors are difficult to read, Big Fonts can take away from the message in the little fonts, and multi-colored Blog post (for some) can and will cause nausea. (IMO)

SUMMARY and PURPOSE

The Scribefire add-on tools will allow you to enhance your AR Blog posts to your liking, give you a bit more versatility, and keep the AR network and your Blog clean of those Hidden and incompatible HTML codes. Many of these outside third party apps can and will make Blogs on AR look like "you know what" and frustrate AR members beyond your wildest imagination. I'm not kidding, you should see and hear some of the emails and calls I get. lol~ NOT!! :-)

Scribefire
For my next trick, we'll look at how to insert iFrames and tables into your Blog post without completely blowing out your Blog. This is one of the more common errors I see on ActiveRain by members that not only affects your AR Blog, but does even worse things to your Localism and Outside Blogs.

"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount
RainCamp™ - "Because The Way We Do Business Online Has Changed!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pennsylvania, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:04:59 -0600

Pennsylvania, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday
Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post
A NEW qualification, the post must have been done since January of this year.

Today I am looking at the state of Pennsylvania, where Active Rain has a total of 4338 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Donald Bradbury #1 and Fran "The Title Man" Gaspari #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Matt Soares with Keller Williams Real Estate in Media, PA.

Ted Laskowski with 1^st Patriot Companies in Quakertown, PA.

Dianne Iorio with Northwood Realty Services in New Castle, PA.

Brian Castro with Keller Williams/Castro-Salik in West Chester, PA.

Mark Carr with Prudential Bob Yost Homesale Services in York, PA.

Lisa Stanley with Key Interiors in Hilltown, PA.

Hazel Smith with Keller Williams Real Estate in Churchville, PA.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to Rhode Island; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in Rhode Island next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oregon, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:05:29 -0600

Oregon, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday
Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post
A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

Today I am looking at the state of Oregon, where Active Rain has a total of 2640 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Todd Clark #1 and Thesa Chambers #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Terry Shumway with RE/MAX Equity Group, Inc. Realtors in Gresham, OR.

Don Weston with Oregon Realty in Portland, OR.

Tanna Cable Girod with "C" Cable Realty in Independence, OR.

Rebecca Yu with RE/MAX Integrity in Corvallis, OR.

Angie Thurber with Academy Mortgage Group in Hillsboro, OR.

Valerie Hammac with John L. Scott Real Estate in Tigard, OR.

Ian Kautzman with John L. Scott Real Estate in Klamath Falls, OR.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to Pennsylvania; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in Pennsylvania next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The City of St Peters MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:17:33 -0600

The City of St Peters MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

The City of St Peters MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 342 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is UP from last week. Check out St. Peters MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in St Peters MO.

Residential:
	2 Bedrooms	3 Bedrooms	4 Bedrooms	5+ Bedrooms
Active # Homes	11	194	129	8
Avg. List Price	$167,327	$205,771	$274,269	$269,331
Avg. Days on Market	268	91	100	147

# Pending Home Sales	0	47	9	0
Avg. List Price	$0	$152,276	$225,479	$0
Avg. Days on Market	0	53	53	0

Sold # Homes	0	3	3	0
Avg. Sale Price	$0	$157,800	$211,000	$0
Avg. Days on Market	0	69	22	0
% of List Price	0.00	98.07	97.25	0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/16/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

1. The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

2.     The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

3.      Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

4.      Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

5.      For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

6.     Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of St Peters MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St Charles County MO too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

The City of St Charles MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:57:12 -0600

The City of St Charles MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

The City of St Charles MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 538 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is UP from last week. Check out St. Charles when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in Saint Charles MO.

Residential:

2 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms

5+ Bedrooms

Active # Homes

36

267

214

21

Avg. List Price

$213,253

$228,103

$340,585

$547,891

Avg. Days on Market

214

123

143

179

# Pending Home Sales

7

50

34

3

Avg. List Price

$110,671

$169,197

$277,029

$367,267

Avg. Days on Market

21

73

90

46

Sold # Homes

1

12

4

0

Avg. Sale Price

$129,900

$160,775

$219,375

$0

Avg. Days on Market

200

58

137

0

% of List Price

100.00

97.79

97.63

0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/16/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home before the holidays give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

1.The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

2.The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

3.      Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

4.      Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

5.      For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

6.     Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of St. Charles MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. If you are relocating to Saint Charles County MO.

Give Don Rogers a call today at 314-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

The City of Wentzville MO Real Estate Trends for the weeks of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:54:13 -0600

The City of Wentzville MO Real Estate Trends for the weeks of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

The City of Wentzville MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 388 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out Wentzville MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in Wentzville MO.

Residential:

2 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms

5+ Bedrooms

Active # Homes

30

199

137

22

Avg. List Price

$131,579

$217,943

$329,742

$602,386

Avg. Days on Market

183

159

199

160

# Pending Home Sales

1

31

12

0

Avg. List Price

$139,900

$164,499

$223,708

$0

Avg. Days on Market

19

93

142

0

Sold # Homes

1

4

3

0

Avg. Sale Price

$116,000

$174,325

$220,600

$0

Avg. Days on Market

145

81

112

0

% of List Price

84.73

98.95

92.59

0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/16/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. When homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

1.      The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

2.     The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

3.      Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

4.      Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

5.      For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

6.     Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. Wentzville MO is a fast growing city here in St. Charles County and as you can see we have a variety of homes in the city for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St Charles County MO too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

The City of Lake Saint Louis MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:21:53 -0600

The City of Lake Saint Louis MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

The City of Lake St Louis MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 155 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out Lake Saint Louis MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time to buy now is the right time for real estate in Lake St Louis MO.

Residential:

2 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms

5+ Bedrooms

Active # Homes

7

53

75

17

Avg. List Price

$185,514

$261,925

$377,529

$633,128

Avg. Days on Market

73

134

139

137

# Pending Home Sales

1

10

10

6

Avg. List Price

$224,000

$230,410

$277,869

$1,005,433

Avg. Days on Market

14

125

104

134

Sold # Homes

1

2

1

0

Avg. Sale Price

$115,000

$161,750

$290,000

$0

Avg. Days on Market

142

95

132

0

% of List Price

98.63

97.15

95.90

0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/16/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

1.      The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

2.     The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

3.      Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

4.      Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

5.      For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

6.      Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of Lake St. Louis MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St. Charles County MO. too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

Send A Gift- Thank You Card To Our Soldiers- Xerox Let's Say Thanks Program

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:18:15 -0600

What a way to say thank you to all of our service men and women. Let's take just a couple of minutes out of our day and simply say thank you.

Thank you Katerina for this post.

Via Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.):

Thanks to Xerox sending out a Thank You card to our soldiers is simple, fast and free.

At this time of the year we can take some time out to teach our children about giving thanks and living in gratitude.
The best way of course to teach gratitude is by being a good example of being in a thankful state of mind.

You can gather your children around your computer right now and go to this site:

Let's Say Thanks- In Support of our Troops.

All you do is click on the card you want to send and then click on what you want the words on the text side of the card to say.
You don't even have to think to do this because it is all done for you. You just have to choose the card and the text out of the ones on the site.
Then you just click send.

Xerox prints out the postcards and then these cards go into the care packages that Givetothetroops® sends to our soldiers.
What a gift Xerox is giving to the troops. I really appreciate a company setting a great example like this.
The cards have all been designed by children and are patriotic. There are many patriotic symbols and messages to choose from.

There is a link on the site where you can read the responses from soldiers around the globe.
For some of these soldiers, your card will be the only mail they get from home.

Here are some of the comments sent back by different servicemen and women:

To all who have supported us,

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you from myself and my fellow Marines. Your packages and well wishes have lifted our spirits at a time when we are so far away from our friends and family. I wish you could have seen the bright eyed looks and utter excitement from the Marines when opening the boxes. It was a true blessing that you made happen. It makes us proud to know that our fellow Americans care as much as we do. It makes the sacrifices we and our families make worth every minute we spend here. We Americans can stand shoulder to shoulder in unison on one thing - we're all proud of our country and we're all proud of each other. The effort you make on behalf of the troops is just as important as the work we are doing here and around the world.

- A Gunnery Sergeant

As I was leaving an un-eventful Valentine's Day today, one of the mail clerks yelled "Adams!! You have a package!!" A package, I thought to myself. I'm not expecting anything. What could this be? I took the box into my office and closed the door. As I opened the box, a flood of joy came over me as I looked over the cards from you and the young ones, one of my co-workers walked in to see tears rolling down my eyes. I had never received a gift with this much love, packed into one little place from someone that I've never known.

As I thought about what the cards talked about with soldiers giving their lives and privileges up to ensure the freedom of Americans, it was nice to know that someone out there does not take it for granted. I don't know who you are, but you are truly a gift from God. The gift that gives me the drive to serve my country proudly. As you pray that the Lord keeps the soldiers here safe and brings us home, I pray to the Lord that people like you do not die off from this world. Your contributions are nowhere near inadequate. Please never forget what this means to a soldier. Thank you for your love and thoughts.

Please be kind- take a moment out of your day to send a card for free to a soldier today. Please Reblog!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

Oklahoma, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:55:22 -0600

Oklahoma, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

This post is a result of two posts by my friend Richard Weisser down in Georgia. The first post was "How do you expect to get drenched in the rain if you don't even want to get your feet wet?" dated 5/21/09 in which he offers 6 suggestions to those of us here in Active Rain. In addition he also offers his personal guarantee "So, for those of you that want to succeed at blogging, I offer you this challenge. Before you throw in the towel, write at least one hundred quality posts before you make your value assessment. It takes that long to develop the correct skills and disciplines and also to create a body of content large enough to have a significant SEO impact on your business. Now that is some guarantee wouldn't you say? Richard then follows that post with another post titled "Achieving national celebrity status as a result of ActiveRain blogging becomes a reality! (of sorts)" where he talks about a recent interview with Realtor Magazine on line where he was interviewed about blogging for business. So, IMHO, Richard is not only a celeb but one that knows where of he speaks.

With the numerous posts talking to newbie's here in Active Rain on how to be a success in their blogging venture to improve their visibility to the public I am setting out on a quest. I am not going to suggest things to newbie's or those that are less active on AR; I am on a search for some of these folks for introduction to our AR family. Here is my 3 step plan:

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday

Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post

A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

The end result will be, hopefully, an increase in activity with more members becoming visible. Now there is a really BIG problem with this plan. I will not be able, my rule, to suggest those that have not done a post and posted their picture to their profile. You see there won't be any secret agents, lenders, stagers, inspectors, etc. shown. Sorry, if you want to be considered I need to see who you are, sorta like your picture on your business card.

Today I am looking at the state of Oklahoma, where Active Rain has a total of 1053 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Judy Barrett #1 and Ryan Hukill #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Wayne Barnes with ERA John Hausam, Realtors in Tulsa, OK.

Debra Gilkeson with Park Jones Realty in Lawton, OK.

David Dobson with Dobson Metro Realty in Oklahoma City, OK.

Leann Priebe with T & S Web Design in Edmond, OK.

Sheryl Kay Spradling with Kay's Real Estate in Duncan, OK.

Kathy Fowler with Exit HomeSellers Realty in Enid, OK.

Frank Williams with PARADIGM AdvantEdge in Edmond, OK.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to Oregon; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in Oregon next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions too. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

The city of OFallon MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:54:47 -0600

The city of OFallon MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 11/07/09 – 11/14/09

The City of O’Fallon MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 467 homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out O Fallon MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in OFallon MO.

Residential:

2 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms

5+ Bedrooms

Active # Homes

21

241

190

15

Avg. List Price

$169,538

$208,378

$314,939

$455,987

Avg. Days on Market

156

159

237

132

# Pending Home Sales

8

43

27

0

Avg. List Price

$126,638

$171,533

$252,259

$0

Avg. Days on Market

56

67

102

0

Sold # Homes

1

7

6

0

Avg. Sale Price

$127,000

$168,829

$214,250

$0

Avg. Days on Market

0

157

187

0

% of List Price

0.00

106.75

92.07

0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/16/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

        The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

        The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

        Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

        Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

        For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

        Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

Ohio, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:08:23 -0600

Ohio, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

This post is a result of two posts by my friend Richard Weisser down in Georgia. The first post was "How do you expect to get drenched in the rain if you don't even want to get your feet wet?" dated 5/21/09 in which he offers 6 suggestions to those of us here in Active Rain. In addition he also offers his personal guarantee "So, for those of you that want to succeed at blogging, I offer you this challenge. Before you throw in the towel, write at least one hundred quality posts before you make your value assessment. It takes that long to develop the correct skills and disciplines and also to create a body of content large enough to have a significant SEO impact on your business. Now that is some guarantee wouldn't you say? Richard then follows that post with another post titled "Achieving national celebrity status as a result of ActiveRain blogging becomes a reality! (of sorts)" where he talks about a recent interview with Realtor Magazine on line where he was interviewed about blogging for business. So, IMHO, Richard is not only a celeb but one that knows where of he speaks.

With the numerous posts talking to newbie's here in Active Rain on how to be a success in their blogging venture to improve their visibility to the public I am setting out on a quest. I am not going to suggest things to newbie's or those that are less active on AR; I am on a search for some of these folks for introduction to our AR family. Here is my 3 step plan:

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday

Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post

A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

The end result will be, hopefully, an increase in activity with more members becoming visible. Now there is a really BIG problem with this plan. I will not be able, my rule, to suggest those that have not done a post and posted their picture to their profile. You see there won't be any secret agents, lenders, stagers, inspectors, etc. shown. Sorry, if you want to be considered I need to see who you are, sorta like your picture on your business card.

Today I am looking at the state of Ohio, where Active Rain has a total of 3319 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Maureen McCabe #1 and Chris Olsen #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Jerry Cooper with HER Real Living in Columbus, OH.

Susan Collier with Re/Max Unlimited in Symmes Township, OH.

Karen O'Donnell with Jennie Chiccola Realty in Mayfield Heights, OH.

Mike Hall with Golden Gate Real Estate in Lewis Center, OH.

Christopher J. Pedon with Real Living HER Pedon & Page in Bexley, OH.

Dawn Ronski with Oak Valley Realtors in Swanton, OH.

Anthony Hixon with Re/Max Victory in Dayton, OH.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to Oklahoma; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in Oklahoma next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

Virtual ReBar Camp is coming.....Have you registered yet?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:34:10 -0600

There are many times that something will come our way and we look past it, for whatever the reason. The same could be said about this new experience with ReBar Camp. Normally you would have to travel somewhere and spend the money to get there. This time you don't have to travel and, you don't have to pay a registration fee. Check it out and then signup.

Educating Real Estate Agents On How To Use Modern Technologies To Better Their Business Will Never Be The Same!

On November 17th, 2009 dozens of the most respected educators in the real estate industry converge to host the first of its kind, Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.

Virtual Real Estate BarCamp is a 1-Day Learning Extravaganza.
From 9am until 4pm PST, three concurrent webinar "rooms" will each host 9 different sessions, for a total of 27 different presentations.
There is something for everyone and everything for someone, and best of all, IT IS FREE and attendance is unlimited!

Click below to:
Register.
Learn more.
See who is coming.
Check out the Session Calendar.
Get sponsorship info.

Attendance is projected to be at least 1000 agents, nationwide.
Do not miss out on being part of this ground-breaking event.

Session topics include:

Social Media Risk Management

Flickr for Real Estate

Developing Your Brand

Online Advertising Secrets

Facebook for Real Estate

WordPress Training

Daily Goal Tracking

Starting a Real Estate Blog

...and much more, with new sessions being added every day.

And if that wasn\'t cool enough, individuals from around the country are volunteering to host In-Real-Life MeetUps for after the event.
Learn all day, and then meet to have a beer with local participants. This is going to be a blast!

We hope to see you there!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

New York, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:59:27 -0600

New York, Are YOU on a quest to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Get Recognized?

This post is a result of two posts by my friend Richard Weisser down in Georgia. The first post was "How do you expect to get drenched in the rain if you don't even want to get your feet wet?" dated 5/21/09 in which he offers 6 suggestions to those of us here in Active Rain. In addition he also offers his personal guarantee "So, for those of you that want to succeed at blogging, I offer you this challenge. Before you throw in the towel, write at least one hundred quality posts before you make your value assessment. It takes that long to develop the correct skills and disciplines and also to create a body of content large enough to have a significant SEO impact on your business. Now that is some guarantee wouldn't you say? Richard then follows that post with another post titled "Achieving national celebrity status as a result of ActiveRain blogging becomes a reality! (of sorts)" where he talks about a recent interview with Realtor Magazine on line where he was interviewed about blogging for business. So, IMHO, Richard is not only a celeb but one that knows where of he speaks.

With the numerous posts talking to newbie's here in Active Rain on how to be a success in their blogging venture to improve their visibility to the public I am setting out on a quest. I am not going to suggest things to newbie's or those that are less active on AR; I am on a search for some of these folks for introduction to our AR family. Here is my 3 step plan:

Go on a state by state search and post between 5 and 7 people each Saturday

Then you the MEMBERSHIP will be able to see and encourage them by responding to their most recent post

A NEW qualification, the post must be done since January of this year.

The end result will be, hopefully, an increase in activity with more members becoming visible. Now there is a really BIG problem with this plan. I will not be able, my rule, to suggest those that have not done a post and posted their picture to their profile. You see there won't be any secret agents, lenders, stagers, inspectors, etc. shown. Sorry, if you want to be considered I need to see who you are, sorta like your picture on your business card.

Today I am looking at the state of New York, where Active Rain has a total of 6712 AR members as of this morning. I would say that Jennifer Fivelsdal #1 and Carole Provenzale #2 could have some competition coming up behind them. So, say hello to:

Richard Lynch with GHH Realty in Melville, NY.

Barbara Huba with Keller Williams Capital District in Loudonville, NY.

Vyna St. Phard with VSP Design, Inc. in Manhattan, NY.

Michelle Koutsos with Prudential Douglas Elliman in North Bellmore, NY.

Brian Nagle with Home Retention Group in Manhattan, NY.

Judy Sahagian with The Bronx Networking Group in Bronx, NY.

Hank Edwards with ERA Master Realtors in Staten Island, NY.

Be looking for your state coming soon to a post near you. Next I will be off to Ohio; if you know of someone celebrating a birthday in Ohio next week just email their name to me and I will acknowledge one person.

Please stop by and encourage these guys and gals and let's see if we can improve some of the participation. Thanks for stopping in.

If you are looking for a very simple way to move up in your standings for the state that you live in, here are three small suggestions:

Make one comment on someone's blog post.....Just pick one of the Featured Posts and read it then comment on what you read and

Complete your profile and then if you are looking for other suggestions,

Click here and here and here for more help.

Thanks to Active Brad Andersohn and Jeremy Blanton for their contributions. BTW, don't let these guys scare you they are really docile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

FAQ's On The New Tax Credit Programs For Homebuyers

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:54:07 -0600

6 questions and answers to the new tax credit prograns of home buyers and sellers.

Thank you Gary.
Via Gary Woltal - Associate Broker REALTOR® Dallas Ft. Worth (Keller Williams Realty):
Much has been written on the extension of the first time homebuyer tax credit and the credit for existing homeowners. A few frequently asked questions with answers to go along with all of that:

Question: Existing homeowner credit: Must the new house cost more than the old house?

Answer: No. Thus, for example, individuals who move from a high cost area to a lower cost area who meet all eligibility requirements will qualify for the $6500 credit.

Question: I am an existing homeowner. On October 25, 2009, I signed a contract to purchase a new home. I have lived in my current home for more than 5 consecutive years and am within the new income limits. I will go to settlement on November 20. If President Obama has signed the bill by the time I go to settlement, will I qualify for the new $6500 tax credit?

Answer: Yes. The existing homeowner credit goes into effect for purchases after the date of enactment (when the bill is signed). There is no reference to the date of contract for the new credit. The provision looks solely to the date of purchase, which is generally the date of settlement.

Question: I am a first time homebuyer but was not within the prior income limits at the time I entered into my contract to purchase on October 30, 2009. I will be covered, however, by the new income limits. If the new rules have been signed into law by the time I go to settlement, will I be eligible for a credit?

Answer: Yes. The new income limitations go into effect as soon as the President has signed the bill.

The income limit and other eligibility rules will look to your status as of the date of purchase,

which is the settlement date. So if the new rules have been signed when you go to settlement,

you should be eligible for the credit (or a portion of the credit if you're within the phase-out

range).

Question: I am an eligible existing homeowner. I have a fair amount of equity in my home. I have found a home with a non-negotiable price of $825,000. Will I be able to use any of the $6500 tax credit?

Answer: No. The $800,000 cap on the cost of the purchased home is firm at $800,000. Any amount

above $800,000 makes the home ineligible for any portion of the credit. The $800,000 is an

absolute ceiling.

Question: I owned my home for 10 years, but sold it two years ago year and have been renting since. If I purchase a home, will I be eligible for the $6500 tax credit if I meet all the other eligibility tests?

Answer: Yes. Because you lived in the home for more than 5 consecutive years of the previous 8, you

will qualify for the $6500 credit. For example, Say John and his wife bought a home in 2000

and lived there until 2008 when he got a divorce. Whether John has been renting or bought in

the interim, he WOULD INDEED be eligible for the credit because he owned a home and

occupied it as his principal residence for 5 consecutive years out of the last 8 years. The

keyword here is "consecutive." As long as he lived in that house for 5 years straight what he

did since 3 years doesn't impact eligibility.

Question: I am an eligible first-time homebuyer. I entered into a contract to purchase on November 1, 2009. Do I have to go to closing before December 1? How does the extension date affect me?

Answer: You do not have to close before December 1. Once the legislation has been signed, it will be as

if the Nov 30 date had never existed. Therefore, so long as the contract settles before April 30

(or July 1, worst case), the purchaser will be eligible for the credit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

The City of St Charles MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 10/31/09 – 11/07/09

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:43:34 -0600

The City of St Charles MO Real Estate Trends for the week of 10/31/09 – 11/07/09

The City of St Charles MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 529 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is DOWN from last week. Check out St. Charles when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in Saint Charles MO.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

·        The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

·        The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

·        Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

·        Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

·        For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

·       Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

Residential:

2 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms

5+ Bedrooms

Active # Homes

33

260

213

23

Avg. List Price

$220,205

$225,118

$348,387

$526,026

Avg. Days on Market

231

120

141

164

# Pending Home Sales

8

58

36

2

Avg. List Price

$114,200

$166,928

$279,749

$375,900

Avg. Days on Market

43

73

89

65

Sold # Homes

0

11

0

0

Avg. Sale Price

$0

$157,989

$0

$0

Avg. Days on Market

0

120

0

0

% of List Price

0.00

97.07

0.00

0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/09/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. If homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home before the holidays give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. As you can see we have a variety of homes in the City of St. Charles MO for you to choose from and in various price ranges. If you are relocating to Saint Charles County MO. Give Don Rogers a call today at 314-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Three St Charles County MO communities made the Money magazines' annual list of the top 100 Best Small Cities in America list for 2008. One of the three cities was St Charles MO which came in at number 82.

The City of St Charles MO has a lot of history and a nostalgic downtown area with cobblestone streets. In addition to nostalgia and history the downtown area has an ample amount of restaurants, shops and a micro brewery and several wineries.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com

The City of Wentzville MO Real Estate Trends for the weeks of 10/31/09 – 11/07/09

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:19:39 -0600

The City of Wentzville MO Real Estate Trends for the weeks of 10/31/09 – 11/07/09

The City of Wentzville MO has a great selection of homes at really good prices and interest rates are at a great level too. There are currently 398 single family homes on the market of various sizes and prices. The number of active listings is UP from last week. Check out Wentzville MO when looking for a new home for selection, style and price. If you have been waiting for the right time now is the right time for real estate in Wentzville MO.

The Tax Credit has been extended and expanded, check out the new benefits:

·        The new tax credits will be available from December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.

·        The tax credit will sunset on April 30, 2010, but as long as you have a binding contract by that date, you will still qualify to complete the transaction within 60 days.

·        Home sellers turned buyers are eligible, as long as the home they’re leaving has been used as their principal residence for 5 years or more.

·        Income limits for both first-time home buyers and home sellers turned buyers would be $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for married couples.

·        For purchases made in 2010, taxpayers can claim the tax credit on their 2009 income tax return.

·       Home buyers would not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their principal residence for 36 months after the purchase date.

Residential:

2 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms

5+ Bedrooms

Active # Homes

29

209

138

22

Avg. List Price

$135,430

$215,296

$337,237

$547,145

Avg. Days on Market

174

151

194

155

# Pending Home Sales

2

31

13

0

Avg. List Price

$122,400

$168,835

$229,569

$0

Avg. Days on Market

24

99

154

0

Sold # Homes

0

0

0

0

Avg. Sale Price

$0

$0

$0

$0

Avg. Days on Market

0

0

0

0

% of List Price

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

All information is per regional multiple listing service (mls) on 11/09/09 and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sellers, homes are still being sold as you can see from the pending homes. When homes are priced right they will sell. So if you are thinking about listing your home give me a call and let’s talk about the marketing of your home.

If you are looking to buy your first home or “right size” now is a good time to buy. Wentzville MO is a fast growing city here in St. Charles County and as you can see we have a variety of homes in the city for you to choose from and in various price ranges. You may be considering a move to St Charles County MO too, so Give Don Rogers a call today at 315-954-6775 and let’s begin moving toward your new home.

Helping you achieve your next level of the American Dream. Ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don Rogers is a licensed REALTOR® in Missouri. I specialize in St. Charles County. If you are looking to buy or sell or you are relocating to the area and would like information about the St Charles County MO area do not hesitate to give me a call at 314-954-6775 or if you would prefer to send me an email at Don@DRogersHomes.com