Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com in Maryland and Virginia

LOUDOUN COUNTY VA REAL ESTATE BENEFITS FROM MILD CLIMATES AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:39:54 -0600

LOUDOUN COUNTY VA REAL ESTATE BENEFITS FROM MILD CLIMATES AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPING.

"HOW MUCH SNOW DO YOU GET?" One question I can be sure that home buyers are going to ask is, "How much snow do you get?" The are usually quite surprised to learn that we are not in an area for serious and prolonged snow cover or storms. We do have snow, but year after year, it is quite normal for Northern Virginia to get through the winter months with only 2-3 snow falls with accumulation of 2-5 inches. Of course, from time to time, we'll get a snow that blows up from the south and drops 10-15 inches of very wet snow. Or, we can get a cold blast from Canada that will bring strong winds and dry snow and ice. These snows do not last because, the average high temperature in Northern Virginia is about 43 degrees. The snow will melt.

WINTER IN LOVETTSVILLE VIRGINIA. When winter visits my home, it's beautiful. Thank goodness it doesn't last long. My home is on a gravel road which is helpful in a snow cover. My landscaping doesn't suffer from snow or ice. So far.

The deepest snow we had last year was just a few inches. Tollhouse Raod is cleared by neighbors.

Current Conditions for Weather in Loudoun County, Virginia for November 25, 2009.

Condition:	Cloudy
Temperature:	55F / 13C
RealFeel®:	55F / 13
Wind:	3 mph N
Barometer:	29.94
Humidity:	81%
Sunrise:	7:02 AM
Sunset:	4:48 PM

Enjoy a video of Ornamental Grasses in Loudoun County.

Map of Loudoun County, Virginia. Mild temperatures and great weather for imaginative landscaping. Ornamental Grasses are one of my favorites and I have them througout the landscaping.

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

To search homes for sale in Loudoun County, visit the Homefinders.com "Search Listings" site. Enjoy your search and contact us to visit new or resale homes for sale in Loudoun County, Virginia. Ask about the Homefinders.com New Home Buyers' REBATE. 1% cash back to you when you work with Lenn to find and buy a new home in Loudoun County. We know Loudoun County new homes. We can help.

Lenn Harley, Broker, New Homes Specialist, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

http://www.homefinders.com, http://www.loudoun-county-va-homes.com, http://www.loudoun-real-estate.com, http://www.e-homesleesburg.com, http://www.realestatelovettsville.com, http://www.new-homes-loudoun-county.com, http://www.newhomeslovettsville.com, http://www.newhomeshamiltonva.com, http://www.realestateleesburg.com,

IF FOLKS ARE GOING TO TRY TO SELL SOMETHING TO ME, GIVE ME A FREAKIN' PHONE NUMBER

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:11 -0600

O.K. A new system was introduced to me by a fellow ActiveRain member. I'm not one for widgets, gadgets, etc. I'm simple minded and my Internet network of web sites reflects that mindset. I want speed, not spiff. Yet, I'm also always interested in a system or site that will help me stay organized. A review of a new system to organize social network memberships got my attention this week. So, I looked, and looked, and looked.

The web page left me with questions about the fees and the technical aspects of the service. I HAD QUESTIONS THAT WERE NOT ANSWERED by the web site. Yet, there is no phone number. GEEZ. Isn't it the first rule of good advertising on the Internet that your phone number always be in the footer?????

EXAMPLE: Cost: $27, or $47, or $97.

What is that supposed to mean???

$97 for a one time sign up?
$97 a month?
$97 a day?

For the time we spend trying to navigate this rinky-dink system or that rinky-dink system that promises but doesn't deliver after they've swallowed your money, it could be

$97 a minute.

Yet, there is no freakin' phone number.

I'm sick of being sucked into auto this and auto that that do not work and are confusing after spending money to join.

Unless and until a system is perfect (find one of them), if the system management has no contact number and no phone service, they are simply, IMO, black holes for our money. Once you subscribe and the dang thing doesn't work, you can spend that 3 hours a day that they claim to save you just trying to get their system to work only to realize that you are at a dead end and there is no solution because there is no freeking phone number.

Thanks but no thanks.

I'm quite interested in having a management system for these social network accounts, but I'm not remotely interested in spending money for some system to burn.

I'm quite good at burning money for myself.

One of the reasons systems like ActiveRain and The Real Estate Shows are so successful and user friendly is because, if your own trouble shooting doesn't work, you can actually speak with someone. For ActiveRain, there are thousands of members who will help other members by e-mail or phone.

That's right. You can actually telephone Bob Stewart or Jeremy Blanton with ActiveRain and get an answer within a day.

That's right. You can actually telephone Jeff Turner with The Real Estate Shows and he'll probably answer the phone.

I'll spend what I have to for good systems. I'm one of the better spenders on this earth, certainly in this business. However, I've put my foot down and am not spending another dime, no matter how well recommended, for a system or web service that has no phone service.

Until these systems or services are created entirely by robot and distributed entirely by robot, I want a telephone contact that will listen and engage in some problem solving.

Otherwise, we run the risk of our money being burned by a faceless, voiceless, careless system.

AND NO HELP AVAILABLE!!

ALDIE - CHANTILLY NEW HOMES - GOURMET KITCHENS TO PLEASE THE CHEF IN YOUR NEW HOME IN LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:17:01 -0600

ALDIE - CHANTILLY NEW HOMES - GOURMET KITCHENS TO PLEASE THE CHEF IN YOUR NEW HOME IN LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA

The most popular room in the home is the kitchen and the new homes constructed in Eastern Loudoun County offer spectacular kitchens with Gourmet features including

Large kitchens with lots of Granite counter space.
Kitchen Islands with Granite counter top.
Stainless Steel appliances throughout
Hardwood flooring for durability and beauty.
Glass doors in beautiful warm wood finishes.
Huge walk-in pantry.
Stainless Steel double sink.
Double Oven for the large family cooking.

Enjoy the video of these lovely new homes to-be-built just for YOU in Aldie - Chantilly. Homes can be delivered in about 5 months with your personal selection of upgrades and options, although you'll find the Standard Features in this model offers so much, upgrades can be minimal.

The model shown above is priced at $559,900. Contact Lenn Harley to tour this lovely community and walk the model home. Lots in this community average 1/3 acre.

The Homefinders.com new homes REBATE for this home is $5600.00.

Enjoy the video tour of the kitchen in this lovely model and contact us to see new homes in Loucoun County, Virginia, the most exciting and dynamic real estate area in Northern Virginia.

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

To search homes for sale in Loudoun County, visit the Homefinders.com "Search Listings" site. Enjoy your search and contact us to visit new or resale homes for sale in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Lenn Harley, Broker, New Homes Specialist, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

ALDIE - NEW HOMES IN LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA ON 1/3 ACRE LOTS IN GROWING COMMUNITY.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:48:34 -0600

ALDIE VIRGINIA NEW HOMES - LOUDOUN COUNTY'S BEST LOCATION FOR LARGE LOTS AND BEAUTIFUL NEW HOMES IN GOOD PRICES.

These new homes in Aldie offer significant savings for end of the year contracts. The home featured in the video below is the model home and offers about 2,700 square feet of finished living space on the main and upper levels. The finished basement adds another 1,000 square feet of finished living space for your enjoyment and investment in a growing community.

Tour the home shown in the video and for an introduction to the builder, contact us and qualify for the Homefinders.com new home buyers REBATE of $5,500.

The home pictured in the video can be purchased for about $550,000 depending on options and upgrades selected. The builder wil provide another $8,000 in buyer incentives in addition to a FREE Recreation Room for November home buyers.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

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

To search homes for sale in Loudoun County, visit the Homefinders.com "Search Listings"site. Enjoy your search and contact us to visit new or resale homes for sale in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Lenn Harley, Broker, New Homes Specialist, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

Client Psychology And The Inspector

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:16:38 -0600

NEEDS A NEW ROOF?? Isn't that clear to the buyer and their agent before paying for a home inspection???

An experienced Buyer's Agent will protect their buyer by making a new roof a condition of the contract unless the seller can produce a roof inspection certificate that states that the roof has at least 5 years of useful life.

Why stake your buyers out to the cost of a home inspection to have the home inspector tell us what we already know??? The dang house needs a new roof. Either the buyer will be prepared to pay for one after settlement, or the seller will agree to pay for one as a condition of the contract.

My question is always, "Why didn't the seller replace the roof prior to putting the house on the market??

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

Via Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector (King of the House Home Inspection, Inc):

Sometimes I find the psychology of working with clients interesting or even amusing. I think that, to a large degree, that is the result of the general public not really knowing what the home inspector is looking for.

Are we there to straighten the pictures on the wall, or something more significant? It seems like a number of people feel that we are on the lookout for cosmetic issues -- not the case.

The kind of situation that amuses me would be like the one described here. These are photos I took several months back at the site of an inspection. I arrived at the house, got out of the truck, and the buyer says: "I am just really anticipating what you are going to say about the roof."

Now there is not really any big surprise here, so the client is needlessly waiting for the big news. The fact is, I can tell without even going up there -- but of course I will go up there -- that the roof is shot. It is covered with moss all over and the shingles are brittle and numerous unprofessional repairs have been made. It has a multitude of defects.

Sometimes what the home inspector tells the buyer is not going to be too different than what the buyer might intuitively know -- at this house you need to buy a new roof.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

So What Exactly Do You Say When Sellers Ask You THIS Question???

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:34:25 -0600

FACT: The real estate industry has structured statistical databases to track the sales of homes by price, feature, location, etc.

FACT: The staging industry makes claims of value to the owner/seller and provides a good supply of "Smoke and Mirrors"

WHAT ABOUT THIS: If stagers are want to take credit for staged properties that sell, are they willing to take the responsibility when one doesn't sell???? We've seen a lot of those.

I'd answer the question with another question. "How many staged homes in your market place sit and sit and sit on the market until the price gets down to market??????" That question can be answered by taking the seller on a tour of staged homes that have been on the market so long the appliances are out of style.

"95% of the real estate, staging and decorating programming on HGTV, the DIY Network, The Learning Channel, The Style Network, and The Discovery Channel" THESE ARE DECORATING SHOWS, NOT REAL ESTATE SHOWS, NONE OF WHICH SELL REAL ESTATE.

Where do the statistics about "sell faster and for more money" come from?? From stagers, of course.

Why is there no empirical evidence that staged homes sell better and for more money?? Because that claim is an advertising slogan of the staging industry, that's why.

If someone asked me the question, "So, do you think we should stage our house?"my answer would clearly be - -

If you wish to pay someone to remove clutter, hire someone to deep clean, remove excess furniture, place remaining furniture at angles, arrange the dining room table ready for dinner, put some plastic flowers on the kitchen counter, create focal points that avert attention from negative structural features, hang new drapes, etc. then the answer is yes.

Then on the other hand, if you wish to put your home in the best position to sell, price it competitively, give easy access and let the real estate system work in your favor and to your advantage.

It's a free country and if the seller has money to burn and the real estate agent isn't strong enough or experienced enough to recommend the same things a stager will do, go for it.

Staging is a respectible business model that has little to no relationship to real estate sales, except in the imagination of the stagers and agents and consumers who don't know the market.

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

Via Michelle Molinari (FEATURE THIS... Real Estate Staging & Interior Decor):

There you are: Pitching yourself as only you can...

and the potential clients are hitting you with a volley of questions. You are not just holding your own - you are darned near poetry in motion!

The answers to every question rolls off your tongue with complete confidence. You are feeling the love - you know you will get this listing, you can practically taste their eagerness to work with you and you alone.

And then it comes. That one question that has been popping up with far to much frequency lately. The one that gives you a queasy feeling because you know your answer on this one thing seems to consistently fall short.

"So, do you think we should stage our house?"

What do you say to that?

First of all, it's a trick question, without a doubt. Say NO, and you are in direct opposition to 95% of the real estate, staging and decorating programming on HGTV, the DIY Network, The Learning Channel, The Style Network, and The Discovery Channel that your clients are absolutely watching, whether they admit it or not.

Dismiss the notion of bringing in a stager at your own risk, because the message they are likely to internalize is that you don't care about getting the most money possible for their property. And if you think this answer will stop them from pursuing a stager outside of your recommendation, you couldn't be more wrong. They will Google stagers, they will see before and after pics in their town, and they will call them to inquire about pricing, and most of all, they will say "The agent we are thinking about working with doesn't know I am calling...." The stager will ask who the agent is, and when it is all said and done, the stager may very well drop the name of an agent who is more proactive regarding equity preservation.

Saying YES is also fraught with peril. YES means they have issues that are clearly apparent to you. It means they have been weighed, measured, and found wanting. This message NOT what you want to be delivering, that you are not liking what you see, which is tantamount to saying there is something wrong with their lifestyle, taste, and them as people. This is a deal-kill without a doubt. You could very well be percieved as looking down upon them.

So what the heck are you supposed to do?

You could ignore the question entirely, and change the subject.

You could say that the house is beautiful as is. You could say you yourself are not only a Real Estate Agent but that you also stage your listings yourself, and start spewing out advice on the spot.

You could hand them a flyer talking about de-cluttering and pre-packing, and call that your "Staging Checklist."

You could give them a DVD with some generalized staging tips and decide that is more than enough to keep them from noticing you don't actually offer any services in this area.

You could even say that staging is not a factor in your locale (which might be true if your listings are in Antarctica).

But none of these answers correspond with what they are hearing, seeing, and digesting from the available media they are devouring as sellers. They will doubt your commitment to market their listing aggressively and effectively, and doubt your ability to sell their house quickly and do everythingit takes to prevent the unnecessary loss of their hard earned equity.

So what is the best way to handle this question that will make you seem non-judgmental about their home, and therefore, them as people, and meet their media-induced expectations diplomatically and head on?

All you simply have to say is:

"We will send our professional stager to meet with you."

That's it. If they ask about draperies, furniture arrangement, carpet condition, etc., you just state that the stager who will be sent will answer all their questions about any improvements or changes that may be necessary.

You talk business, you sell yourself, you land the listing. All questions on condition or presentation get deferred to "your" professional stager.

It doesn't get any easier. Professional, experienced stagers are highly skilled at being diplomatic, garnering cooperation, and getting things done on a tight budget. Their cost for consultation varies, and can be negotiable when an entire real estate office is concerned.

It isn't about getting in there and charging a small fortune for "all new everything." It's about creating as an inviting space that possible under the circumstances, and stagers know circumstances vary. One 2-hour consultation is usually extremely reasonable in price and bears a bountiful harvest of changes that are all carefully justified and explained, and make a tremendous difference in the way the listing will show, both in marketing materials and when viewed in person. Your listing will shine brighter when you enlist the assistance of a professional stager.

Can't find any stagers in your area? You are probably not looking very hard. Google stagers in the nearest large city and see if they will service your area for consults.

Had or heard about bad experiences with stagers? Betcha dollars to donuts they were not experienced professionals. The staging industry has standards and ethics, and a quick visit to the Real Estate Staging Association's website will explain those standards and ethics and how they are enforced with members, and can help you find somene qualified, capable, and charismatic.

So call an experienced stager, secure a lunch date, and get to know one another. You might be surprised what you don't know about these amazing resourceful business people who take their commitments seriously, want your repeat business, know their stuff, and know exactly how to motivate your sellers to make the right moves to make your job much, much easier.

~Michelle Molinari

Certified Staging Professional, Feature This... Real Estate Staging,

CSP Elite Instructor, Certified Staging Professionals

Lead Virtual Designer, CurbAppealForDummies.com

President of Acadiana Chapter of the Real Estate Staging Association

ABOUT ALDIE REAL ESTATE, LOUDOUN COUNTY - VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 4.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:24:11 -0600

ABOUT ALDIE IN LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA - VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 4. (edit/delete)

ALDIE, 20105, established in about 1765 along Route 50. The Old Mill still attracts visitors. Most of the Aldie area west of Route 15 consists of farms and open spaces, quite rural and quite beautiful.

ALDIE real estate and homes, where the average SOLD price for all homes, single family, townhomes and condominium homes was $448,316 in October of 2009, an increase in SOLD prices of about 18% from October 2008. Homes in Aldie are selling for about 89% of the list price.

The beautiful home pictured below is a model home for a new home builder with homes for sale in Aldie.

Home for sale in Aldie.

THE INTERIORS OF THIS HOME WILL WELCOME ALL NEW HOME BUYERS.

Living rooms are popular in Northern Virginia homes. Formal and space for beautiful furniture.

Library / Den room is popular and generally available in homes of over 2700 square feet of finished living space.

The Family Room where much "living" is enjoyed.

The always popular Kitchen

with Stainless Steel appliances, Granite Counter Tops and Hardwood Flooring and Island.

The Split Staircase is popular for style and safety.

Garden Baths for luxurious living.

The popular floor plans for new homes in Aldie is the Colonial style with 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a full finished or unfinished basement and a 2 car garage priced from $500,000 to $700,000.

The home pictured above is priced at $550,000. Contact us to see the model home and select your lot. Lots in this community average 1/3 acre.

Loudoun County Map

Aldie is conveniently located along Route 50 and close to Route 66 and 28 for quick access to employment centers in Loudoun County and Fairfax County.

The Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers ($8,000) and Repeat Home Buyers ($6,500) has generated a significant increase in home buying activity in the Loudoun County real estate market.

Home buyers are taking advantage of low real estate prices and opportunities and will benefit further when they file their 2009 Income Tax return.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

ABOUT LOVETTSVILLE in WESTERN LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 3

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:43:02 -0600

ABOUT LOVETTSVILLE, WESTERN LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 3

The Town of Lovettsville was established in 1836 and incorporated in 1842.
The Homefinders.com map of Lovettsville represents the Lovettsville 20180 Zip Code

Lovettsville population is about 1,100. We say about because, while Lovettsville is located in a rural area of North Western Loudoun County, the Lovettsville New Town Center and other new construction has added to the population base about 100 persons.

Lovettsville is located Northwestern Loudoun County where the population of White Tail Deer outnumbers the human population significantly. The population of Lovettsville included Wild Turkey, Squirrel, Red Fox, Turtles, Birds of many types, Snakes (mostly of the black variety), and other neighbors that enhance "The Lovettsville Experience".

Construction continues in Loudoun County Virginia. Home buyers are looking at the value of homes in Western Loudoun County rural areas.

Example of Home in Lovettsville in the $800,000 price range.

Home in Lovettsville.

Example of new homes in Lovettsville in the $325,000 price range.

New Homes in Lovettsville

The new homes as represented by the image above represents the new homes available in New Town Center Lovettsville.

The Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers ($8,000) and Repeat Home Buyers ($6,500) has generated a significant increase in home buying activity in the Loudoun County real estate market.

Homes in Lovettsville have experienced a 36% increase in SOLD price in the past 12 months.

The average list price for a home in Lovettsville, Virginia is about $615,000.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

Contact us for information about the New Home Buyer REBATE.

ABOUT LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA - VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 2.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:12:36 -0600

ABOUT LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA - VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 2.

Loudoun County Virginia Facts

Population	290,000

Housing Market Units	105,000

Average Sold Price 2009	$376,000

Av. Household Income	$110,000

Building Permits	3,000

Land Area	519 Square Miles

Population Per Square Mile	330 (rural)

Example of Home in Loudoun County in the $750,000 price range in Purcellville, Virginia.

New Homes in Purcellville

EXAMPLE of homes in the $500,000 price range in for real estate in Chantilly, Loudoun County, VA.

New Homes in Aldie/Chantilly

Example of new homes in Lovettsville in the $325,000 price range.

New Homes in Lovettsville

The Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers ($8,000) and Repeat Home Buyers ($6,500) has generated a significant increase in home buying activity in the Loudoun County real estate market.

Average Sold Price October, 2009 - 2008:

$ 375,565

$ 374,141

0.38 %

Home purchases in October 2009 increased about less than 1% over home purchases in October 2008. The real estate market in Loudoun County is stable and edging up which is being reflected in the slowly increasing prices of new homes throughout Ashburn, Home prices in areas farther west, Purcellville, Lovettsville, etc. are stable and increasing slowly.

Buyers are taking advantage of low real estate prices and opportunities and will benefit further when they file their 2009 Income Tax return.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

ABOUT VIRGINIA BEACH - VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 1.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:14:06 -0600

ABOUT VIRGINIA BEACH - VIRGINIA FACTS AND POINTS OF INTEREST - Part 1.

Virginia Beach Facts	Virginia Beach	Virginia


Population	434,000	7,700,000

Housing Market Units	180,000	3,350,000

Av. House Value	$180,000	$170,000

Av. Household Income	$70,000	$63,000

Est. Building Permits 2009	750	17,000

Land Area	248 Sq. Miles	38,594 Sq. Miles

Persons Per Sq. Mile	1,800 (urban)	180 (rural)

EXAMPLE of homes in the $500,000 TO $750,000 price range in for real estate in Virginia Beach

EXAMPLE of homes in the $300,000 to $400,000 price range in for real estate in Virginia Beach

The Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers ($8,000) and Repeat Home Buyers ($6,500) has generated a significant increase in home buying activity in the Virginia Beach real estate market.

Home purchases in October 2009 increased about 28% over home purchases in October 2008. Buyers are taking advantage of low real estate prices and opportunities and will benefit further when they file their 2009 Income Tax return.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

CALIFORNIANS ! A true opportunity to make a difference in 'politics as usual'.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:57:59 -0600

HEY, YOU FOLKS IN THE GOLDEN STATE. THAT MEANS YOU!!

Listen up. Read Gene Wunderlich's post and follow through.

You can take your state back.

The first thing politicians in office do to perpetuate their own power is draw the district lines to make sure that they have the advantage in numbers of like voters into a single district.

Gerrymandering is the third oldest skill learned by politicians once they learn the skill of talking out of both sides of their mouths and pulling down political contributions.

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

Via Gene Wunderlich - Realtor®, Government Affairs Director (Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors):

CALIFORNIANS ! Are you tired of politics as usual in Our state? Have you had it up the kazoo with the stalemate in Sacramento that has lead us to sky-high taxes, reduced services, massive prisoner releases, water shortages, record unemployment and an education system that ranks among the worst in the nation?

Did you know that through the last several election cycles we changed some faces (due to term-limits) but didn't manage to change any parties lines? Because the politicians drew their own district lines and if there's one thing politicians do well, it's protect their own ASSets.

Well now regular folks like you and me (hopefully more like me) now have a shot at changing the stranglehold imposed on us by these hacks. The Citizens FIRST Act we voted for overwhelmingly in 2008 says we now have the right to draw those district lines in a simple, efficient and straightforward manner that makes sense for US, not THEM.

If you care, please follow the links in the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association newsletter and lets get our state moving again. California has always been a leader, lets start leading in a positive direction for a change.

You Can Help Draw the Lines and Make Elections Fair

Before the Voters FIRST Act, California lawmakers were charged with
drawing their own legislative districts. This means the politicians
could select the voters they wanted and virtually guarantee their
reelection.

But no more!

California voters changed all that when they authorized the creation
of the Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) in the
November 2008 General Election. Now YOU can apply to serve on an
independent Commission that will draw district boundaries for the
state Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization.

The official Web site of California's new Citizens Redistricting
Commission is www.WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov.

At www.WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov you will find:

- Application and selection process details
- News and program updates
- Regulation and public meeting information

WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov is where you can apply for the commission
during the application period: Dec. 15, 2009 - Feb. 12, 2010.

LET'S MAKE SURE TAXPAYERS ARE REPRESENTED
IN THIS IMPORTANT PROCESS!

For more information visit Visit our site at http://www.HJTA.org

THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS PLANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CREATION OF A "HOUSING AFFORDABILITY INDEX".

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:03:01 -0600

THE VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS PLANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CREATION OF A "HOUSING AFFORDABILITY INDEX".

I read an interesting post on the VARBUZ this a.m. VAR and Housing Virginia plans to develop a "Housing Afforability Index".

Dr. Yun, Chief Economist is quoted, "NAR's Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, says that today's homes are more affordable than at any time in the past 40 years." Sadly, real estate practitioners who actually sell real estate might doubt the accuracy of that statement. Worse yet, this proposed index is statistical based and ignores the local and hyper-local budget needs of consumers that affect monthly housing costs and individual budget needs.

I am of the opinion that housing "affordability", in terms of what can the consumer afford, cannot be indexed by any set of criteria using median housing statistics or median consumer statistics. Neither the consumer nor housing fits into any "median" statistical mold. Sadly, if real estate agents were trained and understand basic buyer qualifying skills, the need for a "Housing Affordability Index" wouldn't be considered because real estate agents would be providing this information for prospective home buyers.

30% OF MONTHLY GROSS INCOME?? First, the proposed index presumes that "affordability" can be determined by a simple mathematical formula of a percentage of income. This reminds me of the 20 year old "rule of thumb" that a consumer is qualified for a home priced at 3 times their gross income. It didn't work 20 years ago and won't work now.

TAXES, INSURANCE, TRANSPORTATION, FOOD, EDUCATION, ETC. WILL REMAIN THE SAME?? What these simplistic indices do is make qualifying for housing by price as simple as a percentage of a consumer's income which ignores local taxes, hyper-local hazard insurance costs, transportation costs, family size and so many more things that affect a consumer's ability to "afford" the purchase of real estate.

Dr. Yun's statement that "today's homes are more affordable than at any time in the past 40 years", is simply not, in my opinion, true, or should I say accurate. Dr. Yun is a positive voice for the NAR, yet when applied to the consumer, it is misleading and encourages real estate practitioners to avoid the hard work of really qualifying home buyers. If homes are more affordable, the use of a simple 30% index of affordability might work. However, when taxes, insurance, transportation, consumer goods, groceries etc. are less affordable, the use of a simple percentage of affordability misleads the consumer and many real estate agents.

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED INDEX?? It saddens me that resources are used to promote simplistic systems and reports to convince the consumer that "yes, you can" without any solid foundation on which to accurately "qualify" disparete individuals without consideration of house type, location, family size, extended families, other contractual debts and more.

ALL HOME BUYERS ARE DIFFERENT AND DON'T FIT INTO A STITISTICAL MOLD. I would suggest that the consumer would be better served by NAR and VAR members who received quality training to qualify home buyer, a topic for which there is a dearth of Continuing Education courses. Qualifying prospective home buyers is a skill that is included in pre-licensing education. Yet, once an agent has their license, it's rarely mentioned and "send them to a lender" is the usual first step. Often the agent never really knows just what their buyer/client's financial profile is or how a particular house payment will affect their other necessary living costs.

GET BACK TO BASICS. I believe that there is a void in our industry and that is the ability of the average real estate agent to understand just what a prospective home buyer's "affordability index" is based on the individual consumer's financial profile. Trying to fit median buyers into median housing price statistics will produce more confusion for the consumer and more avoidance on the part of agents to learn the skills needed to provide quality representation to the home buying consumer.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

"Honey, can we really manage the house payments the agent said we can pay?"

"Of course, Dear, it's 30% of our income. That's what the Housing Affordability Index shows"

MAKE YOUR CHOICE, HOME EQUITY OR $$ MONEY IN THE BANK!

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:02:22 -0600

GIVE ME THE CASH!

WHERE DID MY HOME EQUITY GO??

Inspired by Jim Crawford's thoughtful examination of budgets, down payments, and more, I can relate the the matter of larger down payments vs. cash in the bank.

Tim Maitski says it best in his comment to Jim's post. "Jim, I don't understand how having a bigger downpayment benefits the homebuyer."

In a volatile housing market, I'm less interested in home equity than I am leverage and money in my bank accounts.

Back in June 2005 when I began to finance the home I was building, my lender tried his best to get another $80K from me for a higher down payment. For some reason, I resisted and thought I wanted to keep the cash for a rainy day. Little did I know that we'd face a Tsunami in housing values and I'd see about $400,000 wiped out by a gigantic wave of negative equity shared by about 15,000,000 other home owners.

HA! I watched $400K evaporate from house equity, but I still have that $80K.

Until the market recovers and I see sound appreciation, a home is for living, not investing. Your mileage may vary. However, our personal security is probably a tad more important than protecting the lender. I higher interest rate means a higher mortgage payment, but that interest is deductible and that helps.

Often the choice is a lower mortgage payment vs. cash in savings. I like cash.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

"Honey, are we going to make the higher down payment that the loan officer suggested?"

"No Dear, I believe we need to preserve our savings. We never know what might happen in the future."

Carlsbad Property Taxes - Do You Need to Appeal Your Assessment?

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:18:04 -0600

YES!!! IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, APPEAL YOUR TAX ASSESSMENT.

This cannot be said too often. Cash starved counties are knowingly keeping assessments high to continue to collect real estate taxes at the higher assessed value. Home owners must be proactive to bring the assessment down.

I did and lowered my annual taxes by $1,500.

I've sent notice to home owners in my database to do the same. Sadly, some counties in my market area are on to this and have made the process more difficult and time limited. Home owners should check the regulations for appeal in their individual county. I've sent comperable SOLD information to home owners who have requested the help.

GREAT POST AND IT APPLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

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

Via Jeff Dowler ~ Carlsbad Real Estate ~ 760-840-1360 (RE/MAX Moonlight Beach (CA DRE Lic. # 01490977)):

Carlsbad Property Taxes - Do you need to appeal your assessment?

My guess is that you do.

The assessed values of many homes in Carlsbad (and certainly elsewhere in San Diego County) have declined due to the housing market. So too have the assessed values which the San Diego County Assessor's Office uses to determine your property taxes.

If you believe your property's assessed value has declined, there IS something you can do - file an APPLICATION FOR CHANGED ASSESSMENT before November 30, 2009 for this current tax period to request a reassessment.

The form and instructions can be downloaded from the County of San Diego Appeals Board page or email me and I will send you the pdf.

You simply complete the appropriate sections of the form, sign and date it, and be sure to include the CURRENT value of the land and the structures (from your tax bill), PLUS YOUR estimate of value for these items, and you're done.

While there is no guarantee that your request will be honored, given the decline in values it is well worth a few minutes of your time.

Note that this is for 1 YEAR ONLY, and it is critical to still pay your current property taxes on time.

********************************

Subscribe in a reader

If I can provide more information about Carlsbad real estate and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.

All content copyright © 2009 Jeff Dowler Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits

JUST WHAT IS IT THAT REAL ESTATE LICENSEES DO?? Part I.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:52:16 -0600

JUST WHAT IS IT THAT REAL ESTATE LICENSEES DO?? Part I.

"YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT . . . " is to manage the orderly transfer of real property from a seller to a buyer. The average consumer doesn't understand a fraction of what we do to help them accomplish their goal.

SELLERS. Home sellers are presented a simple-to-complex marketing plan by listing agents prior to listing the property for sale. The listing agent promises to perform a series of showing, advertising activities geared to receiving contract offers.

BUYERS. Buyers are assisted in their home search by agent(s) who helps to locate, tour properties for sale, write and negotiate the contract and arranging for settlement services.

Sounds easy doesn't it? Actually it is, in the hands of experienced listing and buyers agents and if nothing unusual occurs.

THE MOST HELPFUL AND LEAST UNDERSTOOD PART OF LISTING AND SELLING REAL PROPERTY is the complex and institutionalized systems which include the brokerages employing the licensed agents and brokers, the Multiple List Systems that make the homes for sale information available to licensees and now to the public, the board approved forms that provide consumer protections,

Achieving the consumer's goal of selling or buying real property requires the services of a variety of service providers in addition to the real estate licensee. Achieving the orderly transfer of real property from a seller to a buyer requires services of vendors that perform critical tasks to help the consumer achieve their goal. The vendors include but are not limited to: mortgage providers, home inspectors, termite/radon inspectors, appraisers, title services which include or are managed by attorneys.

WOW! How do we keep up with all of these tasks that are necessary to get to the settlement table? I'm going to disclose a secret that will help many consumers understand how things can go so smoothly and the consumer's goal of selling and buying real estate is achieved.

IT'S ALL IN THE CONTRACT!

That's right. IT'S ALL IN THE CONTRACT!

Getting to the settlement table begins with the selection of an experienced listing or buyer's agent who will MANAGE THE CONTRACT OF SALE. To demonstrate the importance of understanding contract management, below are the titles included in a typical Contract of Sale.

Description of Real Property
Price and Financing
Deed of Trust
Deposit
Down Payment
Settlement
Equipment, Maintenance and Condition
Utilities
Personal Property and Fixtures
Financing Terms
Appraisal
Purchasers Representations
Access to Property
Termite Inspection
Repairs
Damage and Loss
Title
Possession Date
Fees
Broker's Fee
Adjustments
Attorney's Fees
Performance
Default
Assignability
Definitions
Void Contract
Warranty

Listing agents and Buyers agents must not only understand the meaning and execution of each of these titles, they should help the seller or buyer understand the meaning of all parts of the contract that apply to their particular transaction.

Next: What Real Estate Licensees Do Not Do.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

Urgent for Citzens of Campton Hills

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:06:59 -0600

WATCH WHAT THE POLITICIANS DO.

READ WHAT THEY PUBLISH.

UNDERSTAND WHAT ZONING CHANGES WILL ACCOMPLISH.

Control of zoning changes are one of the most powerful tools of local politicians.

Don't let them win by default.

FOLLOW THE MONEY. Most political actions are the result of a pay-off to or for a local politician.

If citizens are not a part of the solutions, they are part of the problems.

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

Via Larry Bettag - Cherry Creek Mortgage:

I'm sure VCH hopes no one notices this Public hearing set for:

TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 16TH, 2009 AT 6:30 at the COMMUNITY CENTER.

Pay Attention to the Actions of the Campton Officials (I can't use the word "leaders" becase they're anything but that)!!!!

There's a zoning change request from a current land owner regarding annexation into the village.

The property is located at 2N190 Harley Road. (what it doesn't say is that for it to be contiguous to the Village, the property must start at 38 and extend down the west side of Harley to that address and maybe even further down Harley)

The Agenda also does not state the original zoning and what the change is being requested.   Maybe they don't want the citizens of Campton What the F____ Hills to know. There are assumptions that it's to change the zoning from Farming to some type of PUD/ Residential. HOW COOL IS THAT? Gotta love the Campton leaders here.

This may be your only chance to speak about this change before it happens!!!

This appears to conflict with Campton's own Comprehensive Plan for the Area. Check out... http://www.villageofcamptonhills.org/images/Campton%20Hills%20Comp%20Plan%20HR%201.pdf

The village is looking to grow (this time south of 38) and needs to agree to change zoning to meet with the owners request for annexation. ISN'T THIS WHAT ELGIN DID?    Annexed unincorporated land and changed the zoning to residential? Look out LaFox big bad Campton is coming.

Please get the word out, don't be fooled again.
Larry Bettag - Regional Vice President, Midwest Region

Illinois FHA Specialist

630-417-7172





An Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee

MEDIAN THIS OR MEDIAN THAT. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE CONSUMER and WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE REAL ESTATE PRACTITIONER?

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:58:44 -0600

STATISTICS ARE A WONDERFUL TOY. I LOVE STATISTICS.

HOWEVER, THE DATA MUST HAVE SOME MEANING TO PRODUCE MEANINGFUL AND USEFUL INFORMATION. LET'S GET RID OF "MEDIAN".

The most recent market report for one area I follow on a monthly basis reports:

Average Sold Price Oct. 2009/2008:	$ 375,565	$ 374,141	0.38 %
Median Sold Price Oct. 2009/2008:	$ 342,000	$ 310,000	10.32 %

Clearly, the Average Sold Price above shows that prices are stable in this area. However, the Median Sold Price makes it appear that prices have increased more than 10% in the past 12 months.

HOW MISLEADING DATA HARMS THE CONSUMER. Would a seller want to use this data to overprice their home for sale?? You bet they would. Would this data lead a home buyer to believe that their newly purchased home would appreciate about 10% in value in the next 12 months? You bet it would.

Now, I know full well the meaning of median. However, I have yet to determine the value of median in evaluating real estate value. In fact, I've always avoided any mention of medianin market reports because, in my experience, sellers don't list for and buyers don't buy for the median price of homes for sale.

VOLUME vs. VALUE. I believe the government and national reporting services use median as a way to avoid meaningful data. It's meaningless to them but looks impressive in reports. Their interest is in amassing great volumes of data.

As a real estate broker and consumer of real estate data, I need meaningful data and information, the less the better to inform.

Median is the middle. So what?
Median means half are above and half are below. So what?

MEDIAN PRICE REPORTS MISLEAD CONSUMERS. Give me some data or information to which I or a consumer can relate. I have actually had consumers suggest that we should make offers for homes for sale based on the median prices for the area with no relationship to the actual property under consideration. A short description of what comparative market analysis means got the buyers on track. However, having the median data even published was a distraction for the home buyer. The consumer is always tempted to accept what is published vs. what is said by their agent.

MEDIAN = MUDDLED, MISLEADING and MINDLESS

AVERAGE = APPLICABLE, ACCURATE and AUTHENTIC

Courtesy, Lenn Harely, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

REALTOR Cheatsheet: $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended & Expanded

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:27:31 -0600

THE HOME BUYER TAX CREDIT FACTS IN A NUTSHELL.

MIKE has written the most succinct and comprehensive description of the home buyers' tax credit I've seen.

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

Via Mike Jones (SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC):

REALTORS: HERE'S THE SKINNY ON THE $8,000 / $6,500 TAX CREDIT FOR HOMEBUYERS.

$8,000. Tax Credit Legislation Extended and Modified

Until the new legislation was signed into law, first time homebuyers could apply for and receive a tax credit in the amount of $8,000. when they purchased a home before the sunset date of November 30, 2009.

The new legislation, signed into law by President Obama on Friday, November 6, 2009

extends that date until April 30, 2010 for civilians, and to April 30, 2011 for certain military buyers.

increases the income limits so that millions more can qualify for the tax credit, and

enacts a reduced tax credit of $6,500 for move-up buyers who are not first time homebuyers.

Extended Timeframe

The existing sunset date established by the Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008 has been extended to April 30, 2010 for most buyers.

Qualifying members of the military who served outside the borders of the United States at any time during the period from 1/1/2009 to 4/30/2010 will have an extra year to apply for the tax credit.

Increased Income Limits

The earlier legislation put caps on income for single buyers at $95,000. Married buyers filing jointly capped out at $170,000.

The new legislation allows single wage earners to make up to $145,000, and married couples can earn up to $245,000.

NEW: $6,500 Tax Credit for Move-up Buyers

The new legislation provides a tax credit incentive for people who are not first time homebuyers. (A first time homebuyer is defined as one who has not owned a home in the last 36 months.) You may qualify for this $6,500 tax credit if you owned and lived in your home for five consecutive years out of the past eight.

Who does that help? Let’s say you sold your home in 2008. You’re not a first time homebuyer, but if you meet the “five of eight” criteria, you can buy a move-up home and still qualify for the $6,500 tax credit. Check with your tax professional for advice on your particular situation.

NOTE: Additional Requirements

There are other rules of eligibility in the legislation. (This list is not exhaustive, so you’ll want to check with your tax professional.)

You can’t buy the home from a relative.

You must be 18 or older

You cannot be claimed by any other taxpayer as a dependent

If you’ve sold a home, and that sale affects your eligibility, you must included the settlement statement (HUD-1) with your tax return.

Most buyers (check with your tax professional) must live in the home for a minimum of three years or face a government demand for repayment.

Originally published on InvestmentRealEstateCorner.com by Mike in Tucson

___________________

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, AZ Mortgage lender.

SUNSTREET MORTGAGE
Call me if I can help you or someone you know
with a purchase or refi mortgage.
(520) 349-9090

THE "WIZARD OF OZ" AWARD.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:48:33 -0600

THE "WIZARD OF OZ" AWARD.

Gene Wunderlich reports on the prognostications of Dr. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the NAR.

At the NAR. Dr. Yun Prognosticates on Housing Recovery.

SO, Dr. Yun is one of the country's most "trusted" economists. I have a more apt award for Dr. Yun. If there were an award for the prognostications of Dr. Yun, it would have to be THE WIZARD OF OZ AWARD.

Like the wizard, Dr. Yun has a position of prominence due to the financial support of about 1.3 million hard working NAR members that makes his prognostications appear to be creditable.

However, once the curtain of obfuscation is drawn back, Dr. Yun, like the Wizard, will be exposed as a purveyor of "feel good" economic statistical manipulation.

SMOKE AND MIRRORS in the housing market analysis permits the prognosticators to focus on the increase in the simple numbers of homes sold. However, historical trends would be based on a comparison of a "greased" market with the market of a year ago - - before the tax credit (grease) was available. What a creditable prognosticator would demonstrate is the true cost to the economy of the actual cost of each sale that they can identify as the result of this stimulus, the tax credit.

Dr. Yun reports: "In fact, the credit is working better than first projected - it now looks like we'll have 2.3 to 2.4 million first-time buyers this year."

Again, I ask, "at what cost"? It would appear that the cost to the American public is about $18,400.000.000. Yes, that is $18.4 BILLION DOLLARS added to the American debt .

THE FARTHER IT GOES, THE LARGER IT GROWS. Dr. Yun's thinking or "rationalle for the tax credit" is, IMO, like a cascading snow ball on a Swiss mountainside. SOONER OR LATER, WE'LL BE BURIED IN DEFICIT, that is if we haven't already been so.

SOMETIMES IT ISN'T WHAT THEY SAY, BUT WHAT THEY DO NOT SAY.

PROMISES, PROMISES. Like the Wizard of Oz, the government promises to "help" the housing industry by "giving" first time home buyers an $8,000 incentive to buy a home. Will it help the housing industry?? Sure, for a short time. However, what happens when the government hand-outs end???

IS THE TAX CREDIT DOING ANYTHING TO HELP THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE? Do I even need to answer that??

IS THE TAX CREDIT DOING ANYTHING TO REDUCE THE BUDGET DEFICIT? No need to answer that either.

IS THE TAX CREDIT INCREASING THE NUMBERS OF HOME BUYERS? It would appear so. However, how many of those first time home buyer simply moved their purchase dates forward from next year to this year?

DR. YUN SPECIALIZES IN "FEEL GOOD ECONOMIC PROGNOSTICATION" and that is not a long term cure for the housing market. National economic stability, high employment, rising earnings, higher take-home pay, low real estate taxes and more disposable income would surely do more and without increasing the debt.

WHAT ABOUT THE AMERICAN HOME OWNERS TRAPPED BY NEGATIVE EQUITY? Where do the 20,000,000 American home owners who lost all of their equity, their retirement nest egg, their financial future fit into Dr. Yun's economic prognostications???

"Honey, do you think we'll be able to move to a larger house before the baby comes?"

"No Dear, we owe about $300,000 more than what homes here are selling for. It will be many years before we can move to a larger home"

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, MD and VA, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

Sauron's Revenge

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:53:28 -0600

Or, perhaps the home buying public is like me, never having read or seen a movie about "the ring", their theme escapes me.

However, on the other hand, mainstream quality housing designs, the McMansions, if you will are selling well in my area.

Folks don't often respond to quirky in real estate design. They like comfortable.

Just my opinion, of course.

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

Via Steve Heydel--30% Referral Paid to AR Members (Cumberland Real Estate & Auction):

Several years ago I came across an article about this really unique neighborhood development in Bend, OR, called "The Shire". Following up, intentionally or not, on the mega-success of "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy, the homes and ambience of this development are Tolkien-inspired.

Well, the Eye of Sauron, in the form of our current economic meltdown, has struck the Shire. Having only sold one home in the Shire (according to the news release), bank ownership has set in. On the downside, a really cool idea has gone down; on the upside, anyone have $1.3 million to play with? If so, you can buy the development.

In the time of McMansions and cookie-cutter five-four-and-a-door homes, I think its a shame a novel (no pun intended) concept such as this has become stranded in Mordor.

A Hard Look At Reality: When Has The Federal Deficit Been This High?

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:46:59 -0600

You wrote:

"To what event will history attribute that blue spike on the right, a deficit never equaled except in a time of world war?"

I believe that we ARE, indeed, in a "time of war". I also believe that our present national financial mess began on 9/11 following a period when our government ignored the physical attacks on our property and military installations around the world.

The perpetrators of 9/11 were not criminals, they were enemies of our state, though they do not represent one state. As long as our government prefers to white wash the motivations of our enemies and try them as criminals and not prisoners of war, our enemies will be free to continue their jihad while our government shakes in their boots with no clear way to defend our country and our citizens.

Our country is under siege by our enemies and our institutions are under siege by our government.

It's ugly and I don't know what it will take to wake folks up other than a mushroom cloud over New York City.

Don't believe me?? On the news this a.m., it was announced that Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11 will be tried in civilian federal court in NYC. Of course, he'll receive all of the protections of the U.S. Constitution.

Just because there's been no declaration of war doesn't mean that we are not under attack. Enemies of the U.S. who don't wear uniforms and insignia and who do not kill Americans in the name of a foreign country are still enemies of our country. Our citizens are still just as dead as the Sailors at Pearl Harbor.

If I seem to be off-subject for this reblog, my apologies, but I don't believe that we can separate our present fiscal disaster from the fact that there IS a war going on.

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

Via Mike Jones (SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC):

A picture graph is worth 1,000 pages of congressional lawmaking.

The chart on the left was compiled by Bloomberg, and shows the budget surplus / deficit as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product.

I came across this chart this morning, and mentally did an overlay of historical events. That led me to wonder what a longer historical perspective would show.

Deficits since the Civil War

I found the most interesting and interactive website to help me with this. The chart below shows the Federal Deficit as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product since 1860. You'll want to note some significant events that have taken place in our nation since that time, and overlay the events on the chart.

The American Civil War

1861 to 1865

US Involvement in World War I

1917 to 1919

US Involvement in World War II

1941 to 1945

The First Gulf War

1990 to 1991

The Iraq War

2003 - 2009

And that leads me to wonder this: To what event will history attribute that blue spike on the right, a deficit never equaled except in a time of world war?

Back to that first chart...

From the TARP bill to the current legislation passed over the weekend under the heading "health care reform," it's apparent that none of the elected representatives we voted into office take the time to READ, EVALUATE, and UNDERSTAND the legislation they enact into law.

"There wasn't time," I've heard lawmakers say on CNN, "the crisis was so great that we had to act..."

I beg to differ.

You can't run your real estate business like that.

You can't operate your household like that.

We ought not to let our representatives run our country like that.

The Voter Revolution

2009 to ...

___________________

I'm Mike in Tucson, and I blog here on the Active Rain Real Estate Network just about every day.

I'm an internet-based mortgage lender who happens to reside in Tucson, Arizona. Read my blog, and get to know me. The internet allows me to perform at the highest level of trust and productivity.

Sunstreet Mortgage is a correspondent bank.

Click the Active Rain link below to see my guarantee of service.

SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC
a correspondent banker
Call me if I can help you or someone you know
with a purchase or refi mortgage.
(520) 349-9090

LEESBURG VA NEW HOMES READY FOR QUICK OCCUPANCY. 3 MODELS, ALL READY FOR A NEW OWNER.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:13:56 -0600

NEW HOMES IN LEESBURG VIRGINIA READY FOR QUICK OCCUPANCY.

3 MODELS, ALL READY FOR A NEW OWNER.

EUREKA! 3 NEW HOMES IN LEESBURG READY FOR QUICK POSSESSION FOR BUYERS.

Home #1, $569,990 $506,990

FEATURES

$ 539,990 $506,990

Single Family

3900 Sq. Feet on 3 finished levels

4 bedrooms & 3 1/2 baths

MAIN LEVEL

Living Room
Dining Room
Office/Den
Kitchen
Powder Room
Family Room
2 Car Garage

UPPER LEVEL

Owner's Bedroom Suite with Sitting Room and Spa Super Bath

3 Additional Bedrooms and Hall Bath

LOWER LEVEL

Recreation Room and Full Bath

TWO ADDITIONAL HOMES READY FOR QUICK OCCUPANCY.

This home priced at $578,510 $516,990. This home priced at $586.213 $515.990.

This community is located on Route 621, Evergreen Mills on the south side of Leesburg in a rural setting. Lots are wooded and the community offers amenities including a Community Center, Jogging/Walking paths, Outdoor Pool, Tot Lots and Playground.

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

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988, E-mail.

"NEVER A FEE TO BUYERS" Ask about the Homefinders.com New Home REBATE!

Loudoun County Virginia - Search Homes for Sale.
Contact us to tour homes in Loudoun County, VA. 800-711-7988.

For your copy of the Homefinders.com home buyers relocation package, just give me a call. Whether you're moving to Loudoun County from out of the area or just across county, we can help.

SATISFIED WITH "LETTING THINGS HAPPEN"? . . . BEING SATISFIED MEANS BEING LEFT BEHIND.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:17:59 -0600

JUST BE SATISFIED??

I read a blog post this a.m. written by a thoughtful ActiveRain member that sent a mixed message to me.

Adrienne Deans relates her experiences with leaving one brokerage for another in her question to grow her business and reach a higher level of achievement. Sadly, her former broker's message to her was that she should "be satisfied" with her present position and that she should simply "let things happen naturally".

Sorry to disappoint, but, in the real estate business, things don't "happen naturally".

HAVE A PLAN AND FOLLOW IT. Things are made to happen by real estate practitioners who have a plan, follow it and change their plan to adjust to changing markets. Never, in all my years in this business have I seen a real estate licensee succeed or even survive, by simply letting things happen naturally.

FOLKS ARE USUALLY LEADERS OR FOLLOWERS. I don't believe that people change that much. Unless you have actually lowered your income goals, you'll find that you'll need to work and perhaps even change direction from time to time to continue to achieve goals that we set for ourselves. Real estate practitioners who can change direction, understand and capitalize on market trends will usually find continued success.

FOLLOWERS, however, by waiting for business to come along, ignoring market trends and waiting for things to happen could soon find themselves our of resources and out of business.

As for your old broker, most employing brokers prefer agents who are "satisfied" with just enough to pay the broker a nice split, but not sufficient for the agent to want to move to a higher level and reduce the broker's split. The large real estate companies continue to dominate market share and volume but agents who remain"satisfied" waiting for thing to happen naturally will see their fellow agents' listing and selling volume continue to grow while their own does not.

THE LITTLE KNOWN REAL ESTATE BROKER "SECRET". Large brokerages thrive on two things;

(1) market share, and
(2) broker/agent commission splits

MARKET SHARE. Ever wonder why the heavy listing agents get the best offices, clerical assistance, advertising help, open house volunteers and invitations to the "top producers" breakfast meetings?? Even in a slow market where those listing are not selling, the top listing agent get the broker respect and support. It's the market share of listing that they bring to the broker. If there are 25 For Sale signs in a popular community and 10 of them are from one real estate company, that company will dominate the market for:

LIST TO LIVE? Well of course. Few new agents have not heard the advise of real estate school instructors say, "You can be at the beach and still sell homes." Listing agents can easily carry 10-20 listings, service them well and they will be paid no matter who brings the buyer. Buyers' agents, on the other hand, because of the nature and time constraints of acquiring buyer clients, showings, previewing, touring and managing offers/contracts are limited in the number of actual sales (income). The buyer's agent can only receive a commission for the buyer's side of the commission. The listing agent/broker has the potential to receive both "sides".

Why listing agents lead the market.

Listings - The old maxim "list to live" is still taught in real estate school, CE and employing brokers.
Signs - If one broker's For Sale signs dominate, owners will contact that company to list their home.
Showings - Every prospective buyer who visits a listing is a potential customer or client to list or buy.
Advertising - Advertisements in a magazine, web site, blog, newspaper or sign can lead to a sale.
Sales - Without sales, the agent won't survive and neither will be broker.
Commissions - For every listing generated by an agent, the broker has the potential of two "sides".

LETTING THINGS HAPPEN NATURALLY? I fear that would be a recipe for failure. Listings rarely come naturally.

No listings means no signs with your name and phone number.
No showings means no sales.
No advertising limits the potential to sell.
No sales, no commission.
No commission, no income.

BROKER/AGENT COMMISSION SPLITS means that the "satisfied" agent will continue to have a lesser commission split with their broker. Brokers recruit new agents who may only sell 2-3 homes a year and remain at a low commission split. Every wonder why brokers continue to hold the license of agents who may close only 2-3 sales a year? Those "satisfied" agents are, to the brokerage, money in the bank. Agents who "let things happen naturally" will not usually climb the broker/agent split ladder.

SUCCESS THROUGH VOLUME. How do Buyer's Agents who do not take listings survive and thrive? By becoming a broker and receiving a commission split from every commission earned by buyer's agents with the company.

Letting things happen naturally just might mean having to get a job. Real estate commission checks just don't happen naturally. They are rewards for a good job done. You can't just put in time and collect a pay check in the real estate business.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

ALERT! PAYPAL IMPOSTER ATTEMPTING TO GET INFO. PHONY MAIL FROM PAYPAL IMPOSTER!

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:03:42 -0600

This was in my mail box this a.m.

WATCH OUR FOR IT! IT'S A PHONY!

From:

service@paypal.com

Dear PayPal Customer,

We detected irregular activity on your account on 11/09/2009
For your protection, you must verify this activity before you
can continue using your account.

Please download "PayPal - Auth Form.html" and identify yourself.

Copyright © 1999-2009 PayPal. All rights reserved.

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

ASHBURN VIRGINIA NEW HOME READY FOR QUICK OCCUPANCY.

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:42:33 -0600

ASHBURN VIRGINIA NEW HOME READY FOR QUICK OCCUPANCY.

Located in one of Loudoun County's most popular communities in Ashburn, this newly constructed home is ready for quick occupancy.

Three finished levels provide 4 bedrooms, 2 full and 1 half bath and a finished basement for new owners.

Tour this brand new home here and if you like what you see, the price is right.

$470,000

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

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988, E-mail.

"NEVER A FEE TO BUYERS" Ask about the Homefinders.com New Home REBATE!

Loudoun County Virginia - Search Homes for Sale.
Contact us to tour homes in Loudoun County, VA. 800-711-7988.

For your copy of the Homefinders.com home buyers relocation package, just give me a call. Whether you're moving to Loudoun County from out of the area or just across county, we can help.