Sandy's Blog

How to Get Your Text Away from Your Pictures in AR blogs

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:54:01 -0500

Here are some great tips to help you with your blogs and how not to lose your work!

Via Bob Haywood, www.BobHaywood.com (McGraw Realtors):

Ever notice how some Active Rain blogs look nice with the text away from the pictures while others seem to have the text all jammed up against the picture?

Believe it or not, it's easy to make you pictures stand out by keeping the text away!

Here's how to do it.

First, start typing your blog.

Step Two: SAVE your work!

When you're done, SAVE your work using the "Draft" setting in the visibility setting. This way you won't loose all that excellent hard work you put into your blog.

Step Three: Upload your picture.

You should already know how to do this. Just click the tree looking button on the menu and a window will open. Once the window is open, click on the red, white and blueish button as shown below. This will then open another window which will include a browse button. Clicking on the browse button will take you to your computer where you can locate and upload your chosen picture.

Step Four: Name the picture and adjust the settings.

This is where the magic happens. When your picture is uploaded, you should name it in both boxes. And here's a cool trick. Name your picture something like, "Abacus by Bob Haywood" (use your own name!). That way whenever someone sees that picture in their Google search results, it will be under your name! Do this enough times and you'll have pictures all over the Internet with your name attached to them. Be sure you are not using copyrighted pictures!

Now that you have named your picture, use your mouse and click on the "Appearance" tab in the insert image window. It should look like this.

To make the text stay away from the picture put a 2 or a 3 in both the vertical space and horizontal space border boxes. IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you click on the next box down after you put the number in. This makes the program take the number. I click on the border box after I put the number in the Horizontal Space box just to be sure.

I do not put a number in the border because I don't use borders around my pictures. You can experiment with this to determine your own preferences.

Once you're done, click on the Insert tab and your picture will pop into your blog with your border settings. You can then move it left, right or to the center using the settings on the Entry tab of your blog.

This should put a nice space between your picture and your text. Repeat the above steps for each picture you want to put into your blog.

Finally, SAVE your work as Public or Members Only.

Be sure to put in your tags and choose where to post your blog and you should be good to go!

Social media icons for Active Rain users - Raindrops

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:03:08 -0500

Check out these cool buttoms!

Via Brian Brumpton, Boise Idaho Real Estate (Keller Williams Boise):

I decided to take a stab at creating some social media icons. I like the bottle caps that Jeremy and Bob have been using but wanted to do something more specific to Active Rain. So without further ado here they are:

You can link this as a blog subscription button or to your active rain profile. It's pretty much universal.

Here's one for Facebook. You can use it to link to your profile or fan pages.

Here's a Flickr icon for you.

Linkedin

For you RSS feed.

Twitter

YouTube

If there are any I missed I'll take requests. Everyone is welcome to use them and since I'm a firm believer in there's no such thing as a free lunch, all I ask in return is for you to leave me a comment so I can check them out on your blogs.

I Got A Letter From Lindsey Graham

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:39:03 -0500

I received an email from NAR asking us to send a request to our Senator about extending the 8,000 tax credit for the first time home buyers. I was shocked today, when I went to the mail box and found this letter. I never expected to get something in writing from Lindsey Graham.

I am very impressed with the quick acknowledgement of our concerns and the personal contact that his office has made.

What do you think?

Real Estate And Sea Gulls

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:42:43 -0500

What do Real Estate Agents and Sea Gulls have in Common?

The Sea Gull can still make her deposit on the Mercedes!

Thought this might give you a chuckle today. I tried to post it from the office this morning, but the server went sideways and then down and I had to leave for outside appointments. Hope all of you have a great weekend!

Wow What a Workshop and a Beautiful Home Too!

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:05:34 -0500

Sandy Childs | Keller Williams | sandychilds@hotmail.com | 864-921-1523

821 Thistle Court, Boiling Springs, SC

Wow what a garage / workshop! 22 x 24 with electricity & a yard door. Nice, well kept yard with a deck for grilling. Nice mature shade trees.

3BR/2BA Single Family House

offered at $119,900

Year Built	2001
Sq Footage	1,297
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	2
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	0.22 acres
HOA/Maint	$25 per month

DESCRIPTION

This 3 bedroom 2 full bath home is very well kept and is in move in condition. The front porch is perfect for sitting in rocking chairs and the deck is perfect for entertaining. Spartanburg County District 2 schools. This home is located in the Boiling Springs community and is less than 2 miles from I-85.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Walk-in closet	- Family room	- Breakfast nook
- Dishwasher	- Stove/Oven	- Attic
- Laundry area - inside	- Balcony, Deck, or Patio	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Swimming pool(s)

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Subivision offers fenced parking area for boats and utility trailers.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Front View	Garage / Workshop
Interior Workshop	Rear View
Great Room	Entry Way

Contact info:

Sandy Childs

Keller Williams

sandychilds@hotmail.com

864-921-1523

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 2, 2009, 4:41pm PDT

500 Blog Post in Less Than 1 Year

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:29:36 -0500

Was doing my regular morning coffee, Active Rain and answering email. Flipped back to my home page and there it was ~ 503 blog posts. OMG I have written over 500 blog posts in less than one year and also accumulated over 150,000 points.

Some of my first posts were really sad and some were really bad. I would like to thank Active Rain for making me a better blogger, not that I'm that great now, but much better than before.

This site has really helped me in this down market. It helps to read blogs from all over the country and to hear what other agents are struggling with and to also hear about their success and to share tips and tools of the trade.

Thanks again AR, it's been fun and informative.

"I Hate to Be the Bearer of Bad News, But...." - Delivering the Truth to Our Seller Clients

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:02:39 -0500

Tell the Sellers the truth about where to price their house ~ don't sugar coat it.

Via Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC):

Over the course of my career, I have been the bearer of tough news for my listing clients many times. I don't ever relish the thought of sharing bad news with anyone, but I must admit that my skills in this area have improved dramatically with experience.

I have a few tips to share that might help you if you are faced with delivering undesirable news to your own clients.

1. Just say it. Sometimes, it's best to just spit it out, then deal with the explanation. If you're at a listing appointment, and you know that the home is worth substantially less than they were hoping for, you don't have anything to gain by beating around the bush. Get it out on the table. In fact, it might just save you some time if they are unwilling to listen to the facts, because you can make a quicker exit.

2. You might consider prefacing your statement with, "I fully realize that this is not what you were hoping to hear", or something similar. It may or may not soften the blow very much, but at least you tried, right?

3. If they question your valuation of their home, tell them that you are forced to look at things as an appraiser would. I have said things like this, "I think your home shows really well, and you have a ton of nice upgrades. I think we could actually find a buyer that will pay the price you want, but I really don't think it will appraise, then you have a new set of issues to deal with."

4. Another good quote (feel free to steal it from me): "You might get an agent to agree to list the home for that price, but it won't change the market value. Don't ever choose an agent based exclusively on the price."

I hope that this is helpful for you. I am known with my past clients as being direct and honest, without being blunt. There is a fine art to communicating effectively. Hopefully, these tips will give you a leg up on your competition.

Thanks for reading!

Image courtesy of B℮n on Flickr.com.

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me in these other communities?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com. Thanks!

Limitations and Success

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:55:13 -0500

You are what you think you are!

Via Lou Ludwig CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC, e-PRO, (Ludwig & Associates):

Motivational Power Quote

Limitations and Success

"Our limitations and success will be based,

most often,

on your own expectations for ourselves.

What the mind dwells upon,

the body act upon."

Denis Waitley, author, speaker



As I see it. . . . . . . .

Limitations and success . . . .

We control the limitations that we encounter and the levels of success that we achieve.

What we think about is the foundation of our success or limitations. What we think about, is what we will dwell on until it becomes a dominating thought.

Our dominating thoughts form the basis for our self-expectations.

Our self-expectations will set our internal guidance system. The level of success that we accomplish or the limitations we experience are formed in our self-expectations.

We become what we think we are, set your expectations high.

®2009, Lou Ludwig, Sales and Management Consultant Executive Coach, Speaker, Trainer and Author

Google Wave will change the way real estate transactions are conducted online

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:53:02 -0500

Catch the Google Wave

Via Real Bird (RealBird Inc.):

First, please watch this YouTube video by Epipheo Studio explaining why Google Wave will revolutionize email communication. Then see how it will change online real estate transactions and sales cycles for the better, by making it integrated, manageable and streamlined.

Most of what I write below is based on my expectation of the exact features of Google Wave without actually having access to it and to the API sandbox (Google - please send us an invite already, will you?)

As you can see from the video above, Google Wave improves email communication by solving the mess, that the back-and-forth, multi-participant email communication creates. Any process (business or other) that has a relatively long timespan and involves many participants are a pain to conduct via email. That applies to the management of a web design project as described in the video above, planning a wedding or a corporate event, and true for real estate transactions as well. Since real estate transactions and the real estate business cycles are 1) lengthy by nature and 2) they involve many stakeholders besides you and your client (inspectors, assistants, insurance folks, lawyers, interior designers, vendors etc.), it is very well suited for improvements by the Google Wave platform.

What is Google Wave?

At its basic level it is:

A communication platform, that combines different features and benefits of

email

threaded discussions

media-independent sharing (any digital object - text, video, PDF etc. can be attached to the Wave)

real-time chats

open, standard extendability

If we dig deeper into its capabilities, it will clearly show that the sum of all these things is bigger than what the individual features by themselves can deliver:

The real estate business cycle consists of 4 major components:

Self marketing and prospecting

Servicing active clients
Listing marketing (etc) for sellers and home finding (search, showing etc.) for buyers

The closing process

Customer retention (CRM, farming, newsletters, market updates etc.)

Even though, during the last decade or two, most of these processes became computer aided and many of them went online, integration of individual business processes are still cumbersome if at all doable.

Google Wave has the potential to change this. You will be able to set up a Wave, invite all participants to communicate in one communication channel, attach all information to one thread and you and your clients will be able to track progress, communicate decision points all within one environment.

Let's talk about Extendability:

I believe, that Google Wave will become an overnight success for many reasons, but the emphasize on extendability can not be stressed enough. Theoretically, you could imagine that one software vendor could create a service for you that supports the whole real estate business cycle via their proprietary system, but in practice a system like this can be prohibitively expensive and always lacking and slow to adopt to new requirements. Alternatively, you could ask the many vendors supporting your individual business processes to pick up the phone and start talking to each other and integrate their systems (IDX and eDoc and marketing tools and lead management and CRM etc.) but quite frankly, the chance of this happening is close to zero. The cost and risk is too high for the vendors and their interests overlap and collide. This is where Google Wave extendability comes to the picture. Wave is designed from the ground up to be a platform that provides the infrastructure for 3rd party vendors to add their own custom functionality to it. It is a centralized standard that vendors will adapt and you will be able to replace an under performing vendor by simply signing up with a competing one WITHOUT jeopardizing your overall service.

Via the Google Wave's robots and gadgets specification, software vendors like us at RealBird and Zillow, Cyberhomes, Altos Research, Trulia and many others will be able to create extensions that interact with your Waves and enhance them with added functionality and information.

The easiest way to imagine how a Google Wave application will look like is to take all the scenarios where you or your visitors or your clients initiate an email conversation. Replace the email communication with Wave and imagine how much better the whole process will be when other stakeholders and 3rd party information can be attached to the conversation thread.

For example, take a RealBird single property website. Some prospective buyer finds it through syndication or search engine marketing and is interested enough to share it with his or her spouse. Currently they send an email using the built-in email tool. We will provide an option for them to not only send an email but create a Google Wave - which eventually invites the spouse to join the conversation via email. They start their discussion about the property within the Wave. Let's say they decide that they want to see this property, Currently, they would send you another email, a step which starts breaking down the communication process to unconnected channels. With Google Wave, they will invite you to join the existing Wave as a participant. With the built-in permission system, they will be able to add you to the conversation without disclosing what they talked about before. Once you joined the Wave, you will be able to add calender events and todos to the conversation (maybe using a 3rd party Wave extension gadget) and attach more information such a disclosures, floorplans and any other info that you think will enhance the process. Let's say, your prospective buyers like the property and for the sake of argument, let's say they have their own buyer's agent already. At this point - or maybe earlier - they invite her to join the Wave. Again, with appropriate permission control. Eventually, they make up their mind and make an offer. Let's say the offer is accepted. From this point the Wave will turn from a prospecting channel into managing the closing process. You will be able to add new 3rd party "robots", maybe one from DocuSign or other eDoc providers, and you will invite title and escrow people etc. You get the point: the Wave - with it's core platform and with its 3rd party applications - will help you cross the current boundaries and disintegration points of the business process, melting them into one, easy to manage integrated environment.

This is just an example process, simplified for the sake of the example, but I think it's good enough to show the power of Google Wave to manage business processes. This particular one shows an example from the buyer's perspective, how they can add stakeholders to the process, but you can take other processes and apply the same exercise with you being the "chairman" of the thread. Or imagine a Wave for a home search, with RealBird Property Search "robots" participating and posting matching listings into the Wave. Or conducting office collaborations. Or open house marketing. Only the imagination is the limit.

Google, if you are reading this post, please send us an invite already, we can't wait to start developing Wave robots and integration points for RealBird. Will you? Thanks.

-- Zoltan
RealBird.com

Are We Safe Out There?

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:42:59 -0500

Lori Bowers posted a blog about real estate agents being safe and wanted to know what other agents do to stay safe. My comments have turned into this blog post. Here are some of the things that we do at our Keller Williams office in Spartanburg, South Carolina:

The first thing we try to do is have the prospect to meet us at the office.

We always make sure that someone knows where we are going.

We have a code word in case things should go bad.

We try to go in pairs.

Try to arrive after the prospect, park behind them and call the office or a buddy with the make, model and tag number of the car, you can fumble around with your papers while you are doing this.

If possible, have the seller to hang around.

Always let the prospect walk infront of you ~ never behind you.

Always wear shoes that you could run in ~ if you have to.

Always carry a large flashlight with you, I recommend the black Maglight. If necessary you could hit an attacked with it ~ then run like heck!

Never wear flashy jewelry or anything around your neck that could be used to strangle you.

Refuse to show the house.

When you are doing an Open House only have one door unlocked. Try to keep up with how many people are in the house, especially of the house is more than one level.

Always listen to your inner voice ~ if something does not feel right ~ make an excuse and get out. Trust your instincts.

Hope this helps, Hopefully none of us will never have anything bad or scary happen to us ~ however ~ it always pays to be prepared.

Let me clarify that this is only when you have a situation where you are called upon to meet a potential buyer, that you have never met before, at a house. This is especially important if the house is vacant.

Do You Flickr?

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:03:19 -0500

What's Up with Flickr?

Via Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection:

I just opened up my Flickr account tonight. What took me so long?

Jeremy Blanton gave me the idea. Jeremy is such a whiz when it comes to all this web gadgetry and social media. Watching him do his magic is both entertaining and awe inspiring; the man is a genius!

Getting back to Flickr: if you haven't done so already, you should! Just get yourself a Yahoo webmail address (mine is Mirela.Monte@yahoo.com), then go to Flickr.com and garner yourself a free account. Start uploading your pictures and creating your magic. Here is mine:

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection Join The Optimist Group!

Beautifully Decorated home with beautiful gardens and outbuildings

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:45:40 -0500

Sandy Childs | Keller Williams | sandychilds@hotmail.com | 864-921-1523

116 Edgebrook Court, Spartanburg, SC

Beautiful updated & tastefully decorated & to Carolina Country Club golf course. Home has both formal living (with FP) & dining room

4BR/2.5BA Single Family House

offered at $249,900

Year Built	1978
Sq Footage	2,762
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	2
Parking	3 Car garage
Lot Size	1.47 acres
HOA/Maint	$35 per month

DESCRIPTION

Walking through these tranquil gardens is very relaxing. This home is perfect for family gatherings and for entertaining. The great room is huge and has a fireplace. The bonus room could be used for a mother-in-law suite with closet.

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- High/Vaulted ceiling	- Walk-in closet	- Hardwood floor
- Tile floor	- Family room	- Living room
- Bonus/Rec room	- Dining room	- Breakfast nook
- Dishwasher	- Stove/Oven	- Microwave
- Granite countertop	- Attic	- Laundry area - inside
- Balcony, Deck, or Patio	- Yard

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Home offers 2 outside patios for outside entertaining

- This home is updated and tastefully decorated

- $35.00 is an annual Home Owners Association fee, not monthly

- This home has tons of storage space both inside and outside

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Front View	Rear View
Workshop	Potting shed
Dining Room	Great Rm with FP

Contact info:

Sandy Childs

Keller Williams

sandychilds@hotmail.com

864-921-1523

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Sep 14, 2009, 6:03pm PDT

Thanks for Getting Me Started on Active Rain

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:58:23 -0500

Just this week I reached 150K points on Active Rain and I wanted to thank my great friend and fellow Rainmaker, Jean Terry for introducing me to Active Rain.

She practically had to make me sign up. I told her, "I don't have time to do that!" She told me that if I tried it, then I would see the benefit. So, reluctantly I signed up.

And here we are 150K points later, with lots more friends, a huge file of clip art and a lot more knowledge. I wrote a post about reaching 150K, Here is the link:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1267166/150-000-points-an-active-rain-success-story

Jean, hope you enjoy your roses and your day. Thanks again!

Clip Art Users-Have You Checked out the Upgrades?

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:38:16 -0500

If you love clip art ~ then check this out

Via Pat Fenn (Marketing Specialist for Cindy Jones RE/MAX Allegiance):

If you are a subscriber to www.iclipart.com and haven't logged in recently go take a look.

They have done some nice upgrades to the site and they've added some terrific new graphics.

The new menu on the left hand side of the screen makes it easier to narrow down your choices. Some of the new 3D graphics are quite eye catching. Some of the graphics themselves might inspire a blog post or two.

The subscription rates are reasonable and you know when you use graphics from a site such as www.iclipart.com that you won't have any copyright issues.

Every Seller Needs To Know, What Sells a house?

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:24:09 -0500

If you want to sell your house ~ then read this blog

Via Carra Riley CRB, CRS, GRI (Carra Riley Inc.- Real Estate Consultant, Author, Speaker ):

Every Seller Needs To Know, What Sells a house?

There are four varibles that sell a house.

1. Price

2. Terms

3. Condition

4. Location

All four of the variables go together to create the "perfect sale." Each aspect must be taken into consideration if you want a property to sell.

1. Price fixes everything! Don't let anyone tell you different. When the buyer perceives there is a value because of the price, they will buy the home.

The other three varibles always can effect the price.

There are circumstances where a buyer has lost the ability to qualify for a traditional loan because of a foreclosure or bankruptcy and the buyer needs owner financing. With Owner carry Terms that particular buyer may be willing to pay more because they have ownership with possibly a small down payment.

Conversely, if the Condition is bad the price will have to be reduced to reflect a value in the home where a buyer will have to come in and do repairs or cosmetic updates.

Location is the toughest variable in the sale to compensate for. Most people have heard about in Real Estate the terms Location, Location, Location. If the location is bad.. ONLY price will sell the property possibly combined with terms so exciting that a buyer will not be able to pass up the deal.

2. Terms. If the Terms are attractive, sometimes a seller can get more money for the home. For example: a home with a value of $325,000 listed with owner carry terms of $25,000 down and no bank qualifing might be able to sell at $350,000 because of the terms.

Under any owner carry situation, it is important the seller speak with their accountant and attorney before accepting any contract and agreement to finance. The seller should be completely aware of the liability and consequences in owner financing. This is just an example how price can increase with the right terms.

3. Condition is a key factor in selling a home. When the property is in top condition, looking like a show home the seller may get top market value for the property. In times where homes are selling at a slow pace, in order to procur a sale, the home should be the BEST property at the Lowest price to get to the closing table.

Taking a seller on a preview tour of the homes in the area similar to their property can save months of discouragement with a home not selling. When a seller can see the competition and accepts the fact their home needs to be the Best house at the lowest price to sell, the home will sell and the seller will see what they are up against in comparison.

Carpet or paint allowance does NOT work in selling a home. If the home needs carpet, put it in. If the home needs painting, get it painted. Many times this can cost a seller $5,000 to $8,000 to do those upgrades. Investing, yes, investing is the correct term, for getting the house sold. The money invested will come back in the form or a quick sale at full market value.

A picture is worth a thousand words so think about how the property looks and even take some pictures to see what a buyer is looking at. Sellers should look at the pictures like they were a buyer and ask, "would I buy this house in this condition for this price?" Are the kitchen counters cluttered? Are the closets a mess? What does the front door look like and the yard when people drive up to the house?

A seller has 8 seconds for a buyer looking at a home to decide if they really like the house and if it will go on the A list. The buyer starts the decision making process when driving up to the home while looking at the surrounding properties and the entrance to the home.

There are many agents are trained in "staging" a home and there are "staging services" which help a seller to understand what needs to be done to create a "marketable product." Listen to these people if you want to get the house sold.

The seller needs to separate from the house and see it as an investment or product that needs to be sold. The seller needs to take all the emotions out of the happy memories in the home if they are serious about selling.

4. Location is the only variable which cannot be changed. A bad location, is a bad location so only price and terms are going to help this situation.

It does not matter that the same model home across the street sold for thousands more, because it was ACROSS THE STREET and did not back to the highway. A seller needs to get a reality check on location and think about when they purchased. If the seller got a good deal when they bought because it had a bad location then they have to give the new buyer the same good deal to sell.

Sellers should take all the emotion out of the business of selling a home and treat the transaction as an investment decision.

If the goal is to get the home sold then listen to the professionals and let them do their job.

As Donald Trump would say, "It's only business."

Cosmic Cow Pie

Carra Riley

Is IT Point Worthy?

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:44:22 -0500

IT's all about the points?

Via Jane Penttinen (Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC - Sr. Loan Officer):

Is IT Point Worthy? I've been thinking about that little phrase quite a bit and it dawned on me how many parts of my day revolve around points of one type or another.

In my business, I very often get a phone call that starts out with

Loan Client - "Hi! I need a mortgage. My credit score is excellent. I have 20% for a down payment and I make a great salary. I want the lowest interest rate available."

Me - "Okay. I can get you a rate of 4.25%!"

Loan Client - "Wow! I LIKE that rate."

Me - "It will cost you 4.625 points to buy that rate."

Loan Client - "What's a point?"

After a discussion about the cost of the lowest rate available and the cost of the best rate available, then we get down to business. The lowest rate available - Is IT Point Worthy? Maybe. Maybe not.

One year ago I started on a journey with Weight Watchers. With this program every food has a point value. You calculate how many points you should consume in a day and work out an eating plan to stay within your point allowance. Exercise and working out will give you extra points to use so that's a little motivation to get some physical activity. I like it because I really can eat whatever I want - I just have to keep track of my points and stay within my allowance. So I have learned to look at different foods from the context of Is IT Point Worthy? In 6.5 months I lost 37 pounds and have kept it off for 5 months so far. That piece of dark chocolate (4 points)- Is IT Point Worthy? Maybe. And maybe I'll have an apple instead (1 point).

Six months ago, I was running late for an appointment. Driving across town, I looked in my rear view mirror and there he was - the traffic cop. Yep! I was speeding and got a nice FAT ticket. No problem - I'll just go to traffic school so I won't get any points on my license. Oops! You can only do that once every two years. My last ticket was 23.5 months before. Darn! Two weeks short of being able to avoid the points!! Not paying attention to the speed limit - Is IT Point Worthy? Not hardly! AND I ended up being even later than I would have been.

I accumulate points at my grocery store. I get 1 point for every dollar I spend there. When I accumulate 100 points, I get 10 cents off per gallon of gas on my next fill up at their gas station. Is IT Point Worthy? Sometimes. Other times, the competing store 2 miles down the road has more of what I want on sale.

I like to travel - and I really like to travel when it's FREE. My credit card gets me frequent flier miles - 1 point for every dollar. Accumulate enough points and I can fly for free. Is IT Point Worthy to use my credit card on a regular basis to accumulate points? ONLY if the bill gets paid off every month. Otherwise, the ticket is way too expensive!

Blogging on Active Rain. Is IT Point Worthy? I started with ActiveRain on August 14. I've accumulated a little over 15,000 points. I've been able to connect with a lot of very nice professionals from all over the country. I've received some very nice comments on my posts. I've learned a lot from reading other peoples posts. Is IT Point Worthy? YOU BET!
Jane Penttinen, Sr. Loan Officer

Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC

520-547-4150

If you, your friends or family require the services of a mortgage professional, please don't hesitate to call me. I am never too busy for any of your referrals.

Once upon a time, in the land that banks forgot. . . . . .

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:39:12 -0500

You should read this about mortgages

Via Jane Penttinen (Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC - Sr. Loan Officer):

Once upon a time, in the land that banks forgot. . . . . .getting approved for a mortgage loan was quite a different and more human process.

Your loan application was completed by hand and every box was filled out

Your employment was documented with a written Verification of Employment - no pay stubs and W-2's. . . uh! uh!

Your bank accounts were documented with a written Verification of Deposit. . . no bank statements. . .uh! uh!

Your credit report took 3 weeks and then you had to write a letter of explanation for every little ding no matter how minor - there was no FICO score! . . .uh! uh!

The appraisal took 3 weeks - (they had to wait for the roll of film to be developed!)

Faxes were not allowed and e-mail did not exist . . .uh! uh!

BUT the Underwriter was an Underwriter! The job of the Underwriter was to evaluate risk. The Underwriter looked at every single piece of paper in the file. There was no computer model to approve/caution/decline the loan. Once the file was complete, the Underwriter would present the loan to "LOAN COMMITTEE" with a recommendation for approval or decline. "LOAN COMMITTEE" was typically a group of Vice Presidents within the bank and they made the ultimate decision on whether the loan was approved or not. At my bank, they met twice a week - Tuesday and Thursday.

Once upon a time, I was one of those Underwriters. I got a loan to underwrite one day that, on the surface, looked like a very bad risk. The credit report was AWFUL! Late payments everywhere - and lots of them. By today's standards, the FICO score would have probably been around 400. But after a review of every single piece of paper in the file I knew this borrower was NOT a bad risk. Her old credit history was good but the last few years was ugly. As I read her letter of explanation and reviewed the proof she provided I got a very good look at the character of this lady.

She had married a man who turned out to be a real turkey. He ran up credit all over town, spent a good deal of money that SHE had saved, got them in thousands of dollars of debt and then left town. Arizona is a community property state - his debt was her debt. This lady could have taken the easy way out and filed bankruptcy - and, at that time, would have been free and clear in two years and easily approvable by any lender. But instead, she worked two full time jobs for three years in order to pay every single debt. No one lost a dime on this lady! Her credit report was trash but she honored every one of her obligations.

When I took the loan to "LOAN COMMITTEE" they flat out rejected the loan. I took that loan back to "LOAN COMMITTEE" twice a week for 6 weeks. Finally, one of the Vice Presidents said "How many times are you going to bring this loan back here?". My answer - "Until you approve it". I won! "LOAN COMMITTEE" finally approved her loan with the stipulation that I, personally, monitor her payment history for one year. No problem. I knew my lady was good and I had evaluated the risk.

Ten months later, I had to take her back to "LOAN COMMITTEE" because she needed a small second mortgage to put a new roof on her home. So, I started out with "We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way - your call". Her payment history was perfect - every payment made 7 - 10 days early. The loan was approved in less than 5 minutes.

My lady never did let me down. Would she be approved today? Never. Are Underwriters allowed to evaluate risk today? No - a computer model tells us who is a good risk. Even the underwriters that know how to evaluate risk are required to make the loan fit the box. Unfortunately for us, mostly they are now Validators and the art of true, human underwriting has gone to. . . .the land that banks forgot.
Jane Penttinen, Sr. Loan Officer

Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC

520-547-4150

If you, your friends or family require the services of a mortgage professional, please don't hesitate to call me. I am never too busy for any of your referrals.

REAL ESTATE AGENTS ON HIATUS. . . REAL ESTATE BROKERS CLOSING OFFICES. . . AGENTS "ON REFERRAL". . . AGENTS ON SABATICAL. THEY'LL BE BACK.

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:53:47 -0500

Don't quit ~ go on a sabatical ~ Lenn is going to tell you how:

Via Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate:

REAL ESTATE AGENTS ON HIATUS. . . REAL ESTATE BROKERS CLOSING OFFICES. . . AGENTS "ON REFERRAL". . . AGENTS ON SABATICAL. THEY'LL BE BACK.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES and clearly A REFLECTION OF THE ECONOMY.

Laurie Mindnich writes an intriguing article today about agents dropping out. My question is "Dropping out of what?"

True, many are dropping out of their local, state and national Realtor associations or boards. The fees are outrageous and clearly discourage continued membership in times of economic slow downs.

HOWEVER, are they dropping out of "real estate"? I suspect not. In my view, agents dropping memberships is a cost saving measure dictated by their inability to make the necessary income from their real estate business to maintain their present living expenses and must, by necessity, go to other sources of income.

HOW TO WIN - WIN. . . . PUT YOUR LICENSE "ON REFERRAL". Many brokers will hold your license "on referral" without you being actively engaged in real estate practice on a day to day basis.

IT'S DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN. This isn't the first time I've witnessed this dynamic, agents forced into getting a job to make ends meet and reducing their efforts to generate real estate business. I saw the same thing back in the late 1980s through about 1995. Business was down dramatically due to . . . . . you're gonna love this. . . . . a housing/mortgage industry scandal resulting in the creation of the Resolution Trust Corporation, a government run asset management company with the mission of liquidating real estate assets of the Savings and Loan Associations that had become "insolvent" due to mortgage and appraisal fraud. .

SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK AT THE IRONY OF HOW MANY TIMES MAN CAN REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES AND BELIEVE THEY WILL STILL WORK.

O.K.. . . . So the real estate market is in the tank. So it's difficult for many agents to maintain the same level of business they enjoyed during the mid 2000s real estate boom.

When times are tough, the tough get busy. Many agents and brokers have adjusted their business plans and procedures to continue to generate a sufficient level of business to . . stay in business.

KEEP THE LICENSE. If an agent or broker cannot generate sufficient business to stay in business, they do not have to drop out. Once a person is licensed, keeping a license active is easy and not too costly. It's the cost of the NAR Association of Realtors that costs. I'm shelling out about $1,500 next week to adjust my memberships so that I have access to homes listed for sale though out my market area. That's a lot of money. Once paying the national, state and local dues, we still pay for Continuing Education classes to maintain our licenses. We still pay separately for MLS membership and access to listings. We pay and pay and pay.

PUT YOUR LICENSE ON REFERRAL. Keep your CE hours up to date. If you decide to engage in the real estate business in the future, you won't be faced with playing "catch-up" with credit hours. In fact, if you are licensed in good standing, in many areas you can still maintain MLS membership.

STAY UP TO DATE. Maintain your ActiveRain membership and stay on top of the real estate industry news, trends, alerts, and points of interest to you. Folks you meet that may be prospective home buyers or sellers will still be there. You can refer them to trusted experienced agents and you'll receive a referral fee. You are entitled to benifit from your business contacts just as when you were an active agent.

THERE IS A FUTURE. If real estate practice is in your blood, don't get rusty. Get a job if you must, but don't go backwards in your real estate career. PUT YOUR LICENSE "ON REFERRAL". Drop the NAR memberships and save some $$$$$, but keep your state license.

JUST TAKE A SABBATICAL.

150,000 Points ~ An Active Rain Success Story

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:43:33 -0500

Tonight, I have reached another milestone in my evolution here on Active Rain. Heather Chavez reached her 100K mark last week and this week Sandy Childs has reached 150,000 points.

So, hey Heather I doing the Snoopy dance with you!

I need first of all to thank my great long time friend and fellow Rainmaker, Jean Terry for just almost making me join Active Rain. She sat me down in the conference room at our office and showed me how to get started. I've been hooked ever since. Thanks Momma Jean!

I have learned where to go to get really great clipart. Not just for the blogs ~ but good stuff for our marketing materials. Hey this time last year I didn't know what a HTML was.

This time last year I didn't know what a Postlets was or how to post my listings to Craigs list.

I have really enjoyed Richard's photography and it has inspired me to take much better pictures and Heather has spurred me to be more creative. Mirela Monte has taught me so much. Mirela thank you for everything and I really enjoy reading your blogs.

Thanks Jeremy and Brad for answering all of my questions and for answering them so quickly.

Since I started actually reading the blogs and commenting, I have found myself being in the know about so much that the other agents at my office, who are not on AR, are nor aware is going on. How can you read any of Lenn's blogs and not come away with some good information. Without C-Tann, I would still be wondering about eye candy and peeps and who could ever be the same after reading any of TWL or Broker Bryant's blogs.

My experience has been so positive. Some people say that we are whining, when we blog about a bad day, but it does help to vent. It's like Active Rain is a whole new community to be a part of; and you can do it at your own pace and time.

I really love this site and all of my new computer friends.

Thanks AR for making this site possible for us.

The Skinny on Making Links Count the Most

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:41:25 -0500

Make those words count ! ! !

Via Dynamic Page Solutions (Dynamic Page Solutions):

I've noticed that a lot of people on ActiveRain use "linking text" in their blogs to empower their links to the full potential, but I've noticed quite a few that don't. Well here's how to use "linking text" and why you should do it. When writing a blog for your real estate website, don't just put your web address as the link to your site.

Bad Example

Carlsbad Oceanfront Homes Capture the Southern California Lifestyle

Oceanfront homes in Carlsbad embody the legendary surf-and-sun lifestyle of Southern California. Wide stretches of public beach, sport fishing, water sports of all kinds and more than two dozen golf courses draw sun lovers from all over. Local restaurants feed almost any hunger from traditional Mexican food at Norte's to sushi at Mikko Japanese to authentic Italian fare at Caldo Pomodoro. Carlsbad offers beachfront homes for mid-range pocketbooks as well as for the affluent buyer.

Please visit http://www.carlsbadfinehomesandestates.com/ for more information.

Good Example

Carlsbad CA Oceanfront Real Estate Defines the Southern California Lifestyle

Buying an oceanfront home in a Carlsbad planned or gated community is an excellent way to get a newer home with direct beach access. In addition, a number of planned neighborhoods provide docks for boats of all kinds. Whether you want to live a beach life in a condo by the ocean or enjoy a lavish lifestyle in an exclusive beach community, Carlsbad, CA Oceanfront Real Estate has just the oceanfront home for you. Enjoy private community centers with a full range of recreation and outdoor facilities like basketball and tennis courts, barbeque grills and swimming pools.

The linking text in this example is the title of that particular page. It has been optimized for those specific keywords and hundreds of others using a progressive real estate technology. If you're using a site that does not have page titles, or your page title is your personal name, you can still take advantage of good linking text by making it up as it relates to your business and the blog post content.

For example, if your selling real estate in Fullerton, CA, but your website's page title is Sally Joe Realtor in Fullerton, CA, you can use linking text that reads Fullerton CA Real Estate for Sale and this will still provide some advantage over a plain link of your website address.

The search engines are looking for text that relates to and matches the content on a website. So you can take advantage of all of the labor spent on creating content for your site by using linking text that matches the content on the site. Remember, most people are searching for homes to buy not Realtors to sell them a home, and they are more likely to click thru on a link that plainly states what is there, especially if they are looking for real estate in that area. You can switch it up a bit too; it is advisable to do some deep-linking as well as creating links to your index page. If you have sub-pages that offer resources for homebuyers in a specific area, link to that interior page using the same logic as defined earlier.

A page dedicated to the local school district is a good example, if you have content on that page that details the school district, use linking text that is related to it such as "Homes for Sale in Catalina School District." This practice can capture some of the long tail searches that people use to find homes that meet their specific needs. If you are interested in a site that allows all of the MLS listing to be seen by the search engines (not an i-frame IDX), please take a look at my website for a truly new an innovative approach to capture long tail searches.

Helping People Through Short Sales: Gary Keller Audio Interview with Mega KW Agent

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:38:35 -0500

Short Sales According to Gary Keller

Via Keller Williams Realty:

Keller Williams Realty’s Realtor Career Audio Training:

Gary Keller Audio Interview: Helping People Through Short Sales

Kristina Arias, Keller Williams Integrity First Realty

Related Posts:

KW Agent Mountain -Gary Keller Audio Interview: Four Key Steps To Getting REO Business

Keller Williams Realty News: Get The Best Distressed Training In The Industry!

KW Agent Career Training: SHIFT – Mastering Short Sales(Slideshow Presentation)

KW Real Estate Agent Training: Audio Interview with Top Short Sales Agent Sean Healey

Sharpen Your Expertise Within the Pre-Foreclosure Arena

LOL Friday: Those Crazy Californians!

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:31:04 -0500

Old laws on the books can really be a HOOT!

Via Heather Chavez, Second Self Virtual Assistance (928) 412-4469 (Second Self Virtual Assistance):

This is why we are referred to as "Those Crazy Californians":

1. No vehicle without a driver can exceed 60 mph anywhere in the state. So, if you're going to be in a passenger seat of a car that has no driver, make sure you keep it at 59 or below, buddy!

2. Women may not drive in a house coat in California. They can, apparently, drive naked, though, as long as they don't get out of the car.

3. Sunshine is guaranteed to the masses. Yes, this is an actual law. It is our unalienable right as Californians to have sunshine at any given time. So there, Florida! We'll show you who the Sunshine State really is!

4. If you go bike riding in Baldwin Park, make sure you don't do so in a swimming pool. This is illegal.

5. In Belvedere, and I quote, "No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash." I didn't realize the leash laws were meant for the owners, not the dogs themselves. They must be a little "touched" in Belvedere.

6. You may only wear cowboy boots if you own at least two cows in Blythe. If you only have one cow, you're outta luck!

7. If you plan on detonating a nuclear device anywhere in California, make sure it's not in Chico. This will result in a $500 fine.

8. For you shepherds out there, it is illegal to drive more than 2000 sheep down Hollywood Blvd at a time. However, if you've actually been to Hollywood Blvd, you can see thousands of sheep rustling along the Blvd, only they are dressed in Hawaiian shirts carrying cameras around their necks. We call 'em tourists.

9. You cannot possess, own or raise roosters in Lompoc because it is considered disturbing the peace. You don't want to upset the prisoners at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institute. They need their beauty sleep.

10. It's illegal to curse on a mini-golf course in Long Beach. However, feel free to let loose on the big boy course to your heart's content. I always thought that golf was supposed to be soothing until I went to the course with my husband years ago. (blush)

11. For all you crazy cats out there, don't dare wear your zoot suit in public in Los Angeles. It's illegal, Daddio!

12. Also in LA, a man cannot beat his wife with a strap wider than 2 inches without her consent. So, either get her permission first or use a smaller strap. And the old "but she had it coming" defense won't work.

13. If you are not gifted with a beautiful countenance (and your name might be "Betty), you may want to skip out on seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. It is illegal for "ugly" people to walk down the streets of San Francisco.

14. Also in San Francisco, make sure you wipe your car with clean underwear. Wiping it down with used undies is against the law.

15. If you absolutely, positively have to pile horse manure on a street corner in San Francisco, make sure it isn't stacked higher than six feet or you're breaking the law. 5'11" is OK. But, six feet is just wrong!

And, I think this one baffles me the most. If you are caught "molesting butterflies" in Pacific Grove, you will receive a $500 dine. How the hell do you molest butterflies? If you know the answer, shame on you and don't tell me.

Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!

The Hummingbirds Have Moved South

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:20:33 -0500

Every evening after work I love to sit on the patio and enjoy the hummingbirds. They are so delightful as they play and drink from the feeders in the back yard. I love to hear them chirp and flutter past. Sometimes they appear to even want to fight with one another touching their fluttering wings together ~ they have been so sweet this summer.

Tonight after work there were no chirping birds, only empty feeders.

Fall is upon us!

Wow What a Workshop and a Beautiful Home Too!

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:37:53 -0500

Sandy Childs | Keller Williams | sandychilds@hotmail.com | 864-921-1523

821 Thistle Court, Boiling Springs, SC

Wow what a garage / workshop! 22 x 24 with electricity and a yard door. Nice, well kept yard with a deck for grilling. Nice mature shade trees in the

3BR/2BA Single Family House

offered at $119,900

Year Built	2001
Sq Footage	1,297
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2 full, 0 partial
Floors	2
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	0.22 acres
HOA/Maint	$25 per month

DESCRIPTION

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

- Central A/C	- Central heat	- Fireplace
- Walk-in closet	- Family room	- Breakfast nook
- Dishwasher	- Stove/Oven	- Attic
- Laundry area - inside	- Balcony, Deck, or Patio	- Yard

COMMUNITY FEATURES

- Swimming pool(s)

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

- Subivision offers fenced parking area for boats and utility trailers.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Front View	Garage / Workshop
Interior Workshop	Rear View
Great Room	Entry Way

Contact info:

Sandy Childs

Keller Williams

sandychilds@hotmail.com

864-921-1523

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Oct 2, 2009, 2:55pm PDT

Creating Title Tags And Content To Match It - SEO Tips

Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:27:21 -0500

Read this blog about title tags:

Via Lisa Udy Realtor Utah Real Estate Specialist (Logan Utah Real Estate Immaculate Homes):

One of the most crucial factors in ranking high for your targeted keywords in search engines is your Title Tag.

What is a title tag?

If you look at the top of your browser when you're on a web page, it's those words that are in the little blue bar at the top. The reason for this post is because of the number of real estate websites I see that don't take advantage of such an easy way to promote your website to search engines.

Did you know your title tags are what's holding you back in the search engines?

I hate to say it, but the reason you aren't showing up in search engines, is because you don't have your title tag optimized. Your title tags should be the first thing you "optimize" to be found in search engines. If you are blogging and generating back links to your website, but your title tags aren't optimized, your making it hard on yourself.

So, how do you optimize your title tags?

This might be complicated, because it all depends on your website, and not every website lets you access the title tags. If you don't know if you can edit your title tags, talk to whoever built your website for you, or you can always Google it. If someone else has a website like yours, chances are you can find out how to optimize your tags by searching Google.

How Should I Optimize My Title Tags?

Now that you know what a title tag is, how you can change it, it's now time to consider what you should change it to. For each page on your website, you need to determine it's purpose, and what the content on the web page is about. For example:

I have webpage dedicated to Logan Utah Real Estate, and if you look at that pages title tags, they define the page as "Logan Utah Real Estate, Logan Real Estate, Utah Real Estate Listing." The reason it has those 3 phrases, is because I know people, when searching for properties, will type phrases like that in the search box. You probably already know this, and that's why it's key to add those phrases to your title tags.

That title tag is "optimized" because the content on the page itself is about what the title tag says it's about. If you read through the content, it's keyword rich with the words: Logan, Utah, Real Estate, Listings, Property, and so on.

Warning: If you add title tags to a web page that don't really represent what the title tag says, it's going to be hard to convince search engines your page is about what your title tag says. Make sure that your title tag is related to the pages content. If you have a page about neighborhoods, your title tag should reflect those neighborhoods.

If you do this with every page of your website, you are going to see your rankings in search engines increase. You will be giving search engines more information about what your pages are about, which is the whole purpose of a search engine. They want to give their searchers the most relevant page to their search query. If you title a page correctly and create relevant content to that title, you're going to help search engines, which in turn, is going to help you rank better.

Title Tag Optimization Tips For Real Estate

When optimizing your title tags, it's a good rule of thumb to use these phrases, as they all relate to real estate.

Listings, Property, Properties, Home, Homes, Homes For Sale, Agent, Agents, REALTOR, MLS.

If you use these phrases with your town included, you will pick up more search engine results placements, and increase the traffic to your website.

Examples:

If I was a real estate agent in Seattle, I would use those same phrases, but I would add the different areas I service.

Seattle WA Homes For Sale, Seattle Real Estate Listings, Real Estate Property and MLS Listings Seattle Washington

With that title tag, I have given myself the chance to show up for broader searches. Say someone searches in Google: Seattle real estate listings for sale - With that search, I have my title tag optimized for all of those keywords, and if I build enough links to that page, I will show up in the searchers results pages.

Now, if you read this, I expect you to update your title tags, and optimize your pages to be better then your competition. I can't stress enough how much an optimized title tag can increase your websites visibility.

If you have any questions about this, leave me a comment, and I will do the best I can to help you out. :)