My family has gone to The Festival of Lights for years. Festival of Lights is a parade to celebrate the December holiday season. The parade is December 5, 2009 at 5:50pm in downtown Colorado Springs.

The Festival of Lights Parade has choosen the Empty Stocking Fund as its charity. You may help us Mission Statement: Festival of Lights, Inc. is a series of events to celebrate the December holiday season, highlighted by the Festival of Lights Parade. The events include cultural and artistic programs, performances and other festivities for the enjoyment and education of the general public.help them by clicking on this link and make your donation or bring a dollar to the parade and give it to the collection elves. Every dollar you give will be doubled. Start your holiday season and your holiday giving in the same nite. http://emptystocking.coloradosprings.com

To get more information go to: http://www.coloradospringsfestivaloflights.org/

I hope to see you there. Bring your coats, gloves and blankets. OH and don't forget your Starbucks!!

See you there!
Brooke

Apparently during the big home boom from 2001-2007 drywall manufactures imported drywall from China because there was such a high demand for it.  Little did they know that the drywall was highly toxic. 

If you have experienced numerous air condition coil failures, your copper electrical ground wire have turned black, and you are suffering from upper respiratory issues, nose bleeds, unexplained rashes, or severe allergy type symptoms, your house may contain toxic imported Chinese Drywall.  This means if your house was built or remodeled during that time. 

You can go to the links below to get more information. 

http://chinesedrywallcomplaintcenter.com/index.html

or

http://www.injurylawcolorado.com/legal-news/general/toxic-chinese-drywall-possible-in-colorado-16.htm#comment-113

How awesome is that!  Forbes magazine wrote the article stating that Colorado Springs is ranked #3 for housing recovery!!  Sales activity is up 14% in Colorado Springs.  Now 20% of sales were foreclosures.  But my thoughts are that atleast they are getting sold!  It could be worse and not even those were selling.  They do feel that even though sales are up, that doesn't mean pricing of homes is up.  However if you look at the statistics, provided by PPMLS.  You will see a drop of almost $20,000 from last year.  However in March of 2009, the average sale price started to go back up, after plummeting from last year.  So that is another good indication for Colorado Springs.

Some will say that it is because of the all the military coming in and I say, "you betcha".  They are helping give our economy a boost that we have needed!  Another reason to be thankful and appreciative of our military!  We can thank our military for not only defending our Country but also helping our economy here in Colorado Springs. 

God Bless you men, woman and your families!!

Brooke Shepherd

RE/MAX Properties

Jeff Ryder Team

719-432-8485

brookeshepherd@msn.com

Well I was working as a buyer's agent with a young sweet couple.  We found them a townhome to buy in the first 5 homes we looked at.  We put in an offer and did $1000 earnest money. Offer accepted.  About a week after earnest money was turned in, the couple asked me if I knew if it had cleared yet.  I told them it will the title company has it.  Everything went smoothly thru closing.  We went over the HUD the earnest money was credited back to the buyers, good to go.

 So two days later I get a call from the selling agent.  He calls me frantic because they took $1000 out of his commission.  I had delivered the earnest money check to him, per his request.  He then sent it to the the title company which was about 1 hour away from us, via mail.   They were telling him they never recieved it and so they took it from him.  He called me to see if my clients could see if it cleared.  I called them and it hadn't.  So they were concerned because they thought it was all said and done, hadn't paid attention if it had cleared.  They were buying stuff for the house. 

 I called my managing broker and this is where it would have stood. 

 My clients signed a contract saying they were giving the $1000 earnest money.  They delivered their part.  Ethically speaking they should void the first check and give the seller's agent the 2nd one.

But, if they no longer have the money or feel that they closed, HUD reflected they paid it, then legally it isn't their responsibility.   Then the title company and seller's agent have to figure it out.

However, a day later the title company ended up finding the check.  We called my clients they said it was clear to be deposited and it was all taken care of.

 It was a good experience and lessoned learned. 

Ok,

My clients have their house on the market and have some friends that live in their neighborhood.  Both the wives just got laid off from the same company about 3 months ago.   My clients can still make their house payments and bills, but don't have as much fun money.  This other couple can't really make it much longer.

This other couple went to a class a few weeks ago on mortgages for people who are struggling.  At the end of the class they had a woman approach them and tell him that the guy that was running the class is running a scam and they should listen to what she has to say.   So they are working with this lady that approached them.  My clients have been getting told about this program from their friends and have been very curious.  After getting all the facts over the last week, I realized they were approached to do the Hope for Homeowners.  My client called me upset today because her friends/neighbors told them that the goal for them is to de-value the homes in their neighborhood so they can get approval for this program.  So if they bought their house for $220,000, then took a 2nd out to make it $250,000.  But can no longer afford that.  Then this program finances up to 90% of the value.  Which means the lender has to write-off the difference of what the loan is and what they feel it is now worth.  Now the homeowners goal is to have it appraised for really low so that their mortgage value to what they could sell it for is good for them.  I understand that some people have made good choices financially and they got laid off just need this program to help them.  Where I am frustrated is that my clients have been very wise with their money.  They have no debt besides their house and car payment.  Now their house might get de-valued because of many other's poor choices.  

On top of that it is another realtor who is suggesting this program to them.  What good is it to devalue homes that you yourself is trying to sell?  I just don't get it.  If you are not following me.  Go to this link and they can probably explain it a little more clearer.

 http://www.hud.gov/fha/home080730.cfm

Then here is some of the flaws with it.

http://yourmortgageoryourlife.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/no-hope-for-homeowners-foreclosure-prevention-program-falters/

Brooke

I know I am a mom that likes to be aware of what is being said w/ my kids and these text messages.  So, I thought some of you might want to know too.  Some of our kids are getting exposed to things now and it is always good to know what people are saying to them. 

Yes, I do check my kids' text message!  I pay the bills, they live in my house, they get their messages checked! 

 KPC - Keeping Parents Clueless

TD2M- Talk Dirty to Me

IWSN- I Want Sex Now

NIFOC- Nude in Front of Computer

GYPO-Get your pants off

ADR - Address

WYCM- Will You Call Me

KFU- Kisses For You

MOOS- Member of Opposite Sex

MOSS- Member of Same Sex

PIR-Parents in Room

NALOPKT - Not A lot of People Know This

P911- Parent Alert

PAW- Parents are Watching

LMIRL- Let's Meet in Real Life

PAL - Parents are Listening

ASL - Age Sex Location

MorF- Male or Female

SorG- Straight or Gay

POS- Parents Over Shoulder

Brooke Shepherd

Keller Williams Clients Choice

www.brookeshepherd.com

719-432-8485

I think this is such an important quote.  Can you think of how many times when you were a child and your parents told you one thing, but you caught them doing something else. 

Maybe it was the way they told you to communicate with your siblings.  They told you not to call names, use bad words, put them down or get physical with them.  But then you caught your parents doing a few of those things when they would argue. 

So, how does that work in real estate?  Are you telling your clients a way to handle a situation and then when you are on the flip side you get upset when it happens to you?  Maybe you kinda new about something wrong with the property, but you didn't look at the property disclosure to make sure that it was included in there.  Then when you catch somebody else doing it you are upset. 

If you think that other agents don't notice that about you, you are mistaken.  You can get a reputation for how you SAY you would handle things and how you really handle it.  I base my respect for other agents on things I see them do. 

Brooke

www.brookeshepherd.com

So last week I had an interview.  The interview went great and I felt pretty confident about it.  It is at my kids school,(to us help survive until things turn around in real estate)  Anyway, they told me they would probably start calling references on Monday or Tuesday, if they felt I would be a good fit. 

SO, I get 2 calls from my references on Monday saying they had been called and it was going well.  Then today I got a call, this one really really touched me.  I have known his man for probably 5 years, he is close friends with my hubby.  My friend was telling me how he had wanted to make the referral more about my business ethic then personality.  You see,  a few years ago he and his wife were putting their house on the market.  They were struggling with what realtor to use.  They had their realtor from a few years before that and me.  They just weren't sure which direction to go because they were worried about our friendship, etc.  So they chose the other realtor, no hard feelings.  I respected their decision. 

Well I knew they were in a certain price range and what they wanted.  I found out that a builder in town was giving 10 of his homes for pretty much what they cost him because he needed them off his back.  I called my friends and let them know, got them copies of all the homes, etc.  They were able to get in on this very rare deal.  I didn't represent them, I was just able to get them in on this deal.  I didn't ask for a % of the commission or anything.  I was just happy to help.  Well, apparently this really touched them. (I didn't know that till today)  They said even though they chose not to use me, they were so touched that I bent over backwards to get them in on this deal. AND that I expected nothing in return.  So he told me that he told the people that were calling about the referral about that time.  He talked about my integrity and heart, etc.

 So did I get anything out of it at the time, no.  But 2 years later I got an amazing referral for a job AND, I will probably get a referral from them in the future. 

Brooke