Federal judges recently ruled that the 3% federal excise tax on long-distance phone service was illegal. You can go back and add up the federal excise tax on all your phone bills for 41 months, from March 1, 2003 to July 31, 2006. Note - this isn't just on traditional long distance phone charges,
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01/28/2007
It's been known for a long time that response time is critical to following up on internet leads. Often the agent getting the business is not necessarily the best, but the first to respond (assuming they continue the dialogue).Many Gen Xers want immediate information. That's immediate as in IM (i
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01/27/2007
We noted an upswing in the market in the middle of December in the Tampa Bay area. January has seen even more showings, offers and contracts. While Tami and I have been away, Rob has been very busy - he's negotiated five transaction sides in five days. That's really great for St. Pete. We're prou
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01/27/2007
I've heard so many people say that they wait for a class, such as a designation class, until it is given locally. I don't think that's the way to go, even if it does save travel time and hotel expense. First, your mind is more on your class and networking when you aren't conducting your business
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01/27/2007
Tami and I are in between planes at the Kansas City airport. We were here once before years ago, and it's a small area - if you want to use a restroom, stop at a shop or restaurant, all of that means you go outside of the small secured area and have to go through security again. It's 23 degrees a
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01/27/2007
Although we know the value of networking, and would like to spend some time discussing things with colleagues in other companies locally, coordinating two busy schedules rarely allows this to happen. Ironically, if you're away at a conference, where there's time for networking, it works with loca
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01/27/2007
Angela Eliopolis, Jacqueline Grelinger and Olivia Decker spoke on an International panel at the Luxury Conclave in Dana Point, California. Angela, an agent in Washington, DC, pointed out that 48% of international real estate investment is in the US. Buyers appreciate the stability of an investme
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01/26/2007
Jennifer Cummings spoke at the Luxury Conclave about Potato Chip Marketing and how to generate profit in any market. She said it's necessary for agents to stop being commodities, and to create a USP, or Unique Selling Proposition. This is what sets you apart as an agent and makes a customer want
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01/26/2007
According to Barclay Butera, an interior designer who spoke this week at the Luxury Conclave at the St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, CA, indoor-outdoor living is a trend of which he is a great fan.We've seen this trend in Florida in upper end homes - there is a roofed outdoor room, usually large,
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01/26/2007
There's a new book that can now be preordered on amazon.com, written by Richard Frank, called Richistan. It is expected to be ready in June 2007.Earlier this week Richard Frank spoke at the 3rd Luxury Conclave in Dana Point, California. He has done extensive research on the wealthy and uber-wealt
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01/26/2007
