creative: One Month Milestone! - 05/15/08 02:39 PM
I have been a member of AR for one month today!
What a special day!
Thank You, Active Rain Members!
I am amazed at the quality of people you are.
You are creative, courageous, risk-taking, encouraging, supportive and caring team players!
I appreciate who each of you is, especially AR … (10 comments)
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creative: The Value of Being Mentored (Part 2) - 05/14/08 12:31 AM
My current mentor is Dr. Wess Pinkham from Marina del Ray, California. He is a Creative Conflict Management and Communication Expert. He is the Dean of Doctoral Studies in my doctoral program. I have learned how to think in new creative new ways as he has modeled and imparted into me … (2 comments)
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creative: Active Rain Success Story: My First Call from Active Rain! - 05/12/08 07:46 PM
On Friday, May 9 at 11:51 in the morning I received a call from Ced Reynolds from Chino Hills, CA.
I've been a member for only three weeks! He is the first voice contact I have had from Active Rain!
He has been a member for only three months!
Ced was … (53 comments)
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creative: THANK YOU, ACTIVE RAIN! - 05/07/08 09:25 PM
I am amazed at the eight new opportunities and blessings that I have experienced during the last two weeks.
First, my precious and priceless wife, Irene, invited me into Active Rain two weeks ago.
I have engaged with some of you. You are so creative, authentic, gracious and compelling! Second, I was … (13 comments)
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creative: Do You Have a Referral Network? - Part 1 - 05/03/08 06:06 PM
One of the best (and least expensive) ways to increase your sales and your business is to have a stream of leads coming in through referrals. There are various types of referrals out there. The most common being from friends and family as well as past clients. But if you want … (0 comments)
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creative: Ten Tips for a Bright and Bold Blog! - 05/02/08 12:07 PM
All of us want maximum visibility for ourselves.
I learned something that has stuck with me from a Professor in my recent doctoral studies who is a Hollywood film producer. He said visibility is more important than ability. Mediocre people who are highly visible are much more successful than outstanding people who … (14 comments)
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creative: Tips on How to Improve Excellence - 05/01/08 07:14 PM
I started training in the Volunteer Academy of our Garden City (Boise), Idaho local police department two days ago. I discovered many creative and innovative leaders in the department and in our class.
Our police chief is from the Los Angeles area. He has been in our police department for 26 years. … (0 comments)
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creative: Leadership - Creative, Risk-Taking, Team Players - 04/25/08 05:03 PM
My wife and I have established some criteria for ourselves and our leadership team. We know that not every meet person will fit into one of our leadership teams. We look for creative, risk-taking, teamplayers.
We always ask three questions of every potential leader:
1. Can you to the job?
2. Will you do the … (4 comments)
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creative: Perception - 04/24/08 09:38 PM
One of the presidential candidates intrigues me. I am thinking of Barack Obama.
He is one of the most creative people when it comes to his perception. He is perceived by many people as a unifier. He chooses his words wisely.
Even though his voting record is the most liberal in Congress, he … (2 comments)
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creative: Buyer and sellers are still closing deals. - 04/19/08 09:38 AM
… (4 comments)
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creative: Confusation: Is now a good time to buy a home? - 04/15/08 04:12 PM
I would like to share a confusation with you. What's a confusation? It's a mixture of confusion and conversation. I'm all for preserving the English language and avoiding the addition of new and pointless slang terms. But, at the same time, I enjoy having a little bit of fun with ideas … (2 comments)
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creative: Hard Money & Private money loans - 04/01/08 08:03 PM
Residential and Commercial Mortgage is your source for ALL Hard Money Loans. With over 15 years of experience in all areas of lending including hard money lending, we are able to offer specialized loan programs to fit everyone from corporations to individuals ranging from $100,000 - No Limit. Our team has … (0 comments)
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creative: What Do My Team and I DO? - 03/28/08 10:11 PM
I've talked (probably too much) about who I am, now I want to share a bit about what I actually DO for a living.
I am a licensed Mortgage Broker, yet I prefer to refer to myself as a Mortgage Consultant. That's mostly because I find few people understand what a Broker is, … (0 comments)
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creative: Introducing myself - Part 3 - 03/28/08 10:03 PM
Quick recap: So far I've given you my standard introduction, which is, "I'm Dave Holzmann... your honest, creative, service-oriented Mortgage Consultant for Life - serving by realizing harmony." And I've gone into some of the detail about my Purpose Statement: "To the glory of God, I exist to serve by realizing harmony." … (0 comments)
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creative: Introducing myself - Part 2 - 03/28/08 10:00 PM
Part 1 started with my "usual" introduction that I give when meeting people in business networking groups where I'm representing myself as a Mortgage Consultant: I'm David Holzmann... your honest, creative, service-oriented Mortgage Consultant for Life - serving by realizing harmony.
I left off Part 1 with a summary of the results … (0 comments)
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creative: welcome post. - 03/22/08 04:31 PM
feel free to makes this group your creative gateway in a need of imagination's boost.
visit group now -
----
here is something to get you started.
fluentworks, is based in Chicago suburb of Evanston. Our area of expertise expands beyond any region just like any imagination in a deep process of creating a … (3 comments)
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creative: Tuesday’s Tip #49: False Assumptions - 03/11/08 04:52 PM
Foreclosures are on the rise. They have been rising for quite a while now, as I'm sure you already knew. This problem is having an extremely negative impact on the economy and many other areas of our society. The fact is, none of us are immune from it's impact.
But, there … (0 comments)
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creative: Vincent Van Gogh * Self Worth Eludes A Master * Living Spaces Design - 03/10/08 02:46 AM
A meticulous, industrious man; prolific and proficient artist, he was never good enough - as hard as he tried, his writings indicate a compulsion to deride his own work, hoping for the elusive stage of one day 'getting good enough'.
I have reflected over the years that often, it isn't necessarily … (16 comments)
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creative: How getting a good deal on a home goes beyond the purchase price - 02/23/08 05:31 PM
As a real estate professional I talk to tons of people about homes and know that everyone wants to get the best deal possible. Everyone wants to feel good about the purchase they are about to make and know that they didn't get ripped off.
To get the best deal possible as … (0 comments)
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creative: An Innovative Networking Idea... - 02/21/08 05:59 PM
… (2 comments)
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creative: Tuesday's Tip #45: Do Your Research - 02/12/08 04:52 PM
In our current economy and real estate market, sellers are more anxious than ever. They aren't always desperate, but they are nervous.
This means very good things for investors. As we've talked about before, creative financing is abundant. When sellers are in a bind, you're likely to find more options than … (1 comments)
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creative: Marketing gurus that really deserve a "Job Well Done" award - 02/01/08 05:09 PM
I've been talking with ad agencies for the past two weeks about creative ideas on how they can implement Goomzee Connect into their clients' advertising portfolios. We focus our primary sales and product enhancements based around the real estate industry, however, some advertisers have called us and asked if they … (6 comments)
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creative: Need a heavy dose of Inspiration? - 01/21/08 05:42 PM
Who doesn't need a little push every now and then. I have just viewed an awesome clip courtesy of "Walk The Talk". I'm not sure if this has been around the block a few hundred times, but in case even just one of you hasn't seen it I thought I would post … (7 comments)
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creative: $5 Artwork for Kitchen - 01/15/08 10:57 AM
Here is some of my "inexpensive" artwork that I use in my own kitchen.
The pear pictures are from a Dollar Store the print was an 8x10 size, I needed two small pictures for the space, so I cut them to fit the 5x7 frames. The frames were 2 for 5. The smaller … (4 comments)
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creative: Paraphernalia, thingamajigs, and doodads...What are yours? - 01/14/08 11:53 AM
Outside of the extensive accessories and furnishings we take to our clients homes...what are your MUST HAVE'S when it comes to your secret arsenal of thingamajigs and doodads?
My must haves are my laser level and my adorable sturdy little folding antique chair to reach those heights...(I just can't imagine standing on a clients … (2 comments)
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creative: Now I remember why I love this job. I make memories everyday! - 01/11/08 10:02 PM
From October to December....I experienced a theft of all inventory in two staged homes, death in the family, moving into the studio/warehouse, the holidays, and buying MORE (and holding my breath) inventory because we had MORE vacant homes...I have been on auto pilot.
Today I did a redesign with my associate, Julia. We really work well … (15 comments)
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creative: I'm a lover not a fighter - 01/11/08 12:44 PM
I'm a lover not a fighter. I threw in the towel on Real-estate sales, and moved over to the service side of helping the Real-estate Professional and their clients streamline the buying process.
I loved working with the buyer's since 1978. I loved seeing the smiling faces of the customer when they … (2 comments)
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creative: What's up with Realtors? - 01/07/08 09:16 AM
Did I get your attention? No, this is not a slam on Realtors. Just a little insight so stagers keep doing what we are doing. Dane's post got me thinking.
As for the lack of push from the majority of Realtors... 10 years ago I sold Real Estate in Durham Region, and at … (12 comments)
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creative: Sometimes You Have To Defend Your Position To Be Published and... Ask - 01/05/08 11:24 AM
Happy New Year To Everyone on The Rain
One of our members had started a great blog on When To Quit. A great discussion started on advertising and marketing. I mentioned in my comments I built an advertising budget into my business plan and yes my background is advertising/marketing and I'm a … (9 comments)
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creative: Love the outcome...the pics...not so much - 01/01/08 10:53 AM
Here it goes...my first blog on Active Rain. (Thanks Dane for the invite.)
First I have to say, I'm thrilled to be here. What a group. The ideas, inspiration and level of professionalism are just awesome.
Now for my dilema. Do you ever leave a job, and feel so pleased with the outcome, … (3 comments)
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creative: What’s on the real-estate forecast? Perhaps a change - 12/31/07 05:50 PM
Predicting the future is a tricky game, as you can easily see from the failure of many experts last year to predict the problems this year in this Inman News article, entitled "2007 real estate forecaster report card." I don't expect people to be perfect and so it's completely understandable even … (4 comments)
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creative: Austin - it's a great place for business! - 12/21/07 11:11 AM
If you're moving to Austin for business, you're in the right place!
If you're moving to Austin for business, you're in the right place - and that's not just our Austin pride talking. The city is ranked third in Forbes' annual survey of Best Places for Business and Careers - for the … (0 comments)
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creative: For your consideration: New real-estate term - Hondo - 12/14/07 04:41 PM
Working in luxury real estate, I have noticed a great number of terms being used that I like but that I think could be better. For instance, in the Winter 2008 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine, I wrote an editorial on hotel condos. A hotel condo is a condominium located inside a … (5 comments)
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creative: Want to get more business? Be Memorable!! - 11/28/07 11:11 AM
The #1 way to Increase your business it to be a memory point for people!
Do you talk like everyone else, very matter-of-fact..dut dut dut dut...hum-drum.
Are you just the facts and stats...blah? Business First mean Boring First.
Or
Are you different?
Do people usually tell you that they enjoy your company? Do they tell … (4 comments)
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creative: Whose Fault is it IF You Do NOT Do Well in Real Estate???? comments please! - 11/10/07 06:07 AM
Wow what an amazing week in College Station, Texas, for me. We have a strong stable market for which we are blessed.
I've taken 3 new listings over the last week or ten days. I'm happy about that since this is not the time of the year we usually have that much … (76 comments)
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creative: EXPENSIVE VS. LOW COST...MORE BANG FOR YOUR AD BUCK - 11/07/07 02:28 PM
Colorado Springs is NOT one of the 10 best real estate markets right now, but I thank God for our steady and faithful client base in these lean times. However, times are tough and we have to cut the budget and tighten the belt. One of the places we have to … (4 comments)
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creative: Happy Halloween! Crative Costumes - 10/31/07 11:46 AM
Just wanted to say Happy Halloween to everyone. Everyone have fun tonight and be safe.
I love coming up with creative costumes. To me that is the fun of Halloween. I am dressing up as Bill Belichick.
I am carrying around a camera and wearing a hooded sweatshirt that says I Love Brady … (3 comments)
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creative: Have a creative talent or skill? New group- check it out! - 10/30/07 06:51 PM
Hey there! I just wanted to let everyone know about a group I started here on AR, called "Artsy-Fartsy." It is designed for us to have a place to showcase our creativity and talents, whether they are in art, writing, music, crafts... Whatever you do that gives you a creative outlet, … (1 comments)
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creative: Always A Bridesmaid, (Shopper)...Never A Bride, (Investor) - 10/30/07 02:36 PM
I don't know what to say about this market. I've seen several swings and fluctuations in the past, but this is outdoing them all!
Buyers just can't decide!
It's not uncommon to show our buyers in excess of 20 listings before they make a choice. Some of them are NOT going to … (1 comments)
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creative: Tuesday’s Tip #38: Set Your Property Apart - 10/23/07 09:46 PM
What makes Apple customers go back to them over and over again? Is it the genius bar? Is it the user-friendly systems? Is it how trendy it all is? All of the above?
What about BD’s Mongolian BBQ? Is it the shirts that say “We do it on a grill.”? Is … (1 comments)
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creative: Imagine the possibilities - 10/23/07 01:44 AM
Imagine the possibilities. What is your creative mind coming up with to get you to your goals and dreams. It may seem like your mind isn't coming up with anything, and then suddenly, BAM! a great idea just hit you and you are back in the game. Never give up on … (0 comments)
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creative: If I Was A Real Estate Agent... - 10/15/07 07:17 PM
On my other blog, I posted today about setting your self apart from your competition in a cluttered marketplace...here's an excerpt.
Here's an example. If I were a Real Estate Agent (hmmmhhhhh...can you think of a more cluttered marketplace?) what things could I do to stand out from my competitors?
How about … (5 comments)
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creative: Very affordable marketing idea... - 09/26/07 09:04 AM
With today's marketing dollars being squeezed by the "less than awesome income" that we've enjoyed in the past, we have to find ways to market ourselves at a lower cost.
The most cost effective one that I've come up with is magazines! Yes, magazines. Especially the FREE ones offered by using your airline miles. … (8 comments)
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creative: Attention Investor: What You Need To Know Before Buying Commercial Property - 09/19/07 11:19 PM
Buying Commercial property, whether it's an apartment, retail building, industrial, hotel, or shopping center, requires 20% downpayment or more. If you don't have a lot of money, there are different ways you can buy. For instance:
1) create a group of investors, offer to pay them interest for their money
2) … (0 comments)
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creative: Tuesday’s Tip #32: Creative Thinking - 09/18/07 09:30 PM
While I’ve never read the book, I was sent a great little excerpt from Michael Michalko’s book, Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques. I thought this was a more appropriate time than ever to share this, given the nature of the current real estate market.
We have more struggling sellers, harder … (1 comments)
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creative: Creative Ways To Fund a Home Down Payment - 09/12/07 01:05 PM
Remember the 60's song 'Tighten Up'?
Lenders are tightening up loan qualifications for borrowers. A high FICO score and large down payment are your strongest allies to obtaining a home loan.
Here are three alternative creative ways to find those down payment funds (consult with your tax preparer prior to taking any … (1 comments)
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creative: Sellers Are Getting Desperate & Creative - 09/08/07 01:38 PM
I got this E-mail this morning from a very creative Seller-reflecting on what is going on in our industry to-day?
"I have a great opportunity for you. I am committed to selling my house. It appraised in July of this year for $3 million. I am asking $2,395,000, which is the minimum price … (15 comments)
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creative: Why I don’t think fraud or sub-prime loans are the reason - 08/19/07 10:04 PM
We see banks folding and buyers being foreclosed on at a rate that hasn't been seen, quite possibly, ever. But,do I think mortgage fraud or sub-prime loans are the reason?
You see, I work with a lot of foreclosures, and the reasons I see for people going in to foreclosure are death,divorce, … (8 comments)
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creative: Fun Creative Marketing - Think outside the box or steal an idea - 08/05/07 12:28 AM
OK.... I was reading REALTOR magazine and the was a small article on creative marketing and it talked about an agent who had a second business card that was more for fun, but that some people might just hang onto. I thought it was a good idea, so I ordered a … (32 comments)
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creative: This is amazing - and beautiful. Women in Art. - 07/23/07 10:05 PM
I think all stagers here on Active Rain are very creative people. And I think most creative people love art and since most of the stagers here on the rain are women or people who love and appreciate women, I wanted to share this youtube video. Some of you may have … (14 comments)
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creative: Building your Data Base Tyler Durden Style (Diary of a RE Agent Starting Over in a New City - Part 2) - 07/20/07 01:04 PM
Part one of this blog was about moving to a new city and
building a business from scratch quickly, using the methods learned from the movie Fight Club by joining groups. Part 2 focuses on
creating groups to build your data base.
Continued from Part 1………..Fast forward, the
year is … (6 comments)
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creative: Stuck in the "old mud"...are you? - 07/18/07 08:03 AM
I am just back from speaking at a catalog conference and it is amazing to me...that sometimes people just get stuck in the old mud!
I was talking about adding personality and brand to their catalogs, and giving something to their prospects and customers...and I saw fear in their eyes.
Why? … (4 comments)
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creative: LadyBizNet Graphci Design - 07/05/07 12:50 PM
I love being creative and designing advertising items for real estate. Check out my portfolio at www.ladybiznet.com and click on Portfolio. Use my services and see your flyer in my portfolio.
LadyBiz
… (1 comments)
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creative: You MIGHT Be a Redneck... - 06/04/07 09:42 PM
If your real estate brokerage sponsors a race car or two!!!
Hello race fans...this is a photo of the Fierce-sum number 05, (Grand Modified), which can be seen racing at I25 Speedway between Colorado Springs and Pueblo, CO on some warm summer nights this season. We also sponsor another car, but he'll get … (9 comments)
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creative: Smelly Designs! - 06/04/07 05:39 PM
Check out the interesting segment (twenty-three, series VII) on HGTV's Decorating Challenge, where two featured designers, Oreet Fagen and Cherie Reitzel, utilized smelly materials in their designs.
Cherie's garlic paint had the host, Rene Montpelier, emphatically stating that "THIS IS NOT FUNNY!" The "recipe" for the paint was supposed to have sand … (2 comments)
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creative: "Be your own prospect" game on your website. - 05/31/07 10:15 PM
I was recently searching real estate websites, and so many of them didn't work. So one day when you have an hour consider:
1. Visiting your website. Put yourself in your prospect's mind and does the site immediately tell you what the business is?
2. Does it explain the benefits of … (8 comments)
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creative: Cheap and Funny Print Ads Make the Phone Ring! - 05/23/07 06:39 PM
Here are some of the ads I've come up with that make the phones ring! I think buyers have a sense of humor and I usually run these type ads in the local American Classifieds, (formerly Thrifty Nickel). The cheap house ad is retired by me now, but one of my … (3 comments)
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creative: Most Creatively Financed Deal - 05/15/07 11:16 PM
One more before bed...
What was your most creatively financed deal? I have a great one, but I want to be polite and allow others to share first.
Talk Soon....Lania
… (2 comments)
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creative: CHILDHOOD PROFILE - ADULT CAREER - 05/15/07 10:00 PM
I have been explaining to my mother the advantages of the different aspects of staging, in particular de-cluttering. Obviously she is taking this to heart as she is now cleaning out cupboards and drawers. As a result, she located a profile sheet (Kuder Preference Record Vocational) that I had completed in … (19 comments)
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creative: Help!!!! I have the lowest priced property and it won't sell because it is on a Main Street... - 05/07/07 11:13 PM
I have a beautiful listing that is priced below market for the past 4 months (before that is was at market value not considering that it was on a main street).
We have tried the following:
Local NewspapersPrice reductionPaying closing costsEmail to about 250 people Email to Mortgage companies about 25Open Houses almost … (9 comments)
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creative: Five Secrets Of Direct Mail: #1 -- Use the 40-40-20 Rule for Success! - 05/07/07 10:04 PM
As a real estate professional you know the "ins and outs" of listing and selling homes. After all, that's your livelihood and you're the expert. But when it comes to direct mail, are you still the expert? There are a lot of factors that must be considered in order to make your … (15 comments)
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creative: Most creative way to grow your biz? - 03/28/07 12:32 AM
What has been your "most creative" way to grow your business? That is, what's your most creative avenue for meeting new clients, or winning them over, or keeping them?In my office, even though we're smak in the middle of Silicon Valley, not a lot of folks do web marketing. I seem … (11 comments)
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creative: Creativity, etc, etc, and finally etc! - 02/14/07 01:50 PM
In my last post, I was highlighting the lack of creative thinking that was manifest in most realtors' websites. I gave a definition of creativity and conjectured that this abyssmal lack of business creativity translated into flatlined business results.
As I said in my last post, creativity is a dangerous thing, particularly … (0 comments)
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creative: Just for Fun: Picture Your Website as a Cluster Graph - 02/03/07 02:34 PM
By now, everyone has seen the mindmapping software, most of you have probably tried out the visual thesaurus online (if not, you really should).
But this little discovery of the day one was both a novel and intriguing twist on this cluster-graph concept. I played with the tool and created my own … (3 comments)
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creative: Dinner Party, the perfect networking event! - 01/23/07 11:59 AM
Most of us have gone to lunch or dinner with some friends. How many times have you had friends over for dinner at your home? How many new contacts that you've barely met have been invited to dinner at your home? Some of us even have a hard time getting the … (6 comments)
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