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Each month AR runs numerous contests as a way for our members to engage in activities
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Highlighted in RE/MAX Times Online ! - 12/31/08 07:59 AM
Highlighted in RE/MAX Times Online ! It is such an honor to be highlighted in RE/MAX Times Online. Our blog post "Are you Utilizing Your Office Website (remax.com) to Generate Referrals and consumer traffic ? " as well as our follow-up blog post "Listed and settled in less than 30 days in Port Richmond" was highlighted this week at RE/MAX Times online. The article can be seen at "So simple but easy to forget" . I wrote a similar blog on October 28th "Featured in RE/MAX Times Online ! That's Hot ! " where a prior post entry "Plan Now to Jumpstart Your 2009 Production ! … (13 comments)
5 Steps in Choosing a Realtor to Sell Your Property - 12/30/08 06:14 AM
5 Steps in Choosing a Realtor to sell your property Over the Christmas holiday, I was inspired to write this post as my parents announced their interest to sell their home in a different state. I found myself doing the 5 steps below to help them find the best listing agent for their needs. Selling your property in today's market requires much more skill and marketing expertise by the realtor you choose to represent you. Several years ago, it was much easier as all your realtor really needed to do was list the property on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and wait for … (17 comments)
Christmas with Family - Life is Beautiful - 12/28/08 06:54 PM
Happy Holidays Stephanie and I had a great time taking a break for the XMAS holiday and visiting our parents as well as my sister and her family in Midlothian, VA. The holidays are a great reminder in terms of how important family is as well as how important it is to take a break from the crazy real estate market from time to time. Below are some of the photos from XMAS day !
Ty received a cereal box that had a serious special suprise inside !
… (15 comments)
Christmas Cats - Oscar and Katje - 12/28/08 05:14 PM
Christmas Cats One of my favourite things to do when I visit my parents in Midlothian, VA is to relax and enjoy some quality time with their 2 Maine Coon Cats, Oscar and Katje. Our cat Charlie (an Active Rain star) has a little Maine Coon him as well. Below are a few photos from this past XMAS of Oscar and Katje:
I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday visiting friends, family and of course pets ! ________________________________________________________
The Somers - Philadelphia Real Estate The Philadelphia Real Estate Blog … (11 comments)
Breaking the 100,000 point milestone on my 40th birthday ! - 12/28/08 09:50 AM
ACTIVE RAIN ROCKS When I left to go on vacation for the holidays a few days ago, we had close to 100,000 points. I figured when I got back home in Philadelphia, I could post a blog entry and break the 100,000 barrier. But sometimes you get points overnight due to blog comments made on your blog which is what happened as I noticed yesterday that the 100,000 point barrier was broken ! Maybe that is one of my birthday presents as I turned 40 on December 27th. Is a little scary but am okay with it. I am fortunate to have a … (28 comments)
2008 was a great year for us as it was during the year that we found Active Rain ! We set up a profile on Active Rain and slowly began to blog. Since that time we have learned so much regarding internet marketing, blogging tips, real estate information and the list goes on and on. Active Rain is the best real estate resource on the internet. We have much to learn and are very much looking foward to 2009. In our daily quest to grow and to learn more, it is important to relax and enjoy … (23 comments)
Expired listings need our help - are you in contact with them ? - 12/21/08 07:06 AM
Expired Listings - are you in contact with them ? Part of our marketing plan in 2008 has been to consistently contact listings that have expired. As a result, we have had many settlements this year from this approach and are currently marketing some listings now as well. It is not an easy task as when I show up for a listing appointment from an expired listing as I will see a whole collection of letters on the table and I wonder why they called me ? I guess the bigger picture is that it really does not matter who they … (32 comments)
Dual Agency - are you an advocate ? - 12/21/08 02:46 AM
Dual Agency In the last couple of weeks, I have been thinking about Dual Agency and it's place in the Philadelphia real estate market. In some states, it is not allowed. In Pennsylvania, it is. On the consumer notice it states: "Dual Agency is a relationship where the licensee acts as the agent for both the seller/landlord and the buyer/tenant in the same transaction with written consent of all parties."
I am interested in knowing what other people's opinions are regarding dual agency. I have done several dual agency transactions this year and I have a feeling it will … (58 comments)
A Port Richmond settlement due to a Google Search and our Active Rain Blog ! - 12/20/08 06:59 AM
A Port Richmond settlement due to a Google Search and our Active Rain Blog This past week I had a settlement for a property in Port Richmond. The deal was a super deal as the purchasor was an experienced investor who paid cash with no inspections. It was also a fast settlement, less than 3 weeks which benefited all the parties involved. It came about in a typical way as a buyer emailed Stephanie and I with an interest in Philadelphia investment properties (specifically in Port Richmond). We then referred the buyer to a team member and within a week he … (39 comments)
Another successful sale in Northern Liberties ! - 12/19/08 07:03 AM
Northern Liberties Real Estate I must admit I love selling real estate in the Philadelphia real estate market. And I really love selling properties in Northern Liberties ! Why you ask ? Because we live in the neighborhood and are a part of the community !! We are very passionate and interested in the community and love to see the progress, the development and the changes over the years. Recently, I highlighted a blog post about the Top 15 Neigborhoods to Buy Real Estate Highlighted by Business Week , one of which was Northern Liberties !! How cool is that ? In any event, … (7 comments)
A Plea to Agents and Sellers - Please do not way overprice your Listings ! - 12/17/08 06:47 AM
I wonder if my plea will be heard... Back in August I had a suggestion in this blog post "I have a cure for the housing market but I need your help" which stated that every realtor and seller (including FSBOs) should immediately withdrawl their listings that would knowingly never sell. If that did happen, probably at least 10 percent of the inventory would be cleared ! That in and of itself would be a great stimulus to the housing market ! As an add-on to that post, my next plea is simple and straightfoward. Please Please Please do not take the … (32 comments)
Should I list now or wait until spring ? - 12/14/08 07:28 AM
Should I list now or wait until spring ? I received a call yesterday from a consumer who said "Chris, I know it is not a great time to sell. Should I put my properties up now or wait until spring ? " . What is interesting is that I have found myself answering this question frequently and I have been seeing the same question on Trulia Voices and Zillow discussions. So, I figured it made sense to write about it as it relates to the Philadelphia real estate market. The first part of the answer depends on a seller's personal goals. If a … (97 comments)
Listed and Settled in less than 30 days in Port Richmond ! Building a reputation ! - 12/12/08 06:46 PM
Building Your Reputation As a follow up to a previous post "Are you utilizing your office website (RE/MAX.com) to generate referrals and consumer traffic ? " , we had the settlement today for a referral we received from a California agent less than 30 days ago ! Doing great work for a referral certainly helps build your reputation as a top agent. The California RE/MAX agent found us doing a search on REMAX.com . After referring us to the seller, we met and got the property sold in 3 days in Port Richmond. Obviously the California agent did the research and contacted the … (10 comments)
Utilizing Google Analytics to Assess Performance, Set Goals and Gain Clients ! - 12/10/08 12:54 PM
Utilizing Google Analytics to Assess Performance, Set Goals and Gain Clients ! Google Analytics is an amazing tool and if you have not checked it out, I would highly recommend doing so. You can sign up your website or blog to Google Analytics to find out statistics in terms of how many visitors you are getting and other extremely valuable information such as where they came from and how they interact with your site. You can also gain insight in terms of the keywords that were used for visitors to find your site. Best part about it is that it is free … (40 comments)
Our Wedding Anniversary in Baltimore - Mixing Business with Pleasure ! - 12/09/08 08:14 AM
Wedding Aniversary in Baltimore This past weekend Stephanie and I took a break from our busy schedule to celebrate our wedding anniversary !! We had a wonderful stay at the Pier 5 hotel at Balitmore's Inner Harbor. We also mixed in a little business as we had a power meeting with our marketing consulstant from Intention Marketing. Our consultant went over how The Somers Team site did for 2008. We were very pleased in terms of accomplishing our goals in 2008 and we discussed our goals for 2009 which will be to stay focused on The Somers Team site but also … (26 comments)
Are we the Pulse of Real Estate ? - 12/06/08 06:55 AM
The Pulse of the Real Estate Market I have always been a little bit anti-media, and even more so during the last year with all the doom and gloom of the "national" real estate market never taking into account local markets. A featured post "Can we gag the Media ? Or Hang the DJ ? " expressed that point and was a post that struck a nerve with consumers as they participated greatly in the comments which is a little bit unusual. One thing I have learned since that post is that in this new world, it is not really CNN, CNBC, … (22 comments)
5 reasons for Buyers to Get off the Fence ! - 12/04/08 06:41 AM
5 Reasons for Buyers to Get off the Fence ! In the Philadelphia real estate market, I am seeing some substantial opportunity for buyers to procure great deals as well as have teriffic opportunity before them now. Thus, if you are one of those "on the fence" buyers, it is time to cross over and accomplish your goal ! Here are 5 reasons why: 1. Mortgage Rates - Mortgage rates are at 2008 lows ! The mortgage officer in my office has been screaming up and down the hallway about this is the time to lock. A buyer that we have … (12 comments)
The Philadelphia Real Estate market - our experiences, thoughts and insights. Philadelphia Realtor, RE/MAX, Top Realtor, thesomersteam, Philadelphia Living, Philly, title, mortgage, team leader, investor, Philadelphia investment properties, center city, condominiums, new construction, developer, real estate investor, tax abatement, Philadelphia arts, artist, Philadelphia dining.
Norris Point in Fishtown will 10 New Construction Town Homes with ground breaking underway. Here's a Sneek Peak:
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Highlighted in RE/MAX Times Online !
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