Have not blogged in a while so thought I'd at least add something about what I've been up to.

Who said the real estate market was slow? Seems like it was for a while there but not any more. I've been working with first time buyers lately and they just keep coming. My daughter introduced me to some of her 30 something friends and all are wanting to get into a home now that the prices have dropped to reasonable levels.

I love working with first time buyers, they need to be educated about the market, loans, neighborhoods, schools, etc., and these young professionals don't slack off when it comes to due diligence. I'm very impressed with their budgeting skills and the fact that they stick to it. They don't want to buy a home just because they can afford it, they want to buy a home they can feel comforatable in and still have money left in their budget to have a life.

Most homes are REOs so they take about 60 days to close and the sellers won't do anything and really stress the "AS IS" section of the contract. Even if damage is done while in contract, just try to get them to fix it.

In addition to real estate I develop software for real estate companies and agents. Still delivering a program we developed and released in 2004, Real Estate Real Easy. It's contact management, escrow tracking, accounting, mail merge, email, forms, etc. Great program with over 2000 installed to date. Those agents that use it, including myself, love it. Best organizational software for real estate agents. If interested take a look, we even offer a free demo version so you can check it out before purchase.

www.realestate-real-easy.com

In the final stages of completing a new real estate enterprise wide version web site CRM system. It's looking pretty good and should be done by months end. It will handle all the web sites for our franchisees and their agents, with a virtual office built-in. New Area Pro Realty franchises will be available nationwide in about one month. It's a virtual real estate company offering 100% commission and Low monthly and per transaction fee. I became involved a little over one year ago and find it the best business model for experienced real estate and loan agents. I'll keep you posted on the new company and web sites in a future blog.

Must get busy finishing up some loose ends as I have much to do before taking a one week motorcycle vacation through N. Calif., Oregon, Idaho and Montana. My friend and I plan on being on the road 7 days and about 3000 miles. It's been over two years since I took any time off so this is going to be fantastic!