This morning, the "Power Hour" video from Keller Williams Realty MAPS talked about the importance of discipline. The point was not-so-subtly made that you can say affirmations all day long . . . and set goals . . . and dream . . . and aspire . . . and strategize for the rest of your life . . . and absolutely NOTHING of significance will happen until or unless you TAKE ACTION. OK! So we all DO know what "TAKING ACTION" means, Don't we? Doesn't that mean that we DO things? Yes . . . and it also means we do the RIGHT things. and it means doing the RIGHT things the RIGHT way . . . CONSISTENTLY! and it means always transforming and improving our focus-ability and performance through training and PRACTICE . . . and seeking the advice and counsel of Mentors . . . and the nudge from COACHES and... 04/02/2009

2009 First Quarter Market Report Nashville TN Real Estate Closings for the first three months of 2009 are down 35% over 2008. But that's not ALL the news for this year. There are currently 236 pendings which is another 23%. As the interest rates continue to remain low and first time Buyers start understanding how to use the $8000 tax credit, more and more inventory will be absorbed. There are currently 2823 homes on the market. With only 664 closings in the first quarter of this year that would mean that there is just over a years worth of inventory. This is the time for sellers to make sure that their homes are in tip top shape. Starting with the curb appeal; landscaping, lawns, driveways and windows. Declutter as much as possible. Clean light fixtures and give the ceilings to baseboa... 04/02/2009

So you're in the midst of a particularly challenging negotiation, and you and the other REALTOR push each other to the sheer limits of each others' energy and patience . . . and it results in a SIGNED AGREEMENT. WHEW! CONGRATULATIONS! At this point, you are sitting back thinking to yourself ... "The negotiating has probably only just begun . . . NOW what?" Yep! There are still inspections to do and repairs to negotiate and loans to approve and details to solidify. You decide to "stay on the high road" and do your best to keep things calm, cool, and collected. Miraculously, everything comes together and all parties wake up on the day of closing full of excited anticipation. Just as you and you Sellers are sitting down at the closing table, the title attorney's phone rings, and there you ... 04/01/2009

A Series for the First Time Homebuyer - Nashville Style!  STEP THREE:  Viewing and Selecting Your Home! So you have decided that you want to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer's $8000 Tax Credit?!!  This may be a great idea for you because in Middle Tennessee, you have got LOTS of homes to choose from!  Your dream of homeownership may soon become reality!   If you have never bought a home before (believe it or not, a "first time home buyer" just means that you have not owned a home in the past three years), the idea of it might be a little bit daunting.  This series that I am putting together strives to help clarify the steps that will lead you into your new front door! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ STEP ON... 04/01/2009

This weekend I was at The Cloister at St. Henry in Nashville showing every available 2 bedroom, 2 bath flat style condo unit.  This was my buyer's first trip to view the independent living community for people age 55 and over.  My client has been content renting a little apartment for many years.  At the request of her son, she gradually became open to looking at condominiums.  By the end of our scheduled showings, she was excited about the idea of moving into her own condo.  She enthusiastically gave her favorite condos a ranking of 1, 2 and 3.  Why is she so excited about The Cloister? It has everything she is looking for:   2 bedroom flat condo with few or no stairs  Laundry room in the condo  Attached garage   The Cloister is located on the west side of Nashville between Highway 70 ... 03/31/2009

Come Join Our First Annual Spring Mixer... Come join in the festivities with our first ever Spring Mixer... Where: Hangaing Around Gallery 1506 8th Ave N, Nashville, TN When: March 31, 2009 - 5 - 8PM Come join us for drinks, snacks and prizes... Sponsored by: Complete Home Inspections KenaArt Creations Cake Vintage For more information on this event and see a list of what we are giving away, click here... PS: Bring a guest or two... If you or someone you know is purchasing a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville, Spring Hill or Thompson's Station in the Davidson or Williamson county area of Middle Tennessee and would like more information about getting a home inspection, give us a call at 615.661.0297. You can visit us online at www.completehomeinspectionsonline.com - Your building con... 03/31/2009

There are those Real Estate Agents and Investors who have specialized in the fine art of handling and negotiating short sales . . . and then there's everyone else. As with ANY plight we face, a relatively small number of people "capitalize" on the "market of the moment" by shifting their entire energy towards the issue. Some folks say this is "opportunist strategy" with questionable motivation . . . In it more for "self-preservation" than for the good it might do. I believe that as long as these efforts ease the flood in an ethical and professional way, it's all good. How many "Short Sale programs" are there out there promising to deliver a system at a fee that you can plug in to your way of doing business and make "6 figures EVERY MONTH?" Those folks have learned how to "game the syste... 03/30/2009

When asked what he would be willing to do to help us all increase our Lead Generation results, One of our top associates Bill Bainbridge was very quick to say: "Coffee's for CLOSERS!" Everyone in the room looked at him with a confused look . . . Clarification? "Hasn't anyone seen the movie Glengarry Glen Ross?" We got a copy of the movie and watched it (Don't do this if you are easily offended by foul language) . . . and we all "GOT IT!" So we asked: "When?" He said that in his prior firm, a group of agents would get together every Monday night for a couple of hours starting @ 6:30 with some food and drink and their databases . . . and would do nothing but CALL as many people as they could. It was a veritable Lead Generation frenzy EVERY Monday night. The results were phenomenal . . . S... 03/30/2009

I feel sorry for the uneducated Nashville real estate consumer. They have to trust a stranger to sell their home. In some cases the most valuable or their possessions. The real question is, how can you tell a true professional from a turkey. If you find a room full of realtors, they all look alike. Some are strutting around like they need to impress each other, and others just go about their business. What's the big deal anyway? Aren't all realtors trained to do the same thing? Here are a few things that I noticed just this past weekend that should concern home sellers (if they only knew) 1. I noticed a sale sign in the yard of a home in a very desirable neighborhood. Using voicepad, I attempted to find out the price of the home. It wasn't listed in the MLS. I called the listing agent,... 03/29/2009

It's been an adventuresome week-end for the family . . . a wonderful (MUDDY) hike in the woods yesterday - Then a spectacular thunderstorm complete with tornado warnings and hail last night . . . and an unusually chilly day today provided a cool opportunity for a 4 mile walk around the greenway out our front door. We're all somewhat pooped but feeling great having been outdoors for most of the past 2 days. This time of year in Nashville, TN is quite an adventure. I love the variety of weather and experiences as Spring dances in and out of winter . . . Punctuated by the occasional rogue thunderstorms which always seem to provide FABULOUS rainbows. All of this tends to get my mental juices flowing . . . resulting in the connecting of some dots :-) I've been thinking a lot about Leadership... 03/29/2009

In the past 4 weeks, I have had the opportunity to refer 4 very loyal and REAL clients out of Nashville to other cities. I understand the value of agent referral business and do not take this lightly. The minute I hear a client is moving from city to city (in or out of Nashville, TN), I IMMEDIATELY ask if they have an agent on the other end . . . A high percentage of these folks indicate they DO need an agent on the other end. This is happening more and more frequently as folks from all walks of life are facing large life changes due to lay-offs or financial turmoil or wanting to be closer to family . . . I see many people returning "home" I have a database of @ 185 "Out of Area REALTORS" which makes it very easy for me to find to find a great REALTOR in @ 150 markets . . . but what abo... 03/28/2009

It is not uncommon down here in the Nashville, TN area for folks to have freezers or refrigerators in their garages. Ya know, we gotta have some place to store our liquid refreshments, pizza and other manly man culinary delights other than the the household refrigerator. Besides that, we need a place to hang when we get thrown in the proverbial dog house or garage, so why not have our basic needs close at hand. Most folks just plug these appliances in a convenient outlet never giving a second thought as to whether it is ground fault protected. Why should it matter? Read on my friends... GFCI's work on current differential not necessarily a path to ground. The circuitry 'senses' the current differential between the hot and neutral legs and if there is more than 5mA difference, the circu... 03/27/2009

17th  Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival produced by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) will be held March 31st to April 4th. With 5 days and nights there will be over 100 shows!“One of the things that has helped the festival grow over the years is NSAI’s commitment to keeping things diversified, “ said Erin Burr, the festival’s communications director, as quoted in theCityPaper. “We have a variety of performers at the different locations and each show presents very secial talents. There’s a different surprise every night.”Nine Nashville clubs will be participating in this year’s event: 12th & Porter114 12th Avenue NorthMyspace.com/12thandporter3rd and Lindsley818 3rd Avenue South3rdandlindsley.comStation Inn402 12 Avenue SouthThestationinn.comThe Rutledge... 03/27/2009

Nashville, TN like may other cities in this area, has a large inventory of older houses on the market, and it is easy for unsuspecting home buyers to get caught in this plumbing trap. While this trap is not necessarily dangerous dangerous to your health, under the right conditions these can raise a stink though. A flood of water into these older S-style traps like the one shown, can siphon the water trap joint dry, allowing sewer gas from the municipal or septic tank system to seep into the house. It is the purpose of the trap, to form a water seal between the waste disposal system and the plumbing fixtures to keep methane gas from these disposal systems at bay. There have been rare instances where dishwashers hooked up to S-Traps have allowed sewer gas into the enclosure and a spark ig... 03/27/2009

Here in Nashville, TN Buyers are beginning to buy houses. Seems the winter hibernation is ending with the advent of Spring. This is, in part, a natural annual cycle . . . although this year is particularly welcomed by REALTORS and Sellers given the complications introduced by the National Economic Climate - This Winter's freeze on home buying was excruciating. Through it all, the local message (from me and other REALTORS willing to pick up the megaphone) has been that there is NO better time than NOW to BUY. This is the "perfect storm of opportunity" for home Buyers. Lots of interesting homes available . . .  Prices at "deep discounts" from a year ago . . . Interest rates at historic lows . . .  It all points to gain for Buyers ... with the only caveat being that their purchase be @ a 5... 03/26/2009

 A Series for the First Time Homebuyer - Nashville Style! STEP TWO: Find a REALTOR and start looking! So you have decided that you want to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer's $8000 Tax Credit?!!  This may be a great idea for you because in Middle Tennessee, you have got LOTS of homes to choose from!  Your dream of homeownership may soon become reality!   If you have never bought a home before (believe it or not, a "first time home buyer" just means that you have not owned a home in the past three years), the idea of it might be a little bit daunting.  This series that I am putting together strives to help clarify the steps that will lead you into your new front door! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ STEP ONE ... 03/26/2009

How many agreements have you signed that you later regretted? How many clients have you had who enthusiastically signed a purchase agreement along with all of the disclosures and later in the deal it becomes apparent they had NO clue what they had agreed to? The unfortunate truth is that the written agreements don't change over time . . . and more often than I like to see the parties either aren't paying attention to what they are signing or there is an epidemic of amnesia that strikes only those who have signed contracts. Most great REALTORS put a lot of energy into educating their clients during the Offer writing stage . . . The missing link is often the client's lack of complete focus and/or attention. The minutia in the contract is not all that important . . . until something goes a... 03/25/2009

 Earth Hour set for 8:30 pm Saturday, March 28th 2009   This will be the first year that Nashville will participate along with over 1500 cities and 80 countries to turn off their lights, water heaters, unplug computers and appliances and lower heat so that it doesn’t come on for one hour beginning at 8:30 pm.   Local businesses and landmarks are set to participate. Neighborhoods from Belleview to East Nashville have signed up. And parties downtown have been organized to watch the city go dark. The Predators vs the LA Kings, game has been rescheduled to 5:30 pm. Festivities will kickoff outside the Sommet Center with Jo Dee Messina. The game should be over by 7:30pm in time for the lights to go out. Jack's Bar-B-Que owner Jack Cawthon will turn off the neon Three Little Pigs which has ne... 03/25/2009

. . . Because there are many wolves in sheep's clothing out there . . . These wolves show up when least expected, and their MO (Modus Operandi) is to slip into your view and beguile you into complacency - skillfully disarm your personal "intruder alert system" and steal your time, energy, money, and even security. This blog post is not intended to alarm you. This is NOT a "conspiracy Theory Expose". I am NOT issuing a "Chicken Little Sky is Falling" Proclamation. Don't worry! The whole world is NOT conspiring to "get you". Yet, there are people out there who are . . . and your best protection from these stealth "attacks" is a good offense. I believe that offense begins with heightening your awareness and listening to your gut. I learned a LOT about this when I was in the Army out in the... 03/24/2009

A Series for the First Time Homebuyer - Nashville Style!  STEP ONE:  Find a LENDER! So you have decided that you want to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer's $8000 Tax Credit?!!  This may be a great idea for you because in Middle Tennessee, you have got LOTS of homes to choose from!  Your dream of homeownership may soon become reality!   If you have never bought a home before (believe it or not, a "first time home buyer" just means that you have not owned a home in the past three years), the idea of it might be a little bit daunting.  This series that I am putting together strives to help clarify the steps that will lead you into your new front door! This blog is STEP ONE in the series. If you are going to buy a house in the greater Nashville area and you have CASH, please skip... 03/24/2009