evanston real estate: the Rockies didn't tumble, Gibralter didn't crumble..
- 11/09/10 01:42 PM
I was laid up at home, for part of Monday, and all of today (Tuesday)... I slept a lot, drank plenty of fluids, etc. I'd fallen victim to some nasty Rhinovirus that's been running around.
I allowed all of my calls to go straight to voicemail, and returned them as I felt good enough. I solved a couple of minor dilemmas over the phone, scheduled a walk-through, did some "Superman" stuff.. (oh wait, that was the virus talking)...
But the key is, the world didn't come to an end, without Alan May at the helm of the Evanston Real Estate World. … (31 comments)
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evanston real estate: We "interview" every day.
- 10/07/10 03:05 AM
Ours is one of the few businesses out there, where we interview for employment each and every day.
We have to be at our best, because everyone is a potential client. The mailman, the landscaper, grocery cashier, neighbour, teacher, your child's soccer coach, your best friend... They're all potential homeowners, homesellers or referral resources.
So we have to treat each interaction, each conversation as an interview. We need to be professional, upbeat, knowledgeable, approachable... etc...
And then, when all of that has worked, and one of those folks has actually "called us in for an interview", we have to put on … (51 comments)
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evanston real estate: World War One finally ends this weekend.
- 09/30/10 02:49 PM
If you're like me, you probably thought that World War One (often shown as World War I, by those people who couldn't manage to spell the word "one").. was over a long time ago.
It actually ended in nineteen hundred and ... er..... sumthin'...yeah.. waaay back there.
But in fact, it didn't.
As part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany agreed to pay reparations to the Allies as well as giving up territories to France, Belgium, Poland, and the Czechs.
This Sunday - coincidentally the 20th anniversary of East and West Germany unifying about a year after the Berlin Wall … (21 comments)
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evanston real estate: How much is too little?
- 09/29/10 05:03 AM
As part of the inspection issues on a recent purchase for one of my clients, we raised the issue of exceedingly low water pressure, and the costs involved in replacing the galvanized horizontals in the basement in order to bring the water pressure up to snuff.
We got an estimate from a local plumber of over $6,000, and asked the sellers to participate in the expense to the tune of about $2,000. The sellers are refusing, on the basis that they feel the water pressure is just fine.
____________________________
the spray from the heads was so low...
"How Low Was It?" … (21 comments)
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evanston real estate: Learning Russian Chopsticks
- 09/28/10 11:39 AM
continued from here
The last thing Aviva remembered, was falling asleep on her mother's lap, in the long car ride from New York City. She'd been both physically and emotionally exhausted, and that's saying a lot for a 7-year old.
She opened her eyes as the car jerked to a halt, and Aryeh pulled the handbrake, which made a "breaking" sound. They had stopped in front of a an imposing three story building, made of limestone. The front of the building was ornate, with carvings, a ten commandments over the door, and a menorah. Four columns and multi-coloured glass. It was … (6 comments)
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evanston real estate: Don't blink... you'll miss it!
- 09/28/10 02:32 AM
After suffering through weeks and weeks of 90 degree days, here in Chi-town, it appears that Autumn has rushed in where fools fear to tread. (or have treads rushed out where fools fear... oh, I dunno).
The leaves here have begun their transformation into a cacophony of colour, and the view is spectacular. It's unfortunate that the display of colour is accompanied by 50 degree weather, but it's beautiful nonetheless.
One of the things that makes Chicago's Winters tolerable is the balance of the other two seasons...
Yes, I said TWO. In Chicago we only get three seasons.
Summer (which lasts … (18 comments)
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evanston real estate: I can't sell it, if I can't show it.
- 09/27/10 05:53 AM
I showed to condos, on Saturday, in the same complex. The are units in 6-unit buildings, and the two buildings are across the walkway from each other.
At both of the listings, they were supposed to have electronic lock boxes, but neither of the boxes were there.
I called each of the agents, while standing in front of the listings... and of course, each of the agents assured me that I was blind, 'cause the lock boxes were there. They said it nicely, but the inference was there 'gawrsh, what an idiot, cain't he see the lock boxes in front of … (13 comments)
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evanston real estate: Mr. Potato Head
- 09/25/10 06:33 AM
I'm pretty absent-minded. More so than most people. Often, when I'm watching television, and a commercial comes on, I forget what program I'm watching.
Now, maybe that says more about the quality of the television programming I'm watching, but I don't think so.
uh... what were we talking about again...? Oh, right... absent-minded! (Sorry).
So, this morning, it should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, that I managed to leave the house without my wallet. This is a truly disconcerting feeling. Right up there with that dream... you know the one... you're at school... you have a report … (17 comments)
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evanston real estate: there are Lurkers in them thar hills!
- 09/23/10 05:27 AM
I was phoned, this morning, by a "Lurker".
"What is a Lurker?" you ask. Well, I'm so glad you asked. No, it's not something from a science fiction movie. A lurker, is someone who reads online conversations and blogs, but never participates. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. For every person who comments on your blog, I'm sure that there are a dozen or more who are just reading, and have never felt the need to participate.
Maybe they feel that the comment they were going to make has already been made. Or they might be a touch nervous, or shy. … (57 comments)
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evanston real estate: the Eyes have it.
- 09/22/10 02:57 AM
We spend a lot of time, here on Active Rain, reading and responding to the writings of some of our favourites writer/bloggers. But just how much attention do we pay to the authors of those blogs? How well do we know them?
Alongside those blogs you usually find a high resolution photograph. Do you notice them? Could you identify them? Let's test that.
In this post, I have compiled a group of photos of a handful of well-known, often featured bloggers. Can you identify who they are? Okay, let's make this a bit tougher.... Can you identify them by their "eyes" … (27 comments)
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evanston real estate: Breaking the Aching
- 09/21/10 02:42 AM
Jason Sardi's recent post called "Work out Tips for Blogging Wimps" (which doesn't even rhyme!... alls I'm sayin')... has prompted me to post my own Exercise Post for those who are exercisingly challenged.
I agree, that bloggers can find different sections of their bodies atrophying quickly, due to lack of use (noo... nooooooo not that part!)... and therefore should take some extra care to make sure that stuff.... doesn't ....... er........ shrink and fall off. So...
THE SQUEEZE When sitting for prolonged periods of time, in front of a keyboard (be it laptop, desktop or moptop) you might find yourself feeling … (33 comments)
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evanston real estate: You, too, could find yourself in multiple offers.
- 09/20/10 06:30 AM
The general consensus, out there in the dark scary world of real estate, is that nothing is selling. Or at least, very little, is selling.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Yesterday, I once again, found myself in a multiple offer situation. This would be approximately the sixth multiple offer situation I've been in this year. Sometimes I'm on the buying side, sometimes on the listing side. But either way, more than one buyer vying for the same property. In a couple of those cases, pushing the purchase price up and over the listing price.
What does it take to … (27 comments)
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evanston real estate: If you don't know where you're going...
- 09/16/10 07:06 AM
If you don't know where you're going, then any road will take you there.
Wiser words were never spoken (or typed). Do you know where you're going? I happen to know, that tonight, I'm going to see a music icon... Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks will be appearing at Spaces, here in Evanston... and I (and my family) will be front and center.
Dan is an interesting character, but the consumate musician. I've been listening to his offerings for over 30 years, but have never attended one of his live shows, and tonight will experience him in a small … (9 comments)
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evanston real estate: Dear Mr. Realtor-knowledgey - what's a paraprosdokiam?
- 09/16/10 03:50 AM
Dear Readers. Once again, Mr. Realtor Knowledgey branches out to answer some unusual questions about all sorts of non-real estate subjects. I like to think that people are generally smart and knowledgeable, but my mailbox proves that to be totally wrong. Here are some recent questions that have appeared in my mailbox, and my responses:
Dear Mr. Realtor-knowledgey... What is a Paraprosdokiam?
Dear odd-question asker: Where did you hear such filth? Oh, wait, that's something else... A paraprosdokiam (frp, Greek "παρα-", meaning "beyond" and "προσδοκία", meaning "expectation") is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence … (21 comments)
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evanston real estate: Alan's top 10 things to do to keep busy during this merely temporary "lull".
- 09/15/10 02:36 AM
I keep reading in the media, and in blogs that some Realtors are experiencing a modest downturn in business. (Not me, heavens no... I'm busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger)... and these people are finding themselves with excess time on their hands.
Some have suggested that they dedicate that extra time to calling expireds. Some have mentioned that they should work their farm and send out more advertising flyers. Others tout the value of Buffini-esque methods, of staying in touch with former buyers and sellers, and the value of "drop-bys" and lunches and other types of prospecting in order to build … (92 comments)
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evanston real estate: are you an Outlier?
- 09/07/10 12:11 PM
My daughter (yes, the cute-as-a-button one), and her husband bought me a book a while back, which I read with relish, and then set aside. It was a short book by my standards, only 299 pages long (don't get too excited... it's only a 5x7 book).. called Outliers.
It's a book that explores the reasons behind success and quickly and effectively debunks the theory that you can become a success by "fluke". He's not saying that just anyone can become a success, nor is he denying the fact that sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the … (70 comments)
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evanston real estate: the Statue of Freedom... she was glorious.
- 09/07/10 02:39 AM
Continued from here
Standing in the port of Haifa, Pesia & her brother Akiva surveyed the ships at hand. They were a sorry lot. But one ship stood head & shoulders above the rest. An ocean-going passenger ship, headed for New York City named the Neo Hellas (New Greece 1939-1955). Pesia booked passage on the Neo Hellas, took her two little girls onboard, and all of their belongings in two valises and headed for America.
Aviva & Esther (Ettie) were very sad saying goodbye to all the family they knew, standing on the dock of the Neo Hellas, and to make … (14 comments)
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evanston real estate: sometimes you have to turn up the volume
- 09/04/10 03:17 AM
Sometimes..
while sitting at the office, on a Saturday morning, with only the reception staff in the office, while waiting for your cient to show up, you have to start up i-tunes, load in your favourite raucous tune... (here's mine this a.m.)... turn up the volume on your computer to 113 (yes, that's loud).... and blast out a tune.
the acoustics, here in the office, allow the harmonies and voices to bounce off unkempt desk to acoustical ceiling tile, and rattle an occasional window.. all of this without annoying the ever present watchful eye (ear) of our managing broker, … (16 comments)
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evanston real estate: smile for the birdie
- 09/01/10 11:08 AM
In the past, I have complained, sometime bitterly, about real estate agents whose photographs don't look a thing like them due to their antiquity (both the photo and sometimes the agent).
So I was pleased when our office hired a reknowned local photographer to come in and take fresh photos of all of our agents, at a nominal fee. And being a bit of a graphic arteest in a former life, (and a bit of a masochist in THIS one), I agreed to do some of the photoshop touch ups (remove fly-away hair, a blemish or two, soften a couple of … (24 comments)
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evanston real estate: What's this about blogging being dead?
- 08/29/10 03:26 PM
I go away for a couple of days of R&R, with the mum, and I return to Active Rain, only to learn, according to several well-written, well-thought-out, highly commented posts, that blogging has died in my absence? (I knew I shouldn't have gone out of town!)
What the fudge?
C'mon, it just got started... well, at least I just got into it. It can't have died before I've had a chance to be a giant pain in the patootie!
Why, heck... I don't even think it's on life support, let alone dead. Blogging is still in it's infancy. Good content will … (19 comments)
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I was laid up at home, for part of Monday, and all of today (Tuesday)... I slept a lot, drank plenty of fluids, etc. I'd fallen victim to some nasty Rhinovirus that's been running around.
;)
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