audu real estate: Hands Free Thinking...Re-Imagining the Real Estate Consumer Experience!
- 10/25/08 08:05 AM
One of my favorite locations as a little girl, was a lumpy couch beneath the bookshelf. I loved this spot which was nestled in the corner of the living room. I discovered that if one lay down on the couch (which had no arm rest), and let ones head dangle over the edge for a period of time, you could actually begin to imagine yourself walking on the ceiling! It was an oddly invigorating and imaginative past time especially when it staved off the hunger pangs while waiting for lunch preparations to be completed. The beauty of childlike play & mental wandering is the openness … (10 comments)
audu real estate: 6 Great Reasons Why "JOE THE PLUMBER" Should Consider Buying His New Home Today!
- 10/21/08 08:43 AM
Unless you've been under a rock, you have heard about the furor over 'Joe the Plumber.' (Actually I understand that his full name is actually Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.) But at a time when 'Joe Six Pack' and the 'Bridge to Nowhere' have captured the national spotlight, it's no surprise that our attention has been riveted by the the question'Joe the Plumber' asked Presidential hopeful Senator Barak Obama during a routine campaign stop in Columbus, Ohio. "How Will Your Tax Plan Affect My Plan to Become A Small Business Owner?" (my paraphrased version) Joe concern centered around his perception that his personal tax rate might be adversely impacted by … (27 comments)
audu real estate: Upcoming Fall 2008 Michigan Real Estate Education Classes ~ Blogging & Technology
- 10/15/08 10:51 AM
Lola Audu, CRS, GRI e-Pro, owner of Audu Real Estate and founder of Blogging Seminars will be teaching and Speaking at the following events during the course of the next couple of months. On October 29, 2008, Lola will be teaching a total of 4 credit hours of real estate continuing education to members of the Clare/Gladwin Board of Realtors®. The course titles are Blogging Basics for Real Estate Professionals (K1061) and Blogging Ethics for Real Estate Professionals (K1062). The classes will begin at 9:00 a.m. and finish at 1:00 p.m. Registration will open at 8:30 but pre-registration is available and advised. Please Contact the … (7 comments)
audu real estate: Renting to Own...Can Hidden Dangers Derail Your Dream?
- 10/02/08 03:53 AM
Grand Rapids, MI Over the past 18 months, we've seen a marked increase in the number of clients who are seeking Leases with an Option to purchase the property they are renting after a specified period of time. On the surface this appear to have the potential to be a WIN WIN for all parties to a transaction. Homeowners who are unable to sell their homes have often welcomed the opportunity to have some income from a property while waiting for the market to rebound. For some potential home buyers, this arrangement afforded the opportunity to improve their credit scores and in some … (102 comments)
audu real estate: 5 Reasons Why the Financial Crisis of 2008 will Force Us to Grow Up
- 09/29/08 03:42 PM
Sometimes it's easy to forget how young America really is. Our nation is so vibrant and full of promise that optimism sometimes hinders a mature grasp of reality. America is the land of the Free and the Brave, the nation in which cowboys ride into the sun speckled range and Rocky Balboa, though bruised and bloodied, always manages to win the sparring match in the end. It is that irrepressible enthusiasm that gives us the strength to recover in spite of horrifying setbacks and defeats and to will things to go our way even when the deck of cards is stacked against us. The fact that … (27 comments)
audu real estate: Are You Playing Hide & Seek With Your Real Estate Site?
- 09/24/08 05:54 AM
If 2007 was the year I really became engaged by the blogosphere, then 2008 ranks as the year I began to understand the power of connectivity. And..No, they're not the same thing. Although, I must admit, I used to think they were.
When I first started blogging about two years ago, it was all about communicating my message and getting a handle on commenting. Active Rain provided the perfect platform and I embraced everything the community had to offer, rarely venturing out to the wider world. Initially, it was hard to understand how videos, podcasts, pictures and a short 140 bit … (71 comments)
audu real estate: How to Avoid Getting Stuck With The Wrong Online Real Estate Agent!
- 09/16/08 07:18 PM
A blind date has got to be one of life's scarier moments! Many of us have been the recipient of this form of 'relationship assistance' at some point in our lives. Although, it's exciting to not know exactly who you will be meeting, the experience is fraught with much angst and trepidation for precisely the same reason...you don't know exactly what you'll get when your date shows up in person! Today, online dating has spawned hundreds of thousands of successful unions. However, we all suspect that for every success story, there are oodles of folks who don't have a storybook outcome. We … (42 comments)
audu real estate: The Story of Money...What Every Informed Person Needs to Know
- 09/15/08 03:52 PM
Here's what's on my mind. Can we talk? Whenever bankers work on weekends, there's reason to be concerned. For the past couple of weeks, the specter of major announcements about significant entities in the financial world such as the takeover by the Federal Reserve of Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae and the announcement of the pending bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers occurring on Sunday evenings has been unsettling. But, not necessarily only for obvious reasons. The obvious reasons would be that the domino like collapse of major institutions is a serious national crisis. The less obvious reason is that most people … (11 comments)
audu real estate: Color Your Home Beautiful...4 Simple Tips to Enhance the Home Sale Process
- 09/05/08 01:08 PM
I vividly recall the First Sale of this home on 5459 Greenboro SE in Kentwood MI several years ago. The home was somewhat unassuming from the exterior. But once inside, what seemed like a conventional home turned out to be out of the ordinary when it came to the issue of spaciousness. There were 3 living room areas: a formal living room, a sunken family room with a fireplace and a large recreation room downstairs. In addition to a the dining area, there were 4 bedrooms, and 2 separate office areas. The buyer who ran a home based business was thrilled! This … (19 comments)
audu real estate: The Talking House...What Your Home Might Say To You If It Could...
- 09/03/08 03:24 AM
*This post was originally published in February of 2007. I dusted it off while preparing for a client appointment and realized that very few people had read the original post. I enjoyed this walk down 'memory lane' and hope that you will too.
Ahem...This is Your Home. Yes, I've been wanting to do this for awhile. Don't act so surprised to discover my voice, you're talking all the time inside of me. Now it's time for you to listen to what I have to say. I'm aware that you have decided to leave me and move on. Hey, I'm taking it … (30 comments)
audu real estate: How To Sell A Home in 31 Days During a Tough Market...Lessons from a Rookie!
- 09/01/08 08:09 PM
I've been around the block a time or two. With over 13 years in the business, I've seen some of the best years for the real estate industry. These were times in which homes sold simply because a sign was placed in the yard and financing options were plentiful even for the minimally qualified. This post is the story of what a Rookie taught me and a message to all the 'old timers' out there who say it can't be done. It can. And it's not just about beginners luck. When Lorrae Danzig took on the assignment for the sale of … (80 comments)
audu real estate: NOISE (Part 2)...What to Do When What You Hear Doesn't Make Sense...
- 08/13/08 02:09 PM
PLEASE READ PART 1 BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE REMAINDER OF THIS BLOG POST. Dealing effectively with NOISE pollution requires on thing above all else. It's actually an obvious solution, but one which we miss in the confusion of the moment. It's a quality called Stillness. And, it's the most challenging element of sanity to maintain in the midst of a hullabaloo. Stillness requires having the ability to turn OFF the most incessant elements of NOISE...the elements that are clamoring for the most attention. It entails being able to step back, breathe, and take the time to figure out what is … (11 comments)
audu real estate: NOISE...What to Do When What You Hear Doesn't Make Sense...
- 08/13/08 01:56 PM
NOISE Pollution. There's so much of it. And...I'm not just talking about blaring horns, construction traffic or loud music booming with subterranean intensity from stereo sets. While these annoyances are disconcerting, we all have learned to live with them. The Noise that we'll be exploring in this short series is more insidious. It's the kind of Noise which has the ability to impact your well being in a fashion that physical Noise cannot. There are two types of NOISE that I've been reflecting on for the past couple of days. They are Financial Noise and Emotional Noise. I recently bought the book, 'When Markets Collide.' The bestselling … (13 comments)
audu real estate: Please Join Me in Extending Your Umbrellas to Welcome...Takara Taylor!
- 08/01/08 04:00 PM
Audu Real Estate is pleased to Welcome a New Agent to our team. Takara Taylor has enrolled in the Audu Real Estate Mentor Training Program. Takara's prior background in social work provides a lot of insight into dealing with people...a very valuable skill for an aspiring real estate specialist. She has also been involved in some real estate investments on a personal level and looks forward to increasing her skill and knowledge level as she serves clients who need to buy and sell properties in West Michigan. Here's a little bit from Takara in her own words... I studied the Real Estate … (22 comments)
audu real estate: Minding Your Realty P's & Q's...3 Secrets For Continued Success!
- 07/30/08 09:49 AM
A familiar ritual at the dining table as a youngster involved being reminded time and time and again to mind my P's and Q's. What was commonly referred to as Table Manners were a set a rules that adults felt we needed to know to avoid embarrassing them in polite company. Thank God their persistence helped to ensure that we didn't become little hellions. Rules of engagement are a necessary part of social interaction as well as business. As real estate professionals explore the online world, it is often difficult to clearly understand what the rules are because the context changes so … (55 comments)
audu real estate: What it Means to...Holla' for REcognition
- 07/21/08 12:29 PM
Most of us emerge on planet earth with all the stridency that our 8 to 9 pounds of flesh can muster. So much so that the infant who emerges without a lusty yell is promptly spanked on the rump to produce one. After all...one has arrived. Say so! Sideline living is against the grain of human ego. A newborn baby in a household quickly demands just about everyones' waking and non-waking moments. Babies need to be fed at regular intervals, burped, changed, bathed, soothed, entertained...in short, paid attention to at all times. While we relish the joy of observing the expansion of … (17 comments)
audu real estate: Audu Real Estate Congratulates Ed Vogt on Successful Mentor Taining Program Completion!
- 07/18/08 06:36 AM
Audu Real Estate is pleased to announce that Ed Vogt, a licensed Real Estate Agent and Residential Property Specialist has successfully completed the 'On Track For Success' Mentor Training Program. Ed Vogt graduates from the Mentor Training Program after 2 years of enrollment in which she has successfully completed over 24 Transactions and received more than 200 hours of Formal Classroom instruction and training. This was in addition to the mandatory 6 hours of Continuing Education per year for real estate agents required by the State of Michigan. The Mentor Training Program offered through Audu Real Estate is a unique, one of a kind experience that … (12 comments)
audu real estate: Setting the Stage...Buying a Home or the Warm Fuzzies...
- 07/15/08 01:28 PM
Home Staging has become a popular buzzword in the Grand Rapids, Michigan real estate community. In a competitive and challenging real estate market, every advantage must be considered to secure a sale. However, my experience in touring homes indicates that many in the real estate community have not fully embraced the concept. Another nagging and continually debated issue is what constitues good staging. As this post by Craig Schiller points out, opinions and methods often differ amongst the professionals themselves. Witness, this discussion on a blog post by Laura Evans of Simply Staged LLC, a emerging tour de force in the staging community in Grand … (38 comments)
audu real estate: Reds on the River...
- 07/11/08 01:11 PM
Another entry in the Lola's Favorite Restaurants series... If you're in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, I'd suggest you work in a trip to visit one of the areas' most interesting and unique new dining options...Reds on the River. Located approximately 10 ~ 15 minutes north of Grand Rapids in Rockford, Michigan, Reds...which sits astride the banks of the picturesque Rogue River is quickly becoming a much loved dining hot spot. My interest in Reds on the River was peaked by a blog post by a colleague & fellow Grand Rapids broker, Eric Webster. Although it took me some time to head over to … (18 comments)
audu real estate: What Happens When the Landlord Changes the Locks? Renting Vs Owning Virtual Real Estate.
- 07/09/08 07:20 PM
My first experience with renting anything on my own was during my junior year at college. It was a small room on the 3rd floor of an old mansion. I had access to a refrigerator with 15 or so other ladies and the thing actually had locks attached to it to prevent thievery of your food. The room was clean and comfortable...a place to call my own. Well, not quite. A couple of years and one small apartment later, my new hubby and I moved into 'married student quarters' just outside the main University campus. I was thrilled to be able to have my own … (57 comments)
Grand Rapids, Michigan real estate information including houses for sale, rent and home buyer/seller tips. Also includes wisdom and insights from Lola Audu, CRS Associate Broker.
Grand Rapids, Michigan Real Estate
Grand Rapids Real Estate
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Buying A home in Grand Rapids, Mi
Selling Your Grand Rapids, Mi Home
Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Relocating to Grand Rapids, Michigan
One of my favorite locations as a little girl, was a lumpy couch beneath the bookshelf. I loved this spot which was nestled in the corner of the living room. I discovered that if one lay down on the couch (which had no arm rest), and let ones head dangle over the edge for a period of time, you could actually begin to imagine yourself walking on the ceiling! 
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