home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime - 2018, Day 27 Everly Bros.
- 06/25/18 07:23 PM
Come back with me to the early days of Rock and Roll to a duo that left their mark on many of the future artists that we have come to know and love. I am speaking about the Everly Brothers. Don & Phil Everly were huge stars. The Everly Brothers had 35 Billboard Top-100 singles and at one point even hosted their own network TV show. They influenced many rock groups of the 1960s. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel all developed their early styles by performing Everly Brothers songs. Groups whose style featured 2 and 3 part … (2 comments)
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home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime - Day 24 -Eagles
- 06/23/18 12:04 PM
I consider The Eagles to be one of the best rock bands ever. They are right up there with the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Despite the fact that many consider the Eagles to be a country sound, founding member Glen Fry was adamant that they were a rock band. One of the reasons early member Randy Meisner left the band, to be replaced by Timothy B. Schmidt, was the constant squabbling over the direction the band was taking. Eventually, Joe Walsh joined the band cementing it as a true rock band.
The Eagles are in my opinion one of the best live … (0 comments)
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home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime - Day 19 - Beach Boys
- 06/17/18 08:17 PM
I am pretty sure that just about everyone knows who The Beach Boys are. It seems like this group has been around in one form or another since the early sixties.
The Beach Boys practically created a whole new genre called surfing music. Their music was about growing up in Southern California in the 1960s. The songs were about cars, dancing, beach parties, surfing, and of course teenage love. On the surface, their songs seem simple, but if you really listen you can hear the complexities of Brian Wilson’s arrangements.
The Beach Boys continue to perform concerts worldwide. I had the pleasure … (0 comments)
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home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime -2018,Day 14 Jethro Tull
- 06/13/18 07:20 PM
Today's selection is from a band named Jethro Tull. I have always thought they never got enough recognition in part because the band's frontman, Ian Anderson, was such a unique and imposing character. But the band comprised of Anderson, Martin Barre, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond and Barriemore Barlow along with a host of guest musicians put together some of the most complex arrangements any rock band that came before them. Rather than a series of songs. Jethro Tull’s albums were often written with a theme. When you tuned in you needed and wanted to listen to the entire album to get the full … (1 comments)
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home buying: Leave the Gun – Take the Cannoli.
- 06/11/18 07:24 PM
"Leave the Gun – Take the Cannoli"
This famous line spoken by one of the mob characters in the book The Godfather emphasizes an important point. Business is business and life is life. Sometimes in business, we have to do things that we don’t necessarily enjoy. But if we must we should never forget who we are and what is important for our lives.
While no one is endorsing that doing something illegal or even unethical should be accepted, we should also remember that our goals should be to make a better life for ourselves and our families.
When I was new in the … (12 comments)
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home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime - 2018, Day 12 Nicks/Henley
- 06/10/18 02:54 PM
I chose quite a few duets for this blog, in part because it allows me to feature more than one artist. You are in a way getting a two-for-one deal. There are so many good songs and so little time to listen.
Today’s song Leather and Lace is performed by Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame and Eagles singer Don Henley.
The song was written by Nicks for country stars Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter who recorded it as a hit on the country charts. Later Nicks recorded this version with Henley. The song peaked at #6 on the billboard 100 in January … (0 comments)
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home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime - 2018, Day 9 Four Seasons
- 06/07/18 02:00 PM
Time to jump back into the Way Back Machine (you’ve got to be really old to understand this reference) and return back to the days when I would stand in front of the record player and play the same 45 rpm record over and over.
One of the musical groups that I loved in those days was The Four Seasons. With Frankie Valle’s falsetto voice and Bob Gaudio’s timeless arrangements, the group produced hit after hit on the top 40. When I was 12 years old I could hit the high notes just like Frankie. My how times have changed.
In 1962 the … (1 comments)
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home buying: Why an accurate Pre-Approval is so important.
- 06/05/18 02:08 PM
In today’s hot real estate market sellers are often getting multiple competing offers. When this happens, the seller must choose the best offer. But the best offer is not always the highest sales price. Sellers must look at all factors of the offer. After all, the goal is not only to get the highest dollar amount but to ensure a smooth transaction that will result in the greatest net to the seller.
In Arizona, the typical pre-approval form contains several components.
Buyer is/is not relying on the sale of a previous property Buyer is/is not relying on seller concessions … (2 comments)
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home buying: Soundtrack of a Lifetime - Day 2
- 05/30/18 07:22 PM
Day two of my soundtrack features another early rocker. Could any soundtrack possibly be complete without The King? Elvis Presley became a worldwide phenomenon in 1956 with his deep powerful voice, tough guy good looks, and gyrating hips. I doubt that any performer ever made such an impact on their musical genre.
In addition to music, he became a movie star and he even set the world on fire when he was drafted into the army in March 1958. Girls cried when the army shaved off his pompadour haircut.
Even today people make pilgrimages to his former home in Graceland. He was truly … (2 comments)
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home buying: The mental game.
- 05/30/18 02:39 PM
Experience, knowledge, attention to detail are all factors that lead to success. Add to that list confidence. No matter how good you are, you must remain confident.
We often use sports analogies to explain success or failure because it can tell a story that is easily understood. Here is my latest sports analogy.
I play a lot of tennis and while you will never hear my name mentioned at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, I am by all accounts a good club level player. The other day I was playing a very competitive match and at one point I had an opportunity for … (1 comments)
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home buying: Hot Town – Summer in the City!
- 05/29/18 09:57 AM
Well, it is that time of year again here in the Valley of the Sun. Time to test your mettle against the searing sun, time to test your air conditioning system and time for a cannonball dive into a sparkling pool.
Many people think that life in Phoenix is put on hold here when temperatures begin to exceed 100° on a daily basis. Some agents even believe that “no one buys homes in the summer”. But despite the heat, home sales continue all year long. In fact, the average days on the market in the Phoenix metro actually reached its shortest period, … (4 comments)
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home buying: How many are there really?
- 05/17/18 03:06 PM
There is an old joke about the gentleman that ordered a pizza from the local parlor. The young man taking the order asked: “How many slices would you like it cut in, six or eight?” The gentleman replied, “You had better do six, I don’t think I can eat eight.”
We have all seen them, the articles that are posted daily on the internet. You know what I mean, the 6 things you should do before you buy. The 10 things you need to know before you sell. The 10,000 things you need to consider (or do) before you apply for your … (5 comments)
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home buying: Why I like well qualified buyers.
- 05/14/18 10:11 AM
The lifeblood of any real estate agent is new business. Business can come in several forms. It could be a seller with a new listing, a referral to another agent or a new home buyer.
Dealing with sellers is often preferred because you have something tangible to base your work on, the property that the seller wants to sell.
Referrals can be less lucrative, but also generally require less work. Acting as a Buyer’s Agent can be fun, rewarding and even educational. But buyers can often be frustrating, particularly when they are not fully prepared to buy.
I often get inquiries from … (0 comments)
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home buying: You gotta read the deed!
- 05/09/18 02:24 PM
Townhouse? Condo? Apartment? PUD? Co-Op? Can you tell by looking? I can’t.
I found several multi-unit dwellings in the Phoenix area that looked similar in architecture but were in fact very different in ownership,. By examining the deed I was able to determine what type of ownership applied to these buildings.
Why? Because buildings can be configured many ways. Architecture is not the determining factor when trying to understand what you own or what you are buying. It is about ownership.
Adding to the confusion, many MLS limit the number of options the listing agent has to choose from when creating the MLS … (2 comments)
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home buying: Contingent upon Appraisal
- 04/29/18 01:15 PM
“Buyer’s obligation to complete this sale is contingent upon an appraisal of the Premises…”
A well written real estate purchase contract will contain a clause that requires the property to be evaluated by an independent appraiser. The clause may also specify that final approval of any financing is subject to the appraiser determining an acceptable value.
Why do we need appraisals?
A little over 90% of all home sales involve financing. Lenders that offer mortgages and home loans assume a large portion of the risk associated with financing a home. The amount of risk a lender is willing to accept is called the Loan … (1 comments)
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home buying: Like a seat belt for your stove.
- 04/19/18 07:41 PM
Many homes in the U.S. have freestanding ranges. Freestanding ranges are convenient, functional and offer homeowners a wide variety of choices. Ranges come in a variety of colors, configurations, and quality. But one thing that freestanding ranges have in common is the potential for the unit to tip forward when a heavy weight is placed on an open oven door. It is not something that most people consider when purchasing a new range, but it happens more often than we like to consider.
From 1980 through 2008, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that there were 38 fatalities associated with … (2 comments)
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home buying: Is prayer an effective marketing strategy?
- 04/18/18 06:58 PM
When I was a newer agent I worked with a mentor. My mentor was an experienced agent who had sold many homes. He knew how to get listings. But more importantly, he knew how to sell those properties. He had a marketing plan that included pricing, staging, advertising, and promotion. Of course, this was in an era before Facebook, Zillow, etc. Most of our advertising was local. But one thing he insisted on was promoting your listings.
I remember him telling me “Too many agents use the "3P” method."
Put up a sign Put it in the MLS Pray. The way we … (39 comments)
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home buying: Honoring the Real Estate Hero.
- 04/06/18 02:45 PM
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." This saying, which has often been associated with the Post Office, actually comes from a book by Herodotus, a Greek historian. During the wars between the Greeks and Persians (500-449 B.C.), the Persians operated a system of mounted postal couriers. The reference is to these couriers.
But the phrase could just as easily been written about the Real Estate Agent. Real Estate Agents work on the client’s schedule. We hear every rational reason for why the Seller cannot show the house … (9 comments)
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home buying: If termites eat wood. Why are there forests?
- 03/28/18 02:47 PM
Arizona home buyers are frequently surprised to find that wood destroying insects such as termites are quite prevalent. Often when showing homes prospective buyers will notice that the home has been treated. The telltale signs include disturbed soil around the base of the property, drill marks in the concrete around patios and walkways and sometimes bait traps strategically placed around the home. The potential buyer is often turned off by the idea that the home has had termites. But we must remind them that these types of infestations are common and treatable. In fact, it is so common that we have … (4 comments)
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home buying: My how things have changed.
- 03/17/18 11:03 AM
I was cleaning out the garage the other day and found a box of papers that contained some of my parent’s financial records. One of the more interesting items was the Closing Statement from their home purchase in 1955. The Total Cost of the home was $16,460.02.
The entire closing statement was on one 8.5x11 sheet of paper, a total of 18 lines of text. Other interesting items included a cover letter that instructed them to sign one copy and return it to the bank. No notary required, no verification of identity, just a signature.
The part that struck me the most was … (4 comments)
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Come back with me to the early days of Rock and Roll to a duo that left their mark on many of the future artists that we have come to know and love. I am speaking about the Everly Brothers. Don & Phil Everly were huge stars. The Everly Brothers had 35 Billboard Top-100 singles and at one point even hosted their own network TV show. They influenced many rock groups of the 1960s. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel all developed their early styles by performing Everly Brothers songs. Groups whose style featured 2 and 3 part … (2 comments)
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