real estate: Today's Pet Peeve... Bad MLS Photos!! - 05/14/11 10:45 AM
How many times have you seen a photo like this in the MLS?
 
What was the agent selling, the furniture?
 
And this one...
 
Couldn't the agent have taken the time to get out of the car??
 
It always amazes me when agents don't take the time to take high-quality photos of their listings. Since over 90% of today's buyers start their home searches on the internet, the MLS photos are the public face of that property! Buyers decide whether or not that home is worth seeing based on those photos. Don't some agents want their listings to sell?
… (14 comments)

real estate: Arkansas vs. Rochester... Why It's Important to Work With a Local Expert! - 02/19/11 05:38 AM
As a real estate professional who is used to working in Rochester, it's interesting to experience a different side of real estate.
My grandmother, who lived in the tiny town of Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas, passed away two years ago. My father is the executor of her estate. He and his siblings have been trying to sell her house in Arkansas for a year. They listed it with with a small brokerage that is pretty much the only show in town and have been waiting not-so-patiently ever since.
It's amazing to me how slow the real estate market is in Horseshoe Bend. We've been … (2 comments)

real estate: It's Valentine's Day... Do You LOVE Your Home? - 02/14/11 03:02 AM
It's Valentine's Day! I hope you all enjoy spending some time with your loved one, whoever that may be. Personally, I'll be spending the evening with a Valentine who is furry and drools!
Valentine's Day is also a good time to ask yourself an important question... do you LOVE your home?
No home is perfect. There's always something that can be done. But... are you in the right home for you at this point in your life?
There's a movement in this county called right-sizing. Gone are the days of McMansions. Now, homeowners in Rochester and around the country are striving … (0 comments)

real estate: Happiness Means Following Your Heart... - 06/13/10 05:28 AM
I love watching Ben Stein's segments on the CBS Sunday Morning show. His advice is always poignant, intelligent, and well thought out.
This morning's segment was no exception. As a matter of fact, today's segment resonated with me more than anything I've seen in quite some time.
It was entitled How to Live: Follow Your Heart, Risk Be Damned. In it, Ben shares some insight he gained from his "shrink" about the difference between happy and unhappy people.
His shrink says unhappy people are those who failed to follow their hearts, who let others talk them into a career that wasn't … (5 comments)

real estate: Appraisals vs. Assessments: The Real Story! - 12/11/09 08:27 AM
What is the difference between an appraisal and an assessment? That's the question I'll be addressing in this blog entry. I've noticed the two are often confused by buyers and sellers. They tend to use the two terms interchangeably, while in reality they have two very different purposes.
 
I decided to start my post by consulting the big fat book I received when I got my real estate license, Modern Real Estate Practice in New York for Salespersons and Brokers, Eighth Edition by Edith Lank. Yes, it's still gathering dust on my bookshelf!
According to the glossary, an appraisal is … (2 comments)

real estate: What's in a Name?? - 09/24/09 04:15 AM

I made a big decision yesterday. I'm going to team up with another agent from my office, Karen Moore. We decided that, as partners, we can work together to grow both our businesses.
I'm excited. It will be great to have someone else to compliment my style. I'm good with computers and Karen has been in sales for many years. We're both passionate about real estate and want to become as successful as we can be. I think we'll be a good team.
My one quandary is... what do I call her? When we're knocking on the door of a … (5 comments)

real estate: These Boots are Made for... Trudging?? - 01/21/09 06:43 AM
I have a confession to make... I'm vain. And recently, my vanity has been resulting in my having soggy, frozen feet. But not anymore.
Lately, we've been having unseasonably cold weather in the Rochester area. It hasn't gotten out of the teens in longer than I'd like to think about. As if that isn't bad enough, it's also snowed 59 out of the past 66 days. That's all but 7 days in the past 2 months. Crazy.
Until yesterday, the only boots I owned were huge, clunky, ugly black monstrosities. I've been resisting wearing them to anything "professional" out of a … (5 comments)

real estate: A Chance to Shine Contest: The REAL Meaning of Real Estate - 10/28/08 01:34 PM
When I decided to begin my career in real estate, it wasn't an easy decision. I had recently completed my second year of teaching and come to the painful realization that it wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was left with a Bachelors in Psychology, a Masters in Education, and no idea what to do with either of them.

I began wracking my brain about what career I could shoot for that would use either my skills at counseling people or my ability to help them learn. When I couldn't think of anything … (8 comments)