pat obrien: A thought for St. Patrick's Day - 03/17/10 05:04 AM
I have heard this story over and over.  Coming from an Irish Catholic family, I really always thought if it as a myth or legend and moved on with other things.  A few years ago I got this story and I tried to find it in snopes.com and had no luck.  I then tried wiki and search most of the people in the story.  (Some had names that were too common and I found that 6 were true, so the odds are good the others are true also)
Our economy is still not doing well.  While it is the Republicans that … (1 comments)

pat obrien: Huge price reduction... - 07/22/09 04:05 AM
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pat obrien: Perspective, what really matters... - 07/02/09 06:39 AM
Anyone that knows me at all, or follows my tweets, blogs or facebook knows that 11 days ago my AC went out.  I blogged that it was nice to have a warranty company and knowing that it wouldn't cost me too much.  Well, I still don't have AC and we have yet to have a day less than 100 degrees.
Last night I went to my bedroom, my new office,  where I have a window AC unit that makes the room bearable.  I don't recommend your bed as a desk, way to easy to take a nap!  I walk in and … (3 comments)

pat obrien: Lessons of my Family and their GPS... - 06/24/09 07:28 AM
I will not use names since my family gave me the idea for this blog, but I am sort of a geek and love technology.  Having a basic no frills GPS that was on my TREO for years, I learned a few things that I try and pass on especially to family members...(they would have spent less time cussing at the voice in box if they had done these few simple things)
1. GPS maps like any maps are not perfect.  You should use your GPS for a few months, every time you get a new one, to take you to … (3 comments)

pat obrien: Very Frustrated with Gov. Rick Perry - 06/21/09 05:06 PM
As the Chair of the local chamber I write an article in our weekly paper.  This is my draft for my Monday deadline.  I usually am positive and try to find the good news about our area, so this will be a departure.  Thought I would put it here too.  Although not real estate related this type of gubernatorial veto doesn't put us into a great light with the rest of the world.  In Texas the veto is final because only the Governor can call a special session to overturn his veto.  Don't see that happening.
Draft of this weeks article...
I … (0 comments)

pat obrien: Great News for San Antonio and Texas! - 06/17/09 05:05 AM
What great news to send you mid-week:
Study: San Antonio is America's top recession-resistant city
At the midpoint in a busy week, after moving the Chamber, having company in town and all the rest, I have loved how busy real estate has been, too.  Offers are coming in, and our inventory of homes is dropping. While we never were as bad as the rest of the country, we still had a much different market this year than we had experienced in eight or more years.
I think the challenge now will be dealing with the mortgage industry.  Things just seem … (2 comments)

pat obrien: Great Canyon Lake Listing just reduced! - 06/05/09 04:12 PM
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pat obrien: Next Time you are stressed - 06/04/09 05:44 PM

 
There is a book "Whale Done" about training killer whales.  They are at the top of the food chain, so to train them, they are always in the dominant position.  It is all done with rewards and patience.  I can't imagine training even my dog, if she was not clear that I was the alfa member of the household.
Next time you feel stressed think about working with animals that think of you as a snack...and then this trainer taking a break on the belly of the KILLER WHALE!
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pat obrien: What is she thinking - 06/04/09 05:36 PM
 
 
I guess she sees this on my lap more then her and is wondering what the big deal is.  Or she wants to be my assistant!
 
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pat obrien: Just Listed over 3000+ sq ft large yard w/pool in Cibolo - 06/04/09 02:31 PM
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pat obrien: Customer Service AGAIN...A tail of 2 Airlines - 06/04/09 03:29 AM
I found it funny that I called a chamber member at Frontier Airlines to help with an issue at American.  It was a reminder to me that I need to make sure that as business people, we remember that good service is essential.  If we say we are going to call, we need to call.  We need to return calls and emails.  With the mortgage industry changing daily, I find myself without the answers that I used to have, so I have had to learn to set the right expectations for my clients.  I need to tell them that we need to have … (3 comments)