yhym: Public Relations Nightmare or Opportunity - How Would YOU Respond?
- 12/11/07 01:51 PM
Sebastian, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin It's been said there's no such thing a bad publicity. I don't know, but I found a scenario from Publicity Hound founder and author Joan Stewart that certainly gives every one of us the opportunity to test that postulation ourselves. Joan sends me an emailed tip sheet and maintains an informative blog. In both this week she included a link to an Investigating Reporter's report of nasty housekeeping practices in several major hotels that needed to be addressed. Even when shoved in their faces, it was mostly ignored by the guilty parties and left out there dangling in … (2 comments)
yhym: With a Capital C.
- 11/29/07 10:55 AM
Sebastian, Florida to Madison, Wisconsin Is this offensive? GO FISH is the group and they have an opinion to express.
It IS a good question. We don't say "Happy Holidays" in any other month (as pointed out in the song). Now I realize Christmas is specifically Christian, but the holiday is as much a part of of of our American culture as Independence Day (also known as the 4th of July, at least at the time of this bloggette). Much of the western hemisphere celebrates Christmas - are we Americans the only ones weaseling out of celebrating an event full of religious significance … (6 comments)
yhym: Cy Young, Tom Seaver, Real Estate, and You
- 11/15/07 12:58 PM
Real estate is like baseball. Now, I didn't think this until an hour ago, but sometimes these epiphanies come at the strangest times - and they all begin with a story... I had just been reading in Yahoo Sports about the baseball's National League Cy Young award winner, Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres. Peavy was the unanimous winner this year, and posted some great numbers. There was one notation in the article that caught my eye: Peavy didn't pitch a complete game (CG) the entire 2007 season! In fact, only he and Roger Clemens are Cy Young winners with that … (10 comments)
yhym: Foreclosure Sheriff's Auction Flushes Out Bitter ButtHead (Humor)
- 11/13/07 01:12 AM
Sebastian Florida One Saturday morning Bill Quigley and I were talking about Home Inspections on our weekly radio show - this time in conjunction with foreclosures and sheriff's auctions. We were interviewing our guest and exchanging stories on air about the importance of home inspections prior to sale, when Bill relates the unusual story of a client of his having bought a home at an auction. Apparently the buyer didn't have the time to pre-inspect the property and apparent was hoping for the best. He won the bid, but when the lender sent the appraiser to the home, he found a toilet sitting in … (9 comments)
yhym: In Flanders Fields
- 11/11/07 06:29 AM
Sebastian, Florida One of the world's most popular poems - due to its personal origins, its visual power, and its sentiments about war and death, is "In Flanders Fields."
According to sources, the author was an officer in the Canadian military and wrote the poem the day after witnessing the death of his friend. Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" on May 3rd, 1915 while still in the trenches, using the back of a fellow soldier as a desk as he memorialized his feelings upon a scrap of paper. Th poem was published later that year. Here is the original text (and … (6 comments)
yhym: More News on HR 3915 - and a FAMB Call To Action
- 11/07/07 07:15 AM
Sebastian Florida and Points North and West According to MarketWatch the The House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday approved a bill (HR3915) that would "impose sweeping changes on the mortgage industry, including minimum standards for approving loans and some new liabilities on those who securitize risky mortgages. The bill passed on a 45-19 vote." This now heads to the full House for a vote and the Senate and be signed by the president before becoming law. It is a point of discussion as to whether or not the final bill will resemble this as it stands. This bill would mandates licensing for mortgage brokers and bank … (2 comments)
yhym: KIVA and ActiveRain Can Shine Together
- 11/06/07 10:59 PM
Sebastian, Florida and Points West KIVA + AR + 56,623 = X What's the answer? What's "X"? Read on. I see our ActiveRain has placed a banner ad- or rotating banner or whatever it is - of KIVA on the site (or vice versa) home page. Great opportunity for ActiveRainers to get involved - economically and spiritually. We also have a KIVA group on AR, found here: http://activerain.com/groups/KIVA. KIVA is a company that provides - through "sponsors" - MICROLOANS to entrepreneurs and small business persons in Third World nations. The receivers of these loans are carefully screened by the KIVA field partners (banks) in their own … (2 comments)
yhym: HR3915
- 11/02/07 06:11 AM
Sebastian, Florida The legislators in America are grossly over-reacting to this real estate "challenge' and their elected officials - with mostly good intent, I hope - are over-reacting by drafting and attempting to pass various legislation designed to upright the listing mortgage ship. Already too much has been said about the blame, too much finger pointing. But there are more extreme measures coming our way, so it seems. I received an today concerning HR3915. It contained an invitation to sign a petition AGAINST its passage. Bill HR3915, if passed into law, would reportedly eliminate YSP for mortgage BROKERS only, forcing a big change in how brokers … (8 comments)
yhym: Go Back To High School - Your HOME-WORK Isn't Done Yet
- 11/01/07 02:54 PM
1 November 2007 Sebastian, Florida I had to go back to high school these past two days - as exhausting as it was, I'm grateful I did! My wife is a high school teacher educating freshman - this week on budgeting. I had the privilege - today and yesterday, to present to them information about credit and home ownership - and how the two interact. The level of interest - and participation - was amazing. While my outline doesn't present the anecdotal stories I used to present certain concepts (you need your own, which is best) about life and money, the basics are here … (6 comments)
yhym: Addams Family versus Munsters SMACKDOWN!
- 10/29/07 01:01 PM
Sebastian, Florida to Madison, Wisconsin and points west In his thought-provoking (and intellectually stimulating) blog, The Brady Bunch or The Partridge Family?, Neal Bloom received a comment from Teri Eckholm suggesting a Munsters versus Addams Family preference question. I blatantly stole their idea (I confess!) and turned it into a SMACKDOWN!!
I mean, really! Who has the edge?!?! Morticia and Gomez and Herman and Lillian are the obvious player, but the minor characters aren't so minor. Cousin Itt, Thing, and Lurch are creepy, but that Wednesday gives me the Willies!
So, the survey follows, free and courtesy of PollDaddy. Vote as often as you like - … (11 comments)
yhym: Do You Embrace the Hype or the Hope?
- 10/28/07 01:01 PM
Sebastian, Florida Anything out of context - statements, print, even images - can paint any picture the author wants. The media wants us to feel we should be greatly concerned, that the real estate world is coming to an end, and that there is little or no future for recovery as lender fail and investors bail. Such believers would be personified with this little guy to the right, worried about his financial future as he sees the U.S. economy - and his personal business - grinding to a halt. No sense working - there's just no business out there. So they ride the … (7 comments)
yhym: The Closet Environmentalist #1 - Can the Catalogs
- 10/27/07 04:33 AM
America Want to make a difference in your environment, but don't have the time to be TOO involved? Don't want to be labeled a "Tree Hugger?" You're a Closet Environmentalist (Green Guerilla?). There are small ways to do your part. Here's one way you clean up your mailbox - and the environment. On a recent segment of Good Morning America, a representative the Natural Wildlife Foundation presented a website that will help you cut back on waste, save you time (and eventually money), and keep a few extra trees around, possibly helping slow Global Warming. Big funding foots the bill - Catalog Choice is a … (6 comments)
yhym: This Kid Is Not Cut Out For Real Estate
- 10/26/07 02:03 PM
Madison, WI Choose your life's vocation carefully. I'm on FaceBook. Why? Well, I was politely invited by a couple of AR-types I like and respect, so I did it. My kids - aged 18 to 26, jumped all over it and now I'm getting immersed in their little sub-culture. And now their friends - some of which are youth I advised in our church groups - are inviting my friendship as well, which I think is more for the kick than the contact. But then again, as Dads go, I'm cool in a humorous, conservative kind of way. Or so I imagine (which … (6 comments)
yhym: Foreclosures and Short Sales - Part Two - The Return of Kevin Mikrut
- 10/25/07 03:17 AM
Madison, Wisconsin WTDY - Madison 1670 - The Pulse As promised, Kevin Mikrut rejoins Art and Bill to continue the discussion about Short Sales. Apparently we were having waaaaay to much fun during the first show (Part One), so we decided to plug in Kevin's expertise again to help you (and us) to really understand how this whole Short Sale System works. About Kevin Mikrut: Kevin learned from the best in a market - Las Vegas - where 25% of the listings were short sales, and he did it by sacrificing time and money to be the Go For as he shadowed and did the … (1 comments)
yhym: FORECLOSURES and SHORT SALES - Recorded Interview - Part One
- 10/25/07 02:43 AM
FORECLOSURES and SHORT SALES - What You Need to Know Foreclosure - top headlines these days in economic news. What does that do to your rights of ownership? And for investors, how does that affect you? What on Earth is a short sale? Find out today as YHYM talks with title expert Ben Smaglick of First American Title, a frequent guest, and SHORT SALE Specialist Kevin Mikrut of Realty Executives here in Madison. Pay attention to Keven when he talks about short sales, any mistake could kill your deal and possibly leave the seller liable for a lot of extra money. Hosted … (1 comments)
yhym: Google Photo Post Un-Contest
- 10/24/07 06:17 AM
The Grand Experiment Want my smiling face posted on Google and need to see if it picks up photos from AR. (I want my Mom to be proud of me, aside from me having no tatoos and very few physical - and emotional - scars. I figured it has to be labeled in some way and must be relevant, so it's time to post and hope for the best UNLESS... UNLESS some bright tech-type can show me how to do this better. Any and all tutorials appreciated. Thanks. Art
Oh - the Un-Contest. Guess how many hours (or months, perhaps) until this appears in Google Images? Autographed copy of laser … (10 comments)
yhym: Home Inspection Tips and Cautions - The Final Chapter
- 08/07/07 05:08 PM
07 August 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin In MovieLand, if a movie is good, a sequel is better - and a third is ALWAYS better. Oh sure. So, with that same fallible logic, I present the third installment of my mini-series on Home Inspections as perceived by me. Third time's a-charmin'. In two previous blogs Home Inspection Tips and Cautions and For Your Vexation Get a Home Inspection I discussed my misadventures with the inspection process and invite participants to listen to a real pro from A-Pro. Now I take the counsel of Kimberly St. Louis of A-Pro Home Inspection Services and add it to my biased opinion and … (5 comments)
yhym: Changing Jobs is for Sissies
- 08/04/07 04:56 PM
Madison Wisconsin Don't bounce around the industry - stay put! During a recent radio show Bill and I shared the preceding half hour with the host, Louise Googins of Googins and Anton. During our on-air discussion we got a call from a local mortgage broker who immersed himself in a too-lengthy monologue until we could cut him loose. He said nothing unusual or controversial, yet his comments fell upon empty ears and I couldn't figure it out. I inquired after we went off the air. Strangely enough, two people in the studio both knew who the caller was and they hadn't engaged in business with him … (8 comments)
yhym: FREE AGENT WEBSITES from ALAMODE
- 07/25/07 07:56 AM
25 July 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin Our main website is an Alamode XSite, and it's been a good one for non-tech people like Bill and me (Actually, we know enough tech to know we don't know anything, so we stay clear.) Pretty customizable and the server has NEVER been down. We don't work for Alamode, but we thought we'd pass this along to you. We received an email a few minutes ago announcing for new and existing customers a FREE Real Estate Agent "Standard" website. It's not a stripped-down site, either, like some brochure sites - it's pretty loaded. There are NO gimmicks - they claim - and you get … (11 comments)
yhym: Marketing at Malls - Cruising for Dollars
- 07/23/07 04:52 PM
23 July 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin Shopping Malls are a GREAT place for business. Have you ever worked them - here's one technique I know that works... I will throw the following out there, too - every time I have taken the time to do this, I have gotten at least ONE qualified lead per hour. Make up a little flier stating what you do (you list and sell homes) - I did it for mortgages, so I'll tell what I did... I had a flyer introducing myself briefly and how I could help. Not much, mostly contact info and nice. I'd park my car … (10 comments)
Sebastian, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin;)
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