Trust me, I'm a professional

When you sell a house do you give your clients a thank you / closing gift?  If so, what do you give?  I, more times than not, will give my customers a token of my appreciation.  The "token" will vary from client to client.  Most customers will get a gift certificate to Home Depot or something of ...

Due to the fact, homes are being torn down in Birmingham, inspections contingencies are not always about inspecting the home.  Sometimes this time is used to verify lot lines, set backs, all sorts of things.  Because of this, I got used to calling the inspection period a "due diligence" period.  ...

When I first started in the real estate business, I was extremely eager to make my presence known within the Realtor community. I was always very cognizant to introduce myself to any agent that called me for feedback.  I ALWAYS gave feedback (& still do).  I religiously went on broker tour... int...

To say that I'm addicted to AR is somewhat of an understatement.  Make no mistake; I've been very busy selling homes this past week.  BUT the minute that I have "downtime" I rush to my computer like a crazed teenage girl at an N'Sync concert.  Wednesday is staff meeting and tour at our office.  S...

Six weeks ago I sold a home that is scheduled to close next Tuesday.  I represent the buyer in this transaction.  They're moving to the Birmingham area from Northern Canada.  Because they are international buyers, we made sure to allow ample time for a mortgage to get underwritten.  Needless to s...

This question has been eluding me for a few years now!  On the first hand, there is the simple cost of it all.  Do I really want to spend the additional money?  Then I think about the workload... It seems that I only need an assistant when I'm really busy or stressed.  And let's face it, I don't ...

Well, its official.  I can smell fall in the air. Its still summer and I plan to enjoy the boat for at least another month.... But fall is coming.  Michigan is absolutely gorgeous in the fall.  It's personally my favorite time of the year.  Fall colors, Big 10 football and the Michigan phenomenon...

Today I was processing (my fancy word for opening) my mail.  I was totally taken back from a bill that I received.  In February I was interviewing landscape designers and landscaping companies.  I met with one particular woman, a landscaping designer, who designed the yard for a customer of mine....

Who's been in this situation....You're at a party and you find out that one of your friends just bought a new home.  As the anger builds inside you, you have to bite your lip and take the high road.  You congratulate them on the house and say something like "I can't wait to see it".  Let's face i...

I was hungry and I didn't even know it.  The past week of being a member of AR has been great.  I sent my sappy I love Active Rain blog out yesterday, and I meant every word I wrote.    What I've realized is that I've been starving.  Starving for an outside catalyst to motivate me professionally....