sara lipnitz: When you're gone, how will others know you were once here?
- 02/22/07 04:36 AM
Throughout history man has always looked for ways to let others know that they were once here on earth. Whether it was drawings on cave walls or even fossils, there are clues all around us proving there were things and people here long before we were. Living in the technology era, we're lucky. We have all sorts of ways of leaving a record of our existence.... Which I think is kind of cool! Who knows, in 6000 years maybe our blogs may be likened to the Egyptian hieroglyphics. What I'm interested in is how YOU want to be remembered. Other than the written … (26 comments)
sara lipnitz: Walking on a tightrope
- 12/07/06 11:07 AM
As with most things in life, I think that the saying "everything in moderation" applies. There are always consequences for our actions. Too much playing means not enough working. Too much working means not enough playing and possibly... BURNOUT. Well, I'm guilty of falling prey to this trap. At times, I spend so much of my time reading, learning and thinking about internet marketing, I fail to get "my basics" done. "My basics" are uniquely my own and have consistently garnered me business. These are the things that come naturally to me.... For instance, networking. I have recently passed on social events … (19 comments)
sara lipnitz: I wish Oprah sold Real Estate
- 10/09/06 03:46 PM
My pal Craig Schiller will love this one. It’s a double nod to him! Not only did he once post about Oprah, recently he also has posted about books. Thanks Craig, you inspired my post! OK… so why do I want Oprah to sell Real Estate? Simple, I need her advice on where I could find interesting books to read regarding my profession. My friends Karen and Kristal have both sent me books to read. Ladies I thank you. For those of you not sure where I’m going with this I can only assume that you’re not aware of the Oprah Book … (26 comments)
sara lipnitz: Stop Talking... Start DOING!
- 10/03/06 02:51 PM
For the past week I’ve had a houseguest. My dad is visiting me from sunny Naples Florida. It's been a huge struggle to keep up with my work schedule and spend quality time with my dad. Still not sure how mommy Realtors do it! (No offence gentlemen). Did I also mention that I’ve been finishing my ePro course this week? Needless to say, it has been a very busy week. Today I was able to spend the afternoon with my dad. He's been mocking me in a "very parental" way all week about the amount of time I spend at the computer. … (28 comments)
sara lipnitz: Let's get Cooking
- 09/19/06 04:50 PM
Getting agents out to visit your listings in the Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills MI market can get tough.
Currently, the listing inventory is very high. As marketing times are getting longer, some agents are getting creative with the marketing. Today, Darlene Jackson and I hosted a joint broker open. We have listings on the same cul-de-sac, both priced around $2.5 million. Again, a difficult price range to move homes in. So we got creative. We enlisted a chef for each home to come and have interactive cooking demonstrations. The homes are both wonderful but very different. Both have amazing kitchens.
Let me set the scene: I wrote an offer on a home last Thursday. The listing agent is a broker/owner who still sells homes. We’ve been going back and forth for a few days now. Yesterday I left a message for the listing agent (again a broker/owner). I heard nothing. This morning at 10:30am I left yet another message for the listing agent. Well its been12 hours since my last message and I have yet to hear from this agent. Needless to say, my buyer … (25 comments)
I love my community….. Birmingham Michigan is just a wonderful place to live. I’m very enthusiastic about my city when helping people decide where they want to live. Hopefully all of us Realtors are knowledgeable about the cities we sell in.
What really excites me is the concept of being an “ambassador” for other Realtors. I call it being a cheerleader. I’d like to be considered as a role model. Am I? Who knows… But I do strive to … (6 comments)
The race has fueled my fire for weeks now. I’ve looked to JP to keep me going. Where has he gone?
I’ve cut my posts back to a minimum of one a day. I’ve held off inviting the people Maureen has missed. I’m trying to keep this interesting… I know the eyes of the AR world have been on this. Is it over?? Is that all you guys have?? I fear that in another day or so, I may need to officially publish my victory speech. If that is indeed … (19 comments)
4 is the number of weeks that I’ve been a “blogger”. Today is my anniversary on AR. It seems like it has been longer than 4 weeks. Is that good or bad?
20,000 points have been awarded for this crazy obsession. Can I trade them in for a round trip ticket to Seattle?
53 posts have been written by yours truly. I may not be a blogging neophyte anymore.
5 is the number of gold stars I’ve received. Does that mean I’m only interesting 10% of the time??
3 is the number I currently hold in … (18 comments)
sara lipnitz: How to overcome a rut
- 09/13/06 04:18 PM
Have you ever heard of the term Pay It Forward? Yes, it was a movie (I never saw it). It's also a foundation (I don’t belong to it). BUT, I do practice “paying it forward” as often as possible. The concept is simple… Do something kind for someone and that person does something for someone and so on and so on. The idea is that you can have an impact on many people just from putting the ball in motion. I like doing something unexpectedly nice for someone. I call it a “random act of kindness”. Over the past few weeks I’ve had … (14 comments)
I knew that there would be so many posts yesterday about the tragic events of 9/11. I spent much of yesterday night glued to the TV with a box of Kleenex. I prayed for all the people that lost loved ones that day. I had to change the channel when they ran the voicemail messages from the people on flight 93. It really broke my heart. I didn’t know anyone who lost their life in the attacks. I’m very thankful for that. However, the events did have a … (9 comments)
sara lipnitz: The importance of being punctual
- 09/11/06 05:17 PM
After years of being late for everything, a very good friend of mine sat me down and had a chat with me. She lovingly told me that every time I was late for an appointment I was sending a message to her that I didn’t value her time. That was about 7 years ago. I’m happy to say that I’ve never been more than 3 minutes late for any of my scheduled outings with her. If I am running 3 minutes late, I always call to let her know my ETA. I’m so thankful I learned that lesson when I did. As … (15 comments)
sara lipnitz: The Realtor & the Mortgage Rep
- 09/09/06 09:17 AM
I get numerous calls every week from mortgage reps wanting to partner with me. Some offer to pay for my catered broker open houses. Others want to subsidize my advertising costs. It seems that everyone that calls on me has something that they want to do for me to gain my referrals. Ok... first let me say that this post is not intended to bag on the mortgage reps. I think that these services are fantastic. I also believe that these "incentives" allow some reps to get their foot in the door with a Realtor that may not have given him/her … (14 comments)
sara lipnitz: Once upon a time
- 09/07/06 09:34 AM
Remember the "good old days" when a second showing usually meant that you would sell a house? Today I got a call from an agent that wanted to show a listing of mine for 2nd time. The home is listed over 2 million. Needless to say, I'd be very enthused to sell it! It's an amazing home located well within the community. We're offering 4% to the selling agent; and my seller will pay the first 6 months of a purchasers mortgage. All in all, a home that is ready to be sold. After confirming the appointment, I got to thinking about … (7 comments)
sara lipnitz: Call me a dog... I'm loyal!
- 09/05/06 04:25 PM
This topic will probably stir up some strong feelings with my fellow rainers. It has been a much-discussed topic at my office in the past. It seems to be sort of a polarizing topic. I've been selling residential real estate for 5 years now. There are many things that I love about what I do. However, I think that my favorite thing about what I do is the social interaction with my customers. I'm a "pleaser" type.... I get extreme satisfaction from helping someone I care about make such a big decision in his or her lives. My job has allowed me … (11 comments)
sara lipnitz: Maui's calling... The importance of setting goals.
- 09/05/06 02:41 PM
Every year in the fall I sit down and write a business plan for the upcoming year. I plan out what I can do differently and identify the things that are really working well for me. The MOST important thing that I do when I put this business plan together is set my goals for the next year. I also put a rewards system into place. I give a copy of this business plan to my broker. We both keep copies of it and meet quarterly to see if I'm on track with my plan. He doesn't require this of me. … (12 comments)
sara lipnitz: Vacant Homes... little tricks.
- 09/03/06 03:21 PM
Vacant homes are tough. Without furnishings, a home's blemishes are so much more glaring. Although I believe in staging a home whenever possible, sometimes its just not possible. Maybe your sellers are moving out of state. Maybe there simply isn't the money in the budget to afford staging. Whatever the reason may be. Whenever I can, I've been known to stage a home or two with "goodies" from my own house. What do I do when I have run out of goodies? What about the vacant home?? I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I use when I have an … (24 comments)
sara lipnitz: Home is where MY heart is!
- 09/03/06 02:44 PM
Today is one of those days that just makes me feel giddy. No humidity, mild temperatures and sunny. Michigan State football won their season opener yesterday. It feels like fall is officially here. Although in Michigan we have a saying... Don't like the weather, wait a few hours! It's inevitable; I'll be running my A/C well into October. I was up very early today to show homes here in town. After showing 3 homes, I was off to Cosi to pick up a bagel and then home to sit in my yard until my next appointment. To my pleasant surprise this … (2 comments)
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