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I'M CALLING MY OWN SHOTS! Plus a Few Others that the AR Gods Missed this Week

By
Mortgage and Lending with Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA

Well, this week there were so many really great posts here in the rain by some of my fave bloggers as well as some other bloggers that I've recently come across.  This week the AR Gods were smiling on me because I had more called shots this week than I ever have since I started doing this series.  It was kind a weird the way it happened. 

First and foremost, I just want to give a shout out to my fellow rainers for their gold star features that I was happy to "call the shot" on them.  

Am Just Plain STUPID!!!!!! by Pat Haddad

I Don't Show My Own Listings by relative newbie blogger Scott Hayes 

These were great posts with equaling engaging comment threads - check them out.  Then there were some other equally great posts that I suggested but that the AR Gods must have missed this week when they were bestowing those little gold stars. 

First there was newbie blogger Inspector, David Snell, with his hilarious post, When I Inspect Your Home, Please Hide the Sex Toys!.  I love hearing about all the wacky stuff sellers do or don't do when their home is one the market.  I also love hearing silly Realtor/agent stories of the craziest showings they've ever had.  As an MLO, I don't get to have those experiences so it's always amusing to hear others stories.  Check it out, some of the other stories are really funny. 

Then there was Let the Neighbors Sell the House! by relative newbie blogger Karen Feltman.  Karen presents a wonderful marketing idea that she's been practicing for years to market her listings as well as farm for new clients.  I love this out of the box type of marketing and if I were a Realtor or agent, this is definitely one idea I could get behind and feel comfortable with in implementing.  Check out Karen's post and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Then there was newbie blogger, Kathy Smiley, with her post "We're going to stop paying our mortgage, save up and buy a house at trustee sale.".  While I understand that this economy has had some serious effects on so many homeowners, it just really irks me when I come across some sleazy homeowner trying to scam the short sale process for their own personal gain.   

Kathy blogs about a recent phone call that she received from a local homeowner and while I found their proposal to her disgusting (so did she btw) but the worst part is that there are probably thousands of homeowners out there right now engaging in this process.  Anyway, my mini rant is over and I'm getting down off my soapbox now. 

Then there was 8 Things Brokers Should Not Do by newbie blogger Maya Swamy.  As an MLO who has recently been taking an account of all the different brokers in the area and how they operate, it's become obvious that the success of the brokerage is in direct correlation to the type of management style and practices of the BIC.  

As a local Los Angeles county broker, Maya and I have had a couple conversations about the way that some of the local brokerages hire their agents and run their offices.  It's become obvious to me that Maya is not like a lot of the brokers around here, which is why she has probably been able to build the kind of brokerage that she has and not only survive but also thrive in continuing to build up her staff.  That's not easy to do in this market and economy.  Check out her post.  

Lastly, there was Judith Parker with her post " Dog Food Diet " ...This will Make you Laugh!.  I suggested this one just because it was so hilarious.  She really keeps you going throughout the whole post (don't even get me started on the other customer).  Anyway, if you need a good laugh this morning, check her out.

  

As always, I love "calling the shots".  I'm pretty picky and selective about whom I suggest.  I intentionally highlight my fave bloggers and then I look for new bloggers or bloggers that aren't on the feature board every other day.  Anyone can suggest all the popular bloggers but finding the hidden treasures and gems is so much better.  I hope you check them out and enjoy them as much as I did.

Posted by

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Donne Knudsen

Realtor® - CalState Realty Services

DRE#: 01364050 / NMLS#: 249822 

 

805.2069123

 

E-mail   My Blog  

Serving low-medium income individuals and families as well as first time buyers with both their real estate as well as their mortgage needs including down payment assistance

Los Angeles County  --  Ventura County

© 2010 - All Rights Reserved

R. Michael Scott
Weichert Realtors-Synergy - Boston, MA

Ah, a go to summary for blogs from newbies and those that are seasoned.  Thanks for your post.

Feb 20, 2011 04:26 AM
Connie Goodrich
Keller Williams Realty - McKinney, TX
CRS ABR (McKinney Realtor)Texas

Love your insights and those you showered with a gold star from you!  AR does miss a few and I am glad you honored those deserving of some attention and some fun posts to makes us smile & laugh.

Feb 20, 2011 04:26 AM
Melanie Hedrick
Elite Texas Properties, the best homes from McKinney to Dallas! - McKinney, TX
972-816-7205

Great idea, Donne!  I'm looking forward to reading your picks!

Feb 20, 2011 04:27 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Wow, what a list of great calls.  Nice job.

Feb 20, 2011 04:32 AM
Ken Barker RealtorĀ® GRI, E-Pro Certified
Dilbeck Real Estate - Burbank, CA

Donne  - Is it Sunday morning already? It is time to read I'm calling my own shots!

I missed them all but one so off to read I go.

So how many stars did you get this week?

Feb 20, 2011 04:50 AM
Kathy Smiley
Rodeo Realty ~ Fine Estates Westlake Village - Newbury Park, CA
"Real Estate results that make YOU smile!"

Thanks for the mention, Donne! Have a great Sunday. If you're out and about, visit my open house at 2034 Waterside Circle. We've restaged and it sparkles! I can't wait to get the new photos taken this week without all the "stuff" :)

Feb 20, 2011 05:00 AM
Jennifer Prestwich
Henderson, Thornton, Broomfield and Westminster - Henderson, CO
Madison & Co Properties

Donne- I love coming here to get my "Sunday syllabus"!  This week I only caught one of these on the first go-round.  Thank you for taking the time to highlight such great posts.  With over 200,000 AR members, it's difficult to catch everything! :)

Feb 20, 2011 05:30 AM
Rodney Mason, VP of Mtg Lending
Guaranteed Rate NMLS# 2611 - Atlanta, GA
AL,AR,AZ,CA,CO,FL,GA,IN,MI,MS,NC,NV,SC,TN,TX,VA,WA

Great list again.  I had missed most all of them this week.

Feb 20, 2011 06:01 AM
Kim McMahon
Executive Realty Group - Skokie, IL

Donne~ Great list, I see I missed a couple. Thanks for the heads up.

Feb 20, 2011 07:45 AM
Rita Fong
RE/MAX REAL ESTATE TODAY, Executive Broker 901-488-9590 - Marion, AR
Realtor - Marion Arkansas Homes for Sale

I am going to check Davis Snell's story out, it sounds real funny already.  Thanks, Donne!

Feb 20, 2011 09:47 AM
Donne Knudsen
Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA
CalState Realty Services

Diana - I'm glad you liked my post and I hope you enjoy the others as well.

Richard - Some weeks I seem to come across a lot of newbies and other weeks it's all my faves who are a lot of seasoned bloggers

Connie - It's really hard to catch all the good posts that go up here everyday.  There are just too many and I'm just glad that I can highlight a few.

Melanie - I hope you enjoy them.

Debbie - Thx and I hope you enjoy them.

Thx for stopping by everyone; I really appreciate it.  Have a good night everyone.  :)

Feb 20, 2011 01:42 PM
Donne Knudsen
Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA
CalState Realty Services

Ken - I'm glad you like my posts because I really enjoy doing them.  I hope you enjoy the other posts too.

Kathy - I was out and about today but spent it with family over in the valley.  I look forward to seeing your post on the new look.

Jennifer - It is tough to catch all the good ones and I'm just glad I could catch a few to share with everyone.

Rodney - I hope you enjoy them.

Kim - I'm glad you like the post and I hope you enjoy the others.

Rita - David's post was a crack up, with pics too.

Thx for stopping by everyone; I appreciate it.  Have a good night everyone.  :)

 

Feb 20, 2011 01:50 PM
FN LN
Toronto, ON

Hi Donne - So many great posts are appearing every week on ActiveRain.

Feb 20, 2011 09:13 PM
Rodney Mason, VP of Mtg Lending
Guaranteed Rate NMLS# 2611 - Atlanta, GA
AL,AR,AZ,CA,CO,FL,GA,IN,MI,MS,NC,NV,SC,TN,TX,VA,WA

Congrats on being the Member Spotlight for today.  Very well deserved.

Feb 21, 2011 02:40 AM
Donne Knudsen
Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA
CalState Realty Services

Marc - There are definitely a lot of good bloggers here putting up some great stuff everyday.  I'm just glad I can catch a few good ones every week to highlight.

Rodney - Thx for the congrats - that was definitely a surprise.  :)

Thx for stopping by guys; I really appreciate it.  Have good too and a great week.  :)

Feb 21, 2011 06:45 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, RealtorĀ®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Donne, I will check out the posts in your review.  Wanted to also say congratulations on the "members spotlight" today.

Feb 21, 2011 09:30 AM
Donne Knudsen
Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA
CalState Realty Services

Rebecca - Thx for the congrats; that was a nice surprise this morning. I hope you like my suggestions too. Have a good week Rebecca.

Feb 21, 2011 02:35 PM
Leslie Ebersole
Swanepoel T3 Group - Saint Charles, IL
I help brokers build businesses they love.

I like your reviews....I always find a great post that I missed...and who would want to miss the sex toys!

Feb 24, 2011 02:22 PM
Donne Knudsen
Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA
CalState Realty Services

Leslie - That was a funny one with some funny stories by other members. Check it out.  Thx for stopping by Leslie; I appreciate it.  Have a good weekend too.  :)

Feb 26, 2011 07:04 AM
Pat Haddad, ABR, CRS, ePRO, GRI
Keller Williams Indianapolis Metro NE - Carmel, IN
Carmel, Fishers, Westfield IN Real Estate Expert

Donne--Thanks so much for the shout out!  I don't get featured that often, so it is really special when it happens.  I love that you do this and have just discovered it.  Trying to come back and look at those you have suggested.  I know AR cannot feature as many as they would like to---so you are really helping out!!

Mar 02, 2011 12:53 PM