Archives of real estate blog entries for November 01, 2010

Featured blog posts


By Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn, Author of Sell with Soul
(Sell with Soul)
"Lead generation is what selling real estate is all about, plain and simple."  "I have three jobs: Getting a listing appointment, preparing for a listing appointment, and going on a listing appointment,"  "My primary duty is to prospect. Everything else is secondary." These are direct quotes from real estate agents; some here on Active Rain, others from, well, other places. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? That's why we have to go to real estate school and pass a proficiency test? That's why we have a license and continuing education requirements? That's why we pursue various advanced certifications and designations? Because selling real estate is All About Lead Generation? Okay, if you want to convince me that part of our job is procure leads FOR our buyers and sellers (that is, buyers for our li...
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By ActiveRain Real Estate Network
(ActiveRain)
Grab a cheesesteak, visit a historic city and join us for RainCamp!The RainCamp team is coming to Philadelphia, Tuesday, November 30th and we couldn't be more excited! Have you ever said to yourself, "What are they doing that I'm not?  How are they dominating their market so effectively?  How can I do the same?"  Well if the answer is yes, then this is your lucky day.  RainCamp teaches you all that and more.  Ben Kinney is a mega agent from Washington state who will teach you exactly how he went from six deals his first year to over 150 last year.  RainCamp highlights Learn to use your website and your listings to generate and convert leads quickly Obtain a list of the top 20 tech tools to help you gain business Network with your most forward thinking real estate industry colleagues Lea...
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By Brian Bean, Homeowner Advocate, Dream Big Team, S.Calif
(The Dream Big Team at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Champions)
My best friend was helping me this weekend push some desks and file cabinets into place in our new office, which officially opens its doors TODAY, and we were chatting about business and prospecting and goals and ... well ... dreaming. It's that time of the year when I start thinking about the coming budget, projections and goals for my business and personal life, assessing the progress I made this year, putting down on paper my plans to get where I want to be next year. My mentors have taught me to cast off the shackles during this exercise, to Dream As Big As Possible. We were excited! My business partner and I launched a new company, Dream Big Real Estate, and we are putting the finishing touches on our new digs. So as my buddy Mac and I were rearranging furniture and hanging artwork...
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By Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400, Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome
( HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400)
We Fell In Love With Our Home All Over Again!   A few weeks ago, through a referral,  I signed up a delightful young family to list and sell their home.  Baltimore Home in the Gardenville Neighborhood 21206                                                                                     My questions were answered with affirmation.99 and 44/100% is Not Enough…Are You 100% Sure? They wanted to be closer to work, they had a new baby and wanted a different school system, they wanted to sell, they wanted to use me. Paperwork was all OK'ed, listing price agreed upon, photos were taken and a list of "to do" things were compiled. It was not going active until a bit of deferred maintenance was completed. That did not stop me from blogging the property, making the brochures, putting it the MLS...
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By Cindy Jones, Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News
(Integrity Real Estate Group)
A few weeks ago the Active Rain team posted another hyper-local contest, this time focused on events.  Posting about events isn’t anything new for me.  My first event post on Active Rain was in May 2007.  Since then I’ve posted events ranging from the local church pancake breakfast to big events in DC like the Cherry Blossom Festival. Someone asked me at a recent conference if any of these posts ever led to a sale.   Honestly by themselves the answer is no.  However put them in together with other community posts and they become part of a bigger picture that become part of why a buyer or seller calls you instead of someone else. Think about it.  You are working with a buyer who has called you about a local neighborhood.  Being able to show them not only the homes in the neighborhood, th...
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By Margaret Woda, Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation
(Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.)
Another real estate agent in Crofton recently downplayed the use of statistics in evaluating the market, saying in an online newsletter that "statistics don't always have room for nuances" such as the effect of the tax credit on units sold and sold prices.  True, BUT... My very first Activerain post was a market study based on statistics published by MRIS, our regional mls.  Within a week, I listed a Crofton home for sale as a direct result of this first post, and a second listing followed a few weeks later.  Needless to say, I've been a believer in market studies ever since. In response to my competitor's statement, I will concede that the numbers are the numbers are the numbers... and there's no room for nuances.  Again, however, I say BUT...   Statistics are to a Market Report what C...
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By Catherine Marrone, West Newbury MA real estate, Essex County
(Integrity Residential Brokerage LLC)
Selling Your Home During the Winter Months Here in New England we are blessed with 4 seasons and we're coming up on winter. Whether you're a REALTOR or the average person, I'm sure you've heard this statement "I'm going to take my house off the market because no one is looking to buy during the winter." Or, how about this? "I'm going to wait until spring to put my house on the market when there are more buyers looking and prices are higher."  While on the face of things, these statements may seem logical, let me point out a few reasons why it may not make sense to wait. Let's take a look at the first statement: No one is looking at houses during the winter - Interestingly, we aggressively market and sell property year round but Integrity Residential Brokerage closed more homes from Octo...
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By Sam DeBord, Seattle Real Estate Broker
(SeattleHome.com -Coldwell Banker Danforth)
SAM DEBORD - MANAGING BROKER - WASHINGTON STATE REALTY - SEATTLE LUXURY HOMES If you're like me, you spend a lot of your work day on the road. One of the easiest ways to stay up to date with your work is using free WIFI hotspots at cafes, coffee shops, or libraries. You probably don't worry about your computer's security. Well, you should be scared. It's always been possible to hack into your web traffic over unsecured wireless networks. As of today, it's become not only possible, but very easy. A new plugin named Firesheep for the popular Firefox web browser allows fairly novice users to not only view your web traffic, but to actually log on to your Facebook, Twitter, or other account and control them. Spending five minutes in a Starbucks could jeopardize nearly every one of your perso...
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By TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc., Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029
(Complete Home Inspections, Inc.)
QR Codes. The Coming Trend...Many of you that read my blog on a daily basis have noticed the new QR Codes, “Quick Response Code”, on the bottom of my blog. For the "tech savvy" individual, these will be the next wave of the future. QR Codes are incredibly efficient at having the availability of acquiring information within seconds. Scanning a QR Code on their iPhone, Droid or Blackberry, allows your client to obtain instant answers and links to whatever they may need. All they need is an app, such as QuickMark reader, and all you need is a code generator such as GoQR.me, both which are free. Get Clients Informed A prospective client is looking at one of your listings. They see this QR Code on your sign. They whip out their phone, scan it, and instantly they're able to gather information...
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By Richard Strahm, Lansdale and North Penn Real Estate
(American Foursquare Realty)
I don't care where you are in the United States -- if you're an active agent, you're going to be touching Short Sales and foreclosures. Perhaps you don't specialize in them, but you may show them to your buyers.  Or go on a listing appointment that you just know isn't going to end with the seller in a happy place. While my plate is full of traditional sellers and buyers, I do have a few buyers that are looking at distressed properties. And it was this main picture on an MLS listing that put the real face on foreclosures for me. I'm not sure why the agent decided to take the photo when the family was being moved out.  Or why she didn't replace it with a less forlorn one later on.  But this picture sums up the reality of the situation.  A family forced to move from a home they most probab...
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By Broker Patty Da Silva Da Silva, Top Listing Broker
( Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253)
As REALTORS® we use marketing to create awareness of our brand and of the services we provide to generate interest from prospective customers in the hope to create a sale opportunity; there is nothing wrong with that... But yesterday I was out trick or treating in the neighborhood with my 7 year old step son and one of the homes was giving more than candy to the kids; she was putting her business card in the children's candy bags. It did not take long for one of the kids to notice the business card in his bag. All the other kids started looking inside their bags and they immediately tossed her business card away while the parents were laughing and making negative comments about this agent. As I watched the entire situation develop, I could not help but wonder if this agent thought abou...
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Kodak is intent on becoming a trusted source for the best education, best practices and best technology for real estate professionals. It makes sense that an industry giant would team up with ActiveRain, the real estate network where agents come to get the best education, share the best practices and learn about the newest technologies.One technology that, on its surface, has changed very little over the years is printer ink. Nothing could be further from reality. Kodak's proprietary pigment ink technology has made ink affordability a reality and doesn't require you to compromise on quality. One common complaint agents have with printing besides the cost is that when they print listing flyers, rain and sunshine destroy them very quickly. So they end up having to print more and keep repl...
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By Karen Fiddler, Broker/Owner, Orange County & Lake Arrowhead, CA (949)510-2395
(Karen Parsons-Fiddler, Broker 949-510-2395)
I know, I know.....blogging doesn't work. Or maybe it works for others, but not for you. Or the agents who can get Internet Leads are the local powerhouses with aged websites. Or Internet Leads are too hard to work. Or Internet Leads don't give you phone numbers, so they aren't real. Or, or, or, or.....or maybe they work just fine! While you are busy the past couple months explaining why Internet Leads don't work....I was out working with 3 different leads which all closed last week. Two from Active Rain and one from Trulia. And my Active Rain leads actually ended up in my junk mail (why is that exactly?) so they were even a couple days old when I found them. Lead 1) Saw a blog post on a short sale that didn't close..... My Best Short Sale Success.....The One That Didn't Happen! and lov...
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By Chris Alston, Silicon Valley, California
(Chris Alston (Keller Williams Realty, Silicon Valley, California))
You know what I am talking about...  That one or two or three things that are just way to important to do later. Like:  Checking your email, buying a pretend goat for a pretend farm, checking the news, adding a link to your website, looking at the homes that are on tour this week, uploading pictures from last weekend onto Facebook, seeing how many listings that your competition has, watching Oprah, playing Xbox or Playstation, surfing the web, working on your fliers for your open house when it is only Monday, standing by the water cooler chatting away, studying more about what you are trying to actually do...  And the list can go on and on and on!  Why oh why do we seem to place a priority on everything but the one thing that we know we should be doing...  We know we need to lead gener...
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By Tom Branch, Broker, CDPE, SFR, ACRE, Plano TX Ambassador
(RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs)
I'm a huge fan of old architecture. I really love to wander the downtown areas and take it all in. The dichotomy of the old and the new. About a week ago, I was riding the DART train into downtown Dallas. I had to switch trains and jumped off at Pearl Street Station in the heart of old Dallas. As I sat there waiting on the next train, my eyes wandered to this old, dilapidated structure across the tracks. I was shocked when I read the lettering at the top of the building and I realized this was likely the original Dallas High School. What once served as a place of education now sat, boarded-up, overlooking the grand city that grew up around it. As I sat there in the late afternoon sun, a wave of sadness overcame me. I wondered what this building had been witness to over the years.  Were ...
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By Reuben Saltzman, Delivering the Unbiased Truth.
(Structure Tech Home Inspections)
  If you're buying a new construction home, get it inspected by a private home inspector. I could wax on and on about how important home inspections are for new construction, especially if the builder tells you that a private home inspection isn't necessary, but I've found that photos are far more convincing than anything I could say.  I took all of the photos below at homes in Minnesota that were either new construction or only a couple years old; the issues that you're seeing are all 'original' issues; they weren't created after the homes passed their final inspections by the city. Click on any of the photos for a larger version. Roofs The first thing that I typically inspect is the roof lines - I start doing this as I drive up to a house.  When valleys dump next to a wall, or even wo...
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By Connie Tebyani, Platinum Home Staging, Los Angeles and Ventura County
(Platinum Home Staging, Inc. : RESA-Pro)
There it was..... staring at us like it was taunting us....  a banana-yellow, velvet sofa.... Yet, somehow..... some way.... we needed to "make it work". You see, these sellers were a brother and sister team selling their parents home who had recently passed. They had already spent a substantial amount of money repainting the entire home which involved removal of wallpaper from EVERY room of the home as well as all new flooring through out. Once it came time to actually list the home, they didn't have the funding to be able to bring in new furniture to Stage the home, so my Company was called in to Stage this Ventura Marina Home, using what they had.    What they did have was an AMAZING water front marina home in Ventura with a direct access, deep water dock and one of the most amazing ...
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By IDX Broker, IDX, LLC.
(IDX, LLC.)
Many people theorize about the ideal lead capture settings, but few seem to know what works best for the majority of Agents using a particular IDX or lead capture tool. So we brought out our thinking caps, and Excel spreadsheets, to bring you some numbers.Where to start? IDX Broker is the IDX search tool we know (and built), so we'll kick off this discussion with the options available via anonymous datasets for these lead capture settings: Request/Force registration on search Forms. Request/Force registration on search results pages. Request/Force registration on listing details pages. Request/Force registration on listing details pages after x listing views. Request/Force registration on photo gallery pages. While these settings provide a lot of control over the functionality of your ...
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By Alan May, A moving experience!
(Jameson Sotheby's International Realty)
Active Rain is a Real Estate website?  Right? Of course, right! A place where a bunch o' agents, and their related corollaries, inspectors, lenders, appraisers, stagers, etc... all get together, and talk real estate.  There's lots of back slappin' (you're right there buddy), and occasional teeth gnashing, and a few disagreements, but it's all about real estate, and camaraderie right? No, No... It's about localism.  It's blogging about your micro-neighbourhood, and hyper-localism and defining your area, becoming the expert in your area.  Let's blog about the pumpkin patch, and the last high-school dance.  Oh, and what about the local regatta, and the chess club.  They took first place, state, again!  Let's blog that, 'cause we know it'll be popular locally. No... not locally... I wanna b...
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By Joan Cox, Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time
(House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373)
Selling a home when there is an impending divorce can be difficult.     If both parties can be civil, it sure is easier on all parties, and a much smoother process.      Talking about the final result civilly will allow for good decisions made by all. With years in real estate, I have been asked to sell many properties due to a pending divorce.     First, let's hope the divorce will be filed AFTER the home is sold, since this could put a cloud on the title.   If the divorce has been filed, an agreement from both sides as to the disposition of the property and proceeds is needed. Recently, I sold a property with the couple that were very amicable, talked about every aspect of the sale, and truly was a smooth transaction.    All aspects of the transaction had been discussed by both parti...
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By Tish Lloyd, Broker - Wilmington NC and Surrounding Beaches
(BlueCoast Realty Corporation)
  You've heard it, and heard it, from Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers, Loan Officers, Home Stagers -- IT'S A GREAT TIME TO BUY A HOUSE!  I've even suggested it myself.  But I have come to my senses.  There is no reason to buy a home in Wrightsville Beach, NC, or anywhere for that matter, right now.  Forget the great prices, historically low interest rates and fantastic homes to choose from.  Please, don't buy a house right now.  It will be so much better for me if you wait! Yep, I said it.  And I mean it.  If you wait for the prices to go up, I'll make more money.  And, as I believe I've mentioned before, this is a business.  I'm in it to make money.  I know, it doesn't sound like I'm suggesting what is best for buyers.  And I'm not.  I've been suggesting it ad nauseam, and no one'...
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By Nona Swann, Serving the needs of the Sellers in Brevard County
(Swann & Associates Real Estate)
    Today I was reading a financial paper from my local mortgage lender and he attached a story about that 31% of the defaults are strategic. It is not that these homeowners can not make their mortgage payments but choose not to because of lost value. The research showed that the strategic defaulters had not put much money into the home as far as downpayment and had no attachment to the "American Dream" of homeownership. The homeowners also hear about all the big banks paying huge bonuses and taking bailout money being acceptable. When one bonus to an executive could pay off many loans or bring hundreds current. They decision to drop the under water home versus waiting for 10 or more years to gain the lost equity is a financial decision not an emotional one. They would rather take the 3...
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By Mike Jones, Mike Jones NMLS 223495
(SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC (BK-0907366, NMLS 145171) )
What's around the bend for interest rates? Mortgages repriced for the worse this morning, and that's not a surprise in light of tomorrow's midterm elections.  What you may not know is that this week has more than a little in the way of news that will affect interest rates.  Here's what's happening this week in addition to the Midterm Elections: 1.  The Federal Open Market Committee meets on Wednesday, the day after the midterm elections.  The Committee is expected to announce a second round of Quantitative Easing. In plain english, that means that the Fed is going to print more money with the hope that the banks who get it will lend it to you and me to buy stuff.  It didn't work in 2008, but 10 out of the 12 members of the committee think that it might work this time, and that's the wa...
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Blog posts


By Cindy Marchant, "Cindy in Indy" , Realtor, Fishers Real Estate
(Keller Williams Indy NE 317-290-7775 www.marchantteam.com)
While I love to write about the events in Carmel and the Carmel Real Estate market, it is a necessity that I write about filing your exemptions.  It will matter to everyone who owns a home in Carmel.  The mortgage exemption reduces the assessed value of your home by $3,000 and the homestead exemption reduces the assessment by $45,000.  You can only have exemptions on one home in Indiana. Who needs to file: If you bought a new home If you refinanced your existing home If you changed your deed, maybe put it in a trust The Hamilton County Auditors office is located at 33 N 9th Street, Suite 214 in Noblesville.  Their phone number is 317-776-9602.  Their hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 M-F. You can also file at the Carmel/Clay Twp Assessor's Office at 10701 N College Avenue; pho...
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By Chris Smith, South Simcoe, Caledon, King, Orangeville Real Esta
(Re/Max Chay Realty Inc., Brokerage)
  Christopher Pataki Hockessin, a fellow RE/MAX associate and Active Rain blogger who markets real estate in Wilmington Deleware, posted these great tips how to pragmatically start an effective savings program....   Janet Bodnar shares her most practical and effective strategies for spending less and keeping more cash in your pocket. I recently reached a milestone in my life on Twitter: The number of people following my tweets passed the 1,000 mark. I'm still a piker compared with champion Twitterers like Ashton Kutcher, but four figures sounds impressive to me. To thank everyone, I promised that I would tweet my top ten savings tips. I've always believed that the trick to saving money is just that -- a trick. You don't have to win the lottery, strike it rich on Wall Street or even earn...
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By Barbara Todaro, Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team
(RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired )
  This chart displays the top four real estate agents in the Town of Franklin MA as of November 1, 2010.  As of this date, the #1 real estate agent doing business in Franklin MA is Lorraine Kuney of The Todaro Team of RE/MAX Executive Realty in Franklin.  Lorraine has closed 29 Franklin MA homes with a total dollar volume of $12.4 million dollars and 35 closed sides.  This data is for the town of Franklin only.  The next agent is also from our Franklin MA office of RE/MAX Executive Realty followed by two Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage agents.  This representation is based on data provided by MLS-PIN who does not guarantee the accuracy and the data may not reflect all real estate activity.
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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Custom Software - Rental Property Program Software for Rental Property streamlines property business owners Today it is possible for property managers to get pre-determined software for rental property management. With advancement in technologies, improved software solutions have evolved that are critical for maximizing outputs by using minimum resources. There are a number of companies which provide property management software programs for enabling rental property business owners to streamline the entire process of managing rental properties. Besides, new companies that have thronged the market are even providing software products that are constantly improving as well as evolving to cater to the needs of business requirements. Webmyne offers has designed and developed highly efficien...
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Donald Urschalitz, P.A. Realtor ABR RSPS North Palm Beach County
(Lubeck Realty Group)
Listing: Mayan Towers South   LISTING PHOTOSClick photo to enlarge Offered at $267,000 View Living Room Dining Room Kitchen Owners Bedroom Guest Bedroom Bathroom Bathroom View Price: $209,000 125 Ocean Avenue Unit 208Singer Island FL, 33404 Read Our Review of this CommunityLink to GoogleTM Map Type:  Condominium 55+: No Bedrooms:  2 Pets Allowed:   No Bathrooms:  2 Dockage Available:  No Stories:  8 View:  Ocean, City, Garden Square Feet:  1064 Waterfront:  Yes Gated: No Waterfront Type:  Ocean Amenities: Community Pool Area Activities: Dining, Shopping, Movies, Theater, Walk to Beach Dont miss the opportunity to take a look at this great two bedroom/two bath unit in Mayan Towers South. Beach and Ocean views from the sunny south side balcony. Unit shows pride of ownership. Building is l...
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By Joshua Zargari, MJ Decorators Workshop
(MJ Decorators Workshop LI staging and home decorating)
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By Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn, Author of Sell with Soul
(Sell with Soul)
"Lead generation is what selling real estate is all about, plain and simple."  "I have three jobs: Getting a listing appointment, preparing for a listing appointment, and going on a listing appointment,"  "My primary duty is to prospect. Everything else is secondary." These are direct quotes from real estate agents; some here on Active Rain, others from, well, other places. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? That's why we have to go to real estate school and pass a proficiency test? That's why we have a license and continuing education requirements? That's why we pursue various advanced certifications and designations? Because selling real estate is All About Lead Generation? Okay, if you want to convince me that part of our job is procure leads FOR our buyers and sellers (that is, buyers for our li...
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By Donald Urschalitz, P.A. Realtor ABR RSPS North Palm Beach County
(Lubeck Realty Group)
Listing: Sugar Sands   LISTING PHOTOSClick photo to enlarge Offered at $259,000 Living Room Dining Area Kitchen Owners Bedroom Guest Bedroom Pets Welcome Porch View looking South View looking North Price: Offered at $239,000 1025 Sugar Sands, Unit 163Singer Island FL, 33404 Click Here for a Virtual TourRead Our Review of this CommunityLink to GoogleTM Map Type:  Condominium 55+: Yes Bedrooms:  2 Pets Allowed:   Yes Bathrooms:  2 Dockage Available:  Yes Stories:  1 View:  Intracoastal Square Feet:  1143 Waterfront:  Yes Gated: No Waterfront Type:  Intracoastal Amenities: Community Pool, Tennis Court, Clubhouse, Marina, Fishing, Additional Storage Area Activities: Dining, Shopping, Movies, Theater, Walk to Beach The view from this unit will take your breath away. Panoramic views of the in...
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Off to a walk-though and then a closing this morning. After that I am meeting one of my home inspectors for an inspection on a new contract we wrote last week. Then I have a hour window (maybe I will have lunch) and then another closing at the end of the day… It is a Busy Monday Remember, showing Charlottesville Real Estate , one of my favorite things to do with clients. If you see me driving around the Charlottesville or Crozet area, give me a wave or honk! Call or email me if you need anything,      Charles
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