Archives of real estate blog entries for June 01, 2009

Featured blog posts


By Joe Pryor, REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties
(The Virtual Real Estate Team)
It has been an interesting day. The company that used to represent 10% of national GDP filed for bankruptcy. We can only hope that from this crisis they emerge a smaller, smarter, and profitable company. It's also cause for me to remember when I had major personal crisis in my life like death of a parent, divorce, and cancer. I would like to say that every panic attack meltdown I have had resulted in a brilliant reorienting of my priorities, and that I emerged a wiser person. Sometimes yes and sometimes no, we are all human. But it got me to thinking about the monster crisis that is the real estate industry. How were my ethics and practices during those 6 or 7 years of craziness? I remember going to a San Francisco investors meeting in 2005, and in one day I sold 61 properties. If there...
Comments 66
By marti garaughty, a highly caffeinated creative type...
(garaughty.com)
 Hi guys, even tho I'm busier than God these days I wanted to stop by to say "hi" and give you a preview of some stuff I've been working on that will be out later this month.  One of the great things about ActiveRain is how it continues to evolve over time. That also means that some stuff I designed for you to use months ago, doesn't fit the new Rain blogs the way they should so...  I'm designing new blog graphics to fit the new header dimensions of the standard Rain blogs & the outside Rain blogs. Here's a quick peek at a few in the works...   The Rain Rocks   Think Green   Firestorm   Geometry # 1    Also, if you're looking for a new wallpaper/calendar to spice up your monitor for the month of June, here are 2 new ones for you.   June 2009 calendar  download here   Lake Norman, NC  d...
Comments 42
By Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005
(Coldwell Banker Residential)
Have you updated your Trulia profile?  If you are a real estate agent and you haven't, you might be missing the boat.  I know I was...                                                                                                           I just created my Trulia profile last week.  It was very easy.  In a few minutes you can download your photo, add links to your websites and blogs, and claim your listings.  Once claimed, the listings become "branded" with your information.  It's pretty cool... Although my listings are automatically placed on Trulia when I enter them into the Keller Williams Listing System, I never really "worked" the website.  I will now... About a week back, I received an email.  It was from Trulia.  They said they had a referral for me?? Dear Ken Tracy, I was sear...
Comments 70
By Jennifer Marks
(On Maternity Leave)
June 16th 2009 my husband, Rusty and I will be married one whole year.  Many people have told us how tough marriage can be-No one told me that we would completely lose our minds once we said "I do".  My parents have been married 38 years.  This past Memorial Day my Mom told me that she could not be paid enough to live the first 10 years of her marriage once again.  She said "If you expect to be happy everyday, all the time and agree always that you need to WAKE UP and be real."Overall we are happy and I look forward to spending a life time with my husband. But, like most we have hit a lot of pot holes and detours in our short road together. Our biggest battle thus far has been buying a home; the money, getting a loan, picking a house - you name it we battled about it.  It has been stre...
Comments 58
By Billie Hillier, Savvy Home Realty Solutions
(http://702IsHome.com)
In my previous life I worked with the marketing of medical education, a lot of the doctors had so many designations we had to limit them to fit in our marketing materials. Some of the physicians understood but others took it as a personal attack of their work to achieve the designation with various medical societies and insisted that they all be included. As a real estate agent, you have your NAR accredited designations, REO designations are popping up from everywhere that some asset managers require of you, luxury designation from various institutes and groups, and on and on and on. You too, have put a lot of time and effort to receive these deisignations. So my questions are: Which accreditations have you taken the time to achieve? Do you think it was beneficial to your business? If y...
Comments 30
By Kate Elim, Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a
(Dockside Realty)
There's always a lot of talk about what the market value of a home is.  Two recent posts help sellers establish a realistic price when listing their home.  One is The Buyers Have Voted... by Irene Kennedy and the other is The Secret To A Fast Home Sale: Two Words..., posted by Sharon Tara. Some time ago I heard that we need to convince three folks (or groups of folks) that the price is right.  The first group is other REALTORS®.  If they preview or even spot it on the multiple listing system and do not feel that it is priced correctly (in this case I am definitely meaning too high) they will avoid showing it if there are enough other homes in that price range to show. The second would be the buyer(s).  After all, they must be convinced that there is value and that the asking price is no...
Comments 37
By Brad Andersohn, ActiveBrad - 707.646.1876
(Retired Executive Director of Education at eXp)
Are you a Real Estate Broker or Manager?  Do you support your Agents Blogging?  Should a Real Estate Brokerage have a company Blog in addition to their own personal Blogs?  What is the value of having a Brokerage or TEAM Blog with multiple contributors?  Who are the "key" people that should contribute to a group Blog?  What should be the focus of a "Brokerage Blog" vs "Personal" and what kind of time commitment is involved?  What tools can be incorporated to bring more value to your Blogs and to the consumer, and why the Heck should you care? This Friday, we'll share some insight about these and other questions.  The CRB  (Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers)  Northern California Chapter has invited AR to attend and represent the community.  The question of whether to have a Blog...
Comments 25
By Gabrielle Kamahele Rhind, Broker/Owner
(KGC Properties LLC, Tucson Property Management & Real Estate)
Lately it seems, while out showing bank-owned properties, many that are still in "dare we enter" condition, Buyers tend to ask many of the same questions: Wonder why they put a wall here? Wonder what they were thinking when they picked that color? Wonder why they painted the windows black? Wonder why there is a brick wall behind this door? Wonder if they got a permit? Wonder where they had the stove? Wonder why they lost the home? Who knows why they did what they did! For some reason - many people feel it's important to know the story of a home. It's fine for clients to explore and let their imagination go about what a house looked like pre-bank-owned. For many, it seems to allow for the emotional connection needed to move to the next step of "saving the home" from it's current conditio...
Comments 61
By Mary Douglas, REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
(United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado)
When he told me, "I will just bring cash! It's legal tender!  No one can refuse my cash! " I pictured him walking into the closing room, guns on both hips, spurs on his boots and a huge bag of cash thrown over his shoulder; something out of an old western, for sure! He was upset when I told him that his cash purchase meant he would have to wire the funds to the closing company. He was furious about paying wire fees, because his money was in a few different banks. This is a transaction well over $100,000.  I said, "No, please don't bring cash; the title company will not accept it, that is too dangerous to be carrying that much cash." ...........THEN HE SAID: "I'm protected by Smith & Wesson" "Well, the closer is not - she cannot be expected to carry that much cash to the bank and cash i...
Comments 76
By Brian Brumpton, Boise Idaho Real Estate
(Keller Williams Boise)
There's a lot of talk on Active Rain about Google juice.  No doubt if you're blogging here you've experienced it.  If not just head over to Google and type in any common real estate term.  Guranteed that somewhere in those search results is an Active Rain blog post. So how is it that we get so much Google juice and you don't ever hear about a single drop of Yahoo! juice?  To answer that question you have to know the difference between the two.  Although they are both called search engines by the web community that term loosely describes the two accurately.   Google truly is a search engine.  Meaning it uses a robot or spider to browse the web following hyperlinks and indexing the content.  So you can develop relevant content to a set of key words or phrases and climb the ranking result...
Comments 41
By Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL, Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices
(Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408)
Lynn A. Crosby published a blog Real estate agents across the country can we ALL WORK IN CONCERT say NO I will not show a property unless as the buyer can show "proof of funding" As you can figure from the title, it is a call to all of us to be unified and demand the proof of funds from the buyer before showing them the properties. And the comments came as no surprise, all in unison. And I usually do not like unisons that much, I felt that it was a pity they were not in my home town as I could pick some business from all those very important and busy people. Because we never ever ask for any pre-approvals, pre-qualification letters and do not even raise this question unless they are obvious homeless people - (LOL). And this is what they appreciate when dealing with us. We are ready to w...
Comments 73
By Rich Cotton, Waterfront Specialist Cecil and Kent Counties MD
(Rich Cotton The Waterfront Specialist EXiT Preferred Realty )
I see it time and again. The day of closing or 24 hours prior to there is a glitch. Why wait until a day or less before closing to do your work??? People with truck loads of furniture, children in tow and even the family pet with no where to go. It is disgraceful how the system treats people as numbers or objects, not human beings with needs and feelings. "I'm sorry for the delay" is not good enough. If we as Realtors have to take fair housing and ethics training every several years how about the mortgage professionals having a training on empathy and communication. Does anyone else suffer through this process?
Comments 78

Blog posts


By Brian Madigan, LL.B., Broker
(RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage (Toronto))
Squatter makes Millions!   By Brian Madigan LL.B.And you thought squatter's rights were abolished years ago. In part, you're right, but you must remember that there are two systems of land registration. Under the land titles system, squatter's rights were abolished, as they should be. However, under the registry system these rights have been preserved and accorded a rather exhaulted status.Did you hear about the case?Harry Hallowes a homeless man from Ireland took up residence in what he believed to be an abandoned old building in a park. Now Harry was a good judge of real estate, and he certainly knew what it meant when realtors would say "location, location, location", so the location he chose was not that far from Buckingham Palace, in a neighbourhood known as Hampstead Heath that wo...
Comments 0
By Julie Press-Raese, LLC, Realtor, ARB, CRS, GRI
(Century 21-Affiliated)
2008 Cost vs. Value Report: Still Many Happy Returns for Home RehabsRemodeling magazine's annual report shows that maintenance-related projects and moderately priced upgrades are providing stable paybacks, even in a slower market. By G.M. Filisko | December 2008 Despite home price drops in many cities, remodeling projects are holding their own as a way for owners to add value.   Many people are wondering where their money will be safest during these uncertain economic times. When home owners turn to you for your expert advice, counsel them that some things never change: Investing in their home still pays off.   NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® statistics show that home prices have fallen by an average of 7 percent nationally in the past year. But the value of home owners' investment in...
Comments 0
By Cherimie Crane
(Cherimie Crane & Associates)
Greetings from the life of the living. No, I have not been kidnapped by aliens nor have I moved to New Zealand, or been terminally trapped in a bathroom stall. I regretfully realize it has been quite some time since my last post. Now that I am finished flogging myself with the heavy hand of guilt, let me explain. I have been a wee bit busy. Is that an excuse? Not really, but it sure does help keep a positive outlook. Each day I try to find new ways to ease the minds of my sellers, educate my buyers, and maintain the granule of sanity that Realtors hold on to so fiercely. Marine 1 Realty is enjoying tremendous support from our Military community. Not one day goes by that I am not simply humbled by the reaction I get when they walk in to my office. I had no idea my "family" was quite so b...
Comments 22
By Paul Renton, ABR, e-Pro, CDPE, RERA, Prince 2, SMSTS
(Qualitas Property)
  For Further Questions  feel free to contact us. Check Out the latest Douglas county happenings and for further information about Metro Atlanta. If you have a Real Estate need in Atlanta trust the Full time  Local professionals at Team Renton Keller Williams. For Free Home Search for Douglasville or Metro Atlanta go to www.servingdouglasvillehomes.com.
Comments 0
By Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector
(Charles Buell Inspections Inc.)
     A very common point of leaks into the roof structure is at the electrical mast----especially as the home gets older and has gone through multiple roof changes.  The original flashing installed over the pipe before all the electrical connections are made makes a very good seal.  However with subsequent roof replacements, new flashings are very difficult to install.  There are split-type flashings to use---but they rarely get used.  So, what you end up with is caulk or tar over the old flashings and keeping your fingers crossed to keep the water out.      New flashings are a better option, but some means of keeping it sealed is necessary---even if it is tar.  It just needs to be more vigilantly maintained if one is going to use the tar approach.  Not only can leaks at this point dam...
Comments 15
By angie knight
(Community First Real Estate)
I am down to two listings and need to get some new ones.I purchased monthly calendars, door hangers and even had flyers made up to send out to fsbo's. I did however recieve and get a listing from a calendar I had sent out about a year ago.I'm not having the best of luck this year and wondered what is the limit ( money wise) you should spend. It can get real expensive doing mailouts and driving all over town looking for fsbo's. Any suggestions? thanks  
Comments 1
By E. Steve Banis, Jr., https://www.SouthCarolinaHomesInc.com
(South Carolina Homes Inc.)
For Rent - Local Single Family Homes NOTE : WE ARE CHARLESTON'S PREMIER HOME PROVIDER SINCE 2002 SEE OUR RENTAL HOMES AND MORE AT: http://www.schomesellers.com/Properties.cfm?sort=0&pt=2,5 HANDY ONLINE VIP REGISTRATION HERE TO VISIT THESE HOMES http://SCHomeSellers.com/BuyAHome.cfm ** FOR YOUR VISIT TODAY TO SEE THESE FINE HOMES ** Location: Charleston Tri-County SAMPLE FOR RENT HOME LISTING: SAMPLE FOR RENT HOME LISTING:  SAMPLE FOR RENT HOME LISTING: 1923 NORWOOD STREET, NORTH CHARLESTON, SC << Prev | All | Next >> More Photos:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9    Contact Information Company SCHomeSellers.com Email Contact Us! Apply Now! Home Ownership ApplicationRental Application Phone (843) 883-3934 Property Information* Property ID# 29730 Status For Sale, Rent, Rent-to-Own Address 1923 N...
Comments 0
By John Stehmeyer
(Pro Players Realty)
Tallahassee Real Estate Buyer's Guide- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Real Estate Seller's Guide- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Remodlers Council Real Estate Agent- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Real Estate Services Chamber of Commerce and Leads 6 member- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Real Estate Sale Consultant- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Home Sale Property Marketing Expert-Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Real Estate Seniors Real Estate Specialist- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for more information! Tallahassee Real Estate Buyer's Specialist- Visit www.ProPlayersRealty.com for ...
Comments 0
By John Stehmeyer
(Pro Players Realty)
Open House Do's and Don'ts By Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com   A favorite pastime of many people -- whether in the market to buy a home or simply curious -- is to attend a Sunday Open House. In fact, checking out open houses is almost a religious experience in California. Everybody goes to open houses. If you're wondering about the proper open house etiquette or have questions about the role of the agent holding the house open, here are suggestions to help make your open house visit productive.   Agent Roles at Open Houses   Because not all real estate agents host open houses in the same manner, you can't always be certain who will answer the door. Could be the listing agent, a neighbor, a buyer's agent or even the seller. One thing is for certain. You do not need to ring the door bell ...
Comments 0
By Pradip Burman
(Debt Care Doctor)
The question of “Is a so-called free credit report really free?” has been asked so many times that the United States federal government finally did something that gives every single American adult the legal right to obtain a copy of the credit report from the three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) once a year through a law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act or FCRA. The U.S. is not the only country to do this though.
Comments 0
By Larry Easto
(Real Estate Marketing Link)
A Huge Winner Last week, the local media reported the excitement flowing from the announcement of the latest winner of a huge charity-sponsored lottery prize. This time the lottery proceeds will support Toronto-based Princess Margaret Hospital, one of the top 5 cancer research centers in the world. The prize certainly was huge: a brand new 6,226 sq. ft. luxury home, professionally, decorated, furnished and landscaped valued at $2,580,000 CDN. Along with the new home, the winner received a new 2009 BMW 323i SEDAN and $10,000 cash. The winner of this new lifestyle was single your woman who works as a news-writer in a local television station, approximately 15 miles from her new home. From all accounts, she is delighted with her prize...it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't be. And of c...
Comments 3
By Jay Markanich, Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia
(Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC)
When people call me for a one-year warranty inspection, I always recommend they add a thermal-infrared image examination to it to check insulation.  That is really the main reason I recommend IR as leaking usually isn't a problem they haven't already discovered.  During this particular exam I found water getting behind gutters, into the interior where stucco meets vinyl siding or faux stone and in the bases of porch columns.  While none of those things is terribly unusual, it is important to try to find out why water is getting in.  Well, a drip edge is really needed on most any roof.  It is intended to prevent water from wicking back under the shingles and soak the sheathing, particularly where there is not much slope to the roof.  This builder dutifully installed a drip edge all aroun...
Comments 17
By Sandy McAlpine, Search Lake Norman Homes For Sale - Lake Norman NC
(RE/MAX EXECUTIVE)
an excellent post by another agent with whom I agree with on why I no longer pay for REALTOR.com enhanced listings. I got nada. Are REALTOR.com enhancements worth the money? Hell Heck no.  At least that is my observation. I drove 2 hours one way to go to a seminar put on by REALTOR.com.  It was being billed as valuable information to show the agent how to:   Leverage the changes in your local market Target expired listings with a proved marketing planMake your current listings be seen first and more often Make your local expertise more relevant to sellersLeverage multiple photos and new video listing tours to generate more showings I had received several emails over the course of 3 weeks each building up the seminar.  One of the first emails had, "Important seminar on Social Networking,...
Comments 1
By Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005
(Coldwell Banker Residential)
Have you updated your Trulia profile?  If you are a real estate agent and you haven't, you might be missing the boat.  I know I was...                                                                                                           I just created my Trulia profile last week.  It was very easy.  In a few minutes you can download your photo, add links to your websites and blogs, and claim your listings.  Once claimed, the listings become "branded" with your information.  It's pretty cool... Although my listings are automatically placed on Trulia when I enter them into the Keller Williams Listing System, I never really "worked" the website.  I will now... About a week back, I received an email.  It was from Trulia.  They said they had a referral for me?? Dear Ken Tracy, I was sear...
Comments 70
By Cherry Temple
(Real Living At The Beach)
Foreclosures. I think all of us have shown a foreclose property recently.  A little less clean, maybe the appliances have been ripped out, the carpets and bathroom are not pristine.  All of them have the "This Property Has Been Winterized" postings near the entrances and all wet areas.  In my part of the country that is a quicker indication of a foreclosure than the notice on the listing.  However, by the time the average agent, buyer's representative and our clients see the property all visible signs that this was a home are gone.  That is what we see.  We do not someone's financial situation or their family's pain, we see this great property coming onto the market at a ridiculous price.  We see the properties after the banks' team has been through and sanitized them.  That I discovere...
Comments 7
By The Jeff Rickert Team, Poconos - RSPS - The Jeff Rickert Team
(RE/MAX Property Specialists)
31-114-5 Shawnee Dr., Pocono Lake, PA 18347 List #08-3416 NICELY MAINTAINED OPEN FLOOR PLAN, FORMAL DIN RM, 2 BEDRMS, 1 BATH. KITCHEN W/TILE BACKSPLASH AND FLOORS, NEW NEUTRAL CARPETING + GAS STOVE/OVEN. BRICK GAS FIREPLACE IN LIVING ROOM WARMS UP THE WHOLE HOUSE. NEED MORE ROOM? THERE'S PLENTY IN THE SHED & SCREEN PORCH TO ENJOY NATURE; OR JUST REST AND RELAX. FULL SIZE WASHER & DRYER, ALL FURNITURE TOO, FOR $89,000, COME AND SEE IT TODAY  Listing & Location Information County Monroe County  Municipality/ Twnshp 0137 - Tobyhanna Township          List Price 75,000     Keller Williams Real Estate 601 Bethlehem PikeBuilding B, Suite 100Montgomeryville, PA 18936Main Office: 215-631-1900Direct: 215-850-9640 · Contact Form
Comments 0
By Grayson Hodge
(RE/MAX Preferred Associates)
 Print Article RISMEDIA, June 1, 2009-RE/MAX Monthly Housing Report, a survey of 55 metro areas across the country found that April sales of residential properties were up an average of 6.3% from March, and up 4.7% from April, 2008. The report shows that for the last six months home prices have been 20% to 24% below the previous year. April's median home price was $182,913, down 0.7% from March, but still down 21.9% from April, 2008. An impressive 44 metropolitan areas experienced a monthly increase in sales, with 16 metros experiencing double digit increases. The largest annual increase in residential sales occurred in those markets that have experienced significant price declines. Las Vegas saw an 84.9% increase in sales from last year; Phoenix was up 79.4%, Miami was up 56.2% and Lo...
Comments 0
By Dave Edwards
(Dave Edwards Realty)
 Chelsea Woods subdivision in Greenville, SC: Year Average Sold Price 1999 421,000 2000 407,966 2001 435,250 2002 423,308 2003 427,500 2004 442,500 2005 466,500 2006 0 2007 499,341 2008 613,500 When it's time to buy or sell real estate in Greenville, SC you need to work with a realtor who is honest, trustworthy, and knows the market. The Dave Edwards Global Team makes a strong effort to keep up with Greenville, SC market trends by analyzing market information on a daily basis. Who do you know that needs to sell? Contact us today at 864.275.7250. Based on sales by GGAR members.  
Comments 0
By The Jeff Rickert Team, Poconos - RSPS - The Jeff Rickert Team
(RE/MAX Property Specialists)
UNDER CONTRACT 18 DAYS   More Details About This Home -----> 4&5-31-7 Ottawa Trail, Pocono Lake, PA 18347 List #09-3664 Looking for your perfect get away? This is the ultimate in privacy & feeling of tranquility then this house is for you. Mature landscaping, custom built in shelves, full unfinished basement that could be made into another bedroom. Home is situated on 1/2 acre. All furniture included. Move today and start the grill tomorrow.  Listing & Location Information County Monroe County  Municipality/ Twnshp 0137 - Tobyhanna Township  Listing Date 4/22/2009 Under Contract Date  5/10/2009           List Price 149,900     Location/ Developmnt Arrowhead Lakes        Keller Williams Real Estate 601 Bethlehem PikeBuilding B, Suite 100Montgomeryville, PA 18936Main Office: 215-631-1900D...
Comments 0
By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
ECO-ALL-STARS YOUR JUNE CHALLENGE IS A DOOZIE!...so have a cup of morning brew, and get set....  1st Place 5,000 POINTS...want to know more? Real Estate Marketing- 2009 :: The Fertile Summer- on the SUSTAINABLE WEB Eco-All-Stars JUNE/JULY & AUGUST  CHALLENGE  The  2009 real estate marketing model steams ahead. It is energized by professional efforts and expertise. It requires demonstrating to, involving with and also empowering those with whom you converse in the particular real estate audience of your choice.   The 2009 real estate marketing model  puts YOU at the center of the conversation (as Active Rain/Localism, Facebook, etc.)   Having discovered that social media outreach can connect you to a "warm network" it is fair to say (and this is especially true for niche market professio...
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