A day when we are asked to remember
our many blessings.
Freedom…
to think, to love, to live.
Life …
whose most valued treasures
are a special gift.
Happiness …
that doesn’t come from
what we own
but from the love of
family and friends.
Thanksgiving is in…
our gratitude and attitude,
our giving and sharing,
our well being and health,
and above all our trust and belief.
Remember those separated from their families who stand in the gap in harm’s way
to insure that the blessings of Thanksgiving fill your hearts and home!

11-2-2009, I regret to report that my source for this legislation was incorrect. I typically look for two sources, in this case one was verbal and the other a news blog. I apologize for my error. The bill is still under review and in negotiation.
US NEWS reports that the Tax Credit for 1st time home buyers has been extended and expanded! (Subject to President Obama’s signature)
First time home buyers will be eligible for the tax credit as long sign a purchase contract by April 30, 2010 and close on the …

I’m often asked what I think of open houses. Well, I think it’s as good a way to waste a Saturday afternoon as any. My advice is to just take a long nap and catch up on your sleep instead. It will advance your real estate practice a lot faster than an open house! Let me explain.
An open house is simply an advertising idea. Nothing more. Nothing less. As such, it should be evaluated like any other advertising idea. Cost per lead versus budget per lead. So how do we …

It’s a bad idea.  Here’s why.  It comes down to “cost per lead”.  I’ll show you.  Let’s take a typical market where the average sale price is $206,500 and the average commission side is 2.6%.  That means that the average Gross Commission Income (GCI) is $5,369.  According to real estate “experts” an agent should budget 20% of GCI for marketing.  I’ve even heard numbers as high as 25%!  (Incidentally, the rest of the entire business world budgets less than 10% of revenue for marketing, but what do they know?)
I personally …

A Champion Agent can convey the six key rules that equate to professional value to any prospect or client.  They are able to drive home the key points to raise their value to the prospect.
 
1. We don’t sell properties
 
We are sales people, but we are really selling something other than a property.  What we really sell to the marketplace is our knowledge.  Our knowledge is better and more complete than our competitor’s, which enables us to charge a higher fee for our service.  Why is one Attorney $500 an hour …

When the Baby Boomers were younger (1960-90), families with children made up more than 50% of all households. By the time we got to 2000 this figure had declined to 33% and by 2025 it is estimated to be around 25%.

As a result the suburban boom in housing prices that we experienced will in all likelihood slow down considerably and shift to a more urban environment. No one is predicting that suburban life is dying nor will it be replaced, but as less families continue to prefer bigger houses and …

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced that they will suspend foreclosure sales on properties that they insure over the Thanksgiving and December Holidays! Part of me wants to shout, “It’s a Christmas Miracle”, another part is truly thankful, and yet another part is angry because I wish they could extend that a bit further than November 26th through January 9th, 2009.This is great news for anyone who has a FNMA or Freddie owned loan that was going up for sale during this time frame. It doesn’t apply to all …

Tis the season.  How can you tell if a virus alert is real? Can you tell when someone sneezes if they have a tickle or a full blown contagious virus lurking?  The holidays are notorious for the release of viral infections, auto theft, purse snatching, home robberies, identity theft….etc.  This year may be a bit different….it could be worse than ever due to the economic situation.  Stay alert and make sure you and your loved ones are aware of online trends and local issues especially if you are traveling.  Click …

RealBlogging is in!

As agents in your community, you have a stellar opportunity to help give global visibility to the issue of poverty.  If you have an agent blog (or even if all you have is e-mail) listen up!  You can help.

It’s been fascinating to witness developments in the home staging industry over the past few years. For my first few years as a staging instructor I had to define and explain staging. Nowadays it is a phenomenon that has changed the way real estate is sold. In 2004, I ‘Googled’ home staging, there were 16,768 entries. (I wrote it down) Today, Google home staging and you’ll see 4,770,000 entries.

For years we professed that kitchens and bathrooms were without a doubt the most important areas of a home. We termed them the ‘deal makers and deal breakers’ of Real Estate. Today with the crisis in the economy, we’re seeing a surplus of inventory like never before.