Real Estate Gurus and Real Estate Seminars Real estate seminars advertise their worthiness by proclaiming to all who will listen that “the skills and strategies you will learn here are literally worth their weight in gold.” Their “students” will learn “secrets” of how to make huge profits in real estate, and become wealthy almost overnight. [...]
Archive | July, 2010
Would the general public rather pay Realtors by the hour?
By: Marc Rasmussen, a Realtor selling Sarasota real estate I have not made a blog post here in a while and I was brainstorming to come up with a topic. So, I decided to write something along the lines of “Tips to Choosing a Realtor” and Googled that exact phrase to help me come up [...]
I Just Called To Say…
Is a sales call free speech? At what point is calling intrusive? And finally – is there ever a convenient time to call someone to make a sales pitch? This week, the National Do Not Call registry topped 200 million people, or about 66% of the population. So, I think it’s safe to say that [...]
Warranties on Decks
The Deck Warranty (Old Decks can be Problems) By Brian Madigan LL.B. (Ontario Real Estate Source) It is very commonplace to see wooden decks constructed at the rear of houses. They have become extremely popular over the last two decades. And, with popularity comes problems. What if: • The deck isn’t safe • The deck [...]
A Porch, of Course!
Remember front porches? Like bell-bottoms and vinyl records, they’re making a comeback. Well, maybe not bell-bottoms – I really don’t know for sure about those. I’m no fashionista. But front porches – they’re hot right now. It seems people are tired of not knowing their neighbors. As new urbanists take hold of their neighborhoods and [...]
EL Insights Predicts Significant Growth Within the Green Construction Industry
A recent issue of EL Insights reports that the growing trend among businesses toward developing and implementing eco-friendly changes is more than just a passing fad. In fact, the experts at EL Insights predict that the value of the U.S. green building market will grow extensively over the next several years. More specifically, EL Insights [...]
Eco-Friendly Landscaping
Landscaping with native wildflowers and grasses improves the environment. A native plant species is one that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem and/or habitat without direct or indirect human actions. Natural landscaping affects a variety of beneficial insects, birds, butterflies, and other animals. And the beauty of native wildflowers and grasses creates a sense [...]
Cellular Breakdown
Your cell phone may be killing you, and eggs are bad for you. Or not. Not sure if you heard the news (and if you heard it from your cell phone, you’re really not going to like this), but it turns out that cell phones may cause brain tumors. Or not. The truth is, nobody [...]
Investing in Real Estate – Self Storage Units
People are losing their homes in record numbers to foreclosure or reluctantly negotiating a short sale agreement with a lender, and relocating individuals and families are at an all-time high. Many of these unfortunates have yet to find a suitable permanent residence, and while searching for a new home or apartment need a place to [...]
Selling Your Property
Selling/Relocating Considerations If you have decided to sell your home there are a number of issues to consider before taking the first step. For example, you will obviously need a new place to live so the first consideration should be; do I sell my home first and rent temporarily while looking for a new home, [...]
Extended Closing Deadline for Tax Credit
The 180,000 homeowners that missed the June 30, 2010 closing deadline to receive their federal tax credit are breathing a sigh of relief. Congress has announced an extension of the deadline through September 30, 2010 to allow these homeowners the opportunity to receive the federal tax incentive for first time homeowners and existing homeowners who [...]
Michael Jordan is coming back
_________________________________________________ –I know this isn’t real-estate related, but a lot of us grew up watching MJ. So take a break and remember what an amazing athlete he was. – Michael Jordan, one of the best NBA players of all time is coming back. 2K sports announced the “The Jordan Challenge” would be included in its new [...]
Real Estate Connect Recap
Putting a cap on this week, we thought we’d recap last week’s Inman Real Estate Connect in San Francisco with a tally of some of the Innovator Awards winners. As mentioned, DotLoop partner The Goodlife Team won top honors for being the Best Brokerage, but a special mention should be made to TechSavvyAgent, who came [...]
From Scrolls to Scroll Bars
Does less paper equal less environmental damage? Before you answer “of course!”, think about it, because context is important. As mentioned Wednesday, Amazon.com recently celebrated its 15th anniversary of selling everything from Tolstoy to trombones. Obviously, the retail giant has changed the way we buy goods, but with e-books now outselling traditional paper books, it’s [...]
Crammed Cells
With summer vacation in full swing, many of you no doubt have seen the station wagons and SUVs driving down the highways, bursting with suitcases and various pool toys. You may have even seen Clark Griswold driving his family to Wally World. As you pass him by, though don’t blame an over-stuffed trunk for the [...]
Windows™ Shopping
You might be able to buy a belated birthday card in case you missed Amazon.com‘s 15th birthday last Friday. Of course, make sure you buy it over the Internet. As Time reported last week, the online shopping giant fundamentally changed retail shopping all with a click of a mouse. Interestingly enough, one of the first [...]
Are VA Loans Better Than Conventional, FHA, or USDA Loans?
A common question myself and many loan officers face when working with someone who is eligible for a VA loan is: “are VA loans better than conventional or FHA mortgages?” Since I’m going to answer this question, I should throw in the comparison of VA loans to USDA loans too. Before I start with our [...]
Pregnant Pause
Attention expectant parents: don’t expect to have a baby shower and a house-warming party at the same time. As you may have heard, banks are getting finicky with their lending, as even a flawless financial record seems suspect these days. So, it would make sense that the next step to figuring out if you can [...]
Bank of Canada Moves Rate Up by Quarter Point
Bank of Canada Increases Bank Rate By Brian Madigan LL.B. (Ontario Real Estate Source) The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by a quarter point, 20 July 2010. A similar increase took place in June. The Bank noted that it “expects the economic recovery in Canada to be more gradual than it had [...]
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Carmen Brodeur: Very interesting! I better go buy more wrinkle cre...
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Ria Grace: What is good of having custom home is that you can...
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Patrick: A great online property management forum is agents...
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Kyle Pearce: Unfortunately, in every industry, there are some w...
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$10000 California First Time Home Buyer and New Home Tax Credit Extended
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Unite Against the Sarasota MLS Board
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Short Sale Heaven Coming April 5th 2010
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The Lones Group – Real Estate Social Media Marketing Firm – Sues Agent For Being A Zebra
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California Senate Bill 94 (SB94): Passes; Not even Attorneys can do it!
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