Ann Arbor Area Real Estate

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Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
2008-03-13 00:33:00
In the market, with the buyers, with the sellers. with the interest rates, with the foreclosure's, with the short sales, with the election, ok you get it. Come over baby whole lot of shakin' goin' on Yes, I said come over baby baby you can't go wrong We ain't fakin'Whole lot of shakin' goin' on Well I said come over baby we got chicken in the barnoooh... huh.. Come over baby babe we got the bull by the horn-a We ain't fakin' Whole lot of shakin' goin' on Well I said shake baby shake I said shake baby shake I said shake it baby shake it I said shake baby shake Come on over Whole lot of shakin goin' on Ahhhhh Let's Go !Well I said come over baby we got chicken in the barn Who's barn what barn my barn Come over baby well, we got the bull by the hornsWe ain't fakin' Whole lot of shakin' goin' on Easy Now (lower) Shake it Ahhhh... Shake it babe Yeah.... You can shake one time for me Well I said come over baby Whole lot of shakin' goin' on Now lets get real low o...
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It's Not Yo' Mama's Market
2008-03-11 22:54:00
        ;      &nbs p;      &nb sp;     In the 50’s, the average price of a home was $8450.00. Gas was 18 cents per gallon, a new Chevy Corvette was $3631.00, a 17” black and white TV was $179.95, and a 1 carat diamond ring was $399.00. The average income was $5010.00.   I remember when my parents built their home in 1961. It costs $18,000.00 and their interest rate was 8 1/2%. I can hear my dad, saying, “I don’t know how you will be able to afford a house someday, with interest rates so high”.My husband and I bought our first home in Michigan on a land contract and mortgaged $68,000. for it on a 5 year land contract for 11%, we were thrilled as interest rates were up over 18%. Michigan’s economy was in a down-turn and there were bumper stickers on cars saying, “The last one out of Michigan, please turn out the lights&r...
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Search Me... new Search Site.
2008-03-11 14:02:00
Tech Crunch announced on Twitter this morning a new search site, called Search Me.The difference in this search site is that it returns visual searches instead of just words. Here are two demo's so you can see how it works.You can sign up to be a beta tester here. With $31 Million invested from Sequoia, DAG Ventures and Lehman Brothers it is a site to keep your eyes on. It looks pretty cool to me with all the web pages to look through. It was created by Randy Adams and John Holland. Both pretty impressive resumes.
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A Great Way to Help your Buyers & Sellers
2008-03-07 20:14:00
My web-master suggested a new site to me today so I wanted to share it with all my friends here. It is called Walk Score. You can add any address where any of your listings are, or where your buyers are considering moving and it will give you the score for walking distance to groceries, drug stores, hardware stores, coffee shops, movies, schools, bars, parks, libraries and bookstores, including the distance to them. In Ann Arbor, people love to be within walking distance to down-town and the University of Michigan. So those homes will typically sell for a higher price per square foot and sell the fastest. So I went in to my Number1 Expert site, Missy Caulk.com and added this walk score link to all my listings. Now when a buyer or seller sees the listing they can find out not only what businesses, parks or schools are in the area but the walking distance to them. Isn't this a great way to help your buyers and sellers? You can also add a button to your listings so buy...
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Happy Birthday, Jamie Caulk
2008-03-07 02:18:00
Today is my middle son's birthday, but he is not here. He is in his A School Training at Port Hueneme, CA. I can't talk to him, so I wanted to send him this Happy Birthday greeting from me. I sent him a basket of cookies from Cookies By Design. But, it's not the same. We were fortunate to see him the weekend of the 15th of February when we went to his Navy graduation from Boot camp.  Dear Jamie ,We love you so much and miss you! We are so proud of you for serving your country. Be safe, we think about you ALL the time. Love,Mom, dad, Christa, Matthew, Andrew and AllyssaBuddy, Dixie, Cuddles, Ruffy
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Twitter in Plain English, or What are you doing?
2008-03-06 11:42:00
There have been many posts of late on Twitter , Maureen Francis has even started a twitter group here on Activerain.I just finished watching a video on Common Craft blog my Lee LeFever.I love Lee's work, it was his blog on RSS Made Simple that I finally "got it". I'm a plain English kind of girl so his video's really help me.We are having a great time over there, and getting to know each other, which it the whole point of blogging in 140 characters. Yea, I know most people don't get twitter, me either at first. Now I do. Twitter is fun, is it addicting, just like here. Watch the video, and come on over, you will find many of us there twittering away and getting to know each other.How many other places can you really chat with the famous Jeff Turner?
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Short-Sale and Foreclosure Expert on Activerain, I need your Recommendation
2008-03-05 18:26:00
I have a question, directed to all the short sale and foreclosure experts here on Activerain. We had this discussion this morning at our board meeting of the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors. When you list a short-sale or a foreclosure in the MLS, you offer a co-broke commission to the Realtors as an offer of compensation if they bring a ready and willing buyer. Then the bank comes along and says, “No, we will only pay XXX”, that is much lower than what you offered in the MLS. The Buyer Agents have been saying, too bad, you offered this in the MLS and that is what we expect. So the listing brokerage is forced to pay what was in the MLS.   This leaves the listing brokerage, a small amount of compensation after all the marketing expenses, and extra time spent on doing a short-sale. My question is directed NOT at the banks, but at Realtors.  1)     How are you responding in these situations? 2)    Are you sending a ...
More About: Sale , Foreclosure , Expert , Short , Recommendation

What are You Dreaming About?
2008-03-02 01:52:00
Seriously, ARE you dreaming? Did you know that dreams are the fabric of our lives? Another word I use in place of the word dream is vision. What is the vision you have for your life? Have your written it down? Are you waiting for it? Are you running towards it? Henry David Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” This week, I was challenged when someone ask me about my dreams. For a moment I was stunned. It had been a long time since I had really thought about what my own dreams were. Being a mom, wife, and Realtor, and now a blogger, that is about all I have had time to think about for years. Just the day to day tasks of life are all consuming. Sure, I have goals but goals are not dreams. Remember when you were younger, lying in bed at night or on the grass in the summer, looking up into the skies and dreaming?... big dreams. Th...
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I started Drinking at 11:43 A.M. Today
2008-03-01 03:07:00
Ok, I got ya? But?. I only had 2 glasses. Today , we had a reception at Keller Williams Ann Arbor, to welcome all the new agents and TEAMS. Kathy Toth and her Team of 8 joined Keller Williams. Kathy is my technology bud friend in Ann Arbor. We were co-workers together at Remax up until 2005, when our old Broker sold us to REO. Kathy went to REO and myself and 28 other agents decided to stay at the new RE/MAX. Now we are back together again and iI am so excited! Today we had a Welcome Reception and a press conference to welcome everyone. Nine of us blog on Activerain, Susan Walters, Karen Moorhead, James Giaclone, Kathy Toth, Chet Hill, Brian Craig, Andy Piper, Carol Grubb and me. I am still learning to use my FlipVideo recommended by Linda Davis, Carnac and I love it. Far from perfect so don?t be too critical. I promise I?ll get better? but when I (((hugged people))) the camera was really bad. (the camera went bad, not me) Would you call this an Activerain gat...
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Stonebridge Golf Course in Ann Arbor, MI
2008-02-29 03:02:00
Will this ever end? I took this photo yesterday, driving through my neighborhood. Very cute, huh?   Cute but can we say, I am tired of it?   Stonebridge Golf Course in Ann Arbor, MI is a beautiful golf course in the Ann Arbor , and Saline Area. The subdivision Stonebridge is divided between the Ann Arbor and the Saline School Districts.   Stonebridge Golf Club is currently offering special pricing on golfing this summer until February 29th. One great package is you sign up for 10 rounds of golf, you get one round free with a cart for $425.00.   The Saline Chamber of Commerce has sponsored several fund raisers at Stonebridge Golf Club usually held the last week of school. It is a fun, community event and one of the  largest fund raisers for the Saline Chamber. This year it will be played at Stonebridge on Tuesday, June 3rd and you can register on line. If you don’t golf and want to participate in a fun day, we are always looking for volunteers,...

1216 Birk Ann Arbor, MI 48103
2008-02-27 22:38:00
Located in the heart of Ann Arbor , within walking distance to University of Michigan, "The Big House", and Chrysler Arena. Go Blue!!The future owner will inherit all the upgrades,totaling over $42,000. in the last two years. New kitchen cabinets, new appliances, new granite counter-tops, two remodeled baths with jacuzzi tub, and marble and gorgeous tile work. New roof and gutters.Built in the 1940's with hardwood floors throughout. This home is in mint condition and in a highly desirable location. Sellers purchased the home in 2005 for $269,900. and the new owner will not have to do a thing. Due to the market shift the new buyers will get basically all the upgrades for FREE. Now that sounds good to me, wish I could buy it.  

Guilty, Guilty, Guilty at being Haphazard
2008-02-26 15:23:00
  I have been haphazard as the TEAM leader for the Missy Caulk TEAM.  Haphazard means, by hit or miss, careless basically. Over the last year, my TEAM has grown from 3 to 5 Buyer Agents and it is getting ready to jump to 7. Two guys, one a builder in Michigan that I have represented for 9 years and the other a friend of my daughters.  Both passed the State of Michigan licensing requirements last week and are ready to get going. I need to change. Old things must pass away and new ones must begin. I have been absorbing the book by Gary Keller the Millionaire Real Estate Agent. Sure, I read it off and on over the years since 2003. I think I have about 5 copies that other agents gave me. But, it finally makes sense. Could it be a case of, “When the pupil is ready the teacher will come?” The main thing I have held my TEAM responsible for is following up the leads. The way my Search Ann Arbor Houses web-site works is that each buyer agent can leave ...
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Honesty is the Best Policy in Ann Arbor Real Estate
2008-02-22 01:27:00
Several years ago, I met a professor in the Psychology Dept. at the University of Michigan. She had found me on the Internet and wanted me to preview her lake house to sell. The house was a cute cottage on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes. We walked around the cottage, it was only about 30 feet to the water. Real ly cute cottage. As we continued to walked around the house, she told me that the air conditioning unit was encroaching on the house next door and she asked me if she should move it? My response was, “What is your relationship to the neighbors next door?” Lake cottages are notorious for being close together and it is not uncommon for there to be some encroachment into the next person’s property with a side-walk to the beach etc… The seller informed me that the relationship was not great as her neighbor’s brother had wanted to purchase her cottage and they did not sell because he only wanted to pay $200,000. for the lake house. We ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Policy , Ann Arbor

Gamers for Autism Tournament February 29th-March 2nd
2008-02-21 02:41:00
In December 2006, Zak Wigel, walked into Saline Community Education Department and requested to use the gym to set up a Halo Tournament to raise money. He wanted to host a video gaming tournament to host a Halo Tournament. They got approved months in advance to use the gym. Zak put in $600.00 of his own money. After months of planning, two weeks before the tournament, in March , Zak was told to CANCEL THE TOURNAMENT!! Read the entire history of how Gamers for Charity evolved. You can also listen to the podcast, it is a fascinating story. After making the Ann Arbor News and circulating on the internet with over 1800 diggs and 200 comments, they made history. The purpose of this post is to announce a new tournament where they are raising money for Autism . The next tournament will be held at Eastern Michigan University on February 29th through March 2nd. You can register on line at mpcon.org.  Directions to the event at EMU are: 900 Oakwood Street in Ypsilanti, MI. 48197 All the...

January Market Update for Condo's in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County
2008-02-21 02:18:00
The condo market in Ann Arbor continues to have a large amount of inventory. Usually being in the college town of The University of Michigan our condo's have sold well. The list price was up by .5%, but the sales were down by 8.5% from January 2007. In March the residents assigned to the University of Michigan will get their "match letters" and they tend to be big condo buyers. Why? They are too busy to do lawn care, snow removal and many are single and just starting out their careers. Also many physicians need to be close to the University of Michigan Hospitals or St.Joe's Mercy Hospital. We get lots of calls telling us, "I have to be 5-10 minutes to the hospital".  I have already had many hits on my web site, Search Ann Arbor Houses, where they say they are "considering" a move to Ann Arbor as a Resident and are just looking at what is available. So we look forward to them relocating to Ann Arbor for the next 4 years!!  &nb...
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January Market Update for Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County
2008-02-21 01:56:00
January 2008 was a good month for closings in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County . We are up 10% compared to January 2007. Even better news for home sellers is that the number of listings was down 13%. The homes with the best value, perceived by the buyers are still selling and selling first. For home sellers that can't walk into closing with money to help pay off their mortgages and must stay at a certain price it is a difficult situation as the homes that can be priced "below" market value are selling first.January saw 146 homes close and that is 10.5% more than January 2007.  Now for the bad news: Homes have declined in value by 18% making the average sales price $276,422. When I was first licensed 13 years ago, our average sale price was 289,900. That is 13 years ago!Here are some graphs to show what is happening in the residential sales and listings in Washtenaw County.          ;      &nbs p;...
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Fair Warning, not about Real Estate
2008-02-19 03:26:00
This post is NOT about Real Estate so fair warning?. Since blogging is therapeutic for me, I?m just going to get it out. I left for the Keller Williams conference on Saturday the 9th of February and got home on Wednesday night at 8:24. Then the next day we left for Chicago to attend my son?s graduation from Navy Boot-camp and it was wonderful. We had such a great time and yes Kris I did take lots of tissues and thank you for the warning. Jamie leaves home a kid and in 8 weeks becomes a man. Now he is off to California for 3-4 months. So we arrive home last night at 8:30 and then this morning my husband is scheduled for a heart cauterization at the hospital. Mike had double by-pass at 45 and then two stints put in four years ago. So we are there by 7:30 to check in, thinking it would just be another stint, which it was. However, he also had a mild heart attack on the table as they were putting in the two stints in the old arteries from the double by-pass. Oh heck? Wo...
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Barry Hurd on Building Your On-Line Presence
2008-02-14 22:47:00
There is a really good article today on RisMedia, written by Barry Hurd, titled Five Steps to Building Your On-Line Presence . Barry is President of Social Media Systems an on-line marketing company working with search engine marketing and online social networks. Plus a prolific blogger. The article talks about setting up on-line profiles, having a strategy and learning how to use the networks. In the article Five Steps to Building Your On-Line presence, Barry talks about the importance of inviting your 25 best contacts into your networks.Reminds me of how many of us follow each other around and join outside networks when we are invited. Many of the networks listed in the article, I had not personally heard of.  Barry Hurd also has a profile here on Activerain.  Although he doesn't post here a lot, what he does write is excellent.Enjoy.... Great advice and suggestions we can all learn from.  
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KW Convention Update
2008-02-13 01:31:00
        ;      &nbs p;      &nb sp;   This will be short and I'll post more later, as only back in the room for a few minutes. Seth Godin spoke today, in the Key Note Session. It was, without a doubt very inspiring and he  spoke on this latest book the The Dip. If you remember this was the book Fran suggested to me I read when I was trying to make my decision on whether to go or stay at RE/MAX.     &nbs p;      &nb sp;      &n bsp;      & nbsp;               ;      &nbs p;   Yesterday Mariana Wagner spoke on blogging. It was really good, she is an excellent speaker and her personality really comes through. Did I say I felt like I had known her forever? It&#...
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Hidden Gems in The Rain from Ann Arbor, MI
2008-02-09 02:12:00
Lola Audu, tagged me for Melissa Grants challenge for Activerain Hidden Gems in the Rain .  Lola wrote on people in Michigan and I thought it was a great idea to focus on Hidden Gems from Ann Arbor , MI.   Let me introduce to you Karen Moorhead. Karen is a Realtor at Keller Williams in Ann Arbor, who I first met blogging on Activerain. The first time I met Karen when I was touring the Keller Williams office, we gave each other a big hug. Yea, that’s what Activerain does for you, instant connection. Get to know Karen, from her post, Street Signs in Ann Arbor.   I had actually meet Karen’s husband Kase, before I knew Karen was his wife. Kase also blogs on Activerain and he is a technology guru. He provides you with business-aligned technical consulting to ensure you make the right technology choices. Get to know Kase from his post on The Power of the Blog.   I recently tagged Vance Shutes here on the meme. Vance just started blogging on Activerain...

?Converting Technology to Cash?
2008-02-08 01:12:00
Is this a great title for the Con-Ed class I took today with the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, or what? Verl Workman, was the speaker and it was one of the most exciting con-ed classes I have taken. It was sponsored by the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors, not only did it count for 3 hours of con-ed, it was FREE. One of the topics was Social Networking and besides LinkedIn, and FaceBook ActiveRain was up on the overhead. Yea…. Val asked, “how many of you are blogging?” Out of 125 Realtors present, maybe 10% raised their hands. Of course I was up close and he asked me how long I had been blogging. I told him, "I started in December 2006 on Activerain." He said, “Oh, you are one of the early ones”. Tee hee Ok, here’s the scoop, and it is a BIG THANKS YOU TO ALL OF YOU!! Everything he went over, ALL the technology, EVERYTHING, I had already learned since my time on Activerain. I have said many times, the best ed...
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Meme of Oh My...........
2008-02-05 20:07:00
I’ve been memed by Linda Scanlan from Fort Worth, TX. If you don’t know what a meme it is sorta like the game we played as children, “tag, you’re it”. Meme rhymes with dream. Ginger Wilcox, with Blog by the Bay started this meme for our outside blogs. I’ve played it in Activerain, but Ginger wanted us to do this on our outside blogs. So the rules are I am to share 7 things you might not know about me. So if you want to find out 7 things about me:What I am afraid of?What makes me cry?      How many years it took me to graduate?     &n bsp;      & nbsp;               ;      &nbs p;      &nb sp;      &n bsp;     My favorite pastime.You can read it on Ann Arbor Real Estate Talk, my baby blog. &...

My Heart is Heavy...
2008-02-05 02:38:00
Most of you know, I am a listing agent with four buyer agents. Buying a home in today’s market is wonderful. Buyers are able to get some great homes for very good prices, something maybe out of their price range several years ago. Buyers are fun to work with they are so excited when they find their future home. You can see the light in their eyes and a smile on their face when they know it is the house for them. I am sad, like a big weight on my shoulders after I meet with sellers and do their Comparative Market Analysis. I hate to tell them the truth. I tell them the truth, but I hate it. They purchased their homes with smiles on their faces and hope for a wonderful future. Then life happens, they get laid off by the “Big 3”, they get a job transfer, their company closes down, they finish medical school and are ready to start their careers, whatever…. Then the bad news, their home has not gone up in value, but decreased in value. Many parts...
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305 Ideal in Milan, MI 48160
2008-02-02 04:01:00
On my last post, I announced my new listing, at 227 Ideal Street in Milan , MI. This is my second new listing this week in Milan, Mi. Yes, got them both in the same week and on the SAME STREET. I met these clients when they called me after seeing a home they liked on my web-site.305 Ideal Street is a charming 1930's home with all the charm and character you would expect to find from the era. Beautiful living room with Oak bookcases, and beveled glass doors surrounding the fireplace. This home is within walking distance to schools, parks and downtown Milan, MI. It is priced to sell at 199,900 and 1900 Square feet. I really want to sell this house so they can buy my listing at 2063 Whimbrel Ct. also in Milan, MI. Which would be their dream home. Eric is a dentist in Milan and his wife teaches school.If you are looking for a new home, either one of these, charming and totally move in condition homes, would be wonderful buys. So give me a call. Both are in mint condition, totally update...

227 Ideal Street in Milan, MI 48160
2008-02-02 03:01:00
This is such a cute starter home in Milan , MI. Milan is located about 5 miles South of Saline, MI. The family I have listed it for are wonderful. They moved here several years ago and he is with the United States Marines. They have two precious little girls, adopted from Guatelmala and are being relocated to California.Now they need to sell their house. What a great home! Most houses that are older don't have two bathrooms but this one does, and it is completely remodeled with double vanities and a brand new finished basement complete with two brick fireplaces.Milan is a great place to live, with many parks, great schools and lots of fun community events. I really want to help this family be able to move to California. So if you know anyone wanting this adorable home, give me a call. 734-216-2822. Charming Home in MilanLocation: Milan, MIMove in condition home! Walk to downtown, parks and schools. Newly finished lower level with Owens Corning type system, warm brick hearth, fre...
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PartIII...The Sad Ending
2008-01-30 14:38:00
This is the conclusion of a post I started on A Nightmare to Remember. If you haven’t read Part I or Part II, you might want read those first.   Part II ended with me finding out the sellers had re-listed the house to my utter surprise with their Attorney, who was also a Realtor. My comment to my former client, when I called her up and heard the news was: “Why, I don’t understand?” “Missy, you didn’t sell our house and we wanted to let someone else try”. Ms. Seller, “I brought you 4 offers on your house, two of which were accepted, one fell apart over the square footage, and one your lenders would not respond to the other offer after waiting 3 weeks”. “I did everything I knew to get the house to closing.” Ms Seller, “It’s not personal”. “We want to give our attorney a try”. “Well, I wish you the best of success in selling your home” and I meant it. As p...
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A Nighmare to Remember, Part II
2008-01-29 12:56:00
Yesterday, I started a post on A Nightmare to Remember about former clients of mine, who we were on our way out the door to the closing, when the Buyer Agent called and told me the closing was off, because of a square footage difference. In our MLS in Ann Arbor, Michigan we use the mlxchange system. We add in square footage and there is a field where we can name the source of the square footage. Typically you will see: Assessor, builder, owner, measured, appraisal or if the basement is finished you will see, plus 1000 S.F. in fin/LL. The buyer agent called me and told me that the buyer’s attorney had told him he should get a reduction in the price of $20,000 because of the 500 S.F. difference. A typical appraiser in Ann Arbor will give a difference of $20.00 to $40.00 per square foot. When I am doing a market analysis I always use $30.00 right in the middle. Immediately, I called my real estate attorney to get his advice. He looked the buyer’s attorney ...
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A Nightmare to Remember
2008-01-28 14:50:00
This post was inspired by Andrew Lenza’s post Playing with House Money Inside the Titanic’s Casino! Receiving an Offer. If you’ve never read Andrew, here on Activerain, you should, he is a fabulous writer.   I was going to comment on Andrew’s post, but realized what I had to comment was too long, so decided to share a situation I had several years ago with some friends, who were past clients.   Let’s say Dick and Jane, moved to Ann Arbor many years ago and I introduced them to a builder who built their new home. After a few years, Dick lost his job and although he was able to get a new one it didn’t pay as much. So they decided to sell their home and rent. The market was good at the time. They were going to rent, get back on their feet, and pay off credit cards.  I asked them if they were behind in any payments. Their response was no; however when they refinanced, County Wide was suppose to make a payment, did not and now th...
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In This Market????
2008-01-25 23:23:00
Here's your Friday chuckle: ( this is true ) My daughter was setting up showings today for tomorrow. The listing office told her to call the seller. So she called and  said, "Hi, this is Christa from Keller Williams and I would like to show your home tomorrow between 11:00 and 12:00."Silence"Sir, would it be possible to show your home tomorrow?""Oh, hell.........I'll have to get up and clean up the house" In this market, in sub degree weather, is this seller motivated or what?Seriously...this happened 5 minutes ago.Have a great weekend... sell lots of houses. 
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Part III... the Pre-Listing Information
2008-01-24 23:42:00
This is the last part of the series I have been sharing on the steps I take BEFORE I actually meet with the clients on a pre-listing appointment. These are the quotes I also send out with Listing Questionnaire, and the Marketing Reports. Each is on a separate page and take up the whole page with colors, which I can't do here because I haven't taken the time to learn html. I add these into what I email people because I want sellers to get a few little sayings in their heads.         ;      &nbs p;      &nb sp;      &n bsp;      & nbsp;               ;      &nbs p;      &nb sp;      &n bsp;      & nbsp;         Pricing YOU...
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