Said the Little Red Rooster,
"Believe me, things are tough!
Seems the worms are getting scarcer
And I cannot find enough.
What's become of all those fat ones?
It's a mystery to me.
There were thousands through that rainy spell,
But now, where can they be?
But the Old Black Hen who heard him
Didn't grumble or complain,
She had lived through lots of dry spells
She had lived through..(read more)
Housing Story Still
Has Many Chapters
August 25, 2008; Page C1
Children born when the housing-market collapse began have since learned to walk and talk and eat with utensils. By the time it is over, they probably will be reading and writing.
This week brings several key gauges of housing, and they are mostly expected to keep moving in the wrong direction. Monday,..(read more)
Top Ten Tips From Fierce Conversations
(A great book by Susan Scott)
1) When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
2) Am I in the right place, with people I love, doing the right work, on purpose?
3) We must give others what we want to receive.
4) What things..(read more)
Housing Inventory Drops
As Some Sellers Retreat
By JAMES R. HAGERTY
August 13, 2008
The number of homes listed for sale continues to edge lower in many metropolitan areas, though supplies remain ample.
The supply of homes available for sale in 29 major metropolitan areas in July was down 0.5% from a month earlier, according to figures compiled by ZipRealty Inc., a real-estate..(read more)
Pricing is a process, not an event. It is imperative for sellers and agents to price properties ahead of the market, rather than trying to catch up in a buyer’s arena top heavy with inventories.
The laws of thermodynamics and entropy suggest that days on the market will stigmatize a property and undermine marketing efforts. Only aggressive pricing will assure a seller gets more..(read more)
In my opinion, 85% of our population is wonderful to work with. Another 10% have some personality flaws. The remaining 5% are simply toxic. Avoid this latter group at all costs. If in doubt… don’t work with them.
Recently, I added a cancellation fee to my listing agreements. It’s boldly printed in red a few lines above the seller’s signature. With the excess listings..(read more)
1) Get a designation – Real estate agents who have a CRS after their name, on average, earn four times more commissions than agents who don’t? Outgoing referrals are usually sent to agents with the same designation as the sending source.
Stephen Covey and Abe Lincoln were both correct when they suggested to periodically ‘sharpen your axe’ if you want to ‘cut down more..(read more)
July 15, 2008
Valley home resale prices sink 18%
By Edward Gately
Tribune
Valley home prices plummeted 18 percent from April 2007 to April 2008, thanks mostly to the onslaught of foreclosures banks are dumping on the market, according to the latest Arizona State University-Repeat Sales Index.
The drop was much steeper than the 13 percent between March 2007 and the same month this year,..(read more)
