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It's not quite finished yet as I need to add some more search features and more data in the Detailed Report, but I'm just giddy about my new REW custom IDX. It's too soon to start appearing on the search engines for specific listings and I'm wondering how long it takes to get some of those new pages spidered and indexed. I believe my page count has about doubled but I don't remember exactly how many were shown as being indexed before. Fun With Snippets I thought I needed to call Morgan to get... Read Full Post

A couple weeks ago I was spending hours excitedly going through Scottsdale, AZ listings sent to me by my agent with a fine tooth comb. My husband and I would love to be snowbirds in AZ and figured if we wait until we're ready to retire Scottsdale prices will be unattainable for us at that time. I do have hope for the future of real estate! We figure if we don't buy something now to get our foot in the door of AZ property ownership with current affordable prices and interest rates, we'll regre... Read Full Post

I don't care how good a real estate agent one is, we all run into sellers that just won't listen to us about price. I can sit there with factual information, thinking I'm getting through, only to be told that they want to list at $25,000 or more than my Comparative Market Analysis gave as market value. And when that happens, I walk away. I'm starting to collect good articles and posts I've found regarding price. I had many in my Firefox Favorites but lost them when I cleaned up my computers. ... Read Full Post

If I had all the time in the world I'd have even more blogs and websites than I do now. I love having different looks, niches and skins/templates. To me, geek that I am, having a collection of pretty looking websites/blogs is right up there (and may have surpassed) my love for shoes. So I feel like a giddy kid at Christmas (I'm a cheap date) to find new skins for my Gmail account. Right now I'm loving the Desk theme and the Teahouse is a pretty color but you can't see any graphics until you s... Read Full Post

I'm certainly not as busy as I'd like to be but there was a big lull in my area for awhile. All of a sudden, a few of my listings were getting a nice amount of showings and one of my Tinley Park homes for sale just got a contract. That was a nice one since the sellers already purchased a new townhouse and are living apart - one in the townhouse and one in the house (many people don't realize that their Home Owner's insurance probably doesn't cover a vacant property). This couple isn't taking ... Read Full Post

I'm walking away from more listings lately than ever. More this year than in all the 25 years I've been in the biz. And I'll keep doing it when sellers won't face the facts. I was on a listing appointment for Blue Island real estate last week. It was a legal 2-flat that looked like a single family residence with a 3 bedroom unit on the main level and a 1 bedroom unit upstairs. The sellers lived in another home and needed to get one of their properties sold. They said whichever one sells first... Read Full Post

Wow! Talk about the power of the Internet. You haven't been reading too many blogs or fourms lately if you haven't heard about Marc Rasmussen vs. SAR MLS (Sarasota Multiple Lisitng Service). To quickly summarize, SAR MLS wants Marc to hand over his long-held domain name, thesarasotamls.com. You can read the original post that started fellow REALTORS to unite here: Sarasota Multiple Listing Service (SAR MLS). And let's not forget Marc's new domain name for Sarasota homes for sale. Marc took do... Read Full Post

In the last few years I've been interviewed by several local newspapers for different articles. It all started when an article regarding a lost domain name was published in the Wall Street Journal. That was syndicated all over the nation and was picked up by The Chicago Sun Times and the Daily Southtown. The Daily Southtown even did a second story with a photo! I was also featured on a local radio station regarding that story. Once I got that second Daily Southtown article I started getting i... Read Full Post

Fortunatley, I do get a lot of buyers that fill out my Home Finder Search Form on my multiple websites. Most of the forms are filled out with enough information so I can create a search and get them on the automated e-mail system my MLS provides. But every once in a while I'll get some requests that I just can't complete. A lot of people want a big backyard but there are no search parameters for that. Even if a lot might seem a good size it still depends on how the house is set on the lot. We... Read Full Post

There are so many blogs and posts written about the REW conference but I had to add my own story. I almost didn't go because I was so intimidated by the multiple methods of travel required - all explained at my fear of flying post. Planes, Taxis, Ferries and Automobiles I felt like a whiny little baby about my fear of traveling to Nanaimo. Especially when I heard Michael Brown's story. He had a longer flight than I did but he also had a 3 1/2 hour drive to the airport first and had to use ext... Read Full Post