Being a Real Estate Agent is Scary Enough this Halloween

Needless to say, I have been in some bizarre situations during showings in my real estate career.  You do this long enough, and you come across all kinds of, shall we say, “interesting” things.

I have to admit though, the “dead clown in the garden” problem just hasn’t happened.  I guess I should consider myself truly fortunate.

So in the spirit of Halloween (nice play on words, huh?), here’s one of my favorite real estate videos.

Honestly, if I were these buyers, I would be more terrified about how the agent continually changes the subject and ignores his concerns than I would be about the “foreboding sense of evil”.

But hey, if you are looking for a house nowadays, congratulations… you definitely don’t scare easily.  And we should talk, because I can help make sure your purchase doesn’t become a nightmare.

Remodel Photo of the Day

My wife always says this one reminds her of “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead” in The Wizard of Oz.  Not sure what she’s trying to say there, but OK.

We (yes, that’s me under there) were remodeling the part of the homestead that was built in the 1930’s. (Crawl space of about 7 inches, yikes).  We had to rip everything out and start over.

If you know of anyone that might be better off to simply buy or sell instead of the fun(!) of a remodel, I may know of a good real estate broker they could call.

And, by the way, good luck getting that song out of your head!

A Redux – Manic Monday’s… and the Desire to Find the Friday Spirit

One of the great things about the adventures associated with trying new things is the learning aspect of it all. I am committed to the conversation that blogging provides, but I am all too aware that there will be bouts of laryngitis along the way.

For example, I don’t think the video I loaded in my last post came through. At least it didn’t in many of the email versions that were delivered. I know it works on the site directly, so please click on through to the site and enjoy.

Maybe it’s Here…

Manic Monday’s… and the Desire to Find the Friday Spirit

Monday’s are just one of those days that can’t ever seem to be over soon enough. In addition to the daunting task of simply starting the week out right, I am usually following up with weekend showings on my listings as well buyers that I have shown property to. And if there are fires to be put out, assuredly they will start on Monday. Because of that, I have invoked executive decision powers (that means I checked with my wife and she said OK) to add some levity to my Monday.

While I understand that there is something to be said about “Fun Friday’s”, I don’t think it will ruin anyone’s week to bookend the work week with something a little less stressful.

So in this case, I am starting my Monday Movie Moment (if only because it sounded catchier than my “Monday YouTube Video Post”).  This may or may not be a weekly occurrence. Hey, it may happen with the frequency of last month’s eclipse. Regardless, at least for today, I am going to find something to chuckle over, because if history serves as any guide, tomorrow will likely be my second Monday of the week.

I will dedicate this one to those poor folks in Ohio and Texas, who will trudge to the polls tomorrow with the belief that they will affect the outcome of their primaries and ultimately the national election. Kidding! Remember, find the fun…

h/t to Dustin

NAR-BASH 2007: An Upclose Look from Afar

Today at the 2007 National Association of Realty Brokers, Agents and SalesHelp (NAR-BASH) convention in Las Vegas, the association released it’s new state-of-the-art OS/Communication and Mapping bundle. (Seen below).

Dubbed Agent 0.94, and portrayed as the next Killer app for Re-la-ters, the association stated that this package of products and services could single-handedly pull the industry out of the ’80’s. Asked why they were going to such great expense on behalf of agents, one official simply stated “Membership has it’s privileges.” Although it is uncertain whether they had checked on the availability or trademark associated with that phrase prior to its use.

“We believe this product, in conjunction with the upgraded glossy-cover MLS book, will continue to allow the agent of tomorrow to be the gatekeeper of information associated with local real estate, and further allow them to be the judge, jury and executioner in the buying or selling process.”

(Ed. Note: For some reason, I was asked to strike that last part, but alas it was too late.)

As part of the Agent 0.94 Initiative, the association is also providing training on a wide-range of professional and technology tools, including:

• “How to Get the Most out of Your Polaroid”
• “Color Coding Index Cards: the Next Big Contact Management Tool” and
• “That New-Fangled Web-thing: Ten Reasons to Avoid it Like the Plague”

Word on the street is that there are additional plans and programs to come from the association. However, when asked, one official said it was too early to tell if they could recoup any of the “investments” the association had made at local establishments over the past couple of days.

(Ed. Note: At least we can be confident that our recent dues increases are being used wisely, as I was told that the association had recently handed over a huge amount of money “to the house”, which I can only assume is some classified housing down-payment assistance program which will assuredly benefit each of us in our local markets.)

Until next time, that’s the story from here, approximately 1,038 miles outside the convention center, and as close to a real understanding of the association as any other association member.