Rate A Home Blog

I'm about to hang it up, I have left my mark in history.

I managed to throw a curve in the economy.

I placed many home owners into foreclosures, and banks into financial stress.

The banks don't like me much any more.

Real-estate Professionals swear at me.

The oil companies love me, but the general public despises me.

The bankruptcy attorneys have said I'm the best, while the business world points their finger at me for failure.

Many marriages are dissolved due to my tactics.

I'm sorry for what I have become to so many.

Who am I?

My name is 2007.....

I'm turning over my reigns to my successor named 2008, with hopes and admiration, may he/she be much better to you and the world.

Happy New Year to all, may it be your best year ever.

Signed, 

2008, your new leader.

Here's a list of Real-estate offices located in Saugatuck and Douglas Michigan.

Many of these offices provide weekly vacation rentals.

Dee Dee Hanson of Woodland Coldwell Banker is an Active Rain member.

Simply click on the name to be directed to the companies website.

360 Degree Realty your lake shore real estate and development specialists.

Century 21 Frank Smith Realty Service beyond your expectation.            

Woodland Realty (Coldwell Banker) Full service Real-estate office.     

Harbor Shores Realtors Your West Michigan Real Estate Source.                

Light House Realty Rentals, sales and construction.                      

Michigan Lakeshore Real-Estate for buyers and sellers                               

Mill Pond Realty Vacation rentals and sales.                                               

Realty Options your resource for Saugatuck-Douglas Real Estate.

Remax they know Saugatuck-Douglas.    

Shoreline Realtors Sales and Vacation Rentals.                                        

Turning Point Buyers Realty Buyers services along the Lake Shore.                

Allan Kavanaugh (Active Rain Member) Serving the South West Lakeshore area.

I would like to extend an invitation to the entire Active Rain Family to join a new group formed today.

http://activerain.com/groups/saugatuck

The site was developed for vacation, housing and general information about beautiful Saugatuck, Douglas Michigan.

Each and everyone of you are welcome to join.

I look forward to your input.

Here a stranger is a friend we haven't met yet.

Sincerely,

Duane

NOTE: 01.15.08 this site has been renamed to Michigan Lakeshore covering all of Michigan Lakeshore area's.

I would like to extend a big welcome to everyone, to visit beautiful Saugatuck-Douglas Michigan.

The town offers many unique stores, restaurants, sights and fun things to do throughout the year.

Fireworks explode over the bay three times a year making the events enchanting.

Oval Beach is a destination that has been ranked high on the list of the best beaches in the world.

Boating in this area offers you a serene trip down the Kalamazoo River to Lake Michigan.

It's a great place to visit as a single, couple or family.

The Christmas Season reminds me of the way past generations had lived.

The locals you will find happy and cheerful.

With excellent Real-estate Professionals in the area, many investors purchase property for summer homes or rentals.

Make it a point to get away to Beautiful Saugatuck-Douglas, Michigan. You will be glad you did. The place where strangers are friends we haven't met yet!

Photo's by Ted Swoboda (Local Photographer) http://www.swobodaimages.com/

Restitution your wondering? It's gotta be a typo! No, I wasn't thinking resolution, I really did mean restitution!

We all make New Years Resolutions only to break 95% of them. Take it a step further and make a New Years Restitution.

This could be in the form of paying it forward through a helping hand, a kind deed, a listening ear.

Restitution doesn't have to be a legal binding word, it can be a daily commitment in life to be a better person. The better person is the one who shows the respect to others that they would expect in return.

Make your restitution to the ones you love, your co-workers, business partners, the general public, this great land we live in and on.

This doesn't have to be written down as we would a resolution, follow your conscience and make it part of your every day life, starting today to infinity and beyond. A living legacy you will be in life and death.

Happy New Year and here's to your New Year Restitution!

Open House's, some love em, some hate em, but they are a necessity of the Real-estate world.

Seller's in most cases choose the Real-estate Professional that will represent them based on the pipe dream of numerous open houses the agent promises to hold at their home.

I've ran into quite a few agents that don't feel open houses are the ladder to success, but still most conduct them because they feel it's a customer service that needs to be done.

True, every once in awhile the agent is lucky enough to find that special buyer for the clients house. These are the bonuses for the time invested.

Open houses as we know are an excellent marketing tool for future clients if conducted correctly. I have to confess that I have toured open houses myself. Not as a buyer, but to see how the agent presents themselves and the home. What I found is total failure in the majority of homes.

The questions that could be asked are being missed. Simple introductions with a business card, missed. A good closing line as I walked out, missed.

Take the time to prepare the home, yourself and the marketing aspect before throwing a sign in front of the home. You only have one chance to make a lasting impression. Or simply do nothing and watch as Mr. & Mrs. Buyer drives off into the sunset.

Animations by www.92ee.com

Life is a journey. How high you want to go, is totally up to you.

You can choose to follow the crowd and continue to wonder what it would be like to be on the mountain top of life.

To reach the peak you have to think out side the parameters that hold most people back from seeing the other side of success.

Success, it comes in many forms. It may be financial or in person.

In person, that success may be how people perceive you as a person. Do you respect others as you would like to be respected in return? Are you fair and honest? Have you ever done any thing your ashamed of? It's the season to wipe that slate clean, apologize to the ones we have slighted. Make ourselves better not bitter.

Financially, we can't take it with us. There's no need to walk over the next person to get what we want. We all need financial well being to make it through life, but not if that comes with a penalty against our respect.

So as we approach the New Year consider what the changes in life you hope to accomplish. Put them in writing and set goals on how you will succeed in conquering those goals.

Make the world a better place to live in, starting with you!

Photo courtesy of www.92ee.com

Active Rain is so active that the blogs seem to fly off the screen before anyone is able to comment.

How does one go about getting any screen life to their blogs?

I notice some of the blogs have longer lives then others.

I'm guessing others are in wonder about this same topic.

So, I'm begging the pilots of the successful blogger to drop the bomb on us newbies, plllleeeasse.

Thank you in advance for any help you can enlighten us with.

Photo courtesy of www.92ee.com

Home ownership is in reach more than ever before.

The current buyer's market is presenting more opportunities than we have seen even 3 years ago.

The smart buyer is taking advantage of the market and will reap the benefits of the smart move a few years down the road.

The "Do's and Don'ts" of making the right choice in Home Ownership.

Do:

• Hire a Professional Licensed Real-estate agent to open the door of Home Ownership.
• Create a Personal Budget.
• Get pre-qualified for a mortgage before starting the search.
• Pay off as much debt as possible without using the money set aside for your down payment.
• Check your credit report to determine if there are any discrepancies.
• Attend a home buyer's school.
• Create a Home or Condo Wish List. This will help the buyer focus on their true needs. Plus, a wish list will help the agent understand your wants and needs. Keep in mind how many years you will plan on living in the home.
• Stay within your financial means. You don't want to be married to a mortgage.
• Use a Walk Through Check List while touring properties. This will help you organize your search and eliminate un-needed return trips to refresh your memory of what each home included.
• Leave your children with a sitter, this will help you to concentrate on this very important decision you will be making.
• Utilize a Rating System to make the right choice for you and your family.
• Use a certified and licensed home inspector.
• Professional Advice: Because a real-estate purchase can be a complex and confusing transaction, it is a good idea to seek legal, environmental, tax and other professional advice while researching the buying, purchase, mortgage and closing process.

Don't:

• Borrow anything other then your mortgage during the home buying process.
• Add to the credit card balance.
• Approach this important decision purely on emotions. Emotional buying can lead to the wrong choice.
• Forget to let your friends and family know your new address that you will be calling Home.

Happy Home Hunting!

Animations courtesy of www.92ee.com

Happy Holidays to the Active Rain Family.

Thanks to each and everyone of you for the education, input and helping words each of you have contributed over the past few months since I was born into this great family.

You are the conductors for many people you don't realize that you may have touched in one way or another.

Keep up the great blogging.

May you each enjoy the Holiday's with family and friends. And never forget the true meaning of Christmas, and who's birthday we should all rejoice in!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Animations courtesy of www.92ee.com

Is the "blame game" part of life with someone you know?

The blame game comes in many forms. It has become easier to point a finger at the many aspects of whats happening in the economy. Meanwhile there are four fingers pointing right back at us.

Blame Games I've heard lately are:

• The economy is taking away my buyers.
• My marriage is suffering because of cash flow.
• The mortgage industry change has limited the homes I'm able to sell.
• The President has created this entire mess.
• I don't get any referrals or leads.
• Business and life aren't fun any more.
• My Broker isn't doing enough to promote the company.
• All I do is run buyers from home to home, they don't know what they want.
• I invest more time in each client these days.

Most of the "Blame Game" can be eliminated if that person looks in the mirror. Creativity is the new strength word in the Real-estate dictionary of life.

Without creativity the four fingers will continue to point back at that person. Like the running dinosaur trying to avoid extinction, this could become an organized walk towards success. Thinking outside the four dark real-estate walls and joining the new school of thinking will help turn the negatives into a positive.

If you are stuck in the stone age of doing business as your forefathers did way back in history, it's time to change your ways.

Make it a New Years Resolution to try some thing different in your personal and business life to rise above the crowd for you, your family and clients.

Dare to be different!

Happy Holidays to you and your family from the staff at Rate A Home

Running dinosaur courtesy of www.92ee.com

Are you having a lazy day? There seem to be more and more of these as we approach the holiday season.

After all the running around, preparing for Christmas parties it seems as though everyone is bushed by the end of the day.

It's about time for some you time. Take the time to enjoy yourself, get caught up on some items that you have been neglecting, play with the kids, go to a movie with your spouse.

Time flies by so quickly, and we all get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the business world. Unfortunately we can't take any of it with us when were gone.

Kick back, relax and have a purrrfect Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you and your families and loved ones.

Photo's compliments of http://www.92ee.com/ it's a great site check it out.

Buyer's Christmas Poem

'Twas the night before Christmas, and in need of a house

The buyer was stirring, just a computer and mouse;



The thoughts of Dream Home with chimney they dare,

In hopes that a Realtor soon would be there;



The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of their own rooms danced in their heads;

And mamma in her robe, and I in my perch,

Had just logged on to Active Rain to conduct our home search,

When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter,

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

The rental units plumbing had sprang a big leak,

A call to the landlord, he informed me the plumber would be there in a week.

The thoughts of our own home arose even more,

the passion for home ownership was becoming a chore.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

our search on the web had produced something dear.

A three bedroom home that would be perfect for us,

A call to the agent was surely a must.

I knew in a moment when the agent answered the phone,

our prayers could be answered for the place we call home.

The agent had told me the home was bank owned,

he even informed me, "they will provide the loan."

Now scheduled a pre-ap the agent did say,

the information they need is what your employer did pay.

The meeting with the mortgage broker ended with a smile on our face,

Our hope and our dreams were nearly on pace.

The next step a tour of the home that we chose,

our hopes that the seller's accept our offer, who knows?

Our agent had called us the offer is good,

do we schedule a mover we asked if we shouldn't or we should?

I was told to check our moving list twice,

the move would be easier, wow, that would be nice.

The closing it happened without a glitch,

the moving trucks loaded with trailer on hitch.

The process of buying a home showed no pain, 

Thanks to the education we gained on Active Rain.

So now that wer'e settle in our new home of choice,

We wish to exclaim in our most positive voice.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good buy.

It's the season of giving. Now's the time to give your extended Active Rain Family the gift of a "Tip".

Tipping during the Holiday Season is not uncommon. We all give a little monetary or food gift to co-workers, the postman, newspaper delivery person, our favorite server at the restaurant, and now the Real-estate Professional.

Even though my tips to my extended family here on Active Rain don't come in the form of monetary, it does come with sincere gratitude and thankfulness.

My "tips" to you:

• Smile and the world will smile with you. Plus it keeps others guessing what you been up to.
• Treat others as you wish to be treated yourself. There are a lot of hurting people in the world, have compassion for their needs by being a listening ear.
• Make and take the time, to spend with the ones you love. Before you know it the kids will be grown and on their own. Don't miss it.
• Share your wealth of knowledge with those around you. The little input you may give someone, may unknowingly change someones life in the long run.
• Be true to yourself.
• Respect others.
• Respect the land we live in and on.
• Keep our military men and women in your thoughts and prayers. For without them we would live in disparity.
• Take the time to pray for all around you.

These are but a few of my wishes and tips for our family. Please join me by "tipping" your fellow Active Rain family members in your comments below. Pay it forward.

Thank you to all, that have touched my life through the posts you provide.

Happy Holidays to you and your Family.

Duane

Working yourself to the bones is not uncommon for the Professional Real-estate Agent. It's time to work smarter-not harder! If you are an outside the box thinker and care about the clients well being, read on.

With the influx of homes on the market, the Real-estate Professional has more demands placed on them to locate the right place the buyer will call home.

Many buyers are touring 30+ homes in this buyer's market. Thereby wasting precious time and gas. So how does an agent streamline the touring process?

The simple solution is by utilizing a detailed walk through check list that allows the buyer to refresh their memory even after the 30th home toured. This excellent tool will eliminate the wasted return trips, thereby saving the agent valuable time and gas expense. One saved return trip alone will offset the subscription fee for the agent. 

But how does the buyer make the right choice that meets their needs? Another simple solution, by providing your clients with a personal home, condo or rental rating system. When a couple is searching for their dream home in many cases arguments and disagreements arise over which home is the right choice for the family. Having the client each rate the home, condo or rental unit on the trip to the next showing will eliminate these unnecessary disputes. Plus, the agents job will be much easier through detailed reports showing the highest ranked property that meets both their needs.

By rating 5-10 features or the entire menu of features, the choice has now been turned into a due diligence report that the agent provides as a service in their business. The client will be impressed with the additional service you provided to them, producing more referrals as they brag about the service you provided.

Not only will the client be completely happy, but the service you provided will put a smile on your face when you receive testimonies from the happy buyer.

Rate A Home will fully reimburse any Active Rain member the subscription fee, if for any reason you are unhappy with the service within the first 30 days of use, our guarantee.

Photo's by www.92ee.com

Life is full of curve balls. The economy we are currently dealing with has and will continue to provide more curve balls to our lives.

Curve balls in baseball are thrown at the home plate, just when the batter thinks they will connect, the ball mysteriously takes a turn.

Many people are presently experiencing curve balls in their lives. These curves may come in these various forms:

• Failed business ventures.
• Failed Marriages.
• Cash flow problems.
• Foreclosure
• Job loss
• Medical problems
• Death of a family member, friend or colleague

This list could go on and on for each and every person. In real-estate, each professional will encounter a person that has been thrown a curve. The only saving grace that can be provided, is to help that person to see the ball that has been delivered to them. Of course no one will be able to help change the direction of the curve, but the person themselves. By lending a caring ear, the curve can be less of a blow.

Have compassion, the same that you hope would be returned to you or a family member.

Help them connect and hit the home run of life.

Construction of new homes have officially fallen to the lowest level in 16 years. While this may help existing spec home sales, the drop will continue to erode the economy.

Single-family home starts were reduced to an annual rate of less then 830,000 units per year, at one point this number was nearing the 2,000,000 mark per year.

24% less home are being constructed today, then were being built one year ago, this signals a three year decline of housing starts.

In-turn, banks and mortgage companies are seeing a rapid increase of foreclosures and defaults. The squeeze by local and national banks will curve future growth of new housing, thus keeping economic growth to a minimum.

With the housing industry draining the coffers of the US economy through expanded unemployment and bankruptcies the word of recession linger not far behind.

Many builders are diluting their inventory through major price reductions and incentives, therefore leading to reduced equity for homeowners whom had purchased homes from the same builders not even a year ago.

The domino effect of the housing industry will be felt by all sectors.

Now is the time to buy, but with the lowest level of buyers confidence in years, this slump may continue well into 2010 or beyond.

With the amount of Real-estate Professionals all working towards the same goal of landing listings, buyers and clients  how do you stand out in the crowd?

Today, the Professional has to dare to be different, or risk the fact of appearing to be the same as every other agent they compete against. Look closely at the Sandhill Cranes above, if you had to choose which crane is the top bird, how would you decide?

Would it be the one with it's head held high? Or maybe the one with it's bill down to the water? How about the crane in the center, watching what the others are doing hoping to learn a new trick?

We will never know which one prevails. Unlike the Real-estate Professional who has the option to be all three cranes mentioned above by reaching for the sky, having it's bill to the grind stone and always fishing for new ideas to better themselves and their business.

Taking the time and utilizing programs and tools to better your performance for you and the client will launch you out of the flock.

As the photo shows about 2 out 50 will take to the air and soar above the competition, which one are you? Are you a navigator or a grounds crew, that is content to watch with the other 98% as a few daring ones lead the way?

Motivation, dedication and levitation leads to the really great Professional. There's only one person who can achieve this next level of status and it's as simple as looking into a mirror.

Be the leader and most likely the others will follow, by then you will have a jump start on the rest of the flock.

If you are not the leader, the view never changes.

Photo's compliments of www.swobodaimages.com

Rate A Home, providing the tools and programs for the Real-estate Professional, to streamline the Real-estate process.

Dare to be different, by providing your buyer with a rating program where they rate 5-10 features of each home they tour. The choice of the best home that meets their needs is processed into a ranking report the removes any questions on the right choice of the buyers. Rate A Home is the only program available to the Real-estate Professional of it's kind.

Take a ride on The Atlantis Space Shuttle.

I received this link from a friend, showing the landing of the space shuttle. It was taken from inside the cockpit. Quite the process to get that big bird on the ground.

Kind of like Real-estate sales, you need a team of experts behind you to help guide your approach for a safe landing for your clients.

Enjoy the video.

www.wades.web.st/Video/atlantis_landing_comm.wmv

I'm continuously sending invitations to Real-estate Professionals that I have had contact with over the years.

My biggest obstacle is convincing the Professional of the importance of net working and blogging with fellow Professionals.

I'm finding it hard to believe that agents or builders are so busy in this economy that they can't find the time to better themselves by utilizing this great tool the Active Rain company has provided.

My question to anyone whom is willing to help shed some light on this matter is "How do you go about convincing a possible new member to sign on to Active Rain?" Once they have signed on, is there information or posts that can help the new member get involved in blogging to better themselves and their business?

I have found the Active Rain site to be so helpful and informative in my day to day life. Not only in the Real-estate end, but in the net working it has provided in meeting new friends and forming a world wide family.

Thank you to all the mentors over the past couple of months who have posted blogs or returned comments on my blogs.

I'm enjoying the world you all have created without knowing you may have touched someones life in the meantime.

Photo courtesy of www.92ee.com