By Amy Steele I have been remiss. I readily admit it. I used to blog about the Crestline and Lake Arrowhead area in California on the ActiveRain platform regularly. The best part about ActiveRain is that you get to learn from other real estate professionals from all across the country, reading their stories and experiences, and what to do and what not to …
Being Good to the Environment is Good For Business
By Heather Soldonia The San Francisco Bay area is known for being progressive. In San Francisco we have more than 40 LEED-registered municipal projects in the pipeline, real estate agencies who promote themselves exclusively as “green” and (did I forget to mention…) Berzerkeley. As real estate agents we use a lot of paper, electric, and energy resources. The following are …
Finding Income in the Downtime
By Jessica Hickok Although selling real estate can be a very lucrative career, there can be some downtime when listings are hard to move, ultimately casting a negative cloud over that whole lucrative career thing. That’s where residential property management can swoop in and save the day. Property managers typically charge a monthly management fee, which is usually a percentage …
Accentuate the Positive? Maybe Not!
By Patricia Kennedy How do you market a house that’s beyond awful? You price it right. But it’s more important to lower the expectations of colleagues and buyers – and to do it in a way that still gets them in the door and makes them laugh. In one of Washington, D.C.’s worst ever markets, some dear friends called. Both …
Tips to Help First-Time Home Buyers Succeed
By Heather Soldonia Despite the condition of the nation’s real estate market, California still holds some of the strongest property values in the country. Forbes Magazine recently released its annual article of America’s 500 Most Expensive Zip Codes. And it’s actually easier to identify which San Francisco Bay area towns aren’t listed. The median home price in Sunnyvale (#498) was …
The Magic is in the Monotony
By Lincoln Crum In the early days of my career I would get so excited about being in the business and the pursuit of success. The highs were really high, but unfortunately the lows were just as low. I would go weeks where I was on fire, listing and selling like crazy. Then, I’d hit a slump and couldn’t secure …
Working With Short Sales: Too Much Junk in the Trunk! Try These Navigation Techniques
By Dave Robison A short sale would have you think it’s going to be a quick and short closing. The problem is they all have too much Junk in the Trunk. In a race, their tail end is dragging along the ground, which makes the vehicle go about as slow as my kid in a wagon. Here are two examples …