Real Estate | Barry Goodknight

Is the LA Market Cooling?

The LA Times ran a story today about a subtle shift in the Southern California housing market.  They were kind enough to solicit my opinion, so instead of repeating myself, you can read the article here!

Posted on November 16, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

You Gotta Love The Irony

Think real estate prices in Los Angeles are a bit on the high side?  Then consider Aspen, Colorado where the average home sells for $4 million.

Real estate prices in Aspen have actually gotten to the point where the Aspen Board of Realtors had to move out of its own office space in Aspen and relocate 10 miles away in the town of Basalt!

Posted on November 14, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

NAR Conference Coverage: Competition

The NAR conference wraps up with a warning to the Board of Directors about the new breed of real estate competition.


MP3 File

Posted on November 01, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)














07.09.07

Purpose

Posted in Purpose at 11:17 am by Cynthia Holt

Good markets or Bad,
Stable or Changing,
I market and sell Real Estate.


I am a Real Estate Agent.  I do it because I love it.  I love showing property.  I love listing property.  I love selling property. The purpose of this blog is not to re-post what is already on the web, but to react and reply to what is being said on the web, in the papers, on the television, and the radio.  And, on occasion, tell a few of my own stories, share some of the lessons I’ve learned, or give an agent’s perspective.  My intention is to post weekly; more often, when needed.



Permalink Comments













08.15.07

Everybody Needs A Retirement Plan


















10.24.07

LaLa Land

Posted in Buying, Selling at 6:20 pm by Cynthia Holt

So, like I got this call. . .

From this guy. . .


The Holiday Season

Posted in Random Musings at 1:47 pm by Cynthia Holt


The holiday season is different for Realtors® than for everyone else.  Our business slows down and we focus on clearing the paperwork off our desks, taking a class, and giving back to the community.  For most of us, we will be donating to charitable causes with both money and time.  It’s our way of saying thank you to the community that supports us.  I’ve known agents that are almost superstitious about this time of year.  They think of it as an investment.  If they don’t give enough at this time of year, they won’t receive in the New Year.  I’ve never argued with this viewpoint; I just wish more people had it.

Permalink Comments

12.07.07


04.29.08

Phones

Posted in California Real Estate, Random Musings at 8:12 pm by Cynthia Holt

Got another phone call today
From another salesman
Called on my cell phone
Started his chatter
And put me on hold

As I sat at my desk
Looking at my to do list
Knowing how much my clients want a ready answer to their requests
The anger in me started to rise

I’m a California Real Estate Agent
The call was from Philly
Where we are seen as dumb, gullible, and greedy
We don’t really work at our jobs
We just sit here and count our big fat commissions
And everyone wants a part of our easy money

When the eternity ended
His partner got on the phone
He started his chatter
No one told me what they were selling
But they thought they were slick
I’m slicker – I hung up

And my broker wonders why I won’t do cold calls
Respect, it’s all about the respect.
I respect other people’s time and privacy.
I just wish others would do the same for me.

True Saints Fans Look Like This on the Inside

by 2010-02-09 – 21:52:26

post

If you’re wondering–yes, that X-ray is real, and no, it is not normal to have a fleur-de-lis in your throat, no matter how big a Saints fan you are. Unless of course you’re one of those fans who goes way too far in showing love for your team. Then yes, this would be normal for you.

But that’s not the case here. This is just a simple case of one Saints fan mistakenly swallowing one of her Saints earrings she had laying on her bedside table, sitting amongst the vitamins she normally takes before retiring to bed.

Florellen Rickard realized something was wrong when she took her nightly dose of vitamins on the night of February 1. She noticed a sharp pain in her throat after downing her pills, and her husband took her to the hospital after calling 911.

The doctors initial attempts at retrieving the earring only made things worse, with the piece of jewelry ending up being pushed down into Rickard’s stomach. The woman eventually was put under general anaesthesia while her stomach was pumped and the earring recovered.

Florellen is doing fine, except for a scratchy throat, and yes, she did wear the earrings while watching her beloved Saints win the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

And I’m just going to assume she cleaned the earring before wearing it–because that would be just gross if she didn’t.

Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units Latest 360 update shuts out third-party carts

Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units
Latest 360 update shuts out third-party carts
By Adam Hartley

7 hours ago | Tell us what you think [ 0 comments ]
microsoft-bans-use-of-third-party-unofficial-memory-carts-on-xbox-360

Microsoft bans use of third-party unofficial memory carts on Xbox 360

<>

If you are using an unofficial memory unit with your Xbox 360 then you had better back up your data onto an authorised Microsoft 360 storage device quick sharp, as the next 360 update will shut-out third party devices from working with your console.

The new update is set to add a range of new features to your Microsoft console, including Last.fm, Facebook, Twitter and more.

Major Nelson advises

Xbox Live's Major Nelson blogs: "When Preview Program members start receiving the Xbox 360 system update next week, one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360. If you've moved your profile or saved games onto one to "back it up," you'd better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update.

"If you continue to use an unauthorised Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games."

If you want to know more about officially licensed Xbox 360 storage devices or accessories you can read more about the licensed accessories program on Xbox.com

So there you go. Consider yourself 'advised'...

in reference to:

"Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units
Latest 360 update shuts out third-party carts
By Adam Hartley

7 hours ago | Tell us what you think [ 0 comments ]
















Microsoft bans use of third-party unofficial memory carts on Xbox 360





<>










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If you are using an unofficial memory unit with your Xbox 360 then you had better back up your data onto an authorised Microsoft 360 storage device quick sharp, as the next 360 update will shut-out third party devices from working with your console.The new update is set to add a range of new features to your Microsoft console, including Last.fm, Facebook, Twitter and more.Major Nelson advisesXbox Live's Major Nelson blogs: "When Preview Program members start receiving the Xbox 360 system update next week, one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360. If you've moved your profile or saved games onto one to "back it up," you'd better move it back onto an authorized Xbox 360 storage device prior to taking the update. "If you continue to use an unauthorised Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games." If you want to know more about officially licensed Xbox 360 storage devices or accessories you can read more about the licensed accessories program on Xbox.comSo there you go. Consider yourself 'advised'..."
- Microsoft bans unofficial Xbox 360 memory units | News | TechRadar UK (view on Google Sidewiki)

Google Sidewiki entry by Barry

GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.com

Posted By: admin

–>by Robin Wauters on October 7, 2009

If the Internet has made one thing crystal clear, it’s that physical borders and geographical distance are no longer necessarily an absolute barrier for conducting business.

More and more companies are getting accustomed to the idea of being able to do business with companies on the other side of the world using nothing but digital communication means, or to have entire business units or projects led by teams made up of people located all over the globe.

Hence the popularity of services such as oDesk and Elance, websites where you can outsource given projects to registered programmers, designers, writers, legal experts and whatnot. Another player in this market is GetAFreelancer, an Australian company that’s been offering freelance jobs online since it was founded back in 2004.

Today, the company is announcing that it has changed its name to the far better-sounding and undoubtedly more memorable Freelancer.com. They bought the domain name from a private individual who used to run a magazine called Computer Freelancer over 15 years ago, for a ’six figure sum’. All in an effort to increase its visibility and profile.

GetAFreelancer CEO Matt Barrie tells us that the site recently hit a big milestone and now boasts over 1,000,000 registered professionals and businesses from 234 countries and territories worldwide. Over 475,000 jobs have been posted on the website to date, for a sum of over $43 million.

Not too shabby for a bootstrapped venture.

in reference to:

"GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.comPosted By: admin
–>by Robin Wauters on October 7, 2009




If the Internet has made one thing crystal clear, it’s that physical borders and geographical distance are no longer necessarily an absolute barrier for conducting business.
More and more companies are getting accustomed to the idea of being able to do business with companies on the other side of the world using nothing but digital communication means, or to have entire business units or projects led by teams made up of people located all over the globe.
Hence the popularity of services such as oDesk and Elance, websites where you can outsource given projects to registered programmers, designers, writers, legal experts and whatnot. Another player in this market is GetAFreelancer, an Australian company that’s been offering freelance jobs online since it was founded back in 2004.
Today, the company is announcing that it has changed its name to the far better-sounding and undoubtedly more memorable Freelancer.com. They bought the domain name from a private individual who used to run a magazine called Computer Freelancer over 15 years ago, for a ’six figure sum’. All in an effort to increase its visibility and profile.
GetAFreelancer CEO Matt Barrie tells us that the site recently hit a big milestone and now boasts over 1,000,000 registered professionals and businesses from 234 countries and territories worldwide. Over 475,000 jobs have been posted on the website to date, for a sum of over $43 million.
Not too shabby for a bootstrapped venture."
- GetAFreelancer Hits 1 Million Users, Switches Name To Freelancer.com « Bonita Web Design (view on Google Sidewiki)

NC sheriff's deputy uses Corvette to stop speeders

At least one sheriff's deputy in North Carolina won't have any trouble catching speeders. Multiple media outlets reported Wednesday that the Wake County Sheriff's Department has a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Chevrolet said the car has a top track speed of 198 mph, with a base sticker price of $74,875. Its V8 racing engine generates 505 horsepower.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Phyllis Stevens said the car didn't cost the county any money since it was seized from a drug dealer.

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Wake County isn't the first to used souped up cars.

Former Davidson County Sheriff Gerald Hege once had a Chevrolet Impala SS with a Corvette engine

Former Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Barker used several Camaro Z28s for traffic enforcement.

Opposites attract — how genetics influences humans to choose their mates

Vienna, Austria: New light has been thrown on how humans choose their partners, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday May 25). Professor Maria da Graça Bicalho, head of the Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Laboratory at the University of Parana, Brazil, says that her research had shown that people with diverse major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) were more likely to choose each other as mates than those whose MHCs were similar, and that this was likely to be an evolutionary strategy to ensure healthy reproduction.

Females’ preference for MHC dissimilar mates has been shown in many vertebrate species, including humans, and it is also known that MHC influences mating selection by preferences for particular body odours. The Brazilian team has been working in this field since 1998, and decided to investigate mate selection in the Brazilian population, while trying to uncover the biological significance of MHC diversity.

The scientists studied MHC data from 90 married couples, and compared them with 152 randomly-generated control couples. They counted the number of MHC dissimilarities among those who were real couples, and compared them with those in the randomly-generated ‘virtual couples’. “If MHC genes did not influence mate selection”, says Professor Bicalho, “we would have expected to see similar results from both sets of couples. But we found that the real partners had significantly more MHC dissimilarities than we could have expected to find simply by chance.”

Within MHC-dissimilar couples the partners will be genetically different, and such a pattern of mate choice decreases the danger of endogamy (mating among relatives) and increases the genetic variability of offspring. Genetic variability is known to be an advantage for offspring, and the MHC effect could be an evolutionary strategy underlying incest avoidance in humans and also improving the efficiency of the immune system, the scientists say.

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The MHC is a large genetic region situated on chromosome 6, and found in most vertebrates. It plays an important role in the immune system and also in reproductive success. Apart from being a large region, it is also an extraordinarily diverse one.

“Although it may be tempting to think that humans choose their partners because of their similarities”, says Professor Bicalho, “our research has shown clearly that it is differences that make for successful reproduction, and that the subconscious drive to have healthy children is important when choosing a mate.”

The scientists believe that their findings will help understanding of conception, fertility, and gestational failures. Research has already shown that couples with similar MHC genes had longer intervals between births, which could imply early, unperceived miscarriages. “We intend to follow up this work by looking at social and cultural influences as well as biological ones in mate choice, and relating these to the genetic diversity of the extended MHC region”, says Professor Bicalho.

“We expect to find that cultural aspects play an important role in mate choice, and certainly do not subscribe to the theory that if a person bears a particular genetic variant it will determine his or her behaviour. But we also think that the unconscious evolutionary aspect of partner choice should not be overlooked. We believe our research shows that this has an important role to play in ensuring healthy reproduction, by helping to ensure that children are born with a strong immune system better able to cope with infection.”

Home Loan Modification Will Help Stop Foreclosure

Wikipedia defines foreclosure as the legal and professional proceeding in which a mortgagee, or other lienholder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor’s equitable right of redemption. Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like a house to secure the loan. If the borrower defaults and the lender tries to repossess the property, courts of equity can grant the borrower the equitable right of redemption if the borrower repays the debt. While this equitable right exists, the lender cannot be sure that it can successfully repossess the property, thus the lender seeks to foreclose the equitable right of redemption. Other lienholders can also foreclose the owner’s right of redemption for other debts, such as for overdue taxes, unpaid contractors’ bills or overdue HOA dues or assessments.

Unfortunately, the current housing crisis has greatly increased the number of foreclosures in many of the bubble states. California, Nevada, Las Vegas and Florida have all seen steady increases in the amount of foreclosures. When an individual or family cannot find a way to make their mortgage payment for several months, foreclosure is almost inevitable. I think we all have friends and family who have been through this troubling time and it is not a pretty sight.

Is there anything you can do to stop foreclosure? There are numerous resources on the internet to help stop foreclosure. Ultimately, the best thing anyone can do is educate themselves on what their options are. I have several close friends who would rather pay off credit card debt than make their mortgage payment. This is a VERY bad idea. If you default on your mortgage payment, it is going to be extremely hard to ever build your credit to a respectable level. If you cannot pay a credit card, your credit score will get hit but not nearly as much as with a foreclosure.

Therefore, your number one financial priority should be to make your mortgage payment each and every month. What if I don’t make enough money to make my mortgage payment? This is all to often the case with the amount of salary reductions and layoffs during the current recession. If you do not make enough money to pay for your mortgage you can look into the Making Home Affordable Plan and see what the government can do to help you out.

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No matter what you may think, the government wants to keep you in your home. The more homes that are foreclosed on the worse the economy is going to get. That is the exact reason that President Obama created the Making Home Affordable plan. He wants you to stay in your home, make your mortgage payments and live happily ever after. With that being said, you must find a way to budget your money to make your mortgage payments.

The Making Home Affordable Plan mandates that your mortgage is only 31% of your monthly salary. This is the case if your mortgage loan is backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Almost 70% of home loans in America are backed by these two companies. If only 31% of your monthly salary is going towards your home loan then you should definitely have enough money to pay for it. One of the hardest things you may have to do is to sit down and write out all the money you actually spend. I mean write down every single penny you spend for a month’s period. If you buy a $1.49 pack of chewing gum before work every Monday, you need to write it down. You do not realize how bad you get nickel and dimed until you actually write down every single purchase.

After you have figured out how much money you spend in a month, you are likely going to need to cut out some habits. Do you really need to buy three drinks every time you go out to eat. For that matter, do you need to go out to eat as much as you do? Is it mandatory that you get your nails done at the most luxurious spa? These are questions you need to ask yourself and be honest. There is a fine line between being happy and being wasteful. If something makes you extremely happy and you can afford it, by all means continue to do it. If you cannot pay for your mortgage, you might want to reconsider some of the things you feel makes you happy.

Another way to get through this troubling time is a home loan modification. This has been extremely important with stopping foreclosures. If you can find a way to get a lower mortgage rate then you are going to pay much less in a monthly mortgage payment. With this, you will also pay much less over the entire lifetime of your home loan. If you can save just $50 a month, that could lead a long way to stopping foreclosure on your home.

Getting a home loan modification is also all about educating yourself on what your options are. There are an unlimited amount of resources available on the internet to research home loan modification or mortgage refinance. Make sure to get information from relevant sites as there are a great deal of spam sites out there. If you need any help, just do a quick google search for mortgage refinance or stop foreclosure and I am sure you will get some great resources.

Ultimately home loan modification will help stop foreclosure. This is exactly what the President wanted and he will make sure it happens. Hopefully the number of foreclosures greatly declines through the next several months as this has been a hinder on the recovery of the economy. Having lower mortgage payments and more money to stimulate the economy will help us on the road to recovery. For more information on home loan modification and stopping foreclosure, make sure to come back to Subprime Blogger for future articles.