Messages

I found this Facebook Message I posted on a seller's wall some time ago, and it's still true today except that I've hung my license with United Country and am back in business. Here's what I said: In commercial real estate there's a concept called the rate of absorption/ absorption rate. When you look at it, you say, there are... for instance in Golden Valley's case: In October, there were are 206 properties for sale. In the area, properties sale at a rate of about 10 each year, that means there is more than 20 years of inventory on the market. The more the inventory the lower the prices - supply and demand. We don't use the absorption in residential real estate, but the concept makes clear the idea of supply and demand. My best advice to you is to pull your property off the market until things start moving. Right now you're in competition with foreclosures and sellers/investors who are willing to take a loss. At this time, although I hold a Broker's license I am not representing sellers. I am working full-time marketing, with The Real Estate Book, and know nearly every agent in Rutherford County. I don't know who your agent is, but like as not, it's not lack of effort that's kept your property from selling, it's a tough market. Look at your lot as a long term investment. Will Rogers said: Don't wait to buy land, buy land and wait.Land is a solid investment in the changing fortunes of time. If you simply can't keep it, offer it to your friends and family, surely someone would love to take over your payments.If you want to profit - wait, wait, wait.

iPhone 4S Battery Problems May Be a Bug with iOS Location Services

Have you been complaining about your iPhone's battery life? Location services may be the culprit. See this article, by LifeHacker for information on how to turn the feature off. iPhone 4S Battery Problems May Be a Bug with iOS Location Services

2011 Real Estate Report - Bostic, NC 28018

Kathy from over at GV Estates called me for a recap of the year's real estate transactions and I'd tossed my paper report (index cards), so had to do a recap, but everyone's interested in these statistics so I'll share them. Unfortunately, numbers tell a painful truth.

Data From the Rutherford County MLS: October 1, 2010 – October 1, 2011
Over the course of the year: 224 properties were on the market 41 sold

Bostic Statistics
Homes: 30 sold  DOM (Days on Market) high 636 / 24 low
Land: 10 sold DOM -  high 556 / 69 low (4 lots sold for less than $20, 000)
Commercial 1 sold (the old Fire Department Bldg on the Bostic Sunshine Highway)

Of those 41 properties: a total of 4 sold for more than tax value.
Two DWMHs (1 with owner financing), one 3BR/3BA custom home on `5 acres,  one groomed and maintained ~14 acre tract sold for more than tax value, and one log home sold for only $500.00 under tax value.
From REALTOR.com
AS of October 2011: 53 homes on the market, 8 mobile homes, 3 farms, and 89 parcels.

United Country Real Estate Has an Agent in Bostic, NC 28018

In case you haven't heard, I'm back in real estate. I haven't contacted everyone because I've been busy setting things up, and in a small community news travels fast anyway. But I'm back and thrilled, and having a ball building some inventory for the next upward swing of the real estate cycle, and that shift is due about any time now... isn't it? Some folks say we have lots of time, and if that's the case I'll have one heck of a system put together when it arrives. See me soon on YouTube!

My honor boxes arrived on Thursday evening, they were shipped to the office on a 'big' truck and I was really glad they arrived before the fall season got well underway here in the Golden Valley NC area. I'd made arrangements with a couple of local merchants to place the boxes with the Real Estate Book boxes already on location.

And now, I'd like to shout out to: Becky's Country Store and Grill on Hwy 226 between Polkville and Golden Valley, NC. Thank you Becky for allowing me to place a box at your store. Becky's is one of the stores featured on my GoldenValleyNC.com merchant's page. She's a fixture in the valley.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Beckys-Country-Store-Grill/153226071366869

And there's one at Toney's Store! Thank you Vanda McCurry for allowing me to place a box at your store on the Bostic Sunshine Highway where you have your store and grill. Here's another store that's featured on the GoldenValleyNC.com merchant's page. Toney's, is a fixture in Sunshine.

God Bless America

Now that my boxes are in place and filled with United Country Sampler magazines, I can get to work on some other things. I am working with the United Country - Country Lanes Real Estate office in GreenHill - but don't even ask if I'm driving over there, cause I'm not. I have a lovely home office and meet clients at our merchant's places of business.

Since the origin of GoldenValleyNC.com in 2005 we've promoted area merchants. I like to think we're helping the local economy, and while it's a small thing to do over the long haul we've had thousands of visitors, so a little more publicity never hurts. Inclusion on the Merchants Page is free, we do ask for a link back if the merchant has a web page. See Merchants at: GoldenValleyNC.com

It was not my intention not to put a stand with all of our merchants. It'll be a happy day when I can order some more boxes. Send me some buyers and I'll get it done!

If you didn't know you can join Golden Valley on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Golden-Valley/104422519892  we'd love to see you there.

But for now, please accept a sincere thank you from Karen's Corner for our area stores, merchants, hair dressers, community clubs and associations, churches, the Golden Valley Crusaders, Sunshine Seniors, Washburn Community Outreach, Fairview Mountain Ministries, Camp McCall and the Cherry Mountain Fire Department. We live better lives because of you.

Forgot someone? Add your business. Post a comment - please!

Treehouse Homes

Yahoo has published a blog post with amazing treehouses and it's amazing. http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/amazing-treehouse-homes.html  The other day a friend asked, "What happened to your treehouse?" And I had to say I found out if we built a treehouse on our property and put in electricity and water and a bathroom the bank would consider it to be improved property and it would be hard for us to get a construction loan. That and we never had time to build anything, much less anything nice.

I am, however, a great lover of tree houses, and I love to look at them. These Yahoo's put together are some of the best, I'm convinced, in the world.

Market Watch Reports

Market Watch reports that some 60,000 real estate practitioners, Market Leader customers, got good news. Market Leader has acquired RealEstate.com http://www.marketwatch.com/story/market-leader-acquires-realestatecom-2011-09-21 RealEstate.com has become an increasingly popular domain as more clients turn to the Internet for real estate information. This acquisition will bring in more than 250 brokerage firms and hundreds of domains.

In another unrelated post MarketWtch reports Real Estate Video On Demand Network has begun testing.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/real-estate-video-on-demand-network-begins-testing-to-go-live-2011-09-19 RealBiz Media is testing in the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. markets expecting to go live in early October. They intend to  run about a thousand residential listings in each city, charging about $35.00 per month (this will depend on the supply and demand) to run Home Tours in 15 - 20 second videos on the cable platform.

"This technology allows automatic distribution to Franchise Corporations, MLS Associations and Search Engines like You Tube, Social Networks and TV." realbiz360.com Taking visual tours to what may soon become, the next level.

Foreclosures Now Take 20 Months | RISMedia

Remember North Carolina is a non-judicial state Foreclosures Now Take 20 Months RISMedia

While it does take longer to foreclose in NC than it used to, it's still not taking 20 months. Non-judicial foreclosures don't have to go through the court. Rather a Notice of Default can be recorded and a Notice of Sale mailed to the homeowner and an eviction notice posted. The property then proceeds to be sold on the courthouse steps, and the highest bidder becomes the new owner. Usually banks buy back their foreclosures, so they can sell them and recover their investments. This keeps the titles clear and gives others an opportunity to purchase the property. If the bank acquires the property they'll soon list it for sale with a real esate firm. These firms may be said to handle REO or Real Estate Owned properties. Different states have different procedures and different lenders manage things differently, too.

If you want to find out about foreclosures in your county, you can go to the courthouse to the local clerk of court's office and ask where the foreclosure notices are kept. These are public record.

The New Search Happens Everywhere | The Real Estate Book Blog

See what's new with the Real Estate Book. The New Search Happens Everywhere The Real Estate Book Blog

Hey - You Called Me

6 Reasons The Guy Who's Fixing Your Computer Hates You Cracked.com I have become one of those people who comes over and fixes your computer for free, but I really try not to be. That's because when I log into your system and see a Windows update waiting to install and start to install it and you yell - "No, I don't want to update!" I want to pull out a hank of my hair. I should pull out a hank of your hair, or just go home. But, no, I try to explain. Updates are necessary to the operating health of your system and that NOT UPDATING will cause your machine to run slow because the "install updates" program is running continually. Not Updating is NOT AN OPTION. If you don't want to update and you don't want any changes to your system then let it run slow and deal with that. It's your choice. Don't tell me something's wrong with the machine, cause it's not the machine. The machine is fine.

It also really gripes me when I hear that you've told your other friend who is good with computers that I installed the 4 toolbars that are running in your browser. These are the free toolbars you got when you did the Express rather than the Advanced install on your free downloads. I swear, it wasn't me.

All this and more you'll find in the aforementioned article, 6 reasons....

Yes, Hackers got into your system and downloaded the toolbars - or - maybe it was that other friend, the other friend who is good with computers, yeah that's it, has to be.

If you're the friend who is good with computers, you'll love this. If not... not so much.