We are blessed to have OPERA in the OZARKS! Now in it's 60th season Opera in the Ozarks is located  at Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony just west of the city limits of beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Many appreciators of the ARTS will gather here for the six week opera season, and they will not be disappointed by what they see and HEAR! For all the details of the remainder of the season check out their website   www.opera.org When it is time for you to find your spot in our fantastic artist's haven I know you'll want call me for your real estate needs. Visit www.iknoweureka.com You'll know when the time is right.   07/07/2010

                                                                                    Since 1875                                   Eureka Springs, Arkansas has been called the town that water built. Reports of                                   healings as a result of bathing in the local springs brought nearly 10,000                                    folks to the area looking for the 'cure'. It is reported that in the early days Eureka                                    Springs was the largest population center in the state. An 1880s Victorian era                                    spa town emerged on the steep hillsides. Victorian architecture is still a draw .                                    Tourists still visit, about one million per year. They enjoy the beauty,                    ... 07/06/2010

                                 IS YOUR EUREKA SPRINGS REAL ESTATE AGENT an ORDER TAKER OR A DEAL MAKER?                You might already know that the real estate business is facing some real challenges.                                                          The economic climate and the state of the real estate market requires that now MORE THAN EVER agents be on their toes. Do you have confidence that the real estate professional you are working with can accomplish the task at hand. Are you getting the guidance you need concerning market statistics, financing, inventory, property history, and location? Eureka Springs has been my home for over 29 years. I have been actively involved in the business community in Eureka Springs and western Carroll County, Arkansas since 1983. Call me ... 07/06/2010

        No, not 95 in the shade.                  No not '95 the vintage.                         No not Interstate 95      No, not the movie 9 to 5      No, not Windows '95 None of those friends, none of those. 95 Blog posts on Active Rain. Posts full of northwest Arkansas and Eureka Springs,  Arkansas fun facts, pictures, real estate opinion and advice and just plain fun stuff. Hopefully some of you know more about the Ozarks region than before. Remember, you've got a friend in Arkansas. Thanks for reading, all of you A.R. faithful bloggers. Life is good at ACTIVE RAIN! 07/05/2010

  Beat this if you can! Courtesy of the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce.  The good life is alive and well in America's favorite Victorian Village. Come see for yourself!                                             on July 4, 2010   07/01/2010

                                           Take heart! I have really good news. Yes I do.                                                             Have you noticed all of the opportunities to sink to new depths of negativity everyday? If you haven't heard  the litany of complaints about the real estate market, you're in a cave. Lending, sinking values, too much inventory, and on an on. There is some good news here though. There are a few things folks don't seem to get about these challenging times. The GOOD NEWS IS THIS (take a deep breath of anticipation)INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING; YOU ARE NOT ALONE NO ONE HAS SINGLED YOU OUT NO ONE WAS CONSPIRING AGAINST YOU PERSONALLY THERE IS LIFE AFTER THIS RECESSION IF YOU PERSIST HELP CAN BE FOUND EVERY NEW DAY IS ANOTHER CHANC... 07/01/2010

  A friend and top producing real estate agent gave me some great advice years back that I have not forgotten. She said, you'll be fine if you don't take the RIDE!                                                                                         Of course I took the bait. "What ride", I asked? She said that everyday that I as the agent and the buyers and sellers I work with will be tempted to get on the real estate ROLLER COASTER. Don't take the ride. She was referring to the emotional 'ride' that the highs and lows of a deal tempt us with. Sifting through properties to find the 'perfect' one, negotiations, inspections, renegotiation, lending hurdles, and final walk through, snafus at closing, they all tempt us to take the ride. Keep both feet on the ground, let cool and calm prev... 06/30/2010

  This is my personal new buzz phrase, REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS. When I get the appointment I worked so hard for. When I get my feet under that dining room table of my new best friend client, whether buyer or seller. Part of that early conversation is going to include what that client can REASONABLY expect from me, and what I can reasonably expect from them.                                                                                            You may reasonably expect: honesty, good service, a great attitude, good communication, good advice, knowledge of the market, strong negotiating skills, that I will work well with others....that I will not reduce the commission we agreed to in writing.  I may reasonably expect: That when you hire me we will make it to the closing table. That yo... 06/29/2010

                                                                      I know that you didn't hear it here first but it is still true in 2010. Nice guys finish last. If you've been reading my blogs, you may have me pegged already. Infact I know there is  one like me in every office. I'm sure you know me.  I'm a super nice guy that is very polite and considerate and ethical to a fault. When we caravan I drive. When we lunch I'm likely to buy. I'm admired for my wardrobe, and grooming, for being cheerful and punctual. I'm thought of as smart. I have lots of education and a clean car. I'm a team player and share information freely with the new guy. I'm a giver and a doer. I'm on the Board. I'm a good at getting listings. Buyers like me too....always in the game but rarely the winner...then ... 06/24/2010

  I attended the weekly MOTIVATIONAL sales meeting this morning. It was great. Of course I did what you might have done. I looked around the room thinking, definitely not Standing Room Only! Where are they I wondered? I was thinking about how the teachers that taught my kids always told me the parents they REALLY NEEDED TO SEE never showed up for parent teacher meetings...hmmm.                                                                              When it comes to MOTIVATION I do my best to be there every time the doors swing open because I KNOW WHAT OTHERS MAY NOT. When it comes to motivation, WE LEAK. Almost as fast as we can get it in our brains and down into our hearts we start loosing it, sort of a drip at a time. Not all at once. We get all MOTIVATED on Tuesday morning and t... 06/22/2010

   In tribute to my Fathers, the earthly and the heavenly. I was raised in a large family and had super parents. My Dad is still with us. He is a person of great faith in GOD. He is 79 and wonderful as ever. In thinking of a way to pay tribute to him today I thought of his values. I thought of the things he wanted me to have that would sustain me long after he leaves this earthly experience.                                                  I am reminded of early memories of being in church with my family at the Spring Hill Gospel Hall in Westbrook, Maine. There in that fellowship, as in others the men were brothers and the women sisters. So every women was my aunt and every man my uncle. Yes we greeted each other that way. Why? Because God is our Father. We were united in faith as a lar... 06/20/2010

       We"ve all heard them. Usually we hear them and because we are wise we keep on marching forward undetered,  in the direction our destiny SUCCESS! The famous last words of a fool.                                                              "Oh your into Active Rain. I've heard that doesn't work." "You paid for a billboard, you must have more money than brains." "I'd never bother with a website, too time consuming, I'd rather sell real estate." "I've never made anything off referrals, GOOD LUCK." "I don't prospect. I only work with people I KNOW!" I'm a licensed agent, that's all the education I need. I only sell houses, never commercial and certainly never raw land. Besides,  I might get my car dirty In this market I will not list anything over  _____________. Too expensive. Folk ... 06/18/2010

                There are times in our lives personally and professionally that we think of as mountain top experiences. Experiences that energize us, inspire us and shape us, by revealing greater possibilities and changing our direction. I'm in the middle of one of those right now as part of the Arkansas Realtor Association 2010 Graduate Realtor Leadership Academy class. GRLA is an awesome program I'm proud and humbled to be a part of. Reflect for a minute on the mountain top experiences of your life. Could you be living there everyday? Why or why not? Whether personally or professionally. Have you ever wondered how you could be living on the mountain everyday? Are you getting an early morning dose of inspiration? Are you affirming the good in your everyday experience? Are you still in... 06/16/2010

Mimosas blooming...pink in sunset light. Arkansas is a beautiful place. I hope when you get the chance you'll come see for yourself. 06/13/2010

  We've all had the experience. A client calls and it goes something like this, "Hey where's that email you said you were sending?" Or, "I called you last evening and you didn't call me back so I called Joe at Brand X he answered my question right away".  Communication is a subject we often have to address as agents. When you list a property or work with a buyer what do you tell them? I try to return client calls in less than 2 hours if AT ALL possible and emails by the end of the business day.                                                                                        How long is too long to go before returning a call or email inquiry in this 'microwave' world? 06/13/2010

I'll read with GREAT interest ANY blogs about lead generation. Well here it is folks. In the same way a yard sign often trumps all the e-marketing in the world the humble business card WHEN USED CONSISTENTLY, is in my opinion the best possible source of leads. What could be more 'organic? It's close to home and a lot more likely to be received as a 'warm call' by potential buyers and sellers than any other type of marketing I can imagine.  IT IS BEST OF ALL, VERY USER FRIENDLY AND AFFORDABLE. 06/12/2010

                                   My wife and I just returned form a short trip to Vegas for business related to our retail business. Lessons learned there definitely pertain to the REAL ESTATE biz though. We are just like most of you. We mix with regular folks everyday and have few complaints about life. Generally life is GREAT. That said, here are a few things that need not be forgotten regardless of where we do business.                                                                      1. Regardless of how much money the customer may have or not have, there has to be VALUE in the product or service you are selling! Hidden costs? No thanks. 2. No matter what I choose to do with my day, it is not someone else's prerogative to WASTE MY TIME! Respect the schedule 3. The shortest dist... 06/07/2010

"A rising tide lifts all boats", JFK said it best in a speech back in 1963. I am so often reminded of the meaning of this quote as I practice real estate. I hear the praise, and the criticism of our industry and like you I want to be part of that 'rising tide' in our industry. Lets go to the next level.                                                             Creating an environment of transparency is a way to let the tide lift us. Consdering all parties equally in a transaction is a way to let the tide lift us. Small significant things can be done everyday to make real estate better as an industry and let the rising tide lift us an take us toward our goals   06/03/2010

 It happens every spring in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. In the beautiful yard of our dear friend Barbara. The honeysuckle climbs the pine tree and the roses come along for the ride. On or about June 1st we get to see nature put on a colorful and fragrant show. The pleasure is all ours!! In case you didn't already know the northwest corner of Arkansas is beautiful and green. Life is good here!! Come for a visit. 06/01/2010

                                                                "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. It does not enable us to escape evil. It makes us unfit to escape evil when it comes." Corrie Ten Boom My sister recently shared this quote on her facebook page. It seems appropriate in our everyday busness and personal life to be 'ready' for all that a typical day might throw at us. I realize more with every passing day t is not what we face but how we face it that makes the difference. Do great things! 06/01/2010