This is a story about Connection. It is a story about connections that form a circle of fulfillment and validation. It is about many people and many things coming together to create new and wonderful opportunity. I love this....! It is about people that are "giving" in the very nature of who they are: It is about Kerrie Greenhalgh here in ActiveRain and how her Contests are changing the field and helping us grow. It is about Ross Domke, and how he is giving in nature in his efforts to help his agents. It is about a new group here in the RAIN. It is about my friends and good people here in the RAIN that want to explore and learn new things. It is about the book The Go-Givers and applying the principals of the book. It is about the Authors of the Book, John David Mann and Bob Burg who wal... 01/04/2012

Today was a hard day. We are having to rework our HUD Marketing report. We turn in a Monthly Marketing Report for our HUD Listings and other marketing tasks that we do. It use to take us two days x 2 people to do the report. We built Filemaker Tools to help us and we got that down to 4 hours x 2 and were pretty pleased with that. Well, we were at it today 12 hours on my part and 8 hours on David's part and we still don't have it done. We can see light at the end of the tunnel but we still have a lot of work to do. My neck is killing me from being at the computer for 12 straight hours. So I am on the sofa...all crumpled up and just a wee bit grumpy....and Ginger wants to play. She has a habit of laying on me when I don't feel good and refusing to let me be in a "sad or grumpy" mood. Firs... 01/02/2012

Shasta Market Summary Home Sales , January 2, 2012; sales showed strong increases in 2011. While inventories have continued their declines month over month and year over year leading into 2012. Current Shasta MLS raw data report 941 homes are listed for sale representing a 4.7 months supply. 2,400 homes sold, 2011, versus 2,087 homes sold in 2,010. A 3 to 6 month supply of homes for sale reflect a healthy market for buyers and sellers. The Real Estate Market is experiencing hot spots of activity at popular price points. Recent reports by the National Association of REALTORS and National Association of Home Builders report improvements in resales and new construction. Historically 3,377 homes sold at the peak of 2005. That number should not be considered a sustainable rate. In 2005 appr... 01/02/2012

Moving To Redding?: Those planning a relocation to Redding will appreciate the community is rated the 2nd sunniest US city. It is not uncommon for us to meet those who have relocated to the Redding area for the sunshine. There are signs of a cultural transformation taking place that add a rich texture to the Redding area as families relocate from Norway, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Canada as well as across the US. If you are new to the area or considering relocating we want to take this opportunity to welcome you! If you are interested in relocation assistance please contact us, whether it's relocating businesses and/or families with the practical and personal concerns that accompany each move relocation needs are not a one-size-fits-all. That is why we have d... 12/28/2011

Redding CA - First Time Home Buyers - Getting a Pre-Approval to Purchase--What does it mean to get a Pre-Approval to Purchase? Getting pre-approved means you receive a loan commitment from your mortgage company before you have found a home, based on a review of your credit and finances. Having your credit pre-approved shows sellers that you’re a qualified buyer and helps you establish a clear price range. The process is the same as a typical mortgage application, except that your application doesn’t include property information. What if I’ve had credit problems? Your credit history is only one factor in qualifying for a loan, and having made some late payments doesn’t have to keep you from buying a home. Someone who has consistently made payments on time in the past may have more financ... 12/28/2011

Getting Pre-Approved for a Mortgage Loan Here are some tips and information to help you prepare to meet with a Mortgage professional and establish a relationship for determining what you can afford and what your goals will be. I have a number of references for mortgage consultation and I recommend that you speak with several professionals to determine who you feel comfortable with and want to work with. 1. What will a lender look at when I apply for a mortgage? Lenders consider many factors in evaluating your loan application, but they usually focus on four areas: Income and debt. How much money you make and what other bills you have to pay helps the lender determine whether you can afford to make mortgage payments. Assets. The lender needs to make sure you have enough money to cover th... 12/28/2011

The Ski Park is scheduled to open this month and certain to depend on snowfall. This year's snowfall is getting off to a bit of a slow start. Mount Shasta's forecast suggests the coming week may hold good chance for snowfall at the Ski Park's elevation. Temperatures are forecast in the 30's and 40's, with the next chance of snowfall coming Tuesday. The present snow pack, is 2"-6", and can be viewed from the live webcam. Have a great week! (December 26,2011). 1/2 day through season pass specials. Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park is the newest ski park in California, after opening in 1985. The park will open 9am - 4pm for day skiing and until 9pm for night skiing . Night skiing CLOSED/ Scheduled to open Friday December 16. See the live webcams for real time snow and road conditions. Present ... 12/26/2011

  Santa's Elves having helped all year long to bring joy to children all the world over   are happy for a job well done   their work has brought about a wondrous sight   little children with sparkling eyes and chuckling little bellies   woke to find that Santa had come   there was bright sparkly paper and ribbon of gold   a Christmas tree all decorated and sparkling   magical toys of heart's delight waiting for each and all   new velveteen rabbit and a good book to read   firetrucks and trains go toot toot   Dollies all dressed in pink and a tiara for a princess   a Nutcracker doll hides from behind the tree   it's all a glimmer with sparkles of light and color   there's a feeling of sweetness and each thing shines more brightly than before   hot chocolate with marshmallows and smiles a... 12/26/2011

To all my dear friends here in ActiveRain and to our extended family of friends, clients and neighbors, we are sending you this Holiday Greeting Card to wish you a wonderful Holiday Season filled with love and light and to wish you a New Year filled with all things good. May you be Happy in all you Do! This card is designed with the idea of rebirth. It is a favorite photo of mine. It took on a life of it's own as I worked to enhance it for a very special post. I share it with you with a heart full of love. Enjoy your days to the fullest! I am inspired on so many levels and so blessed with good friendships. Thank you for being my friends and for always lifting me up. So here is to a Happy and Festive Holiday Season filled with Joy and Goodness and sending our best wishes for a wonderful ... 12/24/2011

My Broker, my Mentor and my dear Friend, Ross Domke has given me a gift and now I wish to share it with you. It has lifted me up and I wish to keep the inspiration going in all I do. Ross, has become a wonderful coach and motivational speaker. He has engaged with endless learning to inspire and bring opportunity to his agents and their business. He is the most dedicated person I know in his comittment to helping others. His gift to me is the book "The GO-GIVER". Here is a quote off the cover of the book. "Not since the Who Moved My Cheese? have I enjoyed a parable as much as this. You owe it to yourself to read "The Go-Giver and share its message with those who matter most to you. It is a beautiful book that will touch your soul and inspire your heart."--David Bach. #1 New York Times be... 12/24/2011

I can feel it, can you? It's been a good year of hard work and measured results. It's all been tallied and measured. The analysis is done and the business plan finished. The important people have been approached and warm reception been had.   Those with good hearts have been sent cheer and good wishes for Warm Holidays and great New Years filled with good tidings! It is almost time for Santa to make an appearance for the kiddies and grown ups alike. It is approaching, can you feel it?   There comes this wonderful thing when you've completed all tasks and your responsibility list has all been checked off. It approaches and rolls in with a deft touch. Things begin to slow down and the lights shine a bit brighter and people's voices take on a musical tone.   The Sun seems to provide a back... 12/24/2011

We did a fun thing yesterday and went to my favorite place to shop and bought certificates for a dozen cookies at the Cookie Jar. I have posted about the Cookie Jar before and so yesterday was our fun day to pickup and deliver the gift certificates for a dozen cookies to a number of special people in our lives. It is my favorite thing about the holidays and something we personally enjoy. They are the best cookies in the world (I think) and so it comes with a festive and cheery glow from us. We are like all blissed out as we play Santa and deliver our cards and cookies. It is so fun. Magic of Christmas - At The Cookie Jar - Jeanean Gendron Here is a photo of the day as we picked up our cookies to deliver. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may all your dreams come true. Blessed are we t... 12/23/2011

Tierra Oaks Estates has produced 5 home sales year-to-date 2011. 6 homes sold YTD 2010. As a point of reference 10 homes sold at the peak of 2005. Presently there are 8 homes listed for sale, including 4 resale homes and 4 new construction to-be-built homes. Tierra Oaks is one of Reddings most highly desirable golf course communities. Estate sized parcels range from .50 to 2+ acres. Homes sizes range from 2,400sf. If you are seeking an upscale home we highly recommend Tierra Oaks Estates and one of these California Tuscan quality homes in this distinguished community. www.reddinggolfcoursehomes.chainrealestate.NET www.reddingcahomesforsale.NET Tierra Oaks and it's golf course homes are conveniently located minutes from the Interstate 5 and a short distance to Redding's metro area. Buyer... 12/21/2011

Time to ring the bells True to form the Salvation Army organization provides year round charity relief to those in need. However during the Christmas Season the Bell Ringers with their red donation kettles are made available for funding the organization. The video tells the story of the Red Kettle's 1891 origins, in San Francisco, providing those first meals for the homeless. And as the saying goes, "the rest is history," a very rich and worthwhile history. For more Redding, Red Bluff, CA, information, contact Lieutenant Heather Paap at 530-527-8530     12/20/2011

ActiveRain Meet Up, December 2011: We seized on the opportunity to take part in our first ActiveRain Meet Up, last Friday. It was also the first meet up in Redding CA and Shasta County. It was great to share business and social conversation without the use of a keyboard. Proving once again that face to face networking is still alive and well. Many thanks to the efforts of hosts, Jeanean & David Gendron. Their ActiveRain personas are no less stunning in person. They make it look easy. The Movers, Shakers & ActiveRain RainMakers that attended are pictured below. Attendees listed from the top right clockwise: Jeanean Gendron, David Gendron, John Warner, Ross Domke, Leslee Chain (the wife of my youth) and Angelo Passidakis. 12/19/2011

My friend Roy Kelley ask me to share my insights into RainCamp from last week. For me personally, it is rather like picking up those rare and treasured books that no matter where you turn to, you will find something of value. RainCamp is much the same way. It does not matter where you are in developing your marketing and business plan, you will always find something useful when you attend RainCamp. From day one of joining ActiveRain, it has been ActiveRain that provides me the leading edge technology and information to sustain my business. It was no different this past week. So for my friend, Roy Kelly, here are the specific points that were beneficial for our team. Please realize that I've been here going on five years and while life is always speeding up and those that are new learn f... 12/19/2011

Redding CA - Short Sale Agent - Advice from a Property Management Agent--I have a new short sale that is coming on the market as an Approved Cooperative Short Sale from Bank of America. The Valuation from the bank was ordered and the BPO agent gave me a call about gaining access to the property. I made arrangement to get a lockbox on the property for her so that she would have flexibility in gaining access for the BPO. I told her that the clients were relocating due to a job transfer and that the house was in flux from their efforts to do the short sale and to get relocated in a rental at the new location. She made the comment that she was a Property Manager and that she so appreciated those sellers who were responsible and in a position to do a short sale and that she never thought twi... 12/18/2011

We met at C.R.Gibbs at 4:00 for our ActiveRain Meetup. We had a good turnout with Steve Chain and his wife Leslie. My Broker, Ross Domke, Angelo Passidakis, John Warner and David and myself. We were missing several people. The life of Realtors is always so jam packed. Laura Reilly came but did not find us. They had us tucked away in a corner that you cannot see from the front. I am so sorry that we missed her and will include her name on the list for the intention to come. Just made me so sad that we missed her. She is just a beautiful person.   Well, we had such a nice time with the Group. We of course talked about ActiveRain mostly. Steve Chain and his lovely wife Leslie and I had a hard time not talking about ActiveRain. John Warner is new to ActiveRain and I will be spending some ti... 12/17/2011

Facebook Timeline is presently available as an option. Timeline is a powerful replacement for Facebook personal profiles. After you 1st "get timeline" the application doesn't become "live" for 7 days allowing you to become familiar with the comprehensive new application. You will want to use this time to see how FB has setup your photos, status history. You will want to become familiar with the new privacy settings during this 7 day period. Timeline is divided into 3 categories: #1: Cover allowing the placement of a photo that has meaning to you. The cover really opens up the creative possibilities for making a 1st impression on your profile. #2: Stories the major change is all your status updates from today back to your birth are categorized, if you choose. #3: Apps have become far mo... 12/15/2011

Shasta Market Summary Home Sales , December 15, 2011, continue to trend up heading toward the end of year. Inventories have continued their declines month over month and year over year leading up to the Thanksgiving, Christmas Holiday season. Current Shasta MLS raw data reports 1,016 homes listed for sale representing a 5.1 months supply. 2,281 homes have sold year-to-date, 2011, versus 1,978 homes sold for the same period last year. A 3 to 6 month supply of homes for sale is a sign of a healthy market for buyers and sellers. The Real Estate Market is experiencing hot spots of activity at popular price points. Recent reports by the National Association of REALTORS and National Association of Home Builders report improvements in resales and new construction. Historically 3,274 homes sol... 12/15/2011