Market activity was up from last week with two sales over $1,000,000 in direct water homes. Often times high value buyers will lead the trend and there is a noticeable increase in activity as the high value market segment. As summer winds down between now and mid November will likely be a great time to buy with good inventory levels, soft prices and low interest rates all of which are likely to change in the near future.   Weekly Market Statistics   08/01/11 thru 08/07/2011 from the TAAR MLS   158         New Listings 66           Sold Listings   Sales By Classification 56 Residential $13,500 to $2,325,000 Median $125,000 Mean $179,045 8   Vacant Land $5,000 to $260,000 Median $28,500 Mean $62,962 2   Commercial $3,850 Lease to $37,000     Sales by Location 9   Antrim County 9   Benzie ... 08/08/2011

I am very honored to be the event coordinator and co-chair of this wonderful event that will be held in Traverse City, MI   We are currently looking for Corporate Sponsors for the event.    Plese take a minute to visit our web site to read more about this event.   http://www.TC911Event.com   08/06/2011

Welcome to Monday morning, your opportunity to start a new week. Market activity was steady last week on rising inventory for off water homes. The market remains somewhat tentative on signs of pent up demand. While it seems there is a significant portion of the market that would like to jump in, they're just not sure. They need a little positive reinforcement. Food for thought, on a $200,000 mortgage amortized over 30 years, if the owner lived in the house for 7 years they would save $22,578 in those 7 years by executing a purchase today with a 6% mortgage rather than 2 years from now at an 8% mortgage. I don't think most people understand the significance of the cost of money over time and rates as we know are at historic lows right now.   Weekly Market Statistics  248         New List... 07/18/2011

Several years ago, FHA changed the way that they view Site Condos as the relate to lending.  Unfortunately, the VA has not changed their point of view.  The VA treats Site Condos just the same way that they do traditional condo projects.  For all intents and purposes, Site Condos are no more than a single family home with a Home Owners Association and some common areas.  NOTHING at all like a traditional condo project.  Recently I have run into challenges with getting Site Condo developments approved through the VA.  They have a list of 27 items that are required to send in for the approval of the project and the buyers loan.  However, there are many other things that they look for that is not printed ANYWHERE in their guidelines.  Fortunately, I have a fabulous lender that knows VA fro... 06/19/2011

I would like to wish all of our Father's out there a very Happy Father's Day.  The older that I get, the more I appreciate all that my Father did for me as I was growing up.  At the time, I did not see the total value or wisdom in his words and actions.  After starting a family of my own, it became quite clear to me just how much all of those lessons meant.  06/19/2011

It has been 10 years since this tragic event in our history.  I don't think there is anyone out there that will ever forget where they were on that very morning.  We need to remember all of those brave men and women across this great country that protect and serve us every day to keep us safe.   06/19/2011

Weekly Market Statistics      270         New Listings 61           Sold Listings    Sales By Classification 47 Residential $20,000 to $952,000 Median $150,000 Mean $197,791 10 Vacant Land $5,000 to $219,999 Median $16,000 Mean $38,500 4   Commercial $750 (Lease)  to $175,000       Sales by Location 4   Antrim County 7   Benzie County  32 Grand Traverse County 5   Kalkaska County 12 Leelanau County 0   Wexford County 1   Outside Areas     Expired Listings                61    Year over Year Comparison for Grand Traverse County on & off water homes Off Water Homes All Values Current Listings                 861 Sales                                      6/09-6/10   967    6/10-6/11  726 Average DOM                     154 or 5.2 Months Value Direction                  Even Market Activit... 06/13/2011

Impeccably Maintained 2 BR 2 Bath, 1144 sq.ft., 2 car garage $104,900 Walk to Stores,Restaurants,Nature Trails • 1,144 sq. ft., 2 bath, 2 bdrm ranch-MLS®$104,900 - Aggressively Priced!!! Emerald Bluffs, Garfield Township - Impeccably maintained in town ranch style condo w/o city tax rate! Features bright open floor plan, white washed maple cabinets, central air, laundry/mudroom from attached/finished (drywalled & painted) 2 car garage, 17x16 pvt. master suite w/ walkin closet, covered patio, beautifully landscaped & irrigated corner lot, and large usable, insulated crawl space for extra storage. Walk to stores, restaurants, mall & nature trails. All appliances included - just move in! Aggressively priced - get it before it's gone!!! Property information 06/12/2011

(Traverse City, Michigan) May 4, 2011 - Cherry Capital Airport officials are pleased to announce that the partnerships with Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines have garnered an increase in the number of seats inbound and outbound to our market, significantly improving the ease of travel into and out of TVC during peak travel times of year. Click here to read more. 05/11/2011

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY   Today is a day that we should all reflect on those women in our lives who are Mothers and those who women who have been kind and motherly to us over the years. Our Mothers give up so much for us and sometimes we don't realize this until it is too late to say Thank You. I urge all of you to with someone you love a Happy Mother's Day today and tell her how much you love and appreciate everything that she has done to make you the person you are today.   05/08/2011

Making a bigger QR Code is now easier than ever with this simple power tip from good ol RTV Virtual Tour Software.  Many of you have been asking me if I knew how to make a QR Code larger for print purposes. Watch this video and you can how you can enlarge a QR Code in just a couple more simple steps. Enjoy the power tip and stop by often. I really hope to see you on the next webinar SEO Revival! Jason LaVanture RTV, Inc Virtual Tour Software & Digital Marketing Training http://www.realtourvision.com 05/07/2011

Weekly Market Statistics   03/28/2011 thru 04/03/2011 from the TAAR MLS    168         New Listings 51           Sold Listings    Sales By Classification 44 Residential $13,700 to $478,000 Median $115,025 Mean $143,459 6   Vacant Land $6,500 to $1,118,400 Median $67,500 Mean $280,800 1   Commercial $395,000       Sales by Location 8   Antrim County 1   Benzie County 22 Grand Traverse County 2    Kalkaska County 12  Leelanau County 2   Wexford County 6    Outside Areas     Expired Listings                138    Year over Year Comparison for Grand Traverse County on & off water homes Off Water Homes All Values Current Listings                 750 Sales                                      4/09-4/10   947    4/10-4/11  753 Average DOM                     160 or 5.3 Months Value Direction  ... 04/04/2011

RTV virtual tour software comany is pleased to announce our new mobile virtual tour for iPad, iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry, Android, and other web enabled portable devices. This new virtual tour is specially formatted for mobile devices so users of our virtual tour software can offer their customers maximum exposure.  Being that it has been programmed with JavaScript and HTML 5, the mobile tour remains interactive. Those with touch screens can actually scroll through the 360 panoramas and still images while enjoying an elegant fade from image to image. The technology has been enabled on both core products, the HD V-Slide and HD V-Tour so all users on the RTV platform can enjoy these new developments.  This mobile exposure provides the perfect opportunity for our customers to start using QR... 03/30/2011

Do you have questions about photography, cameras, lenses, camera equipment, photo editing, HDR and more?  RTV is very excited to announce a brand new service for our Inner Circle Marketing members. Ask Ben will be a weekly online webinar-based group discussion hosted by RTV's Ben Knorr. Enjoy a full hour dedicated to answering all your photography related consulting questions! Inner Circle members may register off of our webinar page in the TMS prior to each weekly show. All shows will occur weekly on Wednesday's from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Eastern. RTV plans on keeping this consulting webinar interactive allowing each of our participants to call in and ask questions during the live event. All participants will be able to get instant answers from Ben Knorr during the show.  Because the show t... 03/19/2011

There's a potential Home buyer standing in front of your listing.  Wouldn't it be great if you were there to get their phone number? That's what BlueLaVaMedia mobile text marketing is all about. It's about capturing a buyer's attention. It's about giving them instant information on your property listings, all day, every day. It's about calling them on the phone to say "I see you're looking for a new home. Have you selected an agent yet?" They get instant information on the property and you receive leads. This is the BlueLaVaMedia Virtual Tour & Mobile Text Marketing System. The potential buyer simply sends a text or scans the QR code on the sign or in your advertising. To Sample how our Mobile Text Marketing can assist you, please text message bluelava6 to 43766 or scan the QR Code in t... 03/19/2011

There's a lot of talk in marketing about building a brand identity. It's not just the visual aspect of your logo or brochure, it's what your customer experiences emotionally. Customer service is what is going to set you apart from the competition. Are you smiling, cheerful and read to go the extra mile? Do you promptly reply to phone messages? Do you make an effort to get to know your customers and their families or hobbies? Ask questions, be genuinely interested and listen...but most importantly retain that information, so you can ask about specific people or topics at a later date. Repeat business will happen once they know they will get the same pleasant experience each and every time. Quality products and services also help to promote a positive brand identity. High quality = satisf... 03/19/2011

HISTORY: The results of a recent survey released by the National Association of REALTORS indicated that 46% of sellers desire online listing enhancement which includes virtual tours. Internal  Logs at REALTOR.COM showed that only 10% of listings on their site actually receive an enhancement of any sort. This indicates a disconnect between consumer demand and the services most REALTORS are actually offering their consumers. THE JUSTIFICATION: The mere fact that a REALTOR has contacted you to request a virtual tour for a property listing indicates that they are in a minority population of REALTORS taking one of the necessary steps to satisfy consumer demand and properly market a seller’s property. This justifies your endorsement. THE STRATEGY: Part 1: While you are at the property, make a... 03/19/2011

This month our virtual tour marketing center has created a postcard that celebrates RTV's solid infrastructure, 100% up-time on our systems, and your ability as a provider to help keep a home online 24/7 until a buyer is found.  Check it out now in your virtual tour marketing center. We also created a simple flyer that details 30 wonderful features RTV virtual tours offer you and your customers. Login to RPM now and download this updated packet which includes a non branded window for your personal website, a text document for you to easily extract the text, and a high resolution piece that you can have printed. All of these materials are easily customizable with your VT company information! If you have an idea or a need for a specific marketing piece email jill(AT)realtourvision.com an... 03/19/2011

In my years at RTV I have seen a lot of photos. I mean, A LOT of photos. Some are wonderful and amazing, some are ok, and occasionally there will be some that leave me feeling like I need to wash my eyes out with hot water.For a long time I would take note of who the good photographers were and avoid the ones that submitted less than stellar images, and I left it at that. But then I heard Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture and changed the way I did things. It made me realize that the message I had been sending you when I didn’t give feedback was “I give up on you. I don’t think you can do it.” And that wasn’t true.I was just afraid someone would get angry with me. I like to be liked. I like to be nice. But I also believe in you and think you can do better and want you to do better, so now I tr... 03/19/2011

So you purchased your RTV virtual tour software, launched your website, you have your business cards and now you're ready to attend your first trade show. The key to a trade show is proper planning, getting lots of sleep the night before the show, and not getting too nervous during the show. Remember that, at the end of the day, people are coming to the event to get free food, win prizes and hang out. So, you will have to do your best to snag their attention and leave a lasting impression. While most of us can't afford purchasing a dunk tank or having a movie star co-host your booth, so you have to find another way to catch their eye. You want to be memorable -- make people remember at least one thing about their encounter with you. The sole purpose of your booth is to generate leads fo... 03/19/2011