Let me explain my living situation for the few that don't know. My roommate and I are both Realtors. We both have at least one other job that brings in steady income and keeps the bills paid and my roommate also runs her own property management company. She had her parents home listed for almost 2 years and it never sold so when her parents bought a new home we moved into her parents home and furnished it very well for the purpose of staging it and leaving it on the market. Well I guess we did an excellent job because we moved into the home in December, put it back on the market in January, and got an almost full price offer on it by the end of February! The catch is, we have to be out by the first week of March. So we have been packing like worker ants and trying to find another home t... 03/05/2009

The week's real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.  For up-to-date real estate posts, subscribe, free, to The Cutting Edge  or subscribe to the Cutting Edge RSS Feed Curbed: Abandoning Ship: Buyers Forfeiting Million-Dollar Deposits - curbed.com Calculated Risk: NY Times: "When Will the Recession Be Over?"   - calculatedriskblog.com - Doc Searls Weblog · Quote du jour - blogs.law.harvard.edu Seth's Blog: Beware of trade guilds maintaining the status quo  - sethgodin.typepad.com NAR - Seth Godin Says Change Your Ways - therealestatebloggers.com - "Whenever a trade association raises the barricades and tries to lobby their way into maintaining the status quo, they are doing their members a disservice. Instead of spending time and insight and effort reinventing what they do an... 03/02/2009

March 2009        Here is a link to our March e-Newsletter Don't miss this month's cover story: "DO-OVER: How To Sell A Home That Didn't Sell" Visit our March E-Newsletter online now by clicking the URL above. Then turn to Pages 2, 3, and 4 for more timely articles of interest to today's sellers, buyers and homeowners.     This Month's Articles     "Foreclosures Can Be Real Nightmare For Renters" "Referrals Are Our Business" "Learn How To Market Your Property To Today's ‘Green' Home Buyers" "Bigger Tax Credit Offers Better Incentive For First-Time Buyers" Tap Our ExpertiseEven if you're not ready to buy or sell a home right now, we would be happy to keep you up-to-date on developments in the real estate industry, mortgage financing and our local market. Simply reply to this e-mail or g... 03/01/2009

The Memphis Area Association of REALTORS has released the Memphis Area Home Sales numbers for January, 2009.  The format of the Report has been changed to reflect the impact of foreclosed home sales on the market. Overall, total sales were down 38.8% in January vs. January 2008, with 1,138 sales (compared to 2,300 sales in January of 2007).  New home sales were down 60.2% with 37 units sold. Foreclosure sales were down 41.7% from 2008 and accounted for 31% of total sales. Average sales price was off 11.3%.  Active listings continue to drop and are now at 10,306.  Click to view and download the full report. The report contains neighborhood sales details as in the past, but not the breakdown by sales in particular price ranges. Hopefully that feature will be returned. What does all this m... 02/23/2009

The week's real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.  For up-to-date real estate posts, subscribe, free, to The Cutting Edge  or subscribe to the Cutting Edge RSS Feed **Post of the Week**  Credit Crisis - The Best Explanation I have Seen -- activerain.com Nationalization fears - Paul Krugman Blog - NYTimes.com - krugman.blogs.nytimes.com-"So everyone agrees that fears of nationalization are driving bank stocks down. That's probably true, but those fears have to be carefully interpreted." Federal Reserves Not Optimistic on Residential Recovery in 2009  - therealestatebloggers.com "While we all are watching the Obama housing recovery act be debated, the Federal Reserve met (ed. that reminds me of Nero fiddling while Rome burned) and were less than optimistic on the state of th... 02/22/2009

                                              What could be better than watching the economy of nearly every country collapse as we speak ? I'll tell you what ! It's here in the beautiful, middle-class, luxury and comfort of the High Point Coffee Shop on Union Avenue in mid-town Memphis near the University of Tennessee with students, faculty and friends from all over the world, just sitting here enjoying iced cupcakes and lattes, listening to Count Basie and the Beatles, working on their mid-terms, chatting about the sunshine and the blue skies, changing babies diapers, sitting on the patio with their schnauzers, surfing the web for this and that and baring naked toes under the tables, starry eyed about the coming spring weather. Kites and dogs with frisbees, banana splits and snow cone... 02/22/2009

I have seen a lot (probably way too much) info on the Credit and Mortgage Crisis. This is the best explanation I have seen. Take a few minutes and watch it. This really is what happened.............. The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on VimeoSo, as you can see, it boils down to one little 5-letter word: GREEDh/t Left Wing Cracker 02/22/2009

                                  What happens when fiscal policy begins to determine the course of the natural state of the nations economy ? Our federal fiscal policy is overseen by both the legislative and executive branches of the United States government. What happens when the federal government spends more money than it expects to receive in the same year ? A big, nasty deficit, more shortage, more shortfall of economic resource and liquidity falls and slams head of the nation. So, what does the government decide to do when this kind of thing happens ? The government starts to sell interest bearing securities to investors who fall for the bait. And what might the hook be baited with you may ask, for goodness sakes ? Why it's none other than 500 billion dollars of Federal Rerserve ... 02/18/2009

I often have both out-of-towners and local folks ask me questions about Memphis and the surrounding area that I just can't answer right off the top of my head. Where to complain about rats? Salsa Dance Clubs? Thai restaurants in Bartlett? How to enroll at UM? or How to get a cable hookup at a new house?The Memphis Flyer provides a great resource with its Annual Manual. Published in January, with continuing links on the Flyer's website. Just click here for links to Government ( check this link for whoo to call for just about anything), Education, Health, Media, Recreation, Arts, Shopping. Just click the links for info. 02/14/2009

Rain at the Orpheum Memphisby Pam SimpsonThe Kudzu Vine Rain is a Beatles tribute band that played at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, TN Friday evening (Feb. 6).  I used to be a big Beatles fan, so when I saw they were playing nearby and so close to my wedding anniversary date, I knew how we would be celebrating this year.  They were incredible and we had such a great time.  If you would like to see if they are coming to your area, check out their website, Rain. Both my husband and I grew up in Memphis, so I was surprised that he had never set foot inside the Orpheum Theater.  This is a beautiful building and I think Memphis should do a better job of promoting the events that go on there.  Its just a short walk from all the clubs on Beale Street. I did not take my camera with me, but I ... 02/08/2009

I'm back to my hometown! I moved back to Memphis, TN during the Thanksgiving holiday and I have really enjoyed myself. Just to give everyone a brief update as to my current situation... I am a licensed Realtor in MS & TN with Keller Williams Realty. I also got a job working with Jim N' Nick's Bar-B-Q in Cordova. I helped open the store this time 2 years ago so it has been fun getting back in touch with old friends and making new ones. Now, please keep in mind that in this blog I would like to discuss my journey becoming acquainted with the big city of Memphis while I kick off my oh so successful career in Real Estate. The reason I consider it "kicking off" is because I have worked for 8 months as an assistant to several agents. I put their listings on several (ok, more like 35+) website... 02/02/2009

February 2009        Here is a link to our February e-Newsletter Don't miss this month's cover story: "SPECIAL HOUSING OUTLOOK: How Recent Legislation Can Help You In This Year's Housing Market" Visit our February E-Newsletter online now by clicking the URL above. Then turn to Pages 2, 3, and 4 for more timely articles of interest to today's sellers, buyers and homeowners.     This Month's Articles     "Block Grants To Help States Stabilize Housing Areas" "Higher Loan Limits, New Rules" "Minorities, Young People Two Keys To Housing Turnaround" "FHA Mortgage Rescue Program" "Tax Credit Up To $7,500 For First-Time Buyers Before July 1" "Mortgage Brokers To Be Licensed Under National System" Tap Our ExpertiseEven if you're not ready to buy or sell a home right now, we would be happy to ke... 02/01/2009

The Delta Queen is a legend on America's rivers, especially the famous river towns along the Mississippi, St. Louis, Memphis, Natchez, New Orleans. I worked at the Memphis Queen during college and saw the Queen dock at the mouth of the Memphis harbor dozens of times.  And when I couldn't see it, I could hear the distinctive steam whistle or the old fashioned songs played on the boat's steam calliope.  I saw the races between the big steamers and talked with passengers who became tourists in Memphis.  There was a real feeling of history there. Last year, the Feds forced the historic Queen to cease cruise operations due to potential fire hazards in the wooden cabins, and the Delta Queen was de-commissioned, never to transport overnight passengers again. Memphis seems to get some bad press... 01/31/2009

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors has released the Memphis Area Home Sales Report for December and year-end 2008. Depending on how you analyze the data, even though sales were still down 6.7% from 2007, there could have been an uptic indicator for December sales, but I will leave that to others to interpret. You can look at the numbers and decide for yourself.Year end sales are down 18.8% from 2007 and median price dropped 13.2%, average price dropped 14%. The market is correcting, as it must. Decisions to buy or sell should be analyzed with a real estate professional who keeps a close eye on the market.The most interesting feature of the report for me was the number of active listings. We have the lowest number of actives (10,484) in at least 2 years, and the number has been tre... 01/27/2009

The question is simple.Are you acting fearful or greedy?Are you taking the steps now to make the current real estate market work for YOU?If there was ever a time to be assertive in your success plan through real estate - that time is NOW.And NOW is the time to reach motivated investors directly to help drive their ambitions and goals....With so much uncertainty in the market, if you are not aggressively marketing your services to these clients...you are CERTAINLY missing the opportunity of a lifetime. Memphis Invest, LLC has taken the reins in the real estate investment market of Memphis, TN. and continues to be the leader in providing quality services for those investors looking to invest in the Memphis, TN. real estate market.  BY focusing on quality, customer service, follow-thru and... 01/21/2009

Here are some interesting blog clippings from a wide range of sources from my Friendfeed Room - Real Estate - The Cutting Edge  Calculated Risk: We're All Subprime Now! - calculatedriskblog.com - "The wave of subprime delinquencies appears to have crested. But in October, for the first time, the number of prime mortgages in delinquency exceeded the subprime loans in danger of default, according to The Post's analysis. Interactive Billboard Advertising: Bringing Web 2.0 Offline blog.sellsiusrealestate.com What is needed- higher limits or lower prices? | Housing Doom housingdoom.com"The latest existing-home sales data shows transactions under $400,000 are 3 percent below a year ago. However, sales of homes priced at $750,000 or more have declined a whopping 47 percent."  Top 10 Smart Mark... 01/18/2009

It's hard to beat this kind of publicity in such trying economic times.  As Warren Buffet says about investing, "We are fearful when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy".  Memphis Invest has been greedy about real estate over the past few years as everyone from political pundits to news media to many in the real estate profession have been fearful of the markets.  Our goal for 2009 is to assist as many real estate investors from around the country with building their own portfolio of undervalued, high equity, positive cash flow real estate properties in Memphis, TN.  We want to let as many investors as possible in our little secret, which is a market where you can purchase a 1500 sq. ft. 3 bedroom/2 bath home with garage, fenced backyard and plenty of room to spread o... 01/17/2009

Here are some interesting blog clippings from my Friendfeed Room - Real Estate - The Cutting Edge Inman Real Estate Connect 2009: Sellsius Crib Notes- blog.sellsiusrealestate.com  Confessions of a NAR economist | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News  "A Wall Street Journal article catches up with David A. Lereah, the former chief economist for the National Association of Realtors who was known for talking up the housing market well into the downturn." Century 21 Ditches TV for Online | Future of Real Estate Marketing futureofrealestatemarketing.com - "In a move I suspect may be followed by many of the other big real estate brands in 2009, last week at Real Estate Connect in New York, Century 21 announced it was shifting its television advertisin... 01/12/2009

Here are a few interesting blog clippings from my Friendfeed Room - Real Estate - The Cutting Edge Fantasy Real Estate 15 hours ago - housingdoom.com Refis are all the Rage | Zillow® Blog Wednesday at 7:00 pm - zillowblog.com OOPS! One of the "30 Under 30″ Indicted for Mortgage Fraud : NAR Wisdom Wednesday at 3:26 pm  narwisdom.comCrye-Leike sales volume dives 26% in 2008 - Memphis Business Journal: Wednesday at 6:34 am - bizjournals.comMore Suicidal real estate broker saved by badly-Photoshopped flotilla of RE/MAX hot-air balloons. Wednesday at 6:23 am - copyranter.blogspot.comCalculated Risk: Pending Home Sales Index Declines in November Tuesday at 2:30 pm - calculatedriskblog.comPositively Memphis: Heartening video wins Realtors' contest : Business News : Memphis Commercial Appeal Tu... 01/09/2009

So who hasn't looked at their rank on Twitter Grader or their Twitter Counter numbers, compared their friend count in Facebook or AR points to a colleague or competitor and wondered how they could get more followers or more folks to friend them, and more points? Competition seems to be hardwired into our genes. We worry that someone is turning out better numbers (cranked out of a too-subjective algorithm) than we are.When we look at the ever increasing metrics available, especially for Twitter, we lose site of what's really important: useful, relevant content. Doc Searls' post in the Linux Journal, "Screw Popularity, Just make yourself useful," brings it all home."That's the killer lesson of Dave Winer's new apporach to noise-filtered tweeting. "Friends" and "followers" aren't what matt... 01/09/2009