Visiting the checkout stand at a Home Depot recently I noticed ONE WORKER monitoring six to eight "self-checkout" stands where you scan your own items and pay by cash, debit or credit card. The lady was mighty proud handling this many self service jobs at a time and like where I see them at grocery stores I thought of JOBS LOST with technology. Will technology from Zillow-Trulia or Redfin new business models eliminate many real estate jobs? Real estate agents are already much more productive with the advent of mobile computing and mobile MLS for their own use or buyer search. With buyers showing many houses very high producing agents form TEAMS of buyer agents, even newbies in the business to SHOW many houses in a week. It is interesting to ponder how cubicle corporate land positions go... 11/03/2014

The moving volcano lava images of nature on the Big Island of Hawaii lately to me was another very vivid image from nature, That Teaches Us About Serenity. That being if you want inner peace remember that bucket you put certain things in, others' behavior, illness, people outside yourself affecting your destiny, accidents, THINGS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. Like molten lava doing its thing, crawling along at yards per hour, feet per day, until it goes back to steady state and normal. Understand out of control and let it be. Pray if you will. But when are you done dancing with the bear? When the bear is done with you. 11/02/2014

Happy Halloween and be safe with the trick or treaters running around!! BOO !!!!!! 10/31/2014

Cookie Monster 10/29/2014

One HUGE mistake buyers agents make with clients is ASSUMING they know what lifestyle choices they want in a home and a community. We as the transaction specialists DO sell lifestyle and present those options, but the definition of the lifestyle sought might be completely opposite of what the agent would want. I remember in looking for large backyard homes I wanted the yard for space from the neighbors and a play area for larger dogs I had. The agent I worked with before I was in real estate showed me beautiful interior kitchens and bathrooms but small yards. I could not understand the disconnect other than the priority of the large yard was missed. Some people want quiet surroundings. Some want a small house. Some want good schools. Some don't care about schools. Some want horse accomo... 10/28/2014

I was a weird little kid growing up. Jumping out of trees to see what flying felt like. Riding my bike in the dark to see if I could do it. Eating an entire Fig Newtons package at one time. I survived all this miraculously and I think brought my weirdness to better understand perspective in solving problems into adulthood. You know, think outside the box? Think of a hike in the woods to photograph trees. You DON'T have to photograph them at height level. Lay on the ground. Now that is different. I actually stole that idea thinking how trees might look from my dog's eyes while walking along. Better perspective thoughts in real estate you can get a deal done NOT ONLY by getting an agreed upon price but by changing seller concessions, changing terms, changing closing dates, adding in some ... 10/27/2014

Being the prolific reader I am, I am always on the lookout for good ideas, creativity, putting knowledge to good use in the world, and utmost if the result can be fun and put smiles on faces, all the better still. I came across this remote controlled product of flying fish, Air Swimmers if you will, that not only put smiles on faces but took many by surprise. Maybe a Christmas gift that definitely shows some uniqueness and creativity in design. Air Swimmers 10/25/2014

10/25/2014

Biblically speaking we are commanded to Love Thy Neighbor. In our business lives, personal lives with family and friends and acquaintances, life in general, easier said than done. Humorously, some people say I had this great positive attitude till I went out in the world with PEOPLE. Loving those less fortunate than us seems easy enough to do. Those that love us back we feel great about. Even loving our enemies seems doable cause we can think they know not what they do and we forgive them. BUT those in life the hardest to love, are those who get the promotion we didn't get, get the unfair break, get the affection from another we think we deserve, get the recognition and attention WE DESERVE but we don't get. Jealousy pops up in our head, the Cain and Abel story comes to mind. The coping... 10/24/2014

It dawned on me the other day in asking myself, Are you suffering from communication OVERLOAD? It is something we all should ask? Too much email, text, phone calls, web pages, news on TV, etc. Even adding more connections with additional social media platforms requires staying up with them. Balance your life by putting the smartphone or tablet in the drawer now and then. Life will still be there when you get back to them. Take a walk in nature. RELAX.                 10/22/2014

Hang in there !!! 10/21/2014

In doing a little meditation today on the work side and the personal side I thought Risk To Grow Is The Way To Live. Always trying new things that align with who you are, and stretch you beyond who you are. Meeting new people different than yourself, travel, trying new things, attending new type of events. TRYING (essentially DOING) something gets you off the couch. At the end of your life you don't want REGRETS you did not attempt something or explore down a path. There is a proverb that says, THE ONE THAT FETCHES THE WATER BREAKS THE POT. If you make mistakes it MEANS you are doing something. Push the comfort zones, ignore the naysayers, don't live such a SAFE life day in and day out. Act responsibly yes, TO A POINT. But the risks you take on in venturing outside your shell will HELP ... 10/21/2014

For all of us this dog creature that surrounds us in life, well they sure are a model of love for all of us to shoot for. Serving without complaining, trustworthiness, never judging, giving to their utmost, loyalty, friendliness, companionship, full of fun, all wonderful qualities I think if we had even HALF of the levels of what the dog exemplifies the world would just be this much grander place. Watch dogs, then check yourself in the mirror and see how you are doing.   10/20/2014

Many with all the practice and training classes on still photos and video photography of various properties think they could do better with better selection of photos, better lighting, de-cluttering, not including toilet seats up etc. BUT, The #1 Photography Error For Agents On Listings IS "No Image Available". I will cut anyone slack for one day after posting a listing but get the MAIN PHOTO uploaded. Buyers and even Buyer Agents SO OFTEN skip listings with ZERO MAIN PHOTO. Do we have to be clairvoyant to guess what this MLS# is all about??? Apparently!! Also if you upload the BACKYARD as your main photo, we think the house is TRASHED inside. Just the facts ma'am of the way agents and buyers THINK. UPLOAD A MAIN PHOTO ASAP, and THEN you are taken seriously as a seller and presentation ... 10/19/2014

The city of Dallas the last few weeks I have been commenting to friends around the country has been like this EBOLA CENTRAL with that disease. First with Liberian Thomas Duncan coming here and then the deadly Ebola virus being diagnosed, then treated heroically but he couldn't be saved, then two nurses catching it and now being sent to specialized hospitals in Atlanta and Bethesda. Hopefully no more cases, we will see. Schools and airplanes and apartments scrubbed all over the country, and watch lists of people on planes, and hospitals, and cruise ships.... it has been STRESSFUL but we are staying with the contagious facts of you have to be very close to the body fluids to get it. So far, so good, but Dallas is open for business, for football games, for State Fairs, and MOST people here... 10/18/2014

10/16/2014

I preach in terms of productivity gain and just having a better overall life, assessing the addition by subtraction rule. Getting RID of some things VASTLY ADDS to your life in many areas you may focus on. The Doctor Phil rule. How's that working for you? Get rid of stuff!! It REALLY applies to decluttering. Both for the staging of a house for sale and also your own home and workspace for organization. In Staging it opens up rooms to see them and not be distracted by all the personal nit nack stuff. In your own home and workspace you can find things in folders, you can have a space on top of your desk to acutally accomplish stuff and Post It Notes are not everywhere with reminders and scribbly notes from phone calls from three months ago. DECLUTTER also has a Feng Shui element to it, wh... 10/15/2014

A guy driving a Yugo pulls up at a stoplight next to a Rolls-Royce. The driver of the Yugo rolls down his window and shouts to the driver of the Rolls, "Hey, buddy, that's a nice car. You got a phone in your Rolls? I've got one in my Yugo!"The driver of Rolls looks over and says simply, "Yes I have a phone."The driver of the Yugo says, "Cool! Hey, you got a fridge in there too? I've got a fridge in the back seat of my Yugo!"The driver of the Rolls, looking annoyed, says, "Yes, I have a refrigerator."The driver of the Yugo says, "That's great, man! Hey, you got a TV in there, too? You know, I got a TV in the back seat of my Yugo!"The driver of the Rolls, looking very annoyed by now, says, "Of course I have a television. A Rolls-Royce is the finest luxury car in the world!"The driver of ... 10/13/2014

We as real estate professionals work hard to create satisfied clients. Likewise in our networking whether Facebook or blogs or collecting business cards with email addresses build some pretty valuable networks. One caution with those contacts, DO NOT SPAM THEM. The telemarketers on the phone daily seem to ignore the Do Not Call Lists. They get around it from calling overseas to doing the RoboCalls. Our Internet Service Providers install all sorts of SPAM filters on our email. Locally, on our phones we can BLOCK numbers even. It is an endless fight to stop the UNWANTED communication. But we too can turn into a spammer. Don't do it. Broadcast of requests to join a game, unsolicited NEWSLETTERS about you and your work. ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION for people to subscribe to a newsletter, and have... 10/13/2014

10/12/2014