Here I go.  I'm blogging.  I think. Everywhere I go I hear, "Henri, you've got to get a blog" or "Everyone's doing it.  You've gotta start blogging" as well as the oh so subtle "Everyone under 40 blogs!",  but the best reason I've heard for setting up a blog is "it is the best way to communicate to buyers and sellers about our real estate market".  Isn't that what I do, or try to do, every single day?  Sure, I love selling real estate.  Yes, I really love working with buyers and sellers, helping them achieve their real estate dreams and goals.  No, it is not a slogan, it is really what I believe and do.  And how do I do that?  I start every day asking myself, "What am I going to do today to help someone else understand real estate a little bit better?"So, if blogging is truly the best w... 04/02/2008

The Kempsville area of Virginia Beach has been my home since 2004 and I absolutely love it!  Kempsville, which use to be called Kemps Landing many years ago, is continuing to get bigger and better all the time.  There are things in Kempsville for all ages which makes Kempsville a great place to raise a family.  We have gorgeous parks , Woodstock located off of Providence Road , is my family's favorite.  It's a great park to enjoy on hot summer days because of the shade all of the trees provide.  Kempsville also has a Recreation Center that features a pool, fitness center, bowling alley and much more for all ages to enjoy...at a very reasonable price!  Kempsville also has a variety of restaurants such as Applebee's, Golden Corral, almost all the fast food places everyone loves and some g... 04/01/2008

I was almost enjoying breakfast when I realized I didn't have any birds chirping outside.  Usually they join me for breakfast.  It was dark and I really couldn't see so I got out my trusty Panasonic FZ 18 to see what the problem was.  It identified the tabby cat who has been prowling around for the last 8 years.  The first picture was taken at ISO 800 in very low light and with 1/8 of a shutter speed.    The second picture was taken at ISO 1600 and 1/4 shutter speed.  Both are hand held.  All I did was crop the picture in Adobe Elements.  For DSLR people this is easy, for us P & S people it is a bit harder.This picture is of some type of woodpecker that I have not seen before.http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well a... 04/01/2008

I ran across this gizmo looking at Field and Stream but thought it may have some application for us.  In my area, Virginia Beach, I am always going to one of the five cities around here and never tell anyone.  We are always going places and not telling anyone (although we should).  It is called SPOT and is a homing device.There are several modes.  You can just update your position to your family.  You can send a help signal but not emergency or you can use the 911 button.  When you use the 911 button, something like this happens:You activate SPOT 911 and it will acquire its exact coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location along with a distress message to a GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled. The Emergency Response Center notifie... 04/01/2008

What were Al Gore, Rev. Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson all doing in Virginia Beach last week?  (Well, we know what Pat Robertson was doing).  Well believe it or not they were making a commercial against global warning.  All three got together at 57th street at the beach and made it happen.  The commercial is part of a pubic service campaign to bring more attention to Global Warming.http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google denise allen 03/30/2008

Many active duty personnel considering purchasing real estate in Virginia Beach, VA or Hampton Roads, VA will consider a mortgage with Navy Federal Credit Union or USAA. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could get a much better real estate cash incentive/rebate than NFCU or USAA offer?  Let me show you how to make your real estate "piggy bank" bigger. For example, more of a rebate to help with home or condo closing costs, prepaids, furniture, new floors, taking your wife or girlfriend on a vacation (my favorite), big plasma tv for new home or condo? Did you know you can even get some of your bills paid off? I am a member of both Navy Federal and USAA. They both have good real estate mortgage products, but like any major purchase you need to shop. I am sure you know that they will impose ... 03/29/2008

The following are descriptions of neighborhoods and homes located in Virginia Beach, VA. The primary focus of this real estate section is to provide a "quick look" at real estate neighborhoods in Virginia Beach. The neighborhoods and homes discussed are primarily within minutes to beaches, oceanfront, shopping, naval bases, and very good schools. Real Estate neighborhoods added to this post:Heritage Park homes, Indian River Plantation homes, West Neck homes, Courthouse Estates homes, and Victoria Park homes.Check back often as newneighborhoods are being added in the Virginia Beach, VA Real EstateNeighborhood Profiles.Go here to view details of all featured neighborhood profiles. 03/29/2008

Well I did it.  I moved companies.  I was at my last company for over nine years.  It was a tough decision as it was like one big family but one I had to make.  The new company, Resh Realty Group, is aggressive and spends money looking for leads.  The broker has a system that churns out leads so I will have to see how it all works out.  It will be quite different as my new broker is very proactive and is involved in everything.  My last broker wasn't involved in how we do our day to day business.  So for me it will be a big change.  It has been a while since I have been challenged and I usually respond well to that.Going from a national brand to a regional brand will also be a big adjustment.  Fortunately the new broker understands branding and has all the material he needs to be brande... 03/29/2008

When Credit Counseling customers there are a variety of options that I normally offer my clients. The scenario I want to talk about is when a customer has little or no credit and needs to start building a 6+ month history of satisfactory trade lines.  The other scenario for credit counseling of having tons of credit but are late, in collections, and over the limit will not be discussed for this scenario.  That's a whole new ball park for that one. One option is building credit through pre-paids.  Now you have to be careful when giving this advice, because there are alot of pre-paid cards that may not fit in the credit building category you want your customer in.The Two options are Pre-Paid Credit Cards and Secured-Credit Cards Secured Credit Cards A customer can apply for a credit card ... 03/28/2008

Here at Dream House Photography I had opportunity and pleasure of giving a presentation on Virtual Tours and marketing of Real Estate to a group of very energetic professionals at Long and Foster Ocean Front. Immediately when I walked in I could tell that I was in a room of not only dedicated professionals but a very energetic group of Realtors, agents, office managers, and support staff. Their questions were right on and I could quickly tell that they are a very knowledgeable group of professionals. My hat is off to this office who understands that trained and informed Realtors is what is in the best interest of home buyers and sellers. Even though I was there to give the training, I also found myself learning things about Real Estate that I had never known. Tina Merritt is a Realtor t... 03/26/2008

 I have figured out how to extend our working hours into the night and here it is.  Night Vision Goggles for the masses.  Once the technology that allowed our fighting men and women to take it to the enemy in the dead of night has become the latest weapon of the modern real estate agent.  Now we no longer can tell our buyers that it is too late at night to show houses because we can now see at night.They are actually called EyeClops Night Vision and you can buy them in the fall for around $80 bucks a piece.  How cool is that.  They are supposed to be able to see for 20 feet in pitch black.  I have a Sony camcorder that utilizes a similar technology and it works great.  Here is a web page to visit for more information EyeClops Actually, believe it or not, what makes this thing tick is th... 03/25/2008

The Butler Team and Dave Macklin present the Virginia Beach Real Estate Radio Show and Podcast.The March edition of the Virginia Beach Radio Show and Podcast covers Virginia Beach real estate market activity, as well as the new financing rules from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Features special guest Terri Murphy of US Learning. Program length: approximately 6 minutes                              download podcast mp3 file    |    subscribe to podcast feedIf you would like to learn more about investing in Virginia Beach real estate, please call us at 866-222-0158 #550 or visit AllVirginiaBeachReal Estate.com.  You may also begin searching for homes here!     03/24/2008

The following are descriptions of neighborhoods and homes located in Virginia Beach, VA. The primary focus of this real estate section is to provide a "quick look" at real estate neighborhoods in Virginia Beach. The neighborhoods and homes discussed are primarily within minutes to beaches, oceanfront, shopping, naval bases, and very good schools. Click here to see all Virginia Beach, VA neighborhoods profiled Check back often as new neighborhoods are being added in the Virginia Beach, VA Real Estate Neighborhood Profiles. 03/24/2008

                                                                            We have had several dolphin strandings and deaths recently in the Virignia Beach area.  The Navy says they haven't conducted sonar tests within 200 miles of shore in the last few weeks.  It looks like it may have just been mother nature that caused the deaths.  There are usually 100 or so dolphins washed up on local beaches but they are not usually alive like the last few were.  The Navy is trying to build a sonar training facility in the area  and dolphin and whales are severly affected by the sonar so it is an important issue around here.    http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily ... 03/23/2008

I thought that maybe we had some breathing room in the lending industry when I find out that mortgage insurers are cracking down.  Did you know that they have flagged over 25% of the nations zip codes where they will not do business?  This includes the McMansions in Scottsdale, AZ Miami  luxury Miami codos: 1969 ranch houses in Flint, MI and in some cases, even Hampton Roads.  Some mortgage insurers have even blacked out the entire states of Florida, Michigan, Nevada and California.  If giving loans at all in some areas, Wells Fargo is requiring a 25% down payment and even refusing to refinance equity loans.  They would rather they go in foreclosure now then in the future.  Here are some websites you can visit to see some of the changes in the mortgage insurance.  The PMI site shows you... 03/23/2008

This picture of the moon over the Atlantic Ocean was taken next to my office by the Oceans Condominium which is next to Oceans II Condominiums in Virginia Beach.  I thinks this would be a great shot to include in the MLS pictures in addition to the water views to show what other kinds of views you get from your condo.  Normally you would see pictures of the jets from Oceana Naval Air Base but it was quiet when the pictures was taken.        http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google gene allen 03/23/2008

  Laurel Cove is an established neighborhood built in the 1970's.  The neighborhood extends from the intersection of Great Neck and First Colonial Rd. west to the Lynnhaven River.  Click here for a satellite view.The neighborhoods of Laurel Cove, Laurel Cove East and Eastwood Manor all form the Laurel Cove Civic League.  The civic league is very active; hosting Easter Egg Hunts in the neighborhood park, pictures with Santa in December, an annual neighborhood garage sale and an email alert system for all residents.  Here is the link to the website for the civic league.The homes in Laurel Cove mainly consist of ranches and 2 story colonials and dutch colonials.  Most are 3-5 Bedrooms have 1600-2200 sq. ft.  There are many culdesacs and coves with some homes on the lake or the river.  Most... 03/22/2008

As a reminder of how dangerous things can be, two maintenance workers at Virginia Beach Apartment complex were shot dead and three more were wounded.  The details are still murky but it was supposed to be a pre-move inspection prior to the tenant being evicted.  The tenant opened the door naked and workers asked him to get dressed and they would be back in an hour.  When they came back, the man opened the door with two different weapons and opened fire.  He shot two workers dead and left three wounded before he went inside and shot himself dead.   http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to you... 03/22/2008

Nationally real estate foreclosure activity continues to increase. Virginia real estate foreclosures now number slightly over 5000 at this time. California, Nevada, and Florida continue to dominate the National real estate foreclosure scene. Focus on Virginia Beach, VA pre-foreclosure real estate properties as they offer the best values compared to auctions and REO's. See Virginia Beach, VA real estate foreclosure activity inside this newsletter. View previous foreclosure articles here. See how your REALTOR® provides value with your Virginia Beach, Va or Hampton Roads real estate needs. 03/22/2008

As if Virginia Beach isn't a nice enough place to live the strawberries have reared their beautiful red heads.  If you go now you can have local strawberries for Easter.  What a treat.  The strawberries are raised in rows under a cover and are ripening early.  You can call the Henleys at 757-426-6869 to make sure they have some on hand.  While you are at it, check at John Wilson at New Earth Farm off London Bridge Rd.  He is selling some 30 varieties of organic vegetables seeds as well as organic compost.  The place is open Sat from 1-4.http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home sear... 03/20/2008