From Joseph Hill and Jed Montgomery of Montgomery-Hill Keller Williams Realty,

Guilty.

Want to buy some land?  It could be as simple as heading over to eBay and seeing what’s available.  The top 10 land markets on eBay?

1.  Florida
2.  California
3.  Texas
4.  Arizona
5.  Colorado
6.  Michigan
7.  Oregon
8.  New Mexico
9.  Nevada
10. North Carolina

However, buying sites - sight unseen - could be a potentially stupid thing to do.  What if it’s next to a landfill, for example?  That doesn’t show in online pictures.  What if it’s land-locked with no accessible right-of-way?  Do your homework before you buy land.  The Survivalist Blog offers some tips, including:

Check local records of title and any other public sources or information about the property listed. Find out if it is really available, and who actually owns the property.

and

Check with the county tax assessor’s office to be sure there are no back taxes owed on the property, You want everything free and clear with no surprises. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and remember the most honest answers will come from those who have nothing to gain from the sale of the property.

Tell me, have you ever bought land or property on eBay or sight unseen?

One word to this agent:  BRILLIANT!

The fun starts at 1:43 with the dirty house pictures!

Have a happy weekend!

The only thing I see true on this spoof is the use of the word “Doll House” … it’s my personal pet peeve.  I hate when agents say their listing is a doll house!  It makes me want to make pink tissue paper flowers, not buy a house!  Meanwhile, this is kind of funny … untrue, but funny.

Kitchens are really the heart of houses.  So I clicked around the MLS looking for kitchens that caught my eye.

LOOK UP…

LOOK DOWN…

LOOK ALL AROUND…

And these two photos outside the kitchen because …

WHIMSY

RAWR!!!

Have a great weekend!

I am guilty guilty guilty of rants for posting photos of homes online.  Most potential buyers immediately pass on homes if no one bothered to snap pictures.

Without revealing any details, I will admit that I have a listing that’s “neutral”-challenged.  The personality of the sellers is very much present in the home and nothing I can say or do will convince them to pack or put away the curtains and knick-knacks that scream, “MY house!” (rather, of course, than “This could be YOUR house…”).

So after two months with zero interest from potential buyers, I removed photos yesterday from the listing. I kept the outside pictures because the brick exterior is appealing, but no indoor shots remain.

Today we got our first call for a showing.

It is true… less IS sometimes best.

Maybe I’m a day late and a dollar short, but it seems like Facebook is the new rage for Realtors seeking ways to connect with people.  I have a couple of thoughts on this phenomenon and am very interested in hearing what people who aren’t Realtors say about it.

First, it’s *fantastic* when I’ve found old neighbors, classmates, college roommates, work friends, and other acquaintances.  I’ve been reunited with many people who I’m delighted to have back in my life.  Of my 188 friends 36 are Realtors.  That’s about 20 percent for those of you who like statistics.

I’ve asked myself, why would I want to be friends with other Realtors and give them the opportunity to see my *real* friends?  And when I think of that, it occurs to me that’s the agent who is living transaction to transaction rather than in abundance.  Why wouldn’t I want them to be my friend on Facebook?  It’s a great way to attract their attention if I have a new listing that I want to show off to everyone.

Then you run into the challenge of not being on Facebook simply to *sell* to your friends and acquaintances.  I will quickly unfriend those who only post about business: look at this listing!  And will unfriend those who write this kind of drivel that annoys: having a productive day!  I think the purpose of Facebook is not to MARKET, but to be yourself.

I do link to my real estate blog so that it’s fed into my facebook and I do comment on occasion about real estate issues, but my latest update reads, “No more bad hair for at least 3 months. Just stinky hair. Why do perms smell like skunk?”  Unless you’re just being you when you write an update, then you probably shouldn’t be on Facebook. One of my greatest fears is seeming too commercial.  I do want people to know I’m a Realtor, but don’t want them to think that’s the only reason I’m there.

What do you think?

My name is Kathy and I am a Facebookaholic.

I've been a member for a couple of years, but until a month or two ago I was rarely on.  I was mostly interested in social networking through Twitter and blogging (aren't reader feeds grand?).

The hug requests were relentless, though, so I finally went online again to see what was out there.  I think what pulled me in was the "Vampire Wars" application and my greed for the so-called blood money.  I've dominated so many minions at this point that I can't count them all.  I am paid over a million blood points every hour and regularly lose fights with other vampires. 

Let me tell you that Vampire Wars doesn't just suck blood, but it - along with other Facebook applications - can suck away time.  Facebook is a terrific social networking tool, but it does tend to eat away my attention that should be focused on other things - uploading listings to Postlets, for example.  I have a February newsletter that needs to be folded and mailed, phone calls to make, notes to write to customers and former clients.

Be warned before you jump into Facebook that it could potentially eat away your day.  However, it is a wonderful tool to use for finding your old high school and college friends.  The reunions and connections have been amazing.  I've thrown beads, give my friends Lost characters, write on walls, update my status, play PathWords (talk about addictive!), have taken likeness quizzes, poke and get poked, throw snowballs, sent Christmas gifts and ornaments, uploaded and commented on photos … the list of what you can do is crazy and long.

Consider yourself now to be properly schooled on the dangers.  You too could become a Facebookaholic.  Be careful to give your real job and family the attention they need and deserve!