Heath's Blog

I remember a friend running into my office asking if I had heard that New York was under attack.

I remember wondering what else was being attacked.

I remember going home and watching the reality on TV.

I remember when the buildings fell.

I remember seeing the radar that showed no planes in the air.

I remember that a local pilot was originally scheduled to fly one of the planes.

I remembering wondering if my kids would be growing up in world at war.

I remember stories of local muslims cheering the catastrophe.

I remember being angry at the comentators who had explained how to do this after the first bombing in NY.

I remember the silence after the buildings fell.

I remember hearing the local families that had relatives in the buildings.

I remember meeting a local emergency responder who was on site 24 hours later.

I remember homes being sold to New Yorkers who fled New York.

I remember seeing the people of NY walking out of the city.

I remember somehow feeling like I knew someone personally when some of the victims were named.

I remember my dismay at the lack of value for life.

I remember.

I just ran into a question about how to backup Outlook Express Files. Being somewhat computer savvy, I thought this was pretty easily done with the Export choice under File. In fact it is pretty easy to create a csv file and then save that to a disk periodically.

Then I questioned whether I was missing something. So, I did a quick search to see if there was something more detailed that could help me do more.  The search returned what I already knew. However I did find a very helpful and concise explanation of how to do this for all the parts of Outlook that others may be using.

So, here's the link to that page. It is titled: "How to Backup Outlook Express Mail, Address Book,
Mail & Newsgroup Settings, Mail Rules, and Blocked Senders List" and it is very simple to follow.

Happy listing and selling!

Here's the straight link: http://www.pchell.com/support/backupoe.shtml

Watching what few news reports I can tolerate these days, I have noticed that the "old time" congressmen are dealing with problems similar to what we as real estate professionals have.  The information that is available on the Internet is changing everything. Everything from real estate to politics can be researched on the Internet.

When a congressman holds a "town hall meeting", many of those attending have actually read bills, articles, and their representative's opinion about issues.  This makes voters more informed than ever before. The Internet has become a place for the represented to find out how their vote is valued.

Of course there are differences in real estate research, political records and representation.  Real estate data has many sources that "voluntarily" provide info.  Political bills and votes are a matter of verified public record from one source.  Real estate values are a function of many accepted variables that are constantly changing. Political positions once stated are difficult to publicly modify without offending voters.

The Internet can help to direct how politics evolves next. By reading and following your senators, representatives, and the president, you can become a better informed voter. Maybe those in office will understand that voters actually care, and prefer to think rather than be told what to think.

Happy listing and selling! 

We had the Falmouth MA Cape CodMLS tour this morning. One of the homes for sale is owned by Julia O'Malley-Keyes. The home is actually a good value, but the home is filled with her art!

While the 4 bedroom 2 bath Cape style home is cozy, and the aparently buildable lot is an interesting added value, her paintings that look like photographs are very pleasantly distracting! She has the gift of being able to make her brush appear to be a photograph.

I found her on the Internet, but the duplicates of her realistic paintings that are on her site, pale to the clarity of a personal viewing. She was actually there while we toured he home, and she had just received notice of 6 commissioned paintings for someone she called the CEO of of the Panama Canal.

If you're in Falmouth looking for art, look her up.

Her web site is:     http://www.dayhillfineart.com/

It's a beautiful day on Cape Cod!

There was a car show on the Falmouth Library Lawn last Saturday. I was in town opening the office and kept noticing an unusual stream of classic and collector cars driving by. Before long, they began to park on the library lawn across from my Main Street office. I took some pictures of the array. There was a Packard, many Corvettes, and various examples of other collectibles. It was quite a selection.

I just read an article about 5 agents from different companies forming a "cooperative". This appears to be an agreement outside the parameters of their MLS or board.  Each still operates in their own company umbrella, but the article says they'll exchange information and ideas.

So how does this affect their companies? Is it just a small MLS? Do they exchange information that is not available to other agents? Do they keep information from their already existing relationships?

Is the future of real estate smaller "cooperatives" rather than all inclusive MLSs? What about all the necessary data that in part gives a good professional their edge? Is the cooperative exclusive to the point of no otehr members?

Maybe their formalization of the cooperative is what is most innovative. In my town there are many licensees. However, there are far less licensees that actually list and sell real estate often.

Here's a link to the article: http://bit.ly/3s7t6d

Just food for thought...

Happy selling and listing.

In this economy of discounting, foreclosing, bail outs, rebates, and cash for whatever, people are still asking if a real estate professional is worth their fee. The Internet provides some seemingly useful information about real estate, that if completely correct, should make everyone as good as your average local licensee.  However, here area a few questions to ask for a more logical answer to that question.

Are the best deals easy to find (in any industry)?

Is it easy to know if the asking price of a property is high, low, or just right?

What are the necessary forms needed to complete a transaction? How are the necessary forms completed? Are there any un-necessary forms?

Are there clauses to include in those forms so that the deposit and investment prospects are protected?

How much time must be devoted every day to study new listings? How much time does it take time to find the contact information for and to call old listings that aren't on the market any more (assuming you know where those ex-listings are) to see if they are still available? How hard is it to schedule the viewing of properties in an orderly and concise manner at a time and date that is convenient to all the parties involved?

Is it easier to negotiate directly on any emotional issue directly, or to have an intermediary filter feelings and give advice about what is common and what is excessive?

Do pictures of homes actually sell real estate?

There are many more questions that could be asked.  But, how these questions are answered will help indicate whether a licensed professional is necessary.  Real estate professionals are specialists.

The value of the tasks they perform efficiently every day is sometimes overshadowed by the aparent ease of finding pictures of property on the Internet. Taking the seemingly large commission paid IF there is a closing, and comparing that to the number of days it took to complete a purchase will also help clarify why licensees have more than one active transaction at a time. Even the pros can't live on one deal.

When efficiency, accuracy, and experience save time, what is it worth?  When efficiency, accuracy, and experience improve investments, what is it worth? It may be easier to ask the question what does inefficiency, inaccuracy, and inexperience cost?

Happy listing and selling!

Wow! The sun is out, the temperature is cool, and there is an offshore breeze that is more than pleasant - it is refreshing.  Most of the tourists are back at home, Hollywood East is getting its construction financing finalized, and politics in MA have gotten interesting again.

This weather is why we live here and why people come. Historically, Cape Cod has some of the best weather for vacationing in the world.  From the 1800s to today, some of the most prosperous people in the world have enjoyed Cape Cod's pleasant weather.

If you still need a getaway, come see if I am right! Oh, and we have real estate to buy here, too!

If you are on Cape Codyou are probably aware of the green projects in the news. But what can you do in your own home? Well, there are many programs that can help conserve energy and promote green products. A list of conservation programs offered by Massachusetts companies can be found here: http://www.goodtobegreen.com/ma_energy_rebate.aspx

For example, older refrigerators with less efficient compressors will typically consume twice as much electricity as more recently manufactured ones. So getting a newer fridge will help you save electricity and give you a greener reputation. Some people have even proposed smaller wind generators on every home. That would make the Cape a leader in wind research and technology. Land based generators are easier to maintain than sea based ones. Many smaller units provide less "black out" problems/possibilities than relying on a few large suppliers does. And with many units, more of the savings is spread directly to the users. Just a few thoughts...

More Cape Cod programs can be found at http://www.capelight-compact.org/.

Happy listing and selling.

On Wednesday, Trish Favuli from the Falmouth Assessor's office met with the MLS tour attendees and answered questions. Here are my notes:

The fiscal values for 2010 will be based on sales in 2008.  But, the new tax rate won't be calculated until the town meeting members decide if there will be a newer higher meals and room tax.  New assessments will be based on sale values.  Foreclosures are not used when comparing properties in the assessor's office.

Some betterments do not show up online (nor on telnet) - so beware when researching prospective listings. The New Silver Beach betterment will be spread over 20 years, but the interest rate hasn't been determined yet. That betterment is not assumable.

When looking at assessor's info, the effective year is the last year that the building department has records of improvements. Those records are updated in October.

Happy listing and selling!