Jim's Blog on Real Estate and Other Issues in Muncie and Delaware Co. IN

At last weeks' sales mtg, our broker shared excerpts from a book he had recently read called "The Fred Factor." It chronicles the first encounter the author had with his mail delivery person upon moving to a new home. The mailman, Fred, introduced himself and volunteered a series of customer serv...

It's been several years since I've delt with HUD repos, but recently I have a customer who wants to purchase one. In preparing the bid for submission, I was surprised to see that the broker's commission,advertised as 5%, is a variable entry and is subtracted from the bid price. So are concessions...

We've all heard the old question about a glass is half empty or half full depending on whether you're an optomist or a pessimist. Wonder how many of us think about that in terms of time? As we're nearing the end of June, is your year half over or is there still half left? The market has been slow...

It never ceases to amaze me how many people in our business never learn or choose to ignore basic communication skills. I recently took a lisiting that had expired with another agent after being on the market for over a year. I had shown the home twice during the that year and both times came awa...

Today and Fri. our office is undergoing training for Lead Router an automated lead generation and followup system being pitched by Coldwell Banker. There is no intial cost but the training is mandatory for participation in the program. Though free at the start, it looks like after a trial period,...

This morning I read an excellent post from Richard Rector of Realty Associates in Phoenix. His premise was that the lower median home prices the media keeps harping about are the result of lack of sales at the high end rather than the fact that specific homes are selling for less. Credit issues o...

The quote attribted to Yogi Berra seems to apply to the recent announcement of plans to monetize the $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers. While details are non-existant at present, it looks like it would take the form of some sort of bridge loan. NAR and many of my fellow REALTORS are trumpet...

Once again, the members of the IN Legislature have put their own self interest ahead of the people they were elected to represnt. They've spent the entire session arguing, posturing, fingerpointing and protecting their special interests. As a result, we have no budget, and no direction on importa...

The increase in market activity that I have been watching and reporting for the last few months shows no sign of ending. Pendings increased at a steady rate through Jan. and Feb. and the rate of growth has increased significantly in March and April to date. At the end of Dec. 2008, Del. Co. had 8...

This week has been a busy one, especially for this time of year. I've had two sets of serious, qualfied buyers, lots of showings on my listings and one received multiple offers at or near full price. I've heard other agents in our office who are similarly busy or even more so. Our Board pendings ...