If you are looking for a place to lend some value to your customer and clients, the National Association of REALTORS HouseLogic site is a free consumer site that provides information on all aspects of homeownership. There is something for everyone including home improvement ideas, maintenance tips, tax information, finance issues, and even ways you can get involved in and enrich your community.This is a great link to promote in an e-news letter or on your own personal website. Registered users can save relevant information, create to-do lists and set project reminders. The Web site can also be customized for individual homeowners depending on how handy or ambitious they are regarding home projects; how much money they want to spend or save; where they live; and their priorities, such as... 03/11/2010

The latest craze from American Idol is the famous "Pants On The Ground" audition by General Larry Platt.  In his famous song lyrics you hear:  ~Pants on the ground...Pants on the ground...Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground~It is a song that leaves a lasting impression for the first 15 minutes, and then you realize it is a song that has nowhere to go, and no one to take it better heights.So what happens when you are looking to sell your home or even buy a home, and make the decision to not use a REALTOR? Will it leave you "Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground"? Below are some things to consider when you are making one of the biggest financial investments in your lifetime:* All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members o... 02/10/2010

So as the year kicks off, as a Broker/Manager, it is time to think about getting the agents in the office motivated and staying on track. What I find difficult for me is that fact that there is a lot of experienced agents that are in my office, and you know what they say "It is hard to teach old dog's new tricks!". Even though they are all top producing agents, I think it is still important to provide new fresh ideas that will keep them in the loop with technology and real estate. We have several older agents that actually think that the Internet is the mesh lining in men's swim trunks! So in order to try and change this mental picture and blockage of the technology age for our "eperienced" agents, we are installing a 42 inch flat screen television in our break room, where we will be of... 01/12/2010

So the new year is here and I am off and running! I have taken the time to get started on my plan, and so far so good! I decided to update my blog for some accountabilty purposes, and keep a record of where I am going. 1. Signed up to obtain my GRI Certification. These courses will start in just a couple weeks. 2. Signed up to obtain my e-Pro Certification. 3.  My goals for reading are a little behind- need to improve in this area. I have read Genesis Chapters 1-12, and Matthew Chapters 1-4. I am a little behind on where I need to be. 4. I have started reading Sarah Palins's book Going Rogue- it is one of my autobiographies that I plan to read for the year. 5. I have started reading two of my leadership books- "Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office 101″ and "Monday Morning Motivation".... 01/12/2010

As I get ready to step forward into 2010, I also need to reflect on 2009. I look to see what worked and didn't work to achieve my expectations of the year.  There were a few items that didn't get accomplished and some major ones that I was not sure would be obtainable that did happen. So what was the difference in the ones that were achieved and the ones that slipped in the cracks? The answer that I have come up with is VISION! The ones that were accomplished, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve. I had taken the time to write it down, tell someone what I wanted to accomplish, and make a daily attempt to work closer to the finish line. The ones that slipped through the cracks were never built on a solid foundation. They were just a flash in the night were I thought "Oh that ... 12/30/2009

What can I say, last night at the Can's For Kids Chili Cook Off was just one of those "feel good" moments that truly made me proud to be called a REALTOR®.  The parking lot was full of the best professionals in town, and they were all there for one purpose and one purpose only and that was to raise funds to provide food for the underprivileged children in Garland County. What started over 7 years ago as a lunch room conversation between my mother and I, has exploded in to one of the largest fundraising events in the history of the Hot Springs Board of REALTORS. Each year Trademark Real Estate host the Hot Springs Board of REALTORS Can's For Kids Chili Cook Off, and since its inception in 2002, it has been a tremendous success raising over $70,000. The best part of the whole program is t... 10/15/2009

How many times do you hear this statement? Probably not nearly enough, but why? I tend to believe it is because we  doubt it ourselves. But why should we doubt? Is it not true that we are the creators of our own future? What would happen if you told yourself everyday "My future is so bright, I gotta wear shades!"? The answer to that question...A future so bright you BETTER wear shades! You are what you see yourself being. If you see yourself with no money, no job and no future that is exactly what you will get. It it time to change your thinking pattern. Think of the things that you want to be, find a place to write it down, visit the list frequently, and don't forget to continue to add to the list. It is amazing how your mind will start to work to make your list a reality. See you at t... 10/07/2009

To Tweet or not to Tweet? That is THE question.  It seems that everyday, I have an agent come into my office and ask a question that has something to do with technology regarding the real estate profession. The majority are just being to look at the options that are available to become a part of, while others are even more far advanced than myself. However, one of the ever rising question seems to be regarding the infamous "Twitter". Most want to know exactly what Twitter can do for them, and is it just another piece of technology that they have to maintain everyday. What I can see there are some key reasons why REALTORS should be "tweeting": INSTANT- One of the key advantages of Twitter is that it provides instant information to a large audience. You could look at being on a loud speak... 09/24/2009

Trademark Real Estate is excited to announce a partnership with Fowler Auctioneers in Hot Springs. The goal of our partnership is to find the best and fastest possible way to market property for our Sellers. With the team work of the two organization, it is one of the best options that Hot Springs has seen for prime marketing of property. Once the process of an auction property begins, it is just a few weeks until buyers will be standing outside your property. The auction process causes multiple buyers to compete at the same time and place to purchase property. Keep in mind that with other selling methods, the buyers are in control of the process, starting with an asking price, negotiating down, and with no time pressure to close the deal. With almost every other method, competition exi... 09/18/2009

When you want to borrow money, lenders will look at a number of things before agreeing to grant credit to you. First, lenders want to know if you have the financial ability to repay the loan. This is known as capacity. Second, lenders look for any property you have to back the loan-again, this is called collateral. And third, lenders want to know if you will make your payments and how you have handled other loans in the past. This is called character. Capacity, collateral, and character represent the three C's of credit. The most common types of credit include revolving credit, installment credit, and service credit. Revolving credit allows you to borrow up to a specific dollar amount. The monthly payment may vary as your balance changes. As you repay the credit, you will be able to bor... 05/11/2009

Debi Jones of the Kennedy Team volunteered as one of the auction items in a local fundraiser for the American Cancer Society sponsored by Reed Plumbing last week.  While Debi was glad to help with a good cause, Debi knew that it would be an interesting evening when she agreed to be one of the Bachelorettes to be auctioned off to an unknown bidder.  Jeff and I (Paulia) attended the big event and enjoyed the show of Bachelors & Bachelorettes as each paraded across the stage, anticipating who would be their next date.  When it came Debi's turn on stage, Debi turned beat red as she stood and watched two nice gentlemen begin a bidding war for her.  Glenn Wilkins wound up as the lucky winner with a date with Debi, and the American Cancer Society appreciated the generous donation he made.   05/03/2009

Paulia forwarded an interesting article to me entitled, "Top 10 Fashion Colors for Fall Provide Clues to What's New in Home Décor" from here. Sellers seeking advice from listing agents who wish to update their properties with the freshest colors can take a look at the fashion industry for direction.  A color palette seen first on the fashion runways is picked-up by decorators and builders from wall paints to furnishings, towels and placemats.  The Top 10 colors for 2009 can be downloaded and viewed here .  This year's color range spans from semi-bold hues to catch a consumer's eye to a collection of subtle, basic colors which coincides with today's economic uncertainty.  All of the 2009 colors are harmonious with each other reflecting our country's desire to 'get back on its feet'. Colo... 04/29/2009

So I had a little close, you know the kind where the seller is out of state and buyer closes separately. It wasn't enough that my seller was gracious enough to pick up the tab on some closing costs, but later to find that there was actually some closing costs dollars not quite exhausted from agreed amount. Well certainly no harm there for my seller! All is good to close, home inspection complete, agreed no home warranty provided by seller. However, at close, literally, and mind you it was a separate close..docs overnighted to seller, one of those last minute HUD's, the selling agent decides that since there were dollars left from the agreed closing cost/prepaid amount, it would be okay to add a home warranty AND have my seller pick up a portion of the inspectors fee!  Needless to say th... 04/27/2009

Lately the news regarding the world of Real Estate has been kind of quiet.  What was once a daily topic has started to slip from the front of the line.  Is this a good thing, or perhaps something more to fear.   If your not concerned about the fact that home sales were up last month, or that lenders DO have money to lend then read no more.  Finally, the bottom has been reached.  In the constantly changing market of today's Real Estate no news just may be good news.  Lenders are back to business and writing paper, although it be tougher to get a loan, rates have never been lower, and NOW is the time to buy.  Although I work for an independent company in no way affiliated with RE/Max, their commercials where people "are kicking themselves" for not buying in this market, couldn't be any cl... 04/21/2009

1. Back Porch Grill for sunset any day- food is good and consistent (best suset spot) 2. Central Park- Great downtown locale easy level access nice views, easy parking, great food(best restaurant in Hot Springs) If dining inside after dark you will definitely agree the tacky flood lights they use for lighting are quite blinding and offensive, the food, service, and everything else make up for it. I know my dinner tabs would consist of a bottle wine purchase as opposed to a glass if the lights were dimmer..and that goes for most that imbibe I'm sure! 3. Joses Mexican Food- great Margarita patio. It quickly replaced On the Border for me. Joses is clean as opposed to the latter.. 4. Salsa's- Good patio, crappy service and food, GREAT Margarita's(possibly the best in town- Don Juans is over... 04/01/2009

Website statistics for our primary web site,  www.BestofHotSprings.com broke another record today!  This site had 76,348 total hits during the month of March.  That tells us that the real estate market is very active and heating up!  Along with this great news, one of my favorite financial analyst, Dave Ramsey, appeared on Fox News today and gave his opinion on the economy with much focus on the real estate market. Dave believes that the housing market will be the major player in getting the economy back in shape. He called attention to the most recent report on home sales being up around 5% in February nationwide.  He also reiterated the wonderful opportunity for home buyers at this time with terrific interest rates around 4.5%, there is a huge inventory of homes to pick from, and then... 04/01/2009

  It's a great week this week in Hot Springs.  The spring weather is here with temperatures in the 70s, the Bradford Pear trees are blooming, the lake levels are back to normal, and the streets are packed with tourists in town for the horse races.  You can feel the excitement! On top of all this great news, our local Chamber of Commerce made the headlines in the local newspaper with their very positive reports on statistics.  Here's some of the information that they reported earlier this week:  Arkansas's unemployment rate is currently 6.4% - much better than the national average at 8.1% Hot Springs unemployment rate is 5.9% - even better than the state & national average, and also improved from Hot Springs' rate 5 years ago at 6.4% Hot Springs experienced a 28% growth in per capita inc... 03/22/2009

I hope everyone is enjoying the market change as I have. It has been a welcomed blast of business. Here are several new listings from lake to historic to 12 acres with a great house. 02/16/2009

Website hits are up!  The Kennedy Team's website, www.BestofHotSprings.com expects more than a 33% increase in site hits by the end of January.  Historically, this website averages 35,000 hits per month.  As of today, with one week remaining in the month, 42,500 hits have been calculated with an average of 1,635 hit per day! That's 470 more hits per day than the usual 1,166! If this increase in web activity continues, and it is expected that it will, The Kennedy Team should have 52,300 hits by the end of January 2009. What a great way to begin the New Year! The Broker at the main office at Trademark Real Estate, Inc. also reports a swell in activity with increased showings on all of the office listings. I asked Paulia Kennedy, real estate marketing guru, if she was advertising her listi... 01/26/2009

I started in November preparing for my clients whom wanted to sell in the Spring, because in our biz Spring is already here! I am working now to get all of my Lake listings in order because Lake Hamilton comes back to normal level next month. I have been showing a lot since just after Christmas. I have also been busy visiting my coming lists and discussing staging and what needs to happen with their homes to compete. If anyone is looking for a place for horses I have just the place, especially since Oaklawn is running! I hope everyone is feeling the market pick back up like we are. The lull was kind enough to remove some liabilities and part timers, what ever that is...:) Side note, TACO MAMMA next to Cafe 1217 on Malvern Avenue is nearing opening. The same lady, Chef Dianna, that owns ... 01/18/2009