How many have had this happen to them?  Several weeks ago a former client emails requesting information on a listing that we have.  Darcy who is very prompt at returning emails, texts and phone messages quickly emails him all the information about the listing.  A couple of weeks go by and no further contact from the past client.  So wisely Darcy picks up the phone and calls the client.                                                       Wouldn't you know it, the email either was put into a junk folder or something and the client doesn't remember seeing it.  We never recieved the little mailer demon message saying that the message hadn't been delivered, so if Darcy had not called, we would have had an upset former client. Instead we have an offer presented on one of our listings.  I th... 07/11/2008

I am not sure if it a sign of things to come or an aberation but for the first time in over 2 years we have a HUD foreclosure listed in our county.  I know this for a couple of reasons, Darcy and I check the HUD page quite frequently and one of the agents in our office gets to list the HUD homes that come up in our county.  When we noticed the HUD listing, we asked the Agent how long it had been since they had a HUD listing they confirmed that it had been a little over 2 years. This isn't to say that we don't have a lot of REO properties and short sales, but I took it as a positive sign that our market may not go through the huge numbers of foreclosures that some markets in the Western United States have had.  I only hope that it is a harbinger of things to come!  Anyway have a Great We... 07/10/2008

July 15th brings back the Neil Simon Fetsival here in Cedar City.  It is a wonderful tribute one of our nations great playrights!                                          Several of the plays will be presented for your enjoyment.  This festival runs concurrently with the Utah Shakespearean Festival.  It is a great opportunity to enjoy productions of two different playrights!  For more information and tickets check out www.simonfest.org.  If you are thinking of coming and visiting, it is just another of the great things to do this summer here in Cedar City.  While you are up here checking out the great plays, look into just what a great place Cedar City is to relocate to!  Give us a call. 07/10/2008

This week we have a couple of great family friendly events in Cedar City.  Starting tomorrow the 9th and running to the 12th is the annual Midsummer Renaissance Faire at the Main Street Park, 200 North Main Street.  This is the 11th year of this fair that coincides with the Utah Shakespearean Festival.  There will be booths and games.  Various vendors will be there selling their wares.  Some participants will be dressed up in period costumes. It is a great family fun time with free admission to the Faire.                   Coinciding with the weekend portion of the Midsummers Renaissance Faire is the July Jamboree and Cruise In.  This will be Friday and Saturday July 11th and 12th.  Come and see the classic and vintage cars more booths and more vendors.  There will be music and more fun... 07/08/2008

We're back, actually we never went anyplace.  There have been so many great blogs over the past week to 10 days that I haven't felt the need to write anything.  Someone had already eloquently covered what I had in mind.  So I have commented on those blogs rather than duplicate their efforts.  We have amazing writers here on Active Rain! I hope that everyone enjoyed a safe 4th of July!  We had so many great blogs about the local celebrations for the 4th.  I loved reading them.  I think that the differences in the celebration of the 4th of July are a good analogy of Real Estate and markets.  Sure each market sells Real Property, but each location across the country is a little different.  Just as there is a local flavor to the 4th of July celebration there is a local flavor to Real Estate... 07/08/2008

Despite either of us having had a lot of sleep, it turned out to be a good Monday after all.  We got a nice new listing off and expired listing.  We also showed a client a possible purchase for him and his family.  We were able to show him a very nice REO in a great neighborhood, that is a great deal. We also had floor time and got a couple of tremendous floor calls, one leading to a buyer appointment for (as I look at the time) now today.  So inspite of the heat, unusual humidity and lack of sleep, it was a great Monday.  We hope that everyone has a great rest of the week! 06/30/2008

Darcy and I returned home earlier this evening from our office retreat.  It was great.  Our Broker pays for the Agents in the office to go to a resort for a retreat.  This year our retreat was as I mentioned in my last blog at Ruby's Inn at the gateway to Bryce Canyon National Park.                                                                          It is a gorgeous location, these photographs really don't do it justice.  Anyway back to the retreat, we went on Thursday night for check in then a dinner with the other agents in our office and their spouses and in some cases, their children.  It is a great time to get to know people outside of the office.  Our Broker also hired a local band to come and play.  It was a great time, everyone that remained danced and sang.  It was a lot o... 06/27/2008

Darcy and I are packing up for our office's annual retreat.  We are going to beautiful Bryce Canyon.  For those that are wondering, our broker takes our entire office to a resort overnight.  The Brokerage pays for the rooms, meals and the training.  Tonight, after getting checked in, we will have a dinner it gives all the agents time to mingle outside of the office.  We also get to know the spouses that aren't involved directly in Real Estate.  Tomorrow, we will have 6 hours of training.  Our Broker brings in sales trainers or CE certified trainers.  It is great!  Tomorrow we will have 6 hours of free CE training.  We also go over whatever issues that face the office, and try to resolve them.  It is a great opportunity to get information that makes us better agents, and to be more profe... 06/26/2008

This week is the opening week of the Summer Season of the Utah Shakespearean Festival.  On Thursday, June 19th, the season opens with Cyrano de Bergerac.  This is a former Tony award winning festival, and has always recieved fantastic reviews.  Tickets range from $22- $60 per person, but there are a lot of fun things to do in conjuction with the Festival, like the Greenshow.  This is a free pre-play entertaining show designed to prepare theatre goers for the show. There are many other things to do, for more information, please check it out at www.bard.org.  While you're up here enjoying this remarkable show, please check out the surrounding area.  This is truly a great place to live or have a second home.  We look forward to seeing you! 06/15/2008

Tonight I watched part of game 2 of NBA Finals, the Celtics looked to have it well in hand with nearly a 20 point lead with around 7 minutes to play.  I thought that the game was over, and began doing other things.  I was shocked about a half an hour later to read the score that the Lakers had come back and had actually gotten the game down to 2 points before ultimately losing 108 to 102. I believe that sports can be a microcosm of life.  It is only when we think that it is over that it is over.  I am sure that in reading the internet recap of the game had the Lakers had more time, they may have won the game.  My point isn't to wait until you are too far down to come back, but rather to not give up.  Things may be awful today, yet by Thursday they may be going great.  We also need to pr... 06/08/2008

Well it must be that time of year again.  The Utah Summer Games have started here in Cedar City, some of the preliminary events such as pickleball began yesterday.  The Games will run through June 22nd, the Opening Ceremonies are a week away being June 12.  Todays events include Cowboy action shooting and Ultimate Frisbee.  Also this weekend beginning yesterday is the American Family Fest including concerts by the Hughes Brothers all the way from Branson!  There will be booths and games for everyone in the family along with workshops and other entertainment.  I have not been able to attend the family fest yet, it rained last night, so I didn't try last night and am working currently.  Maybe tomorrow night we will be free enough to spend an hour and check it out. Like most other markets ... 06/05/2008

The other day I posted a blog about a CD that one of the local mortgage brokers put in our box at the office.  It is by Steve Harney, I listened to it, and was really impressed.  He focused on getting the buyers off the fence and into a closing.  I mentioned that the market has risen much more than it has fallen if you look at 5 years instead of just the last 18 months.  Another interesting statistic that he quoted was a study that Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) did on the cash in vs return of cash in.  They studied over 5000 loans.  The average amount of cash into a purchase of a home was a little less than 20%.  In five years the average return of that "investment" or cash in of a down payment was 135%.  After 10 years the return on the cash in or investment was 301%.  After 15 year... 05/31/2008

Occasionaly our box at the office gets something that is very useful.  Yesterday was such a day, we had from one of the local Mortgage Brokers offices.  It was a CD and a Brochure from Steve Harney   the Realtor and Trainer from New York.  While I have been a little too busy to get through the CD, the brochure has some really interesting points to help get buyers off the fence in this market. He noted that nationally home prices our down 10.9% over the past few month.  What was interesting is the fact that in the past 3-5 years homes have gone up much more than that.  He used Miami as an example, before it dropped 15% it had peaked at an 83% increase in prices.  That is still a great return on investment if the investment had been held.                                                   ... 05/30/2008

It's starting to warm back up.  I thought that we were supposed to be concerned with global warming!  It has been great March weather for most of this month.  I keep looking at the calendar to remind myself that it is May that is drawing to a close.  I am not making light of evironmental issues, just making a feeble attempt at humor. This seem to be heading in the right direction in the real estate market here in Cedar City.  An agent in our office listed a house here in Cedar City for a really good deal.  It hit the MLS on the 23rd and there are already multiple offers on it.  Darcy and I were going to show it this evening to some clients, we were supposedly the 6th group to preview the property this afternoon.  So when houses are priced well, there is interest and a lot of it.  We hav... 05/28/2008

As we near the weekend, I wanted to take time to ponder and remember why it is that we have this Holiday Weekend.  Memorial Day was orginally set up to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us, those that gave their lives in combat.                                          I want to add my voice and my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for those heroes that died so that we may enjoy the freedoms and way of life that we enjoy.  They didn't worry about politics or ideologies beyond the fact that their country asked a sacrifice of them, and they gave it!  Thank you, and each of your families!!! Memorial Day evolved then into a day where we honored our beloved dead.  Those family and friends that meant something to us.  To them again I say thank you, for being there for me.  Th... 05/22/2008

I am not sure if Spring has actually arrived again, or if this is going to be another teaser weekend.  It is absolutely gorgeous right now.  This has happened several times in the past 5 weeks, 2 or 3 days of unbelievably beautiful Spring weather, followed by a couple of days of high wind, then either really cold rainy days or even snow flurries.  This is one of the most bizarre months of May that I have ever been through, and I am getting to the point that I have been through several. I guess that it is just the way that things are, you can't do anything about the weather, so it does no good to complain!  It does remind me that when things are good, it is best to really enjoy them to their fullest, to help get you through those cold rainy times!  Kind of like the way things work in our... 05/16/2008

It looks like a busy weekend here in Cedar City.  The Iron County Search and Rescue Team is hosting their annual fund raising carnival here on North Main Street.  This is a good opportunity to support those who will go out and search for you should you get lost in Iron County.  Just sort of kidding, they do a great job and assisting the various agencies in the area with things like lost people, or helping the ambulance service with those that get hurt in the back country.  It isn't a gigantic carnival, but it is a lot of fun to come out and spend time with the family, and of course money for Search and Rescue.  That should run through Sunday afternoon. Another event that we have going on is the Rock Crawls.  This is a chance for four wheel drive enthusiast to test their nerves and their... 05/15/2008

I know that I have blogged several times about what is available in Cedar City.  I have had the great opportunity to preview several homes in the past few days, and let me say, there is a good variety!  If you're looking for something away from town with some acreage and some great views, we have a few properties that fit that bill.                                                                  There are several brand new condo or town house projects that are priced very reasonably.  There are a few starter type homes, but they are selling very quickly!  We also have several next step or move up homes.  Many are new or nearly new some with beautiful upgrades, as well as some with a lot of square footage.  It is a great time to come out and see what's available!  The air is clean the t... 05/13/2008

I just re read The Champion Real Estate Agent by Dirk Zeller.  It is a great book, I highly recommend it to new agents and experienced agents alike.  It goes into much more depth than the Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies book that is also written by Mr. Zeller. I really liked his time management logs and his approach to time management.  He breaks things down into activities that actually make you money vs. those that don't.  This is helpful, because often we feel that by being busy, we are doing what we need to do to be a top producer, when in fact it often isn't.  Like I said it is a great book, and I really did get a lot reading it the second time, there are some good scripts and tips etc.  It reads very easily and is full of ideas to help agents be better and more professi... 05/08/2008

It is amazing how simple and basic parts of this business can be!  Darcy and I were able to get two really good listings from a past client, now a friend.  Just by doing simple things, like caring enough to follow up when the husband was in the hospital, or making sure to email once in awhile.  Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful time going to dinner with them, then while the husband and I watched the Magic and Piston's game, Darcy and Wanda filled out the listing paperwork. Wanda is a Licensed Realtor in California, so it is a great relationship to be able to learn from her and her experiences as well as sharing our experiences with her.  It is just amazing how basic and really how easy this job can be at times and with some people!  It is experiences like this one that make me firmly belie... 05/07/2008