Chicago and Southern Illinois Real Estate Happenings

 Ever feel like this guy..... yer typing away at the computer, thinking..."I'll get a 'STAR' this time...I am inspired!!" You are all done and you post the work of your creative energy and inspirations.....and await the results:

1. It does NOT get featured.......
2. It has less then 10 comments on it.....

You are feeling defeated and some air is gone from your sails..........BUT you have not dug deep enough:

• Did you check the statistics for your post? HUNDREDS of people could have looked at your post and you did not know it because you were looking for the "STAR"...which is a subjective viewpoint of maybe ONE person out of over 30,000 members as to what is a quality post....(Not to knock the moderators...they do a heck of a job out there in the 'Rain" BUT I think some "Tweeking" of the system is needed because of the growth and maturity of the network now).
• Did you check to see how many people "CLICKED" and rated your blog in the statistics? As the rating of your blog goes up... you get more points for it....unless it was featured......those get "capped" because they get additional points already put into it by Active Rain..... you could get "CLICKED" (rated) on by hundreds of people and get rated very highly, but if your post was featured it does not benefit you in points one bit. (Personally I have gotten Thousands of extra points on NON Featured posts because people  (members) "Clicked"on my posts and saw them as worthy of a high rating).
• Did you know that MANY of the top bloggers that regularly get featured DO Not rank highly in the top rated posts area? (I recently did some research into that fact) THAT means there is a difference in opinion as to the quality of their posts from the rank and file of the membership as opposed to the opinion of the moderators....... (Whoda thought? hehehehe)
• YOUR post could be worth MORE than you thought...so look deeper into what happens AFTER you post...... don't just look for the "STAR"...... ;-)

The statistics section can be found on your "Home" page.....down on the left near the end of your page...along with how many points your blogs have earned and other items of interest.

I think that the moderators would have a BETTER time at picking featured posts if they let them season a day or two to see which posts are "Top Ranked" with the membership....THEN they should pick a certain number of the TOP RATED blogs in each category and feature them............. the way they do it right now is hit and miss........ maybe if they let the membership help them a little, their jobs will become easier.......

THEN we would have truly the CREAM of the crop in the "Featured Posts" list.......

Just my two cents...for what it is worth......

What do you say, Active Rain Membership?.........

• Should the system be "TWEEKED" to let us see truly the "Cream of the Crop"......
• Or should we continue to wonder...."Why did THAT post get featured?"

I think the network has advanced to this point now.... the time has come...... 

I hope the Active Rain Corp. People chime in on this one.......

(BTW...this post was not made because I WANT more featured posts NOR because I feel slighted because I do not have a BUNCH of featured posts.........I just think the network would function better by implementing this suggestion....)

Lets see what the opinions are!!

This post is inspired by Cynthia Sloops Blog about the unspoken state of the industry by many agents right now. she got TONS and tons of constructive help as to what to do to get things the way they need to be for her business from many of the members here in the Active Rain Network... Lots of the input she got can be used by many in the field right now.

Have you gotten a lift from a friend who cares about you lately? I am not talking about just a "pat on the back"......an "atta boy" if you will. I am talking about REAL inspiration and encouragement:

• A smile and maybe a hug to let you know you are cared about.
• Constructive criticism about what you are doing and how you are doing it, so you can improve.
• Letting you know you are special and are a positive contribution to the world around you.
• Reminding you God loves you and He created you for something special.

Those are things REAL friends do to help you along in life. They do not just say, "It'll be ok..."

They give you the truth and help you adjust and make the best of it and turn things around.

Have you scorned a friends advice because it did not fit with how you saw things?

• Maybe your friend was correct in their observations.
• Would your friend just "shoot you down" like that out of the blue?
• Have you been secretly thinking the same thing your friend said to you, but you did not want to admit it and sent them away?
• "Many advisor's make a successful endeavour, but those who do not listen to wisdom go astray."

I hope you understand why I typed this blog today.....and I hope you are inspired by what you see in the movie!I picked out a great little movie for you to look at when you CLICK on the little kitty and her "pal" she is giving a "BOOST" to.

I hope it helps you along the way in life...and in your career!

Have fun out there.......

Alexander Harb, Founder of "Christianity and Real Estate"

Orlando-area home sales in April declined compared

with last month, while median home prices also went

down slightly, said the Florida Association of Realtors.

For April, 1,609 existing single family homes sold in the Orlando

area, a 35 percent drop from the 2,491 that sold the same

month a year prior. The median sales price in April was

$250,300, a 5 percent decline from the $263,100

price in April 2006.

Meanwhile, 207 existing condominiums sold last month in the Orlando area,

a HUGE 57 percent drop from the 486 sales in April last year. The median

sales price fell 7 percent, from $166,100 in April 2006 to $154,500 last month.

 That news should be great for home buyers waiting to purchase a home or a condo.

Statewide, April single-family existing home sales totaled 12,016 compared to

16,283 homes sold in April 2006. The Sunshine State's median sales price for

existing single-family homes in April fell 3 percent, from $245,900 a year ago to

$237,800, Which into another great piece of news for up and coming home buyers.

For existing condos, 4,321 were sold in Florida last month, compared with 5,344 the

same month last year -- a 19 percent reduction. Median sales prices were $215,500

in April 2007, up 3 percent from April 2006's price of $210,000.

The National Association of Realtors says existing home sales are

expected to gradually improve in the second half of the year, with a

price recovery following soon after.

Keeping up on central Florida real estate --- The Knights Team

(Information taken from Yahoo® News )

   A couple of firsts!!

• Today I got my first referral to Active Rain!! I went to a training class at the office I transfered to and told them all about Active Rain. All of the attendees PLUS the teacher gave me their e-mail addresses so I could send them invites to this wonderful network of real estate professionals! One person has signed up so far!! Once the profile is in great shape I will let everyone know who it is and get her a formal welcome from everybody.
• Today I got my first BUYER from the upgraded Point2Agent website I purchased.It has LOTS of cool features..... a drip e-mail system that is second to none being among them. It has identified no less than 90 people to send e-mails to ---- 40 of which open the letters on a regular basis! I am going to become very busy I can feel it.
• I am finally a LARGE presence in the search engine community....my website dealing with central Florida real estate is now ranked number 5&6 in YAHOO and number 6 in GOOGLEfor the keyword "Orlando Florida MLS"...it is ranked #37 in MSN... but few people comparatively go to that search engine to find things...so it does not matter that much....my Active Rain BLOG is ranked #7 in GOOGLE for the search term "Central Florida real estate".....I am a happy camper!!

So, there are some lessons here:

• KEEP at IT, people!! If you can see a better way of doing things.......DO IT.......
• Stay consistent with what YOU have found works FOR YOU.... mailing expireds might not be your cup of tea, BUT maybe going to Home Owners Association meetings IS..... WHATEVER WORKS for YOU is what you want to do... don't do things that others are doing just because it works for THEM....be your OWN boss. Everyone is different...we ALL have a different way for doing things and making contact with people out there. BE YOU.....and things will happen.ie: Renee Burrows bought a PDA...but that is not what I am going to do...I am buying a used Laptop with a network card in it.....my cellphone will have a qwerty keyboard so I can do text messaging quickly and easily.... to each their own... I am sure Renee is having a great time with her new toy... but that is not for me......and I have thought getting a PDA for a LONG long time....
• How ever you do what you do...be the BEST at it you can possibly be... you will sleep well at night because you did your BEST that day!

The Knights Team..... helping people with central Florida real estate ---- honestly!

I just upgraded to Point 2 Agent Professional....

I am happy, BUT...I got an e-mail from them stating I had been given 33 profesisonally constructed pages for my website....

I cannot find them......

• I went to the Agent Office and clicked on "Edit Website"....
• I clicked on "Pages" and all the pages I had there were there.... NONE of the new pages materialized....
• I have sent a support e-mail about this, but maybe YOU guys can help me on this quicker than they at Point2 can.  

I was given this 2 week test drive for the Professional Level website and I got hooked.

I am looking for this site to do even better and get me qualified ready and able buyers and sellers for my business..  

Can anyone in Active Rain help?

Did I do something wrong?

THANKS for your input in advance!!

Yesterday I was in church and God caught up with me. I thought I had missed Him and I was waiting for him to show up near me.

It turns out He was NOT away at all......

Romans 10:8
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming...

I had been praying for encouragement for a situation in my life......I felt I was being lead by the Lord....yet I had not "felt" Him there.... Our church (over 3000 strong and growing) is a cell group church made up of hundreds of invididual cells (small groups) of 3-18 people. I have been in a cell for quite a while and I have gotten encouragement, inspiration and have been bult up as a Christian in them. It is not just a social circle... but a place where you can become accountable to others for your walk as a Christian, much like you need accountablility in real estate to become successful.

Yesterday I finally met 2 men I know are going to be HUGE in my life.......They are NOT all proud about themselves......they are NOT all "look at me..." minded.......They LOVE God and want to see men built up in the Kingdom of God..... It was a GOD moment....He was finally THERE..... he had waited for me to be in the right place, time and spirit for His plans for me to come to pass.....and I am thankful he did that!!

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past (in the Bible) was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow the Messiah Jesus.

Phillipians 1:1-4 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make our joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I was looking for just the right people to be close to......and God provided them...... ARE YOU looking for people to be close to...people who can be there to encourage you....lift you up in prayer.........People you can COUNT ON?

• Here are some prayers in the past months since "Christianity and Real Estate" has been formed:
• Answer and thankfulness for a client with cancer.....NOTE the thankfulness....
• Prayer for direction in business....
• A prayer AND answer to the prayer within the comments....
• An answer to prayer.....
• A prayer about a career change....
• Prayer for a fellow agent....
• Example of praying for your own business....

• Here are various AWESOME posts from members:  
•  Just being in our group did THIS....
• A Mothers Day tribute by Midori Miller....
• Making a decision to live by faith....by Alecia Barnes...
• Leaving a Legacy by Jacob Morales....
• To all the Girls on Active Rain...by Midori Miller.....
• Not a good day, but a GREAT One by Bob Sloop.....
• A GREAT real estate office..... by Karen Rice
• Is everyone around you smiling? by Keith Pate
• What happens when you keep at it by Alexander Harb
• Do it anyway by Loreena Yeo
• What does a Realtor look for in a Loan Officer by Bob Sloop

You don't have to got through life alone......or without people there to lift you up and help you keep going....... "Christianity and Real Estate"..... where people care about you.

Psalm 23

 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Keep you up to date on what is happening in central Florida entertainment and in central Florida real estate....The Knights Team

(All info taken from up-coming Disney events --- go to: disney.com for more info)

Miami Dade real estate broker James Warmington has been charged with fraud after a couple in South Florida accused him of bilking them of over $100,000.
Mr Warrington allegedly gave false information about himself and said he was a license mortgage broker, in order to convince the couple to invest in his firm, Warmington Consultants.

The police say that the $150,000 the couple gave him to give to a third party was deposited to his own bank account and never reached the declared recipient. Mr Warrington already has a history of fraud and grand theft.

If YOUR real estate agent has done something wrong....talk to the agents broker first after trying to get things ironed out with the agent...... if THAT does not satisfy you.... go to the Florida Real Estate Commission.....

There is more to this story...I just know it......

Practicing honorable central Florida real estate......the Knights Team....

The central Florida real estate market appears to be stabilizing from the red-hot market of 2005. New home inventory dropped and the median price of a single family home rose slightly upward in April, says the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

• Homes for sale through the Multiple Listing Service totaled 24,435 last month, an increase of 52 percent, compared with April 2006. That makes for a 17-month supply at the current sales pace.

• The MLS reported 18,005 single-family homes and 4,243 condos on the market, with the remaining 2,187 consisting of duplexes, townhomes and villas
• Homes were on the market for about 98 days before selling. Homes for sale were purchased for 95.5 percent of their original asking price
• The median home price rose to $241,000 in April, a slight increase from $240,000 in March, but still down 3 percent when compared to April a year earlier
• Home sales in the Orlando metropolitan statistical area -- Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties were down 41.4 percent when compared with the same month a year earlier
• To date, 7,571 homes have been sold this year, while 11,674 homes had been sold as of this time last year
• Within the counties --- Osceola saw the largest drop in home sales -- 47 percent between April 2007 and the same month the year prior
• Orange County sales dropped 44 percent
• Seminole fell about 37 percent
• Lake County dropped 30 percent

So...it looks like the WORST is about over for central Florida real estate...

Are YOU ready to jump in yet........come on in...... the water is WARM........