Lebanon, MO

100,000

100,000 points

Wow!

I knew it was coming, knew it was right around the corner.

Yet I missed it!

I have Don Rogers to thank for pointing it out to me - I had turned the corner on 100,000 points. I made it!

So... what to say in my celebratory post?

I have no idea.

Google, help me!

If you Google "100,000" all sorts of pages come up, with all sorts of articles and posts. Not all of them good. I quickly skipped over those.

But one entry did catch my attention -

The United States of America printed a one hundred thousand dollar bill!

High denomination bills were printed in the US starting in 1929. The $100,000 bill featured Woodrow Wilson and was the only high denomination bill not printed in green.

High denomination bills were last printed in 1945 and officially discontinued on July 14, 1969, by the Federal Reserve System.

These bills were commonly used by banks and the Federal Government for large financial transactions. They were not commonly used as every day legal tender. (Mmm... wonder why!)

Finally in 1969, circulation of high-denomination bills was halted by an executive order from President RichardNixon, in an effort to combat organized crime.

So... what does this have to do with my milestone?

My last post, the one that had Don Rogers offering me his congratulations, was a collection of inspirational quotes by President Richard Nixon.

I thought about coming full circle - about connecting the dots - about the road from here to there.

For 100,000 points, I have been connecting the dots, going down the road from here to there. I have made a lot of friends, I have gained business and I have gained more knowledge than I ever could have dreamed.

I have connected the last dot, to form my picture. Now, it's time to fill in the outline, to build upon what I have so far created in Active Rain.

To color my picture green. Or perhaps even orange.

I wasn't planning on writing a post tonight. However, I just finished reading Sheila Moran's post, Need some inspiration? Let me help. If you haven't read the post, go ahead and do so now. This can wait...

Great you're back...

Sheila quoted a great man, Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy has brought inspiration to Sheila and I do believe the words she shared will uplift all who read them.

But, my inspiration doesn't come from Teddy, but Richard.

You see, I am a huge fan of Richard Nixon - which is another post all by itself. I have collected Nixon memorabilia for over twenty years.

I do believe we can find inspiration from Nixon in these troubling times. If you go back in history, Nixon struggled, more than most, his entire life.

Here are a few of my favorites. I hope they inspire, sooth and maybe even provoke a new thought or two.

Enjoy!

"Defeat doesn't finish a man, quit does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits."

"If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But if you take no risks, you win no victories."

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."

"Never say no when a client asks for something, even if it is the moon. You can always try."

(Nixon's Washington DC home as VP)

And... my all time favorite... the quote I have posted for my inspiration:

"Only if you have been in the deepest valley,
can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."

Richard Nixon (1913 - 1994)

This past weekend, I held an open house at a foreclosure listing in Lebanon MO.

The property is a four bedroom, 3 full bath home in a quiet neighborhood, at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Asking Price:

$144,900

I almost did not write about my weekend. Then I read Patricia Kennedy's post, Please Don't Preview My Open House And Whine About The Market! and decided to share my experience.

First, let me say, public open houses are not common in the Lebanon MO area. We've seen more in the last three months than we probably had in all of 2006 or in 2007. Being a rural area, this has not been a common tool for listing agents.

Because this home is located in town, offers a lot of square footage and a reasonable price, I decided to hold the home open on Saturday and on Sunday.

I had a few real estate agents come through. One came through with her clients. I was glad to see them and certainly glad potential buyers had the opportunity to see the home bright and airy and smelling good.

I had a few unrepresented buyers come through. Most were pleasant, making conversation and asking intelligent questions.

But, then there was the ONE. So often there has to be at least ONE.

The buyer that wants to argue about the price - the home is a foreclosure, MAKE AN OFFER!

The buyer that wants to argue about the terms - NO, the foreclosure company will NOT rent the home to you until your current home sells.

The buyer that wants to lecture me on the HIGH FEES charged by REALTORS - Sorry, I will not discuss with you Mr. Buyer my compensation agreement with the SELLER.

My smile was fading... thank goodness I was saved by a NEIGHBOR who wanted to see if the home was still in good condition. (It is...)

The bottom line, I did not write an offer on this home and I did not let one bad apple spoil my event. But, it'll be hard not to think about the whiners the next time I plan on having an open house.

You don't have to take your shoes off, but you do have to check your attitude at the door.

More photos on the web:

UCMissouri.com

Back in July, I wrote a post celebrating the gas prices in Lebanon, Missouri and reasons why you would want to move here - we were paying $3.39 a gallon at that time. I was so excited! You can see those photos HERE.

A potential buyer stopped at our United Country office in Lebanon MO first thing this morning, raving about our gas prices. They were from Kansas; when they filled up to leave their home, they paid just under three and a half a gallon.

I thought it was worth a trip down the street to grab a few photos to share with you. I never thought we would see gas under $3.00 a gallon - or at least not for a very long time.

Just another reason to move to Lebanon, Marshfield or Buffalo Missouri. Call or email me today, we'll get you started!

  Finally!
     It's here! 
      Hip Hip Hurray!

For many years, members of the Lebanon Board of Realtors have used a local real estate guide as a form of local advertising. The guide has ranged from 50 pages all the way up to 170 pages! We've gone from black and white pages to a mix to now all color.

And, finally, we've gone on line!

Published every two months, the guide hits the stands the first Friday of the even numbered months. (Got that?) The on line version will be updated the week before the actual print version is available.

But, there are other important features of the on line guide:

• Search by town
• Search by name
• Search by price
• Download a page as a PDF
• Print a homes guide page to take with you
• Print an ad to reference later
• Email links are "hot" - ask your question or schedule your appointment right from the real estate guide page
• Web address links are "hot" - visit the agent's website for up-to-date pricing and fresh new listings, in between guides
  
  
  

Having the Lebanon MO area real estate guide on line will greatly increase the life span of the book, increase the exposure of our properties being offered for sale and expose the information to more people in less time. Believe it or not, mailing a 170 page real estate guide was not only costly, it took forever to reach its destination!

Our October / November issue isn't available until Friday, October 3rd, 2008 but you can have your sneak peak here and now!

Lebanon MO Area Real Estate Guide

Be sure to leave a comment or email me direct, I can't wait to hear what you think!

Our web address and my email are HOT links!

Not only in the header, but any link, any where on a page will be HOT!

Down load the page as a PDF file, search the pages, view the index or ask for help!