Alex Quesada

Today it is November and 80 degrees - beautiful. You can smell there is change in the air, people are friendlier andbusiness is brisk. Last Friday, I received two freebies: at the local pet store a premium dog food distributor let me rant about how the cost of his food has become very expensive. And would you know it, he gave me a bag of premium dog food. That same day, I went to the local pharmacyto pick up some allergy medicine, the pharmacist let me rant about the high cost of allergy medicine and voilla! She ripped open a pack of the meds. and gave me a sheet of pills right from the box. Ever since then I have been on a high - a grateful attitude of gratitude - supremely happy high.

Attention: Agents Everywhere: You are doing a disservice to your clients and the industry as a whole by putting a listing on the market, putting a lockbox and nothing more.

I am fortunate enough to have a stable of buyers actively searching for properties. Like any agent at this stage of the transaction, I am previewing houses and returning the next day to show. From one day to the next, keys are removed from the lockbox or offers are accepted and nobody updated the MLS. Or..I am at the front door, ready to show the house to a buyer and viollah! - the lockbox combination does not work or the key is not in there. This is worse than not having a property to show - because I can't show it!

Another thing that gets me is the use of eBay-likeweb sites that some agents employ. Kazork.com is going to render real estate agents obsolete. I do not care if your asset manager requests the use of the service - say no. These sites clog the ability to access information. These sites hinder the sales process by instructing the buyer to input their own offer thereby eliminating the need for you - the buyers agent. If you are mentioned at all, stand back you may receive a whole 1% commission. You guys, think things through, take the time and put real service back to the fore. This is an interesting time to be selling real estate, therefore agents, please, help your brethren out, update your listing anytime there are changes in the MLS, answer the phone when we call for insight, put your cell phone on the MLS printout, how busy are you anyway? (and) Above all, be professional.

If you ever want to relax, eat fair - fare on a Thursday evening, come to the Redlands Farmer's Market in Redlands, CA. From 5:00 to 10:00 pm, every Thursday, farmers, food vendors and merchants converge on State ST in Redlands, CA. People come to enjoy the festivities from all over - Highland folk especially enjoy the proximity to Redlands Farmer's Market. Fresh produce for a song - you can find the freshest vegetables and fruit - cheap at the Redlands Farmer's Market. Speak to the farmer's about their techniques, ask an organic grocer anything you want. Part of the allure of the Farmer's Market is the interaction with the people.

Taste some of the best fair - fare. From falafel to bacon wrapped brats. From Chinese food to a fresh squeezed lemonade. Eat caramel corn - popcorn made fresh and seasoned with caramel that leaves a crunchy candy coat on freshly popped popcorn.

The music - let me tell you, last night's entertainment was provided by the "Jazz Junkies." Smooth jazz, sprinkled with a Zeppelin tune ot two had my 2 year old hopping under the stars. Speaking of the stars, the weather was perfect hovering at 80 -82 degrees. Lastly, look around and you'll catch the fairy tale carriage. The fairy tale carriage is powered by a beautiful white horse, pulling a round, flourescent lighted crown that takes it's riders on a fairy tale trip through old town Redlands.

Mark your calendar, Thursday and come out to the Redlands Farmer's Market in beautiful old town Redlands, CA.

369 Homes in Highland CA have sold since March 2009. Home sales in Highland CA have picked up dramatically. Currently, most regular listings(non Short Sales) receive an average of 10 to 20 offers the moment that home is made available for sale. Why? Because the inventory is stagnant. Listen in on a sales meeting at Any Real Estate Office, California and you'll hear that there is a four month inventory of active listings available - there isn't. I have three clients that want three particular areas defined by Thomas Guide grid and nothing is available and nothing new has come up for about two months. There are a no months supply of homes available.

I am excited to be selling homes in Highland, CA. I am thrilled that the homes that my clients are interested in are drawing small bidding wars. This is instrumental to recovery of a slagging market. My clients ask, "is it true that some houses are going for higher than the asking price," or "is it possible that there may be more than our offer on the same property?" Yes. Yes. This is a sign that the Real Estate muscle is starting to be worked out again. This will ultimately lead to a more robust sellers market and higher values in the long run.