Alysha Munoz

Ok, so much for the blogging. I did receive a lot of nice comments - and quite a lot had similar feelings to mine. Now I want to know how many of you have SOLD a home over Facebook? I have received notes, but so far, no buyers.

I do not Tweet - I think it is silly but every now and then I will log in and say something. But I am from an older generation that likes to express ourselves with many words - so this Twitter thing is just not enough for me.

I was on Facebook all the time (NapaValley RealEstate) but I have sort of dropped off - maybe it is loosing it's luster for me. I check in every now and then.

My new thing is video. I am working hard to get some video I like. Much of what I see on YouTube is not very good. I had a laugh today - I receive a ton of emails every day from "online marketing gurus" that want me to take their webinars. But one today made me laugh - it was the WORST produced video of someone telling me he was going to teach me to do good video!!! His hands were in the center of the screen while he spoke and completely took over the screen! I studied acting and directing for years - a long time ago. These are BASICS to filming - you never use excessive hand expressions. They are very distracting. Yet I am seeing it all the time. 2 people sitting on chairs in front of the camera in a very drab junky office is NOT good video! Please! put some time and effort into it. So many people just want to "GET RICH QUICK" by getting me and others to put in their hard earned $$$s to get "OBVIOUS" advise that we already know. NO THANKS!

Funny thing this Blogging for Realtors! I wonder if people (not realtors) actually take the time to go out to all these pages and read the articles which have been slaved over hour after hour by all the Realtors in their desired location before choosing a Realtor to work with. I kind of doubt it. Actually, I am wondering how many Realtors have been told that they were ONLY chosen by their clients after they had been stludied through their online Blogs! I read something online just last month (it may have been TechSavvy Agent) where they said that the Real Estate Blog is becoming a thing of the past - because it has now been proven that these Realtor Rantings do nothing to help clients choose a Realtor.

Actually, some people argue that what blogging REALLY does is help the online search engines, like Google and Yahoo find more places where your name and territory might be grouped together. Also, supposidly, websites like Active Rain and other top Realtor blogs work very hard to get themselves at top placement with the search engines, so when we Realtors (pay) use these top sites, we have a better chance of getting "found" when someone is searching for a Realtor in OUR town. But I am wondering just who, besides other Realtors are actually reading our blogs? Unless we are marketing them to potential clients - who really finds them?

However, one thing that I have recently found while doing my OWN investigating on this subject is that NONE of our town's top agents are blogging!!! Oh sure, there are several of our "toppish" agents on this site and they are doing quite well with their articles - BUT they are not the TOP agents. So now I ask the question again, "Who has received a call from a new client who said they found you online through your blog?" Did they already know your name? Were they a Realtor or Realtor affiliate? Or did someone tell them to check out your blog?

So until I hear from a LOT of Realtors who say that if it was not for their blogs - they would have no clients, I think it is best to continue to do Real Estate as usual: And I have always found the best technique for it is to be FACE-to-FACE. I find that the old techniques like door-knocking and cold-calling still seem to bring in the MOST leads. These are old sales techniques that date back to Encyclopedia and Watkins salesmen. They were some of the pioneers of the entire sales career process and to this day some of their techniques still continue to bring in the highest commissions for sales people in any field, including Real Estate. The truth is that a client and a Realtor may like each other just fine online - but when they meet - they may not like each other or "jel" the way they should. Of course, top sales people know how to "mirror and match" any personality that they come in contact with - but that is not done through emails and websites.

So at this point, I conclude: Blogging may be fun for you, and maybe you have developed a nice blogging community - but I think it is too new and still in it's developmental stages to be put on the front burner. I want to know how you know that anyone is reading your stuff besides YOU - or other Realtors? We all like to hear our own thoughts and imagine them to be of greatness!

WHY NOT BE FORECLOSED?

Why sell short?

Agents who have closed hundreds of these transactions provide this list of reasons:

* Avoid the foreclosure stigma – Homeowners will always have to disclose that they had a foreclosure on any mortgage application and (many job applications) that they submit in the future. This can have an adverse affect on their future mortgage rates. Foreclosure is asked about specifically in credit inquiries. There is no seven-year time limit on this item.

* Protect credit score – Credit scores will be lowered by 300-plus points (per loan) by foreclosure. The impact of a short sale—about half that much. Also, a short sale on your record shows that you are trying to work things out with the bank.

* Improve eligibility for a government insured loan – The homeowner will be ineligible for a government insured loan for 5-7 years (only two years in a short sale). A foreclosure is the one credit report item that is almost impossible to have repaired.

* Avoid a deficiency judgment – Lenders can seek a deficiency judgment against the homeowner and collect any amount they do not recover at sale. Foreclosed homes tend to sell for less than short sales - so the amount of loss to the bank is greater - and therefore the deficiency judgement is usually greater!

* Protect employment prospects – Many employers run credit checks on prospective employees. Foreclosure is one of the top items that will put a potential new hire, or even current employment, in jeopardy.

These are the top reasons, but there are more. An expert short sale specialist agent can give a full picture of the options.

We as realtors, have been warned that the next large wave of Foreclosures will be in the Million Dollar range! So this is not a fleeting problem. It is something that the vast majority of homeowners should become educated on. They say it may take another 5 - 7 years to recover from this "stabliization" of the market.

(Most of this article is taken from the KW Website and I consider it a very helpful summary of the argument. I have also added content.)

I just want to take a moment and comment at how elated I was on this Historic Day. We in America have now shown the world that we are growing in our ideas about society and what it takes to be a leader. We are no longer afraid. We have now elected our first African American President! And whether or not we voted for him does not make a difference today. It was a momentous day no matter what political party we lean towards.

After watching Obama come in - I saw on another channel - a celebration in Midland, TX of Bush arriving there. One leaves the presidency in Washington and another takes over. Bush left the festivities at the White House, chocked up when saying goodbye to the troops, took his last flight over the crowds and was greeted by a huge crowd in Midland.

President and Michelle Obama danced the night away in huge ballrooms where people lifted hundreds of cameras over their heads. They glanced in each other's eyes, smiled and whispered secrets to each other. Even Kid Rock was there to give the news his comments, "God, Family, Country".

Today everything had a story book ending.

But tomorrow they both start new lives. And my prayers are with them both.

God Bless America.