Slightly more than 14 months ago we jumped with both feet into a puddle of RAIN - ACTIVERAIN that is. We watched, we read, we commented, we got involved. Even though we didn’t really know what we were doing we knew one thing for sure. Whatever “IT” was we NEEDED to do it. I can remember the feeling of overwhelming joy and excitement when we had our first featured post. I was on top of the world!
I remember the first time the phone rang and the caller on the other end said “I saw your article about blah, blah, blah”. I remember the first time a fellow ActiveRain agent called and asked if we could take a referral. I remember the first time I personally met a fellow ActiveRain agent and how we felt like we’d been friends forever.
When I hit “submit” with this post, we will surpass 200,000 points. WOW how time has flown. I can remember when I saw someone with 200,000 points and thought they must have been around forever. Now I know that it’s really just a starting 
point and that we have a LOT more to learn.
Thank you to each of you who has commented on a post. Thank you to each of you who has subscribed to our blog. Thank you to Niki and Kerrie and the rest of the ActiveRain staff who endure our crazy questions and requests.
It’s been a fun journey - but now we’ve got our sights on the MILLION point milestone!!!!
But hey, who’s counting .......
Cyndi
Life Is A Beach......
Panama City Beach on a Cool February Morning
Panama City Beach Just Before an Evening Storm
Sand On A Sunny Day at Panama City Beach
We Found Time For Lunch at AJ’s in Destin Too!
And Sometimes A Mountain -
Whether it’s in the mountains we call home or at the beach - I love having the opportunity to spend time with my wonderful husband and business partner.
Cyndi
Just Browsing?
As agents I’m sure you know that different programs work best with different internet browsers. Some will only work with Internet Explorer, others only with Firefox. Even with I/E, some will function only in 32-bit while others require 64-bit.
Yesterday, I had one of those horrible techno challenges. Bill and I specialize in marketing foreclosures, which means we also pay all the expenses and submit them for reimbursement. I was under a deadline to get some invoices submitted in time for the next run of checks. I have used Internet Explorer with this particular program for MONTHS yet nothing I was doing was working. I finally got someone from tech support on the phone who kept repeating to me that their system was only licensed to work with Internet Explorer 8. She couldn’t, however, tell me how to determine what I/E version I was operating. Great. I finally figured out that at some point in the last 30 days or so that my computer had updated itself (with no regard for any input from me) to I/E Version 9.
It seems I/E 9 is not working for a lot of different programs. If your computer is like mine and has a mind of it’s own, here’s how to get rid of it. First determine what version you do have. Open your I/E browsers and click on HELP on the toolbar. It will say “What’s New with Version X” with X representing the version YOU have. If it’s 8 you’re ok. If it’s 9 then click the "windows" symbol on the bottom left hand side of your screen. Then click on CONTROL PANEL and then either UNINSTALL A PROGRAM or PROGRAMS AND FEATURES depending on what view you prefer. Then, in the upper left hand corner click on VIEW INSTALLED UPDATES (see picture). Scroll down and find Internet Explorer 9, highlight it and click UNINSTALL.
Jump up and down with joy as it goes away taking your troubles with it. You’ll
have to reset your Internet Explorer setup but the wizard will walk you through it. Restart your computer and you’re now gleefully back to I/E 8.
Life is good.
Cyndi
PS - If I’m the last one to figure this out, please don’t tell me!
Tornado Hit Murphy North Carolina
As many have seen or heard on the news this weekend a tornado hit Murphy North Carolina in the early evening on Friday, March 2nd.
Amazingly enough, all the storms that have hit this area in the past few years have missed us. But not this one! On Friday evening a Tornado touched down on the west side of Cherokee County in the Hiawassee Dam area. It
skipped across Lake Hiawassee and touch down again in the Texana Community just north of town, hit a couple of businesses in downtown and then followed the commercial district east causing destruction as it went. At one point it hopped across the major 4-lane highway and damaged Taco Bell, Ingles Grocery and WalMart before hitting several developments in the Peachtree area.
Since Saturday morning we have driven through numerous areas checking on current listings and homes we have sold in the past to absentee owners. 
So far, we are pleased to report that everything is ok for our clients.
The outpouring of offerings of support, donations, food, clothes, shelter from people both inside and outside this area has been incredible. It has reaffirmed
our faith in the goodness of people.
With much love and thankfulness,
Cyndi
An old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch. The old German Shepherd thinks, "Oh, no! I'm in deep trouble now!"
Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?" Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!," says the panther, "That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!"
Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes. The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.
The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!" Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now"? But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...
"Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther”!
Moral of this story: Don't mess with the old dogs. Age and experience will always overcome youth and treachery! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.
Cyndi
PS My take-away from this as it relates to business is simple: When faced with adversity, the German Shephard didn't panic. He remained calm, looked around and used the tools that were available to him. He didn't try to reinvent the wheel or discover a new form of heat. He simply used his head (and a few old bones)!!
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Working with Buyers, Sellers and Asset Managers in the Mountains of Western North Carolina and North East Georgia. Come on up to the Mountains - You KNOW you want to!
Real estate is our business - our only business. As longtime residents of the Sunshine State, we relocated to this area in 1999, and have never looked back. We were very active brokers in this market long before Murphy was on the map. We watched this market, like most markets, soar, and today we are looking at a very changed market, one that offers some tremendous opportunities for first time buyers as well as investors. Sellers, either of REO assets or fair market properties, must absolutely be educated on the competition they face in this new market. We are entrenched in the foreclosure and short sale industry, and are exposed to many of these properties long before they come to market. If you are interested in finding some great deals visit "Foreclosures". The purchase of real estate is a shared transaction in that buyers and sellers are divided between an emotional experience and the logical side,and it is a brokers job to help everyone make educated decisions. And it is that precise responsibility that we take very seriously.
When we are not working, we like to enjoy all the mountains have to offer. We enjoy the outdoors and love fishing and whitewater rafting, but our favorite thing to do is hop on our motorcycles and feel the "breeze on our knees" and ride. The mountains of Western North Carolina and Northeast Georgia have the best riding roads in the country.
Living in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, we are perfectly situated right on the NC/GA line. Our markets include the towns of Murphy, Andrews, Brasstown, Culberson, Hayesville, Marble, Warne, Nantahala, Topton and Robbinsville in North Carolina and Blue Ridge, Mineral Bluff, Blairsville, Epworth, McCayesville, Young Harris and Hiwassee in Georgia. Of course there are small towns and communities within those areas that are too numerous to mention but you get the idea!
While the current market has pointed us in the direction of specializing in the REO market, we also love working with sellers and buyers of "arms-length" transactions. In other words, those that are not considered distressed, foreclosures or short sales. The experiences gained while working with foreclosures gives us an understanding of the market that we otherwise might not have. We are constantly tracking inventory, sales, values and other market data. Whether you are buying or selling, this knowledge can prove to be invaluable to you as you compete with other buyers and sellers in the marketplace.
LISTEN TO WHAT THIS HAPPY 1ST-TIME HOME BUYER HAS TO SAY!!
CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO SEE WHAT TONY & SUSAN HAVE TO SAY!
“Kent and I worked with Bill and Cyndi Daves - Team Daves - to find our second home with the perfect mountain view. It was a great experience working with Cyndi in finding our mountain getaway and Bill found us a contractor after closing who can do it all!! They know the right people for every need. Cyndi and Bill did a great job and we are more than pleased”.
"Bill and Cyndi were a pleasure to work with. They listened to our needs and found just the right property for us!"
Jim and Susie - Vero Beach FL
"It was great to get the check!! You guys are great and the best to work with!"
Paul and Bobra Ferdenzi, Murphy NC
"Thank you for helping us find the perfect vacation get-a-way"
- Stuart, Emily & Kids!
“Bill and Cyndi did an excellent job of servicing our needs both as builders of our second home and as agents on the sale 5 years later. My wife and I found Bill and Cyndi to be responsive, knowledgeable and considerate of our needs in all aspects of our working relationship. Along the way we became good friends as well. We would not hesitate to recommend them to others.
Nick and Helen Cawood - Woodstock, Georgia
Hey Bill and Cyndi,
I just got done extensively reading your blog. It is outstanding. Really good,
informative and professional. Great work!
Take Care,
Jim
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