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Since company provided agent websites tend to have a cookie cutter layout, I've decided to throw one together myself. This is primarily so I can stand out from the crowd a little. In an industry where you have to strive to stand out from everyone else just in order to be noticed by a potential client, where better to start than with my website? Of course my site could always be better, but at the moment I don't have the $1200 to dish out for the Adobe Suite. In addition to using a lower budget software, I've been fighting with my computer here lately. Every day I just want to throw it across the room, but I suppose that's what I get for buying a pc with the Vista OS. Word to the wise...buy a Mac. That will be the next office investment. Back to the website, everything seems to be up and running ok with the exception of the contact form. The software I've been using seems to be having issues with the html coding. That aside, any constructive criticism on the site would be much appreciated. Sometime next week I intend on adding flash to the main page, nothing extravagant because doing so would cause viewers with a slower internet connection trouble viewing the site. Let me know what you think!

NEW SITE ADDY: http://www.DTaul.com

After a tremendous amount of contemplating, I've decided to relocate out of state in the summer of 2009. Naturally I intend to continue my new found career as a REALTOR, and have began researching brokerage firms as well as my destination of interest, which happens to be Omaha, NE. In the process of gathering information, I was surprised to learn that some of the most recognized names in real estate (i.e. GMAC Real Estate, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Realty Executives, etc.) do not have offices within the city of Omaha. That of course raises the question, which brokerage firm would be the best choice? Of course even a locally owned firm that isn't part of a national franchise can be an outstanding performer in the market. With no name familiarity, which firm is the one to prospect? While visiting a friend in mid December, I made sure to watch for any and all real estate sinage I could see. I also checked local listings and watched the local cable access real estate chanel. The name that I seemed to notice most often was NP Dodge. My next steps will be contacting some of these firms for more information, and eventually arranging a trip back to Omaha to speak with them in person. This is where I turn to the Active Rain community though, in an attempt to possibly gain some inside info regarding the real estate market of Omaha. I would love to hear from anyone from the area that could offer some insight on any of the local brokerage firms. I started out by looking in the yellowpages online, but some of the offices listed no longer exist. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope to learn a bit from those that respond.

With each that passes, one can find themselves more and more eager to successfully close a transaction. A couple weeks ago, a fellow agent told me "Working as a Realtor is the one of the only jobs where you are essentially unemployed every day you aren't working a deal." As scary of a thought as that is, it's pretty accurate. Each day that passes I find myself becoming more and more determined to line up some deals. I really chose a bad season to start working in real estate. With temperatures dipping below freezing, it's hard to keep yourself motivated when you're risking frostbite just to introduce yourself to a potential client. That's what the job requires though. Now I know how the postal employees feel. At least they have a guaranteed income. haha

You would think with the housing market dropping prices like Wal-Mart, that finding an investor would be a fairly simple task. There is a company that I have close ties with that is seeking investors to help fund their project. We've been networking like crazy on investor websites, but it seems people want to make an investment in something but are too weary to actually make the investment. This company is wanting to purchase multifamily residential properties with 10+ units, make the necessary repairs and updates, then offer affordable housing to the communities whether it be section 8 housing or just reducing rent to be slightly less than the region's average housing cost. One particular property they are looking into is even in a historical district and would qualify for funding from the local community to help restore the property to its original state. The proposed return the company is offering seems to be more than fair, yet they haven't had any bites on the project. With this said, I thought I would turn to my fellow Active Rainers. Any advice on where one may find solid investors that aren't so scared of risks they won't actually invest?