Dave Segrove

I LOVE ARIZONA!
By Jill Segrove

Why? Because Arizona is the only state where you can say "Chuckwalla" and get away with it. You can live in towns like "Christmas", or actually meet the Flintstones in Bedrock City.

However, the biggest reason I love Arizona is that it's landcape is forever etched into my mind. When Katherine L. Bates wrote the lyrics to America the Beautiful, she had to be standing in Arizona. There is no other place where you will find amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties, and fruited plains harvested together. Here are some other interesting things about the land that I love:

Four Corners Monument is the only place in the United States you can stand in four states at the same time - Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah.

Offically known as "The Grand Canyon State", Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912 giving us the nickname "The Valentine State".

The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitts Peak National Observatory in the city of Sells.

At one time camels were used to transport goods across Arizona. Today, it is illegal to hunt camels in Arizona.

A person who lives in Arizona is called an Arizonan.

The Arizona trout is found only in the Arizona.

The bola tie is the official state neckwear.

The amount of copper on the roof of the Capitol building is equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.

Arizona finally completed the last section of Interstate 10 in 1990. You can now travel from Florida to California without having to access the back roads of Phoenix.

Arizona observes Mountain Standard Time on a year round basis. We never have to change our clocks.

The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.

The Arizona tree frog is the state official amphibian. The frog is actually between three-quarter to two inches long.

Once the 4th largest city in the Arizona territory, the copper mining town of Jerome dwindled to as few as 50 people after the mines closed in 1953. It is now the largest ghost town in America.

Located in Fountain Hills is a fountain believed to be the tallest in the world.

Phoenix originated in 1866 as a hay camp to supply Camp McDowell.

Arizona leads the nation in copper production.

If you've been to school in Arizona, you'll know "the 5Cs" or Arizona "Commodities" : Climate, Copper, Citrus, Cotton and Cattle.

A lack of MLS imagination can be partially cured with the use of a Thesaurus (Merriam-Webster, please send checks to me at...).

An example :

3"BR/4BA 2CG well-maintained home in nice neighborhood. Close to shops and restaurants. New carpet. Soothing water feature. AC / Garbage Disposal. Master bedroom with walk-in closet. New Blinds. Priced to Sell!!! YES!!! PRICED TO SELL!!!"

Now, before I am accused of ripping people and their ads apart, let me say that I know there are regulations as to what can and cannot be put in ads, on the MLS etc. I also understand that agents try to emphasis the positive while hiding the negative. A noble intention for sure. Their job is to get it sold.

Let's review my above example.

First of all, most MLS systems will limit the number of characters in the description area of a listing. Why waste these by repeating what will, in all probability, already be somewhere else on that page? "3BR/4BA 2CG" represents 11 characters that might be better used for something else.

I usually encourage people to list the positives in order of importance. Judging by my made-up description, there's probably not a lot going for this house, at least not according to the description, which points out "well-maintained" and "close to shops" as leading features. In fact, mentioning it's proximity to local attractions, along with the neighborhood are sure signs that this might be a listing to be avoided.

Most agents I know understand that "well-maintained" is often substituted for "old", though not in all cases. Yet, if it's the first part of the description, in theory, things could only go down from here...

Moving on. "Soothing water feature". What's this? A fountain? Call it like it is.

Garbage Disposal...hm, were we reaching here? What does this house look like? I might request a tour just to see the horror show.

Priced to sell? Aren't they all? Who on earth invented this one?

The use of exclamation points makes the ad read as though it's being shouted by a dishonest salesman, ditto using "YES!!!!" and uppercase letters.

Okay, smarty-pants, what would you do?

Well, let's try this:

"Unsophisticated, tastefully decorated single-storey home on a spacious lot. Move-in ready with new carpets and blinds throughout. Desirable north-south elevation. Attractive master bedroom with walk-in closet. Back yard boasts elegant fountain and mature shrubs and trees. "

Now, granted this is just one way to reword the ad, but my point is that a description should be just that, not a repeat of the items that will probably be on the listing page. As an agent, you are allowed to use your opinion, within boundaries and who has the right to question your use of words that describe the lot or decorations.

My point is that, there are "danger" words that I see all the time. Coupled with bad photos, these can doom a listing. A dash creative spice (and no embellishment) can turn a mundane description into a little work of art.

Not the usual blog entry you'd expect to see from me, but I thought I'd pass this on. The FBI have arrested and charged people here in the Phoenix area for stripping their about-to-be-foreclosed homes.

Many agents that I work with have told horror stories about houses that are little more than shells after they've been stripped of everything from copper wiring to fixtures, counters, plumbing and more, requiring any new buyer to invest serious amounts of money to make it livable again.

Anyway, I saw a story on TV last night, in which agents are now asking homeowners to sign a form acknowledging that they recognize that, in essence, the home belongs to the bank and that trashing it is illegal.

http://www.kpho.com/news/19596756/detail.html

The FBI arrested and charged one homeowner whose $1.5 million home's valuable contents such as countertops appeared on Craiglists. By the time he had finished, the home was worth under $200K...

http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/FBI-investigates-stripping-of-foreclosed-Valley/c5XjbpAeVESK6PJcYocA7g.cspx

From a personal perspective, I sympathize and understand the anger and frustration that many feel when they're about to lose a home, but it might be worth reconsidering before acting out...

DAVE'S FRIDAY FEATURE

Last Friday I finished the week with an article on emoticons. I had some interesting feedback and, as promised, am following up with this Friday's feature: Web Abbreviations (or Webbreviations).

Some, such as LOL (laughing out loud) are so commonplace as to merit entry in commercial dictionaries. In order to expand your web diction, below is a list of some of the more (or less) common abbreviations you might see out there.

Okay, now you're totally l33t and will be able to understand what your kids are saying (jk). There are literally hundreds of abbreviations out there. This small list comprises some of the more "universal" ones.

I've left some of the less appropriate ones out, but there are plenty of those too. You may also see some numbers-for-text substitution. No, this isn't a secret code, it's just another form of "net speak" but I'll be covering this next Friday.

In the meantime, get online and I'll ttyl!

Get the latest news and ideas from Webby's Updates, the online newsletter.

1. Empty space – keep a fair amount of it. Too much information is as bad as too little. Invariably, the card will look crowded and dense. A good idea is to write down everything you would like to put on your card and then prioritize it.



2. Use both sides – there's a whole other 3½x2 space to use. Consider putting slightly less relevent information on the back of your card. Your fax number for example, unless you think it's critical. Your blog address, mailing address...yes, your mailing address...how many people write to you based on your card? More people are going to call or email you...



3. Make it legible. Use a clear font and a good contrasting color. If it's too small, it's going to be a pain to read. Don't try and be clever. To be brutally honest, it's annoying.



4. Use a good stock. Yes, the economy makes it hard to spend money on some things where we know we can save, but you often get what you pay for, especially when it comes to business cards. Use at least a 12pt card stock. Do consider the return on investment. Plastic business cards may be cool, but they're expensive. Can you justify that cost?



5. Glossy or not? If you're going to get a UV (glossy) finish, consider the color of the card. Glossy cards have a nice, waxy feel to them, but they tend to show fingerprints easily on darker colors. Another thing to consider is that if you are trying to save money, think about using a lighter color card. Unless you're going to a custom printer, most card colors are printed onto the paper. Depending on the quality of the cutter, this can lead to cards looking "worn at the edges" as soon as you get them, especially with a UV finish. A lighter color, or white, doesn't show this. I've designed cards with a white border just to prevent this problem. A matte finish can look very classy. but so can gloss. UV tends to "weather" better.



6. Include a photo? It's up to you but ask yourself why. First, it takes up space. Second, it needs to be a good one. Third, it should be you and not you and family, you and pets...you get the idea. Do you want people to "remember" you? Well, your winning personality should take care of that. Use photos with caution. If you're ordering 1,000 business cards, remember that you should try and resemble the photo as you get to the end of the stack. Planning on changing your hairstyle/color? Consider your cards...



7. What should be on it?
   The "Dave Segrove rule of thumb" is as follows:
   Front
   • Name
   • Title (optional)
   • Credentials (optional, depending on legal requirements. If you have a whole bunch of certifications, consider that having an alphabet after your name may impress some people but it may intimidate others)
   • Telephone
   • Email
   • Web address (optional – could go on the back)
   • Photo (optional – see sermon above)
   • Logo
   • Quote or catchphrase (optional)The Back
   Back
   • Address
   • Fax
   • Blog
   • Alternate phone
   • Web address (if not used on the front)
   • Alternate website (if you have another)
   • Space for notes or appointment(s) (optional)
   • Industry required logos (such as Equal Housing etc)
   • Map to your business location (useful for retail)
   • Hours of operation (retail)

As you can see, there is much to choose from. Considering that you should leave "breathing space", pick carefully.


8. The background. While a uniform color looks nice, a graphic can be quite eye-catching, as long as it doesn't interfere with the foreground.



9. What should be avoided? This is just my opinion but you've read this far..."I appreciate referrals". Who the heck doesn't? So why waste valuable space by putting that on your card? Photos that are not relevent should also be avoided. "Clever" sayings that are not part of your mission statement, slogan, motto or catchphrase, tagline etc. If you have the space, perhaps something else to fill it? Oversized or strangely shaped cards. There is a little more room for the latter, provided they fit into a standard business card slot in a rolodex or folder. If your card is too big, where might it end up?



10. How can you get it customized? Work with a designer. Yes, I know it involves a cost, but many designers are not that expensive. I know I'm not, and I really mean that. A good designer will work with you, learn about you and what your business message needs to convey. He or she should provide "mock-up" designs and taylor them until you're happy. Listen to the designer. Work with them. Ask to see their portfolio and only move forward if you have a good feeling about them.