Joe Pryor.com Realtor Oklahoma Investment Properties

An article today in the L.A. Times has again introduced a novel workout idea. If people are underwater on their homes, and it is predicted that could run as high as 48% of metropolitan areas at some point, if you are not going to do loan mods, then let the owner stay in the house and rent. The cost of a foreclosure is trypically at least double that of a sdhort sale, and even more than a workout. However, some workouts are not possible due to job disruption, medical problems, or divorce.

The cost to neighborhoods cannot be measured in dollars alone. The empty homes become targets of vandalism and theft. The cities do not have the money to maintain the yards, so the neighborhood becomes unsightly, and tax reveue potential is further diminished, by homes falling into disrepair, and being torn up by theft. I have worked this concept with short sales. We have purchased the homes before foreclosure, kept the previous owners in with an option to buy within three years, and it works. To access the full LA Times article click here.

About 15 years ago I bought a home built in 1939 that needed a serious remodel. I was doing an open house one block away and in walked Todd Laine who lived down the street. The home I was in was rehabbed by a flipper, and Todd started showing me all that was done wrong, and it was all true. I asked him if he had time to come to my house and he did. What started with some remodeling jobs turned into a great working relationship and a close friendship thrown in. You see, Todd is one of those anal retentive GC's that won't do it if it is not done right. He would rather turn down the job. I like people like that especially if they are great at what they do. Todd is.

No job is too small or too large for him. He has GC'd the construction of his own house, flipped homes he has bought, and done repairs for me as low as $100. Todd is also someone that will not do work he is not qualified for. If it needs a licensed plumber so be it. This way if you are a real estate seller and Todd does repairs per contract, you don't have to worry after the sale. Todd just did a $500 job for me, and he is about to start working on a $2000 repair for a home sale, and the buyer is lucky in that Todd gives them his mobile number, and they can get a hold of him if anything goes wrong. I want to throw in some pictures of work that Todd has done and these are a bit on the extreme side but they show the befor and after of his work. This first is a kitchen that Todd redid on a total fixer upper.

Now I want to show you how a bathroom can be totally remade in the hands of a craftsman.

Todd can be reached by mobile ar 405-361-5511. Don't call him unless you want the job done right and trust him. I have for 15 years. Todd is one of my Oklahoma City gems.

In another proof as to why property values have not gone down in Oklahoma City, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has issued statistics showing that from 20076 to 2008, Oklahoma City lead the nation with a personal income growth of 6.9% Five of the six fastest growing metropolitan areas with populations of greater than 1 million were in Oklahoma and Texas. The Bureau cited the strength of oil and gas exploration, and construction contributed to our growth and that of the next three cities of Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. In the survey of 366 metro areas, the average was 3.3% Tulsa was closs behind with income growth of 6.3%.

As well all know, all real estate is local, and not all areas of the country are affected equally. We are grateful for our economic stability which also in the housing market is still showing appreciation. Now, if we can only win the big game in Dallas this year, life will be complete! Beat Texas!

I love to bike. Charlene and i try to do a 15 miler every day possible. We live by a lake that the bike trails are 12 miles around. Being a bike lover who has Italian bikes I own from the 1970's I cherish dealing with people who know what they are doing and Bicycle Alley at 1015 N. Broadway in Oklahoma City, id in the heart of a area just north of downtown called Automobile Alley, a historic area where the orginal car dealerships all located in the early 20th century. The owner Terry Enos, left his executive job to pursue this business which is also his passion, riding quality bikes.

Terry treats people the same regardless of their knowledge, and if they need education he is there for them. He also has a generous trade up policy because he knows that people don't necessarily understand that a $3600 bike is radically different from the $1000 one, and it really depends on your passion and budge. As a Realtor who deals in all shapes and sizes, this is the way all clients should be treated, and we can learn from people who possess the knowledge we don't have and the willingness to share it. Most importantly, regardless of your purchase price, you are first computerized in your measurements, then you are specially fitted to your bike. I always see people who are struggling on their bikes who are sitting too low or too high, and it can be bad for your body.

I have traded up each year for the last three so I have experienced their policy, and as someone who is getting older but loves competition, a great bike can help you keep up with the young ones. Young or old, so down to Bicycle Alley, get fitted, get riding, and get healthy. Thats me on my Felt F3 on my first ride this spring after I won my battle with cancer after treatment last year. Me, the bike, and the breeze equals joy and gratitude. Let me add that Terry is a bif supporter and fund raiser for LiveStrong,Lance's foudation that helps people affected by cancer, and does numerous rides and fundraisers to support more off road and main road biking trails and paths. Great bikes and a great business with a heart.

Inman News was just great. Having to miss the January meeting do to pressing health issues, it was a year since I attended. I was impressed about how different this meeting was. The first day in the blogosphere felt like a blogging PHD study compared to earlier meetings. I will write some in depth observations, but I wanted to share some highlights.

Number One. Jim Cronin of The Real Estate Tomato did a seminar on WordPress Hacks. Now he did say that is a misnomer since it is an open source platform, so he did share his favorite widgets and plugins. Using an Easter Egg was one of them, or having underlying messages in certain phrases. He was big on My Category order, putting the most important at the top, and in no particular order, All in one SEO, Facebook Connect, and Share This. VFlyers was a fave of his, and The Tomato has launched Tomato Twitter and Listing Press. More about that later.

Number Two. Twitter, Twitter, Twitter. Yes I know 70% of people online don't get it yet, but do you want to ignore 30%? And do you want to ignore a jump in use of 1298% in one year? We learned about cool Twitter add ons and site. One allowed you to set up scheduled Twitter feeds, so in the morning, you set up five and let the program do the rest. There was so much on Twitter that it deserves a comprehensive post. The only thing talked about as much was.....

Number Three. Facebook. This is where America and the world is. To ignore it is foolish. I did a post not long ago about how I wanted friends, not fans. The conference told me I was wrong. I will work on having two business sites on Facebook, and they will be like web sites. I will post specific blog post to them. Facebook has too much action to be ignored.

Number Four. Copyblogger. Sonia Simone, the senior editor gave a first day keynote address. Copyblogger is a daily read for me. It helps me be a better blogger than any other feed or site out there. Highlights were on how to be a friend and an authority at the same time, or to take it a step farther, be also a neighbor. Do special reports, and put them on a separate downloading page. Do an F.R.O, Frequently Raised Objections rather than a FAQ and answer truthfully. Do not ignore email. And remeber that a blog is a tool in a marketing plan, not the whole plan.

Much more later and with detail and some food reviews. It was San Fran, after all. I need to go over my notes, which are many. The good news about being an Inman Premuim member is that I will go back and watch the broadcast of what I liked best, and check out what I could not make. You all have a nice weekend, you here.