Mike Hendren, GRI, CDPE

Photoshop is an amazing piece of software.

One of the really cool things it can do is merge images in several ways.

Two possibilities are:

1. Merge to a panorama, or
2. Merge into a composite.

The panorama is very useful when you have a scene that is just too wide (or tall) for the lens you may have available. So, you can shoot a series of images, overlapping them by about 20% or so and then through the magic of Photoshop, those images can be put together into a seamless panorama. That is the technique I used for the photo of the Grand Canyon, above.

The image of my son-in-law jumping off a cliff (yeah, I'm glad there was water below - Ha!), was created by shooting a fast series of shots as he jumped. Then, in Photoshop, I was able to layer the images together into the composite you see here. This photo was taken at Lake Powell in Utah which, by the way, is an incredible place to visit. You have to do it in a houseboat, but it is awesome!

I'm not as familiar with Photoshop Elements but I think it may have these same capabilities for much less money!

I took this photo at one of those windmill farms near Ft. Supply, Oklahoma. There must be over a hundred of these huge windmills, there - they are quite a sight!

This image was actually taken a little before sunset, looking directly into the sun with the towers silhouetted. The original image was considerably underexposed, but while playing with it in Adobe Lightroom, I changed the white balance to "tungsten", bumped up the exposure by a little over one stop, and this was the result.

I think it looks more like a moonlight photo than one taken in the daytime.

By all current indications, the "storm" is receding. The residential real estate market, here in Denver, is beginning to show signs of recovery, finally. The salient statistics for our market are:

• Current active inventory is at a 6 year low.
• Homes under contract are up over this time last year.

Most of these positives, so far, are in the homes priced under $500,000. What this means is that we should start to see some price appreciation in that price range as the market shifts from a buyer's market to a seller's market. So what does this mean to buyers and sellers?

Buyers need to:

• Get pre-approved.
• Lock in these low interest rates.
• First-time home buyers need to act soon to take advantage of the tax credit that is available only until Dec. 1, 2009.
• Look in the upper price ranges because that is where the deals still are.

Sellers should:

• Price your home correctly and it will sell quicker.
• Have the best conditioned home in your area.
• Be open to offering creative financing.

Hopefully, soon, we'll see the rainbow at the end of this stormy time we've all been through in the real estate market.

Should home buyers require a survey of the property?

Maybe - Sometimes - Explore other options.

Here in Colorado, in subdivisions, buyers rarely ask for a survey of the property. (Acreage, of course, is a completely different scenario and USUALLY needs a survey to verify boundaries, easements, encroachments, etc.)

However, even smaller lots in the middle of subdivisions are not immune to "hidden problems" regarding the properties integrity. These kinds of problems, though rare, can include:

• encroachments
• easements
• unrecorded rights
• and other adverse conditions

Sometimes, in lieu of a survey, a faster, cheaper option is the "Improvement Location Certificate" or ILC. These can be used to find encroachments onto and off of the subject property and to identify boundary problems regarding fences, structures, driveways, etc. It should provide the buyer with a scaled drawing which would depict these problems and any easements that might cross the property.

We need to keep our clients informed about the differences between an ILC and a survey so they can understand when and why one might be required over the other.

You've probably seen the email. You know, the one that encourages everyone to wear red on Fridays to show support for the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. I don't see much red on Fridays and I have to admit I don't always remember, either. But I do unconditionally and completely support and admire everyone who wears, or has worn, a uniform in the U.S. Military.

My Grandfather, my Father, and every one of my uncles served in war time - Granddad in WWI and the others in WWII. Our family was so incredibly lucky that they all returned home safe, because they were all in harms way with an enemy shooting real bullets and intent on killing them.

Maybe my family history is one reason it makes my blood boil every time I see anyone who disrespects a soldier or what they do. Those warriors have a terrible, dangerous job to do but they are only following orders - orders that come from the top, by the way. So let's not fault them for doing what we ask of them - what some go to great lengths to avoid doing (like moving to Canada).

I hate war! We should all hate war. Our soldiers probably hate it more even than those of us who remain safe at home. But, hating war will not stop it. As long as there are evil people in this world, war will be a fact of life and we had better have a strong, capable, and willing military to protect us from those who would do us harm.

So, from the bottom of my heart -

to all of you who serve or have served,

or have family helping to protect our great country and all we stand for - -

"Thank You for Your Service to Your Country!"

Please repeat this message to every soldier you see.

Or even better, send those guys something as suggested by Vince Puelo.

(Top right - my grandfather/WWI. Left - my grandfather with my dad and uncle/WWII)