4114Homes.com - Stephen M. Wigg

If you're buying a house, what do you know about your ability to buy that dream home, and what format do you prefer if you don't know? Here's a great one from NPDodge.com that automatically inputs the price of the house and it's really nice how it changes when you click on down payment % options. But is this enough? Too much? Never used?

Designing a real estate web-site and a profound question arose: What contact information shows up when a Buyer's Agent sends a link to a client? Here's an example of a link to a web-site for a local broker.

• The contact information at the bottom is the Client Services Manager for that broker
• Where does this e-mail recipient go to get more information on this or another listing if they received this link from another agent?
• DO the Buyer's Agents even send links of properties to clients?
• How many houses do Buyer's Agents show clients that are dead-set-&-determined to buy something by a specific date?
  

I just wonder what it would say for contact information if that link was sent by another agent at that same broker and I don't want to waste somebody's valuable time pretending I'm looking.

Try this, if you like the original game. You'll love it!

Speed Scrabble Rules
(Stephen’s Hybrid of dozens of online rules)

Game Set-up

• There are no teams in this form of Scrabble®. Each person is on his own team.

• The best way to play this game is with 3 – 7 people.
• Each person begins with seven Scrabble® pieces flipped upside down in front of them.
• Place the remainder of the Scrabble® pieces in the center of the table, face down.
• Clear a large enough area in front of each player to complete your puzzle array.

• (This will be where your puzzle is formed).

• To begin the game, the youngest player will say “On your mark, Get Set, Go,” at which time all of the players will flip their seven pieces over and each begin to form words in front of themselves connected in the same manner as the game of Scrabble®.
• The tile imprinted with the letter 'Q' may be treated for purposes of play as a 'Q' or as a 'QU'. It may be a 'Q' (QI, QAT or QAID, etc.) in one direction and, simultaneously, a 'QU' in another.
• Once one word is created, you may begin to play off of your word, as if using a Scrabble® board with what is termed an array.
• Follow the rules of Scrabble® pertaining to horizontal, vertical and parallel word arrangements.

Drawing Additional Tiles

• Once someone has used all of their letters to make Scrabble® words, they will shout “GO.”
• Everyone must draw another tile from the center pile of upside-down game pieces.
• They must draw new pieces even if they have not used their own pieces yet.
• (This is what makes players get backed up and frantic).
• They may not switch the tiles that they picked for different ones.
• They cannot trade tiles with other players.

Valid Scrabble® Words

• During play, if there is doubt about the validity of a word, that person in doubt can use the Scrabble® dictionary to validate that, or other words in their grid, but the game moves fast so it’s ill-advised.
• It’s not necessary to have only valid words during the game, but those invalid words will count twice against you at the end of the round, so make sure you aren’t caught with those invalid words once somebody has called, “Stop.”
• You can rearrange words in new arrays during play. This is advised if one of the words is “suspect.”
• Each player must have all words connected in one array (Similar to Scrabble®).

Ending the Round

• The game proceeds in this manner until the upside-down pieces in the center of the table are gone or until there are not enough left for everyone to draw again. (4 pieces left with 5 players)
• The first person who has used up all of their game pieces on the grid in front of themselves and there are no more tiles to draw, will call “Stop.”
• If the person who called "Stop" has any invalid words the word(s) must be dismantled and play continues till an all-valid collection of words is declared by the next to call, “Stop.”

Scoring

• Each player then reads out all their words; and the words are checked in the dictionary if necessary. (Normal Scrabble® word-applicability rules apply.)
• Each player counts the points (e.g. “Z” = 10 pts.) of the words they created.
• You can count letters two times if used twice in an array.
• Each player will subtract the points of their leftover tiles not in an array.
• Subtract double the points for invalid words.
• Don’t count any of the points for valid words directly attached to array of the invalid word.

N O S E R
A
I
DOG

• e.g. “noser” is challenged and found to be invalid (personal history); double-point penalty for the invalid word. (-10)
• “said” is attached to “noser” so no points counted or penalized for that word.
• “dog” attached to “said” so normal scoring awarded for indirect connect in array.
• Double-point penalty for “noser”, (-10); no points for “said” (0); and regular points granted for “dog.” (5)
• Once arguments (mostly about these vague rules) are settled, all tiles are put back face-down for the next round.

Winning the Game

• The first player to a desired score (500 recommended) wins, ending the game.

Tips

• As the game progresses, keep reassembling your grid to make sure all your words are valid Scrabble® words if any are doubtful during play.
• Towards the end try to use all of your letters even if they only make a simple word so you do not have to subtract from your overall score when time is up.

Ask and it shall be given... Here's the traffic for these Google Search phrases: My conclusions:

1. People don't make the search complete sentences like adding the word "in".
2. People don't type the word "Search" in searches.
3. It doesn't matter which order they enter the words. Google still finds that combination.
4. You don't need to put in the state.