Mother Lode Real Estate Master

This blog post is the next in a continuing monthly series where I'll pass on some information of interest that you may not get the opportunity to see otherwise. (There are links to the other twelve posts in this series at the end of this one.) It won't take you long to check out the four articles covering real estate and social media use in business.

2010 sales to rise 15 percent from Real Trends. A pretty rosy view of the real estate market for next year is offered by Lawrence Yun, NAR's Chief Economist. Do you buy it? (No pun intended)

5 Reasons Why Sellers Should Work with You on Both Sides of the Deal from the Real Estate Marketing Blog. So why shouldn't you also be the real estate professional to help your sellers find their next home? Quick and worthwhile read addresses this issue.

7 Ways to Get More Out of LinkedIn by Sharlyn Lauby on mashable.com. The golden trio of social media are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (I heard somebody say recently). You're using the first two, but what about the third? This article offers insight on how to get going on LinkedIn and use it to benefit your career goals. Worth it.

42+ Social Media Marketing Tools by Joe Pulizzi of the Junta42 Blog. A veritable goldmine here for social media enthusiasts. A must for your bookmarks or favorites.

More Mother Lode Real Estate "Must Reads":

October 2009

September 2009

August 2009

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

Apr 2009

Mar 2009

Feb 2009

Jan 2009

Dec 2008

Nov 2008

I just got back from taking my wife, daughter and son to the doctor's only to find out they each have the swine flu. (I'm not making it up. Who would want to?) And what if you were working with a real estate agent who all of a sudden came down with the H1N1 bug as it's also known? I'd like to suggest that you might be happy. And before you think I've lost all my marbles (maybe you thought that already?), hear me out. (Btw, my family is supposed to be fine. Just need to gut it out for a few days.) Of course, I'm not suggesting that you hire a realtor® who has the swine flu "literally." Instead, it's that acronym thing I've done in the past. (See "A Successful Realtor® in One Word" for an example: HERE.) This time it's two words: (spell it) S-w-i-n-e F-l-u. I suggest you search for and find a real estate professional with the following characteristics~not coughing, fever and a headache, but...

S-ervice-oriented

W-orker

I-mpressive

N-o nonsense

E-xpert

F-riendly

L-ocal

U-nderstanding of people

And maybe it's not such a bad thing to have the swine flu after all?! (If my wife reads this, she'll slap me. You can be sure of that. Or strangle me?)

I've got the latest Lake Tulloch / Copperopolis area residential sales statistics for you to see in four clickable graphs. As usual, the first three graphs cover three years including 2007, 2008 and 2009. The first graph spells out the Residential Unit Sales. The second graph highlights Residential Sales Volume. And the third graph shows Residential Average Sales Price. And finally, the fourth graph focuses on the price range breakdown of Residential Units Sold through November 12, 2009. Before you click on the graphs, here are some of the numbers in simple black and white...

Total Residential Unit Sales: October 2009 = 95; October 2008 = 71; October 2007 = 66

Total Residential Sales Volume: October 2009 = $23,235,724; October 2008 = $21,648,277; October 2007 = $30,170,874

Total Residential Average Sales Price: October 2009 = $244,587; October 2008 = $304,905; October 2007 = $457,134

For more market information and help with buying or selling, contact your Sugar Pine Realty Lake Tulloch / Copperopolis real estate professional today. Call 209-785-5757. (The data used in this post comes from the Calaveras Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.)

Total Residential Unit Sales:

Total Residential Volume Sales:

Total Residential Average Sale Price:

Residential Market Facts & Figures:

My son, Michael, had a writing test a few years ago. My wife, Kim, and I were very anxious about how he would perform. Of course, Kim had invested much time and energy in teaching Michael the things he needed to know (as a home school mom). Then all we could do was pray. To make a long story short, Michael took the test and the woman facilitator said he did very well. We were so pleased! Later that evening I really wanted to make Michael feel good, so I played like I didn't see him on the other side of the room while I started up a conversation with Kim. I went on to talk about what a good job Michael had done and how happy we were that he'd done so well. You could just see him beaming as I knew he could hear every word. Then I said, "Where is Michael, anyway?" He replied, "Here I am, Dad." I said, "Wow, I didn't even know you were there." Expressing appreciation for a job well done. I wonder if we don't tend to point out and harp on the negatives we see in people to the exclusion of recognizing their positive contributions. And when was the last time you said to somebody, "Hey, I appreciate what you're doing and have done and for you being in my life. Thank you"? (I wrote The Power of Appreciation about six months ago, but I thought with Thanksgiving coming another reminder of it's importance couldn’t hurt. Agree?)

(As this post is being released the unemployment rate has surpassed 10% in this country.) Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Is it me?" It's an easy question to ask especially when you're going through a challenging time. Other translations of "Is it me?" ~ Am I the problem here? Am I my own worst enemy? ~ and that's the reason why I'm having such a hard time selling property? (if you happen to be in real estate) ~ and that's the reason why deals are falling through? No matter what your career field, difficulties have a way of causing you to second-guess yourself. Right? Your confidence wanes. You become hesitant/gun-shy. (You've been there. Could it be now?) And there are different ways to deal with the "Is it me?" question that I could talk about (of course). But I want to go another direction with it to finish this post. And just as way of a reminder: Life can be (and is) very complicated. (Tell me it ain't so.) At any given moment there are a number of factors contributing to each of our own personal situations, both in and outside our control. And could it be that it's not so much "you" but something else "beyond you" that's pressing in and making your situation that much tougher ~ and once you take this to heart you'll actually help to set yourself up for future success by removing the total burden from your shoulders? I feel better already.