El Paso, TX

I can set it up so that you'll automatically receive a daily email from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of any new listings that meet your specific criteria. Be the first to see that hot, newly listed house!

Or, I can simply do it the old fashioned way. Based on your criteria, I'll look daily to find homes that seem right for you.

Things to consider:

You've heard the old adage "Location, Location, Location". But this means different things to different people. For some, being across the street from a school is a positive. For others, it's a negative. Think about your commute to work, need for an excellent school system, or the availability of excellent health care. Your best location is not the same as my best location. However, as a general rule, excellent schools and the availability of transportation play a big part in making your investment pay-off.

Prioritize your "must haves". Chances are you won't find the perfect home with every single one of them.

I'm a firm believer that my clients generally walk into a house and know almost instantly whether it is "home" to them. Although purchasing a home is a significant business decision, you can't get away from the fact that emotion plays a big part. Part of my job is to help you focus, and not let emotion overcome good business acumen.

Firstly, I want to thank the many of you who have emailed me and thanked me for my blog entries.

I try to only write things that I feel will help you become either a better real estate agent. The Internet can be a huge money pit if you don't know how to use it properly.

Now to my main point.

I have received this question several times over the past few weeks: "What do I do with all the leads I get that have no phone numbers?"

I figure I should probably set the record straight. Each time I get the question I cringe at the thought of these real estate agents throwing their money down the drain.

My immediate reaction is always, "What do you think you should do with them?" Of course I usually say that to myself so I don't hurt their feelings.

I have talked with so many real estate agents that simply throw these consumer real estate leads away if they don't have a "good" phone number.

Yes, you heard me right, they throw the lead away.

One person I talked to is generating 15 leads per day. He throws an average of 7 or 8 leads away per day. I also talked with one of the "big" lead generation companies out there and they also throw the lead away if the phone number was no good.

I offered to buy every single one of them but they wouldn't sell them to me. They simply wanted to throw the potential dollars in the trash. Amazing!

So let's look at a couple of facts:

• 50% of the leads that I receive have bad or no phone numbers - we just accept that fact and move on. We follow the exact same follow up as our leads that do have phone numbers, with the exception of the phone calls.

• 25% or so of our closed sales started with a lead with a bad or no phone number. Think of what that would mean to you if you received 25% more sales!

As I have talked about in previous blogs, a lead is a lead is a lead. Our goal is to generate as many leads as possible and stick them into a system to cultivate and eventually close them.

If their email address is good, the phone number is nice, but it's not a bad lead. We do receive many leads with bad email addresses too, if the phone number is good, then it's a good lead. We simply call those potential customers and verify the email address.

Many times it was just a typo from the customer as they were putting their info in as quickly as possible.

The moral of this blog post is simple: If you have any contact information that is correct, do not throw the lead away.

If you are currently throwing out your leads without phone numbers, simply forward them to me. I'm sure I can find a use for them!

To search for houses currently available for sale within the entire El Paso, Ft. Bliss, and Horizon area don't forget to visit my website at www.JeseSellsHomes.com.

1. El Paso, TX real estate market is moving along pretty well right now and home prices are remaining steady.

2. El Paso still has very reasonable prices on our homes (compared to other areas of the country)and there are alot to choose from.

3. El Paso, Txis getting ready to have almost 100,000 soldiers and their families move here by 2013 and we already know that we do not have enough homes to house them in. Most will be renters, either in apartments or houses and there are definitely not enough of those. Investors should be buying homes right now while the market is still a buyers market because very soon prices will be going back up again.

4. Sellers are helping with closing costs in alot of sales so your out of pocket money will be less.

5. Ideal Weather in El Paso-less weather related upkeep to your property

6. Good real estate values- our real estate values are not going down like the rest of the country. Our market is very regional so do not buy into the national news. Our prices are continuing to rise even though we are in a buyers market and with all that is happening in El Paso right now we feel that values will start really rising again very soon.

7. Have someone else build equity for you-having a good paying tenant will just help you create equity. Yes there may be some vacant months if we can't get it rented right away-but if you buy a nice home and in good condition then those are the ones that the tenants want also.

8. El Paso has a new 4 year medical school and research center that is starting thier first class in August 2009 and that will bring in students, doctors, nurses, researchers, etc all of who will need someplace to live.

9. Our regional economic development corporation is working with over 100 companies looking at moving to El Paso.

10. We can provide property management and have done that for our clients for close to 20 years and will provide references.

Chamizal National Memorial celebrates Mexican-American friendship and goodwill.

It is a memorial to the peaceful settlement of a long standing dispute over the location of the international boundary between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua Mexico. On August 29, 1963, after more than a century of arguing about who owned the piece of land that was created by the meandering of the Rio Grande, the question was finally settled by the Convention of the Chamizal.

September 25, 1964 ~President Lyndon B. Johnson and President Adolfo Lopez Mateos unveil a commemorative boundary marker at Chamizal.

The first thing to do is stop at the visitors center, located in the center of the grounds. Bilingual employees of the National Park Service are on hand to answer questions and to provide information about the day's activities and upcoming events. A video presentation introduces the park and its related history and culture.

The Mural

Visitors to Chamizal are greeted by Carlos Flores bold, bright depictions of the history and culture of two nations. Painted on the outside walls of the visitors center, "Nuestra Herencia", or " Our Heritage", is one of more than 100 murals around the city. The mural donated by the El Paso Junior League's Los Murales Project and dedicated in 1993.

Music Under the Stars

El Paso's mild summers night are the setting for "Music Under the Stars", a series of outdoor concerts held in the amphitheater every Sunday night, June through August. Bluegrass fiddlers, mariaches, big bands, Caribbean dancers; all might be among the acts featured during the lively evening concerts. Seating is on the ground; bring blankets or lawn chairs, and a picnic if you wish. The concerts are a joint presentation of the City of El Paso and the National Park Service. The best part of all this that the concerts are free of admission.

Los Paisanos Gallery

The visual arts of numerous countries and cultures, there are paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures, and collage, are displayed in the Los Paisanos Gallery. The gallery is part of the visitor center complex.

Chamizal National Memorial is located in south-central El Paso, just north of the Rio Grande and immediately adjacent to the international boundary. Enter the park from either San Marcial Street or Delta Drive. A lighted parking area is provided on the grounds. Picnicking is permitted, but there are no over night camping Facilities.

Chamizal National Memorial, 800 S. San Marcial Drive, El Paso,TX 79905-4123 Phone: 915-532-7273

This the night scene one would see from Scenic Drive. Its a beauty.

Many young couples still visit Scenic Point as part of a romantic date,

just like their parents and grandparents did.

From this photo one can see the outline of the Border and !-10 Freeway.

Tourists and natives alike use the coin-operated telescopes to magnify a

particular view as they gaze out over two countries and the sparkling night lights.

The area before the construction of Scenic Drive was known as Stormsville,

and the city considered it a public health nuisance. D. Storms, a lawyer,

owned a great deal of land along the rim where about 400 people lived in squalor.

On a clear evening, when millions of city lights shimmer in the distance,

ones hearts will skip a beat or two at the marvels spread before them.

" Who can argue with that? The Best of the Border.