MARCH MADNESS PART 2

Again, this is BY far my Favorite Part of the year...and i have been so busy w/ Buyers and preparing for upcoming fabulous listings and all the great basketball that has been on.

THANK GOODNESS for my IPhone and the NCAA March Madness Ap that allows me to watch games while in the car or at the office....

I had to change my Final Four picks when the brackets actually came out...I, officially, have DUKE, the Ohio State, Kansas, and Wisconsin as my final 4 picks w/ the Ohio State & the Thad Matta winning it ALL!!

What about those Butler Bulldogs??!!?? WOW--I have never witnessed such a bizarre ending of a basketball game...When Shelvin Mack fouled the guy, I had visions of C-Webber calling that Time Out. Then the guy fouled Howard and that was by far the stupidest foul ever and Mack's was the runner-up. Regardless, very happy for the Bulldogs.

Real Estate is Rocking...Lots of Buyers and Sellers! Loving March Madness!

MARCH MADNESS

March is one of my FAVORITE times of the year for a couple of reasons….
MARCH MADNESS – As many of you know I come from a basketball family (Dad played at Tulane University and brother John played for the Butler Bulldogs) I LOVE this time of year...there is nothing like college basketball during March Madness---So many close games, big shots, and who could forget last years Butler Bulldogs literally "inches" from a National Championship over Coach K & Duke.....i'm sooooo excited just writing about it!!
I try to watch as many games as I can during the tournement...technology has certainly helped.

I do always fill out a bracket...although it is NEVER even close to winning any contests. I can’t wait to fill out my bracket this year.... My final four picks are: BYU, Pitt, Duke and THE Ohio State. I do hope Purdue , Notre Dame and Butler, if they get in :( go far as well.

I will blog more thorought the tournement....AS always, I am never too busy for your kind real estate referrals (even during March Madness) -ss

Why I got my Real Estate License......

In the fall of 2003, I was working as a loan broker during some of the best times in the Real Estate Industry making good money for a twentysomething single gal. I kept running into the Real Estate Agents who were the most annoying people on the planet...they were always in a hurry, always had "appointments", they were PUSHY, control freaks, and always kept telling ME how to do MY job. One day I had enough, I announced "I'm getting my Real Estate License". Partly to get some referrals from the other LOs in the office who on occasion had clients who needed a realtor and also b/c I wanted to see what was wrong with these Freaks!!! So I went to pre-licensing classes and went on to get my license...I worked part time at first, then on to full-time. When the mortgage industry crashed, I was really happy with my choice.

I have officially become "one of those Realtors" but, I try to carry myself differently than the ones I used to dispise. One thing I have always liked about being a Realtor is to embrace my entrepreneurial spirit that I've had since a young age of selling candy and lemonade. I truly LOVE being a Realtor/Broker (went on get my broker's license a couple of years ago). I have taken steps to run my Real Estate business w/ more of a traditional business model. I'm looking to take my business to the next level and be one of the top agents in the area! I have always felt like my stint in the mortgage industry was a pathway to my true passion.

The Truth about Open Houses

Throughout my career in Real Estate, I have always been an agent that sat in homes for 2-4 hours on Sunday to do Open Houses. Many times watching videos on my phone, NFL on the homeowners plasma TV, and a handful of times (when I was much younger) w/ a mild hangover from the night before. In the last 2 years, I have been "blanked" (meaning absolutely no one showed up) more times than I have remembered in the past. However, in the last year I have sold 3 homes from Open Houses. This is actually not consistent w/ the National Association of Realtors' statistics. According to NAR, only 1% of homes are sold by conducting public open houses. Realtors use them as more of a prospecting tool then a way to sell the home. It is not uncommon for a listing agent to pass on the job of hosting an open house to a new agent. For new Realtors, open houses present a great opportunity to meet prospects who are in the market for a home. When parties come through the open house, the Realtor has them put down their information on a sign in sheet. In addition to being a security measure, this list allows the Realtor to follow up with them and help them in their home search. So, although many experienced agents don't do them--I'm still a open house supporter and do them. I actually did one today and had an excellent turnout--2 really good prospects for the house that I was holding open.

I think the amount of people looking for homes on the Internet has skyrocketed and that must have something to do with my low open house attendance. Many buyers that I have recently worked with have actively been looking on talktotucker.com or mibor.com long before visiting an open house or even meeting with an agent. Some buyer clients have avoided open houses and opted for scheduling appointment w/ me just to avoid the agent trying to get all of their information. Weather, time of day, location, and neighborhood features are all factors in a successful Open House. Internet Marketing is my ideal way of marketing a listing but, open houses have been good to me in the past..so I will keep doing them !

Half Marathon Training Starts TODAY

Last year I ran my first Indianapolis Mini Marathon (which is a half-marathon: 13.1 miles). Despite feeling like I was going to die and not finish from miles 10-12, I signed up again. After the Mini, I really didn't run a whole lot and don't think I have ran over 5 miles since...Today, I started training for the 2011 Mini. Not to mention, I'm getting married in July and one of my goals is to lose 20 lbs for the wedding and to keep it off until we go to Jamaica in October. I'm thinking that training and losing weight will go hand in hand, right?? Last year, I think I lost like 8 lbs while training. I workout 4-6 times a week and you would think I would be fit & trim....I also LOVE to eat & drink..I have told people that I workout so hard so I can eat. Anyway, I'm focused on being in better running shape this year than last and hopefully not feeling so bad during those last few miles and not getting so burned out after the race. Plus losing weight and looking the best I possibly can when I walk down the aisle is all the motivation I need. So today, I officially started training.... 2 miles....just have to work up to 10+. More blog posts on my running progress to come......