If you're looking for old world charm, you must see this wonderful Highlands home! Untouched woodwork throughout, high ceilings, leaded glass windows, two clawfoot tubs, vintage fireplace with original mantle & tile. Spacious rooms and plenty of storage. Two car garage, too!

Here's a link to an article that (rumor has it) will be featured in next month's REALTOR Magazine.  

I think it came out very well!

(Okay, I'll stop patting myself on the back now and get back to selling houses.)

Are you self-employed and considering Blogging for Business? 

New bloggers often worry about many things... what voice to use, what topics to write about, how often to post, which keywords to sprinkle. But y'know what? The beauty of successful blogging is that it's an opportunity to truly be yourself.  

When you blog, don't be DORKY, be YOU. If you're sappy, blog sappy. If you're sarcastic, blog sarcastic. If you're funny, blog funny. If you wake up one morning frustrated as heck about something or other, blog about it. Conversely, if you're tickled pink by a recent encounter at the health food store, write about that. If you have a brilliant AHA moment standing in line at the post office, there's a blog in there somewhere!

(Oh, one caveat. If you're a sloppy writer, don't blog sloppy! Use your spell check, capitalize appropriately and be sure to use your ENTER key on a regular basis.)

Don't try to write about topics you couldn't care less about. Not a political type? Don't try to write about local political issues. Don't know much about the economy? Leave the economic outlook blogs to someone who does. Not into cultural events? Don't bother trying to write intelligently about the new opera in town. Me? Among other things, I love dogs, sushi, rollerblading and old houses. That's what I blog about.

But don't worry too much about speaking to any particular audience. YOU do the talking and the right audience will find you. And you know what? If your blogs come from YOUR voice, you'll stand a much better chance of enjoying the process enough to keep it up.

Blogging for dollars is a long-term prospecting project, so enthusiasm is critical if you want to see your efforts pay off. Once your audience discovers YOU and starts to tell you how awesome YOU are (how insightful, how funny, how creative, etc.), well, that'll be some serious inspiration to keep at it! But blog with someone else's voice and eh... you'll probably throw in the towel within the month.

In summary, to avoid being a DORKY blogger:

•       Write from YOUR voice, that real person who has a terrific personality

•       Write about topics of interest to YOU

•       Proof-read, proof-read, proof-read  

Now, go get 'em you UNDORKY blogger, you!  

Well, about a month ago, I started having problems sending messages. If you were communicating with me during that time, you might remember getting ten identical emails from me at a time, one right after the other. Apparently, my SENT messages were going to my Outbox, but weren't able to move to the SENT folder; thus they were being sent over and over again. Because I was in the process of moving my Internet server, I figured it was related to the switch, and didn't worry too much about it (oops).

Well, yesterday, I went into my Sent folder, looking for a message I'd written the day before, and BAM! NO messages. "There are no items in this view." I exited, came back in, held my breath... and BAM! Still "There are no items in this view." Oh, sh*t.

My entire business history is in my Outlook Express folders. This was starting to look mildly catastrophic.

I called Microsoft Technical Support and I tell ya' - say what you will about Microsoft but they were great. For the low, low price of $59 (yeah, that annoyed me, but whatever), I was immediately connected to Benny in the Outlook Express department. He spent two hours with me and installed a special Outlook Express Repair program on my computer which he hoped would recover my 12,313 lost emails. And, it took 15 hours of run-time, but it worked!

The punch line? Your Sent folder can fill up. Mine was at 1.99 GB (whatever that means), and when it hit that threshold, it simply deleted all the messages. So, today, I have to go through all 12,313 recovered messages and delete the ones I don't need. And, of course, keep an eye on my Sent folder forever and ever.

Thank you Benny!

I SO wish I could take credit for this idea... But alas... someone else beat me to it and I suppose it's the soulful thing to do to acknowledge her brilliance...

I read an article in one of our local neighborhood newspapers (the North Denver News) written by a Denver wedding officiant named Maureen Thomson (www.memorableceremonies.com). 

Here's the introduction to the article:

"Several years ago, I eschewed the traditional New Year's Resolution (which I failed to maintain 100% of the time anyway) in favor of a theme for the year. As opposed to a list of "will do's" that the resolutions stipulated, the theme was a gentler way of turning my attention toward the areas in my life that were most in need of attention.

I had no idea what I was in for when I started this tradition. My themes have turned into manifestations that are beyond coincidence. My theme for 2005 was "Unthinkably Good Things Can Happen" and that was the year that I met my future husband, Jeremy. This was followed by my 2006 theme of "Build the Dream" which was the year my business took off, growing into a multi-state operation. And we mustn't forget 2007's theme of "Do the Never" whereby I did all kinds of things I swore I'd never do - not the least of which was to marry again.

But nothing prepared me for the events surrounding my theme of this year: "Simplicity." Even its one-word title was a deviation for me. Back the beginning of the year, I had no idea how much this theme would change me..." (Read the rest here)

I love this idea of identifying a big picture goal for your year and letting nature takes its course. I'm tossing around ideas for my 2009... and I keep coming back to "The Year I Found Peace." Whaddya' think?

How ‘bout you? What might your theme be for 2009? Please share...

Cute, cute cute! 1946 brick ranch on a great block, just north of Lowry. Much larger than it appears from the street, with a huge master suite addition complete with private bath, gas fireplace and patio doors to the back yard. Wood floors throughout, spacious rooms and two full baths. If you like to garden, you'll love the yard AND the covered patio that's perfect for all your gardening fun!

View this recently sold Single Family Home or see all my home sales

This is a fantastic opportunity to own a cool house at a great price. Heading for foreclosure, all it needs is a little love & cleaning up to be fabulous. No fix-up work to do (at all) - it's a wonderful house with all the goodies. Three bedrooms, two baths, garage, new windows & doors, air conditioning, remodeled kitchen & bath, garden level basement with built-in office furniture. Wish I had pictures from when the current owner lived there - it just felt GOOD! If I were in the market for a home... I'd buy this in a heartbeat.

For those familiar with Evergreen, it's not one of those "mountain retreats" that sits at the tippy-top of a hill, three long brutal miles up a winding, pot-holed, street-sign-free dirt road. Nope, it's just a mile from downtown, off Hwy 73, easy-peasy to find and get to.

The lot is small - city-size actually - but there's a natural park across the street and another one right next door. So, you enjoy privacy and solitude without the responsibility and hassle of yard work!

The price, you ask? Get this... $263,900. Seriously. That's a DEAL for a nice house this close to downtown Evergreen.

This place is CUTE CUTE CUTE! Check it out!

VIRTUAL TOUR

Wanna see it, live and in person? Call me... 303-947-1335. Let's take a trip to Evergreen!

Nonetheless, today’s market does offer incredible opportunities for the amateur or professional investor and I’ll bet a lot of us will wish we’d taken advantage of one or two of them… I know if I had a couple extra hundred thousand lying around right now, I’d be picking up some real estate…

Anyway, I wanted to pass on the name of a guy I met a few weeks ago who has created a dandy little niche for himself in this Foreclosure market. What he does is purchase a foreclosed home, renovates it, procures a renter and then sells the house at a cash-flowing price. I’ve seen his work and it’s decent! I’ve never done a transaction with him, but my impression was that he’s a straight-up guy offering a win/win proposal. His tagline is “We Always Pass the Deal on.”

If you’d like an introduction, just get in touch with me and I’ll hook you up.

All the charm you expect at a price you can afford! Hardwood floors, unpainted doors & trim, beautiful original fireplace mantle, built-in bookcases & high, high ceilings. On the practical side, the home features updated systems, good storage in the basement, a two-car garage + off-street parking, all on a quiet Sunnyside block. Priced to sell quickly, so call today!

Contrary to urban myth, you can actually buy a decent house in Northwest Denver without spending $300,000+!

Don’t believe me? Then check out my new listing (HOT HOT HOT off the press) at 2786 West Denver Place (that’s just one block north of 38th between Eliot & Decatur).

It’s over 1000 sqft with a nice yard, a two car garage and lots and lots of CHARM! Hardwood floors, vintage fireplace (decorative only), unpainted doors & trim, 2built-in bookcases and really high ceilings. The systems are all updated and there’s great storage in the basement. Oh, and a nice, big yard, too. The price? $229,900… Better hurry!
 

Click Here to Visit the Virtual Tour…

 Listed by:

RE/MAX City Horizons 303-947-1335

“What exactly do you mean by being a “good” real estate agent?”

Ahhhhhh…. I’m SO glad you asked.

Our industry celebrates production. Therefore, if you have lots of that (production), you are “good.” Eh, I don’t agree so much. I’ve known many a successful real estate agent who I would not in a million years accuse of being “good.” Oh, sure, they get plenty of business, but what they do with it after the paperwork is signed? Not much.

So anyway, back to the question from my audience. “What makes a real estate agent GOOD?”

My mouth could barely keep up with my brain. What I said was something like this:

“You know your market, your systems and your contracts. You are a good negotiator. You put your clients’ needs above your need for a paycheck. You know how to properly price a home. You know what your seller needs to do to get his home ready for market. You know how to build rapport with your seller so that he trusts you. You know how to take decent photos. You know how to write an appealing MLS description. You return phone calls promptly. You preview listings so you don’t waste your buyer’s time. You know how much it costs to replace a 50 year old furnace. You have a handyman, a cleaning service and a good HVAC contractor. You’re pleasant to other agents so they’re happy to show your listings or accept your offers. You keep your brochure boxes full. Your lockboxes work…”

To me, THIS is a good real estate agent.

HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE SUMMERTIME ACTIVITIES

Patio Dining- I love to sit outside on a shaded deck or patio, sipping a margarita. You, too? Here are a couple of links to some “Best of” outdoor dining spots in Denver.

• http://denver.citysearch.com/bestof/winners/2005/outdoor_dining
• http://www.gayot.com/holiday/outdoordining/denver.html
• http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=5&pid=14

My all-time favorite is Highlands Garden Café- but only when I have a bunch of dollars burning holes in my pocket

Dog-Parking  - Since my last Denver summer, I have three new dogs in my household. We moved from a country home on four acres to a city home on, uh, 4,670 sqft, so going to the dog park helps my country dogs burn off some excess energy. My favorite is the one at Berkeley Park (roughly I-70 & Sheridan), mainly because it’s just up the street from me. But there are others! Click here for a list. If you ever want a dog-parking partner, just let me know! I’d love to hook our furry friends up.

Rollerblading - When I lived in Alabama, I SO missed the bike paths in Denver. I didn’t realize that other cities aren’t criss-crossed with roller-bladable trails and paths the way Denver is. My preferred spot is Sloan’s Lake, but I can be easily convinced to drive over to Confluence Park to pick up the trail there and cruise thru the city.

Did I mention how much I LOVE the Summertime???

He suggested Wilson Lake State Park. For those of you who have ever been stranded in Hays, Kansas during a snowstorm; it’s about 50 miles east of there, 8 miles north of I-70.

And it was WONDERFUL! I don’t know what it’s like during peak summer months, but on the first week of June, the lake was pretty much ours. We did "primitive" camping – that is – no water, electricity or plumbing, on our own private peninsula, for something like $6/day. We were right on the water, within walking distance to the “facilities.” The dogs could run and play to their hearts’ content and then go screaming off into the water to cool off. No fire restrictions, so we had a terrific campfire… although finding wood for it was a bit of a challenge (Kansas is not known for its lush forests).

The weather? Awesome. 80-85 degrees during the day; 50-60 degrees at night. A nice breeze (okay, often more like a gale force wind) kept us comfortable and more importantly kept the bugs away.

Wilson Lake calls itself the “Clearest Lake in Kansas” and yeah, I’ll buy that. No, it’s not the Caribbean, but at certain hours of the day, it was a lovely blue-green color. Fish jumped like crazy, so the Southern DBF had his fishing pole ready at all times.

So… if you’re like me and don’t care for mountain camping (I hate shivering), you might give Wilson Lake a try. You don’t have to camp “primitive;” they also offer RV hookups and cute little cabins, for incredibly reasonable prices…

View this recently sold Single Family Home or see all my home sales

Enjoy!

www.charmingolddenver.com

But… it’s DONE and out of my hands. In about a month, Sell with Soul II will be a real live book, available to hold in your very own hands, all 72,110 words of it. It’s the second edition of Sell with Soul I, with about 50% new material and updated for today’s more challenging market.

Can’t wait for July 1^st ?(my, am I full of myself today or what?) Well, you’re in luck! The unabridged eBook version is available on my website for immediate delivery - purchase it now and in late June, you’ll automatically receive one of the first 1,000 “real” books printed, complete with an autograph!

In all seriousness, I’m really proud of this book. While Sell with Soul I received outrageously positive reviews, there’s no comparison between that version and the new one. I had a fantastic team in place who pulled it all together and created a wonderful product to be… well….very very proud of.

Thanks to everyone involved in Sell with Soul II… Barbara, Jon & Inna, Peri, Peter, Diana and all my friends and clients who contributed their stories. You guys are wonderful.

Purchase Sell with Soul II in eBook form today and get an autographed copy of the Real Thing upon release! CLICK HERE for details.