Should Cyclists be ticketed for ignoring signals in Old Towne Alexandria??

I myself love to ride my bike on the Mt. Vernon trail and stroll on into the Old Towne Alexandria area on a regular basis. The city is biker friendly and I believe it to be so. The city has done a great job with bike signage and placards except I think that it could be carried a bit further and with more detail. The bike lanes need repainting and their should be more of them in order to regulate the biking traffic and to keep them self and that of pedestrians and visitors. Our biking experiences are valued and enjoyed by many and it seems to be getting busier and busier. I agree that "we" bikers need to adhere to the rules of the road and to obey them accordingly. It would just be more helpful to take it a step further and give us our proper lanes and our own signals which would keep everyone happier and safer.

When can Realtors® add to a contract?

We are often asked if real estate licensees are permitted to draft contract language. Well, sometimes it depends.
Drafting contracts for others is considered "the practice of law" in Virginia, and it is therefore generally restricted to licensed attorneys. However, real estate licensees may add language to a contract, for example, an addendum if it's incidental to a real estate transaction in which the licensee is involved, and the licensee does not receive a separate fee for it.
Please keep in mind that it is always a good idea to have legal counsel review contract language.
The Letter of the Law
54.1-2101.1 Preparation of real estate contracts by real estate licensees.
Notwithstanding any rule of court to the contrary, any person licensed under this chapter may prepare written contracts for the sale, purchase, option,exchange, or rental of real estate provided the preparation of such contracts is incidental to a real estate transaction in which the licensee (i) is involved and (ii) does not charge a separte fee for preparing the contracts.
Blake Hegeman FormFactor

This is legal stuff we need to be up on and I wanted to share it with my colleagues. www.JamieBoone.com and www.HelloVirginiaHomes.com

You Tube and Why it matters to you, the basics!

You Tube-Definition:
YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. The company uses Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated content, video content, including movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos.
Why it matters to you:
YouTube has become an essential component in any successful social marketing arsental. Video is a powerful tool because, when implemented and produced propertly, it provides viewers with a multi-dimensional perspective on a topic. Since video is able to combine moving pictures with sound and media, the viewer can be engaged in a topic and learn in minutes what may take hours to read. The additional benefit of YouTube.com is the ability to share and syndicate your video through the Net in order to gain valuable backlinks to your website or blog, thus potentially increasing our rankings in the search engines. I hope this helps you get your head around social media and why it's important.

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Something to think about...

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than

unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded

genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world

is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination are omnipotent.

The solgan "press on" has solved and always will

solve the problems of the human race."

Calvin Coolidge
www.JamieBoone.com
www.HelloVirginiaHomes.com

Doing The Right Thing?

Doing The Right Thing? (Members Only) (edit/delete)
The NAR Code of Ethics is not a unique phenomenon...or is it? There are hundreds of professional and trade group codes of ethics. Like, physicians, lawyers, funeral directors, and even wedding planners (remember Bride Wars-the movie) to name just a few, and all have professional codes of ethics. So also do many individual companies and corporations. All vary in range and their complexity but none the less they have codes to follow. It helps us and guides along our chosen professions and paths. Like guardrails along the highway, it keeps us accountable and in the yellow lines. Unfortunately, we have to be reminded of them from time to time to readjust the auto pilot and remind us of simply "Doing the right thing".

Professional codes of ethics serve essentially four purposes as Bob Hunt put it:

(1) Codes of ethics bring to our attention and provide direction with respect to issues that might not otherwise even have been identified as matters of ethical concern.

(2) In many situations, codes of ethics provide us with the wisdom and insight of those who have preceded us.

(3) Professional ethics codes sometimes also cover matters that are not so much ethical as they are issues of professional etiquette or proper procedure.

(4) Professional ethics codes are also sometimes used for the purposes of "drawing lines" in order to remove any uncleared about what may be considered acceptable or unacceptable.

So, we will benefit financially if we are ethical or unethical we have to ask ourselves. I say this, Thomas Kostigen of MarketWatch relates a Penn State study that shows how reputable companies had gained financially. Between 1983 and 1997, Fortune's most-admired companies increased annual returns, on average, by 22%. James Mitchell, author of The Ethical Advantage, refers to a Harvard Business School study that showed differences between companies that had an ethical culture and those that did not. Over an eleven year period, the former experienced revenue growth four times as fat, and stock price increase 12 times as great, as the latter. Companies have better employee retention rates when the employees perceive their bosses and co-workers to be persons of integrity.

I know I feel better when I am living right and doing the right thing. My energy level is positive and I project that aura to others that I meet and work with. As we pound the pavements in our everyday sales attempts there will be inevitably this question that will come across our minds. Is it the right thing? If you have to ask yourself that question, then the answer is most definitely it is NOT the right thing to do! www.JamieBoone.com and www.HelloVirginiaHomes.com

Reator® Code of Ethics & Doing the Right Thing

(1) Codes of ethics bring to our attention and provide direction with respect to issues that might not otherwise even have been identified as matters of ethical concern.

For example: The Realtor® code of Ethics requires that any advertisement of a listed property for sale must include the professional status of the Realtor® doing the advertising and the name of the Realtor® firm. What, one might ask, is the ethical concern here? The answer is: Without such identification a potential buyer might be wrongfully misled to think that the property was being advertised by the owner. Now, that might not have occurred to one of us, unaided. The Code, as it were, brings to our attention the fact that there is a chance for misleading here, and that is somehting we want to avoid.

Stay tuned for more examples of "Doing the Right Thing"
www.HelloVirginiaHomes.com

Real Estate Articles from House Logic...

What Will Be the Effect Of The Foreclosure Halt?

The ripple effect of the abrupt halt to foreclosures is far reaching then we can imagine!

Here's just a partial list of those affected:

•Buyers
•Contractors who were going to repair the home. This alone has a massive effect on employment. Hard working Americans who build America are abruptly out of work, again.
•The entire manufacturing and supply chain of material needed to renovate repurchased foreclosed houses.
•Movers
•Closing attorneys
•Appraisers
•Appliance retailers and wholesalers and manufacturers
•Neighborhoods suffer more blight for an additional extended period of time.
•Owners who moved away and have to maintain the house. Some municipalities file criminal complaints against owners who don’t mow the grass or fix vandalism beyond their control.
•Owners who have to pay insurance on an unwanted home. Without insurance, the homeowner in limbo will be on their own if they’re sued by someone who gets injured on the property.
•This is just a brief and partial list of those who are immediately affected by this abrupt halt. The ripple effect of the foreclosure halt is far reaching.
•Realtors, especially Realtors who rely heavily on listing REO's.
The losses incurred by all those affected will cause more unemployment which will cause more foreclosures.

This foreclosure halt is truly a crisis within a crisis.

Who else have you noticed affected by this abrupt halt?

I welcome your opinions and thoughts.

www.hellovirginiahomes.com

Jamie

Let's Make Them Loyal!

What can we do as REALTORS® to consistently provide magical experiences for our customers? How can we get those referrals and those excellent survey ratings? Well, here are 5 examples of good customer service! 1. DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU'LL DO. 2. SHOW UP ON TIME AND LEAVE LATE. 3. CREATE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS, WHETHER IT'S THE SELLING PRICE OR THE TRANSACTION TIMETABLE. 4. OFFER PROACTIVE SERVICE- CALL CLIENTS BEFORE THEY CALL YOU. 5. BE POLITE AND RESPECTFUL, AND NEVER NEVER FORGET TO SAY "THANK YOU". What kinds of things can damage our customer service relationship? Too many bad experiences or broken promises quickly eliminate confidence and trust. If you don't show up on time or fail to sell a house in the time frame you described, that can be the end of the game right there. Most people want to give you the benefit of the doubt. But usually, a lot of good experiences have to happen before the bad ones disappear. Stay tuned for more "Making Them Loyal" pointers! Happy House Hunting...www.jamieboone.com

Common Homebuyer Mistakes You Don't Want To Make!

There are just a few steps that one must take in order to have a successful and profitable purchase of a new home. I have gathered some here to share with all of you.

If you are one of those that are considering making a a move, here are some common home purchasing mistakes you don't want to make and it only takes a little planning on your part.

1. Not getting prequalified by a reputable local lender.

Until you sit down with a reputable lender that is local and not on the internet there is no way that you can know how much home you can afford. In addition, a good lender that is well known in the community and is either partnering with local Realtors they can shop the various loan products to your personal needs.

2. Not working with a real estate professional.

After meeting with a local lender the next step would be of the office of a seasoned real estate agent professional. Trying to buy a home with out representation is like trying to practice law by yourself. There are just too many areas that you could get into trouble. This is what they do full time and they know the ins and outs of the business and believe me they earn their money!

3. Failing to shop & compare.

Take your time and start early. There are some many websites out there that can help you find a home that it can be very intimidating and overwhelming. Take the advice of your seasoned real estate agent and work closely with them so that they can guide you in the right direction. Matching your wants and desires to the location and price that you ultimately need to be in. It is a team effort and get involved early!

4. Not buying by April 30, 2010, and missing out on the $8000 Tax Credit.

The $8000 First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit and the $6500 Repeat Homebuyer Tax Credit are both set to expire at the end of April 2010. However, if you have a signed and accepted contract you don't have to close on the property until June 2010. Don't miss out on the free money and the great deals!

Appeal Your Property Taxes NOW!

Okay, it's time to appeal your taxes; alot of my buyers have complained that they are paying higher taxes especially now that property values have dropped. Over 98% of Georgia properties are overvalued and many homeowners don't know that. The deadline for some Ga counties is March 1, 2010. I ran across a great website that can help you appeal your property taxes. Go to www.GaPropertyTaxAppeal.com to calculate your savings. They will give you the comparable sales, education, forms, and letters necessary to appeal your property taxes for only $99. It's worth it! Check them out and contact me through my website www.jamieboone.com

Countdown to Buyer Tax Credit

From this day forward, you have only limited time to find a house, negotiate with the seller and get it under contract. If you get that done successfully by April 30, 2010 you will likely qualify to pick up a check from Uncle Sam for as much as $8000.00. Not to say what you will save on the deals that are still to be made in this "buyers market".
The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit thus far has been very successful. Sales of existing homes have increased steadily since last April. We are no longer, in many areas, not considered "declining". According to the National Association of Realtors that first time home buyers accounted for about 30% of all sales last year.
What a lot of folks don't realize and overlook is that the benefit of a tax credit is that the payment is not considered income, so it is totally tax-free. If you qualify, you get the full benefit of each and every dollar! Free money! Why wouldn't you take advantage of it? Find out more about the Extended and Expanded Tax Credit for 2010 on my website www.jamieboone.com

When is low low enough?

Providing that the new health care bill and all the additional government spending doesn't completely sink the economy. I think we can expect to see an increase in the number sales, price stabilization, less declining pockets and incfreases in the first-time-homebuyers price range. Also, look for a reduced number of Realtors getting out of the industry because they can't afford the taxes, marketing and the mandatory health payments for health insurance. We're seeing builders/sellers managing their own properties because the banks don't want to take back homes that have little or no equity in them. Buyers will continue to get to the lowest possible price even though the price in many cases is at the lowest! Grab on now, while the interest rates are still at an all time low and the deals are still there for the smart, saavy buyers. www.jamieboone.com Jamie