Roger Johnson's (rogerajohnson) Blog

Google Plus Tip - Changing The Photos In The Links On Your Old Posts

Roger Johnson — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:12:46 -0800

Kathy Clulow has written an excellent follow-up article to my Activerain and Google+: Posting Tips If you're on Google+ (and if you're not, why not?) photos are very important as G+ is a visual platform. Now, not only do you know how to get the best photo to match your post, you can go back and edit past Google+ posts to get the right photo in place. And if you haven't circled me up yet, please do: gp.rogerajohnson.com Google Plus Tip - Changing The Photos In The Links On Your Old Posts Previously I mentioned that you could change the photo it the link of a G+ post to one of yours instead of the AR Logo by hovering over the logo and using the arrow keys that show up to select the picture you want. But What About Your old Posts I was asked if you could change the picture in the link section at the bottom of a Google Plus Post after you had posted it so I asked Barrie to test it for me and he said Yes You Can but he added a word of caution which you will find at the end of this post YES YOU CAN!! Well It turns out you can edit the picture out by editing the post. Click on the arrow key (highlighted in yellow) in the upper right hand corner of the post and then the edit link in the drop down. This will open the edit screen for the post. By placing your cursor over the yellow highlighted area you can delete all the information related to the link. In this case the logo and the description. After removing the Logo etc a link button appears that allows you to add the link back into the post You can then add your link back in by clicking on the link button and posting the link again. Just remember to use the arrow keys at the top of the picture toselect the picture you want before resaving the post. A WORD OF CAUTION While the comments to the original post remain your post will be marked as edited and will appear at the top of your stream so you might not want to do them all at once or even do them at all "Find Your Dream Home --- With Out Leaving Home"™ "New" Home Search Options Are Now Available Search for your dream home in the Durham Region Communities of Uxbridge, Scugog/Port Perry and Brock or the York Region Communities of Georgina, Whitchurch Stouffville including the Ballantrae/Musslemans Lake area, Mt Albert, Markham/Unionville and other communities around the Greater Toronto Area and throughout Ontario. Moving to or from Uxbridge we have you covered with a powerful search engine that will assist you in your Dream Home Search. Kathy Clulow Sales Representative RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc.. Brokerage 905.852.6143Each office independently owned and operated Not intended to solicit clients already under contract__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Activerain and Google+: Posting Tips

Roger Johnson — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:41:02 -0800

I'm writing this post specifically for Active Rain members who are submitting content to Google Plus from their Active Rain Blog. I'm following a lot of you already, (and if we're not connected, circle me now!) and I see this happening on most of the posts coming from the AR site. Google+ is very visual. It likes photos. When you submit a link to Google+, it will pull a picture from the link to add to the Google post. Most of the links coming from an Active Rain site end up with this little cutey: Yep. That's it. Not very visual (unless your intended reader happens to be an AR junkie, perhaps). It does nothing to help promote the post that you've taken the time to promote on Google Plus. BUT FRET NOT MY FELLOW ACTIVERAINER'S! There is a simple solution! When you initially submit a link to your Google+ account, you get a box that should appear something like this: See those little arrows at the top of the picture? Use them to cycle through the various photos that can be used. If you've included any photos within your post, they'll be there. Photos on the page that the link points to should be there, too (that means YOUR AR profile pic). Pick a clip from the post that best reflects the topic. Pick something that is enticing. If nothing else, pick your Mug Shot, Glamour Shot, AR profile pic. That way, it will at least interest people that are interested in what you write.And while we're on the subject of Google+ posting, when you submit a link, think of it as an AR type reblog and write a brief lead-in the post box that tells people why you think they should click on the link you've provided. You'll get better results. And finally, make them PUBLIC! What's the use of promoting them if you're limiting the audience? Don't hide your work! UPDATE: Already posted and need to change the pic? Here's how to do it__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

The Perils of the FSBO, Syndication and Limited Services Providers

Roger Johnson — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 02:27:27 -0700

Charita Cadenhead gives some excellent advice for those sellers considering selling FSBO or with a limited services provider. If you are considering these options, make sure you know what you are getting (or NOT getting) for your money. Click here for more articles about Selling FSBOThe Perils of the FSBO, Syndication and Limited Services Providers This post is not intended to bash FSBOS or limited services providers because each has the right to do what they do. But rather the following correspondence between me and a FSBO is only a glimpse of FSBOs thinking that what we do is a breeze. Of course personal information of the FSBO has been changed for obvious reasons. Please note that the second paragraph of my response was not actually included in my response to the FSBO. Instead I added to this post for the benefit of all FSBOs. TO: WebmasterFrom: FSBO@gmail.comMessage:Hi, The house 1234 Main Street in Some City in Alabama , is currently listed sell by owner, but agent welcome, not agent exclusive. please changethe listing type on your web for this information. Thanks.FSBOthe owner of 123 Main Streetph: 205-555-5555 Hi FSBO Unfortunately I will not be able to change any of the information about your property that appears on my website. You see, the information that is on my website is pulled directly from the MLS. Therefore, you will need to contact the limited services brokerage that you hired to list your property in the MLS and have them correct any information that you deem incorrect. Otherwise you will find yourself contacting thousands of agents one by one and asking them to change information about your listing that appears on their websites via IDX or other syndication methods. But that type of one by one dissemination of information is just one of the perils of Sale by Owners. Oh and just one final thing. When you hired the limited services provider to list your home in the MLS, I am confident that they probably explained their menu of services thoroughly and as a result, you selected only the services that you felt you couldn't perform yourself (i.e. putting info in MLS). Unless you have sold a number of homes before FSBO, then I am sure that this experience has been quite daunting as wells as disappointing in the 5 months that your home has been listed. But know this, it probably isn't too late to revisit the services that you thought you could live without. And it's okay to change your mind and recognize that perhaps a full service brokerage agreement would benefit you. Afterall if entering information in the MLS is all that we real estate agents did, heck I'd have far more time on my hands. Best wishes on the sale of your home, Charita Cadenhead Bham WIiRE Realty www.bhamwiire.com Origin of BDAMB from Bham (The Back Door Ambassador Series) BDAMB Gains Access Through Front Door Charita Cadenhead, Your Metropolitan Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Broker of Choice Got a question about Metropolitan Birmingham real estate? Just ask Charita. Need a good Realtor(R) to help you find a new home or sell the one you already own? Just shoot me an email. In need of a rental property? Subscribe to be notified whenever we list a new rental or home for sale. www.bhamwiire.combhamwiire@gmail.com(205) 527-1112 - cell(205) 321-1200 - Office(800) 496-7431 - Fax One thing about being in real estate: I can't hide even if I tried. Bham WIiRE Realty: We're Everywhere You Want to Be! __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Why Do I Need to Give My Lender That Info?

Roger Johnson — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 02:54:02 -0700

We talk about tightening lending standards all the time these days. How tough the banks are to deal with and how we're always waiting to the last minute before we know, for sure, that a contract is actually closing. A recent Forbles article, The Perfect Loan File, is a must read if you are considering getting a new loan or refinance, or if you are a real estate agent or loan processor. It's not always that the lenders are that difficult, but rather that the borrowers are. To summarize the article, the lenders these days are asking for FULL DISCLOSURE from potential borrowers. They want their full work history, income, available cash, etc. In a lot of situations, the real reason that the loan process is delayed or extended is because the borrower, whether knowingly or not, has not given all the requested paperwork to the lender for review. As the writer of The Perfect Loan File says, when the lender asks for something and you are wanting to know why they need it, just stick with what our parents always said, "Because I said so." Because bottomline, they are going to need it if you want to get the loan. As real estate agents and loan officers, I think we need to do a better job of explaining what is expected from the buyer/borrower in the loan process upfront. I think a lot of the borrower's reluctance or delay in getting the needed info could be avoided if we, as servicers, make the borrower aware of what will be needed and when. Photo provided by www.freedigitalphotos.net__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Rate Me Here! Rate Me There! Rate Me EVERYWHERE!

Roger Johnson — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:39:07 -0700

For years, many real estate agents wanted some kind of system that let their clients give them a public "thumbs up!" job well done remarks. Oh sure, we all asked for customer testimonials and put them up on our websites and included in them in our "look how good I am" presentation books, but agents wanted something more. Well, for good or bad, we now have a public online "rate your agent" system in place. While we've had things like Google Profile and Business Listing where people could rate the 'business' (that's us), Zillow was the first to implement a true "rate the agent" system. If there was only one system, it may be useful, but it wasn't long before other real estate websites wanted to play as well. Now, we have rating systems in place on Zillow.com, Homes.com, Trulia, and countless other sites that use our data to sell their wares back to us (but that's another post). So, now that we've let this beast out of the bag, how do you use it? Do you pick one and ask your clients to rate you only there? Do you ask them to rate you at every one? If so, how many of them are going to bother to that? What happens if you're a "5 star" agent on Zillow but a 1 star on Homes.com? 20 reviews on Trulia but none on Zillow. My heads spinning just thinking about it. What is my client going to do when I ask them to "please rate me on the following 20 sites." Hey and that's only if you're trying to be honest and upfront with the ratings system. Zillow has by far the best system in place. They at least give a good attempt at creating a "true" valuation of the agent, preventing agents (or any email that appears to be an agent) from writing reviews. Still, it's easily manipulated. Let's forget about the "dishonest" ways that it's possible to game the system. It's as simple as only asking the clients you know are going to rate you well to give you a review and the system becomes flawed. The other sites don't try so hard at policing their review systems. Look over a few of them and you'll see agents within the same office rating each other as "excellent" "would use again" My only surprise here is if the agents can give each other positive feedback that we haven't gotten as many negative feedbacks from the competition. Of course, these other sites often give the ability to delete in negative reviews as well. Again, making the system flawed at best. So what's your poison? Do you ask clients to rate you on these sites? If so, which one or ones do you use?__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Do You Know Why it's called a Throne Room?

Roger Johnson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:41:23 -0800

It never fails. Most days I can pretty easily assume that I've seen it all in real estate. There really isn't much that surprises me anymore when it comes to what you find in some houses. Still, there comes that rare moment when I learn that there are still some things that can still surprise me. So, the other day, while visiting a few foreclosures, I ran across what you see below. I had to take a photo because I knew no one would believe it otherwise. At least now, we all know why it's called "The Throne Room." Hope you enjoy! __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Do You Know Why You're Paid on Commission?

Roger Johnson — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:01:08 -0800

I was reviewing my RSS reader feed this morning and came across a post on InmanNews entitled, 4 ways to justify your real estate commission. Now, to be fair, I didn't get to read the whole article because it was a premium piece and I was out of the 'window' for the free look. However, the premise was clear. A seller, who had sold a 4 million dollar home, thought their agent was great at their job but didn't feel that they had done $200,000 (the commission) worth of work. So the author was giving four different ways us agents to prove to sellers why we're worth the money. I thought to myself, "we really need four reasons to justify why we get paid?" Again, I didn't read her four ways, but I'm sure that they were the standard things like "Well, I advertise here" "I market better than the other agent" "I do this" and "I do that." We all want to tell the seller how good we are at what we do and that we do so much to get their property sold. In truth, none of that matters. Getting my ACRE® designation taught me a few things about the real estate business that most agents never learn. Whether you agree with their ideas on fee-based service vs. commissions or not, I'd urge anyone serious about this business to get this designation. One of the key tools in ACRE® is learning why agents get paid what they get paid via commission. It's not about how much work you do. It's not about how much you market, or how successful you are or any of the other things we, as agents, usually say to justify our commission fee. Commission is all about risk. Again, Commission is all about risk. On a full commission sale, the listing agent, not the seller, takes on ALL the risk of selling the property. The listing agent pays for advertising, invests their time and hopes that the seller will follow their advice on staging, showing, etc. AND that they will actually acceptable the offers that come in on the property. The simple truth is that as listing agents, we can bring offers to the sellers every single day that the property is on the market and the seller does not have to accept ANY of them. By taking a listing on commission, the listing agent is betting on theirself, that they can help the seller price the home properly, advertise it to get buyers in the door and then be able to show the seller why the offer should be accepted. Know why you are paid on commission and never have to justify your fees again.__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

8 Restful Lane - Hickory NC Homes for Sale

Roger Johnson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:43:10 -0800

Hickory NC Homes For Sale 8 Restful Lane, Hickory NC 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths Vinyl Ranch City amenities, Country Living and NO CITY TAXES CLICK HERE - For more Info Photos - Hickory NC Homes Call Roger A Johnson 828-270-9330 __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Budget Bathroom Staging: Before & After Photos

Roger Johnson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:32:48 -0800

Staging doesn't have to be expensive to make your room really POP! In this article, Kristine Ginsberg gives a fine example of how by spending just a little money, you can make a BIG difference in appearance. And appearance is everything when selling your home. So, check out this bathroom makeover done for around $50.00 and see what you think. Looking to sell in or around the Hickory, NC area? Give me a call so we can get your property SOLD Budget Bathroom Staging: Before & After Photos We’ve all heard that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes…..but that doesn’t mean you have to do any renovations – you won’t get your money back. There is a much better alternative. You’d be amazed at what a little paint and added accessories can do to transform a bathroom all for under $50.00! Painting is cheap! It’s the most cost effective way to clean and update a bathroom. Elite Staging and Redesign painted this bathroom in a cool blue/grey and added some accessories. It was easy, and yet the transformation is remarkable… Before: After: Opposite View: After: Close-up: After: We added a litte storage space in this unused nook... Contrary to popular belief, home staging is about working with what you have, spending the least amount of money while transforming a space. Great home stagers pride ourselves on being resourceful to keep the cost to the bare minimum while transforming your home for the market. Elite Staging and Redesign - Staged to Sell, Designed to Live Elite Staging and Redesign - Kristine Ginsberg - 201 602 2562 Home Staging Morris County - Staged to Sell, Designed to Live! Elite Staging and Redesign (201)602-2562 You have 90 seconds to make a great first impression once your home goes on the market. Consult a Morris County professional home stager serving Union, Essex, Sussex Counties for that competitive edge so your home stands out from the competition, selling faster and for top dollar! Elite Staging and Redesign offers home staging services to North Jersey homeowners, real estate agents, banks, builders, and investors in preparing homes to stand out in today’s real estate market. For a consultation on vacant staging, lived in homes or interior redesign projects call Elite Staging and Redesign. We will use proven home staging techniques to create warm, inviting, updated spaces that will appeal to the masses. In today's competitive market, every home can use an edge. For a free home staging proposal, call us today at 201-602-2562. Home Staging Website: Elite Staging and Redesign Morris County Staging Before/After pictures: Portfolio Email: Kris@elitestagingandredesign.com __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

What is a buyer's agent?

Roger Johnson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:33:09 -0800

I often get asked by prospective buyers "What does a buyer's agent do and why do I need one?" Bryan Robertson as written a great article clearly explaining what is a buyer's agent and how we can help you with the home buying process. The home buying process can be a daunting task, but with a quality agent in your corner, it'll make all the difference. If you're looking for homes in or around the Hickory, NC area, give me a call and let's see how we can help you find your home today. As a home buyer, the buyer's agent is there to advocate your interest in a real estate transaction. They have a fiduciary duty to represent you and your wants/needs when buying a home. Unlike the seller's agent who care's about getting the most for the seller, the buyer's agent is working to get you the best home at the best price. They are (or should be) loyal to you. Among the many services your agent will do for you include: Offer knowledge and expertise about the neighborhoods you're considering living in Help find any home on or off the market that meets your needs as a buyer Advise you on pricing and negotiating offer terms, as well as negotiating with the selling agent Assist you with obtaining and understanding disclosures and inspections on your desired home These services involve significant amounts of time that encompass phone calls, emails, reading, writing, and lots of paperwork as well as a fair amount of data analysis. This work on your behalf is NOT simply a matter of print out MLS data and showing you a home. There's a lot of value in what your agent gives you in each of these areas: Neighborhood Expertise: A buyer's agent will talk to you to find out what you want in a neighborhood. Their expertise will direct you to the neighborhoods that best suit your needs. At the same time, they can compare and contrast several neighborhoods to help you narrow down the best 1-2 for you. Help Find A Home: Sure, home buyers spend hours on the Internet searching for homes but a buyer's agent will point out what you can't learn online. We'll find expired and cancelled listings that might still be for sale, "off MLS" listings only agents know about, and other opportunities you'll never find online. Pricing and Negotiating: Don't trust the Zestimate for your offer price and don't plan on automatically offering 10% below the listing price either. A buyer's agent will review recent sales and come up with a price that reflects current market value. We'll help advise you on how to then get the best possible deal and negotiate that with the seller. Disclosures and Inspections: There can be hundreds of pages in a disclosure package on a home and your agent will help point out how much of that is important and how much isn't. Many reports have "boilerplate" text, while others make "suggestions" that may not be relevant. Your agent will point out what matters so you can negotiate repairs, if necessary. The bottom line is that a buyer's agent is working in your best interest as a home buyer. The listing agent, working for the home seller, will NEVER give you the guidance you need because they can't tell you what the seller's motivation or position are. Having a buyer's agent gives you the edge you need to get the best home at the best price. I represent several buyers and offer unique services in finding your ideal home. If you're looking for a home in Silicon Valley, give me a call. If you have enjoyed reading my blog, please subscribe HERE! Want to know more about me? Just Google Me! Bryan Robertson, Broker Associate | T: 650.799.9951 | Email: bryan@serenogroup.com | Website: http://www.BryanRobertsonHomes.com |CA License: 01191946 | Sereno Group - Los Altos branch | 369 S. San Antonio Road | Los Altos, CA 94022 Find Me Online! Recent Articles from Bryan's Blog Los Altos Neighborhood Tour - Old Los Altos Los Altos Neighborhood Tour - Rancho The Definitive Guide to parks in Los Altos New House Construction Costs in Los Altos__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

"Snort Sale" - The "Highs" and Lows of the MLS - 2011

Roger Johnson — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:39:46 -0800

Gwen Banta's excellent tale of some listing agents serious lack of proofreading skills (and apparently, inability to use spell-check as well). Remember folks, it doesn't matter how great a write up it is if the buyers can't understand it (or are too busy rolling on the floor laughing at it). Funny stuff. Enjoy! Well friends, this is my last blooper post of the year, and I still have not run out of material. I don’t know whether to thank these hapless agents or to flog them. At the very least, Perhaps I should commend them for sending us off into 2012 with a lot of laughter. Enjoy these bloopers, and have a Happy New Year everyone! For Those With Hang-Ups “Kitch with breakfast hook” (Heehaw - hook ‘em, book ‘em and cook ‘em!) “Indescribable wildlift” (How are those diet pills workin’ out for ya, sweetie?) “Bif gym fully equipped” (Who’s more fully equipped – Bif or the gym?) “Brig bonus by New Year’s day” (Yay – a prison party – at last I’ll find a date!) “Pets wilcome” (Ahhh, a veternarian’s Field of Dreams.) From Those Who Should Be Hanged "Snort Sale" - (Okay Scarface, that explains the teeth grinding) “Christmas crab bag” (I think there’s an ointment for that.) “Big troy drive” (Methinks this is an ancient Greek ad for a Trojan horse...) “Nice entertainment arena” (Proudly offered by Ringling Brothers Realty.) “Fully rehabilitated upper level” (Let me guess - ”Twelve Steps” to get there?) “Breakfat room” (Lapband, anyone?) “Come to holiday patty” (This is Hollywood, pal - if you pay Patty, she’ll come to you.) “Enjoy the egg nod” (That explains why your keyboard is affixed to your forehead.) Can You Hang Somebody Twice? “Celebrity hose” (Who did they belong to – J. Edgar Hoover?) “You’ll like dip in pool” (I will if he’s cute and buys me dinner…) “Ned addition” (Is Ned the dip floating in the pool?) “Hug play area” (Ned again?) “Please ignore big hole in yard” (Should I also ignore the casket with the dead flowers?) And The 2011 Dufis Award Goes To… “Buyers will flock like bees to hiney” (Okay, let me first stop laughing long enough to pen a smart-mouth comment. …Oh hell, I can’t….this is killing me…seriously, this has me on the floor, folks. Okay, let’s try again: “Buyers will flock like bees to hiney.” I’m sorry, I just can’t top that one other than to say: ”They must know an ass when they see one!” For more real estate humor, please visit Gwen at www.sherlockofhomes.blogspot.com/ or Agent Genius. For all your real estate needs, please go to www.LAhomesite.com. HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS! __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Clint Miller: The Greatest Man I Never Knew - Rest In Peace

Roger Johnson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:41:08 -0800

It's taken me all day to come to terms with the news of Clint Miller's passing. My thoughts and prayers have been with his family and the struggle that he went through with his battle with cancer. Would it be a shock to learn that I never personally met Clint? To many on ActiveRain members, it wouldn't. They know full well how he could reach out from cyber space and make you feel his love and respect. I met him first through ActiveRain, then we connected on Twitter. If you never read his blog, I'd suggest you go there now. He had a way about with his writing that really drew you in. In my on again, off again relationship with Twitter, it was Clint that showed me what you could really do with the platform. Just watching him with his Twitter account, @TheRealClint, I saw that it was far more than just spamming links at people. It was even more than responding to people. It was about making real relationships. Clint made it look easy. His last tweet, just a day before he died, was wishing a person that they have a great day. Clint was really a special person. For those that think social media is a waste of time, all I have to say is that you weren't a social media friend of Clint's. I never met Clint personally. To be honest, I wasn't as close of an online friend to him as many of you were. Yet, when we did speak (usually through Twitter), he still made me feel like I had his attention, that I was important to him, that I mattered. That's difficult for most to do in person. He could do that through a computer. That takes a really special person. I hope that one day, I can be half as good as Clint was online (and I can only imagine his impact in person) at touching people's hearts. Clint, you will be missed and I am sure that you affected far more people than you could have ever imagined in your short time on earth, my friend. Clint Miller: The Greatest Man I Never Knew - Rest In Peace: Mar 9, 1971 - Dec 11, 2011 Here is a link to Mimi Foster's post about Clint: In it, she lists a few ways that you can donate to the Miller family if you'd like to do so. Here is a link to the band, Anchored: They are donating a portion of their DVD sales to the Miller family. __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Are You Contributing to Internet Trash?

Roger Johnson — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:40:34 -0800

Are You Contributing to Internet Trash? I recently read an article that summarized that 90% of Facebook business pages could, or as the author said,should, be deleted because they were of poor design, low traffic, no updates and basically (or literally) abandoned by their creators. From my experience looking at Facebook business pages, he may have a point. But, it's more than just Facebook business pages. If you look around the Internet, you'll find hundreds of dead, inactive or unused accounts. We hear about the "next great thing" like Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Facebook, ActiveRain, etc and we jump on it. We play around with it for a few days or months, then move on to the next great thing. It's extremely easy to create a website or blog these days. You've got places like Activerain, Blogger and Wordpress.com where you can have a blog in as little as 15 minutes or less. And there are literally hundreds of "Build a Website" places where you can start up a basic website on the fly. This has also created a lot of Internet Trash. These easy to create sites are usually free and so, unless the user chooses to delete them, they stay out on the Internet forever. What generally happens with these sites is that the creator gets bored with them, doesn't think it's working, or decides to improve and goes to a self-hosted or some other platform. A recent Google search really threw this out for me. I was looking for a computer repair shop in the area and clicked on the top search. It pulled up a website, but all the links were bad (even Contact Us). I went back to the search and clicked further down. It was the same company, different website. Here's where their cheap starter website was ranking better than their new and improved site. And this was a computer company. You would think that they would understand this. How bad is Internet Trash? Look no further than right here at AR. Activerain boasts over 200,000 members, but anyone that has been around here for a bit knows that the "active" number is less than 10% of that (and I'd wager closer to 5% or less). A quick look at my small area of the map and I can spot a half dozen or more agents that aren't even in the business anymore, let alone keeping their blog supported. Just imagine how much better the Internet would be if we could clean it up a bit? I know I've been guilty of Internet Litter. What about you? Have you contributed to Internet Trash? photo courtesy of MyNameMattersNot__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Short Sales Are Distressed Sales! Please Prepare Your Buyers

Roger Johnson — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:30:06 -0800

Short Sales Are Distressed Sales! Please Prepare Your Buyers Like many agents around the country these days, short sale listings are becoming a large portion of my business. I have listed and sold many of them over the last few years. Admittedly, I had a leg up on most agents, as I've been engaged in short sale negotiating for the past 10 years, before most others even knew what a short sale was! One of the most frustrating issues with short sales is NOT dealing with the sellers or even working with the all too often uncooperative bank negotiators. Yes, sometimes both can be issues, but I find that the most frustrating aspect of listing a short sale is the buyers and their agents. Yep, you heard right! Actually, I feel that it's the buyer's agents more than the buyers. From the feedback I get on short sale listings, it's very clear that the agent did not prep this buyer at all about what a short sale is or what may be required. The most common feedback is "Too much work required for my buyer." In most cases, short sale listings generally require some paint and carpet (or flooring). If this is "too much work" for your buyer, then you probably shouldn't be showing them any short sale properties. The best feedback is when it goes something like, "House needs to be staged, painted, new roof, etc, etc, etc," When I get these, I'm tempted to respond with "did you look at the price" as we've taken all those into consideration already. I really think it boils down to a lack of preparation from the buyer's agent. A short sale is a distressed sale. I wonder, do these same agents show foreclosures and give the same type of feedback? I doubt it. We all know that foreclosures are distressed sales and are generally sold "As Is, Where Is" and we prep our buyers for that. Yet, when (at least from the feedback I get) some agents show Short Sales, for some reason, those properties should be in pristine condition, require no work whatsoever AND be priced lower than other comparable homes on the market. Please, if you're going to show short sale listings, make sure that you're educating your buyer on the process, including the fact that a short sale is a distressed sale and it may not be in perfect condition!__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Principle Write-downs Not an Option According to Fannie Mae Exec

Roger Johnson — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:55:32 -0700

Principal write-downs have been discussed as a possible option to reduce foreclosures and help the ailing housing industry for at least the past two years. According to a recent Bankrate.com article, Forget loan forgiveness, the gods of housing loans, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have spoken and the answer is "No Way!" The reasons: a) It doesn't make financial sense to do so b) "principal write-downs would be a bailout...to borrowers who took out loans they couldn't afford" Let's examine those "reasons" Financial Sense: Assuming that a borrower now has the ability to make the payments on a newly modified loan on the home that includes a principle reduction and interest modification, it somehow makes more sense to foreclose on the home than keep someone in the property that can now make the payment? I don't see it. A foreclosure means that the house will sit vacant for a number of months (or years) before going back on the market. In that time, it will run down and require a level of repairs in order to get back to "sale shape." So, either the lender has to foot that bill OR has to reduce the price even further in order to sell it. In either situation, the sale will be for LESS than what a principle write-down would have been. Even assuming that it wouldn't cost the lender MORE to foreclose, the end result is the same: we get a new loan for the current fair market value or LESS. If the current borrower can now perform, how can a foreclosure make better financial sense? Bailout to Borrowers: This one really gets me. We can bailout the banks. We can bailout Wall Street. But we can't even consider the idea of bailing out the borrower? Big Government at it's finest. As an added insult: "who took out loans they couldn't afford" I got news for the Big Boys on the Hill...these borrowers were told by the lenders that they COULD afford these loans. In fact, government encouraged lenders to make sure that more and more borrowers could "afford" these loans. Everybody had to be a homeowner. Now, it's the borrower's fault that they couldn't afford it? They're not solely to blame. If a principle write-down puts them in a house that they can afford, then you've stopped a foreclosure AND you've kept a house off the market. One less house on the market is one more step to helping stablize the housing industry. For those that are going to say, "what about those that are paying their mortgage or don't have one at all? Why should a person be rewarded for not paying their mortgage?" or similar thought... First, a principle write-down should only be considered for those borrowers that could actually afford the new terms of loans. So, it's not going to be for everyone that 'didn't pay their mortgage.' Second, it's an indirect benefit to everyone that owns a home. Anything that could make a strong impact on stablizing the housing market is going to help ALL homeowners by keeping your equity in place. Thoughts?__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Another Reason For A REALTOR Vs. Being A Do It Yourselfer

Roger Johnson — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:30:53 -0700

A simple, yet great, post by Gary Woltal on why you should work with a local professional REALTOR. Save time and effort and find exactly what you want in a home by using the right agent. If you're looking to buy property in or around the Hickory NC area, give me a call. Roger Johnson, 828-381-9245. Many fairly sophisticated people question why use a REALTOR to help them buy a house? Why not do the research on your own and try to negotiate with the Seller's agent? Quick answer: The REALTOR gives you THE DEEP DIVE. Not even counting their professionalism and their training and experience. All the crown jewels of software search lie with the REALTOR. Directly tied into the MLS, REALTORS can zero in on what you want deep diving better than anyone on the planet with school zone search, foreclosure and bank owned and short sale search, search by defined boundaries like polygon or rectangle, even search by keywords in pubic or private remarks. Find all that and plot it on a map, build a table and print it out and even email it to you as a link or file. Even give you tax information, demographics and market trends. If you only could see the difference between basic search and DEEP DIVE search. Well you can. Call a REALTOR. Find EXACTLY what you want !!__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Have You Checked Your ActiveRain Bookmarks Lately, Part II

Roger Johnson — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:56:33 -0700

Last year, I posted, Have You Checked Your ActiveRain Bookmarks Lately?. Well, it's that time of year again where I go back through all of my AR bookmarked posts to do some fall clean-up and re-read those great posts that I bookmarked for a reason. Not familar with the bookmark feature? It's the little "bookmark" icon near the middle of the screen at the bottom of every post. If you find something you'd like to read later or keep around for easy access, simply click the link and it'll be saved into your bookmarked AR posts which can be accessed via your "My Home" AR page. Not an AR member yet? Sign up today! It's great! Below are some more posts from my bookmarks that are really worth a second look (NOTE: some of these are AR Member's Only Posts): Facebook Marketing Secret #1. The Big Photo Banner. By Bartley Wilson A Fun, Free and Practical Resource for Every ActiveRain Member!. By William Johnson. Great App for Photos Tranforming your appliances for under $100 By Deb Waters How To Put Links On Your YouTube Video (members only) By Fernando Herboso You Have a Listing Presentation...What Do You Offer BUYERS? By Kate Elim. Have you thought about a Buyer's Presentation? Three Awesome **FREE** Photo Sites That You Can Use For Your Blog Posts. Happy Thanksgiving.. By Judi Barrett. Selling the 45 day listing agreement. By Broker Bryant Tutas. How confident are you with your current listing presentation? Using 3rd Level Domains To Market Your Listings (members only) By ROSSI Speaks. How to create property websites using your own domain name. Let's Get Blogging - 101+ Ideas for Your Real Estate Blog (Part II) By Kerry Lucasse. Part I was great, too, but it seems to have disappearred from from AR How to reverse engineer your competitors back links to beat them at SEO (video) By Reil Rousopoulos. Ninja style SEO for your blog or website Should You Have Your Picture In Your Business Card? (members only) By Fernando Herboso. An excellent post that truly answers the question Get Great Wide Angle Photos without a Wide Angle Camera From Yours Truly. This is a great little gem of an app to really make some stunning photos Hope you enjoy some of these great posts from the past.__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

New Group on Facebook! I Think It's Important to Fix The Housing Market!

Roger Johnson — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:16:25 -0700

Are you frustrated with the current condition of the housing market (and the economy, in general)? Tired of politicians getting in the way of really fixing the issues? Are you ready to be heard? If so, take a moment to pop over to Facebook and check out Stacie Whatley's new group. New Group on Facebook! I Think It's Important to Fix The Housing Market! I have started a new group on Facebook to share with everyone who wants to make a difference about our housing market. We haven't been able to leave it up to the politicians or the banks so I want to reach out to make sure WE stand up and make a difference on our own. I hope you will come and join the group and share it with your Real Estate Professionals and friends and families. There is only one last hope for the Housing Market and I think it is US! Stacia Whatley Hawkins-Poe Inc. REALTOR® 253-426-8785 staciawhatley@hawkinspoe.com www.staciasellshomes.com __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

230 Wildwood Circle - Taylorsville NC Homes for Sale

Roger Johnson — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:35:53 -0700

Taylorsville NC Home For Sale 4 Bed, 3 bath Split Level on 1.79 Acres CLICK HERE - For more Info and Photos - Hickory NC Homes Call Roger A Johnson 828-381-9245 __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

QR Codes are NOT for the Internet!

Roger Johnson — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:09:25 -0700

QR Codes are NOT for the Internet!

This Links to Nothing!

QR codes are all the rage in the real estate world right now. Apparently, real estate professionals love them. If you're on the QR bandwagon, I have one request for you. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE learn how to use them! Don't know what I mean. Take a look around ActiveRain at the various blog posts sporting those fancy little designs. Look great don't they? The problem? Well, with few exceptions... THEY SHOULDN'T BE THERE! QR Codes aren't meant to be put on websites pointing to other websites. Think it through for a minute. What's the point of putting a QR code to your website in an AR post? Do you think that a reader sitting in front of a computer will decide to flip out their phone, open up the QR app and try to snap a photo of your spiffy QR code so that they can read it on their phone? Or, do you think that they'd simply prefer a link that they could click (remember they're already in front of a computer)? QR Codes are meant to be used on your printed materials so that people who have them can get to your online info. But it's more than that. QR codes are meant for mobile devices. If you're using them, make sure that you're sending people to mobile-friendly web pages. You might want to make sure that you NEED a QR code for the web page your trying to get people to view. For example: my website is HickoryNCHomes.com. On almost all mobile devices, I can type that in far faster than I can open up a QR reader, scan the code and wait on the phone to read it and get to the website. Make sure you are sending them to the RIGHT web page. Remember, we're going after the mobile user. If you're QR code is on a flyer about a house, make sure you are sending them to the web page about that house, not to your homepage or search page. Likewise, if you're advertising search for homes, send them to your IDX search page. QR codes are great when used properly. If you're going to be using them, use them where they are needed. __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

5 Myths About Working With Real Estate Agents

Roger Johnson — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:03:27 -0700

Looking to Buy a Home in Today's market but you haven't yet got with a local real estate professional? Maybe you've heard some things or think some things about real estate agents that simply aren't true. Below, Erica Ramus has a great post exposing 5 Myths about Working with Real Estate Agents. Remember, if you're in or around the Hickory NC area, call me to help you get into your Dream Home. We help you through the process from start to finish. Roger Johnson 828-381-9245 I read a post online from a writer who was warning buyers about the dangers of working with a real estate agent. So here is my reply to that post. I'm not going to link to it because I don't want to give the writer any good SEO or “google juice” from a link. But you can guess what he said as the “gospel truth” by my 5 MYTHS. MYTH #1Contrary to what the national ad campaign put out by NAR, basically the real estate industry's “labor union,” now is NOT always the right time to buy. Yes, right after the real estate market started tanking in 2007, NAR ran national ads stating “Now is a great time to buy!” Some agents bought it hook, line and sinker. But many many agents never bought into the company line. Good real estate agents don't just parrot back the NAR lines, and don't jump up and down screaming “Now is a great time to buy!” no matter what the truth is, no matter what is going on with pricing trends, interest rates or local inventory. The best real estate agents have their own brains, their own opinions, and put the needs of each buyer first. If a real estate agent parrots back this line to you, run for the hills and find a different agent if they cannot explain WHY it is a great time for YOU personally to buy. I doubt in 2007 NAR had any clue that this housing slump would last so long or be so bad. So their national campaign now looks foolish, to me, and hopefully they get that that campaign didn't do much to help our image with the public. MYTH #2Calling the listing agent will get you a better deal. FALSE. The listing agent – you know, the person whose name is on the sign that you call – works for the seller! Not you! Unless you specifically have a buyers' agent agreement with an agent, that agent does not work for you. That means everything you tell that agent about you, your situation, etc, the listing agent is able to, and obligated to, report to the seller. This kills your negotiating power! If you don't have a buyer's agent, GET ONE. The buyer's agent's job is to negotiate the best deal for YOU, not the seller. MYTH #3The agent has only two missions: To get you to buy something To get you to pay as much as possible so the agent make the largest commission possible Real estate agents sell houses, yes, but they also do so much more. They counsel, advise, and are there to guide you through this sometimes complicated process. There are good agents and bad agents, just like in any profession. The GOOD agent isn't there to push the buyer to buy something, anything. The GOOD agent cares about the buyer and wants to find the perfect house for that client, at the best possible price. Top agents work mostly by referral. What that means is that the agent lives off of REFERRALS from their friends, past clients, and people they refer in to the agent. Do you think the agent would be in business long if the agent did a disservice to the buyer and sold them an overpriced home? Nope. Oh, and as for point 2 there, the larger commission argument, it doesn't hold water either. The extra money received by making a buyer pay more for a house is small in comparison to the future referrals happy clients send my way. An extra $10000 you might pay on a house if I am a poor negotiator, or only out for the bigger buck, results in maybe $300 to the broker. And then the agent splits that with the broker. So that extra $150-200 in the agent's pocket looks pretty small in the offset of future business lost. Good agents don't even consider this an argument. We think about our clients and their needs/results first, not ours. MYTH #4Anything the agent says that is GOOD or POSITIVE is a result of that agent wanting to sell you a house, any house. Take it with a grain of salt. Yeah, right. There might be some buyer's agents who LOVE all houses they walk into and urge their buyers to put an offer in on ANY house just to make a buck. Again, those agents are not the majority of agents out there, and they won't last long in this business. A good agent tells you the truth – flaws and all – positive and negative – because the buyer needs to have truthful input to make a good decision. MYTH #5 Agents will leave negative information out, and only disclose the flaws or problems if they are legally required to do so. For example, if the agent does not say anything about the school district, it is probably a poorly rated school district. Seriously??? If I don't talk up the school it must be a bad school? Agents don't rate schools or crime rates. We don't look up in the State Police database to see if any sex offenders or drug dealers live next door. That's up to the buyer to do, via his or her own research. We cannot legally tell you “this is a great school but one district over is bad.” That's a value judgement, and could be considered steering or discrimination so most realtors run for the hills if a buyer asks this. We point you at the proper website or give you a phone number to call, but we cannot and do not make these kinds of judgements. Please take into consideration that ALL professions have good and bad people. Some people will always be out for their own best interest and will try to sell anything to anyone for any price. You need to interview several buyer's agents and pick the one who seems to be honest, experienced, knowledgeable, and works well with your personality. -- Erica Ramus, Broker/Owner REALTY EXECUTIVES Schuylkill Real Estate 300 Mauch Chunk St. A Pottsville PA 17901 Phone 570-622-6006 ext 301 Private fax 1-866-734-4256 Click for Pennsylvania Consumer Notice PA License RM420589 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA. If you're looking for a PROFESSIONAL to represent you in all of your Schuylkill County real estate needs, call Realty Executives at 570-622-6006. Serving all of Schuylkill County ... Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Pine Grove, Frackville, Minersville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, St. Clair, Barnesville real estate. Click on the link above to search Pottsville PA homes for sale or anySchuylkill County homes for sale. We have all properties listed for sale in theSchuylkill MLS on our website -- free search! No registration is required! We also run Schuylkill Appraisal Services, for all your appraisal needs in the area. If you need an appraisal, we are your Schuylkill County appraisal source. And for all your commercial needs in Schuylkill County check out Schuylkill Business for your Schuylkill County commercial real estate. __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

FREE Tool to Make Your Twitter Stream SIZZLE!!!

Roger Johnson — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 01:34:14 -0700

FREE Tool to Make Your Twitter Stream SIZZLE!!!Are you currently using Twitter or thinking of trying it out? One of the coolest things about Twitter is being able to share content with your followers that you find interesting. But it's never a good idea to throw a bunch of tweets out back to back to back. Overflow your friends' stream like that too often and you'll start to lose followers fast!So what to do? Try out BufferApp.com that's what!BufferApp.com is a great free little tool that you can use to schedule tweets throughout the day. Yes, there are other apps and programs on the market that do that, too, but what makes BufferApp so much better is you can quickly setup a tweet to an article or post you find interesting by simply hitting a button!BufferApp has extensions for all the major web browsers, smart phones and even in Twitter itself. Once installed, anytime you're reading something you'd like to share on Twitter, just click the BufferApp button, a little box will pop up where you can edit or add to the headline of the webpage or post, click 'add to buffer' and you're done!So now you can read all your RSS feeds in the morning (or whenever you do) and schedule tweets from them throughout the day. You can setup your buffer timeline however you want, so you choose when your tweets are displayed.And BufferApp comes with built in analytics, too. You can see how many times your links have been clicked on and shared with others.Try out BufferApp and see what you think. Sign up (again, FREE!) here and start out with one additional space in your buffer timeline. __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

6223 Monford Dr - Conover NC Homes for Sale

Roger Johnson — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:57:28 -0700

Conover NC Home For Sale 4 Bed, 2 full and 2 half bath Split Level on 9.74 Acres NEAR THE LAKE! CLICK HERE - For more Info and Photos - Hickory NC Homes Call Roger A Johnson 828-381-9245 __________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

Will Refinancing Underwater Loans Help Ease the Foreclosure Crisis?

Roger Johnson — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:45:03 -0700

Will Refinancing Underwater Loans Help Ease the Foreclosure Crisis? This morning, I read an article on RISMEDIA, Executive Action to Ease Foreclosure Crisis? The basic summary of the post is that the President has the authority to change the rules to allow "responsible" homeowners to refinance their homes at today's low interest rates and also to basically compel the lenders to do the refinance. It would only help homeowners that aren't currently behind on their payments and the premise is that it would help stem the tide of foreclosures by stopping those considering strategic defaults. By reducing their monthly payments, it would also increase their spendable money, thereby helping the economy. Unfortunately, it's far too short-sighted in it's approach. First, it's aimed only at those that are current on their mortgage AND who have a house that is "under water" (the loan amount is higher than the current value of the property). That's becoming a rarity, these days. So the amount of people it could possibly help is small in comparison to the amount of people actually needing help. Second, it's aimed at people that already can afford the mortgage. The primary criteria for determining if you can qualify is that you are current on your existing mortgage. If you're able to pay your existing mortgage, chances are very good that you've already went the refinance route (if you were so inclined). Again, while there may be a few people who can afford their existing mortgage but for whatever reason, they could not get a refinance, that number is small in comparison to the number of people actually needing help. Third, it totally ignores the primary reason people choose to Strategically Default: the house isn't worth what's owed. Does it really matter if you're paying 4% or 10% interest on the loan if the loan amount exceeds the value of the house to the extent that you are willing to considering defaulting on the loan? If you're considering that option, the hope of "saving" a few hundred bucks a month on your payment usually isn't going to change your mind as it's not the payment that is the issue (remember, we're talking about those that can afford their current mortgage), but rather the difference between property value and loan value. Should the President move forward with this? By all means, most definitely. At least, it's a start. But there is more that needs to be done.__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310

128 Primrose Dr Stony Point NC - Taylorsville NC Homes for Sale

Roger Johnson — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:06:06 -0700

128 Primrose Dr Stony Point NC

3BR/2BA Single Family offered at $160,000 Year Built Sq Footage Bedrooms Bathrooms Floors Parking Lot Size

2005

1378

2 car garage

1.14

Description WOW! That's what you'll say when you visit this 3 bed, 2 bath all brick ranch home. House sits on .57 acre lot with an additional buildable .57 acre lot for over 1 acre total. Fully landscaped and ready to enjoy with a custom built Koi pond (fish included!) in the back, Sunsetter awning and waterfall for a relaxing afternoon. Over-sized garage not enough? No problem! Barn style 12x24 storage shed with a loft area is the perfect "Man-Cave" getaway. Inside, you've got a spacious living room, open kitchen with lots of counterspace and a mastersuite with huge walk-in closet. Living room features a custom installed bay window to easily view the pond area from your easy chair. Setup your appointment to see it today. You don't want to miss this one.

For More Photos and Info, please Visit HickoryNCHomes.com

Agent Info Roger A Johnson 828-381-9245 CENTURY 21 American Homes

__________________________________________ Roger Johnson is a Realtor with CENTURY 21 American Homes in Hickory, NC. I service the Catawba and surrounding counties, and the Hickory, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Claremont, Statesville and Charlotte, NC real estate markets. Visit us on the web at: www.HickoryNCHomes.com You can contact me via Email or give me a call at 828-381-9245 or 828-568-2121 ext 310