I am very interested in their new Localism concept of selling territories to sponsor. I hope to grab Woodstock and Canton in August.

I read this morning that GMAC real estate may be sold. Before I started Maxsell Real Estate, I worked for GMAC. The firm was Better Homes and Gardens before it became GMAC and it was just Metro Brokers before BH&G bought them. I spent my first eight years with Metro Brokers/BH&G/GMAC. That’s 3 brands in 8 years.

It’s also true that Better Homes and Gardens is coming back into the real estate market. Rumor has it they may even buy back the GMAC franchises it sold off years ago. Sellouts!

As an agent, I was tired of corporate turnover, rebranding, and migration to quantity over quality. I wanted to work where I was part of a consistent brand without corporate policies and a place where community and morale mattered more than numbers. Maxsell Real Estate was born out of the idea that real estate is local and consumers really don’t care what national brand you’re with (they change so often now anyways).

Some agents and consumers ask if the brand recognition makes a difference. My answer has always been yes, to some, and no, to others. Everyone assumes that a big corporate brand makes a difference to the public. I agree that many people may look favorably on a corporate brand which helps with first impressions, but there are more and more who look negatively on corporate brands.

So many people are jaded by corporate America, tired of mass advertising, disgusted by corporate politics and Enron scandals. I contend today more than ever before, large brands are in trouble. Then they go and buy each other out and make it even more difficult for the public to trust one brand over another.

So far Maxsell Real Estate has lost only one listing that I can verify, in three years, to a larger corporate brand.  Today’s real estate client wants superior service, not a brand name. I’ll take my chances staying small and enjoy the side show of sellouts, brokerage buyouts, and rebranding.

There are many high-quality real estate blogs listed below us on the list (and many above).  I consider it an honor to be on the same list as all of these bloggers.  Here is Jon’s crieteria…

The Rules:

"Since we focus on Real Estate Technology lets take a few guesses at how this could help real estate agents:

1. Dynamically zoom in and out of neighborhoods using your finger tips to point out neighborhoods and close parks for interested buyers
2. Video home tours navigated with the touch and drag of a finger. Want to zoom-in and stretch a room to see it in a bigger scale? The consumer will interact with the home.
3. With Surface integrated into a conference room table, an agent could set their camera on the screen and have their new listing photos effortlessly appear. The real estate agent could stretch and zoom the photos for impact while he/she highlights the properties for fellow agents."

How do you think real estate agents or anyone else will utilize Surface?

I enjoy participating in conversations with individuals that I consider to be the elders of our society. They often speak in envious tones of times gone by when life was enjoyed to a fuller extent and the simple things were enough to get you by. Inevitably at some point during the conversation, a statement is made regarding how the area has changed over the years. I have often heard “You see all those buildings over there, none of that used to be there” or “when I moved here, I had the chance to buy all the land I wanted for $500 an acre and now that land is over $30,000 an acre.

Many individuals watch the areas that they live and work in become developed and rezoned to a higher and better use with out becoming investors in real property. They do not take advantage of the current tax advantages of home ownership that under most circumstances allow us to sell our residence every two years and have a large portion of the profits be exempt from income tax.  They do not take advantage of using 1031 exchanges for investment properties that allow us to continually invest proceeds from the sale of real property and have those proceeds tax deferred. It is kind of ironic that the reason many of us currently live in the United States is because our ancestors desperately wanted the right to obtain and own real property. They gave up their lives in their countries of origin and made the arduous journey to the New World so that they and their families could realize all of the opportunities that accompany the ownership of real property. And yet many individuals today do not actively invest in real property.

Many individuals are like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. They know that they should be making a move of some kind but are unsure of the direction in which the move should be made. They hear on our evening news that the current real estate market in a downturn and decide to wait on the market to turn around. So while they are waiting for the opportune moment to participate in the perfect real estate deal, other individuals investing. These investors are less concerned about trying to have the perfect timing and concentrate more on researching and investing in properties with good potential returns. So when the market turns around, the investors are more aptly prepared to realize a gain on their investments than the people who procrastinated and then try to jump on the bandwagon of profiting in an upswing of the market.

Many successful investors realize significant advantage of diversifying their investments and include real property investments in their portfolios. One obvious advantage is that other than the creations of islands like the ones in the United Arab Emirates, no more land is being made. Also investors who have a lower tolerance for risk like knowing that their real property investments are somewhat insulated from tumultuous movements that can occur in the stock market.

Skillfully investing in real property is not an easy task. There is a lot of truth in the old saying “ If it was easy, everyone would be good at it”. One of the difficulties in investing in real property is determining the current value. As with any investment, a property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it on a given day.  Some individuals will see a $10,000 price reduction on a $300,000 property and believe that the reduction in price makes that real estate a bargain. In reality that property may still be priced considerably higher than the current market and only skilled individuals that deals with properties on a daily basis can help evaluate whether that property is a bargain deal or not.

In the current market there is a lot of choice and opportunity for real property investment. Do not choose to procrastinate on learning what opportunities exist in your area. Contact a local full service real estate agent and ask for current information on today’s opportunities and avoid having conversations in the future regarding opportunity lost.

"The way you draw a house says a lot about your personality. You can use this site to draw a house, answer some quesions based on your house then find out what your house says about you."

Here is what my house says about me:

Your house tells the world that you ought to be a leader. You are a freedom lover and a strong person. You will avoid being alone and seek the company of others whenever possible. You love excitement and create it wherever you go. You are very tidy person. There’s nothing wrong with that because you’re pretty popular among friends. Your life is always full of changes.

You will avoid being alone and seek the company of others whenever possible. You love excitement and create it wherever you go. You see the world as it is, not as you believe it should be.

You are not a romantic person by nature. It also safe to say that others don’t see you as a flirt. You don’t think much about yourself.

And I thought I was romantic? better ask my wife on this one. But I definitely think highly of myself, unless I’m down on myself.

I have created a "street" called Atlanta I-575 and I encourage you to take the test and draw your house to place on the street. Just click below to take the test:

Draw your house Now!

View houses on the street at Atlanta I-575.

Here are the latest tips from Lowe’s monthly “News You Can Use“:

1. Spring into cleaning – Use a little elbow grease to

make your floors, windows, appliances and light

fixtures sparkle. Potential buyers feel more comfortable

when viewing a clean house.

2. Minimize clutter – “Less is more” when it comes

to staging your home for sale. Put anything in storage

that takes away from a room’s overall impact.

3. Organize closets – A well-organized closet will appear

roomier, which is what buyers want. There are

a number of affordable closet shelving and storage

systems that you can install yourself.

4. Paint works wonders – Fresh paint can be the

least expensive way to transform a room. Neutral

colors work best because a buyer can move in

now and choose their custom colors later.

5. Make a great first impression – Pretend that

you’re entering your home for the first time. If there

are cobwebs or peeling paint on your front door,

that first impression will be negative. Make needed

repairs and replace an overly-worn welcome mat

with a new one.

6. Add color with containers – Add container plantings

to your front entrance for a welcoming focal

point. The following plants are perfect for spring:

ivy, sweet alyssum, geranium, snapdragon, salvia,

liriope, and dianthus.

7. Fresh cut flowers – Fresh flowers bring the outdoors

inside, adding color and aroma. If your home

is painted in neutral tones, choose brightly colored

flowers. If your home is already full of color, opt for

lighter hues, such as white or yellow.

8. Spring touches – Lighten up your decorating

with throws and toss pillows that say “Spring”.

Pack away those heavier quilts and winter accent

pieces.

9. Hot color trends – This Spring, soothing mint and

bright foliage are two striking variations of this

season’s signature color: green. Other tones also

incorporate a hint of green, including light, airy

blues and deeper gray teals. Honey-hued yellows

and subtle shaded purples, along with bright white

round out the season’s palette.

————–
On a side note…is it dangerous to test run a new blog from your current blog’s fan base? I have the plan to have all my agents at Maxsell begin making blog posts at www.maxsell.net. This should increase their exposure to the public, improve their internet and communication skills, plus promote the company and our community. I am linking this same posted entry to my new test site www.maxsell.net in hopes to get feedback about my ideas and the cross-pollination.

Here are the latest tips from Lowe’s monthly “News You Can Use”:

1. Spring into cleaning – Use a little elbow grease to

make your floors, windows, appliances and light

fixtures sparkle. Potential buyers feel more comfortable

when viewing a clean house.

2. Minimize clutter – “Less is more” when it comes

to staging your home for sale. Put anything in storage

that takes away from a room’s overall impact.

3. Organize closets – A well-organized closet will appear

roomier, which is what buyers want. There are

a number of affordable closet shelving and storage

systems that you can install yourself.

4. Paint works wonders – Fresh paint can be the

least expensive way to transform a room. Neutral

colors work best because a buyer can move in

now and choose their custom colors later.

5. Make a great first impression – Pretend that

you’re entering your home for the first time. If there

are cobwebs or peeling paint on your front door,

that first impression will be negative. Make needed

repairs and replace an overly-worn welcome mat

with a new one.

6. Add color with containers – Add container plantings

to your front entrance for a welcoming focal

point. The following plants are perfect for spring:

ivy, sweet alyssum, geranium, snapdragon, salvia,

liriope, and dianthus.

7. Fresh cut flowers – Fresh flowers bring the outdoors

inside, adding color and aroma. If your home

is painted in neutral tones, choose brightly colored

flowers. If your home is already full of color, opt for

lighter hues, such as white or yellow.

8. Spring touches – Lighten up your decorating

with throws and toss pillows that say “Spring”.

Pack away those heavier quilts and winter accent

pieces.

9. Hot color trends – This Spring, soothing mint and

bright foliage are two striking variations of this

season’s signature color: green. Other tones also

incorporate a hint of green, including light, airy

blues and deeper gray teals. Honey-hued yellows

and subtle shaded purples, along with bright white

round out the season’s palette.

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I have not used the service myself, but I promised myself I would get a video camera or hire someone to do video for me before the end of the year. I am posting this sample video because it’s about Atlanta and maybe it will remind me to follow my own advice and believe that the future of real estate marketing is in video.

This is a great tool for agents everywhere.