Comic Life Part 1

Finally spent some time last night playing with some of the software I have loaded on my Mac and came up with this creation.

Thanks to my good friends Jeff & Sue Garber for appreciating my sense of humor and being such good sports.

(Click to enlarge)

Talk Nerdy To Me

Today when Kyle got home from school, he asked me about 802.11 wireless and what the differences were. He actually has a good understanding of it, which impressed me and we had a nice little conversation about it.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it?

How to Build a Laser Listener

Not sure how well this works, but it might be a good project for Kyle and I to try some week-end.

Housing Market Warming Up

Home sales statewide showed an increase during the month of July compared to June, with sales similar to those of a year ago. Favorable interest rates and a correction in prices have helped as well as a supply of housing in all price categories according to The Ohio Association of Realtors.

Locally, the Greater Dayton area shows January - July 2007 sales as:

2006 - 8,351
2007 - 8,257
Change is -3.2%

Average home sale prices for our area were reported as:

2006 - $136,765
2007 - $135,602
Change is -.09 %

The Greater Dayton area faired well compared to other communities in Ohio. Only Zainesville showed an increase in the number of units sold and an increased sale price.

So what does all this mean? It means that people are still buying and selling homes in this market, regardless of what the media may be telling you. A properly priced home will move in this market, so if you are considering buying or selling, there's never been a better time.

Real Estate Education 101

Dual Agencies and why consumers should avoid them:

According to the Consumer Guide to Agency Relationships, a Dual Agency exists when the same agent and brokerage who represent the seller also represents they buyer. When a brokerage and its agents become dual agents, they must maintain a neutral position in the transaction. They may not advocate the position of one client over the best interests of the other client, or disclose any confidential information to the other party without written consent.

Sounds simple enough. Yet, the entire reason for obtaining the services of a Realtor is to protect your interests in any real estate transaction and get you the best deal possible. How can someone have a neutral position in a deal and still claim to be protecting your best interests? They can't, it's a huge conflict of interest. Someone, usually the buyer is going to feel taken advantage of in these deals since the agent works on commission.

I advertise that I don't do dual agency relationships for this very reason, and I never will. I don't understand why the state even allows them. Yes, every other Realtor out there (well, there are a few exceptions) will tell you why dual agencies are great. But the ultimate reason they do so is to capture the entire commission plain and simple. They can argue with me all they want about the benefits to their clients, but it ultimately comes down to money in their pocket, not yours.

Yes, I will show someone a property I have listed if they call and want to see it. But I make it very clear from the beginning that if they have an interest in purchasing the property after seeing it, that they will have to work with another agent to represent them.

If you work with an agent that performs dual agencies, you are doing a huge dis-service to yourself in what is probably the single largest investment transaction you will ever perform.

Protect your interests and just say "No" to dual agency agreements.

Vintage Computer Feastival 2006

For those of you over the age of 35, how many of these old vintage machines do you recognize? Makes me wish I had never sold my old Commodore Amiga 500!