en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/727830 Comments by MDSuburbs http://mrisblog.com/blog/watch-the-live-unveiling-of/#IDComment438565403 I agree with Seth. Seeing John describe the product was one thing, seeing the product was another. It really isn't clear how wonderful this is and, regardless of the spin about putting the Realtor at the center of the "conversation", I see this as MRIS moving more toward consumer access to the MLS. Maybe MRIS sees Zillow, Trulia and even Realtor.com as competitors and wants to gather martketshare ASAP. Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:10:22 +0000 http://mrisblog.com/blog/watch-the-live-unveiling-of/#IDComment438565403 http://mrisblog.com/blog/home-pricing-wizard-is-now-available-create-powerful-cmas-in-minutes-now-thats-magic/#IDComment381717785 Looks great and it'll be a big help! Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:46:30 +0000 http://mrisblog.com/blog/home-pricing-wizard-is-now-available-create-powerful-cmas-in-minutes-now-thats-magic/#IDComment381717785 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/25/6-of-52-my-ceiling-fan-wobbles-squeaks-or-might-fly-on-its-own/#IDComment137768926 I usually refer to "professional electrician" (secret website) for all installation and repair issues with my ceiling fans. I wish I was more handy but I missed shop class in high school and as far as I can tell there is always one part left over after everything is installed. :-) Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:27:50 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/25/6-of-52-my-ceiling-fan-wobbles-squeaks-or-might-fly-on-its-own/#IDComment137768926 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/23/riddle-me-this/#IDComment137375572 Your last paragraph says it all. Besides your mortgage company will make sure you're not overpaying. Just sayin' Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:33:13 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/23/riddle-me-this/#IDComment137375572 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/20/and-the-award-goes-to/#IDComment136263703 A very nice Lucite trophy, indeed. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. So, how many people did you help to get that? 3? 4? (just teasing) Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:03:46 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/20/and-the-award-goes-to/#IDComment136263703 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/18/5-of-52-make-your-front-door-say-welcome/#IDComment136107614 While I think curb appeal and a nice door really add a lot to a house, I don't know that I would put that on the top of my list of things to go out and buy unless the door was in really bad shape, Storm doors or screen doors are another matter. If those are in bad shape, I say, get rid of them or replace them. The keypad combos on front doors are nice and high tech but, like combination lock boxes, the combination is easily remembered and can present a theft risk. After all, it is hoped that lots and lots of people will be visiting the Seller's home. Which one of them will remember the combination and come back later for the flat screen TV or jewelry? Finally, more tongue in cheek... I noticed that the graphic for the DoorScope has those nice side windows next to the door. Might not need a peep hole, after all. :-) The larger point of having a nice and welcoming entry point to the house is spot on! Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:10:24 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/18/5-of-52-make-your-front-door-say-welcome/#IDComment136107614 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/19/seller-un-sells-house/#IDComment136103449 This post is on the verge of poetic. =) Again, right on the money. The big challenge with FSBOs is that the O really thinks they need to sell their house like a car salesman sells a car. It's got this. It's got that. Let's Make A Deal. Homes sales ain't like tat. I had a client once that told me that this house or that house didn't "sing" to him. Well, that what it took. A house that "just feels right" regardless of the shopping or great lawn or whatever. I am constantly surprised by what home buyers focus in on as "the thing" that makes a house special. It sounds like the O in this case could have used his "negotiation" room to hire a professional Realtor so they could get to settlement and move to their next home. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 19:40:40 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/19/seller-un-sells-house/#IDComment136103449 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/13/seller-makes-bad-decisions-buyer-wins/#IDComment134711566 OMG! This is such a horrible scenario. I occasionally get sellers that want me to do an "exclusive" listing and keep it out of the MLS. I *always" disabuse them of the notion. The MLS is the single best advertising medium to sell your house. Not only do other Realtors (and their buyers) see it but, as you mentioned, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and dozens of other websites pick it up complete with interior photos, exterior photos and, sometimes, even the Virtual Tour. Yeah, it would be great for the agent listing the house to make a somewhat larger commission (and usually a smaller commission paid by the Seller) but it's almost always a loss for the Seller. There's an old saying that people who do this are walking over dollars to pick up a dime. Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:33:56 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/13/seller-makes-bad-decisions-buyer-wins/#IDComment134711566 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/11/4-if-your-carpet-was-installed-in-the-70s/#IDComment134295438 It's amazing the kind of things people hang onto over the years. I can relate to replacing old carpeting. It can be expensive and I've had lots of Sellers say "a buyer may not like what I replace it with or want their own color." Or, a different version of this is "I'll offer a carpet allowance." Well, a carpet allowance is just a oblique way of saying "I'll give closing costs help." and if a Seller replaces old 70s style carpet or even beat up 90s or 2000s style carpet with a nice neutral color it will do wonders for the presentation of the house. A newly painted and newly carpeted house can sell pretty darn fast if it is also priced right. I recently sold a house in the Calverton area of Beltsville where that was all that was done (paint and carpet).. Days on market? Less than a week. The house was in generally good shape but you could tell it would need some updating. All the same, it looked clean and more open and light with a quick and relatively inexpensive "face lift". Neglecting things like carpet and paint end up costing in the long run either in longer time sitting on the market or a lower sales price or (God forbid!) both. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:04:44 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/11/4-if-your-carpet-was-installed-in-the-70s/#IDComment134295438 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/04/3-playing-in-the-dirt/#IDComment133219261 All I have to say is that I hope you're very nice to Joesph. He did a hell of a lot of work. It's all worth it, of course, but a ton of work. Mon, 7 Mar 2011 23:02:46 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/04/3-playing-in-the-dirt/#IDComment133219261 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/04/deal-killer-home-inspectors/#IDComment132904981 If there is something major wrong with the house that needs to be addressed, it's better to find out about it at the home inspection and, if the buyers want out, they should get out. I have a little bit of a different take. Some inspectors go through the house with a fine tooth comb and point out every possibly flaw no matter how minor it might be and attempt to impress the home buyer with their vast knowledge. Only it scares the bejeezus out of the buyers, There's nothing worse than looking at a long laundry list of repairs. It also seems that buyers tend to have a built-in disconnect between what a repair may actually cost in real life vs what they think it might cost (example: many people think it costs $100 for a plumber/electrician/whatever to just walk through the door. In fact, I know an extremely competent one with a service call fee of $39). There is also a bit of a disconnect between ongoing home maintenance and something that should really be addressed right away. Your examples are truly things that the home owner needed to address right away. Older water heaters (that work) or older furnaces (that work), circuit breaker boxes (that provide the needed power to the house) are all things that a new home owner will need to address at some point in their life in the house. it's one thing for a home inspector to point out an appliance or even a roof that is getting old and will need attention within the next couple of years. It's quite another to make it sound like an imminent disaster. A good inspector will point out things that truly need immediate attention and others that are simply part of the "joys of home ownership". Sun, 6 Mar 2011 15:34:31 +0000 http://athomeincheverly.com/2011/03/04/deal-killer-home-inspectors/#IDComment132904981 http://www.TheAgentTrainer.com/a-half-dozen-reasons-why-you-suck-on-mls/#IDComment120372947 Matt, your heart is in the right place. I disagree, though, with some of your points. You write: ""Everyone of us should have been given a basic primer on how to calculate square footage of a home" The operative word there is "should". Appraisers and my old math teacher tell me that square footage is width times length. Are you suggesting adding all the various levels (basement + main level + upper level = square footage)? Most appraisers I know don't count below grade as living space no matter how tricked out it might be. In my view, this is truly a gray are that may be exposure agents don't need. I see your point, though. Photos. I tend to agree that even if the house looks like hell it should have some photos that indicate it looks like hell so buyers' agents looking for "nice" homes won't waste their time. But, a minimum? I'm not so sure. BTW, I'd be interested in your take on Virtual Staging which seems to be an up and coming technology. Can this be construed as misrepresentation even if you try your best to indicate it's "virtual" with a "true" photo next to the "virtual" photo? Descriptors like "motivated seller" are, unfortunately, essential. Listing agents can't very easily add "Seller will take low ball offer. Please submit." In most Sellers' eyes, the listing price is the starting point since they know, especially in this market, that people offer a lower price. Sad but true and the Seller sets the price, no? How about "cozy" or "needs a little TLC" or the "updated bath" that just had a new paint job and, maybe, a new vanity from Home Depot. I could go on. Suffice it to say that we don't live in a perfect world and I would be thrilled to see some incremental improvements along the lines you suggest. I'm not holding my breath. Sun, 9 Jan 2011 14:57:08 +0000 http://www.TheAgentTrainer.com/a-half-dozen-reasons-why-you-suck-on-mls/#IDComment120372947 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/10/stepping-stones/#IDComment108084979 Twitter is an interesting phenomenon. Some people swear by it's ability to attract business, Others say it's a great way to "engage" with like minded or locally located (can I say that?) people. Either way, it's supposed to be social. Whatever. It always amazes me when i see ads in print or on websites that say "Follow Me" and they barely exist on Twitter. Why bother? In any case, it was a bold move. One I'm sure you will never regret. Fri, 5 Nov 2010 22:47:31 +0000 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/10/stepping-stones/#IDComment108084979 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/10/thigh-highs/#IDComment108083694 Count your blessings on the bur-burn look. My sweetie-peetie stopped coloring her hair and it went...gray. Of course, we have a few years on ya. Just sayin' Fri, 5 Nov 2010 22:37:27 +0000 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/10/thigh-highs/#IDComment108083694 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/10/magical-things/#IDComment108082325 Congrats, CP. Now, you can practice up on making chocolate chip cookies, knitting little booties and spoiling the kid beyond recognition! :-) Fri, 5 Nov 2010 22:26:56 +0000 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/10/magical-things/#IDComment108082325 http://mrisblog.com/2010/08/activeagent-now-featuring-google-maps-and-major-upgrades/#IDComment94169421 Yay! My current subscription to Active Agent was due to end at the end of the year and I was seriously thinking of moving to another provider. I was pleased with the general Homesdatabase upgrade and wondered why it didn't just migrate over to Active Agent. I wonder if Google can index the pages on the new and improved Active Agent? Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:35:49 +0000 http://mrisblog.com/2010/08/activeagent-now-featuring-google-maps-and-major-upgrades/#IDComment94169421 http://mrisblog.com/mrisfax/introducing-drum-roll-please-mrisfax/#IDComment86693308 RingCentral is similar to eFax. I was an eFax customer for awhile and grew increasingly dissatisfied with them. They auto-renew (which I hate), they started dinging me small amounts for "page overage" which I thought was a scam but the amounts were so small ($5 here, $3.50 there) that I didn't want to bother. I tried to cancel and I had to go through their "chat" service to cancel. It was a nightmare. Luckily, my credit card expired and I just let me time run out with eFax. But back to MRIS fax. 1. The video doesn't really explain how to find the cover sheet. I had to hunt for the user manual and then I was able to find the cover sheet on the MRIS home page. 2. If MRIS would write code for Firefox and Chrome so things would display properly on those browsers it would be a huge (and, I mean, HUGE) innovation. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:20:59 +0000 http://mrisblog.com/mrisfax/introducing-drum-roll-please-mrisfax/#IDComment86693308 http://mrisblog.com/mrisfax/introducing-drum-roll-please-mrisfax/#IDComment86691169 Since my Broker is dumping MongoFax, this is a great alternative. I also use RingCentral for incoming faxes and will probably hold onto that since (let's be honest) most clients will get confused with printing a cover sheet and faxing back. I'll try it out on both ends, though, and see how it works. Free is certainly better than paying RingCentral for the minimal faxes I use it for. Then there is DocuSign (which is not free). I like the innovation, though. Good for MRIS! Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:00:45 +0000 http://mrisblog.com/mrisfax/introducing-drum-roll-please-mrisfax/#IDComment86691169 http://www.inspiremetoday.com/archiveDisp.php?type=0&ref=829#IDComment84799949 Unless, of course, you've been doing stuff to pay the bills for so long that the passion and the dream have long been extinguished. I often hear the questions, "What do you like to do?" "What interests you?" " What are your hobbies?" If only I could answer one of those... Mon, 5 Jul 2010 00:14:08 +0000 http://www.inspiremetoday.com/archiveDisp.php?type=0&ref=829#IDComment84799949 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/01/the-day-after/#IDComment50139301 zippedy do dah, zippedy ay.....Oooops. Almost let positivity slip through. :-) It's tough being a minimum wage worker when everyone has the day off. But, hey, you're right. There are probably lots of people that would like her job. On the other hand are the people who are just sooooo perky and want to ask you all kinds of questions about what you're up to. "Oh, I see you're getting Doritos. Watching some of the Bowl Games? Big party?" "Ohhhh. I love Ben and Jerry's , too. So yummy." I just wanna smack 'em upside the head and get out of the store. But that would be illegal. Sun, 3 Jan 2010 01:56:55 +0000 http://thedailyblonde.com/2010/01/the-day-after/#IDComment50139301