Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela

Christianne did a great job on this.   I can now use it to decode my 16 year old daughter's texts...

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                   Join The Optimist Group!

We woke up in the morning with the smell of smoke inside our home.  We immediately closed the windows.   It became evident that we were now National News. 

I first noticed the fire as we exited my Grandmother's Funeral Home, right after her incineration started on Wednesday at around noon.   Five hours later when I came back to pick up her ashes, the fire had spread and it took on a life of its own.  The first video reflects that.

I left the house at 8am this morning, headed to Surfside/Garden City Beach, located about 40 minutes away via highway 31, which was now closed, thus doubling my driving time.  The second video shows the thick smoke on highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach.

Three of my daughter's friends have lost their homes in the fire.  Several shelters are still open; one of them in my gym - the North Myrtle Beach Aquatics and Fitness, the other at my daughter's church, the Barefoot Church on Main Street.  All North Myrtle Beach Schools were cut short: after about an hour of class, all students were dismissed.  They were actually having the PAC testing today, a huge deal for our schools, perhaps the only reason they've even attempted to have class today.  It's kind of hard to concentrate on a test when you know you no longer have a home...

The third, fourth and fifth clips were shot on my way back from Surfside/Garden City, around 3:30 in the afternoon. 

We were the only ones on the Beach tonight, as we were holding my Grandmother's Funeral.  By the time we finished our intimate and very touching Celebration of my Grandmother's Life, we realized the skies were now clear; the fires had been put out.  No more smoke, no more dark clouds. 

It all started with my Grandmother's incineration and ended with her remains being lovingly poured into the blue Atlantic.  The rest of the magic that transpired remains to be told in an upcoming blog. 

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                Join the Optimist Group!

Phew!  What a whirlwind!  Within the past 48 hours I've had even more action than I usually have, and that means it was pretty intense!

My Grandmother passed away.  I organized the funeral, facilitated the clean-up of her room at her nursing home, gathered up the family, got her cremated, had a beautiful celebration of her life, closed two deals, put out several fires and got one of my listings sold.  Phew!  Can I catch my breath now?

Thank you for the lovely e-mails and your concern for my welfare!  I am so lucky to have such a great extended family!  I appreciate your support so very much and I have no words to describe how important you have been to me throughout this very trying time.   God Bless you!   I am enormously grateful for you, my Active Rain Family!

I just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know that all is well here.  The fires have been contained.  We are not getting evacuated and we've had a wonderful family reunion.   I'll be back with more details later.  My Grandmother's magic unfolded a great story, one that I will tell you in the days to come.   

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                 Proud Optimist!

I have a good problem:  I have too many listings that I've just sold and too many Buyer clients that are buying.

In the midst of one of the busiest seasons I've ever had, my long time assistant quit and so did my property manager (they were married and they went on their merry way together).

I have several agents and most of them are out:  one had back surgery, the other had a death in the family, and yet another is having health problems.  

I have not been able to work out in days, I am wearing the same clothes over and over again and I can't remember when I've had my last meal.   I smile when I am faced with yet another fire to put out.  By the grace of God, my friends are coming out of the woodwork and lending me a helping hand, and my clients and associates are all so understanding. 

This is when most people throw in the towel.  With me it's exactly the opposite: this is when I am most energized.  I am discovering things about this business that I just love, and I can't wait till I have enough time to delve into the unique opportunities I have just uncovered under duress! 

My new assistant is starting in less than two weeks - Hooray!!!- and I am able to solve all the problems and list, sell and close yet several properties every week.  I thank God for my health and for the understanding of my clients, friends and associates!  I thank my significant other for standing by me and being so helpful.  Kudos to my daughter for being so sweet and accepting of the little quality time we've had together lately and really maximizing it with grace.  I am one lucky woman! 

I'm certain that I am not the only one going through challenging times right now.  I would love to hear your stories!  Now, more than ever, it's quite clear:  Real Estate is not for Sissies!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                 Proud Optimist!

Twitter is the simplest way to communicate with the people in your group.  Each member of the family can create a Twitter account (all you need is an e-mail address and it's all free).  You can have MamaTwitter, DaddyTwitter, and Twits 1, 2, and 3 (the kids).  As soon as the accounts are created, each member can find the rest of the family by using the Twitter search browser and "Follow" them - "Following" is the equivalent of being a"Friend" on MySpace or Facebook.   This is the easiest way to keep track of each other throughout the day.  Example:

MamaTwitter:  I'll be late from the office tonight.  What are we going to do about dinner?

@MamaTwitter  DaddyTwitter:  I can pick up Chinese at 7.

@MamaTwitter  Twit1:  I'm staying at practice till 7.  Can dad pick me up before getting the Chinese food?

Each "Tweet" (update) has to be 140 characters or less.  When you respond to a tweet the "@" sign of the person you're responding to shows before your name (thus in the example "@MamaTwitter  DaddyTwitter:  I can pick up Chinese at 7",  DaddyTwitter is responding to MamaTwitter, so the @ sign shows before MamaTwitter).

This can be a place to access every member of the family throughout the day.  If you want your in laws, aunts and uncles to have access to your group, they can create an account and you can all follow each other for an open book communication for the entire family.

If you want to keep your family group private, yet connect with others, you can create another Twitter account and start following your co-workers, friends and associates.   As soon as you create an account, you have nothing but a blank page to stare at.  It is only when you start following people that Twitter becomes exciting.  The more interesting the people you are following, the more fascinating your Twitter journey. 

Here is a good place to start:  WeFollow.com is a veritable treasure trove of the most popular people on Twitter.  CNN.com seems to be the most popular Twitter with over 855,000 followers.  Britney Spears appears to be the second, with almost 780,000 followers.  Ashton Kutcher, Jimmy Fallon and John Mayer seem to be third, fourth and fifth, in that order. 

I just checked out the top Twitters and perused the few people these large players are following and just started following some of those people.  Although the NY Times is being followed by almost 540,000 people, it's only following 80.  I am now following several of those 80 people; I figure if they are good enough for the NY Times, they are good enough for me.

Go ahead and create a profile tonight!  You can follow me for starters, by just clicking on any one of  the birdies in this blog.  Come back here soon for Lesson 2 of Twitter!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection               Join The Optimist Group!

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part II - Play It Again, Sam!

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Part III - Feed your AR Blog to Twitter:

What's All The Fuss About This Twitter Thing? Fitting It All Into 140 Characters:

For Up To The Minute News, It's Twitter, Not CNN that Delivers the Goods!

Twitter Treasure-Trove... This is Awesome!!!

This is a timely blog.  Robert is touching on something that is increasing in frequency.  Please take a moment to read this and pass it on to your friends!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection

My, how times have changed!  Is your business card still the same?  Why?

Guidelines for the New Business Card:

-Your Twitter and Facebook ID

-Your Website and Blog address - what a great way to promote your AR Outside Blog!   Don't forget to add your Friendfeed widget to your sites!

-Your e-mail address (make sure it's professional, NO ReheadCutie@gmail.com  !!!  Mine is Mirela@BuyersChoiceSC.com ) 

-Maximize the space:  use the back side of the Business card also!

-Don't forget to add a picture of you and/or one of your listings (or at least the type of property you specialize in), along with its own website (RealBird.com cross marketing).   The better looking the card is, the less chances it has of being thrown out... 

Do it now, thank me later!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection                          Join Me on The Optimist Group!

The voice on the other end sounded perturbed.  It was the Agent for the Buyer who recently purchased one of my Bank owned listings.   We are a couple of weeks away from closing and she called to tell me that all the appliances are gone and someone was in the front yard this morning stealing the palm trees. 

I had just sat down to have lunch when I got the call, having just returned from a meeting with the building inspector for the city of North Myrtle Beach.   The issue at hand was another Bank owned listing I have sold recently.  It is a spec home that was a few steps from receiving the C/O (certificate of occupancy) when the bank took it back through foreclosure.   The buyers are waiting to close, but we need to have the C/O issued before their loan is approved.  In order to get the C/O, my bank client needs to address the "minor" issue of the missing AC (air conditioning) units.  Apparently someone came in the middle of the night and stole the two AC units.  Upon further investigation, it was discovered that it was "an inside" job; the builder took them. 

Earlier in the week I was in Georgetown till midnight doing a "cash for keys" on another Bank owned property.  The family was still moving out when I arrived there at 5pm with the locksmith.  I am a softy, and I just could not push to make them move out any faster.  I actually pitched in and helped them carry some of the stuff in my high heels and business suit - next time I'm coming in jeans and sneakers!

In the hour and a half commute back home after midnight, I was thinking to myself:  Why am I doing this and how did I get here?   I remember a time when all I had to do was show homes and condos and write good contracts.   Now I have to deal with stolen palm trees, AC units and appliances, families being displaced from their homes and people's lives going haywire.  I am a strong person, but I can't lie to you:  it affects me.  I see so much pain, anguish and desperation right now, working these foreclosures, that it just breaks my heart.  The stories that unravel right before my very eyes are unbelievable.   Almost overnight I've become a social worker, cum activist, cum intrepid front man in this incredible adventure called REO Agent.  

Gone are the days of every man fending for himself.  The few agents left standing are all helping each other survive.  We have developed a camaraderie and network never before encountered in this field.  How about you?  What are your stories from the trenches?

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection                

Baywatch Resort by Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection