Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela

I Hope You’ll Dance!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:58:04 -0600

My children have always been the most cherished part of my life, my defining moments, my love, my joy, my reasons for it all.

My son is leaving for war tomorrow. As a little kid he used to move his plastic soldiers across huge maps of the World I had bought for him. When he was a teenager he went to the Citadel Summer camp every summer and at 16 he became a counselor there. He later attended The Citadel, where he was a Summerall Guard and had several significant leadership positions. After graduating magna cum laude from the Citadel he enlisted in the Marines. After six months at Quantico he was commissioned as an officer. As he reminded me a few weeks ago, he is first a Marine, then an officer.

If I had it my way, war would be fought with paint guns. I am probably the least military person you’ll ever meet. I wasn’t happy about his decision to join the Marines, but I encouraged him to follow his heart anyway. God, that was hard to do! As parents, that is our main job: to encourage each child’s individuality to blossom, in spite of our own proclivities and fears.

My son is going to war tomorrow. He will be joining the many honorable young men and women serving our country. This is my son’s decision. I raised him to follow his heart. “I Hope You’ll Dance!” depicts exactly what I’ve always tried to instill in my children. Follow your heart, dedicate yourself with abandon to your particular calling and allow your destiny to unfold. I have to remind myself of this, as I swallow my tears and give my son a proud salute good bye.

Mirela Alex & Amanda = nucleus of my heart!

80 Year Old School Bus Drivers: Step Away From the Wheel Please!!!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:32:06 -0600

The Maximum Age allowed for persons serving in the US Military is 60.

The Maximum Age allowed for Pilots, according to FAA regulation is 65.

The Maximum Age allowed for Air Traffic Control Specialists is between 57 to 61.

Even Federal Park Rangers have an age limit of 57.

Why then, do we not have regulation in place for a Maximum Age limit of School Bus Drivers? Are our children less significant than the animals in our National Parks?

Yesterday, the Myrtle Beach Academy of Arts, Science and Technology, lost a bright young student to an accident involving a school bus. The driver of that school bus is 76 years old. Why did Horry County School district entrust the precious lives of our children to a 76 year old driver?

Many school districts have maximum age limit requirements for their school bus drivers. Some of them have been taken to court because of these requirements. Are we afraid of litigation so much that we are willing to put our children’s lives in danger?

47% of public school students ride a school bus to and from school every day. If we are recognizing the value of a particular maximum age for various jobs involving public safety, why are we leaving out the safety of 25 million children? I believe the Federal Government needs to enact a law addressing this issue. What are your views on this and what are you willing to do about it?

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

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see…

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:25:25 -0600

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see…

My son is going to war in a few days. This is no news; it’s been looming over me for quite some time. The immediacy of this is now weighing on my shoulders like the ton of emotional baggage that it is.

A deep sadness has descended upon my being, the kind of melancholy that penetrates into the very soul. I lost my beloved grandmother this year. Now my son is going to war. I recently found out I have Hashimoto disease. My five year relationship with my significant other has ended this year. My business has absorbed every ounce of my energy lately. Frankly, I am worn out. I guess I could just retreat in a corner somewhere and be miserable, but that's just not me. Instead, I choose to focus on all the wonderful things in my life and find the balance that will carry me through this, or any other hardship. Of course, affirmations and motivational quotes can certainly infuse the right perspective:

“That which does not kill you makes you stronger.” Nietze

"Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart, do not know how to laugh either."

"The bad things in life open your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before." Good Will Hunting"

“Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.” Carl Sandburg

“The Future belongs to those who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them.” - Vincent McNabb

"Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces."

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision."-Helen Keller

"Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something." Jackson Brown Jr

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." — Eric Hoffer

While the weight on my shoulders is heavy right now, I choose to embrace my melancholy and weep my quiet tears, while forging forward with my Life, hopeful for the future. I am grateful for the many blessings bestowed upon me. I choose to look at the bright side of my tribulations:

1. I lost my beloved grandmother this year. While I am still mourning her loss, I am thankful to have had her with me for as long as I have. 96 years is a long time to spend loving life on this Earth. Her essence has been distilled in me and my children and her loving heart has touched so many people in ways that will make her presence felt for many years to come...

2. My son is going to war. While I tremble at the mere thought of his departure, I am resolute in my belief that things are as they should be. This is his Life’s journey and I have to respect his decision. I am hopeful that his involvement in this war will have a positive impact on other people and on the course of history. I pray for his safety every night and I believe that he will return home alive and well.

3. I recently found out I have Hashimoto disease. My dentist's three year old son has cancer and only a 30% chance of survival. My health problem is nothing compared to that. I won't die and I'll most likely get better. I am taking a holistic medication and I am already 50% better than I was four months ago.

4. My five year relationship with my significant other has ended this year. We meet and connect with people for various reasons. Each relationship will get us to where we need to be. I am thankful for the wonderful memories and hopeful that I have learnt from the experience. When my heart mends, I will have a good relationship again.

5. My Real Estate Practice has absorbed every ounce of my energy this year. I am one of the Lucky Realtors, for I am still in business… While dealing with these short sales and foreclosures is emotionally draining, I am training myself to keep my eyes on the good that I do on a daily basis and concentrate on how important it is to my clients that I am in their lives.

I embrace Life’s yin-yang, the hills and valleys of the human existence. Being an Optimist doesn't mean that you lead a charmed life, devoid of pain and hardship. How could you possibly appreciate all the joys conferred by Life, if you don't have the sorrows as points of reference? Yes, I cry the tears. Yes, I learn the lessons. Yes, I feel the pain... Through it all, I hold my head up high and my spirit full of hope.

"Life's short; live it fully!"

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection Proud Optimist!

The Myrtle Beach Academy Has Lost a Bright Star Today – Marc Chaplin, May You Rest in Peace!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:15 -0600

The Myrtle Beach Academy has lost a bright star today. Marc Chaplin, a senior at the school, was killed within a short distance of the Academy, when his motorcycle collided with a North Myrtle Beach school bus at 8:10 this morning.

Marc’s death sent shock waves through the school, where he was well liked. There was a lot of sobbing and hugging at the Academy today. Many left school in the morning, unable to contain their grief.

Tomorrow many of Marc’s friends will wear purple in his honor. Marc and his buddies had a “purple shirt” day every week.

The bus driver involved in the collision will be asked some hard questions and possibly prosecuted for manslaughter. The details of the accident are not yet out, but one of my daughter’s friends, who used to ride the bus driven by him, stopped taking that bus because she was afraid of his driving.

Marc’s friends have created a Facebook Group in his honor. Marc was wearing a helmet, and he had a reputation for being a very careful driver, but a motorcycle is a dangerous thing… If we can do anything constructive with this deep sadness, let it be spreading the word about how dangerous motorcycles are.

My heart goes out to Marc’s parents. Losing your child has to be Life’s most tormenting pain. There are no words to describe the deep sorrow of our entire community for the loss of this lovely young man. May he rest in peace!

Mirela Monte

North Myrtle Beach 3BR Oceanfront Condos Sold in August, September and October 2009

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:49:04 -0600

North Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Condos have seen a lot of activity in the past 90 days. Here are all the 3BR units sold in the North Myrtle Beach Area during August, September and October 2009. Some of the best buys? Why, the ones I sold of course! My Buyers got a killer deal on a 3BR/3BA Oceanfront Bank Owned condo at Windy Hill Dunes for only $290,000. In its heyday (2005) it sold for $689,900. Another great buy: the 3BR/3Ba condo sold at Avista Resort. It garnered over $33K in rental income and sold for $300,000. I tell all my Oceanfront Buyers: For the best deals, you should have bought two months ago. Now it’s still a good time to buy. Hurry up, then!

Here are all the 3BR. OCEANFRONT CONDOS – SOLD in North Myrtle Beach in August, September and October 2009:

Bldg Name	ADDRESS	BR	EstSqFtUR	Total SQFT	DOM	List Price	Sold Price	Price per sq.ft.
SPRINGS TOWERS	2200 N Ocean Blvd	3	21 1351-1400	1276	98	$139,500	$130,000	$101.88
Springs Towers	2200 N Ocean Blvd	3	25 1551-1600	1576	32	$165,000	$147,000	$93.27
Carolina Dunes	5806 N Ocean Blvd.	3	17 1151-1200	1200	91	$209,499	$186,000	$155.00
Sea Winds	4719 S Ocean Blvd, #305	3	18 1201-1250	1250	138	$224,900	$215,000	$172.00
Tilghman Beach & Racquet Club	208 N Ocean Blvd	3	17 1151-1200	1200	48	$204,900	$222,000	$185.00
Sea Winds	4719 S Ocean Blvd, Unit 201	3	24 1501-1550	1451	232	$258,900	$235,000	$161.96
CRESCENT SANDS	4605 S OCEAN BLVD	3	22 1401-1450	1450	515	$279,000	$250,000	$172.41
Surf Villas	805 S Ocean Blvd Unit C-3	3	18 1201-1250	1236	148	$289,900	$260,000	$210.36
Sea Winds	4719 S Ocean Blvd	3	23 1451-1500	1500	430	$258,999	$265,000	$176.67
Windy Hill Dunes	3805 S Ocean Blvd 1405	3	24 1501-1550	1550	118	$310,000	$290,000	$187.10
Avista I	300 N Ocean Blvd	3	24 1501-1550	1401	1001	$325,000	$300,000	$214.13
Windy Hill Dunes	3805 S Ocean Blvd	3	25 1551-1600	1600	538	$309,900	$300,000	$187.50
Laguna Keyes	5700 N Ocean Blvd	3	20 1301-1350	1300	223	$327,900	$305,000	$234.62
WINDY HILL DUNE	3805 S OCEAN BLVD	3	26 1601-1650	1650	57	$350,000	$315,000	$190.91
Atlantic Breeze	1321 S Ocean Boulevard	3	28 1701-1750	1350	257	$384,900	$340,000	$251.85
Atlantic Breeze	1321 S Ocean Boulevard	3	28 1701-1750	1350	45	$384,900	$340,000	$251.85
Sunrise Pointe	5404 N Ocean Blvd.	3	23 1451-1500	1500	188	$364,500	$351,000	$234.00
Ashworth	102 N Ocean Blvd.	3	25 1551-1600	1200	105	$383,000	$360,000	$300.00
Mar Vista Grande	606 Mar Vista Grande	3	27 1651-1700	1675	311	$499,000	$495,000	$295.52
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	26	$617,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	11	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Indigo House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	8	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	14	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	0	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Indigo House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	22	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Indigo	100 North Beach Blvd #908	3	31 1851-1900	1862	1185	$879,900	$607,500	$326.26
Indigo House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	3	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	6	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Indigo House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	24	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	0	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine	100 North Beach Blvd #417	3	31 1851-1900	1862	1203	$879,900	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	0	$607,500	$607,500	$326.26
Jasmine House	100 North Beach Blvd	3	31 1851-1900	1862	13	$607,500	$617,500	$331.63
	Total Listings				Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg
	33				214	$446,348	$418,818	$253

CONDO/TOWNHOUSE Summary Statistics
	High	Low	Average	Median
LP:	$879,900	$139,500	$446,348	$384,900
SP:	$617,500	$130,000	$418,818	$351,000

Mirela Monte, Your North Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Condo Connection Wow North Myrtle Beach!

9 Banks Failed in 1 day !!!!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:51:00 -0600

Via National Credit Fixers - Matt Listro:

That's right you read the headline correctly. Nine Banks failed in one day. All 9 banks failed on Friday Oct. 30th making it the largest number of bank failures in one day in US history!

The banks that failed are:

North Houston Bank Houston TX

Madisonville State Bank Madisonville TX

Citizens National Bank Teague TX

Park National Bank Chicago IL

Pacific National Bank San Francisco CA

California National Bank Los Angeles CA

San Diego National Bank San Diego CA

Community Bank of Lemont Lemont IL

Bank USA, N.A. Phoenix AZ

That brings the total of bank failures for 2009 to a whopping 115. How does that total compare with previous years you ask? Well in 2008 there were 26, in 2007 there were only 3, and in 2005 & 2006 there were zero (statistics obtained from FDIC at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html)

☺

Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street 4th Floor
East Hartford, CT 06108

credit repair company

7 SEO Secrets to Dominate your Local Market

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:16:46 -0500

Via Jonathan Washburn (ActiveRain Corp):

All of these suggestions are free to implement and will generate very high quality incoming links and a pretty healthy amount of traffic.

You can use your ActiveRain profile just fine with each of these items but you will likely generate the best results with your own Individual Blog. (If you don't have an Individual Blog yet click here to get one.)

Please note that pretty much all of the items below require that you have a free account with the applicable website.

1. Submit yourself to Google Local. Make sure to put in your blog or profile URL in the website entry form field.

2. Add your blog to Local.Yahoo.com.

3. Submit your blog to Yelp!

4. Create a blog post for everyone of your listings and submit the URL to Google Base.

5. Create a blog post for everyone of your listings and submit the URL to Craigslist.

6. Add links to your website, ActiveRain profile, and your Individual blog, on your LinkedIn profile page. Your LinkedIn profile is second only to your ActiveRain profile in terms of Google Juice.

7. Add yourself to YellowPages.com. The search engines tap this database to populate their Local search results.

(The cow above looks very dominating; similar to the way you will look to your competitors if you implement these strategies. In case you were wondering, that is why I chose it as the picture for this post.)

Realtors: How has your life changed because of this Market?

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:18:59 -0500

How has your job changed in the past couple of years? My business card says Realtor Broker, but my job entails so much more nowadays: I am a social worker, general contractor, psychologist, loss mitigator, asset preservation specialist, credit counselor, short sale specialist, reo specialist, foreclosure counselor. My days are spent solving problems. That’s really what should be written on my card:

Mirela Monte, Problem Solver

Do I sell Real Estate anymore? Yeah, and lots of it, but the quality of my life has deteriorated immensely. I work 80 hour weeks, not for the money, but because I have too many balls up in the air. Real Estate is not for sissies! It is a full time, all consuming endeavor, more so now than ever before.

“God bless you if this is how you have to deal with more deals this year. If so, you are in need of a vacation.”

These were the words of a builder on a project I am handling on one of my Bank Owned properties, a spec taken back by the bank right before it was completed. We’ve had so many obstacles on that project that what started as the 100 yard dash has turned into the Boston Marathon - only at the ‘dash’ tempo!!! In the past year and a half, I’ve sold that house seven times and I’m yet to close on it. I could write a book about it and I just might, however the project in question will be a mere chapter, since I also have several others with various sized problems.

As I close them all, I get even more business. Such and such person hears about my feat and comes to me to solve their problem. I’m not complaining, it’s good to have business these days; I just want to know if the lifestyle I’m having right now is sustainable for long periods of time. Am I paying the price for solving other people’s problems with my own life, or is this extraordinarily tenuous period going to propel my career into the stratosphere?

How many of you have changed gears and are now bearing down under a mountain of stress? The way I figure it, I’d rather carry the stress, rather than the mountain of bills… What do you think?

How has your life changed because of this Market?

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

How To Use Your Active Rain Blog To Get Listings!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:25:10 -0500

Via Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.):

How To Use Your Active Rain Blog To Get Listings!

There are many ways in which agents use their Active Rain blogs for buyers, like in relocation packages and email alerts. Since our focus is on getting listings and Bob Stewart has this contest going on about how we share our Active Rain blog to build existing relationships I thought that I would share how we incorporate our Active Rain blog on a listing presentation over the phone or in person.

We also use our Active Rain blog information with our existing sellers.

Here is the play by play:

1. We take all of our short sale information posts and post them on our website under its' own URL: short-sales-Florida.com. Whenever a person, attorney, prospect, neighbor, buyers agents, whomever has a question about short sales we send them a link to our page that contains all our Active Rain short sale posts all in one place so they don't have to figure out how to use, 'search' or 'tags'. This way they can read at their leisure, book mark the page of even print out the articles to read later on. This is probably our most successful and effective marketing strategy in using our Active Rain blog.

2. Go Google Me! You see, every agent has some sort of website, most are buried in the google sand box never having been indexed so that gives us a huge advantage. We have Active Rain screen shots that we use in our slide show presentation showing us as the point leader for Florida and a slide that shows the most subscribed to blogs on Active Rain. Since we are in the top 4- that is something we can use in our listing tool box! Now I know a lot of people will say so what about the points. Well, I am here to tell you that our sellers know it is a big deal because they read our blog. Not only that, people who don't know us will say to us: I don't know what those points mean but they must be important to be up there like that. Why would I want to market that we are one of the most popular blogs out of 160,000 agents plus? More exposure for their listings of course! Success breeds success.

3. On existing listings we take screen shots of our Active Rain statistics page along with our Clustermap screen shot to show them how many views their listing got from being posted on Active Rain. I love this feature because it is the proof in the pudding. Like Nestor says, "My favorite license plate is the Missouri, show me state." Show me what is going on with my listing! The sellers love this. We also use this same feature for listing prospects. We will take one of the existing listings and then show this same information to let them know what Nestor and Katerina can do for their property.

4. Problem short sales: We take a post we write such as Freddie Mac- Does Anyone There Know How To Read- and post it, then ask for reblogs, then take the post along with all the comments and send it to all our Senators and Congressmen, media outlets, etc, to get some action. You can makes these types of posts very viral if they contain a good cause. People like to help with causes. The seller was in tears as she read each of the comments because it meant so much to her that there was support for her.

5. Spreading the word: You know I write a lot of posts from my heart, political, natural health, homeschool, etc. We have our 'subscribe by email' set up through feedburner. You do not need to be an AR member to subscribe to our blog this way. Many of our local moms, families, consumers and agents who are not members of AR follow our blog. Like kind attracts like kind. So we have a lot of readers who follow our blog not because of real estate but because of what we believe and that in turn, turns into referrals from those who know, like and trust us. We have bookmarks and business cards that are just about our Active Rain blog. We pass those out everywhere we go.

6. Surprise: I am working on some fantastic marketing tools to highlight our Active Rain blog and more. Since I got my new mac I have discovered the endless marketing possibilities with the tools that mac has to offer. Already I have cut my time by one third in how long it takes to put a post together now. As I master these tools- I will share them with you but also wait til you see the stuff I am cooking up! Subscribe to our blog so you don't miss out.

If you are using Active Rain as your blogging platform you should look into ways in which to promote your blog to your existing data base, your existing clients and prospects in your community and on line. You can increase your readership, your email subscribers and develop the relationships that will lead you to listings and closed sales as well as making some great contacts along the way.

How To Use Your Active Rain Blog To Get Listings! by Coach Katerina Gasset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

By TwitterButton

Signs You've Had Too Much Coffee...

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:49 -0500

You've worn the finish off your coffee table.

All your kids are named Joe.

Chuck Yeager thinks you need to calm down.

Instant coffee takes too long.

Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.

People can test their batteries in your ears.

People get dizzy just watching you.

Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.

The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.

The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.

The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.

When someone asks 'how are you' you say, 'good to the last drop'.

You buy milk by the barrel.

You can jump-start your car without cables.

You can outlast the Energizer bunny.

You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.

You can type sixty words per minute with your feet.

You can't even remember your second cup.

You channel surf faster without a remote.

You chew on other people's fingernails.

You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.

You don't get mad, you get steamed.

You don't need a hammer to pound in nails.

You don't sweat, you percolate.

You don't tan, you roast.

You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.

You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.

You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.

You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.

You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.

You have a conniption over spilled milk.

You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.

You have to watch videos in fast-forward.

You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.

You help your dog chase its tail.

You introduce your spouse as your coffee mate.

You just completed another sweater and you don't know how to knit.

You lick your coffeepot clean.

You name your cats Cream and Sugar.

You short out motion detectors.

You ski uphill.

You sleep with your eyes open.

You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.

You speak perfect Arabic without ever taking a lesson.

You speed-walk in your sleep.

You spend every vacation visiting Maxwell House.

You think being called a drip is a compliment.

You think CPR stands for Coffee Provides Resuscitation.

You'd be willing to spend time in a Turkish prison.

Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.

Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyds of London.

Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.

Your life's goal is to amount to a hill of beans.

Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.

Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.

Your only source of nutrition comes from Sweet & Low.

Your taste buds are so numb; you could drink your lava lamp.

Your Thermos is on wheels.

You're so wired, you pick up AM radio.

You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.

You've worn out the handle on your favorite mug.

FORECLOSED WE STAND: How are States Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands & How is This Going to Affect America?

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:00:33 -0500

Foreclosures increased over 80% in 2008. The figures are no less scary in 2009:

The foreclosure rates in several states were up significantly lately: Arizona was up 36.1% for September. Florida was not far behind with a 29.67% increase, followed by: Texas 24.38%, Michigan 18.22% and California with a 15.57% increase. All 50 states saw an increase in foreclosures, but not all were as drastic. For example, the increase in Kansas was only 3.65%.

The major increases were driven mainly by changes in urban areas. In Arizona, the statewide foreclosure deluge was fostered by a massive 81.37% increase in Phoenix Foreclosures. Other cities with big increases included: Las Vegas, NV at 47.47%, Atlanta, GA at 39.96%, Chicago, IL at 36.27% and Houston, TX at 33.29 percent.

While the Federal Government is struggling with their impeded programs, states have started to take action to protect the fabric of our society.

I am proud to say that my very own South Carolina was the first state in the union to take action against Foreclosures judicially. In May the SC Supreme Court temporarily stopped thousands of pending foreclosure sales in order to give homeowners more time to take advantage of new federal programs to help them refinance mortgages. The injunction — which mortgage experts said appeared to be the nation's first court-ordered stop for an entire state — prevents judges in South Carolina from finalizing foreclosure sales on properties guaranteed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or any other mortgage company that has signed on to a federal assistance program.

In April, the South Carolina legislature has introduced House Bil 3952, which, if adopted during the '09-'10 session, will provide for a 6 months Moratorium on Foreclosures in this state.

Diametrically opposed, Geographically and otherwise, California implemented its own Foreclosure Moratorium in June. Banks in California can no longer foreclose on a mortgage without either renegotiating the loan or giving the homeowner three months’ notice. There have been more than 365,000 foreclosures in California since 2007, with many more already scheduled.

“California is ground zero for foreclosures. We’re getting about 80 to 90,000 foreclosure filings every month. That’s one every 30 seconds, so until we start mitigating the number of foreclosures, our economic recovery is going to be hampered,” said Assemblyman Ted Lieu, the Torrance Democrat who authored the bill.

In Detroit, citizens are organizing a massive movement scheduled for November 7th, asking the state legislators and their Governor to impose a state-wide moratorium on Foreclosures and support Senate Bill 29, which provides for a 2 year moratorium on Foreclosures. The People’s call to action urges: Bail out the people—not the banks!

Meanwhile, Ohio’s legislators are in a heated debate over a 6-month Foreclosure Moratorium already approved by the House.

What we are seeing here is National Movement of MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS. By taking a stand on this incredibly important issue – Foreclosures – we are seeing increased autonomy of the individual states. Add to the mix a general disgruntlement with our Federal Government and its BIG BUSINESS largess and what we have here is a precipitous movement towards the decentralization of power. Just my two cents’ worth.

The following two movies provide the most thourough information on the Foreclosure Crisis. The House of Cards made my skin crawl. Please watch it and let me know what you think of it. We need to be aware of how we've arrived at this juncture, this moment in history our children will talk about..

The Meltdown

The House of Cards

Here are a few other interesting sites to keep your finger on the pulse of this Foreclosure Crisis:

The Everything You Need Foreclosure Site - My gift to you

How to get your hands on some of that Obama Money for your Turf

Foreclosures 101 - Analyze Foreclosures by State, County and Zip Code

I am about to embark on my own journey to help those displaced by this crux. Please stay tuned to my blog roll, for I will soon ask for your help in a very important undertaking, one that will allow us Realtors a unique opportunity to expose the very human factor so visible to us agents, yet so overlooked by the media. There is an opportunity for us to take a stand and contribute to the solution.

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Foreclosure Connection

5 steps to protect yourself on Facebook

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:55:40 -0500

Via Robert Rauf (REMN The Real Estate Mortgage Network):

Facebook is the world's largest social network. Disregarding this, people share all kinds of information on Facebook without thinking about who's seeing it or what effect their comments and pictures might have on them in the future. One study revealed 30% of employers use Facebook to vet job applicants. Those goofy party pics could cost you more than your dignity! So what can you do to protect your privacy on Facebook? The site itself offers lots of privacy controls and security features. Here are five steps to take to activate them:

1. Create Friend Lists Make a Work list for business, an Acquaintances list, and a Family list for relatives and close friends. Click Friends on the Facebook homepage; click Friends under Lists, then Create New List, and type in your members.

2. Set Up Who Sees What on Your Profile Mouse over Settings on the Facebook homepage and click Privacy Settings. Click Profile Privacy. Beneath each section -- basic info, personal info, status, etc. -- specify who gets to see it. This is where Friend lists come in handy. Enter Only Friends to block out the rest of the world (like employers). Edit Custom Settings lets you block specific people or lists.

3. Restrict Access to Your Address and Phone Number As above, go from Settings to Privacy Settings to the Profile Privacy page. Click Contact Information tab at the top. Use the drop-down lists to determine who sees or doesn't see things like IM Screen Name, Mobile Phone, Other Phone, Current Address, Website, or Email.

4. Set Up Who Can Find You on a Facebook Search This stops all those friend requests from old buddies. Click on Settings, then Search, which takes you to Search Privacy, where you can specify who can find you. Under Search Visibility you can choose Everyone, My Networks and Friends, Friends of Friends, or My Networks and Friends of Friends. To keep strangers from finding you, choose Only Friends. You can also specify what info displays in your search result...profile picture, friend list, etc.

5. Block Personal Info from Unknown Applications Without knowing it, you could be sharing personal information with various Facebook applications and their developers. To block them, mouse over Settings, choose Privacy Settings, click Applications, then click the Settings tab next to the Overview tab. Check and uncheck boxes next to your personal info -- picture, education, religious views, etc. This determines what your friends' applications can see about you.

This is not a complete guide to privacy and security on Facebook. But these five steps will start to create a more private and secure environment for yourself and your family on this huge social network. Better to be safe than sorry!

Have a great week!

Rob

Robert Rauf

Mortgage Banker

www.RobertRaufHomeLoans.com or my blog: http://activerain.com/blogs/rrauf

(732)223-1630 x102

Since 1987 I have been helping my clients fulfill their dream of home ownership!

Real Estate Mortgage Network

NJ Mortgages, New Jersey Mortgages, Mortgages in NJ, mortgage in New Jersey, Mortgages in New Jersey

Will The Bank Accept Your Lousy Offer?

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:24:47 -0500

Will the bank accept your lousy offer? Let’s re-iterate the facts:

1. This is a Buyers’ Market.

2. There are plenty of Distressed Properties to choose from.

3. A qualified Buyer (one who is buying in cash OR is pre-approved for a loan) is worth his weight in gold, or brick, sort of speak… You know what I mean...

4. Banks are not in the business of owning homes.

5. The longer a vacant home stays on the market, the more it deteriorates.

6. Banks are not in the business of owning homes. Hey, wait a minute, I’ve said that already! Never mind, it’s worth repeating the point; it's an important one!

I’ve encountered some timid Buyers who are reluctant to make substantially lower offers. I urge them to go ahead and insult the Bank anyway. If they don’t get their price, they can always come back and offer more, or make another offer on a different bank owned home. As long as you don’t get emotionally invested, you’ll eventually be able to garner yourself a great deal.

In order to make my point and offer some concrete evidence, I am submitting this list of Myrtle Beach Bank owned Homes. The pricing activity is listed in chronological order for each one of these Foreclosures. Some have had contracts on them which never came to fruition and back on the market they went. All of these listings are still available and all of them are bank owned properties in the Myrtle Beach area.

Take the first property for example. As a fresh Waterway Foreclosure, it was initially offered for sale in May ’08 for $1,390,000. A year and a half and three price reductions later, it got dropped down to $795,000 (a 43% price decrease). It will probably sell for around the same price as another Waterway Foreclosure located right down the street, which closed recently in the $600K range.

After studying these, you too will be convinced that your lousy offer on a Bank owned property might actually get you the home of your dreams for pennies on the dollar. At least in Myrtle Beach it will!

Hotsheet Date	Entry Type	Price	Comment
MLS# 807701 - 125 AVENUE OF THE PALMS
5/6/2008 11:42	Price Change	$1,390,000
7/16/2008 12:47	Price Change	$1,250,000
2/23/2009 10:42	Price Change	$995,000
10/9/2009 12:54	Price Change	$795,000

MLS# 823031 - 7530 Maple Swamp Rd

9/24/2008 11:25	New Listing	$119,900	NEW LISTING
12/3/2008 9:11	Price Change	$112,900
1/8/2009 15:33	Price Change	$99,900
3/6/2009 7:43	Price Change	$89,000
3/13/2009 10:19	Price Change	$89,900
4/28/2009 12:41	Price Change	$84,900
6/29/2009 16:36	Price Change	$79,900
8/5/2009 14:14	Price Change	$34,900
8/7/2009 15:47	Price Change	$74,900	This is a correction.
9/22/2009 11:37	Price Change	$65,900

MLS# 903997 - 23 Windy Ln
2/20/2009 7:48	New Listing	$607,900	NEW LISTING
3/13/2009 7:48	Price Change	$595,900
4/3/2009 9:15	Price Change	$580,900
4/27/2009 7:23	Price Change	$566,900
5/18/2009 7:28	Price Change	$522,900
6/24/2009 7:24	Price Change	$506,900
7/15/2009 9:17	Price Change	$427,900
8/6/2009 7:28	Price Change	$406,900
8/10/2009 13:44	Misc. Change	$406,900
10/2/2009 11:54	Price Change	$380,900
10/2/2009 11:54	Misc. Change	$380,900
10/23/2009 7:20	Price Change	$355,900

MLS# 910198 - 8409 Ole Moore DR
5/18/2009 11:49	New Listing	$69,000	NEW LISTING
5/21/2009 14:01	Price Change	$66,900
6/4/2009 10:08	Price Change	$63,900
6/18/2009 9:59	Price Change	$59,900
7/2/2009 9:13	Price Change	$56,900
7/16/2009 15:30	Price Change	$54,900
7/30/2009 10:38	Price Change	$51,900
8/13/2009 10:57	Price Change	$49,900
8/27/2009 13:36	Price Change	$46,900
9/9/2009 14:42	Price Change	$39,000
10/7/2009 13:08	Price Change	$29,900
10/22/2009 12:09	Price Change	$26,900

MLS# 910942 - 6001 S Kings Hwy
5/28/2009 15:43	New Listing	$244,900	NEW LISTING
6/23/2009 9:35	Price Change	$229,900
7/23/2009 14:21	Price Change	$214,900
8/18/2009 20:56	Price Change	$199,900
9/16/2009 10:29	Price Change	$182,900
10/13/2009 11:51	Price Change	$174,900

MLS# 911984 - 3266 Sleepy Hollow
6/15/2009 10:38	New Listing	$90,000	NEW LISTING
7/17/2009 14:53	Price Change	$59,900
8/17/2009 0:07	Status to Expired	$59,900	Auto Expired By Nightly Processing
8/18/2009 14:01	Price Change	$49,900
8/18/2009 14:09	Status to Active	$49,900
10/2/2009 16:41	Price Change	$39,900

MLS# 910635 - 6 Smith Blvd
5/22/2009 18:16	New Listing	$167,900	NEW LISTING
6/3/2009 11:01	Price Change	$149,900
6/29/2009 20:32	Price Change	$129,900
7/24/2009 12:58	Status to Under Contract	$129,900
7/31/2009 13:22	Status to Active	$129,900
8/5/2009 9:50	Price Change	$122,900
8/14/2009 8:42	Misc. Change	$122,900
10/22/2009 7:28	Price Change	$114,900
10/22/2009 7:28	Misc. Change	$114,900

MLS# 912323 - 55 PINEBURY DRIVE
6/18/2009 13:51	New Listing	$564,900	NEW LISTING
10/20/2009 13:46	Price Change	$349,900

MLS# 912562 - 250 Old Wilson Road
6/22/2009 19:54	New Listing	$150,000	NEW LISTING
6/23/2009 7:32	Price Change	$99,000
6/23/2009 11:29	Price Change	$109,900	$109,900 Modular Home has a possible second lot that goes with it.
8/31/2009 11:04	Price Change	$94,900
10/8/2009 14:53	Price Change	$92,000
MLS# 910942 - 6001 S Kings Hwy
5/28/2009 15:43	New Listing	$244,900	NEW LISTING
6/23/2009 9:35	Price Change	$229,900
7/23/2009 14:21	Price Change	$214,900
8/18/2009 20:56	Price Change	$199,900
9/16/2009 10:29	Price Change	$182,900
10/13/2009 11:51	Price Change	$174,900

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Bank Owned Homes Connection Myrtle Beach REO’s To Go!

15 FREE Sites to Post Your Open Houses!

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:20:24 -0500

Via Tina Merritt - Virginia Beach Real Estate (Long and Foster Real Estate):

Not advertising your open house is just like having a party and not inviting anyone. Why bother? Pull out a calendar and SCHEDULE your open houses. PLAN for them. And, most important of all, ADVERTISE them! Make sure when you advertise, you also add directions that are easy to follow - (not everyone has a GPS).

Advertise a drawing for a free Flip video camera. You can find them on Amazon now for about $50. After 4 or so open houses, draw a name and make a big deal announcing the winner - advertise that too. Make sure to order a custom skin for the Flip camera with your branding on it (skinit.com) so everyone knows where it came from! I've attached a picture of Dakno's custom skin.

For the list of free sites to advertise your open houses, read the entire post here.

Have a great party!

Tina in Virginia

SHORT SALES... Looking at the Bright Side...

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:07:18 -0500

I've been doing a lot of Short Sales for the past couple of years. I've done short sales on and off through the years, before the term "short sale" had even been coined. We used to call it "upside down mortgage". It was an infrequent occurrence. I was good at it because I really wanted to help my clients move out of their financial quagmire, so I was very persistent with the bank. There was no "Loss Mitigation" at that time, or at least I wasn't aware of any such term.

My, how things have changed in the past few years! Out of 15 transactions waiting to close within my agency, only three are normal transactions; the rest are all short sales and REO's.

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Short Sale Specialist *(Unfortunately!)

Via Pacita Dimacali - East Bay, North CA real estate (DRE 01367196 Phone:510 748 1148):

As much as I bemoan the length of time and the hoops I go through to do short sales transactions, I am taking this opportunity to say, "THANK GOODNESS FOR SHORT SALES!"

Why?

...Because it's a way to guide our sellers who have found themselves in dire situations and may not know their options.

...Because it's a way for distressed property owners to avoid foreclosure or bankruptcy, and thus salvage their credit

...Because more homes are within reach for home buyers who have little money but have a lot of time and patience to wait out the lengthy short sale process

...Because while there is a frenzy for buying foreclosure where people compete in multiple offer situations for AS IS purchases, there is less competition for short sales where there is room for negotiation

...Because short sales offer opportunities not just for the buyers looking for a good deal, or sellers hoping for debt forgiveness, but also for realtors who truly want to help their clients and who are in it for the long haul. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Right?

...Because we've learned how to do another type of sale. And every key learning is a new marketable skill.

What do we have to lose? It takes time, sure....but eventually, it will bear fruit. The more we sow, the more we reap.

Perhaps this is a good time to add that ALL of my current escrows are with short sale buyers and sellers!

North Houston Bank	Houston	TX
Madisonville State Bank	Madisonville	TX
Citizens National Bank	Teague	TX
Park National Bank	Chicago	IL
Pacific National Bank	San Francisco	CA
California National Bank	Los Angeles	CA
San Diego National Bank	San Diego	CA
Community Bank of Lemont	Lemont	IL
Bank USA, N.A.	Phoenix	AZ