"Listen with your Heart"

Thinking of blogging and don't know what to post? To quote Jim Henson: “I don’t know where ideas come from, but when I’m working well, ideas just appear. It’s just a matter of figuring out how to receive the ideas or information that are waiting to be heard. "

Maybe the best place to start is to “Listen with your Heart” . (Great advice, Kermie :)

“We see with our eyes, we know with our heart” Cantus Fraggle

(A special thanks to my friend who sent me a great book: "It's Not Easy Being Green..and Other Things to Consider" )

REALTOR® gramEpat

"When you are over the hill, you pick up speed"

I was walking past the TV this AM and happened to hear a catchy phrase that I just had to jot down.

"When you are over the hill, that's when you begin to pick up speed".

I googled the phrase to see if I could credit the quote** and stumbled on an article by Marc Freedman posted in the Providence Journal: Over the Hill and Gathering Speed

Interesting facts and comments:

*THE FIRST of 77 million Baby Boomers celebrated their 60th birthdays last month.
* Boomers now nearing traditional retirement age are on the front edge of the largest, healthiest, wealthiest and best-educated population of Americans ever to move through and beyond their 50s.

* Surveys show that the vast majority of Boomers expect to work long past traditional retirement years, and are eager to apply their idealism and passion to work that makes a meaningful contribution to society.
**Record producer Quincy Jones says, "They say when you're over the hill, that's when you pick up speed."

"The Boomers turning 60 this year are entering a new stage of life, which could last 20 to 30 years. They will uncover a new workforce to help solve old problems, from illiteracy to the lack of affordable housing to the need for health care for all. "

Recent research indicates that the younger generation (Y and X) represents a significant share of the 'home buyer market'...but it seems equally important to tap into the baby boomer market . The Boomer$ are now the grandparent$ who dole out advice and help the 'kids' with their financing. (Pain in the A$$et$)

Guess I'll have to learn how to text message responses , post videos on U Tube, post a profile on Facebook and continue to blog to communicate with the GenY' s and X'ers, continue to email replies and ad links to web sites for the Boomers...and pick up the phone and postal mail responses to all the others who are 'Over the Hill' . I'm going to grab my ski poles...It's going to be a speedy ride down hill!! REALTOR® gramEpat

How to build a home in 5 days!

Can you imagine building a home from the slab up in less than a week? Well, 20 Volunteer REALTORS ® , staff, friends and family from the State of Maine...and the Maine Association of REALTORS® believe it can be done!
Check out the blog created by MAR for a 'behind the scenes' daily posting of comments and photos. I'm already 'lovin' it'...great stories!!.. Shopping trips for ibuprofen, first aid kits, water and coolers...hard hats and gloves...and maybe a few alarm clocks for the 'not so early risers' who have to meet the group by 6:15 AM for the morning breakfast get-together!

Maine REALTORS® raised over $70,000 for the project. An additional $14,500 was raised to assist with travel expenses through the generosity of sponsors and a few rounds of "pass the hardhat" at various programs.

The Maine volunteers arrived in Mobile , Alabama today to begin the home construction project for a family affected by Hurricane Katrina. If all goes as planned, ..weather and stamina permitting... this build will be from the slab up...and by the end of the week the house should be ready for the finishing touches...needing only carpet and appliances. I have no doubt that this generous, ambitious and hardy group from Maine will be able to 'get the job done' !

Some of the interesting blog postings on the MAR site include tips from Connecticut Association of REALTORS President Ken Delvecchio who met with the Maine Habitat Build team to share his experiences from his build as a Global Village team leader for Connecticut: (Here are a few of the 14 tips posted on the MAR blog. )

Plan on Advil
Take time for reflection and endorphins
"The black snakes aren't poisonous" (oooooooh gross!)
Expect it to be an emotional journey
"Appreciate what you have, and help those who have less".

A special "Thank you" to all who are volunteering their time and energy for Habitat for Humanity. We are so proud of you , so very grateful, ...and know you will continue to accomplish great things!! REALTOR® gramEpat

What's the #1 goal of today's college students?

Have any experience writing Facebook applications? Until I read the article "Real Estate Gets Younger" posted on RISMEDIA, I never knew anything about Facebook applications.(and still don't).

I'll need to do some more research to see what is involved in writing one.

I was searching for new tech ideas and came across the Dec. 21, 2007 posting.
Some of the interesting comments in the article include:
* A new survey has pinpointed the number-one goal of today’s college students: It’s owning a house.
Students were asked to complete this sentence: “If I could buy anything, it would be…” Housing was the top choice for 41% of the men and 49% of the women. Owning a home scored higher than other, seemingly flashier possessions, such as a car, which came in second, or clothes, which ranked third with women and at the bottom with men.
*”There are 75 million of them” with Boomer grandparents. “They have more money at their disposal than other generations did at their age”.
* “They think they’re going to have that house soon. That’s partly due to the popularity of shows like “Flip This House” and “Total Home Makeover,”.
*Much of the survey focused on their favorite social networking sites, with Facebook ranking first for both genders. the second choice, women choosing MySpace.com and men ESPN.com.
*Today’s students, the survey found, are “very materially focused.” Fifty-seven percent lived in an apartment during college, with or without roommates. (instead of choosing a dormitory lifestyle)
* Women have a higher preference for housing as their top purchase than men. Might also be something for marketers to consider.
*Social networking is twice as popular among young women as men, suggesting that marketers who want to target females are wise to use this medium of communication.

From what I have read, there is the potential to reach Facebook users directly from their pages. The article indicated that anyone can write and upload applications into Facebook for free, and also add them to their own sites. Then Facebook users browse the applications and share the links with their friends...who share with their friends, who then also share with their friends..etc...This seems like unlimited networking possibilities!
Guess I better stop blogging tonight and start doing some research on how to write a Facebook application and get it posted! If anyone has any suggestions, or any experience with this new media, please email a note. Or comment on my new Facebook 'company' web page. (as soon as they fix the error on my new site :) ..(or add ActiveRain Blog Comments)

I’ll take all the help I can get! Thanks!

REALTOR® gramEpat

Largest Single Land Purchase in US History?

In my ongoing search for old photos and interesting articles about the history of women in Real Estate, I stumbled on an incredible photo and a fascinating article about one of the largest real estate transaction in American History. Click the article link to see the current "This Week Then" photo. The article that I found with the train photo was last week's "This week then".

At HistoryLink.org, there is an essay entitled: Weyerhaeuser makes one of the largest land purchases in United States history on January 3, 1900.
It states that on January 3,1900, railroad magnate James J. Hill (1838-1916) sells 900,000 acres (1,406 square miles) of Washington state timberlands to Frederick Weyerhaeuser (1834-1914) for $5,400,000. It goes on to quote: "This is one of the largest single land transfers in American annals.”

I clicked on a few more links and found out that James J. Hill (known as the "Empire Builder" ) took control of the ailing Northern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s and sold its vast land-grant forests to his friend George Weyerhaeuser on January 3, 1900. This transaction has been publicized as one of the largest real-estate transactions recorded in American history.
In 1910, Hill published a book Highways of Progress . Much of the book is a plea for conservation and intelligent development in all departments of agriculture, both by irrigation, drainage, and soil conservation, and a forecast of the future needs and growth of the United States and a defense of railroad and business consolidations as bringing greater efficiency and service to the public .I can't help but wonder how many (if any) women Real Estate Agents might have been involved in the transaction? My guess would be ZERO.

If you find any old photos (men and women Realtors) and historic links, please pass them on. My email address is epat@epatFoster.com Thanks.

To quote Dennis Waitley: We can "Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which we have any control: NOW. REALTOR® gramEpat

Grazing in the 'lower back 40'

"A new year, new beginnings,
new friends and fond memories! "

Life is good!

Kind Regards and Best wishes!

REALTOR® gramEpat