I spent a little time last week sleuthing around the Internet to find a scammer who was trying to rip-off local contractors. It was very gratifying. In the process, I came across another issue that also annoys me. I get a lot of "No Caller ID" or "Unknown Caller" calls. I received 11 "No Caller I
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11/30/2015
I just wanted to drop by AR and say, "Happy Thanksgiving to all of the great Rainers I've met and those I'll met. I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends, and I hope you take a moment to reflect on all of the things you're blessed with in this great country. Even in our worst d
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11/25/2015
I had another one of those "I've seen everything moments" yesterday, and this one is really important if you list houses. A buyer called about a listing I have in my area. He asked typical questions and promised to drive by the house. Nothing unusual there. A little while later, he called again.
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11/25/2015
We all love those deals that are smooth as silk and close without issues. Wait, I must be dreaming. There actually are deals like that? Sure there are, but they just don't come by often enough. I recently had a deal that had so many potential land mines built into it that all of the parties were
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11/17/2015
I'm a real results kind of guy. I'm not big on excuses and blame shifting. I don't like whining and complaining. I just want to see results. That includes results from me as well. If you can't do something, or if you need help doing something, just ask and I'll help you if I can. A good while
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11/14/2015
I was having a conversation with a good friend Friday, and the topic of being self-employed came up. He's an attorney, and of course, I'm a real estate broker and an electrical contractor. We both have no guaranteed salary and we haven't had a guaranteed paycheck for decades. That might be scary
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11/11/2015
The Happy Grasshopper has asked us what 5 things are we happy about that impacts our business everyday. It might hard to settle on five, but here goes.One, I am incredibly happy for Active Rain. Active Rain opened my eyes to the many ways I could use the Internet for business and it changed my bu
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11/10/2015
The Winchester, VA real estate market continued its upward trajectory in October 2015. Home sales increased 4% over September 2015. The real jump is from October 2014. There was a 16% increase over the same period one year ago. In like manner, September 2015 also had a 16% jump over September 201
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11/10/2015
My wallpaper for Dick Greenberg's wallpaper contest is the ocean. I've loved the water since I was in it for the first time as a little boy, and the lure of it never leaves me. The photo that I chose a number of years ago to be my wallpaper was one that I shot while walking to breakfast in St Tho
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11/04/2015
In his book, "How to become a Rainmaker", Jeffrey J. Fox gives a simple list of the "Rainmaker's Credo." What is a rainmaker? A rainmaker is someone who brings money into a business. Since Realtors are self-employed, every Realtor should be a rainmaker, but anyone who is self-employed should be a
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11/03/2015