In this market of falling values, tight money, high unemployment and bad weather I think we need to let our sphere of influence know that the language we speak is real estate! Almost everyone is interested in some topic of real estate, if you strike up a conversation with them and open the discussion to todays issues. People out of the business really want to know that money is still available and that housing values will climb. They want to be assured that we are confident and have faith that the economy is not going to push us out of the business, just make us have to work harder! We can influence the publics assessment of real estate by what we tell them, and we can tell them that we will still have people with needs to buy and sell property. We can tell them that the financial insti... 01/28/2009

Instead of purchasing books and DVD's, check out what your local library has to offer. Their variety is vast and the cost is $0, ZERO, NADA!Check out all the events in Akron and Summit County, Ohio to help you beat the winter blues.   Arts / Theatre / Music 1/27/2009 Works by Miller South Students Akron Art Museum 1/27/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/27/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/27/2009 Enameling with Carol Adams Fine Art Services/Peninsula Art Academy 1/27/2009 Bedtime Snack Show (featured event) Mountain Rose Concerts 1/28/2009 Works by Miller South Students Akron Art Museum 1/28/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/28/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/28/2009 Weekly dance and lessons Ohio's North Coast Jitte... 01/27/2009

Arts / Theatre / Music 1/20/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/20/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/20/2009 Works by Miller South Students Akron Art Museum 1/20/2009 Enameling with Carol Adams Fine Art Services/Peninsula Art Academy 1/20/2009 Bedtime Snack Show (featured event) Mountain Rose Concerts 1/21/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/21/2009 Works by Miller South Students Akron Art Museum 1/21/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/22/2009 Works by Miller South Students Akron Art Museum 1/22/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/22/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/22/2009 Teen Night: Swap (n') Meet Akron Art Museum 1/22/2009 Glass Fusing 1 at PAA Fine Art Services/Peninsula Art Academy ... 01/20/2009

No incoherent ramblings from me today... I know, i know... your crushed!  We'll I can only hope that the solice I am providing in this photo will help to lift you up and get you through the day.  A little over the top?  Dramatic Pause... The picture below is of the Akron Skywalk passageway.  This is basically a hallway that leads to and from the parking garage to downtown office buildings... But I hope this picture works to spice up the hallway! 01/17/2009

I couldn't resist taking pictures of Portage Lakes on this sunny winter day! It is around 8 degrees, but the sun reflecting on the snow today made it especially appealing! The clock tower is in the heart of Portage Lakes and the body of water beyond is East Reservoir! The Olde Harbor Inn and Hook Line and Drinkers are 2 of the favorite spots to refresh yourself and have great food in the Portage Lakes, they are found on West Reservoir! The Upper Deck is one of the oldest buildings on Rt. 619 in the Portage Lakes. It is on the West Reservoir. Deitz'z Restaurant and it's night club Clubb Maxx sit across West Reservoir from the Upper Deck. Old State Park has been recently refurbished with new picnic shelter and seawall and boat launch. It is on Turkeyfoot Lake. Turkeyfoot Lake is one of th... 01/15/2009

                                                        Tips for Better Life1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.3. Sleep for 7 hours.4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.5. Play more games.6. Read more books than you did the previous year.7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.9. Dream more while you are awake.10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.11. Drink plenty of water.12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.14. Forget issues of the p... 01/15/2009

  I do not know how true these are, but they make me feel proud and good!   You could have heard a pin drop  When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.' You could have heard a pin drop.                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the French en... 01/15/2009

  It may be cold, it may be snowing in Akron, Ohio but there is still plenty to do in Summit County, Ohio! Go ice skating, take computer classes, go to the museum, see a live play and much more, just see below and GO! Arts / Theatre / Music 1/13/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/13/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/13/2009 Bedtime Snack Show (featured event) Mountain Rose Concerts 1/14/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/14/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/15/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/15/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/15/2009 3rd Thurs Jessica Lea Mayfield Akron Art Museum 1/15/2009 The Apartment Akron-Summit County Public Library 1/15/2009 Russians In Love Actors' Summit 1... 01/13/2009

To all my friends here at AR I would like to welcome Bonnie Wagler, from Stouffer Realty in Akron, Ohio. Bonnie and I have been friends and colleagues for 14 years, and she will be a fine addition to our "puddle". I hope she adds some of her own thoughts and gets her feet wet! 01/13/2009

 Is this my 15 Minutes of Fame? Hopefully not... but, I was pleasantly surprised to open the Winter 2008-09 issue of the Northeast Ohio Office Buildings Magazine and find that I had been quoted by Jay Miller in his Market Survey article titled "Surveying the Market: Uncertainty Finally Reaches Cleveland".  In this article Jay, the highly reputed Crain's Cleveland Business government and economic development reporter, accurately depicts Akron as an exciting marketplace for Commercial Real Estate brokers. He lists several positive happenings in and around Akron, most if not all have been lauded in my previous blogs. I was quoted by Jay as saying "It's been a little bit more of a struggle [in the last four months of 2008]", and "Deals are happening though, and we're optimistic. It doesn't ... 01/07/2009

In case you missed this last month! MOST AFFORDABLE COLLEGE TOWN: ??             AKRON, OHIO!! The most affordable college football town, with a 2008 average price of $135,780, is Akron, Ohio (University of Akron). It's followed by Muncie, Ind. (Ball State University, $144,250) and the University of Toledo ($155,900). For the fourth year in a row, the Mid-American Conference collectively ranks as the most affordable league, with an average home price of $207,952. The Big 10 ranks seventh among the 12 conferences. The average price in South Bend, Ind., (site of the University of Notre Dame) was $174,000. 01/07/2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR Let's go ice skating in the Falls! Arts / Theatre / Music 1/6/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/6/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/6/2009 Karaoke Barberton Public Library 1/6/2009 Bedtime Snack Show Mountain Rose Concerts 1/7/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/7/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/7/2009 Popular Culture Division Akron-Summit County Public Library 1/7/2009 Weekly dance & lessons Ohio's North Coast Jitterbug Connection 1/8/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/8/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 1/8/2009 Indiana Jones - Crystal Skull Akron-Summit County Public Library 1/9/2009 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 1/9/2009 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron... 01/06/2009

            An Akron institution, The Carousel Dinner Theater, has been forced to close in this faltering economy. I have been to many shows and dinners there and it is one of the best around the mid west to see live national entertainment, how sad! I, personally, know the stage manager and his family and wish them the best of luck in this trying and difficult moment, as well as the 150 other people affected by this bad news! From the official website of the Carousel Dinner Theater; "The Carousel Dinner Theater, LLC has canceled its 2009 season and closed its doors effective January 4, 2009. For the past year, the economy has materially affected the theater's attendance and its ability to make cost adjustments to keep pace with the decrease in attendance. The final tipping point became ... 01/02/2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR! There is plenty to do in Akron and Summit County this week. If you have never been to Akron's First Night, New Years Eve celebration, you must go once! Lot's of business's open and it is a family affair with tons to do downtown. Click the First Night link below for all the information. Have fun and be safe! Arts / Theatre / Music 12/30/2008 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 12/30/2008 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 12/30/2008 Machines at Play Akron Art Museum 12/30/2008 Bedtime Snack Show (featured event) Mountain Rose Concerts 12/31/2008 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 12/31/2008 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 12/31/2008 First Night @ AAM Akron Art Museum 12/31/2008 First Night Akron Downtown Akron Partnership 1/2/2009 D... 12/30/2008

If this is not a prelude to an encouraging future I don't know what is! It is cold outside, but Mother Nature still paints the sky with her pastel palette and makes it shine over a quiet Long Lake! It reminds me why I am positive for the future, because I just have to look to the beauty of the earth to see that a new day will always dawn and with it will come expectations for good and positive energy! How can you look at this picture and not feel good, even on a cold winter day! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Have prosperous and Happy New Year Active Rain!   12/29/2008

If you are like many. You are wonderingwhat the heck is TWITTER.If you are like SOME, you have alreadyrealized that Twitter has become one ofthe most revolutionary communication toolson the planet.Heck, even the new President of the USA,Barack Obama, uses Twitter. In fact, hehas more followers that ANYONE in the world.Why is Twitter one of the most revolutionarycommunications tools?Well, imagine if you combined the following:- Blogging (Twitter is actually Micro Blogging)- SMS text messaging- Instant Messaging- Chat Rooms- Communities Forums and Social Networks- Personal Email - Email Broadcasting- Search- Viral MarketingWhat would you have?You would have the most addicting, mostpowerful, and most incredible communicationtool ever made.TWITTER can be used as a marketing tool,but beware.... 12/28/2008

                                                                              THE  YEAR 1908    This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!  The year is 1908.  One hundred years ago.  What a difference a  century makes!  Here are some  statistics for the Year 1908    ************  ********* *********  The average life expectancy was 47 years.    Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.    Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.    There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles  Of  paved roads.    The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.    The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!    The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.    The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .    A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per yea... 12/27/2008

To celebrate the New Year, the city of Akron will be offering its annual FIRST NIGHT AKRON festivities! Make plans for the entire family and purchase your tickets at any Acme store! This is entertainment for everyone! They offer all kinds of music, dance and hands on art projects for the children, as well as the arts exhibitions. This is a beautiful way to share with your family the anticipation of 2009! Happy New Year to all of my friends and clients, and may your new year be prosperous and bountiful! You friend and neighbor, Caren Wallace Stouffer Realty 12/26/2008

I am wishing all of my friends and colleagues a Very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!! I hope to enjoy a very fullfilled New Year with my friends at Active Rain, may we all share our new experiences and thoughts and learn from them! The support we receive here is unequalled to any networking that I have done anywhere else. I salute all of the hardworking bloggers that start my day with new technology help, chuckles, and just downright heartwrenching stories. I may not know you all personally, but I feel as if we belong to the same club (cyberspace). Keep on blogging and let us all make 2009 a year to remember! Happy Happy Real Estate Selling to All!!! 12/25/2008

Merry Christmas!!!!!  Hey guys, it's not to late to get your gifts wrapped for charity and a great one too! Heaven Can Wait save dogs and cats from the City Pound before they are killed! Please help!   Arts / Theatre / Music 12/23/2008 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 12/23/2008 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 12/23/2008 Machines at Play Akron Art Museum 12/23/2008 Enameling with Carol Adams Fine Art Services/Peninsula Art Academy 12/23/2008 Bedtime Snack Show (featured event) Mountain Rose Concerts 12/26/2008 Heresies: A Retrospective Akron Art Museum 12/26/2008 Dreamland: By Neil MacDonald Akron Art Museum 12/26/2008 Machines at Play Akron Art Museum 12/26/2008 Kaleidoscope 2008 Summit Artspace 12/27/2008 Machines at Play Akron Art Museum 12/27/2008 Dreamland: ... 12/23/2008