Donna & Larry Johnson's (elbow3140) Blog

10 Reasons to Buy a Home by Brett ArendsEnough with the doom and gloom about homeownership. Sure, maybe there's more pain to come in the housing market. But when Time magazine starts running covers that declare "Owning a home may no longer make economic sense," it's time to say: Enough is enough....

Gold Prices: Greed or a Warning?As we search the world for clues with regard to the state of the economy, there is one indicator that consistently stands out. However, it is difficult to determine what this indicator means. Throughout this period of economic recovery from the recession, gold pric...

The Personal Comfort of OwningThe seemingly endless run of bad hous ing news is discouraging some potential home buyers from considering a purchase. But the truth is that the advantages of homeownership have very little to do with investment gains. The best things about owning a home have a lot m...

FHA Changes the Rules and CostsThe most popular government mortgage program, FHA, has been busy changing the rules to make sure the program stays strong. Two major changes were released recently and are effective October 4.The minimum credit scores and downpayment requirements for FHA-insured loa...

FARMING STRATEGIES Do you have a farming strategy? The number one answer in the real estate industry today is, "No, farming and mail-outs don't work!"  It's interesting to note that less than 5% of all agents have a consistent farming program. What is a farming program? How do I choose my area of...

Want to Owe Less Taxes? Purchase Real Estate!*Most consumers under stand that owning a home is a great tax shelter. But most consumers do not understand how great these benefits can be. This report will outline some of the major tax benefits of owning real estate. Indeed those who don't take adva...

LISTING STRATEGIES Is it important that the seller retains what you are presenting to them in the listing presentation? Of course it is. Here are some statistics to keep in mind when you are going to a listing presentation. What we retain after 3 days: 5% of what we hear 15% of what we see 65% of...

LISTING STRATEGIES Step 14 of the listing presentation. Explain to the seller what happens next, all the way through to closing. Pretty simple in theory, but a time that you must use to make them aware of everything that goes on during the marketing and sale process; and everything you could thin...

Inspiration Regarding Success for AnyoneJohn Wooden and SuccessIt is rare but not unheard of that a business column would take the cue from someone who was successful in sports and relate it to business. Many successful players are speakers on the business circuit. However, the success of John W...

Save a Bundle: Shorten the TermMore homeowners are refinancing into shorterterm loans, saving a bundle by taking advantage of the lowest rates in decades. Nearly a third of borrowers refinancing fixed 30-year loans in April through June picked loans with 15- or 20-year terms, according to housing...