Why Does Pre-license Student Need to Learn about Life Estate? What is the importance of knowing about life estates if I am just going to list and sell residential real estate?   How does a life estate impact commercial/industrial real estate agents?   It is true most real estate agents whether residential or commercial/industrial will never have the need to know about life estates.  However, for those rare instances real estate law requires all real estate agents must have an understanding of how life estates are created and the impact on real property interests both now and in future. Life estate is a freehold estate that is limited to lifetime of owner, called life tenant, and upon their death the property passes to future owners or reverts to previous owner according to provisions of... 03/05/2014

Come on Spring!!!   Bring on the Sun, Warm Temps and Flowers Please, Pretty Please No matter where you live I am sure that you are ready to tell Mother Nature to 'bring on the sun, warm temps and flowers.  Maybe we need to say, "Please," or even, "Pretty Please!"  How about "Pretty Please with Sugar on Top!!"   Okay, reality is telling me that the official start of spring is still more than a month away.  Looking out my window I see nothing but snow piles and the thermometer is tellin me is well below freezing, like 21, UGH!   Guess, what?  I am not waiting for Mother Nature.   Being the positive person I am making Flower arrangements in my craft room and putting them everywhere in my house.     And this afternoon I plan to cross country ski with a friend.   Come on Spring!!!   Bring on... 02/15/2014

PSIexams.com Real Estate Proctor 'No Show'  Erie/PA Alert for Real Estate exam applicants in Erie, PA:  Over & over again the PSIexam Real Estate proctor has been a 'No Show' in Erie, PA.   Classes are completed, you have studied & studied, now you are at the test center and the PSIexam proctor didn't show up for work!  Twice in last six weeks I have heard from two former pre-license students who arrived at the test center (2100 W. 21st. Erie/PA 16505) and found no proctor.  Other tenants in the building told these students that this has happened to other test applicants in the past. UGH! *** The Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission was notified at 11:00 am EST that PSIexam center in Erie was closed due to bad weather, but one student had arrived at test center several hours earlier for ... 02/14/2014

Eriez Toastmasters Club Eriez Toastmasters Club will hold its Annual International Speech & Evaluation Contest.  Eriez winners will compete in area contest followed by division, district and international contests. When:  February 10, 2014 Time:  6:30-8:00 pm Location:  Whole Foods Co-Op community room  1341 W. 26th Street,  Erie/PA 16508 Website:  http://2705.toastmastersclubs.org/ Clubs in other areas:  www.toastmasters.org Contact:  Mary Yonkers, 814-881-7548   Come watch Eriez Toastmasters compete in International Speech and Evaluation contests.  Richard Gorski will be the model speaker for the evaluation contest. What criteria are the Speech Contest judges looking for?  Content Delivery Language What criteria are the Evaluation Contest judges looking for? Analytical Quality Recomme... 02/10/2014

Real Estate Pre-License Class Erie, PA Feb. 8, 9 and 22, 23 2014     Alan Kells School of Real Estate offers Real Estate Pre-license Practice Class in Erie, PA.  February 8, 9, and 22, 23, 2014     Pre-license Practice Class: Specialization:  Residential or Commercial Brokerage, Appraisal, Property Management, Development, Timeshare/Campground, Education and more Property Types:  Residential, Commericial, Industrial, Retail, Special-purpose, Mixed-use Real Estate Laws:  RESPA, Antitrust, Fair Housing, Ethics, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, PA Agency Act Real Estate Contracts:  Seller Disclosure, Consumer Notice, Listing Contract, Buyer Representation Contract, Sales Agreement Financing:  Credit Issues, Credit Score, Loan Programs Settlement:  Pre-closing Procedures & Title Process, Prora... 02/07/2014

Thank You, Noon-Timer Toastmasters, David D. Keefer, Erie, PA   "Good afternoon Noon-Timer Toastmaster friends.  I am so excited about being a member of this organization, I just had to tell you all, thank you. Since I joined, I feel a real forward moving in my public speaking. You have all helped me gain a foothold into something I have always  enjoyed doing, but just failed to take the time to refine in myself.  Now my wife will be joining us and what a treat.  She has always said, "David is my mouth piece," and that is about to change.    Again, I got so excited I just had to create another email with "Toastmaster" in it!!!  You are all so much of an encouragement to me.   See you all soon in February."  This was an e-mail from David Keefer to Noon-Timer club.  He gave me permission ... 02/04/2014

Continuing Education Classes, Erie/PA Feb. 4, 2014 All Pennsylvania Real Estate agents and brokers must complete 14 hours of Continuing Education in approved subjects by May 31, 2014 for license renewal.    Feb. 4, 2014 CE Classes   Negotiating with Purpose & Plan:  Learn the pwoer of negotiating by skillfully reading the sonsumer's verbal & nonverbal signals; the ways tenacity is different than being pushy, and the roadblocks to becoming a confident & competent negotiator.  Time: 9:00 - 12:30  Servicing the Online Customer: Don't waste their time!  The online customer has expectations that include urgency as part of the added value.  Time:  1:30 - 5:00   Alan Kells School of Real Estate  1-412-967-0240 or 1-814-453-4274 Location:  3036 W. 12th Street Erie, PA 16505, building behind Ani... 02/03/2014

Okay, It Is Time to Go Away  Go away and don't come back  .  .  .  till next year.   Go away, Mr. Snowman and don't come back. Living in the northeast, near Lake Erie, snow is a yearly event and most of us really do like winter, but after 90+ inches of snow in Erie/PA and frigid temperatures I am ready tell Mr. Snowman it is time to go away. After Thanksgiving I decorate my family room with snowmen and some years they hang around until March but tonight I put them all away.   Erie will probably have more snow & cold weather, but flowers are blooming in my house.  (Future post) Okay, It Is Time to Go Away, Mr. Snowman   01/31/2014

Real Estate Test Anxiety ~ Study/Coaching Class in Erie, PA TEST = Four-letter word for most people.  Are you ready to take the Pennsylvania Real Estate Exam? Need help studying for Pennsylvania Real Estate Exam?   Coaching Class provides an in-depth scope and sequence of information to prepare PA license candidates for the License Exam. You will be coached in: • Test Taking Strategies and Study Skills • Thorough analysis of ALL content areas related to the Uniform Exam • Thorough analysis of the State Law portion of the exam  • Mathematical skills and formulas needed to pass the exam    Real Estate Test Anxiety ~ Study/Coaching Class in Erie, PA   Pennsylvania Real Estate Pre-License Classes Erie, PA 1-814-453-4274     01/30/2014

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sunrise --Ray Sherman, Eriez Toastmasters Club, took us up the mountain at 4:00 am to share a 'peanut butter & jelly sunrise' sandwich.   Awesome! Congratulations, Ray Sherman, on your 3rd speech in the Competent Communicator manual.  I can hardly wait to hear your next speech.   Eriez Toastmasters Club, meets 2nd & 4th Monday Time:  6:30-8:00 pm Location:  Whole Foods Co-Op 1341 W. 26th Street, Erie, PA 16508 Other locations can be found:  www.toastmasters.org  Peanut Butter & Jelly Sunrise       01/29/2014

Ice on F I  R E ~ Lake Erie Winter Sunset View looking across Frozen Presque Isle Bay Sunrise, sunset . . . just let me revel in the beauty of nature.  Oh yes, it is winter and temperatures are well, rather low, a mere 8 degrees, but the beauty is breathtaking. "Is that a heated seat?"  per comment on Facebook by Cindy Jones After teaching a CE class a few days ago I had time to 'kill' until I met Dave for dinner so I took the opportunity to drive around Presque Isle Peninsula, a 15 mile round trip.  WOW! Mother Nature put on quite a show with the sunset despite the frigid temperature of 8 degrees.  My car was nice & warm, but I couldn't resist the temptation to jump out & take a few shots to share.  Enjoy! Lake Erie ~ ice dunes in distance   Finale Danger:  Stay off the ice dunes     01/23/2014

Presque Isle Bay = Serenity Plus   My favorite place to walk no matter the weather, sun, wind, warm, cold, snow.  Walking along Presque Isle Bay is my serenity. After 81 inches of snow and frigid temperatures in Erie, PA I had the splendid opportunity of time to walk at Presque Isle this afternoon.  Oh yes, it was only 27 degrees with wind chill of 15 but my soul was on fire. Just a few months before the boats will be sailing across the bay and kids & their parents will be riding bikes and roller blading along the paths at Presque Isle Peninsula, but for now the serenity is priceless.   01/16/2014

Beautiful Winter Sunrise over Erie, PA Just in case you weren't up to see the sun come up in your area, let me share a beautiful winter sunrise over Erie, PA framed by the trees in my backyard.      'Bloom where you are planted' . . . I live in area surrounded by trees so I can only see the sunrise from my yard during the winter months unless of course, we travel south . . .  Here is my all time favorite sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.  ( 2013 Photo taken from our balcony at Navy Lodge in Mayport, FL.)   Have a fantastic day where ever you are planted today.   Beautiful Winter Sunrise over Erie, PA   01/12/2014

 January & February 2014 Real Estate Classes Erie, PA Erie, PA begin your Real Estate classes with Alan Kells School of Real Estate.  What is the advantage of 'live' class Vs. online class?  In a live Real Estate class you will have an instructor who has been active in Real Estate who is able to give you behind the scene view of the real world of Real Estate.  Per a former student who tried to take her Real Estate classes online, "It was like reading a 500 page manual of very dry material and no one to answer my questions."  Even though she lost the money she paid for the online class this student was so happy to take a 'live' Real Estate class with Alan Kells School of Real Estate in Erie, PA. Pennsylvania Real Estate License requirements: 18 years old Complete 30 hour Fundamentals cla... 01/07/2014

Pennsylvania Real Estate Fundamentals Class Erie, PA $178  Jan. 11, 12, 25, 26 2014 Real Estate Fundamentals offers comprehensive overview of the technical and legal aspects of Real Estate.                        The course includes:                                   Rights and interests in land               How ownership is held Transfer of rights and interests Contract law Mortgages Fair housing laws State licensing laws           Location:  3036 W. 12th St. Erie, PA 16505  (building behind Animal Ark Pet Hospital--enter driveway on east side)   Alan Kells School of Real Estate Mary Yonkers, instructor   01/07/2014

 Real Estate Success 101 ~ Build Relationships   Real Estate, like all sales, is a people business.  It's not who we know, but who knows us and the services we provide.  Face to face networking has been the paradigm for building business relationships for more than a century, but the internet is reinventing how business is done today.    Buyers and would-be clients are turning to the internet as the business encyclopedia of who's who and who offers what service.  The internet has become the new want ads and yellow pages.  Are you there?  What is your presence on the web?  Have you adapted your business plan to meet the needs of today's client? Are you still using the brick & mortar model to generate leads? Are you spending money on print ads and mailings?  Are you waiting for the phone ... 01/05/2014

SNOW ~ COLD ~ Stay Safe & Warm + Take Time to Enjoy the Beauty Recently many ActiveRain members, including myself, have posted winter scenes, both positive & negative.  Every time I vow to myself that 'this is the last one' for the season Mother Nature sends us a message, "Winter is not over."  So here is one more collage of my snowy front yard. Yes, we have friends who go south to escape the snow & cold like the owner of this property.  (Bird nest--I hope my southern friends are feeding them.) As kids we enjoyed playing in the snow for hours coming inside only to get dry mittens.  In middle school & high school ice skating was our favorite outdoor activity.  In college I discovered skiing and still look forward to winter weather.  This will be me this afternoon . . .   SNOW ~ COLD ~ St... 01/04/2014

  Success in Business Is about Relationships       Real Estate, like all sales, is a people business.  It's not who we know, but who knows us and the service we can provide.  Face to face networking has been the paradigm for building business relationships for more than a century, but the internet is reinventing how business is done today.    Buyers and would-be clients are turning to the internet as the business encyclopedia of who's who and who offers what service.  The internet has become the new want ads and yellow pages.  Are you there?  What is your presence on the web?   Have you adapted your business plan to meet the needs of today's client? Are you still using the brick & mortar model to generate leads? Are you spending money on print ads and mailings?  Are you waiting for the ... 01/04/2014

And the Snow Globe Goes to Erie, PA  with 70+ inches SNOW SnowGlobe.com stats for cities of 100,000+ population has awarded Erie, PA the title of Snowiest City for 2013-2014 season.   Erie, PA 70+ Syracuse, NY 43.6   Even though SnowGlobe has issued a challenge to other cities to overtake Erie, PA we just keep piling up the snow totals.  All cities with population of 100,000+ are eligible to participate in the annual Snow Contest which orginated in Rochester, NY.  Now I am sure the southern states could care less about this contest unless you used to lived here or still have relatives that live. How is your city faring in this latest winter storm?  Will your city claim the Snow Globe? And the Snow Globe Goes to Erie, PA  with 70+ inches SNOW         01/02/2014

Back to Winter with a Vengeance Mother Nature teased Erie with warm, sunny weather and now she is sending us 'back to winter with a vengeance' with temperatures plummeting and snow squalls so heavy you can't see in front of you.    Oh, well, perhaps this is a great day to curl up in front of a roaring fire   and work on 2014 Business Plan.  No, that is already written.  Okay, maybe I will just plan that vacation I was dreaming about last night.   Back to Winter with a Vengeance       12/30/2013