Show your customers some stability!   By now you have realized that the current business climate is insane. Not only that, it confuses and confounds your customers. Every day the turn on the news and hear that they are in worse trouble than the day before. Let's make one thing real clear. Politicians and the main stream media don't keep their jobs when things run smoothly! They need chaos and fear to get elected or sell ad space. You will never hear a politician say my opponent is doing a great job but vote for me. It just doesn't work that way. The opponent has to be a lazy no good lying worthless slug, who starves old people, hurts the environment and single handedly destroys the World's economy. Even if it's not true. Then the media reports every bit of it as fact and the fear cycle ... 12/22/2008

My new lies for the New YEAR!!   You may call them resolutions for the New Year. I jokingly call them my lies for the New Year. Some are the same as last year and the year before and well; the year before that. Some will be fun and some will be outright work to get done. I mix both personal and business. Yes, I have a business plan but hey they are my lies so I do them my way. You do the same, it's fun, I promise. Here we go then.    •·         I "will" lose weight!! (I know I have said this for years. But this is the year.) •·         I "will" eat better! •·         I "will" practice more patience. •·         I "will" pray more. •·         I "will" grow all of our businesses by at least 20%. •·         I "will" show my wife how much I love her every day.(I won't fail on this) •·       ... 12/22/2008

"The Prayers of the father become the goals of the son." ~Terry Miller   I had cause for reflection recently. You see Blane Sheffield's father passed away after a very rough couple of years with his health. Blane has been our technical guru since almost day 1 and we could hardly function without him. Blane"s family is strong and very capable of dealing with this loss. We of course wish them well and pray for their peace and well being in this time of sorrow.  What this brought to my mind is the time my own father passed away not quite twenty years ago. Growing up my dad had been a driving force for all three of his son's and this continues even today through his memory. He taught each of his boy's the value of a good days work. He rarely if ever worked less than a 12 hour day. He always... 12/22/2008

Christmas shopping through rose colored glasses.  Well, I had a wonderful experience yesterday - Christmas Shopping!  The day started with the gas tank on empty.  My hubby is so sweet.  He knows that I love to stand out in the cold and fill my gas tank.  Isn't he just darling?  Next came breakfast.  I love breakfast - it is my favorite meal to eat out. No messy kitchen, no dirty dishes.  What a treat!! Well, I guess the people pushing ahead in line were hungrier than me.  When I finally got my seat, breakfast was great, never mind the coffee spilled all over my table and the cold toast.  Next on my list was the actual business of Christmas Shopping.  At the first store everything went very well, actually even better than I expected.  The fight over the last $19.99 cashmere sweater was a... 12/18/2008

I hope that others of you out there are experiencing an increase in your phones ringing.  November was our slowest month to date however, we are suddenly seeing a huge increase in the phone ringing and good solid offers coming in.  I see this as a direct correlation with the interests rates dropping. If Americans will keep the money moving either through major purchases or refinancing, I believe the economy can hold on.  Hopefully the lenders will ease up a bit and begin to allow money to flow a little more.  Of course so much is riding on consumer confidence.  Everyone is still reeling from the mortgage crisis of 08 followed by the bank bailout and now the car industry.  Couple that with the election and for those of us in the Houston area, we are still dealing with the aftermath of I... 12/17/2008

One more Christmas Party and I think my eyes will turn into appetizers!  Is it my imagination or are there more parties than ever?  I really expected a downturn in parties this year, but I have been invited to more parties than I can ever remember.  I really don't think it is my winning personality or my charming ways, but in today's mail came another invite to a "Cookie Exchange".  How many chocolate chip cookies can be eaten over the holidays?  Sorry if I sound like Scrooge, but no more parties.  I need a night at home to get my act together.  I think Christmas is only 9 days away and I have yet to finish buying gifts, much less get them wrapped.  As for getting my cards out early, I guess I am too late for that!  What happened to a nice relaxed, stress free holiday season? I have les... 12/17/2008

I just feel the need to discuss the topic of saying "Merry Christmas".  Since when did this become offensive to folks?  I have said this a million times and will say it again, the Constitution of the United States does not protect any of us from being "offended".  It does many other things, but protection from being offended is not one of them.  You know, we are all offended in some way almost every day.  It just seems that in the past 5 years, someone came up with the statement "politically correct" and people took it way too far! This country that we are privileged to live in WAS founded on and by Christian principals.  No matter what your beliefs are, that is our history and our foundation.  In fact, Christianity was the foundation of public education both at the primary level as wel... 12/16/2008

There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.                                                                        ~Rainer Maria Rilke      Did you know you have a choice every morning? You and only you can decide the mood or attitude you will have that day. Remarkable isn't it? I don't care if the kids are fighting or if your loving spouse left a towel on the bathroom floor. It's your choice to either laugh about it or blow a gasket. If I could give a small piece of advice, choose to laugh it off and be playful with the situation. For starters they had the same choice you had and maybe they just weren't thinking or simply made a bad choice that day. You however are a true winner and will deal with whatever this day br... 12/15/2008

    As a winner you have to look for opportunities to excel at your chosen profession. As a winner you thrive on accomplishment and recognition from your peers. Being a winner is more than a state of mind, it is truly a way of life. To be a winner you must be driven more than the average person. Being a winner also means being respectful of everyone that doesn't share the same goals or aspirations' you do. A winner is not arrogant, they are confident and secure in who they are. As a winner you will always be mentoring someone to follow in your footsteps. Mentoring or teaching is one of the most rewarding things I do and I recommend it to everyone. You will learn more than the people you teach, I promise. I work with new Realtors everyday that I know will do much better in their real est... 12/15/2008

Happy Holidays to each and everyone. Today I would like to share with a few things I do to get in that good ol Christmas spirit. For years now I save one gift for Christmas eve. Just one and it's a special one. You see no mater how busy I am I can go to the mall on Christmas Eve morning and see the people raceing around and getting last minute things and it puts me in a spirit that is out of this world. I will sit on a bench and drink a soda and just watch. It really works for me. I enjoy it and it is something I started doing because my late father did it. It did not take long to see why he enjoyed it. Another thing I started years ago when my children where small is I take all the nieces and nephews and kids to the movies Christmas eve afternoon. They will all begin to send me emails ... 12/15/2008

These numbers are only for Montgomery County Previous Year - Sold 6,171 Average Price $244,653 This Year - Active 3,485 Average Price $338,799 We currently have 6.8 months of inventory Months of Inventory estimates the number of months it will take to deplete current active inventory based on the prior 12 months sales activity 12/10/2008

Everywhere you turn, the talk is "going green"!  We are having more and more informed clients inquiring about homes that have "gone green".  So the question then becomes, should homeowner's begin thinking about making changes to their home that would increase their "green" value? I believe that our environmentally aware society is heading towards demanding these changes.  Of course many of the new home builders are already implementing "green" additions into their homes.  Therefore, it would be a wise investment for homeowner's to begin taking one project at a time to get their home more "green" friendly. One of the least expensive things that you can do right away is proper caulking of doors, windows and vented areas.  Your local hardware store can steer you in the right direction to b... 12/09/2008

From Gary Varvel and really funny. Hey we all need a laugh sometime. We are all working hard and getting it done in today's market. We love a good joke. I recieved this and had to share it with everyone. Our Real Estate division is still doing business and looking to a great 2009. We grew this year, even with all the negative press, a huricane and an election. To tell the truth we planed to grow so we were ready for everything but Huricane Ike. Let's all look to a great 2009. 12/08/2008

  Have you done anything for yourself recently that made you feel better? If so, good for you!  If not, then why? Every day you should give something to your health or the fun side of your personality. We all have vices and excuses why we can't but did you ever think that we could make an excuse for "why" you can do something? If you don't change the oil or maintain your car what would happen to it? That's right it wouldn't last very long. So how can the #1 tool ("you") in your business last if you don't maintain it?  Do something for yourself before your head hits the pillow tonight. It can be a brisk walk, read a book or go to a movie. Do something every day that will recharge your batteries.      Please join our blog if you like what you see. 12/08/2008

  Today I want to try an experiment with you. Assuming everyone who reads this is going to live several more years, what would your obituary in the local business page of the newspaper say the day you die? Think about it for just a minute. Would it say loving soul mate and father or maybe you are a great community leader. How many people could perform your eulogy, one, two, maybe three? Would your business competitors miss you and praise your ethics and practices? Would your businesses go on and be just as successful? I hate to use this word because it is so politicized but, what would be your legacy? Today write your own obituary. That's right, you and I will write our own obituary with every accomplishment we now have and WILL have at the time of our death. The great news is we aren't... 12/08/2008

9550 Oak Tree Dr is a large older home located on 3.85 tree shaded acres. Fenced w/security gate.4 bdrms (2 masters) 4 full baths. Two patios, greenhouse. Pool with gazebo.896 sq. ft. guest house with one bdrm 1/full bath.70'x28' steel bldg w/5 roll up doors, large office w/1/2 bath, 2 storage rooms & large shop. Note HUGE utility room. Beautiful landscaping. UNSTRICTED ACREAGE. Close to Montgomery County Airport. Very nice! This new listing is priced at: $350,000 Lake Conroe Real Estate 12/08/2008

1002 Columbia River Rd is a great home on 2 tree-shaded lots. Wood beam ceilings and woodburning fireplace. Wood ceiling in bedrooms. Updated! Stove & dishwasher replaced within past year. Recent hot water heater & electrical box within year, also. Central A/C & heat replaced March 2007. Frieze carpet. Fresh paint inside and out! Lots of character in this charming home. This new listing is priced at $89,900 Lake Conroe Real Estate 12/08/2008

  I love this time of year when we all get together with our clients and friends to enjoy the famous Franke Christmas Party.  Each year, Bruce and Marion generously open the historic Moran Ranch up to hundreds of friends  and clients.  The 50's style ranch houses look as if you have stepped back into time.  Original furnishings and decorations take you back to memories of visiting grandparents when times were slower and all we worried about were catching fire flies and the ice cream truck! Moran Ranch was decorated beautifully as usual in all of its Christmas finery.  Donna Franke does the decorating out there and she does a great job.  Nothing is left undecorated!  Throughout the ranch there were special Christmas reminders everywhere! Everyone enjoyed the wonderful food that our own B... 12/08/2008

Good Morning, as most of you know I am new to blogging. I would like to thank all that comment on our blog. Man have I made some errors at times but readership keeps growing. You have no idea how much Denise and I appreciate all of the positive feedback you folks give. Also the constructive criticism on the correct way to do things. I had the pleasure the other night to spend some time on the phone with a gentleman from Stockton, California. It was great to see a new Realtor so full of life and thirsting for knowledge. During the course of the conversation I learned a bunch as well. He just needed "nuts and bolts" advice on a website and inexpensive ways to market. He had already joined the "RAIN" so he was already on his way. I told him to call me anytime and we agreed that he would. O... 12/08/2008

A few blogs ago, we discussed what a Buyer's Market is.  Basically this means that buyers have an advantage over sellers because of a down market resulting in fewer buyers.  Right now this means "qualified" buyers. If you are in the market to buy right now or in the future, there are some strategies that you can do to set yourself apart from other buyers.  Of course you want the best deal out there and so does everyone else.  Therefore, you need to be proactive as a buyer. One of the first things that you can do is to insure that you are a qualified buyer.  Check your credit scores and make sure you have the highest scores possible.  There are many things that you can do to improve your credit scores.  Check out the Internet for some great companies that assist you in watching your cred... 12/05/2008