Mario's Blog

I am a member of countless boards, chambers, entities, networking groups, etc, tonight I attended a meeting as an Ambassador to the Harbor Country Chamber of Commerce.  As an ambassador it is my job to recruit new members, keep current members interested and educated, as well as act as a liaison ...

The concept of the Real Estate salesperson team is certainly not an old idea and there are many teams out there.  I have noticed that there are teams out there where two or three agents work together, and I have had opportunity to work with a few.  My question is, when teams attribute all product...

I have earned my ABR and next I'm going for my GRI, I thought I'd have it by now, but instead I chose to pursue my Indiana License.  Being so close to Northwest Indiana it only makes economic sense for me to jump the border south and provide Indiana shoppers with my valuable skills as a full serv...

Hey fellow bloggers, I am the vice-chair of our local board's education committee, today was our first meeting of the new year.  We've come up with our goals for the upcoming year and feel that we've picked a wide range of offerings from continuing education to designation offerings.  We have als...

I have just left an appointment with a client who informed me that the housing price point which we are looking in is much higher than what he is willing to spend.  I asked him if I had made a mistake and if I was showing him houses that he couldn't afford.  His response was we can get these hous...

Are any agents out there considering going outside of their local region?  I primarily stick around Southwestern Berrien County staying this side of Coloma and Niles, but I've begun showing homes outside these parameters because my clients are willing to go in other directions.  My best explanati...

For Realtors working with clients who want and choose to live in River Valley School district, here is a link to information regarding River Valley Schools. http://www.rivervalleyschools.org/  The information contained in this site can help you find factual and topical interests that may help you...

Here in Harbor Country we have a few new housing developments starting up.  We have nearly a 2 year supply of inventory that's been on the market on average of a year or more.  Should speculative developers hold off for a while? Per an earlier post by me, I have suggested that Harbor Country has ...

The latest stats from the MLS for Bridgman Schools, River Valley Schools and New Buffalo Schools suggest that the 2007 numbers were not as bleak as discussed throughout the year by media pundits, the press and other Realtors; actually they looked OK.  Anyone care to comment about the other areas ...

It is no secret that the current interest rates are/have been lowered to help bail out the mortgagors who borrowed one to three year money sub prime. The Theory: By refinancing their ARM's this should help out about 40% to half of the people who face forclosure due to elevated interest rates. Goo...