Mike's Blog

I once had a pet raccoon that was amazing at playing "tag" and "follow the leader" using my mom's old sheets hung from a clothesline. Alas, Ringo passed away and the laws changed preventing another ring-tailed pal, despite their abundance here. Over time I wound up sharing life with a curious, an...

I just completed a blog on using Outlook to send email messages to mobile phones: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1841172/how-to-send-email-to-a-cell-phone. Jeff Grave's post shares details relating to the importance of texting and offers thoughts to help minimize spam. Both our views support thi...

Every wonder what your property TRULY looks like? The parties to a real estate transaction view the home for sale in a different, somewhat unique way. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, depending on whether the beholder is the Seller, the Lender, the Buyer, the Appra...

Could you live in a 24 room home? Before answering that question, you should know this "palace" is only 330 square feet! That's right. Meet Gary Chang, a Honk Kong architect, who transformed his apartment into a super-efficient home using an ingenious system of sliding walls and panels and incorp...

Revised FEMA Flood Insurance Maps Have Gone Into Effect - What It Means To Homeowners.         Flood insurance affordability is a key concern for many Lafayette, LA and Greater Acadiana homeowners who live in flood zones. This post by Marilyn Boudreaux offers additional noteworthy information.  ...

If you have a real estate license, you know the definition of steering: the illegal funneling of home buyers to a particular area based on the desire to keep the makeup of that neighborhood the same or intentionally change it. Racial steering is unacceptable for any reason, and it goes against Fa...

We all have our ways to simply unwind and relax. For me, I enjoy taking refuge on the water. There's something soothing and peaceful listening to the sounds of gulls and crashing waves. Watching a sunrise or sunset from the deck of a boat under sail is truly a spiritual experience. I love living ...

"Badges?... We don't need no... stinkin' badges!" is one of the most frequently quoted, misquoted, and parodied movie quotations of all time. The original quotation comes from the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre starring Alfonso Bedoya and Humphrey Bogart. However, it is likely best r...

This blog topic is as valid today as it was last fall. As Agents who represent both sides of a sales transaction, we can all use a little spirited reminder on useful tips and professional practice. Jason's message is informative and presented in a delightful and enjoyable context.I had to spend a...

We advise them. We counsel them. We instruct them. We share our knowledge and experience with them. Heck, sometimes we even plead and beg for them to "get with the program" in order to achieve the all-important reason for listing a property: to sell it at the right price and under acceptable term...