ActiveRain Masterminds Group - The AR Powers have Spoken - 3000 Bonus Points!! WOW!! What an incentive to join the group! The ActiveRain Powers that Be have seen what our ActiveRain Masterminds group has been up to, and THEY LIKE IT! So much so that they are increasing the bonus points to the winners each month in addition to ALL the participants! Each month, the members of the winning team will receive bonus points, and every other participant will receive bonus points, guaranteed! So if you're not already on a team, get one together now! You can read about the group and the rules here: http://activerain.com/groups/ActiveRainMasterMinds Put your thinking caps on, and be a part of the creative mindshare! Los Angeles Homes For Sale Los Angeles Condos For Sale Los Angeles Townhomes For Sale 05/15/2011

A Note to the Pay It Forward Group Members............... Hi everyone! Just wanted to touch base with all of our Pay It Forward members and thank you all for your continued blogging. I enjoy reading these posts, and quite frankly, some of them are very touching. I just want to give a shout out and remind everyone what the original intent of the group was from the beginning. What we want to see here are personal examples of how you've offered an act of kindness to someone or some group or cause. I've had some people call this "bragging", but it is nothing close to that. It is providing examples to others. On many occasion, I've read some of these posts and have felt so inspired by some of these acts that I have duplicated them myself. And that is what we were hoping for here.  To create ... 05/13/2011

Congratulations to our Winners for April: Donna FoersterGail C. Harris 1,000 Bonus Points Each!! This month's "Liar" posts were from featured members: Judy KlemKaren CrowsonChristine SutherlandCindy MarchantDanell Estrada To join the group, click here: http://activerain.com/groups/2truthsandaliegame The winners each had 4 out of 5 correct guesses this month! Each month if there is one member who has the most correct guesses, they will receive 1,500 bonus points. If there is a tie, each member who ties will receive 1,000 bonus points each. Once again, thank you Praful Thakkar for your assistance with the tabulation. Check out our current post of "2 Truths and A Lie"!! If you haven't played yet, then try this month! It's alot of fun and a great way to meet some of the other members on Act... 05/08/2011

  Treat mom to a special Mother’s Day Brunch at the Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center in Studio City, California! The Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center will be hosting a fabulous Mother’s Day Brunch for all of the fabulous moms out there this Sunday, May 8, 2011. The Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center is located at 12833 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. At the Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center moms and their loved ones will enjoy a fantastic Champagne Brunch Buffet in honor of Mother’s Day! Each Child 9 years old and under will eat for free at the Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center. If you get to the Mother’s Day Brunch by 10:30 am you will get $5.00 off of your bill. Now, that is a treat for mom! For more information regarding the Mother’s Day Brunch at the Sportsmen’s Lodge Event Center please visit ... 05/06/2011

Good morning everyone! May the 4th be with you...... Not sure how many of you out there are Star Wars "die-hard" fans, but I remember in junior high school seeing the first Star Wars movie, and ever since then looking forward to the next. I remember in high school making a pact with a buddy of mine that in the future no matter where we were, we would get together to see the next Star Wars movie. Well, that sort of crashed and burn, since LIFE happens. But anyway, just wanted to give a shout out to everyone........... Los Angeles Homes For Sale Los Angeles Condos For Sale Los Angeles Townhomes For Sale 05/04/2011

Please come see this pristine 3 bed, 2 bath in one of L.A.'s most desireable neighborhoods! Listed at $749,000, it features 1458 sf., 6303 sf lot, character, updates, and a desireable Woodbridge Park location. MLS #F11046652.  I'll be there from 2 to 5 and hope your So. Cal. clients can swing by, too.  More pictures and details can be found at www.JudyGraff.com.   05/03/2011

Pay It Forward - April Reporting Post OK, Pay It Forward Angels, this is where you will write your SINGLE comment with the link to your Pay It Forward posts for April. PLEASE NOTE: YOUR LINKS TO YOUR PAY IT FORWARD BLOG POSTS ARE DUE ON THE MONTHLY REPORTING POST NO LATER THAN THE 7TH OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH, 9PM PACIFIC TIME. That means that the links (with hyperlinks) for April are due no later than May 7th, 9PM PT. We have 4 Sundays falling in April, so you will need to post the links to your 4 posts here. IMPORTANT REMINDER:  This month, we will start screening posts when awarding bonus points for acts of kindness you have performed yourself, not those others have done, charities being solicited (unless you have donated yourself), re-blogs, letting people know about facts and events,... 04/25/2011

Donated $30 to SaveAfricaNow.org today - Pay It Forward I was at the GoGreen Expo today at the LA Convention Center.  There were many very cool exhibitors there and some celebrity keynote speakers. You can check out what the GoGreen Expo is all about here: http://www.gogreenexpo.com One of the exhibitors was a non-profit organization called SaveAfricaNow.org. They raise funds for children who are stricken with AIDS and/or orphaned also. I'm not even going to go into a description of that because I will probably break down, so excuse my brevity because I just can't go there. Anyway, I presented them with a check for $30, and I am going to be helping them raise funds with my association with DailyTicket. If you're in a postion to give a few dollars too, please do so. Much love and positiv... 04/17/2011

ActiveRain MasterMinds Challenge - April 2011 - Procuring Cause:  How can we lessen the issue? OK, MasterMind Groups. Time for you to do what you've done best:  Develop the best solutions. Here is the challenge for April, 2011: Your team's solutions must be posted HERE on this blog post no later than May 1st, 9pm Pacific Time in order for the team to be assigned the bonus points. Also, you must list each team member WITH their headshot in your post as well. All members of the ActiveRain Mastermind teams who participate by the deadline are guaranteed 500 points to each member. The winning team members will receive 1,250 points to each member of the winning team. The winning team for that month will be posted on the 10th of the following month, when the judges scores are released. So this... 04/14/2011

Congratulations to our Pay It Forward Angels for March - 2,500 Bonus Points Each! We had 40 members of our Pay It Forward accountability group that met the group's requirements for March and each received 2,500 bonus points for the month! If your name does not appear and you feel that you have met your requirements for last month, it may be the case where you either did not have the words "Pay It Forward" in the title and tags, OR you did not post your 5 blogs to the January reporting post, which is here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2207282/pay-it-forward-march-reporting-post   As a reminder once again, here are the rules: 1. You must post one blog post per week to the group. ONLY ONE per week. Each of the blog posts are due no later than that Sunday at 9PM Pacific Time. You do not ... 04/12/2011

There is a Chicago-based realty that is now offering a discount voucher on Groupon.Dream Town Realty is offering a $1,000 cash-at-closing voucher for just $25!You can read about it here:http://www.walletpop.com/2011/04/10/save-1-000-on-real-estate-purchase-with-groupon/ Most of the online discount voucher companies, such as Groupon, Living Social, and new contender DailyTicket, offer huge discount vouchers on local merchant products and services such as restaurants, spas, classes, cosmetics services, cosmetic dentistry, theatre, car washes, special events, entertainment, and much more.If you haven't read this month's ActiveRain Masterminds challenge, it actually had to do with this same topic:http://activerain.com/blogsview/2238160/activerain-masterminds-march-2011-the-judges-scores-are... 04/10/2011

The ActiveRain Masterminds monthly challenge for March is complete, and the judges scores for each team are in! If you missed this months challenge, you can read each teams entry here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2189099/activerain-masterminds-challenge-march-2011-buyer-rebates-what-s-the-best-solution- If you are new to the ActiveRain MasterMinds and want to learn what the monthly challenge is all about, you can click here about how to join and what the rules are: http://activerain.com/groups/ActiveRainMasterMinds Put your own team together and be part of the Creative Mindshare to coming up with solutions to issues in our industry! Each month, the members of the winning team will receive BONUS POINTS, and everyone else who participates will receive BONUS POINTS!!   The March issue ... 04/10/2011

Pay It Forward - March Reporting Post OK, Pay It Forward Angels, this is where you will write your SINGLE comment with the link to your Pay It Forward posts for March. PLEASE NOTE: YOUR LINKS TO YOUR PAY IT FORWARD BLOG POSTS ARE DUE ON THE MONTHLY REPORTING POST NO LATER THAN THE 7TH OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH, 9PM PACIFIC TIME. That means that the links (with hyperlinks) for March are due no later than April 7th, 9PM PT. We have 4 Sundays falling in March, so you will need to post the links to your 4 posts here.     Los Angeles Homes For Sale Los Angeles Condos For Sale Los Angeles Townhomes For Sale   03/25/2011

Pay It Forward - I donated $25 to the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation Wow.  What a week.  Elizabeth Taylor is no longer with us.  What a huge void we have without her presence. She WAS Hollywood, and in my opinion the last living link to old, classic Hollywood. I remember my Mom telling me that Elizabeth Taylor was famous for her violet eyes.  At first I didn't believe her, but when you look very closely, there truly is a slight violet hue to her eyes. To me, she is a symbol of living your life fully by your beliefs, without wavering to public pressures.  If she were a boxer, she would have been the undisputed lightweight champion, because with that amount of fight you are pretty much unstoppable. And lastly, she had dedicated decades of her life to fighting a terrible disease that can... 03/25/2011

A real DOOZY this week with an appraisal on a short sale I am mitigating.......... In addition to my own short sale listings, I am also a certified/hired short sale mitigator for other agents. Right now I have 3 short sales that I am mitigating for other agents in my area. One of them just got an accepted offer, and the other two I have obtained written approval for.  Both of those had 2 lenders on them, and one of them I successfully negotiated the HAFA short sale for, and the sellers will be receiving $3000 from the net proceeds at the close of escrow. Well, on the one that is not the HAFA short sale, the appraisal was done on the property this week. But here's the twist:  1. The property was appraised $100,000 below the accepted purchase price! 2. There were MULTIPLE offers on this p... 03/20/2011

Pay It Forward - I just made a $25 donation to BestFriends.org - help the displaced animals in Japan Last week I made a $25 donation to the American Red Cross to help the victims in Japan. I heard that there was a serious issue with the amount of homeless animals due to the devastating catastrophe. So I researched some of the most reputable animal rescue organizations with international reach.  A good friend of mine, Jennifer Parsignault who works with a great local animal rescue organization - Heaven On Earth Society for Animals - gave me the info on BestFriends.org. At least the people in Japan have a voice to express their need for help, which we can all assist with. But the sad part is, the animals cannot speak or help themselves.  They have no voice. We need to look after these lit... 03/17/2011

ActiveRain MasterMinds Challenge - March 2011 - Buyer rebates:  What's the best solution? OK, MasterMind Groups. Time for you to do what you've done best:  Develop the best solutions. Here is the challenge for March, 2011:   Your team's solutions must be posted HERE on this blog post no later than April 1st, 9pm Pacific Time in order for the team to be assigned the bonus points. Also, you must list each team member WITH their headshot in your post as well. All members of the ActiveRain Mastermind teams who participate by the deadline are guaranteed 500 points to each member. The winning team members will receive 1,250 points to each member of the winning team. The winning team for that month will be posted on the 10th of the following month, when the judges scores are released. So this ... 03/15/2011

Are you aware that the cost of borrowing money could be going up in the very near future? Many buyers focus on the price of a home, which is obviously extremely important, but they should also pay attention to the cost of attaining a mortgage to purchase the home. In recent years, to spur the real estate recovery, interest rates were lowered to historical lows. It became less expensive and more encouraging to purchase a home. At one point the rate of 30 year fixed mortgage was in the low 4% range. For those of us that remember the 80’s, rates back in those days were around 18% or so. The lending industry is under pressure to change their lending guidelines to avoid another financial crisis. No matter what happens to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, get ready to pay more for mortgages. If yo... 03/09/2011

The ActiveRain Masterminds monthly challenge for February is complete, and the judges scores for each team are in! If you missed this months challenge, you can read each teams entry here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2139948/activerain-masterminds-february-2011-what-are-some-of-our-strongest-issues-related-to-appraisals-and-how-do-we-solve-them- If you are new to the ActiveRain MasterMinds and want to learn what the monthly challenge is all about, you can click here about how to join and what the rules are: http://activerain.com/groups/ActiveRainMasterMinds Put your own team together and be part of the Creative Mindshare to coming up with solutions to issues in our industry! Each month, the members of the winning team will receive BONUS POINTS, and everyone else who participates will... 03/09/2011

I've created a Group Lotto website for agents - proceeds go to KW Cares. This year our office is aiming high with the donations to the KW Cares charitable organization. I've joined the Care Committee and I've put together a website that is a group lottery pool for the California Lottery. www.ourofficelottery.com Here is the format: 1. We will be running the Lotto sessions every 2 weeks. 2. All participants can pay with your credit/debit/PayPal card online at www.ourofficelottery.com 3. $8.00 each per person (no more! no less). Real estate professionals only. No family members. 4. You will need to have paid online no later than 1PM, the Thursday before the Saturday SuperLotto. If your payment comes in after 1PM, it will be held for the next Lotto session in 2 weeks. This is so we have en... 03/06/2011