Dolly Parton will never forget one night she spent in Eugene, Oregon in 1972.  She was a young, little known singer on tour with Porter Wagoner.  She was far from her Tennessee home and feeling very sick.  I wasn’t there that night, so I’ll let Dolly tell the story in her own words. "I stayed in my little room in the bus and cried while Porter and the band went on and did the shows without me.  In Eugene, Oregon, I decided that I had to get up and get on stage that night. I was so weak that it took me all afternoon to get ready." "I went out on stage, informed the audience that I was sick and asked them to please forgive my weakness. They totally supported me, they loved me and gave me my first standing ovation — actually two. I got one after I finished my song ‘Coat of Many Colors’ an... 02/18/2012

I received this email today (from my brother-in-law) (who should have known better):    BEST THING I HAVE HEARD YET... From a senior citizen around 80 yrs. of age.  We aren't useless yet. The Fix There recently was an article in the St. Petersburg , Fl. Times. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on: "How Would You Fix the Economy?" I think this guy nailed it: Dear Mr. President, Please find below my suggestion for fixing America's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the "Patriotic Retirement Plan": There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:... 02/17/2012

   THE MOST MEANINGFUL (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR    IS TO COMPARE  THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   Below you'll see that the number of Closed Sales in JANUARY in Ferry Street Bridge ties the decade high - while the inventory of Active Listings is at a six-year low.  At the January rate of sales, Ferry Street Bridge now has a 5.5 month inventory.  Those factors certainly explain the month's up tick in Average Price.  Let's hope it is a sign of things to come.  Now for the     FERRY STREET BRIDGE    RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:   A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the    Months of JANUARY   2001 - 2012:     And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for the    Months of JANUARY    ... 02/16/2012

Every seasoned agent would probably do things differently if they could start their business fresh.  They'd channel their knowledge, time, money, and effort into areas that experience has taught them to be effective in generating leads, converting them to prospects, and closing transactions.   Realtors can't begin anew, but they can help to mentor new agents entering the profession.  Now is a difficult time to become a real estate agent.  New agents don't have the luxury of time and a rising market to bail them out of their early business mistakes.   If a brand new agent approached you for advice about building their real estate business, what would you say?   I posted this question on Trulia and received a number of frank answers from experienced agents:  Annette Lawrence in Palm Harbo... 02/05/2012

With this post I cruise over the 500,000 point mark here in ActiveRAIN.  It's well past time to have a picture header across the top of this AR Blog. But before I could get all my real geese in a row (across the top of this blog), I first had to get my figurative blogging ducks in a row. In the last (nearly) three years of RAINING, I have learned a lot.  But until today I had never even entertained the possibility of putting a pix across the masthead of this blog. Then today, I commented on, my friend, Todd Clark's Beaverton, Oregon blog and once again felt header-picture envy. So I emailed Todd who referred me to the freely available Picnic program as an easy way to make one of my personal photos fit the 960 X 130 pixel AR blog-header space.  I also used the AR "Search" function to fin... 02/04/2012

   What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the    WEST EUGENE RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?        Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made:   02/04/2012

 What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the  SOUTHWEST EUGENE RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?      Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made: 02/04/2012

 What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the  EAST EUGENE RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?      Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made: 01/29/2012

 What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the  DANEBO RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?     Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made: 01/29/2012

 What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the  RIVER ROAD RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?     Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made: 01/29/2012

 What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the  SANTA CLARA RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?    Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made: 01/29/2012

 What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the  NORTH GILHAM RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?    Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made: 01/29/2012

What kind of financing is used for the purchase of single family homes in the FERRY STREET BRIDGE RMLS market area in Eugene, Oregon?   Is "all-cash" an important factor?  Are most new loans conventional or FHA? How about federal VA?  Do all other financing mechanisms (owner financing, lease-options, etc.) account for many sales?Here is how the sales for single family homes in this RMLS market area break out for calendar year 2011 - by type of purchase made:     01/29/2012

Don't believe everything that you read on the internet.Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States I came across this quote on the web recently and it helped me to realize that I shouldn't accept as gospel every tidbit of information that I come across in my travels through cyberspace.  I learned about Abe Lincoln in school and have read the biography Abraham Lincoln by Carl Sandburg.  I have a lot of respect for Mr. Lincoln's leadership and accomplishments, especially during the nation's time of crisis during the Civil War.  If he says that we should be careful about believing what we read online, I'll take him at his word. Websites, blogs, news channels, political ads, and more are all created and written by human beings with their own biases, opinions, and agendas.  Most thi... 01/29/2012

You've probably heard or been told that a virtual assistant (VA) can be an invaluable resource for your business.  For most, that's probably as far as the discussion went.  What exactly does a virtual assistant do, how can they help me in my business, and where can I find them?  Some VA's are generalists.  Many are specialists in the services that they provide. There are resources on the web that can answer these questions far better than I can.  So, I've assembled some links to help you answer these questions for yourself: Why and How to Use A Virtual Assistant  How to Find and Use a Virtual Assistant to Get Ahead The International Virtual Assistants Association has a great webpage with 101 Ways to Use A Virtual Assistant.  You can also download this list as a pdf file for printing Her... 01/23/2012

THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OR  IS TO COMPARE THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS    For the last four years, December has found West Eugene with sales lower than during the boom - but similar to ten years ago. But this year inventory jumped down drastically. That should have made average price hold steady.  Instead it dropped.   Here for the WEST EUGENE RMLS Market Area, are:   A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Closed Sales) for the Months of DECEMBER 2001 - 2011:     And a decade of Average Prices for Closed Sales for Homes in Eugene, Oregon for the Months of DECEMBER 2001 - 2011:       These average sales prices represent the arithmetic mean for those residential closed sales in this RMLS market area.   The m... 01/22/2012

I worked on writing my obituary today.  It's a very personal and difficult thing to write.  The topic itself really forces me to concentrate on my innermost thoughts: 1.   What accomplishments make me the proudest?2.   What are my biggest regrets?3.   Whose lives did I impact by my presence?4.   What legacy will I leave behind?   These are tough questions to answer.  Every day that I live leads me closer to my death.   Fortunately, I'm not dying and in good health as far as I know.  I'm working on my obituary because it's a great way for me to focus on what's really important.  I'm using it as a business and life planning tool to guide my day-to-day decisions and activities.  It helps me to block out many of the external pressures and temptations that encourage me to stray from my true ... 01/21/2012

You just never know what will happen when you post good content to your ActiveRain blog.  In December I wrote a post about what Realtors expect from loan officers when they refer a client (http://actvra.in/pFy).  The featured post led to a frank discussion about what agents and loan originators should reasonably expect from each other.   In addition to being a virtual assistant for Realtors, I also have a job providing marketing support for 35+ loan officers in the mortgage division of a Pacific Northwest bank.  I summarized the comments from the post and used them to help the loan officers better understand what Realtors expect from them.  One of our 2012 goals is to increase purchase loans generated from Realtor referrals.     Except for having a stronger showing in Google, I thought ... 01/20/2012

I’m in the midst of an intense love affair with Eugene.  I’m not ashamed of it and want the world to know the truth: I love living in Eugene, Oregon!  My wife and I moved here over seven years ago without knowing a single person in the entire state.  Today, we can’t imagine living anywhere else.   Why do we have such an affinity for our chosen home?  To paraphrase Shakespeare, let us count the ways:    Lots of fresh air and clean water  An abundance of trees and the ability to grow almost everything but cacti.  Four mild seasons, with lots of tulips and daffodils in spring and trees awash in color in the fall. Lots of friendly people.  It’s almost impossible to walk down the street or visit a store without enjoying conversations with strangers. Rush hours that may delay me for five min... 01/18/2012

    THE MOST MEANINGFUL LOOK AT DATA FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN EUGENE, OREGON     IS TO COMPARE     THE CURRENT MONTH WITH THE SAME MONTH IN PRIOR YEARS   This December, East Eugene inventory dipped downward for the first time since 2008.  That followed November's trend.   Meanwhile closed sales were up for the third year in a row.  But average sale price was not helped at all.  That came after average sales price increased for the first time since the bust in November.  Still, average price for this area in December has remained pretty much level for seven years.  That is not the case in any other local area.  It is an area that saw little building during the boom.   So for the     EAST EUGENE     RMLS Market Area, HERE ARE:       A decade's worth of supply (Active Listings) and demand (Cl... 01/15/2012