The West Virginia BLAZERS will take on Team Habitat and an All-Star team of local personalities, including Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.,Winner of "Americas Got Talent".  All proceeds of the Slam Dunk 2012 go to building the Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia  “Raising the Bar” House in Huntington. Date:  Thursday, March 15 Time:  6:30pm Location: Huntington High School in Huntington, WV.   Tickets:     Adult -  $10 for 13 years or older Kids  -   $5 for 6- 12 years Children 5 and under FREE!   Purchase tickets: online at the Blazer’s website or online at Habitat for Humanity of WV Tickets may also be purchased at the following locations: Huntington WV Area Habitat for Humanity at 240 Third Avenue in Huntington First Sentry Bank's Main Office at 823 Eighth Street in Huntington Mug and P... 03/13/2012

It would be a challenge to find a recent national television newscast that doesn’t have a segment that focuses on or references the current housing market. As the President of the Huntington Board of REALTORS®, I answer questions about our real estate market on a regular basis. I get questions about staging a home to sell. I get asked how the new tax credit works for homebuyers (FYI: this can save you thousands of dollars. Ask your REALTOR® for details)! However, the most popular question I receive is simply “How’s the real estate market?” My answer to any real estate question is based upon local data and experience. After all, it would not make sense to advise a potential home seller in Barboursville to spend $15,000 remodeling their basement because it worked on a TV reality show for ... 05/27/2009

Lieutenants Hank Dial and Mike Albers were promoted to captains within the Huntington Police Department.  I've known Hank and Mike for years.  Hank and I used to work together at Stewart's Original Hot Dogs in the '80's.  Mike and I have known each other since we went to Meadows Elementary waaay back in the 70's.  Both of these outstanding public servants will be excellent leaders to the police force and I feel they will help continue the momentum against crime within the Huntington area.  More to come... 07/23/2008

Huntington has received the power to request to levy a one percent "occupation tax" on income.  I've talked to more than one person who has commented it's just another way to drive people out of the city.  Hopefully, I can clarify the situation. Huntington would repeal the much-hated "user fee" and reduce the business and occupation (B&O) tax currently in place and would start the occupation tax so the city doesn't see a loss in revenue.  Huntington officials are trying to emphasize this isn't an additional tax punch but that it's just a fairer way to raise revenue.  They also say the amount taxed would be roughly the same the city gets now.  This occupation tax has to be approved by Huntington's city council before it's implemented.  Mayor Felinton hopes to have it in place by January ... 07/23/2008

It seems when we got to homes that have Expired the main topic is how the other agent never communicated.  We all have failed one time or another on this....yes....even us.  We have now put a system in place that will get the feedback and send reports to clients that keeps them up to date on feedback.  It is working perfectly and clients are loving it.  This is something I wish I had in place for years now.  Sometimes as agents we do not realize how important feedback is rather find it difficult to get and just don't do it because of that.  We all need to remember that this is the only transaction the seller is doing and they do not care you have 30 listings to take care of. Today...not tomorrow....stop and take a look at what you are doing to stay in touch with your clients and then pu... 06/17/2008

I met a client in the office today that is relocating to this area.  He said something to me that changed the way I think from now on.  He said that he almost never came to town because of all the negativity he saw online and in the newspaper.  He called the police stations and some others and decided to make the 12 hour trip.  Once he got here he decided it was well worth the trip.  :-) He opened my eyes that we always need to be positive and stay upbeat about everything we do....from the blogs to the print ads.  Some of the blogs I read are not on the positive side and after speaking to him today I believe I always will from now on. We do live in a great neighborhood and all of us should look more at the good things and focus our energy on this.  Trust me.....I fail at this every day ... 05/23/2008

When I signed up to be on Active Rain I never thought I would get anything from it other than information from fellow agents to help me with my business.  Never in my dreams would I have thought I would receive leads from agents or customers finding me on here and then becoming a client.  Active Rain has given me leads, clients and agents coming to my company. AR keep up the great work!  I look forward to working with the company and also the referrals and clients from this system. 05/11/2008

Have you ever raised a garden or flower beds?  I am sure all of us have and know how time consuming it is to constantly weed, feed and cultivate the plants.  I bought my wife a bunch of flowers yesterday for Mother's Day  and started planting them throughout the yard.  They are beatiful and full of life but the work has just begun. Raising plants is so much like leads, business contacts, family and friends.  You have to cultivate them as well....just more expensive!  lol  Leads need immediate attention and help with service.  Family need the constant phone calls, text messaging...I have a teen ager  lol...., love, support and all the birthday parties and lots of presents. Friends need much attention to keep the relationship good and to be there even when they do not realize they need yo... 05/11/2008

We started opening our pool this past weekend and a couple of weeks ago we cleaned up the yard from all the winter twigs and thatching the grounds.  This reminds me of how you need to take care of things everyday and not wait until the last minute.In your business, job or your personal items you need to always stay on top of things and not procrastinate doing things.  In your business you need to be the first to call the client instead of the client call you.  In your job you need to think ahead and have it done before your supervisor comes to you to ask you to do it.  At your home you need to get things done before your wife, husband or neighbor asks you to do it.  This one is funny because if you live in a subdivision the neighbors will come to you.  lolIf people would only, at a mini... 05/06/2008

We recently started going to another church.  The church we used to go to was very good and some of the best people you would ever meet.  Why did I leave you ask?  We wanted praise and worship music.  The church we found is awesome and we like it very much.  The preaching is great and the music is worthy of paying to see.  Just what we were looking for.  Sometimes you get comfortable where you are even though you are not happy and not growing.  We have gone from not wanting to go to not wanting to miss.  Sometimes this is what you need in business too.  Just because you work where you do does not mean this is where you should be. An example of this is when I left the biggest company in the area and went to the company with a balloon.  I was comfortable there making good money and not lo... 05/05/2008

I feel we provide good service and do what we are supposed to do so when I go to another company I expect the same service.  Recently we opened a real estate company and have been buying quite a bit of items and asking for service from others.   It is a shame that most all the purchases we have made rather they be $10,000 or $10 the service is just not there.  This makes me check myself with what I do.  I have thought about some items that maybe I do not do as well as I should therefore I am implementing several things to improve my service.We all should look at what we do and see where we neglect to provide the service our clients deserve.  If we can not improve the service then we need to find someone that can do it for us.If you do something that stands out in your service please pro... 05/05/2008

I show quite a bit of property to my clients and the one thing I notice from home to home is how some people clean so well and others evidently just do not care how their home looks to the buyer, who I might add holds the money.  I was in one yesterday that had new carpet but there were several places that looked to be pet puke not cleaned up.  Yuck!!!   The other had mold growing in the master bath glass shower.  These people actually take showers in here.  Yuck again!!!!  I would never want to step foot in there WITH shoes on let alone WITHOUT.  lolIt amazes me how my clients want me to sell their homes but they do not want to do things to make them sell.  One of most important items is cleaning the home with a tooth brush and making it as fresh as possible.  Another would be to paint... 04/29/2008

Within the next 4-8 weeks, construction should begin on a new Towneplace Suites by Marriott hotel here in Huntington, WV.  It's the latest addition to the city's Kinetic Park area.  Many insiders were expecting the H&W Hotel Brokerage to build a Fairfield Inn in the location off of the Hal Greer Blvd. exit of Interstate-64, but the firm felt an extended stay facility such as Towneplace Suites was a better fit partly due to Marshall University, St. Mary's Medical Center and Cabell Huntington Hospital.  Currently, the area doesn't have a hotel which markets to guests who schedule a prolonged visit.  If you haven't been a guest at a Towneplace Suites (I stayed at one in Knoxville), they are very nice with a kitchen in each room.  Plus, the room's are larger than the average hotel room and ... 04/21/2008

We recently started a new real estate company, Open Sky Real Estate, LLC.  We are very excited and have agents coming to work on our team.  We left a well known company with a balloon and felt there was a different way of running a business.  It seems most companies treat agents like little kids and instead of the adults we are.  We are doing things to to encourage growth with the agents and to teach them the marketing techniques they need in today's market.If you have something you do in the market that sets you apart from everyone else we would like to hear what you do.  Please either post to this blog or send us a private email to brad@openskyre.com.  We would also like to hear what you do not like about your company policies.  I feel the best way to grow is to listen and change in t... 04/20/2008

First, my beloved Huntington High School was taken away when HHS and Huntington East consolidated over a decade ago and they became the "new" Huntington High.  Sure, I was sad but I was a presenter at last year's Huntington High program for graduating seniors and after a tour of the campus, was thoroughly impressed.  Now, my middle school (back in my day it was called Junior High), Cammack is no more.  It will be Huntington Middle School and open for class in 2009.  Huntington Middle is also a consolidation of Cammack and West Middle.  02/13/2008

As scams come and go you need to keep your eyes open for the next one. For landlords and property managers the next scam may have arrived. It goes something like this: a tenant who knows they are on the verge of being evicted will come outside and try to start an argument with you while yelling and screaming. This is used to draw the attention of the neighbors so they can be witnesses to assault and/or battery. If the tenant can't get you to attack them verbally or physically the tenant will stand next to your vehicle and say you tried to hit them or someone in their family. This is all a preemptive move to retaliate for a potential eviction and to potentially get a substantial financial settlement for the assault or battery.Be prepared when a tenant becomes argumentative or irate. Majo... 01/02/2008

If you've been a landlord or property manager for any length of time you've probably came across a tenant that causes problems every time you turnaround. This situation may tempt you to bypass the legal system and take matters into your own hands. Well take a deep breath and count to ten before you do something you'll regret.If you were to change the locks on a tenant who hasn't paid their rent, appears to have abandoned the property while leaving it an absolute mess, verbal or acted aggressively you would have a pretty easy eviction. Making the move to change the locks you as a landlord or property manager could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit based on one or more of the following: trespassing, assault, battery, slander, emotional distress or wrongful eviction. Defending against t... 01/02/2008

Answer Consumer Questions(Reprinted from Window Covering Safety Council)New York, NY, June 26, 1996-Reports now airing all over the country about traces of lead in some imported vinyl mini-blinds are leaving consumers with more questions than answers, say industry spokespeople. The following Q & A has been prepared for the press by the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC), an industry association. It addresses some of the most frequently asked consumer questions.Q: Are vinyl mini-blinds being recalled?A: No. The government has not asked for a recall because such a tiny segment of the consumer population is affected. No recall is planned, and mini-blinds in the stores are legally for sale, and absolutely fine for use in nearly all households.Q: How can I tell if my own window blinds are... 01/01/2008

As a landlord or property manager you should occasionally inspect your properties either by doing a drive by and/or walk through inspections. This could save you a lot of money on basic maintenance and repairs, but it also allows you to spot illegal activity if present.Here are a few things to look for during your inspection that may indicate illegal activity:If the smell of cat urine is present, but there is no cat, you may have a meth labChemical odors or a hospital smell might mean drug activityPeople smelling like cat urine, rotten teeth or brittle bonesCheck for wiring that bypasses the electric meter, this may mean you have marijuana growersHigh traffic in and out of the unit may indicate the selling of either stolen merchandise or drugsThe tenant coming and going several times th... 12/30/2007

When you have a vacancy do you find yourself asking should I rent to this person. Well each property is unique just like every landlord or property manager. So in order to keep yourself from an emotional tug of war you must set requirements for all your properties or individually i.e. those hard to rent units.Once you've established your standards pick what will automatically disqualify renters and stick to your guns. Posting this policy in the property, company website, Blog or hand it directly to the applicants when they apply. By doing so will automatically filter out some unwanted renters. If you stay consistent with your turn down policy it could save you from discrimination lawsuits in the future.Here are some examples of an automatic disqualification:Open bankruptcy (The tenant c... 12/30/2007