A Conversation with Gerry Michaels, Community Benefits Real Estate, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg is a small town in south central Pennsylvania just a few short miles to the Maryland border. Gettysburg is well situated close to state route 15, and route 30 goes through the middle of town. There are a number of local roads that converge on the square in Gettysburg. It is somewhat of a crossroads town which is one of the reasons General Robert E. Lee choose it as the sight to stand and battle Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg. The area consists of rolling hills, farm land, orchards, with small towns dotting the surrounding area. It is a quiet small town in winter and a bustling tourist area during the summer months.

An Author Wednesday Interview with Ed Wolkis, author of “How To Take Photos That Move Houses, An Easy-Reading Guide for Real Estate Agents, Brokers, Architects, Designers, & Anyone Who Needs to Show a Property in its Best Light”

A picture is worth a thousand words and great photography can help to increase your sales by thousands of dollars. Author Ed Wolkis, award winning Atlanta based photographer, shares his knowledge and expertise in this fun, classy, easy to read How to Take Photos That Move Houses, An Easy-Reading Guide. You will learn step by step how to produce photos that will stop potential clients in their tracks; what photography equipment you will need, and how to use your camera. Dramatic before and after photos demonstrate the difference between great photos and ones that go unnoticed. This is a must have for those who want to captivate a prospective audience and to learn how to reel customers in.

Read more for the rest of this great author interview and to learn how you can grab a free copy of Ed’s book!

Technology Tuesday

For agents who need that fast answer to the several questions that clients ask, this application searches for the nearest school, doctor’s office, businesses, and even religious centers using tools such as the Yellow Pages, Zipcar, and Yelp. WHERE has over 4 million users and with the WHERE Wall, the app provides an opportunity to review and share advice about places with others. WHERE also lets its users discover, collect, and share information about local places and offers special discounts and sales from businesses.

It has been said that the only constant in life is change. To that point, one should not plan on getting divorced, but one must consider that divorce always exists as a possibility. The following are steps that a person can take to preserve the separate and individual nature of his or her assets before and/or during marriage, so that they do not become marital property, distributable between both spouses in a divorce.

1. Plan Early. Especially where the parties have very unequal assets prior to marriage, or in the case of second or subsequent marriages where there are children of earlier marriages, even the exercise of discussing a prenuptial agreement can be very healthy. The parties can crystallize and communicate their feelings about their separate property and their expectations as to whether or not that separate property will become jointly owned. Then, if the marriage does ultimately end in divorce, a prenuptial agreement can be very useful in making the split a clean one.

An Author Wednesday Interview with Tony Filippone, author of “Financial Planning For The Not Yet Wealthy”

Are you ready to be out of debt and to save money? “Financial Planning For The Not Yet Wealthy” acts as a guide to financially stabilize your current situation and to get you out of any slumps. It discusses building an easy plan that will help you build wealth without any major lifestyle changes. By dodging simple money traps and taking too many risks, your current finances will escalate. Besides simple saving, the book directs you to plan for the future with also keeping the people in your family financially secure by staying out of debt and accruing wealth for the years ahead.

Read more for the rest of this great author interview and to learn how you can grab a free copy of Tony’s book!

Technology Tuesday

Imagine yourself in the Bahamas on vacation and an e-mail comes in on your iPhone that you need to sign some papers that just came in the office. But why leave the beach when you can just use the tip of your finger to put your name on those documents? Smart Mobile Solutions, an expert in smart phone applications, created ESIGNControl using the known DocuSign software. This tool provides for the person who is always on the go and combines DocuSign’s development software with Smart Mobile Solutions application expertise.

Mortgage Monday

The thrill of house shopping is like a rollercoaster, there are ups and downs and turns you don’t initially expect but once you have reached the end, you realize the relief was worth the while. But once that ride is over, a new one must be taken, which means paying your mortgage off. By paying your mortgage early, it will alleviate the stress that comes with paying for the new property as well as the moving in process.

Since rates for loans are rising, one must set a priority schedule to make payments and what factors will affect your current budget. There will be numerous fees that will be coming in the future, such as college expenses, health insurance, paying for the car, etc. But keep in mind that each priority should have its own payment schedule and to set aside money for each payment.

With this in mind, the strain of mortgage payments will no longer be a burden after you decide to take the following steps.

Realtor Thursday

A conversation with Stephanie Atkins-Arnett, Seller Representative Specialist with Coldwell Banker S.R.E. Realtors, Located in Starkville, Mississippi.

Starkville is just simply not like the rest of Mississippi.  From the quirky characters, to maroon-clad Mississippi State University students, rabbits to white-tail deer, fine dining to down-home barbeque joints, CEO's to struggling musicians, Starkville stands apart from the rest.  Whether you are watching the ballgame or shopping Downtown, you'll notice that Starkville is an entirely unique kind of Mississippi.  It is spirited and natural, rugged and eclectic, and rocking and rolling.  Here's your opportunity to survey the scene and make sure you experience the heart of Starkville.

Starkville is located in Northeast Mississippi’s Golden Triangle, 30 miles west of the Alabama state line and 115 miles south of the Tennessee state line. It is accessible by U.S. Highway 82 and State Highways 12, 25, and 389, which pass through Oktibbeha County and provide four-lane, limited access routes to Memphis, Birmingham, Jackson (MS), Atlanta, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. U.S. Highway 45 is just 10 miles away, Interstate 55 (North-South) is 60 miles west of Starkville via Hwy 82, and Interstate 20 (East-West) is 90 miles south of Starkville via Hwy 45 or Hwy 82.

An Author Wednesday Interview with Michael Thomsett, author of “Getting Started in Real Estate Investing”

Michael Thomsett’s "Getting Started in Real Estate Investing" is a must read that takes into account the existing financial state and how to take the right steps that will lead first timers to adjust to the fast paced path of real estate investing. The book acts as a guide that pushes you to making the right decisions, taking into account on how to survive in the post real estate boom market. "Getting Started in Real Estate Investing" informs readers what the appropriate properties to purchase are, as well as how to read for future housing trends and how to choose the right investments. With its direct approach, the book explains how to take your investments to the next level and who to talk to for professional advice, while also taking into consideration your current financial situation. This book holds the proper strategies that will lead to success in the market, even with the current economic condition.

Read more for the rest of this great author interview and to learn how you can grab a free copy of Michael's book!

Technology Tuesday

Consumers today are increasingly using the Internet to research and buy everything from books and baubles to cars and houses. Two-thirds of consumer electronics and computer shoppers start their research on the web, 92 percent of web users read reviews when considering a purchase, and 84 percent of real estate transactions start online. To that end, it’s important to use a site that offers the best tools and resources all in one place. For real estate, that site is Sawbuck (www.sawbuck.com).