http://recareers.frogpond.com/ http://recareers.frogpond.com/ en-us Copyright 2008 http://recareers.frogpond.com/rss_generator.cfm Secure Your Advance Copy of the 2009 Swanepoel Trends Report Now2008 was the year that dawned in uncertainty and wound up deciding to stay around and play a huge role in 2009.ampnbsp At its close, 2008 left us with more questions than answers as its cloud continues to shroud the thinking of every expert who dares predict the eventual outcome. http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24452 Nationally respected speaker and author Stefan Swanepoel will be speaking at the 2008 Realtorsreg Conference ampamp Expo on Friday, November 7th.ampnbsp http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24453 You know Ive always been told that there are far fewer buyers looking around during the fall and winter than in the spring and summer.ampnbsp It got me to thinking ampnbspif thats true then how much more importantampnbspare those buyers.ampnbsp Yes, I realize that was a rather simplistic thought but it really means that you have to pull out all the stops to make sure your listing is on the top of their short list. http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24454 Joe Rothchild is one of our mentors at iSucceed and I remember a conversation I had with him concerning how he makes sure when those prospects that you worked so hard to get make contact that they dont get lost.ampnbsp It got me to thinking about how our objective has remained the same but the means of communication have drastically changed.ampnbsp http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24455 Despite congressional passage of the historic 700 billion bailout legislation, which was signed by President Bush on October 4, the Dow Jones Index tumbled the following week almost 22, the worst week in its 118 year history. http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24456 One area of uncharted waters that agents are finding themselves in concerns the short sale.ampnbsp This is a transaction that contains more what ifs than any other, and along the way there are plenty of doors to potential legal troubles. http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24457 The subprime meltdown, Wachovia, Lehman Brothers, Countrywide, AIG, Bear Stearns the list goes on and on.ampnbsp And then there was the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act 2008 the mother of all bailouts.ampnbsp Everything is so uncertain as the real estate industry tries to navigate through these uncharted waters.ampnbsp http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24458 Do you remember all those early school dances where the guys milled around on one side and the girls on the otherampnbsp Most of the boys just sort of stood there looking at one another, not really knowing what to do.ampnbsp Well, its not too great a leap to compare those adolescent boys with a large segment of the real estate industry today. http://recareers.frogpond.com/DispArticle.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=24459