Dear Neighbors,
Below is the weekly Wednesday Morning with Zac that I send to local real estate agents. Just wanted to share it with you, too, in case you find any of it useful!

As we all know, the latest word in real estate is the newly passed legislation for the $15,000 (or 10 percent of the purchase price) tax credit to home buyers. This is stirring up more than a few questions, ranging from whether it is retroactive in any way, would it apply to new construction homes, whether it’s going to make much difference if the $7,500 tax credit didn’t, etc. Here’s a pretty thorough explanation from Bloomberg News.

Treasury Department & economic stimulus. Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Geithner provided further detail in his promises of overhauling the current system of providing economic aid to private companies. One of the bigger concerns with the economic stimulus package is, of course, the way the money will be spent, overseen, and paid back. Read more here...

We are searching for two additional agents who, if given an abundant amount of leads, can close at least two additional transactions per month. If that’s you, then I have those leads. Call me directly at 404.564.7272.

REO Specialist designation. Last week, I spent hours with the American Real Estate University learning about REOs and short sales. And those were some of the best hours I’ve spent on education lately! Read more about them here...

And speaking of continuing education.... We are offering THREE FREE HOURS of CE training here in our office on February 26th, 2009! Here are the details:

1:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Real Estate Manners (3 FREE hours of CE)
Sponsored by: RMGA INSTITUTE
Instructor: M. J. Stanton

You will learn:
>> What makes your clients tick and what ticks them off
>> How to develop a profitable business in changing times
>> How to polish your presentation skills so you shine like a pro each and every time you are in front of a prospect
>> How to avoid the down market syndrome
>> How to avoid time consuming real estate complaints that drain motivation and alter powerful mind set

Seating is limited! Make reservations not later than February 23, 2009 at 404.564.7268.

Green building standards for NAHB. New environmental sustainability principles have been approved for the The National Association of Home Builders by the American National Standards Institute. More here!

Upcoming listings!
Howell Station, 3BD / 2BA for $250,000
Vistavia Hills, 4BD / 3BA for $350,000
Avondale Estates, 3BD / 1 BA for $259,850

Should we have a Code of Consideration for phone calls? I have been increasingly frustrated lately by real estate agents’ inability to return phone calls. What happened to the good old days of respect where you returned every phone call? Now, some people prefer texting and I can appreciate this, but I’m just getting fed up with the disrespect of not following up at all! Do we want to help people buy and sell real estate or not??

Do you have friends who are interested in joining the real estate business? We have a link on our careers page to real estate licensing, appraisal, and home inspection schools!

Separation of bank and [real e]state. The National Association of Realtors has been calling for the banks to stay away from real estate dealings at the risk of harming the economy further. Read more here...

Mayor Franklin expresses her support of casinos. As discussions of the redevelopment of Underground Atlanta continue, Mayor Franklin has showed her support for a project that create much-needed revenue for downtown Atlanta. Read the article here!

Long-time Realtor and twin celebrates her Atlanta life. Ruby Crawford and her twin sister Ruth are two wonderful women who I had the pleasure of working with in the early 80s when I was still new to the real estate business. They were both so kind and such a pleasure to work with! Ruth passed away a few years ago, but last week, Ruby’s friends gathered together to celebrate the life of a true Southern lady. Read more about the twins in this AJC article here...

Free library on Realtor.org. Just a friendly reminder that the National Association of Realtors has an extensive library of information online for any licensed agent to use anytime! Just click here!

"Ain’t nobody gonna come to Waffle House for Valentine’s Day!" Believe it or not, Waffle House didn’t wait for the economy to dip before adding a perk to their already cheap food - a romantic candle-light dinner on Valentine’s Day. The event was such a success last year that the diner chain has expanded to 10 metro Atlanta restaurants. So get dressed up and head on out - but be sure to call ahead for reservations!

Cut the cord! Have some listings that are limping by on life support? Don’t plan on keeping them alive much longer? Don’t worry about them anymore - give me a call and I will pay you a referral fee for them. Please call me directly at 404.564.7272.

Best wishes for a successful week and a happy Valentine’s Day this weekend!
Zac

404.564.7272 | zac@zac.biz | www.zac.biz | http://blog.zac.biz