The Gadsden Girl

My better half and I have just returned home from REBar Camp Phoenix 2012.  One word can describe the day for me: INCREDIBLE.

It was a smaller turn out, no thanks to Mother Nature. I think she was crying because the bright, smiling face of Jay Thompson wasn't there...in the morning. (More on that later.)

I've been to 1 other bar camp in Phoenix (last year) as well as Tucson's first camp last year as well. This one stands out for me. My better half has been to all 4 in Phoenix and he has told me that it was the best one yet. Why?

1. REALTOR® associations sponsored the whole campe and picked up the tab. They had vendor tables set up during lunch.
2. No swag bags to lug around.
3. No t-shirts to lug around.
4. Amazing discussions. I attended discussions on: FLX (our MLS program), REALTORS® Property Research, Broker Discussions, SEO Myths and a more in depth discussion on using FLX IDX.

EDIT: Forgot to mention lunch. Dave's BBQ had lunch for us - and we paid for it. (Another cost cut out completely for the organizers!)

It wasn't loaded down with a ton of classes on Word Press or how to Blog or Social Media Tips/Tricks. It felt like a 'drill down' to the other basics we need like utilizing the tools we already have instead of getting slogged down with new stuff that we'll look at once and leave alone. I wasn't left shaking my head, wondering what someone had said. When someone in the discussion asked for clarification, it was given. There were a few agents there who were new to the whole social media thing. I remember talking to one man in the morning who said he wasn't sure what he was going to get out of this since he didn't really have a grasp on social media. I saw him again at the after party, smiling from ear to ear. He'd had a chance to sit down with a few attendees who took the time to explain things to him, give him links to check out and gave them his card if he needed more help.

THAT'S what BarCamp is all about - sharing information and taking the time to help out.

Stop by the main BarCamp Website to see if there's one near you. If there is, GO. If there isn't - well - plan one! It doesn't have to be extravagant and you don't need a lot of money to put one on!

OH! I promised you a Jay Thompson story.

For those of you who know Jay, you know he's just a really nice guy. He's always there with a nice (or sarcastic) comment, is a blogger that I love to learn from and, well, he's just a really nice guy.

About a week ago, Jay suffered a major heart attack. Word spread like wildfire across social media and we all prayed like crazy. LONG story short, Jay was released from the hospital a couple of days ago.

Thursday morning, the bets were on - would he show up or would his amazing bride, Francy, tie him down to keep him from going. As we were sitting in the team shop, eating lunch, my sweetie said, "That was Jay." I headed out the door to look..and sure enough, it was.  I got my hug in and was a happy camper. Suffice to say, we were all happy campers to see him up and about.

Keep getting better, Jay and THANK YOU THANK YOU to the amazing volunteers who made RE BarCamp Phoenix 2012 so successful!

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

This is Isabel Celis. She's 6 years old and went missing from her home overnight Friday/Saturday in Tucson. Law enforcement is out in full force, as are neighbors, looking for her. Police don't have much information to go on.

And it's breaking my heart.

I don't know the family at all but to know such a sweet little one is not home where she belongs makes my heart ache.

If you're in Arizona - Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff...anywhere, please donate some of your blog space to spread her flyer around and into your social circle. Time is of the essence now.

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

There's been a lot of grumbling over the last few months over a new project in Tucson called the Modern Streetcar. Most people call it a waste of money while others are pretty thrilled with the possibilities once the tracks are laid and the cars start running.

As a brief background - the streetcar route will link the western side of Tucson to the University of Arizona and medical centers, as well as everything in between. (Click here for a map of the route.) Personally, I love the idea and the project.

Starting April 9th, the project is going to cause some disruption to downtown Tucson, particularly Congress Street which is one of the main routes into the area for work, shopping and more. Despite what you might read online, while inconvenient, access to downtown is still easy.  You just need to be aware of the closures, detours and, most importantly, the new 2 way streets.

Click here for a larger image of this map.

There is PLENTY of parking downtown - the subject of a soon to be published blog post. As someone who works and plays downtown, the closures really don't affect how long it takes you to walk from one place to another. If you've always parked at the Pennington Garage to have dinner at The Hub, it's still the same.

Everything is still open. The monthly Second Saturdays celebration is still on, the Fox Theater and Rialto Theater will continue on with their concerts and shows, too. Exhibits in the Rialto Block space are still on as is Meet Me At Maynard's on Mondays.

For additional information about the closures, detours and more, visit the Tucson Streetcar Website. Make sure you join their mailing list for updates and check them out on Facebook as well.

It's an exciting time for Tucson. I can't wait to see the finished project in a couple of years.

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

This past Friday, my downtown office had our monthly "3rd Friday" gathering. It's a chance for us to invite friends and collegues to our office, laugh, shake off the week and have a little fun. We've also started a tradition of honoring wonderful organizations in Tucson - last Friday, we held our party in honor of Ben's Bells moving to their downtown studio.

I've written about this wonderful group in the past and, since that post, Ben's Bells has flourished. Their brand new downtown studio opened in January of this year and already have a number of great projects in the works. I learned about one last Friday from the group's founder, Jeannette Mare.

During the party, I noticed that she had a bracelet on. It had the recognizable style of a Ben's Bells clay piece so I asked her about it.

It's a new program that Ben's Bells is doing with the University of Arizona's Campus Health Services called "Be Kind, Step Up". Each handmade bracelet has a number on the back. The wearer is to look for kind acts around Tucson and, when seen, the wearer passes along the bracelet with an explanation of the program and a request to log onto the website bekindstep.org to report the gift of the bracelet.

Jeannette gifted me her bracelet which left me speechless. I truly admire Jeannette for her hard work in Tucson and just what Ben's Bells has become. She's a much needed positive force. For her to give me that bracelet was amazing for me. It also set me to work on looking for kind acts. Knowing Tucson as I do, I knew it wouldn't take me too long.

Yesterday, it was cold, rainy and icky here. As I was waiting for my lunch order downstairs at Ike's Coffee Shop, I noticed a disheveled man come inside.  He was digging in his pockets for change. He ordered a small coffee. A lady in back of him offered to buy his coffee for him and proceeded to buy a large for him. With the weather outside, I could tell he was quite grateful for her offer.  As she and her husband waited for their order, I presented the bracelet to her, explaining it to her. When I checked the website this morning under the bracelet number, she had already logged in and told her story.

Acts of Kindness don't need to be grand gestures. The simple act of buying someone a cup of coffee, offering an umbrella or even just holding open a door can put a smile on someone's face. You just never know what that might do for someone who's having a tough day.

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

I remember when I first joined Active rain in August of 2010. I was brand new to blogging and really didn't have a clue on what to do. Thankfully, I found some wonderful people to guide me along - Charita Cadenhead was one of them. She always found the time to comment and offer encouraging advice. 

Bill and Liz offer some wonderful advice here. Don't be afraid to ask for help and guidance. Get to know those who comment on your blog posts. When in doubt - ASK! :)

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

Sorry my budding Pinterest Pinners but this has gone on too long. I've been reading a bunch of blog posts, articles and Facebook posts about how wonderful and fun and cool and etc Pinterest is! Surf the web, find cool pictures, pin them on your board and share! I even bought into the hype, creating my own boards about the different neighborhoods here in Tucson. Last night, my boards went bye bye.

BUT BUT BUT!! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????? (As a friend of mine said in an email.) Let me explain it very simply. I don't have time to deal with lawyers and individuals who will email me and threaten to sue me because I used their image(s) without permission. Plus, I don't have time to email someone whose picture I want to pin and wait for them to respond.

How many times have you been surfing around, looking for that perfect clip art piece or sunset photo to use? You hit The Google (yes, THE Google), type in what you want, click on images and voila! There it is!! A quick copy to your computer, a quick upload to Active Rain and you're done. Right? WRONG!!!

Say this outloud with me:

YOU HAVE TO HAVE PERMISSION TO USE IMAGES THAT ARE NOT YOURS.
Repeat that 10 times to yourself.

Picture courtesy of Kent Simpson

Here's a great picture my better half took of a new development here in Tucson. With his permission, I can use it. If I had found it just surfing around and used it without permission, he could call Denny Crain (Boston Legal anyone?) and have him send me a 'knock it off' notice.

The same concept goes along with Pinterest. I'm surfing around and I find this picture that I want to include on one of my boards about Tucson neighborhoods. I click "Pin It" and there it is for all the word to see. I have NO WAY (unless it's changed) to offer attribution for the photo unless I open up PaintShop and use my text tool.

To me, there is NO difference between finding pictures for my blog post here or finding pictures to pin on Pinterest.

I think it's a great concept and, maybe, it could be a great marketing tool. Until Pinterest figures out a way around the trademark and permissions problems, it's more trouble than it's worth.

Still in doubt? Read what a former Pinterest user/lawyer had to say about it

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

I don't know if there's been a full moon recently but the amount of incorrect information regarding different aspects of the real estate buyer has been off the charts in the last week or so.  In most instances, the blog writer will correct their blog when pointed to the correct information; others will leave it up and not approved reader comments telling them that their information is wrong.

Case in point: Last week, information was posted here on Active Rain regarding short sales and our military members. The writer was incorrect, comments to her blog gave her the correct information (including links to government websites) and she pulled her post. The blog where she got her information is still up and the author hasn't approved comments - which doesn't surprise me.

Cindy Jones is my go to when it comes to military housing questions. She posted a great blog entitled A DoD HAP Sale Is NOT A Short Sale.  Cindy serves the Northern Virginia area and the military community.

Both Tucson, AZ and Las Cruces, NM are military communities with Davis Monthan Air Force base in Tucson and White Sands Missile Range just over the Organ Mountains from Las Cruces. It is our duty as REALTORS® in a town with military bases in or close by to know what is going on as far as home buying with our military members. Just as with regular, non military home buyers, things are changing daily. In the last few years, Washington has passed legislation protecting our members from foreclosures. There is a different process when it comes to short sales. It's a different world. When mis-information starts to spread, we must must must get on the phone and get the truth. Or, as in my case, I surfed to Cindy's website and her blog.

Housing rules and regulations change at the drop of a hat. That's why I like being an 'information junkie'. I follow all sorts of real estate related organizations on Twitter - National Association of Realtors ®, my state and local associations as well as trusted resources.

AGENTS: If you are reading something that just doesn't sound right, don't just surf to another site for a different opinion. Let's face it - chances are that if you surf to 10 different sites, you're going to get 10 different stories. Find the agency that will have the correct answers!

HOME BUYERS: The same goes for you. If you are a military member and curious about home buying, go to the VA website.  Seek out a REALTOR® that has experience in working with military homebuyers. I've been very lucky in that I've had the honor of working with military families here in Tucson.

Personally, it's in my clients best interest to stay up to date. I read through a lot of blogs on a daily basis. It gives me a leg up on the competition to say, "Well, that was true yesterday but here's what happened this morning."

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

In working with a new relocation client this morning, I discovered a questionable real estate website. There are plenty of them out there and, unfortunately, my client had found it and was using it to find homes in the Tucson area.

I say it was questionable because of one big glaring problem: there was no way of finding out who owned the site! There was no brokerage logo, no phone number, no office address, no nothing! There is a contact form but that is it.

If you surf over to my website, you'll find my brokerage logo right at the top. At the bottom of the front page, you'll find my name, my phone number and email address. You'll also see a link to contact me. I want you to know who I am! Why would I want to hide that information?  All real estate entities - be they brokerages, local, state or our national association - require REALTORS® to identify themselves and the brokerage they work for. Heck, I can't think of any occupation that doesn't require that! Regulations may vary from city to city and state to state but they will all probably boil down to the same thing: You must identify yourself and for whom you work.

When dealing with the web, it should always be Caveat Emptor - let the buyer beware. When you are searching for a home online via Google, you need to check for the following things when you click on a real estate website that you aren't familiar with:

*Is there a brokerage logo visible on the front page?
*Is there a phone number for the office or the agent?
*Is there a physical address listed on the front page?
*Is there an agent name on the front page?

To me, if you can't contact that agent outside of their website, there should be a red flag going up the flagpole. Unfortunately, there are plenty of 'scammy' websites out there. A trusted REALTOR® won't hide themselves.

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

Judi has definitely hit the nail on the head with this blog post. Take note all of you new agents...and yes, even you who have been doing this for a while. Make your own path in this crazy career. There's no need to follow anyone else!

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces

 

     

13041 E Placita Cantil Tucson, AZ 85749
3.4 acres in Northeast Tucson
Owner Carry

Imagine this view from your backyard (or your front yard!) every morning and every evening. Pretty spectacular, isnt it?

This lot is in a luxury, gate community bordered by the Coronado National Forest to the east. Directly behind the property, the acreage is owned by the University of Arizona.

Meaning: unspoiled, natural views of the Catalina and Rincon Mountains from your new custom home

Privacy, spectacular views, unmatched desert tranquility is awaiting you in Tucson, Arizona

Contact me for more information or to schedule your appointment to see this in person.

Tierra Antigua Realty 100 N Stone #1108 Tucson AZ cell: 520.329.0400 email: emmary@tucsonkent.com blog: The Gadsden Girl website: The Gadsden Girl   AND Steinborn Referral Associates Las Cruces & Mesilla cell: 575.201.3410 email: emmyinlc@gmail.com blog: Emmy In LC Neighborhoods of Las Cruces