Humboldt County Real Estate Blog

Slapped in the face!

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:23:14 -0500

I just happened to be bop into our local pizza place to grab a large pepperoni and soda when in walked a prior client of mine from several years ago. Her and her husband used to own a prominent franchise in our area and has since gone belly up. While waiting for our orders, we took some time to catch up. She's been listening to me on the radio and really likes our format and the music.

We then switched over to real estate. She informed me rather non-chalantly that she called one of my competitors that day to come in and list one of her rentals. I just sat there stunned!

I told her she made a fantastic choice and I hope everything works out for her.

But, if for some reason it doesn't work out with her current Realtor, feel free to give me a call and we can see what I can do for her to get her rental sold. It was now her turn to look stunned!

She had no idea I was still in real estate. She thought I was out of the business for good and my radio show has been doing very well.

I then informed her that I moved over to a larger, nationally recognized company and is still doing quite well.

What a wake up call!

I haven't stayed in contact with any of my past clients, never made the effort to advertise myself and stopped talking about real estate all together!

Starting tomorrow, every client will be contacted, my new ads will go online and my website will finally be updated. 2010 will be an amazing year!!

The end of the point and click era? Real Estate 3.0?

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:46:40 -0400

Are we already talking about Real Estate 3.0? I barely got started with 2.0! I was reading Brian Block's blog about the next generation of real estate and I remembered a touch screen technology where we can interact with clients the same way Tom Cruise did in the movie Minority Report.

The technology isn't too far away!

Just imagine walking over to your "wall" with your clients and showing a virtual tour or pulling up the MLS. Interacting with Google Earth with the touch of your fingers. No more keyboards.

Or taking your "screen" out of its protective case and giving a listing presentation as your photos automatically upload to a virtual program via Bluetooth.

Technology is coming at us so fast, we don't have time to catch up!

How about this one?

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:30:48 -0400

Address: 3207 ALBEE Street , Eureka , CA 95503 List Number: 225401 Status Active Type of Property Residential Cross Street Everding List Price $ 165,000 Total Bedrooms 3 Total Baths 2.00 Total Rooms 6 SqFt. 1350 Garage Type None Gar Stls 0 Year Built 1890 Style Craftsman Fireplace N # of Fireplace Appearance Fixer Construction Status Existing Gated Entry Historic Registry Lot Dimensions 60x110 Lot Size City House Color Area South Bay Subdivision School District Tax Year Taxes APN: 009-185-007- Public Remarks: Contractor special! This craftsman home could be a grand old house in an up and coming neighborhood. Nice and flat lot with alley access. Laminate floors in kitchen area and large rooms.
Directions: East on Harris, south on Albee View: Unknown
Lot Description: Flat
Fenced: Partial
Levels: 2 Story
Flooring: Hardwood; Laminate
1st Floor: Dining Room; Kitchen; Laundry
2nd Floor: 2nd Bedroom; 3rd Bedroom; 4th Bedroom
3rd Floor: None
Kitchen: None Dining: None
Living: Other
Family: Other
Laundry: 220; Washer Hookup; Dryer Hookup
Utilities: Circuit Breaker; Electric; Telephone; TV Cable
Heating: None
Water: Public
Sewer: Public
Siding: Horizontal; Wood
Foundation: Post/Piers
Construction: Wood Frame
Roof: Composition Shingle
Insulation: Unknown Garage: Other
Driveway: Dirt
Road: Curbing; Public; Sidewalks
Miscellaneous: Alley: Yes; Sidewalk: Yes
RV Parking: RV Parking: No
Zoning: Single Family
Possession: At Close of Escrow
Financing Terms: Cash; Conventional 2nd Unit No

Isn;t this one of the best homes you've ever seen? Someone said it was haunted...you be the judge!

Did you know.......and it's FREE!!

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:37:48 -0400

A good friend of mine was telling me about this cool new phone number to get information for phone listings just like the archaic 411 system. Well, I also came across a text service from Google that is also FREE!!

You can text 46645 or GOOGL and get sports scores, business addresses and phone numbers and movie listings!

Go ahead and try it! It's FREE! Of course, standard text messaging rates apply for your phone carrier.

For instance, I type in "Eureka Ca golf course" and with seconds I get the address and phone number to one of our award winning golf courses.

Want to find out what the weather is like in Eureka, Ca? Hpw about Timbuktu?

Send "Eureka ca weather" to 46645 and you get temps and conditions for the next 3 days!

There are just too many options available to us for FREE!!

Football season is almost officially here so I typed in SCORE OAKLAND RAIDERS and sent it to 46645 and immediatley I received the final score of the San Francisco/ Oakland game (18 Raiders and 6 Niners) and also the next game and who they are playing. way too cool!

There's a ghost in that house!!

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:24:17 -0400

Many people who have visited the historic Carson Mansion in Eureka, Ca.,also now known as

The Ingomar Club, have always believed they saw a ghost in one of the towers.

The story starts way back in 1849 when William Carson left New Brunswick Canada, to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush.

He packed up some horses and headed up the Trinity River. As with most of the exhibitions, his search was unsuccessful.

By 1854, Mr. Carson was running the most successful lumber mills in the country. He is known to have always been fair to his workers and to everyone around him.

In 1864, he married Sarah Wilson in San Francisco. Sarah was also from New Brunswick Canada and had 4 children. Sarah was one of the most modest people in her circle of friends. She much rather have lived in the small house than in the mansion.

From time to time, she would sit in her rocking chair and take in the views across Humboldt Bay.

Every full moon,, tourists and passersby would say her rocking chair never stopped rocking...

39633 Highway 36 Carlotta, Ca

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:35:18 -0400

Photo Gallery

Description

Great building lot in the Swains Flat area of Carlotta. Easy walk down to the river to enjoy boating, fishing or swimming. Property has its own septic and water in place. Owner motivated

Features

Acreage: 1.1Zoning: SFR/AGSewerage: SepticWater: WellAgent Name: John FordBroker: Champion Real EstateMLS #: 224108

Location

19633 State Highway 36 Swains Flat Ca 95528

California Budget Crisis in full swing!!

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:43:09 -0400

I know many of us have kids in the California School system. This is very very important. When the Governor gets more letters to save the forests than to save our schools, we have a problem!

The Governor's Budget Flunks the Basic Test of Government: It Hurts Our Children

The California State PTA is opposing the governor's proposed budget for 2008-09 because it would harm the

youngest and most vulnerable in our state: our children. The proposed budget would make across-the-board

cuts to education, healthcare and other programs that have a direct impact on the safety and well-being of

California's children. Below is a list of budget cuts as proposed by the Governor. As the budget gets debated

in Sacramento, we must make sure our children's voices are heard.

* Cuts to Schools

Given that California has among the lowest per-pupil funding and largest class sizes in the country, the

Governor's proposed budget reductions would make a bad situation even worse, and they are fundamentally

inconsistent with the state's goal of improving student achievement. The Governor is proposing a $4.4 billion

cut to school funding. This could result in the loss of tens of thousands of teachers and increased class sizes

throughout the state, not to mention a further erosion of programs and the support system for students

provided by special education aides, reading specialists, counselors and other support personnel.

* Cuts to Foster Care Programs

Current foster care reimbursement rates are already woefully inadequate. The proposed cuts would ultimately

hurt children and lead to fewer families taking in children who have been abused and neglected.

* Cuts to Child Welfare Services

The proposed 10% reduction to funding for child welfare services would cause an accompanying loss of

federal funds, thus compounding the negative impacts. These cuts would endanger the health and safety of

thousands of neglected and abused children. It would mean the loss of more than a thousand social workers

whom children now rely on to investigate reports of abuse and neglect, provide family maintenance services

and reunite families.

* Cuts to CalWORKs Program that Supports Low Income Families

Research links outcomes for children to the types of sanctions proposed by the administration. Enacting

policies that drop children from CalWORKs and reduce the amount of resources available to their families

would exacerbate the situation and reduce the likelihood of these families becoming self-sufficient.

* Cuts to California Children's Services (CCS) Health Care Program

The proposed cuts to CCS could drastically affect the health care services provided to the severely ill children

served by this program. Medical Therapy cuts would result in longer waiting lists for children to receive

physical therapy. Delays in providing timely medical care to CCS children could result in greater emergency

room usage.

* Cuts to Medi-Cal Administrative Cuts

Nearly 160,000 Medi-Cal children would be required to re-apply for eligibility every three months, instead of

the current annual requirement. While increasing the administrative burden, the budget proposal would at the

same time reduce administrative funding. The result would be gaps in - or the loss of - healthcare coverage

for some of the most vulnerable and needy children in California.

* Cuts to Juvenile Rehabilitation Facilities and Crime Prevention Grants

The proposed $20 million reduction in funds for the Juvenile Probation and Camps program could mean

closure or service reduction of county-operated residential facilities. Displaced wards would be placed in

group homes, thereby increasing impacts on the foster care program. The $11.9 million proposed cut to the

Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Grant program would cause gaps in the continuum of services that counties

have established to prevent, control and treat juvenile offenders.

* Cuts to Early Childhood Education/Child Care

The proposed $198.9 million reduction for child development programs, as well as subsidy criteria changes,

translates into nearly 106,000 children losing access to pre-school and after-school programs, and services that

assist with disabilities.

Our children did not create this financial crisis. Their future should not be undermined because of it.

Social Media Marketing - A Webinar Series for Members

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:18:28 -0400

This is an amazing opprotunity to find out how to use social networking to its fullest!

Via Brad Andersohn ~ Community Builder:

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to speak on a Blogging panel in Monterey, CA for CRS members. Specifically, I was asked to discuss ActiveRain and Localism. This all came about thanks to Pam Winterbauer who connected me with Mike Kelly, one of the panel moderators.

The guest speaker was Pat Kitano, from Domus consulting, also a fellow ActiveRain member. I've been following Pats Blog at Transparent Real Estate for quite some time now, and finally had the privilege of meeting him in person at the Inman Real Estate Connect in San Francisco.

During our break at CRS, I had the chance to talk to Pat in detail about what he's doing with Domus and what I've been doing at ActiveRain. Ironically, our conversation led to something that I have wanted to do here since I joined AR, Training and Coaching via Web-conferences and Webinars.

Well, before the CRS meeting and lunch were over, Pat and I had come up with a plan that could benefit many new members here that are just getting into Social Media Marketing and WEB 2.0. Here's what we have come up with for the upcoming Webinar Series.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Weekly Topics and Outline:

Preview
Social Media Marketing - Why an Online Presence is Critical to your Future Career in Real Estate
Week 1
Defining your Online Presence Strategy - Benchmarking
Week 2
First Practical Steps - Five Steps to Setting up your Social Network
Week 3
Understanding the Strict Protocols of Social Media and the Content You Deliver - Don’t Blow it!
Week 4
Defining the Social Media Space - What is Necessary and What is Fluff
Week 5
Setting up the Tools to Monitor the Social Media - FeedReaders, Social Bookmarking, Social News, Twitter
Week 6
First Steps in Participating in the Social Media - Your Network is Set Up and it’s Time to Leverage It
Week 7
Explaining Active Rain and Blogging - You’ll Soon Figure Out that the Blog will be your Central Marketing Tool
Week 8
The Online Land Grab - Get Your Name Out There - Five Online Services You Must Be On Before Your Competition
Week 9
How to Attract Online Traffic - How Search Engines Work and Why the Social Media is Quantum Leaps more Powerful than a Static Website
Week 10
The New Society - Changing your Sales and Marketing Strategies to Fit with your Online Presence - Retooling your Spammy Email Marketing to be Effective
Week 11
The Secret Nobody Knows - Mass Media is Converging with the Social Media - How to Position Yourself to Access Mass Media Traffic Week 12
Your Newest Online Resume - Twitter and Friendfeed Strategies
Week 13
Putting it All Together - Integrating Your Offline Real Estate Practice with your Online Presence

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

I get a huge amount of emails and calls from members with these questions everyday, this is what motivated and inspired me to help provide a program like this. Since Pat has all the tools and pieces in place, he's allowing me to join forces with him, and put this on at a minimal price for ActiveRain members ONLY. It will average out to about $12.00 per webinar which will run for 1 hour on Friday mornings at 9:00am pst. We have setup a registration page just for AR members.

You'll learn some great information and come away with the tools and knowledge to be a WEB 2.0 Social Media Marketing expert. This will be a great road map to managing your time more effectively on the WEB. Reasons you should consider this opportunity:

It's half price to all ActiveRain members

You get recorded copies of ALL the webinars, even if you can't make it to some

It's only one hour per week at an average of 12.00 per webinar

You'll receive online support, manuals, instructions etc.

I'll be one of your follow-up trainers and support consultants

90+ tutorials providing step-by-step instructions on the techniques of blogging and social media

I'm excited about joining Pat to provide these webinars to our members. They will become more popular as Industry Professionals try to gain the edge and obtain more knowledge about Social Media and Social Networking. With the cost of travel expenses, gas, hotel accommodations all going up, this only makes sense. Twelve bucks will barely get you three gallons of gas these days. This IS a great deal!

You can register below and join us this Friday for an online orientation. The Webinar series will start Next Friday. I'm really not trying to sell you anything, honestly, it's just an awesome opportunity to bring education and value to the community and to our industry. This WEB 2.0 stuff and Social Media Marketing is not going away. Come join us, you won't regret it. :-))

Member Discount and Registration

Where's the Fairy Godmother?

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:08:58 -0400

Via Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman (RA), e-PRO HAWAII Real Estate & HAWAII Relocation:

When I am representing a Hawaii Home Buyer or a Hawaii Home Seller there is always one basic rule: No matter which hat I'm wearing I totally think and perform in the best interests of my client. I have the ability to switch my hats and shift into high gear for whichever side I am representing.

The problems that keeps reoccuring are the ones with other agents who are not performing even the menial tasks that come with "job". Regardless if the market is booming or not we are professionals and do everything down to detail. Right? Uh...not so when it's a limited menu item agency representing the seller.

It's so irking to deal with a limited representation brokerage, agent and seller when:

A 'limited' representation agent does not return calls nor gives pertinent information to the other agent that may help them in the transaction. Why should they? They aren't getting paid for that menu item.

The same agent truly does not do anything past the menu items that are paid for and doesn't even care that the other agent will have to pick up on the slack.

The seller looks for the best deal in town out of a Realtor® and doesn't realize the impact it will have on the transaction when they do a 'bargain package'.

The seller demands to hang around at the home inspection and gets in the way and causes the inspection to last double the time because they want to impress the home inspector.

An agent tells their client they do not need to be at the signing with them. I suppose it depends on what they are paying for????

An agent tells their seller that they can leave the bulky items on the curb after closing even though it's not being picked up for a couple of weeks. Since when did "removal of all items" mean they can leave stuff on the curb????

The seller expects everyone to do what they want because their agent isn't doing it for them. Oh, sorry...the seller didn't want to pay them for that.

The seller hangs out at the final walk through and tells the buyer that they paid for the gift they are getting from me.

Now these are the things that I keep in my memory bank about the "professionals" in my neighborhood that keep reminding me why I LOVE my profession and why I do what I do. Times such as this I feel like Cinderella doing other peoples "dirty" work but in the end I know I will sleep oh so well at night. (and wonder how they are able to). These are the reasons why there CAN NOT be menu items for an important life decision of selling or buying a home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My reputation IS the solid foundation for my business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Realtors can be angels too!

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:08:33 -0400

Last year our Association organized a program to help our own members. The mission is to assist members during hardship brought on by the unforeseen burdens that may hinder our lives from time to time. It is through these efforts that we may enrich the human experience with hope, strength and support for our fellow colleagues.

The Angel Committee has been working very hard to put together a list of

Humboldt Association of Realtor member volunteers interested in assisting other members in their time of need. They started a "food drive" from now until September 30th. They are collecting non-perishable food items to have ready for upcoming emergency situations. There is a collection barrel set up at the Association office, just stop by and drop off between the hours of 8am and 4 pm Monday through Friday.

To be eligible you must be a member of HAR, a members spouse or a child residing in the home under the age of 18. The types of services available: Transportation, Meals, organized volunteer assistance, babysitting, gardening, handyman services, animalcare, etc...

The categories for support: Animal care, babysitting, companionship, errands, gardening, handyman, housecleaning, housesitting, meals, shopping, supplying housing in emergency situations, transportation or monetary donations.

I am proud to be a part of an organization that will do whatever it takes to ease the burden of a hardship for our members.

The Questions Sellers Must Ask During a Listing Presentation

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:12:25 -0400

Via Lori Mode The Mode & DurhaM Team:

This evening I was showing one of our listings and the prospective buyer after deciding they are interested in my listing, started asking me about selling their current home. They had their home on the market previously with another agent for 6 months and felt they had made a mistake. They want to interview agents this time so that they do not make the same mistake. I strongly encourage all buyers and sellers to interview agents before making a decision.

This couple said that they didn't know what to ask the agents during the interview process, so I suggested that I email them a list of questions to ask to ask prospective listing agents. I have provided this list in the past to expired listings also. It seems that there are 2 or 3 questions that sellers know to ask and that's it - how are you going to market my home, what price, and what's your commission. There are so many more questions that sellers should ask the prospective agents and here's my list:

1. How long have you been selling real estate?

2. Do you work full-time or part time as a real estate agent?

3. Do you have support? (an assistant, team, etc.)

4. How many listings have you had in the past 6 months? How many of these listings sold?

5. How many homes have you sold in the past 12 months? (this is different because of buyer sales)

6. How will you set my listing apart from the hundreds of others on the market?

7. In what ways will you encourage other sales people to push my property?

8. Will you give me a written plan of action which spells out exactly what we agree you will do to sell my home?

9. How will I be informed of the progress in selling my home?

10. How many listings are you now carrying?

11. How many days on average are homes on the market?

12. What are the current market conditions?

13. May I have a list of your references, listings you have now and past clients? May I contact a couple of these people if I choose to?

14. In your estimation, what is my property worth?

15. What listing price do you recommend?

16. Does the listing come with an "out clause" or "satisfaction guaranteed" clause?

17. What additional services do you offer?

18. What improvements do you suggest to sell and get the most for my home?

Get Your Home's Value Here

The Mode & DurhaM Team in Elk Grove, CA

www.AllElkGroveHomes.com

Letter to my sphere of influence that had a HUGE impact...

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:31:32 -0400

This is definitely a great post for all pof us who have daughters!

Via Greg Anderson:

I had been to a "By Referral Only" seminar with Joe Stumpf who talked about sending a letter to your clients that spoke about something that would touch them...something they would really think about. He called this a "letter from the heart.". Around Father's Day, 2006 I sent the following letter out to my sphere of influence. It did really come straight from my heart, and I still get many comments to this day about the letter. I know I've gotten a lot of business just by telling my clients a little bit more about me as a person.

A PROUD MOMENT FOR A DAD - Father's Day 2006

From your personal Real Estate Consultant, Greg Anderson

Today wasn't going to be any different from the other birthday parties or social gatherings that this angelic bundle of energy attended with her parents. Just six years into her life, she was so uniquely pretty, with beautiful hazel eyes, wild sandy-blonde hair, and wearing her formal party dress that she was insistent on wearing to the "casual outdoor birthday party" she had been invited to. Momentarily looking at her, you wouldn't know that she struggled daily with her Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism issues. She was, as usual, very apprehensive about going- her heart wanted to go, but her past experiences and brain signaled her otherwise. There'd be a Piñata, lots of kids, loud noises, and activities that that would be physically and mentally challenging for her to keep herself "together" and composed.

From dad's point of view, there'd be the constant "melt-downs" to deal with, the strange looks from others and, of course, the almost perfectly predictable early exit from the party. Was her dad up to it today? His wife was out-of-town, and he had his three-year-old boy to take with, too. Was this dad insane for choosing to go? What was he thinking? He knew how these types of events usually ended up. He knew the likely negative outcome that would ensue.

If you've ever walked on a thin layer of ice over a deep body of water, you know the feeling of worry, as you carefully try to maneuver the ice. Small cracks start to appear. You hope that the small cracks don't suddenly splinter off into a large crack. You struggle to pay attention to anything else but the job at hand - making it across the ice in one piece, and then back to the comfort of your home. Today was going to be another walk across that icy lake...not knowing the outcome that would prevail.

The arrival to the party was purposefully timed to be after the Piñata. This avoided some of the usual problems encountered, i.e. the little girl's extreme anxiety, not being able to wait her turn in line, and the worry of whether or not she'd get any candy. Many guests were out mingling in front of the home on this warm summer afternoon. There were kids of all ages to play with, and there was the usual hope in her dad's heart that at least one of these kids would want to want to play with his little girl...maybe someone who had an imagination like her; maybe someone who doesn't mind the constant chatter about nothing; maybe someone who didn't mind moving from activity to activity every couple of minutes.

As expected, most of the kids stayed in their own groups, kind of avoiding her if they could. Her younger brother went off and found a group of kids to play with almost immediately. She mostly played by herself, not realizing any feelings of loneliness...just enjoying each moment; exploring by herself. It always seemed to be her natural instinct to play by herself. Her imagination, often times, was a bit too much for other kids to understand or be interested in.

As the late afternoon progressed into evening, there on the driveway appeared a younger boy in a wheel chair. He hadn't really been noticed up until now. Probably about eleven years old, he had been seeking shelter in the garage with his family; avoiding the powerful sunlight reaching down from the sky that day. It was written all over his face how he was feeling. He was longing to play with the other kids, but pretty much seemed stuck in the driveway area with his parents and a relatives.

Then...I watched. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my little girl, Lydia, purposefully approaching the young boy's wheelchair. She immediately introduced herself. This young boy's face lit up as if he had just come into contact with a lifelong friend he hadn't seen in years. Is she really taking an interested in ME, he thought? "Lydia is my name!" she stated. "What's yours...?" Wow! I've got a friend who likes to talk with me, he thought. "Jerry is mine", he stated back ever so humbly, but with much enthusiasm. "Want to play hide-n'-seek?" she asked this boy with much anticipation. While staring right into her innocent hazel eyes, Jerry practically jumped out of his wheel chair and emphatically stated "yes, I would!!!" "FINALLY... someone who wants to play with me!" he thought. "Well then, go ahead and hide!" was Lydia's next statement to her new found friend. Jerry definitely hid, and then he hid some more, and then some more; sometimes behind a car, behind a tree, behind a person...wherever he could maneuver those big round wheels of his wheelchair. Then he switched roles with Lydia. I watched the two of them intently as the night went on. Each one was feeding off of the other. I watched later as Lydia asked him if she could take him for a walk, set up his table utensils for him, get him some food, and even serve him dessert. As the party was coming to an end, Lydia spotted some of the leftover candy from the piñata and gave it to her new found friend.

As Jerry was helped by family members aboard his specially equipped van, I watched as the two kids kept their eyes locked on each other waving goodbye. I thought about how nice the drive home was going to be for Jerry, pondering all the exciting things that he and Lydia had done. I was excited to tell Lydia how proud I was of her for having such a good heart for someone in need. I wanted to compliment her on how well they played together. Here were two kids with major disabilities not even realizing the impact they were having on each other. Two kids, although disabled in different ways, overcame their disabilities and made each other's night one to really remember. This night they did just what other kids do at parties. They just played and had fun with each other!

Wow! The innocence of a child! To this day, I don't think that Lydia really knows the extent of what her gracious heart did for Jerry that evening. What I do know is that it was no coincidence that Lydia and Jerry were put together that summer afternoon in 2005, at that residence, and in that driveway. It was also no coincidence that my son, on that day, was at his very best behavior and had a great time playing with a group of kids he had never met before. This allowed me time to watch the entire two hour interaction between Lydia and Jerry as if I was watching it on the big screen. As Father's day quickly approaches, I will always think back to that day and thank God for sending me such a special child in Lydia and a special son in Luke. I'm so proud of both of them.

Some of you have had the pleasure of meeting my family, but if you haven't, now you know a little bit more about us. I'd love to tell you that life is perfect for me every day, but I'll bet it's probably not much different than the days you encounter...some great, some o.k., and some not good at all. Life offers us many struggles and challenges to overcome, but it's in those special moments of our life where we encounter feelings of love, happiness, enthusiasm, and purpose.

Greg Anderson

Father's Day 2006

How far would you go for a client?

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:39:35 -0400

When someone asks me, how far away is Eureka from san Francisco? I always answer, "oh just about an hour south of the Oregon border."

The usual reaction I get is, "oh that's not too far, you must be near Napa!"

"uuummm, no, we are about 6 hours north of SF and 4 hours east of Redding. We are the true Northern California!"

We are situated behind what is affectionately called the Redwood Curtain. When you drive up the coast, you will see some of the most beautiful Redwood trees, gorgeous sandy beaches and some of the cleanest air one could possibly breath. No smog, no traffic, low crime, near the Pacific Ocean and some of the nicest people you can ever meet. So, with that being said, how far would you go to show a client some property?

I picked up my client last Thursday morning at 6 a.m. and headed on down highway 101 South. Drove thru Garberville, Benbow and Willits till we founf highway 20 going Easy toward Clearlake. Drove around the lakes till we found I5.

We then ended up in Rocklin, near Sacramento to preview a large commercial property. It took us about 5.5 hours to get to our destination. We spent maybe 2 hours there going over the leases and building plans. Said our goodbyes and off we went.

Drove back into Eureka approx: 7PM that evening. How many of us are willing ot go that "extra mile' for our client?

Why didn't I refer him to someone else in that area? He trusts me with his financial decisions and is a really good friend.

One of the reasons why I love Humboldt County!

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:50:05 -0400

Every Thursday evening on the Eureka Boardwalk, we have what is called a Summer Cincert Series. On this day, it was absolutely beautiful! Blue skys, calm waters and very little wind. There was plenty of dancing and great food. This band came all the way from San Francisco and they rocked the pier!

If you're near the area at all, next week we have Tom Rigny and Flambeau!

Is Your Bank Charging You More Than It Should For Services?

John Ford (RE/MAX Humboldt Realty) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:15:53 -0400

If you've ever had the suspicion that your bank is overcharging you, you may be right! In fact, banks are making windfall profits off of unsuspecting consumers. And it's money you don't have to be losing.

According to Liz Pulliam Weston, personal finance writer for MSN Money, the banking industry collects more than $50 billion a year in various service charges, more than twice the total of a decade ago. Many banks charge too much for just about everything - from monthly account fees, to "per check" service, to stop payments, to overdraft protection. You might think these are just minor fees everyone has to endure, but more and more consumers are becoming dissatisfied by all the "nickel and dime" charges.

Here's what you can do to reduce or eliminate many of these costs:

•ü Ask your bank for a detailed description of each type of checking account they offer, and choose the right account for you.

•ü Get overdraft protection. The fees are generally lower than when you bounce a check.

•ü Consider using a debit card for your purchases. You don't have to worry about facing a big credit card bill at the end of the month. You do have to worry about not having enough cash left to cover your major expenses. But watch out for bank fees when you use your card.

•ü Shop for bank services the same way you would shop for anything else. As a general rule, smaller banks have lower (and fewer) fees. Check out the banks in your area that are owned locally, and make a switch. You'll be surprised how much money you can save on an annual basis from one bank to the next.

•ü Don't buy physical checks from your bank. There are trustworthy companies that print checks for significantly less money.

•ü Shop around for the best deal on savings accounts. Banks offer basic, low-interest savings accounts and higher interest money-market accounts. Look at what brokerage firms have to offer.

•ü If you're a senior, make sure you ask about special discounts or checking accounts with no fees.

•ü Sign up for direct deposit of your paycheck. That way, you know your money will be there when you need it.

•ü Use personal finance software such as Quicken or Money, which allows you to keep track of your finances and download your transactions. Some banks charge for the download, so look for one that doesn't.

•ü Join a credit union. They are member-owned and not-for-profit. The Credit Union National Association estimates the nation's 90 million credit union members save $8 billion a year thanks to better interest rates and reduced fees. Check with your employer, or go to www.joinacu.org and use the CU Matchup tool.

Remember, shop for your banking services the same way you shop for anything else - take your time, comparison shop, and get picky. Know what they're really charging. Read the fine print. Ask questions and expect straightforward answers. After all, it's YOUR money!