Almost Golf

We attempted to comtinue our planned 2 day golf break, but the weather just wasn't cooperating. It was very windy and cold and although we didn't see the forecasted snow, we opted not to freeze again like we did yesterday, so we spent a few hours playing cards and gave it up.

Most of the day was spent with spring yard work - pruning trees - and transplanting tomato and pepper plants. I ran out of daylight so the trees aren't finished, but I did come in and get the transplanting done.

I also showed my little $129,911 north Orem listing to some kids but I don't think they liked it much. It's really only 2 bedrooms and they have 3 little boys. I was supposed to have some other showings today on that one and my other Orem listing. I actually got a call on my 1/2 acre Mapleton lot - that was a shocker!! That is really a great building lot but it is priced at $199,911 and I haven't had any activity on it at all.

Golf and real estate

Took the day off today and played golf at Thanksgiving Point with some friends of mine. We had a great day and a lot of fun but it was stinking cold. The low temp yesterday was 29 so we got to play 18 holes with a cart for $29 each. It was very windy and that course is really a monster in the wind plus it was the first round of the year for all but one of us.

The real estate market seems to be steadily improving - I've had 4-5 calls today on my 2 Orem listings. I'm suppose to have a total of 5 showings tomorrow. One of them is 2 bedroom 1 bath for $129,911 - it is the only house for sale in Orem for under $130,000. The other one is 3 bedrooms and 2 baths for $194,911. Both of them are being showing tomorrow.

I am writing this entry from my wife's computer but I thought I would try to put some more Jeep Safari pictures on. We will soon see if it works!!

New Agent Interview

Gordon McDonald and I interviewed a new agent prospect today. I had called her almost 6 months ago from the Stringham Real Estate School list and we had exchanged a couple of emails. She finished school and has passed the State test and is in the process of deciding what company to go to work for. It's always fun to explain our one-on-one training program and how effective it is - 92% retention over 15 years - that's dang good when you know the state loses almost 90%. She is anxious to get started and is going to make a decision in the next few days.

Had a flat tire on my Jeep today - changing a tire on a "lifted" vehicle is always a treat. I'm about ready for new tires so I guess the Jeep is telling me it's about time!! I need to put the new springs I have on it first because I am going for a 31 inch tire to a 33 inch tire and I need a little more clearance first. More on that later.

Groundbreaking and health

I

had the opportunity to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Utah County Association of Realtors building on west Center Street in Orem this morning. It was a lot of fun and they had a great turn out. The speakers were Taylor Oldroyd, who is the CEO of the association (and my cousin!), Kenny Parcell who is the president of the association this year, Jerry Washburn (a shirt-tail cousin) and the Mayor of Orem and Gary Herbert who is the lieutenant governor. Gary and I have been friends for over 30 years and he mentioned me by name a couple of times in his talk. They had 10 gold shovels and 10 hard hats and had a couple of different groups of 10 do the digging and get their pictures taken. They also got Kenny and Taylor on a giant Caterpillar Track-Hoe and let them dig a little. A bunch of title companies and other affiliates were there with food, treats, etc. The weather cooperated and a great time was had by all!!

I went to lunch with Rob Wiseman, a long time friend of mine, and his son Teldon. They are in the insurance business in Provo and wanted to talk to me about Jeep Safari and this very Blog!! They are thinking about buying an old Jeep Cherokee like mine and building it up to take to Moab. We also talked about various health issues we have and I told them a little about MonaVie, this great Acai berry drink I have been on for about 4 months - more on that later.

We also talked about racquetball - my favorite form of exercise and bicycling - Rob's choice for exercise.

I added a couple of Jeep pics from Moab - I will practice and learn how to do this a little better but this will do for now!

Real Estate News

In Tuesday morning sales meeting, we got some interesting info on interest rates. We were down close to 5 and 1/2% on 30 yr fixed rate, but bonds were in trouble yesterday and the 30 yr fixed rate jumped up to 6% in about 4 hours. That is still a fantastic interest rate for buyers but not quite as good as yesterday. There are so many different factors that effect rates that it is sometimes hard to keep up!!

In other housing news, both listings and sales are up and our Utah market continues to be quite strong. We still haven't seen our usual spring time jump in inventory but there is adequate stock for current buyers to look at. Interestingly enough, income property inventory is down and there is very good demand for duplexes and 4-plexes.

In other news, we talked about title insurance and different policies that are available. Mainly the conversation and information centered around how to get our clients the very best coverage for the best price. Sometimes title companies don't advertise their best price coverage and you won't know about it if you don't ask.

I am currently working on our April calendar, scheduling classes and training for our agents here at McDonald Group GMAC Real Estate. When we host a CE (Continuing Education) class we do invite other agents as well as title and mortgage people who need CE. We hold a class every day at 9:00 AM except Tuesdays when we have our sales meeting. The classes are primarily for new agent licensees to help them get started with their real estate career. However, the lion's share of their training is done one-on-one with me. We do it this way so they get exactly what they need each day to be successful that day in their new career. We know it works because the State of Utah loses close to 90% of their new licensees and we keep over 92% of our new agents in the business, successful and glad they are selling real estate.

New Beginnings

I just finished listening to a book on CDs by J.A. Jance and the heroine had a blog - then I got my new Realtor magazine and it had a bunch of stuff about blogging and I thought I would give it a try.

I just returned from a trip to Moab for Jeep Safari and we had a blast! We did Strike Ravine trail and Fins and Things trail. We had 10 rigs - all members of the Lone Peak 4 Wheelers from Orem. I have a 1994 Jeep Cherokee that has been modified some with plans for a lot more and I am continually amazed at the places it will go.

The real estate market here is Utah is not as good as it has been the last 4-5 years but it is a lot better than other parts of the country. I see things all the time in national publications that say we have the number one market in the country - we like that! So if you are moving to Utah, or wanting a different home in Utah - let's talk.

Since I am new at this blogging thing, I guess that's enough for now - I'm not going to try to do too much.

Jeeps, real estate or your health - if you want to talk - let me hear from you.