The Wauconda office, formerly known as RE/MAX American Dream, will remain in its present location, 1120 N. Rand Road in Wauconda.

Schaid said that the move allows RE/MAX Plaza to expand its service into Lake County, and because the office is so close to the Wisconsin border, the purchase gives RE/MAX Plaza better access to the Wisconsin residential market. The move also boosts the brokerage’s staff, adding seven real estate agents to the RE/MAX Plaza team.

“The Wauconda office has a lot of growth potential,” Schaid said. “Adding it gives us a real opportunity to continue expanding our business.”

Pattie Taylor, the former broker/owner of RE/MAX American Dream, will remain with RE/MAX Plaza as its new executive vice president. She will provide RE/MAX Plaza with valuable leadership; Taylor owned and operated her own brokerage for 12 years.

Taylor agrees that combining with the RE/MAX Plaza organization made sense.

“By joining forces with RE/MAX Plaza, we’ll be increasing our professional workforce by 33 percent and offering our valued clients even better exposure across Lake and McHenry counties,” Taylor said. “Our agents will be provided with the systems and tools to help them compete in the changing marketplace.”

Schaid said he is excited to have the chance to work with an industry veteran such as Taylor.

“Pattie is one of the most capable managers in the community and a top-producing agent,” he said. “I am very proud to have somebody as well respected as Pattie join our team. This is not the kind of thing that happens every day, and we are all very excited about Pattie and her staff joining us.”

Adding a new office will contribute to the growth of RE/MAX Plaza, said Schaid. The brokerage will continue to offer its agents extensive training, which he identified as the key to the success of his organization.

Agents at RE/MAX Plaza take training that helps them adapt to a changing real estate market. Today, for instance, many are learning how to most effectively close short sales and how to best market foreclosure properties, two booming areas of residential business.

Schaid, who has worked in the real estate business since 1999, says he looks forward to incorporating the agents at the Wauconda office into his existing brokerage. It’s a process that Schaid expects to go smoothly. He is also eager to serve new markets through the acquisition of the company’s third office.

“I really enjoy helping real estate agents and seeing them grow their careers,” he said. “Facilitating our agents’ success and helping customers achieve their objectives is what makes this business so enjoyable for me. With this move, I know we’ll be helping even more people.”

RE/MAX has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989. The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network consists of 2,100 sales associates and 110 individually owned and operated RE/MAX offices that provide a full range of brokerage services throughout the northern one-third of Illinois. Its www.illinoisproperty.com and www.remax.com websites are leaders in consumer visits among real estate franchise brands. Its mobile search, m.illinoisproperty.com, allows users to conduct real estate searches on any mobile device with Internet access. The northern Illinois network is part of RE/MAX LLC, a global real estate organization with 89,000 sales associates in 87 nations.

Denver, CO, January 27, 2012 –(PR.com)– Luxury home prices in the Denver Metro Area jumped 8 percent in December as the region’s high-end market remained strong at year-end, according to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Colorado’s leading provider of luxury real estate services.

The median sale price for a million-dollar-plus home reached $1.35 million last month, up 8 percent from a year ago when it stood at $1.25 million and 8.4 percent higher than November of 2011 when it was $1,245,000.

While prices moved higher, luxury sales did taper off as the year came to a close. Some 41 homes sold for more than $1 million, down from 45 in November and 51 in December 2010. But the number of multi-million-dollar sales edged higher to nine, up from five in November and eight a year ago.

The figures were derived from Multiple Listing Service data of all homes sold for more than $1 million last month in the Denver Metro Area.

“There continues to be solid demand for homes priced above $500,000 and $1 million,” said Chris Mygatt, President of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Colorado. “We’ve seen really good activity in the upper end of the market for the better part of the past year. That’s a healthy sign for the overall market because history has shown that sustainable recoveries in the housing market typically begin with the luxury segment.”

Mygatt said the challenge for the market continues to be a shortage of homes for sale, not lack of buyers. “I think it’s important for sellers to get the message that the market is getting better in many areas and there are buyers willing to pay competitive prices for homes,” he said. “If you’ve been thinking about putting your home on the market, you shouldn’t wait any longer. It’s time to jump in.”

Some key findings from this month’s Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage luxury report:

* The most expensive sale in the Denver Metro Area last month was a three-bedroom, five-bath 3,800-square-foot home in Denver that sold for $3.25 million;

* Denver boasted the most million-dollar sales with 11, followed by Castle Rock with five and Boulder with four;

* Homes sold in average of 207 days, up from 167 days the previous month and 148 days a year ago;

* Sellers on average received 92.3 percent of their asking price compared to 94 percent the previous month and 90.3 percent a year ago.

The Denver Metro Area Luxury Home Report is produced by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a specialist in high-end real estate sales. Through its internationally renowned Coldwell Banker Previews® program, the company is recognized around the world for its expertise in the luxury housing market.

About Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, a leading residential real estate brokerage company in Colorado, operates 14 offices with 1,115 sales associates serving the communities of the Denver area. The company offers residential and commercial brokerage, corporate relocation and mortgage services. Through its internationally renowned Coldwell Banker Previews® program, the company is widely recognized for its expertise in the luxury housing market. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, online at www.ColoradoHomes.com, is part of NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company. NRT, a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, operates Realogy’s company-owned real estate brokerage offices. For more information, please visit www.ColoradoHomes.com or call 925.275.3085.

Why do Mortgage Rates Vary by State?

Rates are down today. Today’s comparison mortgage rates with no lender fees are 3.875 % on a 30 year, 3.125% on a 15 year and 2.875% on a 10 year. (click here for details)
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So today’s topic is lender loan level pricing by state. Did you ever wonder why there isn’t just one rate for all states? Why is it that rates in Michigan are worse than Texas? Is it because they have smoking hot cheerleaders? I like to think so. But I doubt it.

Before I go any further I want to interject how faith and conviction can conquer anything.  As I write this post I am watching American Idol and the last contestant in Houston is a young man who was born with no ears.  Until the age of 4 he was told that he would never hear or speak and just not physically well.  After enduring  countless surgeries, never giving up and going for his dream he sang Amazing Grace so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes.  Needlessly to say, he is being sent to Hollywood and the Final Rounds of American Idol 2012.

Yesterday I reached out to Mark Cumberland of Keller Williams Philadelphia for a potential interview for this magazine.  The reason behind this was that he currently has a weekly radio show called “Good News In Real Estate” that airs each saturday morning in the Metro Philly market.  Talk about creative brand strategy!  Well, as the 74th day of The Ardynn Project got under way today, Mark returned my call and after speaking for almost an hour had me convinced that a single interview would not be enough for what he has to offer his peer group and our readership.

So a new article series has taken shape and over the next couple of days, with our entire team collaborating, details will be mapped out and Simplistic Inspiration Shall Be Delivered to the real estate industry.

 Today was also the unveiling of the narrated version of Bruno’s Buzzing Adventure and the Coloring Book version giving the Ardynn Publishing Group it’s first eBook Package that is ready for sale.  I know that over the past few weeks you have heard quite a bit about the struggle, tribulations and excitment surrounding our first Children’s Book and I personally appreciate the industry and consumer audience’s patience.  Being the anal perfectionist that you have all come to love has led our team to a product package that is of the highest quality.  Here is a sneak peek at the narrated version, of course it is the first go round and the sale version has been perfected as far as the page transition and timing……and a sampling from the coloring book.

Now that all 3 components of Bruno’s Buzzing Adventure are ready to launch, the press has been alerted, interviews have started to be set and a new store front is being tested.  And I am not the only one with a book that is finally ready for the masses. 

Congratulations goes out to Dana Hall-Bradley and her recent release via Amazon entitled “Works Hard, Plays Harder”.  I feel honored to have been a part of Dana’s life as she is the one that inspired and pushed me to take my writing skills to the next level.  When she asked me to review the book, I had to reread it a few times because she not only tells it like it is to be a self-starter, but brings a sense of humor to an industry at a time when levity is still needed.

I spoke with Dana for a while today and discussed the challenge she is currently facing of being a top REALTOR in the Orlando markets combined with the roles of mother and new author.  Like many industry professionals across the country, she loves to coach and share her successes with her peers in order to help facilitate a stronger housing market recovery.  Yes, she stands to profit hugely from her first book, but the fact that she is thinking outside the box and is creating a stand alone website that will feature new chapters as the times change for anyone to follow.  So that initial $24.95 investment will provide the reader with ever evolving scenerios to help them build successful businesses.

Well, that is enough for The Ardynn Project today as I have a number of press releases to get posted here as well. 

Until the next time, this is Michael Harris-Arzon signing off.

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Chicago, IL, January 15, 2012 –(PR.com)– Aided by attractive prices, low interest rates and mild autumn weather that made late-season home shopping more pleasant than usual, the residential segment of the metropolitan Chicago real estate market closed 2011 with a solid month of sales. Home sales in the seven-county area totaled 6,010 units in December, 15.3 percent higher than in the same month of 2010 and 10 percent more than during the prior 30 days, according to an analysis by RE/MAX.

December home sales in the seven-county metro area, based on statistics compiled by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC, were higher than in any of the prior three months and ranked fifth among all months in 2011. In comparison, December sales in 2010 ranked eighth for the year, while 2009 December sales came in seventh.

Sales in all seven counties were higher last month than in December 2010, with increases ranging from 34 percent in McHenry to 11 percent in Cook. Sales activity rose 5 percent in Chicago.

Even as transaction volume increased, home prices continued to slip. The median price of all homes sold in December was $145,000, down from $150,000 in November and $168,000 in December 2010.

The decline in median price, which was felt in all seven counties, was to some extent a function of an increase in the percentage of total sales represented by distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales). In December, distressed sales represented 45.8 percent of all sales, up from 43.1 percent in November. The median price for distressed sales in December was $87,500.

“The increase in distressed sales was largely driven by a surge in short sales, which totaled 1,031, the largest number of short sales completed during any month of 2011. That total was 51 percent higher than in December 2010, while sales of foreclosed properties came in 12 percent higher than they were a year earlier,” said Laura Ortoleva, a spokesperson for the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

Homes sold in December spent an average of 174 days on the market, up modestly from 163 days in December 2010.

Detached Homes

December sales of detached homes in the seven-county area totaled 3,870 units, 15 percent more than during the same period in 2010 and 9 percent more than the November 2011 total.

The median sales price was $162,000, down 11 percent from December 2010 and 2 percent lower than in November 2011. The average market time for a detached home sold last month was 162 days, unchanged from the prior month but six days higher than the prior December.

Compared to December 2010, all seven counties saw an increase in the number of detached sales completed along with a decrease in the median price. McHenry County (up 31 percent) and Will County (up 29 percent) recorded the steepest increases in transactions. Cook County had the most modest gain, just 8 percent, due in good part to the results in Chicago, where sales of detached homes rose only 5 percent.

Results for the other counties were: DuPage up 15 percent, Kane up 21 percent, Kendall up 21 percent and Lake up 27 percent.

Attached Homes

Sales of attached homes increased by 15 percent in December when compared to the same month in 2010 and were 12 percent higher than in November. Sales totaled 2,140, with a median price of $115,000, 4 percent lower than the prior month and 21 percent lower than December 2010. The average time spent on the market by attached homes sold in December was 197 days, up from 184 days in November and 175 days a year earlier.

Six of the seven counties saw an increase in attached sales compared to December 2010, led by McHenry and Will counties with gains of 52 percent and 46 percent respectively. Other results: Cook up 14 percent, DuPage up 15 percent, Kane up 11 percent, Kendall up 34 percent and Lake down 8 percent. In Chicago, sales increased 5 percent.

Miami, FL, January 17, 2012 –(PR.com)– The Continental Group (TCG), a FirstService Residential Management company, announced today that three seminars discussing “Maintenance Issues in Buildings 20 Years and Older,” are being offered free of charge in South Florida for Condominium Board and Committee Members. The first seminar takes place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19th at the 5600 Condominium Association located at 5600 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL. The second seminar is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25th at the Hollywood Beach Culture and Community Center located at 1301 South Ocean Drive, Hollywood, FL. The third seminar is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26th at the Europa by-the-Sea Condominium located at 1460 South Ocean Blvd., Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL.

As the leading Florida property management company, TCG shares best practices not only in the communities it serves, but in the community-at-large, to help enhance Association Board effectiveness and efficiency. Each seminar is being moderated by Julie Magaldi, TCG’s Director of High-Rise Operations Assessments, and will feature a panel of subject-matter experts. Focused on the maintenance issues that older buildings face, the seminar will also discuss Dade and Broward County’s Condominium Associations’ legal obligation to undertake a successful 40-Year Recertification project. A comprehensive review of the complex codes, as well as structural and electrical safety requirements will be explored. Association Board and Committee Members will walk away with a better understanding of how to manage common maintenance issues, a 40-Year Recertification project and the ones required every 10 years thereafter.

The Miami Beach seminar panelists include Tim Marshall, Structural Engineer of A.T. Designs, Inc.; Robert Busher, Electrical Engineer of RK Busher Engineering, Inc.; Helio De La Torre, Attorney at Law of Siegfried Rivera Lerner De La Torre & Sobel P.A.; Monte E. Kane, CPA/PFS of Kane & Company; and Clay Thomas, Quality Assurance Manager of The Continental Group. To RSVP online, please visit www.EventsTCGMGT.com/Midbeach.

The Hollywood seminar panelists include Tim Marshall, Structural Engineer of A.T. Designs, Inc.; Robert Busher, Electrical Engineer of RK Busher Engineering, Inc.; Roberto Blanch, Attorney Siegfried Rivera Lerner De La Torre & Sobel P.A.; Henry O. Castro, Registered Architect & Reserve Specialist at HOC Consulting, LLC; and Clay Thomas, Quality Assurance Manager at TCG. To RSVP online, please visit www.EventsTCGMGT.com/Hollywood.

The Fort Lauderdale seminar panelists include Tim Marshall, Structural Engineer of A.T. Designs, Inc.; June Willcott, Structural Professional Engineer of Willcott Engineering, Inc.; Roberto Blanch, Attorney at Siegfried Rivera Lerner De La Torre & Sobel P.A.; Henry O. Castor, Registered Architect & Reserve Specialist at HOC Consulting, LLC; Robert Busher, Electrical Professional Engineer of RK Busher Engineering, Inc.; and Clay Thomas, Quality Assurance Manager at TCG. To RSVP online, please visit www.EventsTCGMGT.com/Pompano.

Attendees are encouraged to RSVP since space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, guests may contact Gilda Ellison at 305-345-9409.

“First of all, being green is not just a trend, it is fast becoming part of our everyday life,” Klein said. “As many Americans continue to feel the pinch of the recession, rising health insurance rates, medical bills and taxes, more and more people continue to discover that living green is a simpler way of life that will save you money, improve your health, inspire you to consume less, rally you to do more with less and improve your overall lifestyle.”

Green living is a core value at The Spencer Institute, and Klein predicts the following top three green living trends for 2012:

As people become more educated on what real health and preventative living is, more of them will start or continue to prioritize a truly green and clean lifestyle, which includes food, air, products, commerce and industry.

More organic and healthy food choices will become available in 2012 as consumers demand more chemical and GMO-free foods as well as fewer processed, premade and packaged foods.

The global green economy will continue to grow as more individuals and corporations choose to invest their dollars and energy with socially responsible and environmentally conscious companies.

The Spencer Institute’s Green Living Coaching Program, which provides green trends as well as education on the fundamentals of green living, is a 100 percent online and self-paced certification program that can serve as a complement to wellness or life coaching, public health education, nursing and more. The program is available online at http://spencerinstitute.com/green-living-coach-certification/

About the Spencer Institute
Founded by Dr. John Spencer Ellis, an international leader in wellness coaching, personal development and fitness, The Spencer Institute offers life coaching, holistic education, nutrition coaching, sports psychology and wellness training certification programs delivered in online and distance learning formats that are designed to provide a step-by-step blueprint to success. The programs were developed to help people find the career of their dreams while helping others live better lives. For more information about the Spencer Institute or the Green Living Coaching Program, please visit http://spencerinstitute.com/green-living-coach-certification/

Today’s main lesson is that things do not always go your way and there will be times when you spend an astronomical amount of man hours prepping for a conference or event, dish out the dollars and tell the world about it….and something happens.

Maybe your booth never made it to the event.  Maybe the printer screwed up.  Maybe you get sick and are unable to travel.  Whatever the reason, it sucks but things happen and you make the most out of them.  I remember a few years ago we were setting up the Dominion Homes Media Booth at NAR in New Orleans and after 3 days of construction our Exec. VP decides he doesn’t want the new brand umbrella revealed yet.  I was like OMG you have to be kidding.  We had spent $75,000 on a new booth design and to was everywhere.  So I took my credit card and ran to the nearest tourist shop and bought about 100 feathered masks to cover up all of the new logos.  On a booth that was about 1500 square feet, it came out amazing and ended up being the most in character for the venue.

Since Ardynn Media Group did not have a presence or representation at Real Estate Connect NYC last week, we are tweaking the digital collateral, creating a new HTML email with our Awesome Mails App and extending the Conference Special through the end of the month.

Awesome Mails HD Aidaluu Inc. Category: Business Updated: Jan 11, 2012

While we are on the topic of trade shows, conferences and events I hope that all of you REALTORS out there have started thinking about registering for the various home shows, garden shows etc…. for the coming year.  We are a few short months aways from the start of that particular season and you want to get the best space available.  So start doing your home work, make some phone calls and if you can’t afford the price then try to barter. Once you have your show schedule laid out, try to think of something a little different to catch people’s attention.  Here are a few ideas.

1. Hold a LEGO house building contest where parents and their kids attempt to build a replica of one of your listings out of LEGO blocks.  (This is also the type of story that the networks like to carry on the evening news.)  The prize could be a Deluxe LEGO Set.
2. Hold a short 5-7 minute presentation each hour that is interactive, educational and fun.  Maybe you can make it 4D by using  scents and effects to get your point across.  Did you know that the combination of Orange and Vanilla gets people in the mood to buy?  For a REALTOR that may mean you get a signed Buyers Agent Contract out of the show.  Rent a snow maker and have the images of your listings be from Winter.
3. Bring in a Foreclosure Expert to work the show with you and hold a shooting contest where the targets are Giant Foreclosure Signs, Fake Bank Logos etc… (This one is definitely on the risky side and should be done carefully but again would be considered news worthy by the media.)

Even though tomorrow is a holiday for many, I have tons on my plate as I have to find and hire a Civil Rights Attorney.  Danny and I have run into an issue with the adoption that is driving me bonkers.  When we started this process almost 2 years ago, the first thing we  did was determine where the adoption would take place.  Since the kids are from OK and they do not allow same-sex couple to adopt there, we requested that the adoption be done here in PA where we live.  It has been legal for both parties to adopt in our area for a few years now and OK said that would be fine and that we just needed to connect our local attorney with our case workers in OK so they can work out the fees and payment arrangements.

Now that we are at the end of the process, OK is coming back to us about it not being legal there and even though it is in PA we have to request a hearing and get a judges approval for the adoption to be brought before a PA court.  Talk about confusion, frustration and just plain tired of being lied to and misinformed.  We purposely went to the trouble of doing the adoption locally because OK said it would be fine and they would pay the legal fees since PA allowed same-sex couple to adopt and they knew that was our wish from the very beginning.  So I have to divert more time from business to hire another attorney, research legal precedence and hope that we get a sympathetic judge in OK.

My point in telling you this is that most professionals have families and while it is a balancing act in the extreme, you want to never lose sight of what is really important to you on all fronts.  Focus on your career and brand are great but they come and go while your family is here for LIFE.

Because we are still being pulled in many directions I will be looking for even more ways to bring the kids into the business fold.  So far, I have decided that with Ardynn Publishing releasing a number of Industry White Papers and articles this year, I will have a photographer use the kids in the shots for some of them instead of buying stock image like normal.  This will give us family time together, some great family pictures and provide unique images for 2012 projects.   I mean why not get them more involved, the whole point of building a lasting brand is so that the Ardynn Media Group can provide for their future financially and on the employment side of life if they so choose.

Michael Harris-Arzon

President Ardynn Media Group