A Recipe for a Great Year!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3.When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4.Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5.Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6.Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7.Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8.Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9.Life isn't fair, but it's still good. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

10.Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

11.You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

12.Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

13.Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is allabout.

14.No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

15.Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

16.Forgive everyone for everything.

17.What other people think of you is none of your business.

18.GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

19.However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

20.Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

21.Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

22.Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.

23.Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

24.When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

December Sold Stats

Happy New Year!

This report on home sales in area communities for the month of December 2008 is brought to you courtesy of JTOden Realty.

City -- Average Days on Market, Number of Homes Sold
Murphy -- 168, 19 homes sold
Sachse -- 69, 10 homes sold
Rowlett -- 117, 40 home sold
Rockwall -- 139, 39 homes sold
Dallas NE -- 122, 159 homes sold
Dallas Lake Highlands -- 94, 31 homes sold
Garland -- 93, 128 homes sold
Plano -- 92, 140 homes sold
Richardson -- 80, 60 homes sold
Mesquite -- 111, 104 homes sold

What about your specific subdivision? Curious?
What about that house down the street? Interested?
Just ask J.T.! You don't have to be moving to talk to your REALTOR(R).
Just ask J.T.

http://www.jtoden.net/
jt@jtoden.net

Count your blessings.... that's right. I said it.

Folks, we live in the Land of Plenty if ever there were one. An economic downturn is nothing compared to the riches and wealth we enjoy. I hope you can find very, very much to be thankful for this Christmas season. As Hanukkah begins, remember those before us who have struggled for freedom and the One true God. Remember His ever abiding love for us.

Then, have a holly-jolly laugh at the email below, that I intercepted from two of my friends. They are discussing the Christmas Holiday menu at Grandma's house this year. Tell THEM that these are hard times!!!! Ha!

Merry Christmas to All!!!

___________________________________________

Hey Mel, I talked to mom about the non-primary meals for Christmas gatheringa at their house. This is what she’s planning to make just for snacks…

Mom’s Desert List:

* 2 blueberry pies

* 1 long dish cherry delight desert (really is 2)

* Milky Way candy bar cake

* Cheesecake

* White Christmas salad frozen desert

* Peanut Patties

* Pralines

* Fudge w/ nuts

* Fudge w/o nuts (for you)

* Chocolate chip cookies
* Sugar cookies

* (she thinks there's another desert she's forgetting)

Mom Snacks:

* Cheese dip

* Huge special bean dip

Mom Breakfast:

* Couple of big "Matt Dill" kind of breakfasts after duck hunts, etc. w/ huge "Granny Gilmore" buttermilk biscuits and/or sough dough biscuits

Dad is making:

* Grilled jalapenos stuffed with cheese

Mom suggested you could bring:

* Sunny D

* White powder donuts

* Little muffins

* Breakfast sausages wrapped in crescent rolls (pigs n blanket)

You and I could bring:

* Sausage balls

* Breakfast quiche

* Mint cookies (for Kathy)

Aunt Betty will fix her usual huge pot of shrimp gumbo for Christmas Eve just in case there isn’t enough to eat.

I can't wait!!!!!

November 2008 Sold Stats

Here's the sold statistics for area communities for the month of November 2008.
Courtesy of JTOden Realty.

City -- Average Days on Market, Number of Homes Sold
Murphy -- 93, 17 homes sold
Sachse -- 106, 19 homes sold
Rowlett -- 106, 45 home sold
Rockwall -- 103, 42 homes sold
Garland -- 100, 132 homes sold
Plano -- 84, 126 homes sold
Richardson -- 59, 62 homes sold
Mesquite -- 104, 82 homes sold

What about your specific subdivision? Curious? What about that house down the street? Just ask J.T.! You don't have to be moving to talk to your REALTOR. Just ask J.T.

http://www.jtoden.net/
jt@jtoden.net

Third Quarter Days on Market Stats

Average Days on Market for Third Quarter (July-September) for homes in the Northeast Dallas Metro Area: Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall County by City. MLS Statistics provided courtesy of JTOden Realty.


City -- Average Days on Market, Number of Homes Sold
Murphy -- 105, 86 homes sold
Sachse -- 94, 89 homes sold
Rowlett -- 96, 260 home sold
Rockwall -- 100, 219 homes sold
Dallas NE -- 101, 528 homes sold
Lake Highlands -- 71, 145 homes sold
Garland -- 102, 554 homes sold
Plano -- 80, 1,002 homes sold
Mesquite -- 97, 428 homes sold
Richardson -- 78, 285 homes sold

What about your specific subdivision? Curious? What about that house down the street? Just ask J.T.! You don't have to be moving to talk to your REALTOR. Just ask J.T.

http://www.jtoden.net/
jt@jtoden.net

Ever tasted government cheese?

Please.

One of the things about real estate is that you have to sell, whether the market is favorable or not. Sell, sell, sell. You have to call agents and tell them about your listings. You have to make certain your listings reflect the current market value. You have to educate and protect your clients. And you have to weed out of your clients' minds the biased rubbish of the media.

I have finally lost all interest in the 2008 presidential elections. One guy scares, one guy worries me, and the current guy disappoints me. I suspect that we can trust Obama to do things that will reduce the profit ordinary folk can count on from buying and selling real estate. It would't suprise me if McCain did something less painful along the same lines.

Neither candidate seems to have a passion for seeing the free market capitalist system live and breathe and cycle through its processes. We as a nation once believed that God would bless our good, honest efforts and provide for us. Today, it seems that many Americans believe that we shall not win but by the invasive heavy hand of government. Bail it out, buy it up, infuse it, nationalize everything and we'll all be better off?

Ever tasted government cheese?
Ever waited forever in line at the DPS, DMV, or Tax Office?
Every been frustrated because you did your taxes on a FORM 1040-EZ and the IRS said you had to use FORM 1040ES instead?
Every noticed how you had jolly well better pay the IRS on time, but they'll lolligag around about getting your refund to you?
Ever hear the phrase, "Close enough for Government work." And yet no one ever says, "Close enough for an independent small businessman."

Now, vote for whomever your mind and conscience lead you to support, but please do not allow evil forces to slip into your mind the foolishness that either Republican or Democratic governemnt will solve problems, improve quality of life, or make good moral decisions.

The Federal Governemnt should protect the innocent, build roads, and fight wars against our enemies.


I'm J.T. Oden, the Real Estate Man and I approved of this message.

Keller Williams Realty Holds Steady in Declining Market

Aliso Viejo, CA 8/29/2008 07:18 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

According to Real Estate Wiki (www.realestatewiki.com) despite a two-year decline in the national real estate market, Keller Williams Realty continues to be one of the fastest growing franchises in North America, growing some 330% from 16,866 agents in 2003 to 72,594 in 2007. The company’s Profit Sharing Program has also maintained a strong growth pattern from $11.7 million in 2003 to $48.4 million for 2007.

Keller Williams Realty is not all just about profits, systems and strategies. In regional retreats called Culture Summits, agent “culture icons” gather with KW leaders. The purpose of which is to discuss, vision and share learned experiences about culture and, specifically, how the Keller Williams culture can impact market centers and regions.

As for best practices, Keller Williams has itself implemented various productivity-enhancing programs such as: Operation Heart to Heart – a $1 million program providing productivity and profitability tools to help agents manage the shifting market; Keller Williams Listing System – a company-wide database allowing agents full control of the accuracy, timeliness and depth of their listing information and which is promoted on a selective list of eight of the most powerful real estate Internet sites. Keller Williams has also made available to its agents resources such as the Market Trajectory Research and Regional Graphs – a reporting system that helps agents identify shifts in the real estate market three to four months in advance of shifts being noticed in local markets.

For more information visit www.kw.com

Gatekeeper@RealEstateWiki.com
www.realestatewiki.com

Don't Worry, Be Productive!

I Still Haven't Panicked.
In fact, I'm leaving in just a few minutes to deposit a check from a recent closing.

I spent the last two days hammering away at my brain, business numbers, and emotions in an attempt to plan my real estate business in a purposeful way. I think I succeeded. If you've known me very long, you know that I really enjoy the way that my natural ability and God's grace combine to let me surf through life "on the fly" so to speak. Well, the seminar led by Antoinette Perez threatens to lead me in a direction far more exciting than the seat-of-the-pants trip I'm accustomed to.

I'm expecting great things.

POST SCRIPT: In addition to remarkable professionalism, solid expertise, and impressive competence, Antoinette amazes me because she is less than half my weight, a full foot shorter than me, and I have no doubt that she could kick my butt in about 90 seconds. Very cool.

Plano Balloon Festival

What perfect weather for an outdoor event!

The Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival was a great opportunity to be outside and enjoy a great community event. The weather was wonderful, the food and drink ridiculously expensive yet wonderfully decadent and the balloon pilots were on their game.

Yes, there was an Elvis. This one sang with the band and everything... headlined you might say. Like there wasn't enough hot air out there already? Good fun.

One more Fannie Cartoon...

I like this one too.
Most folks I talk to don't have an opinion about the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout. Most of them don't know who AIG is nore do they care. Ask them if they care in April... around the 15th... no matter who they vote for... I think they'll care then.
(Image found at http://straighttalkaboutmortgages.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/moral-hazard.jpg)

No More New Cars!

My Appologies to any new car salesmen.

I was talking with a friend in our office today and she was sick over the fact that she owes more on her cool 2007 sports car than she can get for it should she try to sell it. Wow. If she sold it today, at the best possible price, she'd come up about $7,500 short. Ouch.

Dave Ramsey, the guru of debt-free living has one of the coolest mathematic applications I have ever seen. Dave claims that he has figured out a way for us to drive "free" cars for the rest of our lives. I like that. Check it out...

Free Market vs. Freddie's Fannie

Webster defines
"free market"
as follows...

free market
Function:noun
Date:1897: an economic market operating by free competition

Now, if the fishmonger is selling bad fish, at some point the fish buyers will stop buying his fish and shop at the Dairy Queen instead. I think that would be an example of what the fancy-pants economists would call a "market correction." So, why does Uncle Sam have to spend my hard earned money on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae?

The obvious answer is that bad federal policy and corporate greed for decades has led the U.S. economy to a point that not bailing out the two mortgage giants would have made that bitter pill too big and too bitter for most of the politicians to get re-elected! Oh, I mean too hard to swallow for the American people. Yeah.

Frankly, this is all beyond the ken of my wee brain. I do know this though, the cartoon below is an apt summary of the end result of this temporary and costly shoring up of Freddie's Fannie.

Local Schools Turn in Mixed Results

I am a parent of an elementary student. So, whenever the TEA posts new data, you can bet I'll be tuning in! If you'd like to see the complete report summary provided by my friends at Republic Title, just drop me an email and I'll shoot you a copy. Or, if you are pretty web-savvy you can glean the same info from the Texas Education Agency at www.tea.state.tx.us