Monday's Inspirational Thought

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

-- Mark Twain

Want a Private Tour of the Palace of Versailles, Tate Britian, or Other Museums Around the World?

Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France

Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

Well now you can! Explore some of the World's most famous museums, discover and view hundreds of artworks, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces... all online! Art Project powered by Google takes viewers on a private tour of museums and galleries all over the inclWorlduding the Palace of Versailles, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and many more. Using the same software used in Google Map Street View, online viewers can zoom in, move angles, and explore different rooms.

This same approach could be very beneficial for real estate agents and those buyers looking all over the World for the next place to call home!

5 Strategies to Rebuild Your Credit after Foreclosure

If you’ve been through a foreclosure, you may wonder if there is hope for you to become a homeowner again. The answer is yes, but it will take a while. [...] Here's what you need to do to rebuild your credit to qualify again for a mortgage.

Pay your bills on time: The FICO score, the dominant credit score used by lenders, gives the greatest weight to payment history, so make sure you consistently pay your bills on time. “Stability is the key,” said Craig Jarrell, president of the Dallas region of IberiaBank Mortgage Co. “Have you demonstrated that you are now capable of owning a home and paying the bills, and have recovered from whatever circumstance caused the original foreclosure?”

Review your credit report: You’re entitled to a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three national credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. You should get a copy and check it for any inaccuracies.

To get your free credit report, go to http://www.annualcreditreport.com. “Make sure it is about you and only you,” said Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. “If you find errors, dispute them. If you discover old debts, it will weigh in your favor to satisfy them. Paid late looks better than not paid at all. Make sure that debts older than seven years have rotated off your report, as these could be dragging your score down unnecessarily.”

Check your mortgage: You want to be sure that you don’t still owe anything on your old mortgage. Sometimes proceeds from a foreclosure sale aren’t enough to cover what’s owed on the mortgage, which would leave you owing the difference.

"Make sure there is a zero balance reflected, and if you are responsible for a shortfall, make arrangements to repay the remaining balance," Cunningham said.

Many lenders are willing to settle that "deficiency judgment" for less than what's owed because "it's better than getting no money at all," Jarrel said.

Apply for credit: In particular, apply for different varieties of credit. “Credit scoring models value having different types of credit,” Cunningham said. “Having some revolving accounts, typically credit cards, and some installment fixed-payment loans, such as a car payment, can improve your score.” But don’t apply for too much credit at once. “This can appear as though you’re desperate for credit and perhaps make lenders less inclined to extend credit to you,” Cunningham said. “Further, too many credit inquiries can have a negative impact on your credit score.”

Don’t fall prey: Watch out for credit repair companies that promise to clean up your credit report so you can get a car loan, a home mortgage, insurance, or even a job—after paying a fee for the service. “The truth is, that no one can remove accurate, negative information from your credit report,” according to the Federal Trade Commission. “It’s illegal.” Only the passage of time can assure that negative, but accurate, information on your credit report will be removed.

When it comes to repairing your credit, there are no quick fixes, the experts say. What lenders want to see is responsible financial behavior over time.

“Know that time is your friend, as the farther you move away from the financial distress, the less negative impact it has,” Cunningham said. “Follow with responsible behavior with your new credit, and you’ll soon have a solid credit file.”

As published in The Dallas Morning News, 2010.

Learn Sarver Heart Center's Continuous Chest Compression CPR

Every three days, more Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest than the number who died in the 9-11 attacks. You can lessen this recurring loss by learning Continuous Chest Compression CPR, a hands-only CPR method that doubles a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. It’s easy and does not require mouth-to-mouth contact, making it more likely bystanders will try to help, and it was developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

For more information see the University of Arizona College of Medicine news article or the YouTube video.

Now There is Help in Remembering Song Lyrics

Every once in while most of us have three or four words running through our heads - a little snippet that pops up from song from the past. And sometimes it drives us batty wondering what the name of that song was!

At Lyreach all you need to do is enter the words you are hearing - and Shazam - the program will give you all of the possibilities that contain that phrase (from their collection of more than 470000 song lyrics).

Just click on the song you want more lyrics from and you're in business. And, of course, this neat service is on the house!

Ideas Worth Spreading are featured at TED.com

Looking to enrich your mind? Many regularly visit this amazingly rich trove of "Ideas Worth Spreading". This non- profit organization presents on line videos from their conferences that bring together people from the worlds of Technology, Entertainment, and Design and more.

You can listen to the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the "talk of their lives" in just a few minutes. They make these enriching (and often very entertaining) talks available to the world without any cost. There are now more than 700 searchable titles available -- with more added each week.

Check out TED.com

How To Select A Real estate Agent

By Michael Edlen

Think of it as an employment process, comparing different agents with as much attention and time as you would in selecting a doctor or attorney. Find agents who experienced the challenging markets of 1900-1997.

Develop a list of 3 or 4 well-researched candidates to interview, using various sources such as: managers of local company offices, noting who has consistent presence in local newspaper ads and other publications, and people whose opinion you respect.

Visit each candidate’s personal website, and note how easy it is to navigate and if the content seems current. See if they have any special or upgraded presence for their listings on Realtor.com or other sites. You could also test their on-line response time by sending a brief email requesting information.

Prepare a list of questions to ask them, and begin asking with your first phone call. These could include:
· What is your track record in my neighborhood over the last 2 years?
· Do you live in the area and where is your office?
· What preparations do you recommend before putting a home on the market?
· How do you propose marketing a property?
· Do you provide staff or team support? How available are you personally?
· What is your marketing sales success ratio, and escrow fall-out ratio?
· How many ads per month will you guarantee and what publications will you be in?

That call may help to eliminate a candidate before actually taking the time to meet.

Request any information they have that you can review before scheduling an appointment, and ask for a list of references and phone numbers.

Meet the remaining candidates in their office to see how their work environment feels and be watchful for evidence of good systems in place and a generally positive atmosphere.
· Get a feeling for how much the agent seems to care about you and what is in your best interest.
· See if they ask good questions and offer a consultative approach.
· Try to sense if you would be comfortable with their style, and confident in their representing you well.

If you follow these steps in selecting a real estate agent, you are more assured of being highly satisfied with the results.