Grown kids say the darndest things too!

I encourage my daughters often to enjoy their youthful years. When I look back I remember I had six other guys calling when the 7th guy was staring me in the face. Guys aren't something new to me.

I asked my daughter one simple question. Why can't she even make a sandwich for her husband. I chided her that I was going to post his profile and photo online and the women would be beating down the door to meet him.

Well later when she got me by myself she asked me a question and now days later I do have a response for her. I have been thinking about this day and night since she asked.

It took me a few days but I finally have an answer to her question: "Out of all the men in the world why don't you have one?" My answer: Out of all the millions and billions in the world I don't have one of those either. "I guess I keep letting the important stuff slip through my hands." ROFL! Wait until I tell her my response. She'll probably just say "you're crazy lady" which is her normal comeback when she doesn't have an immediate reply.

I love my daughter to death but I just about stopped loving her that day. I categorize that under the topic of: mean, cruel, and unusual questioning.

I wish there was a service I could rent a horrible looking, talking, and speaking man from just to get even with her and say you didn't specify which one.

This could be attributed to one of those cry to keep from laughing type of situations. My focus right now is and will be getting my grandson through Kindergarten and my older granddaughters through the 4th grade successfully. If a man of my suitability happens to find me then I will have a man.

Wouldn't it be nice if millions and billions could find me? I would be elated.

OMG! We're On Pins and Needles

My first grandson will be off to Kindergarten this year. My number one concern is "How is he going to do?" Well we all hope he does very well. I have my fingers, my legs, my toes, everything crossed in hopes he soars high above all expectations (especially those of the te

acher so he can be promoted to 1st grade).

My daughter is ready to give up life as she knows to deal with his ensuing new phase in life. And since I am not gainfully employed I plan to be available to him morning, afternoon, and evening as well. I can work from home. Making it 5 minutes up the street should be a breeze. Most of my clients work during the day so evening and weekend appointments are going to be my forte for probably at least the first month he starts school. I figure after about a month he should be fine. Thankfully he will be close enough for me to have all types of backup resources if something unplanned crops up.

He is very outgoing, playful, friendly, team player type person who is very loveable. He has the luxury of having two very supportive parents, and two very supportive grandparents. He is very articulate. He gets his point across very well. He doesn't start any trouble but people seem to be drawn to him to start trouble. He is tall for his age. Very attractive and I guess other children see a challenge in him.

I am on pins and needles. Why did I have to be privy to recent articles concerning the number ratio of the number of black males incarcerated based on whether them having failed Kindergarten? I'm just going to try and focus really hard not to think about all the statistics in relation to black males in Kindergarten and the number of prisons they build in correlation to the number of black males retained in Kindergarten. I want his first year and every year thereafter to be full of successes for him. We just have to wait and see where the ball bounces. His parents don't know who his teacher is going to be as of yet. Now we do know he can only be retained if his parents agree to it for his Kindergarten year. I can't foresee his feisty mother letting her son suffer any unwarranted atrocities.

I know how much of an impact the person standing in front of him day after day during his first year in school is going to leave an impression on him for years to come. Not to mention the family as a whole. I just hope he gets a fair and equitable shake.

I don't want him to be counted in one of the numbers to statistically determine how many black males failed Kindergarten to translate into the number they use to project how many prisons America will need to build in the future.

I want him to be one of the ones whose foundation is built solidly enough where he can make straight A's throughout his primary school years through the sixth grade and receive a certificate signed by the president of the United States for his academic accolades.

Say a prayer not for him but for me. He's cool, calm, and collective. He can't read the negative hype. His report is "he knows everything."

Nostalgia - I Love It

I was looking at my FACEBOOK screen and I noticed something new. They now have nostalgia. It showed a post I made a year ago: "If we continued to love others as we continue to love our children no matter what they do this world would be a better place."

How quaint of them. I like it. It gives a perspective of what your thoughts were a year ago today.

It is a welcome addition. They keep coming with surprises. Awesome!

I could never imagine them having servers big enough to keep up with all the stuff people say in a year with all the millions of users they have.

Wow! Those guys deserve a pat on the face.

A Good Question!

Why would someone my age have any interest in my daughter? I really wish I knew. I even wish more he would just walk away and leave her alone for life. However, I am beginning to sound like an old broken down record. It seems a lot of older men are attracted to her. I think she is a very lovely attractive woman. I always hope she will find someone closer in age to herself to spend her quality time with.

Guys my age I don't care for their interest in my daughter and I think she only tolerates them because they ride her around and treat her out to eat. One particular guy looks her up every time he comes to town. He went to high school the same time I was in high school. What does he see in her?

How do I say "stay away from a grown woman." The only thing I've told him is I was going to ball him up if he got her into any trouble.

He is an okay person I guess. I just don't like him for my daughter. I wonder where is his self respect. Why does he have to be seen with someone my daughter's age. I could see if he was a life long mentor.

Every time he comes around things get worse. She has a long time boyfriend who unfortunately is about the same age. I personally think both of them are the lowest scum of the earth. They have approachable personalities. They are just not for her. I heavily dislike both of them for the fact they

Properties Under 100K Seem to Be Going Like Hotcakes

For the past few weeks it seems as I'm out with buyers there seems to be the same trend. The properties my buyers want to make an offer on which are priced under 100K seem to be going like hotcakes.

It's like we call and schedule the appointment, go see the property and then next it there is an approved offer or contract on the property once they are interested in making an offer.

What gives? I don't know but I am sure hoping it is a sign the market is on the rebound.

How Can I Smile? Because the Lord Is My Keeper

At times life seems to be so full of lemons. I wonder why? Why certain things happen? 

I know as Jackie Gouche Farris sings in "My Help" "the Lord will not slumber or sleep." No matter how bad things get and seem to be at times when everything seems to be at an all time low help came out of no where to my amazement. That is one thing I love so much about the saviour I serve he can come to you in your darkest hour and make it your brightest moment.

Right now here tonight as I write this I am asking the Lord because he knows the storms which are raging and I know and have the faith he can calm the storms. He can keep and bring about the joy to dance in the rain with a smile.

Lord I ask you touch the heart of each and every one of my children. Lord I ask you to touch their lives. Lord I ask you to give them some sign of reassurance their help cometh from you. When there seems to be no way you you are the way. All things are possible through you with a mustard seed of faith.

You have carried us through many trials and tribulations and you have strengthened us along the way. There's a reason for every season and we normally don't see it until the next season how our work in the previous season helps us to enjoy the fruit of our labours in the next season. Place a strong message on the hearts of my loved ones who need it. A comforting thought you make no mistakes.

Touch the hearts, souls, and minds of those who are not at ease. Bring peace and understanding over those whose hearts are heavy laden by recent happenings. Especially those who I cannot wrap my arms around and say I love you and everything is going to be alright. Remind them in some way you never have and never will leave or forsake them. There is no testimony without a test. They are loved by me and you.

This too shall pass. Lift up their eyes, do as the eagles do, fly above the turbulence. As long as they hold onto you as their anchor they shall not be moved.

Bless them, keep them, let them be covered with the whole armour of your goodness and mercy. Let them suffer nothing. Amen!

Networking to Next Level

It is truly amazing the kinds of business relationships that can be formed as a result of networking.  I attended a business mixer a while back entitled "First Thursdays Business Mixer".  I found out about it via another mixer I attended both events were held in Norfolk.

The business mixer I gained the most networking connections from was "First Thursdays Business Mixer".  I actually connected with some of the attendees after the mixer and learned where they went to college.  A couple became my FACEBOOK friends. Even others dropped off packets with more information about their business after the first mixer I attended.

I like the Networking Events which turn into Network Connections.  I always enjoy being around positive upbeat people.  Some of the perks include getting treated out to lunch or dinner. 

Well the organizer of the event I have gotten to talk to on several occasions.  I was the sponsor for the event in August.  There will be a different sponsor in September.  I want everyone to enjoy the success I had with the event last month.  I have connected with a few more business people. 

Today I got a special treat.  I met with Lawrence and we did something I have not done before.  To make a long story short, we set together and put together a flyer with both our business information and we went door to door distributing prospecting material in a neighborhood I had farmed once before years ago.  It has been a while since I did any prospecting on foot and I never prospected with someone who sells insurance before.  The last time I farmed a neighborhood it was with a lender.  The times before that it was always with real estate agents for a co-listing. 

The flyer contained information on my newest listing at 7408 Adele Drive in Norfolk, Virginia .  It also included a section on the insurance products/services Lawrence has to offer.  It was a joint effort and putting together and distributing the flyers.  It was even raining at one point but it did not deter either of us from distributing the flyers. 

I had my hair pulled back so I wasn't concerned about it getting my hair wet.  He didn't seem to care about his hair getting wet as well.

With the business mixer last month we had more people show up by his word-of-mouth advertising with flyers than with marketing online.  We set up a MeetUp group on MeetUp.com in an effort to connect with other business professionals in the Hampton Roads area.

I really enjoy networking and going to different networking events.  It provides the opportunity to meet with new people.  Friends of your network contacts.  And to take our networking efforts outside the regular meetups and work together to generate more business.

Since I have been attending networking events I can surely say my list of business contacts has significantly increased.  I really enjoy networking and meeting with other business professionals and making our connections a win-win relationship.

If you're not doing anything the First Thursday of September you may want to consider coming out to Dreams Southern Cuisine at 3376 S. Military Highway in Chesapeake, Virginia and partaking in the Business Mixer.  You can sign up on http://www.meetup.com/First-Thursday-Business-Mixer.  RSVP is not required. 

Most of the attendees come from Lawrence passing out flyers and inviting people face-to-face to the event.  I tell him he is the works the hardest I've seen to generate leads.  He really gets out and recruits for new business and new business contacts.  His energy is contagious.  I've been trying to encourage him to bring some of his offline promotional efforts online with the vision being combining the best of both worlds.  

It's a rare find to see someone put so much heart into what they do nowadays.  It seems like it's a circle of folks who do just that.  I am a hard worker too.  I like staying on top of what is happening and being out in the forefront of new and upcoming things.  It just amazes how people can work so hard but have a whole different perspective on delivery and approach.  The ultimate goal being to seal the deal.  It definitely takes all types to make the world go round.

During my first years in real estate....

When I first start selling real estate my concentration was Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Owned and Veterans Affairs (VA) Owned properties.  They were vacant and easy to show.  I could submit an offer for a client and it seemed like the whole process for me was a lot less cumbersome than dealing with a private owner and all the other parties involved in the transaction.

I remember I used to look forward to the new lists being published in the newspapers.  I remember we had two newspapers back then.  A morning edition and an evening edition.  The HUD listings used to print in the Saturday papers on the back of the page or the inside back cover.  I remember flipping to the back of the page for the HUD listings and if they were not on the back I would flip to the inside back cover.

I would look to see which ones were for Owner/Occupancy only and which were now available for investors to purchase.  The prices were normally affordable either way.  Sometimes my clients would call me on the new list before I could get  a chance to call them.

The VA listings I remember being in the Wednesday evening paper once every three weeks.  The list used to be sometimes and grew to at one time three pages in length.  Virginia Beach normally had the most VA listings.  They normally took up about a page by themselves. 

Fast forward to 2011 and now the updates can be seen online.  They are no longer available in a printed version of the newspaper.  I really wonder how much an agent would make if they were to publish a HUD list in the paper every Saturday morning?  May be a future marketing idea for myself.

Currently I publish an updated list of HUD Owned properties on my website.  My website hits have increased dramatically.  However, I don't know whether it is due to the feature zip codes I have on other major real estate portals. 

At one time I was able to feature a table of listings which could be sorted by any column by clicking on the column header.  Now for some reason the server I am hosting my website is not cooperating.  It was a feature I had very active a year ago which seemed to be very popular.  I will just eventually move to another platform. 

Well just the thought of how the lists used to be in print makes me appreciate how convenient it is to just be able to look up online and not have to wait a week or weeks to see properties in your watch.  You can basically Google any address and find out the current status of the listing. 

I try an update my site at least once a day.  I don't like looking at old stale information. 

I imagine if the listings were just in the paper once a week or every three weeks now it would take several pages.  Good thing the onset of technology helped make it basically a paperless gesture to get an update on a HUD Owned property.  I think it would be very overwhelming to try and handle the lists in print nowadays.

Even though I think it would again be a great marketing tool to have a list in print to generate buyer leads.

A Special Prayer for Some Special People

It has been several days now since the announcement of the aircraft being attacked in Afghanistan.  On my home page this week I wrote a special prayer. 


My Prayer:

My heart goes out over the tragic loss of over twenty Navy Seals, the Army Pilot, and all other Americans working in Afghanistan who lost their lives.  My prayer of condolence to their friends, families, and acquaintances.  They have undoubtedly touched the lives of the masses.  They completed the perfect mission so wondrously and wonderfully and now I pray God keep their loved ones at perfect peace during their time of mourning and loss.  As their eternal mission begins, may these humans who made the ultimate sacrifice be with Our Lord and Savior and hear that welcome voice say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Matthew 25:20-22  For all their sky high efforts and many contributions which have resonated around the world, may they continually soar higher in our hearts for ever more.  Amen!

Before Letting the World Know Your New Business Name Buy the Domain!

Well probably anyone reading this post will realize how important technology has become to the success of a lot of businesses. Is it especially important for start-ups and new ventures that get some press? Well yes.

I can't imagine a business plan today not including what the website address will be. Just as soon as or as part of the process in deciding upon a business or brand name the name of the website is not immediately coined.  What led me to this post?

Well I was doing some online reading seeing what is going on in the business world as a do daily. I read about some companies business plans which include expansion or branching off into new ventures. Some even announce what the name of the new business is going to be when they are pitching the services and/or products the business will provide.

All well and dandy.  They got a lot of promotion around what they propose to do.  It seems they would take a cue from all the movie names who have to add the word "movie" to the end of their title.  Probably for the same reason they will end up with a more creative website name.  Before you go public with a brand or business name which is new to the market.  Save yourself some headaches and probably a lot of money.  Go ahead and coin the business name.  Check to see if the website name is available.  Okay with me being into domain names the way I am. The first thing I go to check for is to see if they have a lready set up a website. Especially when the article is really pumping them up to make them sound like the next best greatest idea since sliced bread. 

If the website is not yet active, I would at least like to see a coming soon page. Well, in a lot of cases I see where there is no website which exists at all. Or even more incredible, someone else already owns the domain for the business they are looking to set up.  It makes you wonder how many names they scratched during their brainstorming efforts that were available for the brand and the web.

It is 2011 for heaven's sake. Kudos to your new business venture.  Business is happening online nowadays which is just as important as offline.  In my business, the majority of people go online first.  Online is where people are looking things up before they venture out.  Gas prices are a bit too high to be joy riding around for most folks you know!  I sure am hoping they already have a variation of the name coined that I just couldn't come up with nor find in a generic Google search.

The funny thing about it is, some businesses are purporting they are expending hundreds of thousands of dollars on technology to support their newest and future business endeavors and didn't even spend about $10 to capture the website name before it becomes a premium name or someone else buys it up.

If you are looking to purchase a domain name you can do it on my website at http://www.websites4sell.com/ any time 24 hours 7 days a week. Just like you own the business my guess with the number of online consumers in today's market, you may want to own the domain as well.  It is best to own your domain yourself.  You don't want a web developer cutting you loose and your domain goes with them if any creative differences arise later on.

 

Congratulations to all the latest and greatest business ventures!  Don't forget the website name to go on the sign.  You haven't made a sign without it have you?

 

It is all about combining your offline with your online and especially your marketing efforts which go to print.

 

Lynne Ruffin

Owner/Operator

Web-Styles

3007 Tait Terrace

Norfolk, Virginia

Phone:  (757) 717-9929

Personalized web services:  http://www.web-styles.com/

Do-it yourself web services:  http://www.websites4sell.com/

"Let's show the web wide world your style!"

 

Lynne Ruffin is also a full-time, full-service real estate professional licensed in Virginia with Century 21 Nachman Realty. 

Social Media - Can We All Enjoy It Together, Amicably?

A challenge to the ones who blow off steam online: "Be Mindful of Your Social Media Etiquette." Okay I've been using social media for a while now and I must say I enjoy it. The people who comment are normally very respectful of what others have to say.

However, over the past couple of days I've seen some comments from boasters which are very flagrant and just plain mean. I am all for freedom of speech, but your freedom of speech doesn't necessarily have to lend itself to being rude or obnoxious.

Granted there are some issues which are going to cause some people more pain than others. We all have different experiences in life. We bring those different perspectives at times, to the social media forums we contribute to.

Telling people what they can do for you which would require you getting up out of your seat and making your backside available can I say safely can considered as being inappropriate. We get a little a heated sometimes if we think people are saying something to offend our ethnicity.  Our ethnicity:  we were born with it, we wear it around everywhere we go, and apparently there is nothing that can be done about it.  However, the name calling, bickering, arguing back and forth for the over 10,000 other people in the group to see is taking it a little bit too far when things escalate to a level where it becomes unsocialable behavior. Most social network mediums have a feature where you can send a private message if things appear to be getting a little too hot. Let it boil over between you guys in your Inbox.

Next, being called a traitor of your ethnicity because at times even those of the same ethnicity will no doubt not see eye-to-eye on the same point.  We all see the world differently.  Our ideas, thoughts, and intellect do not co-exist collectively with one another in a cloned state.  It could be a different in opinion, a diference in the facts presented to support your point.  Maybe someone has more knowledge because they have seen transpire first hand via a special project or assignment.  Or some people you feel should stand up and take a stand because you feel it is having a direct impact on their ethnicity may feel there has not been enough information presented to take a stance.  Just because you blurt out a post doesnt' mean the world will completely change course the next second.  Especially her it is after the fact and the whole incident and it particulars have played out in the media.  I'm wondering where were you and all your concern when things were bubbling over before practically everywhere on the same topic. 

If you throw out an argument which is old news most of the sparkle of the best limelight is gone, conclusions have previously been drawn. And since everyone is not happily agreeing with you or revisiting the issue you call everyone basically a traitor to their own ethnicity but in more colorful language is a little bit too much.

Most of the people, especially after 11 p.m. at night are adults online. Being adults you would hope adults would act accordingly. All these things you are saying are definitely being recorded. It is so sad when things escalate to the point as I have mentioned in a previous post where it catches the attention of law enforcement. And especially when it is directed directly at them and their services.

Chances are when you are getting all overheated and discombobulated over a topic that someone else is calm and mature about, especially if they are on your immediate or level one friend list at that point in time you can bet a reason exists not an excuse.  The point of fngerpointing, the blame game, etc. have long passed.  You may just want to stop and take a deep breath and see the forest for the trees. If they are at a ice cold level and you're blowing off steam and your steam doesn't seem to be melting the ice something is definitely wrong.

I said all this to say "Learn to Disagree without Being Disagreeable!"