Posted by: matzke | February 5, 2010

Egghead? You called me Egghead?!

I was really tickled, not to mention intimidated, to be invited to be a guest blogger on Scott Cowan’s blog. This is like finally getting a date with someone you’ve been flirting with who you never really expected to ask you out. Now you have to put up, (not out, really!) or shut up.  Be engaging, creative, interesting and interested.

Title insurance would not be my best first date topic.

So I want to share a little exercise that will hopefully be entertaining,  hands on, and maybe awaken a little part of your forgotten creative soul. By the end of it, you will have some basics that will help you draw a human face.

Ready?

Get this-the human head is remarkably similar in shape to an egg.  Obviously every face has it’s nuances, but in general for the proper placement of features on a face these guidelines will really help you. So get out a piece of paper and a pencil and play along.

first head1. Draw a shape as close to an egg as possible. Run a light line down the middle of the oval dividing it in half lengthwise. Sorry, this is not really an egg shape so you will have to willingly suspend your disbelief.

2. Find the middle of the egg and draw a line horizontally. This is where the eyes will be. Eyes are big marble shaped things that sit inside the sockets and are protected by eyelids, but the basic underlying shape is round. Just above the marbles where the eyebrows will sit. Draw a line there too.

3.  Now,halfway between the brow line and the chin is another line,which will bethe bottom of the nose. Of course a head wouldn’t be right without ears, and they generally lie between the brow line and the bottom of the nose.

4. Lastly, divide the space between the bottom of the nose and the chin into thirds, and the upper third is where the mouth goes.

Ok, so I really am a better painter than graphic designer,  but you get the gist. When you break down a seemingly complex and difficult thing like the human face into segments,  find the underlying constant and remember the basic principals, then you can start to have fun with adding dimensions, nuances, life.  Kind of like dating….

Posted by: matzke | November 22, 2009

Great Video for Sellers looking at Short Sales

Check out this video and many more at our resource center Ticor Short Sales

There is help available and many professionals that are ready to assist distressed homeowners. Ticor Title helps by offering escrow and title services on all homes and partners with MRS for negotiating services. Contact us at 253-460-2921 for more information.

Posted by: matzke | August 20, 2009

What’s going on in University Place, WA

As part of our ongoing quest to understand the real estate market, the gurus at Ticor Title (aka Rene Fabre and Matt Sweet)help us break down data into bite-sized pieces. Below is a Residential Transaction Summary (RTS) that will give you insight on homes in University Place, Washington. Please leave a comment if you like. I will be looking at different neighborhoods throughout Tacoma and Pierce County.

 
Residential Transaction Study 8/5/2009
Project description: market update: University Place 98466… single family dwellings (non-waterfront)
 
monthly market Most recent transaction: 7/29/2009 Market (homes): 3737
month year sales mrkt% $/sqft avg price median
Jul 2009 10 0.3% $138 $388,095 $243,975
Jun 2009 8 0.2% $125 $243,448 $221,500
May 2009 9 0.2% $149 $396,204 $320,000
Apr 2009 4 0.1% $136 $251,750 $257,500
Mar 2009 10 0.3% $132 $318,739 $264,725
Feb 2009 9 0.2% $124 $332,643 $288,502
 
property characteristics
1 story 2954 w/ bsmt 1,194 platted 3,145
1.5 story 171 avg bsmt sqft 1,225 avg lot sqft1 11,228
2 story 603 w/ garage 2,927 unplatted 592
3+ story 1 avg garage sqft 510 avg lot sqft2 17,577
avg % imprvd 48% avg year built 1964 avg bldg sqft 2,172
avg # beds 3 avg # baths 2    
  1avg lot sqft of all platted properties 2avg lot sqft of all unplatted properties
 
 
Ticor Title ITMr2 The data used in this report is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Ticor Title cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies.
© 2004-2009 Ticor Title Renton WA 98057
Posted by: matzke | August 1, 2009

No Excuses-Found it on Ning

Really, every day you get to put two feet on the ground is a blessing.

Posted by: matzke | July 16, 2009

Pictures are worth 1000 words

Here is a little test video that we worked on during the last roundtable at Java Fusion

Join us on Wednesday, July 22 t 9:00 am for the next roundtable where we will look at generating leads on Facebook

I find myself looking at this resource less and less mostly because it has blossomed into a bigger engine that when I first found my friends from across the globe. So, Scott Cowan from Keller Williams will be helping us out as this venue is really working for him. Hopefully some other folks out there will join us too and share some insights.

And something fun for you Tacomans….
I hope to get some new pics from the Glass Museum in Tacoma uploaded soon. If you haven’t been down there lately, the Water Forest has been repaired and is in working order in front of the museum. Take a walk along the Thea Foss waterway, enjoy the sunshine, and check out our local art scene.

Keeping it short and sweet,
Janet

Posted by: matzke | June 23, 2009

Using video to boost your business

Wedesday, June 24 at 9:00 am-Java Fusion – join us for a discussion on internet marketing via video. Here is a link to the National Association of REALTORS that you might find useful.

http://www.realtor.org/library/library/fg914

Posted by: matzke | June 18, 2009

We’re gonna make you a STAR!

Ok-this is too fun and too easy. As you can see from my last post I have been very busy NOT posting to my blog…

the real estate “Open Season” came upon us quickly so we have seen more deals coming in the door (a big TICOR thank you to everyone!!!) As with any cyclical business (which real estate is, for the unenlightened) when we get busy we tend to let the businesss maintenance get pushed to the back of the line. This includes email campaigns, past client marketing, prospecting, lead generation. We want our marketing in place BEFORE we get busy so that our business presence is constantly percolating.

In our roundtables we have looked at ways to keep this going through online marketing and social media. The savvy ones have figured out how to syndicate different sites like Linkedin, ActiveRain, Localism, Biznik, Digg, Yelp, retaggr, blogging….the list is endless.  Most of this is about spending time writing and reading. I say let’s take a cue from our kids, ditch the AR books and make ourselves a summer blockbuster MOVIE! Yes indeed, all you creative professionals out there, it’s time to work on making a little 1 minute clip that even kids will want to watch! Show us your neighborhood, a new financing program, an educational snip for a first time homebuyer, home repair tip….even interview the ice cream truck driver! You know you want to…..

Join our very cool business networking group at Java Fusion on 6th Avenue in Tacoma every other Wednesday from 9:00 am – 10:00 am. I am your host, aka the instigator. We welcome anyone who would like to be in a hands-on, non threatening environment who wants to grow a business, have some fun, and bring something new to the table.

Oh, and go ahead, comment on my blog. Make me happy!

Posted by: matzke | May 5, 2009

Web 2.0 and My Theory of Evolution

Here we are already in May and I realize that an evolution  in the way I conduct my business has occured, while my expertise is still in it’s infancy.  I know that I am not alone in this,  particularly with our  REALTORS and lenders. This is a great motivator to learn. 

The reason for my lag time lies somewhere between waiting for the cheese  to return and being so intrigued by the variety of tools available with Web 2.0 that I feel constantly distracted and bordering on attention-deprived.  Just learning how to create this blog has taken a great deal of time, and my occasional readers are subject to my inexperience.  Making a decision to post becomes a challenge to fully develop an  idea and commit to paper (a saying that is soon going to be archaic)  But the thing is, nobody else is going to do it for me, thus no cheese….thus evolution, stage one.
evolution
Unlike creating a watercolor painting that takes a singular focus, with new media available you can manipulate, erase, change, take  shortcuts, add videos and photos in an instant, and pretty much doodle until  your are ready to publish your work.   In my line of work,  helping my clients develop online marketing is not so singularly focused on the one result of a “sale”  as generating interest and,  to coin my dear friend  Rene’s term, creating a “ripple of influence”.  Since we know there is no silver bullet,  this new way of conducting business will take  broader focus and a knowledge of putting different tools to work.  Retaggr connects with Facebook connects with twitter connects with Linkedin connects with wordpress connects with postlets….Stone age to Iron Age to Hyperspace. Stage two, three, four, five, etc etc. Wowser!

I guess my ability to go from crawling to walking upright  biznically speaking  is to keep layering one tool on top of another until they all are working like spinning plates.  This is fun, challenging, creative and  the new way.  It is an evolutionary process but, like so many things in our society, it is on hyperspeed.  So my plan is to embrace another way of working,  learn, share and grow.  There are tons of websites that help along the way, and the experts are wonderfully willing to freely share.

The best part is  I know that we are still given all these gifts to enjoy from One who does not evolve. Very cool!

Posted by: matzke | April 16, 2009

The rewards are in the process, not just the product

There is a wonderful book that has been out for years titled “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Dr. Betty Edwards. The idea is we have different ways of reading and proccessing information-some are more linear, analytical, critical thinkers. That is the left side of the brain, the right side being  the creative, tactile, visual and emotional side.

Systematized, automated processes are not much fun for the right brainer.  We like to brainstorm ideas, visualize big conceptual pictures, then dive in head first with an eye to the end result all the time expecting the outcome to be somewhere between what is imagined and what really happens. The reward is in the process as much as the product or result.

are you having fun yet?

What is inspirational about social and business networking on the internet is that there is a legitimate place for the right brainers! Put out an idea. For example, I will promote my neighborhood watch  purely online. Blog about it, share it unabashedly on different sites like digg, tumblr, retaggr, etc, accept input, twitter it, create a facebook page, make a video…this is the creative process in action.  Where you start and where the internet takes you can be a wonderful adventure. You get to learn something new every day and connect with people you might never have the opportunity to meet if not for virtually.  

It is no substitute for real life face time, mind you, and the next revolution will probably be towards real time video social networking or something tactile like that. I don’t know-got any ideas? 

 

Stuff to know about:

www.picnik.com

www.tumblr.com

http://www.flyinside.com

www.myticor.com

Posted by: matzke | March 20, 2009

The power of a question

Check out Rene’s post on ActiveRain that made the front page…go ahead and post a comment as everyone has a response!

http://activerain.com/blogsview/991492/Where-did-your-last-client-come-from

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