Aug. 29, 2007 - On The Coat Tails Of My Blog

It seems that someone calling themselves "for sale by owner" has decided to ride the coat tails of my blog for a little free advertising.  He, she, or it, has linked their name to a for sale by owner web site.  Since I have been too busy to blog much lately I figured I would point these postings out to you.  They aren't too awful very bad and they will give you a reason to reread some of my old missives.  Besides, why should a guy like me be afraid of a FSBO site.  Once a seller fails to sell that way, I'm always glad to take the listing.

The postings you want to look at are, "You Want What?", "You Knew This Was Coming", "When Not To Use A Home Inspector", and "Bang For The Buck".

Now I really don't care if you want to actually put links on my blog "for sale by owner".  Chances are, if you put enough of them, when people do a search for "for sale by owner", my blog postings will come up as well, and that's a good thing.  However, since I am a highly skilled, full service, professional, that knows how to get the job done, I really don't think you would want to go head to head with me for a listing.  My suggestion to you would be to simply start your own blog.  Who knows, you might be able to do with the $34.95 listing what Earl Schieb did with the $34.95 paint job, make a totally useless product nationally famous. 

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

May. 19, 2007 - Let Me Introduce You To The Dude

I would like to introduce my readers to another blogger that has gotten my attention.  As far as I can tell he is not, nor has he ever been a real estate agent, however, he does have oppinions on real estate.  In fact, he has a real estate categroy on his blog.  The fact is, I have even been moved to comment on a post or two.

And so. with no further ado, allow me to introduce you to THE DUDE.  If you happen to comment on anything you see there, tell him Gene Molloy sent you.

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

Apr. 18, 2007 - It's Only A Matter Of Time

This blog has been a very nifty tool in my quest to become the almost famous real estate broker of choice to the masses.  Because of my e-PRO® status I know how to sort and filter my e-mail to find out where people are finding my contact information and an amazing amount is coming from this very blog.  Keep coming back, sweet readers.  It gets better.

Let's recap, shall we?  I have been on local radio as the Real Estate Expert from Des Plaines, where I was able to expound upon what it means to be an e-PRO®.  I was featured in the "Agent Snapshot" section of "Chicago Agent" magazine.  I have been contacted by a publishing house and asked to review the June Fletcher book "House Poor", which I have done, and let me take this opportunity to say that it turns out that this book becomes more and more relevant as those tricky loan products of days gone by take their toll on the current market.  I was featured in one of Charles Rutenberg Realty of Illinois recruitment brochures.  On the national level, I have received the recognition of my peers through various nicknames, praise and titles.  Lastly, judging from the tone of some of my hate mail, I have managed to touch some sore spots on the consciouses of the less competent.  Oh, did I mention that I have also managed to facilitate the sale of tens of millions of dollars worth of real estate?

Yesterday I received an e-mail from Amie Kershbaum, a publicist from 360i, touting the premier of a new show on HGTV called "Bought and Sold".  According to the e-mail, this is going to be "a new reality show about real estate".  It "puts the real in realty with a first ever look behind the scenes at everything agents do to make their clients happy".  She goes on to say that "These are passionate, hard-working agents who embody how real estate is a lifestyle, as you recently mentioned".  So obviously she has read my blog, because I always mention that real estate is my lifestyle, not my job.  Included in her e-mail was a link to HGTV's website, where there is a video commercial for "Bought and Sold", as well a link to a sneak preview on youtube (which doesn't work here).  The show premiers Sunday, April 29th at 10 PM  Eastern/Pacific time. 

You will have to check it out yourself, but judging from the sneak preview, "Bought and Sold" would do themselves a great service by seeking me out so they could do a show about me.  In fact, I think that all of my past clients who think they have been well served should contact HGTV and tell them exactly that.  I believe all of my service partners, you know, mortgage brokers, attorneys, home inspectors, etc. should do the same.  Those of you who have given me material for my blog in hopes that I would promote it for you, and have gotten mentioned, like Felicia from Harper Collins, should call or e-mail HGTV on my behalf as well.  All of my friends and fans in the blogosphere come on, get me on TV.

That being said, I need all of you potential sellers of multi-million dollar properties in the Chicagoland area to give me a call.  I am going to need a nice upscale property to promote when I get on the show and I can see no reason why it shouldn't be yours.  After all, with all of this blatant self promotion, as well as my past clients, friends, fans and associates working on this, it's only a matter of time.  

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

Mar. 29, 2007 - Blogging When Feeling Lazy

Here I am with time to blog and I can't seem to put a decent sentence together.  Having a brain that was made for problem solving, however, I have come up with a solution.  Since I real feel that I should give you something great to read, and I do not want to commit plagiarism in order to do so, I have decided to point you in the direction of some other really great real estate bloggers that you might not know about otherwise.  Besides, you never know, one of you might be contemplating a move to another part of this great United States.  I have five ladies that I want you to read.  I drew their names out of a hat so as to choose what order I would put them in.

First is Carole Cohen from Cleveland.

Next is Kristal Kraft from Denver

One of my old pals Maureen McCabe from Columbus

Then there is Bonnie Erickson from St. Paul.  Bonnie I might add, is the most prolific commenter on my blog.

And last but not least Linda Davis from Connecticut.

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

Aug. 15, 2006 - I Have Another Honor

I almost feel the need to apologize for being so far and in between when it comes to posting. I am, however, a very active REALTOR® first and a Real Estate Blogger when time allows. As my tag line goes, "real estate is my lifestyle, not my job". As with all things in life, one must prioritize and clients with active deals come first. Even in this stagnant market I have a couple of deals on the table and a few listings that demand my attention.

Because I am so erratic when it comes to posting entries to my blog, it surprises me that the illustrious Maureen McCabe, author of Columbus Best Blog has given me the #4 spot on her The Ten Best RealTown Blogs. Somewhat out of the character she recognizes, I would like to humbly thank her for the honor she has bestowed upon me. I would also like to congratulate the other nine honorees. You would do well to link on over to all of these blogs and check out what the rest of the country's real estate bloggers are talking about.

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

Jun. 9, 2006 - Why I Blog

First let me say that this has nothing to do with the "Commission" series. Every time I think I know what I want to do something better comes along to blog about. Fortunately, being the owner/operator/author/editor of this blog gives me lots of latitude to change directions. I don't have to run it by the boss. That is tied into the number one reason I choose to blog............BECAUSE I CAN.

I knew early on that blogging was a great way to get people interested in what you have to say. As you know, if you have been here from the beginning, I began this blog in January this year. It was kind of a new year, new vision for the business kind of thing. Well here is what the June 2006 "Society Members Insider Tips" (A communique from the Real Estate Cyberspace Society) has to say:

               "Many predict that within 2 to 3 years over 90% of Internet travelers will be receiving as much (if not more) information using RSS and other feeds as they will using e-mail and conventional web browsing. This should give most forward thinking agents a big incentive to get very familiar with this new technology now to stay ahead of the curve."

Forward thinking indeed. My blog is already six months old. And let me tell you this, I AM HAVING FUN. That's another reason I blog. If you visit my other web sites you know that my tag line is "Real Estate Is My Lifestyle, Not My Job". That's because I don't NEED a job, I have a lifetime stream of steady income that is more than sufficient. What I NEED is something to keep me out of trouble and help me fill up the seven day weekend. I considered becoming a professional golfer, but the competition is too intense and honestly, I'm not very good. I am good however at marketing, advising, counseling, negotiating, etc. I have a workable knowledge of the art of communication (although it has been said by some that I can be sarcastic, satirical and possess a dry sense of humor. Maybe so, but once you figure it out, I know your gonna love me). Since I was good at all of that, I decided to live the real estate agent's lifestyle.

So there are two of the reasons why I blog. There are more, but I have two deals going on that demand my immediate attention, so I gotta go. All you really have to do is subscribe to this blog via RSS feed and you will be appraised of my other reasons in a future post. Doesn't it seem like I'm always asking you to keep coming back?

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

May. 19, 2006 - Blogging In A Plain Brown Wrapper

Some real estate bloggers squabble a little sometimes. They come in all shapes and sizes. They have different mind sets. They have different purposes. They have different styles. They have different audiences in different parts of the country.

Some blogs are technical. Some are funny. Some are personal. Some are about housing styles. Some are lists of other blogs. Most are a conglomeration of a lot of things.

One real estate blogger recently sent out a post to a national blogging forum trying to teach other bloggers how to steal pictures from the internet to kind of dress up your blog. I'm sure it was just a mistake, but as we all know (or should know) ignorance is no defense. Any how, the idea was that people need visually pretty stuff to look at while they are reading your blog.

I guess I should apologize to my faithful readers. My blog comes in a plain brown wrapper. Yeah, I know, I should probably put my high school year book photo on it, instead of the true to life image that appears up there to your right. If nothing else, perhaps I should have my mustache airbrushed out so I would appear to be a young, vibrant stud muffin. Would you like to see me in my speedos maybe, standing in front of Molloy's Pub in Dublin?

Sorry, no window dressing here. I do have the delusion though, that if you want a good REALTOR® to help you buy or sell some real estate in the greater metropolitan Chicagoland area you will call me anyway. I'm almost famous.

As always, if you have found yourself receiving my blog postings via e-mail, it is because I have either blogged about you personally, blogged about something I know is of interest to you, or I consider you to be a person of deep thinking and intellect and I would love to have you occasionally commenting on my blog. If you would like to be removed from the list simply send me an e-mail saying so.

Mar. 31, 2006 - Promises Made, Promises Kept

There is a pile of stuff on my desk which is related to things I said I would put in my blog. I really have been pressed for blog time lately because business has been so good. The thing that makes my business good, however, is keeping promises, so here we go folks. Today is going to be a digest so to speak, no particular subject, just promises kept.

Someone asked me what a Truth-in-Lending Disclosure is and why they receive it. The disclosure is designed to give you information about the cost of your loan so you may compare these costs with those of other loan programs or lenders. Maybe the mortgage brokers who follow my blog will expound upon this subject.

I recently met some very nice people at the dog show. One of them was Jeanne Kott from The French Bulldog Club of America Rescue League, Inc. One of her main pieces of advice was don't get a dog, or any pet for that matter, if you can't spare the time to do it right. The same could be said for a blog, eh? She also expounded on the fact that a reputable breeder is one that does not breed for pure profit, but for the betterment of the breed, and will have bred the litter for a reason. The goal should always be to improve the breed. Period! "So my children could experience the miracle of birth" or "I wanted to create another Skippy" is not a good reason for breeding nor does it make someone a breeder. Those who make their sole income on the breeding of animals or call themselves professional breeders are known as a "puppymill". And in case you are into show dogs and like Frenchies as much as I do, the French Bulldog has the appearance of an active, intelligent, muscular dog of heavy bone, smooth coat, compactly built, and of medium or small structure. Expression alert, curious and interested. Any alteration other than removal of dewclaws is considered mutilation and is a disqualification. Ok animal loves, here's your chance to pontificate. Comments are always welcome.

Finally, two of my favorite places in Des Plaines to grab a quick lunch are Don's Dock and Joey Tomatoes Cafe & Deli. I will do a more in depth review of these groovy eateries at some future posting, I have two showings this afternoon and I gotta go get pretty. 

Feb. 26, 2006 - Great Stuff In the Twin Cities

I was looking for a place to leave a typically cool Gene Molloy type comment on Bonnie Erickson's Blog, but I could not find one. It's not because she doesn't have the kind of content I can sink my teeth into, on the contrary, she has some really great stuff. So good in fact, that I decided to just give you the link and let you see for yourself. She has an enrty on panhandlers that I am sure some of my Chicagoland readers can relate to.

You may have noticed that I have been pointing you to REALTORS® in other parts of the good old USA. That is just in case any of you are considering moving somewhere else. Due to my interaction on some groovy real estate listservs I am able to get insight from agents all over the United States and Canada. As of late, there are a lot of Real Estate Bloggers I've come in contact with as well. I pick the cream of the crop, the ones that I would use personally if I was relocating, and I pass them on to you. Just remember, should you happen to interact with any of them, tell them Gene sent you.

As always if you somehow got on my blogs mailing list and you find that to be repulsive just let me know and I  will delete you. On the other hand, if you read my blog and would like to be on the list so you will be sent new entries via e-mail, let me know that as well. You will be added.

Feb. 24, 2006 - Let's Visit Ohio

If the State of Ohio was a dart board and you wanted to throw a bulls eye you would have to aim at Columbus. If you don't believe me just look at a map. I have never physically been to Columbus, Ohio, however , through the miracle of the internet I have been able to visit Columbus on a regular basis and find out what's happening there. I know what is the best that Columbus and the surrounding area has to offer. That's because I have a "friend in the business" there, Maureen McCabe. She has a similar wit and wisdom to my own, probably attributable to our celtic ancestry. If you were ever thinking of moving to central Ohio she would be a fine REALTOR® to have looking out for you. Or maybe you are going to visit the area and need to know what's good in Columbus. Either way you should check out the Columbus Best Blog. Should you feel the need to contact her, tell her Gene sent you.

Jan. 7, 2006 - It's Beginning To Show Some Signs Of Life

It's been a couple of days since I was last able to post. I have been busy, which is a good thing. First and foremost, I put 1480 Ramblewood Drive, in Hanover Park, on the market. Since I am the kind of guy who believes that if you want it done right you should do it yourself, putting up a listing takes awhile. Not only did I have to put the listing up on my websites, http://GeneMolloy.com and http://GeneMolloy.net , I had to set up links from those sites to this blog while I was there editing.

If all that wasn't enough, the phone has started ringing again. I received inquiries about all four of my available listings and had a showing of the two bedroom condo at 1349 E. Washington, in Des Plaines.

Even with me not blogging for a couple of days the blog lives. I noticed someone added a comment about The Enemy Inside Your TV Set. Although it was an anonymous post, I know who it was. If you visit my blog, and if you comment here, why remain anonymous? Until I get his permission I am not going to reveal his identity, but I will say that he is a loan officer. Don't be shy, some one reading this blog might want to contact you.

I have had a few ideas as to what might work here. I have put a couple of people on the mailing list, so as to bring this blog to their attention. They all have some expertise that could add some flavor to this forum. One of them is probably wondering why I put her on the list and how in the world can she add any value to a real estate related blog. When I do the blog about moving with a pet, or pets, in the household, I will need most of the content from her, the expert. In turn, her not for profit organization will receive whatever recognition one might gain here.

See, it's beginning to show some signs of life.

Jan. 3, 2006 - Gotta Get Started Somewhere

Holy cow, I got me a blog. Now what the heck can I do with that?

I can hold court, pontificate, sound off, bloviate.

I can answer your questions. I can raise some questions. I can invite you to send me some pithy comments.

I could pretend I was the most famous REALTOR® in Northwest Suburban Chicagoland. I could become the most famous REALTOR® in Northwest Suburban Chicagoland.

I can announce announcements and give definitions. The possibilities are endless.

I can assign different days different purposes. I can have Mortgage Rate Day, Definintion Day, Market Analysis Day, Book Review Day, Anything Can Happen Day, Resturaunt Review Day, How To Day........there just are not enough days in the week for all the kind of days I can have.

Holy cow, I got me a blog. You should probably bookmark this place, add it to your favorites. This just might be exciting.