Obligatory "Lack of Posts" Post

I started this blog to supplement my Online Philadelphia Residential Real Estate Startup project, to write about the process of starting up my business, Philadelphia Area Real Estate information and everything else in between that would be relevant.

However, shortly after starting the blog, I was laid off from my Commercial Real Estate job, and ever since, my schedule has been quite erratic lacking the hour in the morning at the full time job devoted strictly to coffee and web browsing.

This being said it has been hard to keep up on the local news. My 'Philly' & 'Real Estate' Feed Reader folders are the proof in the pudding. Nonetheless, I have begun to centralize, now that I've recovered from the initial shock and hopefully I can get back to the task at had, as soon as possible.

As far as business news goes, I just ordered 750 promotional cards to further spread the bryanslist.org, message. I've been sticking stickers all over the area too...maybe you've even seen one, they look like this and can be found on a mailbox, ATM or toll booth near you.

Until next time...

Fall08-COM-8100-001 Strategic Communication Theory

D-U-N, DUN!

Now it's time to get back to work...

GOT IT DONE!!!

I've been trying to code my site to look like this for almost exactly a year.

I'm seriously about to cry right now, tears of joy though.

Feel free to head over to the main page and search your little heart out!

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

I've been working every day for the past five years, since I've been out of college, which some of my elders might read and go "psst, talk to me in 10 more you little punk." I get that and appreciate it, but nonetheless, it has felt good to have the last 2 weeks off to sleep in, put a strong effort into my final paper for my night class and work primarily on building out bryanslist.org.

I spent pretty much the entire day yesterday, trying to get the javascript right for the Google Map displayed on my housing search results page, but to no avail. I picked up the PHP that I wrote a good portion of the site with pretty easily, but for whatever reason, javascript has been killing me. I've been trying to get this page right, off and on, for most of the year and now that I am this close, I'm really starting to get excited. I have like one step left until this map is right, then have a few more odds and ends to tie up and then it's time to really kick it into overdrive.

I have a vision for this site that I've discussed off and on this blog with friends and close associated. I really think that it has a lot of merit and I'm really psyched to see what it can do, once it is finished being built and I really start to hit the street to sell it.

Here's hoping...

Top 50 Philadelphia Home Sales

(Via Inqy)

I also created a Google Spreadsheet with a condensed, combined and averaged version.

Check it out here.

Please, please, please!!!

Clout: MSNBC's Matthews house-hunting in Philly

This is super exciting!

Friday Night Update

I haven't posted on this blog in a few days. Even though no one actually reads this thing, I still wanted to get something up to keep the ball rolling. I watching President-elect Obama's Weekly Address on Youtube, I learned that 533,000 Americans lost their jobs in November. I unfortunately became one of them this week.

I have been all over the map doing different things this week, which is one of the reasons for the lack of posting, but not the only. Just being out of a real estate office for just 4 days, I've realized how detached one can become. Just one example being that the backlog in my Google Reader Real Estate folder is nearing 500+.

I'm still getting my Google email Alerts pertaining to any new in Philadelphia regional real estate and I have to say that they have mostly been optimistic. Everyone seems to agree that despite all of the economy woes, our city of brotherly love, still is a good bet.

Cheers to that!

Google is Good

It's nice to get what you paid for!

10 Years Later, NAR discovers the Internet

(Via MLS Tesseract)

This should be interesting...

Below, from the article linked to the title of this post, are four important things that MLS's, brokers, etc. need to make happen by the end of February, as pertaining to the DOJ's mandate that the NAR update their VOW policies.

I bet you a thousand dollars have to read at least one sentence more than once to understand what it is trying to say. Gotta love lawyers!

1. Determine whether to categorize fields or statuses as confidential, recognizing that doing so means that participants cannot disclose them, even orally, to their brokerage customers.
   
2. Ascertain what state law requires for the formation of broker/consumer relationships. Are disclosures required? Is a contract required? An MLS without an understanding of the answer to these questions will not be able to enforce the VOW policy.
   
3. Develop a process for receiving, evaluating, and granting broker/AVP requests for data feeds, recognizing that each broker/salesperson may have multiple VOWs under Policy Section II.7. MLSs should probably have a standard VOW access agreement (permitted under the Policy) or modify their existing IDX access agreements to address VOWs.
   
4. Prepare to provide a persistent download upon participant request. The download must include all non-confidential listing information.

Tuesday Update

Wanted to post something today and not miss two in a row.

I got laid off my day job yesterday. Didn't really come as a surprise and am trying to give myself at least 48 hours to fully process how to proceed.

Despite the obvious negative aspects, I seem not to be bummed out too much and really optimistic about the future and the (at least temporary) freedom. Had a crazy first day of unemployment. I am just starting to decompress from it.

Next throwing in a quick story, when I was in college I came back to Philly for most of the summers and spent a lot of days working for my Uncle's moving company. While I was driving around today, I saw two of the trucks parked in a shopping center parking lot as the guys were eating lunch. After I finished my own business, I noticed them getting back into the trucks, so I drove over to say hello. Being that I am now unemployed I thought it necessary to ask them how busy they had been of late thinking that I might be able to get on a job or two to pick up some extra cash in the short term. When I asked them about business (I guess not surprisingly) the one guy, Mike, told me he'd been a mover for almost twenty years and had never seen business this slow. Didn't even sound like most of them were getting 40 hour weeks.

So for all of you economics buffs, there's a real life example of the trickle down effect actually WORKING!

Also spent some of the day on the PA State Website, reading about Real Estate Laws, it seemed a lot less complicated this time around, not really sure why.