Agent News | Milestone - Kentucky Houses

April 6, 2011

By Judy Craft

Deborah Back is consistently one of the top producers in all of Central Kentucky and has been featured in numerous articles over the years. Deborah possesses impeccable people skills which have proved to be invaluable as she helps buyers and sellers, particularly in today’s volatile market. We recently asked Deborah about her business philosophy and what she feels are the keys to her success.

Deborah Back

Some background – Deborah has been a licensed agent for 11 years. She graduated from EKU with a degree in Interior Design but her sales background was in the tourism industry. “I was in the tourism business in sales for 16 years with 14 years in a corporate environment where your efforts were measured every day to determine what your return on investment would be of those efforts. It was a people business and you had to build trust & grow relationships in order to reach your goals. You had to have a marketing plan that would show what it would take each year to reach & exceed those goals.” When asked how this helped her in her business today Deborah responded, “It taught me that relationships are the cornerstone of being in the people business. It taught me that all people are looking for someone who is looking out for them & they want that person to have honesty & integrity, but also they want that person to have the knowledge to drill down to the facts & be able to give them a plan to reach their (housing) goals.”

Deborah also places a high value on continuing education and has attended several conferences and training programs over the years. She also holds several designations and certifications.

Family and work go hand-in-hand as Deborah works with her husband Greg and son Todd making up The Back Team. She works hard to maintain balance in both her personal and professional life. “My husband and I have raised two happy & healthy young men & that has been the discipline in our lives, but recently I have taken up the practice of Yoga. Sometimes it is difficult to find the balance but we are fortunate to be able to follow our younger son’s college baseball career at Georgetown College. Every opportunity we get we hit the road to attend his games. Did I mention shopping?”

The Back Team

That family support is vital to Deborah’s success. Even today she states, “I would have never taken the plunge into the Realtor world if it had not been for the love & encouragement of my husband. He has given me unconditional support & I think a supportive family is huge in this business. Our kids were 17 and 10 when I entered this business. In between their activities I would be putting up signs, dropping off contracts, meeting inspectors, etc. etc. One time our younger son waited in the car 30 minutes playing his video game (I promise it wasn’t child abuse) while one of my clients poured out her frustrations over a Lexington home inspection. He politely reminds us (frequently) that he will never do what we do! Too much drama, he says!”

Given the chance, what would she do differently if she could start over again today? “I would have probably gotten my Brokers license earlier in my career. It is something that I would like to have.” Well, Broker’s license or not, we think you are doing just fine Deborah!

Anything to pass on to new agents in today’s environment? “The first thing I would tell them is that you must be able to face rejection well. In this business with over 2000 agents you will find out quickly that buyers & sellers are not always loyal. The second thing is that you have to keep a positive attitude of glass is half full. The third thing is that they should have a marketing plan on paper with set goals to achieve. As new agents they need a list of names called a sphere of influence that they have constant contact with. It doesn’t have to be 500 names. It can be 50 or 100 names. I went to the people that I knew best from my previous career as they already trusted me. You aren’t going to get them all but you will get some of them. Lastly I would say as new agents you need to be 110% committed. Be visible, attend all office functions, ask questions often (I am still asking questions) & don’t forget the Golden Rule”.

Comments (2)

Walden Mortgage Weekly Newsletter: The Housing Market Update

April 5, 2011

By Walden Mortgage Group

Pending Home Sales Surprise to the Upside

Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in February, a trade group said Monday, pointing to a modest pick-up in home sales.

The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in February, increased 2.1 percent to 90.8. Economists had expected the index, which leads existing home sales by a month or two, to fall 1.0 percent after a previously reported 2.8 percent decline.

“We may not see notable gains in existing-home sales in the near term, but they’re expected to rise 5 to 10 percent this year with the economic recovery, job creation and excellent affordability conditions providing confidence to buyers who have been on the sidelines,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.

What Happened to Rates Last Week

Kentucky mortgage

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) gained +10 basis points from Monday’s open to Friday’s close. We had a very volatile week with rates moving upward or downward every other day. This was in reaction to several different economic reports which gave us mixed signals about our economic expansion. We ended the week on a positive note as Unemployment dropped to 8.8% and we saw some more growth in the Non-Farm Private Payroll numbers.

What to Watch Out For This Week

The following are the major economic reports that will hit the market this week. They each have the ability to affect the pricing of Mortgage Backed Securities and therefore, interest rates for Government and Conventional mortgages. We will be watching these reports closely for you and let you know if there are any big surprises:

Date	ET	Release	For
5-Apr	10:00	ISM Services	Mar
5-Apr	14:00	Fed Minutes	15-Mar
6-Apr	7:00	MBA Mortgage Index	1-Apr
6-Apr	10:30	Crude Inventories	2-Apr
7-Apr	8:30	Initial Claims	2-Apr
7-Apr	8:30	Continuing Claims	26-Mar
7-Apr	15:00	Consumer Credit	Feb
8-Apr	10:00	Wholesale Inventories	Feb

It is virtually impossible for you to keep track of what is going on with the economy and other events that can impact the Kentucky mortgage and housing markets. Just leave it to us, we monitor the live trading of Mortgage Backed Securities which are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon.

Mike Dunn, Holleigh Sharp & Jeff Sharp

Comments (0)

When Good Just Won’t Do – Danielle Dugan

April 4, 2011

By Judy Craft

Danielle Dugan is one of the leading Realtors® in the Jefferson County area and has consistently produced high volume in her real estate sales. I first met Danielle when she spoke with Becky about the possibility of joining the Milestone team last summer and was immediately impressed with her enthusiasm and zest for life. Danielle is clearly passionate about her career and works hard to achieve her goals. I was thrilled when Danielle agreed to contribute to this series and trust you will find her insight helpful and inspiring.

Louisville Realtor® - Danielle Dugan

Danielle has been a licensed real estate agent for 11 years with a sales background in the building supply business. She was also a mechanic in her family business. This background has been extremely helpful to Danielle as she learned about every product that goes into the building of a home. She discovered she had a gift for helping people with home design as well as making their dream of home ownership become a reality. She also learned to help builders achieve success with her design and marketing skills.

When asked about the importance of continuing education and training/conferences Danielle replied, “It is an absolute must. This is an ever changing industry selling Kentucky houses and it can very quickly pass one up who is not paying attention.” Danielle is also very disciplined in her daily routine. “I am pressed, dressed and ready by 7:00 a.m. and make all calls by 10:00 a.m. This has been a proven part of my success. And I tackle the hardest task first.” Great advice Danielle – this alone shows why you are such a successful businesswoman!!

Family is also very important to Danielle. “I feel balanced. I have always taken the time to do things that I enjoy, which is very important in maintaining my sense of self and I feel that keeps me balanced with family and career.” It is apparent that family has played a large role in her success as she credits her father for instilling a strong work ethic and customer service attitude early in life. She says, “I started working for my Father on weekends when I was 12 and the lessons I learned about how important Great Customer Service is to the public and it has stuck with me. I choose to surround myself with supportive and positive people in the real estate industry as well as my personal life.”

Hindsight is 20/20 but in looking back over her career, Danielle is certain she wouldn’t do anything differently. As for advice to new agents in today’s environment? “Take as many classes as possible, always ask for help from friends and family to help get you started. Recognize that if your heart is not in it and you do not like working the many hours with the many demands, you may want to rethink your path. I do not feel that it can be a part time job. To be successful you have to be a full time Realtor® for your clients. When you love what you do, it is not like work at all!”

Comments (3)

When Good Just Won’t Do – We Make it to the Final Four!

April 1, 2011

By Judy Craft

We are all very proud of our University of Kentucky Wildcats for their diligence and perseverance in the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Did we really think they would make it to the Final Four this year? Maybe last season with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, but this team – not so much. So it has come as a delightful and welcome surprise that we are looking forward to a great weekend full of sports and Big Blue Mania. So what happened? Let’s face it – the pre-tourney season was good but not exceptional. The Cats lost several road games and at times looked lackluster. Coach Cal seemed frustrated (although not as frustrated as Rick Pitino – haha) and even the SEC Title seemed questionable.

Then Great happened. The team gelled and seemed like a well-oiled machine. At the end of the games we just waited for the inevitable “choke” and loss and were instead thrilled with a determined team focused on the prize. Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins came through with clutch shots and sealed the victory. But let’s talk about the real story – Josh Harrellson.

When Good Just Won't Do - We Make it to the Final Four!

Josh is a senior and his previous contribution to the team has been – and yes I will say it – a big YAWN. Sure, DeMarcus Cousins was the “Man” last year so Josh didn’t get much playing time but he also didn’t impress when he had opportunities. So what happened? Josh finally got it. Coach Cal mentioned at the start of the season that Josh worked hard over the summer with strength training and was mentally and physically ready to take on the challenge of being a senior player and leader on the court. Yeah, right. I’ll have to see this to believe it. In your face – says Josh Harrellson – I’m here to play – and he did. Boy, did he play. Josh improved his skills on the basketball court as far as his athleticism, but also as a team leader. The team and the entire Big Blue Nation have been able to count on Josh this year for his tremendous play, cool head under pressure and ability to rally the team when they are down. For whatever reason, Josh decided that good just wasn’t good enough. He had his chance at greatness and he took it. Nobody handed it to him. Josh worked hard in the gym, on the court and in class to prove that he has what it takes to achieve greatness.

So this leads me to ask – what is it that will cause your greatness? Will there be an epiphany or a eureka moment or will you, like Josh Harrellson, decide that you will seize the brass ring? In his book “Good to Great” Jim Collins summarizes by asking “Indeed, the real question is not, ‘Why Greatness?’ but ‘What work makes you feel compelled to try to create greatness?” If you have to ask the question, “Why should we try to make it great? Isn’t success enough?” then you’re probably engaged in the wrong line of work.

Milestone is committed to Greatness and your success. What can we do to help you find or sell Kentucky houses? What can you do to help yourself? It isn’t easy to differentiate yourself from the crowd and be successful. Over the next few weeks I will be interviewing some of our top agents to pass along insight into their success. I trust that you will find their stories compelling and helpful as you travel your journey to Greatness. But for now – GO CATS!

Comments (0)

MilestoneKY.com Launches Proximity Search

By John Day

On a day dedicated to pulling pranks and telling fibs, we’ve decided to launch a new and exciting tool over on our website. It’s been a few months in the making but we have finally made our new Proximity Search live for the public. First seen on a fellow Active Enterprise Network member’s website, Hasson Company – Portland Homes, we were very eager to add this search option to our list of search functions to help give clients more options for finding a home. Sounds wonderful, but what does Proximity Search even mean?

Proximity Search

To be topical and another excuse to talk about our Kentucky Wildcats being in the Final Four this Saturday against UConn, let’s say I want to purchase a Lexington home in close enough proximity to Rupp Arena that I could easily walk to the games. This search gives me different points of interest in a drop down along with some simple home searching options such as price, beds, baths and the key feature, a radius to select how close I’d like to live. You’ll notice that as you select different criteria you also a get a preview of how many homes will be in the search in addition to a map of how far reaching the radius you selected will be. For my example I click search and can see all 177 home meeting my criteria of a residential home that is $100,000 – $200,000 and within 2 miles of Rupp Arena. Simple and effective, it’s almost like a quick map search tool.

There will be other exciting tools coming in the near future all aimed at really helping a user narrow down where they want to live based on their day to day lives and less on the pre-determined data search fields we’ve all grown accustomed to. We feel this Proximity Search is a step in the right direction and are eager to hear feedback from our agents and users. In other news, lets go Cats!

Comments (0)

Walden Mortgage Weekly Newsletter: The Housing Market Update

March 28, 2011

By Walden Mortgage Group

Survey: U.S. Economy Over the Worst

In another sign the American economy is on the comeback trail, a new survey from KPMG shows optimism is improving among U.S. manufacturing and service industry executives. Executives in both key sectors say the worst is behind us.

The survey shows 68 percent of manufacturing executives believe business activity will be higher in the next 12 months. That’s up from 57 percent in October.

Forty-one percent of those same executives say they plan to hire more in the weeks and months ahead. That number was just 28 percent five months ago.

As far as revenue is concerned, 65 percent of manufacturers surveyed by KPMG expect revenues to rise in the next year.

This is of course, more good news for the housing sector. As employment levels increase, so does demand for housing.

What Happened to Rates Last Week

Kentucky Mortgage - What Happened To Rates Last Week

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) lost -65 basis points from Monday’s open to Friday’s close which helped to move mortgage rates upward. Mortgage Backed Securities (and mortgage rates) moved back into a more reasonable level after the Treasury Department announced that they would begin the process of selling their vast $1.25 trillion MBS portfolio into the open market. Also, fears over Japan started to wane in the financial sectors which helped to remove a “fear factor” premium in MBS.

What to Watch Out For This Week

Date	ET	Release	For
28-Mar	8:30	Personal Income	Feb
28-Mar	8:30	Personal Spending	Feb
28-Mar	8:30	PCE Prices – Core	Feb
28-Mar	10:00	Pending Home Sales	Jan
29-Mar	9:00	Case-Shiller 20-city Index	Jan
29-Mar	10:00	Consumer Confidence	Mar
30-Mar	7:00	MBA Mortgage Index	25-Mar
30-Mar	7:30	Challenger Job Cuts	Mar
30-Mar	8:15	ADP Employment Change	Mar
30-Mar	10:30	Crude Inventories	26-Mar
31-Mar	8:30	Initial Claims	26-Mar
31-Mar	8:30	Continuing Claims	19-Mar
31-Mar	9:45	Chicago PMI	Mar
31-Mar	10:00	Factory Orders	Feb
1-Apr	8:30	Nonfarm Payrolls	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Nonfarm Private Payrolls	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Unemployment Rate	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Hourly Earnings	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Average Workweek	Mar
1-Apr	10:00	ISM Index	Mar
1-Apr	10:00	Construction Spending	Feb
1-Apr	15:00	Auto Sales	Apr
1-Apr	15:00	Truck Sales	Apr

Mortgage Back Securities are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon. That is why we are happy to monitor the live trading of these for you as it’s extremely difficult to keep track of the economy and other factors that impact Kentucky mortgage and housing markets.

Mike Dunn, Holleigh Sharp & Jeff Sharp

Comments (0)

Walden Mortgage Weekly Newsletter: The Housing Market Update

March 21, 2011

By Walden Mortgage Group

Vast Majority of Americans Favor Home Ownership

Despite a historic real-estate market upheaval that sent foreclosure rates skyrocketing and home values plummeting, Americans still have a deep attachment to homeownership. Furthermore, they consider homeownership an integral part of an American Dream in which they still believe, according to poll results announced today by The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) and National Journal.

The eighth quarterly Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll revealed that nearly nine out of 10 homeowners say they would buy their homes again. That percentage held true even among homeowners who said their home values had declined. Seven of 10 Americans say they would advise a friend or family member to find a home as a long-term asset. However, while homeownership is perceived as a good personal decision, there is much greater uncertainty about whether expanding homeownership should be a government priority.

Although only 35% of respondents expect their personal financial situations to improve over the next year, three-fourths of those surveyed said it is still possible for people like them to achieve the American Dream, which the poll defined as the ability to advance as far as their talents will take them and live better than their parents did. A total of 59% said they currently are living the American Dream. Respondents identified owning your own home as one of the most critical parts of the American Dream, second only to raising a family.

What Happened to Rates Last Week

Kentucky Mortgage - What Happened To Rates Last Week

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) gained +53 basis points from Monday’s open to Friday’s close which helped to move mortgage rates down slightly. Mortgage Backed Securities shrugged off numerous economic reports that showed growth in the U.S. (which normally hurts mortgage rates) as international investors poured money in our system due to the continued global concern over the events in Japan.

What to Watch Out For This Week

Date	ET	Release	For
28-Mar	8:30	Personal Income	Feb
28-Mar	8:30	Personal Spending	Feb
28-Mar	8:30	PCE Prices – Core	Feb
28-Mar	10:00	Pending Home Sales	Jan
29-Mar	9:00	Case-Shiller 20-city Index	Jan
29-Mar	10:00	Consumer Confidence	Mar
30-Mar	7:00	MBA Mortgage Index	25-Mar
30-Mar	7:30	Challenger Job Cuts	Mar
30-Mar	8:15	ADP Employment Change	Mar
30-Mar	10:30	Crude Inventories	26-Mar
31-Mar	8:30	Initial Claims	26-Mar
31-Mar	8:30	Continuing Claims	19-Mar
31-Mar	9:45	Chicago PMI	Mar
31-Mar	10:00	Factory Orders	Feb
1-Apr	8:30	Nonfarm Payrolls	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Nonfarm Private Payrolls	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Unemployment Rate	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Hourly Earnings	Mar
1-Apr	8:30	Average Workweek	Mar
1-Apr	10:00	ISM Index	Mar
1-Apr	10:00	Construction Spending	Feb
1-Apr	15:00	Auto Sales	Apr
1-Apr	15:00	Truck Sales	Apr

Mortgage Back Securities are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon. We are happy to monitor the live trading of these for you as it’s extremely difficult to keep track of the economy and other factors that impact Kentucky mortgage and housing markets.

Mike Dunn, Holleigh Sharp & Jeff Sharp

Comments (0)

Central Kentucky Market Statistics: The Hangover Part 11

March 18, 2011

By Mike Wheatley

Welcome to the latest edition of The Hangover Series as we roll into our spring market in Central Kentucky. In the spirit of being optimistic, I think I’ll change the name of the series to the Recovery…this hangover has lasted long enough! Our official monthly market report has been released by the Lexington Bluegrass Association of Realtors, and here is my take on the numbers, what they mean, and where we are headed.

The three main categories I focus on are pending sales, total inventory numbers, and average sales price. Pending sales for the month of February came in at 518 representing an 11% increase over January numbers, representing 2 consecutive months of increased pending sales of Central Kentucky houses! Inventory numbers, while still very high, were basically stable from the previous month and just a little higher than the same month last year. We always see inventory levels rise throughout the year until around September, when they start dropping off again. Average sales price for the month was up about 7% from January 2011 and up about 6% from the same month last year. The average sales price figures continue to indicate we have reached a plateau of stability in our local market values. The ratio of final sales price vs. list price remained basically unchanged when compared to the previous month, and was down slightly when compared to the same month last year.

The bottom line story is the same as last month and will continue to be the same throughout this year: we still have way too many homes on the market but homes that are priced right and in great condition will sell, just not as quickly as we want. As we continue through the first quarter of the year, I will put less focus on the how this year’s numbers compare to last years’, as it isn’t a fair comparison. I want to focus instead on trends we are seeing in our current market.

Below is a summary of some of the key indicators for our local market:

Kentucky houses - Market Statistics

As always, my goal is to provide accurate, timely information on our local market. Feel free to call or email with any questions or comments. Should you have friends or family in need of a real estate pro, please pass my name on to them.

Comments (0)

Walden Mortgage Weekly Newsletter: The Housing Market Update

February 28, 2011

By Walden Mortgage Group

Housing Picture Continues to Brighten

Kentucky Mortgage

Existing Home Sales continued their upward climb in January. This is the fourth month in a row where we have seen month-over-month gains in the number of units sold. The National Association of Realtors reported that sales rose 2.7% from December. Also, the inventory levels decreased again

Kentucky Mortgage

The number one reason that the housing market tanked was due to over supply. So, with national and Bluegrass home sales increasing and inventory levels decreasing, this is certainly a trend with some momentum. All cash sales and distressed sales did increase last period. But any way that the excess inventory is gobbled up is good. It certainly shows that the demand is there and that investors are snapping up properties before prices rise. Maybe you should too?

What Happened to Rates Last Week

Kentucky Mortgage

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) gained +83 basis points last week which caused 30 year fixed rates to move lower. We had a series of stronger than expected economic reports such as Consumer Confidence, Existing Home Sales and Durable Goods Orders. Normally, this positive economic data would have moved mortgage rates higher. However, mortgage backed securities (and therefore mortgage rates) benefitted from continued concern over the stability of the Middle East. U.S. Treasuries and other bonds such as mortgage backed securities saw strong demand as a pure safety play.

Date	ET	Release	For
28-Feb	8:30	Personal Income	Jan
28-Feb	8:30	Personal Spending	Jan
28-Feb	8:30	PCE Prices – Core	Jan
28-Feb	9:45	Chicago PMI	Feb
28-Feb	10:00	Pending Home Sales	Dec
1-Mar	10:00	Construction Spending	Jan
1-Mar	10:00	ISM Index	Feb
1-Mar	15:00	Auto Sales	Mar
1-Mar	15:00	Truck Sales	Mar
2-Mar	7:00	MBA Mortgage Index	25-Feb
2-Mar	7:30	Challenger Job Cuts	Feb
2-Mar	8:15	ADP Employment Change	Feb
2-Mar	10:30	Crude Inventories	26-Feb
2-Mar	14:00	Fed’s Beige Book	Mar
3-Mar	8:30	Initial Claims	26-Feb
3-Mar	8:30	Continuing Claims	19-Feb
3-Mar	8:30	Productivity-Rev.	Q4
3-Mar	8:30	Unit Labor Costs – Revised	Q4
3-Mar	10:00	ISM Services	Feb
4-Mar	8:30	Nonfarm Payrolls	Feb
4-Mar	8:30	Nonfarm Private Payrolls	Feb
4-Mar	8:30	Unemployment Rate	Feb
4-Mar	8:30	Average Workweek	Feb
4-Mar	8:30	Hourly Earnings	Feb
4-Mar	10:00	Factory Orders	Jan

It is virtually impossible for you to keep track of what is going on with the economy and other events that can impact the housing and mortgage markets. Just leave it to us, we monitor the live trading of Mortgage Backed Securities which are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon.

Mike Dunn, Holleigh Sharp & Jeff Sharp

Comments (0)

New Home & Remodeling Marketplace

February 23, 2011

By John Day

Kentucky house

This weekend is the Home Builder’s Association of Lexington New Home & Remodeling Marketplace and we at Milestone are getting ready for our booth as we try to reach out to new home buyers and show off what we have to offer.

Our booth is going to be technology focused and display just what exactly Milestone does to promote your Kentucky house if you list with us. Points of emphasis range from our television commercials to what our website does behind the scenes to get your home in front of potential home buyers. We will also be giving away an $500 Apple Gift Card to one lucky registrant, so we hope booth #201 will be crowded with excitement!

In addition to Milestone, a few other companies in the Milestone family will be in attendance including Ball Homes, Walden Mortgage, Via Vitae and Azalea Properties LLC. The Marketplace is being held February 25th – 27th out at the Kentucky Horse Park Exhibit Hall. The hours are 5-9 pm on Friday, 10am-8pm Saturday and 12-5pm Sunday. Admission is $6 per ticket or $10 for two tickets with free admission for all children 12 and under. For more information on the Marketplace please check the Home Builder Association of Lexington website. We hope you can make it out!

Comments (0)

Newer Posts — Older Posts

Archives

Enterprise Network

Categories