Real Living Sugar Pine Realty Blog

Amazing Northern Lights Show (video)

2012-01-27T09:10:00.001-08:00

(If you can't see this video, click here.)

How to Create a Simple Infographic and Give That Old Blog Post New Life

2012-01-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

This post is an attempt to get two birds with one stone. I want to talk about recycling old blog posts (the second part of the title). I've read a lot about doing it on other blogs. But it really wasn't until recently that I got into the recycling business myself ~ and in the following new way: via infographics. (Another term for infographic is: data visualization.)

And I didn't really start noticing infographics until recently. And I've become fascinated by them. (How 'bout you?) A cool site to check out is: http://visual.ly/. There you'll find a searchable database of infographics / data visualizations, many of which offer html code so you can embed them on your own blog or website.

INFOGRAPHIC "HOW TO"

But I wanted to make my own infographics rather than just posting others, is really where I found myself. And so I was able to devise a way using Microsoft Publisher. I want to share that with you here as a "how to."

TWO EXAMPLES

Both of the infographics you see here are my creations and meant as examples for you. (Click either image to enlarge, then in new browser tab or window click again.)

BACKGROUND SCHEME

Each infographic is a little bit different (obviously). The first one has just a color background (tan) while the other has a Christmas tree background (clip art). So that's where you start with some kind of background scheme. (I get my clip art free at microsoft.com.)

TEXT COLORS

Then you decide on text colors that complement your background. I've got four in each (with white included). I probably wouldn't go beyond that.

BRAINSTORM TOPICS

Next (and really you could / should do this initially) is to brainstorm and research your topic. Christmas was a pretty easy one as you can see. Each of the terms is just a text box and I mostly choose to use Arial as my font while varying the size. It gives an attractive tone.

In the other infographic (at the top) I googled information on New Year's resolutions and found a good article with stats, then used Microsoft Excel to create the graphs (which is just so easy to do if you know Excel).

RECYCLING OLD BLOGS

Still in the same infographic I want you to notice the "17 Resolutions NOT to Keep in the New Year" area which is my giving that old blog post new life emphasis now. That was a blog from the past, all text ~ which, of course, I could have just re-broadcast like that, but instead I was able to package it in a different and visually appealing way.

FINAL STEPS

Final steps in completing your infographic: select all fields (Ctrl-A), then group lock. Then right click anywhere on your creation, save as a png picture file, change resolution to commercial printing (very important) and voila!

You've got an infographic (created by you) to upload to your own blog or website.

I'd love to hear if you tried this "how to" out. :)

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10 Commandments of Blogging [infographic]

2012-01-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

On the mountain long ago Moses received God's law. I haven't been up to a mountain or anything, but I thought I'd use this pattern to make some points about blogging (and micro-blogging, too, if you're in to social media like Twitter).

So here you go with the 10 Commandments of blogging...

(click image to enlarge, then in new browser tab or window click again)

(To read the original Ten Commandments of Blogging and the 100+ comments, click here.)

At Least We Won't Look Stupid

2012-01-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Let's just cut to the chase. We like the old better. Right?

We like how we've always done things, the patterns we've set, the routine we've got going ~ regardless of if it's working anymore (bringing in business, helping us to reach a goal, positively enriching our lives).

Maybe it hasn't worked for a long, long time (or never at all)?

It's just hard to do something new. Because that would mean we would have to change. We would have to learn. We would have to adapt, think, grow. And that's uncomfortable. We don't like uncomfortable.

Neither do we like making mistakes (which when you're learning something new, the fact is it happens).

When you make mistakes or don't look like you know what you're doing, then you get embarrassed. And we don't like embarrassed either. We don't like people looking at us and thinking, "What a dope / dunce." We don't like the blood rushing to our face.

So let's just stick with the way we've always done it. Deal?

Oh, we may still be stuck in a rut. We may still not be doing much business. We may still be losing our shirt. But that's okay. At least we'll be competent with what we've got going. At least we won't make any mistakes or be embarrassed.

At least we won't look stupid.

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Recipe for a Real Estate Recovery [infographic]

2012-01-12T09:34:00.001-08:00

Sonora / Mother Lode Area Real Estate Stats

2012-01-10T09:26:00.001-08:00

I've got the latest Mother Lode market numbers for you to look at today. To begin with, you'll notice the overall sales picture including all sales classes. CLICK HERE to view December 2011 compared to December 2010. CLICK HERE to view January-December 2011 compared to January-December 2010. You'll also want to notice the graphs including the Mother Lode Residential Unit Sales through December 2011 graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 1 on above left) along with the
Mother Lode Residential Volume Sales graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 2 on the right) and the Mother Lode Residential Average Sales Price graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 3 on the left below), respectively. (The data used comes from the Tuolumne Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.) As usual, I also have some of the numbers in black and white here:

UNIT SALES: Dec 2011 = 82; Dec 2010 = 65; +26%

VOLUME SALES: Dec 2011 = $14,394,499; Dec 2010 = $12,521,910; +15%

AVERAGE SALES PRICE: Dec 2011 = $175,542; Dec 2010 = $192,644; -9%

REALTORS® and Technology [infographic]

2012-01-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Source: 2011 REALTORS® Technology Survey

Yosemite National Park: Test Your Knowledge

2012-01-05T09:12:00.001-08:00

Here comes another quiz in the "Test Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode" series. This time the focus is Yosemite National Park.

Of course, you've probably heard about Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, but there's just so much more to know about "the Incomparable Valley" as Yosemite Valley has been referred to.

Find out about the history of Yosemite and with the following questions (you can check your answers below)...

1. Yosemite Valley was formed long ago by:

(a) Noah's flood;
(b) an asteroid strike;
(c) a great earthquake;
(d) a massive glacier.

2. The numbers of visitors to Yosemite National Park annually is approximately:

(a) 3.5 million;
(b) 1 million;
(c) 1.5 million;
(d) 1.2 million.

3. What percent of the park is represented by Yosemite Valley itself (where Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, etc., are and most people visit and stay)?

(a) 10 percent;
(b) 1 percent;
(c) 15 percent;
(d) 12 percent.

4. A park bill protecting the Yosemite area was passed by Congress and then signed into law by which American President?

(a) Abraham Lincoln;
(b) John F. Kennedy;
(c) Ronald Reagan;
(d) Bill Clinton.

5. Native Americans occupied Yosemite Valley as long as:

(a) 800 years ago;
(b) 800,000 years ago;
(c) 8,000 years ago;
(d) 80,000 years ago.

6. When non-Indian peoples came upon Yosemite Valley in the middle 1800's, they and the Native Americans who were there:

(a) sat down and shared a Thanksgiving meal;
(b) suited up and played a game of football;
(c) embraced each other and couldn't figure out how they survived without each other for so long;
(d) began to fight between themselves which led to the Mariposa-Indian War.

7. In the early 20th century, a bitter struggle took place because this city wanted to dam the Tuolumne River inside Yosemite National Park so as to provide itself water to drink and hydroelectric power. This city would eventually get its way which led to the construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam:

(a) Fresno;
(b) Bakersfield;
(c) Sacramento;
(d) San Francisco.

Answers: 1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (d) 7. (d)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Wikipedia - Yosemite and Yosemite - National Park Service.)

10 Mistakes People Make Creating Infographics (plus 1 bonus)

2012-01-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Lightning fast post meant to make you think...

10 Mistakes People Make Creating Infographics (plus 1 bonus):
(what might you add to the list?)

1. Make text, graphs, etc, too small to read.
2. Don't allow for a click to enlarge.
3. Forget to study other infographics for ideas.
4. Overlook citing their sources.
5. Choose colors that clash (versus enhance).
6. Don't offer embed code.
7. Allow perfectionism to prevent publishing.
8. Forget it's a great option for recycling blog posts.
9. Don't spend the time it takes. (It will show.)
10. Neglect the KISS approach (keep it simple silly).

BONUS: Save as jpg file instead of png. (Latter doesn't lose resolution.)

12 To Do's for Realtors® in 2012

2011-12-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

12 To Do's for Realtors® in 2012:

1. Touch base with past clients.
2. Invest in social media presence.
3. Schedule regular rest, refreshing, re-energizing time.
4. Know MLS inventory in your sleep.
5. Grow automatic email listing database.
6. Read (at minimum) three new industry-related and/or self-help books.
7. Partner up with another professional who you can benefit from (and he or she can benefit from you).
8. Seek out a successful real estate veteran for insight/counsel on how to better your business.
9. Determine to not neglect important relationships (family, etc) and set parameters to protect them.
10. Set a selling goal, divide it up over 12 months and map out strategy to achieve it.
11. Let go of those things that aren't adding to your bottom line.
12. Don't be so hard on yourself in a challenging market.

Have any tips of your own? Please add in comment section below.

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All About New Year's Resolutions plus 17 Resolutions NOT to Keep [infographic]

2011-12-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

(click image to enlarge, then in new browser tab or window click again)

Source: Interesting New Year's Resolution Statistics

What Decorations? (A Family Christmas Memory)

2011-12-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

It was just over a week until Christmas (last Friday). And as I was leaving work, a coworker of mine said, "Mike, where are the decorations? You're usually the one that motivates us." It was true. The "motivator" part, but moreso, no decorations in the office this year (except for my manger scene at my desk).

You must know the full context for impact. My industry is in the dumps. How it's gotten there is besides the point. The fact is everybody isn't really in the mood for celebrating. And so I didn't put up the decorations (or motivate everyone else to). That is, until my coworker said what she said. It was like the Grinch's heart growing three sizes.

The next morning I mentioned it to my wife and three kids that I was thinking we should go over to the office and decorate. My wife (who has the gift of helps) of course said, "Let's go ~ now!" I said, "No, not yet. There'll be somebody there. Let's go tonight."

And so we did. We went after dinner and decorated the office. It was decorated like it had never been decorated before. Because you see, it wasn't just me doing it, but my family with me. And it was a surprise. You should have seen my three kids. I was so proud of them.

Do you think they'll remember it? Oh, you bet they will.

On Monday morning I was asked, "Mike, who decorated the office?" I said, "Decorations? What decorations?" :P

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64 Things That Come to Mind When I Think of Christmas [infographic]

2011-12-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Tuolumne County Foreclosure Activity (heat map plus graph)

2011-12-19T10:04:00.001-08:00

Calaveras County Foreclosure Activity (heat map plus graph)

2011-12-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

United States Foreclosure Activity (heat map plus graph)

2011-12-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

They Cooked the Books? (On Losing Trust)

2011-12-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

They cooked the books(?). And not only that, they were caught(?).

The "they" I'm referring to is the National Association of Realtors. In a statement to Reuters, NAR's spokesman Walter Malony comes out and says it...

"All the sales and inventory data that have been reported since January 2007 are being downwardly revised. Sales were weaker than people thought."

Huh? As challenging as the real estate market's been, it's even worse? Add to that, we wouldn't have even known about it except a real estate analysis firm called the NAR out(?).

The Reuters article goes on...

Early this year, the Realtors group was accused of overcounting existing homes sales, with California-based real estate analysis firm CoreLogic claiming sales could have been overstated by as much as 20 percent.

At the time, the NAR said it was consulting with a range of experts to determine whether there was a drift in its monthly existing home sales data and that any drift would be "relatively minor."

A "relatively minor" drift of 20 percent? And for 5 whole years?! (reference first block quote again) Are you kidding me?!

Of course, there are many questions that come to mind when something like this happens including: "What else are they fudging on?" and "How can we trust anything they say in the future?" and "Were they doing this on purpose?" Each are legitimate questions.

Bottom line: When you lose trust, it's pretty hard to ever get it back.

(To read the entire Reuters article: "Realtors: We Overcounted Home Sales for Five Years, click here.)

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A History of Real Estate (infographic)

2011-12-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Source: Real Estate Almanac - History by Year

12 Things Bloggers Should Expect in 2012 (plus 1 bonus)

2011-12-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

"The more things change, the more things stay the same."

If you've come here expecting a surprise (like the title of this post was meant to hook you in), you're gonna be disappointed. Or maybe you won't be?

In any profession it's the "basics" that are most important. And if there's a problem in an organization, you probably don't have to look much further than the "basics" being out of kilter to pinpoint the issue: Lack of communication, not following protocol, running over budget, etc.

And so it is with blogging.

When the clock strikes twelve on January 1st, 2012, nothing in blogging will have changed. It'll be the same as it was in 2011. How will it be the same?

The following list of "basics" offers some answers...

12 Things Bloggers Should Expect in 2012 (plus 1 bonus):

1. Expect to still have to work hard at it.
2. Expect to still get brain freeze.
3. Expect to get better and better.
4. Expect to still have a lot to learn.
5. Expect to go through times where you feel like you have nothing left to write about.
6. Expect to wonder if anyone will like your latest post.
7. Expect to have posts you thought weren't so great do better than posts you thought were.
8. Expect to gain new relationships you would never have had except you're a blogger.
9. Expect to get inspired where something just pops in your head and voila.
10. Expect to still have to share posts via social media for exposure.
11. Expect to have to keep reading what others are writing (to prime your own pump).
12. Expect to write (and read) lists like this one because they are catchy and people like lists.

BONUS: Expect that uplifting feeling that comes when that post you labored over gets lots of comments, retweets, Facebook shares. :)

Image by cambodia4kidsorg

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What If Santa Was Real?

2011-12-07T09:40:00.001-08:00

I was a Catholic school boy in 4th grade. (I was a good boy, too, my mom always says.) That's when it happened. I heard my classmates talking about how Santa wasn't real. "No," I thought. "It couldn't be?" I was devastated. I didn't say a word until I got home. That's when my mom took me in my bedroom, shut the door and began to explain. I was sad. But I got over it.

And I was thinking the other day about my mom and how hard that conversation must have been. I'll bet she wished she could have said the opposite, that the kids on the playground were wrong. And I would have believed her. I would have believed my mom if she said, "Michael, Santa is real."

And would it really be so bad if he was? And wouldn't it mean more happiness and goodness and giving and faith and love and sacrifice and care and kindness and hope? That's what Santa stands for. Aren't we a little short on those things these days? Truth be told "Santa" did actually exist as a person (Saint Nicholas) long ago and is known for doing some of the things associated with present-day tradition.

No, I don't think it would be such a bad thing if Santa was real. Ho ho ho. :)

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Mother Lode Area Real Estate Stats

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001-08:00

I've got the latest Mother Lode market numbers for you to look at today. To begin with, you'll notice the overall sales picture including all sales classes. CLICK HERE to view November 2011 compared to November 2010. CLICK HERE to view January-November 2011 compared to January-November 2010. You'll also want to notice the graphs including the Mother Lode Residential Unit Sales through November 2011 graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 1 on above left) along with the
Mother Lode Residential Volume Sales graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 2 on the right) and the Mother Lode Residential Average Sales Price graph versus the previous five years (clickable picture 3 on the left below), respectively. (The data used comes from the Tuolumne Multiple Listing Service and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.) As usual, I also have some of the numbers in black and white here:

UNIT SALES: Nov 2011 = 77; Nov 2010 = 67; +15%

VOLUME SALES: Nov 2011 = $13,361,388; Nov 2010 = $13,820,116; -3%

AVERAGE SALES PRICE: Nov 2011 = $173,524; Nov 2010 = $206,270; -16%

Test Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode eBook (free download)

2011-12-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Test Your Knowledge of the Mother Lode Series

Holiday Shows, A Canine's Shack, Meaning in Life & Linus' Famous Speech

2011-11-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

If there's anything cool about Christmas time, it's the holiday shows. Do you have a favorite? Frosty? The Grinch? It's a Wonderful Life? A Charlie Brown Christmas? That last one is among the most famous of all. And did you know it was done on a shoestring budget and the network predicted it would flop prior to release? (So much for executives.)

There's a part in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" where Charlie Brown walks by Snoopy's dog house. (Do you remember that?) Snoopy's trying to win the neighborhood light and decoration contest. And so his dog house is decorated to the hilt as Snoopy hands Charlie Brown a flyer explaining the contest. It's the last straw for Charlie Brown. He cries out, "Oh no, my own dog has gone commercial. I can't stand it!"

And I wonder if some people's lives aren't a lot like Snoopy and his dog house. No, I'm not saying you're a canine living in a shack. But I wonder if we're not just trying to win some kind of a prize (of our own mind's making? ~ some of us?) and in the process our life has lost its meaning. It's just become the next promotion or contest or thing that needs to be bought or person that needs to be impressed or deal that needs to be made ~ and on and on. Where does it end?

Charlie Brown was in search of meaning in life and he found it. We can find it, too.

Happy holidays.

(To watch Linus' famous speech in A Charlie Brown Christmas, click here.)

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10 Boo Boos People Make at Holiday Get Togethers (plus 1 bonus)

2011-11-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again. The time where we are thankful and give (and receive) presents.

It's also the time where we get around people we may not see throughout the year. That's where the trouble comes. Especially if the last time we saw somebody there was any kind of friction. (Been there? Done that?)

I'd expect there are many just dreading the holiday get together. (Is it you?) We can do a lot to help ourselves (short of not showing up) to handle the pressure and dispel the tension that can accompany any gathering.

The main thing is to prepare ahead of time. Know the relational mistakes and avoid them...

10 Boo Boos People Make at Holiday Get Togethers (plus 1 bonus):

1. Show up late
2. Worry about what others think
3. Talk too much
4. Talk about themselves
5. Try to change people
6. Are too honest
7. Show off (brag)
8. Drink too much
9. Judge
10. Stick their foot in their mouth (say something they shouldn't say)

BONUS: Forget to say, "Thank you" (and send a "Thank you" card afterwards)

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Thank You

2011-11-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

(This is for just in case someone forgot to tell you these things.)

Thank you for working so hard. Thank you for holding on to your integrity. Thank you for being honest. Thank you for obeying instructions. Thank you for giving financially. Thank you for remaining loyal. Thank you for standing your ground. Thank you for providing for your kids. Thank you for loving your wife (husband). Thank you for going the extra mile. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being you.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. :)

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