A Day In The Life...Adventures at RE/MAX Prestige

Westford Town Scavenger Hunt Today

2011-02-26T03:53:00.000-08:00

RE/MAX Prestige Westford is the key sponsor of a wonderful scavenger hunt throughout the town today. This program was put together by RE/MAX in order to help promote the local businesses within the town. Scavenger Hunt participants must go to local stores, restaurants, and service providers and take photos of certain items at that location. Each photo they snap can earn the participant points. At the end of the day the scavenger hunters will meet back at RE/MAX Prestige in Westford where scores will be tallied and prizes will be awarded. This is just one more way that team Prestige is getting entrenched in the communities where we do business.

RE/MAX Prestige Acquires RE/MAX First Choice of Northborough/Marlborough

2011-01-12T03:54:00.001-08:00

It is with great pleasure that we announce to you today that RE/MAX Prestige has acquired RE/MAX First Choice R.E. With this acquisition RE/MAX Prestige adds 45 new Team members who will add over 600 transactions and $200 million dollars in sales volume. We are thrilled and honored to welcome these new Team members into the Prestige family.

The combined company will collectively do over 3000 transactions, over $600 million in sales volume, and have over 250 of the best agents agents in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This expansion will give RE/MAX Prestige 2 prime offices in Worcester county and start to bridge the gap between our Eastern MA/Southern NH and Western MA operations.

We would like to thank Jim Flanders, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX First Choice R.E., for his over 20 years of dedicated service to the RE/MAX system. We also would like to thank Jim for the trust and confidence he has placed in us and for allowing us the great opportunity to expand RE/MAX Prestige into central Massachusetts.

RE/MAX Prestige will continue to offer the very best Motivation/Inspiration, Technology, Training/Education, Lead Generation Tools, Administrative Support, and company culture to its entire company. We will continue to grow by adding new Team members, adding additional offices, and increasing our production throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. The expansion plan that we have had and will continue to have will benefit all of you by adding more market share, more great agents to learn from and benefit from, the ability to keep your investments as low as possible, the ability to add significant benefits to your existing business, and the ability to continue our goals of increasing production and time with family for all.

This acquisition is significant for our entire company and all of our agents. The addition of these new great agents makes RE/MAX Prestige the 3rd largest real estate firm in Massachusetts and a Top 20 RE/MAX firm in the world. You should all be very proud of what you have accomplished over these past years and the future looks very bright for all of you.

We would like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and friendship. Together we will continue to prosper!!!

Andy

Business Planning Boot Camp - Every Monday In December

2010-11-16T14:17:00.001-08:00

Business Planning Boot Camp

ARE YOU PREPARED TO START 2011 OFF RIGHT?

Join me for this FREE One Hour Webinar - Business Planning for Career Real Estate Agents. For this event please download our complete business planning kit at www.AgentMonthly.com under Agent Freebies. You will need the following information:

1. Dollar volume and number of transactions you closed in last 12 months.
2. Lead source of each closed transaction for last 12 months.
3. Number of potential buyers you talked to in last 12 months
4. Number of potential sellers you sat with in the last 12 months.
5. A breakdown of your yearly living expenses
6. A breakdown of your yearly business expenses

This class is for serious agents who are dedicated to growing a well run business in 2011. It is virtually impossible to achieve all of your dreams without a road map pointing you in the right direction throughout the year. We will walk you through the business plan step by step and explain why each portion of the plan is crucial to building your foundation for 2011.

Register for a session now by clicking a date below (times are Eastern Timezone):

Each session is a repeat. You do not need to take all four classes.

Mon, Dec 6, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Mon, Dec 20, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Mon, Dec 27, 2010 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration
with information you need to join the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

I'm A Sports Illustrated Centerfold!

2010-11-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Good Afternoon: Famous Supermodel Tyra Banks once said that she knew she made it big when she made the centerfold of Sports Illustrated. Well, RE/MAX made it big a long time ago, but this month we also made it into a beautiful double page photo spread in Sports Illustrated where our RE/MAX hot air balloon, the most recognized logo in real estate, was featured on the scoreboard at The World Series. When people think smartphone, they think Blackberry. When they think car safety, Volvo. When they think real estate, they think RE/MAX. More than $75 million a year is spent making sure one name stands out amongst the many that consumers may choose from....RE/MAX. If you think brand doesn't matter, think again because that Kleenex you just used is really a Brand and the seller down the street didn't decide to call a real estate firm, they chose to call RE/MAX.

Stacey

RE/MAX Glows in Sports Illustrated World Series Photo
You can't miss the RE/MAX Balloon Logo in a Sports Illustrated photo spread in the magazine's Nov. 8 issue. The photo captures the scoreboard at AT&T Park in San Francisco during Game 2 of the 2010 World Series last month.

The first two games of the five-game series were held by the bay, and that means tens of millions of fans and TV viewers saw your brand. Now add to that SI's millions of subscribers and readers.

RE/MAX was a 2010 season sponsor of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, and the partnership benefits extended into the postseason. As fans filled AT&T Park for games one and two, they passed dozens of RE/MAX banners all along the Embarcadero waterfront roadway. And the some 40,000 in attendance each day (plus countless TV viewers) couldn't miss the 19-by-13-foot lighted RE/MAX Balloon prominently placed on the scoreboard.

Other Giants sponsorship benefits in 2010:
Bloopers scoreboard feature sponsored by RE/MAX
RE/MAX Balloon logo on 7,500 mesh jerseys
Prominent placement of RE/MAX banners and the cold-air balloon
RE/MAX logo on 20,000 Buster Posey T-shirts
TV and radio promotions
Discounted regular season tickets for RE/MAX offices and agents

A Thanksgiving Pie For You

2010-10-28T07:01:00.002-07:00

(Customize and send to your sphere of influence if you would like to participate in the Thanksgiving Pie Pop By program we emailed you about last week)

With 2010 approaching its end I wanted to take this moment to say Thank You for your continued support and friendship throughout another great year. I love my business because I have the privilege to work with great people like you.

To show you my appreciation I hope you will come by my office on November 23rd between 9am and 3pm to pick up your complimentary Apple Pie from Mann Orchards in Methuen. It is a wonderful dessert to enjoy on your Thanksgiving holiday, and it is one less that you will have to prepare, giving you the opportunity to spend additional time with your wonderful friends and family.

Please reply to me no later than November 11th to reserve your pie.

Thank you again and may your Holiday Season be a delightful one.

Encore Presentation - Killer Listing Presentations

2010-10-28T07:01:00.001-07:00

If you missed our Sold Out ThinkMAX program in October - Killer Listing Presentations - we are doing an encore presentation on November 5th. See the invitation below and email me if you would like to attend. Those who attend will receive a cd full of great content to use in your business.

Thanksgiving Pie Pop By

2010-10-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

This year we will once again be offering the Thanksgiving Pie Reverse Pop By program to those agents interested in participating. Here is how it will work.

We will prepare personalized Thanksgiving postcards for you to send to your sphere of influence. Reply to this email with the number of postcards you would like. You will be charged $12.50 for every 100 postcards printed. You will be responsible for getting them mailed (or working with your admin to get them mailed). We will have your cards delivered to your office within 3 business days of you sending the request to me. My assistant, Morgan, will call you to get details of what phone number/contact info you want on the postcard.

By November 12th you must email Morgan with the number of pies you want (MorganQuinlan@gmail.com). We will send out reminder emails before then. The pies are fresh baked 8 inch apple pies from Mann Orchard in Methuen, MA and they cost $7.95 each. We will pick up the pies on the afternoon of November 22nd and will deliver your pies to your office that day. On November 23rd the offices will have fresh cider and coffee and will be ready to welcome your clients in to pick up their pies. We always recommend you order a few extra in case someone forgets to RSVP.

We will bill you on your Membership invoice issued in December for both your pies and your postcards.

Have a Spooktacular Halloween at RE/MAX Prestige!

2010-10-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Prizes:

1st Place - $200 Gift Certificate to Merrill - the RE/MAX Approved Supplier

2nd Place - $100 Gift Certificate to Home Depot

3rd Place - $50 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com

We look forward to some hauntingly creative costumes.... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Balance

2010-10-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Good Morning: Believe it or not, I think of you often. I constantly reflect upon how I can in some way help great agents like you live balanced lives rich with great relationships, freedom to make good business decisions, and all around happiness. Of course I want to see you make millions of dollars and enjoy all of the pleasure that comes along with running a profitable business. More importantly however, I want to see you thrive in your personal life. I have seen too many successful real estate agents build magnificent business plans and achieve all of their dreams financially, but at the expense of losing precious time with family and friends. I read a great blog post from Little Things Matter and I wanted to share it with you. With all the stress, hectic scheduling, and work that comes with being a real estate agent, I hope you read the article below and use it to enhance your relationships at home: your spouse, kids, and close friends.

As always, keep up the hard work. Stay balanced, enjoy your life, and keep smiling!

Stacey

25 Tips to Staying Married 25 Years

Authors: Todd and Joy Smith, Founders of Little Things Matter

Yesterday, we celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary. We can't believe we are old enough to have been married for 25 years. Recognizing the importance of building a successful marriage, we want to share with you our top 25 marriage tips. The following points are not listed in any specific order. It is our hope that these tips will help you enjoy a more rewarding marriage.

We recorded the podcast version of this post and we've added commentary that's not included in the written post. Click here to listen to this podcast. (The audio player is below the title of the post.)

1. Marry the right person. There is only one way you will know if the person you are dating is the right person to marry and that is by spending time together. We recommend dating at least one year before getting engaged. We dated for four years before getting married. Once we got married, there were no surprises.

2. Make your marriage your top priority. If you are married, there is nothing that should take precedence over your marriage and that includes your children and career.

3. NEVER say the word divorce. If you are committed to building a long-term healthy marriage, make a vow to each other that you will never say the word divorce or anything else that would leave the other person to believe you are not 100% committed to your marriage.

4. Don't argue over petty things. When we first got married we argued over every little ridiculous thing. It made our lives miserable. We then made the decision that we would no longer argue about meaningless things. Now when one of us bring up an issue, the other person takes it seriously.

5. Make a weekly date a priority. This is HUGE! Dress up, get out of the house and enjoy a special time together. During these times together show an interest in the things that are important to each other and avoid talking about subjects that could create tension.

6. Find at least one 30-minute block of time to spend together each day. It could be in the morning before work or in the evening. During this designated time, discuss what's going on in each of your lives. We all have a lot going on, but if your marriage is a priority, spending time together should take precedence over all other activities.

7. Serve one another. Be intentional. We are both very thoughtful about the little things we do to serve each other. This is about putting the other person's needs before your own. The more your serve and meet the needs of your spouse, the more your spouse will serve and meet your needs.

8. Communicate. Effective communication is critical for any marriage to last. This is especially important during difficult periods. Learn your spouse's communication style and the way he or she needs to hear what you have to say.

9. Freedom in intimacy. You know what we mean. Make it a priority.

10. Take care of yourself. This includes everything from your physical appearance to the clothes you wear. Do your part to be an attractive mate.

11. Don't use absolutes. This means not saying things like, "You always..." and "You Never..."

12. Be considerate. This means everything from cleaning up your mess to specifically avoiding doing or saying things that you know irritate your spouse.

13. Understand it takes hard work. Building a marriage of 25 years is not easy. We have had some very difficult periods. We have even had to go to marriage counseling to work through difficult periods. Know there will be challenging times and when they occur, work through them with a genuine desire to improve your marriage.

14. Be Encouraging. When your spouse is going through a hard period of time, starting a new endeavor, or working on an important project, be there to encourage and support him or her. You should be your spouse's number one fan.

15. Always show respect to each other. This includes the way you communicate to each other, they way you talk about your spouse to others and the way you treat your spouse.

16. Make family decisions together. We are a team and we make all family related decisions as a team.

17. Leave your work at work. When you come home from work, resist the temptation to talk about work, unless your spouse wants to hear about it. Instead, focus your time together on subjects of interest to everyone.

18. Be the best parent you can be. We make all parenting decisions together. We are intentional about our parenting. Your spouse's love and respect for you will grow when he or she sees you loving and parenting to the best of your ability.

19. Give your spouse freedom. We give each other the freedom to do things that give us pleasure independently. Of course, we don't take advantage of it, but giving your spouse the opportunity to do the things he or she enjoys is important.

20. Stay out of debt. Financial stress is the number one cause of divorce. Sit down together and create a budget that you will both stay committed to and don't allow yourselves to justify spending more money than you make.

21. Continue growing as people. We are both committed to learning, growing and achieving our personal best. This includes growing as a spouse, parent and individual. As one of us gets better, it helps the other person get better, just as iron sharpens iron.

22. Love your spouse according to his or love language. Read Joy's post titled, Loving People the Way They Need to be Loved to learn more about the significance of love languages.

23. Show your appreciation. In a marriage, it's easy to take things for granted. Tell your spouse how much you appreciate the little things he or she does for you. Cleaning the house, picking up the dry cleaning, walking the dog, doing the laundry, cooking dinner for the family, and fixing the leaky faucet are just a few examples. Don't let one good deed go unnoticed.

24. Be honest with each other. Once trust is lost, it is difficult to regain and this adage is especially true in marriage. Being honest also includes being honest with your feelings.

25. No holding grudges. After you work through an issue, move on and don't harbor ill feelings. We also strongly encourage you to not bring up past challenges. The past is the past. It's been years since either of us has brought up a negative issue from the past.

For those of you who are married, we want to encourage you to review this list with your spouse and discuss the steps you can both take to make to improve your marriage.

If you are reading this post and you are not yet married, we strongly recommend pre-marital counseling. We suggested this to both of our married children and their spouses and they will readily tell you that it was valuable, enlightening, and set the foundation for the marriage they now enjoy.

How long have you been married? Do you have some tips you can share with the LTM community? Please tell us in the comment section below this post.

You can enjoy an amazing marriage, if you will focus on the little things that go into building a successful marriage.

Click here to visit the site and/or comment on this post.

FREE Webinar: Responding to the Foreclosure Freeze

2010-10-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Foreclosure Authority™

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Our FREE Webinar will help you prepare for questions your buyers are sure to ask.

Questionable foreclosure paperwork has caused several major lenders to halt foreclosure auction sales and is temporarily putting a chill on short sales and REO sales in some local markets. We're offering a FREE Webinar to help you understand the underlying issues, how this may affect your business and how you can pro-actively respond.

FREE Webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at noon PST

Exclusively for members of the RealtyTrac Agent Network^TM, this webinar will cover the following:

•	How serious the foreclosure paperwork problem really is
•	Prospects of a quick resolution to the problem
•	Impact on foreclosure activity - defaults, auctions and REOs
•	Impact on short sales, courthouse auctions and REO sales
•	How top foreclosure agents are responding
•	What you can do to protect and grow your business
RealtyTrac Senior Vice President and national foreclosure expert Rick Sharga will host the webinar and update you with the latest inside scoop on this quickly developing issue.

Get a preview right now!

Watch a short video preview of Rick commenting on the foreclosure freezes.
View video

All members of the RealtyTrac Agent Network are welcome to attend this free webinar, but space is limited so please register today to reserve your spot. To sign up directly, call 800.306.5930 or e-mail agentsales@realtytrac.com.

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The information in this e-mail is provided solely for informational purposes and does not constitute an offer by RealtyTrac Inc. to sell, rent or lease real estate. RealtyTrac Inc. disclaims any warranties or representations concerning the information contained in this email. RealtyTrac Inc. does not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this e-mail and instructs you to independently verify the accuracy of the information provided. All intellectual property rights are retained by their owners. This e-mail contains advertisement(s).

To contact us, Click here.

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Top 25 Individual/ Teams for September and Q3 2010!

2010-10-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations...

Michelle Fermin

Jim Dolliver

Dennis Page

Joan Morrison/Barb Dwyer

Team Fisichelli

Fight Like A Girl

2010-10-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

Who do you know that his been affected by breast cancer? Is it your mother, your grandmother, aunt, sister, or friend? Is it you?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as such I implore you to spread the word to everyone you know about the importance of breast cancer screening. This largely curable disease has taken too many lives needlessly. This is mostly because many women think they will never be the one to receive the diagnosis and so they choose not to participate in the simple screening process. Even worse, how many women know they should get screened but are too busy caring for those around them, their spouses, kids, friends and co-workers, so they don't have time to focus on themselves?

As a real estate agent, you are an person of great influence. Your ability to use your influence in a positive and rewarding way is the most important job you have. With access to hundreds, if not thousands, of people throughout your personal network, you have the ability to share good information. You have the ability to save lives. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month I ask you to spread the word about the importance of breast cancer screening. Whether you print Breast Cancer Awareness materials from the website (www.nbcam.org) to share with the people you know or you send a Mammograms Save Lives E-Card to everyone you know (CLICK HERE), the five or ten minutes you spend today could mean a lifetime to someone you know.

There is a reason your database is called your sphere of influence. Your influence can change the world. Keep up the great work in all that you do.

Here are additional resources for you to share....

Breast Cancer Information

Breast Cancer Support Hand Out

Everything You Should Know About Cancer

Find a Mammography Center Near You

Breast Cancer Q&A

So You Want To Be A Rock Star In Your Business?

2010-10-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Do What Other Rock Stars Do!

There is a famous quote which goes, "Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it." In fact, if you want to be the best in sales, negotiating, or business, the best way to achieve your loftiest of goals is to read as many books as possible, listen to motivational cds everywhere you drive, and simply follow in the footsteps of other great business people. Speaking of entrepreneurial Rock Stars, I found an inspiring piece I felt obliged to share with a great agent of your caliber. I hope you enjoy it and use it to fulfill your greatest of visions. Keep up the hard work in your business. After all, "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

CEO in Feature Article: 'We're Leaner and Smarter'

Margaret Kelly knows something about overcoming adversity - in real estate and in life.

In a new Colorado Biz magazine feature article, the RE/MAX CEO explains how the challenging market is no match for the strength of RE/MAX and her own.

Read the full article online. Here's an excerpt:

"The biggest mistake of the past five years is that too many people actually thought that you could buy a home and three or four years later make 50 percent on it and walk away. Everybody says we are in the new normal - no, we're not. That was the old abnormal. We are back to what normal is."

The company saw the downturn coming. "We got lean, and we got smart," said Kelly, who oversees 95,000 agents in 80 countries, plus 400 employees at its Denver Tech Center headquarters. Gone was the corporate jet; real estate offices were consolidated and agents were trained how to handle foreclosures and bank-owned properties.

"We are not dealing with distressed properties; we are dealing with distressed people," Kelly said. "Tough times are when you shine, and we have incredible survivors."

Halloween Safety Tips

2010-10-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some parents like to take first dibs on some of the candy that the kids have picked up during the night. It's their reward for taking them around from house to house! We suggest that you watch the candy intake when you all get home, too much at one time can lead to stomach aches and indigestion. That includes mom and dad as well!

Make your child's Halloween a memorable holiday and they'll have good memories that last a lifetime! If you are taking your kids out for the night, dress up as well. Mom and dad should get into Halloween as much as the kids do!

Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids! They can get dressed in scary costumes and go door to door, begging "Tricks or Treats!" from neighbors or at the local mall. Lots of small towns have a Halloween Safe Night at the community center or school so kids can Trick-or-Treat safely but going door to door is the stuff of childhood memories! It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain, so following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween.

	Some towns set a curfew for trick or treating which makes it easier for townsfolk to know who's coming to their door. Make sure and stick to the curfew times and stick to subdivisions and areas with a lot of homes so your kids can get in as much trick or treating as possible in a few hours time.
	Plan a safe route so parents know where their older kids will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that your child is old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves. Make sure that they have a cell phone.
	Let your children know not to cut through back alleys and fields if they are out alone. Make sure they know to stay in populated areas and not to go off the beaten track. Let them know to stay in well lighted areas with lots of people around. Explain to them why it can be dangerous for kids not to do this. If they are going out alone, they are old enough to know what can happen to them in a bad situation and how to stop it from happening.
	Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you. This way you can check for any problem candy and get the pick of the best stuff!
	Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car. Explain why this is not a god idea and what to do if someone approaches them and tries to talk to them.
	Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.
	Let them know that they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GREAT TIPS!

MAR Convention & Trade Show

2010-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

The annual Massachusetts Association of Realtors Convention and Tradeshow is coming up this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Worcester. There are tons of great speakers, classes, and networking opportunities.

As well, The Karen King Team of our Wilbraham office will be featured on a panel on how to run an amazing team! We hope you can make it to Karen's presentation on Monday at 3pm.

Andy and I look forward to seeing you at the event. CLICK HERE to register!

Adopt a Family For The Holidays

2010-10-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Team:

At yesterday's meeting we reminded everyone that it is once again that time of year where we provide Thanksgiving Dinners and Holiday Gifts for local families in need. So far, our agents have committed to help 47 families for Thanksgiving and 15 families for the holidays. If you adopt a family for Thanksgiving you can buy an entire Thanksgiving dinner for that family. You can shop and put together your donation or provide a donation of $30 to the office and we will purchased a basket on your behalf. If you choose to support a family for the holidays we will send you a family holiday wish list at the end of October so that you can shop for, wrap, and provide a great holiday for that family.

Please fill out and email to me (or fax to 978-935-9696) the attached form if you wish to help out a family for the holidays

Help out by either donating items on the family’s holiday wish list and/or buying their Thanksgiving dinner.

______Check here to donate holiday gifts! Preferred size of family: ________

______Check here to buy a Thanksgiving Dinner!

Your name: ___________________________

Phone: _______________________________

Email: ________________________________

My Kid's Got Talent Art Contest Ends Friday!

2010-10-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

Andy and I are extremely excited to announce our First Annual RE/MAX Prestige My Kid's Got Talent Art Contest. All they have to do to enter is to create a piece of art (painting, drawing, sculpture...anything) about what RE/MAX means to them. Then send it to Andy or I (contact info below) on or before October 15th. On October 29th, a panel of 5 independent judges will review the pieces and will isue a $500 savings bond to one child in each of the age categories.

Age Categories

5 years and under

6 years - 11 years

12 and older

Holiday Gallery Showing:

All artwork will be displayed at our RE/MAX Prestige Holiday parties which will be set up similar to a gallery style art showing.

Office Artwork 2011

Many pieces will be professionally framed and displayed througout our 12 offices in 2011.

Send Artwork along with Name and Age to:

Andrew Armata

RE/MAX Prestige

211 Chelmsford Street

Chelmsford, MA 01824

Stacey Alcorn

RE/MAX Prestige

2100 Lakeview Avenue

Dracut, MA 01826

Learn and Earn Friday Featuring Jared James

2010-10-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Friday Morning Learn and Earns

Every Friday morning at 9:30 RE/MAX Prestige hosts an On Demand training forum courtesy of RE/MAX University. We will send along a list of upcoming training events every two weeks. The events will be held at 9:30 am and for the duration of each program (anywhere from one hour to three hours) depending on the program. The programs will be played on our RE/MAX University ROKU Boxes which are located in the SITO Training Facilty at RE/MAX in Dracut and our Training Conference Room in East Longmeadow. Please RSVP if you will be attending so that we may make sure that we have plenty of space, coffee, and and learning hand outs.

Friday, October 15th 9:30-11:30

No Limits: 7 Ways to Grow Your Business Now!

Jared James shows you how to stop "going to work" and start running a business in today's market. He discusses the importance of systems, the need for accountability, prospecting that doesn't seem like prospecting - and how to act on ideas that will change your business and your life.

Friday, October 22nd 9:30-11:30

Keeping the Fire and Drive Alive

The greatest challenge for most is not in knowing what to do, it is doing what we already know. Information, knowledge, strategies and ideas are abundant in today's high tech world, but taking consistent action in line with our values is what truly sets the good apart from the great; and the ordinary from the extraordinary. This is when we are not a slave to our impulses but the master of ourselves. Everyone is capable of exponential growth, both personally and professionally. We don’t have to settle for things as they are now or even be content with improving things incrementally or gradually. Success does not have to be hard, in fact, if it isn’t easy, chances are, it is not sustainable. Richard Robbins has had the privilege of studying and working with hundreds of thousands of top performing professionals from across the globe, and after decades of research and breakthrough developments, Richard Robbins has found a way to put the fun, excitement, enthusiasm and profit back in your business, and ultimately your life. Key Presentation Takeaways • Learn key steps to achieve sustainable performance breakthroughs • Learn how to shatter self-imposed limitations and glass ceilings • Harness the power of internal motivation to keep the fire and drive alive • Understand the human psychology behind why we do what we do, when we know what we know • Learn key steps to create an unstoppable mindset and push through obstacles you never thought possible • Learn a highly advanced self-management (vs. time management) system for majoring in majors (not minors) and living guilt-free

One Simple Way To Increase Income

2010-10-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon! Have you ever read The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon? It is an amazing book about the power of staying positive and eliminating complaining in your life. Did you know that there was a recent study done by The Gallup Organization about negativity in organizations? In that study they were able to quantify the amount of money it costs organizations where there is too much negativity amongst the employees. The bottom line is that complaining about anything won't boost your career and maximize your efficiency, but remaining positive will. In fact, negativity in your business can actually cost you money! That being said, I found a great article to share with you. I hope you use it to further enhance your business.

As always, keep up your hard work. You are amazing in all regards and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to watch you grow your business. Thank you!

Stacey

6 Ways to be Positive in Any Situation

The power of remaining positive, whatever the situation, can never be underestimated. We are all here for a limited period of time, is it worth it to spend any of that time in a dismal mood? Being negative?

The true test of an individual to remain positive is when challenges become difficult. Remaining positive keeps one’s mind in the right state of balance and often opens resolutions to the problems at hand. Negativity is contagious; not only does it affect the individual, but it spreads to anyone they interact with. When only the negative perspective is in focus, the resolution process is impeded.

Eliminating negativity, or rather, being positive is a mindset that can be found at any moment, and turned into a habit. Here are some tips that can help you in shifting your mindset:

Shift Your Thoughts – Be conscious of your thoughts. Especially, when life just isn’t going your way. The moment you see that you are diving into frustration, agony, sorrow and low self-esteem – shift your thoughts, by thinking about something completely unrelated. This breaks the pattern of self-pity, mind-created stories, and negative downward spiral. What makes us different from other mammals is our ability to control our thoughts and think for ourselves.
Find the Lesson – There is a lesson to be learned from every situation. No matter how unfortunate the situation may appear, recognize the beautiful lessons waiting to be discovered. Sometimes lessons are expensive, but every problem is a learning opportunity in disguise. You may have made a mistake, but now you can accept it and continue, knowing that you will make a different decision in the future. Understand this and be appreciative for the experience.
Attitude of Gratitude – You cannot be both angry and grateful at the same time. Start counting the blessings and miracles in your life, start looking for them and you shall find more. What’s there not to be grateful? You are alive and breathing! Realize how lucky you are and all the abundance in your life.
Positive Affirmations & Visualization – Practice seeing yourself in a positive and confident light. Do this whenever you have a few minutes (examples; Waiting for a friend, sitting on the bus, riding an elevator.) Self-affirmations (list of positive statements about yourself and your self image) are another simple and powerful tool to train your subconscious to see yourself in a positive light. This is important, as many of us can be so hard on ourselves though social conditioning. I am guilty of being extra tough on myself, but have learned over time to recognize my gifts rather than finding false and self-imposed inadequacies.
Inventory of Memories – Keep an inventory of memories that can immediately make you smile. Occasions where you felt happy, appreciative and cheerful. When you were at peace with the world. Whenever you are in a negative frame of mind, consciously and deliberately pick up any leaf out of this inventory and dwell on it. Reminiscing those happy moments gives a balanced perspective to your situation. You realize that what appears negative today will change tomorrow. Nothing stays the same.
Criticizing Detox Diet – Change your approach and attitude. See if you can stop criticizing others and situations. Our cultural conditioning teaches us to find flaws and problems at all times. Shift from fault-finding to appreciation-finding.

Whether you are positive or negative, the situation does not change. So, we mind as well be positive.

As with any habit, the habit of remaining positive in all situations takes practice and a commitment to yourself to take control. But start small, start paying attention to your emotions, start by wanting to change. I am working on this constantly, and I am here with you, working towards better understanding of my emotions and becoming a better person. Keep going at it, and you will gradually become a positive energy source for the others around you! Wouldn’t that be empowering?

Join Us For Our October Sales Rally!!

2010-10-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

I hope you can join us for our October 2010 Sales Rally. What are you doing to make sure your year end is a positive one? Are you networking as much as you are social networking? These past few years we have spent much time and energy on learning social networking skills. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn have become hot topics in real estate, so much so that many agents are spending less time in face to face networking. Networking with others is one of the most important keys to any great real estate agents success. It is a skill that schools rarely teach yet it is one that is vital to our business. Join us for our October Sales Rally and we will share with you key tips on networking your way to financial success.

Each month I use our motivational sales rally as an opportunity to share a book with you that will change your business and your life. This month it will be The 29% Solution-52 Weekly Networking Success Strategies. Click Here if you want to order a copy from Amazon. It's not necessary that you read the book for the rally, but if you're looking to expand your library with good content feel free to check it out.

Date and Time of Rally

Eastern MA & Southern NH - October 13th 10-Noon Tewksbury Holiday Inn

Western MA- October 14th 10:30- Noon At Wilbraham Office

Please RSVP to: Maureen Hoffmann at MHoffmann@remaxprestige.com or sign up on our Event Calendar.

I look forward to helping you learn and grow! Let's make 2010 the best year ever!

Westford Fall Family Fun Fest!

2010-10-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Family Fun Fest is on Sunday, October 16 from 10AM to 6PM

There will be a halloween coloring contest, a children's costume parade, lots of candy, dancing, arts and crafts, and a special performance by comedian Dan Foley at noon.

Bring your scarecrow to Kimball Farm on October 16th to enter the scarecrow contest and win a cash prize!

Also, Kimball Farm day passes will be sold for only $10- that includes mini golf, bumper boats, batting cages, driving range and a lot more! Click HERE for more info or to sign up for the scarecrow contest!

RE/MAX Prestige Westford is looking for someone to wear the Balloon Man suit to this event. If interested, please email mary@maryalcorn.com

Join Our SWAT Team

2010-10-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 7th 9am - Noon

SWAT Tour will be held next Thursday, October 7th from 9am to Noon. This is our monthly MARKETING S.W.A.T. (See What Agents Think) TEAM tour to help each other sell listings. How this approach works is that if you have a listing that's been on the market for too long and you need ideas on how to make it more saleable you can put it on the SWAT list. On Thursday, July 1st everyone with a home on the SWAT tour will go on a tour to view the homes. The tour will take place from 9am-Noon. This is not just a caravan! This is a TLC (Troubled Listing Caravan) approach to giving constructive feedback. We have a TLC Tour Analysis sheet that each agent will be required to complete after viewing each home. This is so that the listing agent will have concrete feedback on how to get the house sold. The tour meets at 9:00am at the first house. You will receive the Tour Analysis Sheets for each property on the day of the tour. The tour will be followed by a half hour marketing de-briefing where we can exchange verbal feedback about each listing.

EMAIL STACEY BY TUESDAY IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR PROPERTY INCLUDED ON THE OCTOBER TOUR!

THE RULES:

1. The tour spots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis

2. If you have a property on the SWAT tour... YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE TO GO INTO EVERY HOME ON THE TOUR.

3. If a property is in an area that is too distant, we reserve the right to not include it in the SWAT tour.

We think this is a great way for us to leverage the expertise within our marketplace so we hope you can join us!

Reach For The Top With Us!

2010-09-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Join us Wednesday October 6th for the

RE/MAX REACH FOR THE TOP

FALL RALLY

9AM- 5PM

Rhode Island Convention Center

RSVP by emailing SAlcorn@remaxprestige.com

This awesome event will be featuring motivational real estate coach Tom Ferry on How To Grow Your Business in 2011. As well, the afternoon speaker is Jon Gordon, best selling author of The Energy Bus.

NETWORKING COCKTAIL HOUR AND BOOK SIGNING TO FOLLOW AGENT RALLY

Back by popular demand, RE/MAX of New England will feature a cocktail networking reception for you to connect with old friends, make new ones, and maybe even pick up a referral or two!

During this cocktail hour, we will have fun photo oppurtunities and a book signing by keynote speaker Jon Gordon. This is a great way to unpack after a jam-packed day and network with some of your fellow RE/MAX of New England Associates.

With keynote speakers Tom Ferry and Jon Gordon, breakout sessions on media training, building teams, REOs and short sales, industry news from RISMedia and fun-filled networking reception to follow featuring Jon Gordon, you cannot afford to miss this event!

Free Webinar - Are Your Income Buckets Full?

2010-09-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Join us for a FREE LIVE Webinar on September 28
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
1:00pm- 2:00pm EDT

REGISTER NOW

Turning down business in this market is not an option. Shying away from short sales or REO's due to lack of experience is unacceptable and could mean a significant reduction in your earnings. Before the bubble burst, focusing on listing and selling single family homes or condominiums worked for many in the industry. Those days are gone. The market has weeded out many part-time agents and it has toyed with the earning power of many full time agents. In order to survive and thrive in this market you must be versed in most if not all areas of real estate. Are you maximizing your earning power?

Take a look at some of the income buckets RE/MAX agents are filling to meet and exceed their financial goals. We will review some of the basic things you need to know in order to expand your earning possibilities. Some of the areas we will touch on are:

1. Residential land sales for individual homes

2. Residential land sales for large developments

3. Residential new construction sales

4. Residential investment properties

5. RE0 sales

6. Using the 203k program to create sales

7. Be the corporate relocation division for a company

8. Commercial land leasing

9. Commercial leasing

10. Commercial retail sales

11. Commercial land sales

12. Commercial investment property

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/633297560

I'm proud of our troops...

2010-09-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

And also proud that I work for a company that supports them!

RE/MAX Franchise Honored for Commitment to Military Families

Denver, CO (Vocus) For the fourth year in a row, in recognition of its commitment to military families, RE/MAX has been named a Top Ten Military Spouse Friendly Employer by Military Spouse magazine. This year's Top Ten was selected from a pool of more than 2,500 large companies, and RE/MAX, once again, is the only real estate company to make the list.

"Military spouses make excellent, dedicated employees," says Dave Liniger, RE/MAX Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board. "They are sacrificing for our country, and RE/MAX hopes to make the lives of military families a bit easier at a most difficult time."

The innovative military employment program, Operation RE/MAX, has been helping military spouses and former military personnel find jobs in real estate for the past four years. Created in cooperation with the Department of Defense, the program matches members of the military community with volunteer RE/MAX brokers, who have made a commitment to coach, train and mentor military personnel.

As a result of the success of Operation RE/MAX, the company was honored with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award in 2007. The prestigious award is one of the highest given to civilians, and was presented to Gail Liniger, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of the Board, in a special Pentagon ceremony.

Operation RE/MAX has earned the cooperation of over 500 military installations and enlisted the support of more than 700 individual RE/MAX offices. Most importantly, it has placed more than 1,100 military spouses in jobs all over the world.

"Military spouses have a desire to perform well, a dedication to get the job done, and they honor their commitments," says Liniger. "In the real estate profession, military spouses have a built-in clientele because they have a personal relationship with many families who are moving regularly and trust them."

RE/MAX is joined on the Top Ten list by other high-profile organizations like USAA, Home Depot, T-Mobile and Kelly Services. To make the list, companies were required to produce at least $1 billion in annual revenue, and have specific military employment programs in place.

The annual list is a "who's who" of large corporations that were evaluated on their efforts to recruit military spouses, which make up a talent pool of more than 1.1 million; 93 percent are women. The Top Ten list is featured in Military Spouse magazine's October 2010 issue.

ThinkMAX Memory Quilt - Pay Tribute to A Loved One

2010-09-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

ThinkMAX, a collaboration of the most prestigious RE/MAX offices around, is proud to announce that for the upcoming Susan G. Komen walk to find a cure for breast cancer, we have a memory quilt where you can buy a square for $10 and dedicate the walk to a loved one. The RE/MAX Balloon Man will be walking the Susan G. Komen walk on September 25th and carrying our Memory Quilt as a banner to pay tribute to those memorialized on the quilt.

If you would like to make a $10.00 donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation we will customize a block on the memory quilt.

CLICK HERE

TO BUY A BLOCK BY DONATING TO TO A GREAT CAUSE!

ONLY 40 SPOTS LEFT!

Boston Clambake!

2010-09-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone who participated is cordially invited to join us at our Westford office on October 1st for our Boston Clambake to celebrate the winning team in our September 2010 RE/MAX Prestige Scavenger Hunt!

Date: Friday, October 1st

Time: Noon - 3pm

Location: RE/MAX Prestige - Westford - 234 Littleton Road

Please RSVP to Maureen Hoffmann at mhoffmann@remaxprestige.com so that we have plenty of great food for everyone!

ThinkMAX Presents: Improve Your Listing Skills and Presentation!

2010-09-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

Demonstration on how our sellers need us and walk away with a complete listing presentation that you can customize for your own business!

As well, one of the top listing agents in the state, shares her secrets, best practices and insights for a winning listing presentation - Develop & Focus on True Expertise.

Stop doing Opinion of Values!

Don’t do another Market Analysis!

Give your Seller Clients a

“Strategy for Success”

Friday, September 24th

Best Western Hotel, Woburn (Behind Spuds on Montvale Ave)

Take exit 36 off of Route 93

Presentation: 10 am to noon

Tickets $10

Seating is limited. Email Maureen Hoffmann at MHoffmann@remaxprestige.com to RSVP

ThinkMAX, your local RE/MAX Broker/Owner collaborative, wants our RE/MAX agents to become the smartest, most prepared and astute agents in the market. It’s a win-win. Your production and referrals go up and our RE/MAX brand is enhanced by the power and knowledge of our collective agencies.

Join Us Sept 25th - Walk For A Cure!

2010-09-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Jon RE/MAX Prestige as we walk in the Susan G. Komen 5K where all monies raised will be used to help find a cure for cancer. Join us for this awesome event! CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR TEAM

RE/MAX Prestige Raises $750 From Agents For Children's Miracle Jeans Day

2010-09-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

On September 8th and 9th RE/MAX Prestige, an 11 office firm in Massachusetts and New Hampshire celebrated Miracle Jeans Day for Children's Miracle Nework, by having two motivational sales rallies for the agents. Agents paid $5 to wear their blue jeans to the events which resulted in total funds raised of $750. The first event was held at the Tewksbury Holiday Inn and consisted of two hours of training and motivational material for the agents that are located in the Prestige Merrimack Valley offices. The same event was held the following day for the Western Massachusetts Prestige offices and the second event was held at Baystate Children's Hospital. After the event, the gents and staff participated in a tour of the Children's Hospital where they consulted with the nursing and hospital staff about what kind of tools and technology the hospital needs and how RE/MAX can further support the charity through per closing donations.

Miracle Jeans Day benefits Children's Miracle Network hospitals across the globe. Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals. Children's Miracle Network's mission is to generate funds and awareness programs in partnership with and for the benefit of member hospitals/foundations and the children they are privileged to serve.

September 2010 Sales Rally

2010-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Joins Us For Our September 2010 Sales Rally!

Open to all agents of all firms

DON'T FORGET TO WEAR JEANS AND BRING $5 FOR CHILDREN'S MIRACLE JEANS DAY!!!

This month's rally will be EXTREMELY important for anyone that needs to make more money in the fourth quarter of this year than they did last year!

Here's what we will cover:

1. Michelle Blum - Realtor.com will go through important training on our NEW Showcase Listing platform (Eastern MA/Souther NH Only. She will do this training in October rally for Western MA)
2. How to double your business by becoming a GO-GIVER!
3. How to Weather an Economic Storm
4. Miracle Jeans!!! Group photo for charity!
5. Using LogmeIn to save time and money
6. State of the Office and State of the Market Address
7. RE/MAX Scavenger Hunt final tally!
8. Updates on My Kid's Got Talent and Upcoming Susan G. Komen Walk!
9. Mortgage Minute by Prospect Mortgage

This is one of the best rallies of the year. With only a few more months left to 2010 we are going to show you how to make it the BEST YEAR EVER!

Wednesday, September 8th 10am - noon Tewksbury Holiday Inn
Thursday, September 9th 10:30-12:30 Baystate Children's Hospital (Baystate Children's will include boxed lunch and tour of what your children's miracle dollars do for their kids)

RSVP on the Event Calendar or to Maureen Hoffmann at MHoffmann@remaxprestige.com

You are invited to the Fall Agent Rally!

2010-09-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

We invite you to join your fellow Top Producers as we reach for the Top at the 2010 Fall Agent Rally! There’s no doubt that RE/MAX is the Home of Top Producer, and we have two fantastic general session speakers who will motivate and inspire you to achieve your potential. In addition, you’ll have two opportunities to take advantage of breakout sessions where you’ll receive tips, tricks and ideas that you can immediately implement into you business.
The general session features two incredible speakers, Tom Ferry and Jon Gordon. Tom Ferry has earned a reputation across North America as a top trainer, motivator and personal coach for real estate professionals. Throughout Tom’s career, he has helped real estate associates like you work less, eliminate stress and add more fun, passion and joy in their business and in their lives!
Jon Gordon is an International bestselling author of many books like “The Energy Bus” and “The No Complaining Rule.” Jon has been called on by everyone including NFL coaches, the PGA Tour and the FBI to inspire and benefit their teams. He will present, “The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy.”
Back by popular demand, the day will close with a cocktail reception, a great networking opportunity to meet with agents throughout New England!
Keep a look out over the next few weeks as we highlight our breakout sessions and add more color to what will surely be a fantastic day!
Download the 2010 Fall Agent Rally flyer here!
Register today by visiting the Agent Login section on the upper right hand corner of www.remax-newengland.com.
The first 200 people who register will receive a copy of Jon Gordon's 'The Energy Bus' for him to sign the day of the Rally. Sign up today!

Event Details
Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Time: 10am – 4pm (Check-in starts at 9am)
Location:
Rhode Island Convention Center
One Sabin Street
Providence, RI 02903
Hotel Rate:
Please contact The Westin Providence and mention 'RE/MAX of New England' for the special rate. Call the reservation line at 1-800-WESTIN-1 to take advantage of the special rate, reservations must be made before September 17, 2010.

Century 21 Lawrenson joins RE/MAX Prestige!

2010-09-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming Century 21 Lawrenson to RE/MAX Prestige. One of the oldest and most trusted real estate firms in Lowell is trading in the Gold for the Red, White, and Blue.

Proprietor, Stephen Lawrenson looks forward to utelizing the tools, technology, and brand name that RE/MAX offers to help his current agents thrive while at the same time attracting additional great agents to his team. Stephen and his agents will now be known as The Lawrenson Team at RE/MAX Prestige where they will continue to gain market share in Lowell and other areas of the Merrimack Valley.

Team Lawrenson will be comprised of Team Leader, Stephen Lawrenson, and previous Century 21 agents, Rick Lawrenson, Boly Taing, Tara Sek-Sann, Joanne Deschenes, and Eric Mom.

We are extremely pleased with this further expansion into the Merrimack Valley. With already number one market share in our local communities, including Lowell, this further enhances our ability to dominate the market. In the city of Lowell alone, the Century 21 acquisition will boost market share an additional 4%.

Even more exciting than the addition of market share, we are extremely excited to have six new members in our RE/MAX Prestige family. Our success at RE/MAX Prestige has been built on a foundation where hard working, determined agents share their success, ideas, and inspiration so that the team may grow as a whole. More great agents means more sharing amongst our family of agents and an even greater ability to service our clients throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Welcome aboard Team Lawrenson...We look forward to watching your team flourish!

New Twitter page!

2010-09-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Check out RE/MAX Prestige's Twitter page, and become a follower!

2010-08-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

A Simple Gesture - A profound Statement

Click here to join the RE/MAX Massachusetts Race Team!Or type in web browser - http://komenmassrace.kintera.org/remaxmassOur goal is to raise $25,000; we can do it with your efforts!Event DetailsWhat: Komen Mass Race for the CureDate and Time: Saturday, September 25, 2010 @ 8:15Where: Seaport Hotel – World Trade Center – Boston, MA I hope that you'd help me build this team to be one of the largest there on September 25th 2010.

Just think what kind of an impact that would have in raising awarness among the consumer of how RE/MAX Agents support their family and friends. The team’s goal is to have 300 team members and raise $25,000. Working together we can build and surpass the team’s goals. If we have 300 participants on the team, each participant would only have to raise is $100 to surpass the teams goal. Remember, you do not have to race in order to join the team - you can also Sleep-In for the Cure®. and still raise contributions by reaching out to you contacts. If you are unable to join my team, please pledge to help us reach our goal by donating now. Follow This Link to make a contribution to the team. Through dollars and awareness, we will inspire and empower individuals in the fight against breast cancer. “Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice.It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved”

Thanks For An Awesome Dog Days of Summer Agent Appreciation Event!

2010-08-26T19:06:00.001-07:00

Thursday, August 19th ended up being a perfect day! More than 100 agents joined us at our Agent Appreciation Cookout in Tewksbury. We had a great cookout and lots of fun playing horse shoes, softball, basketball, and more! Want to see our pix? CLICK HERE

Michelle Fermin of Methuen Office Recognized by Real Trends Top 100 List

2010-08-14T05:03:00.000-07:00

Methuen, MA, August 13, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Michelle Fermin with RE/MAX Prestige, ranked in the top 100 agents for total transaction sides closed in 2009.Michelle has been working in the real estate industry for more than 14 years and has extensive experience with short sales. Among Michelle's achievements are being #4 in the Tope 5 Individuals in MA in 2010 and #5 in the Top 25 Agents in RE/MAX of New England in 2010. Michelle was also the #3 RE/MAX agent in Massachusetts in the 1st quarter of 2009, and #5 RE/MAX agent in New England in the 1st & 2nd quarter of 2009, along with being a Platinum Award winner in 2008."Michelle has been an integral member of our team and has worked hard to achieve this outstanding level of sales," said Andrew Armata and Stacey Alcorn, owners of RE/MAX Prestige. "Individually closing the 94th highest number of transactions in the Country is a tremendous accomplishment. Michelle continues to raise the bar in real estate, making us and this community proud."In addition to excelling in the real estate industry, Michelle has been recognized as an accomplished business leader year after year at the Latin Pride Awards of New England.

RE/MAX Prestige: RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award Presented to RE/MAX Prestige Agents

2010-08-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Lazrak DuRoss Group, with RE/MAX Prestige in Chelmsford, has recently been presented with the RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award, which honors successful agents who have earned more than $1 million in commissions during their careers with the company. In 2009, only 16 percent of all RE/MAX Affiliates earned this prestigious award.

Christina Lazrak and Ann Marie DuRoss have been working in the real estate industry for more than 14 years combined and have extensive experience in Bank owned Foreclosures, Short Sales, First Time Home Buyers and Upsizing or Downsizing Sellers. Among Lazrak & DuRoss' achievements are RE/MAX Chairman's Club Award, RE/MAX Platinum Awards, & The Northest Association of REALTORS Platinum & Gold Top Producer Awards.

"Christina and Ann Marie have been integral members of our team and are more than deserving of this very prestigious award," said Andrew Armata and Stacey Alcorn (owners) of RE/MAX Prestige. "Winning this award is a tremendous accomplishment. The Lazrak & DuRoss Group continue to raise the bar in real estate, making us, and this community proud."

In addition, Lazrak and DuRoss actively support The Children's Miracle Network, contributing a portion of each commission earned to help the children being treated at Boston's Children's Hospital.

RE/MAX has nearly 100,000 agents in more than 75 countries who continue to out-produce the competition, averaging more sales than other real estate agents. With one of the most recognized brands in the world and one of the most trafficked web sites, www.remax.com , RE/MAX leads the industry with experience, professional agents - agent who are trained and educated through the award-winning RE/MAX University.

Win a New Home Patriots Fans!!!

2010-08-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

RE/MAX of New England and the New England PatriotsWant to "Take You to the House"If the Patriots break their single-season record of scoring more than 75 touchdowns this season, RE/MAX of New England will award one lucky fan $500,000 towards the purchase of a home FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATICK, MA – If the New England Patriots "take it to the house" more than 75 times this season, one lucky Pats fan will be able to buy a new one! RE/MAX of New England and the Patriots are launching the "RE/MAX Takes You to the House" program, which will award one lucky Patriots fan $500,000 towards the purchase of a new home if the Patriots break their single-season team touchdown record of 75 set in 2007. "As a proud sponsor of the New England Patriots, we are very excited about the upcoming season and the added thrill that this new program will offer fans," RE/MAX of New England Executive Vice President Jay Hummer said. "Helping someone to achieve the dream of home ownership, while rooting for the hometown team, will make game days even more special for RE/MAX." After the purchase of the new home, RE/MAX of New England and the Patriots will host a dedication ceremony at the home to celebrate the winner. Patriots Wide Receiver, Julian Edelman, stars in a thirty-second video promoting the program that will be debuted on www.remax-newengland.com. "I'm thrilled to be involved in a program that could award someone a half-million dollars towards the home of their dreams," Edelman said. "We will be working hard to take it to the house every game, and I'll be cheering along with RE/MAX for a big winner at the end of the season." To enter the "RE/MAX Takes You to the House" program, fans must complete a 500 word essay explaining how winning $500,000 toward a new home will make a difference in their lives. Essays and applications can be submitted online at www.remax-newengland.com. Entrants must be 18 years or older and the promotion is open to residents of the six New England states. A special selection committee consisting of local media members and RE/MAX employees will determine the winner of the contest. Deadline for entrees is January 2, 2011. About RE/MAX of New EnglandSince its inception in 1985, RE/MAX of New England has grown to over 220 offices and nearly 3,000 sales associates throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, providing residential and commercial real estate. Read more about the industry at the RE/MAX of New England blog at www.remax-newengland.com and follow us on Twitter at @REMAXNE. The RE/MAX web site is www.remax.com. RE/MAX is proud to help raise millions of dollars and support charitable organizations like Susan G. Komen For the Cure and Children's Miracle Network. About The New England PatriotsThe New England Patriots are one of the National Football League's premier franchises. Since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, the Patriots have won more total games (183) than any other NFL team. New England is enjoying a remarkable run of sustained success as the only NFL team to win at least nine games in each of the last nine seasons. The Patriots are one of just two teams in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span, claiming titles following the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons, and in 2007 became the only team in NFL history to complete a regular season with a 16-0 record. The team is located in Foxborough, Mass. - halfway between Boston and Providence, R.I. - and plays home games at Gillette Stadium. Patriots fans are among the most loyal and passionate fans in the country. The Patriots have sold out each home game since 1994 and their games are consistently the highest rated television programs in the Boston market each year.

Patti Fitzgerald Joins RE/MAX Prestige

2010-07-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

With 10 years of real estate experience, Patti provides real estate services to areas within an hour of Burlington and Billerica, specializing in residential sales. Currently Patti's business is 95% referrals and past customers, proving that her strengths with her clients are her positive attitude, her empathy with their particular situation, and her adaptability. Patti goes above and beyond for all her clients and that shows in the number of referrals she receives.

Patti lives in the area with her husband and her beautiful daughter. She has been a member of the Burlington Rotary since 2004 and really enjoys the many volunteer activities that allow her to give back to her community. She is involved in Pride Day, Concert on the Common, Dictionary's for 3rd Graders, Annual Senior Valentine Dance, and more.

Patti can be reached in the Billerica office at 655 Boston Road, by phone @ 781-730-4617 or email her at Patti@PattiFitz.com

Did You Ever Feel Lucky To Know Someone?

2010-07-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend myself, Kevin Durkin, Dottie Durkin, and Ed Bisson participated in the 20 Mile Memory Ride Race to raise money for Alzheimers. The race started at 11:30 and it was about 90 degrees. I work out at the gym every day and it was a hard, long race for me.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of meeting Ed Bisson, an agent in our Pelham office, well....you should take him to lunch sometime because he's a pretty amazing person. He battled cancer and won. The result was that he lost part of his throat and vocal chords and he speaks through a thumb sized hole in his neck. He hasn't let that put a damper on his business or his life...in fact he's going to be a platinum agent this year...and yes, that was Ed you saw on the Top 5 Agent list in NH that I sent out last week.

Anyway, Ed hadn't ridden a bike in more than 30 years. He didn't have any reason to ride the 20 mile race other than "it sounded like a good time." At about mile five we knew Ed was struggling....it was harder for him to breath than anyone else...and the 90 degree heat and hilly terrain were challenging for everyone. Kevin, Dottie, and I all encouraged Ed to turn back...it wasn't the end of the world if he didn't finish. Ed's reply, "I don't give up that easy!"

In fact, Ed doesn't give up at all. He finished the 20 mile race on pace with the rest of the team. There were some racers that gave up because of the heat and the difficulty breathing...but not Ed. He made us all proud on Saturday. I for one feel lucky to know him.

If you ever want to meet someone who will inspire you...who will show you what it means to never give up, call Ed Bisson in Pelham...take him to lunch...and I guarantee it will change your life.

Diane France Join Team as Individual Associate

2010-07-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

Wilbraham, MA, July 18, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Andrew Armata and Stacey Alcorn of RE/MAX Prestige, an 11 office Real Estate firm, are pleased to announce that Diane France has joined their Wilbraham office as a sales associate.

Diane worked behind the scenes in the Real Estate Industry taking property photographs, creating virtual tours, and in marketing before becoming a licensed agent in 2004. She provides real estate services to the Pioneer Valley area of New England. Diane is also relocation certified and has her CPDE Designation.

Diane can be reached in the Wilbraham office at 2141 Boston Road, on her cell 413-262-9480 or email her at realtorfrance@yahoo.com .

Matt Witte Joins RE/MAX Prestige

2010-07-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

RE/MAX Prestige is pleased to announce that Matt Witte has joined their Methuen office as a sales associates. Matt provides residential real estate services to the Merrimack Valley area, Essex and Middlesex Counties.Matt lives in Andover and is a secondary mathematics teacher. He volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club Annual Christmas Toy Drive, Haitian Release Effort and CYO Basketball.Matt can be reached in the Methuen office at 232 Pleasant Street, on his cell phone 978-273-0099, or you can email him at mwitte@remaxprestige.com .

Ephraim Gottlieb - Joins RE/MAX Team to Negotiate Short Sales and Do Real Estate Closings

2010-07-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

- All American Title Services, a Title/Closing corporation wholly owned by Andrew Armata and Stacey Alcorn has hired Ephraim Gottlieb as an attorney to work with our Re/max Prestige agents on their Short Sales and Closings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We will be working with First American Title Insurance.

- We are Thrilled to offer this In-House service to our Agents and our clients. Ephraim is here to help each and every one of you service your clients better, easier, and faster. We will NOT charge any up-front costs to clients going through a Short Sale and our fee will be independently negotiated with the lender.

- All American Title Services is part of the Prestige Team and we encourage ALL of you to talk with Ephraim about how he may help you in your businesses. We look forward to earning and keeping your Title/Closing and Short Sale business.

- Ephraim may be reached in the Dracut Office or you may contact him at EGottlieb@AAClosings.com, 978-452-0050 (office), 978-884-3915 (cell). I have attached a PDF copy of the entire All American Title Services Short Sale Package for you to this email.

RE/MAX Comes in at #11 On Latest Hitwise Report

2010-07-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

The latest Hitwise Report shows remax.com comes in at No. 11 in June. Many competing real estate franchise websites dropped significantly in the rankings, such as Keller Williams, which fell another nine spots to 84 after a twelve-spot drop in May. Coldwell Banker fell seven spots to No. 31.

Download a June 2010 comparison chart showing remax.com ahead of all other real estate franchise websites.

RE/MAX appears four times on the top 30 list of real estate-related search terms, moving up one spot to No. 4 ahead of "real estate" and "homes for sale." Also on the top 30 search terms list: "remax.com homes for sale" (No. 22), "remax.com" (No. 27) and "remax real estate" (No. 28). Century 21 and Coldwell Banker each appear once on the list. Keller Williams does not appear among the top 30.

Hitwise Most Visited Real Estate Web Site Rankings, June 2010
1. Realtor.com (5.73%)2. Yahoo! Real Estate (4.55%)3. Zillow (3.75%)4. Rent.com (2.93%) 5. Trulia.com (2.69%)6. ZipRealty (2.41%)7. MSN Real Estate (1.90%)8. Homes.com (1.81%)9. Apartment Guide (1.61%)10. My New Place (1.42%)11. remax.com (1.39%)

Maria Hars Joins Groton Office

2010-06-19T05:52:00.001-07:00

Groton, MA, June 19, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Maria Hars has joined the Groton office of RE/MAX Prestige, an 11 office regional real estate firm.Her background is mortgage banking, real estate, and residential design. Maria graduated from Hesser College in 2008 with an associate degree in Interior Design. She is looking to combine her love of sustainable design with real estate. Maria says "I believe healthy homes are the way of our future. My niche will be eco-friendly real estate. By helping homebuyers rehab properties using eco-friendly design/build/materials it will increase property values in neighborhoods and create healthy environments. Using my design and real estate expertise, I can help sellers prepare and market their homes by giving them an edge over their competition."Maria is a member of Eco-Star at Devens, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, USGBC, and NKBA.Maria can be reached in the Groton office 978-448-8288

Mary Midgley Joins RE/MAX Prestige Dracut

2010-06-19T05:50:00.001-07:00

Dracut, MA, June 19, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Andrew Armata and Stacey Alcorn of RE/MAX Prestige are pleased to announce the addition of Mary Midgley as a sales associate in their Dracut office.

Mary is licensed in MA and NH and has 14 years of full time real estate experience. She provides real estate services to Dracut, Tyngsboro Chelmsford, Southern New Hampshire, and surrounding towns.

Mary grew up in Chelmsford and now lives in Tyngsboro. She has 2 children, a daughter currently attending U Mass and recently accepted into the nursing program, and a son, who has recently purchased his first home in New Hampshire.

Mary Midgley can be reached in the Dracut office at 2100 Lakeview Avenue (978) 957-1700, on her cell (978) 804-9865, or at mrymidgley@comcast.net .

Nick Graveline Joins Parents at RE/MAX Prestige

2010-06-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

East Longmeadow, MA, June 12, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Andrew Armata and Stacey Alcorn, of RE/MAX Prestige are pleased to announce the addition of Nick Graveline to their East Longmeadow office. Nick is a second generation realtor. His mother and father, Rich & Genie Graveline are realtors working with RE/MAX Prestige. Within a week of signing with RE/MAX Prestige, he already had an accepted offer. He’s only recently become a licensed Realtor, so he’s hit the ground running and doesn’t plan on slowing.Nick was raised and schooled in Longmeadow and afterwards attended Westfield State College in Westfield MA and Snow College in Ephraim UT. He has been a supporter of the Springfield Rescue Mission, Loaves & Fishes, the Hartsprings Foundation, and Big Brothers & Big Sisters. He also participates in activities organized by his parents around the holidays in which they provide gifts for impoverished families. This activity started off small but grew to provide holiday cheer to over 125 families in the Springfield area. Beyond his community involvement, Nick’s friends and family know that they can count on him to be there if they need anything. His loyalty to those he cares for is unquestionable. In his prior work as a consultant in the home security field, Nick was recognized as one of the top performers in the industry his first year in business with ADT and regarded as highly professional by his collegues. Returning home after 4 years on the road working in the security field, Nick is looking forward to creating new and lasting relationships with his work in real estate.RE/MAX Prestige has offices in Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, East Longmeadow, Groton, Methuen, Pelham, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford and Wilbraham.

RE/MAX Outproduces All National Competitors

2010-06-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations RE/MAX for out-producing the competition. The average RE/MAX agent does 13.5 transactions per year per agent, almost double the average of our closest competitor. What does this mean? The unbelievable education...Design Center marketing....the Leadstreet...and the major brand awareness make a difference. Keep up the great work! Nobody sells more homes than RE/MAX!!!!

Red Sox Blood Drive - RE/MAX Prestige May 12th

2010-04-27T14:13:00.001-07:00

RIS MEDIA POWER BROKER!!

2010-04-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

RE/MAX Prestige makes RIS MEDIA Power Broker Annual Report

RIS Media’s Annual Power Broker Report & Survey is the residential real estate industry’s most comprehensive report on the 600 most successful brokerages in the United States. The Report, issued each year in an abbreviated version in the April issue of Real Estate Magazine and then in May in a fully expanded edition, is used as a powerful reference and referral tool by the nation’s top brokers. We are proud to report that RE/MAX Prestige moved up more than 120 spots from a ranking of 347 in the country last year to a ranking of 221 in 2009. That means we are one the 300 most powerful offices in the entire country! When the market gets tough...the tough get stronger!

Andy and I wish to thank every agent at RE/MAX Prestige for your hard work and dedication in 2009. For the year, we averaged 11.55 transactions per agent, far surpassing any real estate firm in our marketplaces. You are the cream of the crop and, from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate the sacrifices you have made to be the best in the business.

As well, we'd like to thank the hundreds of cooperating agents that aided us in completing the 2095 transactions closed last year. We owe you a debt of gratitude for all of the time, energy, and hard work you put into your careers which enabled all of us to succeed in this market.

As for 2010, there is no doubt that this will be our best year ever. In fact, our numbers are already surpassing our goals for this year. With several upcoming strategic initiatives, we are confident that we will exceed our goal of 2600 closed transactions for the year. We are dedicated to bringing more tools, technology, and culture to our firm, ensuring us a place on the RIS Media Power Broker Report for many years to come.

Show Your Support!

2010-04-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

Make a commitment to change a life with every check you earn this year. Start by supporting a fellow RE/MAX family member. A number of our agents are participating in some awesome events to raise money for some special charities. Please choose an agent (or agents) and help them in their journey to raise awareness and money for a good cause. Please take some time to read the pages they've made and the reason they've committed their time and resources to help these causes. Most of us can relate to at least one or two of these causes. Show thanks for your personal blessings by making a donation to one of these great causes.

1. http://danfordsrunforacure.com/ - Malcolm Fulford of Pelham has put his heart and soul into this awesome 5K run for two years in a row. I know I'll be running it and I'd love to see some other RE/MAX faces there as well! I hope you will join me in a run...a beer...and a good cause. Life is good!

2. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/paris10/mfermin Michelle Fermin from our Methuen family will be running the Paris Marathon with Team in Training. Team in Training raises money for leukemia research. I am committed to raising $7,000 through sponsorships from individuals like you. Every donation helps me reach my goal. Please take a minute and visit this link and give what you can. Your tax deductible sponsorship is sincerely appreciated.

3. Team Peaches Karen Couillard of Pelham. On June 26-27th I will be walking in The Out of Darkness Overnight in Boston, MA . This is a 20-mile journey from dusk until dawn. The Overnight raises funds and awareness to help end the stigma surrounding depression and suicide. I will be walking in memory of my good friend, Phil Tousignant who passed away on September 30, 2004. I'll be walking with Phil's wife Stephanie, his son Josh and his wife Amanda. We can be found on the Overnight website under "Team Peaches".... Peaches was his nick name. Attached is a picture of Stephanie and Phil. Each walker needs to raise $1,000 - that's why I'm asking for donations. I realize times are tough - so any amount is greatly appreciated.

4. Relay for Life - Ayeh's Page Touran Sham's (Pelham) daughter, Ayeh will be walking in the Relay for Life in Pelham. Good Morning Everyone Please support Touran's Daughter Ayeh I am taking part in an American Cancer Society Relay For Life on June 5th in Pelham!There's a good chance you've heard of it - it's the largest cancer-fighting movement in the world. There will be more than 230 Relays happening throughout New England this year, and more than 5,000 across the U.S., each uniting communities against a common enemy: cancer. I will be walking in honor of my grandparents who both lost their battle with cancer a few years ago and for my friend Nick who is currently battling lymphoma.

5. Alexa Edyn Bergeron's Page JJ Bergeron's (Methuen) daughter, Alexa is participating with millions of other kids to help save lives with the American Heart Association's Jump Rope For Heart Program! I'm doing Jump Rope For Heart at my school and learning about kids with special hearts. I'm also learning about my own heart, and how to take care of it. And I'm getting active and jumping rope!I'm also doing this in memory of my special Nana- Benedetta DiFruscia who just passed away of heart disease and I miss so much. I'm excited about raising money to help kids with special hearts. Please help me save lives and be a Heart Hero! Will you please help me raise money..Thank you so much

6. Art Richton's Relay for Life Page Art Ricton of Team East Longmeadow is participating in the Relay for Life overnight cancer walk.I take part in the relay in memory of my wife, Theresa who passed away on July 5, 2001 from Breast Cancer. Theresa was a strong advocate for the relay and her determination drives my participation. I also take part to honor the survivors in my family. These include my 86 year old mother Ardelle Richton(a 24 year survivor), my sister, Sheila Hewett and sister-in-law Carol McCabe(Theresa's sister) diagnosed with Breast Cancer last year and lastly my sister-in-law Sandy Richton a leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor. Please support my efforts to fight back against cancer by making a donation or joining my Relay For Life® team.

RE/MAX Prestige Sponsors Local Athlete At X-Games

2010-01-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to announce and inform you that RE/MAX Prestige will be sponsoring, Erik Corbett of Methuen, at this coming weekends X-Games. He is truly an amazing person and we wish him well in his races. This is a true story of someone overcoming all obstacles and having a great attitude along the way. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we can do whatever we really want. We can achieve anything we really want. And we can make differences in peoples lives if we choose.

I am also very honored to say that Erik is my cousin and has been an inspiration to me ever since his accident 10 years ago this weekend. He never once felt sorry for himself. Never asked anyone for anything. He has turned an unbelievably difficult situation into a life that most all of us could only dream about. I would say that his accomplishments are amazing - but knowing him - I would expect nothing less. I am very proud of Erik and I wish him all the best.

Please read the story below that was in the Lowell Sun yesterday.

Andy

UMass Lowell graduate Erik Corbett is excited to compete this week in his second Winter X Games. By Barry Scanlon, bscanlon@lowellsun.com

The Methuen native finished fifth last year in the MonoskierCross event. JAMIE GEMMITI/THE CONWAY DAILY SUN

To order this photo please visit our MyCapture site.

LOWELL -- His first practice run at his first Winter X Games left him in the emergency room with concussion-like symptoms and seven stitches under his right eye.
Leave it to Erik Corbett to put a rosy spin on his injuries last winter, which included a black eye.
"The ESPN cameras seemed to like that," the 2005 UMass Lowell graduate said with a chuckle. "I received a little face time then. It made for a good story line. They used a couple of close-ups of me."
Corbett, 30, was featured on ESPN last winter because he didn't quit. He didn't leave Aspen, Colo., and return to his Glen, N.H., home. He may be disabled -- the result of spinal-cord injuries he received in a 2000 car crash -- but Corbett is far from a quitter.
Quitting is not in the Methuen native's DNA.

"Nothing stops him," his mother, Susan Corbett, said. "He just goes and goes. He's fearless. Before his accident he was kind of quiet and withdrawn. Now he's found a passion.

"Don't tell him he can't do something," she added.

Corbett finished fifth during the 2009 Winter X Games in MonoskierCross, a unique event in disabled athletics.

Corbett uses a monoski to compete. A monoski consists of a bucket seat and a single ski. In Aspen, Corbett will be one of 12 disabled athletes vying for the title.

The top eight qualify to compete Saturday which, ironically, is the 10th anniversary of the car crash which changed his life.

On that fateful day, at about 8 a.m.,

after leaving a friend's home, a groggy Corbett -- he said he hadn't slept in about 24 hours -- drove his Jeep Wrangler into a road sign off a secluded road in Rutland, Vt.
"That's about all I know," he said. "The details are a little fuzzy."

Corbett, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, broke two vertebrae in his back, a shoulder blade and an arm.

He spent a week at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., and then was transferred to a rehab center in Woburn, Mass., where he spent three months.

His life would never be the same. Barring a medical breakthrough, he says it's likely he'll never walk again.

Corbett doesn't think back to Jan. 30, 2000, very often. Maybe it's because he's always looking forward.

He has told his family that if a miracle doesn't occur, he's OK with remaining in a wheelchair.

"He's very comfortable with who he is. We're extremely proud of him," his mother said. "We could never imagine 10 years ago ... him doing this."

The "this" Susan Corbett was referring to was her son's participation in the Winter X Games.

But she could easily have been talking about his job as the program director of AbilityPLUS at Attitash, a New Hampshire ski resort. In that capacity, Corbett works with disabled skiers of all abilities.

Or she could have been referring to his entrepreneurial spirit, like last summer when he became the owner of a seafood store in Glen.

Or the fact that he's involved in waterskiing and cycling instruction. Corbett was so busy last summer that he canceled his cable since he was rarely home.

"He makes the rest of us look bad," Susan Corbett said.

Erik Corbett grew up in Methuen and spent his freshman, sophomore and junior years at Methuen High. Prior to his senior year, he transferred to Troy Academy in Poultney, Vt., and quickly fell in love with the surrounding mountains.

A hockey player at Methuen High, Corbett learned to snowboard and race mountain bikes in Vermont.

At the time of his accident, he was working as an electrician in Rutland, Vt., the same profession as his father, Don.

Following his accident, Corbett took a few ski lessons, but he struggled to find his balance.

He kept at it, however, and he began making progress the following winter, 2001-02, at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H.

"I was interested in it because it was a way to get back into the mountains at winter time," he said.

He has worked at Attitash for the last four years, a job he truly loves.

"He has really grown into the job," said Kathy Chandler, the executive director of AbilityPlus.

"It's been lots of fun. Even when I'm working I'm still out in the snow," Corbett said. "I'm outside all the time."

He skis 100 days a year. What's not to like?

Corbett will depart tomorrow for Colorado, where he'll meet his brother, Tim. If all goes well, he'll qualify for the finals and be shown live on ESPN on Sunday.

"There's a few new faces, so I think we've got a little advantage on them. The X Games is a little different than what we're used to. It's a longer course and the jumps are bigger," he said.

Chandler isn't betting against him.

"The X Games are a perfect venue for Erik. He loves the adventure and he loves pushing himself to the highest levels," she said.

RE/MAX Prestige In The News

2010-01-23T03:51:00.001-08:00

Christina Tarpy, Team Methuen

Diane France, Team Wilbraham

Congratulations to Diane France and Christina Tarpy! Both were featured experts on the news last night as the local housing experts. Check out these links!

The Warren Group issued a report that shows 27 percent fewer foreclosures went through last year, compared to 2008, even though there was a spike in the number of foreclosures that were initiated.http://www.wggb.com/global/story.asp?s=11860438

Some Home Renovations Don't Pay Off: http://wbztv.com/local/home.renovations.real.2.1441437.html

Doing Our Small Part

2010-01-23T03:49:00.001-08:00

Per the request of many agents in our firm we have updated our check request to add a new charity selection for those who would like to make a charitable donation upon closing. The new charity selection is for a Haiti Relief Fund through The Clinton Foundation. To make a charitable donation upon closing please choose Susan G. Koman, Children's Miracle Network, or the Haiti Relief Fund. Please write into the comment section how much you would like to donate. We are also happy to accomodate donations to any charity if you provide information to us in the comment section of the check request.

Amsi Morales - Truly Above the Crowd

2010-01-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

At last week's meeting I told our agents that if they ever need to be inspired, just look around. Our company is full of stories of determination, hope, and success. Here is one such example...

Today I had the privilege of attending A Celebration of Life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, presented by The Lura Smith Foundation. At this even, one of our agents, Amsi Morales, received the prestigious Living the Dream Award, given to one recipient every year. At twenty six years of age, Amsi is a veteran real estate agent with more than 8 years of experience helping buyers and sellers, many of them from the Hispanic community. Three years ago she was recognized by REALTOR Magazine as a "30 Under 30" agent for her unique accomplishments at such a young age. As if that isn't enough, this year Amsi completed law school, all while maintaining her lucrative career in real estate.

Amsi was recognized at today's event for all the work she has devoted to forming and maintaining The A.M.S.I. Foundation. The A.M.S.I. foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Lowell. It was founded in order to help youths in the Merrimack Valley achieve their future goals by establishing scholarships and programs in order to help them reach their full potential.
Since its establishment, the organization has set up two scholarships which are awarded each year. The first is the Juana Osorio Community Service Scholarship, named for Juana Osorio, a highly active community-service leader who lost her battle with leukemia three years ago, which is awarded to a high-school senior in the Merrimack Valley area who exemplifies what community service is and is planning to attend a two- or four-year college. The second scholarship is the A.M.S.I. Foundation Leadership Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who shows leadership skills in their community and is planning to attend a two- or four-year college. Visit http://www.amsifoundation.org/ for more information or to donate to this great program.

After being presented with the Living the Dream Award, Amsi was then presented a Congressional Honor Award by Congresswomen Nikki Tsongas.

Congratulations, Amsi! Not only do you inspire young people to achieve their dreams, but you also inspire everyday people like me to remember that at the end of the day, it's not about how many houses were sold, the market share gained, or the money earned.... it's about the lives we each have the ability to touch. Thank you for your commitment to helping others.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

2009-12-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, and the market was lax

Real estate agents were busy, especially at RE/MAX.

For Sale Signs were hanging in their red, white, and blue

And agents were busy writing contracts for homes old and new.

The past clients of 09 were nestled all snug in their new beds,

While visions of tax credits danced in their heads.

And Stacey wearing her balloon pin, and Andy in his blue suit,

Started working the phones to find the next new recruit.

When down in the lobby there arose such a clatter,

We sprang from our desks to see what was the matter.

Away to the window Andy flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters to see it was snowing green cash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen dough

It was a gift from the government in the form of tax credits and rates so low.

When, in the parking lot out back to our wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With no driver in sight, and a fluffy red suit on the seat,

Andy changed into the red suit and was steering into the air in a heartbeat.

He flew about town distributing materials on the tax credit and rates,

But he knew he’d need help because buyers and sellers shouldn’t wait.

"Now, Shirley! Now, Amsi! Now, Kevin and Dan!

To NH, please Roberta! And Paula! And, Kerry and Pam!”

Western MA needed to hear this so he called all his elves
Including The King Group, Art, Tom, and John W as well

“Now, Sherry! Now, Gwen! Now Sara and Genie!
We must spread the word..from here to Buffini!”

Methuen was new, but the town needed to hear,
So Andy called more agents to help spread the good cheer.

“Yanelys, Michelle, Grace and Jenn too!”
Summoning his agents…through the sky Andy flew.

Tewksbury to Billerica, Derek, John, Claudette and Patsy too,
Every single agent was needed, not just a few.

From Joan and Barb in Westford to Dracut and Team Barrett,
The market was so good…Andy needed every agent to share it.

Mark T and Team Groton…DP and his team of five,
All 187 agents were needed and the COFI staff to thrive.

To the tip of the state! And a visit to every town!

Andy needed help! So he picked up Stacey…still in her hospital gown!

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they met with any obstacle, they’d mount to the sky.

So up to every house the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of pamphlets, on the tax credit and short sales too.

As the twilight of Christmas began to shine,

Andy and Stacey were tired but new they’d be fine.

Their agents had come out, all 187 plus staff,
To work through the evening to educate the mass.

Andy’s eyes -- how they twinkled! His smile how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And his hair was all curly with some white as the snow.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

On back to Chelmsford Andy steered the sled.

He spoke not a word, his job was done,

For agents, buyer, and sellers… year 2010 would be a good one.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, into the parking lot he drove.

He sprang from his sleigh, to his team of agents he gave a whistle,

And away to their homes they went like the down of a thistle.

But I heard Andy exclaim, as the RE/MAX agents drove out of sight,

"Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good-night.”

Happy Holidays to You and Your Families
- Stacey Alcorn & Andrew Armata
RE/MAX Prestige

A HAPPY HOLIDAY WEEK!!!

2009-12-20T02:59:00.000-08:00

Above is a photo of Team Pelham - taken at Meadowcreek Golf Club last Thursday)

This week was one of those fun-filled weeks where the offices were filled with holiday spirit. The Chelmsford office is filled with holiday gifts for the 25 local families our agents adopted for the holidays. As well, we welcomed the holidays in this week with two fun packed parties. On Wednesday we had a catered luncheon at the East Longmeadow office for all of the agents in Western, MA. The office was standing room only as we shared good cheer and all participated in a Yankee Swap. Of course, no holiday party could be complete without some home baked snacks from Christine..our Wilbraham administrator. Her rum cake was to die for!

On Thursday we celebrated the holidays with an afternoon cocktail party at Meadowcreek Golf Club in Dracut where about 120 of our local Eastern MA agents stopped in to share in the holiday spirit. The highlite of this party was Andrew's speech where he recognized the many past RE/MAX owners who now work at our firm and who have formed the foundation of our company. In traditional RE/MAX style we also had an aggressive Yankee Swap where no holds were barred in swapping gifts.

It's been an awesome year in real estate....a year that we wall needed after the challenges we've been through. We all get so busy in our lives and our businesses but during these brief holiday get togethers you really get to sit back and say "Wow...these people really are family...and there's no place I'd rather be than RE/MAX Prestige."

ANOTHER ONE JOINED.....

2009-12-17T04:52:00.000-08:00

RE/MAX Prestige is very excited to announce the newest addition to our RE/MAX Family. My daughter, Oshyn Catherine McHugh was born on Friday, December 11, 2009. Sometimes we have to call and email and meet several times with the best in the industry before they join our firm...and sometimes they're just Born to be RE/MAX.

If you're interested in evaluating your career for 2010 please email or call me for a confidential interview.

2009-12-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

20 Reasons to list during the Holidays

1.) Rates are averaging under 5%, the lowest in years. There's no telling how long rates will last this low.

2.) There is less competition for buyers.

3.) Winter prospects are more serious buyers.

4.) Your home looks better during the holidays.

5.) One of the highest percentages of "the listing sold" to "listing taken" occur during this time of year.

6.) You may receive more money for your home now because you have less competition.

7.) Throughout the holiday season, you may restrict showings during your personal family events.

8.) Buyers have more time to look at homes during the holidays, especially during vacations.

9.) January is traditionally the biggest transfer month and you must be on the market to capture that market.

10.) By selling now you can have a delayed closing or extended occupancy until the beginning of the following year if you want it.

11.) When you sell during the winter you have an opportunity to buy during the spring, when many homes are on the market.

12.) You may have fewer actual showings, but more qualified and motivated prospects.

13.) Corporate transfers, who need to buy a home now, can't wait until spring.

14.) If you purchased your home at the peak of pricing and need to sell because of loss of a job or a job transfer, banks are working with homeowners to allow a short sale so you can sell your home with far less impact to your credit than if you lost it to foreclosure. Undoubtedly with less listing inventory in the winter, short sales will get processed faster by the lenders.

15.) Homeowners who have owned and lived in their principal residence for five consecutive years within the past eight years may also qualify for a new tax credit of up to $6,500 under the recently signed qualified homeowner tax credit.

16.) If you're selling this home and buying another, there's a 1 in 4 chance that the home you are looking to buy is in a short sale position. By starting the selling/buying process now you can rest assured that you will close early in the new year, long before potential tax credits can run out for you or the buyers of your home.

17.) If your home no longer suits the needs of your family, you can sell it now for less than you might hope for, however selling now will enable you to buy a more suitable home at a great price, to lock in low interest rates and to ride the market up in a home, which fits your current needs better.

18.) A recession is a natural selection process, which weeds out contractors, lenders, appraisers and Realtors who are not highly skilled in their fields. The people you deal with in a real estate transaction at this time are much more likely to be professional and skilled at what they do than in a boom market.

19.) The current and extended first-time homeowner tax credit allowed incredible numbers of first-time buyers the chance to get into their own home and get $8,000 back in tax credits. Many of these first time buyers are looking for their home now, not wanting to risk that they won't have a property under agreement by the April 30th deadline.

20.) Curb Appeal. If your landscape and lawn isn't that great, breathe a sigh of relief that no one else's is this time of year, either. Add seasonal color, a wreath, perhaps some decorations.

Let's Talk Turkey!

2009-11-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you to RE/MAX Prestige and George's Automotive. Together we supplied Thanksgiving dinners to more than 50 local DSS families!! Many agents put together their own Thanksgiving baskets to donate last week and for the many that donated money we worked with Shaws where they boxed up complete dinners including turkeys, pies, and all of the fixings. With the holidays approaching RE/MAX Prestige has also committed to helping 25 DSS families for the holidays. If you're interested in a Christmas wish list for a local family please email salcorn@remaxprestige.com. We appreciate your holiday support! Keep up the great work!

RE/MAX Prestige in Methuen Holiday Parade

2009-11-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

Check out TEAM RE/MAX PRESTIGE as we make our way down the streets of Metheun in the annual holiday parade! You couldn't miss our crew with the RE/MAX PT Cruiser and the RE/MAX balloonman marching beside us. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon for a parade and our unbeleivable team gave out over 1200 candycanes! What a great afternoon of spreading holiday cheer!

All I Want for Christmas....

2009-11-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Is a new house! At RE/MAX Prestige, we LOVE it when agents think outside the box. That's why we were so impressed when Team Fulford (Malcolm and Roberta Fulford) from our Pelham, NH office took the liberty of renting a kiosk at the local mall for the holiday season! With the extension of the tax credit, there's no better time than now to buy or upgrade a home. What better way to meet and greet the masses than distributing important tax credit and home buying information at the mall during the holidays. Kudos to Team Fulford for a job well done!

Welcome to Methuen - RE/MAX Prestige!

2009-11-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

The merger of two long-established real estate firms in the Merrimack Valley area has further strengthened the Re/Max organization in that segment of Essex and Middlesex County Real Estate market. The merger involved the acquisition of Re/Max Preferred of Methuen, one of the pioneer RE/MAX offices in New England which has been in business for twenty five years, by Re/Max Prestige with offices in Chelmsford, Dracut, Billerica, Tewksbury, Pelham, Tyngsboro, Groton, and Westford, as well as two offices in Western Massachusetts in Wilbraham and East Longmeadow.

"Given the strength of the Re/Max brand in our area, we're very excited about the prospect of expanding further into the Methuen Market" said Andrew Armata, who along with his partner, Stacey Alcorn, acquired the Methuen office of Re/Max Preferred in November. The Prestige Lawrence office has been merged into the Re/Max office in Methuen and will now host more agents and continue operating under the Re/Max Prestige name.

Armata noted that even with existing offices in eight surrounding towns, the idea of adding a Methuen location was quite attractive. "People like doing business with a real estate firm that has an office in their community, so even though the current business environment is not one that makes it easy to expand, we felt it was an opportunity we should not pass up. It gives us top franchise marketshare in both Methuen and Lawrence as well as additional marketshare in Haverhill, North Andover, and Salem NH, he said.

Armata noted that the Prestige office is also perfectly located because, like his other Merrimack Valley offices it offers great opportunity for further expansion up both the Route 93 and Route 495 Corridors. "The multiple offices throughout MA & NH really offers both our agents and customers a lot of convenience," Armata said.

RE/MAX Prestige now has approximately 200 agents and is the largest RE/MAX office in New England. As well, the firm in total is expected to come in number five in unit sales for all real estate offices in Massachusetts for 2009.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

It just wouldn't be Halloween unless someone shows up to work this week in a cape and tights. In the Spirit of Halloween we are once again having our yearly Halloween costume contest. Any agent or staff member that comes to the office in costume either today, tomorrow, or on Halloween will be entered into our contest. We will need a photo of the costume emailed to Andy and I by Sunday morning. We have an independent staff of three judges who will determine the costume contest winners on Monday!

Prizes:
1st Place - $200 Gift Certificate to Merrill - the RE/MAX Approved Supplier
2nd Place - $100 Gift Certificate to Home Depot
3rd Place - $50 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com

Check out this Design Center Video for Some Ghosts of Years Past! http://odc.remax.imprev.net/tmp/70/45070/443529/

We look forward to some hauntingly creative costumes.... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Destination Success!

2009-09-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

HOP ON OUR BUS!

Mark your calendars!!! The RE/MAX Prestige Sales Rally will be held on October 14th (Tewksbury Holiday Inn) and October 21st (Wilbraham office) from 10am- Noon.

Are you ready to change your life?

Then you need to hop on our Energy Bus! At this month's meeting we will be discussing an unbelievable book called The Energy Bus written by Jon Gordon. There will be tons of AWESOME content at the October rally but for an EXTRA dose of inspiration we encourage you to check out The Energy Bus in advance. CLICK HERE to order your copy. We look forward to seeing you in October!

About the Book:
In the mode of other best selling business fables The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home. Everyone faces challenges. And every person,
organization, company and team will have to overcome negativity and adversity to define themselves and create their success. No one goes through life untested and the answer to these tests is positive energy—the kind of positive energy consisting of vision, trust, optimism, enthusiasm, purpose, and spirit that defines great leaders and their teams. Drawing upon his experience and work with thousands of leaders, sales professionals, teams, non-profit organizations, schools, and athletes, Gordon infuses this engaging story with keen insights, actionable strategies and a big dose of positive infectious energy. For managers and team leaders or anyone looking to turn negative energy into positive achievement The Energy Bus provides a powerful roadmap to overcome common life and work obstacles and bring out the best in yourself and your team. When you get on The Energy Bus you’ll enjoy
the ride of your life!

"If you want to fuel your family, your career, your team, and your organization with spirit,read this book. Jon’s energy and advice will leap off the page and help you cultivate positive energy in everything you do—and you will make the world a better place for your having been here. Thanks, Jon, for pumping us up and making sure we get on the right bus."
- Ken Blanchard, Co-author of The One Minute Manager® and Leading at a Higher Level

“Jon Gordon provides a clear roadmap to navigate the negativity and pit falls that too often sabotage individual and team success... ”
- Tom Gegax, founder of Tires Plus and author of The Big Book of Small Business

"The world would be a much better place if we all focused on being positive. Jon is the“Pastor of Positive Energy" and I'm one of his believers."
- Danny Gans, Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year

Tax Credit Coming To an End

2009-09-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

With 73 days left until the tax credit expires our agents are working diligently on several fronts to help as many buyers as possible. On the one hand our agents are doing their part to petition Congress to extend the tax credit. On the other hand, they are working feverishly to help buyers find the home of their dreams in the next few weeks. Right now it takes an average buyer approximately 45 days to secure financing on a home. This means that a buyer that wants to take advantage of the tax credit really needs to have a home under agreement in the next two to three weeks. As well, we are advising buyers that now is not the time to buy a distressed property which will require short sale negotiation because there is certainly no guarantee that the short sale will be negotiated in less then 2.5 months. The best we can do is work hard to fufill the needs of every last homebuyer out there while at the same time taking precautions to make sure these transactions close on time so that nobody loses out on the tax credit.

Got SWAT?

2009-08-31T09:19:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's almost September! Summer is over and that means RE/MAX Prestige will be once again hosting our monthly MARKETING S.W.A.T. (Still Without A Taker) TEAM tour to help each other sell listings. How this approach works is that if you have a listing that's been on the market for more than 60 days and you need ideas on how to make it more saleable you can put it on the SWAT list. On Friday, September 4th everyone with a home on the SWAT tour will go on a tour to view the homes. The tour will take place from 9am-12:30. This is not just a caravan! This is a TLC (Troubled Listing Caravan) approach to giving constructive feedback. We have a TLC Tour Analysis sheet that each agent will be required to complete after viewing each home. This is so that the listing agent will have concrete feedback on how to get the house sold. The tour meets at 9:00am at the first house. You will receive the Tour Analysis Sheets for each property on the day of the tour. The tour will be followed by a half hour marketing de-briefing where we can exchange verbal feedback about each listing.

EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR PROPERTY INCLUDED ON THE SEPTEMBER TOUR!

THE RULES:
1. To qualify, the property must be recognized as aged. That means it must have been on the market at least 60 days.
2. The tour spots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis.
3. Each agent can only have one property on the tour.
4. If you have a property on the SWAT tour... YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE TO GO INTO EVERY HOME ON THE TOUR.
5. If a property is in an area that is too distant, we reserve the right to not include it in the SWAT tour.

We think this is a great way for us to leverage the expertise within our marketplace.

It's a good life!

Chicago Update

2009-08-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Andy and I are excited to be back from the Broker/Owner conference in Chicago. We are diligently working with our team to put together some good information to share with you all. Much of this will be presented at our upcoming Sales Rallies in September. My favorite piece from the event was the new RE/MAX video entitled DID YOU KNOW? Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/remaxintl then post it to your email signature lines, your Facebook pages, and your websites. It's good information to share with buyers and sellers alike.

In addition to the conference, Andy and I had the great pleasure of attending the RE/MAX International Broker Strategy Task Force which consists of the top 55 RE/MAX brokerages across the country. In our meetings we met with Dave Liniger, Gail Liniger, Margaret Kelly, and other top executives to talk about the state of our market and the challenges our agents face every day. Andy and I are privileged to be part of this elite group and we admire the time and effort that our top management team at RE/MAX has dedicated to making RE/MAX the #1 real estate firm in the country. Attending these meetings has helped us gain insight on how to become better brokers and managers. As well, they have given us the opportunity to share our feedback and industry knowledge in order to help our RE/MAX family grow and prosper around the world.

Obviously the distressed real estate market continues to play an important role in all of our lives. We learned that in the past 12 months, agents with the CDPE designation closed an average of 25 transaction sides, more than double that of the average RE/MAX agent and quadruple that of any real estate agent. For this reason we look forward to watching more of our agents attain this important designation in the coming months. In fact, we have been working with the region to bring Alex Chafrin and the CDPE training program right to Massachusetts at a price discounted for our agents. We will be sending out detailed information on this event in the coming week.

This morning, RE/MAX International sent you a quick recap of this week's conference. Please take a moment to read the story below as I truly feel there is information that will help you with your business plan for the coming year.

Liniger in Chicago: 'Demand Will Come'

By George White, RE/MAX Times Managing Editor

CHICAGO - Demand built on demographics and population – rather than questionable lending policies – will spark the next wave of strong home sales in the U.S., Dave Liniger told nearly 700 Affiliates at the 2009 RE/MAX Summer Conference for Broker/Owners and Managers on Monday.

The confluence of two massive population groups – 80 million Baby Boomers born from 1946-1964 and 74 million Millennials born from 1980-1995 – will fuel a huge increase in transactions from 2012 onward, the RE/MAX International Chairman and Co-Founder said at the conference's Opening General Session. Immigration and minority household trends will add to the upturn, he noted.

As the Millennials, who are 15-29 now, reach their prime homebuying years – the average first-time buyer is 33, though that number appears to be trending downward – the Baby Boomers will be selling and downsizing. The rise in demand will drive the market upward, Liniger said.

"Very good years are coming," he said, adding that RE/MAX International – through technology, training, social media and other initiatives – will help Broker/Owners and Associates connect with these consumers.

Being successful today
For the time being, though, local markets will stay as they are, Liniger said. In fact, unemployment and a second wave of foreclosures in 2010 and 2011 are likely to make things worse before they get better. He urged Broker/Owners to help their Sales Associates close transactions through distressed properties, REOs, first-time homebuyers and investors. His constant theme: Affiliates cannot sit back and wait for a quick turnaround – because it's not coming.

"I'm not negative; I'm realistic," he said. "If you're not realistic, you can't make the adjustments you need to make in order to survive and prosper."

Liniger said RE/MAX leaders have met many times with key lenders and government officials to push for foreclosure solutions and a standardized and streamlined short-sale process.

He also called the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) course the best training he's ever encountered. More than 6,000 RE/MAX Associates have earned the designation, he said, and others should consider it.

"Short sales are the key for the next 18-24 months. Our people must be trained to handle them," he said, noting that true recovery simply isn't possible until the foreclosure problem is solved.

The smartest place to be
RE/MAX continues to be the best network for top agents, Liniger said. Its unmatched technology, brand name awareness, training, market share and advertising provide significant competitive advantages for Broker/Owners and Sales Associates.

Liniger also thanked Affiliates for their enduring support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and children's hospitals, noting that RE/MAX will soon reach the $100 million mark in Children's Miracle Network contributions.

Rousing life lessons
Following Liniger's address, former Notre Dame and NFL star Joe Theismann explained how he has approached life since his football career ended suddenly – his leg was broken on national TV – in 1985. He drew parallels between his adversity and the real estate industry's current struggles.

"We all face obstacles and hurdles; the test is what you do about them," Theismann said. "Real champions don't stay down. They figure out what to do, and then they do it. Why is RE/MAX where it is? Because they reject the idea of failing."

I hope you enjoyed this article and have taken away information that will help improve your business.

Summer Scoop!

2009-08-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

RE/MAX Continues to Dominate in TV Advertising
Throughout the month, RE/MAX spots will air during original cable programming such as “Good Eats,” “In Plain Sight,” “Ice Road Truckers,” “Deadliest Catch,” and “Monk.” This is in addition to rebroadcasts of primetime hits like “NCIS” and “CSI: Miami.”

RE/MAX also directly targets the real estate demographic with ads running during “Flip This House,” “Hidden Potential,” “Real Estate Confidential,” “Smart Tips,” and “Sweat Equity.”

Theschedule is available as a download on RE/MAX Mainstreet and this is a great way to demonstrate to sellers the RE/MAX exposure each listing will receive on REMAX.com as a result of our continued strength as a top real estate advertiser.

A Little Break for a Busy Crew!

2009-07-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

This week, RE/MAX Prestige agents enjoyed a company outing to Foxwoods. The bus picked us up at seven o'clock and brought us to Connecticut for a day of fun. The best part of the day was the luncheon at the Stadium Grill. We got to let our hair down and take a deep breath from all of the hard work we've been putting in through the first half of the year. Our motto at RE/MAX Prestige is that we work hard so that we can play hard. Thanks RE/MAX for a great day of fun.

Curbside Connection - 24/7 Info on ANY HOME from ANY PHONE

2009-07-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

This week marked the unveiling of our new Curbide Connection program. You'll see all the RE/MAX Prestige For Sale signs across the state with new sign riders promoting this unbelievable program. Under the Curbside Connection program callers can call our easy to remember numbers and get detailed information about any home listed on the market by any firm! Callers do not need to download complicated web based applications to their phones and ANY cell phone will work. Simply call the number and type in the property address. It's easy as 1,2,3! Our sellers love the reports that our agents are generating and buyers are loving the ease of use. RE/MAX Prestige.... once again standing out in front of technology!

Time Management

2009-06-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

This week we were excited to announce the publication of the first book in our Real Estate Playbook Series: The Playbook to Healthy Time Management. We spent the past year working on this piece in order to memorialize strategic time management skills for real estate agents so that they can increase their efficiency on the job while protecting their precious time for friends and loved ones. When we coach our agents to be the best that they can be, we believe in coaching them to live well rounded lives. Life is not all about work. Our agents are passionate about real estate and they are thriving in this market but by utilizing the skills outlined in this book they can have the best of both worlds.... a great career and a great family life. CLICK HERE to find our book on Amazon.com. As always, we appreciate your feedback.

Certified Distressed Property Experts

2009-05-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

While many have already started their long weekend, one group of dedicated RE/MAX agents is just finishing up their final class for the Certified Distressed Property Expert course. Christina Lazrak, Ann Marie Duross, Deb Malone, John Bielefeld, Natasha Carter, Jon Crandall, Malcolm Fulford, Maria Silva, and owners Stacey Alcorn & Andrew Armata, just completed a three day program learning how to help homeowners who are in a distressed property situation. In today's market and economic climate as many as two out of every four home owners find themselves in a distressed real estate situation where they can no longer afford mortgage payments and/or they owe far more on their property then it's worth. The intense CDPE program detailed for these agents exactly how to work with lenders and home owners in order to successfully negotiate a short sale or help people modify their mortgage contracts. The lender short sale process is complicated, time consuming, and difficult to manage for those that have not participated in expert training. These agents are now poised to help the thousands of homeowners in our market who are in need of expert advise on how to successfully negotiate with lenders to get properties sold quickly and hassle free. Other agents who recently became Certified Distressed Property Experts include Kristen McKenna, Mary Alcorn, and Roger Martin.

On The Grow

2009-04-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Over the past two weeks there have been all kinds of great announcements at RE/MAX Prestige regarding the addition of three new offices. We are very excited to announce that RE/MAX Colonial of Groton became part of our team adding 17 new associates and number one market share in Groton and surrounding towns. With the merger of RE/MAX Colonial RE/MAX Prestige became the largest RE/MAX office in New England. As well, we announced the purchase of RE/MAX Teamwork with offices in Wilbraham and East Longmeadow. With this merger we were excited to have more then 40 new team members join our firm. As well, we were very excited to venture into a whole new part of the state. These three new locations make RE/MAX Prestige the 5th largest real estate firm in Massachusetts as we anticipate closing approximately $500 Million in transactions in 2009. We are very excited about these new developments. The market is hot hot hot as buyers are seizing the opportunities available in the marketplace. It's tough to say for sure if the real estate market is bouncing back but all indicators are pointing to yes.

Real Estate is Like Life

2009-03-27T11:49:00.001-07:00

Real Estate is like life... there are ups... there are downs... and most of the time it's just steady living, working, and being. This past week, RE/MAX Prestige has had it's share of highs and lows. We enjoyed a fantastic St. Pattys Day as most of our office descended upon Boston for the annual RE/MAX Awards gala. It was truly awesome. The Lazrak Duross team accepted the prestigious Chairmans Club honor, one of only 14 teams in New England to achieve such status. As well, Dan O'Connell, Jim Dolliver, and Dennis Page, accepted the prestigious Platinum Club award. Dan O'Connell and Dennis Page were recognized for the Lifetime Achievement award and Kevin Durkin for the RE/MAX Hall of Fame. We also had 37 other agents accepting awards at this occassion.

Tragedy struck our RE/MAX family this week when our own Michelle Rivera lost her teenage son suddenly. It was heart breaking news and our prayers are with her family during this time. It was amazing to see the Prestige family rally support for Michelle offering to do anything they could do ease the pain.

As we were all realing from the tragedy, a bit of sunsine emerged, when Jenn Davis announced the arrival of her new son, Jacob.

Tragedy and triumph.... real estate really is like life.

What Happens In Vegas....

2009-03-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

Last week, Andy and I were in Las Vegas at the 2009 RE/MAX International Convention where we had the opportunity to learn from some of the best speakers in the country. The two most memorable keynotes were from Chris Gardner and Howard Britton. All were moved by Chris Gardner's story of perseverance and triumph in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness and he's even more amazing in person. Ask, believe, NEVER give up, then receive...was the powerful message he eloquently delivered on Tuesday. Real estate coach, and owner of Star Power Systems, Howard Britton's message was concise, "Don't just learn to weather the storm... you must learn to take off your shoes and dance in the rain!" Howard featured agents that are thriving in this market, earning more then previous years. What are the traits of such successful agents? According to Howard the 10 Traits of agents thriving in this market are:

1. They create their own happiness. Most embrace positive affirmations regularly.
2. Like Sully, the heroic pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson, successful agents have great attitudes and rather then panic at the changing market, they calmly and swiftly seek solutions.
3. Typically they are spending 70% of their time prospecting.
4. They apply the mentor learning model - they learn from others.
5. They use scripts… if you’re not selling a lot of real estate you’re not using good scripts.
6. They work every lead by constantly and aggressively following up until told to stop.
7. They call their database for buyers and ask "Who is the next person you know that is going to move?"
8. They are being seen – attending more public events.
9. They are embracing social networking to make deeper connections.
10. They are frank with their sellers.

We spent three days accumulating powerful tools for agents to utilize in their businesses. We look forward to putting this knowledge to good use. Make sure you come to our monthly sales rally on Wednesday, March 11th, where we will unveil new tools and announce exciting changes that will help you excel in your business.

A Day of Celebration

2009-02-23T05:28:00.000-08:00

March 17th RE/MAX agents from across New England will gather for a fabulous day of celebration in Boston at the annual RE/MAX Awards Gala. This is truly an exciting day because RE/MAX Prestige will be taking home tons of awards. We are proud of our agents and proud of our career development staff because this list of award winners not only demonstrates that we have career driven agents who will persevere no matter what the market brings, but it also proves that the training, education, and continuing career development we bring to our agents works. While most offices are cutting back resources we continue to put funds back into the career training programs at our offices. Our per agent production exceeds any office in the marketplace and our agents are proving day in and day out, they are simply the best. Here is a recap of the 2008 award winners. If you're interested in joining us for the awards gala please email Stacey at salcorn@remaxprestige.com. We'd love to have you celebrate success with us on March 17th. Congratulations to Dan O'Connell, Team Dennis Page, Team Joe Zingales Team Jim Dolliver, Nancy Rogers, Bob Barcelos, Julie Duran, Tuyet Tu, Christina Lazrak & Ann Marie Duross, Derek Amato, John Hughes, Len Lochrie, Barbara Miller, Joan Morrison & Barb Dwyer, Angela Zhang, Jon Crandall, Kevin Durkin, Deb Malone, Bryan Perreira, Jim Serino, Ed Bisson, Nina bisson, Kevin Gettings, Kerry Nicolls, Ed Rosamilio, Paula Rosamilio, Meghan Maraghy, Amsi Morales, Pat Courtney, Matt Milonopoulos, Dave Nicholaou, Diane Lareau, Dianne Raymond, Patsy Chinchillo, Brian Kasprzyk

RE/MAX and Boston Celtics Promote Home Court Contest

2009-02-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

Now in it's fourth year, the RE/MAX Home Court programs makes dreams come true for three New England families. The winners receive a driveway resealing and painting of the Celtics logo, Basket sanction, backboard, net, portable electronic scoreboard, ball rack, basketballs, team apparel and the NEWEST feature, a bedroom makeover! The winner will also participate in a basketball clinic in their hometown, hosted by a Celtics Player and/or Legend. If you know of anyone who wishes to enter go to http://www.nba.com/celtics/promotions/home-court.html

RE/MAX Prestige Using New Software to Promote Listings

2009-02-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

We are always looking for new ways to promote our listings and now, more then ever, it's important that we concentrate on drawing web traffic to our listings. That is why we are very excited to embrace a new technology known as Animoto, which has the ability to take still camera shots and meshing them together into an exciting video. Here's a couple I recently put together using photos that depict what it means to work at RE/MAX Prestige : http://animoto.com/play/JeyL3HVDnxQDcTdMYsEfxg?from=share. When it comes to technology in real estate... there's nobody more advanced then RE/MAX Prestige!

Agent Appreciation Party was a SUCCESS!

2009-01-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Last night marked the 2009 RE/MAX Prestige Agent Appreciation Celebration at the Wyndham in Andover. More then 80 guests attended the evening which was complete with a great dinner, socializing, and dancing. Highlights of the night included a speach by owner, Andrew Armata, where he thanked the families, significant others, and spouses of our agents for their support throughout the year and where he gave a special tribute to the Creators of First Impressions who are such an important part of the organization. The fun continued when DJ Mark held a musical chair competition and trivia contest. As owner, Andrew Armata noted, it's much easier to get through these challenging economic times when you wake up everyday and get to work with people whom you consider family.

GREAT NEWS ABOUT TAX INCENTIVE FOR FT BUYERS

2009-01-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a great meeting with an accountant from a highly recommended accounting firm in Dracut. We were speaking about the new Federal Tax Incentive for first time home buyers and he shared with me information which I was not aware of.

Let's say you are a buyer who qualifies for the tax incentive of $7500 (that's a cash refund in hand) and let's say that you know you're going to buy something by July 1st of this year. You can choose to file an extension for your 2007 taxes so that if you close after April 15th you can still get the $7500 tax refund using your 2007 tax return. You do NOT have to wait until next year to get the credit!

The only way you can get the credit right away is if you file your 2007 tax return after purchasing the home. If you are purchasing the home between April 15th and July 1st (which is when the tax incentive is gone) then you will have to file a tax extension.

What else you need to know about the tax credit:
The tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only.
The maximum credit amount is $7,500.
The credit is available for homes purchased on or after April 9, 2008 and beforeJuly 1, 2009.
Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
The tax credit works like an interest-free loan and must be repaid over a 15-year period.

As always, please seek professional help from a cpa before doing this.

Agent Appreciation Dinner January 23rd

2009-01-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

To thank our agents for their hard work, loyalty, and dedication through a challenging 2008, Andrew and Stacey will be hosting an evening of great food, dancing, and reminiscing as we welcome 2009. Spouses and significant others are welcome. Cash bar - Dancing - Full Entree dinner. January 23rd at the Wyndham in Andover 6pm.

We Believe In Miracles

2009-01-08T05:31:00.001-08:00

Andy and I wanted to say THANK YOU for the gracious charitable contributions RE/MAX Prestige agents made this year. In 2008, RE/MAX Prestige agents contributed $6210 to Children's Miracle Network and $1125 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and we mailed out more than 180 honor cards to buyers and sellers. Furthermore, we provided Thanksgiving dinners to 25 local DSS families... and provided holiday gifts for 25 families. This is in addition to the many charity sponsorships we participated in throughout the year, including 11 RE/MAX Prestige hot air balloon events which raised approximately $4500 for other local charities, as well as the Walk for Tony event which raised more then $5000 for The American Cancer Society.

Let's keep making miracles happen for children and families across Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2009. Keep up the great work, Team!

Our Do NOT do List for 2009!

2009-01-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

So 2009 has arrived and all of us have spent some time putting together a resolution list. Andy and I sat down recently to discuss our resolutions for our companies and there were too many to list! We have so many goals we expect to achieve this year with regard to helping our agents increase business and work more efficiently so they can have more time with their families. When we looked at our resolution list we were a bit anxious about everything we had put on our plate. Then someone told us that we should make a Do NOT do list for 2009 instead of a TO DO list for 2009. So... here's a glimpse of our Do NOT do List for the New Year...

1. We will NOT allow even one agent or loan officer at our companies feel as though it is impossible to meet their dreams or goals.
2. We will NOT set unrealistic goals or expectations for our companies or for ourselves.
3. We will NOT become complacent in our businesses or in our lives.
4. We will NOT take our agents, our staff, our loan originators, or the clients that serve us all for granted.
5. We will NOT forget that this real estate market will pass... and so will the next really good one.

This is just a few of the items from our Do NOT do list for 2009. If you're finding that your resolution list is a bit too long, try this list instead.

Happy New Year!

Live Rich in '09

2009-01-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a joyful holiday season and New Years. If you're like me, you spent some time these last few weeks composing a list of resolutions and planning a strategy for accomplishing your list in 2009. While I was enjoying this process I came across an article about New Years resolutions which I found extremely valuable and I wanted to share it with everyone. I hope 2009 finds you and your family healthy, wealthy, and well. To read this great article go to http://www.livingorsurviving.com/happiness-in-2009/

Complaint Free for 2009

2008-12-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

With only two days left until Christmas, and many of us still scrambling to the stores due to the weather filled month we've had, I thought this would be a great opportunity to tell you about a great new initiative we introduced at our December meeting at RE/MAX Prestige. The initiative is called "The Complaint Free World" and you can learn more about it at http://acomplaintfreeworld.org/

RE/MAX Prestige agents are amongst the almost 6 million people worldwide who are now choosing to live a life without complaint. It is truly life changing, and I can tell you that even with the challenges brought about by the weather this month and the stress of the holidays and economy, I've been able to enjoy this end of year more so then any others in recent years.

If you're looking for a positive and uplifting start to 2009 I hope you will visit http://acomplaintfreeworld.org/ and join us in participating in this new way of thinking. As Maya Angelou said, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude about it. Don't complain."

Walk For Tony

2008-06-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, RE/MAX Prestige banded together to participate in the 18 hour Relay for Life cancer walk at the Greater Lawrence Technical School. With this relay, one member of our team remained on the walking track for 18 hours. Just recently we lost a good friend, real estate agent Tony Vassell, to cancer. We wanted to do something special to remember him and so we participated in the Relay for Life. Our team raised over $5000 for cancer research. Not only did we raise money for a good cause, but we also got to remember a good friend, and have a little bit of fun with our RE/MAX Prestige family.

Here We Grow Again!

2008-05-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Today RE/MAX Prestige announced the addition of RE/MAX Action in Pelham, NH. We were excited to have the opportunity to meet witht the fourteen agents in the Pelham office that are now part of the Prestige family. This is a fantastic opportunity for RE/MAX Prestige to further our market prescence in Southern New Hampshire. We look forward to having the BEST Spring real estate market we've seen in years! Our agents are extremely busy as buyers are finally realizing that this is the time to buy. For anyone thinking of buying, check out this Time Magazine article about the housing market: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713483,00.html. It gives great insight as to why buyers shouldn't be waiting to jump on some great real estate deals that are out there. It's a great time to buy real estate and, the management of RE/MAX Prestige recognizes that this is also an unbelievable time to grow the best real estate firm in the Merrimack Valley and Sounthern New Hampshire area. Look out, here we come!

Under the Tuscan Sun

2008-04-12T05:07:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an avid reader. I usually read an average of 2-3 books each week as I'm always reading mulitple books at one time. I normally read a business or sales related book (which right now I'm just finishing "How to Be A Power Agent in Real Estate" which is UNBELIEVABLE) as well as one or two fictional books. Very rarely do I even talk to people about the fictional books I'm reading as I really do it for pleasure and rarely is there any lesson learned that is important for me to spread. This week I've been reading a book entitled "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes. It was published in the mid 1990's and there was eventually a movie made about it. It's a very casual read... something you'd take to a beach. This morning as I was crawling through chapters something really profound hit me. This book is about a husband and wife who buy and restore an abandoned villa on the Tuscan countryside. It speaks to the enjoyment, hard work, and accomplishment in owning a house. It speaks to the sense of wonder at the history and memories built into ones home. I'm not quite done with this novel but it has enlightened me to look at my own home in a very different way. Yesterday my house was just a place where I slept and an investment in my future. Today my home is something that I made... it's a place to build memories and to sculpt a future.

Ok... so where am I going with this? As an owner of a successful real estate firm I can't help but notice that most of us have really gotten away from appreciating what it means to own a home. The newspapers, television, and even us real estate agents speak about the value property has today like it's a dollar bill we've found on the ground. What's this house worth today? How much was it worth last week? Has the market bottomed out? Should I buy today because what if my house is worth less next year? HAVE WE ALL GONE CRAZY? We are speaking here about the American Dream! Homeownership has become a currency like a share of stock in Google! When our grandparents and great grandparents bought homes did they sit there and struggle about how much they could sell it for in three years. Absolutely not. They saved and saved every penny they had so that they too could have the opportunity of owning their piece of the dream... a place where they could raise families, have barbecues, eat family dinners.... a place to laugh, cry, and honor time as it slipped on by.

I don't think we are all that different from our grandparents who really appreciated a home for what it represented. If we were, stores with the likes of Home Depot and Lowes wouldn't be cropping up on every corner. I do, however, feel that as an industry we all need to concentrate less on the monetary value of real estate. This is not a share of Google we are talking about folks, it's one's little postage stamp sized spot in the world where memories are built and futures are molded.

RE/MAX Prestige Agents make CLEAN SWEEP at Awards Ceremony

2008-03-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

This past Friday marked the RE/MAX of New England awards rally. It was a spectacular day of education and motivation. Speakers at the rally included Loretta Laroche, Alison Levine, and Ken Blanchard. Loretta as a sales comedian who had us all howling in our chairs. She was followed by Alison Levine, who is known for climbing Mt. Everest after surviving several heart surgeries. Finally, we heard from Ken Blanchard. He's written a million great books. Some of my favorites include Whale Done, The One Minute Manager, and Raving Fans (just to name a few). I think what I enjoyed about his lecture the most was about how people who are extremely successful in life have a remarkable sense of perspective. They are able to float to the top of the ceiling and evaluate their position differently then most. People with a good sense of perspective are usually very positive thinkers. Why? Because they feel fortunate as compared to others no matter what life brings their way. Anyway, I'm probably biased because I'm a "raving fan" of Ken Blanchards. As for the rest of the awards ceremony we were extremely proud to see many of our agents get top awards. Nancy Rogers received the Lifetime Achievement award. We had twenty eight agents receive awards all together. After the event there were about 25 of us who really got to enjoy each other's company at a local Boston hang out. What a great day for a great group of agents!

Happy St. Patty's, Easter, Spring!

2008-03-23T05:06:00.001-07:00

Three unbelievable occassions all in one week. At RE/MAX Prestige, we started the week with a fantastic St. Patrick's Day. Some of us went to Cobblestones to watch the bag pipe band. Some of us went to The Dubliner for more traditional Irish music, and some of us went to the Claddagh. All in all, it was a fantastic day. Then, mid-week we were blessed with the favorite season of every real estate agent... SPRING. Yes, it's here, and the market is hot, hot, hot! For more information about what's happening this Spring at RE/MAX Prestige check out our Newsletter at http://marketing.remaxdesigncenter.com/70227/552796/552796.html. Finally, we are ending the week with Easter. Some of us are doing open houses but most of us are taking the day to enjoy with friends and loved ones. It's a perfect opportunity to thank our families for their support in our real estate careers.

RE/MAX Prestige Honored at International Convention

2008-03-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

The convention is still humming along and we are learning so much great information to implement in our businesses. The best part of the convention so far was the Night of the Stars Award ceremony which took place at the MGM Grand last night. RE/MAX Prestige was honored with the award for Top Office in Largest Net Gain in Sales Associates in the United States for 2007! That's right folks, nobody in the country is growing like RE/MAX Prestige! Every single agent at our firm had a part in earning this award by joining our office in 2007 or encouraging your peers to join. Thank you to our team for making RE/MAX Prestige the best place to work in real estate. Also at last nights ceremony, our very own Christina Lazrak took home the prestigious Platinum Club award which is given to associates who earned $250,000 or more in commissions in 2007. Well, we have one more day of excitement at the 2008 RE/MAX Convention. Rest assured we won't come home empty handed. We have gained so much knowledge by surrounding ourselves with the very best agents and owners in the world and we will not let that go to waste! Oh by the way.. to start today off just right Andy and I walked the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure 5K this morning!

CNN: May be the best time to buy in 4 years!

2008-03-06T06:22:00.000-08:00

It's rare to find a news article that's got any positive information about today's housing market. Today I found one on CNN.com and I wanted to share it with you so that maybe it will help you get your next buyer off the Go to http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/04/real_estate/markets_less_overvalued/ to read the article.

Howdy from Sunny Las Vegas!

2008-03-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was the first official day of the RE/MAX International Convention and it was unbelievable. The day began with a great review of RE/MAX then and now with a presentation as to where we were in 1973 and where we stand today. This marks the 35th anniversary of RE/MAX and at every convention they roll out great tools, technology and information for agents to embrace for the coming year. We can’t forget last year’s convention where they rolled out RE/MAX University with Agent Training on Demand (ATOD) which now is home to hundreds of the best training programs available in real estate. At this convention they announced the new training program they are rolling out with Brian Buffini called the Ultimate Agent. For the past year and half more then 30 of you have graduated from our Buffini’s 100 Days to Greatness program. Now they’ve developed the Ultimate Agent program for agents who have completed 100 Days to Greatness or agents who are looking to find a way to break through the $100K, $200K or even $500K a year ceiling. We saw a preview of this program today and cannot wait to bring it to RE/MAX Prestige. Dave Liniger also introduced RE/MAX 365. RE/MAX 365 is a year-long, aggressive campaign featuring the most relevant education, information and tools that agents need to survive and thrive in a changing market.
The program includes special broadcasts and live "Town Hall" meetings on RSN, targeted peer studies on ATOD and focused education from Brian Buffini, plus specialized tools from RE/MAX International that work for agents 365 days a year. We were also very excited to find out that Dave Liniger, founder of RE/MAX International now has a blog on RE/MAX Mainstreet. Now you can login each week to find out Dave's perspective on today's market. All in all, it's turning out to be a great convention. Right before writing this email, Andrew and I even had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with co-founder of RE/MAX, Gail Liniger. Rest assured that we are taking lots of notes so that we can come back armed with more tools, more technology, more information to offer our agents and loan originators new ways to grow their businesses.

The Tipping Point in Real Estate - Use the Newspaper to Fight Back!

2008-01-07T19:08:00.001-08:00

I just finished reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and I'm beginning to see how we got into this turbulent real estate market that we are in. For at least ten years real estate skeptics kept preaching that we were in a real estate bubble and that anyone who was looking to buy a home was CRAZY. Meanwhile, the market held strong and people kept buying homes and prices kept going up. At some point however the preaching of the real estate naysayers caught on and all of a sudden the media caught on, and then prices started tanking and buyers ran for the hills. If you read Gladwell's book this pheonomenom is explained as the Tipping Point where the words and influence of some (Gladwell categorizes these few as the connectors, mavens, and sales people) causes an epidemic that spreads just like the flu, a fashion trend, or even the crime rate. I find Gladwell's point of view to be quite profound and I thought to myself as I finished the book, why couldn't I be one of those few that causes a real estate Tipping Point to go the other way. So, that's what I'm going to set out to do. I am owner of eight real estate offices and I think the first key to start a new Tipping Point trend is to educate agents about how to start this trend. The first key area that all of us should look at is with the mode in which we are advertising real estate that's on the market. What's really crazy if you think about it is that we spend millions and millions of dollars on paper advertising to show the world all the inventory we have. After reading The Tipping Point, I think this is a HUGE waste of resources. What we need to realize is that the people who read newspapers are the same people who think this is the WORST time to buy a house. Just the fact that they read the newspapers indicates that they subscribe to what the media has to say about the housing market. By us loading the real estate section with our inventory we feed the media hype that the market is terrible and that there is too much inventory. HERE IS MY IDEA AFTER READING THE TIPPING POINT.... We need to re-educate those that read newspapers. Let's collectively take all of our FOR SALE inventory out of the paper because anyone that reads the papers believes the market stinks... instead let's fill the newspapers with our advertisements of success stories about buyers who just bought their first home, or families who were able to up-size or downsize into a better situation. In The Tipping Point Gladwell points out that the word you're trying to spread as an epidemic must be STICKY... it's sticky if there is a compelling reason for people to read it and pass it on. Therefore, let's not just load the papers up with pictures of SOLD properties where people just turn the page... let's fill the real estate advertising columns with photos of buyers and their realtors in front of their new homes with a small success story from that buyer. People love reality... that's why reality shows are sticky... so let's make our new wave of paper advertising sticky by showing the nay-sayers (those that believe, read, and subscribe to media periodicals) that there are millions of buyer success stories because it is truly a GREAT time to buy a home. That's my 2 cents.

It's going to be GREAT in 2008!!!

2008-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

We are really excited about the New Year at RE/MAX Prestige. We had a fantastic group of agents join our firm for the new year including Len Lochrie, Barbara Miller, Angela Zhang, Dawn Billingsley, Eileen Emerson, Matt Moisan, Maureen Roberts, and Diane Marcolongo, to name just a few! Agents keep joining because we are keeping busy at RE/MAX Prestige. We are busy because we are keeping our agents educated and motivated. What has been a key to our success in that in 2007 and 2008 we have been able to demonstrate to buyers that the people who are getting the BEST deals in today's real estate market are those that don't follow the media. If you listen to the media, there are no good deals in real estate right now, and that's just NOT the case. Check out all the listings on the market right now... it's a FANTASTIC TIME TO BUY. Many of our own agents including Mary Alcorn, Dan O'Connell, Meghan Maraghy, Angela Harkins, Jim Harkins, Dave Nicholaou, Kathy Mamos, and Michelle Rivera purchased homes in 2007 because the market is just that good! Who else is buying homes? Probably the media workers!! Anyone who can understand that the media continues to promote hogwash about today's real estate market is out searching for a good deal. Anyway... we are keeping busy for 2008. We look forward to the RE/MAX Winter Sales Rally which is taking place January 9th and the RE/MAX International Convention in March. It will be the BEST year RE/MAX Prestige has every seen.

Christmas Eve at RE/MAX

2007-12-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

The phones are quiet today and a few agents are popping in and out of the office as I sit here and update the blog. Yesterday I read a fantastic book, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and I encourage anyone who has not yet read it to go get it TODAY! It's a quick read. I read it in just a few hours and it's life changing! It's a perfect book to sit by the fire and read this holiday because it's easy to get so wrapped up in this somewhat commercialized holiday, that it's easy to forget what is really important in life. Anyway.... read this book if you can find some spare time. It's truly awesome. Coincidentally our agents will be getting to see Mitch Albom speak at an upcoming sales rally on January 9th. Now that I've read this book, I can hardly wait. So, a lot has happened since I last updated the blog. The season took over and there are many things I didn't get to, including my blog. Some of the highlights this month include the RE/MAX Prestige & Unlimited Mortgage Adopt a Family. Our companies adopted 25 local DSS families for the holidays. Andy and I made 6 trips to DSS with car loads of presents for local families. We want to thank our team for helping us with that. We also had an unbelievable holiday party on the 14th. We had over 120 guests and it was held at the Wyndham in Andover. Our ver own, Joanna Dendrolivanos, did an unbelievable rendition of Silent Night to our gracious crowd. As well, we had a visit from the YMCA carolers and a pop-by by good old St. Nick himself. It was a great time. Anyway, Andy and I wish everyone a fantastic holiday. Take advantage of this time and spend it with loved ones and if you're feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, pick up a copy of Tuesdays with Morrie, grab your favorite blanket, go to your bedroom, shut the door and read. Enjoy!

WOW.... WHAT A MONTH!

2007-11-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

Ok... it's the last week of the month at Prestige and what a week it is! We were very excited this month to unveil our new recruiting website. There are so many agents that call us every day and they want to learn more about RE/MAX Prestige... well now they can get a glimps of what we are all about by going to www.remaxprestigerecruiting.com. Also, we announced this week that we are, for the seventh year, helping DSS families for the holidays. So far, we have 15 agents who have committed to taking care of the holiday wishes for 15 families... our goal this year is to help 25 families in total for the holiday! We thank our lucky stars every day for all of the blessings we have been afforded. The biggest blessing is our group of agents. It's great to work with such wonderful people!

RE/MAX Prestige Turkey Drive

2007-11-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

We are fast approaching Thanksgiving week. Can you believe how time flys? Every year at RE/MAX Prestige we gather Thanksgiving food baskets for DSS. Our agents go out and purchase complete Thanksgiving meals for 30 local DSS families. So.... this week... in addition to showing houses, negotiating contracts, listing homes, and finding new and innovative ways to market every property, our agents are out doing some major turkey day shopping. It's a lot of work, but boy do we have a good time!