Utah Liquor Laws- Oh, My My My…

 

The LDS fanatics state legislature has decided to “simplify” the incredibly ridiculous Utah state liquor laws again. Will this stupid and absurd “musical chairs” of liquor law rule-swapping ever stop?

Under the new rules, the limit to how much alcohol that can be poured into a drink has been increased from 1 once to 1.5 ounces. That’s the only sane part.

But, now you can no longer order a “sidecar”, or an additional shot of that alcohol that we locals have been forced to order so we can “spike” our drinks and give them a normal ratio of alcohol.

You can have a shot of liquor in front of you with a drink, but now you can not have a shot of the same type of alcohol that is in your drink. So, if you are drinking a Margarita you can have a shot of vodka or rum or bourbon, but not a shot of tequila.

Smart…

Now, I’ll just order two shots of Jack Daniels and a regular coke and pour both shots into my coke. These are the stupid things we adults need to do in Utah to have a normal drink.

Also, wine coolers and flavored malt beverages will only be sold in state liquor stores, so now that $6 six-pack of wine cooler (which are just as weak as beer) will cost you $9 with the state liquor store mark-up of over 40%.

The reasoning is that if kids see fruity drinks in the grocery store they will;

A) Steal the drinks (meaning kids here are all thief’s)

or they will

B) Simply want to drink because they see these tempting fruity drinks. Because that’s why kids drink alcolhol, right? For the fruity taste! I mean, they can’t get fruity drinks anywhere else, right?

So now, thanks to our intellectually-challenged state legislature, kids will not be drinking anymore in Utah because they won’t see fruity drinks at Albertsons…

And, of course, you still cannot ship wine into or out of the state and beer is 3.2% alcohol unlike every other state, where it’s 6%, because our lawmakers get a kick out of changing laws and rules about things they know nothing about (which is most everything).

Here is my solution;

Why not let adults drink whatever kind of alcohol they want, and let bars make the drinks the way they want, like in  other states, and then punish alcohol-related crimes much more severely? Isn’t that supposed to be the whole goal, to get rid of the bad things that can happen when people are drinking?

Here’s the ironic part of the whole thing- telling me I can’t have a shot of tequila on the table at the same time as my margarita does not make me drink less tequila, it makes me drink more. When the waitress gets to my table with my shot, I have to “chug” my margarita so I can then have my shot. And then I have to order another margarita because I just chugged mine. Most people don’t drink shots, they drink mixed drinks or beer and they order a round of shots that sit on the table until everyone takes the shot together.

In Utah, we have to do shots of our mixed drinks and beers so that we can do shots of liquor. Our legislature is so smart…

The Carnival of Real Estate

 

Welcome to the 81st Edition of the Carnival of Real Estate! Step right up and get ready for a wonderland of writing styles and topics. Reading through the entries I was reminded of the last time I hosted the Carnival back in September 2006, and how much blogging has grown, especially in the real estate industry, since then. Five years ago when I started blogging nobody read my blog and I didn’t read anybody else’s. Today blogging has become a legitimate, and important, means of communicating between large spectrums of people.

The Winner’s Circle for this Carnival includes four well-written posts that I think were both informative and interesting. Here are the four posts I am placing in the Winner’s Circle…

*Kevin and Monica Ray’s Real Estate Blog discusses radon and the risks associated with it. I think it’s great how they included information about fixing the problem and safe levels.

* Joe Manausa of Tallahassee Real Estate Blog gives us a comprehansive comparison of “Rent Versus Ownership” and details the investment potential of owning versus investing money in the stock market. Even without including the tax benefits, he makes a compelling case.

*Nigel Swaby of Salt Lake Real Estate Blog gives a report on “Ruthless Walk-Away’s” and some very good insight and opinion around the practice.

*Marcus McCray from Hook Me Up! explains “Why Professional Referrals Are Overrated!” There’s some great logic in this post and it’s written well.

Here are the rest of the posts, enjoy!

Christopher Smith at Real Estate Investing in the Real World writes the beginning of an article about investing in real estate long-term. I really enjoyed the article until it suddenly ended. It should have been a completed article. The beginning paragraphs were intriguing and well written. Too bad it was cut short.

DaltonsBriefs presents a post that references a Zillow post about activists doing damage to property to bring notice to their cause.

MyNewPlace discusses the Casulo, a bedroom set in a box. It’s not available yet, but might be a great idea for students or people traveling abroad.

Nathan Blair of Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Blog thinks aloud about what is ”classic” in architecture.

International Listings presents an incomplete, and questionable (they forgot to mention the best real estate website) list of real estate websites that are 2.0.

Purva Brown, the Sacremento Real Estate Gal, brings up three mistakes first-time home buyers fall victim to.

Silveral of Celebrity News and Gossip talks about celebrity homes and the characteristics many of them share.

John Lockwood of Sacramento Real Estate Blog lists the “Seven Deadly Misktakes Buyers Make in This Market.”

Dee Copeland of Texas Realty Blog writes about the trend of “Boomerang Buyers” moving back to the Austin area.

Charles Woodall of Dotham Home Search suggests that “Days on Market are Irrelevant” and makes some good points. I have posted on this topic myself and think it’s a good topic of discussion with buyers, especially in areas that are in buyers market’s.

Dan Melson at Searchlight Crusade suggests that “The Mortgage Loan Market Controls the Real Estate Market.” His thinking is that as loan products go away, so do buyers who need those products to buy, and when rates go up, the buyer pool of a price range gets smaller.

Lenore Wilkas of Hillsburough, Burlingame Luxury Home Sales says “Be Sure to Ask Your Agent How Long the House Has Been For Sale.” The post discusses the practice of re-listing property to manipulate the days-on-market for the listing.

Raymond at Money BlueBook gives his reviews of the house-flipping shows currently on television.

Joe also gives us a look at some of the Tallahassee market’s pricing and sales trends.

Silicon Valley Blogger at The Digerati Life asks “Who’s To Blame For The Subprime Mortgage Mess?” With responsibility distributed between many people involved in the real estate transaction, he wraps up with some good advice to the buyers who, I believe, are ultimately responsible for signing contracts on homes they can’t afford.

Steve Leung gives us the “Consumer’s Rights When Purchasing New Homes”. He talks about warranties, having your own representation and protecting yourself.

Steve Faber at DebtBlog wonders, “Property Foreclosures- Is It Really as Bad as They Say?” Steve goes over some of the statistics showing some states, including Nevada, Florida and California have high foreclosure rates, but also had some of the highest run-up’s in prices over the last few years.

Cynthis Holt from Real Life Real Estate shares her frustrations with buying a short sale property in “War Zone”.

Kathy Koops from The Cincy Blog explains how the “3 Key Words in Real Estate” may not be as important as price.

Geordie Romer of  Leavenworth Washington Real Estate Blog presents  his “Top 5 Ways to Shoot Your Leavenworth Condo Project in the Foot.” He actually goes the extra mile and gives six, including “Don’t dismiss the internet as a fad.” Good advice.

Brian Block of Virginia Real Estate News says, “I’ve Officially Run Out of Room on My Business Card” and shares his experience breezing through the broker’s exam and the designations he holds.

Craig Schiller at HOME STAGING, Rants & Ravings presents “OOPS Goes the Staging!” The post is written well. There a lot of bold words, but the post shows how video can help make your point. It would have been great to have some more specific tips and even some examples on good staging. Hopefully that will be in the next post.

Rebecca Levinson of Connect2Agent presents “Do consumers want rock stars or real estate agents to sell their home?” She tells the story of another agent’s attitude and the impression it left on her.

Cliff Jacobson at WebHome USABlog presents, “Realtor Dirty Tricks” where he discusses Glenn Kelman and the NAR.

Thank you to everyone for participating in this week’s Carnival of Real Estate. Next week look for it over at The Matrix.

Top State Governments

 

The PEW Center on the States has released it’s report grading all the states on how well their governments work and accomplish goals and objectives. They look at a lot of factors, including;

• Elected officials, the state budget office and agency personnel have appropriate data on the relationship between costs and performance and use these data when making resource-allocation decisions. • Agency managers have the appropriate information required to make program management decisions.• The governor and agency managers have appropriate data that enable them to assess the actual performance of policies and programs.• The public has appropriate access to information about the state, the performance of state programs and state services and is able to provide input to state policy makers.

People• The state regularly conducts and updates a thorough analysis of its human-capital needs.• The state acquires the employees it needs.• The state retains a skilled workforce.

• The state develops its workforce.

• The state manages its workforce-performance programs effectively.

Money• The state uses a long-term perspective to make budget decisions.• The state’s budget process is transparent, easy to follow and inclusive.• The state’s financial management activities support structural balance

between ongoing revenues and expenditures.

• The state’s procurement activities are conducted efficiently and supported

with effective internal controls.

• The state systematically assesses the effectiveness of its financial operations

and management.

Infrastructure• The state regularly conducts a thorough analysis of its infrastructure needs and has a transparent process for selecting infrastructure projects.• The state has an effective process for monitoring infrastructure projects throughout their design and construction.• The state maintains its infrastructure according to generally recognized engineering practices.

• The state comprehensively manages its infrastructure.

• The state creates effective intergovernmental and interstate infrastructure coordination networks.

That’s a lot of criteria and a lot of research. So, how did the state’s rank?

The top state governments in information (with A’s) were Utah, Washington, Missouri, Virginia, and Michigan.

For handling money the best government was Utah, which took the only A in the nation, follwed by Washington, Nebraska, Virginia, and Delaware, with A minuses.

Infastructure, again Utah was the top state, and the only state earning an A. With A minuses were Florida, Kentucky and Michigan.

The report says of Utah, “there’s a lot to cheer about. Utah manages itself with savvy business acumen. Financial decisions are made wisely, with an eye toward return on investment and long-term performance in all facets of state government.”

Of Virginia, the reports states, “Virginia proves that tracking data—and holding employees accountable for outcomes—can work wondrous efficiencies.”

And of Washington, the report says, “Washington has been a consistent leader in results-based governance. It was ahead of nearly all other states in controlling spending by keeping track of where investments were and were not paying off.”

New Hampshire had the worst grade in the country, with an overall D+. The study says, “The governor, who serves a two-year term, doesn’t necessarily appoint—and cannot remove—his own agency heads, who serve four-year terms. So the governor can spend lots of time banging heads with other members of his own cabinet. “The basic system of government is designed to make it difficult to transform anything,” explains one former state official.”

Top Ten States for Jobs

 

Yesterday MSN released a list of the Best and Worst states for jobs based on unemployment figures, and they offer the “mean” wage of each state. Mean wage is a term meaning that half the jobs pay more and half pay less.

Here are the top fifteen states;

1. South Dakota
Unemployment rate: 3 percent
Population: 796,214
Mean annual wage: $30,460
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.9 percent)

2. Idaho
Unemployment rate: 3 percent
Population: 1,499,402
Mean annual wage: $34,810
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.2 percent)

3. Wyoming
Unemployment rate: 3.1 percent
Population: 522,830
Mean annual wage: $34,290
Top industry: Government (23 percent)

4. Nebraska
Unemployment rate: 3.2 percent
Population: 1,774,571
Mean annual wage: $34,300
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (21.1 percent)

5. Utah
Unemployment rate: 3.2 percent
Population: 2,645,330
Mean annual wage: $35,540
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.7 percent)

6. Hawaii
Unemployment rate: 3.2 percent
Population: 1,283,388
Mean annual wage: $38,630
Top industry: Government (19.6 percent)

7. North Dakota
Unemployment rate: 3.3 percent
Population: 639,715
Mean annual wage: $32,440
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (21.4 percent)

8. Virginia
Unemployment rate: 3.5 percent
Population: 7,712,091
Mean annual wage: $41,450
Top industry: Government (18 percent)

9. Montana
Unemployment rate: 3.6 percent
Population: 957,861
Mean annual wage: $31,290
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.5 percent)

10. New Hampshire
Unemployment rate: 3.6 percent
Population: 1,315,828
Mean annual wage: $39,250
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (23.3 percent)

11. New Mexico
Unemployment rate: 3.7 percent
Population: 1,969,915
Mean annual wage: $33,980
Top industry: Government (23.2 percent)

12. Delaware
Unemployment rate: 3.8 percent
Population: 864,764
Mean annual wage: $41,680
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.7 percent)

13. Maryland
Unemployment rate: 3.8 percent
Population: 5,618,344
Mean annual wage: $44,030
Top industry: Government (18.2 percent)

14. Iowa
Unemployment rate: 4 percent
Population: 2,988,046
Mean annual wage: $33,250
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.4 percent)

15. Vermont
Unemployment rate: 4 percent
Population: 621,254
Mean annual wage: $36,350
Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.4 percent)

Michigan heads the list of “worst states”, followed by Mississippi, South Carolina, Alaska, California, D.C., Ohio, Arkansas, Nevada, and Kentucky.

America’s Top Ten Lustful Cities

 

Forbes has come out with another social list- this time called America’s Most Lustful Cities. Salt Lake City ties with Boise for fifth place, yet the list is not actually a list of the most lustful, it’s a list of the cities with the highest per-capita condom sales. To say that condom sales indicates lustfulness is not only irresponsible, but really dumb.

Most condoms are sold to married couples or other monogamous people in relationships. And to think that Denver ranked #1  and Vegas isn’t even on the list makes the whole thing a bit difficult to believe. I’ve lived outside of Denver and I’ve been to Vegas a lot of times and, while Forbes puts out a lot of great social top ten lists, I just can’t seem to buy into this one.

(h/t Cityburb)

Companies That Need to Be Founded

 

I’m in the middle of launching my own new company, but if I had the time and the know-how here are some companies I would love to start. And maybe someone out there will someday…

A social network that is much better. A place that has more features than Linked-In (which has none), and is much easier to use than Facebook (Can they make it any more difficult to simply send a message?), but that is more grown-up than MySpace. I’m talking about a social network where I could go to and keep up with people, chat, share photos, etc. And it needs to be simple and easy to use and understand. Make it simple!!! And without all the stoopidness of MySpace, you know the blaring hip-hop and porn on people’s pages. Why not a calendar that I can share with my network that we can all share events and birthdays, an easy way to rate and recommend local bars and restaurants, and a clean, simple design that is intuitive and fun to use.

A Twitter that was much better. This wouldn’t be difficult to build, either and if I had time I would probably just do it myself. Take the basic idea of twitter, but make it so I don’t have to read all the responses to messages I can’t see and make it so I can choose channels or areas to be in. So maybe I can be in a business section where I’m not reading about people feeding their dog or whatever, but actual business ideas and messages. And why not let people drag-and-drop photos, videos, music and other stuff? Also 140 characters could easily be expanded to 500 so I could finish a thought… that would be nice.

A search engine that utilizes human judgement- at least for the top commercial website ranks. Keywords and meta-tags ruin the results on existing search engines. SEO kills good design, making website creators (and their clients) to choose between a good website design that they need to pay for all the traffic to, or a wordy manifest with keywords repeated ad nausea and no design appeal in order to rank high in organic search results. For the top commercial website results, at least, human judgement should be used to ensure relevance, but also, that the best websites rank the highest.

Just because something new comes along, doesn’t mean it’s been done right. Instead of just doing more of the same or only looking for the next, new big idea, we need to take existing ideas and make them better. Remember, when a company becomes big, it becomes slow and less willing to take chances and make improvements. There are a lot of opportunities out there for people who are willing to take the chance and put in the work. People don’t want to be sold anymore, they want to be inspired.

Trulia- Tech Guys in Realtor’s Clothing

The real estate industry has been in a major state of flux for two years now, with new technology and innovation entering the market constantly. It’s truly an exciting time to be in this industry. Some of the technology has really benefited the consumer and real estate agents alike. Many agents are becoming much more efficient and are offering much better service than ever before. Some technology (virtual tours, online fax) has become so common and accepted that many would not want to think of working without it.

One of the areas that has seen major growth is in the third-party, tech-guy’s turned real estate entrepreneur’s, listings.bot arena. First there was HouseValues, which was an innovator in that it saw how weak real estate agent’s were at attracting business from the internet so it capitalized on that weakness and got it’s own internet leads and sold them to real estate agents. Then, Lending Tree jumped in with it’s bid-for-mortgage business model becoming a bid-for-anything-real-estate-related model, and it now sells leads to agents as well.

And Realtor.com was actually doing this before any of them. By being the official website for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) it was given exclusive access to all the content from all of the MLS’s across the nation. So, did it take this MLS data and use it to further the industry and pursue noble Realtor causes? Of course not, it sold leads back to the agents, just like the other guys. Realtor.com used to charge $1000’s to be the “designated” Realtor for an area and get those area leads. Now it charges agents to place their listings at the top of the results and to have the agent contact info and property address shown.

Today we have Trulia, among many others, who have a new business model- Give it all away for free and be the agent’s best friend, grow really big until the agents depend on you, then charge them and make a bundle.

Trulia takes the listing info and sends the leads back to the agents with no charge. Everyone loves that. But when you have VC money you’ve got to make profit and giving stuff away doesn’t bring in any profit.

Trulia has always sold ads on their website, and at the beginning claimed they were only interested in making money from those ads. But, now that they have grown and are getting a lot more traffic (and have investors), Trulia is changing, as I thought they might. They are no longer just making money from advertising. Now Trulia sells placement of listings to the agents, just like the other guys. And it’s only a matter of time before they begin charging agents to be a “designated” or “premier” or “showcase” agent, and then only a matter of time before they charge for the leads.

Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that. They certainly have a right to have their business model, and their search function and information is superb. They offer a lot of info and have some really cool tools on their site. But it’s just data- they have no real estate knowledge or expertise because they are not real estate people. Trulia was founded, as most of the other listings.bot websites, by tech people. Just a couple of tech guys- not real estate guys, tech guys.

A better alternative for brokers and agents (and the consumer), would be to have their own destination website that is not only full of rich content and great search functionality, but offers the individual agent’s local knowledge and personality. Because, while real estate technology is expanding and becoming global, the transactions and business are still based on relationships and personality and trust between Realtors and their clients.

It is wonderful to have great data and technology, but a successful real estate business still needs to be founded in service and relationships. And no national website can offer people the personal touch of a local agent, with their intimate knowledge of an area and the excellent service they provide to their clients.

There is a difference between information and knowledge. These mega-websites can offer tons of data and graphs, charts, statistics, reports, and other information, but at the end of the day- none of them can advise a local buyer like I can.

Agents and brokers could, as an alternative to feeding the machine of these mega-sites, create their own online brand, their own online real estate destination, and offer the same cool data and technology, and fill it with their own personality and their own knowledge and experience. Instead of contributing to a mega-site knowledge base, they could offer their own, local knowledge bases. If I am buying a home in Salt Lake City I want to know about the Salt lake City area and local market conditions and get expert advise and guidance for that area and I really don’t care about who is the top agent in Grand Rapids or what ten agents say about the market in Boston.

My founding BlueRoof360, stemmed from the dozen or so monthly emails and phone calls I receive from agents and brokers asking me if I can help them build a website or help them convert online leads or help them with their online services. 

Agents can now have their own websites and blogs and have innovative technology and cutting-edge search tools and data, and keep their business for themselves and offer their own personality and knowledge, without spending $100,000 and twelve months designing a custom website. I’m not just trying to be noble- I want to make a profit, just like the next guy. But I’m doing it in a way that helps, not hurts, the agents and brokers in the long-run.

Unlike Trulia, or Zillow, or Redfin, or many of the other tech.bot real estate sites- I am not a tech-guy trying to make money in real estate. I am a Realtor using technology to offer better service for my clients.

And now I’m using technology to help other agents grab hold of their fair share of the internet business that so many of the tech-guys are trying to take from them. Using these mega-sites is not bad, but it shouldn’t be an agent’s only source of online business.

Real estate professional know real estate better than tech guys or anyone else, and with the right technology won’t need these outside mega-sites because they will be one of their own.

BlueRoof360- Industry Best Realtor Websites, Lead and Client Management

In 2007 we closed 114 homes because of our website. While the majority of real estate agents were seeing their businesses slow down significantly and the overall market lose energy, our business has stayed very consistent. You may, or may not, want to be a top-producing agent, but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind an extra sale or two each month.  Technology does not take the place of personality and personal contact but, when utilized correctly, it can help us connect with our clients and also bring us business.

Understand, I am not a technology guy getting into real estate. I am a Realtor (over 14 years) who uses technology very well. As a real estate agent, if you want to get business from the internet and offer real value to your clients what are your current choices? You can use Point2, Advanced Access, Homes.com or myriad other template websites, you can (even worse) use a page on your broker’s website, or you can spend a lot of money building a custom website and hope the people building it know anything about real estate and design.

Now, finally, there will be another choice that brings the power and design of a custom website, innovative technology, simple and intuitive design and a price that makes sense.

Enter BlueRoof360

BlueRoof360 will cost $200/month and will be a complete online solution for real estate agents. Get business, offer better service for your clients, give value to the consumer, and grow your team and your bottom line.

I have been the managing broker for several large (100+ agent) real estate offices. I have become a student, learning what consumers like and want. By meeting them from my website and working with them I have been able to learn a lot about how to use the internet for real estate over the last five years. And because I am a real estate agent and I have managed, recruited, trained and hired hundreds of Realtors, I understand what real estate agents need and what they like and want.

It is fascinating to me how so many people think that spending nothing for nothing is a better bargain over investing something for an actual profit. If you spend $400/year and get one sale from it and $5000 commission (like most P2 or AA users do) that is good. But spending $60,000 and getting $800,000 in return (as I did last year) is better. One sale gets you some money and one person referring business to you. One hundred fourteen sales gets you much more money and 114 people referring business to you.

As Greg says, “If 10,000 people exhibit a casual interest in your product, you will have earned nothing, whereas if one person actually buys, you will have earned a huge pay-check.”

Consumers want a better overall experience including value, service, interaction and information. They want to feel as though they are being taken care of but that they have good information and still run the show. Agents want simple tools that enable them to focus on the relationship and they want business that comes to them without referral fees.

To offer real value to the consumer and get real business from the internet you need to have a few very important pieces that all work together. It all begins with a destination website. Not a form-filled, template website, but a website that is designed well, has cutting-edge technology, is fun and easy to use, and has great information for the consumer.

Next you need to know how to drive traffic to your website. How to make it seen and how to make it a place that people will want to come back to again and again, and tell other people about.

When someone asks for help or requests a showing on a property you need to respond very quickly- 15 minutes or less (under one minute is ideal). You need to have a near-immediate connection. People do not want to wait and they won’twait. They’ll usually work with the first agent to get back to them.

You need to be able to stay in touch with your leads, clients, past-clients, family, associates and friends. You need to give the consumer (your current and potential clients) excellent service. You need to WOW them.

And you need to continue to grow and learn from others who are doing it. But it has to be easy. It has to be simple to do. Real estate agents do not like complicated, difficult programs and hours of learning how to use stuff. We like fun, easy and simple.

BlueRoof360 will allow you to create your own custom website. Not a template website, but a custom website. A template gives you pre-defined spaces that you can change text and images in. We give you a very easy-to-use creation wizard to create your own layout, and then change it around to meet your personality. You’ll have some coaching on how to design it and what works well (colors, fonts, text, etc). You can use suggested themes or colors, or go off in your own direction.

We’ll show you how easy it is to use and what has worked well. And we’ll show you what people like. But you get to decide if your website has a bunch of text or if it has map-based search or games or an instant chat or video or your own blog or whatever you want.

You’ll also have a complete, but very simple to use, lead management and client management system. When someone requests to see a property you’ll be notified immediately by text message and email and that person’e information is instantly entered into your lead management system. To schedule the appointment, you simply drag and drop the person’s name on to your calendar. Assign an email keep-in-touch campaign with three clicks. You can use pre-designed campaigns or edit them or make your own. We have tried “Top Producer” client management system twice, but both times our team would not even use it because it was so complicated. We paid over $149/month and it just sat there. We’ve designed ours to be simple to use.

When you sell that person a home they are now a client. You click the button to move them to a client and their info is now entered as a client and you enter all the contract deadlines and information (as much or as little as you choose). If you only want to use three deadlines or you want to use twenty for each file- that’s up to you and very easy to do. You can choose to be alerted (via text message) before every appointment you have or not at all. Maybe you just want to be notified the day before the inspection deadline- no problem, it’s simple (two clicks and it’s done).

You can allow your clients to log in to their own account and see their file. A listing client can see everything you have done on their file and when. They can see when the magazine ad went out and when the sign was ordered and every showing. They can see all the feedback from their showings and your own personal notes. This doesn’t take the place of your personal communication, but it helps you to stay in touch with them even when you are busy and it helps them stay connected to the transaction in a new and interactive way.

When the file closes you can place that person as a past-client and set them up to receive monthly emails from you. Use pre-created ones, edit them, or make your own. Every time you take a new listing it’s sent to all of your past-clients, friends, family and associates. Or not- it’s up to you (one click makes it happen or not happen).

And you’ll have a community area where you can see everyone who is online and see their websites or send them a message. You can take part in the ongoing real-time chat discussion between everyone online. Throw out a question or just say hello. Read the internal blog, learn from the forums areas (and vote for the posts that helped you), read the community calendar or schedule an event in your area. It is important to have support from other agents who are succeeding and gain ideas from them and share your ideas. Networking can bring you referrals and can be a fun way to stay in touch with other agents around the country.

You’ll get coaching on how to convert leads, how to grow your team when you’re ready, how to drive traffic to your website, and how to create a great website. BlueRoof360 is a simple, powerful, well-designed online solution for real estate agents and brokers.

Keep doing what you are doing now and just use this to add some extra deals every month. Or go full-out and close hundreds of deals this year from your website. Either way, a long-term online presence will grow your business and give you tools to give better service and value to your clients.

As Jeff, TheXBroker, says…

“So where is the middle ground of killer technology and rePro listing penetration? I think BlueRoof is headed down the right path. Technology (Solvent) + rePro (Solute) = A Solution…one that both consumers and professionals can benefit from.”

The internet is a simple, powerful way to connect with people and grow your business and now BlueRoof360 will give you a simple and powerful way to do it.

Inman Connect NYC, 2008

 

Most of the attendees to Inman Connect are owners, corporate people, or start-ups in the real estate industry- not many Realtors attend. It’s a fantastic way to teach, learn and network from those who are pushing the industry into the future.

And there are some great conversations floating around in the halls between sessions. With normal company or Board of Realtor Association conventions much of the conversation is, “How do you get your business?” or “What do you think of the market?” At the Connect event there are so many technology companies and owners of brokerages that the conversations have a bit more sophistication. Throw in a few beers and they get very interesting.

Some of the things I saw, realized, remembered, liked, and noticed from the convention;

There are a ton of start-ups launching in real estate right now

It is a blast meeting up with other bloggers at these conventions

Google offices have arcade games and a cool view

Dustin (dramatically) cut his hair

Joel always seemed to be on his way somewhere

NYC is a great place for a convention

Speaking at 9am has its advantages. I was a bit ambivalent about speaking in the first session of Connect. I didn’t know if kicking off the event was an honor or if it was like being the opening act for something better. Turns out, it was pretty great.

If you forget to pack your pants and have to wear jeans, just pretend you did it on purpose and noone will ever know the difference (until you blog about it)

Showing up at the very end of a party (because your flight was delayed) is still fun, but you’re left out of all the pictures and video

Craig never has much enthusiasm, but he’s always honest

I always forget my camera

Many large brokerages just don’t understand technology and how to utilize it efficiently. Even some who think they do- really don’t. Politics and corporate red tape make a company move too slow to keep up with technology.

Rudy and Joe are always cool to hang out with (and they always remember their cameras)

Brian Brady isn’t afraid to stay out all night.

Dustin has a list of things he learned as well.

Google Search Secrets by Sellsius

 

Sellsius gives us a fantastic list of Google Search Secrets that expose some really cool tools found inside our favorite search engine. A few of the secrets;

Find similar terms with the tilde (~): ~cheap homes. You get auctions, foreclosures, etc.

Use the wildcard star (*) if you don’t know the missing word: a man’s home is his *.

Get a list of definitions with “define:” define:foreclosure.

Use Google as a calculator (good for figuring a commission): 548,000 x 6%.

To search a term in a particular blog or website use “site:”. Useful if a website or blog doesn’t have a search box: site:blog.sellsiusrealestate.com zillow. (Dang, 960 Zillow posts. We must have a crush on Zillow.)

Type in the area code to find out the city: “646″.

Time & Weather. “Time Hong Kong” gives you the time in Hong Kong. “Weather Hong Kong” (or weather (zip code)) gives you the weather.

Local Movie times. Type the movie and your city or zip code: “I am Legend 10022″

Track FedEx, USPS & UPS packages: skip the log in and just type in the tracking number.

Flight information: “Delta flight 2446″

Comparisons: type in quotes: “better than___”, “worse than___”, or ” ___ sucks” (for bad reviews). “better than iPod”
Reverse lookup. Type in a phone number and Google gives you the address and/or identity of the owner.

Conversion tool for currency and weights and measures. “100 US dollars in British Punds”, “Square feet in an acre”, Ounces in 5 pounds” or even “days in 5 years”. 

Republican vs Democrat- See the Political Dashboard

Yahoo has the political dashboard. I’m not sure if this helps you in your decisions much, but it’s a nicely displayed group of information either way.  (h/t to Eric Bryant)

BlueRoof on HouseHunters This Week

 

Trisha, my wife and business partner will be featured on HGTV’s HouseHunters later this week. She’s the only Utah Realtor to ever be on the show, and most certainly the most beautiful to ever appear on network television.

The show is titled, “To Be or Not to B&B”

From the HGTV website, “In Salt Lake City, a young couple searches for a place to hang their hats and their shingle.”

Shows times are:

€     December 20, 2007 10:00 PM ET/PT
€     December 21, 2007 2:00 AM ET/PT
€     December 22, 2007 5:30 PM Mountain Time

Most “Vain” Cities in the Nation

 

Those guys at Forbes, they really do know how to pick ‘em. They just released their list of the Top Ten Most Vain cities in the country, based mostly on the number of plastic surgeons per capita. Apparently, over 11,000,000 cosmetic procedures were performed in the US in 2006, a 48% increase over the previous year.

From the article, “As the number of cosmetic procedures nationwide continues to surge, we looked at which cities have most embraced market demand for taut faces, lush lips and flat abs. There were predictable entries like New York, Miami and Los Angeles, but also surprising ones like Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn. Most shocking of all was the town that ranked first: Salt Lake City. “

Yes, you read that correctly- the city at the top, rated as the “Most Vain” was my very own hometown of Salt Lake City.

Forbes offers this disclaimer;

“Unexpected entries like Salt Lake City, Nashville and Louisville might rise to the top, given smaller populations and medical or university programs and centers that focus on plastic surgery. An influx of younger, more affluent residents into the smaller cities may also account for the rising number of plastic surgeons.”

This is something I’ve known for many years, actually, but growing up here, you learn to embrace the culture. And it’s actually very difficult to tell as there are so many beautiful women here. Of course my wife is the most beautiful woman in Salt Lake, and she’s all natural- go figure?

The Six-Word Story

 

Came across this really cool post about Steve Jones, a teacher at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, and his assignment to his students.

The assignment: to write a compelling, six-word story. As the legend goes, Ernest Hemingway once did this—some say he wrote it to settle a tab, while others think it was a bet. His story: “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” He claims it was the best writing of his life.

Here are some of mine…

Hello… (heart beats fast)…I’m sorry.

Never again! Unless… well, maybe someday

Get in, sit down, hang on…

Here kitty kitty… Here kitty- Ouch!

Once in a lifetime, once again.

Real estate template websites suck, sorry.

From the contest- these are incredible;

Spoon shopping, needs shine. A smile?

You took my hand; hello, future.

A call: action scene, explosion out.

Jailed, “murdered,” became the world’s superhero

Found a heart. Wasn’t broken. Weird.

Wrote story. It sucked. Started over.

Sixty years of love. Suddenly alone.

“Do it again…no thank you.”

I wake, see and enjoy, sleep.

WORLDWIDE POWER OUTAGE! Details at 11.

I abandoned the earth’s last person.

Despite consequences, last night worth it.

“Once upon a time… the end.”

for sale: baby, with new shoes

You’re good. Unfortunately, we want great.

Harry met Sally. Sally met John.

Lost man meets wolves, finds brothers

Warning, zombie rampage. Protect your families.

The One? *Aortic rupture.* World waits…

What’s that!? I only get six?

Why Do People Move?

 

According to the 2006 Census Bureau American Housing Survey, more than 19.3 million Americans moved last year.

3,051,000 moved to establish their own residence (1.2 million changed from renter to owner)

2,869,000 needed a bigger place

2,308,000 moved for a new job or job transfer

2,330,000 wanted to be closer to work or school

2,792,000 wanted a better place

476,000 moved because they got married

588,000 moved because they got divorced

53% had their expenses go up when they moved

23% had their expenses go down

24% stayed the same

5,335,000 say they chose the neighborhood based on it’s convenience to work

4,375,000 chose the neighborhood because it was close to friends or relatives

4,916,000 liked the look of the neighborhood

Factors in selecting the home they moved to were;

6,733,000   Financial reasons
5,819,000   Room layout/design
1,264,000   Kitchen
5,013,000   Size
2,463,000   Exterior appearance
2,614,000   Yard/trees/view
1,926,000   Quality of construction
1,285,000   Only one available
4,047,000   Other

Of about 109 Million homeowners in the survey, over 58 Million say they pay less than $99/month for maintenance and upkeep of their home (3.5 Million say they spend over $200/month).

The Median Household income in America is $44,503

12% of the people in the survey bought their home with no money down

Square footage of 76,936,000 homes in the survey;

622,000       Less than 500 Square Feet
  1,775,000   500 to 749 
  4,959,000   750 to 999 
18,135,000   1,000 to 1,499
18,035,000   1,500 to 1,999
12,559,000   2,000 to 2,499
  6,565,000   2,500 to 2,999
  5,932,000   3,000 to 3,999
  3,662,000   4,000 or more
  4,691,000   Not reported
      (1,795  Median Square Feet)

Heating Supply

32% of homes are heated with electricity

58% of homes are heated with gas

1.3% of homes are heated with coal or wood

15,000 homes are heated with solar power
 

Healthiest States in the Nation

 

According to a report launched today by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Partnership for Prevention(TM), the overall health of the nation is down .03% from last year, but has remained relatively the same for the past six years.

The report shows there have been modest gains in reducing the rates of cancer and cardiovascular mortality, however other factors have stayed the same or risen, including increased obesity rates, increasing numbers of uninsured people, children in poverty and the persistence of risky health behaviors, such as tobacco use and violent crime. All of these factors contribute to the overall healthiness of the nation and are all determining factors in the rankings. Other factors include smoking, violent crime, binge drinking, infectious disease, health status and several measures of mortality.

 

Utah ranks sixth in the nation for the second straight year and Vermont takes the top spot from Minnesota, which falls from first place for the first time in five years, to second place overall. Utah was particularly strong with it’s low levels of violent crime and low levels of binge drinking. The state also has a high graduation rate, which factors into the report.

According to the US Census Bureau, the number of Americans who are uninsured has increased from 13.4 percent in 1990 to 15.8 percent of the population today- meaning that over 47 million Americans are without health insurance (including over 9 million children). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) attributes 18,000 deaths per year to people under age 65 due to lack of insurance coverage.

Since the first report in 1990, the nation’s health shows an overall improvement of 18.4%, most stronlgy attributed to the reduction of several health determinants, such as infectious diseases, smoking, infant mortality, cardiovascular deaths and violent crime, and fewer children living in poverty.

Over the last six years, however, the nations health has stayed relatively the same, with this year showing a .03% decline from last year’s report. The biggest concerns continue to be the nations obesity levels, which have risen from 11.6% of the population being obese in 1990 to 25% meeting that classification today. Obesity, of course, contributes to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer.

The average life expectancy of Americans (77.9 years) is now at it’s highest level ever, yet is still lower than 43 other countries. Japan leads in the world in life expectancy at 82 years.

The complete rankings are below;

Visual Aid of Real Estate 2.0 Companies

If you’re wondering who the players are in online real estate today, you’ve just been given a new tool. 1000WattConsulting has put up a visual aid showcasing the top players in the RE2.0 space, complete with categories and links.

Real Estate 2.0 is like Web1.0 for the rest of the world because the real estate industry as a whole, didn’t really embrace the internet until about 13 minutes ago. And most Realtors and brokers are still confused about how the whole thing works. Understand, most real estate in America is still sold by agents who got the job because they either knew the seller or were referred to them. There are over 50,000 real estate agents who blog now, but there are over 2 million real estate agents. That’s less than 2.5% of the agents that are blogging. I read somewhere that 12% of agents have websites now, but most are crappy template sites (same website, different agent photo).

So this isn’t just a visual showcase of the Real Estate 2.0 companies, it’s a showcase of the innovators and pioneers in an industry that has long needed them.

PS- Thanks for the nod…

(h/t to FoREM)

Where are all the Singles- 2007?

 

Money magazine has it’s new list out with Best Places to live and such (the Best Places is a compilation of smaller cities). The top Utah city on the list was Cottonwood Heights at #100. I live in Cottonwood Heights and I think it should be much higher, but it’s not my list…

They also claim that you’ll find the most singles in State College, PA, Durnam, NH, and Amherst Center, MA (all college towns of course). But they might all be fatty’s as the skinniest people live in Marin (north of SF), Blaine(Idaho), La Plata (Idaho), Teton (Wyoming), Garfield (Colorado), and the last two counties I lived in San Francisco (CA) and Boulder (CO)counties.

Counties with the fastest growth over the last 6 six years has three northern Utah counties at the top with Tooele county (next to Salt Lake to the West) at the top spot with 112.5% growth (!), followed by Summit and Wasatch counties (next to Salt Lake to the East) at #4 and #6 respectively. I have a feeling Salt Lake county might be making the list soon with all the jobs we have coming into the county.

The youngest list is obvisouly a list of towns, not counties, or Salt Lake would again be at the top. But for youngest towns, northern Utah had three at the top, with Eagle Mountain (#12), Cedar Hills (#16), and Oquirrh at #23.

There’s No Room at the Top for Wimps

 

We’re all prone to having our moments of weakness, where things aren’t going our way or everything seems to be falling on us at the same time. Especially in a sales industry like real estate, with the financial ups and downs and the pressures that come with it, it can be draining emotionally.

Sometimes I need to retreat and spend time with family just to keep my sanity. Sometimes the pressure turns to anxiety and it’s tough to stay focused on the road ahead. But I know that’s precisely what I need to do to make things right and take care of my responsibilities.

This is one of the traits that I believe seperates those at the top of their game from the rest- the ability to focus under pressure. We’re all busy and we all have pressure, but it’s what we do with that pressure that makes the difference.

Do you fold under the pressure or do you focus?

Most people fold. They crumble and become less useful in every area of their lives. Most people have the inherent flaw of retreat during those times that they are most needing to perform. But in business this causes anxiety and stress and simply furthers the problem. Curling up into the fetal position and bawling like a baby will not help things get better, and while I can understand the natural tendency to do so, and can even relate to some degree- I keep a discernable barrier from the emotion of it all because I choose a different way of handling my pressure.

I see people throwing their hands in the air and giving up all the time in this business- sometimes for a day or a week and sometimes for good. People leave the business or go into hibernation because a deal went south on them or several deals fell apart at the same time. Or because they are going through a tough stretch with no business.

I have these same stretches where business seems to flow in rapidly and times when it seems like things are slowing down. When things aren’t coming in though, I go out and I get business. And I think others who are at the top of their game, and the best in their fields do the same. They get out there and they take the bull by the horns and get things done.

-If you find a man at the top of a mountain, he didn’t fall there-

I don’t know who first said it, but I like it. Here are some things that I personally do to push through pressure…

Stay flexible in my approach but focused on my result.

I decide what the result is that I want and become determined to make that result happen no matter what. It’s imperative to stay focused on the result I am looking for so I have direction and a way to clearly see whether or not I am moving toward that result.

My approach might change several times. Think of water finding it’s way down a canyon side. It’ll change direction a bunch of times but eventually it will find it’s way to the lowest ground- and that’s how I look at my approach and the way I reach my result. If something isn’t working I’ll change what I’m doing and then change again and again as long as I’m moving toward that result.

Take time.

When things catch up to me and the pressure gets heavy I take time, maybe ten minutes, maybe two hours, to relax and clear my mind so I can return to the issues from a different perspective. Sometimes I’ll go to a movie in the middle of the day to forget about everything for a while and then when it’s over I’m calm and can look at things again more clearly. Sometimes I take ten minutes and sit at a park or at home in silence and just think about the stillness and how big the world is around me and remember how small these problems are to the rest of the world. Somehow putting things in perspective against time and history helps me look at them in a better frame of mind.

Utilize my energy.

The pressure and stress I feel is all energy and I can choose to take that energy and use it to make me move. Sometimes I take that energy and turn it into anger because anger is such a strong emotion. I wouldn’t suggest doing this unless you can compartmentalize well (as I do) so you don’t end up taking out stress on those around you, but I’ve been able to take my energy and use it to get me off my butt and out there working.

Swallow my pride.

Sometimes I don’t want to do the work because I don’t like it. I don’t like cold calling or knocking on doors anymore than the next guy, but when I need business I’ll go out in the rain and knock doors asking for business if I need to. I’ll call five hundred people in a day or hand out business cards to everyone I come across that day. There are usually more productive ways to spend my time, but I will exhaust every option and do whatever it takes to keep things going strong. This is the business I am in- sales. And in sales I am responsible for my own success- I have to go find it and that’s what i signed up for when I took the career I did.

Reach high.

I don’t suffer from low amibition. Sometimes I like to take a break and spend more time relaxing, but I keep my standards high and I maintain results that I can be proud of. Some people reach their goals well, but their goals are far too low for their ability and situation. Hey, if you need more- go out there and get it. Having high standards motivates me and keeps me from being feeling average.

Don’t whine.

I can’t stand when people stand around whining about how unfair things are and expect their lot in life to improve without putting in the work. Don’t stand there and shout about it- get up and do something about it. I’ll raise my voice if I think it’s going to help my cause, but I’m not going to complain just to complain- I’ll have a solution or some opinion I think will help the discussion. Whining is for suckers and the people ot the top of their game don’t have time for it.

Keep my frame of mind.

It’s important for me to stay in the right frame of mind and sometimes that means to just toughen up and stay numb to some of the distractions. I try to remember my talents and why I believe in myself. Not affirmation- dedication. And this can make all the difference in the world for me.

There will always be people out there that does more business than I do and make more money and have more time and blah blah blah- so what? I work hard because it makes me feel good taking care of my family and having success. And I like my work. Big reward often comes with big risk, and being in a commission-only sales position is risky, but rewarding for those who get off their butts and take charge of their career.

No matter what area of your life you find challenging right now- decide to change it and go do the work. If you expect to reach the top, any “top”- your “top”, whatever that is for you, you can’t be a wimp getting there.

Driving in Utah

Ever since the Vatican released it’s list of ten commandments for driving, there has been discussion around the issue. KSL.com also has a discussion going about Utah drivers and their opinions about it. I’m going to take this opportunity to publish my own list of ten commandments for driving, specifically directed toward Utah drivers.

When I was a teenager I wrote music with friends and we even recorded a bunch. Mostly it was sappy love songs or extremely hard thrashing metal with distorted guitars, drumming as hard and fast as we could play, and screaming over the top. This was good music to us, mostly because we addressed the most pressing issues of the world in our songs. One of the songs I wrote was called, “Get the F@#% out of the Passing Lane”. This was a moving song. (pun intented).

It was mostly aimed at minivans because I’ve long been curious about how minivan owners seem to drive by a different set of rules than the rest of us, but it applies to everyone. One verse went like this;

It’s elegant, refined, and drives home the frustration a teenager  with a sports car feels when driving behind slow vehicles. Utah doesn’t have the worst drivers in my opinions, but some of the crap that flies for acceptable driving around here is pretty lame. AOLAutos ranks it’s top five best and worst drivers as

So here is my own Ten Commandments of driving;

I remember in Colorado I would guest host a Saturday radio program and the first time I was introduced I said, “Hello. I appreciate the chance to be here and I would like to take this opportunity to say- the left lane is called the ‘passing lane’ for a reason.”

For the most complete, and entertaining list of driving pet peeves- you must see Real Lans

Redpin on 16 Minutes

16 Minutes does an in-depth interview about Redpin and their clients…

Microsoft Announces new Surface Computer

Microsoft announced their new surface computer  today (actually yesterday- it’s after midnight) at the D: All Things Digital  conference in San Diego. Be interesting to see what sort of applications can be made to utilize this new technology.

The Power of a single…

word.

Does Your Website Make the Grade?

 

Most of us who own websites like to get as much feedback as we possibly can, especially if it’s from someone we don’t know. Well, here’s an online website evaluator that will test your site in less than 30 seconds.

Testing BlueRoof it says that the Google pagerank is 0, when it’s actually 3, but other than that it’s probably pretty accurate about its assessment (which is obviously an on-paper assessment, not taking into account design, UI, or programming).

(H/T Newspapergrl)

Homes of the Future

  

Home designs, architectural styles, and how we use different rooms has all changed. Since 1973 the average size home has grown from 1660 to 2459 sqaure feet, backyards have become an extension of the living space, and the kitchen/family room, or great room, has become the main room in the home. Ceilings have become vaulted, closets have become walkable, master bedrooms have morphed into suites, and garages have become monsterous.

Home owners have come to want and expect different things from their homes and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) tries to stay on top of these changing trends by conducting surveys and doing studies.

So where are the trends going now? Reported in Digital Home Online, Gopal Ahluwalia, staff vice president for research for the National Association of Home Builders, said the home of the future will be two stories, with a one-story entry foyer, and either no living room, or one that will end up serving more as a library or parlor. Consumers buying upscale homes will want two master bedroom suites and an outside kitchen stocked with all the latest amenities — all standard. Ahluwalia also projects the size of an average home will decrease to 2,330 square feet by 2015.

        

Respondents to an (NAHB) survey said they will want more of these amenities:

76% said more counter space

74% said more cabinet space

72% want double sinks

70% said larger table areas to eat in their kitchens

66% want outdoor kitchens

64% expect bathrooms to have double vanities

For buyers of upscale homes, the expectations increase to include high-quality appliances (96%) and they want more cabinet and counter space. 94% say they want walk-in pantries, 62% say they want two master suites in their home and 66% want an outdoor kitchen. And 80% of these future home owners want upgraded electronic features including multi-zone controlled HVAC, multi-room audio systems, whole-house automation systems, monitored burglar alarms, and programmable thermostats.

  

Steam showers, portable aromatherapy spas and natural sinks made with granite, stone and darker woods are also hot for the near future. Kohler’s new bath, complete with rushing rapids, and many companies’ automatic sinks are also expected to be popular.

Christopher Sanderson, of The Future Laboratory and Richard Brindley, of the Royal Institute of British Architects, look deeper into the future with a project  looking into the movements of future living and say one of the main factors affecting future homes will be the continually changing climate. Colder winters and hotter summers will demand better insulation and blinds, canopies and air conditioners.

Mr Brindley says that as major cities grow, space will be at a premium and homes will have to be adaptable, with the same rooms used for many purposes. He says that technology already exists to build houses with movable walls, which could run on tracks to enable the same space to be arranged in different ways for different functions.

    

One great example of this would be Jade Jagger (Mick’s daughter) is a co-owner of 16 West 19th  in New York, which uses pods for kitchens and baths. The website describes these as, “jewel-like lacquered boxes that seem to float in each residence. Enclosed within this single cube are your meticulously laid-out kitchen and bathroom. When opened, the pod reveals a glamorous interplay of sparkling tiles, vivid colors and textures.”

Glass technology is also changing, and future homes may utilize “smart glass”, or chromogenics, which is clear but turns opaque when you run an electrical current through it, making it useful for closing off areas.

Small homes will need more adaptable furniture, such as convertible sofa-beds and furniture which can be neatly stacked away when not in use, and entertainment at home may change to accommodate our changing lifestyles.

Mr Brindley says: “A flat screen on your wall could double up as your front door intercom, your computer and be used to watch films. He continued, “You will also be able to do things like switch machinery in the home on and off from on holiday and that sort of thing.”

      

Refrigerators may begin using Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID), which is widely used in supermarket check-outs to identify when home owners are low on items. These fridges could even suggest recipes based on items on the shelves and suggest complimentary items for your shopping trips.

The two also believe sound-wave technology will be used to assist water in cleaning. This technology already exists on the market for cleaning contact lenses and it is being explored for uses with dishwashers and washing machines.

And then, of course, there are the robots. Mr Brindley thinks that we will begin to see micro robots to perform functions such as cleaning toilets and opening your blinds for you.

Futurist Joseph Coates, author of “2025″ (Oakhill Press), sees the day when homes are totally automated, with furniture that adjusts to your body’s shape at the mention of your name, robotic chefs and diagnostics that call for necessary repairs. Coates predicts homes will have rooms that know who enter and will automatically change the temperature to suit their preferences. He also sees sensors that will monitor indoor air pollution and health conditions, and systems that allow home owners to review and change their energy-use patterns for greater efficiency.

Microsoft has developed technology  for interactive wallpaper that can display artwork, websites, and photos.

     

Whirlpool tubs are being replaced with deep, comfortable soaking tubs and those may be replaced soon with infinity tubs, or Sök’s. These tubs have an infinity overflow that lets the water drain slowly over the tub edge into a catch basin, where it is reheated and effervesced (bubble massage) and recirculated into the tub. As featured in this photo, they can also have the water enter from out of the ceiling for greater effect. There’s also remote-controlled “chroma-therapy,” which alters the color of built-in LED lights in the tub to fit — or set — your mood.

Paint colors may turn to so called “chameleon colors”, or colors that change with different lighting and from different angles.

Kitchen  floors today are cherry, oak and walnut. Soon we may see much more anegre, bamboo, teak and even cork, according to Dan Myerson, of Bacon Veneer, one of the leading wood veneer suppliers for high-end office and residential applications.

Counter-top trends may move more toward concrete, glass and metals such as copper and zinc. Dian