Darwin 's Blog

If you are going to sell your present home or buy your first home, the market conditions will play a crucial role in determining the asking price and or offering price. Market conditions change constantly, so it is important that you get solid advice from a professional who is familiar with your specific area.

A good real estate agent will know how houses in your area are selling, as well as the other factors that may influence the sale. Nearby commercial developments such as the new VW plant, which may create congestion and noise, may also mean a greater demand for housing from people who will be working in the new office buildings and or new manufacturing facilities. A new road expansion that cuts commuting time could make your home more valuable but highways close by can be an issue with the price. The economic conditions have a strong impact on the real estate market. Real estate professionals can help you consider all of the issues and assist you in setting a fair price for your home.

Currently our market here in the TN Valley has dipped seasonally down just under what the market was this same time period last year.  In general the country has been seeing a buyer's market for most of the year.  A buyers market exist when there are more sellers than buyers and or when sellers aggressively compete for buyers by offering incentives such as lower prices, and or paying closing cost.  But here in the TN Valley our market has been mixed and this is when a professional real estate agent can really make a difference for you.  You can have a buyer's market in one price range or in one niche area and in the adjoining niche area or community a full blown seller's market can exists side by side.  A sellers market exists when you have more sellers than buyers and or when sellers place their homes for sale for economic gain rather than because they have to!  This condition will soon exists maybe starting fall of 2010 as VW plant employs begin to move into the area.   A real estate professional can guide you thru this confusing maze of price, and location, mapping out for you where the best deals are and why you should pay more or why you should offer less for the same home in different locations.

We have two events taking place here in the TN Valley right now side by side! Event one a seller's market! If you are a seller and or a buyer in the first time buyers market it is critical that you have  your home for sale NOW and if you are buying it is critical that you make your best offer NOW! as the $8000 dollar tax credit for first time buyers will soon be gone forever! This condition makes the value for homes under $150,000 and more specifically under $130,000 slightly into the seller's market, and yes buyers you will pay slightly higher than you would normally have to pay but already our inventory for houses in this price range has been so reduced that it is difficult to find a home for existing buyers.  But the $8000 dollar tax credit should more than make up the little extra you forked over to the seller during this time.  Event two is a buyer's market!  If you're not in the first time home buyers category and you are not buying in the Ooltewah area near the VW plant then most likely you as a buyer have the upper edge advantage over the seller but you will not want to wait much longer as many sellers are holding off placing their property for sale due to winter months in hopes that spring and the VW plant will bring better offers and higher prices.   I mentioned the Ooltewah area as an exclusion because it is not quite a buyer's market, nor is it a seller's market, it's at the cross roads right now of the two markets.  I expect that it will stay more or less this way thru the winter with a seasonal winter time dip in sales but overall the expectation for Ooltewah area is that it will remain a more solid and sellers will not be so quick to reduce the price or take lower offers.

If you are buyer or a seller now is the time to seek out your favorite real estate agent for their expertise in the local market.  An initial counseling session is always a great idea.  If you are a buyer the agent can set down with you and review the process and help connect you with a lender that is best suited for your needs, that way when it's time to make your offer your ready to with confidence move forward.  If you are a seller an agent can design a custom marketing plan and discuss preparing your house for the market so that it will be competitive with other comparable listings.  Setting the price is always the hardest part of the listing process a real estate professional can offer advice on how to price your home to accomplish your goals and moving schedule.

Don't  hesitate to call Me (Your Face Book Friend) to discuss your buying and or selling needs in today's complicated market.  Consultation is free and with 24 years of experience its time well spent.

Darwin White

RE/MAX Properties

423-894-2900 or call me on my cell phone at 423-421-4111.

Christmas Story

Some times at this time of the year its easy to forget why we celebrate the Christmas Season, but its the one day in the year that every one remembers Christ after all this holiday though often times celebrated in a secular way is still spelled by starting with the word Christ. ( "Christmas" )  So as long as the Holiday is Called Christmas I thought it would be good to retail the Christmas story.    The story below will read a little choppy, but that is because I wanted it to have as few of my words in it as possible.  I have assembled a collection of text that best tell the wonderful Story of the first real Christmas, of course we all know that it may not have been Dec 25 but still this is the day that most people say the word Christ, hear and sing about his coming, and enjoy the meaning of the greatest gift of all time, a gift that can last an eternity if we accept it.

The Christmas Story:

Luk 2:7  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luk 2:8  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Luk 2:9  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Luk 2:10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Luk 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luk 2:12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Luk 2:13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Luk 2:14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

But

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

And

Joh 19:30  When Jesus ....said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Then on the 3^rd day

Mat 28:5  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

Mat 28:6  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Mat 28:7  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

Now we can

Heb 4:16 .... come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We look forward to this promises

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Act 1:11  ....Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Mat 24:30  .... and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And at last

Rev 21:4  ...God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.


Merry Christmas

From Darwin White and Team
Luther Palmer and Bud Zier

At RE/MAX Properties
Chattanooga TN 37421

I enjoy giving gifts to my buyers and sellers at closing time.  I especially like it when my wife makes a custom food "welcome" home basket that always gets the best thankyou.  I also give Bird Feeders and Bird Houses. 

A great follow up gift is the Lowes 10% off gift card program from Lowes.  My customers really like that one and it comes in the mail a few weeks or days after the closing, so its a nice surprise gift.

Something I am currently experimenting with is Dubli Credits.
 
Have you heard about this? 
Dubli a company much like E-Bay is a "Reverse Auction" company with world wide trading portals.   It has reached quite a success in Germany and Europe and is just getting established here in the US.  

By giving free vouchers to Dubli Auction your customers have a chance to win things like a $5000 gift card at Wal-Marts or make a bid on an $800 dollar Lowes gift certificate.  But Dubli auctions are backward in that you make your purchase at the lowest amount instead of winning the highest bid.  In E-Bay you win when you have made the highest bid for a particular item, at Dubli you win by making the lowest bid.  I know that sounds crazy but its quite a great way to get things like for instance Nikon D80 camera's at more than half price.

Right now through the end of Nov. Dubli is offering free credits to any one who wants to test drive thier auction program.  You can make a bid with these credits or you can win (sort of like winning a lotto ticket) by getting the Zer0 bid.

To see how it works you can try it for free your self and decide if you thing this is a good idea.

Here is a free gift for you and just in time for Christmas too!:

I am giving you a link to my "Reverse Auction Account" at Dubli " http://us.dubli.com/3414329 once there you can learn how to win free products such as a $ 5000 dollar Wal-Mart gift certificate, iPod's, Nintendo Wii simply by clicking on the Zer0 bid option, if your click brings the price to 0 you win! 

You can also try the unique bid option which offers Nikon camera's, Sony Play station, Vacation Voucher and more, you just have to be the lowest unique bidder (don't bid here for fun cause you just might win the bid and then have to make a purchase at the price you placed the bid for unless of course you want what you are biding on at a great price!).  

But the best part of the Reverse Auction is the Xpress bid, this option allows you to make a purchase from 100's of products if the price is right for you.  To see the actual purchase price you have to spend a credit, when you do you get to see if the price is right for you, if it is then you can purchase it right then. If it is not you can wait a few days and the price may go lower.  The reason for this is that each time some one looks to see what the price is they are reducing the price by .25 cents.  By spending a credit valued at .80 cents you reduce the price by .25 cents and the balance goes to pay distributors of Dubli like me, if you decide to make a purchase then a portion of the commission earned by Dubli is earned by Dubli Licensed Distributors like me.  As an example last night (11/14/08) I checked out the price of an $800 dollar Lowes credit card it was $750.75 this morning its price was $748.75 I might check back in a few days, week or month to see how low its gone, if the price has been reduced to say $400 dollars I might just buy it, that would be like going to Lowes and getting 50% off my purchase.

You would be doing me a favor and your self a favor by simply registering to get 3 free credits to test drive Dubli with, and there is no cost to you. (Note this is only good only for the month of Nov. so don't wait long try it today!)   Who knows you could be a winner on the Zer0 auction if you spend your free credits there or you could end up getting a great buy on a Christmas gift at the xpress auction or unique bid auction. 

One of my customers recently purchased a Console Sony Playstation 3 80GB for only 67.50 see actual auction notice below.

Console Sony PlayStation 3 80GB The PS3 is driven by the Cell Broadband Engine, which is a revolutionary microprocessor that far outshine...
Auction ends: 11.21.2008
Value: $450.00

Sold for:$67.50

Successful bidder:Greek1000

To get your free credit all you have to do is register on my site at http://us.dubli.com/3414329
After you have tried it out, you may want to call me or e-mail me to learn more about Dubli.  You can also learn more by going to https://www.dublinetwork.com/3414329  or http://www.smartwinshop.com

Below is more detail on how it works with step by step introductory instructions.

Here are step by step instructions on how this works: 
(Note: You may want to print these instructions )
Go to http://us.dubli.com/3414329  Click on Register and fill out the registration form be sure to use a valid e-mail address and to create a password that is easy for you to remember, (Note every thing is case sensitive including your password and user name) you can change it later.  Also remember to check the time zone you are in, for the Chattanooga Area you can choose New York.  If you have a credit voucher number you can also fill that in its appropriate blank ( some times the promotions are through my sending an actual voucher) At the bottom of the form you can read the general terms and conditions and click the box showing that you have read and accept these terms.   Now click on Register.  You will get a note that says  Registration in progress "Before we can finally activate your account, you must acknowledge the activation link sent to you by e-mail" .- Now go to your e-mail (be sure to check your spam box too as some times it might get routed to the spam folder).  In a few minutes, you should get in your e-mail, an e-mail that reads Please confirm activating mail in the subject.  In the body of the e-mail will be a link that you should click on or copy and paste to  your browser.   Click on that link and you will be taken to a form for you to put your password in.  Put your password in and then click continue.
 The next form you come to will be a form that list the price of credit purchase, note that credit purchase are cheaper the more you buy.  If you want to make a voucher purchase you can fill out the credit card information and select the number of vouchers you want.  But for now you simply may want to try out the free credits.   To do this skip the pay now option and scroll down to the bottom click on the circle in front of Continue without recharging then click on Continue.  When you do that you will be logged on to your new account.  Notice at the top you will see that you have 3 credits.  When you choose an auction like Xpress auction by clicking on the word Xpress auction, this will activate your account.  Look to the left after you do this and you will see Member area Here you can make a payment, buy more credits, change your password, and or check out your bidding history.
Note:  You may want to print this out so you can reference it while you are exploring.

Now click on the word Xpress . . . scroll down a bit and you'll see a bunch of different auctions. At the very bottom, click "Show All". . . So there are about forty different items here, and you can see they're all brand names.

Pick something out that interest you and just click on that picture . . . . . that'll bring the product up to the big picture at the top.

So here's how it works:  The price of each item starts at retail . . . . So for the product you picked out, you can see right there the retail price.  But notice that you can't see the current price, which is dropping all the time (behind those question marks). To see the current price, you would have to click on the green "Show Price" button, and that costs you 80¢ (or one DubLi Credit) . . . and 25¢ of the 80¢ is immediately applied to reduce the price of the item. So every time somebody bids on one of these items, they see a price that's 25¢ lower than the previous bid, and then they have the option to buy the item at that price . . . OR . . . they can wait, and see if they can get it for even less, because the price keeps dropping . . . until somebody buys it. 

So, it's 80¢ to bid, and 25¢ goes to reduce the price . . . Guess where the other 55¢ goes?  Commission . . . to a small group of license holders . . . . . . and I've managed to get one of those licenses; so when bids are placed, I get paid . . .  So you are doing me a big favor when you spend one of the free credits you get when you register.  (Note:  The free credits are only free till the end of November as a special promotion)

To get your free credit all you have to do is register on my site at http://us.dubli.com/3414329

To become a Licensee like me give me a call and lets talk about it or you can go to  https://www.dublinetwork.com/3414329 and sign up right from my site but please remember to use my account number 3414329 to assure that you and I will be working together.

This really is not all that hard, just follow the above instructions and remember its like pay per click advertising only you get the value instead of the advertiser.  Each time some one clicks to see the price of a product a commission is earned by Dubli Licensees and each time some one buys or wins a Dubli Licensee gets paid a commission.

Bidders have to use "chips" or "credits" to place a bid . . . kinda' like a token for the slot machine. The credits cost 80 cents each, and 25 cents of the 80 cents goes immediately to reduce the price of the item. So, every time somebody bids, they see a price that's 25¢ lower than the previous bid, and they have the option to buy the item at that price . . . OR . . . they can wait, and see if they can get it for even less, because the price keeps dropping . . . until somebody buys it.

Pretty cool, huh?

So, it's 80¢ to bid, and 25¢ goes to reduce the price . . . Guess where the other 55¢ goes?  It goes to Commissions . . . to a small group of license holders . . . . . . and I've managed to get one of those licenses; so when bids are placed, I get paid . . . So you will be doing me a big favor to use these free credits which are only available for a limited time.  . . . . . .. . So anyway, I just wanted to let you know about it, because for a limited time you can receive a few of those 80¢ credits for free, so you can check it out "on me". Maybe you'll buy something cool at a really big discount, or maybe win something.  All you have to do is register

Hey after you have taken Dubli for a test drive would you mind sending me an e-mail to let me know what you thought?  It would be interesting to here about the different price reduction you find when you are exploring Dubli. 

Let me know if I can help you with any questions

Good luck... and remember this offer is only good till the end of Nov.  after that you will have to pay .80 cents per credit to make your bids.   By the way getting credits are easy, once you have set up your account you simply recharge your account by choosing how many credits you want using your credit card. 

By the way you can also shop anywhere in the world as Dubli is now a world wide shopping portal, just remember you may have to calculate the currency exchange rates and pay additional shipping cost for a European purchase. 

Dubli is brand new to the U.S market so the opportunities for success is huge.  Not only are the chances for success big because it is new but its less of a risk then most start up companies because Dubli has been a success in Germany since 2006.   Its already been tested and working well in Europe.

Well hope you enjoy exploring and learning about the Dubli reverse auction.

Send me an e-mail at darwinwhite@comcast.net or call me at 423-421-4111 on my cell or at my home at 423-892-1152.

Darwin White

I can't help but show a little pride in my home town "Chattanooga TN" Just look at what people are saying about Chattanooga Tennessee.

Outside Magazine - Chattanooga has been designated twice as one of the top 10 "Dream towns to Live Big, Play Hard, and Work ( if you must)" and "If life in a city reinventing itself sounds appealing, you won't get many chances like this."

National Geographic Adventure Magazine - Chattanooga's one of the "Best Adventure Towns in the U.S. to live + Play"

Southern Living Magazine - "Chattanooga just keeps getting better and better" and stated that the "transformation has been nothing short of phenomenal"

CBS's  The Early Show (pulled from Plenty Magazine) - Chattanooga; a walk able and bike friendly city, very eco-oriented, with local markets" and "the revitalization projects have made the city a eco town and tourist hotspot." "Who knew!" - "40 years ago Chattanooga TN was the most polluted city in the U.S and now it is a Model City for green living"  She went on to state "Clean transportation options "there are a lot of walk ways there's a zero emission electric bus that shuttles between down town and a rack and ride program for bikes and buses".

Disney's FamilyFun Magazine - Chattanooga is one of the South's "Top 10 Family Vacation Destinations" and the city with the "best friendly spirit."

The New York Times - "Not too small and not too big, Chattanooga is really the undiscovered gem of Tennessee".

Successful Meeting Magazine - Named the Chattanooga Convention Center one of the " top 10 eco-friendly convention centers in the nations."

Fodor's Choice Destinations - Chattanooga was named one of Fodor's "Top Ten Overlooked and Underrated Family Destinations."

Relocate America has ranked Chattanooga 3rd in its list of top 100 places to live in America due in part to our "Rich culture and beautiful landscape"

What makes Chattanooga so Great!  I just returned from Chattanooga's 2008 annual Area Convention & Visitors Bureau were in my opinion Bob Doak of Chattanooga Area CVB summed it all up in a little phrase  "Chattanooga was green before it was truly cool to be green!" I love that In Chattanooga our environment, clean air, clean water, and responsible use of our natural resources! have created one of the top places in the U.S to raise your family! We truly are "The Scenic City".   Bob Doak continued to say "For past 20 years we have been going about the business of standard development through our reconnection with the river clean up of our air and careful revitalization of down town we have demonstrated our commitment to growing in a way to preserve our communities assets and these assets will be available for generations to come." Mayor Littlefield has established mayors green committee and had over 500 people come visit us Green spaces is an imitative to encourage builders and developers to build sustainable and it is the goal to establish 20 green certified building downtown by 2011.  Green companies are springing up locally everywhere operating under sustainable principles and also asking their suppliers to do the same, and our buildings are being built to conserve energy" "and If any one still wonders if going green matters consider this Chattanooga's commitment to ecology helped us capture Volkswagen a company dedicated to sustainable manufacturing in the design and assembly of automobiles that will have a diminished impact on our own environment".  Bob Doak went on to explain how Chattanooga is committed to the business of "environmental stewards" and a "City committed to sustainable future". "The beautiful natural surroundings and beautiful natural resources is our competitive advantage" and the Chattanooga CVB  are "committed to preserving this image".

Chattanooga's Great and I love showing it off to new visitors and watching thier faces light up as they say things to me like.... "Is the grass always this green?" "There is so much space" "There is a view every where we look".  The next time you plan a trip to the South stop by Chattanooga TN and see for your self! Our life style here is just slow enough to enjoy, yet with enough culture and activities to never say your board!.  

Radon Gas Now in your kitchen! Wow is there anything safe any more!  What could be  more natural than putting a large chunck of stone in your kitchen!  The beauty of granite counter tops is all the rage!  Every one is looking for houses with hard surface coutner tops and Granite counter tops are in high demand.   But wait theres this bit of news! Granite counter tops may release the toxic posison calle Radon Gas.  Check this article out found at Are Granite Countertops a Health Threat? - AOL News  Provided to me by one of my clients.   http://news.aol.com/health/article/are-granite-countertops-a-health-threat/102077?icid=200100397x1206382668x1200338153 You may have to cut and paste into your browser.