August 7, 2009
As reported in the Tulsa World newspaper, August 1, 2009, a survey from CNBC.com says Oklahoma beats out the rest of the nation in the cost of living category. It was not broken down by cities, but an overall ranking of #1 is huge for our state.
Here is a category by category ranking of other factors that might be of interest:
Cost of Living……………………………1
Cost of Doing Business……………..9
Quality of Life…………………………37
Economy………………………………….3
Business Friendliness……………..16
Workforce……………………………….29
Education……………………………….46
If we can just bring up some of the lower rankings like education, Oklahoma would be absolutely great! Another observation so often spoken is this: being in the middle of the country has certain advantages. We have not experienced the highs and lows of the coasts economically, so our recession has not been as severe as those areas. Moderate, sustainable growth has been a real plus for all aspects of our Oklahoma “Quality of Life”!
November 18, 2008
John was interviewed by Jerry Giordano with Channel 8 news about the Tulsa real estate market. It was very positive! Watch and see how many big green McGraw signs show up.
Click here for the complete interview!
November 17, 2008
Come join us for a tour of 4 wonderful homes and snack on early Thanksgiving treats!
2136 E 22nd Place $695,000 3 bedroom, 3 bath, exquisitely remodeled!
2222 E 22nd Place $425,000 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bathroom, plans for master
2824 E 25th St. $805,000 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath on a huge lot!
3436 S Gary Ave. $375,000 3 bedroom, 3 bath 2 living areas, 2 car
Click on the show for descriptions from each agent!
Click Here for a Video Tour of these 4 homes
October 31, 2008
Contrary to national news, Oklahoma real estate is doing OK!
click here for a special Halloween report……
October 23, 2008
I always look for good news to comment about. In the Tulsa World Business section of October 18, 2008 an article written by World Staff Writer, Laurie Winslow, quoted this from Mike Neal, Tulsa Metro Chamber’s CEO…
“Tulsa’s optimism and economic diversity is the silver lining in our current economy. Tulsa still remains below the national average in unemployment, while reporting net new job growth.” Home prices have grown steadily since the 2004 along with income. Our Tulsa Metro area total personal income adjusted for inflation is expected to rise 1.9 % next year compared with flat growth for the rest of the US. Bob Ball, Tulsa Chamber’s economic research manager compiled the report.
Personally, I’m glad I live in Oklahoma!
May 1, 2008
Since receiving my real estate license in 1992, I have witnessed a profound shift in how real estate agents market homes. Before the internet there were only a few steps to getting a listing exposed to potential Buyers. We used to fill out the paperwork, plant our yard sign, screw in a keybox next to the front door, process the paperwork, and advertise in the newspaper or real estate magazine for the weekend flurry of open house activity. Oh, and we would type out a fact sheet of the features of the home. The list and wait method was the only way real estate work was done! We waited for the buyer to either drive by and see the yard sign, show up at an open house, or have another agent bring them to the house.
Fast forward to today….Now we…..
- Meet with the homeowner and fill out paperwork for processing
- Take up to 25 or more pictures of the home inside and out
- Process the pictures for optimum lighting, balance, and sharpness of detail
- Place 16 pictures on the Tulsa MLS for other agents to view and forward to their buyers along with copy of each photo explaining how that room is used
- Place 24 photos on the McGraw web site again with appropriate copy
- Place up to 25 photos on the Realtor.com web site
- Place up to 12 photos on the Gordon Shelton web site
- Produce a color flyer or 4 page brochure with features of the home
- Create a virtual tour using sound, motion, and a “story” about the home and it’s environment
- Send a cyber flyer to all of my sphere of influence clients to advertise the new listing. Hopefully, they will forward it to their network of friends.
- Place an ad in the Tulsa World of Homes for an open house only if the house does not sell in the first month!
- Coming soon will be video tours with voice over that will be posted to all web sites
Whew! Now we are amateur photographers and movie moguls with a strong bit of journalism thrown in! We know that 80+% of all Buyers use the internet to find their new home, so it is vitally important to know how to use the internet for effective advertising. The ability to send a message to potential buyers around the world is now possible!
April 8, 2008
The Ranch Acres neighborhood received the coveted “Historic District” designation last December, 2007. The area is filled with Mid Century homes that typify the “Ranch” style of large, open rooms that became popular after WWII. Read the whole story here from the Tulsa Preservation Commission web site. It’s fascinating! And, click here to see a newly remodeled “Rancher” that Trebilcock Construction Company just listed.
March 28, 2008
The owners and management of McGraw Realtors have named Jay Menger TOP TRAINER OF McGRAW REALTORS. The announcement came during today’s Boot Camp training session that featured Gordon Shelton. Gordon was invited to the Training Center at 81st & Sheridan, to share his valuable insights on “How to Become a Top Producer in 15 Short Years”. Shelton revealed valuable tips and techniques that he willingly shared with all the new agents present. There was a “standing room only” crowd at today’s session. Shelton commented that he was pleased to see so many people in attendance and it obvioulsy showed how much adoration there was for Jay Menger and his expert training! A celebration banquet for Jay, his family, honored guests, and graduate agents, will be held Saturday night at The Rib Crib Restaurant location at 12th & Harvard.
March 7, 2008
The front page of the Tulsa World today had great news for homeowners living in Tulsa County. World Staff Writer, Robert Evatt wrote an informative article about home prices rising during the fourth quarter of 2007. On page 2, this same World journalist wrote an article about home sales cooling off in January as compared to the same period last year. I know from personal experience that it was different than 2007 due to the ice storm in December. Tulsa was on a forced vacation because of our loss of power! The only thing selling were generators, candles, cans of butane, and sleeping bags. No realtor that I spoke with listed or sold any homes during our power outage. I even took batteries out of my digital camera to use for flashlights. So, of course, January’s figures were not even close compared to 2007. Click here for the entire story….
March 3, 2008
This is a fabulous home that Joey Toler and I just listed at 3178 E 22nd St. It is all new construction in the heart of midtown Tulsa. Stop by between noon and 1:30 for snacks and a quick update of mortgage rates from Charter Mortgage.
