Way to go to the many brave folks out there who are continuing to pursue the American Dream of home ownership, despite some of the financial challenges that seem to be arising. While the housing market is difficult for sellers, it's a GREAT time for buyers. Keep up the good work! (and way to go NY Giants too!!)

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I had received this from a friend of mine, and I really enjoyed it. It certainly helps capture the warmth of the holiday season. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

                The Red Marbles

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes, but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'

'Hello Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.'

'They are good, Barry.'

'How's your Ma?'

'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'

'Good. Anything I can help you with?'

'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.'

'Would you like take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.

'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'

'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'

'All I got's my prize marble here.'

'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.

'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'

'I can see that.'

'Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.

'Not zackley but almost.'

'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble', Mr. Miller told the boy.

'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller..'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.

With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles. Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them.

Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men.

One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.

Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt..'

'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.'

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and readers. Today is a great day to spend some quality time with your family, and truly enjoy and appreciate that time together. That means you'll have to put the "to do" list, and the rest of the junk away for the day. Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, watch some football, and relax and enjoy. Every Thanksgiving, our family sits in the living room, and we all make a list of the many things we are thankful for.

My real estate advice for today, is to enjoy your family and friends. Without them, we wouldn't have anything.

Happy Thanksgiving from www.JeremyNegotiates.com.

Ah... many people ask, but very few actually know. Now, I am a real estate agent myself, and I do earn a living from real estate commissions. However, that aside, I believe that real estate agents need to make sure that they act ethically and fairly when dealing with their customers. Some agents have trouble with this concept, and hopefully, I can shed some light to make things easier for everyone. Ok, here we go....

5 Secrets Your Real Estate Agent Doesn't Want you to Know

1) Their commission amount (percentage) is adjustable.
Yes, you can negotiate on an agent's commission, believe it or not. However, in all fairness, please be aware that all real estate brokers that employ real estate agents have certain required percentage minimums to be allocated to commissions in any transaction. This goes to many different things, such as licensing, advertising, insurance and other things that brokers have to worry about. The agent is responsible for upholding their minimum requirement when acting for that broker or agency. This is customary, and expected.

2) They can use part of their commission figure to close a deal if absolutely necessary.
I am not providing this information for anyone to take advantage of or profit from a real estate agent. I would not condone or support anyone even requesting for an agent to contribute their commission towards the purchase (or sale) of a home. This is a decision that an agent will make on their own, in their own specific transaction. Real estate agents need to make a living also. But to fail to close a transaction over a few hundred dollars is insane. A great example of using commission to close can be found in my first attempt to purchase a home with a dishonest real estate agent.

3) They are required by law to give any written offer you make to the seller.
Yep, they have to..... no matter how "low" or "insulting" the offer may be. This helps to maintain transaction integrity, as some agents will try to "hold out" for a higher sale price in hopes of getting a higher commission. This is a concept I will never understand. I would prefer to make people happy by getting their home sold and earn a little less money than I know I could have, than to turn away a qualified buyer for my own personal gain. Oh, and by the way, this practice is unethical, and should be reported to the real estate agent's board if you suspect this is happening.

4) Comps are absolutely FREE!
"Comps", or Comparisons help a buyer or seller understand how much their home or property is worth in the current local market. You can ask any real estate agent to provide you with these comps without cost or obligation. Most of the agents I know will do it gladly, but there are some that will refuse to do so. Some agents will refuse to provide comps to a buyer without a signed contract. Why? Because it takes time. It takes time to do a good comp work up for a customer that may or may not use your services to buy or sell. However, just like the paparazzi hounding celebrities, comps are just part of the agent's job, and part of the paycheck that they earn. If you run into an agent who doesn't want to provide you with comps, don't walk away from them, RUN away.

5) Real Estate Agents have a boss, too!
If you are unhappy with the way your real estate agent is treating you, you have every right to speak to their boss (just ask for their broker). If you are dealing with a broker who makes you uncomfortable, you can contact your local real estate agent licensing department and file a complaint. If you prefer, instead of contacting an agent's broker, you can go straight to their licensing agency. This will initiate an investigation, and disciplinary actions against the agent or broker if needed. This helps ensure that you are protected from unfair treatment or unethical dealings.

The Current Market Conditions

We've heard it all before... the "current" market conditions are BAD..... terrible.... horrible..... The housing market "crashed". This may be true for the "unlucky", but for the "lucky", it's nothing more than propaganda. Why? Because I believe that people make their own luck. They are responsible for their own success or failure. When the stock market crashed in 1929, did everyone lose money? Did everyone put a gun in their mouth and end it all? No! Believe it or not, some people actually prospered from the crash. Media rarely focuses on these folks, as it's not as sensational. Real Estate is not much different.

Clients often ask me "when the bubble is going to burst" or "when is it a good time to buy or sell" their home. The answer is, anytime is a good time, as long as you do your homework and have a plan. "Market conditions" are just a sorry excuse for not being successful. Don't let your real estate agent (or broker) talk you into blaming market conditions. They have an obligation, no matter what the current "market conditions" claim to be. Success is more than visible results; it's a frame of mind- a paradigm. Create your own success.

Warm Greetings from the Arizona Valley!

I have just gave my real estate web site, www.JeremyNegotiates.com a complete makeover. So many things have changed, and while change is good, I am still getting used to the new look. I have upgraded my MLS search features to better accommodate my clients as well as the constantly evolving market. I even added an updated picture of myself in the header; grudgingly, but I added it. My wife insisted on not cropping our Dachshund, Frank, out of the picture, and so it remains.

The feature that I am most excited about is the new blog. We see them all over the internet now, and I've noticed that these Blogs are an excellent source of information that can be written formally or casually. I consider myself to be an expert in my field, and hope to be able to share the wealth of information that I have developed to my clients and readers. I welcome questions, comments and feedback from my readers, however, because this is a public blog, I would like to set a few ground rules in this initial posting, to ensure that its content is suitable for everyone.

This is a web log, or "blog", not an encyclopedia. This blog consists of information that I deem to be reliable, however, it is my opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of my broker, friends or family.

The information herein and subsequent blog entries belong to the author, and will not be reproduced or linked to without permission. Please ask if you would like to use my information on your web site or article.