OK, it’s been on my mind for a while.  I have all kinds of ideas of how video could be used to help people in the world of real estate, and I just haven’t had the time to actually toy with it and iron out the wrinkles, but tonight I took a little time and took that first step.  Let me know what you think!

One of the things I enjoy being able to do is connecting my clients with great service providers.  From contractors to carpet cleaners, we all need a referral now & then, so we can avoid teh frustrations of just picking someone in the phone book and possibly getting stuck with some lazy, incompetent boob.

With that in mind, I’ve begun creating different pages on our main Edmond real estate website, and will soon be creating one that lists some of the top insurance agents in Edmond.  Yep, that will be a great resource.  However, I have a few clients that need that information now, and don’t have time to wait for the new page to be complete, so here we go:

• Larry Hukill – Farmers Insurance (405) 340-8585
• Gary Baccus – State Farm  (405) 844-6300
• Oklahoma Farm Bureau (405) 340-5071

Hope this helps get things started.

Now that things have greened up a bit, I wanted to share some new photos of
this beautiful acreage.  If you’re looking for land, a shop, and
a completely updated home, this is a MUST SEE!

3 Beautiful Acres in Deer Creek School DistrictOriginally uploaded by rhukill

3 Beautiful Acres in Deer Creek SchoolsOriginally uploaded by rhukill

3 Beautiful Acres in Deer Creek SchoolsOriginally uploaded by rhukill

In case you haven’t had the chance yet to hear more about the ‘It’s a Good Thing You’re in Oklahoma’ Campaign, here’s some info about an upcoming segment:

Wednesday at 10:00am on COX Channel 7 you can see OKCMAR Board President Marolyn Pryor and OKCMAR CEO, Dawn Kennedy interviewed about why it’s a good thing you’re in OKC!
 
Marolyn and Dawn chat with Mayor Mick Cornett and moderator, Kent Myers, about the real estate industry in Oklahoma City and why NOW is a great time to invest in local real estate properties.

I’m sure they’ll be sharing some updated statistical information, so be sure to check it out if you get a few minutes.

Common Impatience

Originally uploaded by rhukill

Spend a little while in NW OKC/Edmond and you’ll get used to these scenarios…

Sent on the fly from my wireless phone

Ryan Hukill
Paradigm Realty
405.802.4663
ryanhukill@cox.net
www.ImagineLivingHere.com

I really pride myself in being able to post valuable information here to help home buyers and sellers avoid many of the pitfalls that are out there when buying and selling homes in Edmond.

But when it comes to buying, there’s one piece of advice that I think may be more important than anything else I could ever suggest… get a REPUTABLE, RELIABLE mortgage broker or banker.  Don’t just bite on the one with the dream deal.  Chances are, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Secondly, if you have a gut feeling that something’s not right with your broker/banker, by all means, check around.  Get recommendations!

As a very active Realtor, I get the chance to experience the good, the bad & the ugly, and you can bet that when a buyer asks me where to get their mortgage, I’m going to send them to the ones I know to be honest and reliable.  Your move is on the line, and so is my income!  If I connect you with a shady or unreliable broker, you don’t get to move on time, and I don’t get paid on time.  How’s that for honesty?

There are plenty of clowns out there, so please take the advice of your trusted advisors and use a lender that has a good reputation with those of us who sell homes every day!

p.s. this post was inspired by a good friend/client of mine who was just told today, 4 days before closing, that his lender can’t get the deal done for him… now we’re scurrying to get him with a guy that can be counted on and trusted

The thing I hear that’s most surprising to families who relocate to Edmond is how affordable everything is, in comparison to what they’re used to.

According to a new OKCBusiness.com article, Edmond’s annual cost of living is 11.4% percent lower than the national average.  Just another of many factors that make Edmond a great place to raise your family.

Need more numbers?  Soak this in:

Edmond ranked below average in all six areas:

•Grocery items: 87.6

• Housing: 77.8

• Utilities: 92.6

• Transportation: 97.6

• Health care: 95.7

• Miscellaneous: 93.7

Yep, I hear it all the time… ‘Why do I need a Realtor?’

Well, it’s one of those questions that can’t be answered in a nutshell, but the fact is, experience counts, you get what you pay for, <insert your own cliche here>.

While they are overused, these cliches do have some validity, IF you’re dealing with the right agent.  I won’t go into right vs wrong agents here, but I do like to share when I find a good example of one of the many small things that the right agent can/will do that can/will save you big bucks and/or big frustration down the road.

If you’re thinking about going it alone, I might ask ‘How many title commitments have you read in your lifetime?’ or ‘Would you have caught that?’

I saw this mantle in a home I showed last week. I like unique touches, so this seemingly hand-made tin really caught my attention.

Cool Mantle IdeaOriginally uploaded by rhukill

Cool Mantle IdeaOriginally uploaded by rhukill

Here’s another of the great ones from Ameriquest Mortgage:

Here’s the first one: A Mortgage Company with a Sense of Humor

And here’s the second one: A Mortgage Company with a Sense of Humor – Part II

And here’s the third one: A Mortgage Company with a Sense of Humor – Part III