"A DeBary woman was arrested after a Volusia County Sheriff's Office investigation found that she participated in a Nigerian check-cashing scheme that defrauded at least 15 victims of $26,835, sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said Saturday."  Daytona News Journal Read the full story here. 

OK so you read right and many will have something to say to those that fell prey to these scam artists.  The truth is not everyone is tech savvy or spend hours on end online or in their email.  Some folks might be desperate or in a desperate situation and lo and behold their prayers are answered.  Money from the net.

Be Careful of Nigerian Scams-Consumer Beware-Many Scams

This scam is different from the Homes on Craigslist or the millions they try to send everyone to safely remove their family inheritance to the U.S.  While this one involved scholarships and rebates, keep in mind, there is a wide variety of these scams going on...and no one should joke about someone being scammed..instead use the energy and inform those who might fall prey to one these schemes.

Read consumer reports on the different types of scams that they have seen and experienced first hand.  Read the reports here. 

Be leary of those handing you big bucks via email and you have never met them and they want your very personal information which would include bank account info, social security numbers. 

• Craigslist and Rental Scams-Port Orange Florida
• Rentvine Creates Rental Scam Detection Tool
  

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Midori is also an Activerain Ambassador, have questions?  Feel free to contact her via email or phone.

Are you a Google analytics user?  If not you should be.  How can you gage the success of your website and blogs if you do not understand their effectiveness or better yet what is your intent and what do you want as your end result?  Readers...subscribers...$$$$$....Do people get lost in your words?

What I mean by this is the time spent on your site and where the heck are they going after they are filled with your words...do people take action?  Meaning...maybe view MLS listings | request a cma or contact you via email or phone? Do they buy a house or request additional services?  What is the final outcome, did you achieve your goal?  If not...

Add interesting and relevant content!  Make a few changes!

I am amazed at how long people will sit on a site especially if it is packed with useful information...and updated frequently..

I've been experimenting..and its interesting in what I have found.

The time people spend on my ActiveRain blog is much higher than any of my other sites.  It's my oldest, most active blog and the numbers recently went down..people have spent as long as 12 minutes on my blog and now average 7 minutes....here is what I found.

• I do not post as frequently and am not consistent keeping my content fresh and up to date.
• Posting members only can reduce the time spent by readers especially if you have more consumer readers than active rain readers.
• Getting lazy and not adding a call to action or at least a post signature can affect your bottom line.
• Not adding links to past posts can really get them off your site.
• Less interaction equals less opportunity...it's almost as if I shut the door!
• The length of your post matters...shorter is not always best..if you can't make your point in just a few words.
• My Google page rank dropped by 1 :( now it is a page rank 3
• Fewer contacts = less opportunity =lost income

There is always a duel between my Active rain blog and my real estate website...and when it comes to search engines...my site usually wins at the end...because of Google analytics...I know..that often times...the traffic to my website is directly from ActiveRain.  Not a bad lead in....

There are those that will aways criticize this site...there will be those that never will understand the true value of the network...and there are those well who are gutless and never tried it because of personal feelings or what they have heard...if only they knew....

I wonder should we tell them?

If you found this useful please subscribe! Midori Miller authors DaytonaRealEstateTrainer.com | The Business Center | Celebrity Truths and her Active-rain blog DaytonaRealEstateTraining.com. Feel free to contact her via email or phone.  

Yesterday I was at the Port Orange Farmers Market | Flea Market just having the best time..it was chilly...but it got chillier when I heard sirens coming down the road.  I'm one of those people who are deeply impacted by police sirens...gotta admit unless you are at a parade...sirens can be a sad thing...

Whenever I hear sirens I stop...say a little prayer...and sometimes get teary eyed.   I tend to imagine the worst but even in best case scenario sirens can be a sad thing.

Yesterday was no different...all I can think of are the many people who visit and live in Daytona Beach motorcycle riders...bicyclist...pedestrians and drivers on the road..most of all my family.

As the sirens continue to get louder and louder it ended with a huge crash...immediately people started running..it wasn't a pretty sight.

On This chilly Sunday Morning...

Just days before Christmas....3 young men were running from the law...and banged into another car...ran their car right into a building...and ran by foot into a neighborhood.  A young man tackled two of them...and the 3 young men were caught....

I overheard a police man state..it appears there is a handgun in the front seat....it hit me like a ton a bricks..it was deep impact!

As I looked down the street...the other car was still in the road...these innocent victims were just driving and one can only speculate what their plans were this chilly Sunday morning...I'm sure sirens...police and criminals were not part of their plan.

I thought about the business owner...who now is sporting a beautiful car inside their building...the car looks like its part of the building...it almost seemed unreal and more along the lines of a stunt set up...or a television show...nope it was very real and all I could do was think about at that moment was the business owner and how their life changed instantly.... another unsuspecting victim.

As I looked towards the police car...I saw one of the suspects...I couldn't help but feel horrible...he looked like a kid..and now his life was over....living in the moment can cost you the rest of your life but sometimes youth never sees things this way..as I looked at him...I could only think of his parents...his family..and the impact these event will have.

Then I started thinking about the police...their families..the constant fear and worry...I thought about their lives..what they see everyday, how they must feel and fortunately...for the police officers it was a good day...no one was killed.

I walked away...feeling pretty lousy but I knew....

It could have been a lot worse...just a few feet away is the entrance of the flea market where there are many pedestrians walking around...the people in the other car were OK...police offers OK...and the people living in the neighborhood were all OK. 

Life can change in a split second, be good to yourself and make the most of today! 

If you are like me you might have joined a few social networks you know with a blogging platform and no matter what you do..those darn notifications that someone left you a comment keep rolling in..you know cases and cases of spam comment notifications overload your email.  OR-

Maybe you joined many social networks you know trying them out possibly getting a FREE Trial and you really don't want to give out your email address but you need an email address to sign up..and the next thing you know..your email box is overloaded with tons of spam? Can you relate to what I am talking about?

If so and you need help, there is a cure! 

It's called Mailinator and its the greatest invention since sliced bread!

Protect your privacy and avoid spam.

Use Mailinator!

No Registration!

No Sign-up!

How do I create an account at Mailinator? It's simple, you just send email to it. Temporary accounts are created when email arrives for them. First, you give out the mailinator email address you created, and then you check it. It's that simple.

Do I have to sign up? No sign-up...find out more here

Thank You Mailinator-Let Them Eat Spam!

Disclaimer:  Not only am I Mailinator's biggest fan...I use this awesome FREE product when needed. 

Disclaimer:  No I am not talking about ActiveRain...I get 25 points everytime I report spam! :)

Midori Miller is a licensed Florida REALTOR, BK645709. Proud member of the Daytona Beach Area Association of REALTORS and trains real estate agents.  Midori is also an Activerain Ambassador and is a real estate copywriter/SEO writer for International Web Media.

I posed this question once on facebook...if the banks handle their REO's electronically why not handle short sales the same manner. I knew that one day...a bank or banks would wise up...

Short Sales to be handled electronically?  Its a dream come true!

Today I closed on a short sale with check in hand...it took 5 months...of following up..dialing the phone...calling hot shots and shooting off emails...I got it done but throughout the process all I could think of was how much easier it would have been in they handled short sales electronically.

My own personal experience of why short sales should be done electronically!

Bank of America, I'm Really P@$%$D!

Today I received a fantastic email from REOTrans.com. 

Its a dream come true!

Guess what..finally..a bank is going electronic..no more banker's hours..and hopefully less fax heaven...and I hope others will follow suit.  Think about the cost effectiveness plus the time saved if only banks handled short sales like REO's...electronically.

Read the full article here! 

Midori Miller is licensed in the State of Florida, BK645709 and currently hangs her real estate license with CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty.  Midori is also a real estate trainer and an ActiveRain Ambassador and specializes in short sales for Daytona Beach real estate sellers.  If you are in the market to buy or sell real estate in Daytona Beach, Florida..please contact us!

The Chicken or the Egg? Which comes first?

Self-concept (or self-schema) is far more important than given credit for. It is often believed that what we accomplish determines how we feel about ourselves, but it is quite possible the opposite is true.

Clinical Study Findings:

In an 8-week clinical intervention study with 29 cocaine and opioid-dependent clients, Avants, Beitel, and Margolin (2005) found a correlation between a shift in self-schema and drug use and other HIV risk behaviors. The self-schema (the specific beliefs about the self) of addicted individuals was found to be extremely negative, consisting of words such as "selfish, aggressive, evil, impulsive, irresponsible, manipulative and unmerciful". When activated, one's self-schema triggers an automatized repertoire of behaviors, actions, plans, and scripts.

As addicted individuals are more likely to view themselves as "bad" people, the addict self-schema (the way the individual views themselves in light of their addiction) maintains addiction behavior. Assisting addicted individuals in substituting a negative self-schema for a positive self schema provides the foundation for meaningful change and is correlated with change in drug use and HIV risk behaviors.

Real Life Application:

If you have resolutions pining on your doorstep or patterns and behaviors you wish you could alter but have been unable to do so, consider the relationship between your perception of the goal and your self-concept. What words do you use to describe yourself in relation to the as-of-yet not accomplished the goal?

Viewing yourself negatively for not yet achieving the goal maintains the likelihood that you will continue the current pattern. It's not enough to attempt to send the negative self-schema to oblivion; its void must be filled with something, or the negative self-schema will re-emerge. Exchange the negative self-schema for a postive self-schema. To do this:

• Become aware of your self-talk.    Example of negative self talk: "If I take on ___ goal, I may fail, and it says something negative about me that I haven't accomplished it / I may fail."

• Practice positive self-talk with yourself and rephrase. Positive self-talk isn't largess; it's acknowledging your humanness. Break your goal into smaller steps if necessary.    Positive self talk: "I'd like to reach this goal, and I recognize that any challenge to do so doesn't reflect negatively on me. Instead, it reflects positively that I am undertaking it, and little by little, step after step, I will get there".     

• Act towards your objective.

• Reward yourself upon reaching your objective through positive self-affirmation. Part of developing a positive self-schema acknowledges that reaching a goal is not a "should", but something worthy of feeling good about.

Reference

Avants, S. Kelly, Beitel, M., and Margolin, A. (2005). Making the shift from 'addict self' to 'spiritual self':Results from a Stage I study of Spiritual Self-Schema (3-S) therapy for the treatment of addiction and HIV risk behavior. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 8(3), 167-177.

Text and Real Life Application authored by Sara Washburn, Picture by Sara Washburn

If you have not grasped social media and online activities for business, now is a great time to implement it. As you can see by the video...the world is forever changing and so is the way we do business!  Did you know?

About the Author:  Midori Miller is licensed in the State of Florida, BK645709 and currently hangs her real estate license with CENTURY 21 Sundance Realty.  Midori is also a real estate trainer and an ActiveRain Ambassador and specializes in short sales for Daytona Beach real estate sellers.  If you are in the market to buy or sell real estate in Daytona Beach, Florida..please contact us!

Neal Bloom wrote an inspiring story recently,I saw the tears in her eyes running down her face...but were tears of joy not sadness.

If you have not read it, I say read and find out the realities of this real estate business.

Not only was the story inspiring, the story was real. It took the agent 7 months to close on her first deal. It took her quite a bit to get there.

This story and others like it are REAL.

Most real estate agents do not live the glamourous lifestyle they portray. In this business, many have to fake it until you make it. Ever heard of that before?

Here in Collin county, Texas, if you sold more than 5 properties in a year, you are the top 15% highest producing realtors in the county. Give yourself on your back! But the realities are, 5 properties would only earn you just over $35,000 in an average price of $250,000 in Frisco TX. However, you still havent paid your taxes and expenses. You might only gross a little over $20,000. That makes it less than $2,000 per month to take home. Remember, these are the top 15% producing agents and also the harsh realities of this business.

This morning, I heard at a real estate school that this career is one that could land you a 6-figure income. Quite possibly. But not every Realtor(R) has the possibility of doing that. Most dont and only a handful will ever.

Many in real estate school just stop there. Then, a few end up joining a real estate brokerage to never have sold any properties. The luckier ones probably do 1 or 2 transactions. Only a handful move on to becoming shinning agents.

Well, I'm not writing this to discourage you but to share with you that your odds for failure is higher than success. It is important for you to know that. It is important to know that you are now in business for yourself, which says that there is no one who will tell you what to do, like you would when you show up at your first day of work! You are pretty much on your own - for richer or for poorer!

Real estate business is not for the faint of heart. It really tests your perseverance, your endurance, your instincts, your entrprenuerialship, your leadership and your emotions. It gives you an opportunity to learn about yourself and your abilities. It tells you if you are a positive or negative person. It stretches you by the farthest imagination.

I know this because I went through trying to sell cosmetics prior to real estate. I was given the impression that I could work 3 hours a week to earn $100,000 per year selling cosmetics part-time and I'd be given a free company car too. That was back then when I was young, naive and 20.

I quickly learnt that it took real work to earn $100,000. It also took of guts and more so, alot of right instincts - knowing the right thing to do at the very right moment. Come on, if it was that easy, most of us would not inactive our licenses.

I like to think that this post can still be taken in a positive light. Knowing what odds are against you make you more aware of the situation that lies ahead of you.

By far, my best advice to Rookie Agents are 3 things:

• Keep your business expenses very low (that includes not going out to buy a nice Realtor(R) car)
  Dont think you are now a big time realtor(R) and you need to spend $1,000/month on your Internet marketing. Dont think you need a Realtor(R) car too.
• Build a very, very large cash reserves (for your business and your personal life - especially when you depend on this job to pay the bills: at least 1 year of monthly expenses)
  Most people will say you might need 6 months of living expenses saved up. I'd say you need more in this economy. On top of that, you need to spend money on marketing your business. No, we're not talking about $1,000/month, but you still need some minimal funds. So, that's how I came up with at least 1 year worth of living expenses in the savings account.
• If I only had $30 per month to spend on marketing, I would spend it here on Active Rain to become a Rainmaker.
• By far, BLOGGING can give you the same competitive edge as a veteran agent if you know how to use this strategy to your advantage.
  
  If you are not a Rainmaker, you need to be one so that your local posts are made "public" so that your potential clients can find you. Otherwise, you can only write Member's only posts and that's not searchable by Google.
  
  Becoming a Rainmaker is only the first step. You have to pay your marketing with TIME. You need to blog and have a blogging strategy - correct and effective for it to work to your advantage.
  
  Just becoming a Rainmaker does not bring you business.
  

Experienced agents: Please share your thoughts to Rookie Agents about the realities of your world.

Rookie Agents: Good luck. I hope you find this post motivating and not depressing.

I come from the old school of marketing...where branding and consistency is extremely important...familiarity is the point of the consistency...I wonder does that include avatars?

A few days ago...someone said to me...that maybe I should change my avatar..its been a year and I admit..I look very different...all it took was the hair to grow and for me to get a deep tan.

When I think of marketing...

I believe in consistency...I believe in familiarity...and so does the consumer...

Plain and simple its called branding..like McDonalds or even CENTURY 21.

Just wondering

How frequently do you change your avatar and do you view your avatar as marketing and branding?

Oh boy, now to get the computer scientist to help me...almost like a professional photo shoot! :)

About The Author: Midori Miller is a Real Estate Trainer and writes and trains Real Estate Training and assists sellers in short sale situations. Midori is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker , License # BK645709 and a member of the Daytona Area Association of REALTORS. Contact midorimiller@yahoo.com or (386)453-3236.

Two Sundays ago I sat through one of those sermons where it feels like God is talking directly to YOU. Almost as if there is a giant spotlight on your seat. You know the feeling?

The topic at hand: "The Christian as Worker and Citizen!"

Now, I won't attempt to plagiarize my good ol' Southern Baptist Preacher. And I normally don't "preach" in my blog. But I thought that the lessons I learned in that sermon deserve to be heard by my fellow real estate professionals. I'll put my own twist on his message in a real estate-y kind of way. I will cite the scripture used with the hopes that you will be able to use these references in your own life...and share them with others.

(And, as a side note, you may be wondering why he's a good ol' Southern Baptist Preacher? Well, he was born to do this job. He was blessed with a knack for getting people to pay attention to the Big Guy in the Sky, AND he was blessed with TWO first names - Pastor John Mark!)

As you conduct your real estate business, here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Christians (Realtors) are to be civilized CITIZENS

1 Peter 2:13-17: "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men...Show proper respect to EVERYONE: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."

This doesn't say to show respect just to those people you LIKE. Or to those people who share the same beliefs as you. Or to those people who share the same political views. It says to EVERYONE.

How this applies to real estate: I think this ties in quite nicely to our Fair Housing laws. Show the SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE (respect) to ALL customers and clients. Don't play favorites to someone because they have more wealth than another. Don't treat one buyer differently because of their nationality. Treat everyone with the same respect, and your reputation will never fail you.

2. Christians (Realtors) are to be WORKplace WARRIORS

Work is Biblical

Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men."

Work is Varied

Ecclesiastes 9:10 - "Whatever your hands find to do, whatever you put your hand to do, do it with all your might, the Scriptures says".

Work is Good 

Ecclesiastes 5:18 - "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a ma to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God".

Work is Sacred

1 Corinthians 10:31 - "Whatever you do in work or play, do all to the glory of God".

How this applies to real estate: If you choose to make your life's profession Real Estate - then KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK! Challenge yourself - take calculated risks - don't sit back and be mediocre. Don't settle. Our job is one in that it can impact people on a very personal level. We're not just selling them a toaster oven. We are selling their family a home. The single largest investment for large percentage of the population. Through our actions, the standards we set for ourselves & our level of commitment to excellence, we can let God's light shine to everyone we encounter. And we encounter a LOT of people on a daily basis. Not just buyers or sellers. But lenders, title companies, appraisers, inspectors, trades people, fellow agents and so on. Be the kind of agent YOU WOULD WANT TO WORK WITH!

On a personal note: As a Broker of a new, small company with a different mindset than most, the following quote stuck with me most this day. It reaffirmed that what we were doing was the right thing. We're not crazy. And it wasn't a quote from the Bible. It was a quote from the most famous salesman alive - Zig Ziglar, which stated quite simply that YOU CAN ONLY GET WHAT YOU WANT, IF YOU HELP ENOUGH OTHER PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT.

Our brokerage is a small, niche brokerage blessed with being able to provide one of the most attractive commission splits in our area. There are several reasons for why we charge what we charge, but it comes down to these fundamental truths:

• The Current Economy - a large percentage of Realtors have a spouse in other industries. As a larger percentage of this population is experiencing layoffs, it's more important than ever for the Realtor-spouse to produce. Every penny is precious. When an agent has to give up almost half of their commission to their brokerage, this directly impacts that families bottom line.
• The Current Real Estate Trend - there have been numerous posts about how the traditional "brick & mortar" brokerage is changing and evolving. Agents have direct control over their own marketing and business sources, so we give them the power to use more income to pay for whatever marketing efforts they believe benefits them best.
• Agent Motivation - we're helping other people get what they want (income to earn a living, give and save) so that we can get what we want (more time with our families, money to save for the future, build a business to leave to our children).

It was these lessons that I learned from the pulpit that inspired my day and inspired me to share with you all. I hope it inspires you to rethink your business practices, how you talk to each other and how you view your profession. Don't take it for granted - we have one of the best jobs in the world. We can't get laid off. We can't get downsized. We can only do those things to ourselves. It's up to us to work harder, smarter and with integrity.