Why – How – What
Interesting thoughts on how we cause change in our lives and why we do what we do.
Check it out.
So, why do you do what you do?? What is the reason you get up in the morning? Keep listening, I have some more ideas to share in a day or two about this.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
Coming Soon at 12Stone Church
Check out what is coming soon to 12Stone Church. We are opening a new Saturday night campus at Hwy 20 so now you can go to church on Saturday and still sleep in on Sunday. How cool is that!!
Technology Tips for 20 August 2010
Get A Tape From Your Calculator: Try using Moffsoft FreeCalc. It is much like the calculator in Windows, minus more advanced features. It does create a tape of your calculations. You can print the tape out or save it if you like. There are other features you’ll like in the calculator. For example, it has a visible memory value. You can see what’s stored in the memory in one quick glance. Free http://www.moffsoft.com/freecalc.htm
Better Sharing Of Large Files: Music, photos and videos, files today are larger than ever. E-mail still has file size limits. Check out Wetransfer.com. Select up to 2 gigabytes of files you want to transfer. Specify the recipient’s e-mail address and an optional message. Then click Transfer. The files will be uploaded to the site’s secure server. Your recipient can then download them whenever they wish. Free https://www.wetransfer.com/
Employee Time Clock On Your Computer: Employees can check in and check out easily. The program will generate handy labor reports. It will run on hardware you now have. Time Clock MTS will help you keep your employee time and pay records. It is easy to set up and administer. That makes it much more cost-effective. The free version can record up to three employees. For more than that, you’ll need the paid version. The startup screen asks you to buy the full version. But that goes away after the 30-day trial is up. It reverts to the free version after that. http://www.timeclockmts.com/
A Better Photo Re-sizer: Often we need different image sizes. You might have to shrink the photo or make it bigger. With Image Resizer you can resize photos in groups. This small program installs in most versions of Windows. You just have to right-click a photo or group of photos. Then, select Resize Pictures. You will get a screen with some preset image sizes. Click the Advanced button to enter a custom image size.The program automatically makes a copy of the photo to resize. Free http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/
Hope you find something that can help you get more done. Thanks for the time you took to read this and remember, I am never too busy for your referrals.
Jerry Robertson
Associate Broker for Keller Williams
678-231-1578 Cell
Meet me on the front porch!
Before air conditioning and attached garages we used to be outside more. The modern conveniences are great but it breaks some of the community connection we had in our neighborhoods. That trend might be reversing a bit. Outdoor Rooms is an eReport about how we are building or creating some outdoor space. Things like front porches are coming back.
Check this out and see if you agree. I have certainly seen some great outdoor spaces. I know the new house I just moved into has a great patio and a deck for the hot tub that we are anxious to use. When the heat subsides a bit.
Have a great weekend and call me if you need me. I am never too busy for your referrals!!
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!! Again.
If all you do is watch the news on TV or read what is left of the newspapers, you can start to believe that the sky is falling.
Under the topic of ‘you find what you look for’, here is a report that has a little good news looking forward. It covers the positive outlook for the next 4 years in 52 markets. We have #11 (Columbus, GA) out of 52 markets that will see a recovery in the next 4 years. Markets are local but they are not isolated so we are going to see similar numbers in Atlanta.
I will admit to anyone that asks, the real estate market has been tough but we still sold over 5 million homes last year in this country and we have a pretty active market right now. About 40% are distressed sales but that leaves 60% that aren’t.
Selling now takes a lot of work, willingness to sacrifice some of the perceived value of property and if you can do that you will likely be able to meet your goals and sell that house you don’t want or need anymore. The good side is that the other sellers have to do the same thing the buyers are getting the deals. Interest rates are at record lows and that makes housing affordable. Very affordable.
I am talking to people everyday that are selling or getting ready to sell in this market and take advantage of the opportunity to purchase their next house. Downsizing, seeking a home closer to work or just looking for a change can be very rewarding so if you are even considering the idea please call me. I can help you sort through the bad news and find the good news for your situation.
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578 Cell
Technology Tips for August 12
I have a few new tech tips for you. There are lots of cool and useful things on the web and I hope you find these helpful.
Putting Leftover Meal Ingredients To Use: Many times there seems to be ingredients left over from every meal. It is wasteful to throw away the left over’s for no other reason then it costs money. But it can be difficult deciding how to use the leftover ingredients.Simply enter some of the ingredients you have lying around in FoodPair. The Website comes up with recipes using those ingredients. The search results can be extensively filtered. You can restrict the entire dish to a certain number of ingredients. Or, select the type of dish you want to create. Recipes are pulled for a number of high-quality cooking Websites. http://www.foodpair.com/
What Is The Origin of Our Names: Names are a pretty important part of our identity. Parents often struggle to find the “perfect” name for their newborn. If you are interested in names check out BehindTheName. It lists the meaning and origins of tons of names. These origins can sometimes go back to Ancient Greece. And many names have meanings you wouldn’t expect. You can categorize names by nationality or mythology. There are also lists of popular names and random name generators. http://www.behindthename.com/
Finding A Better Deal: It can be hard to cut certain expenses out of our life. Maybe just need to find a better deal. That is the goal of BillShrink. This free Website gathers your spending information for a number of areas. This includes cell phone plans, television service, credit cards and fuel use.It then combs through a database of service plans and options. You are presented with alternatives that can save you money instantly. And you won’t have to change your usage patterns. BillShrink can also send you regular e-mail updates. It will let you know if better service options have become available. http://www.billshrink.com/?_v_cclcs=0&noCache=true&tv=true
Another School Year Is Approaching: One of the largest expenses is textbooks. Many times they can’t be sold back at the end of the semester. It may be better to rent them instead. You find your textbooks online from Bookrenter’s huge selection. Then, you can rent the book for a fraction of the cost of buying. The book is sent to you via UPS. The renter chooses how long to rent and at the end of the rental period sends it back. Repeat the process for the next round of books. The Website has helpful guidelines for you to follow. You will be charged for damaged books. http://www.bookrenter.com/
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-343-6879 Direct
PS. I am never too busy for your referrals and I will never take them for granted. Thanks for all you do.
Tech Tips courtesy of Rick DeLuca at http://www.RealEstateIdeaClub.com
Why do I work by referral??
There are lots of answers to that question and it depends on your perspective. From my perspective it means that I get to work with great people. Usually it’s people who know me or know of me from someone who referred me. It is a great way to be able to serve people who really need my help when they need it the most. The truth though is that it’s not about me. It’s about my clients.
Most of the people in my business spend most of their time making cold calls or calling expired listings in the process of finding their next deal. A lot of what they do is based on a transaction instead of a relationship. My goal is to build life long relationships and to work hard for the people that are referred to me.
I also have built relationships with local trades and craftsmen who do a great job from cutting hair to cleaning carpet. Plumbers, handymen, pet sitters, chefs and a lot more are in the referral directory. Check it out.
There is a lot more to this so if you have a minute and want to know how this works for you please download the latest item of value and spend a few minutes with it to find out more by clicking on this month’s Item of Value.
So far my business this year is 94% referral and for my entire career it has been 97% referral. Pride is not usually a good thing so to say I am proud is not the way I think of it. I am humbled to know that my friends, family and clients are willing to refer business to me and I will NEVER take that for granted. This is a tough time for a lot of people and buying or selling a house is a big job in any market so please let me know who needs help.
I do a lot of work with distressed sales for pre-foreclosure and short sales as well as working with buyers searching for great deals in this market. I can also sell a home that is not distressed but whose owners are looking to make a change or take advantage of the great deals that exist with interest rates at record lows and prices that were just thought to be impossible a couple of years ago.
We sold over 5 million homes in the US last year. 5 Million. Lenders are loaning money to people that can pay it back and houses are selling. Inventory is down from a year ago and I believe we are going to see a housing shortage as we sell off the inventory we have and the builders are still on the sidelines. We need about 1.2 million new homes every year just to keep up with the growth in population and the replacement of the old inventory we have in this country. Much of the inventory is over 50 years old and will need replacing.
Call me if I can help or you know someone thinking about making a change. Don’t forget we also have great people in the referral directory that can help with the jobs around the house so check that out too.
Thanks for listening.
Jerry Robertson
Keller Williams Realty
678-231-1578
Technology Tips for August
Control and Protect Personal Information: We all use out computers to manage personal information. Some of that information can be saved in browsers and other files, but that is not always a secure location. Take passwords and credit card numbers, for example. It’s important to keep this stuff under lock and key. Identity Finder digs up stored passwords and credit card numbers. It searches your My Documents folder and your browsers. You may be surprised what you’ll find. This program comes in free and paid versions. The free version targets the most common hiding places. When installing, read the prompts carefully. Be sure to select the free version. http://www.identityfinder.com/us/Home/IdentityFinder/Windows/Free
Protect The Children On The Internet: The Internet has a dark side. Some sitespromote hate and drugs. Others offer pornography, violence and gambling. You definitely want to protect your children from these sites. You can get a little peace of mind by installing parental control software.Blue Coat’s K9 Web Protection is a good free parental control program. It comes with a list of objectionable sites and regular updates. But you can customize the list. The program also lets you specify times when the computer can or can’t be used. And since it works through Windows, it doesn’t matter what browser you use.
Free: http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
Defrag A Better Way: You may keep your files well organized. But the way your hard drive stores data isn’t always so precise. Related data is often fragmented across different sectors of your drive. Half of a program or file may be in one place. The other half is somewhere else. Defragmenting reorders the data on your hard drive. It’s an attempt to pull related data together. Windows has a built in defragmenter. But using it can take up a lot of your processing power. Auslogics Disk Defrag Screen Saver replaces your screen saver. It automatically starts when you’re not using your computer. When you come back, it suspends itself. It’s never using processing power you’d like to use elsewhere. Free: http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag-screen-saver/
Healthy Living On Purpose: Healthy living doesn’t happen by accident. It requires proper eating and regular exercise. Tracking and calculating calories can get to be a hassle. HotCal makes it simple to record diet and exercise. Just put in the food you ate or an activity. Calories are calculated automatically. The food function also calculates fat, carbs and protein. You can easy track your progress with automated graphs. Free: http://www.hotcal.com/
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-343-6879 Direct
Tech Tips courtesy of Rick DeLuca at http://www.RealEstateIdeaClub.com
Technology Tips for July
Instead; Channel Surf Around The World: You can watch music videos from Japan. Or you could catch the local news out of Baghdad. Livestation lets you do that and more. This program lets you stream live TV from around the world. The service has a partnership with several high profile stations. These include the BBC, Aljazeera English and France 24. Many channels on Livestation are news outlets. It’s interesting to see current events from a different point of view. There are also user-created streams. These are real channels from a number of countries. You can even stream radio broadcasts from other countries.You just might find a new favorite channel. Free http://www.livestation.com/
Look Into The Milk Your Family Drinks: It’s been a while since America was an agricultural society. For most people, dairy products just magically appear on store shelves. How can you tell if a dairy product is local? Or maybe you’re trying to save money. Most stores sell both generic and brand name products. They actually might come from the same place. How can you check? Look into Where Is My Milk From.Just enter the code found on any dairy carton. The site will tell you which dairy the product came from. Also, you can see the other products that dairy makes.http://whereismymilkfrom.com/
Getting Rid Of Deleted Information: To get rid of files you can delete or drag them to the Recycle Bin. Files deleted that way aren’t really gone. Their space on the hard drive is just freed up for more data. Until that space is overwritten, your deleted data can be retrieved. And it can be retrieved fairly easily. For delicate information, it needs to be securely erased. EraserDrop puts a special icon on your desktop. Drag files to it, and they’re automatically deleted and overwritten. You can even choose between multiple methods of erasure. Stronger methods take longer. But the files will truly be unrecoverable. EraserDrop can also be installed on a thumb drive. You can carry it around wherever you go. You can securely erase files on any PC. Free http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/eraserdrop_portable
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-343-6879 Direct
Tech Tips courtesy of Rick DeLuca at http://www.RealEstateIdeaClub.com
Technology Tips for June
Online Storage Can Change The Way You Use Files: You no longer have to carry needed files on a thumb drive. You don’t have to e-mail large files to others. You simply put them online. You can access them from anywhere with an Internet connection. Take Microsoft’s SkyDrive, for example. You get 25GB of online storage for free. http://windowslive.com/online/skydrive
You upload and retrieve files from its Website, but there is an easier way. SDExplorer lets you use SkyDrive like any other drive on your computer. After installing SDExplorer, find it in My Computer (XP) or Computer (Vista and 7). It will appear as a drive alongside your regular drives. Double-click it to log into your SkyDrive account. You can then drag and drop files. There’s no need to open a browser. Free: Windows XP, Vista and 7 www.cloudstorageexplorer.com
Components Up Dates: Device drivers can be the most confusing culprits of problems on your computer. These allow your hardware components (printer, keyboard, etc.) to work with your computer. And they occasionally need updates. Some come through Windows Update. Some peripheral software regularly checks for updates. But for some, you’d never know when an update is needed. Device Doctor is a great solution. It scans your computer hardware and looks for available updates. You can download new drivers at the touch of a button. Free. Windows XP, Vista and 7 www.devicedoctor.com
Chose The Best Seat On Your Upcoming Flight: Many pay little attention to their seat choice. It’s usually about aisle versus window. However, there are a lot of other factors to consider. You can explore some of those factors at Seat Expert. Simply enter your flight number or the plane type. You get a layout of all the seats on the plane. Click on a seat to get information the location. It might be in a high-traffic area. Or it might get too much light from the kitchen for sleeping. Choosing the right seat will make your flight a little more comfortable! http://seatexpert.com/
Thanks for listening,
Jerry Robertson
678-343-6879 Direct
Tech Tips courtesy of Rick DeLuca at http://www.RealEstateIdeaClub.com
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