Here's the line:

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain."--Proverbs 31.

Now, I don't know if you're a person of faith or not--but that is a pretty darn good set of words, regardless. I immediately thought of my wife, and texted the quote to her, earning many brownie points (that are now probably lost as she will no doubt read this, too)!

So, if you're reading this and making a big decision: please get the counsel of your spouse!

Also--if you are running a business, and would like to get your hands on a copy of this book, let me know and come on by the office and I'll actually GIVE one to you. That's how much I like and recommend it, and it'll be a good investment for both of us!

Howdy again!

Here is another edition of your Morning Coffee, but before getting there, I had to point out a thought that struck me this week.

That thought was the difference between the lives of Steve Jobs, the phenomenal head of Apple, and the folks that are protesting at Wall Street this week.

If you haven't heard, Steve Jobs passed away this week. He was the incredible co-founder of Apple and until very recently, its CEO. You may already know this, but under his watch Apple created the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, iTunes, and a whole lot of cool desktop computers. He has sheparded a new and different way for the masses of the world to get information (and music, videos, etc.) through his vision and hard work.

Think about all of the GOOD that has come of his efforts. Starting Apple Computer, Inc. in the garage of his parents' house all of those years ago led to me being able to enjoy my football podcasts on my daily drive to work! This is CAPITALISM at work.

In general, Capitalism rewards those who provide value--through goods or service--to others. Steve Jobs and the fine folks at Apple have done this. Zig Ziglar said,

"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

That is the very essence of Capitalism and that's the reason we have a greater standard of living than at any time, in any place in the history of mankind. Think about it--the A/C or heat you're experiencing, the computer (or smart phone) you're staring at now--it's all due to someone that went out and made it happen...and they were rewarded! God bless them--they deserve it!

Now...on to the second part of this diatribe: those "Occupy Wall Street" folks that are protesting Capitalism. I find it humorously ironic that most of the folks there have iPhones in the pockets of their Levi's jeans, marching in their Nikes after arriving to the march in their Priuses to decry capitalism!

They are claiming to be victims. Victims of the very Capitalism that has given them a better quality of life than even Kings throughout history. They want more money to be taken from the 'wealthy' and, I guess, given to them. I am getting a bit misty-eyed at their horrific plight here...(a little sarcasm there, free of charge!). Honestly, if they'd had a chance to live under a communist regime in say, Cambodia...then they'd REALLY have something to protest.

Now, don't get me wrong: they have every right to protest--and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that we are free to do so in our country. They're just not nearly as oppressed as they think they are...and if you want to act like an idiot, hey--that's your right.

Maybe if they'd spend less time mired in victimhood and entitlement, and more time creating a good or service that people need and want, like Steve Jobs--then we'd all be better for it.

Wow...thanks for gracing our humble blog with your time and presence. We are honored to have you here, reading the glowing screen!

As far as real estate goes, you've probably heard this, but it is a fantastic time to purchase property--or to "upgrade". If you are thinking of selling, you certainly need to be realistic in regards to pricing, condition, terms--but the good news is that if you're looking at getting another place, you can expect to get a great value out of it. If you're looking at a more expensive place, then now is a great time to do it. If you're having to sell at say, 10% less than what you expected on a $150,000 home--that would net you $15,000 less than what you thought you'd get. Now, however, if you're getting a $250,000 home and save the same 10%, then you'd get it at $25,000 less than what you'd normally pay. In this example, you'd come out with $10,000 more than in a normal market. That, coupled with incredible interest rates make this, literally, the best time to get a home I've seen in my 14 year (Whoah--moment of realization here!) real estate career.

On a personal note, you may remember me talking about the Transformation I had taken on, and the half-marathon I was planning on doing...

...well, I'm THRILLED to tell you that I have completed both! In total, I've lost well over 50 pounds of life-choking fat, gotten a LOT stronger both inside and out, and now have more energy than I had as a 25 year-old!

IF--and only if--you're interested to see how that turned out, feel free to click on and watch a little video I put together on the experience. I think it's pretty inspiring, and I'm hoping a few more folks that are getting this decide to embark on this emotional and rewarding journey.

You can watch it by clicking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6Z6eohl2M

or by checking out my profile at www.Transformation.com/chipper1

Thank you for your support, and as always I hope this post you and yours doing INCREDIBLY WELL!

But before I did that, I actually wanted to give you a little real estate information--a novel idea from a real estate e-mail...

First, our office will be welcoming Erica Hill back on Monday from her maternity leave after giving birth to the totally cool Evan James Hill. That little boy is loved as all kids should be! If you're in the area, stop by and say, "Howdy!" to Erica and the rest of the office...and collect a free Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke for your efforts. It will be great to get Erica back and for things to return a bit to normal. In the interim, my Momma, Brenda Franks has been pinch hitting and doing a great job--but she is ready to be a Realtor with us again!

Next, I've mentioned this before--but it is a great time to purchase a home in Central Texas! If you're interested in finding some great foreclosure deals, we've put up a website where you can sign up for free lists of new foreclosures that come out regularly. If you're interested in getting that list, go visit the site at www.killeenforeclosure.com. It's good stuff!

Now...I've warned you about the personal stuff...so here it goes! A little over 9 weeks ago, I decided to try and do something extraordinary to change my life for the better. I always felt like I had a GREAT life: beautiful wife and marriage, the sweetest most precious girl Beebies any man could ever ask for, my own business, and a pretty cool lifestyle. I have been blessed, but I don't feel like I've done enough with all that I've been given. Do you ever feel like you're not living up to your God-given potential? Honestly, I think very few folks are...

Case in point: I was lethargic, with little energy, and no 'get up and go' when I got out of bed in the morning. When I got home from work, I was so tired I literally just wanted to eat and hit the sack from being so tired. One evening, after getting home, and putting off doing some much needed cleaning and dishes because I was, "dead tired," my Angel looked at me and said, "Something has to change." And DID need to change...I was unhealthy, not looking after myself and very bluntly: OBESE. I was not happy with myself, and what I had let myself become, physically.

So, as I told you before, I joined www.Transformation.com and I've been in the process of changing my physical--and now also my emotional life. I've officially reached the half-way point of my 18 week challenge...and I'll give you a glimpse of what's happened...(and I apologize for the 'before' pix...I hope you haven't just eaten!)

Those are pretty significant physical changes, but the biggest changes can't be captured in pictures. I have an abundance of energy, I'm kinder and actively reaching out to try and help others, and I'm not even close to being done. I have changed my lifestyle, and there's no going back to not caring about myself (or my loved ones) enough to TAKE CARE of myself.

I don't tell you this for any other reason than to help others--what I want to do is reach out to you if you're feeling the same things I was several weeks ago and let you know that: YOU CAN CHANGE. You can decide to make a defining moment in your life and get better.

If you're thinking you may be interested in changing, then I encourage you to visit www.Transformation.com, take a look around, and maybe even sign up for an account there--it's free and you have nothing to lose by making the decision to change.

All right...that is it for this marathon edition of Morning Coffee! Speaking of Marathon...$400 has been raised for the Make-a-Wish Foundation at my site. If you're interested in giving to this INCREDIBLE organization (even a $5 donation is extremely welcome!), click on the 'make a pledge' on my Transformation site at www.Transformation.com/chipper1.

Thank you folks--and I truly hope this finds you healthy and happy.

First, I am still in the process of Transforming my health and, quite honestly, my spirit as well. I am about to finish Week 8 of my 18 Week challenge and it is going extremely well. So well, in fact, that my original goals for the challenge have been updated to include something that I thought would have been suicide for me just a few short weeks ago...

...I will be running the Denver Half-Marathon in October! Now for any of you have seen me in the last year--I was extremely fat...in fact, I was obese and probably on the road of some serious health problems if I continued with that lifestyle. So this is a big change for me.

I've dropped over 20 pounds (about 35 or so to go), gotten stronger both inside and out--and I will never go back to the way I was living before this. I am a changed human being!

Anyhow, I wanted to share a quick story with you regarding the Half-Marathon. It's a bit lengthy, so I will summarize it the best I can--but you can find the FULL, Un-Edited story by clicking on:

http://www.transformation.com/forum/transformation-central/15364-make-wish-you-may-not-have-thought-way.html

One of the Past Champions of this Transformation Challenge, a lady named Denise, recently lost her 15 year-old daughter, Jonnae, to Leukemia. Jonnae was about to get a wish granted by the Make-a-Wish Foundation to ride a white horse on the beach of the Carribean before she passed away. So instead of granting that wish, her dying wish of taking care of discarded Greyhound dogs was granted post-humously.

My sweet 9 year-old daughter Mandy read about this story and decided on the spot, on her own, that she would fulfill Jonnae's wish of riding the horse on the beach for her. As it so happens, my family will be going to the Carribean next month (Mandy didn't even know that was where we were going). She's going to make a sign saying, "For Jonnae" and send Denise a picture (she asked for one after Mandy sent her a message). It's pretty touching.

Well...when I run the Half-Marathon, it will be for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the wonderful work they are doing. If you are interested in making a donation (no matter how small--it is all appreciated deeply) to the cause, please visit my Transformation home page and click on the 'Make a Pledge' button to help this wonderful organization. It can be found at:

http://www.transformation.com/chipper1

Thank you for your support--and I hope you will continue to be blessed in your life.

I hope this is finding you doing well, and I must say that I am doing well--the Transformation challenge that I mentioned in my last e-mail is going great, and I have to thank those of you who have asked me about it and have held me accountable. Your support makes this even better. If you're curious at all about my progress and what I'm doing, please feel free to click on  http://www.transformation.com/chipper1 to check on me any time you'd like. I'm going to finish 18 hard weeks of this challenge, NO MATTER WHAT, so I don't mind anyone keeping tabs on me...

With that out of the way, I actually want to talk REAL ESTATE--a novel concept for a real estate company e-mail! We just had a Client come down from out of town, and purchase 3 properties over the weekend. I commented to him that he is on the right track for building wealth--and he is! They were VA Foreclosures and they have what is known as 'Vendee Financing'--where the Department of Veterans Affairs loans the money directly to the borrower (no bank officially involved), and they only ask for 5% down to investors (!!!) and the interest rate is still below 5%! These are great, not good--but GREAT deals, and I don't know if there's ever been a better time to get these homes. Most are priced under market value--many are stunningly under market value, and almost all of them would rent for quite a bit more than the mortgage payment. This can be a wealth building MACHINE for you, and this can be one of the greatest e-mails you've ever gotten if you decide to act on these.

What now? If you're interested, go to www.killeenforeclosure.com and sign up to get our Foreclosure list sent to you. If you're really interested, you can get pre-qualified so you know you can get one of these homes. To do that, call my favorite, whole-heartedly endorsed mortgage lender, Laura Franks (she's also the most beautiful mortgage lender out there--not that I'm biased) at (254) 535-3227 and she can do that for you free of charge. If you need to work on something, she'll let you know. She'll also let you know if you've got a blank check to start building some real estate wealth.

With all of that said, there is an *asterisk* next to it. Why is that? It's because I've really neglected my health and fitness. I've taken it for granted and, to put it bluntly...I am a Fattie. I am not even close to the God-given potential that I have been given, and I am embarrassed that I let myself get THIS out of shape.

A good friend of mine from Ecuador (in fact, he was with me the night I first met my Angel...) wrote me today and sent pictures of himself and his family. The guy hadn't changed a bit! In fact, if anything, he's grown into himself more and is still competing in Judo tournaments, rock climbing and that kind of thing. I am WATCHING football! I'm actually ashamed to send a picture of myself to him now. BUT...here's the good news:

I've done something about it. In fact, just me writing you about this is helping to move me in the right direction. I've decided to do something extraordinary over the next 18 weeks. I've gone to www.Transformation.com and entered their TRANSFORMATION contest. I've read up on it, I've taken some absolutely dreaded "Before" pictures...and signed up for a crazy few months of getting the old "Chipper" back. The guy that wrestled, and went for runs regularly...the guy that could dance all night (oh, I can still do that ;0)

And now...I got some serious "Leverage" as Anthony Robbins would say (I'm a fan of his stuff). I got my sweet daughter Mandy involved as my "Coach," and she is helping me measure my progress, plan the workouts, record my nutrition. She won't let me NOT finish this thing strong. Of course, I will finish strong. In fact, I'm so sure of it that I'm "burning my boats" by telling you all about this.

So, the next time you come in to contact with me, you can ask, "How is that Transformation coming?" I better have a good answer for you...

On a side note, when asked the question recently (at the same Financial Peace University class I referenced last week--read about it at http://www.marketplacelistings.com/Blog) what I would do as a career if I could do ANYTHING, it was being a WRITER (which even beat out Professional Chili-Cheese Dog Eating While Watching Football Guy~~a real man of genius profession). Well, I'm getting a chance to do that, and by you reading the thoughts that are coming out of this great big head, you're allowing me to be a Writer, and for the second time in this short e-mail, I thank you.

Today is the "National Day of Prayer," and you may have heard about it being as it's generated a little bit of news this year.

On a Day like today, I feel it appropriate to mention one thing I believe in very strongly, and adding a little commentary which will hopefully inspire you to think about it, mull it over (heh, heh--I just said "mullet"--business in the front, party in the back!) a bit and either reinforce the way you think, or cause you to consider what I have to say as the truth. The thing I believe:

--There is a God, and He is a Loving God.--

Okay, maybe "He" isn't the correct Pronoun, but I use it for the sake of convention here.

I have had a few friends that are atheists, and personally, I can't understand why they could think there is not a God. They believe in Evolution. They believe that human life (and its accompanying soul, I suppose) originated as some simple single-celled organism that was brought to life (I'm guessing this is what they think, as they never articulated their beliefs fully to me--even though I've asked) by a lightning strike in some nutrient rich primordial oozing puddle a' la Frankestein's monster.

I obviously don't believe that--and I think Science backs me up on this, but even if this type of scenario WERE true, then where did the lightning and the ooze originate? Did it spontaneously pop out of the air of an Earth that grew from space? Space that grew from ???

I often wonder how Parents who are Atheists can hold that view. If they've witnessed the miracle of childbirth, and felt that immense, overpowering love grip their heart when they've looked into the perfect little face (although, as Paul Reiser says, all new babies look like miniature Winston Churchills)...then I think they've felt God.

I not only said, "There is a God," but I also threw in 'Loving God'. I'll talk more about that in future e-mails. There is much more to my arguments...but I'm saving it for another time--unless you are an Atheist who would like to talk to me about it, please e-mail and let's begin a discussion.

Speaking of Discussion, and getting back to the National Day of Prayer, I think it's pretty cool to be able to have a Discussion with the God that knew your Soul even before the Earth was created. So, take advantage of that. I urge you to take a few minutes today to find a quiet place, open your soul and Pray.

This blog is about Skip. I'm getting to him, I promise...

The last class in FPU is called "The Great Misunderstanding" and it's about GIVING money, which may at first seem counter-productive to having Financial Peace, but I assure you that it DOES give you peace. Anyhow, one of the questions during the discussion portion of the class REALLY got to me. The question was: "Has anyone ever surprised you with a meaningful act of giving? How did that make you feel?"

It made me think of a very specific instance when I was in High School in College Station. Let me paint the picture: I'm living alone with my single Mom, we have one car (my beloved 1976 Jeep) between us, and we are pooling together our resources between her job and mine after school to pay rent, utilities, eat, etc--you know, the basics! I drove her to work each early morning, drove back to school, rolled my eyes through most of my classes (I was 17, a Senior, and knew pretty much everything), then went to work at the same place my Mom worked until we went home, had dinner and repeated the same process the next day. Well, we got by, but that was brought to a crashing halt when my Jeep stopped working one morning. The starter was out, and the repair was a few hundred bucks which we didn't have.

So, for the next few days, my Mom took the bus to work, and I walked to school (it wasn't too far, so put away the violins). I hitched a ride with a buddy to work after school, and my Mom and I were dropped off by a co-worker after the day--at least that's how I remember it, as it's been a while...

Back to the question: "Has anyone ever surprised you with a meaningful act of giving?" That same week, on a Saturday morning, I walked out of our apartment to find my Jeep hood up, and the Dad (this is the Skip of the E-mail's subject) of one of my school friends busily putting in a starter for our car. This man, a Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M, took it upon himself after hearing about our situation from his son to just do this for us. He refused any payment, and just said he was glad he could help. In fact, I'm convinced that if I didn't come outside early that day, I never would have known that it was him that fixed the Jeep for us.

Whoah. I'm still getting choked up just writing this. I thank God for Skip and think it's great (and somewhat humbling) that we live in a World with "Skips" in it. If you read this, and are a bit touched by his act, then I encourage you to pay it forward (to borrow a used phrase). Look for a way to bless the lives of others, anonymously if you can--and see how a meaningful act of giving will make you feel.

If you haven't heard about it, it is when Texas Aggies gather together to remember fellow Aggies that have passed on through this life. We gather, eat a bit, tell stories and remember our days at our beloved Aggieland. Then we hold a 'Roll-call' of the Aggies that have passed away since the last Muster, and those that are there answer, "here" for those that can not answer.

Again, it's a very emotional and moving experience--going from the highs of singing The Aggie War Hymn in very loud, happy voices, to the quiet, solemn playing of Silver Taps (our version of Taps) in honor of the departed. Some tears were shed by me, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I was thinking of the Blessing of Life. I was thinking about my Family, my Friends, My Country (and its Freedom) and My God.

There are things that are much, much bigger than each of us. Aggie Muster reminds me of this--and I hope that hearing about this tradition will serve to remind you, as well.

Our Muster Speaker this year (right here in Fort Hood!) was Texas Governor Rick Perry. He is a Class of '72 Aggie himself. He challenged those in attendence to do three things during their life: Love Your Family, Honor Your Word (Integrity Matters, Folks!), and To Serve Something Greater than Yourself. I took those words to heart, and it struck me that we don't hear as much of that kind of talk as we used to hear. Maybe I'm getting old (I WAS the oldest Ag at my table of Eight!), but I think it's something that is sorely missing from our Society today. If you're reading this, I pass on his challenge to you as well.

We are Free. We have been Free our entire lives (most of us, anyhow), and as such, probably don't appreciate that fact like we should.

I sincerely hope that if you are reading this, that you love your country. I'm reading the book "1776" by David McCullough now. (If you want a synopsis, you can check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1776_(book). It's a very historically accurate book about what happened in our Country-to-be the year our Declaration of Independence was signed.

It is simply amazing how perilous the path to Freedom was for America. If any of hundreds of events had turned out differently, then our Country as we know it would not have existed. It leads me to believe something about our great Nation:

Divine Providence Guided the Creation of Our Country.

Regardless of your Political beliefs, be glad you are in a place where you are free to express them.

Okay. Enough of the Philosophizing! In fact, being as this is being sent from a Real Estate Company, I should mention a bit of real estate news: In case you missed it, the Government has decided to reward folks purchasing a home for the first time with an $8,000 tax credit! For purposes only the Government knows, it has defined first-time homebuyers as those who haven't owned a home in the last three years. That's a tax CREDIT, folks. If you owe $4,000--and have paid that much through witholding and such, you will get a nice fat check with an "8" followed by three zeroes from the U.S. Treasury.

If you'd like to know more about this incentive to get the Economy going, please shoot me an e-mail or call the office. I'll be glad to inform. In the meantime, pass it on to someone you know, then tell them they need to talk to Chip, or you'll have to physically force them to do so (you have my blessing)!

(if you don't know by now, I firmly believe that we, as Americans, have SO much to be grateful for, and can find good in almost anything because things HAPPEN FOR A REASON)

PROBLEM: My sweet daughter, Amanda (one of the kindest, most beautiful souls God ever put on the planet, not that I'm biased) was diagnosed with PNEUMONIA this week.

WHY I'M GRATEFUL: We have phenomenal health care in this great country! We took our sweet baby girl to Scott and White and she got antibiotics and other medication, and after one more day recovering--she's already back at school (a little TOO soon for her liking, hah!) and feeling good again! Whoo-hoo!

PROBLEM: Our well system at our home collapsed (I wrote about this when it happened a few months ago, but this month is when the entire hairy ordeal was concluded), and the cost to us was right at $18,000 at the same time we were opening  a new real estate office, and the "financial crisis" in our country happened--with the media scaring folks into NOT buying homes. A perfect financial storm for our dear family...

WHY I'M GRATEFUL: As we were re-shuffling finances, ready to write this unexpected, enormous check, our insurance company calls out of the blue and offers to pay for almost all of the destroyed well--after denying our claim after pondering it for nearly 3 months!

PROBLEM: The media in this country scaring the be-jeebers out of most everyone preparing to purchase a home! In November and December, it was as if someone turned off a faucet to our (quite special) real estate business...again, right as we opened our new and improved office at somewhat significant cost to us.

WHY I'M GRATEFUL: The fantastic real estate values in this market, coupled with super low interest rates (yes, NBC, CBS, and ABC...the Mortgage Companies ARE loaning money, you nitwits!), our Beloved Soldiers returning (welcome back!), and quite a bit of hard work on our part--turned into a great January and a FANTASTIC start to February. There has never been a better time to get a home in Central Texas, literally.

Try this little exercise: whenever you have a problem, look for ways in which you can be grateful for it. Think about it, if you can learn to be grateful EVEN FOR YOUR PROBLEMS, then you have it made in life.

Now that I've rambled on enough, here's your weekly dose of inspiration via the Morning Coffee...

Oh, before you get to that...my precious dog, Chupis (pronounced Chew-pees, as in 2 of her favorite activities...), short for Chupacabra (the mythical goat-eating Mexican monster) had a run-in with a SKUNK last night. We've done the baking soda, vinegar, peroxide, Dawn odor-eliminating formula, warm water bath treatment for her--but our house still stinks to high heaven this morning...I'm still working on being grateful for this little incident!

Part of the Code of "How Things Are Done Here at the MarketPlace" is Creativity! Specifically, what it says is:

*Creativity: We strive to inject our unique personality into everything we do, whether it’s a phone call, our Magical Marketing, showing homes or anything else related to our profession of helping Clients realize their dreams.

So, with that in mind, we decided to improve our "About Us" section at our website with a new and improved Q&A session so you can get to know your (hopefully) favorite Real Estate Company a bit better! I am including the questions here, and hoping our visitors to this fine blog will answer the questions themselves--an exercise in self-examination, if you will!

Here is the link to go check out OUR answers, http://www.marketplacelistings.com/about.asp

Now, respond with yours!

• If you weren't in Your Current Job, what would you be doing?
• If you went through life with a theme song, what would it be?
• What was your proudest achievement?
• Who/ What is your greatest inspiration?
• What is the one piece of technology you can't live with out?
• Who influenced your career the most?
• What is your favorite movie?
• What is the best concert you have ever been to?
• What is your favorite thing about Your Career? 
• Give us a quote (or else!): 

Thank you once again for your time...and we'll BLOG atchya' later!

I am writing today to do a bit of a rant...so, if this doesn't apply to you then please bear with me. If this does apply to you, then take it to heart, please.

I got a message from Wini, one of our Realtor Partners at the MarketPlace this Monday, Labor Day--which also happened to be her birthday. She was upset/mad because a potential Client set an appointment with her, at 9 AM (please remember that this is Labor Day, it's her birthday, and she had family in town) and the man did not show up for his appointment. No call, either. In fact, when Wini tried to call him to see if he was still coming...VOICE MAIL! No return call...and no decency.

What makes this case especially egregious (yes, nice word) is that this SAME fellow set a previous appointment with Wini a few days earlier, and insisted that they meet at 8:30 am. He was 'busy' later in the day so that would be the only time that would work for him. Guess what? He didn't show...thus the phone call to set up the Labor Day appointment when he would be off of work.

Now, if you've read our website and perused some of our Calling, Vision, Values and Beliefs, then you know how we do business and how much we TRULY want to help our Clients. With that said, please understand that our time has value, too. We have families, and we want our time with you to count. So...please...we're begging you:

Don't be "That Guy"!

Thank you for your time...and sorry about the rant!

Chip Franks

Broker/Owner, Sometimes speaks in the Third Person as "The Chipper"...

P.S. That's me on the lower right...

The question is: does a pool add value to real estate? The answer is, generally, yes. At least in our area. The next question is: how much value does a pool add? The answer to that: not as much as it costs to put in a pool.

I've worked with many Buyers that want a pool, and even some that would not consider a home without a pool. I've also worked with Buyers that would not consider a home WITH a pool. In fact, my brother-in-law just purchased a home here recently and fit into that camp (much to my disappointment, I wanted a pool in the family and we are at least two years away from ours being built!).

Depending on the size and quality of the pool and the home, a general rule of thumb is that the pool can add about half of its cost to the value of a home. A $20,000 pool equates to roughly $10,000 in property value. So, if you're thinking a pool is a great investment, you may want to re-think that idea...at least financially. If you're going to add a pool, do it because you want one for your family, and make sure you'll be in the home a while to get more out of your investment.

In the pictured example, the cost of the pool was roughly $2.50--thus the value added to the home would be about $1.25. ***Editor's Note*** This is only an example and approximate value--hah!

Of course, as always if you have questions, please call the real estate authority in Central Texas, the Real Estate MarketPlace at (254) 953-5911. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled lives...

I just visited a family of past Clients of mine this afternoon, to advise them on whether to sell or keep their real estate (a home and a 4-plex).

They will be staying in the area at least another year or two before a job transfer takes them away, and I explained that it was best to keep these properties at least until that time.

--BUT here's what I took away from that conversation, and I hope you take notice of this:

If they were to sell the house that they purchased here in 2000, and the four-plex they purchased in 2003 and "cash out" when leaving the area, they would literally put $70,000 in their pocket! Now, to be fair, they put a down payment of about $17,000 on the 4-plex when they bought it, but that was the only investment they had on these properties, as the house was purchased with no money down, and the seller in both cases paid the Buyer closing costs!

To make matters even better, they have been getting a positive cash flow on the four-plex all this time, as well and taking the tax benefits to owning these properties. Not too shabby.

I wanted to point this out to you and let you know that this happens every day, and can happen to you, as well. If you'd like to know how to get started, send me an e-mail or call us at 254-953-5911 and we'll show you how this can be done.

As always, thanks for reading!

We have sweated, and argued, and bled (no, scratch bled) over our "Mission" statement for our fine company, and have emerged with a winner.

I am posting it here for your reading enjoyment, and am hoping that you (our Clients/potential Clients) will let us know what you think.

I am completely against un-inspiring, technical sounding Mission statements that won't move the soul (i.e. We exist to facilitate our customers' needs and exceed expectations...ugh), but don't think ours is like that at all. In fact, rather than a generic 'Mission,' we call ours "Calling." Sounds better, no?

We've had a bit of debate over our Value of: God first, Family next...but we kept it, because that's how we feel--and we bet that you understand that and know that as much as want to take care of our Clients, that some things HAVE to be more important to us. We think that makes us better at what we do, too.

So, without further preamble, here is "The Calling, Vision, Values and Code of The Real Estate MarketPlace."

Calling

The Real Estate MarketPlace exists to affect lives and have a blast while helping Clients purchase or sell their homes EXCEEDINGLY BETTER than anyone in Central Texas!

Vision

We are the real estate company of choice for Clients. We do the job better, faster, and with fewer hassles than anyone, and do it with flair and originality that inspires open-mouthed awe.

Values

* God first, Family next, then Business done exceptionally well (and if you don’t agree, then maybe we’re not a match).

* We do FABULOUS work—and engage, enchant, and enthrall our Clients by doing more than they expect and by never giving boring or commonplace real estate service.

* We have a Supportive, Fun-filled, Outcome-based environment where there is no politics, no drama, no gossip, and no divas (men, too)!

* We attract exciting Partners and Clients—more than a few are a bit crazy—by the virtue of the company we are.

* We take in substantially more money than we spend—where spending includes sharing the wealth with Partners and a high level of investment in the future.

* We believe that INTEGRITY MATTERS, and we always (always, always) do what is right for our Clients AND Partners.

Code

At TREMP, we hereby un-solemnly swear and declare to conduct ourselves by the following “The Righteous Code of 5 C’s”:

*Clients: Treated like they feed our families…because they do. To remind us of this, we make a habit of capitalizing the “C” on Client.

*Communication: We say what we do—by communicating with Clients and letting them know what we are doing for them and why we are doing it.

*Commitment: We do what we say—we call back, we follow up, we dot our “i”s, cross the “t”s, and in general never forget the magic of a job well done.

*Creativity: We strive to inject our unique personality into everything we do, whether it’s a phone call, our Magical Marketing, showing homes or anything else related to our profession of helping Clients realize their dreams.

*Comedy: We take our Business seriously, not ourselves!

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Tell us what you think!

Signed,

The Chipper