Archive for May, 2008

C.A.R. to present California REALTORS® Showcase

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Showcase to feature mid-year Forecast Luncheon, legislative day

The California Association of Realtors is presenting the California REALTORS® Showcase June 4th and 5th. The showcase, at the Sacramento Convention Center, will be held during C.A.R.’s June business meetings in Sacramento.

The Showcase boasts exhibit booths that will help REALTORS® stay up-to-date on the newest real estate products and services

The Showcase will feature a 2008 Mid-year Forecast Luncheon by C.A.R. Executive Vice President Joel Singer. His presentation will include data on current market conditions and projections for the remainder of the year. The Showcase also includes a CE credit course on foreclosures and a seminar on short sales.

C.A.R.’s Legislative Day will be held June 4th at the Convention Center. The day will give REALTORS® a chance to meet with state lawmakers to talk about issues affecting the real estate industry. State Sen. Darrell Steinberg, President Pro Tem Elect, and Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines are expected to speak.

To register for Legislative Day and Showcase or to buy tickets for the Mid-year Market Forecast Luncheon, please visit www.car.org/showcase.

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Intero Announces Master Franchise Opportunities

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Effort to expand Intero’s footprint nationally

Intero is launching a national master franchise sales effort. The move will allow successful, existing real estate companies with multiple offices to better the fiscal strength of their companies by leveraging the Intero system in their surrounding markets.

Master franchisees have more freedoms compared to typical franchisees. They lead the growth of large, exclusive territories and share franchise royalty, technology and other revenue opportunities.

“Broker/Owners have longed for a solution to the downward trend of office profitability,” said Gino Blefari, Founder, President and CEO of Intero Real Estate Services. “Intero now offers an answer that will attract qualified, interested parties as we expand both nationally and internationally and based on the feedback we’ve received during our pre-launch effort, we’re definitely on the right track.”

Intero has retained PCMS Consulting to identify and interview potential partners.

“With my sales background at Realogy Corporation, parent company of some of the best-known brands in the real estate industry, I knew what Intero had and I am excited to be a part of it,” said Jose Perez, President of PCMS Consulting.  “These types of master franchise opportunities really don’t exist in today’s marketplace and will be very appealing for those who get in on the ground floor.”

For more information on master franchising opportunities, contact Masterfranchising@InteroRealestate.com.

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Stay Healthy

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Feeling good key to providing good service

One of the keys to providing great service to clients is to feel good about yourself. Intero recognizes that and has aligned with Tammy Parkinson, a certified personal trainer and nutritionist and the owner of Body Firm Personal Training.

Tammy and her team work with Intero’s leadership team and their agents on workout programs, dietary plans and other programs to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Staying in shape is one of the most important aspects of avoiding slumps in a sales career,” said John Thompson, Intero Founder, Vice President and Managing Officer of Intero Los Altos and Intero Palo Alto/Menlo Park. 

Tammy and her team are available for nutritional assessments and healthier weight programs, personal training, accountability wellness programs and more.

Read Tammy’s biography on Intero’s Executive Leadership Web page.

Or, visit Tammy’s Website.

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Go Green

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Intero encourages agents to become EcoBrokers

Looking to grow your client base? EcoBroker training may help.

Intero encourages all of its agents to become EcoBrokers. Why? The training can help agents address issues such as energy-efficiency and Energy Star Qualified Homes. EcoBroker training also can help agents with mold, poor indoor air quality or other issues that may come up during real estate transactions. The EcoBroker designation helps agents stand out among other agents in their areas and attracts green-minded clients.

To earn the EcoBroker designation, agents take three six-hour courses. To keep the EcoBroker designation current, agents must maintain annual membership and finish a four-hour update course annually.

For more information, go to Intero’s Green Page.

Or, check out EcoBroker.com.

See Also

  • Intero’s Green Page
    Find information about EcoBrokers
  • ECOBROKER : Home
    Welcome to ECOBROKER.com, your best resource for learning about and finding energy efficient, sustainable, and healthy homes and commercial buildings.

Monday Morning MOJO: Memorial Day

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Good Morning MOJO,

“Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11 <http://www.usmemorialday.org/order11.html> , and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. And so here we are gathered today, some 138 years later to pay our respects, to honor, and to remember those who died defending us.

Commander Kelly Strong, USCG (Ret.) perhaps said it best in his poem “No, Freedom Isn’t Free”:

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He’d stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, freedom isn’t free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant “Amen,”
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn’t free.”

Would those who’ve died so we could live say it was all worthwhile if they where to be with you today…to see how you are living your life…to see how you are making a difference? They died so we could live…they left their families behind…they where only kids. Don’t let them down…make them proud of what you do and the difference you are making…make the most of it…they gave their lives so we could!!!!

So, when things aren’t going your way and the going gets tough, close your eyes and think of them…ask yourself, what advice would they give me? Would they tell you to give up…hit the buzzer and stay in bed a little longer…make excuses? I don’t think so….what do you think? I’m sure they would gladly trade places with you!!!!

Make it a GREAT life…they gave theirs so we could!!!

“I outwork them and outthink them…so I intimidate them and beat them” Tiger Woods


Tom Tognoli
COO
, Founder

Intero Real Estate Services
Direct: 408.863.3000
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website:
www.InteroRealEstate.com

Intero Story Video: Intero Story

Intero Foundation Video: Intero Foundation

Intero Resorts Video: Intero Resorts

Intero Boot Camp Video: Boot Camp

Intero Locations: Intero Offices

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Monday Morning MOJO 5/19/2008

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Good Morning MOJO,

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam… After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.” Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, “Who’s packing your parachute?” Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory — he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes.

Make it a great week!!!!!!

“I outwork them and outthink them…so I intimidate them and beat them” Tiger Woods


Tom Tognoli
COO
, Founder

Intero Real Estate Services
Direct: 408.863.3000
Email:
TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website:
www.InteroRealEstate.com

Intero Story Video: Intero Story

Intero Foundation Video: Intero Foundation

Intero Resorts Video: Intero Resorts

Intero Boot Camp Video: Boot Camp

Intero Locations: Intero Offices

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Monday Morning MOJO: 5/12/2008

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Good Morning MOJO,

You ever notice that people who are negative, down and have low energy tend see the negative in everything no matter what…they see the glass half empty? While those who are positive, upbeat and fired up about life see the positive in almost everything…they see the glass half full? If you had to take a guess, which group do you think is right…the positive ones or the negative ones? The answer is both.

They are both right, because you get what you focus on and you attract people into your life who are like you. So the good news is, if you are positive, upbeat and fired up…you attract positive, upbeat and fired up people into your life….and the more people you attract into your life like that the better your life gets…it gets better exponentially. The downside is, if you are negative, down and have low energy, you attract negative, down and low energy people into your life…and the more people like that you attract into your life, the worse your life gets… it gets worse exponentially.

For a minute, just think about some of the people you know. Not necessarily those who are your best friends, but just acquaintances. What are the common characteristics of the positive ones and what are the common characteristics of the negative ones? What energy do they give off…do they smile or frown…do they laugh or do they yell…do they fire you up when you see them or suck the energy from you…do they complement or do they criticize… You ever notice that we don’t see the positive ones and the negative ones spending much time together, except when absolutely necessary? Why is that? Because the positive ones naturally spend time with optimistic people and find ways to improve in all the areas of their life, while the negative ones seem to always spend time with the basket cases and seem to always be looking for ways to sabatoge all the areas of their life…not intentionally, but subconsciously. The positive ones tend to do things which are good for their physical, mental and spiritual body, while the negative tend to do negative things which are bad for their physical, mental, and spiritual body.

So, how do we get out of the funk and into the fired up? One of the most important things we need to do is stop spending time with other people in a funk and start spending time with people who are fired up…or if you are fired up, find other fired up people to spend time with…or better yet, find people more fired up than you to spend time with. Both groups are like magnets and either we are going to get sucked down into a hole with the “my life sucks” group, or we are going get pulled up into the clouds with the “my life is on fire and awesome” group. You can’t beat it, because it is like any fight. No matter how tough you are, if you are out numbered you are going to lose. If you are trying to be positive but hang out with negative people, you are going to get your ass kicked. The good new is if your negative, but hang out with positive people, you are also going to get your ass kicked.

Remember, everything in life is contagious…hang with people who have the fired up plague and catch it!!!!!

Make it a GREAT week!!!!

“I outwork them and outthink them…so I intimidate them and beat them” Tiger Woods


Tom Tognoli
COO
, Founder

Intero Real Estate Services
Direct: 408.863.3000
Email:
TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website:
www.InteroRealEstate.com

Intero Story Video: Intero Story

Intero Foundation Video: Intero Foundation

Intero Resorts Video: Intero Resorts

Intero Boot Camp Video: Boot Camp

Intero Locations: Intero Offices

Monday Morning MOJO Blog:Monday Morning MOJO


Monday Morning MOJO: 5/5/2008

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Good Morning MOJO,

An epidemic is occurring all around us and there is a good chance it has already found its way into some of our lives. It begins slowly at first, but it grows and in time it can take over our entire life…and if we don’t act now, it may happen to you. It’s easy to fall in the trap. Well intentioned people of all ages don’t mean for it to happen, but that doesn’t matter. It takes much more than good intentions to steer clear of this problem. If all it took was good intentions, the world would be packed with people living their dreams and accomplishing their goals. But that’s not how it works and this trap is one of the most common reasons why it has happened to often in the past and will continue to happen in the future. What exactly are we dealing with here? What is so deadly to the goals and hopes we have stored away in our head? Routine!!! More specifically, a BAD routine

What am I talking about you ask?

The routines I’m referring to are much deeper than a morning process of a shower and shave. I’m talking about turning off our brains and letting autopilot kick in. Doing the same things we did the day before with no plans to change the pattern any time soon. You know the drill – wake up, shower, work, home and sleep. This is no way to live, and you know that. But it’s still hard to break free once the bad routine has gotten hold of us. All hope is not lost. If we want to turn off the autopilot and start taking control of our lives it takes only one moment to make the decision. And then everything changes. You’ve heard it a thousands times, and it’s a good thing, because it’s true. If you keep doing what you have always done in the past you will keep getting the exact same thing in the future.

People experience a partial insanity when it comes to routine. Perfectly logical creatures believe that doing the same thing again and again will get different results. That’s crazy! If we want to lose weight but continue with the same eating habits, we won’t lose weight. If we want to make more money but keep doing the same things day in day out, it’s not going to happen.

We have goals, but if we are stuck in a bad routine we won’t accomplish them. Be honest with yourself about this one. It’s the only way we’ll realize the need for a change before we can enjoy improvement. Create a new and improved routine which is in alignment with what you want in life.

What does it take? It takes a decision. A choice of what we really want to do with our life and the actions to make it happen. If we know where we are going, how to get there and have a good new and improved routine to make it happen, we will not be disappointed in the end.

Check out the results of this amazing experiment:

A very unusual experiment was conducted by John Fabre, the French naturalist, consisting of processionary caterpillars, a type of caterpillar that blindly follows the one in front of it. This explains the name processionary caterpillar. The experiment consisted of several of these caterpillars, a flowerpot filled to the rim with dirt, and pine needles. The caterpillars formed a complete circle around the rim of the flowerpot, with the first one touching the back of the last one. The pine needles, the food of the processionary caterpillar, were placed in the center of the circle. The caterpillars began their procession around the flowerpot, one following the other in a circle. This went on hour after hour, day after day, for an entire week. In the end, every one of the caterpillars dropped dead of starvation. The one thing that could have saved them was only inches away, but without purposeful thought or action, the caterpillars continued with a habitual routine that eventually proved too much to endure.

This is happening to people we know, maybe even you, although not to this degree. Get stuck doing the same old thing every single day and your goals, sitting only inches away, are as good as gone…Plain and simple. You might think it’s a little too simple, but falling into a bad routine can destroy your life. Good friends and family start off with bright hopes for the future, but their bad routine begins to take their place. “No time, no time,” is a common excuse. After seventy+/- years of having no time to do the things you have always wanted to do, you’ll end up with nothing but a good excuse in the end.

This is your life we are talking about here. It’s worth taking the time to break the pattern of habit and creating the changes you wish to make. There is little more that is as important as the life you create and the good you leave behind. Recognize if you are in a bad routine, break free and get into a good routine. Sometimes it’s a matter of what we all seek in life – confidence. Permanent change requires courage and a strong belief in your ability to succeed, something that we all doubt from time to time.

Break your old routine, get a new and improved routine and then have a GREAT week and a GREAT life!!!!

All the Best,

“I outwork them and outthink them…so I intimidate them and beat them” Tiger Woods


Tom Tognoli
COO
, Founder

Intero Real Estate Services
Direct: 408.863.3000
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website:
www.InteroRealEstate.com

Intero Story Video: Intero Story

Intero Foundation Video: Intero Foundation

Intero Resorts Video: Intero Resorts

Intero Boot Camp Video: Boot Camp

Intero Locations: Intero Offices

Monday Morning MOJO Blog:Monday Morning MOJO