Archive for June, 2009

« Older Entries

Monday Morning MOJO

By Intero Real Estate | June 30th, 2009 0 Comments

Aron Ralston was trapped.  While climbing alone in a narrow canyon in Utah, he became hopelessly stuck when an 800 pound boulder shifted and pinned his right arm. Stuck in a 3 foot wide slot, he tried for days to get free, but nothing worked.

Finally, after three days of being trapped without food or water, he realized he’d die if he didn’t take drastic action.  Aron’s only option was to cut off his arm to save his life.  Yes, that’s right; he cut off his arm, in the middle of nowhere, by himself, with a dull pocket knife – to live.  It took him two days.  When he finally free himself, he crawled through a narrow, twisting canyon, rappelled down a 60-foot cliff, and hiked six miles before he finally stumbled across help. All this with his forearm gone, the stump bleeding.

"I’m not sure how I handled it," he said. "I felt pain and I coped with it.  I moved on." He knew there was no other way to live.

While most of our choices aren’t nearly that drastic, I couldn’t help wondering what we are willing to sacrifice to live, to achieve our goals, to accomplish our dreams.  Because when times get tough and we’re stuck, we have choices.  Keep what we’ve got, keep doing what we are doing and die, or take "drastic action" and sever what’s holding us back and live.  It could be a destructive relationship, it could be a failing business, it could be unhealthy living or it could be addictions to drugs, alcohol, smoking, food, money, power, etc. that control our life.  

Drastic changes?  Yes, that is what is needed.  There comes a time when that’s the only way out, and we’re the only one who can set ourselves free.  Is life worth it?  Ask Aron.

Click here to watch and hear as Aron Ralston describes the amputation.

Make it a powerful week, make the necessary changes and live!


Online Marketing

By Intero Real Estate | June 25th, 2009 0 Comments

Newspaper highlights Intero’s David and Carol Casas

Intero’s David and Carol Casas of Los Altos are seeing big results from a new online marketing tool. Their story was profiled in a feature in this week’s Los Altos Town Crier.

According to the story written by Ya-an Chan, the Casases tested a marketing tool created by C4 Marketing, LLC, that “presents realtors online as the experts of the areas on which they focus.”

Working with C4 Marketing, the Casases built a new Website that features properties as well as information about Los Altos schools, government, business groups and more, the story said. For example, the Web site lists information about a July 4th celebration in Los Altos. The site also has a comprehensive list of parks and open spaces in the area plus information about the library and the Los Altos History Museum.

The Casases have worked with homebuyers from India, Japan and other places since the site has been up and running, the story said.

For the full story in the Los Altos Town Crier, click here.

See Also


Intero becomes top real estate company in Silicon Valley

By Teressa Francis | June 24th, 2009 0 Comments

Intero Real Estate Services is now Silicon Valley’s top real estate company. RE Infolink, the Multiple Listing Service in the Silicon Valley area, shows that Intero has a 17 percent share of Santa Clara County single-family home and condominium sales. That’s five percentage points ahead of Coldwell Banker Northern California, which has 12 percent of the market.


Until January, Coldwell Banker Northern California had been the market leader in the area.


“This is more than just one brand versus another. It reflects a fundamental shift in the way real estate services are delivered,” Intero CEO Gino Blefari says. “It shows that our investments in technology, our commitment to innovation and vision for a new kind of real estate company have resonated with agents and consumers looking for a different – and better – experience.”


Blefari also notes that Intero continues to innovate and embrace change, even as other companies have cut services or reduced marketing budgets.


Just a few years ago, Intero moved ahead of Alain Pinel for second place in Santa Clara County.


Click here to read the full press release.

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe

Monday Morning Mojo

By Intero Real Estate | June 22nd, 2009 0 Comments

The key to getting what we want in life is making the choice.  The most common difference between those who get what they want and those who don’t, are simply the choices they make everyday.  Typically it’s not their circumstances, it’s not the way they were raised, or their education.  Most people who are not accomplishing their goals in life are totally capable to if they were just committed, but they have chosen to not commit and take the ‘easy path’.  They simply were not willing to do what was necessary to attain their goals.

Think about your life for a moment what do you want and what would it take to get it?  Be very specific on what it takes to get it.

So, why haven’t you been doing what it takes to get what you want?

Before you start with all of the excuses, ask yourself – if you really had to do it, could you?  Let me make it a clear how this is a choice.  I don’t even like to think these thoughts, but this will help you understand that you can do it if you want it bad enough.  If the person or person’s you care about the most lives depended upon it, could you do it…if you doing those specific things necessary was a matter of life or death, could you?  We both know the answer…of course you could and would do whatever it takes to make it happen to save the ones you love.  Life is a series of choices…the Y’s in the road of life.  In most cases if you take the easy path…the one most people take, you will experience short term gain and long term pain.  On the other hand if you have the courage to take the other path…the one most will not take, you may have some short term pain, but long term gain. So, make the right choice.

Make it a GREAT week and make the right choices!!!!!


Ask Bob: “How is real estate different today”

By Teressa Francis | June 20th, 2009 0 Comments

Intero Chairman Bob Moles talks about what’s changed – and what has stayed the same – since he started in real estate nearly thirty years ago.

Read Bob’s bio here.

  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe

Golf Tournament

By Intero Real Estate | June 18th, 2009 0 Comments

Sign up now for the Intero Foundation Golf Tournament

The 6th Annual Intero Foundation Golf Tournament is coming up next month.

Sign up now to play or become a sponsor.

The golf tournament will be held from 12:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. July 16th at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose.

Besides golf, the day features a BBQ lunch, dinner and a raffle.

Registration forms are due July 1st. You can find the forms on Intero’s Facebook page.

The Intero Foundation’s mission is “to create awareness in the community by demonstrating good corporate citizenship” and to support organizations that focus on assisting children, their education and their personal development.

See Also


Interest rates & Diamonds

By Rick Soukoulis | June 16th, 2009 0 Comments

posted by Rick Soukoulis, Chairman & CEO of The Loan Source

Did rates moving up over the last couple of weeks make your heart stop? Fear not, Uncle Sam is on the job. In fact the current U.S. mortgage market feels a lot like the diamond industry.

How’s that? If you know a little about the diamond industry, you know that DeBeers pretty much sets the prices.

It strikes me as very similar to what our government is doing with interest rates. The government has decided to keep rates low and the fed is doing everything possible to accomplish this. It’s working.

The reason why is pretty apparent. Although the stimulus package will put lots of dollars to work, there’s nothing quite like millions of homeowners having $300-400 extra every month because they refinanced into a lower rate. There’s nothing like these lower payments to help families to pay their bills easier or to have a few extra dollars they can spend. Also, with home affordability at an all time high buyers are back IN THE MARKET.

And there’s nothing like it to stimulate the economy.

The Federal Reserve has been buying hundreds of billions in mortgage backed securities, and they’ve been buying every day of every week.

Like with anything else when someone is buying huge quantities, it drives the price upwards. Higher prices on mortgage securities mean lower interest rates on mortgages.

When you look at the Fed activity, it looks like 4.5-5.5% is the level they’re trying to maintain. Rates bounce around within that general area, but when they get a little too high; the Fed is driving them down. Just as we are seeing now that rates are at 5.5% which is the higher end of the fed’s desired range. Watch for rates to move lower in the coming days.

A big part of why they’re doing this is that the economy is still fragile. It doesn’t feel like we’re in free-fall anymore, but foreclosures are still raging through the land and layoffs are still occurring.

Lenders and the government are working closely together towards the same goal: Keep rates low, knowing that refinances and lower monthly payments will go a long ways to repairing the economy.

If DeBeers can manipulate the price of diamonds, our government, with all sorts of tools at its disposal, can certainly manipulate and move interest rates.

And they absolutely will do so to keep rates down and get the economy moving again.

It’s worked in the past, and I’m positive it will work this time.

See Also

  • Loan Source
    Your one-stop Loan Source – with so many loan options and programs, as well as commitment to excellence in customer satisfaction, we can help you achieve your financial goals.
  • Get new posts via email
  • Subscribe

Monday Morning Mojo

By Intero Real Estate | June 15th, 2009 0 Comments

Every time you see this person you try and avoid them like the plague because they are so negative and draining.  To them everything is a crisis, everyone and everything is out to get them.  Nothing works and everything that is not going right in their world is someone else’s fault, never theirs. They never smile and they always seem to find the negative in everything and everybody, never the positive.  Anytime there is a small setback it’s like the world is coming to an end.  They treat life like it is a WIN/LOSE game and trust me there is no such thing.  Whenever someone wins and someone loses, both lose.  Does this type of person sound familiar, do you know people like this?  I sure do.

Then there are those people you love being around because for what ever reason they just have this positive energy about them which makes you feel good.  They are always fired up, have a smile on their face and having a good time. When there are small set backs, they seem to find the positive side or don’t even acknowledge it and they just keep moving forward as if it is an expected part of the process.  They are the ones who keep their emotions under control, they don’t yell, they don’t scream, they don’t attack, they don’t fight and they don’t blame.  Now don’t get me wrong – they are passionate and fired up they just don’t fight it and they seem to always find a way to use the flow to their advantage.  Instead of pushing their way through life, they seem to be getting pulled. They are WIN/WIN people who are always looking for ways to WIN with no one losing.

The interesting thing about these two different types of people is the positive ones almost always seem to win in all aspects of their life: Personally, Professionally, Business, Health – you name it.  They actually say people who smile and laugh a lot (the positive ones), live longer and are much healthier and happier.  The negative ones always seem to look unhealthy and anxious, and struggle in business and relationships – they physically look run down.

My question to you is which one are you?  Be honest. Is your energy good energy or bad energy?  Fired up energy or draining energy?  If you asked people around you to describe your energy, what would they say? Fired up and infectious or exhausting and draining.  Are you positive or negative?  Do you fight life or do you use those people and things around you to propel you to success.

It is a choice, another one of those small choices I write about every Monday morning, and the cumulative effect of all your small choices will get you what you want and where you want to go in life.

Make it a GREAT week!!!!


Monday Morning Mojo

By Intero Real Estate | June 15th, 2009 0 Comments

Every time you see them you try and avoid them like the plague because they are just so negative and draining.  To them everything is a crisis…everyone and everything is out to get them.  Nothing works and everything that is not going right in their world is someone else’s fault…never theirs.  They never smile and they always seem to find the negative in everything and everybody…never the positive.  Anytime there is a small setback, it is like the world is coming to an end.  They treat life like it is a WIN/LOSE game…and trust me, there is no such thing.  Whenever someone wins and someone loses, both lose.  Does this type of person sound familiar…do you know people like this?  I sure do.

Then there are those people you love being around because for what ever reason they just have this positive energy about them which makes you feel good.  They are always fired up, have a smile on their face and having a good time.  When there are small set backs, they seem to find the positive side or don’t even acknowledge it…they just keep moving forward as if it is an expected part of the process.  They are the ones who keep their emotions under control…they don’t yell, they don’t scream, they don’t attack, they don’t fight and they don’t blame.  Now don’t get me wrong, they are passionate and fired up.  They just don’t fight it…they seem to always find a way to use the flow to their advantage.  They aren’t pushing…they seem to be getting pulled through life.   They are WIN/WIN people…always looking for ways that they can WIN, but so can everyone else. 

The interesting thing about these two different types of people is that the positive ones almost always seem to win in all the equities of their life…Personally, Professionally, Business, Health…you name it.  They actually say people who smile and laugh a lot…the positive ones live longer and are much healthier and happier.  The negative ones always seem to look unhealthy and anxious…they seem to struggle in business and in their relationships…they look run down.

So, my question to you is which one are you?  Be honest. Is your energy good energy or bad energy?  Fired up energy or draining energy?  If you asked those around you to describe your energy, what would they say?  Fired up and infectious or exhausting and draining.  Are you positive or negative?  Do you fight life or do you use those people and things around you to propel you to success.

It is a choice…another one of those small choices I write about every Monday morning.  It is the cumulative affect of all those small choices that will get you are looking for in life.

Make it a GREAT week!!!!


Energy Efficiency

By Intero Real Estate | June 12th, 2009 0 Comments

Trade groups support ideas behind Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods Act

Two industry trade groups are offering praise for the goals of legislation that would provide incentives for energy efficiency upgrades.

The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colorado. Perlmutter says his legislation provides for incentives to lenders and financial institutions so they can offer lower interest loans and other benefits for consumers who build, buy or remodel their homes or businesses to improve their energy efficiency. The legislation is called the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods Act, or the GREEN Act.

The bill was heard in the House Financial Services Subcomittee on Housing and Community Opportunity this week.

National Association of Home Builders President Jerry Howard says: “The scope of the GREEN Act and the new programs that it creates is ambitious, but the intent is thoughtful and NAHB hopes that the resources will ultimately be available to develop the programs into effective tools to promote sustainable principals,” he said.

From the National Association of Realtors®, David Wluka, a member of NAR’s Global Climate Change Presidential Advisory Group, offered this: "We know that many of today’s consumers want homes and communities that are sensitive to the larger environment, and we are pleased that the GREEN Act would offer resources and incentives to homeowners to help them improve the energy efficiency of their homes."

The groups are critical, however, of “The American Clean Energy and Security Act” by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California. The Energy and Commerce Committee already has approved this bill.

You can read more about Perlmutter’s bill here and about Waxman’s bill here.

See Also


« Older Entries