Has your area hit bottom?

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I had the opportunity to visit with many friends, several of whom happen to be interested in real estate investing. Some have even made quite a bit of money investing in developing. We live in Miami, which was one of the big bubble areas, so the question came up whether we have bottomed out in prices yet.

The consensus seemed to be that the next six months or so offer excellent opportunities for finding the best prices. It is true, you can drive through even the nicest areas and find prices that are more consistent with prices from two or three years ago. And foreclosures and pre-foreclosure sales are everywhere. But as soon as a pre-foreclosure sign goes up, the property seems to be sold.

In fact, the newly released third quarter report by the National Association of Realtors found that 93 out of 150 metropolitan areas studied showed increases in median existing single-family home prices from a year earlier, but 54 had price declines. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said that home prices throughout the midsection of the US are affordable and perhaps even undervalued.

At our main listing site, www.lockboxdeals.com, we offer the best deals in real estate from all over the country. Let us know how the market is faring in your area, and don't forget to post your free listings.

Gifts for Customers

The holidays are closer than I like to think, and if you haven't ordered your personalized gifts by now, it is probably too late.

But don't despair. Mark Nash of http://www.1001realestatetips.com/ recently sent out a great email discussing a focus-group he did a couple of years ago asking his clients what kinds of holiday gifts they most appreciated. The overwhelming answer was something that didn't scream It's From Me! Your Realtor!

That year, he sent out Starbuck's gift cards, and it was a big hit. I can attest to that fact - a customer of mine once sent me a gift card, and every time I used it, of course I remembered who had sent it to me. It didn't have to have her name on it or mention her business.

What are some of your favorite gifts, for either holidays or closings? Some of Mark's other suggestions included items of local interest, such as restaurant guides or local magazines. That's a great idea for someone who is relocating. I happen to be a vegetarian, and every year I receive a food basket from a customer who I know makes special effort to send me non-meat products in my basket. Other than that being a case of the thought really making a difference, I don't know if food items are a good idea. Depending on your locale and budget, cards by a local artist, a plant in a planter that can be reused, or coffee mugs are good ideas.

And don't forget, if you are on a budget, check out affiliate programs. www.linkshare.com and www.commissionjunction.com have some programs that offer their affiliates special discounts - this can make a difference when sending presents to your entire client roster. If you aren't a participating affiliate, I always try to offer coupons and discounts for the programs I participate in when choosing sponsors for my weekly Top Ten Deals in Real Estate newsletter (you can sign up at www.lockboxdeals.com), but in the interest of full disclosure, I'll get a percentage for anyone who clicks through from one of my ads. Is there a type of gift you'd most prefer to receive a discount for? Let me know and I can pass one along.

Although it is easier to send out uniform presents, Realtors have a great opportunity to really get to know their clients tastes, so individual, custom gifts might be appropriate for your closest customers.

Least favorite items seem to be calendars and refrigerator magnets with the company name on it. I do receive several school year calendars from Realtors and always keep one, but only one, usually whichever arrives first.

Anyone else want to share your ideas?

Lisa