#90 City Profile by zipcode

You can find out about Median Dwelling Age, % of Owner Vs Renter.

http://www.moving.com/find_a_place/cityprofile/results.asp?Zip=91504

Just change zipcode.

#91 Picture Resizing

I am sure lots of you have a program to resize all of your pictures at once but Microsoft has a free program called "Picture Resizer" that resizes all of your pictures in one folder all at once. The cool thing is you dont need to open a new program to resize them. All you do is select all the pictures in a folder then right click on one of the photos and one of the menu options says "resize images". It is very quick and easy. Here is the link to the program:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Look on the right hand side, there is a list of programs and the one for the picture program is called "image resizer".

#92

reprogram your mouse buttons...!!!!

i just did this and love it.

i have a logitech mx3200...

i had to install the driver but then i reprogramed the buttons that originally were back and foward, to now be copy and paste...

pretty sweet if you ask me !

#93 Use VB scripts to automatically refresh the website so all you need is just watch the screens for those companies that you need to monitor their webs to get orders. Now you can sit back & relax!!

I have just the program that does what's needed in the interval that the user can specify like 23,60,85 seconds,etc.

#94 Be Careful who you bash!!!! Some of us are asset managers, some of us are vendor scouts, some of us assign out listings, oh yeah--- a lot of the above look to the REO attorneys to help refer them listing agents.....

[quote=SoCal Agent]#49
Can't legally carry "heat" here in Ca so I've always got my pepper spray. Attached to my keys so its in my hands at all times. If I have an interior BPO and am going in alone, I make sure I'm on the phone with someone who knows where I am and what I'm doing there such as my husband or the listing agent. The agents are always happy to assist me as they are familiar with the property & circumstances. A bluetooth makes talking and snapping photos at the same time much easier =) [/quote]

As 'heat' isn't entirely legal in many areas, I suggest as much self defense training as possible. A few years ago I took several classes in knife offense and gun defense and it was the best fifty bucks I've ever spent. Martial arts classes often incorporate daily defense training as well. Carry that maglite and be ready to use it. I just read the post about the taser/flashlight at target and I'm going to get one. The pepper spray is only good if you have it out and are ready to spray. It's no use to you if it's buttoned up on your keychain, ("Excuse me, could you please stop robbing/beating/raping me kind stranger? I'd like to get out my defense mechanism first." This doesn't typically fly! :-)).

However, I wouldn't recommend being on the telephone while entering a sketchy area. It's always a good idea to have a home base phone call before and after your visits, (If I don't call you back in fifteen minutes I'm at XXX address, please call the police). If you are on the phone in a dangerous opportunity, your senses are dulled by the telephone distraction and you may miss a warning sign. Speaking of police, it doesn't hurt to call the non-emergency line to tell them what you are doing and see if they can't send a squad car to the area to 'drive by' while you are there. As a single woman in this industry, I've found that the police are more than happy to establish a preventative presence if they aren't already occupied. Obviously I wouldn't have them park outside the property with sirens and lights flashing, but a couple circles around the block are more than sufficient.

Just joined today. Thank you to everyone contributing, I know this forum is and will be a valuable resource to me!

Here's a low tech way to resize your pictures. Simply email them to yourself out of MS Outlook and if you label them before you email them, it's a simple and quick entry with out having to look at them as thumbnails.

Here are helpful techy stuff we've found.

I think www.gpsvisualizer.com/calculators is really great. Our MLS features google maps when you click on the address you can punch in "to here" and "from here," but it only gives you street distance. GPSvisualizer gives you straight line distance.

Roboforms is a must have for remembering passwords.

PDF995 free PDF converter-printer, no need to buy expensive Adobe. We couldn't live without it. You can download it for free.

Microsoft Powertoys Image Resizer
This PowerToy enables you to resize one or many image files at one time with a right-click.

Since everyone is so helpful on here - here is a good tip - don't post the CFK notices the asset managers send you - We have more success with just a big lettered sign saying that the occupant no longer owns the property and we would like to help get them cash for keys. Most people see a legal looking document and throw it away. If it is bold and to the point they usually call back.

Also going along with the lock box combo - if you can set your own I use four of the digits of the asset or loan number - easy to remember when you deal with the properties a great deal in the initial listing.

My question to everyone is I would like other peoples opinions on how they figure land value and adjustments. Thisis always such a gray area - and my agents that work with me keep asking me to explain- but I am a doer not a teacher. Any insights on how to teach this skill without pulling my hair out trying to make sure they understand.

Google's Picasa is a good photo editor, it is really excellent for brightening up dark photos, use the "Fill Light" feature for that: picasa.google.com

If your camera does not have a feature to add timestamps like mine, try TimeToPhoto, it will stamp single photos or batches of photos using their file data.

#95
After I upload those 15+ photos, I rename each one to identify it, which helps when uploading to order forms also-

1314 Oak Street:

ofr (Oak front)
oint1, oint2 (Oak interior 1, 2..)
oadd (Oak address)

#96
I created a work sheet, which I carry in my car so I can keep tract of all the for sale by owner, for rent signs, that I see and note that in my bpo.


#97
When doing address verification I take a picture of the address first when I get the rest of my pictures I take another picture of the address and then I will snap a picture of a piece of paper or something on my seat of my car to remind me that I am viewing another property.

I store my passwords in a text file (sync'd to my Palm TX) except that I camouflage the actual user names and passwords. For example, if your user name is markJones71, (your first name, last name and year you were born) I list it as johnSmith99 in the text file (lower and upper case letters and numbers in the correct place; you need to remember that the 99 represents your birth year). If the password is autumnROSe you could use summerLILy. These pseudo-user name and -passwords are really just clues to the correct information. If your computer/Palm/Treo/Blackberry is lost, your password information is still somewhat protected. Although this is not a foolproof system and could probably be "hacked" by someone with some skills, it's an easy way to handle a large number of user names and passwords.

#6 Fax Program

Best quality and affordable service to receive fax via email is http://www.packetel.com

Plans

Subscription Cost Bonus Month(s)
============= ================= ===============
3 month plan 3 x $3.95 = $11.85 N/A
6 month plan 6 x $3.95 = $23.70 N/A
12 month plan 12 x $3.95 = $47.40 1
24 month plan 24 x $3.95 = $94.80 2

Someone on this thread suggested using a dual-monitor setup for doing BPOs.......I should have listened months ago. It cuts my time to completion in half. Buy a second monitor!