I thought the 15 hours days were enough, Paris and I rolled in tonight at 2200hrs to our home.  Our last client leaving about 2130hrs.  I am glad that the REMAX of Santa Clarita offices don’t arm their alarm for a bit longer.

I speak with agents from time to time that want to know how we are able to keep busy in a market like this one.  I reply in asking where do they see themselves 7 years from now.  They usually tell me that they don’t know.  If you are going to take a trip to New York City, aren’t you going to have a map of driving directions?  I know that gas is toppling $4 bucks a gallon, but you would get a map to get to New York to get there in the shortest amount of time possible, wouldn’t you?

So there is the way of the business.  I used to subscribe to "The way of The Gun".  But I have become softer since this (Real Estate) has become something that is more clearer to my focus.  So I have studied different business models and watched and observed habits of the successful people and their teams in the Real Estate industry.  The one thing that I see as a commonality - is that they are consistent.  They don’t let the little things set them back from achieving or setting themselves back from their focus on their goal.  They keep their laser type focus on where they are going.

They also have a plan.  If you are going to get anywhere, whether it is in police work, sheriff’s department, or any other profession, you do need a plan.  Take your plan out 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and then 7 years.  Don’t forget to make the Last 10 years of life goal.  Have a time laid out depending on how long you want to live - and make the last 10 years real ages.  Example, I want to live to be 100 years old unassisted.  So I have planned the years from me being 90 years of age to 100 years.  I dream about them - I want to have my life a certain way with my grandchildren, my wife, my sons, and our business that we had built in the preceding years. 

I want to watch my legacy in action and I want it to be.  My faith, my love, my legacy, all are very important to my existence.  Trying to get someone that has already given up or is constantly looking back behind them to understand these things is a true task.  But if anyone wants anything - all they need to find is the emotional connection and it is theirs.  Emotion, a true motivator. -CONNOR with HONOR - REMAX of Santa Clarita and REMAX of Valencia, Santa Clarita Real Estate and The Paris911 Team.

There is a nifty new website, Pimp My Search, that will allow you to change the title of a search platform that corresponds to Google with just a few keystrokes and no personal information.

If you also go through their disclaimers, you will see in short order that they are not about trading or spamming you.  This resource is known as Pimp My Search (click for ours) and they are able to re-title a search engine page that will have whatever you want at the top as if it is your own custom search page.

There is also a popular e-mail drop down to the upper right corner.  We are big fans of gmail.  In fact with gmail their calendar and interaction with our databases are wonderful.  We are also Top Producer People.  Their mass e-mail feature is the bees knees - But Gmail works great no matter what.  The other nice thing about g-mail is the way all attachments are not displayed in the e-mail’s themselves.  Pictures, video’s, frames etc, are all attachments.

Isn’t that what e-mail is about - just the message.  A hyperlink or two is fine to get more information, but I think we as a society are bombarded enough when it comes to visual stimulation.  Just our REMAX sites alone are bright RED- REMAX of Santa Clarita and REMAX of Valencia, they do a lot to stimulate the visual parts of the brain.

With our mother site at http://paris911.com, I had it designed by the one and only "Danny Valdez" - You may have heard of him???  He is a top notch designer that is currently heading up the designs at LinkUSystems.  He went with a brushed stainless approach to our new mother site and face lifted all of the internal pages.  I could smell smoke after he finished with my site map!  GREAT JOB - "Thanks Danny, I cannot wait to see what your next "winner" will be".  I remind him to be careful or he will be whisked away by those great people at Top Producer Systems.  They are based in Canada and I am not sure if he is looking to relocate.

We are all about Santa Clarita Real Estate with our www.SantaClarita911.com site - This incorporates a Top-Producer widget that will be able to capture for you a Market Snapshot of the current market conditions in your own neighborhood or one you interested in buying.  It is really and truly one of the best sources for Real Estate and community information that only takes 30 minutes to compile directly from the source and without being re-handled by anyone that might have other interests that your own.  If Santa Clarita is not where you want to be - www.HomeValue911.com will display all four of the Boards we are full members of and the widgets to their Corresponding market snapshots. -Connor with HONOR!

p.s. What is our secret?  How are we successful in this market where people are falling away in droves.  How about a Blog that hits like a sledge hammer?  When I was a LAPD regular, I taught, as I still do as a Reserve, but on a full time basis, a few weapons courses.  One of those was Shotgun and for specific applications we used Slug rounds.  Usually the shotgun, depending on the load, releases 9 - 12 pellets of 00 Buck shot (double - odd) per press of the trigger.  The slug is about a .50 caliber (1/2 inch), solid chunk of lead that comes out one at a time per press of the trigger.  When you compare the .223 caliber round and that specific round with the Slug, it can be compared as a scalpel to a sledge hammer.  "Scalpels have their place - But I would more desire to have a sledge hammer when marketing what The Paris911 Team is all about." 

I have to drop some acknowledgment on Kinetic Knowledge and their Blog Technology that Hits like a Sledge Hammer! - Thanks Chris and Kristen.

If you are wondering where The 911 Team and Paris911 are headquartered search no further.  REMAX of Santa Clarita and REMAX of Valencia have two locations to serve you.  We can meet with Clients at our very own head quarters at 25101 The Old Road, Santa Clarita CA 91381.  We also routinely meet with clients at our satellite location at 27720 Dickason Drive, Valencia CA, 91355.

Both locations have some of the most beautiful presentations that I have seen anywhere when compared with the other Real Estate Offices.  Here you will not see "prairie Dog days" with agents in cubicles and a huge room.  Each and ever agent that can "qualifiy" has their own office.  Paris and I each have our own.  Feel free to stop by but please give us a call before so we can be prepared to greet you.  

Paris@Paris911.com 661.400.3680 —– Connor@Paris911.com 661.400.1720.

Here are a couple of Google Maps with Both Locations and other miscellaneous contact information for Paris911 and THE 911 TEAM. - CONNOR with HONOR

From the 5 freeway north from the San Fernando Valley:
To get to The 911 Team’s offices at REMAX of Santa Clarita - 25101 The Old Road, from the five North coming from the San Fernando Valley.
- Exit Calgrove (First Exit in Santa Clarita)
- Turn Left at Bottom of Off Ramp
- First Right Turn at Tri-Light Signal "The Old Road"
- Approximately 1 mile on your left (parallel to the 5 freeway on the West Side)
- A large two story off white building on your Left "REMAX"
- Turn Left immediately after the building and drive to the upper parking lot and park anywhere.

From South Bound 5 Freeway North of Lyons Avenue:
To get to The 911 Team’s Offices at REMAX of Santa Clarita - South Bound on the 5 freeway:
- Exit Lyons Ave
- Continue Straight Across the Intersection 
(driving in between the Jack in the Box and the AM/PM gas station
- Turn Left (Be very careful, this is a bad intersection)
- Continue south bound past a shopping center and the "Out Back Steakhouse"
- After Two Hotels and a 3 story Red Brick Building be sharp
- Turn Right in to the Driveway to the REMAX parking lot 
(a off white building with "Number 1 REMAX" on the side)


View Larger Map Call for driving directions to our Dickason Location - 661.400.1720 and Thanks!

Looking for Insurance?  Do you have your services under a broker, or do have your insurances spread out with different companies?  Whatever the case, "do I have a fella for you."  One of the most - impressive and most meaningful things - is his ability to give fantastic customer service.  I mean, "isn’t that what "business" is all about?"  Customer Service? 

Roman has proven himself not only with us and our family, but all of our clients that we speak with and close escrow on, get my speech about how he was and has been constantly available and how he gets back with us and does what he says he will do with regards to claims and insurance.  Tried and tested - He is an absolute gift to the Insurance Industry.

You have to check him out, he is one of Paris911 and The 911 Team’s Approved Vendors.  Which if you have been following us for any time or have been a client of ours - That is quite an achievement. 

Thanks Roman and See you at Dinner next week! - CONNOR with HONOR

Roman Rokita - ARES Insurance - 818.986.4207 - 800.706.8873 - Fax: 818.986.2957 - E-mail:  roman@aresins.com

I must say that Google has been quite beneficial to our Paris911 business and The 911 Team.  We have gone our rounds with other search engines and e-mail clients.  Google seems to have done it right and keeps it that way.  They apparently do not seem satisfied with the status quo.  They keep adding nifty new tools to assist the layman in the production of some pretty awesome stuff.

Be it you are in business for yourself or work elsewhere, their gmail is hard to beat.  I wish I was more savvy so I could add HTML to the e-mail signature, but that kind of defeats the purpose of regular e-mail, being just all text without the crap.  So, I am all about tradition and am happy that gmail imposes the limits it does. 

I just stumbled upon their web publisher.  http://paris911.com.googlepages.com/home  check it out!!!  I did another one titled REMAX of Santa Clarita - Getting Better, 3 minutes:  Check it out!!    http://paris911.com.googlepages.com/remaxofsantaclarita

This was done my me in about 7 minutes.  Just something cool with a few of our engines posted on the face page.  When I have more time I will tweak it.  But I am unveiling a new project in the near future that should be of great assistance with those that utilize our services in one of the four boards of Realtors we are full members of.  You can take your pick from the Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate, to Los Angeles Real estate, Simi Valley and Ventura County Real Estate, and the Antelope Valley Real Estate community.  We are alive and well.  Furthermore we are still standing at this point in one of the worst markets that Real Estate has experienced to date.  For the meantime check out the face page of this blog:  Http://blog.paris911.com.

We must give a shout out to the men and women of the law enforcement and fire departments - Thanking them for keeping us in business and being our foundation.  We will never leave them nor disgrace them.  We will always have their backs.  Please check out any city in the Santa Clarita Valley preceded by a www. and followed by a 911.com to see what is going on in your particular area of interest.  Remember we are REMAX of Valencia and REMAX of Santa Clarita.  A very strong company that sells more Real Estate than any other in the world.  That is having something that is fortified in your corner.

If you are on the hunt for real estate - May I suggest being part of our list for REO and Bank Owned properties:  www.MoreThanForeclosures.com where you will find that your personal information is safe and is only seen by Connor MacIVOR and Paris MacIVOR.

Please let me know how I can help you with your Real Estate Needs. -CONNOR with HONOR

"If you give us 30 minutes we will deliver to you a Real Time, Direct From the Source, No Filtered Data, To Your E-mail, Market Snapshot for any city within the Santa Clarita Valley and Beyond."

That is almost as good as, "you give us 30 minutes and we will give you the world…".  Never the less, we want you to know that we have the best tools in the industry and we are all about playing it forward.  So if you live in one of the four areas that our full board of Realtor memberships reach, you can be assured that after you put the property information into the Specific HomeValue911 Snapshot block, in 30 minutes you will be looking at what is going on in that community.

This will generate data that is, as I said, directly from the source and you will be able to check out any and all perceived competition that you my have when you decide to put your home on the market with a 911 team member.  Whoa - The911Team - Gotta love that(an epiphany when writing a post).  OK, back to it, We have Santa Clarita Valley and the cities there in covered.

To access the Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate portal and get the results of "You give us 30 minutes and we will give you the Real Estate Snapshot", all you need to do is type in the name of one of the local cities followed by a 911.com - Example www.StevensonRanch911.com.

In order to keep up with our clients and their requests, I am currently working on HomeValue911.com which will have all portal widgets on the page with the 4 community reports - Another service by Top Producer Systems and my friends at LinkUSystems and LinkURealty.  Top producer produces the Market Snapshot - I program the data - LinkUSystems and LinkURealty are my HTML and web Designers and they(More specifically Danny Valdez - Visionary and Designer extraordinaire) will place these on a custom page for me.

Can’t Wait and you are not interested in the Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate Venue?  I have all of the snapshots that were programmed onto the home page to your left on our home page of http://blog.paris911.com - This was programmed and placed by those nice folks at Kinetic Knowledge - Kristen and Chris - Hey, if you are looking for a stand alone and custom blog - Even if you are in the Real Estate business - Competition is very healthy - Check out their Custom Blog - It has worked for Paris911 and The911Team!  It can work for you.  If you are a private party person - They you should check it out as well - Talk about not breaking the bank, it doesn’t.  You will be amazed what you will pay for something that hits like Babe Ruth’s bat connecting with a baseball - Each and Every post.

This is the case as long as I am on target, topic, consistent and persistent about my passion, Real Estate, Google loves me and so do the other Major Search Engines.  But this has only come about as a result of utilizing the Kinetic Knowledge Blog.  Try it, "Remember, you give us 30 minutes and we will deliver a Customized Market Snapshot to your E-mail - look at my blog home page - and in the future at www.HomeValue911.com. -CONNOR with HONOR

When it comes to searching for real estate and looking for more than the regular, run of the mill property listing sheet, either in Valencia, Stevenson Ranch or elsewhere, then you have come to the right place.

Comparatively - what do you need to know to make the best offer on any Real Estate for Sale?  I need a whole package created.  I want statistics on neighborhood demographics, income, schools, community resources, housing prices going back at least 3 months.  I want real numbers of Short sales, Foreclosures, and other types of distressed properties within the samehousing tracts.  I want to also know if there is anything special that has been slotted for by the city to have something added or removed that might have an effect to my way of life or resale.

So, where can you get all of that information?  Check out www.Valencia911.com or www.StevensonRanch911.com.  For that matter, you can check out any city in the Santa Clarita Valley followed by a 911.com to see what is going on out here and with that neighborhood.

So please do your self a favor and skip the run of the mill, garden variety, property reports - Step it up to what a 911 can do for you!!! - CONNOR with HONOR

Paris and I are those that are on the fence when we speak about the following topics of having any kind of debt, in the Santa Clarita Valley. With Real Estate, good debt versus bad debt, and your wanting to purchase a home, we do say it is taboo to go out and purchase a vehicle or any other big ticket item during the home buying process. It kills your fico score. There is a time that you can get away with it but this would be on a case by case basis and we will advise you when you can have the green light.

The credit companies pull the credit at various times during the escrow process. This is a bit on the normal side now due to all of those loans that people are defaulting on and the large fallout of the sub prime lender back in early 2007. It is a knee-jerk reaction by the banks – But that reaction is what I would have expected. People were qualifying for loans without needing to have anything but a breath inside of their body. So it is something that needed to happen to control the flow of "stated" loans and no-document origination and borrowing

When it comes to debt, most consumers fall into either of two camps – those who fear debt and those who embrace it. Let’s call the first group the debt-o-phobes. To these folks, debt is to be avoided at all costs. They don’t carry a credit card and refuse to buy anything, except a home perhaps, on credit. We’ll call the other group debt-thusiasts. As long as they can have whatever they want right now and can afford the monthly payments, they don’t care how much debt they are in or interest they will pay.
Neither extreme is healthy. The debt-thusiasts are constantly paying too much for goods and services, because in addition to the purchase price, they are usually paying a hefty amount in finance charges. They never get ahead and have little chance of building wealth.
The debt-o-phobes, on the other hand, can save a considerable amount of money in interest, but they have less money available to fund revenue-generating investments. Because they refuse to take on debt, the only money they have to invest is the money they have squirreled away.
Financially healthy, wealthy, and wise individuals are not opposed to taking on debt, but they are very proactive in limiting bad debt and maximizing the power of good debt.
Bad Debt What exactly is bad debt? Bad debt is money you owe on something that 1) does not increase your earning potential and 2) depreciates – decreases in value over time. Generally speaking, if you go on a spending spree with your credit card, you are taking on bad debt.
Some experts would claim that a loan taken out to purchase a new car is bad debt, because as soon as you drive the car off the lot it depreciates. While that may be true, financing the purchase of a nice car could increase your earnings potential, allowing you to drive to a workplace that offers a higher salary. A nice car could also improve the earnings potential of someone in sales who must drive clients around.
Good Debt Good debt is money you owe on something that either 1) increases your earnings potential sufficiently to pay back the debt, and then some, or 2) enables you to invest in an appreciable asset – an asset whose value increases over time sufficiently to cover the debt.
Experts generally agree that a mortgage loan used to purchase a home represents good debt, because while you are paying the interest on the mortgage, your home is appreciating in excess of the percentage interest you pay. In addition, your home mortgage is tax-deductible, assuming you can and do itemize your deductions.
Most people also consider education loans to be a form of good debt, because an education generally improves your earnings potential – although that may depend on what you study in school and how much debt you graduate with.
Exchanging Bad Debt for Better Debt Although you may not be able to trade bad debt for good debt, you may be able to decrease your amount of bad debt. If you have a large amount of credit card debt, for example, and some equity in your home, you may benefit by refinancing your mortgage loan to pay off your credit card debt. (Equity is the amount of money locked up in your home – if you sold your home today and paid off the mortgage, the amount of money you would have left represents the equity.)
Refinancing your home mortgage to pay off your credit card debt could benefit you in two ways: •    Decrease the amount of interest you’re paying. A mortgage loan usually carries a significantly lower interest rate than the rate charged on credit card debt.
•    Makes the interest you are paying tax-deductible. Home mortgage interest is tax-deductible. The interest you pay on your credit card balance is not.
Caution: Consult with a trusted and qualified accountant or loan specialist before refinancing your home to pay down your credit card debt. Refinancing too often can cost you a considerable amount of money in loan origination fees and other expenses related to taking out the loan.
Caution: Refinancing to pay off credit card debt converts the unsecured credit card debt into secured debt. The debt is now secured by your home, which allows the lender to foreclose if you are unable to make payments. Credit card companies cannot seize your home if you fail to make payments. In addition, if you file for bankruptcy, secured debts have priority over unsecured debts, so if you think you might have to file for bankruptcy later, converting unsecured debt into secured debt may not be a good idea.
Investing with Other People’s Money One of the secrets to maximizing the return on your investments is to use borrowed money (other people’s money) to finance your investments. For example, say you have $100,000 to invest in real estate, knowing that you can buy and fix up a home for $100,000 and then turn around and sell it for $120,000. If you could pull it off, you would earn a 20% profit, which isn’t bad.
But what if you took that $100,000 purchased and fixed up five properties? For each property, you would use $20,000 of your own money as a down payment and $80,000 of borrowed money – other people’s money. Now, you buy, fix, and sell five homes, earning $20,000 per home for a total of $100,000 in profits – a 100% profit!
That’s what you call leverage, and you gain leverage by using other people’s money.
When you are ready to begin building your own wealth in real estate, talk to your loan officer or mortgage broker about leveraging the power of other people’s money. He or she will know exactly what you’re talking about.
Ralph R. Roberts, GRI, CRS is an experienced real estate agent and investor and author of Mortgage Myths: 77 Secrets That Will Save You Thousands on Home Financing (John Wiley & Sons).

What is very interesting by Ralph’s article is the way he has his warning within the advice. The most important thing you can do for yourself during your hunt for a home or any other Real Estate venture is to contact a Licensed Professional that has your needs at their center. In this world of misguidance for own self-advancement – It is paramount that you use your focused eye to disertain between truth and being mislead. We watch all aspects of the Real Estate Transaction – We want you to come back to us 4.7 years later so we can help you sell and move up. That is out goal and focus. We want your kids to use us. We want you to be so happy with what we provide for you and to feel so safe that you cannot help to tell everyone about Paris MacIVOR and Connor MacIVOR.

Any City in the Santa Clarita Valley Followed by a 911.com to see what we offer in exclusivity with regards to REMAX of Santa Clarita or REMAX of Valencia – Being the subject matter experts, www.valencia911.com is an example – CONNOR with HONOR

That is entirely too much time on someone’s hands!!!

St. Patrick’s day has a couple of meanings for the MacIVOR household.  One much more important than the other.  Besides being our heritage that we are Scottish/Irish, we also have our eldest son that was brought into the world on March 17.  What a glorious day that was for me laddie.  You can almost hear the accent when I speak of such things.

It does bring a tear to me eye.  But seriously, he is the apple of my eye and the apple of my other eye is his brother.  If we had a third, I am not sure what they would be the apple of.  But me thinks that cannot happen. 

Thanks for reading my stuff about Santa Clarita Real Estate and Real Estate in general it is fantastic to have an audience.  I also hope it serves you well.  With as Much Honor as I can muster.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day - Here are some Green Fireworks.  Crazy - CONNOR with HONOR - RE/MAX of Santa Clarita and Paris911…

I blogged about Buca Di Beppo and it being a great place to eat in the Valencia Town Center, Valencia California.  We we had a date with our friends from Realty Marketing and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  We all showed up promptly at 1900hrs and Peter Han, the Manager at Buca Di Beppo was there to greet us.

The greeter was warm and friendly with a frown proof smile from ear to ear.  Peter Han came by after we were seated with a bottle of our favorite wine.  The fantastic Italian Red from Italy - Luna Di Luna.  We have tried to purchase this private sector, but have been unable to locate it, until now!  The only restaurant we had been able to get it is at Buca Di Beppo, I would recommend it to anyone.  As far as a more complete description about its Aroma, Backbone or its Balance, I must refrain.  This is something that you will need to experience.  It is not the most expensive of wine, but it is really wonderful.

We stared with the wine and a bit of bread and olive oil.  The conversation was about many things, the Real Estate market, the advertising world, and of course Police and Sheriff work.  We spoke at length about their and our children and other assorted family matters.  It was very nice and the restaurant was not very busy, it being during the week and all.  Time flew because we had good drink, at a good restaurant, good food and a very warm, hospitable and talented Manager with his very supportive staff.

The food was served hot, it was filling, the follow up cappuccino’s and dessert provided a very well rounded experience at Buca Di Beppo.  I am no critic, but I must say that I do love food and when coupled with a great ambiance and environment, I am in Earth’s best representation of Heaven.  I would hope that when you have a chance you give Buca Di Beppo in the Valencia Town Center a call and make some dinner reservations for you and your special friends and family, you won’t regret it.

Hope fully Paris and I will see you there! - CONNOR with HONOR