Gary Stapp Weblog

*** AGE FINDER RIDDLE***1/18/10

If you want to know someone's age and they won't tell you try this riddle on them. It helps if you give them a calculator or a pencil and paper and let them do the calculations. All you need to know is the final answer. Don't tell them what you're after Pick a number between 1 and 10, double it, now add 5 and then multiply times 50. If the person's birthday has already gone by, add 1752. If their birthday is yet to come this year, add 1751 .... Now, from that number subtract the year the person was born ......... You now have a three digit number, of which the first number is the number they picked between 1 and 10 and the two digit number that's left is the person's age.

OPEN HOUSES ARE A JOKE

And sometimes dangerous. So your agent is going to have an open house this Sunday and hopefully a buyer will just stroll in and buy your home-------. Does anyone remember me addressing this in one of my newsletters last year? I was quoting from one of the best real estate schools in the country from the University of Texas I believe it was, and THEY let the cat out of the bag about how you probably had only 2 chances to sell your home at an open house-------slim and none-------and slim just left town----------. It seems they have done extensive research and found out that the main reason real estate agents hold open houses is to "pick up buyers"-------the 2nd reason is at the same time you can appease the seller that you are doing something to market their home. Oh----- so now you think there goes Gary again with some "off the wall" and "unbelievable" statements. Surely with all the open houses around he has to be wrong----------listen up----------have you ever seen an agent from one company hold ANOTHER AGENTS listing open from a different company? Gee-------I wonder why that agent would be willing to waste THEIR Saturday or Sunday trying to sell some other agents listing. I guess they must just be great friends. ----------Now here's MORE PROOF. A listing in our area that is listed by Re-Max, was held open both Saturday and Sunday by a Prudential agent. Gee-----it sure is nice of Prudential to help Re-Max sell that house-----unless of course that Prudential agent was JUST TRYING TO PICK UP A BUYER OR TWO----------what do YOU think----------? Also, remember a little warning the police issued about open houses-----an open house is an invitation to ANYONE-------no matter how sinnister their motives might be. Now I'm not telling you not to have open houses-----I'm just letting you know who REALLY benefits from them-------and to be careful who you let in. It's YOUR call. But make sure the windows are still locked after it's over....and be sure and hide your valuables in advance.......like money, jewelry, medicines and yes, even your underwear.

APPRAISAL BEFORE LISTING???

I heard someone saying that a new technique in selling a home was going to be to get an appraisal BEFORE listing your home, and that it would help you sell your home. Now you can do what you want-------but that is about the dumbest thing I ever heard. That's about as dumb as that fiasco here awhile back when some company had you advertising "you'll accept offers from $250,000 to $300,000"----------do they really think some idiot would offer you MORE than $250,000----? That would be like selling your car in the newspaper and saying you'll take $6,000 minimum and $7,000 maximum-------yeah-------DUMB! Pretty sure that was PRUDENTIAL. Anyway-----appraisers and real estate agents are two absolutely different fields. One is BEFORE the fact-----and one is AFTER the fact-----and the fundamentals and criteria to be factored into each is absolutely unrelated. This would be another BIG, BIG, BIGMISTAKE.

"WARNING"

*** YOUR BANK ACCOUNT IS NOT SAFE ***

Maybe I should say your checking account is not safe. Can you believe that all someone has to do is copy the numbers on your check .... you know, that long line of numbers on the bottom of your check called "routing numbers", ..... then call a company and pay a bill over the phone giving those routing numbers

.... AND THE BANK WILL TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF YOUR ACCOUNT WITHOUT

EVER SEEING OR GETTING A CHECK. What can the bank do to stop it ..... ABSOLUTELY

NOTHING I was told it's all part of the new system of automatic payments, credit cards, debit cards, electronic payments, etc., etc., etc.. So if somebody goes through your trash, mailbox or purse and finds a check .... whether it's new, used, blank, made out, cancelled or trashed, all they need is those routing numbers at the bottom and a phone. I think it's time we "all" owned a shredder, but THAT won't be enough. This will eventually need legislation. I don't know who to call right now, but when I find out I'll let you know. Until then - HIDE EM & SHRED EM.