C Tann-Starr's Outside Blog

One of the lovely things about surfing on the Internet is that people can use the search engines of their choice to find just about anything they desire. A significant number of people use the World Wide Web to search for their potential home. As a Realtor, if you do not have an on-line presence, you are doing your firm and yourself a disservice because you may be missing the opportunity to help someone find what he or she needs in your neighborhood. Someone looking to relocate into a new area can find millions of apartments for rent within the blink of an eye, but at some point, they are going to need help to narrow their focus down to a few viable candidates. They will seek out a real estate professional.

I had an interesting call yesterday from a young woman who discovered my new construction listing from my video listing advertisement on Active Rain, but she wanted to rent one of the apartments rather than buy a new home. She was very sad to discover it was unavailable as a rental, but I am in the process of helping her find somewhere new to reside with her children. You never know what may induce a prospect to call you, but when opportunity knocks, it is always helpful to have a pre-packaged presentation for your potential customer to help educate the seller/buyer/renter on what you can and cannot do for them.

Besides my usual stop in the Multiple Listing Service, I find Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder.com, and CraigsList.com to be very useful supplements in my hunt for rental housing. I always hope that my customers and clients can find what they are looking for in my Resource Center at TannStarr.com, but that is not always the case and as a cooperating broker, I am more than happy to go wherever I need to be to secure a home for the person I am representing.  

Here are a few tips for prospects who want to rent an apartment, townhouse or home in New York City:

1. Do your preliminary research into the areas where you believe it is that you wish to reside.
2. Contact a Realtor to represent your best interests and decide if you would like to enter into a brokerage agreement and become a client for a specified negotiated interim (e.g. think thirty day intervals like 60 days, 90 days, 120 days, 180 days, or a year/365 days…).
3. How have you managed your debt? Do you have reserves in case something bad happens? You will need to be honest with yourself about where you are and where you are going. Most renters would like to be homeowners someday. If this move is the last rental before you buy, your credit history with your property owner will be very important when the bank checks to see if you have paid your rent on time.
4. Having three to six month living expenses saved and being prepared to pay the expenditures for renting (e.g. fees, security deposit, moving personnel, truck rental, fuel and utilities, etc.) is a good idea. Save as much money as you can, no matter the amount.  
5. Purchase and use as many Energy Star compliant light bulbs, consumer electronics and appliances as possible to save on your energy bills.
6. Buy power strips to use as a turn off switch for electronics that continue to draw power while you are sleeping. (You would be surprised at just how many watts standby power consumption actually consumes while your gadgets are supposedly “off.”)
7. Try to select a residence where you have access to public transportation (in case your vehicle becomes inoperable or you have visitors who do not drive, etc.)
8. Make the move a smooth one by not waiting until the last minute to search for housing.  

BTW, Kelly Willey has a cool post on Real Estate lingo that you can read here.

 http://www.TannStarr.com

 

There are 18 Properties available for sale in Jamaica: 

VideoAd by Mixpo

Featured Property: $469,000 2 Family 6BR 4 BTH 147-50 Glassboro Avenue Jamaica NY 11435

Featured Property: $469,000 2 Family 6BR 4 BTH 147-46 Glassboro Avenue Jamaica NY 11435

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 Featured Property: $215,000 2 BR 1 BTH 150-38 Village Road Jamaica NY 11435

145-11	123	Ave	Jamaica	11436	$425,000	3BR-2.5BTH
114-46	149th	St	Jamaica	11436	$305,000	2BR-1BTH
128-40	147th	St	Jamaica	11436	$269,900	3BR-1BTH
172-11	Baisley	Blvd	Jamaica	11434	$515,000	6BR-3BTH
107-45	164	St	Jamaica	11434	$479,000	3BR-1BTH
150-26	116	Rd	Jamaica	11434	$475,000	3BR-1BTH
179-02	Selover	Rd	Jamaica	11434	$429,000	4BR-2.5BTH
150-65	116	Dr	Jamaica	11434	$369,000	2BR-1BTH
150-51	116th	Rd	Jamaica	11434	$350,000	3BR-2BTH
170-14	Liberty	Ave	Jamaica	11433	$569,000	5BR-2.5BTH
104-28	164	St	Jamaica	11433	$550,000	7BR-3BTH
104-37	164th	St	Jamaica	11433	$299,000	6BR-2BTH
177-01	Jamaica	Ave	Jamaica	11432	$699,000	2BR-3BTH
92-23	93rd	Ave	Jamaica	11432	$499,000	5BR-1.5BTH
88-08	171	St	Jamaica	11432	$499,000	5BR-2.5BTH

"My First Year As A Realtor" and I don't know what to say. There are so many things I could talk about, but which one would be the most important?

I learned from Liz Moras that my real estate career can be like a roller coaster ride. My girlfriend certainly hit the nail on the noggin with that assessment. It has certainly been a wild ride...

I entered the market at a low point and watched it go from bad to worse. I took binders on deals that died from the unrealistic expectations of buyers and sellers. I went to contract on properties that either the buyer or seller walked away from in the eleventh hour. I spent my pension money advertising listings that people took off the market on a personal whim without a second thought regarding wasting my firms resources, not to mention my personal expenditures and valuable time.

I had to learn to bite my lip because I realized some sellers did not give a hoot about breaching their contracts or me losing my investment in advertising and marketing their homes. I watched a few of my R.E. friends go bankrupt... I watched several of my R.E. friends close offices... I watched a handful of my R.E. friends get sick... I watched two of my R.E. friends die...

My first year as a Realtor was not at all what I expected... quite frankly, it really whomped!

I'm looking forward to my second year.

I love working at REMAX People Realty and I have an excellent R.E. Coach from TX who is helping me reshape my business model as an independent contractor. I love Club Chaos and Active Rain. I have lovely listings and buyer brokerage agreements with several pre-qualified buyers. I have a lot of AR road trips planned and great places to vacation with my friends. My hubby will be retired, so I can put more hours into building my graphic art, paralegal and real estate businesses, not to mention traveling with the little minions.

I may actually make it to London and see Poppy Dinsey and Tower Bridge. We are definitely going to Canada to see Liz Moras. M is also considering becoming a FL Sales Associate and Notary to help out and train up the boys to take over "the family business." We are thinking about building an art gallery to house "Stephen Noah" as well as a real estate brokerage house in Brevard County for 2010 called "Minion Realty." With a R. E. name like that, our advertising is certainly going to be a lot of fun (LOL).

If I have my way, I will be licensed in NY, FL, SC and TX. I am definitely looking forward to my second year as a Realtor. New York will always be my first love, but the traveling bug has bit me. I'm going to be running up and down the East corridor and looping around the Gulf of Mexico starting January 2009. I am soooo looking forward to collecting all of that lovely eye candy while engaged in the happy pursuit of new real estate deals... So much to blog about, so little time...

http://www.TannStarr.com

2008 2 Family Semi-Detached Contemporary (brick and concrete construction) with private drive, full finished basement, 2 eat in kitchens, L shaped living/dining room, gas fuel, steam heat, 2 heating zones and separate hot water heaters. Lot size is approximately 40 x 50. Building size is approximately 40 x 20. 3 Bedrooms, LR/DR combo, EIK, 2 bathrooms.

Open House: Sunday, Septembr 28, 2008 from 4-5PM

Open House: Sunday, October 5, 2008 from 10-11AM

                   147-50 Glassboro Avenue, Jamiaca NY 11435 (off the corner of Sutphin Blvd).

http://www.TannStarr.com

 

 

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Stephen Isaiah Starr and Noah Ezekiel Starr

I love being a Work-At-Home-Mom (WAHM) because I can be there for my children. Sometimes I also enjoy taking the boys with me into the office because they make life very interesting and can always be counted on to completely take over my cubicle and get busy being mini-Realtors. Stephen usually climbs on the desk because I have a glass shelf and he can see exactly want he wants to acquire the moment he arrives in the squad room at REMAX People Realty. He always goes for the lovely candy Don Rogers sent me. After a few pieces, he grabs a business card and goes for the phone. After all, that's what he observes his mom do while she is working on the computer. If my planner is available they will both flip it open and start scribbling notes (LOL). I had to purchase an extra calendar just for them. I love seeing them play with those happy, goofy and serious expressions on their faces. Noah can get this really cool look of concentration when he starts manipulating a computer. He has sight words and is becoming quite the little Googler. Disney, YouTube and Google are his favorite sites.

While the Minion Blur enjoyed his treats and Noah surfed the Internet I was getting ready to start a new project with Claudia Echeverri. We have some lovely new construction (two family homes) with off-street parking to photograph and turn into a video.

Stay tuned for new music from Mommy and The Little Minions to go with our listing's photo-montage.

New Construction: 2 Family Contemporary (Brick and Concrete) $469,000 Jamaica, NY 11435

 

I wanted to visit my girlfriend Susan Yang today, but she was not at home. So, rather than waste the trip, I decided it would be the perfect time to take Stephen out on a community walk around the neighborhood. I was hoping my girlfriend would get back in time for a small visit, but alas, it was not to be. Since I had the handy-cam batteries charged, I decided why use the Nikon when I could simply shoot video in very small clips while walking the streets with the little minion blur. We had a very nice time enjoying the mid day sunshine and Noah enjoyed helping me digitally slice the images for dragging the clips onto the storyboard and time-line. Noah was also a great help with arranging the music. Unlike my last post, he actually let me keep the bass track this time (LOL). Please excuse the lack of a tripod. When you are walking with an unpredictable two year old carrying a diaper bag and bribe munchies, sometimes you have to make an executive decision. ;-)

 

 

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Shaq O'Neal (NBA) is running around New York City talking about how committed he is to helping families struggling to deal with their fight against childhood obesity. I have not watched his television show, "Shaq's Big Challenge," but I will try and make an effort to check it out now that I've been made aware of what it is all about.

NYC Mayor Blommberg created a press release with Mr. O'Neal to launch the new food initiatives (I hear it's the first in the nation) so I guess I'll point you in the direction of http://www.ShaqsFamilyChallenge.com and also  provide a link to the official NYC press release here.

The News from the Blue Room Press Release (PR- 365-08) is dated September 19, 2008 and talks about launching the first formal food standards for New York City. Here is the quote that inspired me to blog: "New York City is the first major city in the country to set nutrition standards for all foods purchased or served. The new standards, pursuant to an executive order, apply to snacks and meals served in places such as schools, senior centers, homeless shelters, child care centers, after school programs, correctional facilities, public hospitals and parks. The standards require City agencies to serve only healthier beverages such as skim or 1 percent milk (with exceptions for babies), phase out deep frying, include two servings of fruits and vegetables in every lunch and dinner, lower salt content and increase the amount of fiber in meals."

Sounds like an excellent plan. Since my boys are in school that makes me feel better about what they may be eating in the future, but I have to admit it also makes me wonder what they are eating now. After all, they did say this is "new." Hmm...

Kudos and Congrats to Mayor Bloomberg for demanding the improvements. I'm looking forward to seeing what type of menus they come up with in the future to replace the menus they currently use now. I wish someone had taken the bull by the horns years ago when I was going to school and when I worked for the NYCDOC and was stuck eating institutional food on Riker's Island. It would have been really nice to have been served a better quality meal. I do remember plenty of days where I decided not to eat at all because I did not like what was being served or was stuck for mandatory overtime and could not leave. Better late than never I guess... After all, a healthier diet will cut down on some government health care costs if people are not aggravating their preexisting conditions or making themselves sick in other unhealthy ways. I think it's a wise move that may bring multiple benefits all around.

I wonder what they will be serving... I bet those debates will be very interesting to a fly on the wall.

 

VideoAd by Mixpo Stephen and Noah go shopping for toys and the Minion Blur decides to select a movie. It takes a while, but when he finally makes up his mind, he starts doing his trademark three step. Stephen always does the happy dance when he's about to select an item and declare it "mine." Sometimes he gets the Daffy Duck syndrome and will walk around for an hour going, "mine, mine, mine, mine, mine," as if it is the only word he knows. Other times he will hug, kiss, dance and hug his new acquisition while beaming with love and affection. He will wiggle and giggle, raise it into the air and do his victory dance. He's quite a happy little fellow when shopping with his brother Noah...

http://www.TannStarr.com

15038 Village Road #98GB  Jamaica, New York 11432

RSVP Open House: Sunday, September 21, 2008 12:30 - 1:30 PM

RSVP Open House: Monday, September 22, 2008 5:30 - 6:30 PM

RSVP Open House: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Motivated sellers, must relocate, will consider all offers. Sale may be subject to Terms & Conditions of an offering plan. No Flip Tax! 10% down payment, requires a minimum household income of $60,000.

Unit 98GB = approximately 131 shares, is close to shopping, schools and public transportation. Built approximately 1946 of concrete and brick construction. Garden apartment has 2 bedrooms, 1 dressing alcove, 1 full bath, LR, DR, EIK, 7 closets, private fenced in yard, 2 entrances. Community District 28. Pets allowed.

Call 718-483-7339 to schedule an appointment.

 

 

Stephen Isaiah Starr, Noah Ezekiel Starr and Kathy Passarette in Port Jefferson

My two year old Stephen suffers from PDD-NOS and my six year old Noah is Autistic.

I have a soft spot for organizations who are looking to educate the public on these issues and/or find special needs children a cure. I devote a lot of my recreational reading trying to understand what my boys are going through and I spend a lot of time and effort finding the little ones challenging things to do to keep their minds focused on positive tasks so they don't self stimulate themselves in negative ways (which can be a very neat trick at times). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and when it doesn't they can be very destructive and exhausting. I never know what I am going to get or what they are going to do until they decide to "unleash their multiple personalities" on me (LOL). They have a game face for every situation so as a special needs parent I have to be prepared. Thank God Stephen has a "tell" but Noah is a bit more sophisticated and it really is a bit more difficult to figure out where he's going with anything...

Life with the little minions is rarely ever boring. I am very lucky and thankful that my kids have a zest for exploration and are very curious about life. They do not always respond in socially acceptable ways, but at least they have the capacity to respond. There are parents out there who have children that do not function as highly and the fact of the matter is we all need your help and support. I am fortunate to have wonderful friends and family members who will take the time to get to know them and help them understand what will and wont be tolerated as they float through life in a society that may not be as forgiving or understanding of their quirks. For a lot of people it is difficult to get past a first perception or impression. Special needs children with learning disabilities need our help.

There is an "Early Bird Registration" in progress that ends on September 26th. The "Regular Registration" will begin on the 27th for the New York City Autism/Asperger’s Conference “Educating and Healing Children With Autism.” This event falls on Saturday & Sunday, October 11-12, 2008 at the Stephen Gaynor School, 148 West 90th Street, New York, N.Y. 10024

Saturday: Educating Children with Autism/Asperger's

Sunday: Healing Children and Adults with Autism

This event will be appropriate for both parents and professionals.

You can download the conference brochure here:

http://www.autismconferencesofamerica.com/files/ACAbrochure-NY08-final.pdf

You can register on-line here:

http://autismconferenceregistration.com/nycconference08.aspx

Exhibits & Advertisements:

If you provide a product or service to children with ASD and their families or know someone who does and would be interested in exhibiting at the conference or advertising in the conference syllabus, please contact the following individuals for further details:

Kim Mack Rosenberg: kmackrosenberg@hotmail.com

Khalid Rehman: klrehman@yahoo.com

Volunteers Needed: There are a number of opportunities for volunteers to be involved in planning the conference and helping out during the conference. If you are interested in joining our efforts, please contact: Sabeeha Rehman: sabeeha.naa.ny@gmail.com or Peggy Becker: peggybecker1@nyc.rr.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. Enjoy your day. Regards, Carolyn.

 

You guys know how much I like foodie paradise spots. This looks like a good one. I have not been to Cape May but I am thinking I'd like to go one of these days. Check this out:

 

Amanda Hall and Melody Botting taught me the fine art of serial commenting. We play blog tag across the blogosphere and will even playfully banter across several AR posts while we tweet and Skype away on the side. We talk so much on and off line that our keyboards no longer have all of their letters on them. Several of my keys are bald: E, R, T, I, O, A, S, and N. I can't believe they no longer have any letters on them, but it's true...

How much do you love Active Rain?

Do you blog until your letters rub off?

Show me your keyboards if you dare.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Feel free to post your keyboard photographs in the comment sections. I'd love to hear your take on today's talking points. This should be very interesting (LOL). I for one adore AR and start my morning checking on my fav bloggers and friends. I am very happy to report that I'm comfy with my balding keyboard. It is a gentle reminder of how much I love my little minions, relatives, Club Chaos family and my brick and mortar friends as well as working with my computer as a Paralegal, Notary Public and Realtor.. ;-)

Enjoy your day playing in the Rain and remember to be kind and have fun with your commenting. I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing all about those "battered keyboards."

Regards, Carolyn.

 

 

Looking for Staging training or continuing design education? Have questions about your business plan or décor issues?

As soon as I saw those two questions I knew that this was THE GROUP for me. I had such a good time with my girlfriend Kathy Passarette in Port Jefferson, I found myself wondering why I had never thought about working with a Stager before now. Kathy was so sweet about answering all of my questions and giving me a detailed overview of her business model and trade's profession that I found myself also wondering why the entire time I've been a Realtor at my office we have not invited a Stager to come in and speak with the Realtors.

Hmm... There is something very wrong with this picture. I am going to change all of that.

We have mortgage brokers and attorneys in all of the time. Why not Stagers? I believe it is a disservice to our sister trade not to take advantage of their expertise. They have so much value they can bring to the table. I plan on booking the large conference room sometime in October if Kathy can spare a little of her time when we have our next AR get together in NYC. By the way, she is also a paralegal, just like me, and we both have very busy schedules juggling multiple businesses. If this visit and future presentation does work out for us, we both will be sure to blog about it. I think the results would be very interesting. I would love to re-do the boys room. Shopping with KP on an official makeover spree would be fun. BTW, Kathy has a cool website you can check out here. If you haven't read Kathy's blog, I think you'd enjoy it.

The Association of Design Education (ADE) is the staging group that I decided to join after I realized there was so much more I could learn to help my clients (not to mention myself). Kathy was instrumental in my joining, and I really like their group description: "This non-denominational Group is a forum for Students, Stagers and Trainers alike. The Association of Design Education (ADE) was formed to promote excellence in the field of specialized design education. Each Education Affiliate offers a variety of programs in interior redesign training, home staging training, and interior decorating training that exceed industry standards. Visit ADE: http//:www.associationofdesigneducation.com "

Being a graphic and fine artist and having a background in illustration and fashion design, I felt an affinity for their programs and I loved the transparency of their posts. They speak with such professionalism, dignity and caution plus the fact that they are very open and honest with their desire to be of service to both Sellers and Realtors made my joining this little group a pleasure for me. They constantly seek to improve (which is why I joined Active Rain) and unlike the arrogance I see with a few Realtors who have the nerve to act offended if anyone tries to tell or suggest another way to do "their job" so all can potentially or equally benefit, the members of this group will stick their necks out to be kind and helpful. I certainly am not a Stager, yet they welcomed me into the fold with open arms. They remind me of warmth and friendliness of my Club Chaos family (and I do hope CC as well as a lot of the Rainers will stop by to say hello and give some thought as to how to help them with their endeavors). They are a very diverse and interesting group of people and I believe you will enjoy reading their blogs. I see them as the newest members of my team of professionals to refer business to and I am looking forward to learning from them, sharing ideas, making new friends and posting some posts, starting with this one.

 

 

The Founder of this group is the lovely and very talented Julia Maher. If you haven't read her blog I think you should. I am very happy to be a subscriber and am looking forward to adding her to my long list of AR road trips with my little minions.

Before I go, there is an Active Rain featured post at ADE I think you will find interesting. It is written by Donna Schoby of Ready, Set, Stage! (Fayetteville, AR) that you can read here. I'd say more about it, but I am saving that for another blog because the delightful Donna and newest Club Chaos family member, Julia Maher, have inspired me (LOL). For those of you who do not know me, I can be very interesting once inspired. Oh-oh - I would not want to spoil all of the fun at once, so feel free to read my comment on Donna's blog and imagine where I will be going next in ADE and Club Chaos regarding my views on staging. :-)

Do please stop by and welcome Julia and her new group into the fold. If you have not joined already, please consider helping them with your expertise. Nothing beats playing it forward in a positive light. I learned that from Duane Marlink and the ThemThem tribe. Enjoy your day playing in the Rain. Regards, C.

Featured @ Club Chaos

 

 

 

 

 

Veronica reminded me about some excellent points regarding closing costs.  I thought this would make an excellent talking point for my outside blog. Don't forget to select  the link so you can read Bonnie's blog. Regards, Carolyn. 

 

The beautiful thing about sunsets is that no two are ever the same. I like to think of them as God painting in the heavens every single day. In order to catch the best effects you always have to start planning to snap your photographs one hour before sundown. If you are not in position, you will truly miss some fantastic lighting effects. The hour and a half before sun up and sun down has got to be my all time favorite two times of the day to be a photographer and artist.

The beautiful thing about friendships is that no two are ever the same. I was very fortunate to be on location in Port Jefferson with Kathy P when I took this picture. We share a very unique relationship and have converted our on-line friendship to brick and mortar. I was very honored that she took the time to select areas of Port Jefferson for us to tour that she thought my family and I would enjoy. We had a wonderful time and I'm hoping to go back for a weekend to sketch and eventually paint the docks. The wonderful thing about being a Realtor is the connections you get to make with people. I'm going to talk more about my friend in depth and introduce you to her blog. Stay tuned for a new minion update with more photographs of our visit with KP.

In the meantime, here is a little Port Jefferson, Long Island Sound sunset eye candy captured during our AR road trip to visit Kathy. Enjoy!

 

One day I will no longer be here... It is a fact of life that we all have to live with. When I am gone, I will have two very unique sons who will one day want to introduce me to their grand kids or maybe their great grand kids. They will talk about our Active Rain adventures, the therapy sessions from Hell, the therapist from Heaven, the people  who were exceptional and kind to their mom and our family as we struggled to make ends meet and plan for the future. They will hear, read, see and feel how their mom really felt about life, love and business in general. Sometimes even with great specificity (LOL). They will learn that it is okay to be who you are whether people like you or not. They will learn that I was never ashamed to speak what I thought, or was ever ashamed of my quirks and issues, hoping they will realize they ought to celebrate their quirky sense of humor while dealing with their own issues as well.

They will have DVD diaries, digital film, and on-line audio-video blogs to share with their kids and grand kids about being a Realtor's kid. They will talk about how their mom drove and flew them all over this great nation and half way around the world to meet some of the kindest people she was blessed to ever know and joke that this was going on while she was teaching them how to become Realtors while Stephen still had his pampers on. They will read my best friends notes to me on my blogs, learn about the clients I helped to find homes, see their mom and dad dueling on the computers in the comment sections of Facebook and a host of other Internet social sites and will be the best of friends with their own AR buddies as we parents and our children all grow older together.

One day I will no longer be here... when that day comes, my legacy will be the love that I feel for my friends and family. It will be the appreciation I felt for the clients who trusted me with their own families as they transitioned though housing. It will be in full technicolor as well as black and white. It will be the best part of me for all the world to see, but especially for my sons. I blog because I enjoy it, and I enjoy having fun adventures with the little minions while we work through and live our lives. Everything that I do I do to prepare the way for my children. I have made a lot of mistakes in 43 years, will probably make more, but my kids are the best thing that ever happened to me and blogging about them fills me with joy.

My on-line legacy will be very small, but it will be very important to those who care about me and my family... It will be very important to my children when I am no longer around, for they will see that I shouted to the whole world how much they are loved.

We decided to do our first Mixpo listing today. Since I did my turtle run in Parkway Village, it made sense to advertise 15038 Village Road. This 1:45 montage was made using Avid, Sony Acid and my Korg N364, then uploaded to Mixpo for syndication. Say hello to MLS#2084091, a lovely garden apartment with hardwood floors and wall to wall carpeting located close to schools, shopping and public transportation. Approximate year constructed - 1947 (brick and concrete). 2 Bdrms, 1 Bath, LR, DR, EIK, 7 large closets, 2 car permit parking, 2 entrances, 1 private fenced in backyard leading into a large common area showcasing a manicured court yard. Maintenance is approximately $1030. Sale is subject to terms and conditions of an offering plan. No flip tax. 10% down. Household income required: $60K+. http://www.TannStarr.com VideoAd by Mixpo

Today's turtle run is also going to be a future Mixpo jammy dedicated to my Club Chaos family members and most excellent blogging buddies Josef Katz, Paul Slaybaugh, Melody Botting, Deborah Burroughs, Lisa Friedman and Kristin Moran.

Josef is the Vice President, Marketing for Trump University. In this role, Mr. Katz is responsible for creating the marketing vision and strategy that drives the University's growth. With a focus on testing and data analytics, Mr. Katz brings methodology and accountability to Trump University's marketing programs and has played a major role in the development of these programs. If you have not read his blog, please click on the link above and it will take you to some very interesting reading.

Paul has a remarkable way with words and I am a huge Slaybaugh fan. If you haven't read his blog, you are truly missing out on some outstanding prose. There is an excellent AR E-book for members only in progress. Those blog chapters are a must read.

What can I say about the incomparable Melody Botting? I know - I wanna be a Mel Minnie Me Realtor! Seriously! Kudos and congrats to Mel on new business venture. I hope to follow in her footsteps one day soon. Lisa Friedman, Deborah Burroughs and Kristin Moran are voices you do not want to miss. In "Wait, can you run that by me again..." Kristin touches upon the subject of real estate fraud. That one certainly got my dander up. I highly recommend that you subscribe and bookmark all six of these blogs. You will not be disappointed in their perspectives. From veteran to newbie blogger, they all have something valuable to say and share. I am particularly fond of eye candy, so make sure you check out the sunset on Deb's latest volcano series here.

Parkway Village, Queens County, New York is a very lovely area. It was originally constructed during the 1940s to house diplomats and employees assigned to the United Nations. This approximately 34 acre spread is located within the confines of Main Street, Union Turnpike, Parsons Blvd and the service road of the Grand Central Parkway. Depending upon where you are standing in Parkway Village, you are either in Jamaica or Kew Garden Hills. Residents are serviced by Community School Districts 75, 28 and 26. I have several friends who live in the complex as well as a lovely 2 bedroom listing here. There are 675 Co-ops arranged in small groupings around court yards and other landscaped common areas. One garden apartment resident even planted grapes in her private backyard. It happens to be a favorite visiting spot of Noah and Stephen, especially since her fenced in backyard opens into a lovely common yard adjacent to the GCP that is huge.

Here's a little eye candy from my turtle run. Enjoy!

 

 

I can't swim, but the floating foodie paradise is a must see and do. Thank you Lisa! Love your photographs!