Tis the Season!

As I type the snow is falling and the wind is howling! The first real storm of the year is always so exciting. The rush at the grocery store the day before, the lines at the gas station full of plow trucks, and of course the buzz from everyone canceling/making plans. To hear any complaints about the weather this early in the season is quite obnoxious - I mean, HELLO, this is Maine after all.

The calm after the storm is also a nice feeling, as the sun shines on the fresh new snow it creates a clean and sparkly look. One of my favorite things about Winter in Maine is the beauty and quiet after a fresh snow. With Christmas around the corner a fresh blanket of snow is welcome, but in my opinion, if we are celebrating Winter in Maine snow is welcome through February (too bad it will still snow through April though right!?).

New Years Eve WEDDING

I can't even wait to go to my first New Years Eve wedding! For some reason I love celebrating this holiday....preferably with my nearest and dearest friends, so attending a friend's wedding on this holiday seems perfect!

PLUS from the picture, you can tell I have a real love affair with Champagne....

Cheers.

The Great Circle of Real Estate

I am so happy to have represented my sellers in the sale of their home on 55 Burnt Hill Road in Tremont, Maine. That was by far the most showed listing I have ever had. The home ended up selling for $197,000 a great deal for the new first time buyers, and a good return on a 2nd home/vacation home for my sellers. The best part is, I had the pleasure of working with these clients when they bought their "real" vacation home here on MDI earlier this Summer. What a treat to work with them as both a buyer and a seller. I LOVE when that happens!

Dreaming of your own place in Bar Harbor, Maine?

45 Prospect Ave, Bar Harbor
Originally uploaded by Erica_Bates

45 Prospect Avenue, Bar Harbor.

This JUST came on the market today, for $275,000.
In-town four bedroom home with many updates PLUS additional 600 +/- sq ft guest house/office/studio. Large deck overlooking the backyard and stream perfect for bbq-ing and hanging out. Updated kitchen, new roof, hardwood floors and tile make this an easy choice. Just minutes to town and hiking/biking/carriage trails of Acadia National Park. In the past the owner has rented the property out by the month seasonally for $3000/month. Maybe it is time to buy this as an investment property until you can move here full time.....so many things to think about.

Offered by Erica Bates, The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty 207.288.5818 ext 18 or http://www.swanagency.com/

afternoon antipasto

afternoon antipasto
Originally uploaded by Dana Moos, Realtor

Friend and colleague, Dana Moos, took this shot and I found it on Flickr...mouth watering. This is my dream "meal" and many of you think, meal? Dana and I have often joked that we could survive on the items in this photo, with wine of course. At this time of year, as the holidays approach, food brings family together (and thankfully wine too). I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, although my sister, bro-in-law, and cutie niece will not be there - overall it will be a great holiday spent with family over delicious food (oh, and did I mention the wine?.....)

Maintenance free living!?!

Maintenance free living!?!
Originally uploaded by Erica Bates

Winter is upon us, which means shoveling/plowing and de-icing. Wouldn't it be fabulous to know you never had to worry about that?! This is a great 3 bedroom, 3 bath oceanfront condo in Stockton Springs. I admit, I was not aware of how close Stockton Springs was to Bar Harbor/Bangor/Camden/Rockport. It is a great location in the heart of mid-coast Maine, only about 30-45 minutes to all the above destinations.
This newly built end unit is light and bright and very efficient - another huge plus. Priced aggressively at $350,000 this is a must see.

12 Spinnaker Lane, Stockton Springs.
Offered by Erica Bates, The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty - 207-288-5818

First Time Buyer Tax Credit EXTENDED

I am so happy to have represented another first time buyer!! It is so amazing seeing the joy on a new homeowners face when they actually get through piles of paperwork and are officially a HOMEOWNER! I recently represented a buyer who thought it might not be a reality to own a home - and I was so proud that they made it through all the inspections and bank appointments to find at the end of the tunnel there was their new home.

Sometimes I really do forget how rewarding my job can be (I feel like I need that after some of the roller coaster deals that fall through though, ha). How lucky are we to live in a country that encourages home ownership (especially right now w/ the help of the 1st time buyer tax credit). I was at another closing recently when my buyer (after signing pounds of paperwork) said "somehow I think it was easier when we all just staked our claim w/ a flag in the ground." Of course I envisioned the Wild West and people running for their "claim" yikes - I guess those would have been the days...

To get back to my subject line (oh yes I struggle with focus), some great news for those 1st time buyers who haven't found the right house yet - the tax credit has been extended through April 30, 2010. There are still some GREAT buys out there, so let's go looking?!!

Listing presentations...

I am so excited to be working on one of my favorite things: Listing Presentations!!

I'm currently working on 3 and they are all very different properties, so I'm in the process of tailoring them all. Working for a Sotheby's International Realty affiliate is so fabulous, but even more so when working on behind the scenes details for things like listing/marketing presentations. The company offers so many tools and templates that it really does make my job much easier in terms of streamlining, which of course allows me extra time to be out in the field representing buyers/sellers or furthering my continuing education. In fact, Sotheby's International Realty offers so many different marketing tools, I think I should spend some time on their member site to make sure I'm not missing anything.

First things first...

I just read a friends newest post to her blog, and it made me so happy for her! She mentioned how hard, yet important it is to take one step at a time and really get through the moment of NOW. That really hit home with me, especially at this funny strange time of "late twenties." I am finding that I often want to live many different lives - but yet, need to focus all of my needs/desires/goals into just ONE! As if I already don't have a "focus" problem right?!

Anyway, it is a funny thing to really think that we are groomed our whole childhood pretty much to figure out the PLAN. What type of job/career will you have? What type of partnership? Kids/no kids, where to live, the list goes on. I am not impressed that my 20s are coming to an end soon (well, 2.5 years away still) and I am not checking off some of these big things, but truth be told instead of checking some of these things off, I find that I'm nervous even making the choice to check them off. Of course I can't help but read into all this...as usual :-)

I will stick to my good friend's advice in her newest blog post and have faith in the power of now....as they say first things first.

Septic Inspection??

Twice in the last month I've had buyers request septic inspections. No big deal right? Well the last two inspections I have attended have been big deals - one tank was buried down 5 feet - as opposed to the traditional 2 feet. Those people brought in their own excavator to dig down to the tank, my oh my.

Today, I attended another inspection that seemed it would be quite easy, as we could see the pipe exiting the home & I had the septic design. The septic design may have been just a tiny bit off - which caused some minor frustration to the inspector. I tried to make small talk, even the occasional joke - but after awhile there was silence. After standing out in the 35 degree brisk morning for a more than a few silent moments I finally heard the beautiful sound of the metal poke tool hitting the concrete septic tank!!!!

Soon after this the inspector was pulling the cover off the tank and getting down and dirty to inspect the interior of the tank (with flashlight and mirror!). Thankfully this particular tank was in great shape.

.....On to the next glamorous Realtor job.

Btw, I do love my job - I love that there is a different spin each and every day!!

How can Twitter really benefit me in the Real Estate industry?

This was a great question posed by Jeff Manson in the article: http://www.geekestateblog.com/can-twitter-really-increase-your-real-estate-sales/#

Like any new social media site, it can consume too much of our time and be seen as useless. However, these sites can be a tool to grow our business – if used correctly. I feel that Twitter is a great tool for those in the Real Estate industry because it allows you to build that much sought after rapport virtually! I’ve met many people in person that I’ve felt I’ve known for a long time because of Twitter. Many of those people have turned into clients too, although not sure of my exact conversion rate on this.

I see Twitter as a tool to eavesdrop (legitimately!) on the exact conversations I choose. Now, that is a powerful tool for many industries, not just real estate. Personally I use TweetDeck, a platform that allows one to organize their tweets, followers, and search columns. If this sounds crazy to you, try downloading TweetDeck (free!!) and see for yourself. One of my search columns is Bar Harbor, since that is the town my office is located in. Lucky for me, Acadia National Park is also based out of Bar Harbor, and therefore we see a lot of tourist activity. Anytime anyone in the world mentions anything about Bar Harbor, I see it. Obviously some of these tweets are useless to me – but many times someone may ask for dinner recommendation OR a specific hike to make sure they take while visiting. Once that rapport is established it could go anywhere. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shown property to that say “well, we’ve been coming here on vacation for 10 or 20 years, and thought it was a good time to buy a 2^nd home.” They are not the types that need to buy right now, but are simply considering it. Generally those are the type of people that a “soft sell” works much better on.

Like anything, you get out of it what you put into it. Happy Tweeting!!

Education galore!!!!

Tomorrow I'm heading to Portland for a 2 day "Innkeeping Bootcamp" hosted at the gorgeous Danforth Inn (by far my favorite place to stay in Portland). If you are wondering if I am in the market to buy an Inn, that is actually not true (well for now anyway :-)). I am going to take the class to learn more about the process a buyer and innkeeper go through when purchasing an Inn, or in other words purchasing a lifestyle. Our company, The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty has a specialty division that markets B&Bs and other lodging properties, so this is all content I should know by now. I feel that the more I can learn about during a somewhat "slow/down" market the better I will be in the future. Although, I don't feel much of a slowdown right now, craziness.

SOO...from the Innkeeping Bootcamp in Portland, I'll be heading up the coast of Maine to the Maine Association of Realtors convention hosted at The Samoset Resort (another fave of mine). From there I'll take several courses and I'm sure be overloaded with info come Thursday. This is my first MAR convention, and so I hear there is a lot of work but also a lot of play...I'll keep you posted with that.

Since I'll be gone for a few days I'm cooking up some food for the Mister - who normally can survive on black bean burritos. So far I've made him some crazy egg dishes - he prefers me not to call it quiche? oh boys.

I'll be blogging, facebooking and tweeting from both conventions so to keep up check me out:

@erica_bates

facebook.com/ericabates

Countdown is on...

The First Time Homebuyer Tax credit is only available on homes purchased prior to December 1, 2009. I am definitely seeing an increase in buyers who are looking to take advantage of this. In fact, right now I'm working with 4 different groups of 1st time buyers. I am so thrilled to be able to help them in this HUGE and very EXCITING transaction.

Lately, I'm showings homes in the lower price ranges to 1st time buyers at least twice a week - if you or anyone who is a first time buyer would like to come along let me know - erica.bates@swanagency.com

I've found that by doing this some of the buyers have traded stories, and even made friendships - looking at homes is often nerve-racking for some, and this approach makes things a lot of fun.

See you soon!

SOLD!!!! I promised more...

Very happy buyer and even happier sellers, who also happen to be my inlaws! GREAT combo. This charming 1860s Cape sold last week for $182,000 located at 335 Upper Dedham Road, Dedham.

On another note, I am seeing first time buyers get more serious as we enter into Fall. Good thing since in order to take advantage of the tax incentives (state and federal) a first time buyer must have closed by November 30, 2009. That is sneaking up on us!

There are deals out there, but I am seeing the lower priced inventory start to move and become less and less - a great sign for our local housing market. I emphasize LOCAL because it is easy to hear and believe everything we see on the National News - but remember it may not apply to our local market.

I love when a buyer is soooooo thrilled to buy the house of their dreams and the seller is sooo relieved that their home is being transfered to an appreciative soul! What a great job this is (most of the time :-) )

Home buying and selling is so emotional for most, and this one particular transaction I have coming up is bittersweet for sure - my in-laws are selling. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled for them (and for me, their broker), but today as I walked through the house I definitely was a bit emotional....a few good memories of my now husband and I there as just teenagers - pretty silly.

I love September!

Ahhh, I am SO happy to see September and what a great stretch of weather we are having! I have seen the inquiries really pick up with the first time buyer sector - I've shown a few couples recently that are hoping to make offers within the month. The deadline for the tax credits being offered by the Federal and State governments is November 30th, so the race is on!

On my way back from showing one of my listings the other night, I decided to take the long way home (isn't that a country song?), and I went through Seawall, a portion of Acadia National Park in Southwest Harbor. There were only a few people there, and I was lucky to get there just in time for sunset. The moon was also slowly rising up over the ocean too, what a great scene.

Hopefully now that September is here I will be out and enjoying more of these sites; we live in such a gorgeous setting I must pay closer attention.

August!

I have a love hate relationship w/ this month!!! So gorgeous outside but soooo busy....too busy to blog...sorry!!! more in september!!

Mount Desert Island Voted TOP 5 in the world?!

Travel & Leisure Magazine does not have to tell me that MDI is in the Top 5 best Islands in the WORLD, but I'll let them!! Check out the link to the article. Come visit us and play in Acadia National Park, bike the carriage trails, swim at Sand Beach, sail a 4 masted Schooner, drink our yummy microbrews and of course devour a lobster!! Once you visit you'll realize that MDI is a destination that creates memories! There are some GREAT values in real estate right now here on MDI, so you'll be able to build equity and keep coming back to this treasured Island.

photo care of Dana Moos - Southwest Harbor

The views of MDI are best "off island"

Just listed: 819 Lamoine Beach Road, Lamoine. 320 Feet of shorefrontage including a private beach. Breathtaking views across Eastern and Frenchman's Bays with Mount Desert Island as the backdrop. $1,200,000 for this oasis. Home has four bedrooms, 2 baths with an attached 1 bedroom/1bath in-law apartment. Peaceful setting offering 1 acre of sloping, rolling lawn that leads down to the beach. Avoid driving on and off MDI to get to your dream getaway! Contact me to go view the property, Erica Bates 207.217.0505 or 207.288.5818 ext 18 at The Swan Agency Sotheby's International Realty.

Word Press or Blogspot??

Dilema? which blog host to use?? I've heard over and over that Word Press is better for a million reasons....but should I switch now? Having a hard time with this decision....

another day in paradise

Originally uploaded by Erica Bates

Summer in Maine - can it get any better? This shot was taken from Lamoine Beach overlooking Mount Desert Island. The views from Lamoine of MDI are some of the best in my opinion. There are some great deals on waterfront property in Lamoine also, stay tuned I should have a new listing for you to see shortly!!

gearing up for tweetup

I'll be heading to Boston tomorrow for a TweetUP, oh social media overload here I come! I can't wait! I'm hoping to learn a lot (duh i'm sure i will) and come back with a lot of great new ideas to promote my business. This is my 3rd year selling real estate (got in during a great market!? ugh!), and I'm confident that this is the year things will really take off....the power of positive thinking helps (thanks Oprah!).

Twitter Queens!

Social Media, social media everywhere we look - there is an article about it, a topic about it in a company meeting, I even muttered the words at a listing presentation recently! It is a fact of life, especially in the business world - if you are not on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (to name a few), than you are old news, which translates to bad news in business.

I am so thrilled to be a young professional at this time in the techno/social media obsessed world - because it is pretty much second nature to me....who was Instant Messaging her AOL "buddies" at age 14 and keeps in very close contact with most college friends via Facebook.

Just when I think I'm on the cutting edge - my colleague and friend introduced me to the Twitter Queens group, where the motto is: Empowering women in the understanding and use of emerging social media techniques. - That's what she twittered.

It has been a blast to Tweet back and forth, not to mention the networking it creates. Next week I'll be in Boston for an ad-hoc gathering with like minded Tweeps (twitter people), discussing trends/topics of interest in regards to the real estate industry - RE BarCamp-Boston

So...follow me on Twitter: erica_bates or keep checking the blog for news!

Rosé Mission!

I recently read an article in Bon Appetit magazine that inspired me to branch out and taste this interesting varietal that often gets confused w/ a cheapo White Zin that I may have loved back in high school. I am also a big fan of effervesence this time of year, so the article I referred to above really intrigued me because it focused on bubbly Rose!
I prefer a more dry than sweet style, but I'm not opposed to trying anything once. Last night I tried a delicious glass with my seared Tuna and summer green salsa (almost more of a pesto), and it paired perfectly. Directly from the menu: "A Negroamaro Rosato, Cantele 2007 -This Italian Grape Makes a Fabulous Rosé, Dry, Soft Tannins & Fresh Berry Flavors."

I'm open for any suggestions!! More of my tasting info to come...

Cheers!

SOLD - 37 Skyline Pines, Bar Harbor, Maine

I was fortunate enough to work with great buyers and a great seller recently to close this sale. A gorgeous chalet style home perched atop a mountain w/ fabulous views!! I listed the home in January (such a tough time to list property in Maine, because even the prettiest properties look so COLD), and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of showings we had right off the bat - one even took place in the middle of a blizzard! I am so thrilled though, to have sold it the the new owners who truly appreciate the home as well as the area. I am equally as thrilled for my seller, who bought the home in 2005, and will be closing on a new home in Southern Maine tomorrow. Congrats to all involved!!

sushi please

running off to grab some sushi w/ jon while he does some bidding. i love being able to incorporate business and pleasure!!! Ichiban in Bangor serves great sushi...and other Japanese favs....226 Union Street, Bangor, ME 04401 (207) 262-9308.

Summer past times...

From the ages of 16 - 20 I worked at a golf course...the best job ever, by the way! I loved greeting the regulars...knowing just the right amount of powdered creamer they liked in their coffee..or the brand of smokes they were going to buy. One of the best things was lining the golf carts up at night! I loved that!! The summer I learned to golf was great too, although at 17 I still thought golfing was for old people...and more importantly old men. Ten years (EWWW that many!?) have passed since I took my first golf lesson, and sadly I haven't done much golfing in between 17 and 27. Coming home from a wedding this weekend we drove by many a manicured course. As I was stuck in the car for 8 hours I got to thinking about my time as a "clubhouse manager" and as a smile spread across my face I decided I wanted to take up the old sport after all. So my mission this summer (between all the other things!) is to grab my clubs and go golfing a few times...maybe take a round of lessons, probably buy some overpriced yet cute golf outfit, but at least get out there to see what it is like to be a 27 year old lady golfer. FORE!

Affordable home on MDI!

Originally uploaded by ericaebates

This is a great new listing of mine - located at 55 Burnt Hill Road in Tremont. It is about 25 minutes from Bar Harbor, and about 40 minutes from Ellsworth. Very affordable at $225,000 and very cute! Classic shingle style Cape on the exterior, yet on the interior there is cathedral ceilings, a loft, an open layout, and tons of storage space. This home is also super efficient to heat with it's propane boiler and Jotul woodstove.

Nestled into the pines and surrounded by craggy granite ledge this home would be a great getaway home or a great starter home!

nice way to end the weekend...

After a busy weekend mixed with a few surprise real estate appointments and a lot of yard/house work I'm ready to relax and make a nice dinner. So, tonight's menu - Wild Alaskan salmon with toasted sesame oil/ginger/wasabi/lemon juice vinaigrette, roasted with fresh dill, fennel, garlic and smoked sea salt. While it is roasting, I threw together a salad and made some spinach couscous - such a quick and yummy side! While Jon is finishing leaf blowing/mowing/building a fence...the kitchen (actually our entire 900 sq ft apartment, ha) is heating up and smelling quite delicious!! Now off to open a bottle of Pinot Noir to go with the feast...

Heating UP!

Things are heating up in Bar Harbor!!! Both the weather and the real estate market! The last 2 weeks I've had multiple offers on one of my listings, and finally it went under contract! One closing last week, and hopefully one this week...and one scheduled for June 1.
The streets of Bar Harbor are busier too - and I'm seeing a lot of out of state plates on the weekends. What a great place to live and work!!!!

panorama sunset from VOE

panorama sunset from VOE
Originally uploaded by Dana Moos, Realtor

This is truly breathtaking! A friend and colleague took this picture from her new house...over at The Village at Ocean's End in Southwest Harbor, Maine. This shot is just one glimpse of the many amazing views from the property. www.oceansendmaine.com is the official website, see what your next view could be!

What to do, what to do....

So many different thoughts running through my head about the next step!? Where and when should we buy...to make sure it works for both of us, when I really want to make sure it works mostly for me since I feel like I've sacrificed enough already. I guess sacrificed is not the best word, haha, but rather compromise. I admit, I'm not very good at that...but a least try.

The next few months should be exciting in terms of career and personal investment projects...stay tuned!!

335 Upper Dedham Rd, Dedham, Maine - home for sale!

meticulously kept grounds
Originally uploaded by ericaebates

Immaculate country cape with 3 bedrooms - 2 baths, over-sized heated 2 car garage. Many recent updates, including new roof and new water heater - yet this home retains it's original charm with hand-hewn beams, wide plank floors, and built -ins. Set on 3 gorgeous acres, with the change to buy more if one wants to.

This is a great opportunity for someone to buy into a great community! Only 45 minutes from Acadia National Park, and 15 minutes to Bangor International Airport! Walking and hiking trails nearby, as well as a beautiful freshwater lake. Sellers are motivated!!

Gorgeous new home in Waldoboro with shared dock and private mooring!

Dock looking over water and moorings
Originally uploaded by ericaebates

167 Deaver Road in Waldoboro is the place to buy right now! As we head into Spring anticipating Summer now is the time to begin your negotiations on that perfect getaway house! This property has beautiful landscaping, a shared dock less than 200 yards away, a mooring, oversized garage perfect for storing your boat, and 2800 square feet!!! The detailed craftsmanship is obvious when you walk in and see the maple floors, chef's kitchen, and brick hearth. Easy to show, and very motivated seller looking to sell before the Summer season. www.swanagency.com

busy busy busy!!

I am happy to say I am really busy lately! Whether this is Spring Fever or what - I am impressed with it!

I had a call on Saturday night to show one of my listings on the following morning - I called my client who was THRILLED to have a showing even with the late notice.

I've had many email inquiries from people that I hadn't heard from in months - which gives me hope! I've also been trying to contact some of my old contacts who have been just casually looking for something to buy. NOW is the greatest time to buy!

Most buyer's I'm dealing with right now are very patient, and most importantly want a deal.

I was looking through listings the other day, and seriously, some things have been on the market for 3 + years! I think these Days On Market numbers are a great bargaining tool for a buyer .

I have a feeling it will continue to pick up as the weather gets warmer.

Summer in and around Mount Desert Island is amazing - and luckily the natural beauty draws many people to the area, a bonus for the real estate industry.

great tapas, extensive wine list and home grown fare!

I am SO thankful for Cleonice Mediterranean Bistro in little Ellsworth, Maine! So many nights Jon and I end up there for either tapas and drinks or a full meal prepared with local ingredients from their own farm Artisana. Usually Jon and I will go in and order our "usual" which is a Stormy Night martini (Gosling's Rum, ginger juice, lime and candied ginger) for me and a Geary's Hampshire Ale for him.

For tapas our faves are their Hummus & Baba Ganouj w/ pita crisps, marinated olives, spicy Htipiti and the Four Season Farm Spinach Salad with Anne Bossi’s Chevre, Smokey Bacon, Hazelnuts & Onions. MMM!!! We often make a meal out of those tapas! Their ingredients are always fresh, local and seasonal. A few of our favorite entrees include: the Chicken Arthur Avenue ( Pan-Seared Organic Chicken Breast with a Sauce of Mushrooms, Leeks, Housemade Pancetta & Imported Marsala. Served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Sautéed Greens) the Paella Cleonice (Native Littleneck Clams, Mussels, Scallops & Maine Shrimp Simmered with Organic Chicken, Spanish Chorizo, & Fresh Vegetables in Saffron- Scented Spanish Montasia Rice) and the Grilled, Grass-Fed, Black Angus Rib-Eye Steak (With Gorgonzola Butter, Hand-Cut 16 Ounce Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Fresh Vegetables) - in fact anything with Gorgonzola Butter makes me smile!!!

Usually we don't go for dessert as were so stuffed - BUT sometimes their chocolate mousse with candied ginger or fresh mint hits the spot. Or sometimes a cordial glass of their homemade limoncello is all one needs after such a satisfying meal. That is why I love living 10 minutes away from this fab bistro!

food, wine, and more

Tomorrow I'll be lucky enough to spend some time with my sister and a few mutual friends. We're hoping to go to a wine tasting at Sawyer's Specialties in Southwest Harbor, and then back to Bar Harbor to have "happy hour" (i LOVE that term!) and then on to my sister's house for dinner - not really a traditional "progressive dinner" but kind of sounds like it may turn into that. I'm so excited to be bringing the cheese plate for my contribution - so I'll probably buy a nice mix from Sawyer's while I'm there tasting wine! I LOVE their truffled Italian cheese, Stilton with mango, and their triple cream brie. Stay tuned on how the tasting goes.

Cupcakes are fun!

Cupcakes are so much fun - and I never make them...for risk of eating them all (since Jon my husband prefers savory than sweet..) but today when I saw this beauty at Morning Glory Bakery - Rodick Street, Bar Harbor - it took a lot of self control ( told you i was working on it) to not devour this....

Social networking to my advantage!

So recently I was introduced (I guess you call it that still in Virtual World), to a local business owner/boat builder on Facebook by one of my "friends" who is the boat builder's brother - this is sounding much more complicated than it is. After "meeting" John on Facebook I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself to him personally..aka real world, seeing that we both do business in the same area and (hopefully soon) will have the chance to share some clients. Hello! isn't this what "social networking" sites were intended for? I love it! Although, I admit I have also been that girl who looks at some random friend's (Facebook) or colleague's (LinkedIn) profile just for fun. All and all, from what I can see most social networking sites are worth their while and truly can present great connecting tools - that is if you have some self control...which I'm working on.

Erica's Real Estate Listings...check them out!

http://www.ericabates.mainelistings.com/

Easy like Sunday Morning...

The best part about a Sunday morning for me is slowly getting out of bed, grabbing some coffee and sitting down to watch Sunday morning news talk shows. Meet the Press, Wall Street Journal Sunday, and Fox News Sunday are all up there on my list - a newcomer that I have added into the mix is MaineBiz Sunday. A local program that is very informative on the economy in Maine and generally focuses in on a specific industry from week to week. For some reason this feels like a lazy morning each week that I stay in my pjs, finish a few cups of coffee and catch up on news - however, I always get fired up for the upcoming week and jot down thoughts on multiple lists. Come Monday morning I'm focused and ready to run - if I only could get away with staying in my pjs.

MaineBiz site: http://www.mainebiz.biz/

Schoodic Point - Acadia National Park

Where I live...

As winter seems to drag on this time of year, I can't help but think why do I live here?  I could choose anywhere in the world to live and I choose this?  A few minutes pass and I get over it - and laugh at my love/hate, passive/aggressive relationship with the place I call home.  I have lived in a handful of other places over my 27 years - Boston, Colorado, Australia and various places throughout Maine.  Ultimately I chose to come back to Maine and more specific at the moment Trenton aka Trentonia, Maine.  Lucky for me, I am a Realtor whose home base is Bar Harbor, Maine.  A place that millions of people come to every year on vacation!  I love that I see the ocean everyday (something I reallllly missed when living in Colorado).  I love that Acadia National Park is in my backyard.  See - I told you love/hate relationship, but 90% love 10% non-love (maybe not hate, ouch).  I think that might be a case of Spring fever...and I also think that everyone wonders "why do I live here" at a few points throughout their lives.  As a Realtor, the best part of my job is not having to convince others why to live here - the beauty and quality of life speaks for itself.  Plus, many of my favorite things are here: family, lobsters, Acadia, the ocean, blueberries, Cleonice Bistro, skiing, lakes for swimming in...the list goes on.  On that note - the sun is coming out and it is a balmy 48 degree March Saturday - I'm grabbing the dog and going snowshoeing!  

blogging demystified

Here it is - my first web log, little bloggy, tears are coming to my eyes. jk. Ok, blogging before seemed to me a way to find out any and all information - gosh, sometimes even info I never wanted to know about. But, I'm learning that blogging is not only a way to find out any and all info, but also a way to connect with people on a level I never normally would have other than in virtual world - I LOVE IT! stay tuned for more...and btw I'm setting the bar low for my posts, at this point anyway...