Real Estate Information

On Saturday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. the Mike DelRose Real Estate Team will be hosting our traditional customer appreciation day. Like previous years, we have rented out the Belmont Studio Cinemas at 376 Trapelo Road in Belmont, and we will have pizza, popcorn, and drinks for guests, as well as a raffle with some neat prizes. Will will be showing Disney Pixars; "Up".  Anyone that has worked with us as well as friends & family are welcome to attend. 

To RSVP to this event, please contact Krissy at Kris@MikeDelRose.net with your name and number of guests so we know how many people to expect. We look forward to seeing you and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to use the comment feature on the blog or email me at MikeJr@MikeDelRose.net.

Hello March. Spring is right around the corner so as people get out more, so does the news. I found some interesting one's this week as usual, all in which are very entertaining. Enjoy.

Navy Drag Races - Surprisingly not what this officer got in trouble for.

Dumb Criminal Blog - Always a reliable source of entertainment.

World's Most Dangerous Destinations - Not planning a trip to these places anytime soon.

Convicted Felon's Job Fair - Seriously.

Officers Strip to Catch a Crook - Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Free Chicken - Big Turn Out

Urban Mushers - Who let the dogs out.

Whether its healthcare reform or bad weather that's on your mind we have some interesting news this week that will hopefully make your jaw drop. 

Inmate Mistakenly Released - Prison with a hotel checkout system

Flight Cancelled Due To Fighting Flight Attendants - It was over who got to serve beverages

Wanted Man Bails Girlfriend Out of Jail - If that isn't true love, I don't know what is

Batman Comic Sells For Over One Million Dollars - Currently looking in the attic for all my preschool drawings

Toxic Towns - Being in real estate I recommend people seek caution when thinking about this neighborhood

Dumb Criminals - Always a laugh seeing justice being served

Play Games at AddictingGames

279 Common Street has just hit the market. This spacious 5 bedroom 4 Bath Cape has two master bedrooms on two floors. 

There will be an open house Sunday, February 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. We hope to see you there! 

It's Friday and that means everyone's excited for a nice relaxing weekend. Not us though, we will be putting on some open houses. The work week never really ends in real estate. But because it's Friday, it's absolutely necessary to scan the web for crazy and interesting news stories. 

A New Way To Charge Cell Phones - Pretty neat if you ask me. They'll be located next to the water fountain in public places soon enough.

Please Rob Me - Not literally, but check it out to make sure you're not sharing too much information online. http://pleaserobme.com/ --> Scary 

Prisoners Abusing Facebook - Everyone is on it these days.

Arrested For Doodling In Class - Yes this actually happened.

A Few Bad Eggs - How Cape Cod is fighting off crows.

D.C. Digging Boston Plows - We have nothing but the best here.

Attemped Watertown Robbery - A failed Watertown Bank Roberry

Dumb Criminal Blog - Always entertaining

Today we welcome 56 Bishops Forest Road in Waltham to the market. This updated townhouse has two bedrooms, garage parking, a finished basement, and two and a half baths. Here you can check out all the stats along with a virtual tour.

There will be an open house this Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and we hope to see you there.

Its Friday, but not just any Friday. It's the last weekday before Valentines Day, and if I'm not mistaken, the day procrastinators realize they really have no time left. So naturally, there's going to be some interesting headlines to go along with this extended weekend.

TV Show Office Romances - In honor of the holiday 

New England's Best Chocolate Makers - An article that has 300 calories per reading

Potholes - Yes that's right, finally an outlet online where Massachusetts can mark and complain about potholes collectively

The Newest Drug - Keep all children away from chocolate and Valentines Day

The Last Storm Was At Best a Disappointment -  so let's cut snow plow costs for the rest of the season

My Side of the Mountain Meets Ocean's 11 - I can't even fathom a description, just read

Dumb Criminal Blog - Really dumb criminals

Weird Winter Activities - I probably will try none of these

Dog Robbed - Get your paws off of me

Going Green In Ways You'll Never Agree On - Wacky and real recommendations

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on bringing home the Lombardi Trophy. It was a well deserved victory and Drew Brees and his cast played an excellent game. However, I thought the Super Bowl itself was, dare I say, disappointing. Two things really bothered me and I'll start with football talk followed by a Marketers take on the dismal advertising. 

Make no mistake, we all watched a quality football game last night. The refs really "let the boys play" and there was a lack of "dirty laundry" on the field so to speak (very few penalties). Besides a huge mistake by the Colts Peyton Manning, the play was far some sloppy. So what bothered me? It starts with the lack of excitement and lackluster play-calling. I'll give the Saints the edge for calling a surprise on-side kick to begin the second half. It was bold, exciting, and a complete game-changer. However, we watched two of the most high-powered offenses in the National Football League play very conservatively. Besides a couple of nice plays, no quarterback was able to stretch the field with the long-ball and no offense was very creative with their play calling. While a Super Bowl record was broken having the most passes thrown between both teams, it was actually really boring. 

Despite this "boring" game by my standards, I still was entertained. I just didn't think this year compared to last years exciting and dramatic Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl with so many more headlines. What bothered me even more than the conservative play on the field were the conservative calls off the field. A marketers perspective of the commercials.

Terrible. I don't think there's another way to describe a collective group of mundane Super Bowl commercials. The sad thing is that people can't blame the economy for the quality of these 30 second spots. The advertisers that were present paid roughly $3.8 million for thirty seconds of airtime had no creativity, and those that did were creative four years ago when the same-themed ads first appeared (GoDaddy.com, Budweiser Horses, Doritos). It's well known that many of us spend time watching these commercials, yet I don't think any one of the ads were creative and entertaining (maybe the Budweiser/Bud Light ones were acceptable). Also, there was noticeably lack of corresponding internet campaigns to go along with the ads. 

This particular ad was funny because it's less conservative and isn't so reserved when poking fun at the difference in gender. Since September 11, 2001, advertisers have been much more conservative. But is this a good thing? Instead of producing ads that are entertaining that get the message across, the fear of offending people has made contemporary ads mundane, boring, and a chance to see what's going on with a different channel. 

If you were watching the Super Bowl in 1985, then you know about the Super Bowl Shuffle and the Chicago Bears. This ad generates some nostalgia but for someone like myself born after the fact (I know of it because of general football knowledge) the ad has no meaning. 

As far as entertainment value is concerned, Budweiser still gets it. By catering to a younger audience, their humor gets through on all different levels. 

I did find that a handful of ads were very successful in conveying their intended message to consumers, but the Super Bowl commercial we all long for is one that will make us laugh over and over again. I think this year, the ads failed greatly and next year and could create a problem for advertisers next year since many people will feel more comfortable missing a few than feeling the need to watch them all. 

It is my favorite "Holiday" of the year and I believe that the following Monday should be free of work and school. Of course I'm talking about the Super Bowl and the pride and joy of the National Football League.

The big game, for me, is a dream come true because it's a culmination of everything I love to do celebrated on one day; Football, Marketing, and of course the copious and sometimes unnecessary amounts of food.

Football for me started at a very early age when Mike Sr. took me to my first Patriots game on October 11, 1992 where the New England Patriots lost to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 24-12. I was five. From that point on I elected to be part of a great New England tradition of yelling at the television every Sunday unless the Patriots won. 

My love for football was not restricted to the field however, in early high school I developed an understanding for the business and studied the success the NFL compared to Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, & National Hockey League. While these sports are great in their own right, I don't believe anything surpasses the NFL and it's product lines. I'd even go as far to say even NASCAR isn't as successful (their balance sheet makes a great argument though). 

When I declared myself a Marketing Major in college, I also took on Sports Management as a minor, deep down wanting to pursue a career in the National Football league or one of it's proud franchises. One thing I learned very quickly in sports and economics in general is that when the demand for young professionals wanting to work in sports is low, and too many people fighting for the same job, it takes a lot of persistence and hard work to get into the industry. 

After interning with the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in Newport, Rhode Island (great family entertainment), I knew I had a shot at applying for positions at the professional level.

As a recent college graduate I applied for an internship with the New England Patriots this past Summer and got a position in the Marketing Department as an assistant to the Vice President of Sales and the Vice President of Marketing. The organization is filled with great people all of which are extremely hard working and professional (which is evident by their product) and I learned so much about the business and had the opportunity to meet literally thousands of fellow fans. As my working career continues, I hope one day to be back with them.

If there's one upside to not working in the industry, it's being able to watch the games instead of working them (it's a necessary sacrifice). An annual tradition for us includes a big pot of Mike Sr.'s Dallas style Chili, wings, and pulled pork made in the crock pot. 

If there's one issue with the Super Bowl, and it's not really an issue, is that because you can't afford to miss the commercials (I'm a marketer, I need to see each and every one). Even so, the commercials are sometimes just as entertaining as the game itself. The only time I allow myself to get off the couch is during the halftime show, because who needs additional entertainment. 

So whether you're a fan of the sport, the food, the commercials, spending time with family and friends, etc. Enjoy the the day this coming Sunday. I think the NFL knows what its doing in that this day has something for everyone.

Here are some links I think you'll appreciate if you're a fan of this unofficial holiday:

Super Ads -  Scroll through years of the most funny and popular ads

Superbowl - the Official Website

Super Mistakes - One play can make or break you

Snacking Statistics - Dr. Oz's worst nightmare

Celebrity Picks - See who Celebrities pick to win this year

Dumb Questions - See the dumb questions reporters ask players every year