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.

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.

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

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! 

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.

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

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

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. 

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

For your convenience, I've added the rent meter widget so you can compare your monthly rent to other communities in the area.

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.

As we walked through the first floor, then the second floor I diligently took notes and had a wonderful conversation with John Carlo, the owner. Now Mr. Carlo is in his early 90’s and as we walked from room to room, he related stories of what he had done to each room over the 45 plus years he has lived there and other stories about himself.  

It took quite a while to view both floors and the attic as his steps were small and the stories long. When we finished with the living areas, we headed to the basement. I walked down the stairs, stepped onto the floor, and had one of those “Oh No” moments as I stepped into 2 inches of water, looked at the partially flooded basements and the plugged in extension cord partially submerged in the water on the floor. I jumped back onto the bottom step and yelled to John to stay where he was, as I didn’t want the situation to turn tragic. He pushed past me and in his firm, voice told me; “don’t worry about it” and proceeded, without hesitation to walk through the water to unplug the extension cord. I panicked, he didn’t and all was well. 

At this point, I stepped back into the water, walked to the utility area and found that water was pouring out of the top of the hot water tank. John shut the valve off to the tank and I headed to the storage area to look for a mop, finding only the type used to clean your kitchen floor.  When I returned John was already in action with his “maintenance man” size mop and bucket with ringer.  Fortunately, in another part of the basement I found a Wet Vac which John had only previously used to vacuum dirt.  I started to vacuum up the water, alternating between pushing the wand back and forth and fighting off John for control of the vac.  Each time I emptied the cylinder, I would return to find John waiting with vacuum in hand ready to take control and do the vacuuming.

About an hour and a half later including numerous calls to a number of plumbers, we had the basement cleaned up and a hot water tank on its way.  John was a real gentleman and thanked me too many times for helping him out.  I checked in with him at around 7:00 that evening and when I asked him if his hot water tank was installed and working, he said yes but complained that the plumbers had not left a copy of the bill so he could claim it on his taxes in April 2011.  I laughed again. I can’t help grinning as I write this picturing me in my suit with the pant cuffs rolled up and soaking wet, my shoes and socks saturated with water and squishing as I walked, my shirt splashed with dirty water from the Wet Vac and John and I doing battle, struggling over who was going to use the vacuum to clean up the mess.  For my next listing appointment, I’m hoping to visit a homeowner with a slab ranch in Waltham or Belmont.

If you're a regular reader of the blog, then you know how I rave about how the Closet Factory does more than just closets. Looks can be deceiving, just like these beds. What I really enjoy about Barbara's decision in this project was the cabinet she had built along the left side of the wall. This really takes advantage of a room with limited space. 

If you're looking for more information on the Closet Factory be sure to check out the link above, or, visit Our Partners page for Barbara O'Connor's contact information. She's always a pleasure to interact with.

Top 10 Roller Coasters - How many have you been on? 

Dumb Criminals, The Blog - Maybe these people should just look for a day job.

Crazy Degrees - At least these programs aren't found in public education, not yet anyways.

YouTube & Cricket - Because once football ends, there's just nothing else on.

Celebrities In Boston  - Locations where Boston celebrities don't want you following them to.

Meteorite Crashes Into Doctors Office - Yes Doctor I've been feeling like I've been crashing and burning lately.

That about wraps up this week. Everyone have a nice relaxing weekend. 

1.  Do you remember what it’s like to go on a first date?  Your hair looks just right, clothes are impeccable, your shoes polished.  You meet at the door and everything is perfect.  You’re looking and feeling great.  First impressions go a long way.  Well, every time your home is shown, consider it a “first date” for your home.  When the buyers pull up, what are their first impressions?  Is the lawn mowed, the bushes trimmed and the flower beds bursting with flowers and dressed with bark mulch.  How does the paint and trim look?  Anything peeling?  And of course it goes without saying, make sure the front door has a fresh coat of paint and the hinges open smoothly.  Remember that old saying.  You only get one chance to make a good first impression.
2. The way we live in our homes is different than how we want the home to look when it is presented to a buyer.  The ottoman in front of “your” chair.  Well, that happens to be the perfect spot for it while you are relaxing and watching television. But it probably blocks the flow of the room and should be taken out during the showing process.  All those notes on the refrigerator and appliances on the kitchen counter that you can’t live without?  They distract the eye and make your home seem cluttered.  Room by room we seem to have extra furniture and other items that we use only occasionally.  Convenient yes, but while your home is being shown, they are more in the way, than useful.  They make our homes seem smaller than they are and at times cluttered.
3. Why stage a vacant home?  Over the 30 years that I have been showing homes in Belmont, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, and the surrounding communities I have learned that vacant rooms look smaller not larger.  It is sometimes hard for buyers to judge the scale of a room and how the furniture can be laid out.  That is why builders set up model homes with all the furniture perfectly placed.  They understand the value of staging by demonstrating how a home can best be arranged and utilized.
4. Painting?  It’s easy to say that a buyer will want to pick their own color scheme, and many times that is true.  But many of the buyers looking at your home don’t have the time, knowledge or desire to decorate a home once they move in, especially if they are moving their furniture in on the day of closing.  Make it easy for someone to purchase and move into your home.  You’ll be rewarded by a quicker sale and more than likely a higher selling price.
5. Have you heard the latest statistics from NAR (National Association of Realtors)?  80% - 90% of homebuyers do part, or all of their home search for housing on-line.  And by using the internet your typical buyers can widen their search in terms of location and home styles looking at hundreds of homes without leaving the comfort of their current home.   So one of the processes they go through is not to choose what homes to see, but to eliminate the homes they don’t want to visit.  The pictures taken of a home that is untidy, needs decorating, or that hasn’t been staged will increase the chances of your home being eliminated from consideration, before it’s ever shown.  And this may be the most important reason of all to prepare your home for sale. 

To read the full story on the earthquake. To see detail of the damage, people are starting to send pictures and videos from ground zero. If you are looking to help out the relief effort from home, I have a link from CNN that connects you with various organizations helping out. 

To comment on the disaster (or other blog posts) click the title of the post and enter your remarks at the bottom of the post.

Ford Cars to Read Your Twitter Feed - As long as it comes with side airbags, a cd player, seat warmers, and, twitter?

Mountain Lion Removed From Home - Do you have any pets? I'm allergic. "Just a lion."

Dog Gives Birth to 16 Puppies  - An expecting parent's worst nightmare. I hope they have a deep college fund.

Who Invented the Gatorade Shower - In honor of last night's national championship game.

101 Uses for Everyday Things - Because a couple just isn't enough.

14 Who-Knew? Uses for Your Microwave - If you're looking for more than just heating up soup.

Snow, Ice, Tighten Up Grip on SouthEast - <Insert Global Warming Comments here>

For Pats Fan, $1m Consolation Prize - When your favorite player goes down, win a million bucks.

One of my favorite aspects of the Closet Factory is their designers custom fit furniture into any space under your budget. Furniture is custom built with your specifications along with the designers expertise. When Barbara visits your house you will set a budget along with analyzing the space. From their sketches are produced and the factory gets to work. 

Within the next six months, Barbara is making a trip out to my home as my closet needs some work. And as soon as my attic gets cleaned out, well, there's no timetable for that, but a home office would be nice. 

Partnering with the Closet Factory has great benefits for our clients. Click on Barbara's link at the top of the post or visit Our Partners page under links to contact her and when you mention you are a client she will put together a nice package for you. If you have any questions about the Closet Factory or are looking for more information on special offers, please do not hesitate to contact me at MikeJr@MikeDelRose.net. 

Back then, to access listings in MLS, you waited anxiously at your office for the “telephone directory” size MLS books to arrive.  Once they arrived (once per week) you called your customers to inform them of all the new listings.  As the market slowed, the books got larger and eventually 2 books were delivered, one for single family homes, the other for condominiums and multi families.  Your clients were organized in lists, on sheets of paper and everything was hand delivered or mailed.  Sometime in the 1980’s I purchased my first cell phone.  It came in a huge bag and the handset was the same size as the ones in your home.  You plugged it into your cigarette lighter which, at the time was used to light cigarettes (imagine that) and it was perfectly acceptable for you or your customers to smoke on your way to an appointment. 

 Technology really took off in the late 80’s.  Dummy terminals were put in your office and you could log in via your telephone line and patiently wait as access was gained to the main database.  It took an eternity, and you couldn’t save your searches, but a least you had a database of information.  My first computer was a Leading Edge, Model D (image from Wikipedia).  I had the upgrade model which had 2 floppy disk drives instead of one.  At best it was used as a word processor and I don’t believe I ever saved anything to the floppy disk. Another milestone was the facsimile machine with rolled paper and unreadable ink.  They were a challenge to use and to send copies of “stuff” back and forth, but we would never use them to present offers.  Those still had to be delivered by hand and presented in person.  

In 1989 I joined RE/MAX by buying the franchise that encompassed Watertown and Waltham.  Back then, I did not even know what RE/MAX stood for, not to mention its history and the story of its founders Dave and Gail Liniger.  In 1989, RE/MAX was just starting to grow.  There were only 25,000 agents in 2 countries, the United States and Canada.  The Canadians grasped the concept a lot better than real estate brokers in the states did and they quickly dominated most major markets throughout Canada.  RE/MAX has been the Number 1 residential real estate network in Canada since 1987.  I purchased my franchise from Walter Schneider and Frank Polzler who still own our region today.  At the time they also owned the RE/MAX Ontario, Canada region. The first convention I attended was in Atlanta and I had the great privelige of meeting Dave and Gail Liniger personally.  I was amazed at how accessible they were and how willing they were to spend time and meet each one of their agents.  The keynote speaker was Stormin Norman Schwarzkopf and Desert Storm was still very much a part of our lives.  Lee Greenwood performed “I’m proud to be an American” and to this day it is the convention that I recall most fondly. 

Our industry has matured, and all the while RE/MAX has grown and adapted to a changing business environment.  There are now 6,536 offices with nearly 95,000 agents located in 78 countries.  Dave & Gail Liniger are still the owners of RE/MAX International.  And what about Walter Schneider and Frank Polzlner?  They now own a number of regions including RE/MAX Europe which alone has over 36 countries and supports over 10, 300 agents. 

Here I sit, 6:30 pm .  I am about to shut down my computer and head home.  Thirty one years later, the last 20 years with RE/MAX, in as challenging a market as we have seen and I can’t wait to get to work tomorrow.  It’s been an interesting journey that appears to be about halfway over….or is it halfway to go?  Twenty years.