The Hogue Group

It was another great weekend with showing homes to multiple people on Saturday, having a record 17 couples at my open house on Sunday, getting water back into our pond at home, starting on some wood projects in my shop, and knowing that today marks 19 years that I have had the pleasure of being married to my wife Holly. You just can’t ask for more than that.

So on my anniversary, I have 2 homes to show this afternoon, a closing at 4:30 pm and then Holly and I are going out for dinner.

I hope each and everyone that sees this has a fabulous day and week.

More to come.

Do you remember the song, “She works hard for her money?” Change the She to a He and you got Me! If you are looking to sell your home or to buy your first or upgrade to another, then give me a call at 502-649-3431 or email me at info@propertybyrick.com. Any way you reach me is fine. You will not be disappointed in how I work for you. I eat sleep and breath real estate and I love what I am doing. I do take time to be with my lovely bride Holly and our dogs Zorro and Zen but I spend lots of time with clients and doing research.

Today it was announced that I am now ranked in the top 20 (17) for individual agents in our local office. I feel honored to be in this group of fine sales people who care about the way the real estate business is going. I know that by following the example of the people in this list and not only receiving but also sharing the knowledge that we will have the best sales force in all of Kentucky for real estate.

If you work for another company I would like to be your sponsor and have you come to any of our training programs that we offer in house, so you can see just how powerful our members are and how powerful you can become. Call me and we can meet for coffee and tell me which book you would rather receive free from me, “The Million Dollar Real Estate Agent” a plan to make you the best you can be by planning your career and staying focused on your family life or “Shift” knowing how to act during up and down times will set your pace for a great career even in tough times.

It is not only our strong belief system but also our commitment to excellence. We follow the examples set forth in Gary Kellers MREA book, Shift book, Flipping book and the vast knowledge that is shared within the Keller Williams organization. Those that believe in what they are doing and stand fast to the task of blocking time slots for specific activities and put the customer first are thriving in this market and are starting to realize their dreams. I am but one of those people and hope you will join me in the quest for greatness as we move into more prosperous times in the housing market. Look for the 36-12-3 course to be added in November of 2009 to our arsenal of programs. 411 will be added to the first session of 443 starting in the October class so if you need to brush up for your planning for 2010 goals then I highly recommend to attend this class. Also we are working on a class that will be probably presented once per quarter that will be interactive on “7 weeks to a FSBO Convert.”

I will be adding credentials to my Real Estate Associate title on the 15th of September when I have completed my course study to become a Certified Distressed Property Expert in St Louis. If you know of someone who may be in hard times or coming into hard times, be sure to have them contact me so I can work with them to make it hopefully a little easier when it comes to handling their real estate needs.

And don’t forget we are coming down to the wire on the 8000 Federal Tax Credit for first time home buyers. Let me help you get into a home before the 1st of December to qualify for the program.

I have now been with Keller Williams Louisville East for 8 months. In that time frame I have seen many changes in the market and in myself. With the training we get and give at Keller Williams it is amazing how fast you can grow your business. I have gone from knowing very little if anything at all about selling a house to 8 sales, and currently over 10 buyers who are ready to do something with the real estate market.

It is truely an exceptional company to work for and I hope that those who read this that are in the business will give me a call so I can tell you more.

Now I am off of my soap box but still want to let you know about the market. Home sales are up in our area every month since this spring with prices starting to level off and not be fast to fall. For the most part I believe that agents are doing a better job of explaining how the market is and how short sales and foreclosures are effecting the pricing in specific areas of the state. I still see somewhat of a slow market in the 500k homes but for those in the 100 to 210k market they are prime for first time home buyers.

Don’t forget, if you are eligible for the first time home buyers federal refund, you must close on your home by the 1st day of December. You will not be able to get the refund on an amended return at this point but you can apply for it with the proof of purchase on your 2009 income tax return. Just to reiterate, the first time home buyers tax refund is based on 10% of the sales price of the home up to 8000 dollars total rebate available. As long as you or your partner have not owned a home in 36 months and you make less than 75k for a single person or 150k for a family then you can qualify. Remember that it declines in percentage after that based on your income and those making more than 95k for a single person or 190k for a family are not eligible for any refund.

Call me if you have questions about this or if you want to find that perfect home for you. You can also search for homes on my MLS Search site http://www.louisvillemls.pro.

I will post as often as I can on this but it gets harder as the people start to call me more often.