Ann Arbor Undressed : December 2007

I enjoy  looking at all the ALT tags on Chris Griffiths posts and Bob Carney's posts. Some people have emailed me and asked what the heck is an ALT tag?

I found this great video on YouTube with the master himself, Matt Cutts explaining ALT tags. ALT tags are important because they tell the person reading what the image (photo) is about.

It is easy to do on Activerain, after you upload your photo, just add a title tag and image description. The title tag will be what shows up when someone holds their cursor over the photo. Google likes us to use ALT tags, enough said.

 Here is an example:  Put your cursor over the image and hold it there. See it?

When I was a little girl, and would be leaving my grandmother's house she would  always say, "Be sweet, see you in my dreams."

My mother use to say, "Be good."

My dad use to say, "Remember who you are."

Lately, when I leave a message for someone on other social networks, I've been saying,

"See ya in the rain".

Lately, I have been joining other Social Networks, seems like more and more pop up and are started every day. I joined Naymz in December 2006, wasn't quite sure what it was all about and then last month all of a sudden lots of Activerain members were looking at my profile and joining in. I wondered what happened if someone here had posted on it, but Jeff Turner told me, "someone had twittered on it".

I don't get the whole "twitter" thing. Maybe next year. But, I do know what Jeff, Sarah, and Linda are doing.

Linda's getting insane baskets of food dropped off at her office.

I guess my life is boring, does anyone want to know I am either blogging, or on a computer or joining yet another social network?

Early this week Cyndee Haydon invited me over to Real Estate World. So I set up a page there. This is a Zing Social Network, and there are lots of groups over there to join and many of YOU are there. When I joined on Monday, I was number 19 and now there are 143 of us there. See the widget in my side-bar.

Brad Andersohn, also started a group at Zing, called Real Estate World Networking.

Bill Gassett, commented on one of my posts yesterday about PageFlakes. Now that is a really cool site. Then he posted on it yesterday, so to find out more you can read his post.

There are tons of feeds you can bring in to make your home page really useful and time saving. I submitted my new blog and it was accepted into the community so now all my posts are right there. You could check out my profile, but I'm having trouble with it because it just goes to my log in and I can't find the URL. Oh well, just go check it out, I like it better than iGoogle for my home page as I can bring in tons of widgets, feeds, news, calendars, youTubes, etc.

Bill Gassett also let all of us know a few weeks ago about Cre8Buzz, a place to increase your internet presence.

Whooo Bill slow down, I can't keep up.

Leigh Brown invited me into her trusted network at Spock.com. Well, I thought this was great but now there are hundreds of us from Activerain over there.

And then don't forget about Linkedin one of the first social networks, well at least there is a little sanity over there.

I've been so busy that I haven't got to check my Facebook profile. But, that's OK. Here is a snowman, or a snowball, or a reputation request, or a drink, now I'm all caught up. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Yikes.

Not only that but when I check my ranking for Google, I usually use certain search terms I want to be found under. But when I use my log on name which is the same for all my Social Networks, all of them come up. It is just missycaulk, all together. Try it on yours and see what happens. Is that weird or what?

I feel like Susan Powers STOP THE INSANITY!

No, I don't have MySpace. I will not get MySpace... my kids said "NO. mom you can not get MySpace.

I said OK.

Oh, well....

See you in the rain!

The best, the easiest, the most fun, the most people, the greatest friends, the most caring people, "there I said it."

But, I would like you to visit my outside blog (I hate that word)occasionally. Just had to throw that in.

How 'bout you, ready to stop the insanity, any solutions?

Happy Birthday to my wonderful daughter, Christa Noelle Caulk.

It is hard to believe that 28 years ago today you came into my life and changed me forever.

Born on December 20^th in Auburn, Alabama, with a head full of hair, you were the best Christmas gift I ever received. We named you Christa, (Christ with an A) and Noelle (because you were born at Christmas time)

Like any mother and daughter relationship, we had our struggles during those last few years of high school. But, now our relationship has grown into a friendship like none other.

You never made me happier, the day you came to me and said, "Mommy, I want to go into real estate with you."  We had never talked about it, so besides the initial shock, I was thrilled. Did I tell you, I like that you still call me, "mommy"?

The last 4 years of you being on my team, I have seen you grow and mature in your knowledge and wisdom. Your clients in Ann Arbor all LOVE you, and refer you to their friends so that you rarely need me. You have the character to stick with deals, when I would have given long given up.  

I was so proud of you when you gave your U of M. football tickets to a client who had never been to a game.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for you the next few months as you start doing the Sports Talk Radio Show in Ann Arbor on WTKA. As you told Sam, "I learned X's and 0's on my high chair." You will be a great announcer and the "girl everyone wants to wake up to".

Have a wonderful day, and I'm off to bake that Red Velvet Cake that is your favorite.

I love you, Bubba Girl!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

I live in Saline, MI. It is a small, friendly community outside Ann Arbor, MI.

We moved here 14 years ago and have enjoyed everything about it. The schools are great, the teachers are great, the administration is great and is is so easy to get to know people. The Chamber of Commerce is very active and I served on the Board for 6 years.

Here is a little slide show of some of the schools, historic places, and things to do in Saline, MI.

If you are moving to the Ann Arbor, Saline area, you can search for homes here. This site has Google Maps, Google Satellite Images, and multiple photos.

When you are ready to re-locate to Michigan, give the Missy Caulk Team a call, with four Buyer Agents we can help you all over Washtenaw County.

Missy Caulk

734-216-2822

Missy@MissyCaulk.com

The wait is over....

University of Michigan hires Rich Rodriguez, from West Virginia as the new Head football coach at University of Michigan.

He will be introduced at a press conference Monday morning. Personally, I'm glad the search is over. It has been a month long search since Lloyd Carr resigned.

You can read the entire story on my Ann Arbor Real Estate Blog.

Last year, U of M. hired the head basketball away from W. Virginia, John Beilein.

Sorry, Jeff Belonger, I know you love West Virginia and Sarah Cooper, I know you do too.

GO BLUE !!!

Our first snow fall in Saline, MI.  Oh, we've had a few flurries... but his is the real thing.

My son, Jamie who is going into the Navy is home and his girlfriend who lives in Tennessee flew in for the weekend. Malena was born and raised in California.

Malena is sooooooo excited. It is hard not to pick up some of her excitement. Her excitement made me think of our 1^st time home-buyers, how excited they are. Even though I mostly list, I still work with a few buyers that are past clients or referrals from other agents.

Buyers are so much fun!

Our pastor just called, they are canceling church. Now that is a first for me. Apparently, he shoveled his driveway, got into the street and got stuck.

Unfortunately, we still have to get out in the snow. Allyssa is at a camp about an hour away on a one lane dirt road. Oh my, glad I have a SUV with a snow button.

My two boy dogs went out, my two female dogs would not. You know what that means ??

My computer is fixed.

I blogged on it, Monday afternoon, when support at DELL told me to: "Take Your Computer to Walmart. You all were so kind with all your suggestions and your own troubles with DELL. A few of you have had none and you can be grateful for that.

The mother board arrived on Thursday, 5 days earlier than I was told. My hubby installed it that night and oh no, "the same blue screen".

On Friday, I called Kevin Williams, he does tech support for the Keller Williams office and the manager had offered for him to help me. (No, no decision has been finalized)

After working on it for several hours in my home, Kevin needed to take it to his office to do more testing, but he suspected I need a new hard drive.

Late Friday night, Kevin called and he had it fixed. It was the hard drive, full of junk and several files corrupted.

However, he fixed it and it didn't need replacing.

I have been using my Tablet PC since then and although great for mobility, not great for a desk top work horse. However, I will network the 2 computers together so I am not without my electronic files EVER again.

Tonight it is home and running like a charm.

I am in bliss, and so very grateful to Kevin.

Anyone needing tech support in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Contact: Kevin Williams at Info Tech.

734-385-6183

***Kevin likes to be known as when others give up, he steps up.***

Running out of time in Ann Arbor, Michigan to get your presents wrapped? There is great little company that I found in Ann Arbor, Mi called, Santa's Little Helper.

Santa's Little Helper will come into YOUR home and wrap your presents, stuff your stockings. They are currently offering 10% off on all wrappings before December 15^th, 2007. To see the prices, click here. 

I saw this on YouTube, a video of  Cindy Johnson who has 42 Christmas Trees in her home in Lyndon Township. Cindy is an IT Supervisor at Borders Corporate office in Ann Arbor, Mi. Lyndon Township is located in Washtenaw County. Cindy has each of her 42 Christmas trees decorated with a different theme.

Enjoy !

I'm happy. 

Just wrote an offer yesterday, it is accepted. In Ann Arbor Michigan.

All terms and conditions met.

My buyer Agent  (one of them ) wrote an offer too.

Folks I am honestly NOT usually busy in December. I usually cook home-cooked meals. Go Christmas shopping, matter of fact....

I am one that advocates for boundaries. I wrote a post back in April.  "Are you Denny's or Outback."  Families come first etc.... blah, blah, blah.....

But........in this market we DO what we need to do.

Sorry kids, we had Taco's by candle light tonight. Seriously

But, hey I have happy buyers, they got 100% financing, on a bridge loan because they have a 770 credit score and they fell in love with a house.

Yippee !!!

Click to: Search All Listings in Ann Arbor Michigan

Yes those are the very words I heard yesterday at 6:30 A.M.

I woke up at 2:30 to let my dogs, all four of them out to do their business. Of course I being so obsessive went to check my email.

The computer was frozen, so I re-booted and got the blue screen.

Yikes..........

Re-booted again.

Now I have a black screen........

I had paid for Dell Connect so called them up. (Opps, gotta let the dogs in........)

Got a really nice guy, Kevin. Very patient, he couldn't get it fixed after 2 ½ hours. It is now 6:00 A.M.  He transfers me to the physical hardware dept. He says she will tell me how to take my computer case apart and see if anything is loose.

I am fairly good with software; not so much with hardware.

He says he will document everything he has done.

He did, but she is asking me the same questions and going through the same steps. I politely tell her, " I was being transferred to you, so you could check the hardware inside the computer to see if it was loose, Kevin already did all this."

She tells me that since I have been on the phone with him for 3 hours I had better take it to a service center.

"Oh, where is the DELL Service Center ?"

"You, don't have one in Ann Arbor, Michigan"?

Where should I take it?

She told me "To a WALMART"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I lost it, my husband came running and took over the phone.

I ordered the new Mother-board. I can't get it until the 18^th of December.

I'm going to look at MAC's today.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. No thank you, DELL. I am not taking my computer to Walmart.

*** Customer Service is so important in our careers. Even if you can't fix it, be patient and kind. Listen to what the "customer" is saying. Solve problems promptly and dont' take a week to get it resolved.****