BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 272 Car Detailing At A New Level

Hey there,

This is an introduction to our newest blog partner in our network of vendors that we highly recommend. I had the great pleasure of meeting Lydia Derian who is the manager and spokesperson for Lavaggio, a high end auto detailing shop on 30205 Canwood Sreet in Agoura Hills. This high end shop coupled with this high energy lady is sure to make all of our car lovers very very happy. I look forward to a long lasting relationship and please make sure to print out out first page of the blog and experience a car detailing experience like no other. For the next couple of days we will highlight what they do better than anyone else and we are so excited to promote this dynamic new business in Agoura Hills. Our blog offer cannot be combined with any other offer.

Lavaggio is an evolution of an idea that began with The Agoura Hills Car Wash. It was created to provide top-quality and customized detailing services for car owners of Southern California who demand excellence. The mission at Lavaggio is to improve the level of workmanship, provide unsurpassed client care with concierge and executive services, provide a lush but comfortable waiting environment for our clients – all at affordable prices! This place is unbelievable! Go to their website, www.lavaggio.net, and navigate through their service menu to see the many packages that are available to meet anyone’s needs. Lavaggio takes professionalism to new heights. This shines through from the moment you arrive at the state-of-the-art detailing facility until they deliver your vehicle to you. As a bonus, Lavaggio is offering 20% off any car service you desire. Simply print the first page of this blog and bring it in. This is a MUST DO!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 271 A Buyer's Eyes

Showing a lot of property lately to buyers and this is the predatory look I see in most buyer's eyes. You can see they are hungry, sharp and very focused on getting the best possible buy!Nothing wrong with that. If you are a buyer there is nothing wrong with sitting in the tree, waiting for the right meal (deal) to rush out of the brush and strike. The bird is an Eagle Owl that a local falconer brought by for a peek...Awesome Creature

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 270 Sunny Smiles

Unbelievable morning! If you did not wake up with a smile on your face after looking outside, crawl back in bed, pull the covers over and pause for 5 minutes. Start over and repeat the process 3 times and if you are still not smiling, seek medical attention immediately, for I fear you are not well. For the rest of us, we will race towards sunset with much to accomplish, enjoy and appreciate and we will do it with sunny smiles on our faces.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 269 Sunset over Sugarloaf

Driving home last night, I had to stop and take this shot of this majestic Oak and Sugarloaf Mountain. The photo made me a bit melancholy as I pondered the sunset and the symbolic picture of what the sky had painted in front of me. The sunset is so different from the sunrise, both strikingly beautiful, but, they are as far as the East is from the West. Sunset: The end of life or a relationship. Sunrise: life springs forth and hope lives in the new day. Sunset: The flowers of the fields fade into darkness. Sunrise: The flowers unfold and their colors reflect the piercing morning light. Sunset: The predators rise up in Africa and death rules the darkness. Sunrise: The prey bounds for joy as they have lived to see another day. And my favorite of all, Sunset: My cellphone stops ringing. Sunrise: Ring Ring Ring...Hello this is Dave.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 268 Hot New Property

This First Neighborhood home in Westlake Village is going on the market later today. This premium cul-de-sac lot with pool and spa will go fast! Copy and paste the link below to see the digital magazine.

http://www.themclaughlingroup.com/ibrochure-single/index.cfm?listingid=32970

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 267 The Scare

While showing property today at the Vintage Community, I received a disturbing phone call about the website. The site was directing people to a different location other than our site. Thankfully our web operators in Minnesota answered the call and had the domain up and running again. A most horrifying thought considering all the money we spend on the sites and losing www.themclaughlingroup.com would be unimaginable. The stomach and nerves were churning but they resolved it at 6pm so I was able to eat after all.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 266 Here Comes the Rain

I don't know folks, I thought it was supposed to be here sometime today. Really glad that it did not come. We snuck in a photo shoot and have a late afternoon showing and the bigger bonus is, I won't have to sit in the rain tonight for the girls soccer game. We do need a little spray to freshen up the hills but I hope it comes while we sleep away and dream of sunny days.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 265 Annual Shout Out

Every year I try to shout out to all my friends and family asking for referrals. If any of you know of someone who is interested in buying or selling, please pass them along to our group and we will do our best to give them the professional service that they deserve. I hope 2012 is great for all of us!


This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 264 Our Resolutions

These New Year's resolutions are popular year after year.

1. Drink Less Alcohol
2. Eat Healthy Food
3. Get a Better Education
4. Get a Better Job
5. Get Fit
6. Lose Weight
7. Manage Debt
8. Manage Stress
9. Quit Smoking
10.Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
11.Save Money
12.Take a Trip
13.Volunteer to Help Others

Come on. Are you kidding me? My resolution was to call my mom more often. Dave's was to let his hair grow out a little longer. Kelly's was to go blond like the rest of the group. Dylan's was to be more like Dave. Janet's was to win the lottery. Shawn's was to learn to dance, SHIZAM!

This is Laurie, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 263 Condo in Calabasas

Looking for a great starter or nice investment? Stop looking because you have found it. 2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms, private patio, lower end unit, gated community with pool and gym..Superb location.

Below is the link to the our online magazine.

http://www.themclaughlingroup.com/ibrochure-single/index.cfm?listingid=32198

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 262 The Hounds

Okay, do you think someone got carried away with the past glories? I can say for certain I had nothing to do with these photos. However, it is a good shot of the hounds in the Orange of Oregon State and the Green of Tulane.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 261 Saturday Night Out

Hey, looking for a great evening out. Try this out for Saturday night. The Shoemakers are playing at Cantara Cellars in Camarillo. A little wine and a dose of the brothers are sure to cure any post holiday blues. 7PM to 9PM Saturday Night.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, Keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 260 George

Here is a shot of George. He is about 7 years old now. He is the best fed squirrel in the neighborhood; Mango, walnuts, blueberries, pecans, pine nuts etc.etc. Raised on goats milk since the neighbor found him when he was about 2 ounces. I bet the number of animals now that we have removed from homes including birds, snakes, has to near 50 but luckily the calls slow in the winter but come spring they will return. So instead of a licensed realtor, we will be looking for an animal handler to join the group.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 259 Winter Blues

Holidays over, refrigerator empty, wine cooler empty, belly bloated, relatives gone and Dave wants a completed marketing plan for 2012 ASAP! I feel just like the beauty in this picture.

This is Laurie, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 258 East Lakeshore

Back on the market and waiting for the buyer who wants all that lakefront living has to offer.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 257 Parkview

Another one fell into the sold column last week. A great house with a fantastic yard and new buyers that are super excited about the community and schools. Poor appraisals from the lending institutions are still wreaking havoc on our market. Hopefully, the over correction by the appraisers will swing back to normalcy this year!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 256 A Snake in the Pot

It was late spring Sunday along Three Springs Drive sitting the Brannigan's house open and I was anticipating an eventful open house. This was the second house that the Brannigans had asked us to sell and the previous open houses had drawn in a lot of people. It was about halfway through the open house when I noticed some activity out front. There was a large pot with some type of spring flower in full bloom right at the corner of the garage as people came up to the entry. From the living room window, I saw a lady and two small boys, maybe 8-10 years old jumping around this pot. As I opened the door I asked them politely, "whats happening?". The mom quickly replied for me not to worry, she was just trying to catch a small snake they saw in the pot. I asked what type it was and she calmly told me she had grown up with snakes and knew what she was doing. I said "great," but let me take a look just to see. The canopy of the flower made it almost impossible to see the snake but I did recognize the dark coloration and knew exactly what we were now dealing with. What amazed me was this mom had her hand reaching in and trying to grab this thing and she did not get bit. As I took my leather shoes and moved the flower aside, I said lady, "that's a rattlesnake." She turned white as a ghost and her breathing changed. I think it struck her, she had just escaped, by sheer luck, a very painful, potentially deadly and most embarrassing mistake. The boys were now scared but I looked right at them and said to them "you guys are lucky to have a mom like this, she is like Crocodile Dundee." This was before the Steve Irwin burst onto the seen but the boys knew exactly who I was talking about. They beamed with pride, mom relaxed and whispered a quick thank you. After they were done looking at the house, I grabbed a bucket, captured the snake, went home and had a lesson for Kelsey and Kinsey. They watched our King Snake, take the bites of the Rattler and slowly swallow him down. You see, Kings are great to have around because, the venom of the Rattler, which can kill us, has no impact on the King Snake.

So if you have a snake in the pot, you may want to clearly identify before you say "OOPS."

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 255 Group Photo

Here is the the new group photo for 2012. We look forward to seeing all of you on the top of the mountain.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN - day 254 A 2nd Look

Wanted everyone to take a 2nd look at this awesome lake property. Besides the open floor plan and amazing views, members at Malibou Lake enjoy year round water fun with swimming, boating, fishing and more. Here is a great shot from one of the decks.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 253 The Eve and the Day

The Eve: Okay, last night at the Cornell Winery was one of the best New Years celebrations I have ever been at. Tim and his staff treated all 21 of us like royalty. The setting, food, and service was superb. Family and friends rolled on over to the Old Place after dinner to ring in the New Year. For a last minute idea, I give it a 10. For anyone seeking to do a private party just reach out to Djata Grant, the Cornell Wineries event coordinator, she was awesome and I am confident that if any of you plan a perty, you won't be disappointed. Will post a photo of the room tomorrow.

The Day: Up and out by 10 on what many would say was a spectacular day..In fact, while showing a gorgeous view property at noon, the little boy kept asking his parents if he could go inside because it was too hot outside. Other than a splitting headache, (caused by who knows what :)) the day could not have been more beautiful. From 8PM last night to the current post time of 6:18 PM, this New Years Eve and Day will be one of my highlights of 2012. So far, 2012 is lookin good!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 252 My Favorites

Instead of writing something new, I thought I would just repost two of my favorites from the year. We started in February and have posted 252 times. We try to keep the blog related to real estate but sometimes it wanders into life's other challenges, however, for the most part, we have been true to it's initial concept. So here are my two favorites: Pit Bulls & Baby Steps, which is a story about a brokers caravan and Marathon, which is my comparison of a marathon, marraige and a real estate transaction.

Pit Bulls and Baby Steps

Crossing the stream in the listing agent's jeep enjoying the broker's caravan along Lobo Canyon, neither myself nor the two lady agents had any idea what peril loomed in front of us. A burned out house on five plus acres with incredible views and a small trailer nestled under the shade trees. As we exited the car, two rather menacing looking Pits, barking, growling & foaming at the mouth, began crashing against the glass trailer door. With each successive blow to the door, the latch is slowly giving way. Now the distance between the jeep, a large fence and trailer are measured by my perceptive and now fearful eye. And it happens, the door gives way and shooting out of the trailer like bullets exiting their gun's chamber, 200 pounds of muscle and teeth have locked on. Instinct and heart rate explode, I am at the top of the fence in seconds, relieved that I still have some life in my legs but now horrified about who I have left behind to suffer a most unfortunate mauling. As I turn to look, the dogs were on them, sniffing, wagging and licking away, just happy to have some friends on their mountain. I am humiliated but quickly shout out from my position on top of the fence, "Hey, the second story views from a new house would be spectacular." Not one of my proudest moments but since that day I have stepped in front of two dogs to take the bite instead of my clients, a Chihuahua and a Pekingese...Baby steps!

Marathon

I heard marriage once described as a marathon. Think about that, being out of breath, aching muscles, blistered feet and dehydrated...it just makes most of us want to run out and get married or if already married, asking, what mile am I at right now? The start of the marathon is exciting with the massive moving crowd and fanfare but check in around mile 14, 15, or 16 and see what's up. Skip to the finish line, more crowds, the exhilaration of completion, champagne and finally, a well deserved rest. So it goes with buying or selling a house, first comes the excitement of coming to terms, then comes the inspections, disclosures, paperwork, appraisals and the worry, stress and fatigue that inevitably hop on your shoulders for the ride. Exhausting! 45 days or so later, you're sipping a martini or lemonade by the pool, the dog is tearing up your yard and your feet are up and you are at rest. The loose toilet, the rat droppings in the attic and the bleeping bleeping smoke detector of the past month are forgotten and you are home. In the middle of your race, day, transaction, or life, you may want to take just a brief moment to ponder your coming rest.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 251 The Last Work Day

Many memories, highlights, issues and concerns swirling around in my head this morning as I start work on the last official work day of the year. Although, it has been well documented in this blog that weekends are as busy as weekdays in our field. Since tomorrow is the 31st and the last day of the year, today I will dream that I am a disgruntled 40 to 50 hour a week employee, in some large corporation, watching the clock tick away as I count the hours towards a long 3 day weekend filled with football, friends, family and libations.

It has been a rather eventful year for the corporation, manufacturing in China has been difficult with Typhoons rocking our facilities. A few trips to Iowa to help facilitate the the restructuring of our midwestern strategy, a new boss who I do not see eye to eye with and has me a tad concerned going into the new year. I look out at my calendar and see my meetings are scheduled for the entire year, pending of course, typhoons, company reorganization, competitive breakthroughs and a host of staff issues that will undoubtedly arrive at the most inopportune times. Speaking of the staff, I ponder having to meet with the the same people time and time again, wondering if Charlie will ever improve on his hygiene. I can't stand sitting next to him during the meetings, the smell is unbearable and if that Jill, aka "the Blabberer" extends one more meeting because of that mouth of hers, I swear I will stand up and shove a one of those day old doughnuts right down her throat..Whew! I could get in trouble if anybody at the company were reading my blog today. I don't even want to think about the parking this year, I go to the gym to get my exercise, the company should pay for new shoes since it's a 1/2 mile hike into the office every morning. How many years until I retire? Wow, only 9:30 in the morning, 7 hours still to go, oh no, here comes Jim.......sorry about that, he just can't let it go. I got the promotion 6 years ago and he still comes over and wines but finishes with a barrage of self promotion that is only matched by the late KIM JONG IL. If his team wins the company boiling trophy again, I will make sure he will be the late JIM JONG IL. Oh boy, the final numbers for the year just came in, not to bad, maybe I will have to hit up the big boss for a little raise based on these numbers. Can it please be lunchtime yet? Well, big brother has new internet access rules starting next year, only 15 minutes online per day for personal use time, like checking mail, facebook, etc etc. I am going to maximize my internet time, on this, The Last Work Day of the year.

I know it is not that bad and in fact so many people love their jobs and in many ways I do envy the stability, steadiness and certainty of the corporate life. In fact, I think just having a job is a pretty good thing, just ask around these days. It is fun for me to type away between my appointments and to poke fun at others but most of all to poke fun at myself because I realize how lucky I am. I probably met over 100 new families this year and the interaction with all of them is beyond rewarding. Challenging, fun, emotional, stimulating and I could go on and on. Throw in my team that I get to work with on a daily basis (we have no Charlies, Jills or Jims unless my group things I am one of them) and I realize just how fortunate I truly am.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 250 Hunt Club

Hunt Club is an example of a seller who looked at the market, took our advice, priced it appropriately and was rewarded with a quick sale which is tough in this current estate market. Most Agoura estates are on the market for at least 6 months so this was a wise and now happy seller.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 249 Work, Really?

On a day like today after a couple days of gorging and with such incredible weather, the questions is work, really? Yep, but hopefully just a couple hours. Photo off the balcony at work.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 248 Xmas Dinner

So all the family got together at the lake for our Xmax dinner. Drew and his family had to get back up to the bay area for more functions, so our entire tribe pow wowed an evening earlier than usual. Plenty of food and fun and gifts for all the little ones and then an unexpected family of four shows up out of the blue. A mom and three teenagers not looking for gifts but maybe just a warm meal on a cold night. The photo is one of the teenagers putting in an order with Santa for an over sized drumstick. I am sure as they clamored and clambered back up the Oak Tree, they thought to themselves that Santa had lost some weight and certainly looked more athletic than the big guy in the red suit that mom and dad Racoon had spoke of.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 247 Showings

How about this for last minute shopping..Two different showings today for homes. I wish they could buy the house, wrap it up and close in 1 day. That would be a nice present for under the tree. As it stands, if they buy today, it will probably be more of a Valentines Day gift.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 246 Here KItty Kitty

You know with the holiday stresses sometimes you just want to avoid all the people and hang with your cat or dog...Here kitty kitty has multiple meanings and I will leave those who know my meaning and those who don't know to have fun with it.

This is Dave, with The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 245 Driftwood

Just a block from the beach is our new listing on Driftwood in the Oxnard Shores area. Looking for a great weekend escape close by? This is a newer, beautiful 3 bedroom 3 bathroom townhome, highly upgraded and ready to move into. Just log onto www.themclaughlingroup.com and check it out. Tell me a walk on the beach with your best friend is not one of the best things that this life has to offer. Check out Driftwood and maybe you will want drift away to a better place.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 244 Wagon

After two year long leases, an interesting neighbor, a long escrow, Wagon will close on Tuesday. What a great house with an amazing setting. The new family and kids will love living there and it will be a very cool holiday moment for them. Another new beginning comes from some others beginnings end!

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!

BLINDS WIDE OPEN -day 243 The Flood

This is not the great biblical flood that I am referring to. This is a cautionary note to all who would turn on the water to a house without being inside. Don't do it! You just never know what valve may have been left open when the washer/refrigerator and other fixtures were removed or left on as the water was shut off. Needless to say after 14 years in this business, there are still firsts and talk about taking your breath away. From the holiday party to the flood, I can't wait to see whats next.

This is Dave, from The McLaughlin Group, keeping it real in real estate!