Volume 1, Issue 5 October, 2011

RE/MAX Renaissance Realty’s

Holiday Specia

lHoliday

Special

Holiday Specia

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AAANDREWNDREWNDREW RRROBBOBBOBB’’’SSS PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALPHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALPHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIAL

Table of Contents

3 Turkey Trivia! Volume 1, Issue 4Volume 1, Issue 4Volume 1, Issue 4Volume 1, Issue 4

Editor | Editor | Editor | Editor | Jamie Long

Contributors:Contributors:Contributors:Contributors: Kelly Angel Kim Couture

Susan Meacham Andrew Robb Eddy Parris Mark Parris

Ashley Thomas

ContactContactContactContact

9059 W. Lake Pleasant Pkwy. B-200

Peoria, AZ 85382 Phone: (623) 486-5700 Fax: (623) 505-5330

5 Halloween

6 Christmas

7 Susan Meacham’s Property Management

8 New Years

10 Andrew Robb’s Photography Tutorial

13 Birthday Pet Contest!

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Broker’s Buzz

Mark Parris

As you know we have been working very diligently the past several months on developing the RENAISSANCE magazine. This magazine will feature Listings from our Office, introduce our Agents, offer interesting and educational information and promote RE/MAX as the “BEST” choice to Buyers and Sellers when searching for assistance with their Real Estate needs. Our goal is to use this magazine as a resource to generate more business for each of us and to give our clients another tool to market their home. You will be able to utilize it in your listing presentations as an added advantage of the service you offer your clients. The magazine will be published quarterly and will be available online so you will be able to send a link to your data base for easy access for viewing at their convenience. It will also go out to over 5000 homes in a full color professional print format.

We are proud to announce that the first issue will launch this month and are very excited

to see the results of the new venture!

acebook Tips Think of facebook as a Dinner party

Facebook is a social networking site, and people don’t want to be bombarded constantly with property listings. To stay relevant use facebook as a way to connect with your clients outside of real estate - so use it to let them get to know you as a person and share articles your friends my

find relative. Use articles with painting tips, local business you use, local news, market updates, and so on. Don’t forget to comment on their updates and photos. Don’t feel that because you’re

a Realtor® that you have to only give real estate related updates.

Kim’s Korner

RE/MAX Renaissance Realty is dedicated to being involved in Community Service. One of the ways that we have chosen to get involved is by participating in the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” event. This year the event will take place on October 9th. This will be the 2nd year in a row our office has formed a Team and supported this worthy cause. We will also be decorating a Christmas tree that will be on display at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. We will be collecting ornaments during the months of October and November in order to decorate the Christmas tree at the beginning of December. This is a great opportunity for you and your family to do Community Service together. It is a wonderful experience and I hope you will be able to join us. More details to follow regarding the exact date & time that this event will take place.

Our Office has previously participated in collecting food for St. Mary’s Food Bank and collecting toys for The Angel Tree program. In the upcoming weeks, we will be deciding which of these programs we would like to support this year.

Your generosity in supporting all of these programs is greatly appreciated.

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The 2011 Race Date is October 9th!

We are registered under 'RE/MAX Renaissance'. The cost to participate is $30

If you wish to join, please go to :

http://phoenix.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/PHX_PhoenixAffiliate?fr_id=2166&pg=entry

Click on 'Join a Team' in the middle of the page to get started.

If you have any questions about registering, please contact Ashley and she will walk you through it.

Thank you to you all who are helping make a statement about Breast Cancer. If anyone you know would also like to join our team, please have them sign

up...the more the merrier!

Please let me know once you have registered.

Turkey Trivia!Turkey Trivia!Turkey Trivia!Turkey Trivia! 1. When was the first Thanksgiving celebration?

A. 1492

B. 1567 C. 1621 D. 1777

2. Where was the turkey first domesticated? A. Canada

B. Mexico and Central America C. New Zealand

D. India

3. What is a female turkey called? A. a rooster B. a cuckoo C. a chick D. a hen

4. What is a male turkey called? A. a Larry

B. a Clark

C. a Harry

D. a Tom

5. What great American statesman lobbied to make the

turkey the national symbol? A. Benjamin Franklin B. Thomas Jefferson C. John Adams

D. Andrew Jackson

6. What sound does a female turkey make? A. Gobble B. Cluck

C. Chirp

D. Peep

7. What sound does a male turkey make? A. Gobble B. Click

C. Chirp

D. Peep

8. About how many feathers does a mature turkey have? A. 1,500 B. 2,000

C. 3,500

D. 5,000

9. Which state produces the most turkeys annually? A. Kansas B. Ohio

C. Arkansas

D. Minnesota

10. How fast can wild turkeys run? A. 5 mph B. 15 mph

C. 25 mph

D. 45mph

11. How does Arkansas rank among the other states in

turkey production? A. first

B. third C. eighth

D. fourteenth

12. What Native American tribe celebrated the first

Thanksgiving with the colonists? A. the Wampanoag tribe

B. the Sioux tribe C. the Choctaw tribe D. the Arapaho tribe

13. Can wild turkeys fly? If so, how fast? A. No

B. Yes, up to 25 mph C. Yes, up to 40 mph D. Yes, up to 55 mph

14. Approximately what percentage of American homes

eats turkey on Thanksgiving? A. 49%

B. 67%

C. 82%

D. 90%

15. Approximately what percentage of American homes

eats turkey on Christmas? A. 34% B. 50% C. 67% D. 89%

16. What is the name of the skin that hangs from a turkey's

neck? A. Snark B. Wattle

C. Garble

D. Swag

17. Which U.S. president specified that Thanksgiving would

fall on the last Thursday of November? A. Martin Van Buren B. Andrew Jackson

C. William H. Taft

D. Abraham Lincoln

18. Which president attempted to move the Thanksgiving

holiday to the fourth Thursday in November to create a

longer Christmas shopping season? A. Franklin D. Roosevelt B. Dwight D. Eisenhower

C. Harry S. Truman

D. Gerald R. Ford

19. Which country consumes the most turkey per year per

capita? A. The United States

B. Israel

C. Spain

D. The United Kingdom

20. What is the best way to defrost a turkey? A. with a hair dryer B. in the refrigerator

C. in cold water

D. in the microwave oven

Eddy’s Edge

Brian Buffini, Richard Robbins, Craig Proctor, Mike Ferry and now Tom Ferry. There have been many real estate coaches come and go over the years. Some of them have a gimmick, some of them are just high energy; but all of them will benefit whomever takes their teachings to heart. All of these coaches will teach the same simple core…but one we all need to be reminded of from time to time. If you are here to SERVE, you WILL be suc-cessful. Some of the coaches help us in finding our WHY. Once we have a han-dle on that, serving seems to become second nature. But there are other reasons these coaches are so successful. There is something about camaraderie and watching others do it that tells us we can too. So, As our Tom Ferry Training kicks off this month, I encourage everyone to take part. Yes, you will get some gold nuggets of things to try that will surely equate into some sells…but most importantly, you will be surrounded by like minded professionals, all figuring out this market just like you. And the sharing that will take place amongst everyone will be worth all the gold nuggets you can

handle. I know without a shadow of a doubt that everyone who participates will have the BEST fourth quarter they have had in years!

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1. 1621

2. Mexico and Central America

3. A Hen

4. A Tom

5. Benjamin Franklin

6. Cluck

7. Gobble

8. 3,500

9. Minnesota

10. 25 mph

11,. Third

12. The Wampanoag Tribe

13. Yes, up to 55 mph

14. 90%

15. 50%

16. Wattle

17. Abraham Lincoln

18. Franklin D. Roosevelt

19. Israel

20. In the Refrigerator

Turkey Trivia!Turkey Trivia!Turkey Trivia!Turkey Trivia! Answer Key

Carmel Apple Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and shredded

• 1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies

• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

October 29th at the Peoria Sports Complex

Free admission with canned food item(s) to help support The St. Mary's/Westside Food Bank Alliance.

• Hot Air Balloon Glow sponsored by

• Parade of Costumes

• Pumpkin Patch

• Monster Street

• Trick or Treat

• Inflatable activities

• Carnival Games

• Make-n-Take Crafts

• Fright Zone

• Food, entertainment and more!

Nominal fee for some activities.

Directions:

1. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour,

baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 min-

utes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3. In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Micro-

wave Bake until golden and a toothpick for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool.

Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes.

GLENDALE GLITTERS SPECTACULAR WEEKEND

Friday & Saturday •••• �ov. 27 & 28 • • • • 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Experience the magic of traditional Old Town holiday atmosphere, 1.5 million holi-day lights and exceptional musical and theatrical performances on the TARGET

Main Stage. Enjoy great holiday family entertainment, horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday craft & gift booths, Santa, and over 20 tons of snow!

GLENDALE DECEMBER HOLIDAY WEEKENDS

Friday & Saturday • • • • 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Gingerbread Nights Dec. 4 - 5 Spirit of Giving Dec. 11 - 12

Jingle Bell Rockin’ Nights Dec. 18 - 19

Historic Downtown Glendale 58th Ave. and Glendale

For more information call 623-930-2299 or visit GlendaleAZ.com/Events

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hot brewed espresso or strong coffee

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa

• Two 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese

• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 pint heavy cream

• One 12- to 13-ounce store-bought vanilla angel food cake

• One 1 1/2-ounce piece white chocolate

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the espresso and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup water and the coffee liqueur.

2. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla at low speed. With the machine on, gradually pour in the cream, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and whip until thick and billowy but not stiff.

3. Invert the angel food cake onto a work surface. Using a large serrated knife, trim the brown crust off the top of the cake, then slice the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place the widest layer cut side up in the bottom of a 7-inch-wide trifle bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the coffee syrup evenly over the cake, then spoon 2 cups of the mas-carpone mixture evenly on top. Finely grate one third of the white chocolate over the mascarpone. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 2 more layers.

Cover the trifle and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

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I wanted to let you know that RE/MAX Renaissance Realty now has a Property Manager. Take note that we can now keep clients happy with the same customer service that you provided to them with their purchase. Not only can your Investors be happy but think of the Seller’s that want to move up but are unable to sell their home at this time. It would be a win/win for all of us. My name is Susan Meacham, you might have seen me a couple of times in the office. Please take a look at the flyer and show this to your clients. We now have Trust Accounts for Security Deposits and online Rent Payments! You can rest assured that when it comes time to sell their home, that I will give that back to you for the listing! Contact me for further in-formation or questions.

We now have a type of SPDS but for Rentals, it’s called RLOPDS—Residential Lease Owner’s Property Disclosure Statement. It’s found in Zip Forms under the RLOPDS. Please have your Owner’s fill this out just as you would have the Seller’s fill out the SPDS. The first page is the instruction page. Just as the SPDS tells you that you can not fill this out it is the same with this form. It is divided into five categories: 1. Ownership and Property 2. Building and Safety Information 3. Utilities 4. Environmental Information 5. Additional Information I’m excited that they made this form for us to use. It’s another tool for us to get accurate information regarding the home that we are listing.

Susan Meacham Cell �umber: 623-776-6980 E-Mail: Susan@Got-RE.com

www.Got-RE.com

What’s �ew in Zip Forms and Required

now for Listing Rentals.

(Even if you don’t have a property

manager)

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Fennel Crushes Ingredients

· 1/4 cup fresh fennel, coarsely chopped · 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds · Ice cubes · 3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) gin · 2 ounces (1/4 cup) anise flavor liqueur, such as Pernod · 1/4 cup orange juice

Directions:

1. Add the fennel and fennel seeds to a cocktail shaker and muddle with a wooden spoon. 2. Fill the shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the gin, anise liqueur and orange juice. Shake for 10 seconds, then strain into 2 ice-filled

glasses.

Every year we bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the new year with the Fiesta Bowl Block Party, one of the biggest block parties in the country. The Fiesta Bowl Block Party has been named by USA Today as one of the top ten

places in America to ring in the new year. You and about 100,000 of your friends will be entertained with rides, music, dancing, a confetti blast and an evening full of family fun.

$20 at the gate or Online

$17 in advance in advance at Fry’s Food & Drug Stores with a Fry’s VIP Card if purchased by December 30th.

Q: How Long have you been a Realtor? Patty: Let’s see, I got my license in 2000, so 11 going on 12 years. Q: What made you want to get a license? Patty: Well, I had bought a house through a really inept Realtor, and I thought I could do a better job! Q: Who were you licensed with? Patty: At the time, we were living in Orange County in California. I originally hung my license with Tarbell Realtors over there.

Q: Oh, I didn’t realize you lived in California…What made you move to Arizona? Patty: George’s job moved us over here in 2004. I got my Arizona license and originally went with a small independent com-pany. I didn’t like it much as there wasn’t a brand recognition and little support, so I moved to Russ Lyon.

Q: What made you finally find your way to RE/MAX? Patty: Well, it was when the market first turned for the worse and I had a cross sale with Eddy. He and Lori told me about the REO’s and I saw a lot of opportunity, so I decided to make the switch. I had no idea how much more I would be getting. The Brand Name recognition is so much bigger at RE/MAX; and the tools that are available, the education, the marketing, the whole package really is just far superior. I love this company and really couldn’t see myself being anywhere else.

Thank you Patty, Keep up the great work!

Patty Thomas

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♦ Interview conducted by Mark Parris

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The following tips are primarily geared for an SLR (single lens reflective) camera, though most of these settings can also be controlled with compact cameras. If you are curious about an SLR camera, you can find a good entry-level one for about $500, including the lens. It is best to refer to your owner’s manual to see how to adjust these settings, which will likely change with every environment. Trial and error is the best way to learn what looks good and how to remember to change the settings.

10 AAANDREWNDREWNDREW RRROBBOBBOBB’’’SSS

PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALPHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALPHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIAL

Make sure the battery is charged and you have a memory card in the camera. It's easy to forget where you may have left the card after transferring photos from it. Before taking a picture, always check your lens and only wipe it with a dry microfiber cleaning cloth (like you would use on sunglasses or to wipe your phone screen).

Adjust the image size to the largest setting available for your camera.

Fortunately, this is just a one-time setting that your camera will store. This will let you take the biggest photos possible, which is better for resizing (shrinking) or cropping (cutting) in post-production. Keep in mind that the bigger the pic-tures, the more memory they will take on your card so be prepared.

1

2 Adjust the white balance using a plain white sheet of paper. Or just use camera's auto setting if you prefer. This tells your camera what is pure white, so you can avoid taking pictures that have blue/green tints to them or where everything comes out looking "brassy". 3 Adjust the ISO to 800 or even 1600 for naturally brighter pictures.

This is crucial to avoid having to lighten the images in post-production. However, be aware that higher ISOs also have drawbacks. In camera-speak, image noise is referred to as the amount of "graininess" in the photo. Consider the following guide:

ISO 100 for brightly lit places or sunlight outside - no noise ISO 200 for overcast and cloudy - only a tiny bit of noise ISO 400 for indoor with or without flash - some noise can be seen ISO 800 for SLR cameras - most shots taken like this with a compact camera will be very grainy

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My belief is unless you are using professional softboxes for room lighting, you should always use a flash indoors.

You can control the camera’s flash intensity if needed for smaller rooms, by decreasing the burst of flash to avoid "washing out" the subject. Conversely for large open indoor spaces, you can increase the flash strength to get ample lighting. If you choose not to use a flash indoors or for dimly lit rooms, use a tripod for a steady shot. The slow shutter speed in low light situations will make it virtually impossible to hold the camera steady long enough.

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Get creative with camera angles and use zoom to frame the shot

Say to cut out ceilings or avoid bright windows. It's best to stick with horizontal pics for the MLS but experiment with different photo angles and camera heights. Think of taking bird’s eye (from an upstairs window) or worm’s eye (from just about the ground) shots too. Play with the depth of field and consider including something out of focus in the foreground to pull the viewer into the shot (maybe the corner of a sofa or a part of a tree). Zooming in tight to showcase fixtures, flooring or textures can also be very effective.

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Always take way more pictures of each room or setting than you will ever need.

What may look very clear on your camera’s LCD might not look so good at 3888 x 2592 frame size for example. Plus it's nice to have a bunch of similar images to choose from when previewing them later on your computer. After all, taking 10 or 100 doesn’t cost any more.

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If you're really fanatical about your pictures, you can learn a post-production editing tool such as Photoshop to

manipulate the images.

But my belief is you really won't need this for every day use if you get all your image settings correct in the field. 8

11 BEFORE: AFTER:

ISO 100, all room lights on, all shutters/curtains open, flash on Everything identical but now at ISO 1600

ISO 100, all room lights on, all shutters/curtains open, flash on Everything identical but now at ISO 1600

EXAMPLE: lower height shot with out-of-focus object in foreground

♦

July

Patty Thomas

September

Adam Hamblen

Agents of the Month August

Andrew Robb

IMPROVE YOUR LEAD GENERATION SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS

MAXIMIZE YOUR SALES POWER

SESSION 1: Expectations of Sales Power SESSION 2: The Sales Power Plan SESSION 3: Living at Level 10 SESSION 4: Past Client & Sphere SESSION 5: Open Houses SESSION 6: Becoming an Appointment Setting Machine SESSION 7: The Buyer Presentation BONUS SESSSION B1: Taking your Business to the Next Level with A Team Part I

SESSION 8: The Listing Presentation SESSION 9: An Advance Social Media Lead Generation SESSION 10: Expired Listings SESSION 11: Marketing to Distressed Properties SESSION 12: For Sale by Owners SESSION 13: Removing the Fears & Price Reductions SESSION 14: Maintaining a New Level of Performance BONUS SESSSION B2: Taking your Business to the Next Level with A Team Part II

Our 14-week training class begins Wednesday, October 5th starting at 9 A.M. The focus of the program is to radically improve your lead generation results and sharpen your sales skills.

There will be 2 ways to take the class. You can either audit the class, show up, actively participate, but not get the materials or credit in the contest, or of course, you can fully sign up with Tom Ferry, receive all the materials and get credit for the contest.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Birthdays

October

Rick Stone October 2nd

David Michael October 4th

Mark Parris October 12th

Louise Dixon October 25th

November

Susan Meacham November 2nd

David Mendel November 20th

Ashley Thomas November 26th

Anniversaries

October

Mark Parris - 2005

Jamie Long - 2008

Kelly Angel - 2010

November

Logan Hall - 2009

Adolfo Lugo - 2010

David Mendel - 2007

December

Patty Thomas—2007

December

Mary Gomez December18th

Birthdays

Birthday Pet Picture Contest! Want to see your pet featured in the Knightly News? Send a photo of your pet enjoying a Birthday Bash to: CustomerCare@parrishomes.com We will upload your photo to the Front Desk Facebook to be voted on by our Agents. Please have your entries in by November 15th Featured this Month: Kelly Angel’s Gus and Abbie

9059 W. Lake Pleasant Pkwy. B-200 Peoria, AZ 85382

Phone: Phone: Phone: Phone: 623-486-5700 Fax: Fax: Fax: Fax: 623-505-5330

Check us out on:

http://www.HomeIsYourCastle.net

OFFICE COSTUME

BIRTHDAY PARTY Friday, October 28th from 12:00 - 1:00

Dress up in your Halloween Best!