As we’re all bombarded for one last night on radio, TV and our mailboxes with the offensive and intellectually insulting ads produced by maggot politicians seeking our votes, I thought it would be interesting to see what the world would be like if these scumbags had to follow the same Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics that we do as Realtors.

Article 1
When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client.

This means instead of seeking power and wealth for yourself, Mr. and Mrs. Politician, you work toward the best interests of your “clients”, those being the constituants whom you are suppose to serve and represent.

Article 2
REALTORS® shall avoid exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts relating to the property or the transaction.

Stop telling lies about your opponent, about yourself and about the issues. You’re all worse than a bunch of 5 year olds. It’s embarrassing to watch your ads on TV. You all should be ashamed.

Article 3
REALTORS® shall cooperate with other brokers except when cooperation is not in the client’s best interest.

Work together to solve common problems, not to feed your ego, your personal aspirations, and your pet projects.

Article 4
REALTORS® shall not acquire an interest in or buy or present offers from themselves, any member of their immediate families, their firms or any member thereof, or any entities in which they have any ownership interest, any real property without making their true position known to the owner or the owner’s agent or broker.

Article 5
REALTORS® shall not undertake to provide professional services concerning a property or its value where they have a present or contemplated interest unless such interest is specifically disclosed to all affected parties.

Article 6
REALTORS® shall not accept any commission, rebate, or profit on expenditures made for their client, without the client’s knowledge and consent.

Article 7
In a transaction, REALTORS® shall not accept compensation from more than one party, even if permitted by law, without disclosure to all parties and the informed consent of the REALTOR®’s client or clients.

Article 8
REALTORS® shall keep in a special account in an appropriate financial institution, separated from their own funds, monies coming into their possession in trust for other persons, such as escrows, trust funds, clients’ monies, and other like items.

Stop your back room dealings, lining your own pockets, padding your campaign coffers, taking of special gifts, favors and bribes. If you or someone close to you has a personal stake in something you’re involved with, disclose it up front or recuse yourself. Stop trying to make your personal fortune from public service.

Article 9
REALTORS®, for the protection of all parties, shall assure whenever possible that all agreements related to real estate transactions including, but not limited to, listing and representation agreements, purchase contracts, and leases are in writing in clear and understandable language expressing the specific terms, conditions, obligations and commitments of the parties.

Quit writing bloated, unclear legislation that nobody can interpret or understand. Keep it simple stupid.

Article 10
REALTORS® shall not deny equal professional services to any person for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. REALTORS® shall not be parties to any plan or agreement to discriminate against a person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

Quit playing the race card on everything. Treat everyone like an equal and with respect.

Article 11
The services which REALTORS® provide to their clients and customers shall conform to the standards of practice and competence which are reasonably expected in the specific real estate disciplines in which they engage …REALTORS® shall not undertake to provide specialized professional services concerning a type of property or service that is outside their field of competence unless they engage the assistance of one who is competent on such types of property or service, or unless the facts are fully disclosed to the client.

Stay out of stuff you don’t understand. Your incompetence can harm others. Stick to what you know, admit when you don’t know, and get help if you need help understanding something.

Article 12
REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and shall present a true picture in their advertising, marketing, and other representations.

Does this even need commentary? Realtors can be hauled in front of an ethics hearing for the slightest fib in the description of a property or its attributes. But look at the advertising allowed by these maggot politicians. It’s despicable. A disgrace. You should all be ashamed.

Article 13
REALTORS® shall not engage in activities that constitute the unauthorized practice of law and shall recommend that legal counsel be obtained when the interest of any party to the transaction requires it.

The spirit of this again goes to competence and fairness. Understanding that the upper hand and/or best advice is always owed to the client.

Article 14
If charged with unethical practice or asked to present evidence or to cooperate in any other way, in any professional standards proceeding or investigation, REALTORS® shall place all pertinent facts before the proper tribunals of the Member Board or affiliated institute, society, or council in which membership is held and shall take no action to disrupt or obstruct such processes.

If you make a mistake, or are caught doing willful misconduct, take your medicine and submit to the processes in place and allow yourself to be held accountable. Don’t run and hide or try to blame others.

Article 15
REALTORS® shall not knowingly or recklessly make false or misleading statements about competitors, their businesses, or their business practices.

Again, does anything more really need to be said? Wouldn’t it be nice if truth was a requirement of these people?

Article 16
REALTORS® shall not engage in any practice or take any action inconsistent with exclusive representation or exclusive brokerage relationship agreements that other REALTORS® have with clients.

Mind your own business. Don’t stick your nose into other people’s business when not invited.

Article 17
In the event of contractual disputes or specific non-contractual disputes as defined in Standard of Practice 17-4 between REALTORS® (principals) associated with different firms, arising out of their relationship as REALTORS®, the REALTORS® shall submit the dispute to arbitration in accordance with the regulations of their Board or Boards rather than litigate the matter.

Settle disagreements honorably, in a proper forum.

Odd, isn’t it, that Realtors and other professions have Standards of Practice and Codes of Ethics that mean something and are meant to protect the public against bad behavior, lies and self-serving actions. Yet we don’t hold out elected officials to standards anywhere close to the ones adhered to in the business world. Yes, there are bad Realtors, bad Lawyers, Doctors, etc. But come on, the politicians are so far removed from what can be honestly that it’s a wonder anyone decent would even want to become one.

It all ends tomorrow, until the next go ’round.

Last weekend we took a vacation to the Island House in Corpus Christi on North Padre Island for 4 days. While there, late one night, while checking email and logging into Facebook, I was presented with the following login message:

Your account was recently accessed from a location we’re not familiar with. For your protection, please review your recent activity to make sure no one is using your Facebook account without permission.

Reviewing your activity takes just a few moments. We’ll start by asking you a couple of questions to confirm that this is your account. (If we recognize your computer, you’ll be able to skip this step.)

I guess Facebook, in its infinite wisdom, thinks if I’m logging in from my laptop in another city (different IP address than usual), something might possibly be amiss, and I must therefore validate myself by passing a test. The “couple of questions” turned out to be a photo lineup of 7 “friends” whom I had to identify from photo arrays, selecting from 6 possible names for each individual, or choosing “I’m not sure”.

Only two selections of “I’m not sure” are allowed, and ZERO incorrect answers are allowed. Each “friend” has two photos to review, some which are indistinguishable, my favorite being when the square surrounds a tiny spec of a face within a picture hanging on a wall in the background.

But mainly, with most photos being of decent enough quality, the question remained, Who are these people?! (my “friends”). I don’t recognize any of them, let alone enough to go 5 for 5. Each failed effort requires a 1 hour waiting period before a new try. Meanwhile, my iPhone access still worked, as did the granted permissions from 3rd party tools such as Ping.fm, from which I make most of my status updates, so I wasn’t totally “gone” from the standpoint of status updates, but was unable to log in from a web browser and do anything on Facebook.

This morning I’d had enough. Somehow I would defeat this validation system and regain control of my Facebook account. I finally did. Here’s how.

First of all, how did I end up with a bunch (718) of “friends”, most of whom I can’t even identify in a photo? For starters, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stated long ago that a “friend” on Facebook isn’t like a “real life” friend. He or she is simply a Social Network friend with whom you’d like to be connected for some reason, perhaps because you share a common connection such as graduating from the same college, or you’re both onto knitting, you’re friends with common friends, or you share the same occupation.

In my case, the latter category was the culprit. More specifically, as a former member of the Keller Williams “network” on Facebook, and as a Realtor, I accumulated a bunch of Realtor “friends” online. This would be the key to figuring out how to reclaim my login.

As I stared at the first set of photos this morning, again wondering “who the heck is that?“, it occurred to me that the unknown person was most likely a Realtor, and thus, if I Google their name + “Realtor”, there is a good chance I might find a photo of the Realtor with that name and be able to compare it to the photo I was evaluating.

And so, one by one, I cut and pasted each name next to each photo and added “Realtor” to the end. One was a dead on match. Easy. One down, four to go. For two others, reasonable guesses had to suffice because, oddly, the “real life” facebook photos of some Realtors (one male, one female), taken at a picnic for example, and grilling a burger, cause those poor Realtors to look 20+ years older than the professional photo headshot which appears on their websites!

This required a lot of back and forth, studying of eyebrows, nose shapes, hair style, shape of mouth, etc., to try to be as certain as possible. For the female, I just picked the one that looked most like a daughter of the subject. For the male Realtor, I had to enlist the help of my 17 year old daughter. “Could this possible be that guy?”, I asked, after ruling out all the others. She agreed that it could be him – the eyes looked sort of the same – but she couldn’t be sure either. Remember, no wrong answers are allowed. I made the selection and proceeded, fairly unsure if it was the right pick. For the next photo I lucked out and had a Realtor Convention Photo, and there right on his shirt, was a big name badge with the first name visible and readable.

For the final photo, in some sign of devine intervention since I was all out of “Not Sure” answers, I got someone I actually know and recognize in real life and who looks exactly like her photo. This was the first time it had happened in all my attempts.

And then the moment of truth… the final click… and …. low and behold, I was back in!

Jeez. I’m not even what I would consider “addicted” to Facebook, but it really irked me to be locked out like that. There is no way to reach someone at Facebook by phone – I tried. All solution efforts direct you to the help page, which says you simply have to answer the questions correctly. I’m now seriously thinking of unfriending people I don’t actually know again.

But, really, how stupid is it of Facebook to constantly be suggesting “friends”, trying to get us all to add people we don’t actually know, and then to use face recognition of said “friends” as the one and only way to prove that the account is yours after they lock you out.

I’ve always been a night owl. My first late night job was in high school, mopping up and taking out the trash part time at a restaurant after closing at 11PM. After high school, not taking well to college right away, I worked second shift 3:30PM to midnight at a factory in San Diego for 18 months. This resulted in countless all-nighters, though I did, unbelievably, maintain perfect attendance without one single late or sick day.

It was a Japanese-owned factory, and perfect attendance each month was rewarded with a $5 bonus and the designation of “Honor Employee”. I liked my $5 bonus the first of each month ($4.34 after taxes), and I liked the way my manager bowed in thanks when presenting the bonus check and saying to me in broken english “You are Honor Employee. We appreciate you”.

To this day, I can’t believe that a wild young, irresponsible, unreliable 18-19 year old like me could be tamed and made 100% punctual by the desire to receive that simple ritual affirmation and a few extra dollars each month. But if you’ve never been bowed to in ritual and honored by an oriental boss, and told you are appreciated in front of all your co-workers, it’s intoxicating. It’s addicting. And it made me feel entirely worthy and valued when everything else in my college-droppout-beer-drinking life indicated otherwise.

So I made sure I was on time every day and didn’t miss work. I think my lifelong work ethic can be attributed to the punctuality habits caused by that $5 bonus and the seemingly trivial yet potent acknowledgment of appreciation each month.

After moving to Texas, I worked in a restaurant in Corpus Christi while attending restaurant management college for 2 years. Again, the 4PM to midnight shift with a little partying afterward, then homework, then to class by 8AM after a few hours sleep. Later, as a restaurant manager for Dominos for about 4 years in Austin during the 1980s, there were regular “closing shifts”, leaving the pizza shop at 3AM, often after opening that morning at 10:30AM, thus working what we called the “Rambo” shift, which was a 17 hour mega-shift. I even had an inspirational movie poster of Rambo on the back office wall. I’d do 4 or 5 of those Rambo shifts a month, getting in 70 or 80 hours a week, and very little sleep.

So I got habituated into becoming a person who can stay up late and work long hours with little rest. A night owl. I can do all nighters at the drop of a hat. It’s no big deal. When my daughter needs to be picked up and brought home from a friend’s house at midnight on a Friday or Saturday, it’s no problem. I’m up anyway.

This Night Owl attribute has been a valuable asset and an incredible productivity advantage. My most productive time of day has long been 11PM to 2AM. I get more done in those three hours than I can in a full 8 hour “business” day. I’m not kidding. I love 11PM-2AM.

From 11PM-2AM, the phone doesn’t ring, the kids don’t need attention, I can concentrate without interruption. It’s dark outside. I like the dark stillness of the night. I’ve written the majority of my 500+ blog articles over the past 4+ years between 11PM and 2AM. I usually save and proof read them the next day, but the bulk of writing gets done late at night. Most of my accounting, paperwork and research gets done during 11PM-2AM. I can think straight and clearly during my 11-2. I need my 11-2 shift.

No Longer a Night Owl?
So imagine the distress I’m feeling at the current prospect of losing this late night stamina. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older (almost 47), but with ever increasing frequency, I’m too tired to stay up late and work. My late night mojo is fading. Shamefully, I even fell asleep on the couch during the recent Saints-Vikings playoff game. Sorry Brett. If I’d been up cheering you on, you might not have thrown that stupid interception that cost you the game. I’ve also failed to make it through the 10-o’clock news or Nightline on multiple occasions. Often when I do remain up, I’m not as sharp as I use to be. I feel sluggish and tired. I don’t drink, smoke, do drugs or have any lifestyle changes to which I can attribute this change in energy.

What’s going on here? I feel like I might be losing my super-power. My secret weapon. If this progresses, I don’t know when I’ll catch up on emails, run CMAs, enter listings into the MLS, update the website, straighten out files, knock out Sylvia’s todo lists. I have a physical next week so I’ll be discussing this with my doctor.

Meanwhile, I’m wondering what my options would be if my circadian rhythm is shifting and my 11-2 is taken away. I’ve tried a midday nap a few times, but it wipes me out for the rest of the day, rendering me listless and dimwitted, both unpleasant and unprofitable attributes. And so now I wonder if it’s possible to cross over to the other side.

Can a night owl become an early bird?

The advantages of getting up early would be same. But to get my 3 hours in, it would have to be 4AM to 7AM. That doesn’t sound good to me. Not sure I can do that. I’ve tried to get up at 6:30AM the past few days, instead of my regular 7AM. My mind says “get up” but my body cries uncle and I succumb to the snooze button.

How do you early birds do it? I know there are those of you out there up at 4:30AM, catching up on emails and other stuff before the day intrudes on productivity. Enjoying the same peace and solitude that I experience during my 11PM-2AM window. I imagine I would enjoy being an early riser as much as I have enjoyed being a night owl. But even when I turn in at 9PM, I am 100% unprepared to rise early the next morning. And I feel more fatigued than if I had slept my usual 5 or 6 hours.

Of greatest concern, can I still be a great Realtor if I’m forced to, god forbid, be administratively productive in the daytime? Daytime is for working with clients, attending inspections, showing properties, shuttling the kids, networking, returning calls and handling deal related communications. Being where I’m needed and doing the urgent and important tasks of the day. Not for office work.

I’d like to hear any tips from early birds. Especially if you’re a converted Night Owl. Is there hope?

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Beatles’ first appearance on Ed Sullivan. I’m a huge Beatles fan, always have been. Here is an interesting clip I found on You Tube. It’s a news story that appears to be prior to the appearance on Ed Sullivan.




I received this nice letter from the IRS called “Understanding Your Economic Stimulus Payment”. I got out a calculator to arrive at my own understanding and, from what I can tell, my stimulus award was taxed at a rate of 92.17%, which is the percentage of the $1,800 total that was taken back because we make supposedly earned too much in 2007. That leaves us with a whopping $140.90 which which to stimulate the economy.

That’s fine, I don’t really care about the money, but what irks me is that politicians run around spouting the gross figures, as if it has been rebated to everyone. But those of us who worked too hard and contributed too much toward our nation’s tax base were not the only ones who got left out.

I did a bit of searching and came across a blog article from a self described “Crazy Old Lady” who, along with her dog and cat, is getting by in life on $573 per month SSI income. She didn’t get a stimulus rebate either.

Go figure. They could have given her my $149.10 and I’d be ok with that. Apparently if you made too much, or made too little, you are deemed by the US Government less worthy of receiving stimulus money than those who achieved something in the middle.

Nevertheless, in looking at the bright side, my tiny stimulus rebate caused me to go do a bit more learning about it which in turn cause me to find Wendy’s blog, which is a delightful blog full of enjoyable and interesting reading. If you have a chance, go check it out.

Someone sent me a link to this spinning girl and I found it interesting.

Which way is she spinning for you? For me, she is spinning to the right (clockwise) 100% of the time. For Sylvia, she is spinning to the left (counter-clockwise) 100% of the time. For our kids, she randomly switches back and forth for no apparent reason. The way my brain processes the image (seeing clockwise rotation) is suppose to mean I’m a “Right Brain” person. Counter-clockwise indicates Sylvia is a “Left Brain” person (which is why we make a great team even though we often disagree about things), though the description given of the Left Brain person more closely match who I am. Weird.

The main point this puzzle brings up for me though is to remind me that, as humans, we interpret and view things in life differently. What I see may not be true for you, and vice versa. This is why eye witnesses often tell completely different stories about the same event.

Being in an occupation where subjective opinion and interpretation plays large in how decisions are made, I have to remember that people don’t always see things as I do. I’ve often scratched my head when a Buyer passes up on a home that I view as being exactly what they say they want, but they simply don’t see it as their perfect home. Or when a buyer falls in love with a home that isn’t at all what they said they wanted, but for them, they see the perfect home.

If you see the woman spinning left and I see her spinning right, is one of us wrong? No. Can you convince me she is spinning left? Well, I might believe you if you say that’s what you see, but I still don’t see it. I’m trying though. Comments on the site where I found this indicate that if I try long enough, I should eventually be able to see it go both ways.

A Realtor friend of mine, from a city and state which shall remain unnamed, called me the other day to ask if I knew what could be done about the fact that a disgruntled party in one of his deals (not his client) had registered the dot com of his first and last name and put up a “this Realtor Sucks” website. He called me because he knows I know a lot about this stuff. Unfortunately, all I could suggest was contacting an attorney. Once that domain is registered by someone else, he has no control over the content of the website. I checked in with him a couple of days ago and the attorney had drafted a strongly worded letter and was taking quick action. The person who did this could actually be in big trouble for liable and slander. Hopefully the site will be down soon.

This brings up a good point though. Even if you are not in an occupation that requires regular public interface, such that your name is part of your business and branding, you should register yourname.com, if it’s available, so that someone else can’t do what was done to my friend. I’ve registered mine and my wife and kid’s names for that reason.

You never know when your 15 minutes of fame might strike and suddenly yourname.com has value as a destination that curious people type into their browser and search engines. More importantly, you want to have it so someone else can’t grab it and do what was done to my friend, or worse. What if your angry ex decides to put a site up at yourname.com with some embarrassing home photos or movies? It’s a different world we live in now-a-days. In the case of my Realtor friend, a Google Search for his name brings up the offending site already as the number 2 result, right below his real website. That’s not good.

For $5 or $10 per year, there is no reason not to register yourname.com. Go to GoDaddy.com and see if yours is available and grab it while you can.

When is the last time you read the entire text of the Declaration of Independence? Last night, while talking with my kids about what the 4th of July really means, and that which we celebrate, I couldn’t remember the exact wording of the following …

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It bothered me that I could not remember this (which I have known since being a small grade schooler), so I re-read the entire Declaration of Independence. What a fantastic document! I’ve reposted it below. This is what the 4th of July is all about – the celebration of our freedom. We are truly blessed to be Americans and to live in a country where anyone can obtain and own real estate. It’s easy to forget that there is perhaps nowhere else in the world where this level of personal achievement is as readily possible and obtainable as in the United States of America.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

It’s been 10 months since I started writing blog articles on this website, and it’s been about 3 years since my good friend Tom Parish told me I should start a blog. I’m sort of stubborn, so it took me a while. Tom’s a Website Promotion and Internet Marketing Consultant. He helps people make their websites more visible and easier to find. He owns www.4webresults.com. We are next door neighbors, occassional walking buddies, and our daughters attend the same school and are good friends.

Tom kept on me for years – “Steve, you need to start writing a blog”. I thought, “what in the heck am I going to say?”. Tom said, “just write about all that stuff you talk about when we go walking.” So finally I did, and he was right. It’s a great outlet for me, a way to make our real estate website more alive, and we get wonderful feedback from our clients and a steady stream of new leads who say “love reading your blog“. When I look at the web stats to see which pages are the most viewed, it’s the blog articles by a long shot, not the static pages about us and what we do.

So this is a THANK YOU!! and a plug for Tom Parish at 4WebResults.com and the great service and expert advice he provides. Thanks Tom!! You were right!

A couple of weeks ago Sylvia and I found ourselves standing in a homeless encampment off of South Congress with her two brothers, her neice, her ex-sister-in-law, and the homeless residents of this location, who were most gracious hosts. We were there mainly seeking closure. It was 2 days after the death of Sylvia’s oldest brother Doug, whom we had not seen nor heard from in 12 years. For reasons of his own, he chose to be seperated from his family. We never knew exactly where he was or how he was getting by, except that he once drove a cab and no longer did. Now we were standing in front of his tent – his home – while his chosen family – his homeless friends – told us about him and his recent life living “on the hill” as they called it.

We learned a lot that day. We learned about Doug, about living homeless, and about love and friendship. Ever wonder what happens to the people who lose their homes to foreclosure? We know where two of them are now – they’ve lived in the homeless camp for the past 6 months. One lady returned to camp from across the field as we talked with the others. Upon seeing us, she broke into tears, knowing we were Doug’s family, and that we would be coming to see his spot. There were tears and hugs, and stories.

We learned that Doug enjoyed his life a great deal more than one might imagine. The camping spot wasn’t bad at all, and it was apparent to us that he was loved dearly. He had more friends than most people we know. As his health worsened and he became less able to care for himself, his friends – his “family” – tended to his needs. Up until the last night, they begged him to allow a call to his family, but he refused. On his final day, he told his friend “call an ambulance, I can’t take the pain anymore”. An ambulance came took him to the South Austin Medical Center, where 5 hours later, his liver and kidneys gave out and he passed on. He was 51. He was an alchoholic.

Keeping their promise, it was only after his passing that his friends called and notified us.

The Memorial Service
At first we weren’t planning on an official service. We figured we would have a private family gathering of some sort, and spread the ashes. After meeting the homeless folks and learning that there were many among them who would attend a memorial service, we decided to have one. We informed his friends of the time and location (a South Congress Funeral home within walking distance of his camp) and that all were invited.

That Saturday night, many people came. Relatives and old friends exchanged comparisons of how long it had been since they had last heard from or seen Doug. He had written a letter recently to an Uncle. For others it had been 10, 25, 35 years. Old highschool friends showed up, news having spread somehow. And the homeless people came.

Some of the homeless were drunk, others were not. Some had made an attempt to dress up, others came as they were. They ate less than we thought they would, as we had made sure there was plenty of food. The small chapel, which seated maybe 30 people, was standing room only. As the minister started his talk, some of the attendees responded boisterously to his words. One of the drunks kept approaching the large portrait of Doug, located behind the preacher’s left shoulder in the front center of the room, and saying “Gotcha!” as he simultaneously touched the nose of the portrait. He did this perhaps 4 or 5 times throughout the sermon, and it was OK.

Next Sylvia got up and said some kind words regarding her memories of Doug before he disappeared from her life. When she finished, she invited anyone else who wished to speak to do so at that time.

First up was the drunk who kept doing the nose-touch gotcha thing. In a surprisingly eloquent and heartfelt way, he talked about the kind of person Doug was, that he’d do anything for anybody, that he’d give the shirt off his back, that he was unconditional in his giving, that he was a ‘gentle giant”. This was met with loud, sometimes rowdy shouts of affirmation and agreement from those who knew him best. “That’s right!”, “Yep, that’s Doug alright!”, “I’m wearin’ his sweater right now!”, “That was Doug!”, “We love you Doug”. The room was filled with energy and noise – not your typical solomn and quiet service. Finally, he told the family “Don’t worry about Doug not comin’ around. He was just an old loner. He never talked bad about anybody, ever. He lived his own life”.

Doug’s next door neighbor (the occupant of the tent next door) got up and read from the Bible. It was a rather large, old and tattered Bible with many dog ears and bookmarks. He read from the book of Matthew something to the effect of “Don’t wory about tomorrow, live today”. It was beautiful and he read it with dignity and poise. In fact, he was as good as the preacher. The room was silent now. And he finished and said “And that was Doug’s philosophy, and that’s all I got to say.” And his boisterous friends shouted out again with agreement and affirmation.

The glimpse into the world of the homeless has changed our perspective about homeless people, who they are, how they ended up being where they are, and what really matters in life.

Sylvia and I have been married 15 years today. She woke me early this morning with the tender, romantic words “sweetie, you need to get up and take out the garbage”. And so I did get up and drag the trashcan to the street. Now isn’t that what marriage is all about?!

In 1989 when Sylvia was a leasing agent in Austin, we met through mutual friends. For me, it was love at first sight (but not for her). When she learned I was looking for a place to rent, she told me about a garage apartment she had listed. I liked the place (and her) so I leased it. Meanwhile, the main house was still for rent, so she had a sign in the yard with her name and phone number. Each day as I came and went, I would see her name and phone number there next to my driveway. Finally one day I got the courage to call her.

I called and said “I’ve been thinking about you every day”. She responded with a somewhat halting “Ohhh …” (we barely knew each other still).

I said, “yeah, you know you have this sign next to my driveway with your name and phone number so every time I come and go I see it and think about you. She said “Ohh, I see…”

I then said “I should come put a sign in your yard with my name and phone number so maybe you’ll call and invite me to lunch someday”. She laughed her big giant beautiful laugh, and said “where would we go?”

We became good friends. About 7 months later we started officially dating and 10 months after that we got married. Our two girls are the sweetest kids any parents could hope for and life is great!

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. (Friday, July 22, 2005)

In keeping with Keller Williams Realty International’s mission to build lives worth living, a dedicated group of associates from the Clarksville, Tenn., market center put their busy schedules on hold to ensure an injured Iraq war veteran could live a better life – in the comfort of a brand-new home. More than 60 Clarksville associates and their families worked through five days and four nights to help construct a new house for Army Master Sgt. Luis Rodriguez and his family as part of the ABC television hit show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

“We had more agents volunteer than we knew what to do with,” Market center Owner Maurice Vaughn says. “Some of these people would come out and work from midnight to 6 a.m. and then go home, shower and go off to work. It was just amazing.”

In 2004, Rodriguez, an Army medic, lost his right leg when a roadside bomb struck his convoy that was en route to a hospital. Rodriguez spent four months in an amputee ward and endured 16 surgeries before returning home to Tennessee to discover that his small house did not accommodate his new physical challenges.

When ABC selected the Rodriguez family for a home makeover, the “Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition” designers tapped Clarksville contractor Clay Powers, a longtime business associate of Vaughn’s, to lead the project.
“I immediately asked Clay how we could help,” Vaughn recalls. “Because it was such a heartwarming effort, it was the kind of situation that Keller Williams Realty needed to be involved in.”

Keller Williams Realty International CEO Mo Anderson traveled from Texas to
Tennessee to witness the Clarksville market center in action. She says she saw a “sea of Keller Williams agents” upon arriving at the construction site. Not only were the associates responsible for staffing the only entrance to the secured television set, but they also handled errands for supplies and prepared and delivered meals to the workers.

“I believe if anybody has ever displayed their outstanding leadership abilities, it’s Maurice and Terri Vaughn,” Anderson says. “Believe me, it took strong leadership to pull this off. I am so proud of the Vaughns and their team, my buttons are about to pop off.”

Vaughn’s son, Jon, an associate in the Clarksville market, says he estimates his team members clocked more than 1,500 hours of volunteer time. “I personally logged 125 hours in five days, sleeping in my truck most nights,” he admits. Anderson says she watched the Clarksville associates as they worked nonstop in the boiling summer heat, sacrificing time normally spent with their families and clients. “But when the Rodriguez family stepped out of that limousine and saw their new home for the first time, I understood why our agents did what they did,” Anderson says. “It was
one of the most special moments in my life.”