David Mack and Bill Sienkiewicz Wizard Con panel, David Mack attending Dream Logic gallery Friday & more

Justice League of America #56 solicitation, New Orleans Comic Con table number, Cincinnati Enquirer spotlights Dream Logic exhibit & more

David Mack Q&A session on February 5 at 6 PM, Green Arrow #8 and Red Sonja art book debut tomorrow, Madman cover update, remembering fans & more

Solicitation for Madman Special, revised Kabuki: Reflections - Volume 1 TP, stores selling Green Arrow #8 and Art of Red Sonja HC & more

David Mack attending New Orleans Con this weekend, Dream Logic exhibit, New Orleans Con & more

Thoughts on panel with Bill Sienkiewicz, Kabuki fan artwork, hanging out With teenage Neil Gaiman & more

Dream Logic #3 debuts next Wednesday, fan photo at PAC Gallery, figure drawing and JLA #54 cover photos & more

David Mack speaking at PAC Gallery on Saturday & webmaster's note

Cerebus.TV video interview, AnimeHot.net's Kabuki hat giveaway, Madman art, interview, gallery photos & more

Dream Logic #3 debuts tomorrow, NewsOK spotlights Daredevil: Wake Up, pre-production Kabuki Faux Bronze Statue & more

Stores selling Dream Logic #3, video, nature of comic book covers & more

Miami Comic Con table number and panel details, Echo article, college courses, John Sayles & more

Revised Kabuki 1/4 scale statue release date, David Mack mentioned in Mike Parobeck article, David Mack attending C2E2 & more

Justice League of America #54 debuts tomorrow, Philip K. Dick's Electric Ant TP solicitation, 2011 convention schedule & more

Stores selling Justice League of America #54, Electric Ant TP, Heroes Con, Wonder Woman & more

David Mack attending yoga class at PAC Gallery, C2E2, emails, comic book fans, Philip K. Dick & more

Red Sonja Omnibus: Volume 2 solicitation, attacking Pokémon, Philip K. Dick essay & more

Source of inspiration for new creator-owned project, Red Cross, PKD essay, future Scarlet cover & more

Emerald City Comicon Live Art Show, Emerald City Comicon table and floor map, Daredevil convention sketch & more

David Mack attending Miami Comic Con this weekend, PAC Gallery show closes Friday, Days Missing: Kestus #4 shipping date & more

Miami Con thoughts and photo, Days Missing: Kestus #4 cover and preview pages, Miami Con dinner, panel, artistic license & more

David Mack essay in Boom! Studios PKD comic, Hellboy convention sketch, Facebook, Dexter art at Emerald City Con & more

Photo of David Mack at a party, stores selling Days Missing: Kestus #4, Mack and Bendis mentioned at Upper Deck blog & more

David Mack at Emerald City Con and live art show, Electric Ant issues on best of 2010 list, David Mack interview in Wizard #235 & more

Emerald City Con live art show photos, Daredevil: End of Days production update, thoughts on ECCC live art show & more

Two Miami Comic Con 2011 panel videos, Emerald City Comicon live art show photos, David Mack art in The Cotton Candy Machine show & more

Four video clips from Miami Comic Con 2011 panel, Emerald City Comicon 2011 live art show photo, elephant video, relaxing with friends & more

Complete Miami Comic Con 2011 video panel, Kent Williams art, live art show photos & more

Miami Comic Con 2011 review, original artwork wishlist article, Emerald City Con 2011 live art show photo & more

Photos of original, convention and commission artwork, Mack and Oeming plugged in Madman article, NASA photos of Japan, leg injury & more

Skin Deep #2, Dream Logic show photos, MOB news bytes, release date anniversaries & auction spotlight

David Mack attending C2E2 in Chicago, Scarab cosplay photo, David Mack interview, favorite storyline & more

Emerald City Comicon 2011 video interview, final 5 Ronin #4 cover, live art show painting video, bullies & more

Variant cover for Justice League of America #56, two C2E2 convention sketches, JLA #55 and 5 Ronin #4 debut tomorrow & more

David Mack artwork not on JLA #55 variant cover, stores selling 5 Ronin #4, JLA #56 variant cover, Skottie Young art & more

Working with a director, Akemi in Powers, release date anniversaries & auction spotlight

Scan of Hulk sketch card, David Mack talks current projects, WonderCon table number & more

Kabuki fan artwork, tattoo and commissions, possible alternate names and Anime Hot at WonderCon & more

Dr. Strange Hero Initiative artwork, David Mack art in upcoming Doris Danger collection, David Mack poster at WonderCon, Dexter art & more

David Mack attending WonderCon this weekend, free poster at Archaia WonderCon table & more

Immortals prequel GN press release and cover, WonderCon 2011 convention sketch photos and video, reaction to WonderCon 2011 & more

Revised Dream Logic #4 release date, sketch cards, Barron Storey class & more

Photo of upcoming Dream Logic shirt, David Mack and Tony Solomun art jam zine, David Mack plugged in Qatar newspaper & more

David Mack attending New York's MoCCA this weekend, MoCCA pre-party, thoughts on two films & more

Webmaster's note

by Mike Carraway

It happens almost daily in this great country of ours. A new real estate agent gets thier license. Then, they set off on a journey to learn how to get customers and how to do business.

Unfortunately for most of them, they try for about 3 to 6 months, don't get any business, and quit. Why?

Well, look at it this way - if you opened up a new business and had no customers in your first 6 months - what would you do? I know that I would be questioning my own abilities at getting cusomters, wouldn't you?

Having seen this happen so many times with new agents, I knew that there had to be a way to give new agents the tools and techniques they needed to succeed quickly. Over a 5 year period, I deveoped what I call our proprietary "Fast Start" program.

This program takes someone with zero sales experience, with no knowledge of marketing and teaches them the basics of response generating advertising and marketing. Most real estate agents have no idea why people call on an ad. When the students in Fast Start complete their training, they not only know why, but they can accurately track their ad performance and cost per call. They can also measure conversion rates. All of these things are a must for any business.

The second big part of this program is how to manage those leads that are generated and follow up with them so that they actually become customers or clients. The students are taught to set up a simple follow-up system and several different "action plans". Combining this foolow-up system with the lead generation is the cornerstone of the Fast Start program.

Most of the students who apply what they learn in the real world ususally have a real estate transaction pending within their first 30 days. That's how good the program works. Not everyone who goes through the program is successfull. Some students learn the information and then do not apply it. Why? Hard to say. I think one of the biggest reasons is fear of success.

They know that if they are successfull, they'll have to work. They also know that if they are successfull, most of their problems will go away and they won't have any excuses any more. Of course, it's just my opinion.

If you are in the real estate business and actually WANT success - you should take our next Fast Start training class and get on the fast track to success.

by Mike Carraway, Access Realty, Birmingham, AL

A LOT of sellers want to price their home above the market value and they do it for a variety of reasons...

Some say they want to have "negotiating room". Some say, "we can always come down later". And others say, "we just want to see what we can get - you know - test the market."

Theses are all good reasons from a seller's point of view. They aren't, however, from a property marketing standpoint. When you put a property on the market, you want to generate the highest traffic and demand in the shortest time possible and all of these so called reasons to overprice just hinder and impede the marketing process.

Danger #1

Pricing a home above the market value usually results in people going elsewhere and buying. They may love your home but if you have a similar product in your market for a lower price, they'll buy it - not yours. In effect, you have missed your buyer and now you will have to wait and attract another one at a later date.

Danger #2

Traffic and lots of it is what sells a home. Without human bodies walking through your home, it doesn't matter if it's the best deal around or the most beautiful in your neighborhood - it still won't sell. In order to get the most traffic possible in the shortest time, the price must be right from the very beginning. If the home is priced very near what you actually think it will sell for, you will get the most traffic - and offers.

Danger #3

Your home will sit on the market while YOUR buyers go buy other homes. You will have lower traffic due to the higher price and fewer people will be exposed to it. What happens when you finally decide to lower the price? People see the price reduction and it causes a couple of thoughts...

1) I wonder how much further down they will come?
2) I wonder if something is wrong with it?
3) I wonder how long it's been for sale?

Just these three will cause you more suffering from low offers and constant questions about whether you will carry part of the financing or not. You will soon grow tired of it.

The best way to avoid ALL of these problems, especially in a buyers market as we are in right now, is to price your home AT the market. Not a little over but right at the market value.

Want a secret? Price your home slightly UNDER the market value. You will have people fighting over it and will probably receive multiple offers. When you do - you can actually start a bidding war of sorts over your home and may even realize MORE than the market value.

by Mike Carraway, Broker, Access Realty, Birmingham, AL 800-840-0165

Times have definitely changed in the last year in most parts of the country. I'm in Birmingham, Alabama and we are lucky to have 3 new automoblie maufacturing plants located in a triangle around our city.

But - if you are in an area that doesn't have commodities or heavy industry (two sectors that are doing well right now), what is your market like?

Chances are - you're in a "Buyer's Market".

What does that mean exactly? It means that there is more inventory than there are potential customers for that inventory. just like in the stock market - when almost everyone is selling and few are buying - the stock price will go down.

Many seller's think that because they paid a certain amount for a property, they can get at least that amount when they sell. Sadly, this leads to overpricing and a long, long wait until they sell much later at a lower price. My best advice is to find a real estate agent who will tell you the truth about market conditions and back it up with recent sales prices of similar home.

Last week, I was driving around Destin, Florida. Every third home was for sale. Auctions were common. Prices escalated in the area for 5 years and then they reached a top. What's happening now? The seller's are "holding out" for their price as more and more homes come on the market at significant discounts to what they are asking. The bottom line is that the sellers who put their homes on the market first are going to take a big hit.

As time goes on and the market is flooded with inventory, prices will go down and down and down. A smart seller would realize this and take the loss now before any further reduction in prices happened.

Is there anything you can do if you are trying to sell into a buyer's market?

Yes - make sure your home is:

#1) Priced very competitively with TODAYS prices (not what you paid 2 years ago)
#2) Make sure that your home looks like NEW (and I mean new - not just "touched up")
#3) make sure you get PLENTY of exposure.

The rpice, the condition, and the exposure are everything when it comes to selling into a down market. Good Luck!

by Mike Carraway Access1000.com, 7steps2freedom.com

The internet is all the rage when it comes to real estate. According to the National Association of Realtors, when a buyer starts thinking of buying, the first place they turn is the internet. Just 10 years ago - it was getting in the car and driving around.

With gasoline prices approaching $3 a gallon, more and more people will search online first before they do any driving.

So - if you are an agent or a seller, how do you get your property noticed online?

Let's talk about being an agent first. If you are with a national franchise and/or your company is affiliated with the local board of Realtors, there is a good chance that your listings will get streamed to Realtor.com. Relator.com is the #1 property search engine in the world and just keeps getting bigger and better. The site is ranked by Alexa.com as the #8 site - in the WORLD. That's pretty big. Real estate agents already have this site in their favor.

As a home seller, you do not have such an advantage. You can either buy into one of the FSBO (For Sale By Owner) products out there that will put your home on the internet for you, or you can put up your own site and sales page for your home. Of course, if someone is searching for a home in your area, and your site doesn't come up on the first page or two of the major search engines, no one will ever see it.

With people shopping more online and doing less driving around, it puts todays home sellers (those selling without an agent) at a pretty big disadvantage. If they would list their home with an agent whose company has a popular internet presence, their home would sell a lot faster because of the increased exposure.

Our company site is such a site. If you go to Google and search on "Birmingham Alabama Homes for Sale", you will see that the Access Realty site comes in at #3 or #4 on the first page. That's a huge advantage for anyone who wants to sell a home in Birmingham.

One other way to sell a home is to generate a large roster of interested buyers. This can be accomplished online by setting up what are called mini-sites designed to capture llists of people who are currently in the market for a home. This works great for real estate agents but may not work so well with a seller of just one home. You can get more information on these mini-sites and how to accomplish this HERE. As I said before, this type of buyer generation works extremely well these days because almost everyone shops online before getting in the car and driving around looking for homes.

Almost any source you looki at will tel you that between 80% and 90% of For Sale By Owners will eventually list their home with a real estate agent. There are a myriad of reasons why this happens but it all boils down to this: agents have the inside track on attracting buyer traffic to the home. They also do it full time so that even when the seller is gone to work, the house is still "for sale" and can be shown.

So, if you find yourself thinking of hiring an agent, which one should you hire?

First of all, consider paying the highest price for a good agent. Interview several of them and then ask them to cut their fee. The one that refuses to is probably your best bet. Why? When it comes to selling your home and getting your proce, you want an agent who is NOT a noodle...someone with a little back bone. If they won't cut their fee and they promise a higher level of service and service quality, then they will also negotiate the hardest in the trenches when people are trying to cut your price on your home.

Second: if the agent you call doesn't answer their phone or call back within a half hour - stop trying to get them. If they don't answer or call back when you try to call them for an interview, what makes you think they will answer calls from buyers for your home?

Lastly, when you are doing the interview and listening to the agent's marketing plan, look for the things that are different. If you talk to 2 agents and they pretty much do the same things... a sign, MLS, and a few ads... keep talking to more agents. What you are looking for is the agent who has a unique approach or ads value by adding unique tools. Agents that use the talking house transmitter or a 24 hour hotline system are some examples. If the agent you hire isn't doing extra things to make your home stand out in the marketplace, you are just going to get the same ole, same ole. Look for something different.