The Savvy Landlord - Excellent resource!

The Savvy Landlord is a simple yet powerful book to creating freedom through rental property. If you need motivation to build wealth, this inspiring true story about one man's journey from being homeless to owning a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio is for you (This resource also makes a great gift).

* Hundreds of tips for real estate investors
* Big mistakes savvy landlords should avoid
* Real interviews with real investors (and more)
* Recommended Rental Forms landlords should be using!
In addition, through exclusive arrangements with the author, all those who order the book will also receive as part of the Savvy Landlord Package, TWO ADDITIONAL BONUSES:

* 1) The complete book audio set, unabridged, approximately 6 full hours.
* 2) Bonus Audio CD Material, with additional tips from the author along with questions and answers.

Separately these items sell for $75 on the author's website. He has agreed to make them available to Rental Owner Update readers and MrLandlord.com website visitors as an introductory offer for less than HALF that price, only $35.

Call our office directly to order: 1-757-436-2606, ask for Toya and say you want the Savvy Landlord Package, or click here to order now.

Deana Miller - Art Management & Planning

For 8 years Deana Miller was the Director of Public Art for the city of Aurora but in mid-2011 she, and husband/biz partner, Andy, decided to take a leap of faith when they purchased Art Management & Planning Associates, Inc (AMPA).  Ironically, Deana had worked for the company in 1994 while she was in college for with a bachelor of fine arts in photography from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1996.  Deana also holds a master of public administration from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where she focused on learning strategies to help arts organizations be meaningful contributors to economic vitality.

LA: Tell me a bit about what AMPA does.

DEANA: The company has been in business for 30 years, helping improve the places where people live, work and play by leveraging arts and cultural assets.  We work primarily with government agencies, corporations & nonprofits. Our expertise includes strategic planning for arts organizations and communities, integrating art into spaces and preserving art and cultural assets.  We help with art purchases & commissions, collection management, installation, packing & transport, exhibition coordination and curating. We consult on arts district planning and even do public art fabrication.

LA: That's a fantastic array of services! Can you give me a couple of examples of recent projects?

DEANA: Sure. For instance, CenturyLink has a huge collection, 2500 pieces, spread over 8 states & includes works by Miro, Calder & Colorado's own Emilio Labato & Dale Chisman.  I just finished curating an exhibit from their collection for the Monroe, LA office.  I selected the pieces from the collection, Andy & the team packed then transported them to the location, then I came through & placed the pieces where I wanted them and the team finished up by hanging the exhibit.  Another recent project was helping the city of Boulder develop a comprehensive strategic plan for their arts & cultural programs.  I assembled a team to; assess existing programs, how to involve the community, what other cities are doing and to make recommendations of what Boulder could do to strengthen the arts industry. 

LA: Your list of clients is impressive.  A friend of mine worked for you at the Clyfford Still Museum helping change out the exhibition.  He told me how amazing it was to be unrolling these huge canvases & have straw fall out -which let him know he was the first to see the paintings since Still himself rolled up them up in his barn/studio.  How big is your staff?

DEANA: The Clyfford Still Museum is one of our most sized clients.  For all our projects, we keep a group of 4-5 pretty busy & supplement them with sub-contractors as the various projects require. 

LA: And finally, what are you working on now that's got you excited?

DEANA: I'm in tale with a local architect to consult on a public art project in North Dakota.  And I'm trying to find the balance between working "in" the business and working "on" the business which is to say, I'd like to find the time to do more marketing so we can expand. 

LA: Well thanks so much for sharing a bit about your endeavors and best of luck to you and Andy - Denver is lucky to have you!

REAL ESTATE UPDATE & End of year wrap-up

Two years ago I wouldn't have been able to anticipate the incredible journey of this past year.  Mom transitioned off the planet in September.  The experience , while difficult at times, resulted in great gifts: my siblings & I are closer then ever and I know that mom now knows ALL and that "All" is very good indeed. I held her hand as she took her last breath, eulogized her along with the 100's of people who's lives, in one way or another, were made better for having known her. And now she sits in the field of infinite possibility ready for whatever comes next.  The peace I feel for having been an intimate part of her passing will infuse & feed my life from here forth.
     The boys are doing great! Barton, 20, has been dancing up a storm at U of A in Tucson and graduates in May, a year early.  He just returned from a choreography gig in Undine, Italy and is cast in another Balanchine piece, Rubies, this spring.  Joey, 17, is loving playing varsity lacrosse goalie and busy serving as president of his junior class at East High School.  Willy, 14, serves on Student council for his Freshman class at East and recently won First Place in both Solo & Duo Humor, at the regional Speech & Debate Tournament in Casper, WY.
     It feels tremendous to be back in the real estate saddle, and undistractedly focused on my boys, friends & family, & you, my clients!  The coming year promises to be an exciting ride.  Why?
     • TAA partner, Tracy Shaffer & I are deepening our partnership with some great new information, tools & services (more on this soon).
     • I'm adding a new area of expertise in Live/Work space. And...
     • We've survived the worst of the recession, not simply "still standing", but thriving!
I'm looking forward to spending time together in the coming year.

Wishing you and yours all the best, now and in the coming year, I send you much light and love,
                         Yours in Gratitude,
                                                  Laura

SELLERS:
     One of the metrics I like to use to gauge the market is to look at the number of showings per/active listing per/month. Basically, the more showings/active listing/month, the more closings I expect a month or two down the road. This graphic shows these numbers both by price range of home ($50k - $100k, $100k - $150k, etc.) and as a total for the entire market. What we see is that the more people there are out looking for properties the more housing sales we’ll see. It’s incredible to observe how our housing market has strengthened over the past couple of years as more than 40 percent more buyers are in the market than there were two years ago. If you’re interested in listing your property or even just testing the market out give me a call so I can give you more information.


BUYERS:
     I often get the question, “How much of a discount can I get off the asking price?” Well, the answer may surprise you. In both good times and bad the average discount hovers right around 3 percent. Why? It's simple seller psychology.
     Sellers HATE to give a large discount to a buyer. They have a tangible, emotional resistance to dropping the price too much to meet an offer. But, after having their property sit on the market for a while with no bites, many grudgingly come to realize they have to drop the price to move it. Here’s a typical scenario:
    Consider a property that went on the market for $200,000 on August 1st. For two weeks it has no showings, then Bob Buyer sees it and offers $180,000 (a 10 percent discount). Horrified, Sally Seller refuses (in a huff of resentment!).
     A month later there have been just a couple of looky-loo showings so Sally Seller meets with her listing agent to strategize. The listing agent provides recent comps and Sally Seller finally agrees to drop the price to $185,000 to get some action on the property. Bob Buyer sees it again, and again offers $180,000. Sally Seller accepts! The discount she gave was only 3 percent of her FINAL asking price, so she’s ok with it. Bob Buyer’s patience got him a solid deal and now YOU better understand market psychology. Strange as it may seem, this dynamic plays out over and over again in the residential real estate market.

To learn even more about how buyers and sellers think, drop me a line and let’s talk about it.

Confessions of a Serial Executer-Cynthia Morris & Original Impulse

By her own admission, author Cynthia Morris is a "serial executor" - a creative person who has managed to overcome the challenges of the creative process to get things done!  For the past 14 years Cynthia, though her business Original Impulse, has loved coaching women writers on tapping into their creative juju and getting things done.  Usually that means finishing their book, finding their writing voice, making writing a happy habit to name a few.

LA: The heading on your web site says, "Love your life as a creative adventure" - tell me more about that.

CYNTHIA: Creative people seek freedom to live life on their own terms.  Our creativity is the source of our vitality and people who create, do it because they have to do it.  Our whole life has to support it - whether writer, painter, musician or other type of artist, we pull ideas out of nowhere -- we make something out of nothing. But that's not always easy. Sometimes we need help breaking through a creative block or we need new inspiration, or guidance, or accountability with evolving an idea into fruition.  That's where I come in.

A few years ago I took a year in Europe to live as a creative nomad - sort of an,  "Eat, Pray, Love" meets "The 4-hour Work Week" kind of thing. I wanted to show that when you take a risk good things happen.  So I faced my fears & took the leap. I know what it's like for my clients to take risks. I go through the same trials, fears & risk taking they do.  The tools and techniques I've developed come out of my own challenges so I know they work.

LA: I've enjoyed your web marketing over the past few years.  Your use of You Tube videos & on-line product sales has kept me coming back to your Original Impulse web site.  How do you approach relationship building and marketing?

CYNTHIA: I send cards, host people in my home, share what others are doing, mention good books I'm reading, courses that look interesting.  I try to be a good listener and to have a sense of humor.

LA: Yes! Xavier is my favorite!  Where did he come from?

CYNTHIA: I was working on how to market one my writing courses and this crazy idea came to mind.  I had to override my "that's too weird, CEO voice" in order to take the risk of doing him - to follow my original impulse.  When marketing it helps to have some forethought with your brand & how people perceive it.  But what's exciting to you will probably be exciting to others. People want to have fun and be entertained.  I've found the result of play is often better and its important to just put things out there whether they're perfect or not.  The people hiring you want to know that you have your own creative practice.  The videos & characters allow me to share some of my creative practices with people.

LA: I know you are looking to evolve your business? Tell me, what's next.

CYNTHIA: I've been writing on my topics since 2001 and am feeling like I've done everything I can in that written format.  So I'm looking to go more multi-media, use my drawings and characters and bring more of my work as a coach teams and groups on how to tap their creativity.  I'm super excited about my recent novel, "Chasing Sylvia Beach" which took me 12 years to write.  There were times when I wanted to give up but I took my own coaching advice and continued to connect with my motivation. I also got help when I needed it.

LA: I loved the book and so did my sisters! We all read it together on the beach in Mexico.  Between your travel, your writing & coaching how do you continue to find inspiration while staying focused to get things done for yourself and your clients?

CYNTHIA: Travel is my personal growth boot camp.  It fills my creative reservoir so when I return to Denver I'm inspired to create something new.  There's such a deluge of information. With myself & my clients, I ask lots of questions: what's really worthwhile, what do I want for my clients and myself, what do I have to share & what's the most meaningful way.  I like to go deep with people while continuing to develop my own creative edge, to read, to learn more about how to be better.  Any time people spend with me I strive to make it meaningful for them & for me.

LA: From my experience you are extraordinarily successful at making encounters meaningful! Thanks for sharing so freely and for hosting the Thriving Artist Potluck next week!

ART IS A RUSH! BIRGIT WHITELAW & THE ART CONNECTION

The Art Connection was born of Birgit Whitelaw's pursuit of the endorphin rush she gets from making art and her desire to share that exhilarating feeling with others.  Before starting The Art Connection, Birgit worked as an art consultant for corporations and individuals, representing artists, helping them build their careers and she would occasionally get together to paint with friend and Art Connection Co-Founder, Renata Dolz.  It was those times making art together with her friend that gave Birgit the enthusiam to start her business.

LA: Tell me more about what motivated you to start The Art Connection.

BIRGIT: As a consultant I saw that art is not necessarily available to everyone.  At the same time, while painting with Renata, I'd get this endorphine rush, and I wanted to bring that feeling to a larger audience.  At The Art Connection we seek to bring the artist out in everyone no matter what their skill level and we seek to make connections between the people participating, the art they are making, the interior "landscape" of the person and the exterior "landscape" of the art they are making, and finally the connection between us and the larger community.

LA: Share with us a bit about your space and what you offer here.

BIRGIT: Thanks to Maureen Coleman here at ABC Custom Framing we have this huge space and a mutually beneficial very symbiotic relationship.  We are centrally located with lots of free parking and there's plenty of space to spread out in the studio. We offer open studio times to just come in and work on whatever you'd like. You can bring your own supplies or choose form ours.  We have a variety of workshops in groups or private. Some of the most popular are: Vision & Inspiration Boards, Chakra Art, Family Workshops, on Tuesdays from 10-12 Mom's can bring their little ones, Thursday from 6:30-9:30 people can bring their work, enjoy food & wine and get feedback from others on whatever they are working on.  For a full list of offerings visit our web site at www.connectwithart.net

LA: What else would you like people to know about The Art Connection?

BIRGIT: Making art is a powerful team building process.  We've worked with companies like Team Mobil, First Western Trust, KPMG Accounting and the Star Foundation on goals like quarterly sales efforts, new structures & projects, and corporate transitioning.  And we feel a strong commitment to giving back to our community so we support a few non-profits.  We do Vision & Inspriation Boards with women from Dress for Success and offer free studio time to women from Sense of Security and Catch It In Time, two organizations dedicated to helping cancer survivors.  And I would like to invite your readers to come make art with us!

The Amazing Creative Spirit of Thordis Niela Simonsen

I'll always remember my first meeting with Thordis—my girlfriend Cheryl invited me to see her first theatrical venture based on her book, "Dancing Girl". It was as if I'd stepped into a warm patch of sun like the one illustrated here in her painting. The performance transported me to Greece, transforming me from "audience member" to "fly-on-the-wall-participant" in the magic of Thordis’ Greek village odyssey. Its a rare thing to experience someone else's stories at such a visceral, emotional level, and I am more than thrilled to know that I will have that opportunity again at Thordis’ one-woman multimedia show, Building on Memory, which plays this weekend at the Denver Woman’s Press Club.

Thordis & I spoke on the phone about her latest book, "Dances in Two Worlds:A Writer-Artist’s Backstory" & the upcoming performance that draws from it.

LA: Your life seems to me to be a dream-like adventure that has taken you from teaching biology & cultural anthropology to “resurrecting” an abandoned peasant house in Greece, to writing, painting, and performing.
 
THORDIS: I never anticipated writing a book or living abroad or restoring a house by hand. But over the course of time, I have learned to listen to my intuition and to trust it. I understand that intuition is a valid way of knowing. And it presents opportunities that would not be revealed—or acted on—through intellect alone.

LA: I understand that your new book, Dances in Two Worlds, and your program, Building on Memory, are based on recollections from your childhood?
 
THORDIS:  Right. For example, when I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to major in art in college. But my mother insisted that I major in the liberal arts; hence the biology in my academic background. But she also used to say, “Draw a horse the way it looks to you, not the way someone else tells you to draw it.” It was years before I ventured into the visual arts, and years before I understood that she was right. But my mother’s admonition—the memory of it—not only shaped my approach to art. Her words became the philosophy I live by.

LA:  When you give yourself over to the creative process, however your creativity is expressed—when you take that leap of faith & allow a new creation, there is a never-ending cycle of expansion.
 
THORDIS: There are always the two types of adventure. There is life in the world out there, which, for me, has included my life in Greece and discovering a community of friends there. And there is the journey of self-exploration; my writing and painting and house restoring have been central to this. The book and the program weave together my inward and my out-going journey—hence the book title “Dances in Two Worlds.”

LA: The creative leap of faith is available for everyone, as are the outer adventure and the inner journey.

THORDIS: When I first arrived in Greece it was easy to see how the villagers & I were different.  So I asked myself, "What do we have in common?"  As I wrote in Dancing Girl, what we all have in common are “feelings that need to be expressed and a human spirit that wants to be set free.” When I was little, my sister and I used to catch fireflies in a jar. I believe that with every word I write, every brushstroke I make, every stone I set at my house in Greece, I release the fireflies bottled up in me.

LA: I'm so excited to see the show this weekend! For a sneak peak at "Building on Memory" program trailer can be viewed here.

A conversation with the audience and book signing will follow.

Saturday, Nov 10th at 7 pm &  November Sunday, Nov 11 at 4 pm
Doors open at 6:30 and 3:30 respectively
Denver Woman’s Press Club
1325 Logan Street, Denver 80203
parking in lot north of Club
Tickets: $15 or $35 (includes a signed copy of Dances in Two Worlds available in advance or at the door;
cash or check payable to "astragreece inc."
General admission; limited seating; advance purchase recommended.
Call 303.321.5403 or
info@astragreece.com
For more information about Thordis’ program, book, and art,
please visit www.astragreece.com

Art Place America Grant

Art Place America Grant

ArtPlace launches its third round of grant applications to support creative placemaking in communities across America.

ArtPlace is a collaboration of 11 major national and regional foundations, six of the nation's largest banks, and eight federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts to accelerate creative placemaking across the U.S. To date, ArtPlace has awarded $26.9 million in grants - in amounts up to $1 million - to 76 organizations in 46 communities across the country.

Grants will be awarded to projects that involve arts organizations, artists and designers working in partnership with local and national partners to produce transformative impacts on community vibrancy. Applications are encouraged from all 50 states and U.S. territories, and ArtPlace funds in communities across the country. Certain ArtPlace funders have a deep commitment to their local communities and have provided funding for specific states or communities. New foundation partners like the Rasmuson Foundation and the Magaret A. Cargill Foundation have helped extend ArtPlace's reach into new regions.

Complete guidelines for applying for an ArtPlace grant can be found at  www.artplaceamerica.org

Scott Nash - Connecting Creatives!

Scott Nash has multiple passions - from live music to film to design to interesting new schools of though like Science of Mind.  And it is this diversity of passions that led him to build Connect with Creatives; an exciting new internet tool to help creative people discover and connect with each other.  At its core Connect with Creatives is a directory & social network that promotes cross pollination of a wide range of creative disciplines. I met with Scott late last month to learn more about his web design company Tall Zebra and Connect with Creatives.Yes

LA:      A networking site for creatives was something we at Thriving Artist Alliance considered a few years back.  Ultimately we decided it wasn't within our core mission of helping creative people build wealth with real estate.  But I do feel strongly that it is a dearly needed resource.  Tell us what brought you to the decision to actually do it.

SCOTT:    The old adage "Time is Money" is truer today than ever before and there is no shortage of events & opportunities to meet people when you're out and about, but it's impossible to attend everything and it takes so much time.  Linked In is a bit dry to be naturally appealing to creatives and FaceBook is beginning to be over saturated - there's simply too much going on there to be an efficient method for targeting the creative people you are interested in finding, meeting and/or working with.  I just felt the time was ripe for a simple, inexpensive way to connect creatives & people wanting to find the products & services creatives offer.  I have the skills required for such web development and so I went for it.

LA:      What can people expect when they go to the site?

SCOTT:      When creative people connect magic happens.  It's a very unique site and is currently a highly dynamic online directory.  People can choose to be featured under 33 distinct types of creative categories. So when someone is looking for something specific they can search by category and also by key search words in bio's as well as links to creative neighborhoods. As the site expands, it will include event listings as well as social networking features simliar to Facebook.

LA:      Sounds to me like Connect with Creatives is positioned to become the "Who's Who" of people in creative industries?

SCOTT:     Absolutely.  I expect that the site will be an excellent way for creative people to "attract buyers" for their creations but that is only a part of the mission.  While sales do help allow for funding additional projects, an even grander element of helping creatives connect is the amazing potential involving the connection of a soup full of all kinds of things - people, ideas, thoughts, talents, experiences and helping remove belief systems of impossibility.  When two or more creative people get together a magnification occurs. The gears of each individuals' mind send and receive signals that link the ir imaginations of all involved in contemplating similar ideas adding to the energy of this co-creation making it a WIN-WIN-WIN for everyone!

LA:  Bravo!  Let's switch gears a bit - tell me about your web design company Tall Zebra.

SCOTT:     From the mid-90's through 2008 I was in sales and marketing in the publishing industry, very corporate environment.  I came to the realization that that was no longer for me so I took a year off and went to film school which I loved but knew it wasn't how I wanted to make my living so I went into web design.  Now I focus on web design, development and training. Specializing in skin design, software integration and graphic design.  My ideal client is an entrepreneur or business that has a site but want more functionality or a start up business wanting to begin small but still want to keep the ability to grow, increasing functionality and database capacity as they grow.

LA:     I really like your logo.  Where did the name and image come from?

SCOTT:     I love animals & wanted a fun simple name.  The red carpet conveys the  magic that can happen when a company's web presence is serving a company the way it should.

LA:     So I've got to ask, What is your driving personal philosophy in life and business?

SCOTT:     Joseph Campbell's "Follow your Bliss" works for me.  I really enjoy helping other creatives develop a lifestyle they love.

So, gentle reader, if you are a creative with a product or service to offer go immediately to ConnectwithCreatives.com and get listed!  There's a free listing and for a small fee you can get an expanded profile.  Or take a minute to like them on FaceBook

Want to see Scott in action?
WHAT:  
Makers and Doers: The Art of Business event
3 CRITICAL FACTORS THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE IMPACT OF YOUR WEBSITE
WHEN:    
October 30 - 6:00 mingling - 7:00 speakers
WHERE:
Laundry on Lawrence - 2701 Lawrence St  

Carol Mier Fashion

In honor of
Colorado Fashion Week

Carol Mier Fashion
Living, Working & Creating from Home
Santa Fe Arts District pioneer, business owner & fashion designer, Carol Mier, is the very embodiment of the Thriving Artist Alliance's Live/Work ideal to build wealth with real estate. In 1998, back before First Fridays & before El Taco de Mexico had a fancy location on the corner, Carol took a chance and bought an old machine shop on Santa Fe Drive with the dream of converting it into a creative tri-fecta: retail space to sell her clothing designs, studio space to create in, and her home.  Carol has been designing cloths since she was 12 years old and been making her living at it for the past 20 years.

LA: Would you share with me the story of getting into this building?  What was this place like when you bought it?

CAROL: It was a greasy machine shop full of machines, old equipment, metal flakes everywhere. The minute I walked in that first time I knew this was the place for me.  I basically came in with a blow torch.  We had the seller move all the old machines out before closing on the purchase, then I had to do the rest.  We pulled out the drop ceilings, tore down walls, built the loft that is now my living quarters, re-painted everything, updated the electrical, removed an old roof mounted swamp cooler, added insulation, all in the first month after closing on the property.  Then I moved in and finished it little-by-little.

LA: Would you share a bit about the financing of it all?

CAROL: Sure. I knew it was a big risk &, yes, I was scared but I also knew I could do it.  The owner gave me financing for the first 5 years with a balloon payment at the end of that period. I paid a bit over $100,000 for it back in 1998.  A recent appraisal valued it at more than 3 times that. 

LA: How has owning your real estate effected you & your business?

CAROL: It is a wonderful feeling knowing I have accomplished ownership of a building that I can work, play live in and show my art work in.
I'm in the hub of the Santa Fe Art District, and I was also one of founding artists. Which gives me pride.  Having a permanent location with an affordable monthly payment and knowing that I'm building equity gives me enormous piece of mind.  My clients know where to find me and are comfortable coming here.  I'm also part of a fantastic community, the Santa Fe Arts District!  Our First & Third Friday Art Walks bring a steady stream of potential new clients. And I am free to program the space as I choose, showcasing my fashion of course as well as other artists' furniture, jewelry, paintings as I desire.

LA: I know you have dressed the likes of former First Lady, Dottie Lamb, award winning actress Cynthia James, Lon Van Eaton who recorded George Harrison, Paul McCarty and that you made the inaugural outfit for former city council person, Carla Madison to name a few.  Your cloths are in boutiques around the country, including the Denver Art Museum and you've even designed costumes for Kim Robards Dance.  Tell me about your fashion designs.

CAROL: I create basics, all one-of-a-kind pieces that pay attention to the shape, color, and style that compliment the wearer and are geared toward helping clients create their own style trend.  I suppose my signature piece are my patchwork jackets.  I love to re-purpose & re-style items from the client's own closet or things I find at second hand shops so they work better for today's styles.  I love helping clients work within a budget. Say you come to me with $500, I can maximize that money so you get several pieces that all mix & match into multiple outfits.  My clothes move easily from casual to work to evening.  Prices run between $20 for earrings to $49-$79 for tops & dresses, to $300 for coats, and all prices in between. 

LA: I know the pieces I've bought from you are amazingly flexible, they wash, wear & pack  easily.  My favorite piece is my purple, crushed-silk, elephant bell-bottomed pants.  They make me feel hip & glamorous when I wear them.

You can see Carol's designs on the runway during Colorado Fashion Week.

For more on Carol's fashion visit: www.carolmierfashion.com
Shop Hours: Thurs-Sat 12:00-5:00
She's also open for First & Third Friday Art Walks
754 Santa Fe Dr. Denver, 80204
303-446-0117