Archive for the ‘current news’ Category
US Workers May Keep Jobs Due to Public Outcry
After months of silence , Crow Erickson, Inc. received a telephone call today from senior management at The Hillman Group, distributor of InfoTube and InfoBox for Lowes and Home Depot stores.
We feel the sole reason for this communication is due to the pouring of support and the hundreds of emails and inquiries sent on our behalf.
Although, a decision has not been made about the outsourcing of our products to China, we do feel that we have some positive news to share with you for the first time.
On behalf of everyone at Crow Erickson, Caplugs and our associates, we want to extend our deepest Thanks for all your continued effort and support. We hope that a resolution can be reached, now that the lines of communication have been opened.
We will be sure to keep you posted on the outcome of our ongoing negotiations. Made in America matters to us all.
Tommi Crow
President, Crow Erickson, Inc.
Radio News Interview and Call from Senator Richard Burr’s Office
I was interviewed on Clear Channel News this morning about our Fight to Save our Company and American jobs from the chinese, copycat imports of InfoBox that are being brought into the US by The Hillman Group, distributors for Lowes, Home Depot and Menards.
After the radio interview, we received a call from Senator Richard Burr’s (R) office to inquire about our story. The Senator’s office is looking into the matter to determine how they can help. Thank you, Senator Burr!
Tommi Crow radio interview on Jameson show
I would like to say a BIG thank you to Jerri Jameson at WWNC News Radio 570 for having us on her show this morning.
Thanks for following our story and for your support! Please continue to sign our petition and send emails to Lowes, Home Depot and Menardsn telling them that InfoTube and InfoBox SHOULD NOT be replaced with chinese imports.
National Home Improvement Stores Outsource American Jobs to China
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Home Improvement Stores Outsource American Jobs to China Home Depot, Lowe’s vendor ignores U.S. patents, outsources popular INFOBOX®
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (May 10, 2011)—Recently, Hillman Group, vendor to national DIY home-improvement retail giants Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Menards, replaced the store’s popular American-made INFOTUBE® and INFOBOX® products with Chinese factory replicas.
INFOTUBE® literature boxes were invented 23 years ago in a garage in Dallas, TX, to provide Realtors®, builders and homeowners with an affordable way to sell their homes. Today, millions of these patented real-estate literature boxes are being used in neighborhoods across America.
In March, Hillman informed Crow Erickson it was replacing INFOTUBE® and INFOBOX® products effective immediately, leaving thousands of boxes stranded on the docks and effectively closing the doors of the Asheville, NC-based manufacturer and inventor. Caplugs® factory jobs in Erie, PA and Buffalo, NY will also be affected, two areas already hard hit in this economy.
Crow Erickson’s patent attorney has inspected the Chinese product, currently available on Home Depot’s website, and it does appear to be copy of the INFOBOX® design, something Hillman insiders have conceded. The Chinese knockoff provides no cost savings to the consumer.
This is not the first time Hillman has ignored U.S. patents and put American jobs in jeopardy, including the hundreds of disabled and handicapped American workers that Crow Erickson has employed at competitive wages in partnership with vocational rehabilitation centers.
In the 1990s, Hillman tried to outsource INFOTUBE® products, a patent violation against which Crow Erickson took legal action. The settlement required Hillman to renew its contract for INFOTUBE® and agree not to compete in its product niche.
Apparently Hillman is banking on the rising cost of lawsuits to deter the small, woman-owned business from pursuing legal remedy this time around.
Crow Erickson has made numerous direct appeals to the Hillman Group and senior management at Lowe’s and Home Depot, citing its 20+ year successful partnership, patent concerns, and a desire to work with all parties for a mutually beneficial and cost-competitive resolution.
To date, Crow Erickson has not been able to engage Hillman, Lowe’s or Home Depot in any meaningful discussion and has been left with no recourse other than pursue costly legal action or close its doors and watch another American-made product fall victim to Chinese factories.
Crow Erickson is currently launching a public media campaign to save American jobs. More information can be found on www.infotube.net and the company’s blog. INFOTUBE® is also sponsoring an online petition to save American jobs from export to China which can be viewed and signed on The Petition Site at Help-Save-American-Jobs.
Contact:
Tommi Crow
President, Crow Erickson, Inc.
800-858-6000 (o) 828-230-2260 (cel)
Public Response to Help InfoTube Save American Jobs is Amazing
Yesterday, I shared the story of our fight to save our small, US company from obliteration with my small circle of friends, family and collegues. Our news must have hit a nerve in a number of people because the number of Facebook posts, emails and phone calls I have received in support of our situation has been nothing short of phenominal!
I have 3 Things to Report to You, so far!
First, WE ARE STILL IN BUSINESS!!! We have received a number of calls from concerned customers that we are no longer manufacturing product. I am happy to report that we are still working and don’t intend to stop anytime soon. Everyone can order product directly from our website, via fax, phone or email.
Secondly, and sadly, we have received no response from Lowes, Home Depot or The Hillman Group.
Thirdly, our fight to save the little, and in the scheme of things, perhaps insignificant, InfoBox and InfoTube has inspired and motivated so many of you. Your support has really picked up morale here and words can’t express you how much we need it and how thankful we are.
Truefully, I’m not sure whether the idea of a chinese knockoff, swinging on “For Sale” signs in front of American homes, many of which are foreclosed, touched a raw nerve…or, whether the idea of a forced layoff of hard working Americans, many disabled and handicapped, was infuriating…or, whether the picture of one of the last American made products, being washed away in a chinese tsunami was just too much to take…but, the anger and frustration that you are expressing about our retailers and their lack of support for available American products is powerful, loud and clear! WE DON’T UNDERSTAND AND WE HATE IT!
i pray that they are listening. I have proudly worked with the largest retailers in the land for nearly 20 years. My growth, as a company, I owe to them. I still believe in them. I believe that they care what their customers think and they want to deliver what we want to buy. Your voice matters, so please keep sending those heartfelt emails and Facebook posts. Eventually, our voice will reach someone in charge who cares.
Thank you for your support and for sharing our story with your friends and collegues. I will issue updates and share any information or responses I receive, so you can follow our progress. We hope every second of the day that we will have something good to report!
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SAVE AMERICAN JOBS!!!
Crow Erickson—a small, woman-owned company—is a quintessential American success story. INFOTUBE® literature boxes were invented 23 years ago in my garage in Dallas, TX, to provide Realtors®, builders and homeowners with an affordable way to sell their homes.
INFOTUBE® was an immediate success and quickly made its way into every major retail home improvement store across the country, where they have been sold for more than 20 years by retail giants like Lowe’s and Home Depot. Over the years, our company has provided meaningful, competitively paid work for hundreds of disabled and handicapped Americans.
Today, our patented INFOTUBE® and INFOBOX® literature dispensers are used by millions of home sellers, Realtors® and home builders every day. You can find them in neighborhoods across America, very likely even your own.
Recently, our largest distributor, The Hillman Group, without notice, replaced our patented products with Chinese replicas. Their decision effectively puts our company out of business and, ironically, provides no cost savings for the consumer.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
1. Please copy and paste the following letter or write your own:
I am writing to request that your company take a stand to protect American jobs by continuing to carry successful American-made products, specifically INFOTUBE® and INFOBOX®.
“Made in America” matters to me and so does supporting our U.S. economy. I do not support companies who outsource American jobs to China.
Please continue to support all Americans including the American companies whose products you currently carry on your shelves.
Sincerely,
(your name)
2. Email it to the decision makers at Lowe’s, Home Depot and the Hillman Group.
Drew Strole (Lowe’s) Drew.D.Strole@Lowes.com
Bill Boltz (Home Depot) Bill_Boltz@homedepot.com
Dan Smercina (Hillman) Dan.Smercina@hillmangroup.com
3. Please forward this letter to everyone in your contact circle.
4. For an up to the minute update on the status of this situation and the response of the retail giants, watch our blog, follow us on Twitter @Infotubes or Like our Facebook Page “InfoTube for Real Estate”.
Your voice and your time matter. Thank you for helping us in our fight save our company, American products and American jobs. Together we can make a difference!
Sincerely,
Tommi
Tommi Crow, President
Crow Erickson, Inc.
7 Tips to Sell Your Home this Weekend
In today’s’ super-competitive housing market, it is essential that homebuyers picture themselves living inside the home you are trying to sell.
7 Home Selling Tips from the Lips of Top Selling Agents
- For starters, take down the Wallpaper – Trust me when I say, “Buyers just do not like wallpaper.” If you doubt how personal wallpaper is…just walk into any wallpaper store and stare at the thousands of available patterns. Chances of your tastes matching are at least a thousand to one. Don’t risk it! Pull that paper down!
- The Clutter HAS to Go! Living in a house is alot different than Selling a house. It is easy to get blind to your own clutter. Ask a friend, neighbor or neutral party to be honest with you. Then, pack away every single thing you don’t use. And, clear the kitchen counters completely.
- Smelly Homes Will NOT Sell. Agents have an old saying, “If I can smell it, I can’t sell it.” Pet smells, musty odor’s, etc will kill a sale everytime.
- White is not a Color. But, paint is your friend. Every room should have a fresh coat of paint in a warm, neutral color.
- A Spot of Color. Everyone loves flowers. Place pots with colorful annual flowers by the front door or plant seasonal color in the beds to make your home inviting and memorable.
- Househunting Begins on the Internet. If your property is not exposed on the internet, your chances of a buyer finding you are very small. Tip the odds in your favor by advertising your home on the MLS and all the major search engines for real estate. InfoTube also offers FREE property listings on its website. Also, make sure your listing includes at least 10 good photo’s of the interior and exterior of your home. If possible, also include a video tour of the house and neighborhood.
- Forget About Comp’s and Sold Properties. Study your competition, which means homes currently For Sale. If your home is priced too high when compared to your competition, it is going to sit for a long, long time.
Homeowners should please keep in mind that Buyers have a lot of choices. The homeowner who can make their house stand out among the vast inventory of “For Sale” signs will the one who wins the selling game.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com,, your do-it-yourself home selling source. We can bring buyer’s to your door. Check out our website to see how we’ve helped thousands of home sellers.
No First Time Buyers Hurt Housing Market
The lack of first-time buyers is hurting the housing market and their absense is hampering the recovery.
In normal markets, first time buyers make up 40%-45% of all home purchasers. Since January of 2011, purchases made by first time buyers averages only 32%
Why is this important for existing home sales?
First time buyers are crucial to the market because they buy starter homes so those owners can step up to a more expensive property. Despite low mortgage rates and deeply discounted prices, they are remaining on the sidelines…at least for now.
What may be keeping first time buyers out of the housing market?
Some experts point to a hangover from the Expired Tax Credit of 2009 and 201o, which may have lured buyers into a home sooner than later. Some point to tighter lending standards and increased down payment requirements. The best loan terms now kick in with a down payment of 20% or more, which may be very difficult for a first time homeowner.
The Silver Lining — The National Association of Realtors reported that a record 33% of all existing home sales in Febuary were to Cash Buyers. In some parts of the country, cash buyers accounted for more than half of all the existing homes sold.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We have helped thousands of home sellers and builders market their homes and save money. We can help you, too! Visit our website for facts and details.
Home Sellers should check out InfoTube.NET a FREE homes for sale and rent website. Visit the site to place a free ad on your property, view listings or to purchase a Made in America InfoTube or InfoBoxe to help you market your home on the street.
We can also arrange for your property to be shown on your local MLS and/or Realtor.com and all major real estate websites. CLICK HERE for details.
Foreign Buyer’s Snapping Up US Property.
Attention Why6Percent Realtor.com customers: Due to growing foreign demand for American real estate…Realtor.com plans to offer a language translation service to reach non-english speaking homebuyers.
Foreign buyers are turning to the U.S. to buy “trophy properties,” according to a recent Wall Street Journal blog which added that demand is so strong, leading real estate website Realtor.com plans to add features, including a translation service, to help the influx of international buyers find real estate.
“They’re feeling that investing in U.S. real estate right now may be a more stable option than investing in their home countries,” Julie Reynolds, a Realtor.com spokesperson said.
Reynolds cited a National Association of Realtors survey that showed that 55% of foreign buyers paid cash in 2009, compared with about 8% of overall respondents.
In her WSJ blog, S. Mitra Kalita concluded that, “Given the shaky state of some markets and a still-tight lending environment, real-estate agents say the rush to market to foreign buyers only makes good business sense.”
And the National Association of Realtors findings back her up: It reported that between April 2009 and March 31, 2010, $66 billion of residential property — 7 percent of the total U.S. residential market — was sold to foreign nationals, recent immigrants and temporary visa holders.
“We have definitely seen an increase in international clients this year,” said Miami realtor, Ines Hegedus-Garcia. “What’s exciting is the fact that they are not interested in just single residential properties, but multiple properties as well as commercial and industrial. They are savvy cash buyers who do their homework and pull the trigger fast once the numbers make sense.”
On Realtor.com, traffic from countries in Western Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia has increased by more than 50% over the past two years with the foreigners targeting properties in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, New York, and Nevada.
At a local level, Realtors have also noticed the surge of interest from abroad: Last year 28% of them reported working with at least one international client in the previous year (2009 – 2010), up from 23% in 2008.
Here’s how the foreign interest in U.S. property breaks down: Canadians have make up the bulk of international buyers during the past 3 years; Mexicans the fastest growing; and buyers from the UK, stung by their own housing market collapse, have posted the steepest decline.
About 50 percent of international homebuyers said they wanted to move here and make the homes their primary residences; 25 percent bought vacation homes for their own use; 14% were bought residential rentals for investment; and another 14% said they wanted their purchases to double as their own vacation home and a rental.
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. Our customers receive all the benefits of advertising on the MLS and Realtor.com for a fraction of the money. Visit our website for details and FAQ’s. If you have a home to sell, it is time to Spring into action!!!
Latest Existing Home Sales Chart for Your Area
Sales of existing homes increased 2.7 percent in January 2011. Prices were down slightly because distressed properties made up 37 percent of all sales. It’s good news that we are working through some of the excess inventory.
Check out the chart below to see how your town or area fared.
Single-family existing-home sales and prices
| Metropolitan statistical area |
Median price Jan. 2010
|
Median price Jan. 2011
|
Annual change in price
|
Annual change in sales
|
| Atlanta |
105,100
|
106,900
|
1.7%
|
-6.3%
|
| Baltimore |
230,000
|
218,300
|
-5.1%
|
27.0%
|
| Boston |
343,700
|
334,400
|
-2.7%
|
7.2%
|
| Cincinnati |
113,900
|
110,500
|
-3.0%
|
5.9%
|
| Dallas-Fort Worth |
131,600
|
141,500
|
7.5%
|
-7.7%
|
| Houston |
144,600
|
139,000
|
-3.9%
|
10.1%
|
| Indianapolis |
103,500
|
110,700
|
7.0%
|
-3.1%
|
| Kansas City |
122,200
|
117,500
|
-3.8%
|
1.3%
|
| Miami-Ft. Lauderdale |
203,000
|
165,800
|
-18.3%
|
32.9%
|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul |
157,000
|
140,000
|
-10.8%
|
10.4%
|
| New Orleans |
152,900
|
143,200
|
-6.3%
|
23.2%
|
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island |
384,600
|
381,200
|
-0.9%
|
-5.0%
|
| Philadelphia |
207,700
|
208,500
|
0.4%
|
-2.4%
|
| Phoenix |
137,900
|
126,900
|
-8.0%
|
12.3%
|
| Portland |
240,000
|
215,400
|
-10.3%
|
2.8%
|
| San Antonio |
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| San Diego |
366,800
|
370,100
|
0.9%
|
-1.1%
|
| St. Louis |
100,000
|
105,300
|
5.3%
|
3.1%
|
| Washington, DC |
285,600
|
292,600
|
2.5%
|
-5.5%
|
| U.S. |
163,800
|
159,400
|
-2.7%
|
3.3%
|
Source: National Association of Realtors
Thank you for visiting Why6Percent.com. We offer flat fee MLS listings, Realtor.com listings, and Free Classified Home Listings. Spring is around the corner and we will help you get noticed!
Who is Buying a Home This Year? The Baby Boomers, Baby!
If you have a condo, ranch, one level bungalow or a home with the master on the main level that you need to sell, this may be your lucky year. The baby boomers (those 77 million people that were born between 1945 and 1964) are back in the housing market in a big way..and they often pay cash.
The aging boomers have finally worked up the courage to sell the family house, depreciated as it is, and roll the home equity into their last ever home purchase. Ironically, the catalyst for this trend has nothing to do with real estate. The motivation is age, quality of life and the stock market. The stock market is back, bringing with it the net worth of the boomer generation, who controls 80 percent of the financial assets in the United States.
If you own a one level, low maintenance home…you are already sitting in tall cotton…but you can do some simple things to sweeten the pot even more…if you know what to emphasize and what needs to be done.
Capitalize on the needs of the 65+ year olds, who are looking for place that they can grow old in. They are naturally drawn to homes that are easy and safe to live in, even if managing stairs and home maintenance is hard to do.
- Replace door knobs with levered handles.
- Replace knob-type plumbing fixtures and cabinet pulls with levers or open handles.
- Today’s house only needs one bathtub. Offer at least one, barrier free shower on the main floor, even if means taking out a bathtub.
- Put a laundry room on the main floor, even if you have to eliminate a closet or half-bath to do so.
- Consider making entryway staircases longer and more gentle. Create an option to add a wheelchair ramp to one side, if needed.
- Consider adding grab bars in glass enclosures or if your bathroom has wide open space.
- Replace carpeting with tile, hardwoods or laminate flooring for easier maintenance, durability and a smoother surface.
- Provide ample indoor lighting and don’t forget the outdoor security lights.
- Provide outdoor handrails on stairs, inclines or wherever necessary
Marketing Insight: Most home improvements, suggested above, offer easy living appeal for all ages. Just because your house is senior friendly doesn’t lessen the appeal to everyone else, but always be tactful. Design two InfoSheets for Buyers. Offer one in a standard format and create another that highlights senior-ready amenities.
Why 6 Perent has been helping home sellers’ reach home buyers while saving thousands of dollars in commissions and fee’s. If you have the ability to show your own home to buyers’, then you should seriously consider a low flat fee MLS listing or an ad on Realtor.com. Our specialized program reachs 10 million home shoppers each month for pennies a day.
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