Archives of real estate blog entries for September 1, 2006 (Page 5)

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Victims and Victors of Web 2.0 - 10:01 AM
This morning, I read where MYSPACE.com drives more retail traffic than MSN.com The authors are not talking about hits to the site; rather, they are referring to advertiser clicks, which should sound an alarm to many--including ttraditional search engines and advertisers alike. If MySpace can deliver more traffic to eBay, Amazon and Craislist, then MSN had better go into major rethinking mode. That ubiquitous MySpace (check the back cover artwork on Reader's Digest this month) now accounts for 2.53 percent of all US up$tream traffic.
Bill Tancer, general manager of Global Research at HITWISE, said, "With the growth of MySpace and others, online … (1 comments)

A Way to Meet New Clients - 12:13 PM
I am prepearing to leave my desk and head over to the local Bank of America branch, where they expect to have one of their busiest days of the year (payday, Labor Day, etc). The have granted us a table facing the lobby where we will be able to meet people, show properties via online laptop, and hand out property flyers.
The real estate industry worries about banks in real estate. I enjoy being a Realtor inside the bank! There is no magic about the proposition and anyone here could do the same thing.  This is a good value proposition for the bank … (3 comments)

Working the Bank.... - 06:14 PM
We have returned from several hours at the bank. It was time well-spent: A probable listing that will likely result in a lease option or short sale. Some nice introductions were made to various customers and local business people. The number of face-to-face meetings greatly exceeded those from this summer's open houses.
Some here have asked how we arranged such a thing and how we set it up. I would suggest visiting your local bank (if you are a good customer, all the better) and ask if you might set up a table that promotes the ACORN LOAN, other loan programs- (even if it's only HELOC's) and … (0 comments)

It's Bloody Out There - 07:21 PM
Three weeks ago the Seller was on Jupiter and the Buyer was on Mars. The coastal condo in Carlsbad had been reduced to $599,000. Our buyer's offered only $475,000, basing the figure on the best comparables we could find. We presented the offer to the seller's agent, who moaned and groaned and said she would do what she could. Their counter? $575,000.
Our buyers, after much deliberation, then offered $485,000 and were met with a $555,000 counter from the seller. The transaction went nowhere--and it appeared neither would budge from their position--until this morning. The seller's agent called and asked if our buyer's … (1 comments)

Home Maintenace Insurance Plans - Who needs Em!!!!! - 12:04 PM
What I always try to stand out in a crowd in provide good service to my clients; like calling them back, sending e-mail, stopping by, etc., all in the same day; if possible.  Service is what makes our business great OR it will ruin us.  Because of that, I expect good service where I go, or should I say "within reason."
This leads me into a discussion that I think you bloggers out there need to comment about.  I want to hear your stories about the add-on Home Maintenance Plans we tack into our closings.  I won't mention any names here but … (5 comments)

About Pacific NW Title - 12:43 PM
 
In the Snohomish County branch of Pacific Northwest Title John Wahl
works with builders and developers providing full signing and escrow services,
title insurance and real estate information research including land acquisition and feasibility studies.
He brings with him to his customers a full compliment of customer service
products to meet the needs of the land developing and home
building professional
Pacific Northwest Title is a customer driven and service oriented company
and has always endeavored to be the best in Title Insurance, Escrow and Real Estate information.
With offices located throughout Washington, Oregon and Alaska and through a network of agents, … (2 comments)

New Lot Sales for Snohomish County 1st qtr 2006 - 05:49 PM
… (2 comments)

Seller forgets they had to Move! - 06:03 AM
This is one for the books. My buyer and I sat through a 6 hour closing yesterday. It seems that the Seller was ready,willing and able to close, but somehow they thought that they could remain in the house until next Wednesday!
No kidding, they claim their Realtor who was Red Faced never told them they had to move! Needless to say, the buyers with Moving Van in tow weren`t thrilled and refused to sign until the Sellers placed $3,500 in escrow for any damages to the home.
The Sellers thought that they should receive their money "In Full" without being penalized. They wanted the Buyers … (14 comments)

I forgot how tiring showing homes can be! - 09:42 PM
With soft market conditions in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, buyers are few and far between.  Of course, I have more listings than I can count.
Recently I've signed up two new purchasers.  It just so happened that both of these buyers wanted to go out today to look at homes.  I showed 9 homes in the late morning/early afternoon and another 8 homes this evening. 
Wow, I'm POOPED! 
A few years ago, when the market was stronger, I can remember showing over 100 homes in a week.  The pace was grueling but it was such a high. 
I think its funny how something … (7 comments)

Are the tides changing? - 10:22 PM
In the local Birmingham/Bloomfield market, there has been a surplus of listings on the market.  When I was scheduling appointments yesterday to show homes today.  I was pleasantly surprised that there were several homes that had just gone under contract. 
This news is so encouraging to me that I feel like screaming it from the rooftops! 
When I first joined AR, I posed about the power of positive thoughts.  Because I was new to AR, I think that the post went somewhat unnoticed.  In that post, I wrote that we, the Realtor community have the power to positively influence the industry.  … (3 comments)

Zillow may not be that bad afterall..... - 03:32 PM
Perhaps Zillow.com is something that we all will have to take seriously.  Many agents whom I work with laughed when Zillow was first launched.  Here in Arizona, the values they determined for homes seemed to be very inaccurate.  However, they seem to be getting much better and they are now being sponsored by large real estate companies.
Recently I attended a list presentation class where the instructor suggested that we include a Zillow report in our presentations.  Thinking that this was a bad idea, I checked out Zillow to prove the instructor wrong.  I have to admit, I now think that Zillow … (9 comments)

How Market Conditions Affect Interest Rates - 10:30 AM
 When the Chairman of the Federal Reserve lowers "rates," he lowers the "Federal Funds" rate. Its the interest rate at which large banks lend funds to one another and is a "short-term" rate. Mortgage interest rates are long-term, up to 30 years. Longer-term interest rates are sensitive to expectations about inflation. When short-term rates fall, like the ones the Federal Reserve controls, borrowing and spending usually increase, which can actually cause inflation. Longer-term rates, like mortgage interest rates, can rise when concerns about inflation increase. Bond prices and bond yields have a direct effect on long term interest rates. Bond prices … (0 comments)

Portfilio Lenders - 10:36 AM
 A mortgage loan that is held as an investment by a bank , rather than being sold on the secondary market. It is usually due to the fact that the loan does not comply with the underwriting guidelines set by the secondary market investors. Most portfolio lenders follow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines but can also give exceptions to your loan if they choose to do so. It gets confusing because portfolio lenders are also involved in typical mortgage banking. Portfolio lenders, are commonly known as Savings & Loan institutions. They are called portfolio lenders, because they originate loans for … (0 comments)

Arizona Down Payment Assistance Programs - 10:38 AM
I think someone was looking for this??
Arizona Southwest Housing Foundation Down Payment Gift Program (GIFT)$25,000 (480) 926-7206 Flagstaff Affordable Housing Coalition Inc Community Homebuyer Assistance Program (CHAP)$10,972 (520) 214-7456 Glendale Los Vecinos Housing Development, Inc. First Time Homebuyer Program (FTHB)$40,000 (623) 435-2255 Multi Counties Community Services of Arizona Rural Home Purchase Assistance Program (RHAP)$10,000 (602) 280-1365 Northern Arizona Council of Government, Rural Home Purchase Assistance Program (RHAP)$10,000 (92 773-1135 Phoenix Community Housing Resources of Arizona (CHRA) Homeownership Incentive Program (HIP)$1,500 (602) 631-9780 Phoenix Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix Down Payment Closing Cost Assistance Program (DPCC)$2,500 (602) 258-1659 Phoenix Valley-CoRP Downpayment Assistance … (1 comments)

Commercial Loans - 11:01 AM
 Commercial Financing is underwritten on a case by case basis. Every loan application is unique and evaluated on its own merits, but there are a few common criteria lenders look for in commercial loan packages.Financial Analysis A key component in making an underwriting evaluation is the debt coverage ratio (DCR). The DCR is defined as the monthly debt compared to the net monthly income of the investment property in question.Loan to Value Most commercial lenders will require a minimum of 20% of the purchase price to be paid by the buyer. The remaining 80% can be in the form of a … (0 comments)

Do you vote for your Board of Directors? - 04:00 PM
If real estate is your business and you pay board dues, do you vote for who you want to be on your next Board of Directors?  If you're a member of your local board, your are probably given the opportunity to decide who you want in office representing you and your business.  I heard somewhere that 10% or less of members vote and just think -- this isn't like voting for the President of the U.S. where each and every vote doesn't really count (remember -- electoral college).  Do you study the candidates for your board of directors to see what their beliefs are … (3 comments)

Deja vu - 05:53 PM
Yesterday there was a Featured Post from Kristal Kraft about spell check on the Google Toolbar. It read:
"On the Google Toolbar is the icon "ABC Check".  You can use it to spell check your blogs and comments.  It's easy to use, just be sure your cursor is located within the "entry" box.  Click on it, the spell check will scan for mistakes, if one is found it is highlighted.  You click on the highlighted word, then here's the tricky part, you have to figure out which word is the word you are trying to spell.  Yes, it does take some … (16 comments)

LOCK AND LOAD...Baby Lock And Load...Lock What...This Listing...ROAR! - 01:52 PM
Years ago, before, I retired, Broker Bryant and I had a technique for Listing Homes. It was the "Lock and Load" way of getting a listing. Bryant would do all "first contact" appointments (this is loading) I would make second contact (this is locking). He would "Load" the Seller's with the listing presentation and everything they needed to know about us and our company and take the listing. My job, was to "Lock" them in. We had tried listing homes together but we both have such strong opinionated personalities. We would argue over the best way to market the property...right in … (7 comments)

Real Estate Eduction-My Way, Step by Step! - 07:03 AM
Forget about getting training from a company or brand. Often, you just get the wrong training or bad information. Yes, they should teach you how to fill out a contract or use a lockbox, but after that, you're on your own.  As a new agent, you enter this profession and operate in one of two ways. You either fake your way through your career, being problematic to your clients, trouble to your fellow agents and detrimental to the transaction, or you can educate yourself and learn how to function as a true professional!
When I first started in this profession, I took Floyd … (14 comments)

My Big Why! What's Yours! - 07:50 AM
Sometimes you read something on Active Rain, and you'd swear you wrote it, or at least thought it before! John Novak in a recent blog here on Active Rain got me thinking about my "Big Why" experience. (a Big Why is referred to in Gary Keller's book and described in John's earlier blog)  If you haven't had that "chat" with yourself, now would be a great time! 
I was confronted with my Big Why about 3 years ago. A sales person for Mike Ferry's organization called to invite me ($$$) to his upcoming seminar. He said, "don't you want more free time?" my answer, "No, … (3 comments)

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