Archives of real estate blog entries for September 14, 2006 (Page 4)

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Closets In The House - 09:10 AM
To you Mortgage people out there I have a quick question that I would like answered. I listed a little 2 bedroom house I'll call it that anyway I have a offer on the table but the type of loan they are getting it says that the bedrooms have to have closets which this house does not have. Anyway the buyers agent that is bringing me the offer said that there were hardly any mortgage companys that would loan on a house that didn't have closets in the bedrooms as they were not considered bedrooms.
Question: Do the bedrooms have to have … (5 comments)

Closets In The House - 04:45 PM
Earlier todaY commented on a two bedroom house that I had listed that a deal might fall through on because the bedrooms had no closets. When, where, and why does a bedroom have to have a closet to classify as a bedroom. Years ago they didn't have closets they only had wardrobes to store there clothes in. In my mind the definition of a bedroom would be a place to sleep why would you need a closet to go to sleep.
Just a thought I had.
… (9 comments)

Working with investros - 12:51 PM
Regarding rental property, most investors are not going to be interested in a property unless the rental income is at least 1% of the purchase price.  There are other expenses besides the mortgage.  A property's rent roll must cover the mortgage, taxes, maintenance, utilities and cover the vacancy rate for the area. 
So, when you put good investment property in the property description please consider what you are writing.  Good investors are a shrewd lot and really know what they are looking for.  Be prepared with the information because they will be asking lots of questions.  Ask your investor for his/her criterior … (4 comments)

New Listing -1 Bed/1 Bath - Offered @ $199K - 05:26 PM

 Perfectly cared for 1 Bedroom/1 Bathroom ready for new owner! Perfect location in the center of Largo Town Center, The Shops at the BLVD & THE METRO! Move right in to this well priced home. Very easy to see, just call contact for combo.
… (0 comments)

Location Location Location ? - 02:14 PM
The other day while i was out prospecting (Realtor talk for Meeting people). I came upon a FSBO (For sale by owner) , we had a nice chat about home sales ,marketing and the general round table of real estate stuff. The owner asked me the simple question of 'How do I sell it ,now'. I find that most of us know the old phrase of "Location, Location, Location" right? Most of us know it even by the term 'The Golden Rule of Real Estate'. To me , this can be missleading to some individiuals. Sometimes we all forget how easy … (1 comments)

It really isn't about the money - 03:44 PM
I had a refinance loan close on Friday and funded yesterday.  It was a very small loan, a whopping $15,000.  Can I even afford my happy hour tab with the commission on this loan?  I always say I don’t do this for the money, now here is the test.
 My customer is an older woman (78 to be exact) from South Philadelphia and sharp as a nail.  She is widowed and has owned her home free and clear for quite some time.  She wanted to do some work around the house (paint, replace tile…. all cosmetic repairs).  She has no open credit … (7 comments)

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Appoints New Chamber of Commerce Chair - 05:29 PM
Bruce Anderson, Eastern Iowa regional manager and Cedar Rapids market president of Liberty Bank was installed Wednesday as 2006-2007 chairman of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.  Anderson has been with West Des Moines based Liberty Bank since 2002.  He was formerly Eastern Iowa market president for Commercial Federal Bank, now Bank of the West. 
Anderson succeeds Monica Vernon, president of the Vernon Research Group.  He has been chairman of the chamber's downtown task force.
… (0 comments)

Small Town Near Cedar Rapids Gets Visit From Extreme Makeover, Home Edition! - 05:44 PM
Dan Mohlis is taking a week of vacation from his job at a lumberyard to help "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" rebuild a northwest Tama County family's house.
However, the Reinbeck Fire Rescue assistant chief isn't just offering his time to help a family in need.  Or because he was on the scene of the 2005 electrical fire that destroyed their house.  Mohlis said he's also a big fan of the ABC show.  "My whole family watches the show," said Mohlis, 27.  "I don't want to miss anything."
While altruism is the primary reason about 2,000 people from across Iowa have volunteered their services, the … (1 comments)

Sex Offenders Need Housing Too Right? - 06:00 PM
At our Tuesday sales meeting at Skogman Realty in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we had an interesting discussion on sex offenders and housing by the Linn County sheriff's department.  From the center of our downtown, there is a 30 block radius whereby sex offenders cannot reside.  Also, sex offenders cannot live within 2000 feet of a daycare or school, which may be the law in your city or state. 
I worked with a couple whose husband was on the sex offenders registry list.  We looked for one solid month but could not find a house for this couple, even though they were pre-approved … (8 comments)

Are YOU a responsible agent? - 08:49 AM
How many times have you seen an agent list a house and then forget about it?  Happens all the time around here and I would venture to say that when the house was listed that goes against everything the agent told the seller.
Take for instance info tubes.  How many signs have you seen in front yards that have the info tube on them with no flyers in them and how many have been that way for a long time?
What about expired listings?  Have you ever seen a sign stay on a front lawn after the listing is expired for a long … (1 comments)

If your clients are timing the market, now is the time to buy - 11:49 AM
An article in by Al Heavans brought up a point that I don’t think we have all accepted and adjusted to.  The point is simply that if it is no longer a sellers’ market, then it must be a buyer’s market.  In looking at the state of the industry, prices have stalled, inventory is going up, but interest rates are still at historic lows.  What better time to buy that home of your dreams? 
  Prices are now appreciating at less than 4% per year in many markets and in some spaces prices have come down.  Regardless, if you are looking … (0 comments)

Even mentors use mentors to be successful in real estate - 01:54 PM
I was surfing Rich Levin’s blog last night trying to keep up on the latest innovations in real estate marketing and it occurred to me that the leaders in this industry generally became leaders by learning from mentors, and in turn often mentor others.     So what’s the takeaway from the message?  Network with your peers and find a mentor that has specialized knowledge that can help guide you to success.  
  Every successful real estate agent or investor that I have had the pleasure of meeting has become successful by incorporating the guidance and mentorship of their peers.    Through their network, … (0 comments)

How do you attract buyers during work hours? - 03:43 PM
Your clients are looking for a home while at work, so why not make it easy on them to find you?    New reports show that most prospective clients now search for their next dream home while surfing the net at work.  Obviously the biggest question on everybody’s mind is how do you get your message in front of them?  Most clients are looking for a home, not a REALTOR®.  The REALTOR® just comes with the package because that’s where the client found the description and listing of the dream home.  
  With that in mind, what are some ways that your … (1 comments)

Mourning - 05:51 PM
It's hard to sever business ties.  It's especially hard to sever them when the person you're "cutting off" is someone who helped build your business. . . alot!  But, I've found out quite by accident that the picture I was being given by my mortgage officer is not the same picture my clients were getting.  The accident happened a while ago when a personal friend of mine was buying a house.  Because I trusted my mortgage officer explicitly to be honest and admit to her own mistakes, I was totally taken by surprise when she informed me the day before closing that a … (5 comments)

Did the “Delete Debacle” kill the Race for Third? - 10:46 PM
We’ve been reluctant to declare a victor in The Race for Third, but it appears that Sara Lipnitz’ 2000 point lead over Josh Plummer may be insurmountable.  Has Plummer given up?  Is his profession his Achilles’ heel?  ActiveRain, does seem to be dominated by verbose Realtors.  Are the lenders naturally short on words and does this result in reliance on cheesy graphics?  Last Wednesday, Lipnitz and Plummer met in Royal Oak, Michigan to hammer out terms for the Race.  Lipnitz disarmed Plummer by arriving 30 minutes late, leaving him to wonder if she had maneuvered the whole meeting just to get … (23 comments)

ARM youself: Understanding Adjustable Rate Mortgages - 08:34 PM
Throughout the last couple years, adjustable rate mortgages have become a very popular option for American consumers.  It has been suggested by some analysts that adjustable rate mortgages currently make up close to a trillion dollars of the country's outstanding mortgage debt.  A large portion of these loans were originated in 2003 and 2004 during the height of the last refinance boom and are set to adjust or reset in the coming year.  (if they haven't already)  A recent article by Mark Davis of the Kansas City Star explains; "some estimates suggest when this occurs, a borrower's potential house payments will … (12 comments)

Southwest Florida is Truley Paradise! - 10:53 AM
Looking out the window of my office I see the Estuary leading to the Golf of Mexico and I am thinking, "This is really Paridise.  How can I get other people to enjoy it as much as I do."  The answer is simple, SELL more houses!  Come to Southwest Florida, there is truley no better place on earth. … (2 comments)

FREE Real Estate Auction Seminars - Austin & Raleigh/Durham - 09:38 PM
Forget the stereotypes - real estate auctions are no longer just for foreclosure properties and celebrity mansions. Auctions are becoming a hot new way to buy and sell real estate. Sellers appreciate having more control over the process, including being able to choose the EXACT DAY to sell their real estate. Buyers like the transparancy and opportunity to not overpay.
AGENTS: Have a tough listing that's hard to sell or languished on the market? SELLERS: Need to have your real estate sold & closed by end of 2006? An auction could be your secret weapon to get the job done!
Attend a free … (0 comments)

Why would a seller invest $$ up front to marketing his home? - 09:50 PM
We know why For Sale by Owners invest money into marketing their home - but why would a seller with an agent be advantaged in funding the marketing campaign of his/her home?
In the accelerated marketing method of selling real estate via auction, most auction companies require the sellers to up front the considerable marketing budget (1-3% of the home's value).  Why?  Because:
1) the auction is a date driven sale event - limited time to get maximum exposure of the property;2) because sellers usually have the right to accept or reject the high bid at auction - auction companies don't want to … (1 comments)

Central Texas: multi-owner real estate auction November 4th - 09:58 PM
Calling all agents & owners with property that they'd like sold & closed by the end of 2006.  Don't drop that price again! Auction it - let the buyers compete against each other for the sales price.
AuctionFirst is holding it's 4th Quarter ballroom auction on November 4th @ 11:07am in Austin Texas (Crowne Plaza Hotel off I-35). Simulcast online bidding will be available for remote buyers. Take advantage of the tremendous marketing budget that will get your property/listing tremendous regional and national exposure.
We're currently accepting properties into the auction thru September 28th - to include residential, land, commercial & industrial properties.  Agents earn … (3 comments)

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