Archives of real estate blog entries for April 28, 2008

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Map Housing & Transportation Costs for Your Area - 06:44 PM

It's the modern home buyer quandry:
Do I want to pay more for the home to live closer work/school?
or
Do I want to pay less to live further away?
Lately I'm performing the following searches:
Homes close to work/school (usually re-sale) Homes further away at bargain value pricing (often new homes) We look at each and calculate cost and time savings vs. expenses and time lost. Each buyer is different- some will want to buy as much house as possible while others want less time on the road.
Wouldn't it be great to see a visual representation of home … (17 comments)

For Sale By Owner: Raise The Price Then Call A REALTOR®? - 02:49 PM
This was posted on Twitter by someone trying to sell his home himself:
"If I can't line up a buyer by May month-end, I'll raise the price and get a Realtor involved. Hope I don't have to do THAT."
He posted that in the morning on April 27th. Then, a little over 24 hours later on April 28th, he posted this:
"Got a buyer for my condo. They want me to hold the mortgage. Any advice?"This is an intelligent, technologically savvy home owner in Arizona who wants to sell a home without using a real estate agent.
Why? We can only guess, of course, … (143 comments)

Monday Morning Gifts...An Attitude of Gratitude Contest - 02:28 PM
It's Monday Morning again ....did you have a good week-end? Today another beautiful spring week is about to begin. MY coffee is brewing, the sprinklers are watering my flowers, and I am preparing for a phone call that I think will finally put my REO House into Contract.....all in all a good way to be starting the week....cool, refreshed, with expectations of positive things to happen.  Sort of like spending time here in the Rain. 
 
We give because we want to, not to get something in return.  Look at all the sharing people here on Active Rain that have given advice, laughter, inspiration, maybe a few words that helped … (38 comments)

What the Owners Paid - 12:19 PM
Is it right or fair to take into account what a seller paid for their property when considering an offer?
Background 
I looked at a property over the weekend, and the sales price was just reduced from $850K to $700K.  Its not a bad deal, but not a steal either.  I certainly wouldn't steer a client away from it because of the price.  The current owner clearly updated nearly everything in the main house (its a small farm). 
She had told me she gutted the entire structure and that everything was new from the flooring to the drywall to the kitchen, etc.  From … (58 comments)

First contact from Active Rain success story! - 03:12 AM

Van Buren is the Home of The Pointers!
They dont call us the Pointers for nothin!
My son played QB for Van Buren High School and I always sported my Pointer Pride attire! But I got to show my true Pointer Spirit by helping my First contact from Active Rain to find a home! 
I wrote a post a while back about my first contact from someone through Active Rain. A gentleman who was relocating to Fort Smith emailed me and asked if I could help him find a home to lease. Since I am not licensed yet, all I could do was to … (36 comments)

Home Buyers are Crawling the Internet: Are They Finding You? - 05:42 PM
Sunday was crazy. First, I met early with two new first-time home buyers. We talked about their needs and wants, and I counseled them to draw out how I can best help them.
I truly love working with first-time home buyers. Lots of agents don't. They don't feel there is enough money in it for them and way too much work, but money is not my motivating factor in this business. Otherwise, I would have retired years ago. I do it because I love it. Money is a result, not the driving factor and, quite frankly, I make too much damn … (56 comments)

Mortgage Pro Week In Review-- 4/21/2008 Through 4/27/2008 - 10:46 AM
Another wild ride in the mortgage market this week.  Jeff was nice enough ask me to put this weeks summary together and I want to express how helpful AR has been to my business and general knowledge of the industry.  There are some really smart folks that post here, (as well as some complete tools)!  I thought about sharing my "tool" list, but that probably would get me in big trouble.
Anyway, blessings to all and check out some of these posts if you haven't read them!
Mortgage Insurance Madness!  Joey Aszterbaum...he addresses some of the changes and challenges that have come … (8 comments)

My New Buyer Calls at 7:30 am on Sunday Morning - Do I Jump? You Betcha! - 02:49 AM

Want to build a raving fan base that will support your business for years to come? It's SO easy - way easier than cold-calling, door-knocking or farming and a heck of a lot cheaper. All you gotta do is look for opportunities to impress the heck out of those who have the potential to be your future past clients and stop worrying so much about whether you're wasting your time!
On Friday morning, I got a referral from an agent on Active Rain (Thanks Miranda!). The buyers live in the mountains, want to buy a home in Denver... this week? … (65 comments)

Not All Agents Are Created Equal - 05:39 PM
Have you had one of those days where you run into that special person that can push all of your buttons?  This weekend I had the pleasure of dealing with an agent who has that talent.
A couple of their other talents are:
Not responding to repeated messages.Ignoring contract timelines.My buyer has had final loan approval for a few weeks.  We are waiting for their tenants to move out, so we can do the final walk-thru and finish this long escrow.  Sounds simple enough or so I thought.
The last few days my e-mail box has been filled with the ranting of the … (103 comments)

Using Pictures That ARE NOT Yours - 05:14 PM
Not long ago TLW (The Lovely Wife) wrote about If You Think It Can't Happen To You...You'd Be Wrong About That...ROAR! and copyright laws when it comes to PICTURES IN YOUR POSTS on your blog. Read why she and BB are very careful about what pictures they insert into their posts.
PLAGIARISM, COPYRIGHT AND GOOGLE JUICE is one article of Lenn Harley's that IS a must read. This article touches on some of the points that one on ActiveRain would copy/paste another's story. One of the points Lenn states is:
"Destain for the law.   The copyright law doesn't apply to them or … (135 comments)

IS ACTIVERAIN LOSING GOOGLE JUICE? - 09:27 AM
IN MY OPINION, YES. 
This post is inspired by Brian Brady's post of yesterday, Fanatical Trumps Balanced If You're Looking For Results on Active Rain
1.  Being Google Friendly.  I believe that Brian is correct that focusing on the real estate related content is critical to Google juice, I don't believe that the balance has yet to be tipped to the non-real estate related to the detriment of the real estate related body of content as a whole - YET. 
2.  ActiveRain Content.  I'm a statistical junkie and I follow trends.  The trend is for non-real estate related content to gradually edge … (170 comments)

Activerain Week in Review 4/20/08-4/27/08 - 09:44 AM
Hello Everyone – It was an honor to do the Active Rain Week in Review. First I would like to thank Neal Bloom for picking me and I hope everyone enjoy’s my selections. Jeff Belonger’s - FHA mortgages - Understanding credit that works -- Part 2 of 2 is an extremely informative blog on FHA loans. I recommend reading both part 1 & 2 on this very important topic.
Jesse Clifton really wrote a white tie and tail blog about “A pair of brown shoes?!” A wonderful blog complete with a clip from an early Johnny Carson show – well worth … (32 comments)

Active Rain Member Questioned as Possible Terrorist Suspect - 10:48 AM
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS ACTIVE RAIN MEMBER?  IT COULD BE YOU!
 It began like any other busy day in Real Estate --  NO, it was a special day now that I think about it....
    The long New Hampshire winter was FINALLY coming to an end.  There were only a few patches of snow here and there. 
      I was enjoying being able to drive with the windows open on my way to meet my client at the town hall in Kingston, New Hampshire.   I snapped this picture.
      My buyer (a 50 something, rosy cheeked gentleman) had found a property he and his … (143 comments)

Another company requests doing an open house on my listing. - 12:12 PM
Have you ever had a request from another company (not another agent in your office) to hold an open house on your listing?  I never had.
But I received a call from an agent who lived near the house I had listed.  The listing was a foreclosure property but an unusual one in that it was in good condition, in an exclusive neighborhood and had extra land with it.  I had it priced right, I thought, and was getting activity on it.
She called out of the blue and asked if I minded if she held an open house because she lived in … (75 comments)


Blog posts


Why I Place A Disclaimer on All Of My Posts! Maybe You Should Too! - 09:32 PM
There always seems to be a debate on the rain of what this network should be, Is it a Social Network or a Real Estate Network? For some they view it one way while other's view it another. For me its both, there is no way getting around it.
What can you expect with 85,497 people with all different opinions, thoughts and ideas as to what we all think that this network should be?
You can expect a lot of debate, major concerns and even some hurt feelings
I've been down this path a time or two and was able to … (23 comments)

Write About Your Passion (but keep it clean here) - 11:52 AM
 
 
I am writing this in response to Jessica Horton’s Posts “Affirmations in the Rain - 04-21-2008 and Affirmations in the Rain - 04-28-2008.”  She is saying write about whatever we want and write in localism.  Jessica is my broker now and I am going to do as she suggests--I did anyway, she has just not given me permission!!  Okay here goes.
This weekend I started my first “door knocking” to let people in my legislative district know that I am running for the State of Washington, House of Representative, 36th District Seat, Position #1.  I would mention that my issues are … (7 comments)

Active Rain Member Questioned as Possible Terrorist Suspect - 10:48 AM
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS ACTIVE RAIN MEMBER?  IT COULD BE YOU!
 It began like any other busy day in Real Estate --  NO, it was a special day now that I think about it....
    The long New Hampshire winter was FINALLY coming to an end.  There were only a few patches of snow here and there. 
      I was enjoying being able to drive with the windows open on my way to meet my client at the town hall in Kingston, New Hampshire.   I snapped this picture.
      My buyer (a 50 something, rosy cheeked gentleman) had found a property he and his … (143 comments)

Chino Hills, CA Homes Sales Statistics - 07:35 PM
Click below for the summary of sales Report in Chino Hills for the first quarter of 2008.
Chino Hills Homes Sales for Quarter 1, 2008
Per Dataquick, 40 resale homes, new homes and condos sold in Chino Hills in the month of March, 2008 with a median price of $497,000 compared to March of 2007's median price of $585,000 indicating a 15.4% median price decrease from last year.
 
… (0 comments)

Why Full-Time Means Go Time - 09:44 AM
This past weekend, I was showing property to one of my buyer clients. During the course of the day, the client identified two homes that he wanted me to check into further before making an offer. After leaving messages on the other agents voice mail, I heard back from agent # one within an hour or so of my original call. Agent # two did not return my call by the end of the day on Sunday. No big deal, I try and take Sunday's off myself. On Monday, still no call, so I left another voice mail message. Tuesday, same … (9 comments)

I don't have all the answers...just questions - 09:02 AM
Today is a very special day.
                                 
The one on the far right is mine. Well she picked the one on the left ( keep it quiet, he still thinks that he picked her). So, by picking him, he became mine too. Oh, did I mention the tiny one in the center? She showed up about a year after they made their picking legal.
It all started with this.............
                                                    
Today, the little miracle worker is celebrating one more birthday!  Last night, I thought about all the changes having her created. I remember the little girl turning on all the faucets in the public … (12 comments)

Week 17- Official Weigh-In Challenge Results - 09:04 AM
Welcome to Week 17 of the Active Rain Official Weight Loss Challenge. Can you believe we are 17 weeks into the year 2008?  Where has the time gone?  First Quarter is over. Taxes have been filed.  20 pounds have almost been lost. 
At this point, I think it's psychological.  Last week, I had 0.8 lbs to go and I thought for sure that I would hit that goal this week and that this would be the last post of the challenge... I was wrong.  I was a little disappointed this morning when I got on the scale and saw that I'll be … (9 comments)

Drama Drama Go Away, Come Again Another Day - 10:14 AM
For those of you who keep up with my blogs, you know I've been waiting and waiting for a Drama-free transaction... I'm almost there, but don't want to jinx it.  In the meantime, here's some more drama for you...
I have a deal that should have closed March 27. I represent the seller.  The seller has kindly allowed extensions, but "kindly" is going out the door.  They asked for another extension on Friday stating they were taking their loan elsewhere and needed another couple of weeks for financing to go through.
My seller and I came up with a counter stating tax prorations … (16 comments)

Doing the jobs Americans won't do... - 01:10 PM
Something strange is happening in Oklahoma! While the nation's unemployment is on the rise - 5.1% in March, up from 4.4% in March of 2007 - Oklahoma unemployment is going in the opposite direction - DOWN to 3.1% in March from 4% in March of 2007.
So what is going on in Oklahoma that the rest of us could learn from? The answer is House Bill 1804, sponsored by State Representative Randy Terrill.
This new Oklahoma LAW (yes it passed and was signed by the Governor) has the following provisions:
1. Strict penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens2. It's now a felony … (54 comments)

"OPEN HOUSE" on Fort Myers Beach Monday April 28, 2008 1 PM - 4 PM Reduced $50k ! - 11:08 AM
Classic beach cottage located on Fort Myers Beach and close to everything. 
Owner transferred  -  Reduced $50,000  !!!
Double lot, close to bay & beach. Absolutely beautiful totally redone and upgraded place at the beach. Not another like it ! Jenn-Aire appliances, extra storage, spa-tub and more. Yard is a virtual oasis with pavered walkways, lily pond and sitting areas for quite reflection. Owners have spared no expense to make this a quite, peaceful and serene retreat. Super friendly neighbors, bay access. Home has been upgraded for energy efficiency. Roomy floorplan is well suited for everyday living and casual entertainiing. You and … (1 comments)

Agents Looking for A CHANGE? Jacksonville Opportunities! - 11:56 AM
After more than 23 years for Susan and 4 years for me (Tim) we made the very tough decision to move our license (Nov. 2007) to a new broker.  That's right, Susan was with the same office for more than 23 years!  We didn't make the change because of anything really negative about that long standing relationship but simply because "it was time to make a change."
The entire Real Estate profession has undergone some major shifts over the past few years - and I am not talking about the 'market changes'... market changes are a given in this industry - I'm … (0 comments)

Knob and Tube Wiring Quick Facts - 11:11 AM
In areas with older homes we all have seen or are going to see Knob and tube wiring.  In my post today I wanted to post some "Quick Facts" about old K&T (knob and tube).
K&T Limitations:
Usually Restricted to a Maximum of 60 amp serviceNot a grounded system making it more hazardous than modern wiringTwo-Prong Receptacles, Restrict the use of some Kitchen AppliancesThe wire is generally old, and its insulation may no longer be intact While it is true that use in Living areas (Bedrooms, Living rooms, etc) pose very little risk, The true risk comes around water.  With an ungrounded wiring … (0 comments)

Weeding without Gloves...... - 09:34 PM
What a strange way to start a blog.....Weeding without Gloves. 
This is my very brief analogy of how important a home inspection is to the purchase and sale of a home.  While the purchase inspection has now become accepted as common practice, why hasn't the Pre-Listing inspection become even more? Are we afraid of what will be found?  Is the inspection cost to high?  Is the seller afraid that more money will need to be pumped into the home just to sell? Or is it a combination of all of the above plus more?
It brings me back to weeding without gloves... … (3 comments)

Exciting News For Greater Milwaukee Area Real Estate - 06:11 PM
HOMESALE REALTY AFFILIATES WITH COLDWELL BANKER® Milwaukee, WI – HomeSale Realty is extremely pleased to announce that it will now be serving the greater Milwaukee area as a member of the Coldwell Banker® franchise system and will now be known as Coldwell Banker HomeSale Realty. The affiliation takes effect June 1, 2008. Currently in its seventh year of operation, Coldwell Banker HomeSale Realty has offices in West Allis, Wauwatosa, Waukesha, Oak Creek and Menomonee Falls and is one of the largest real estate companies in Southeastern Wisconsin with more than 200 agents. Coldwell Banker® is the premier franchise organization in the … (0 comments)

My company is going to be the newest CB affiliate in Milwaukee, WI-Yipee - 07:25 PM
I just wanted to say a big hello to all of you. In the past 4 years I worked for a great company here that started very small and grew extremely fast by being great to their agents. I always liked the idea a big name like CB offers With Relos, etc. So i am very happy to be with a company that will be essentially staying the same, that is adding a great affiliation like this. I'll attach our media release, and I look forward to seeing you around the forum. Sincerely, Andrew Baumbach HOMESALE REALTY AFFILIATES WITH THE COLDWELL … (1 comments)

boy it's been a while since i spent some time here - 08:47 PM
Hi all thanks taking some time out to read along. i probably have not checked in on here since back in September of 07, and i have to say I really think I missed alot. I was getting a little jaded with the thought that alot of the people that post so often here really must have nothing better to do and/or are complete point mongers. (The jury is still out) But honestly there is are quite a few very interesting topics going around, and I for one would like to say I would like to take part in. The national … (0 comments)

Gull Cottage in Forest Creek Parrish Florida - 08:33 PM


Gull Cottage is a charming Key West style home which is 1,648 sq ft, 3 bedrooms 2 1/2 baths and a 11/2 car garage. The garage is situated behind the house to maintain the charm of the Key West style.
I have to commend Neal Communities for providing affordable housing. This home starts at $153,900, but be aware that the builder reserves the right to change the prices at any time, so don't delay. There are only 63 lots available for these charming homes.
CDD fees for Gull Cottage is as follows:
CDD Bonded Improvement Fee is $729.64 … (0 comments)

Summer Vacation in Niagara Falls? - 06:20 AM
Niagara Falls is full of wonderful restaurants to select from:
Top of the Falls Restaurant offers some of the best views of the falls, and is situated on Goat Island. (716) 278-0340. There is always the Como Restaurant – 2220 Pine Avenue Niagara Falls NY 14301 (716) 285-9341 Michael’s Restaurant & Pizzeria - 3011 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, NY 14301 (716) 282-4043 Burgundy’s - 7001 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls, NY 14304 (716) 283-7612 Café Etc. - 466 Third Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301 (716) 285-0801 Shadow Restaurant - 441 Third Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301 (716) 205-0808 Fortuna’s Restaurant - 827 … (14 comments)

New CHART of Denver Listings - 12:02 PM
Over 1000 fewer single family homes entered the Denver Real estate market in March.
Take a look here to see what has changed
… (0 comments)

Poinciana Fl Real Estate Report. HELP!!! - 04:23 PM
 
Hi folks. Today I want to try to get my head around the distressed property market in Poinciana FL. By distressed properties I mean, banked owned and short sale listings. These stats are from the Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service and assume that the data was entered correctly. I'm sure there is a small percentage of incorrect data so the percentages may be a tad low. If I had to take a guess I would say they are low by about 2%-3%.
So what I'm doing is comparing the figures for Poinciana neighborhoods, zip codes 34758 and 34759 excluding Cypress Woods, … (27 comments)

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