Archives of real estate blog entries for June 17, 2009

Featured blog posts


It's the start of another day in paradise ...or ... home is where the heart lies! The TRUE value of home ownership! - 07:54 AM
As I sit out here on the deck early in the morning, watching a light mist roll over the landscaping, I am inspired to declare that this is a fine place to reside!
And while I am not on the beach in Waikiki nor gazing over my beloved Smoky Mountains, there is no other place that I'd rather be right now.
And while my "estate in land" may seem to be run-of-the-mill or ordinary by most established standards, it is home to me, and that makes it a place unlike no other on the planet.
My home is my refuge and … (43 comments)

Why is it so easy for some Real Estate Clients to ask for commission reductions? - 09:40 AM
In what other Professional industry do the clients feel so brazenly justified asking their "representatives" to provide superior levels of service at a reduced rate?
I think it's because they (often) can.
After all, you never know til you ask, right?
Truth is, a commission reduction doesn't make up much ground in the grand scheme of things, does it?
If a Seller is up-side down, the mistake happened when they purchased . . . in combination with whatever circumstances are causing them to need to sell in a less favorable market.
Ask me to reduce my commission, and I'll ask you … (154 comments)

FHA ........ Major Condo Approval Change!!! - 05:47 AM
Well so much for my blog yesterday about not having seen any change to the Underwriting Guidelines lately. This morning my office made me aware of FHA's latest Mortgagee Letter 2009-19 that was issued on June 12th.  In this latest Mortgagee Letter FHA is announcing MAJOR change to their Condo Approval Process.
"In accordance with the passage of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is implementing a new approval process for Condominium Projects to insure mortgages on individual units under Section 203(b) of the National Housing Act. FHA will now allow lenders to … (66 comments)

Thoughts From The Roundtable - My Thoughts On Jeff Belonger's Post - 02:22 PM

photo courtesy of ogilvyprworldwide
Great posts, bring forth great ideas.
This morning brought with it a new post by Jeff Belonger.  I like Jeff.  I don't know him other than his writing and some comments back and forth, but I like his style.  He's one of those guys who has idealism, a sense of what's right and what's wrong, a strong opinion, and a desire to make real estate and more specifically lending better for all.  At least that's my take on him.  His post this morning, "Call to Action - We must fix the real estate market ourselves !!!," … (32 comments)

No one cares how much you know... - 05:05 PM
Put yourself in a buyer's shoes: You're moving to a new area, and you've signed up with a half a dozen Realtor® property update services.  All of those Realtors send you about the same list of properties, and all of those Realtors appear to be reasonably knowledgeable about the market.  How are you going to choose which Realtor to work with?  When all Realtors send the same properties, and most of them appear to have the same level of competence, a very scientific process must ensue: Eenie, meenie, minie mo...  Unfortunately, that's how many buyers choose their Realtor.
15 years ago, … (57 comments)

Steal everything that isn't nailed down.. - 05:02 PM
It doesn't matter if business is good or bad...there's always room for improvement.  One of the best ways improve your game is to find out who the top sales people are in your community.   You may already know who leads the pack in sales every month.
The question you may wish to ask yourself is....What are they doing right....and what are you doing wrong??
This is a question to ask yourself even if you are successful..  As mentioned, there's always room for improvement.
Do a little Sherlock Holmes investigating.  Find out how the top producers market themselves, how they advertise, subscribe … (43 comments)

Is It a Tax Credit? Or Crack Cocaine for Real Estate? The Price of Addiction - 05:01 PM
This was easy to predict: There is already an effort in Congress to extend the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers (which expires Nov. 30, 2009) to buyers of ALL houses in 2010. 
There will be some form of rebate in the year 2010 because the real estate industry will continue to languish, and Washington will continue to tamper with our industry.
Since Washington is not willing to wait for the economy to "right" itself, please don't be surprised when our industry must "pay the piper" for extracting all the buyers out of the market years before they were planning … (75 comments)

How People Decide To Locate In Your Area, Why They Buy Real Estate In Your Town. - 05:17 PM
     Not everyone reads the volumes of online data for a state or town/city. Not everyone knows a local person or has experiences in your local community. So how do they decide to land there to say locate a factory or start a business or buy real estate? Sometimes it all boils down to the courtesy of a store clerk or gas pump attendant while they were on route thru your town to somewhere else. Or it could be a series of short videos of the local community they watched that you put together to showcase your town.
     And they … (25 comments)

How To Get People To Say Yes...Or, Wanna Buy My Dishwasher?? - 11:58 PM
I have a confession to make.  I hate to do dishes.  And, I don’t mean that I just don’t like doing them…I freaking HATE to do dishes.  And, up until about 3 months ago, I had no choice but to do them.  By hand.  In the sink. 
Nothing caused more seething hatred within my very soul than scraping dried Sugar-Frosted Cocoa Bombs off of the bottom of a cereal bowl in scalding hot water and caustic grease-removing chemicals surrounded by mountains of plates and silverware and glasses all chortling at me secretly while I fry the outer layers of my … (79 comments)

Call to Action - We must fix the real estate market ourselves !!! - 07:43 AM
 
If the public and government ever needs to hear our voice, it's NOW !!! I never like to sound negative in my blogs, but we need to face reality. Yes, there are some reports saying that the economy is turning around. There are some reports that say that people are spending money.  And even some realtors are saying that they are busier than ever before, in the last 4 months or year. But let's break down some of the reasons why it might seem positive, when overall, I believe that it's really bad out there. This is just my opinion.
… (57 comments)

Wildfire On A Sacred Mountain: Baboquivari, Southwest of Tucson, AZ (2 of 2) - 05:15 AM
The company is named "Ironwood Hotshots."  That's one of their crew trucks to the left, coming out of Brown Canyon with a crew of tired, hungry firefighters.
As of 7:00 this evening (Tuesday) the Elkhorn Fire has grown to 17,000 acres, and is 35% contained.
Approximately 215 firefighters have been deployed from around the state, according to a report by Judy Wood, spokesperson for the Arizona State Forestry Division.
The Baboquivari (bab-oh-kee-VAR'-ee) Peak Wilderness area is rugged mountainous terrain. Helicopters have been used today to start grass fires on the ridges, which then burn slowly downhill through the grass and underbrush. 
… (15 comments)

The Art of Killing a Deal - 05:23 AM
Everyone wants a piranha.
Whether a professional athlete intent on a signing bonus the size of Madagascar, a victim of a vicious fender bender fixated on the 2.8 million dollar legal prescription for a tender neck or a home buyer/seller whose sole purpose on this earth at the immediate moment is to grind as many Ben Franklins as possible out of the guy on the other side of a negotiation, aggressiveness is typically the hallmark virtue in the professional representation that is sought.
The sports super agent, who we are 95% certain has a life-sized portrait of his bare chested self … (44 comments)

Is it OK to video someone's home and post in on your blog? - 10:05 AM
It seems every day a new Blog or Blog site pops up.  This is especially true in Washington DC.  Over the past few weeks; there has been a well written; and very sleek and sexy looking blog site that is growing.
This site sells ad space and promotes listings, open houses, talk about the local market and the like.  Well I heard yesterday that this site is going to be sending people (agents who write sometimes for them); to do a video tour of homes on the market - and then post them on their site.
HUH ?
My understanding is that these … (38 comments)

Mortgages: SO EASY A CAVEMAN can do them! - 10:41 AM
Apparently, the general consensus amongst many people is that Mortgages are easy to do and that communication solves everything!  Well, today I have decided to give everyone a glimpse into my life in the Mortgage business.  True enough, maybe the actual MORTGAGE is easy, but it is the "hunting & gathering" that is the problem! I realize that many people can already appreciate that things have become more challenging, but I truly want you to know that I AM NOT A CAVEMAN and it is not easy!

 8:08 am, got to office, large coffee.
Turned on computer, checked email, had 38 … (95 comments)

Loan Modification Hinders Short Sale with WAMU - 12:49 PM
Recent Experience to Watch out for.
I am currently working on a Short Sale with a listing I have and submitted an offer to WAMU's loss mitigation department.
Not only has it been a challenge to get a response but something seemed to not be right with the specialists. Each time I talked with someone I got different results.  Turned out the seller had applied for a Modification during the Short Sale process.
The result was that it hindered the short sale process and the modification process had to be cancelled and the short sale offer package had to be faxed in … (20 comments)

Can the Internet Help you Lose a Client? - 07:14 AM
I have some buyers coming in town to look at houses tomorrow and the rest of the week.  They called me just out of the blue one day saying they saw one of "my" listings and wanted further information.  I pulled up the listing and called him back.
I gave him some information about the listing and told him I would need to contact the listing agent with his further questions.  I asked him if there were any others he was looking at.  His reply was that he was just going to call that agent, but if I could look it up, … (65 comments)

Here's A Shocking Idea - Be Pleasant To Deal With - 11:44 AM
I got my license in 2005, so I'm only in my 4th year - but in those four years I have not been able to wrap my mind around the attitude of some agents.  Aren't we all in this together?
I've been extremely busy the past few months.  Between buyer and seller clients, I've been dealing with a lot of different agents.  A majority have been both professional and pleasant to deal with.  Then there are those that are, well, the complete opposite.
If you're the listing agent, your goal is to get your listing sold for your seller.  If you're … (43 comments)

A Reality Check About Doctors - 10:47 AM
This is a super-long post, but I just read it through and it only took a few minutes.  It just looks intimidating.
About six weeks ago, I was commissioned to write a book.  Long story, but they want a side-by-side telling of my wife's battle with cancer.  In other words, they want to publish Karen's blog (www.fighting-breast-cancer.com), but with my own thoughts and feelings as the timeline progresses.  It will be the first book of it's kind-- a book about the fight with breast cancer, told from both husband and wife's perspectives.  I think it will be a pretty important book, … (54 comments)

Is the Stimulus Package Too Small? - 10:20 AM
June 15, 2009 By Jed Smith, Managing Director, Quantitative Research
Okun’s Law, the GDP Multiplier, and the Stimulus At a time when the press is filled with sometimes confusing economic news, one can use some simple economic concepts in understanding the economic outlook. Although economists frequently construct complex computer models, there are approximations that are useful in explaining the economy. Two fundamental economic concepts—“Okun’s Law,” and the “GDP multiplier” —are useful in examining the current recession and economic outlook.
“Okun’s Law”—actually a statistical relationship-- states that for every one percentage point by which the actual unemployment rate exceeds the natural (or … (12 comments)


Blog posts


Google Public Data-Try It You'll Like It! - 08:24 AM
Google amazes me with all of the tools available today.  Recently I've been playing with the public data information. 
Find public statistical data through Google "Public statistical data, such as unemployment rates or population numbers, doesn't need to be hard to find or, more importantly, hard to understand. Google is making it easier to find and use important public statistical data from governments and other sources. This data is included in Google.com search results and displayed as interactive graphs that you can customize and share with others."  read more
I try and utilize every product google has...because of quality and SEO … (11 comments)

I Need Some Help with Virtual Tours - 11:56 AM
Hello fellow agents in the Rain...I am reaching out for some help on locating and selecting the right Virtual tour solution...but I have some very specific needs.
First, I need both a branded and unbranded version of each tour generated - this should be simple.
Second, it needs to be comliant with the TEMPO MLS system used my SoCalMLS - not as easy, but should not be that hard either...
THE KICKER - I need a Virtual Tour that I can download to an iPod.  It seems like everything I look at will host the tour but not allow me to … (1 comments)

Copper Basin Homes for Sale - 08:54 AM
Homes for Sale in Copper Basin Queen Creek Arizona
Copper Basin Homes | Queen Creek Homes | Quick Search | Just Listed Today  Bank Owned Homes | Just Listed Bank Owned | Just Listed Short Sales
You can search for homes in Copper Basin, Queen Creek or the entire Phoenix Arizona Metro Area without obligation or sign up. Search by city, neighborhood (subdivision), community, zip code, school district, year built, price range, bedrooms, baths and square footage. 
Our easy to navigate search will help you find all of the Queen Creek Homes For Sale listed in the Queen Creek Arizona MLS. You can also search Queen Creek … (0 comments)

Pecan Creek Homes for Sale - 08:57 AM
Homes for Sale in Pecan Creek Queen Creek Arizona
Pecan Creek Homes | Queen Creek Homes | Quick Search | Just Listed Today  Bank Owned Homes | Just Listed Bank Owned | Just Listed Short Sales
You can search for homes in Pecan Creek, Queen Creek or the entire Phoenix Arizona Metro Area without obligation or sign up. Search by city, neighborhood (subdivision), community, zip code, school district, year built, price range, bedrooms, baths and square footage. 
Our easy to navigate search will help you find all of the Queen Creek Homes For Sale listed in the Queen Creek Arizona MLS. You can also search Queen Creek … (0 comments)

Cortina Homes for Sale - 09:00 AM
Homes for Sale in Cortina Queen Creek Arizona
Cortina Homes | Queen Creek Homes | Quick Search | Just Listed Today  Bank Owned Homes | Just Listed Bank Owned | Just Listed Short Sales
You can search for homes in Cortina, Queen Creek or the entire Phoenix Arizona Metro Area without obligation or sign up. Search by city, neighborhood (subdivision), community, zip code, school district, year built, price range, bedrooms, baths and square footage. 
Our easy to navigate search will help you find all of the Queen Creek Homes For Sale listed in the Queen Creek Arizona MLS. You can also search Queen Creek Affordable Homes, Bank … (0 comments)

What are the Rangers Doing in East Contra Costa County? - 02:57 PM
My kids are part of a great group called Royal Rangers. Royal Rangers is a ministry put together by the Assembly of God Church, but is used by many independent churches too. In short think of it as something like Boy Scouts mixed with bible study and a focus on Christian Living.

Rangers at Fort Ross
I was an Eagle Scout and The Boy Scouts of America was very important to me. However, as a parent I wanted my kids to have the same experiences I had in the outdoors and to learn the same skills I did, with training … (0 comments)

Can the Internet Help you Lose a Client? - 07:14 AM
I have some buyers coming in town to look at houses tomorrow and the rest of the week.  They called me just out of the blue one day saying they saw one of "my" listings and wanted further information.  I pulled up the listing and called him back.
I gave him some information about the listing and told him I would need to contact the listing agent with his further questions.  I asked him if there were any others he was looking at.  His reply was that he was just going to call that agent, but if I could look it up, … (65 comments)

Your Massachusetts Senior Real Estate Specialist, SRES - 11:30 AM

I'm proud to announce that I received my Senior Real Estate Specialist designation yesterday, June 16th.  I am now certified in the area of the 50+ market specializing in their specific needs as they move into a new chapter of their lives.  Whether you are looking for a second home, vacation home, active adult community or downsizing, I can help make the process much easier and more relaxing.  Let me show you what I can do for you and how my new designation has provided me with many more resources and much more knowledge to benefit your real estate desires.  Call Kathleen … (0 comments)

Finally, even the media says " It is time to get off the fence . " !!! - 10:39 AM
Sometimes good things come to those who wait.  Sometimes, people who wait too long miss out !   You may remember about 6 months ago I suggested that here on  Fort Myers Beach the combination of excellent inventory, historically low financing and sellers who appreciate a well qualified buyer combined to makes this a classic buyer's market.  Even the local News Press is suggesting that people sitting on the fence should act now.  There is increased activity in every reliable market indicator.

While all real estate is local in nature it seems pretty clear that our island market is beginning to … (9 comments)

Upfront & Personal with Your Favorite and Mine... Broker Bryant! - 03:52 PM
 
OK here's your opportunity to play "Stump the Broker". I hope to see you guys on Saturday.
 
Via Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul):
Are you a Broker B (as in, Broker Bryant Tutas) follower? If you aren't, you're one of, like 5 people on Active Rain who aren't. We Rainers love our Broker Bryant, don't we? And don't get us started on how much we adore his wife, TLW.
So, my people talked with his people and we arranged a special Broker Bryant show that's open to the public! On Saturday, June 20th, BB … (17 comments)

May real estate stats for the Wichita, KS MLS - 04:49 PM
Wichita, KS metro homes sales
For
May, 2009
  
The Wichita Area Association of Realtors and the South Central Kansas MLS have released data for May, 2009 reference Wichita, KS metro home sales figures.
 
Existing home sales increased 10.5% in May compared to sales in April, 2009.  Existing home sales were up to 650 units from 588 units.  Sales are down 26% from last year based on May, 2008 data.  The median sales price of existing homes in May increased .9% compared to the month before.  This data is contrary to most sales figures of the other top 100 … (3 comments)

Mold in Metro Denver Homes - 06:46 PM
100 Real Estate & Relocation Tips in 100 Days (Day 82)
Because of the generally dry humidity in the Denver area, mold has never been a particularly difficult problem for most homeowners in the area. Having said that, mold can and does grow anywhere. Uncontrolled moisture inside a house, from flooding, roof leaks, unnoticed plumbing issues and other untreated water issues can create the conditions necessary for mold. Of particular concern are homes that have not been in recent use due to foreclosure. Buyers of such homes should pay particular attention during physical inspections.
There are two other situations where mold … (0 comments)

Peek a Boo Peak - 06:50 PM

… (4 comments)

813 SPRING PARK LOOP, CELEBRATION FL 34747 - 01:51 PM
 
MLS#  S4654209              813 SPRING PARK LOOP, CELEBRATION FL 34747   $$$ 859,000 $$$

Steal this Traditional Spring Park Loop home at $170/sq ft! This former model with Estate home upgrades  is a Village Beauty.The yard is a private sanctuary with large heated pool, spa, wood burning fireplace and beautiful landscape including fruit trees. Large Garage Apartment above the 3 car garage. $14000 garagetech organization system.Home is in pristine condition with stunning colors and is professionally decorated. It has triple crown molding,10-20 ft ceilings throughout the first floor and 9 ft ceilings on 2nd floor. French doors open to a fabulous home … (0 comments)

MONUMENT Rental! - 09:51 PM
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Beautifully Restored Home for Rent! - 09:55 PM
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Condo Living! - 09:57 PM
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Westminster Rental! - 10:04 PM
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FIVE Bedroom for Rent!! - 10:06 PM
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1/2 Duplex in Gated Community - 10:09 PM
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