Archives of real estate blog entries for November 14, 2011

Featured blog posts


Can Spouse Be on the Deed When Not on Loan? - 04:11 PM
Raleigh – Charles and Ethel applied for a mortgage.  Underwriter disapproved loan application because of Ethel's credit score.  Is the deal dead?
Lenders look at FICO scores this way:
First:  They pull six credit scores.  Three for Charles and three for Ethel. 
Second:  Underwriter selects the middle score of each applicant and uses the lower of the two.  In this case, it was Ethel's. 
Third:  Ethel's FICO score didn't qualify so mortgage application was rejected.
Can anything be done?  Often the story ends here, but not always.  The next step calls for exploring whether Charles can qualify without Ethel's … (38 comments)

Where is the Line???? - 10:32 AM
If Walmart were having a 40 to 60% off Sale the line in Cedar City would stretch at least to Enoch! For those who aren’t familiar with Cedar City that is approximately 7 or 8 miles. I will be honest, comparing the Real Estate Market to a store really isn’t a good comparison, I would say a better comparison is comparing it to buying a car. The reason that I say that is because a car purchase like a home purchase often involves a loan of some sort. Many markets across the country are seeing prices at least 40% off their … (57 comments)

VA Home Loans In Maine, Use That Elegibility Certificate. - 06:42 AM
You want a Maine home, have served Uncle Sam in the armed services, are a full fledge, real McCoy veteran so tap in to the benefits earned to buy a house. You have earned it and VA loans backed by the Veteran's Administration are one easy, lower cost way to get the set of keys to the Maine home of your dreams. Stop renting, start owning your own Maine home.
To get a loan for a Maine home these days, the ability to get financing can make or break getting a seat at a the long conference room real estate closing … (18 comments)

I Can Decline Your Listing! - 12:46 AM
I Can Decline Your Listing!
I met with a Franklin TN home seller on Friday. Her home had recently expired and she called me to list her property. I am very thorough when preparing my Competitive Market Analysis. Not only do I run the comparable active listings but I also check the recently closed sales and even expired listings. I want to know what has sold and what has not.
Then I preview approximately five active listings in the neighborhood. If possible, I inspect homes with the same floor plan. If one isn't on the market, then I preview homes … (175 comments)

Excuse Me, You Said What? Learning Essential Scripts and Dialogues Webinar - 03:09 PM
Excuse Me, You Said What?November 22, 20119:00AM – 10:00AM PST / 12:00PM – 1:00PM EST
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Before we launched ActiveRain in 2006, we had a real estate company based in the Pacific Northwest. We generated almost 200 leads a day, at our peak, all throughout Western Washington. There was a marked difference in how some of our agents were able to convert these 'internet leads' into transactions. We had agents that closed less than 1% of the leads they touched. We had agents that closed over 8%.
I truly believe that one of the primary reasons for the vast difference … (52 comments)

Miracles - The Art of Inspiration - Sharing our Experience! - 10:28 AM
I've always been a thankful person. As a kid growing up in a dysfunctional family, I was that little kid going around trying to fix things. I had this thought that if I was very, very good then things would be better. One of my greater learning lessons in this lifetime has been to let go of my "fixing" need/nature.
Life is so boundless in the aspect of what can be learned. I remain in a state of total awe at the constant state of endless possibilities that exists for us one and all. I am grateful for this fact and … (35 comments)

Who says open houses are a waste of time? - 11:58 PM
Connections from an Open House Yesterday I received a phone call from a potential buyer that I met at an open house almost four years ago. She does not have e-mail, so I have periodically sent her mailings, thinking of you cards, or stopped by if I was in her neighborhood and dropped off real estate related handouts. At the time that I met her, she and her husband were thinking of buying a large home at the base of South Mountain. Something luxurious and yet close to the majority of their friends. 
A couple of weeks ago I sent out … (51 comments)

Southeast Michigan Short Sales- Why You Should Avoid Many Of The So Called "Short Sale Specialists" - 04:15 PM
Southeast Michigan Short Sales- Why You Should Avoid Many Of The So Called "Short Sale Specialists"
I will preface this post with a kind of anti-disclaimer: If you have to sell via short sale, I DO NOT WANT TO LIST YOUR HOUSE. If you are a past client or a friend, I will list your house if selling via short sale is the best option for you, and you agree to my rules. So this post is NOT to get your short sale business.
I have my own reasons for not listing short sales, one of them being the success rate to … (24 comments)

What's that wire for? - 04:21 PM
I can't believe how often I run into bare wires hanging out of walls.
They are usually a rough in for an alarm system. Sometimes they are for speakers or an intercom system.
The rough in is usually provided by the builder and the buyer has opted not to have the system installed.
Neither the builder or the owner has bothered to place a cover over the wire. So there they sit straight, curlicued and looped while everyone just ignores them.
The problem is that when you go to sell your home these loose wires become a red flag for buyers.
The … (70 comments)

When Do You Meet Your Buyers - At the Closing Table - 04:53 PM
When do you normally meet your buyers for the first time? Is it (A) at a pre-qualification interview when you want to know what they're looking for and their time frame? Is it (B) after they've spoken with a mortgage person to get pre-approved?  Is it (C) at the closing table?
A couple of weeks ago, I met my buyers for the very first time at the closing table!  No, they were not out of town buyers, as I've worked with those kinds of buyers before and buying a house without seeing it is not a strange situation.  This particular situation … (50 comments)

Shop Small Business Saturday November 26! - 07:39 PM
 
Shop Small Business Saturday November 26!
 
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the second annual Shop Small Business Saturday, the project of an organization dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. 
On Saturday November 26, 2011 you are asked to do your shopping and other business in some of the smaller businesses in your community.  The big stores and corporations will be there the next week, but our small businesses are struggling in this economy.
 
And it’s not just stores, but restaurants and services as well.  If you can show … (36 comments)

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County-All These Sticky Notes Will NOT Make Your Buyers Stick Around! - 06:37 AM
Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County-All These Sticky Notes Will NOT Make Your Buyers Stick Around!Selling your home in Palm Beach County?  Hopefully you’ve listened to your team of experts... your Realtor and Home Stager and chosen a List Price that will be competitive in your current local market and made your home a “short list finalist” by making sure it appeals to a broad range of possible buyers. And it’s only natural that you want any potential buyers to know just why you like your house.  You want them to know about all of the assets it has.  And, … (58 comments)

When is the best time to sell a home? - 01:19 PM
When is the best time to sell a home?
This is a common question from sellers.  In fact, every seller I've ever worked with in Chatham, Short Hills, Madison, Morristown and Summit NJ asks the question:  "When is the best time to put our house on the market?"
Inevitably, my answer is:  "When is the best time for you, Mr. and Mrs. Seller?"  To which I often get a puzzled look ... let me explain.
There are always buyers. Yes, really.
In fact at any given time there is a small group of motivated, ready and willing buyers for nearly every … (32 comments)

How NOT To Sell Your House - 09:11 PM
Want to know how NOT to sell your house?
On a corner lot, the house sprawled. Big trees, a large garage and a carport. According to the MLS, enough square footage for my client and well within his price range. Quiet neighborhood in a good school district. Remarks on the MLS listing page indicated the home was an estate and being lived in by a family member. Tenant must be present to handle dogs, it said.The cryptic remark ‘may hamper showings’ followed.
Taking that as a warning, I passed the info to my first time home buyer and we … (51 comments)

Characters of a GREAT Real Estate Professional - 01:12 PM
There are so many great real estate agents some I know personally and some I have never met.  Amongst all the great agents in the world these are some of the characters that they almost always possess:
 
1. Sets up yearly goals planning and is often personally coached by a professional - Who wouldn't want to be coached by a professional and get all of their tips and secrets to be successful? Sure most of us think that might not be possible because surely that would be expensive. That's not always the case, some companies pay experts to coach their employees and … (13 comments)

I Have a Bone to Pick with SELLING NEW YORK! - 01:30 PM
I Have a Bone to Pick with SELLING NEW YORK!
Okay, I admit it, I love the show SELLING NEW YORK.  Maybe it's because I had to stop watching "House Hunters" and "Property Virgins" because my dear husband tired of me yelling at the tv...if you have ever watched these shows, I am sure you know the cause of my angst.
Anyway, I have loved SELLING NEW YORK since its inception.  I don't know why, maybe it's the tiny little $1 million starter apartments that make me feel as if our ALEXANDRIA VA real estate market is quite the bargain by … (51 comments)

This house is totally wrong for you - 05:22 PM
This house is totally wrong for you. Do we have the right to say this to a buyer?
A buyer client of mine decided to buy a house that I strongly felt wasn't right for them. The buyers THOUGHT they wanted to move from an urban/suburban environment to a rural environment.
When I heard this, my first thought was "uh oh ... be careful what you wish for". And to make matters worse, they gave themselves exactly three days to find a house in an area that was unfamiliar to them.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against … (76 comments)

It’s Time To Share Your Real Story - 05:47 PM
 It’s Time To Share Your Real Story, November is National Novel Writing Month November is national novel writing month and we want you to seriously consider doing just that.
Have you ever considered writing?
 It could be to share your story, or it could be to share the story you have always wished was yours, and wanted to tell?
 In my opinion, EVERYONE has a story to share. Some of us have great imaginations and can conjur up far away lands and ecelectic characters.  Others are Pfanntastic at bringing life to our past experiences. 
 Others just need to start writing…  … (45 comments)

More people would read your blog posts if... - 05:55 PM
More people will read your blogs if…
 
...your layout makes it easy.
 
Posting blogs and commenting on other people's blogs is good for your exposure, good for your SEO, good for networking, and good for your expanding education. Here on Active Rain, it's also good for points. So of course you want to do it, and so does everyone else who understands the value.
 
But how do you (and your potential readers) choose which blogs to read when there are thousands to choose from each day?
 
Everyone has their favorites, but most of us also … (67 comments)

Brighter Days Are Ahead - 07:18 PM
 
Economic news, especially as it relates to Real Estate is not very positive these days, which is why when I run across an article that at least offers up hope I like to pass it on.  That was the case today when I got an article e-mailed to me stating that the Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Yun, is predicting an increase in home sales for 2012.  This breaks the pattern that I have been hearing all too much for the past several months, of a recovery not being in sight.
Yun’s prediction is based on … (36 comments)

Buyer's Remorse. When You Take Time To Think About It - 01:31 AM

Sometimes you walk in and you just know! The house is in the perfect place and in the perfect condition and the price is there too! I experienced this when I bought my first home, a beautiful Craftsman bungalow. I just had to have it! A home may look like just a shelter. It may appear to be just a pile of wood or bricks with assorted nails. But what it represents is something different. It represents a lifestyle and a backdrop for many happy memories!
 
So if you think that you have found the one don’t just … (36 comments)

Hey Anoka County Homebuyers! Do you Have your Eye on a Real Estate SLEEPER? - 03:56 PM
You check the MLS link every day and there it is...sitting on the market day after day. It's your dream home and you have watched it for a couple of months now. It seems to be priced right; in fact, it is a steal of a deal. But the market has you paralyzed into watching and waiting rather than making your move on the perfect home so there you are on the fence still waiting until that perfect moment to call up a REALTOR® and put in your offer on your dream. As you continue to "time the market", waiting to … (13 comments)

You're Such a Windbag! - 01:05 AM
You're Such a Windbag!
Have you ever heard the line "I’ve been in the business for ___ (insert number here) years!" If so, you probably cringe like I do when someone hits you with it.  When I hear this statement from any Realtor I want to hang up the phone immediately!
First off, let me preface this by saying, I don’t have anything against anyone that has lasted in the business for any number of years. Actually, my hat is off to you. One day, I will be just like you. The problem is whenever I hear this from an agent it’s … (62 comments)

No Points , No Comments, No Features..... - 11:38 AM
Everyone thinks about it, even if they say they don't. Points, comments and features bring us notoriety and by extension affirmation and if we are very lucky: business. Bingo, I care about business and I want to be noticed. I write well and have a good deal of life experience and OK, I'll say it, all that doesn't seem to matter. Someone writes a post about plumbing, another post targets wilderness photography, and then there is a personal if not meaningful story, about someones experience that moves me and is not noticed or rewarded with even more than a few comments.
What … (130 comments)


Blog posts


Excuse Me, You Said What? Learning Essential Scripts and Dialogues Webinar - 03:09 PM
Excuse Me, You Said What?November 22, 20119:00AM – 10:00AM PST / 12:00PM – 1:00PM EST
Register Now
Before we launched ActiveRain in 2006, we had a real estate company based in the Pacific Northwest. We generated almost 200 leads a day, at our peak, all throughout Western Washington. There was a marked difference in how some of our agents were able to convert these 'internet leads' into transactions. We had agents that closed less than 1% of the leads they touched. We had agents that closed over 8%.
I truly believe that one of the primary reasons for the vast difference … (52 comments)

The Kindness Project - Some Stories Part 5 - 01:59 PM
The Kindness Project - Some Stories Part 5
Some of you might know that about a year ago I won a contest for a Kodak Printer on what I would do with $220.00 in Saving.
Here is the Post that won the contest.  Some other things I have posted on this are at the Kindness Project.  
One of the people who I sent 30 Dollars to is my cousin Robin who is a Pastor of a small church in Oklahoma.  I have not seen Robin in about 36 years and just last year I connected with him via e-mail.
I … (2 comments)

Does Re-blogging Generate SEO? - 03:29 PM
Does Re-blogging Generate SEO?
In the Re-blogging Group we have gone over how Re-blogging can generate SEO. Primarily we have discussed how to prepare your introduction and change the Title to get the Google Juice.
How well does it work? Well I can only talk incidentally; but on most of my common hyper local searches at least one of the Re-blogs is coming up. Primarily they are coming up under my outside Blog (so are most of my results lately).
Here is the search result today for “Selling a Home in Brentwood Ca.” The number 3 and 4 spots are mine. … (7 comments)

Could Home Stagers Put me Out of Business? - 03:59 PM
Could Home Stagers Put me Out of Business?
This Post Starts with a Story:
Once a bitter and unhappy woman went to a divorce attorney. She unloaded on him about how her husband ignored her, how they hardly talked, how he did not want to spend time with her, how he had let himself go and did not care about his appearance.
This woman wanted blood. So the attorney told her to make the divorce really hurt her soon to be ex-husband she had to do something. She had to be nice to him, doll herself up, listen to all his … (12 comments)

Lake Travis - Sometimes Island - Walking Across the Water - 01:31 PM
In Lake Travis, near the 620 Mansfield Dam area, when it doesn't rain for a while, the lake levels drop, and "Sometimes Island" appears in the middle of the main body.  Yes, the name is a common sense thing. There is an island "sometimes" as it's usually covered.
According to the news station I watch for weather, since October 2010, we're over 25 inches low on average rain fall.  Yes, we're in a drought here in Austin TX. Here's a picture of Lake Travis back in April 2011 that I took from the Oasis Restaurant. No Island...

Here is a … (8 comments)

When Do You Meet Your Buyers - At the Closing Table - 04:53 PM
When do you normally meet your buyers for the first time? Is it (A) at a pre-qualification interview when you want to know what they're looking for and their time frame? Is it (B) after they've spoken with a mortgage person to get pre-approved?  Is it (C) at the closing table?
A couple of weeks ago, I met my buyers for the very first time at the closing table!  No, they were not out of town buyers, as I've worked with those kinds of buyers before and buying a house without seeing it is not a strange situation.  This particular situation … (50 comments)

Cool iPad Tool and Fun For All Ages! - 11:53 PM
Cool iPad App and Fun For All Ages!   No matter how many electronic devices ...I always need a piece of paper to jot a quick number down. Thinking there must be a way to do that with my new iPad, after all there is an App for everything. Here's what I found... an App  called "Zoodle Pad." It even has a cool sounding name and  it is free..I know you all like that four letter word.   Have fun and enjoy..                                                                                  … (28 comments)

Is Your Short Sale Negotiator Really A Negotiator? - 03:15 PM
Title Companies handling Short Sale "negotiations" is the new trend in my area. I quote "negotiations" because they don't really handle negotiations at all. Instead they do what Title Companies do....shuffle paperwork. Here's an excerpt from one National company's solicitation to agents.

Now folks there may be Title Companies that are doing a good job with Short Sales but I have yet to experience one. I guess the issue is that handing your Short Sale over to a Title Company is handing it off to a 9-5 Monday through Friday hourly employee. They are NOT going to spend the … (8 comments)

What type of vehicle do you drive while selling business? - 10:21 AM
Sam Miller Team of REMAX Stars Realty (740) 397-7800  Knox County Ohio Real Estate
… (0 comments)

Do You Drive Your Clients To See Homes? - 10:21 AM
Sam Miller Team of REMAX Stars Realty (740) 397-7800  Knox County Ohio Real Estate
… (0 comments)

620 West Highland Hills Drive at the Apple Valley Lake - 10:23 AM
Sam Miller Team of REMAX Stars Realty (740) 397-7800  Knox County Ohio Real Estate
… (0 comments)

$4,400 Apple Valley Lake Lot For Sale - 09:07 PM
Super affordable lot for sale at the Apple Valley Lake and it comes with access to the lake for boating / swimming, you gain access to all 3 beaches, pool and more.  Apple Valley offers one of the best values when it comes to community amenities and the annual property owners dues is currently only $192 per year for either a lot or a home regarless of what price range property you buy.  Be sure to check out Apple Valley lot 158 Grand Ridge Estates because it is only $4,400.    
We also created a unique website link which features … (1 comments)

Some words to help your day today.... - 11:36 AM
Life StepsBy Catherine Pulsifer   Our entire life is made up of choices,What we decide, the action we take, the attitude we displayAll represent the steps of life.   Sometimes we take two steps forwardAnd one-step back.Some of us take baby stepsSome of us take giant steps But the secret is not to let thatone step back turn into a failure.Learn from backward steps
  And keep on stepping forward in this danceCalled Life! … (2 comments)

Quick Weekly Santa Monica Real Estate Market Update – November 4 to 11, 2011 - 12:52 PM

Santa Monica Real Estate – Single Family Homes:
Active Listings: 88* Short Sales – 4* Bank Owned/REO – 2
Of the 88 active Santa Monica homes for sale, 24 had their List Price decreased, and 2 of them actually increased in list price...read more
… (0 comments)

3795 Almeria Avenue #B4 -- $69,900 - 02:52 PM
… (0 comments)

Fall Is Coming And It's Great Chance To Clean Out Your Closets here in Pensacola Florida - 08:57 PM
It is still Fall and what a great time to COME CLEAN, I pay my kids .50 to 1.00 for any item they give to goodwill or the salvation army. This seems to get things cleaned out for me. I also donate the stuff to a lady that sells it and gives away food plates for thanksgiving. It is all tax deductable as well.
Buyers are taking advantage of our Smooth Move Program at closing, Choose between 1% Cash Back,  1 years taxes paid, 1 years insurance paid, Free Home Warranty and Use of our Moving Van or Free Survey with … (0 comments)

What is Your Motivation? To Buy or Not to Buy. - 09:02 PM
Buyers are taking advantage of our Smooth Move Program at closing, Choose between 1% Cash Back,  1 years taxes paid, 1 years insurance paid, Free Home Warranty and Use of our Moving Van or Free Survey with Free Termite. Would you like information on buying or selling Foreclosures / Short sales CLICK HERE
Sellers Flat Fee of $2995 when one of our agents sells your home or if you want MLS (where you home is available to all realtors to sell) then the best program TODAY is $1495 to us +3 % offered to Buyers Agent for bringing the buyer.  When you … (0 comments)

Build Equity Instantly with this Awesome Pre Approved Short Sale in Alexandria! - 08:09 AM
Alexandria Elevator Building - Short Sale Condo Available!! … (2 comments)

Live in the Lap of Luxury! Stunning Ashburn Rental! - 08:12 AM
Live in the Lap of Luxury! … (2 comments)

Original Owner, Well Maintained Brick Front Townhome in Fabulous Location! - 08:24 AM
Superb Brick Front Garage Townhome! … (3 comments)

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