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Lookey-Lou’s. Do you know what a Lookey-Lou is? When I got into selling real estate in 1980, I worked a good many open houses on the weekends. People would come through declare themselves to be “just looking”.
I learned a long time ago to count on Mondays being unique in the property management business.
Once the Commitment Letter has be issued, everyone is a little more at ease, but this is not a time to relax, all the conditions that are on the Commitment Letter have to be completed before the Closing can occur. Even though the Closing Department will be the main contact from this point on, I still remain as available to the Borrower as I have been up to this point. The Closing Department maybe the proper contact during the period of Meeting Conditions On The Commitment Letter, but I am the one that the Borrower is familiar with, and I am … (18 comments)
In the process of doing our business, we as Realtors move in and out of our own language without the slightest hint of confusion or misunderstanding. It's what I call Realtor-eese. We are fluent speakers of Realtor-ese, but our clients may not be. 
Several of my favorite posts on Active Rain are from home inspectors. Buyers love them, Sellers hate them and agents don't always recommend them in fear of losing a deal. My thoughts are why would you not want to lose the deal if something were wrong rather than wait to get sued down the road? That got me thinking about the timing of the home inspection. Almost every house sold is going to have an inspection so why not get one before it sells? Matter of fact why not get one for your home whether it is for sale or not? … (17 comments)
A colleague recently asked me if we had to disclose if someone died (specifically, committed suicide) in a home we are marketing. It seems the potential Buyer asked that question, although her Realtor assured my colleague it wouldn't influence her decision to purchase the home (sure it wouldn't -- then why ask?). I had to think since, in all my years in real estate, I haven't been asked that question. I knew we aren't allowed to discuss death by AIDS since that is a protected class, but suicide wasn't. I found conflicting information, so I contacted an attorney.
Should SARCASM be used when writing a BLOG? If you want to find an easy answer, then include it in your blog and wait for the comments to flood in. I learned this lesson on Saturday when I wrote a blog to tell the story of a Buyer Broker who blasted me becuase the Seller who was a Bank did not accept HER Buyers offer becuase SHE added some "SMALL contingencies." to a cash offer when the property was a cash only, as is, no contiongency type of sale.
When inspecting a home, you need to get in as well.
Many years ago, Jean was a single mother with two very young children, a mortgage, and an ex-husband who refused to pay child support despite the court orders. And the sink clogged.
The cottage or seaside camp is the place where house castoffs go to die. Here are five things to consider taking to the dump.
THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT AND REAL ESTATE
nShare While out showing houses the other day, my buyer asked, "have you ever seen a haunted house?" Well, funny that you ask, I responded, as I remembered the day my tenant called me frantically.
Today, Charlie Buell wrote a post that advocates the value of pre-listing-inspections. While Charlie readily admits, or at least begins to admit, and then has a convenient case of amnesia, it's a fairly self-serving stance... although I don't think that Charlie intends it that way. He's really looking out for the well being of both sides.
Wildfire season is in full swing in southern Utah. Take no chances!
Should I sand my hardwood floors myself or hire a professional? Lately, I have run into a LOT of botched up sanding jobs, most done by do-it-yourselfers (DIY) and some done by handymen passing themselves off as floor refinishers. It's quite sad. In the last couple of months, I have even had 2 customers already had their floors sanded 3 times within 1 month before they called me. One of them had to completely replace the floors and the stair treads - that's how bad the jobs were. (We were able to save the other floor). I have to say I … (38 comments)
Get to know your roof; it could save money & the life of it!
Haven’t the Olympics been spectacular so far? Just watching them fills us all with a sense of excitement and pride. Amongst the outstanding athletes competing is Dana Vollmer who won the gold medal in the 100M individual butterfly. What makes this so amazing is four years ago she didn’t even make the team and was so disappointed and distraught she thought seriously about quitting and never competing again.
A HIGHLAND BEACH U.S. COAST & GEODETIC SURVEY MARKER
Though prices are starting to edge upward in the Minneapolis/St Paul metro area, current prices on acreage properties in the north and east metro are still extremely attractive. Throughout Anoka County, Chisago County and northern Washington County there many homes on large and small acreage that are quite affordable. However, buying a foreclosure is different than buying a home from a more traditional seller. The biggest difference when buying a bank-owned property is that buyers almost always required to waive their right to a seller’s disclosure. This actually does make sense since no one at the bank actually lived at the … (9 comments)
What does a buyer's agent actually do? When a client asks that, we as Realtors need to have our response ready. 
There's Always More To The Story 
If you are not involved with your Chamber of Commerce, you might want to consider becoming a member. The cost is reasonable for the benefits you gain. Chambers are a great place to network and accquire referals from other business professionals in your area. It gives you more exposure in person by meeting new people and internationally by hosting your link on the Chamber website. So if you are not already a member, contact your local Chamber today and get involved. Check with you Chamber to see if they are offering specials for new members, they sometimes do to increase membership.
I'm not talking about the inventory or lack of, I'm talking about the physical condition of some of the properties! You know the homes that I'm talking about, the ones where the lsiting agent takes one picture of the front yard from 200 yards away. I never seen so many ugly houses. then there are those that even take pictures of the mess (like below) yikes! I've been doing this for quite sometime and i really don't understand why some agents don't understand that it hurts the value of a home when its marketed in sub par condition. I realize that many of … (48 comments)
Going for the Gold: To be a Published Author during the year 2013
Do We or Should We Have the Right to Pick and Choose Our Clients?
Surfers Dream - Mexico Beachfront Boutique Hotel … (2 comments)
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I try to explain this to sellers every time, and every time they say they get it, and usually they don't get the pre-listing inspection. Maybe I should just refer them to Charles' excellent explanation. 
A major benefit to homeownership is community. There is a greater sense of community among homeowners than there is with renters. Studies have shown that homeowners have a higher participation in local volunteer activities; participate more in local political activities and organizations; have higher voting rates; and are more involved in self-help activities (like the PTA and neighborhood crime watches) than those who rent. Homeowners do not move as frequently as renters, therefore providing more neighborhood stability. This helps reduce crime and support neighborhood upkeep and value.
Fla. housing market continues positive trend even in Pensacola Florida 
Realtors...Swipe this email...Doing an Open House this weekend…Here is an email swipe that you can send to your email database... Your Saturday Swipe: http://bit.ly/REOpenHouseSo go check it out AND sent it out...or don't if you don't want to close more deals :-) Remember the key here is to keep it conversational, and DON’T TRY TO SELL YOUR SERVICES.You want to condition folks to getting used to getting fun, interesting stuff from you… so even if they don’t attend the open house, they’ll appreciate looking at the pictures…Just be sure to pick a juicy open house. It doesn’t have to be your listing at all. … (2 comments)
I was born in the wrong generation.
Brad Rachielles from Upland, CA writes about three lessons for financially responsible home owners. I only wish that all home owners would read and take heed of these three lessons.Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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