You've heard the phrase "you are what you eat".... well in our business, you are what you think. What you think permeates to the surface... if you are negative & depressed guess what???? no one will want to deal with you. (and conversely)...
All events and data are neutral.... they become positive or negative by the way we CHOOSE to look at it.... and the way we look at it will become the way we relay it.
Years ago, I had a sales manager tell me to put a mirror in front of myself when I make phone calls... and look at myself as I talked... my goal was to get the smile on my face into my voice, have it travel down the phone line and elicit a smile back from whom ever I was speaking to... (I know, I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition). That is still my goal
We live in a cause and effect world. With the way things are now, we are the cause that will affect and effect our economy.
Bill Clemente of Security Pacific Real Estate named CCRIM Realtor of the Year
Walnut Creek, California - December 18, 2008
Bill Clemente of Security Pacific Real Estate has been named The Contra Costa Realtors in Motion (CCRIM) 2008 Realtor of the Year. CCRIM is composed of real estate professionals focused on developing the real estate industry as well as giving back to the community. This distinction is given to a Realtor who shows outstanding involvement in both areas.
Security Pacific is honored to have Bill, plus 2007 award winner Rafael Quintero and 2006 winner Fred Weston as associates in their Walnut Creek branch office. Security Pacific is the last large independently owned and operated real estate agency in the East Bay.
Bill can be reached at 925-938-9200 or by e-mail at bclemente@securitypacific.com.
It has been 12 months since I listed this short sale. (November '07) We closed escrow in May I believe. I am proud of the job I did. At that time I had 5 short sale listings and this was the first one that closed. My client owed $488,000 and the offer was for $305,000. I got the bank to forgive the difference ($183,000 in writting) as long as the money was in their office on such and such a date.
Knowing how things can get, I gave my client a date to vacate which was in truth one week early... JIC... (just in case)... I know it's tough facing a divorce, after losing one's job, and home; but there are limits. The funds had to be at the lender on a Friday, the new owner planned on doing their walk thru on the day before. The wife had packed and moved a week before, the sunday before closing I stopped by to give my client an out line of how the house should be left... He told me in no uncertain words that it wasn't his problem any longer and if I wanted it clean I should clean it myself.
After calming down, I pointed out to my client that if the new buyer did not accept the property in the condition it was in that all bets would be off. His retort was "you're making enough money - you pay to clean it." ....
I thought I got over this.... but I can feel my emotions coming to a boil....
In short... Boston Mike's "Haul n Clean" saved the day. This link will take you to a visual tour of the MESS that was left and the finished product after Boston Mike had worked his magic. It took him two days, $2000 that includes the dumpster... if you need a good guy... call me, I'll give you his number.
Life is always full of surprises. A family acquired this home, and grew up in it. Children were born and raised... jobs and promotions... hobbies and interests... However, time and space changes everything-including the best laid plans. After rooms were remodeled, and everything arranged just so... the family must move on.
One mans ceiling is another mans floor...
One mans sushi is another mans bait... & One familys misfortune is another familys opportunity.
This beautiful, exquisite home is now available for a new owner. It offers 5 spacious bedrooms, with 3 full baths totaling a little over 2500 square feet of living space. This gorgous house is set on a 15,000 square foot lot, nestled in the Northgate Community of Walnut Creek. Tree lined streets in a neighborhood where the people across the street wave hello. A community where people watch out for each other but still respect each others privacy. A perfect neighborhood to be a part of... The backyard is perfect... perfect for entertaining, or perfect for getting away from it all and just communing with nature. The schools that are offered are award winning... Walnut Acres Grammer School; Foothill Middle School; and Northgate High School.
If this has captured your immagination, here is a VISUAL TOURof the property. And if thiscaptures your eye, call me for a personal viewing.
REO's (real estate owned) and Short Sales are creating opportunities for HOME BUYER"S.
The Bank does not want to own real estate... Banks make money by loaning money.
When a bank owns a forclosure, it ties up their money... and when their money is tied up they can't loan it... and when they can't loan it - they can't make it.
Now is the time and this is the place.
Click here to begin your search for a home. CONTRA COSTA & ALAMEDA counties
I know what you're thinking... "Can I afford to buy a house??? "
You are asking the wrong question... the question is "Can you afford not to !!!! "
YOU ARE ALREADY MAKING A HOUSE PAYMENT !
You are either making your house payment... ... or you're making your landlord's house payment. ... if you dare, click here... and play with a "rent vs. own" and see what your money can do for you....
The staying or going pertains to Homeownership. If you're a first time home owner or you're thinking about becoming a first time home owner... this might be a scary time for you... every other news report deals with either the foreclosure rate going up... or the housing value coming down.
WHAT IS ONE TO DO???
One thought to keep in mind is that you will make a house payment ... you will make either your house payment or you will make your landlord's house payment... but YOU WILL MAKE A HOUSE PAYMENT.
Realizing this, what can I get for what I pay?
To answer this question, the New York Times created a great interactive graph. Just insert the values and viola... Simply enter the amount of rent you pay... then enter the price of the home you are considering... How much down... figure the mortgage rate (%)... the annual property taxes... there is even a place to insert the annual home appreciation and the annual rent increase/decrease... press the calculate button and like I said...VIOLA
One mans ceiling is another mans floor... one mans sushi is another mans bait... one mans misfortune is another mans opportunity.
The events that are going on now in the market place... SHORT SALES... FORECLOSURES ... REO's... are truly unfortunate. However, these events are also allowing people to enter the Real Estate market, people who in the past couldn't afford to make the leap from renter to home owner.
Yes, the market is correcting itself... and yes, we must learn from our past mistakes... but right now, if one is gainfully employed and can prove it... and if one has a decent credit score... there are opportunities available today to purchase properties in the central Contra Costa county and surrounding areas.
THINK ABOUT IT... If someone told you 2 or 3 years ago that you could OWN a 2 or 3 bedroom home in Concord or Martinez or the neighboring areas for under 400K - you would have scoffed at them... If they said that it was possible to OWN a home for well under 400K (say 315 to 340) if you didn't mind doing a little cosmetic fix up - they would have been put away. WELL I'm here to say- it is a reality today.
The window of opportunity is open... for how long no one knows, but it is open and it's open now. Seek the advise of a trusted professional. A few years from now you'll be saying "I'm glad I did." or "I wish I had."
I received a call from a client about apossible short sale of his home in Walnut Creek. We discussed his various options specifically the pitfalls of a Deed in Lieu. It's surprising to me how many people are presently in foreclosure, even in central Contra Costa county.
While he is still current, due to the declining values in his area, he thinks he is currently upside down in his mortgage. I plan to meet with him this weekend and determine the best course of action and minimize the negative impact this could have on his financial situation.
While listening to the radio, I heard an advertisement for a security alarm system. It was well done. As the intruder attempted to enter the premises a shrill alarm went off and you could hear the foot steps of the intruder retreating. My next random thought found myself evaluating my abode and its' contents, and the amount of time that I'm away. "Wow", I thought, "maybe I should look into this for myself." I filed the data in my left brain, the analytical part of my brain... (I also know that because I am right-handed I am never in my right mind)
Interesting and unexplainable things happen when I use my mental filing cabinet. (... why is it, that the brain is often the last organ of resort?) The sub-conscience always works over time. It pulled up a file on motivation and selling. The file stated that there are just two (2) basic emotions that motivate just about everything we do:
DESIRE of GAIN
FEAR of LOSS
After a careful analysis, I realized the radio commercial had pushed my buttons. It created fear... fear that I could be burglarized, and fear that I could lose the things that I have acquired due to my desire to gain. My initial reaction was unconscious... void of original thought - I need to get an alarm system!
Once I logically understood where this fear was coming from, I asked myself, how did we (as a society) handle this situation before security alarms were invented? The only answer I could come up with was "a sense of Neighborhood"
When one knows the people that live around them, a connection is created. That connection we know as "neighbor". We share a common ground with our neighbors. Sometimes that ground is deep... similar life experiences, common goals, and so forth; and sometimes the common ground is just the same block. Regardless of how the connection is made it ties us together and gives us a common identity we call a neighborhood.
There was a time we knew all our neighbors. We knew that the people across the street both worked so we kept an eye open, not to be nosy, but to be watchful. We would knock on the door of the old man who lived alone if we hadn't seen him for a few days, just to make sure things were alright. And we bandage a childs' boo-boo and dried their tears with a treat from the kitchen. This is what made neighborhood.
Today, for a myriad of reasons, we have lost sight of this connection. We are just to busy doing what we do. So advertisers scare us. And security alarm systems make sense.
I have an idea. Today, smile at a neighbor... (preferable one you don't know) wave hello to the people across the street... say Hi, to someone as you walk past each other. I have found it makes me feel good, and sometimes I get an answer. I'm all for feeling good. And I think those who respond feel good too. Maybe we can start an epidemic.
Last Saturday morning I found myself in downtown Walnut Creek looking for a place to have breakfast. Hub Caps Diner located on Locust and Bonanza caters the Contra Costa Realtors in Motion (CCRIM), which on Tuesdays is the home of the Broker's Caravan Tour (http://www.ccrim.info.com/) for the central Co.Co. county. I thought to myself; their food is always top notch on Tuesday, I can't imagine it being any different on a weekend, so with this in mind I went to satisfy my hunger.
I arrived at my destination about 10 minutes after 9 in the morning and I parked on Locust. As I cross the street I notice a parking meter enforcer (I feel funny saying a male meter maid) patrolling in an official meter enforcement cart. He stopped and jumped out of his cart with his ticket writing machine in tow. He glanced at the meter, which had no time, and proceeded to the rear of the vehicle to write a ticket.
As if it were a dream sequence, I recalled past episodes of my life where a parking ticket waving upon my windshield would ruin the best laid plans of any weekend; so without any thought at all I said "hold it, please", whipped out a shinny quarter and fed the famished meter. As I turned the knob on the meter which aided the digestion of the coin currency I inserted, the officer asked in a formal tone ..." is this your car?"... Thank you I responded, to which he querried again, "is this your car?"
I vaguely remember an episode of "Cops" where a suspect was taken into custody for lying to an officer of the law; so I repeated my response... Thank you. And again the officer asked, "IS THIS YOUR CAR?" Realizing that my answer was not working I asked why? He then informed me that paying a meter for someone else is against the law.
I am a "child of the 60's" and it was all I could do to keep the ‘question authority' part of my psyche squelched. I smiled, bid the officer a good day, and entered the diner. This entire scene took somewhere between 60 and 90 seconds but it has stayed with me for two days now. In a time where there is far too little compassion for our fellow man... where selfish motives are used to justify any and all gains... where everyone is far too busy thinking only of themselves...
...the thought of a law that would prevent an act of kindness scares me.
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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