Have you ever gotten emails supposedly from Nigeria or some other foreign nation promising to pay or give you money if you follow some steps?  I received the following email today offering me this supposedly great opportunity to serve some international clients from Nigeria and to possibly invest in our brokerage.  As much as I know we all love getting emails and calls offering us great clients, always beware and keep yourself safe!

I have included the email below.  This is a scam so if you receive anything similar, mark it as spam!

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from   Senator Wilson Ake <inbox1@xxx.co.uk>
reply-to   senatorwilsonakee@xxx.com
to   recipients <Undisclosed>
date   24 June 2008 22:08
subject   Home purchase and Relocation .

Greetings,
I am Senator Wilson Asinobi Ake the senate committee chairman on labor and productitivity with the upper legislative council in my country, please I am interested in purchasing a good  living home for my family  as we are making plans to relocate to your country due to political threats and also establish good estate investments in your country where my research shows there are growing business opportunity, Actually, i really want to invest in real estate business in your country which i will need your assistant as an expert in the field.The reason why I want to relocate my family to your country is due to some political treat we are facing down here.We would need a good home with at least four bedroom or more,with a good sourandings,car park if possible with a swimming pool.The home will not be at least more than 10 years old.

We need a house that will not cost more than $1,500,000.00 one million five hundred thousand us dollars.I dont have any specific area in mind.What we need is a very good conducive area  that is why i contacted you.

My family would like to see the pictures of the available homes in order for them to make a choice. I am expecting to hear from you as soon as possible.

With regards and trust,



please let me know if you can do this for me.



Thank you and looking forward to your responds.

Regards,

Senator David Mark.
72 Asu Drive way.
Senatorial Quaters,
Apo.
Federal Capital Territory,(FCT)
Abuja.
Nigeria.

I've had an influx of emails from other local Realtors® lately asking why I use one service or another. First of all, I'm a very frugal person. Stay tuned for Monday's post for more on that topic. I search high and low for the best resources to use on my site that will provide you, the visitor, with information that will aid you in your quest for understanding our market and finding not only the perfect property, but also the perfect deal. I find that many real estate agents spend more time worrying about their PageRank and keywords than they do about aiding buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. No matter what business you're in, don't let Google take over. After all, the Google code of conduct is simply "Don't be Evil." Google may not be evil. After all, the corporate mission statement is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." But not everyone plays by the rules, and certainly not everyone conducts business in an ethical way. And Google knows this, which is why the complex algorithms that Google employs are constantly updated and tweeked. The best site is not always the site with the best financial backing or the one that hired a firm for their Google placement. In fact, most firms that claim to be able to improve your PageRank can't and really have no intention of doing so. Even those who are valid companies can only improve your rankings if you have a legitimate site, right? It's supposed to all be about content and often it is. Corporations are learning how to trick Google in order to be placed higher in search results while Google in turn works to improve algorithms to compete these tricks. It's a constant battle, and the deeper into bed a company gets with Google, the less (I would guess) that Google would care even though that is a tad evil. But they are, indeed, first and foremost, a mass-advertising company. Spend a ton of money with Google and viola, better results for less work (albeit more money). The image credit for the photo in this paragraph goes to Future Now. So how does this relate to the emails I receive from other agents and the third-party services on my website? Real estate is a maliciously competitive industry, especially in these times when agents need to actually work their asses off to make a buck. Many agents spend countless hours optimizing their sites for Google and many spend thousands of dollars on services promising to do this for them. The key to high placement in Google appears to be a great combination of keyword-dense articles and links pointing to the site, but Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, cannot be learned in one day and techniques are dynamically changing constantly. Although this site officially launched as LiveAustinRealEstate.com early this past May, it is already climbing in popularity and Google, as well as my competition, as taken notice. I have a large amount of agent traffic coming from various agent resource sites that I am active with. Everyone likes to see what is on other agents' websites to get ideas for how to improve on their own (naturally).

Here's where Trulia comes in. I use Trulia for both the resources on their website as well as for features on my own website. First of all, Trulia provides me with listing RSS feeds which even our own national, state, and local board of Realtors® won't do. I'd love to feature listings from austinhomesearch.com or realtor.com, but the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is stingy and won't provide me with this tool. Using Trulia's RSS feed sends them traffic and creates links to their site from mine, thus boosting their apparent usefulness and popularity with Google and ranking them higher among your search results. In addition to Trulia's RSS feeds, I also use a free widget that displays a graph of home sales. Although their statistics aren't as accurate as those from NAR, the Austin Board of Realtors® (ABOR), or Texas A&M, these organizations do not provide me with a quick and easy way to get you, the consumer, the information. I have a new system in the works, but have been unable to complete the project because my first priority in my business is my clients. I have some incredible (but challenging) listings right now that need all the exposure that I can get them and I have buyers with some challenging goals and needs. In addition to the services on my site, Trulia's strategic methods to place high in a Google search make me want to promote my listings with them. In fact, all of my listings are featured with Trulia among many other services. They do a great job of helping me insure that my listings are found by buyers searching in Google and other search engines.

Like Trulia, RealBird has tools that help me run my business effectively and efficiently. It saves me time by again, providing me with an RSS feed of my listings as well as great listing websites that I can create quickly and efficiently. These tools allow me to spend my time with more activities, such as promoting my listings and their websites through various other services, my own website, and through my network. To see what these site look like, visit my 2012 Cueva de Oro, Austin, Tx 78746 listing site. Their templates are far superior to other sites and aside from that, they don't charge me an arm and a leg for this service. I receive so many solicitations for the "best" service out there for Realtors® you wouldn't believe it. They all just want a piece of my pocket, and like I said earlier, I'm frugal and spend each penny carefully. I want the best return for my dollar because it's the best return for my clients as well.

In addition to the RSS feeds and listing websites, RealBird offers several widgets and services. One that I use is their map view of my listings. I find this extremely useful for my website because it provides a quick overview of what I have to offer the consumer and they can quickly link to more information about these properties via my listing websites.

And there are others, like the Altos Research graph at the top of the sidebar, but Trulia and RealBird are the ones I am most frequently asked about.

Agents ask me why I link back to these services without using a "nofollow" tag. I feel it is ethical to link back to a website providing me and my consumers with a service. Sure, it may give them a higher Google ranking, but I feel they've earned it. I've been working on some widgets myself, and you'd better believe that they will link back to my site for the work I put into coding them! So many people feel that they should have something for nothing; a mentality that I believe is encouraged by the vast amount of free information to be gained on the internet. I may be stubborn, but I'm sticking to my principles on this one. If a site deserves it, I believe that it will have a consistent ranking earned through organic means. Some site may be at the top now, but they won't necessarily sustain that placement. You have to earn your placement as well as the right to stay there.

And if I ever use anything of value from you or your website, you will get proper credit!

In my business I put my clients and prospective clients first. That means marketing properties and delivering pertinent and useful information first. I firmly believe that this mentality is what has me climbing the Google ladder and that it will keep me there as long as I work as hard as I do to keep my priorities in aliment with my future success.

My business is still referral-based and I plan on keeping it that way. When my business becomes Google-based, I'm letting Google run my business. Google doesn't know Austin Real Estate, just where to find information about it. They don't do the real work in my business I do. It's still about the services I provide, which includes but is not limited to optimizing listings for search engine placement.

Further Reading Google, stop lying to us

 

See this post at it's original location: Is Google Taking Over the World?

 

Aria Schoenfelt - Austin Real Estate

 

 

Although Austin isn’t seeing the horror of many other markets (like southern California), the nervousness and hesitation of Austin’s buyers still has us in a buyer’s market. So in a buyer’s market, what should you do differently, as a seller?

One of the best things a seller can do in any market is detach from your house completely. This is your most important strategy in a buyer’s market as well. We know you have more than money invested in your house. It’s been home to you in the best and worst of times, and you’ve worked hard to improve it and make it the best that it can be. But in these times, you need to be objective and detach from the house to make it not your home, but a place someone else wants to live.

Don’t take it personally. Any offer is good. If you get an offer, it means you beat out your neighbors no matter how low or complicated it may be. You may not be able to accept the offer, especially if it has a ton of strings attached, but don’t take it personally if you get a low offer. The buyers chose your house over all the others — keep that in mind. It could be low for a number of reasons, but it’s not because they don’t think the house is great. Sure, they will likely make a great deal of changes, but not until it’s their home. Many buyers who have previously been priced out of the home of their dreams are fishing for a great deal from someone who needs to move on. You may be in this situation or you may not be, but always remember, any offer is a good offer. Even low offers open a dialog of negotiations that can result in a sale. You can always have your agent draft a counteroffer.

Don’t over-price thinking that it leaves you room to negotiate. Over-pricing puts your house in a pool with other houses that are likely larger with more features so which house in the price range would you pick? Always put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Sellers who over-price end up in a cycle of reductions to actually get their homes sold several headaches later. Save yourself the stress, it’s worth it. Price reasonably and competitively to get your house sold more quickly than the competition. You will be making fewer payments which saves you money even if you don’t actually see the savings.

Be patient with your buyers. Loans are tough right now and under-writers are struggling to approve many who could have received a loan for almost nothing down not too long ago. Even pre-approved buyers can be sent through seemingly endless waits for final approval. Your buyers want to buy a house; it’s an emotional time for them as well. Don’t panic over financing. Wait it out. The deal may not work out, but financing is really out of your control as a seller.

Sellers in Austin may have had it easy a few years ago, but times have changed. You can still sell your home if you get your house completely ready for sale, price it competitively, detach emotionally, and don’t take it all personally.

 

Aria Schoenfelt, REALTOR

Austin Real Estate

I know that I have a pretty strong mix of consumers and Realtors® reading this blog and this is an issue that really matters to both. What is the value of a Realtor®, what are the basic levels of experience you expect, and should standards be raised? I read a blog for agents several times a week called Agent Genius and today a blogger, Benn Rosales, posted “Ending Right to Practice” which brings up an argument that I have touched on in the past but is very important. There are over 8,000 Realtors® under the Austin Board of Realtors®. Keep in mind that Williamson County has its own board, although some are members of both. 8,000 Realtors® in Austin, not counting those licensed real estate agents who are not members. No wonder we all receive so many post cards and emails!

The perception of value of Realtors® is not good right now. There are plenty of really good Realtors in town. And there are just as many under-qualified, under-trained Realtors and real estate agents. This makes my job so much harder! I work my tail off using the experience that I’ve gained through a lifetime in the real estate industry. I honestly don’t know how hard it is to learn this business, but some are suited for it and some are not. I hope that these “turbulent times” help to weed out those who are in it for the joy of the job and those who heard there is money to be made in real estate.

What should the requirements be? In Texas, those seeking a real estate license must complete a few hundred classroom hours of courses followed by 15 classroom hours each year. Those seeking Broker’s licenses must be an agent for two years and complete an additional load of courses. I won’t bore you with everything here, visit TREC’s Education section if you’d like to know more. Is more education needed? I did not find the courses difficult and completed my initial hours in two months. I had the advantage of a strong background in real estate and found that many of the items covered are not practically used and that I felt I needed more transaction-specific education. I found this with the Texas Association of Realtors® GRI Courses. Still, nothing beats good old-fashioned experience! Many, many agents don’t pass the licensing exam the first time. You’d be amazed at how many don’t! I’m proud to say that I aced it, but again, I had experience before education so I was at an advantage.

I find that all of the odd transactions find me. I mean that seriously. When I take a simple listing, I get complicated offers. When I take a complicated listing, contracts don’t often lead to a closing the first time. Luckily, I have the support of my experience and my Broker’s encyclopedia of experience and knowledge (thanks, Michelle!). Without the support of my Broker, I wouldn’t be nearly as successful. All of these new brokerages around town can be scary. I was in class with a girl younger than myself (and I consider myself a youngin’) at the tail end of getting her broker’s license who already had part ownership in a brand new brokerage with other new brokers. Scary! Who do the agents call when they have a funny item on a contract?

gents need more education! And more practical education! Brokers need more experience. The two-year time limit wouldn’t bother me if the Broker-to-Be had closed 40 transactions, but there is no transaction requirement currently.

What are your feelings? I’d love to hear more on both the agent and consumer side. We are the experts, aren’t we?

 

Aria Schoenfelt, REALTOR (sometimes they call me the unREALTOR)

Austin Real Estate

 

After my recent post “We Are the Real Estate Experts, Aren’t We?” you may argue that large, national chain brokerages may be better because they have the resources and the budgets for agent raining and education. And while I think that these Brokerages are a great place for new agents to start for that reason, if you are serious about buying or selling a home or investment property in Austin, chose a boutique real estate company.

Why? Let the new agents get their start with one of the big guys. They often have in-house training, which is truly needed to get these agents competent enough in their careers after relaxed education requirements by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). And many great agents emerge from the big guys — into small, boutique-style companies with a focus on customer service. The rest are eaten up by the business, and pursue a better-fitting career.

Quality vs. Quantity
Do you want the agent you hire to be focused on quality or quantity? The big companies play the old-fashioned, used-car-salesman numbers game. No wonder REALTORS® are getting the Used Car Salesman reputation, huh? The instruct agents to go after every listing, no matter the quality of the clients and the property. If you have 10 listings and 5 drop out, you still have 5 listings! This is why you receive post cards all the time from agents with the big companies, especially if your listing expires in MLS.

Although some small Austin brokerages still focus on quantity, most focus on quality. Quality listings, quality clients, take 3 clients, have 3 happy clients who make it to closing with smiles on their faces. Shouldn’t quality over quantity matter when you’re hiring someone to guide you through such am important time in your life?

Do you want to be a number or a person?
Although I sometimes want to shop quietly and anonymously, be it at the mall or for real estate, I still want the customer service when it counts. I want the answers and I want them when I need them. I want guidance and I want it when I need it. What will I get that with a frazzled agent shuffling 10 listings and 15 buyer-clients (with 8 over-priced listings, 5 don’t show well, 9 haven’t heard from her in weeks, and all 15 buyers are represented without pre-qualification and a buyer’s rep agreement)? I doubt she’ll answer when I call, how can she? I doubt she’ll have the answer and will have to get back with me. Why am I paying her again?

I won’t take a number, I’ll move on to the next guy. I don’t want to waste time, effort, and money. I want to get it done and get it done now. That’s why I recommend a small company — a Boutique Brokerage — headed by a great Owner/Broker who has a vast amount of knowledge and experience. Don’t take a number, be number 1. Hire someone who will earn their money by giving you guidance and advice every step of the way, even before you asked the question. Hire a REALTOR® who will take the time to be your friend, because trust me as someone who moves a lot, a friend is what everyone needs when they are moving!

Naturally, I recommend BridgeOne Properties headed by Michelle Cain. Yes, she got her start with one of the big companies. She used everything she learned by being successful with the big guys to create a company supportive of both its agents and its clients. BridgeOne is Austin’s Boutique Real Estate Company… We don’t sell an exceptional number of properties, just exceptional ones.

Aria Schoenfelt, REALTOR

Austin Real Estate

Sites like Zillow claim to be an authority on home values, but are they truly friend or foe? I know it’s easy to visit the sites that say “We can give you the true value of your home,” but take the information you see with a grain of salt. They are based on tax records which is old and often inaccurate information. Here’s why: 1. Tax records are past values. Think about it, 2009 tax appraisals in Austin just went out. Do they really know what your home will be worth at the end of the year? No, they are guessing what your home will be worth on December 31, 2008 based on data from 2007 and 2008. 2. Tax records are inaccurate values. Tax Appraisers are overworked and cannot possibly spend the time necessary for an accurate value. They don’t know what your home looks like inside and they have access to limited data since Texas law does not require the disclosure of sales prices. 3. Tax values can fought. Ever hear what Michael Dell pays in property taxes for his home each year? Let’s put it this way, it’s WAY less than you think and likely less than what you pay. There are exemptions and many ways to fight the values to keep it low (and owe less taxes). I successfully fought my appraised value to keep my taxes low as well. 4. Tax values can be high. Those that do not fight their taxes are often paying more than they need to. The Tax Appraiser’s Office knows little about your home and takes measurements from the outside to determine the size. Do you have a vaulted ceiling? It may be counted as 2nd-story square footage. Some homes are also taxed in the wrong district. So calculations based on tax values are inaccurate, but Zillow and others do take other factors into account such as sales and list prices. Still, these are often skewed as statistics often are because they depend on steady data — which we do not have in a fluctuating market. What’s the best way to find the value of your home? Hire an expert. Sounds simple, but I know many of you are on the fence about the value of Real Estate Professionals. First, know that you don’t have to list with someone to get a value opinion. Ask if how much they charge for a Broker Price Opinion (BPO); something usually used by banks for properties they own because the professional is out in the market daily and can view the property inside and out. Don’t forget about Appraisers, although they will likely give you a different number so I suggest hiring both. REALTORS® should use tax data (lightly, because it is OLD & inaccurate data), recent sales (old data, but better), and other active and pending sales. They will take everything into account from your upgraded appliances to storage shed to any improvements that need to be made. And above that, they can give you an objective opinion on what will be the best moves to bring your home more value for less money. If you do want to take the stress out of selling your home by hiring a pro, interview agents before you commit. Don’t just pick the first one you find. But that’s an entirely different topic so I’ll cover it later. For the record, I looked up some properties I know well because I have worked with them in the past couple months. Property A’s Market Value: $758,00 - Zillow Zestimate: $639,000 Property B’s Market Value: $427,000 - Zillow Zestimate: $400,000 Property C’s Market Value: $486,000 - Zillow Zestimate: $569,000 If you want a ballpark, try these services. Once you get serious, turn to the experts!

For those of you interested in the project at 4113 Avenue G in Hyde Park, Austin, Texas, the plans are available publicly: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/agenda/2008/downloads/d3nrd20080088.pdf It is my opinion that objecting to this project based only on the fact that an old house that is being removed (probably torn down, possibly moved) and being replaced by a new house is against the plans for growth that keep our local economy in Austin healthy. While there are many projects in Hyde Park that don’t conform with many people’s ideas of what is appropriate in Hyde Park, we must also remember that it is a high-density, urban neighborhood now. That comes with thousands and thousands of opinionated people. One may hate a particular house and another may think that it’s the most beautiful in the neighborhood. Many love all the old bungalows complete with all their aging, others find them small and in need of a fresh coat of paint and a update to accommodate the modern family. I am one of the few outspoken Hyde Park residents for progress. A 700 square foot bungalow that has been recovered in asbestos and needs new electrical, plumbing, and many other repairs is not an asset to the neighborhood in my opinion. When these properties are going for $300,000+, who wants to spend that kind of hard-earned money to live in a cramped home with no closet space? If you want to protect your investment in Hyde Park, I believe in supporting managed progress. Well-kept historic homes should stay, but many, especially in northern Hyde Park, are essentially crumbling track-homes. I think the neighborhood deserves to be taken care of, and that includes removing houses that have not been maintained. We have great systems in place through the design guidelines and the Historic Preservation committees and groups. We cannot object every time someone wants to add on some much-needed space to a cramped home. And hasn’t anyone noticed that new builds have slowed dramatically? That’s because land values have gotten so high that it doesn’t make any sense to build at today’s prices. New homes can easily get up to $1,000,000. And although I think that some blocks of Hyde Park support these prices, they are few, far between, and lined with historic mansions. When you object to any and all change, it creates a great deal of conflict. I see that conflict every day in the Hyde Park N. A. Yahoo! group and in neighbors who know that I am a resource to ask on where to go and what to do next. I’ve seen neighbors attach 50-year-residents of Hyde Park for adding on to their homes while the aggressors went home to crumbling eyesores. It’s all a matter of opinions, and like my Kindergarten teacher once told me, you have to learn respect other people’s opinions and feelings. And anyone with a Psych 101 education can tell you that aggressively approaching someone will put them on the defensive and will not get the results you are looking for. Also, I wanted to remind everyone that the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association is a ‘Neighborhood Association’ and not a ‘Home Owner’s Association’. The difference is, a Neighborhood Association is not mandatory and can not pass and mandatory rules. The HPNA has drafted and sucessfully pushed legislation in the interest of the neighborhood, but you need only the City’s approval for any plans on your Hyde Park property. The City will approve or deny based on all local laws and codes, including some which affect Hyde Park alone.