What is the use of showing REO's? BY the time you place an offer after it is listed they always have 10-15 offers. Your client gets excited and they even bid higher than asking price but don't get the property anyways.

Buyer's now want to deal directly with the REO listing agent because they feel they have a much better shot at getting the home. I think there are some real ethical questions concerning inside information on REO properties.

I have found it a lot better to deal with a regular listing and negotiate them down close to the price of a foreclosure. Those homes are in much better shape anyways and makes for a much smoother sale.

For example a 3/2 REO single family home gets listed for 210K, they receive multiple offers and it ends p selling for 235K. Why not find the same home which is a regular sale for 260K and negotiate them down close to 235K?  Even if you spend a few extra bucks, almost always the home is in much better shape.

Chaz

As a Full_Time Realtor® for the past 11 years I never saw a downturn like the one we saw in 2007. For about a year and a half I couldn't get anyone to consider buying anything. The newscasts predicted that the market would keep bottoming out for some time to come. So everyone of my buyer's were just sitting on the fence.

Well lately things have started to change. I have a lot of buyer's calling me that want to buy a home NOW.

I have Realtors® in my office that have a lot of pending deals also.

I hope this is a good sign for all of us. After 10 years I almost was forced out of the profession I love. Now it looks like things are getting back to normal. :-)

Chaz Mena
RE/MAX Premier Associates
Weston, FL.
954-804-1284 Direct

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I have been reading a lot of articles like this one: http://southflahomes.com/blog/index.asp that says that the South Florida market seems to be bouncing back.

I have noticed lately that I am getting more showings on my listings and more calls from buyers looking to purchase homes. I n fact on Monday Feb 5, I got 3 emails from different buyers interested in purchasing new homes in the South Florida area.

I hope that this is a sign of things to come.  The market is still flooded with properties for sale but if buyers start scooping up the good deals we might finally level off and the market could start turning.

How is the market in your areas?

Good luck to all,

Carlos "Chaz" Mena
Remax Hometown
954-804-1284
www.SouthFlaHomes.com

I have heard from many Realtors that Real Estate coaches really work. I have never used a coach but am considering trying it out to see if they work. I know that some are affordable and others are very expensive.

I would appreciate any comments on this and any recommendations on specific coaches.

Thanks,

Chaz Mena

Remax Hometown

http://www.southflahomes.com/

The South Florida Real Estate market has been going down since the beginning of the year. One obvious reason is due to the torrid pace the market was going through during 2004-2005. Sellers were are trying to get more than the appraisal amount cause buyers were in frenzy and abided with the sellers wishes. Starting at the end of 2005 article after article was posted in every newspaper publication about how the housing bubble was about to burst. Buyers started getting afraid to buy figuring that market would continue to fall.

But now I suddenly see a change coming. I have noticed articles now are becoming more encouraging towards our market. For example;

September surprise: Housing starts rise 5.9%

By Bob Willis
Bloomberg News
Posted October 19 2006

http://southflahomes.com/blog/index.asp

Existing home sales could start bouncing back in 6 months in S. Florida

By Paul Owers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted October 12 2006

http://southflahomes.com/blog/index.asp

I see the tides are turning and I see the market turning around sooner than we think. Let’s hope for all of this is true, I am looking forward to a bright future for our profession.

Carlos “Chaz” Mena
Remax Hometown
954-804-1284
http://www.southflahomes.com/

Why do Air Conditioners only break at night? It always seems to happen that if an AC is going to break it will always break after hours when no repair technicians are available and if you can get someone to come out it will cost you an arm an a leg.

As a value added service to my clients I make sure to find repair technicians in every field that I can trust and refer business to. Over the years I have made good relationships with AC technicians, plumbers, electricians, handy man etc. I make my clients aware that I know people thank can help them in a time of need and to call me if they ever need anything.

During the course of a year I usually get 8-10 calls from my clients and I refer them the appropriate person. This has helped me to build a stronger bond with my clients and have turned them into more like friends. In the past few years I have received more referrals and have built a better rapport with my past clients.

Just food for thought.

The other day I was thinking to myself this buyer's market that we are in can be good or bad for Realtors depending on whether you are listing type of agent or a buyer's agent. A lot of the listing agents I know are having a rough time right now because listings are just staying on the market forever.

I have a listing that just finally went under contract that I have had since March and another that doesn't even get shown at all since April. The listings are lower than previous sales and in great conditions. My other listings get shown but no contracts yet.

So lately I have gotten aggressive towards finding buyers. Since I have been mostly a buyer's agent my whole career it can now be very rewarding with the higher commissions and bonuses that are out there. Fewer sales but more money in commissions.

In Real estate you just have learn to roll with the changes.

Good Luck,

Carlos "Chaz" Mena
Remax Hometown
http://www.southflahomes.com/

Having a website now in our business is mandatory. Statistics show that more and more people everyday search the Internet to purchase their next home and to sell their present home. I started my own website back in 1999 and although at the beginning I didn't start seeing results, in the past 3 years the return I get off my website for the advertising dollars I put into it every year is more than 10 fold. It is a no-brainer to me.

Now I advertise my website on cable and print advertising and I also pay an Internet marketing company $250.00 per month to work on getting my website ranked higher and higher in the search engines. My website now gets thousands of unique visitors a month and is producing like I thought it would at the beginning. It also gets me a lot of clients from out of town that are planning to move to the South Florida area.

It takes so time and effort and a little patience, but having a website that produces is essential in our business.

Good Luck,

Carlos "Chaz" Mena
Remax Hometown
http://www.southflahomes.com/

When I first got into real estate back in 1999 I started using a Title Company I will call ABC Title and Escrow. They were the best they were very attentive to my clients needs, they charged very competitive fees and also gave me the best attention possible. Whenever I called I got help right away and if someone was busy they would return my call within 30 minutes. I use to always close right on time and never had to call to make sure that everything was being done.

In the past year everything has changed. My clients started calling me all the time saying that they would call but nobody would ever call them back. I would have to make several calls on behalf of my client in order for them to get a call back. It got to the point where they would not even call me back and I would have to call the President of the company to complain. The Title Company has grown immensely but unfortunately the services have gone down hill.

I had several talks with the President who I have known for years and he promised me everything would be taken care of. Unfortunately things did not change and I was forced to find another Title Company to use for my closings.

I have recently started using another company, which has been in business for about 5 years and is relatively small (About 10-12 employees). I am back to getting excellent service and my clients are all happy as well. I hope this time things don't change again. Sometimes when you get too big you forget the Realtors that brought you all the business at the beginning.