Madison Real Estate News and Views

Sign Sign...Everywhere a Sign....

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:13:49 -0500

Via Sally & David Hanson WI Realtors Res.\Comm\Short Sale\CDPE\ABR\e-Pro (Keller Williams 414-525-0563):

         A number of years ago....there was a popular song and the lyrics of the chorus were.

The Song was performed by a group called "The Five Man Electrical Band." Not sure whatever happened to them..I do know that decades later...the lyrics still race through my mind while I drive through neighborhoods with real estate signs of red, blue, orange, green....Too many "Everywheres" in some places.

       In the greater Milwaukee/Waukesha Wisconsin market the real estate signs from some of what are considered the "major brokers" are littered with soooo many numbers that consumers are at a loss to know what to do, who to call....and how to get the information they need about the property. Under what I believe is the "Guise of Technology" there are Pin Numbers....Property numbers that will/can text you....call you, e-mail you. The agent is lulled into believing that the ever increasing cell phone bills for this wonderful technology will somehow increase their business. NOW...you know you called about your listing...you can call them, text them, e-mail them....go pounce on them in front of the listing...and Voila...you have an instant new buyer ! Hmmmm....not our experience.

    We got bigger cell phone bills that indicated inquiries from buyers on our listings...and they were not people who wanted us to return a call....send them a text...drop them an e-mail...they thought they were making a discreet inquiry....oh not....now they were supposed to be a part of our data base...and our cell phone bill...and they were tire kickers...lookey loos....neighbors....not buyers.

Believe you deserve the best...know that there is more out there for you to pursue than the career you are experiencing now...Call us in the greater Milwaukee/Waukesha area 414-525-0563..or if you want more of all there is wherever you are....we will find a Keller office near you...or maybe, just like us, you will want to start one...for the best you can give your clients, your customers and yourself.

Another "Extreme Makeover" Home on the Market

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:57:37 -0500

I used to watch the ABC Reality show "Extreme Makeover" whenever I needed a little bit of a "feel good" cry. The why my emotions would be worked in that 2 hour segment is amazing. In the back of my mind I always had the thought "How can the family afford to maintain a house like this?" I guess my thoughts were right.

In the Wall Street Journal today, there's an announcement of one of these "extreme" housing hitting the for sale market. As I read the story I was saddened to hear the trials of this family.

I do remember, a few years ago, of an episode of the show in which the family got an incredible house and the non-profit arm of my company Keller Williams Cares paid off the mortgage on the home in full. Thus hopefully allowing the family to only have the obligation of property taxes and maintenance.

In my mind that's the only way this show would be considered a success to me.

Click here for the WSJ article.

Darren Kittleson...A Warm Approach to Your Business Decision

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:52:25 -0500

I always love when someone shares a great story....this might be a little bit of a shameless plug...but what the hey!

Via Sally & David Hanson WI Realtors Res.\Comm\Short Sale\CDPE\ABR\e-Pro (Keller Williams 414-525-0563):

Yesterday morning we had a power point presentation fom a our operating principal...Darren Kittleson who comes from Madison to Milwaukee to help us in our recruitment efforts to launch a new Keller Williams office in the greater Milwaukeee/Waukesha area. If you google him...you will get pages full of where he is....everywhere...he is twitting and facing and linking, posting, teaching and oh yes...selling real estate !

        Darren is our warm robe and fuzzy slippers...he knows how to make agents feel at home with Keller Williams...in this market...a new name...a new business model...a new way of thinking about real estate. He is quick to help and oh sooo knowledgable...the people we are recruiting are sure by the time they leave the presentation, that they have really come to the right place. The people who attend our sessions are agents who may be in all different places in their careers...and as Darren is quick to tell you , the place is not as important as being open to a new opportunity. The Keller Williams business model...and in fact, the name, Keller Williams is new to the greater Milwaukee/Waukesha area and agents and consumers alike are hearing what this "new to them" brokerage has to offer.

     We have been the resident cheerleaders since we joined Keller just last month...and will continue to be....we talk, we write, we e-mail, we blog...and attract agents who are interested in finding out if there is a different way to approach a real estate career that may be a fit for them.

   Darren ably explains the technology, (even his cell phone knows my name when it answers for him) the education....he is also a trainer...and oh that hot cocoa, refreshing lemonade...warm robe and fuzzy slippers approach will make you melt, applaud...think and raise your pen to sign your license transfer and begin the best ride your career could ever have the good fortune to take. It can never be about just one thing when you consider moving to another broker....Look at the whole picture.

Do you think the resources of a national center who devotes hundreds of thousands of dollars to education might give you a "leg up" in the marketplace ?

Do you believe that technology is where the future of real estate lies and want to be on the cutting edge that no local franchise can begin to touch with their limited local resources ?

Are you curious as to what "agent driven" really means ....and want to contribute to how your office is run, expenses are controlled and Profit distributed ?

Do you want to know what Passive Income is and how you can benefit from it ? Isn't more than one source of income a better approach in ANY market ?

Are you open to hearing about a business model unlike any other you may know currently ?

   Darren knows....we're learning...learning every day through all the tools, classes, people..team resources...how we can better serve our clients and customers.

                 Isn't being the best you can be what you always wanted to be ?

   Give us a call....we'll do the cheerleading...and we'll give you some valuable information...and then...be ready to be impressed...be comfortable...enjoy...have confidence that being a Keller Williams agent is the very best thing you could ever do for you, your career, your family, your life. And....maybe you'll want to come to our next meeting where Darren will wrap you in the comfort of being a Keller agent.

First Time Buyer Tax Credit Explained

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:02:41 -0500

This is a Test...It 's Only a Test...I took Gary Keller's Shift VERY SERIOUSLY !

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:21:47 -0500

Via Sally & David Hanson WI Realtors Res.\Comm\Short Sale\CDPE\ABR\e-Pro (Keller Williams 414-525-0563):

    A number of AR folks sent e-mails to tell me that we had shifted or blog to one side....and I have deleted and shrunk pictures and put them back in...no luck...

         I can only explain it as a part of the wild enthusiasm we have for our new association with

    If you want an earful...to get ahead full speed....or you are just open to learning the alternatives of different business models...you may be one of the people who will want to join us Saturday, August 22nd 10-12 noon.

            To reserve your place...CALL: 262-692-0001

If you prefer, you may e-mail:

info@kwwisc.com

     Thank you for your time ....it will be the best you can spend on your career !

How is This Working for the Seller's Best Interest?

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:10:49 -0500

Here's a broker comment line from our local MLS:

So here are my questions:

Is this statement in the best interest of the Seller? (A short sale seller I'm told)
Are the statements of this broker risky for stating future value?
How about the business hours of this brokerage--truly in the clients best interest?

I'd love to hear your comments.

It's a Case of Customer Service...or is it?

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:52:01 -0500

Ok... so I'm going to vent just a little this morning.

I had to travel to Bozeman, MT for a meeting today. I arrived at the airport 1 hour before the flight was to depart. This is usually more than enough window of time in my small town airport (Dane County/Madison WI). My flight was with Delta, er, Northwest, er Delta Northwest or NorthDeltaWest...whatever they are calling it these days.

I traveled 1 week ago on Delta to Atlanta. In my airport, 1 week ago there was a Delta check in desk. Today the check in desk for Delta is gone. It's now combined with the check in desk for Northwest. OK, merger must be moving further forward, I thought. Then I saw THE LINE OF PEOPLE trying to get checked in! It was outside the maze and down the hall. This was a 7:15 a.m. flight. Not the first of the day and check in was going to take over 1/2 hour.

Now I know many of you who travel through large airports are feeling no sympathy for me but remember, I always have to travel somewhere first, change planes and then get to my destination. My offset for 2-3 legs on every trip is the convenience of the small airport. Well Delta is trying to change that by seemingly understaffing their check in counter in Madison. Thus increasing the "inconvenience factor" to levels of the large hub city airports.

I've been known to operate my businesses from time to time under the "ready, fire, aim" methodology but this seems a bit extreme for what's now being touted as "The World's Largest Airline". How difficult would it be to realize that when you combine 2 businesses, don't significantly reduce the number of flights that both had combined, it might take an adequate staff to move people through?

I could go on but I'm trying to find the lesson here for me. Does anyone know what it might be?

Why I Love Ping.fm

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:45:44 -0500

Haven't heard of it? Well it's a magical tool that allows me to virtually be throughout all of the web 2.0 at 1 time.

It's really a tool that allows you to 1 stop post and autofeed that out to many different sites at once. From Social Media sites to blogs to Microblogs--all in 1 spot and from your web browser or your smart phone.

How do you set it up? Go to http://ping.fm. There you can create a free account and cross reference which sites you are a member of and how you might want to post to them.

Sound easy? It is. Remember your opportunity to leverage tools like this will allow you to increase your Web 2.0 prescence without spending all day at your computer. We all know that doesn't get us much business by itself!

How Fun it is When People Laugh

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:25:29 -0500

So here I sit. In the Sam Adams Pub in the Atlanta airport on a Sunday night. Yep, for the next few weeks I'm a road warrior. I don't mind travel. In fact last year I spent 114 nights in hotel rooms (love the Hilton Honors Points!). But sometimes looking at the forlorn faces of the weary airline traveler can bring you down.

Not tonight! America's Funniest Home Videos is on the TV in the cafe! People are laughing! People are having fun! All around everyone seems to be having a great time!

It's amazing how simple something can be that makes a difference in people's attitude. I love the solace of this cafe for the moment. That is, until I have to brave the faces of the traveling Zombies as I head to my gate in 3 minutes!

Pray for me!

How Journaling Has Taken My Business Beyond My Dreams

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:48:41 -0500

Since I entered the real estate business in 1989 I quickly learned that success in my business had as much to do with how I was thinking as it did with the daily actions and tools I used in my business. I constantly sought out trainers and training techniques. From Mike Ferry's organization for real estate sales to the work of Tony Robbins and that of the Landmark Forum and it's curriculum for living. When I joined Keller Williams Realty in 2003 and became a broker and operating principal for the company I got to then see how real estates agents work and think at a different level.

I quickly realized that real estate was an equal opportunity/unequal earnings business. What do I mean by this? Well, we all get licensed and yet what makes the difference for most from that point forward? From being a mediocre sales agent vs. a superstar? In some cases there were external factors but for those that made it long term it had to do with how they think. Seeing this I began to seek out tools and techniques to not only help me become the best I could be but also to be able to share with others who want the same thing.

In July of last year I met a woman named Kim Ades. Kim owns a company called Frame of Mind coaching. In our brief encounter last July I hired Kim to coach me for 10 weeks beginning in September of 2008. Once the program began I realized I'd stumbled upon something pretty incredible.

The piece I've found simply amazing is the daily ritual I now have of writing in a journal. This sounds too easy doesn't it? What would you write about daily? Might be the other question some of you may have. Here's the deal, it doesn't matter what I write about. I've discovered that the act of getting out of my head and, in this case, online, is helping me find HUGE breakthroughs in my professional and personal life.

This weekend I'm in Atlanta at a conference for professional speakers, coaches, trainers and consultants. Just this morning I had the chance to meet an amazing your woman named Michelle Prince. Michelle has written a book that just this week hit the top seller list called "Winning in Life Now". I just bought it from her but in our discussions this morning she stated that she has been journaling since the age of 18.

So my brief lesson this morning, even top selling authors know of this technique to get what they want in life. Hmmmm...must be something of value there.

Is this a Market "BLIP"?

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:30:28 -0500

After 20 years in this business I hope to never have to live through the period of September 2008 to March 2009 again. Why do I say that? Because it was the slowest time in my memory in the real estate industry here in Madison.

The good news...I'm still here. The better news....it seems the market has ticked up with a significant amount of activity and offers are getting accepted AND going to successful closing.

How do I know this? My Madison West office just finished an incredibly strong month with over 80 closings. With that profitability is at a long time high and we're able to reduce the debt we carried through the winter months back to zero! My associates seem very happy as well. It's amazing how relieving some of the economic pressure of making money can change one's attitude.

Here's my question though--do you think this is a sign of times to come or is this just a temporary "BLIP" in a backlogged real estate market?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

8 Questions EVERY Prospective Short Sale Seller Should Ask an Agent

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:58:42 -0500

Sally is right on the mark with this.

Thanks for the great post!

Via Sally & David Hanson WI Realtors Res.\Comm\Short Sale\CDPE\ABR\e-Pro (First Weber Group 414-525-0563):

Interview Questions for a Prospective Short Sale Agent

   If, for reasons of hardship…unemployment, under employment, illness, divorce, etc. or some combination thereof….you are unable to pay your mortgage and are looking to have a real estate agent do a short sale…you , the homeowner(s), need to interview the agent and make sure that you feel confident with their experience...their Successful experience…to save you from the ravages of foreclosure. Here is an interview guide you may find helpful in the screening process.

1) What formal training has the agent had ? CDPE or other…Ask to see the certificate. If the agent has received the training, they won’t be offended and you will be assured that they formal instruction by a recognized authority in the industry.

2) How many short sales has the agent done ? Find out not only how many but when…recently…5 years ago.

3) What is the success rate for closing short sales ? It isn’t just the quantity…it has to be the quality to avoid foreclosure.

4) Ask for references from recent closings. If the agent is successful, providing a handful of references should not be an issue.

5) Has the agent explained the process to you…discussed what options are available and what the long term effects can be for each option.

6) Has the agent given you references for a real estate attorney, accountant and credit repair expert ?

7) Ask the agent to show you closed sales figures from MLS for the past 24 months. Short sales take longer, require more effort and as a result more financial stability by the agent. You don’t want to sign a listing contract with someone who may not be able to sustain their earnings in the business.

8) How does the agent take your very valuable from listing to closing ? Ask for a written marketing plan, find out who does the follow up with the lender after an offer is received. What is the agent’s philosophy on submitting an offer or many offers and why ? And the all important question…WHO does the negotiation of the short sale with the lender ?   Does the agent you hired do it…do they have a VA..Virtual Assistant do it for them ? Do they have a 3rd party company do the negotiation ? The answer to this question with the success rate may be key to difference between an agent listing a short sale and closing one…

   Don't Be A Real Estate Experiment.....

   Be A Successful Short Sale Seller...the Credit/Future You Save IS your own !

My Outlook Crashed! Ugghhhh!

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:51:26 -0500

That has been my experience this past 7 days. For some reason, unknown to me, my Outlook 2007 Business Edition simply stopped working.

It was Monday morning at 9:16 a.m. How do I know this? Because that's the last e-mail it pulled in and when I tried to respond to it the incoming and outgoing connections failed.

Now, being the techno brainiac I think I am, I stubbornly thought I could fix this issue. I started by double checking my incoming and outgoing server settings to make certain I hadn't inadvertantly changed those. Nope, they are set correctly. Next I went to the microsoft site to see if there were any alerts regarding this happening due to some virus. Nope, nothing there.

On Thursday I sent a distress message out to my friends in the social media world. I posted my question on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc... Out of the darkness came great help from Lora Bladow of RE/MAX in Wisconsin. She shared with me that she was experiencing a similar problem and called about Pat Zaby's tech people to help. They were able to fix the issue by having her remove a recent Windows update.

I tried that to no avail.

Yesterday I broke down and contacted Microsoft Tech Support, coughed up the $99 tech fee and sent my explicit e-mail to support hoping for a quick response.

Last night around 7 p.m. a tech called. He was able to walk me through a few preliminary steps as he tried to assess the problem. (I had already tried these with my VAST techie wisdom). Finally he asked if he could take control of my computer. We walked through the set up steps and BAM he was running my mouse through the system.

After about 10 minutes of trying various fixes he decided to view my startup file by using the command prompt "msconfig". I love this command prompt but can never remember it so I wrote it on my dry erase board that sits over my desk. Anyway we disabled everything that wasn't microsoft related and rebooted my computer. Opened Outlook and it started working. Miracle of miracles!

Turns out my virus protection software, Trend Micro, was somehow messing with my Outlook. He had me uninstall Trend Micro and then reinstall it and all things seem to be running great today.

Hallelujah!

Madison Named to Another Top 10 List

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:28:49 -0500

Kiplinger has named Madison #7 of the top 10 places to live in the U.S. based on unemployment and job growth figures.

Many of us have known this all along. In spite of winter, Madison is a great place to live, work and play. You can find the entire profile for Madison by clicking this link.

So my question is this--how long can we maintain this "quality of life" that continues to place us high in many "places to live rankings" and still keep our small town feel? What will happen as the state works to balance a HUGE deficit budget by cutting state jobs to this type of polling?

Capitol Neighborhoods Announces 2 New Programs

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:00:39 -0500

One of the really cool things about living in the central city is the vibrant community groups that seem to thrive here.

One of them is the Capitol Neighborhood, Inc. If you want to get plugged in to what's happening both on a cultural and quality of living standpoint in central Madison, joining this group is a must.

Visit their website by clicking here.

I just wanted to share 2 upcoming events that might be of interest to my readers:

1) Architecture of Downtown Madison-May 28 at 7 p.m. Gate of Heaven in James Madison Park. Jim Drager, deputy preservation officer with the WI Historical Society will help us recognize architectural styles, discuss notable Madison architects and lead a discussion on new ways to think about the places we think and work.

2) Annual Meeting featuring Madison's Cultural Plan-June 18 at 7 p.m. at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. Former Madison alder Noel Radomski will touch on a number of topics including the cultural plan that the city will soon undertake. In addition awards will be presented for exemplary service and contributions to the health of our downtown neighborhoods. There will also be elections of district representatives to the Capitol Neighborhoods Executive Committee.

What's Up With Some Houses?

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 24 May 2009 10:36:58 -0500

Just this past week my team closed on a listing we took in late April.

What's extraordinary in that? At first blush absolutely nothing. In fact getting a buyer and seller to closing is part of what we get paid to do in this business.

At the closing table both Buyer and Seller were very amicable with each other. In fact the Buyers are moving to Madison from the area of the country the Seller is moving back to. They even discovered they know some of the same people. (Small world).

Anyway at closing I was thinking. This house was 82 years old. This new Buyer is going to be the 4th family to own this house. Other than when the original owner built the house in the 1930's and subsequently lived in it for 60+ years, I've been involved in EVERY SALE of the HOUSE since then!

That's right. When the original Owner's estate had it for sale, I was working with a buyer who wanted that neighborhood. The house came up for sale through the trust department of one of our local banks. I got my Buyer's through the house right away. They liked it but being 1st time homebuyers, were hesitant as to all the delayed maintenance the home displayed from years of an elderly homeowner living there. The price was more than right and they finally pulled the trigger. That was 1998.

They lived in the house until 3 years ago. During that time they did wonderful restoration to the home including adding a new kitchen, peeling off the masonite siding and residing with a "shingled" effect (perfect for the cottage style of the house). They also furnished it incredibly well and added a 1/2 bath to the main floor.

When it came time for them to move on, they called us to list the home. The 2nd day after it was placed on the market, Devery (my team member) and I were at the home staging it for the virtual tour pictures. There was as car eerily stopped out in the street in front of the house. The "For Sale" sign had just been place minutes before. My cell phone rang and it was an agent from one of our local companies. She stated she had out of town buyers who were sitting in front of the house at that moment and wanted to see it. She was with other clients and couldn't get there at that moment, would we be willing to show it to them?

We said of course and proceeded to meet the buyer and his mother. He was just back from deployment and coming to Madison for law school. He fell in love with the house and a full price offer was faxed to us before the day was over.

That was 3 years ago. This spring, this owner called us to discuss listing the house for him. He was finishing up law school and had gotten married. His next stage in life and new wife were already living on the west coast.

We placed the home on the market on a Thursday and by Saturday, darned if we didn't receive a full price offer from the 1st showing. That's the closing that occurred this past week.

So there you have it, 1 house, 82 years, 4 owners, 3 sales for our team.

My question is this--What is it about some houses that they sell so quickly and where do I find about 50 of them to build our business on?

Keller Williams Realty Dominates Industry Survey

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:05:56 -0500

Note from Darren-"This might be seen as self promoting propaganda and admittedly it is. Along with that I thought it important to share that in spite of the challenging economy, especially in real estate, some companies are not only surviving but thriving. This happens in every industry when markets challenge profitability. Thus I felt compelled to share this"

AUSTIN, TEXAS (May 19, 2009) -According to two of the industry's most comprehensive annual surveys, Keller Williams Realty brokerages continue to defy the pervasive downturn in the industry by growing and expanding.

RISMedia's Power Broker Report and REAL Trends' REAL Trends 500 rank the largest residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. based on transaction sides and sales volume. This year, Keller Williams Realty had more brokerages on both lists than any other real estate brand.

In the REAL Trends 500 report, Keller Williams Realty dominated, with its offices comprising more than a quarter of the entire list. Of all the major brands represented in the report, Keller Williams was the only company to boast growth in both number of agents added to its ranks and in total transactions closed.

Within RISMedia's Power Broker Report, Keller Williams Realty again had the largest majority on the list - accounting for 35 percent of all the brokerages listed. The report also ranked Keller Williams Realty #1 in number of agents and total closed transactions.

"These results prove what we already knew - Keller Williams Realty is experiencing the next phase of our growth during this shift," said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty, Inc. "Our agents and offices are capitalizing on the opportunities presented in today's market and powering forward."

"Two years ago, when the market began to shift, we mobilized to make sure our people would have the training, support and technology to tackle the market and they have truly blown us away with their accomplishments," he added.

Within the past 18 months, Gary Keller, co-founder and chairman of the company, released his latest book, SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times which became the No. 1 selling real estate book for agents in 2008. The launch also included a nationwide seminar tour which is slated to visit more than 50 cities throughout North America by the end of the summer. Other initiatives included the delivery of affordable health care options for KW associates through the new Keller Williams Health Providers Program and the launch of the company's commercial arm, KW Commercial.

"When we do what we do best - coach and train our associates to higher levels of personal productivity and profitability - growth takes care of itself," said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty, Inc. "Keller Williams Realty, the franchise company, didn't rank on these lists - our people did."

"We're confident we're in businesses with some of the most talented and focused individuals in the industry and we are so proud of all they've achieved," added Willis.

Using LinkedIn to Share Your Reading List

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:55:03 -0500

Today I discovered a cool resource on LinkedIn where you can post reviews and thoughts on books.

Many of you know I read a number of books each month. Some good, some great and some not so good (in my opinion). If you want to see my recommendation list, click this link.

Go ahead and start creating your own list.

The Frustration of a Failed Closing

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:01:27 -0500

There's a pretty intricate process we go through when we work through a short sale to a successful closing. Not only do we have to get agreement from any underlying mortgage holders but quite often there may be judgements and liens against the property that have to be released in order to close on the property.

I had that issue today. Got an accepted offer, got the lender to agree to a reduced pay off in order to close. There were 6 outstanding liens against this seller,thus then tied to the property. I got on the phone last week and started contacting the lien holders. I negotiated, on behalf of the seller, to get releases from each of these lien holders in order to be able to close today.

I received verbal acceptance from each on the terms and conditions that would allow us to close. I sent release agreements to each. I received them signed by the lien holder on every one but 1. Today, 1 week after they verbally agreed to a payoff of some dollars to release their lien rights on this property, they decided it wasn't enough money. They refused to sign the release and thus the closing didn't occur.

Here's where this gets frustrating. You see the property is in the process of being foreclosed upon. Once the foreclosure happens, chances are this lien holder, being in 7th position in the line, will not see any dollars for their position.

I was able to get them some payment at this point had they released their lien rights today.

We got the buyer and seller to agree to a 1 week extension. I'm hopeful reason will prevail over the weekend and the lien holder will answer their phone on Monday and agree to the release.

Never a dull moment.

Putting Things In To Perspective

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:08:16 -0500

I had the privilege to hear one of the most moving messages from a couple yesterday.

We all have gotten somewhat caught up in the "poor me" attitudes as of late. Some with good reason but others simply because we have been unwilling to do what it takes to continue our successes in real estate.

Yesterday, Holocaust survivors Les and Eva Aigner shared with our Keller Williams Owner Mastermind group their story of surviving the Holocaust. Both lost family members in this tragedy. Les was actually imprisoned in 4 concentration camps through his ordeal. They had kept quiet about what had happened to them until the late 1980's when there seemed to be a sentiment by some that the Holocaust never happened. Then they stepped forward to share their story. They shared they chose to do this to never let us forget what discrimination can do to people's lives.

Les was a 15 year old boy in 1944, and because he was Jewish, he was taken from his home in Budapest, Hungary, to Auschwitz Concentration Camp and on to 3 other camps during his imprisonment. He was liberated in Dachau, Germany by the American forces. After liberation he returned to Hungary only to discover most of his family was killed in the Holocaust. His father miraculously survived after being taken to the Russian front.

Eva tells her story of almost being killed on the shores of the Danube just days before liberation. She was 7 years old at the time.

Why am I sharing this? Because I feel their story truly put in to perspective the lives we have the opportunity to live here in the U.S. Along with that, Les Aigner made a statement that I wrote out as a truly powerful sign of the times. He said "The Road to Auschwitz was built by Hate and paved by Indifference".

Let us never allow indifference in our opportunities to allow ourselves to be grateful for the opportunities we have in front of us as U.S. citizens and business people.

I'll step off of my soap box now.

Thanks

CDPE Course Coming To Wisconsin

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:26:17 -0500

After hearing nothing but great reviews of the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation course, I've convineced the company to offer this great 2 day training event in Madison, WI.

When: April 16-17, 2009

Where: City Center West Conference Center

825 Junction Road, Madison, Wi 53717

Cost: $499

Visit the CDPE website on Friday of this week to register. If you'd like to register before that, contact me and I'll forward you a registration form.

To date there are only 4 CDPE designees in the entire state of Wisconsin. This proves to be a great training to set yourself apart in your knowledge base of handling distressed sales.

The Great TP Caper of 2009

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:50:36 -0600

I had lunch with a guy in Waukesha this past Thursday and he relayed a story that not only had me laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair, but it also brought home a sad commentary on the state of things for many people.

The story went like this:

My friend, Sam (changed to protect the innocent) has a young family, runs a very fast paced business so occasionally needs to "escape" somewhere for peace and quiet. He's discovered one of his most enjoyable "escapes" is the public library. On this night, that's what he chose to do. During his time there, "duty called" and as he told the story he grabbed some reading material because it would take a while.

He "finished the job" and just as he was about to finish the "paperwork" he realized none existed. That's right, the stall he was in had no toilet paper. Being the industrious guy that he is he thought about what he should do. He'd used this facility before and remembered that there wasn't even a paper towel dispenser in this bath, just a fan dryer. The reading material he brought with him wasn't an option either. So guess what, he decided to "phone a friend". He called one of his buddies, asked him not to laugh if he told him of his dilemma. He promised he wouldn't but couldn't help it when he described his predicament. Anyway, he asked his buddy to look up the phone number for the front desk at the library. He gave him the number and he proceeded to call the library front desk to request someone bring a roll of TP to him in the bath.

He made the call, shortly thereafter, Ron the buidling engineer arrived with the needed paper and handed it to him under the stall. Ron then asked that Sam return the roll to the front desk when he finished with it. Sam then asked why he couldn't just leave it there for the next poor soul and was told this sad story.

Over the past few weeks there's been a rash of burglaries at the public library involving massive amounts of toilet paper being stolen. In fact, they have now even put locks on the dispenser and still the thieves come in and pull all of the paper off of the rolls and walk out with it. Ron shared with Sam that over 40 rolls had been stolen that week alone.

Man, times must really be tough when TP is now on the most stolen list.

Ping.fm A Cool Free Tool for Social Networking

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:27:59 -0600

Here I walk you through how to use Ping.Fm to update multiple blog sites, micro blog site and social media status sites.

It's fun and easy to use and best of all it's FREE.

This is only a 3 minute "How To" video I created. I'll post more as I create them.

If you have an area you struggle with regarding online media, let me know. I might be able to create a "How To" video for you as well.

Strategies for a Shifted Market

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:00:54 -0600

It's been a while since I've posted something here on active rain. Guess time just flies by.

I've taken on a new role with Keller Williams Realty in Wisconsin. I'm now Area Director for Wisconsin. What this means is that I'm now responsible for helping other entrepreneurial agents acquire their piece of the great business model called Keller Williams.

My focus is now in the greater Milwaukee area. I've been spending a few days each week meeting with top agents in that market and getting to learn more about them and also to get a sense of the real estate market in that part of Wisconsin.

Last week I had an interesting interview with an agent who has also met with some of the other large local companies. This agent shared with me that when they asked a manager of another firm what the firm's strategies were for helping an agent cope with this market, the manager replied "We're all out of tricks. We're just hoping the agents can hang on until things turn".

WOW-I'd certainly be concerned if that was my manager. How about bringing some creativity to your company? How about masterminding for new strategies that work in this shifted market? How about teaching your agents to focus on short sales and REO properties? The list is fairly endless.

So what about you? What are your strategies for 2009? How do you plan to Thrive in this market?

Crimereports.com A Good Tool or Not?

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE-Madison, WI (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:52:15 -0600

Recently, the city of Madison has contracted with a company that compiles crime statistics and allows anyone to go online, type in an address and see what crimes have been reported in that vicinity over a certain period of time.

The site is crimereports.com. It seems to be a fairly robust site and very user friendly.

Here's the last 14 days in my neighborhood. On the side of the search screen you'll find a Key to what each letter means. When you clik on the flag, you'll also get detailed information about the reported crime.

My question is this--would you find this a useful tool to direct home buyers to in the event they want to find out more regarding a neighborhood they're thinking of purchasing a home, or will this be more of a detriment?