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buyer: Trump University Online Real Estate and Business Courses - 04/23/08 11:57 AM
I had the pleasure of talking to Mr. Paul Quintal, VP of Trump University yesterday in regard to our program. Paul was very energetic about helping Real Estate buyers and Professionals succeed in the Real Estate World.
Trump University was started in 2005. The mission they follow is:  
"Our mission is to teach you success.The best courses and programs + an impressive list of been-there, done-that faculty + an ironclad guarantee = a really powerful resource for business education and professional development."
Stop by the Trump University web site and see the vast amount of resources from home buying to investing that may … (0 comments)

buyer: Fact: Its all about price so the home buyer thinks. - 04/11/08 08:20 AM
Like the Bobcat waiting to pounce on it's prey, buyers are approaching their largest investment in life focused merely on price.
True, while price should be one of the deciding factor, the main focus has to be livability for the buyers family. Style of home to meet their needs. Of course the past saying of Location, Location, Location still weighs heavy in the deciding factor. Schools, the surrounding area and the list goes on.
What the buyer of today has to remember is that some where along the road they will be the seller of tomorrow.
By passing up the dream home that may fulfill their wish … (4 comments)

buyer: Save a Sales Trip=Saved Gas=Money in your wallet. - 04/08/08 01:04 PM
CNN Money recently published an article about the price of gas. Today the price jumped to $3.50 a gallon in our home town. Unfortunately the word on the news is we will be heading well above the $4.00 a gallon mark, and some states will be much higher then that.
With dwindling commissions and rising expenses today's agent has to streamline the way Real Estate business is conducted. The wasted trips for reshowing a home can now be streamlined through a simple process of a Walk through Check List. Because the buyer is opting to tour more and more homes in … (15 comments)

buyer: Buyer's Up Yours (BUY) - 03/22/08 08:50 AM
I get frustrated watching World Poker Tour when the players don't show their cards to the little camera for the television audience to see.
Many buyer's are approaching the home buying arena keeping their cards hidden from the agent who is representing them. I've heard and read plenty of frustrating moments of trying to read a buyers mind. Meanwhile what could have been a Full House is now washed away like a Royal Flush.
What bugs me is the fact that there is no reason for hidden agenda's between the buyer and their agent. Buyer's should form a team partnership with their agent. … (8 comments)

buyer: Real Estate Professionals are Dream Makers - 02/28/08 07:30 PM
Dreamaker: to search, provide valuable information, secure and present the Dream Home.
Every Agent is a Dreamaker! Sure, the availability of information for buyers on the Internet seems like all the buyer would need these days.
But in reality each of us can read up on surgeries, vehicle repairs, rocket building, you name it. I know I wouldn't do any surgery on the ones I love by following the Internet, or repair my cars engine, or think that I could be a rocket scientist.
Much of the Internet Real-estate information is vague enough to cover just about any state, county or city. When it … (10 comments)

buyer: Personal Budget Calculator for the buyers to use - 02/18/08 02:50 PM
 
Before a buyer makes the decision to go house hunting they should do their "home work" first.
Utilizing a Personal Budget Calculator will help determine current expenses. These are the numbers that your mortgage lender will be looking for when you make the initial application for your mortgage.
Knowing your current expenses will help streamline the ability to maintain your new mortgage. Becoming married to a home due to previous debt eliminates the fun things in life. Getting your debt in line will eliminate the stress of home ownership.
Do your "home work" and reap the benefit in the long run
The Personal … (2 comments)

buyer: Success using Active Rain is No Urban Legend - 02/02/08 02:54 PM
Personal and business success from being involved with the Active Rain Real Estate Network is no Urban Legend.
The links below are just a few of the success stories from Active Rain Members that were generated by simply being involved with this great site.
The Real Estate Professional that isn't involved in networking and blogging these days is like the Professional without a cell phone, computer or any other modern day technology.
My hopes are, that any Professional involved in the Real-estate industry will read this and be inspired to join the Active Rain Network.
WARNING: Joining may result in the success that others are already enjoying … (6 comments)

buyer: Rate an agent or a builder - 01/25/08 11:18 AM
Before searching for a home or condo, start off the search by teaming up with a Professional agent or builder that is compatible with your personality and needs.
The best approach is to conduct interviews with each agent/builder you choose by utilizing the same question form for each interview. During the interview, rate the professional to determine the best choice in the agent/builder that meets your needs and requirements.
Once the interviews are complete, enter your ratings into a agent/builder rating program (See demo).
You will find that the top licensed Professionals will have no problem being interviewed and rated, as long as the interview is conducted consistantly between … (2 comments)

buyer: I'm a lover not a fighter - 01/11/08 12:44 PM
I'm a lover not a fighter. I threw in the towel on Real-estate sales, and moved over to the service side of helping the Real-estate Professional and their clients streamline the buying process.
I loved working with the buyer's since 1978. I loved seeing the smiling faces of the customer when they found their dream home.
I loved when that same client referred their family members and friends back to me.
I loved when they returned to the office when they decided to move up the housing ladder.
Helping the buyer shop for their home was my solution for going to the mall. My expertise was … (2 comments)

buyer: Real-estate agents worked to the bones - 12/19/07 01:52 PM
Working yourself to the bones is not uncommon for the Professional Real-estate Agent. It's time to work smarter-not harder! If you are an outside the box thinker and care about the clients well being, read on.
With the influx of homes on the market, the Real-estate Professional has more demands placed on them to locate the right place the buyer will call home.
Many buyers are touring 30+ homes in this buyer's market. Thereby wasting precious time and gas. So how does an agent streamline the touring process?
The simple solution is by utilizing a detailed walk through check list that allows the buyer to refresh … (8 comments)

buyer: Home Building at 16 year low and going down - 12/18/07 11:49 AM
Construction of new homes have officially fallen to the lowest level in 16 years. While this may help existing spec home sales, the drop will continue to erode the economy.
Single-family home starts were reduced to an annual rate of less then 830,000 units per year, at one point this number was nearing the 2,000,000 mark per year.
24% less home are being constructed today, then were being built one year ago, this signals a three year decline of housing starts.
In-turn, banks and mortgage companies are seeing a rapid increase of foreclosures and defaults. The squeeze by local and national banks will curve future growth … (0 comments)

buyer: Stand out from the crowd of Professional Real-estate Agents - 12/17/07 11:44 AM

With the amount of Real-estate Professionals all working towards the same goal of landing listings, buyers and clients  how do you stand out in the crowd?
Today, the Professional has to dare to be different, or risk the fact of appearing to be the same as every other agent they compete against. Look closely at the Sandhill Cranes above, if you had to choose which crane is the top bird, how would you decide?
Would it be the one with it's head held high? Or maybe the one with it's bill down to the water? How about the crane in the center, watching what the others … (2 comments)

buyer: Sellers need to spend money to make money before listing. - 12/12/07 01:32 PM
Sellers, by taking the time to invest a little money and time in your home before listing can be repaid with better offers from buyers.
So many times the seller assumes that a buyer can see past the small repairable items within their home. What they don't understand is by taking the additional time to complete these small task in advance, the offers they will receive will be more appropriate to meet their selling price.
A little paint can go along way to spruce up a cold or worn room. It's what the buyers view as they tour the home.
Having scuffed walls or … (6 comments)

buyer: Oh to be a House Fly in the Real-estate business. - 12/12/07 12:29 PM
If only we could be a fly on the wall to over hear how a couple approaches the thought pattern on what home to choose when purchasing.
I've always been amazed on the decision process of a couple when looking at homes to buy. Just when I think I knew the thought pattern, pow, a complete turn around in the home they chose to offer on.
I have dealt with couples who were dead set on a two story from the beginning only to purchase a ranch in the end. How do these changes in thought occur over night?
By being a fly (and … (12 comments)

buyer: Freebies Galore to help your Real-estate business - 12/12/07 09:46 AM
Freebies Galore
Merry Christmas early.
Here are the freebies Rate A Home provides to the Real-estate Professional to make your business better.
1. Lead generating Wish List that can be added to your web site. The agents, builders and mortgage brokers getting the best results display it on their home page as "Create Your Dream Home Here". You would be the only one receiving any wish list leads generated from your web site. Rate A Home receives none of the wish list generated by your web site, so there's no chance of you losing the lead or competing against 20 other agents for the same client. Therefore, there … (8 comments)

buyer: Show me the money! - 12/11/07 02:35 PM
The words for the home buyer is "Show me the money"!
With the lending fiasco in today's market, it's getting to the point that the buyer must bring in a larger down payment to buy the American Dream.
The foreclosure market is dictating these changes while the banks leverage themselves for more protection.
Will the days of zero down be around in a few years? That I'm not sure of and can be better answered by the Mortgage Professionals on Active Rain.
I have been reading blogs and comments where the buyer is responsible for bringing in a six digit down payment on a typical … (2 comments)

buyer: The Ultimate Tool for the Ultimate Agent. - 12/07/07 02:11 PM
Allowing your buyer client to make the decision in the largest investment in life shouldn't be approached through emotions.
If you personally are diving into investments in your own 401k or retirement account with utilizing your Professional Investment Brokers "Due Diligence" reports, you may be in for the shock of your life. My guess is your not.
So why would you expect your clients as their Professional, to make that same mistake you wouldn't allow yourself to make with your investment?
Today's Buyer's market has the client touring more homes then ever. This not only adds a tremendous expense with the price of gas, but also … (0 comments)

buyer: King of Real-estate! RU? - 11/28/07 03:19 PM
Just when you thought you were the King of Real-Estate.
Along comes the buyers market making them the King! More so then ever, the seller has become the pawn. The large inventory of homes on the market has tuned the agent into the Knight.
In the not to long pass, agents were shakers and movers. A continuous forward moving group that could get the job done. Now, like the Knight it's two steps forward and one step to the side. Eventually, the agent makes their way across the game board, but not without added moves and some side stepping.
Without adding services for the … (4 comments)

buyer: Changing the way your buyers choose. - 11/24/07 03:57 PM
 
Are you still leading buyers to chose the place they will call home purely on emotions?
Purchasing a home becomes (in most cases) the largest investment in life. We wouldn't approach our 401k investments solely on emotions, therefore our buyers should approach the largest investment with the same due diligence approach as we would expect from our investment adviser.
Today, the buyer's due diligence approach can be achieved by the Real-estate Professional providing an online buyers rating program. This will narrow down the decision to the best home or condo that would meet the buyer's needs.
If a couple is purchasing a home together, the choice has to … (2 comments)

buyer: Crime Scene turned into Change Scene - 11/23/07 10:59 AM

There has been a crime committed. Who did it?
The crime that occurs daily is allowing the savvy buyer to sidestep the Real-estate professional services. With 80% of the buyer's doing their own homework before ever contacting an agent, it's up to the agent to police the industry.
Innocent until proven guilty. The term we hear in the legal system quite regularly. This term doesn't quite fit the industry. We may think we are innocent in allowing the percentage of buyer's doing the homework to rise each year. In truth we must be pro-active in researching, creating and utilizing any new tools and technology that … (2 comments)