On The Road Again! My End of the Summer Road Trip - 08/27/09 08:53 AM
I couldn't stay put! Thos of you that are getting to know me well realize my love for the open road! So my husband and I found 5 days in common and took off. My 13-year old even jumped in the back seat without any grimace.
We drove yesterday for the majority of the day from Southern California to Richfield, Utah. Just a driving day. Today we are going to put the top down and head down to Moab. The 100 miles east out of Richfield is like driving through the middle of the Grand Canyon. Huge mountains, rugged, red...just staircase … (5 comments)

Good Morning....Staying Above The Fray - 08/25/09 04:13 AM
We are the face of the deal....to the buyers, to the sellers. We are credited when things go well and villainized  when things go poorly. The trick is not to allow our emotions to cloud things further. It's only human to want to respond when we believe we are being unfairly criticized, or vent on someone else for problems we are dealing with.....haven't we all shown irritation to the poor service rep on the phone trying to help us? :(
Of course we have....
We are helping people with one of the biggest decisions and purchases of their lives. They are … (1 comments)

Government Freebies.....I have 10 programs to consider - 08/24/09 10:49 AM
Since the government can just print money when it needs to....here are a few other programs I think the should consider.
1) Cash for Cats......We have an abundance of stray cats with noone to adopt them
2) Cash for Coffee....Starbucks is having a hard time selling a bitter cup of coffee for $3
3) Cash for Cell Phones....I don't have an I-Phone yet and need to trade mine in
4) Cash for Cosmetics....Beauty starts at home
5) Cash for Competence...this is self-explainatory
6) Cash for Crayons...School is starting, kiddos need the 64 Color Box
7) Cash for Cocktails...Trade in the store-brand … (2 comments)

Who Are You Blogging And Commenting For? 5 Good Reasons, 5 Bad Reasons - 08/23/09 01:01 PM
This is going to be a short list of why we blog and comment.....or at least why we should.
Good Reasons:
1) To give solid information to potential clients
2) To showcase our work ethics and our personality
3) To add to the conversation about Real Estate....to bring up topics for discussion
4) To share ideas and success that are working....and also to warn about what is not working
5) Visibility on the Internet.....the most powerful force in our industry
Bad Reasons:
1) To make other agents look like fools
2) To contradict someone else's legitimate opinion
3) To make snide … (5 comments)

Swarming Like Vultures.....Buyers Are Everywhere...Remember To Respect the Sellers - 08/22/09 11:43 AM
Last Saturday afternoon I set up an appointment with some buyers to see a few homes. As we were finishing a viewing, I noticed across the street was a listing that must have been brand new. There were clearly agents and buyers moving in and out. So I assumed (incorrectly) that it was an Open House and we headed over as well.
It wasn't an Open House....in fact, the home wasn't officially on the market yet. The sign delivery came a week too early.
As we went inside, I found a very small, weak, new mother with her newborn on her … (3 comments)

Come On Everyone......Short Sales Are Fun!!!! - 08/21/09 11:45 AM
Don't you love an amusement park? The fun house? the roller-coasters? Then why not enjoy the ups and downs and thrills of a short sale?
I love short sales....
I love meeting with sellers in distress and being able to tell them "I have no idea if this will go through, and I have no idea how long it might take." I love writing offers for buyers and telling them "We might never hear back from the agent, we might be competing against 20 other offers....and might never know it."
I love the waiting....the waiting....the waiting. I love being able to … (1 comments)

10 Reasons Why I'm The Buyer's Agent The Listing Agents Want To Work With! - 08/20/09 10:39 AM
1) I don't call with questions which can be answered by READING the listing
2) I call before I send an offer and follow-up to make sure it was received
3) I use a Transaction Coordinator to create an organized file and to help keep things on track
4) I show up for inspections, appraisals and walk-throughs
5) I don't dig in my heels
6) I know how to give comps to appraisers, find solutions to FHA appraisal repairs needs, and handle short sale conditions.
7) I return phone calls
8) I return phone calls
9) I'm a problem solver, not a … (3 comments)

Remember The Basics? Personal Contact and Follow-up - 08/19/09 10:43 AM
I'm not talking about how we treat clients....but how we treat listing agents. They are the "lions at the gate." Remember when the format for submitting an offer was:
1) show the home
2) run the comps
3) call the listing agent and talk about the situation
4) submit the offer
5) call to make sure it was received and discuss next steps
6) follow up with listing agent to satisfy any concerns
7) OPEN ESCROW
Ok...so step 7 is not a guarantee...but when did the rest go out the window. How many times have you opened email in the morning … (4 comments)

Quick Guide To "Client Speak"....How To Understand Your Client's Language - 08/18/09 10:25 AM
Do you feel like you speak one language and your buyers and sellers speak another? Worse yet...they hear in another language? I do! So I spent some time learning this "Client Speak" and would like to share my discoveries.
 
Buyers....What they say
"My friend is doing my mortgage," "I'm very handy, so a fixer is great," "How firm is the price?"
What that means
"I haven't a pre-qual yet," "I can paint and garden," "I want to offer 80% of the list price"
Buyer Agents......What we say
"This is a short sale, will take months for approval," "This is sold as-is," … (8 comments)

I Hit 100,000 Points Today....What Active Rain Has Done For Me! - 08/17/09 11:13 AM
100,000 points!! That's a big number! It represents a great deal of time, energy and thought. I began blogging on Active Rain last December and didn't know how it would impact my real estate career....and my life. Over the last 9 months.....the benefits have been huge, like the points number.
Contacts/Network/Friends: I have to start with this. I have "met" so many people from all over the country who have become my friends. I love waking up to a comment from a familiar face. I appreciate having a network of experts who can give me their insight to my dilemmas. I … (7 comments)

Real Estate Obstacle Course....A User's Guide - 08/16/09 09:55 AM
Does your real estate endeavorsfeel like an obstacle course? We hit the ground running and then have to maneuver through challenge after challenge to achieve the goal for ourselves and our clients. I've been thinking about this and have put together a short "survival guide."
Tire Run (REO Purchase): This is a mainstay to any good obstacle course. The goal is simply to run from one side to the other. Since the length is reasonable (about 30 days) and you can see the goal from the starting line, you expect that this can be simple to accomplish.
Perhaps it's that very … (26 comments)

More Wedding Pictures: A Day Late For Wordless Wednesday - 08/13/09 09:27 AM
I tried to get this done yesterday. Sorry! I took a mere 4 days off and my clients seem to want to have me work this week.....hmmmm. Don't know about this! But here are a few more pictures.

My two sons....

The bride and her two sisters


My son and his best men

My favorite picture....the first dance

… (7 comments)

Picture From The Wedding: My Son and His Bride's First Dance - 08/11/09 10:11 AM
Quick blog post....so many of you have gone through the planning and parties for my son's wedding, so here is the reward! Their first dance! The wedding was perfect, I will post some more pictures, probably tomarrow, I'm still recovering and my clients have missed me.....so full day today! But what a beautiful couple...if I can say so as a proud mom!

… (7 comments)

Should I get a Real Estate Tattoo? - 08/08/09 08:35 PM
You might say "What"? What is that? Well a good friend is getting a tattoo which identifies her "job" which is a musician. She is getting a guitar with the name of the band. My daughter is going into the prison ministry and is planning a tattoo which says "disciple."
So....what should I do? Mother? Wife? Realtor? Hmmmmm Realtor? Would it be best to do a Condo? Duplex? Nice cottage on the lake? Ocean View Villa? Maybe the disclosure forms....no, not that large an area!
Any ideas? What would YOU do?
… (17 comments)

California First Time Homeowners....Ask Your Realtor About Free Mortgage Protection From Our Association of Realtors - 08/08/09 08:24 PM
The California Association of Realtors has established a Mortgage Protection Program to bring some peace of mind to first time home buyers. The application must be submitted by a Realtor and the purchase must be made through a Realtor. But it's completely free to the buyer.
The program will give up to $1500 for the primary borrower and $750 for the secondary borrower for up to six months to pay their mortgage if they lose their jobs. The purchase offer must have been made on or after April 2, 2009 and you must close before December 31, 2009. It's a simple … (0 comments)

Shameless Ploy for Points :) Heading out for my son's rehearsal dinner!!! - 08/07/09 03:48 PM
Haven't been blogging much this week....my son's wedding is Sunday! Today we have the rehearsal dinner. Both are at Fort MacArthur on the ocean in Southern California. This is the begining of what we've been planning for the last year. The bride and her gals just left and my son and his boys will leave soon.
I'm still holding it together...but a short time ago my future daughter-in-law came into the kitchen with a blue Tiffany bag with a card that said "mom" on it. I lost it.....she got me some beautiful silver earings to wear at the wedding. Very touching!!! … (8 comments)

Pictures from the Wedding Shower - 08/04/09 07:52 PM
Hi....I promised this awhile ago...so sorry! But the wedding is this weekend and I've been a little busy. So here you go. Thanks for being so interested. K
Ok...first, this is the engagement picture! I think I raised a very handsome son....and yes, she's "ok" too :)

More happy couple at the shower

Very photogenic. If you look carefully, you will see I put a picture of Richard in the center of her tiara. My shower, my ideas :)

Of course there were games....4 groups dressed the models with TP wedding gowns. My daughter is the Pippy-Longstocking one … (10 comments)

Update: First American Home Warranty Ruining my Son's Wedding Week - 08/03/09 01:21 PM
Me again...last week I wrote Realtors/Consumers.....Never Use MY Home Warranty Company I detailed the horrible customer service and how I had to take 25 wedding guests out to dinner yesterday instead of having them at my home due to my lack of refrigerator and the technician's lack of brain.
So today.....I called back because the mortgage company representative assured me that someone would be here Monday. NOPE.....Thursday, and there is nothing I can do except accept the cash-out option of $122....sure, like someone else is going to be able to do that for that price. The estimates I got were more than … (0 comments)

Realtors/Consumers.....Never Use MY Home Warranty Company - 08/01/09 01:41 PM
I'm going to start by telling you do NOT recommend First American Home Warranty company to anyone!!!!
Want to here the horror story of my Home Warranty Company? Why you should not use them! I am going through a nightmare right now with my own home. I used to use this company for my clients....never again!
I have been without a refrigerator for over a week now. I called my home warranty company and the repair people they use only had an appointment 4 days later.....let's just start with that. But Ok...I understand, I can see why a refrigerator isn't that important. … (12 comments)

Trulia Success Story...Networking and New Deals - 08/01/09 10:40 AM
I have been preaching Trulia for a long time now in my blog posts. I can attribute quite a few sales directly or indirectly to my participation on Trulia. Of course I also get calls about my listings shown on Trulia, but I'm not talking about those leads in this post, potentially they would have found me on other sites. I want to focus on the incremental leads which can be attributed to my visibility on Trulia.
The direct leads are self-explanatory....I get a call or email from a client looking for a Realtor. These clients are normally people who have … (5 comments)

 
A Southern California Coastal agent's perspective on real estate and other things that interest me!

Author Bio: Karen Fiddler has been a Realtor for...



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