jim paulson boise realtor: Wow - my new buyer client understands the business better than some Realtors! - 02/05/12 04:08 PM
I was very pleased during a conversation with a new potential buyer client of mine yesterday here in Boise, Idaho that was referred to me by one of my lender partners. This buyer has a better grasp of how to sell real estate than most Realtors I know! Even though this type of client intimidates many Realtors, I welcome them and all their questions. I have found that this type of logical thinking client gains the respect of many of their friends and typically are my best future referral generators as past clients. Here are a few of the great questions/comments
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jim paulson boise realtor: Bogus Basin lovers say all the skiing is now anything but "Bogus"! - 01/21/12 06:00 PM
Today is a great day for skiers and snow boarders at Bogus Basin. Not only do they have incredible amounts of new snow, but they are opening the newly upgraded Superior Chairlift as a high-speed detachable quad lift! Old timers like me still call it Chair 3. They will also be opening Bitterroot Basin (chair 5) and Pine Creek (chair 6). Bogus went from one extreme to another with this year crushing an unfortunate record - their latest opening. We went from that to now having a 49” base thanks to this storm. On the 18th, they got 10”
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jim paulson boise realtor: Is the website you use to find a home up to date and complete? - 11/22/11 10:22 AM
It is almost impossible to know how accurate a website is when you are searching for homes online. Websites have different reasons for posting homes for sale and therefore you will find different levels of data and data integrity. Think back a few years ago when the various real estate booklets were popular (Harmon Homes, Homes and Land, Real Estate Book, etc) which had print deadlines roughly 2-3 weeks prior to printing then only published every month so you could have a listing sell even prior to publication! Some websites require individual agents and consumers to upload and update their listings.
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jim paulson boise realtor: Benefits of attending NAR Trade Shows - 11/21/11 03:25 PM
As Realtor's and just those involved in the industry, we should always be learning more about our industry. A great way to immerse yourself into what is new is by attending the National Association of Realtor's trade show and expo held each year. There are hundred's of exhibitors ranging from: real estate brokerages (national franchises and new emerging companies); title companies lender's (Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Carrington, etc.) Contact Management providers Website companies Lead Generation companies; Computer companies (HP, Dell, etc.) National Association of Realtor's Member Benefit providers; Digital Signature platforms QR Code, Texting, and call capture marketing booths
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jim paulson boise realtor: Happy 75th Birthday to Jim Henson (creator of the Muppets) - 09/24/11 02:10 PM
Saturday morning's are known for cartoons, however, this animation is compliments of Google in honor of Jim Henson's 75th birtday today. Most of us use Google every day without paying much attention to the graphics known as "Google Doodles". In case you missed it or want to go play with it today, here is a quick 30 second video. I didn't realize it takes time to process these at YouTube. Next time, I will wait till it is processed to embed.
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jim paulson boise realtor: Let us build you a 4-6 bedroom version of this home for under $200K! - 07/03/11 10:59 PM
Build a 5 or six bedroom home under $200K!
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jim paulson boise realtor: How to interpret sq. ft. for the dollar on a home - 06/30/11 12:39 PM
Square foot for the dollar is a very easy "tool" available when analyzing homes to buy or sell, but what does it really tell you? Make sure you understand this "tool" before you use it! Make sure you compare idential quality! Square foot for the dollar analysis does not work when you are not analyzing identical units. If the two homes are not similar, that would be like buying metal by the pound without asking if you are buying gold or aluminum! There is a reason why both are metals and one is sold by the (troy) ounce and the
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jim paulson boise realtor: Open House June 5, 2011 1-4 pm on 8440 Amherst Boise, Idaho - 06/05/11 02:31 PM
Great convenient neighborhood to find this 1,464 sq. ft. home with separate living and family rooms on a corner lot with mature landscaping. Come visit today and register in the R.C. Willey drawing for free gift cards! Part of NAR's Nationwide Open House Weekend.
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jim paulson boise realtor: Boise Idaho Real Estate Market (Ada County) Report May 31 2011 - 05/31/11 03:35 PM
In Ada County today (May 31, 2011) , there are 2,444 single family residential listings available in the Intermountain MLS (IMLS). I like to remove the “contingent offers since they are partially sold already, so that brings the number down to 1,994. If I also take out the homes that are being marketed as “To Be Built” since they are essentially just a virtual listing, that brings the active number of homes available to walk through to make an offer on down to 1,782. There are currently 886 homes pending. So far this year, we have closed 2,332 so that
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jim paulson boise realtor: Why common sense is no longer common - 05/19/11 10:54 AM
As a real estate broker in Boise, Idaho; I have to shake my head sometimes at what I see in the behavior of my clients and in the industry in general these days. Have you noticed how common sense is no longer common? When did we hit the tipping point and start regressing as humans? When I was younger I couldn't figure out why so many old people were grumpy. I thought the movie "Grumpy Old Men" was funny. However, next month, I turn 50 and realized that I have already become "grumpy". I realize now that part of it is
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jim paulson boise realtor: How to anticipate your potential water bills in Boise, Idaho - 05/12/11 02:56 PM
I had a buyer asking me about how to budget for their water bills on a home they are buying. This is harder than it sounds, but let me try to help. In our area, United Water has the contract for most of the water service. Their rates are based on consumption, so your bill will depend on the number of people that live in the home, how many loads of laundry, how long your teenagers homestead the shower, etc. Another major factor is your landscaping options. In many of our newer communities, we have access to presurrized irrigation which charges
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jim paulson boise realtor: How Realtors should work with potential buyers and visa versa - 05/11/11 09:34 AM
There are lots of theories on how to best handle the initial relationship with a potential buyer. I have been a licensed Realtor in Boise, Idaho for over 20 years and there is no single one best way! If I had to cut to the chase and select the overall most effective however, it would be to explain that my role is that of a problem solver and not just a chauffer to help them get into a home! Too many Realtors get hung up on getting a buyer pre-approved before they will even meet with them. My problem with
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jim paulson boise realtor: Cash offer - contingent on receipt of the millions promised in my email - 04/15/11 05:52 PM
I had a call on Wednesday from a nice lady who was really anxious to see one of my listings in Nampa, Idaho. She explained that she had a multi-million dollar sum being deposited to her bank account any day now. It sounded and felt wrong, but who am I to say based on a gut feel and a phone call. I went out today and showed my listing to her and they loved it. As proof of funds she even showed me the email proving (to her) that it was legit. The sender's name has been alterred in case I
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jim paulson boise realtor: How To Use Escalation Clauses in Multiple Counter Offer Situations - 04/14/11 01:38 AM
It never ceases to amaze me that in real estate there is no standard of practice on how to deal with multiple offers on the same property. At least the Idaho Association of Realtors adopted a multiple counter offer form that helps, it still leaves a lot up for interpretation. The seller wants to sell the home for the most possible while the buyer wants to offer the least amount possible. How can this ever be negotiated for a win/win scenerio without upsetting both parties? The answer may be the use of an Escalation Clause. This essentially turns the property into
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jim paulson boise realtor: Boise Idaho Real Estate Market Report 2011 - 04/12/11 02:37 AM
There is a lot of misconception on the current status of the Boise Idaho real estate market. Many people make the mistake of reading the national real estate data and assuming that the same applies to the Boise area. National marketing companies have liked to use Boise as a test market for many different products for decades since we are more immune to national influences. For the same reason, we are trending much different from many parts of the national housing market. We still have plenty of distressed properties but our inventory is shrinking rapidly and I predict we will have
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jim paulson boise realtor: Boise Real Estate Market Heating Up - 04/12/11 01:29 AM
I have been noticing much more buyer activity in every aspect of the market lately here in the Boise real estate market. When out showing property, several times each week I have been bumping into other agents showing the same home in Boise at the same time. Yesterday, I was showing a Nampa home and I had another Realtor and a buyer show up looking while I was there with my client. I had made an offer on a property in Boise for a client and the listing agent told me there were 11 offers submitted on it including mine!
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jim paulson boise realtor: Ask for Disclosure of any repairs over $250 made in the last 90 Days! - 04/09/11 09:53 AM
With all the bank forclosures and house flipping going on these days, buyers really need to be aware of the recent history of the home. In many cases, extensive work had to be done to a home prior to putting it back on the market. The romance of buying a remodelled home that appears to be in move in condition conjurs up the vision of a drunk guy taking home a beautiful woman from the bar only to realize in the morning that she didn't look the same without a corset, Miracle Bra and make up! I just
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jim paulson boise realtor: Make sure to consider all taxes (property, income and sales) when relocating! - 04/08/11 10:10 PM
This week I have had three different clients mention major unexpected tax implications when buying real estate. The first one asked me to sell his home for him since he miscalcuated his property taxes when he bought a new home and even though he paid cash, the annual amount is about 4x what he had planned! When he moved here from California, he bought a brand new home and was pleased with the taxes on the home. He thought he had done his research. However, in Nampa, Idaho; a brand new home is only taxed on the land to start with
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jim paulson boise realtor: Boise Nampa Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area update 2010 Census - 04/08/11 07:07 PM
When you are looking for information on the Boise, Idaho area, you must be careful to know what numbers you are looking at and where they are from. I have gone online and seen drastic differences in the number of people that supposidly live in Boise, Idaho. When you have growing areas like Boise, it is very easy to end up with wrong data for reasons other than just the population growth itself. For example, some cite the number in Boise City Limits, other cite everything in the county since at one point, that was considered our Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA).
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jim paulson boise realtor: How Do You Rate Agent Ranking Services? - 03/16/11 10:25 AM
One emerging trend these days includes Agent Rankings. I began seeing this about two years ago as various sites began to emulate the Ebay style 5 star rating system. I am a bit of an analytical person so at first I thought this was a great tool for consumers. After reviewing several different websites methodology and watching how other peers are “rated”, I am not so sure. It has been nearly 30 years since I took a statistics class at Boise State University, but I believe the following factors are still valid considerations. Sample Selection: You can really skew
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