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No Discounts and No Rebates Here! (Most Times) - 10/31/07 05:42 PM
This post was inspired by another member's question about the upward trend in the market. Although it is illegal to dictate or infer that there is a set price, (Price Fixing), for commission charged...it is apparently not illegal for a brokerage to advertise discounted commissions or rebates to Sellers or Buyers as long as these discounts are contractually agreed upon and any money coming back to a Buyer in a transaction is expressed on the HUD1, (in compliance with RESPA Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act).
When I graduated from real estate school about 12 1/2 years ago, I came out with … (6 comments)
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Avoid Altitude Sickness...Tips for Coming to Colorado - 10/31/07 04:44 PM
I was just thinking of how we talk to our relocation clients about how to prepare for coming to the altitude in Colorado Springs from sea level...many people don't realize that the air is thinner here and your body, (even if you are in great shape), may take some time to adjust. We share these tips with our relo clients to make their stay here a "Rocky Mountain High" experience, instead of an unpleasant one. Hope you find some of this helpful and look us up when you get here!
-Prepare for your high altitude trip by loading up on fluids … (4 comments)
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Tasteful Holiday Decoration...A Must In This Market - 10/31/07 04:22 PM
Ok, so last night I'm watching the evening news and the Anchor is on location in the west side of Colorado Springs. People are Halloween decorating more and more these days and there are so many choices of props and do-dads that they decided to feature some "excessively decorated" homes on the evening news. It made me think about the holidays coming...why, they're already HERE!
Now, people have their favorite holidays and some don't like to celebrate at all, but I was remembering last year when the market started to slow down and all of the MLS photos featuring Christmas trees IN … (1 comments)
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Builder Models...Selling A Mirage! - 10/30/07 05:37 PM
Here in the Colorado Springs real estate market, we see a lot of excess inventory in the new build market. Even in the best of times, there are many builders and models to choose from and you can go ground up or take a convenient spec if new is your thing...HOWEVER:
Are they all the same?
After almost 13 years in real estate, I can safely say that many people get starry eyed in their pursuit of ultimate comfort and trend in a home. I have seen many individuals, couples, and families make the mistake of purchasing a new build … (19 comments)
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What is the Perfect Colorado Springs Home? - 10/30/07 04:53 PM
When people think of Colorado, they think of so many things. To some, Colorado Springs real estate almost always invokes visions of mountain homes nestled in the trees.
"Look, you can see the slopes from here!"
Others like foothills homes where they are not quite IN the mountains, but can enjoy a lovely close up view of the sweeping ranges and enjoy the feeling of being nestled in a quiet mountain home valley.
"Like in the Sound of Music..."
Still others like that Wild, Wild West feeling of the prairies with the long 360 degree views of several mountain ranges off in the distance and … (0 comments)
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Caught With Your Flip Down? - 10/30/07 04:35 PM
Upside-down on your flip right now? This is what I'm telling my clients to do...
It's a crazy, unpredictable cycle we're in. I saw it coming, so I slowed my flippers into "buy and hold" mode several months back, but some of them are caught in this nasty downturn "mid-flip", so what CAN we do? What HAVE we been doing and what WILL we do?
-Flippers who are capable of holding and renting should do so, rather than take a loss, if possible.
-For those flippers who have too much cash tied up or cannot afford holding, costs...cut your losses now and make it up … (1 comments)
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Always A Bridesmaid, (Shopper)...Never A Bride, (Investor) - 10/30/07 02:36 PM
I don't know what to say about this market. I've seen several swings and fluctuations in the past, but this is outdoing them all!
Buyers just can't decide!
It's not uncommon to show our buyers in excess of 20 listings before they make a choice. Some of them are NOT going to be narrowed down and insist on keeping their endless options open...they are not willing to be "closed" because they are waiting for...and seeing better and better as time goes on.
The Grass is Always Greener and There's A Pot of Gold at the End of That Rainbow!
Trouble is, it has … (1 comments)
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What About Pueblo Colorado? - 10/29/07 01:45 PM
I have mixed feelings about the market in Pueblo, you? On the one hand...properties appreciate at a snail's pace there and on the other...THEY ARE CHEAAAAP! I
have long steared clear of this market because of those things, but now with the Pinon Canyon expansion plans and the influx of soldiers relocating to the area, I am finding that some of our relocation soldiers are choosing Pueblo as an inexpensive, short commute solution to their budgeting problems. If they get 1,100 off base housing allowance, they can rent somewhere in Pueblo for 550-700 per month that would cost them almost double here … (2 comments)
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RETAIN ME...I MAY SELL YOUR HOUSE OR I MAY NOT, BUT I'LL TRY - 10/24/07 03:33 PM
Another post inspired me to think that it would be wonderful if we real estate professionals could get paid like attorneys! What if WE charged an up front fee like lawyers do and if we sell the house, well we do and if we don't well then we'll let them know if they owe us anything later? Or if we find them a home to buy, we will, but if we don't there's a possibility they may end up owing us MORE money for trying...
"JUST GIVE ME THE MONEY AND I'LL START LOOKING ON THE MLS RIGHT AWAY..."
You may laugh, but people … (3 comments)
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CHEAP HOUSES AVAILABLE IN ALL AREAS...THE PHONE RINGER - 10/24/07 02:26 PM
This is the text of one of my most successful print ads. I started running it in a local paper in about 1999. I got a phenomenal response that drew many investors to work with me and helped me to find my niche. The ad did it's job. IT MADE THE PHONE RING:
CHEAP HOUSES AVAILABLE IN ALL AREAS: CALL LANIA AT ______ REALTY, 719-232-5941
However, the down side of the ad was that it made the phone ring with all kinds of unqualified buyer or investor wanna be calls. People that had been to the English sounding guy's first name with the … (11 comments)
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E-Contracts...A Low Ball Investor's Dream Come True - 10/24/07 12:27 PM
In the very recent "old days", if you were a "low ball" investor, you had to find a real estate professional who was desperate enough to do all of these things:
1.) Spend their valuable time doing market research for likely low ball candidates
2.) Spend more time writing offers that would 99 out of 100 times be flatly rejected at the offered 50-65% LTV
3.) Spend actual money on printing these offers out
4.) Spend more money on gas by driving to agencies to present such offers or time on faxing
5.) Follow up on the offers to make sure they were received and presented
The list … (2 comments)
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Creativity In This Market Is Essential For Survival and Thriving! - 10/23/07 02:29 PM
We all know that the market is not what it was last year and not exactly as it has been at any time I can remember. It's got a mixture of some of our past market elements and some new components to the confusion, such as the effects of the sub prime market and the recent long string of low rate mortgages. It's a unique recipe that has created a unique atmosphere in real estate...especially here in Colorado Springs real estate market.
There are some things that were absolute "no-no's" in previous markets, that real estate professionals are having to consider … (6 comments)
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BULLY AGENTS AND THE CLIENTS THEY REPRESENT - 10/15/07 04:56 PM
Ok...I'm a VERY patient person overall. I have had many years experience in our market and most of the time, I work as a Buyers Agent. I prefer that over being a Seller's Agent because of what I'm experiencing right now. I have a Seller/Buyer who is motivated to sell. Her listing was left with me by another Broker who left my agency and the Seller was quite unhappy with the service she was receiving from that Broker and opted to keep Rocky Mountain Realty as her agency. So, I get a contract on her home. This contract called for the most … (4 comments)
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Unusual closing Gift, What Do YOU Think? - 10/08/07 06:29 PM
This is a light hearted post for sure. Nothing deep here, but my husband had this idea a while back that when we close a property transaction, we should give the principle a year's trash service. We could put stickers on the receptacles that have our logo on them and are covered with weatherproof tape of some sort.
His point was that everyone puts out the trash weekly and having this service paid for by our company would remind the client of us at least once each week...especially since it was paid for.
I thought I wouldn't like my company name to be … (7 comments)
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Attention All Beginning Investors... - 10/08/07 06:20 PM
Colorado Springs is a relatively small city, so we tend to get media-ized quickly in these parts. I am receiving numerous phone calls and e-mails from people in my church, social clubs, and client base who want to break into the investment market here.
The problem is that they have, (unfortunately), stayed up late at night watching shows about how you can get government foreclosures for $1 and how there are secrets to becoming millionaires in the foreclosure market that your local real estate professional won't tell you about. Why won't they tell you? Because they want it all for themselves, … (1 comments)
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Lease Options...The Wave Of The Immediate Future - 10/08/07 12:01 PM
So what happens with all of those "sub prime" buyers? They can't buy now if they have glitches and dings on their credit. They want to rent because they are not so far away from being able to buy that they may as well give up...and hey, there are all of those desperate sellers out there looking for a way not to make double house payments, hmmmm.
WHAT ABOUT A LEASE OPTION?
When the going gets tough, the tough get creative. I have done lease options in the past. They seem pretty simple and straight forward. I have even seen some closed, (miracle of … (5 comments)
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We're in Second Position...Again! - 10/08/07 02:18 AM
Recently, I have had the same feedback over and over..."Well, the house shows BEAUTIFULLY and it's in second position..." Not on just ONE house, but on several of my listings.
How should I advertise to potential sellers? "Choose Rocky Mountain Realty, where we have the second nicest listings in the City?"
I always ask the agent giving feedback, "How can we be in FIRST position?" and inevitably, it's something that I have no control over and cannot remedy, like the one this morning. "Well, the Buyers are looking at this great bank owned property. It needs a little work, but it … (22 comments)
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Narrowing Down Is Now Widening Up Choices - 10/08/07 02:13 AM
This is truly a crazy market. I am seeing trends that I have never seen before. I know it's a true buyer's market, but the last buyer's market, my cleints didn't seem to act the way they are now. It's not so much MY clients, but the agents who work for me.
I just wrote another post about the feedback we're getting that our listings are the buyer's "second choice", but this is what I've been seeing:
It used to be that we would take a client to see everything that looked to be a good candidate for their needs and wants. If … (37 comments)
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Deal Number Three! Thanks Active Rain...YOU ROCK! - 10/07/07 10:58 PM
Just a short note to the skeptics...blogging WORKS! I don't know why I don't do it more often because I KNOW it works. I am closing my THIRD Active Rain deal in 9 months due to the fun practice of blogging.
My first one was when my husband signed me up on here to enhance my web presence, but I didn't use AR at all. One day I opened my e-mail and found an Active Rain contact from a former client who had moved to Iceland and then Germany and lost my info. She called me and had me do a quick … (9 comments)
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Back to Mac and Cheese and Ramen Noodles... - 10/07/07 10:21 PM
When I started selling over a decade ago, I would tell all of my lucky first time Colorado Springs home buyers that they were about to realize the American Dream! Oh, it may mean that they'd have to eat a lot of mac and cheese and Ramen noodles for a while, but it would all be worth it in the end...they would be HOMEOWNERS!
Yummmmmm! Attractive bowls help with presentation.
They're better when you cook em' in the flavor packet.
I can remember the clients shaking their heads and gratefully telling me how long they had waited for this dream to become a reality. … (11 comments)
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What Are YOU Going To Be Doing Monday? - 10/07/07 07:49 PM
Monday is my busiest day of the week. Some people say theirs is Friday because of all the closings and end of the week stuff, but not me. The phone starts ringing sometimes before 7 am on Mondays and that seems to be the day I have to deal with all of the stuff that has backed up from the previous week. For some reason, it's also the day that every salesperson, (telemarketer, web optimization company, communications expert, pen salesman, title rep, etc...), wants to call or stop by and see me.
No matter how many times I tell people that "Monday is not … (2 comments)
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Moving to Colorado Springs Soon? - 10/07/07 04:08 PM
If you are moving to the Colorado Springs area any time soon, you should know that the deals I have been able to find for my clients lately have blown MY MIND. I've been a Realtor in our local market for over 12 years and now I am a Broker/Owner of a small company called Rocky Mountain Realty.
Over the past 12 years, I have seen the market cycle a number of times. The media is scaring the pants off of some people, but for those that are not afraid...this is the perfect time to buy. I have a buyer right now … (0 comments)
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Support Local Business In Colorado Springs - 10/07/07 03:30 PM
Colorado Springs is one of the best areas in the country to live and play in. Money magazine had it one of the top places to live last year, (this year we didn't even make the list, but people are so frivolous!).
Anyway, without a doubt, we need each-other to make our economy grow and thrive. Rocky Mountain Realty Company is proud to provide our clients with coupons to local businesses and we are always looking for ways to help business grow.
We make agreements with local businesses for our clients to receive deep discounts and free services. The clients remember us for it … (2 comments)
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Busy In ColoradOCTOBER!!! - 10/07/07 03:03 PM
I don't know why, but October is always my best month for sales! Most people say sometime in the summer and some say it's the Spring, but I seem to have my board full in October. Who knows why?
Usually, I work with investors that fix and flip or purchase and sell multi unit properties, but it seems that my sales are almost always to and from Owner occupants in the fall. I am a big believer in "you'll have what you say..." so from now on, maybe I should go around saying, "I sell more and more houses EVERY month!"
The market … (2 comments)
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Cheap to Their Own Hurt!!! - 10/07/07 02:55 PM
I know there are ways to make money and many people are better at making and keeping money than I am. I do, however, think there are some who cut their noses to spite their investment faces!
I've recently seen people turn down great cash flowing properties because they were ONLY going to make 600.00 per month, (after expenses), instead of the several hundred more their friend was going to make on another deal.
I've seen people let their property maintenance defer to the point that they have not only devalued their own property, but they couldn't even rent it becasue it was … (9 comments)
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Quiet Agents...The Secret Weapon That Many Brokers Miss Out On! - 10/03/07 06:06 PM
As a Broker/Owner of a small independent brokerage in the Colorado Springs market, I've been taking a long hard look at the dynamics of my brokerage, and more particularly, who is selling and who is not.
" I just spend a lot of time 'imagining' the buyers coming to me..."
Until recently, I was a Broker Associate at a larger office and there were many things that I did not see the inside workings of. One thing that my former Broker was big on was hiring what most people would perceive to be aggressive, outgoing agents. I am an extrovert by nature and … (14 comments)
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Lania DeMers, Broker Rocky Mountain Realty Co.
Colorado Springs,
CO
More about me…
Rocky Mountain Realty Co.
Office Phone: (719) 638-5858
Cell Phone: (719) 232-5941
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