invest: Quick Everyone! Get On The Assessor's Web Site!
- 01/11/08 10:52 AM
Ok, so sick of all of the doom and gloom about the market and how things are soooooo terrible. I'm trying to encourage some of the newbies and some of the oldbies, too. So, many times I ask the question..."do you see any homes in your neighborhood priced at what they were in the 1970's?" It made me think. No matter how bad hair styles got, home values soared! How much was YOUR home in the 1970's? Heeeeeere's Farrah's hair from the 70's
And in the 1980's? Everyone tried a little color in the 80's
How about the 1990's?
Although hair started to be more reasonable … (5 comments)
invest: CAST THY BREAD UPON THE WATERS? WHAT?
- 01/02/08 05:50 AM
Hi Rainers! The New Year is always such a busy time. All of the Holiday parties and obligations are fulfilled and things are going full swing toward organization for the New Year. Tax stuff needs to be done and it'a a great time for reflection of what we did, what we are doing and what we SHOULD do this coming year. Keep writing those deals on the board! A funny thing happened as I walked by the tree on the way back from the rest room in our office...I noticed that the BOARD WAS FILLING UP with under contract listings and sales! Now … (4 comments)
invest: If We Could Just Get Someone To LOOK At These Listings!!!
- 12/10/07 05:26 AM
Even in a tough market, the cream of the crop listings should sell if they are priced right, correct? Not so! I am proud to say that some of my listings are the sharpest of the sharp, located in the most sought after neighborhoods and priced FAR below the not even close in condition competition! YET...NOT A SINGLE SHOWING ON SOME OF THEM! How frustrating! I'm sure many of you are experiencing the same thing. The knowledge that if you could get those bodies in to look at your listings, they'd be sold in a heartbeat, but HOW can we motivate those … (4 comments)
invest: Ah, But One Day The Tables Will Turn!
- 12/04/07 06:44 AM
We love the buyer's market for our buyers, right? But there is, as with everything, and ugly side to our well advertised and media-ized market. By now, most of us seasoned Brokers and Agents know that you never let em' smell blood, right? Poker face...play it straight, we all know its the buyer market, so we have to try our best to get our Sellers a fair price and the best terms possible when negotiating. the Buyer's market seems, though, to have much the same affect as alcohol on an agent. If the agent is a kind and fair person, that will … (1 comments)
invest: Go With Your Gut!
- 11/27/07 08:27 AM
Let's face it...all listings are not good listings and all buyers are not good buyers. I think many people get side tracked into forgetting that our Listing Agreements and Buyer Agencies are two sided contracts between us and a Buyer or Seller. Never work with someone that makes you make this face!!! Sometimes we feel more like people selling a service to the public. It's hard to get good listings and sales, so we are slow to turn one down...often to our own hurt. Looking back on my career, I can point to times where it was great working with someone, and even … (0 comments)
invest: You'd THINK People Would Answer Offers Promptly In This Market!!!
- 11/27/07 04:47 AM
Ok...Rant, Rant, Rant...THREE of my agents and MYSELF have offers out there. Four of us! We EACH have at least one offer out there. Dianne actually has about three. We deal with a lot of bank repos here in the Colorado Springs market, so we are having to deal with lots of Asset Managers. One of the offers is out to a straight homeowner. ANYWAY...these offers have been out there since LAST WEEK. We don't have answers on any of them, (although one of them has good response time and has been answering me every other day).
"So, you have an … (5 comments)
invest: Today's Proverb Has Great Real Estate Advice!!!
- 11/27/07 04:15 AM
Hi There! I'm going to post this to the Christian group, but I don't know if it will post in the general section as well...anyway, like many people, I try to read the "Proverb of the day" since there are 31 of them and they are for gaining wisdom and understanding! The Bible always has truth and what better place to get business advice? I don't know anyone richer than GOD!!!
That's me in the middle...roundin' em' up! Proverbs 27:23 says, "Know the state of your flocks and put your heart into caring for your herd." (New Living Translation). As a Broker/Owner, that means … (3 comments)
invest: Make A Copy Of The MLS Part Of The Contract!
- 11/26/07 07:43 AM
Recently, I had an ugly scenario happen with one of my junior agents. She was dealing with an unscrupulous Broker who decided to change compensation offered to the Selling Broker AFTER the parties had negotiated back and forth and reached a verbal agreement.
That other agent has egg on her face, now! My agent was held up and so I offered to write the deal for her and submit it for final approval. Something was nagging me, (intuition I suppose, since the agent had given me reason to be suspicious), so I decided to go in and print a copy of the MLS that was … (9 comments)
invest: Don't Forget To Call On Sparky...
- 11/26/07 07:36 AM
This post was inspired by another one that I just answered. I was just thinking about how funny it is when you call another office for showing instructions and they say things like. "Knock, wipe your feet, leave a card and don't forget to call on Sparky the Dog as you enter so that he won't be nervous. Sparky is a friendly beagle." Maybe a loose Guinea pig or two? Don't get me wrong, I'm a pet person, too. I love animals, but sometimes it can get quirky when the pets are part of the showing process. I've had all sorts of pet … (0 comments)
invest: Busy Is Not Necessarily Productive...But It Will Be!
- 11/26/07 07:23 AM
I have been hearing quite a bit from colleagues lately that they are "really busy" and so am I. However, I'd be lying if I didn't say that the busy-ness is not necessarily my normal quota of productivity. I find that I am writing more offers and getting less contracts. That I am working more hours and closing less deals...but I know this is going on with many people in our current market, so I am not upset about it, nor do I see this extra effort as a waste of time. It's more like a form of "delayed productivity." It's … (1 comments)
invest: NEW REALITY T.V. SHOW..."LOW BALLER!"
- 11/23/07 07:07 AM
Haven't Seen This Lady At Any Open Houses Lately!!! They call it "reality tv" when you see these big investors going around and buying property at 50% and selling it at the open house, for full price or more, just a few short weeks after purchase. That's NOT reality. But this is... I just wrote another post about unrealistic buyer expectations this market. Not surprisingly, some of the responses I received reiterated my frustration with the media in being so instrumental in today's buyers unrealistic perspective of what kind of deal is out there for them in this market. (And, by the way, … (12 comments)
invest: The "Back Charge" Philosophy
- 11/14/07 08:22 AM
I guess this is my day to vent. Except for one, most of my posts today seem to be about annoying things, so while I'm on the subject, I figured I'd throw this one in for free! Time to pay the Dr.!!! We all know that if we miss our doctor appointment and fail to cancel on time, we will be charged for the visit. There is a big sign in the registration window that says so. We also know that if we go over on our cell phone minutes, we will pay a hefty penalty for those overages, right? How … (9 comments)
invest: Lender Peeves...What Are YOURS?
- 11/08/07 05:07 AM
Yesterday I wrote a blog post about my favorite lender. I didn't mention his name because I work with several different referral lenders who offer products and services that may suit the needs of a particular client better than another. In addition to that, let's just say it's wisdom not to keep "all of your eggs in one basket", right? That being the case, I started thinking, (especially after this morning's phone conversation with one of the lenders that I make referrals to on occasion), What makes my LEAST favorite lender the least favorite? This is what I came up with: You can't … (3 comments)
invest: What Makes YOUR Favorite Lender Your Favorite Lender?
- 11/07/07 06:54 AM
After almost 13 years in the Colorado Springs real estate market, I can safely say that a lender can be the life blood of a successful real estate transaction. Good lender, good transaction. Bad lender...you know. Anyway, I've been thinking, as I urged my favorite local lender to join Active Rain...what makes a great lender, from a real estate agent's perspective. What makes MY favorite lender the one I like to work with and feel confident referring my clients to? Here's what I have come up with. Of course, there's a lot more to it, but these basics come immediately to … (3 comments)
invest: How To ACTUALLY BECOME A First Time Investor
- 11/07/07 06:19 AM
I know you've all seen the late night commercials that promise millions of dollars working part time in the distressed/foreclosure market. You can get all the "insider secrets" for just a couple hundred to a couple thousand of your own hard earned money. There are even "mentors" and "partners" available to invest with you on a great project. In all actuality, these people are getting YOU to scout out the best properties for THEM when they do, (rarely), come through. This is about what you can get beachfront for 50k For years I have worked with seasoned and beginner investors in the Pikes … (2 comments)
invest: So What Programs ARE Availabe For Your Clients?
- 11/05/07 04:10 AM
Last year it was a breeze to get financing for ALL of your qualified clients...AND it was easy to tell who was qualified with a few quick questions. This year...the line is WAY fuzzy and it seems we don't know what there is to offer our clients. For example: Last year, if I had a client with a credit score of 750...it was a NO BRAINER...I could get that person into their investment property by referring them to a lender who could go stated with 10% down based upon nothing but good credit! If they were exemplary borrowers, they could even get … (2 comments)
invest: Blind in the Deal Because of an Unsure Lender?
- 11/01/07 10:07 AM
Many of us have been discussing the recent turn in the market and what that has done to the sub-prime borrower, but mostly, we've been discussing that within the context of what happens to a person with marginal or poor credit that is trying to purchase a home with little or nothing down. You feel like this in your search and offer process...waiting to hear back from the lender. One area that has been neglected in discussing the subject is the huge demographic of non owner occupied investors. Many of the people I work with are purchasing a second home, rental, or rehab … (0 comments)
invest: Caught With Your Flip Down?
- 10/30/07 09:35 AM
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)
invest: Always A Bridesmaid, (Shopper)...Never A Bride, (Investor)
- 10/30/07 07:36 AM
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)
invest: What About Pueblo Colorado?
- 10/29/07 06:45 AM
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)
Ok, so sick of all of the doom and gloom about the market and how things are soooooo terrible. I'm trying to encourage some of the newbies and some of the oldbies, too. So, many times I ask the question..."do you see any homes in your neighborhood priced at what they were in the 1970's?" It made me think. No matter how bad hair styles got, home values soared!;)
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