Larry's Blog

What else can happen?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:16:53 -0600

I blogged a few months ago about a house I had just listed that is a foreclosure property. Look at http://activerain.com/blogsview/636586/COPPER-Theft for all of the details on the damage to the house.

This property is rural and down a long gravel road and is very secluded. I finally get a contract on the house and we are scheduled to close tomorrow. I get a call about 10 am this morning from the selling agent stating that the buyer went out to the house and there is a white truck parked in the driveway and a duffel bag lying against a tree by the truck. I told her that I will go out and see if I can find out what is going on. I had a lunch meeting and felt it would be ok to check on it after the meeting since there would be a chance that I wouldn't make it back in time if I had went out prior to the meeting. I just got out of my lunch meeting and on my way back to the office, the selling agent calls me again. She told me that the buyer got the license plate and found out who it belonged to and called the owner about why their truck was there. To her surprise, the owner told her that the truck was reported stolen about a week ago. The buyer then called her agent and that agent in turned contacted me.

I told the agent that I will be contacting the Sheriffs office and have them meet me out there. I called the Sheriff Department to request assistance in checking out the house and investigating the truck. I was told that the owner of the truck just called and they were dispatching an officer as we were speaking. I told her I was on my way and would bring the key to the house to check it out as well. WOW, what excitement!

When I arrived at the house, there were three Sheriffs vehicle and four officers. We searched the house and thankfully there was no more damage. It was in fact the truck that was reported stolen about a week ago. The officers called in CID (criminal investigation division) and they soon showed up to do finger prints and search the vehicle and the duffel bag for evidence. The duffel bag had the probably suspects clothes in it along with some personal information on them. They took that into evidence and called the owner to come get the truck or did he want them to have it towed. The owner finally showed up about 20 minutes later and put air in one tire and put some gas in the tank and we all drove back to work.

This was an interesting two hours. The thing I though about is that I probably would have checked it out on my own. This would be dangerous because you never know what you might walk into. I thought about that because our Board of Realtors recently sponsored a Realtor safety training and it was told that on the average, 9 Realtors get killed every year.

Keep Safe Out There!!!

I am a Realtor in Searcy, Arkansas and I sell new homes, existing homes, commercial property, farms and land as well as manage and own rental properties. If you are looking for real estate for an investment or a home, I will be glad to assist you! You can call my personal cell number at 501-278-7659 or e-mail me at Larry@Searcy4Sale.com. Visit my website at http://www.searcy4sale.com/

Realty Professionals IS back in business!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:32:31 -0600

I am not new to real estate or to the real estate market in Searcy, Arkansas. I am an independant real estate office again. I operated this office for nearly 8 years before and have re-opened it as of October 14, 2008. I look forward to assisting my clients and customers at my new office located at 123 South Spring, Searcy, Arkansas. I am right across the street from the White County Library and Yarnell's Ice Cream and next to First Baptist Church. I am now considered in the "Downtown Searcy"area. Please stop by and see me and enjoy a cold bottle of water with me.

Artesian Well NEEDED!!!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:23:57 -0500

I just had a man walk in my office and say "you Realtors can't do your work!" I said, "WOW! What do you mean by that?" He told me he was looking for a property ANYWHERE, that has an artesian well on it. It could have 20, 80 or 160 acres. I asked if he minded if I asked why he needs an artesian well and he told me the health benefits his son has from the water. I told him that I am a member of a real estate community and hopefully one of them will be able to help me find one for you. He told me that I had until 9 am, October 1, 2008. I told him that he didn't leave me very much time but I will post it and see if anything comes up. SO, if you have a listing with an ARTESIAN WELL on it, please send me an e-mail or call me at 501-268-8489.

Hip - Hip - Hooray! I am now an e-Pro!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:07:58 -0500

Yes! I can now add e-Pro to my designations. I have been putting it off because I felt I knew all I needed to know about technology. I stay up with changing technology, I have had my own real estate website www.Searcy4Sale.comsince 1997 (Realtor.com started listings in 1996) and I have all of the techie things that I use in my day-to-day operation. This course/designation is a great tool for a beginner and would recommend it to them. I would have to be honest and say that I did pick up a thing or two that I will probably implement in my business because of this course.

The course is kind of generic but it is intended to teach you the basics of implementing technology. For an experienced person utilizing technology, I found it sometimes awkward and elementary. I didn't like the testing. The testing had multiple choice answers and there were many questions that had multiple correct answers. I know this is to challenge us in our thinking and stepping outside of the box but there were some that I feel I could of debated whether they were correct or not and this kind of testing doesn't allow that. The course itself should bring out these attributes, not the testing (strictly my opinion).

Again, I do RECOMMEND this course for beginners or someone that is being challenged with technology. If you don't know how to do e-mail, websites and the whole computer thing, then don't delay and start today! They allow you 6 months to complete the course and I believe it will grow your business!

WOULD YOU LIKE $7,500 INTEREST FREE?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:17:58 -0500

AGENTS, BUYERS, SELLERS AND LENDERS, are you aware that the President signed into law a stimulus package where a first time home buyer can get up to $7,500 tax credit for buying a house between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009?

This is basically an interest free loan. You can claim the tax credit upon filing your taxes and receive a check back from the Government. You do have to pay it back but you have 15 years to do it, INTEREST FREE! What a deal!

There are some income guidelines and how much the credit will be. Send an e-mail to AR7500TaxCredit@Searcy4Sale.com for your free report! You will learn all of these details here.

2008 Realtor of the Year!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:27:00 -0500

The Searcy Board of Realtors names Larry DeGroat as the

"2008 REALTOR OF THE YEAR"

COPPER Theft!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:52:10 -0500

For the past several years we have been hearing about thieves stealing copper from job-sites. With the cost of copper, this seems to be the big thing right now. I have even attended Arkansas Realtors Association meetings where we are trying create legislation for Scrap Metal Buyers in hopes to slow this kind of stealing down. I have even heard on the news where people are jumping/climbing the fences at a power substation and stealing the copper losing electricity for many (how stupid and dangerous).

Until now, I have only heard about this. I had a request to do a BPO on a property that another agent in my area previously had listed. The lender recently foreclosed on it and is now a REO. The property looked good when the property was first placed on the market. I though that this would be a great listing! When I arrived at the subject the grass was about waist high. I entered the home and things looked ok at first, until I entered the living room. In each of the rooms, there was paneling ripped off of the walls, holes punched in the walls near the receptacles and the wires were cut. The thieves ripped out all of the wiring. The even cut all exposed copper tubing to the water heater, under the sinks and ripped off the paneling to get access to the washer hookups. They even cut the tubing and wiring to the heat and air system. IT WAS/IS AWFUL! They probably didn't get anymore that a couple hundred dollars worth of copper (if that) and caused probably $20,000 worth of damage.

I have attached some pictures to show this!

Brandon DeGroat on Information Technology Ethics

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:44:05 -0500

My son is a junior at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He is going for a bachelor degree in Business Management with emphisis in banking. He wants to work in the real estate industry when he gets out. He is very outgoing and loves to deal with people. He also loves music! He leads worship services and plays in a band in Jonesboro at Central Baptist Church.

In one of his classes, the instructor gave an assignment dealing with Information Technology Ethics. They were instructed to be creative in their presentation of this subject. As I said before, he loves music. He wrote a song dealing with this topic and since the instructor was out of the country he had to post it on YouTube for his review. I have posted it below for your viewing:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ETHICS by Brandon DeGroat

I am very proud of him and he is doing well in school. I look forward to him joining me in the real estate business and I am sure he will be good at it.

ActiveRain WORKS! Call from ABC's Extreme Home Makeover!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:25:41 -0500

ActiveRain hasn't produced a customer yet but it has produced a call I never expected to get. I posted a blog about the tornado's that hit Clinton, Arkansas in February 2008. I was sitting at my desk and working along and then out of the blue my cell phone rang and it was a representative from the famous ABC Extreme Home Makover show. She said that she was on her computer and read my blog on ActiveRain about the tragedy in Clinton, Arkansas. She told me that the show wanted to do a house in Arkansas this year and they were searching for a project and wanted to know if I knew of someone. I asked what the criteria was and she told me. The church I go to, Trinity Baptist Church in Searcy, Arkansas, is working on rebuilding a widows home that was damaged by the winds we had in our area and I thought that would be great if ABC would do a house here in Searcy. She told me that they want to do a family and preferrable someone with a story (you've seen the show) someone that is active in the community and well known. I couldn't think of one but told her that I would contact the Pastor in Clinton that we worked with in bringing relief supplies. She gave me her contact information and I did some checking. I also told her on my blog that someone from Clinton posted a website for the Clinton area. She couldn't find it so I logged in and helped her navigate to the comment section where she found the areas website. I also told her that Atkins was hit worst and she was going to look into that as well. It was a great feeling that I may have had a hand in helping someone in these areas.

You never know who will be reading your blogs and that you may help someone! It could be a situation like I just described or it could be something that may help a fellow Realtor work through a situation they are involved in or just some technical advice. I know I have received some information that I am using in my business.

REAL ESTATE IS GREAT!!! :-)

WOW! has it been 2 weeks since I posted a blog?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:09:36 -0500

This can be very addictive and informative. I have read several blogs since thelast post and alot of times I don't even respond (maybe that is the difference between a view and a click). It is hard to read everyones post but there are some very good information there. I really liked one where they created a group and asked for the best marketing idea. I looked through them and even posted where I have a FREE moving truck that I provided for my clients and customers. I have been doing this business for 15 years now and there really isn't any new tricks out there. You just have to stay in peoples radar and do a great job. If you can manage to stay out of trouble and provide great customer service, you will go far in this business. I am amazed on how many houses people buy. I have had several customers over this time in the business and they have purchased five or more houses and we have become very good friends. I am thinking I might create a new group and come up with something new but it is probably already there. Anyway, I am babbling now and I will end this post but wanted my friends to know that I am back but with the weather getting nicer it may be awhile before the next post.

Are you in a Flood Zone?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:19:21 -0500

I live in Arkansas and we have had a lot of rain. There was a report from an individual in a city in the Northern part of Arkansas that they received 12.1 inches of rain. The weather center said they only received a little over 8 inches, either way, that is a lot of rain in a two day period.

Some may not know that their homeowners insurance policy will not cover their property in the event of flooding. You don't have to live in a 100 flood zone to have your property flooded. There are times when there is a large amount rain, a property that normally doesn't flood could get some damage. If you do live in a flood zone, most lenders will require you to purchase flood insurance. If you are wondering if you are in a flood zone, FEMA has a website that you can go to and type in your address and it will show the flood map for that area. Click HERE to see if you are in a flood zone.

I hope this has been helpful. I use this sometimes in my listing to show perspective buyers how the land lays and what you may or may not have to contend with concerning flooding.

Are you in compliance with real estate law?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:53:19 -0500

I know some of us are posting real estate listings in our blogs and hopefully doing it in the public section and have clicked on advertising. If you're not doing this, then you are losing out on exposure of your listings. But this is not the reason for this blog.

What I want to say is that according to Arkansas Real Estate Law if you no longer have a relationship with your client, you are not allowed to continue marketing that property. If it is a seller and the property has expired or been withdrawn for any reason and you have posted it in your blogs then you would need to take it off. If you are working with the buyer and seller and you have sold that property and you have that listing on your blog, I would recommend that you edit your blog post and mark it sold, and if it was mine, I would even take the price off at the time of the edit.

I recently experienced a contact from the Arkansas Real Estate Commission asking me about a property that I no longer marketed (and I hadn't for several months) that I had on the internet. I thought that was impossible. I stay on top of my business and had no clue what they were talking about. I was given a url address and sure enough, it was there. I researched that site and found out that they basically strip other sites of listings and use it to populate their site. Hey, that's great huh! Well, it is until you get that contact like I did. I was wondering how can you combat that and came to the conclusion you really can't. I sent an e-mail to the webmaster of that site and asked that it be taken off immediately and forwarded that e-mail to the commission. I didn't think I would ever hear back from the internet company, about three days later I received an e-mail from them stating they were sorry and that they have removed that listing. This event forces us to be diligent in keeping our marketing TRUTHFUL and if we have expired, withdrawn or even sold listings on our blogs and we haven't updated them, we could be found in violation of real estate LAW.

How do I change my font size and color in my blogs?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:16:29 -0500

I was helping one of my Realtor friends about putting a big red SOLD lettering on some of their sold listings that they have blogged about in the past. This is how you would do that. Once you have found your blog (you have to be logged in) click on edit. Once you are in the edit mode, click on the HTML tab. This will show you the programming language used for the internet. It will look a little confusing but don't let that scare you. At the very top, left hand side, type in the following line

This will make a big red sold in the center of the page and will be very clear that the property is sold.

How much is it and what did they pay for it?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:58:24 -0500

How much is it and what did they pay for it? How many times have you been asked that question. It really doesn't matter on both of them (kind of). Lets take a look at both of them.

How much is it? What I am referring to here is when I visit with a seller about selling their property and they say that they called about the house down the street and they are asking X number of dollars, shouldn't mine be worth the same? If you're smart you will say "I don't know" unless you have personally inspected that property and done a comparative market analysis (CMA) on it. That other property may have gold covered trim or expensive additions that are driving up the price, they may have a different motivation, they may owe more than it is worth and so on. I had a second hand conversation this morning and it went something like this: The house down the road is being sold by a short sale (not in my town, for the locals) and it is $150,000 less than what they were asking for it before and the property down the street is listed for more than that. That doesn't matter. You have to look at what SIMILAR properties are SELLING for, not what they are listed for. You have to take into consideration things like; what are their motivation for selling (divorce, bankruptcy, loss of employment, just testing the market etc..), what is the condition, how many days on the market, square footage and the list goes on. If you are looking to buy a home, be sure to work with a Realtor that will do a CMA on the property your are considering purchasing. Besides, if you're getting a loan you want to be sure it will appraise before you shell out $400 for an appraisal.

Secondly,

How much did they pay for it? It really doesn't matter! Yes, I do look it up in county records. I want to know an idea of what they might be thinking but I don't let it influence my opinion. Again, you have to do a CMA to determine a listing price or a price that you want to offer on a property. Look at what other properties that are similar in size, condition and location to come up with your value. I recently wrote an offer on a property and the offer ended up being just a little more than what the seller purchased it for two years earlier. With the current market conditions, the property didn't seem to appreciate based on the CMA and that will occasionally happen. Sometimes, and I have been in this boat, if you want a particular property, you have to pay the top price for it or even a little more just to get it bought. We seldom think that we might have to sell it in a year or two. But that was known on the frontend.

All in all, we need to give our clients ALL of the information. We need to explain to them that we are not responsible for the market conditions. When we sell a property, that property in turn will end up being used to determine the value of the next property being SOLD! Happy Selling :)

Feds cut rates .75 rates again? How do you feel about it?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:25:48 -0500

I try to stay up with all that is going on in the financial market and with the Feds cutting the rate again, will that really help. I know for me personally, I like for it to drop because it will decrease the rates I pay on my in-house bank loans that are tied to the fed rate. But, will it really help everyday people that are trying to get by. They are faced with rising gas prices which will in turn raise the price on consumer products because of shipping and the lowering of the value of the dollar.

I understand economics, with lower rates, businesses and others entrepuneuers will spend money and expand their operations and in turn create new jobs or services. I don't think that will work this time. Look at the Bear Stearns fallout, I think everyone has opened their eyes wider (or at least I have). I feel I am ok with my assets and how they are leveraged but I am not wild about jumping into further debt. Think about it, if I am buying rental properties to rent out, do you feel tenants will be struggling and therefor not paying their rent on time or even at all. I currently have someone moving out of a rental because he says he can't afford it and will be moving back in with his mother.

Don't get me wrong, if a deal comes along, I will probably be the first in line! We have to be smart about what we are doing and I just feel more people are going to be a little more wiser in their decisions and be slower to act. What do you think?

915 West Arch Street, Searcy, Arkansas 72143

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:23:13 -0500

SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD

Large home in the older part of Searcy, Arkansas. This home has over 2,400 square feet of living area. There three bedrooms, two full baths and living room with fireplace, a hearth room with fireplace, formal dining room, a big open kitchen and large utility room. The master bedroom is downstairs and there are two bedrooms and one bath upstairs. With a little paint and floor coverings, this will make a great home. The yard is roomy and has an above ground pool with privacy fence around the deck, that backyard also has a six foot privacy fence around it and a storage / shop building. This home is priced at $115,000. Take a virtual tour here!

43 Jamestown, Searcy, Arkansas 72143

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:13:58 -0500

OFF MARKET

Take a look at this 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home in the much desired are of Searcy, Arkansas. The living room has a fireplace, there is a dining room with a by window and storage, there is a sunroom with lots of windows, the master bedroom is downstairs and has a full bath and walk-in closet. There is also a utility room downstairs and a half bath. There are three bedrooms and one bath upstairs along with another little play or sitting area and lots of storage. There is a two car garage with storerooms. The back yard is fenced and has a large deck. This home has good curb appeal with lots of landscaping. See a virtual tour here. This home is priced at $159,000. Call Larry DeGroat today at 501-268-8489.

Technology information!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:24:27 -0500

Technology is GREAT! I remember when our local Board of Realtors went online with our multiple listing service. We used to meet weekly at a local restaurant and handed out data sheets of our new listings. We had mls books but they were outdated when we got them. The first day we went online, ED Yancey listed a house on Hayes Street, Searcy, Arkansas and it was exactly what my customer wanted at the time and I sold it that day. Before, I wouldn't have even known about for a week or so. It is great! I feel sorry for the board that do not have a mls system.

Then you look at the internet. We are able to do a myriad of things on here. We blog, build website, provide virtual tours and the list goes on. The cost of each of these are very reasonable and every Realtor should be doing all of them. I had two other partners and we brought the internet to the Searcy, Arkansas area many years ago so I have had a lot of experience but I am still learning new things. I have had a website for about 12 years and it has evolved much in that same time frame. I do my own programming and feel that since we are in rural Arkansas, there are still a lot of people out there that are on dial-up and I try to program my page to help them with the content. It uploads quickly and the content is direct. I had a major change about three years ago on my website. I thought about what drives people to my real estate site. I came to the conclusion that they are there to see listings! I use to have a fancy front page and let them know why I am so great and they should work with me. Boy, was I surprised! If you ask anyone "why do you go to a real estate website?" they will tell you that they want to see properties. They can care less how great we are or how many designations we have etc... They want listings! I now give it to them! I even have agents that call me about my listings at so-and-so. I ask them what they are talking about and they tell me that one of there clients has brought them in a sheet with my info. I describe the printout and then tell them that it is another agents listing. They say thanks and I guess call the listing agent. If you are not on the internet, then you are falling behind. (But, if you are looking at this then you are on the internet, ha ha)

About two years ago, I purchased this neat little scanner. It is about the size of a loaf of bread and it sits on my desk. It will scan 15 pages, full color, both sides in fifteen minutes. It is great! It will scan to a pdf or jpg so it works great for scanning in pictures as well ( I know you're thinking, scanning pictures? but there occasions I ask the seller to give me pictures of the azaleas blooming or of the pool last summer etc... and I will need to scan them in). It is a Fujotsu ScanSnap. One of the many stories why this is so helpful. I was working with a client that lived in Florida and they wanted to move to Searcy, Arkansas. They came up in December and I showed a house that a local builder was building. They said they liked it but could he build it on another lot and have it ready in August. We wrote a contract and they went back to Florida. They wanted to change the layout in the kitchen and we were having a little problem describing what they wanted. This scanner just came in and was still in the box. While on the phone with them, I drew out a plan that I thought they were describing and asked if they would give about thirty minutes, I will e-mail them something. I hurriedly hooked up this scanner and scanned in my drawing and created a pdf file. I e-mailed the drawing and I called the buyers back in Florida. While on the phone, they pulled up the pdf and they were able to look at what I had in front of me. We made an adjustment and were finished. I scanned in a General Addendum to their request and e-mailed it to them. They printed it out and signed it and the next morning they went and had it faxed to me. All of this in less than 24 hours and really no cost. I have many other stories that this is a good investment. I completed three transactions last year where I never met the buyers until closing because we did everything over the internet. Scanned contract (with signatures) scanned covenants, survey and the list goes on. It is a good investment.

Our state association came out with our real estate contract software where we can save them in a pdf format. This is great also. Instead of printing it out, then scanning them, they are already in that format. I had a deal the other day where the buyer wanted to write a contract and wanted me to drop by and get her signature. That was great! I completed the contract online and saved it in a pdf file and e-mailed it to her. I called her to let her know it was in her e-mail box and that I will print it out and stop by for her signature. I wanted her to have time to read through it before arriving so every one in her office wouldn't have to know what is going on and listening to our conversation. Plus this saved alot of time.

We can't talk about technology and leave out my Treo SmartPhone. I went to our state convention and attended a seminar about palm pilots. The instructor was Dick Betts, a national real estate speaker, and he convinced me to go right out and buy a palm device. Then the smart phones came out and i purchased one of them. These Treo's are a mini computer and make life alot easier, once you learn how to use it. Dick Betts can help you with that part.

In closing, don't run and hide your head in the sand when it comes to technology. These things can put more productive activity in your life and make things simpler. Take a class now and then and you to will be doing some of these things.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:14:43 -0500

Rain, rain go away and come back another day, much, much later. I know we need the rain for May flowers, but I need a break for at least one weekend. I love being outside! I hate being stuck inside and not doing anything.

I'm not a hunter, fisherman or anything like that, but I do love being outside. I have two 4 wheelers and love going new places. My youngest daughter is a big fan of them as well. She likes to ride on the back of our big 4 wheeler with me. We have a lot of fun. There was a place that we would ride at but due to some thugs, they kept on trashing it and they closed it. Now we have to drive about 2 hours to get where we can ride and we make a day of it. We have some friends that we use to take and now he purchased his own and we love riding with them. We'll leave out about 8 am and ride all morning, we would bring a cooler of drinks (water and soft drinks) and lunch and stop and eat lunch, then ride for another 3-4 hours and get home about 8-9 pm. You're tired, but it is worth it!

I also have two jet skis that we ride at a lake that is about 30 miles from our house. We'll spend the day up there and chill a big watermelon in the cooler and another cooler for lunch. This picture is my son and nephew coming in from a ride. The water is alot of fun and Greers Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, Arkansas is a clean lake to ride in. There are a lot of people that drive from Memphis, Tennessee to camp and play in this lake. Memphis is about 2.5 - 3 hours away from the lake.

I also have a John Deere tractor that I work on a little farm we have. I'll go out and do some bush hogging, moving large bales of hay and piddle around. I also use the tractor to clean some properties that I buy. Again, I would rather be outside so we need the rain to stop for a weekend or two.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and gets you fired up for the summer!

FREE Moving Truck!!!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:58:18 -0500

This is a service that my customers and clients really love. I am debating on whether to keep it but it has been a good marketing tool.

FREE Moving Truck!!!

When you buy or sell with me, use this moving truck for FREE!!!
Some restrictions apply.

What you get:
15' box truck
Ramp
Appliance dolly
Moving pads

E-mail Larry DeGroat, ABR, CRS, GRI, Broker/Owner at Larry@searcy4sale.com
I am a Realtor in Searcy, Arkansas and I sell new homes, existing homes, commercial property, farms and land as well as manage and own rental properties. If you are looking for real estate for an investment or a home, I will be glad to assist you! You can call my personal cell number at 501-278-7659 or e-mail me at Larry@Searcy4Sale.com.

Where should you advertise?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:46:05 -0500

I have been a Realtor for over fifteen years. We all do what we think is best and know. I am looking for a new twist on things, if there is one. I know one would say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Well that may be true, but in todays time of being blasted with marketing, are we really listening. When I do have the time to watch television and I have the remote in my hand, I mute the commercials. I even read a blog where someone put a business card and a couple of stones in a zip lock bag and threw in peoples driveways (click here). That probably leans more to litter but it is something different. Look at Wal-Mart and McDonald's, they continue to advertise and they stay in the top of their fields. What unique marketing are you doing? Do you direct mail and if so, to what kind of demographics?

I attended a corporate rally and they said cut back on newspaper and invest in the internet, and I totally agree, but how much. You also read that you should re-invest 10-30% of your commissions back into marketing. If you would be so kind to give me an idea on how much of your commission you re-invest and what percentage goes to direct marketing, newspapers, home magazines and the internet? It seems the newspaper rates are going higher because a lot of people are going to the internet. I also feel that the local people will be consistently looking through their newspapers that are lying in their driveways every morning and when they get ready to sell they will wonder if you are still in the real estate business. So what should you do?

Are you working with new construction?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:43:24 -0500

WOW! Yesterday was a long day. I had to attend a trial where I was going to be used as a witness. It was dealing with a new construction home I sold nearly two years ago. The buyer was accusing the builder of not fixing items on the house in the one year builders warranty he provided. This was not the truth. Yes, the builder did not fix anything but this was because the buyer would not allow him to do it. There was too much evidence to show where the buyer prohibited the builder to fix the items. I remember when this started, the buyer just wanted the builder to pay him an exhorbanent amount or he would sue him for it. As you can tell the builder didn't pay. This has been going on for nearly two years and probably the loss of two trees with all of the paperwork.

In the Builder Warranty that we use in this market, it states that the builder will repair, fix etc.. items in a reasonable amount of time or the buyer can hire someone else and the builder will pay the costs (this is my version but says something close to it).

I got thinking about what most people would think is "a resonable amount of time". I came to the conclusion that 30 days was a good time frame. You have to allow for materials needed (especially if you have to order it), your sub contractors schedule and the weather. I felt most things can be accomplished within 30 days even if you have the worst luck on each of these. I suggested to the builder that he mail a letter to the buyer that states that you understand there is a problem with the property and you are requesting a time that would be convienent with them to get these repairs satisfied. I told him to send it certified mail so you can show proof that you mailed it and that you do it every thirty days. He took my advice. The builders attorney told me that was probably the best thing he could have done.

Well, yesterday the verdict came. I ended up not having to be used and I sat in this 12x12 witness room looking at the walls and 4 of the plantiffs witnesses, but that was ok for the ending results. The judge basically said that the buyer didn't prove that he was damaged anything and dismissed the case.

As I have written before, SAVE everything. You don't know when you have a problem until there is a problem. Once you hear the least amount of talk about an issue, start writing it down and recount EVERYTHING that has happened, you'll be gl;ad you did. You would be surprised what you don't remember 18 months later.

WOW! I just had a blessing and I only went there for lunch!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:51:22 -0600

It's not what I ate was so great but one of the employees there. I eat out for lunch often and sometimes wish it could just magically appear in front of me (ha ha don't we all). Sometimes there are just too many choices. Back to lunch, my secretary and another agent was making suggestions and one of them said go to McDonalds. I thought, yeah I haven't been there in some time and I like some of their sandwiches. I did go to McDonalds, while standing in line, there was this employee standing about three feet from me wiping down the trays that were previously used. Before I ordered my food, he seen me look over at him and he had a big smile on his face and said kind of loud "How are you doing today?" while he looked intensely at me. I had a million thoughts go through my mind in that split second and replied "Great!" I thought WOW! He was really listening to me and really wanted to know how I was doing. I could tell that he wasn't "Just Saying That".

I proceeded to make my order and didn't think much more about it. I sat down in a booth and was going to eat it there at the restaurant. While I was eating, the owner was sitting in a booth just behind me doing some interviews. I was also observing this employee. He was in another part of the store cleaning some tables and he was returning with some more dirty trays and he seen someone he knew and while he was walking towards them he had a smile from ear to ear. He approached his friend and gave her a big hug and wanted to know how she was doing and after they were done talking he said " God Bless You!" He was really sincere and it just gave me a warm fuzzy. While I was there I observed other employees as well as other customers. Everyone just didn't have the same spirit as this one employee had. Through the hustle and bustle of life we often forget to smile and enjoy being alive. You know smiling is contagious!

The owner was through with an interview and he walked up to the front of the store and while he was returning he observed my Realtor name badge and asked how the market was (I did not personally know him). We talked some about real estate and I asked him how his business was. We talked for about 4 or 5 minutes. In that conversation, I told him since he was hiring he needed more people like this employee I was observing. I was telling him about a customer service video I received by e-mail (you can see it at http://www.stservicemovie.com
) and this employee reminded me of it. Watch and you will know what I am talking about. He told me how long he has been there and that he may not do anymore work than the other do but he is really energetic and tries hard. We finished our visit. I refilled my drink and on the way out, I slipped some money in my hand and shook this employees hand and told him that "I was proud of his enthusaism at work and we need more of it and to keep it up!" I know you don't tip at McDonalds but I just went to McDonalds for lunch and received a blessing.

I hope everyone that reads this has a great lunch like that. Observe your surroundings and make sure you are one of the ones smiling as well!

Comply with authorities request!

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:26:02 -0600

I get a quarterly newsletter from my E&O company with stories of claims they have been involved in. One of them consisted of an actual lawsuit where the buyer filed a suit against the seller and the Realtors involved stating they did not get a property disclosure. According to the suit, the agents had documentation that they had where the buyer signed the disclosure and where the buyer signed a form stating they received it and accepted it. The agents totally disregarded the request of the buyers attorney because they thought the suit was frivolous. The end of the story, according to this newsletter, the judge awarded the buyer a six figure settlement and since the agents did not timely file with their E&O company, they did not have to pay the claim.

I am also a Commissioner on the Arkansas Fair Housing Commission and we experience this same thinking from some of the Respondents. The Commission, as with the Arkansas Real Estate Commission, requests a response from the Respondents along with documentation. There are some that think they are innocent so they don't provide the documentation requested. In the event the case goes to a hearing (or court as the above case showed) and there is no documentation and they lose, the Fair Housing Commission can fine the Respondent up to $11,000 for the first offense plus any damages.

The moral of the story, "COMPLY WITH AUTHORITY REQUESTS!"

Realtors, do you keep EVERYTHING?

Larry DeGroat (Realty Professionals, Inc.) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:39:04 -0600

I have had the unpleasant pleasure of experiencing why it is very important to keep EVERYTHING in your files. You will never know when you have to recreate an account of events. I heard a saying a few months ago "you don't have a problem until there is a problem". Oh, how true this statement is. You will go through a transaction thinking everything is just great and everything is working just as planned, it's just GREAT!

I have always kept everything in a transaction file, like sticky notes during the process, fax cover sheets, transmittal sheets from your fax machine, scrap paper with someones phone number, a time that something suppose to happen etc... I even keep a lined, spiral notebook on my desk that I can write notes on that is dated. You should use the front and back of each sheet and do NOT skip any blanks. If you ever have to prove a date and time something happened, your notebook would be good evidence to prove you did something that may have happened a few months ago and when their are no blank lines they can't say that you just stuck it in there.

AGAIN! Save everything! REMEMBER - "YOU DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM UNTIL THERE IS A PROBLEM!"