I was inspired, its that simple.  So I followed my gut on this one.

On January 23rd I was surfing the net, as I often do on weekends.  I found Ustream.tv....and the rest....well, you get the drift.

So here is this guy from Vancouver B.C. doing this 72 Hour Open House.  Interesting idea.  Mostly alone, Kye Grace, performed his open house for 72 continuous hours.  He ate, slept and greeted visitors who stopped by his open. This was different because he had visitors walk through the house, as ordinary open house visitors often do.....and he greeted them LIVE on the Internet at Ustream.tv as well. 

It was cool.  Refreshing actually.  For the next few nights I lay awake in bed thinking about this approach....and what I might do differently to improve on the event.  I wrote my ideas on paper, often jumping out of bed in the middle of the night or pulling over on the side of the road when driving.  The thought of doing something that had never ever been done in the United States became an obsession. So, I set a date.  I knew I had to set a date and go with it.

I decided my event would run for 56 continuous hours.  I would start at 10:00 a.m. on Friday and run continuously until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. As I considered the direction of the first ever LIVE Ustream.tv 56 Hour Open House (56HOH) I came to the conclusion that this event would have little to do with selling the home.  Instead my #1 goal would first be a TEAM BUILDING exercise. 

My EXIT Realty Bend office is a small office of 17 agents.  I have worked to build an office with people I want to share my days with....so I have kept it small for a reason.  And I decided I wanted to make this first ever event something every agent in my office would never forget.  I think we were able to provide the 12 agents who decided to be part of this event exactly that!

I asked each participant to present LIVE on the Internet show.  I suggested that each present at least three 15 minute presentations.  10 did it.  Viewers to our 56 hour Ustream.tv show heard them talk about first time home buyer programs, tax incentives, bank owned opportunities and more. 

I also asked for EVENT SPONSORS to participate.  A local cable company, Bend Broadband, provided DSL Internet, three lenders joined us along with one home inspector and a contractor.  A local golf course provided tables and golf passes to give out and most importantly I needed...well.....a bed.  Yep.  This open house required that I stay at this open house for 56 continuous hours.  So, I enlisted the assistance of a local bed manufacturer.  The Mattress Factory agreed...and the center piece and focal point of our open was...a bed!  If you saw our event you could see the bed right in the center of the living room!

EXIT Realty Northwest Franchise Owners, Bruce and Joanne Caruth arranged for LIVE phone interviews with EXIT Corporation Senior Vice President, Alex Szinegh, and EXIT Corporation Technology Trainer, Jeff Lobb.
Viewers were able to ask questions using their keyboards and we were able to field questions...and we did!
Questions came from all over the United States and as far away as Australia.  It was fantastic!  More than 2000 viewers entered through our virtual doorstep.  Almost 200 came in person to witness the first ever event including KOHD, the local ABC affiliate...and we were rocking!  Wow...2000 plus!  When was the last time any of us had more than 20 people, let alone 2000, come to our open?

I saw my agents come together like never before.  They started out not knowing exactly what to do...and ended up wanting more time on camera to present their mini-seninars.  Their confidence grew by the minute and our team grew like never before.  I learned more about each of my agents in this 56 hours than most principal brokers learn after spending years with their associates. 

My second goal was to demonstrate that LIVE Internet webcasts have a place in our business...and without a dollar of paid advertising or one word printed in our local newspaper, The Bulletin (they didn't feel that this first ever event was worth even a mention in their newspaper)....we did it!  The viewers comments were fantastic and best of all....but never the goal....we received three offers on the property with one offer accepted by the seller just today!

Wil we do it again? Stay tuned folks.  And....to read more about our event go to www.exitrealtybend.wordpress.com or to our website at www.Exit56HourOpenHouse.com. 

Houdini strapped himself into a straightjacket and hung upside down off the roof of a building where 50,000 people watched him escape is 1916. People have been rolling over Niagara Falls in barrels for decades, walking across tightropes between buildings for years and celebreties like David Cooperfield have summoned the attention of millions by performing spectacular illusions that overwhelmed, stunned and entertained.

Jim Mazziotti, the principal broker and franchise owner of EXIT Realty Bend, located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, has done none of the above. Although he works to dazzle his clients with customer service and creative marketing techniques to get their homes sold, he is far from having the talents of the David Copperfields of the world.....but maybe...just maybe...a straightjacket might be appropriate for this "Houdini of Real Estate!"

Beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday morning, March 13th, Jim will sequester himself at one of his EXIT Realty Bend's many bank owned listings for 56 continuous hours.  Jim will eat, sleep, bathe and everything else one might do in their home for a 56 hour continuous stint.  And in the spirit of the famous Jim Carey movie, "The Truman Show," Jim will do it all LIVE on Ustream.tv with the first LIVE 56 Hour Open House ever done in the United States!

"I was inspired by a Canadian real estate agent, Kye Grace," said Mazziotti.  "Equipped with a sleeping bag and mostly alone, he conducted a live open in Vancouver.  He found a way to bring people to his virtual doorstep.....and we are going to take it to the next level.  It will be a first in our industry!  I honestly believe that this event is just one more pardigm shift our industry will experience. My feeling is that if you beleive that the real estate business should be done the way it has always been done...well....get out of the way...you are about to be run over," he said.

Mazziotti will hold his 56 HOUR OPEN HOUSE with the help of 11 of his EXIT Realty Bend agents and with a select group of preferred partners and event sponsors. For 56 hours Jim will coordinate LIVE presentations from mortgage lenders, inspectors, apprasiers, financial advisors, title companies and other professionals from real estate related business and industry. "I'm not here to look pretty or pretend that I have a clue about live television production....but those who stop by our live internet event will have the opportunity to hear about real estate issues and programs that are important right now, " he continued. 

The event won't be all business. There will be topics discussed such as first time homebuyer programs, government home ownership opportunities, home ownership tax incentives and dozens of other reall estate topics. Each EXIT agent will be responsible for securing a lineup of excellent speakers and well known experts.  "We are going to have some fun too, Mazziotti said.  One of my preferred lenders is one of Bend's finest jazz musicians, so I asked him to talk about lending and play some live piano at a planned wine & cheese event at the open house," said Mazziotti.  We want folks to come to our live webcast on Ustream.tv and have the ability to learn something, hear about the real estate opportunities in fantastic Central Oregon and have some fun along the way!" Mazziotti hopes that Central Oregonians will stop by the open house as well to say hello and see a beautiful home.

On March 13th viewers will be able to access the LIVE event by entering <http://www.ustream.tv/channel/exit-realty-bend-live-56-hour-open-house>. Another access point will be set up at www.EXIT56HourOpenHouse.com and a complete schedule of presentations will be available on the EXIT56HourOpenHouse website as well!   The preferred partners and sponsors will also be listed and acknowledged on his site

In the tradition of EXIT, this is just another benchmark to founder, Steve Morris's, goals to be exceptional and outflank the competition.  Jim Mazziotti is well on his way to meeting those goals!

Jim Mazziotti is the Principal Broker and Franchise Owner of EXIT Realty Bend. He has been a Realtor for 15 years in Iowa and Oregon. For more information on this first ever event to be held in the United States contact Jim Mazziotti at mazz@PropertiesInBend.com or by phone at 541-480-8835.

  The Story of Kalat

This picture of the statue below was made by an Iraqi artist named Kalat, who for years was forced by Saddam Hussein to make the many hundreds of bronze busts of Saddam that dotted Baghdad. This artist was so grateful that the Americans liberated his country, he melted 3 of the fallen Saddam heads and made a memorial statue dedicated to the American soldiers and their fallen comrades. Kalat worked on this night and day for several months.

To the left of the kneeling soldier is a small Iraqi girl giving the soldier comfort as he mourns the loss of his comrade in arms. It is currently on display outside the palace that is now home to the 4th Infantry division. It will eventually be shipped and shown at the memorial museum in Fort Hood, Texas.

Isn't it a shame you had to read this story here on AR and not see it on the national news (CBS, NBC, ABC)!

Tomorrow morning I will say goodbye to my son as he enters the United States Marine Corps.  He does so to make a difference in the world and in his life.  He enters for all the good reasons young men and women enter the branches of our military. 

The story of Kalat should remind us all that, while there is much discussion about the right or wrong of our liberation of Iraq, that there is good that has come from it. 

War is horrid. One death of a soldier is one too many....but there is good in every story. Too bad we hear so little about the good.

Kalat gets it.

WHO IS GROWING IN REAL ESTATE FRANCHISING?

I recently took a few minutes to read through a recent National Association of Realtors comparison study of residential real estate franchises.  The numbers were a bit surprising, although I had a feeling of what is happening in the real estate business and the growth of franchises in America.

You see, I am a franchise owner and principal broker of EXIT REALTY BEND, located in Bend, Oregon.  My company opened just 21 months ago.  Perhaps like you, I had the option to open an independent office or choose any one of some two dozen real estate franchises. I selected EXIT because I saw the numbers.  I made dozens of calls and talked to many agents and owners. I investigated the numbers and the claims....and I made EXIT my selection.

Over the past couple of years I have seen many attacks from AR members on the credibility of EXIT'S proven "Formula" system.  Some AR members seem to be incensed by the numbers and the EXIT system, but I believe the growth of EXIT speaks for itself....so....what are he numbers and who really is the fastest growing real estate franchise in America?

I ran the numbers several different ways...but the results were always the same.... but let's look at my search of company growth from 2005 to 2008. Fair enough?  NAR shows that membership in NAR has grown by only 1% since 2005 from 1,265,367 members to 1,338,001 in 2008.  Some franchises have actually lost numbers over this period and really, only two stand out of the 28 largest companies listed, as contending for the fastest growing real estate franchise....and one of the two is the clear champion.

But before the crowning of the champion, let's look at some of the numbers of the largest real estate franchises and tell you how long they have been around.  At #1 is Century 21 (1972) with 143,810 agents with 8,391 offices, #2 is ReMax International (1976) with 120,520 agents and 6898 offices, #3 is
Coldwell Banker (1981) with 120,140 agents and 3786 offices, #4 is Prudential (1988) with 68,000 agents and 2100 offices, #5 is Keller Williams (1991) with 74,469 agents and 657 offices and #6 in EXIT (1999) with 40,000 agents and 1400 offices in North America.

We now know the 6 largest offices...but who wins the prize for the fastest growing real estate company in the United States? Who is the true champion?

Consider that Keller Williams had 46,189 agents in 2005 and now have 74,469 agents.  That's about 37%  in growth!  Impressive.  But look at EXIT.  In 2005 EXIT had just 15,000 agents. Today EXIT has exploded to 40,000 agents!  Over this same period EXIT has grown by about 63%!  Most amazing, is that the numbers show that EXIT has grown faster than any other real estate franchise in history!  No real estate franchise has climbed the ladder so quickly!

EXIT is now larger than many of the most respected franchises in the business including Realty Executives, Weichert, Help-U-Sell, Assist-2-Sell, Windermere, John L. Scott, ERA, GMAC and Sothebys....and it appears that EXIT'S growth shows no slowing down! 

Obviously, EXIT has done this by offering Realtors a proven system.  Those who question the opportunity EXIT provides for it's agents to earn income through sponsoring residuals need to listen and learn before making silly assertions of multi-level market methods that (they say) EXIT uses to empower their agents.  This is nonsense. To those agents, I welcome the opportunity to show you my single-level residual income checks and to honestly show you why EXIT may be a better place for you to practice real estate and grow your business.

I welcome the opportunity to speak to any agent about the opportunities EXIT offers you.  This can all be done in confidence and outside your market area to guarantee you total privacy.  Feel free to contact me by email at mazz@PropertiesInBend.com or by calling me directly at 541-480-8835. 

Jim Mazziotti is the Principal Broker and Franchise Owner of EXIT Realty Bend located at 354 NE Greenwood Avenue, #100, Bend, Oregon 97701.  He has been a licensed Realtor since 1994.

Hello ACTIVE RAIN!  I am hoping you can help answer an office question.

Our office is doing more and more BANK OWNED property listing as sales.  In fact, most of our real estate business here in Central Oregon is coming from BANK OWNED propeties.

We work with a number of default companies from various states around the country.  We are in Oregon.   I know California has specific regulations....but I know nothing about any Oregon law.  How does this work in your state?  Do you know of any forms that are required for this?

My question is "what is our responsibility with personal property left behind in a home where the owners have been foreclosed upon and left?"  As you may know, it is not unusual for owners to remove built in items and to leave JUNK behind.  So how do we deal with whatever is left behind?  Some may call the personal property left behind....others may see it as treasure.  Obviously if it is trash we do remove....but how about chairs and couches and televisions?

What do you do in your office?  My feeling is that once it has been foreclosed upon that anything remaining becomes the property of the holder of the deed.....good or bad.

I am anxious to hear how you might handle this.

  Does Anyone Really See Your Sign?

I have a theory about that. Before I start I would like to give you some numbers to set the stage, so to speak.

I own an EXIT office in little ol' Bend, Oregon....population...ummm.....about 75,000. In our greater metropolitan area we have 2224 ACTIVE residential listings, 56 multi-family, 5 farm, 929 land and 85 investment /income property listings. That's about 3300 listings.....and MOST have signs in front or on the property somewhere. Would you agree that that is a lot of SIGNS?

When you drive around the Bend community you will see, like many cities, real estate signs of every color, shape and brand. You have the Re/Maxers, C21's, Coldwells, EXIT's and the Independents. They are everywhere. Sometimes you will see multiple signs for blocks.

I believe that perhaps potential buyers are not seeing YOUR signs. I mean, they see them IF they are searching for them...but otherwise they just don't see them. Or do they?

How many of you are familiar with the term "reticular-activator?" Have you heard of this? Here is what it is. Okay, you drive into a car lot to purchase a car. you know, something that get's good gas mileage, has eye appeal and fit's your needs. All of a sudden, there it is! It is the right price. It is the right size and heck, with $4 bucks plus per gallon, it get's decent gas mileage. Yep. It is a one-of-a-kind. Or is it?

So, you slap down the bills and drive off the lot in your new BLUE FORD MUSTANG. As you drive you suddenly see another car just like yours....then another....and another. Where did all these cars like yours come from? That is your reticular-activator! You see, before you purchased your BLUE FORD MUSTANG you were not consciously looking  for MUSTANGS and specifically, BLUE FORD MUSTANGS....but now it is almost like they are everywhere! I think REAL ESTATE SIGNS are just like that. What do you think?

Now, it will be difficult for you to be objective on this specific poll. You are a Realtor, right? You spend your life looking FOR and AT real estate signs.....so your activator is always on. But...how do non- real estate folks SEE real estate signs?

I have asked several agents in my EXIT office to test my theory on specific REO BANK OWNED properties.  I believe that if investors and buyers could TARGET the availability of these listings by SIGNAGE that it would be helpful to them and my company.....and to the REO client!  I have asked my agents try my UGLY YELLOW SIGN theory. 

If you are not familiar with UYS's, they are just that.  Hand printed and placed on a property in a bright yellow format.  Oh yes, they do stick out.  To further test my theory, my message on the sign will direct potential buyers to my toll free information hotline with CALL CAPTURE!  I will be able to track calls and have the ability to call every potential client back to qualify them.  I believe they will SEE my signs from signs like yours!

So, am I nuts?  Do you think I am unprofessional for using such signage?  Seriously, I would love for you to take part in my AR Poll.  Heck, maybe you are already doing something like this.

Should make for interesting conversation.

Jim Mazziotti
Principal Broker
EXIT Realty Bend

There is little question, in my mind anyway, that it will be vital for most of us in the real estate business to be ready to tackle the business of SHORT SALES and REO LISTINGS soon.  I understand that there are many who have already placed themselves in an excellent position to lead the way in a new and profitable way for real estate agents to stay in the business...and I am ready to do what it takes to get busy.

Here in Bend, Oregon, we are just now beginning to see both short sales and REO listings increase in the marketplace....and it seems that it has happened quickly.  I don't see it slowing down anytime soon in our market.

So I am asking the ActiveRain world this question:  Who would you recommend for QUALITY education in these fields?  I want to receive the best value, obviously, but I want to be sure that the class, seminar, webinar, books or whatever...are very good...and that I am in a position to be the best trained and educated real estate agent in my area.

I recently purchased a REO/BPO package from Frank Patrick after participating in a webinar through my EXIT Realty Bend office....and I found it pretty good.  But perhaps you know of another educator who has excellent results fromhis/her training. 

As I look for the very best materials for SHORT SALE training I have listened to several FREE online introductory programs.  Frankly, I am not sure who to go with....and I hate to send my hard earned money for somethng that just doesn't measure up.

Who would you recommend for both SHORT SALE and REO training? 

Geeze...I'm not very good with dates.....but it seems to me that I traveled from my rural Iowa community in about 1999 to attend a designation class for the Accredited Buyers Designation at the National Association of Realtors headquarters in Chicago. 

I remember that the designation was in it's beginning stages...and the two day class was very poor.  The instructor was poorly organized and the information just didn't meet the professional standards I expected. But I think it is fair to say that there are good and bad instructors in every field.  In any event, I remember taking the short test at the end of day two and being awarded the designation.  It just didn't feel right. I didn't feel that I was any more prepared than before to better represent my buyers...but what could I do?

Each year I have paid the fees to renew the designation...and honestly...I'm not sure why I do it. 

Am I the only one out there that feels this way? 

I am betting that over the years the quality of the material and the instruction given at the ABR classes has improved, but the website hasn't keep up with the power the internet offers and I rarely see value in holding the designation.

I am late paying my yearly fees to continue to hold the designation....and I guess I am needing some reason to continue sending in my $100 bucks each year.

If you are an ABR I would really like to hear your opinion of the value of holding the designation and to hear how you have used the designation to improve your business.

Hello Active Rain!

A few months ago I was introduced to www.BuyersClub.us.  I'm not a spokesman for Buyers Club, but I have become a part of their network and I am also promoting my own 100% Buyers Broker Referral Network here in Bend, Oregon. 

If you have any Buyer Clients who are moving to Central Oregon I welcome the opportunity to work with them.
My name is Jim Mazziotti.  I am the franchise owner and principal broker of EXIT Realty Bend.  I have over 14 years in the real estate business and have experience in residential, commercial and resort sales.  Before moving to Bend I was in the top 1% for all Iowa Realtors in listings and sales....and in Bend I have been a top producing agent. 

Often I am asked by my clients to help in securing a professional, ethical and hard-working real estate agent in the city they are moving to.  My number one priority is ALWAYS in finding them exactly that.  I will seek out and interview agents that prove to me that they will handle my clients with care.  I never open a phone book, look for a certian company, close my eyes and pluck my finger down on a name and select that agent.  Secondly I will negotiate a fair referral from that agent....but I never put the amount of the referral paid to me first. I would never suggest that you would ever put the referral fee first either.

With my 100% Buyers Broker Referral I am offering all agents referring to Central Oregon the best (and beyond) of both worlds.

First, if you are about to refer a client to Central Oregon I have a complete package that I can immediately email or fax to you that will demonstrate to you that I will be an excellent choice for your clients.  My package is complete with my resume, performance records, area's of expertise, letters of support and testimonials from my clients.  I want you to know that, should you refer your clients to me, that they will be handled in a manner you would expect and in a way that will assure you that they will thank you for choosing me!

Secondly, should your client purchase one of my listings, I will send you 100% of the Buyers side of a closed transaction.  Yes, you read correctly.  You would expect 20% - 25% - 30%.....but I will, at close of escrow, send to you 100% referral (through your principal, of course).

I would never suggest you align your clients with an agent JUST BECAUSE of the referral fee. I feel this practice is wrong.  However, I can and will assure you of my competence before you ever refer a client to me....and when you do...my professional courtesy to you will make this a win-win-win.

I look forward to working with you soon!

  Jim Mazziotti
                                                        Principal Broker/Franchise Owner
                                                        EXIT Realty Bend
                                                        Bend, Oregon
                                                        541-480-8835
                                                        www.PropertiesInBend.com

So...what would you do?  I just have to know.  Here is the story line.

One day a Realtor named Matt showed a property to his Buyer.  It just so happens that during the showing the Seller was on the property and overheard the enthusiasm the potential Buyer seemed to have.  The Seller did stay out of the way and allowed the Buyers Agent and Buyer take their time.  After 30 minutes or so the Buyers Agent and the Buyer got in their car and left. The Seller was hopeful that an offer would be forthcoming.

The next day the Seller called his Listing Agent and asked if he had heard any feedback from the Buyers Agent. The Sellers Agent said he had heard nothing back at all....but heck, that isn't unusual in our marketplace. Most Buyers Agents seldom have the courtesy or professioanlism to give feedback on showings to the Listing Agents. The Seller proceeded to tell his agent that he overheard the Buyer express an interest in the property to his agent.  He was surprised that the Buyers Agent hadn't submitted some kind of an offer.

The next day the Seller called his agent, Rian, and said, "I want to make an offer to the Buyer.  Rian scratched his head and said "Well, that would be a REVERSE OFFER.  I guess I could do that."  So, Rian sat down with the Seller and they put together an excellent offer...an offer to the Buyer. 

The Sellers Agent, Rian, went to his office and sat down and called Buyers Agent, Matt.  He said, "Matt, I have an interesting offer for you. You see, my Seller has asked me to submit an offer to your Buyer. You know, the one who looked at his property the other day."  Matt said, "Heck, I don't know about that.  I guess I will have to ask my dad (his principal broker) if I can do that. The Sellers agent, Rian, spoke up and said, "Matt, why wouldn't you submit this offer to your Buyer?"  The Buyers Agent said," Well, I'm not sure if my Buyer was really that interested in the property...and besides...he told me he needed to sell a property before moving forward on an offer."  The Sellers Agent responded, " Don't you feel that you have an obligation to your Buyer to present an offer like this to him?"

Several days went by.  The Sellers Agent, Rian, had not heard back.  He faxed the offer from his Seller to the Buyers Agent. Nothing.  No call.  No email.  Nothing. The Sellers Agent felt like the Buyers Agent was trying to elude him by not returning his calls or answering emails.

Two weeks passed.  The Buyers Agent still has not responded.

So...I ask you....is the Buyers Agent "Goofus" or "Galant?"  Do you feel the Buyers agent has an obligation to present the REVERSE OFFER to his client? What would you do in this case? What responsibility does the Buyers Agent have in this regard.  Must he present the offer?  Should he present the offer?

What would you do?