The Perfect Showing................... - 09/24/10 06:37 PM
What is the perfect showing? Let me tell you..
 
1. The house is just like the pictures, It doesn't mysteriously back up to a nuclear power plant or federal compound for the mentally insane.
2. The home is spotless, well kept and very organized. All the blinds are opened just enough to allow the natural light in. Nobody is home, no food is left out and the televisions are off. Tupac is not playing in a small boom box laying on the floor in one of the bathrooms.
3. The seller has stowed away all their bras, guns, drugs, Ouija … (132 comments)

Note To Sellers: Do You Suck At Painting... - 09/24/10 05:46 PM
Most people can't paint worth a damn. Then you have those that can kinda sorta paint, but they think they're better than they are because too many people pay them too many unnecessary compliments. Finally, you have the good painter, but with the attitude problem. That's usually the husband and wife team who think they can tell the difference between a Rembrandt & Norman Rockwell.
 
Truth is.. most painters are wannabes.
 
What really bothers me is when I'm showing houses & run into the murals. Buyers are not interested in seeing you, your kids and your dog painted on … (14 comments)

You Can't Kill Superman With Cash! - 09/20/10 02:15 PM
Let's discuss what a cash offer is...
 
One... cash means you have no loan, it means you can close sooner and it also means you are a safer buyer.
That's usually it.
 
If you have cash you need to have common sense to go with it.
 
Cash means you have liquid money in an account that you can write a check against. PERIOD. Here's what it doesn't mean:
 
1. You have cash in an attic in another country, but you swear you can get to it.
2. As soon as Grandma's will is probated you'll have it, … (20 comments)

200k Buyer Looking At 350k Homes Making 200k Offers. - 09/20/10 01:24 PM
I just got a call from a Buyers Agent who wanted to make a verbal offer on my listing for 200k. The property is listed for 350k.
My first response was..
1. We don't negotiate or accept verbal offers, per the seller and as noted on the MLS under Agent remarks.
2. Why is your buyer looking at 350k homes if the MOST he can ALLEGEDLY pay is 200k?
 
The buyer's agent quickly asserted that her buyer "could only afford 200k." Again I said.. WHY ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING OUT OF YOUR PRICE RANGE, I'M JUST CURIOUS?
 
The agent … (15 comments)

It's Official: Homes Are Being Sold Like Cars! - 09/19/10 11:56 PM
I received my daily unsolicited email today. This one was from an overzealous Broker describing her listing. And I quote:
 
"DEAL OF THE CENTURY
Our seller's Loss Is YOUR Buyer's Gain
No Deal Will Be Refused
Come See, Come Buy Today
The Welcome Mat is Out
Seller Needs To Sell Yesterday, WOW!"
 
 
Only everything was in RED and in bold. The house itself looks like a gigantic shoe box. A big square built by a less than respected builder.
Last I checked, a century was 100 years. That's a long time back to make such a claim. The … (12 comments)

I Am Not 12, Please Stop Leaving STUPID Showing Instructions! - 09/19/10 12:43 PM
I've blogged about this before, but I feel the need to be a Peter Repeater Today. I am so fed up with dumb showing instructions.
 
I'll be 37 in October. I don't need a listing agent to reminding me to:
 
1. Turn off all lights.
2. lock all doors.
3. don't touch the a/c.
4. zip up your zipper if you go potty.
5. don't pee on the lid.
6. wash your hands if you use the toilet and be sure to say please and thank you to your own clients.

Okay, 4,5 and 6 aren't for real.. … (30 comments)

Foot Fetish Creep Calling Realtors! - 09/17/10 03:26 PM
From the Houston Association of Realtors:
Please be on the alert that the "foot fetish creep" who was mentioned in the September issue of the Houston REALTOR® magazine article titled "Criminals, Creeps and Craigslist" has been apparently making calls to Bay Area REALTORS® in the last few days.  We have received a flood of reports about a man calling to inquire about a specific property and then asking what kind of shoes the female REALTOR® is wearing.  He then becomes quite graphic, or if the REALTOR® hangs up on him, he calls back and leaves a VERY graphic voicemail.  All of … (14 comments)

Programs, Incentives and 91 Reasons To Buy In Texas - 09/11/10 10:43 AM
The $8,000.00 Tax credit brought truckloads of buyers to the market. Many of our listings sold to buyers that qualified for this incentive, but now that the tax credit has finally expired many home sellers and buyers are left wondering if there are big enough incentives to help a crippled and sluggish housing market. The answer is YES.
I recently did some poking around and was absolutely amazed at what I found. I could write pages and pages about each incentive but I thought It would be productive to just list the links instead. I've highlighted the ones in our direct market. … (22 comments)

Real Estate Myths - 09/10/10 05:29 PM
1. Cash is king and with it not only can you get a good deal on the home, but you can also take the sellers soul, retirement and unborn grandchildren too.
2. You can have bad credit, no job, no money and buy a foreclosure for $500.00 all while eating a yellow lobster at Red Lobster.
3. When you represent YOURSELF the listing agent will forfeit his 3% commission to you. He'll also pay off your college loans and mow the lawn of any house you buy for the next 25 years.
4. You can be a savvy and profitable investor by listening … (50 comments)

NOBODY is a very bad word - 09/09/10 12:00 PM
 
A local homeowner called me today. She wanted to discuss the possibility of listing her home. She quickly told me that the last Realtor she met with told her.. "Nobody's buying houses." She even gave me the Realtors name.
 
According to the English dictionary, the word "Nobody" means: no person, not anybody.
 
Strange. Our team is closing about 1 buyer a week this year. I explained this to the seller and her exact words were.. "I don't see how that's possible considering the market."
I was really annoyed. Not at the seller, but with the other … (17 comments)

To Hell With Quitting Real Estate!! How To Eat For FREE .... Part I. - 09/08/10 03:30 PM
Are you considering "throwing in the towel" on real estate? STOP and read this blog, it'll change your career, your life and quite possibly your waistline. In today's post we'll discuss how you can EAT FOR FREE.
 
Save Money & Eat For Free:
 
Stop buying groceries immediately. Realtors have an abundant source of FREE food all over town.
 
 
For Breakfast:
Walk into any local title company with a manila folder in your left hand while talking on your blue tooth. Make absolutely sure you use the phrase "executed contract" like 3 times. Use your right hand and wave it … (37 comments)

Before You Buy A BRAND NEW HOME! - 09/07/10 07:02 PM
In one of my filing cabinets I have a "wannabe drawer." These are folks that want to sell, but can't. They are also home owners who purchased a brand new home. The are grossly upside down, distraught, surprised and even in disbelief when I tell them what their home is actually worth. And this isn't just a "bad economy problem." Even in 2004 and 2005 I witnessed the same types of trends.
 
Around the Houston area you'll find gobs of "builders." Builders who live & die by selling their products.

 
Here's what You Need To Know........
 
 
… (12 comments)

Discount Broker Has Listing Listed In Wrong County And................... - 09/02/10 07:19 PM
A while back an acquaintance asked If I would list their home for very little commission as they wanted to hold their own open houses, make their own flyers and show the home themselves. Rather than get overly annoyed I just bowed out of the so called opportunity and let them do their thing.
 
Today that same acquaintance asked If I wouldn't mind "going to the MLS" to give them some feedback on their currently listed home. Of course I explained our Realtor Standards of Practice and touched on the ethical aspects of me criticizing their listing.
 
 
I … (30 comments)

Don't Be A Stupid Investor..... - 09/02/10 04:56 PM
There are more poor examples of investors than their are good ones. I suppose you could interchange the word "investor" with just about anything.. but not really.
Over the last couple of years the local and national "investor camps" have been cranking out more and more wannabe investors. I don't know what goes on behind the curtains at Camp Kool-Aid, but I have a feeling the cult-like-atmospheres are in SERIOUS need of help. A potent dosage of REALITY.
Each day, every day I have 2-3 investors either call me, email me or come in as a "buyer prospect" off one of our … (14 comments)

 
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Greg Nino Houston Texas

Houston, TX

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RE/MAX West Houston Professionals

Address: 7825 Hwy 6 N Ste 112, Houston, TX, 77095

Cell Phone: (832) 298-8555

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RE/MAX REALTOR® serving all of Houston, Cypress, Katy, Spring and Harris County. Available 7 days a week. Residential resale, new construction and leasing.


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