Melissa Hill - Phan Joins RE/MAX & Team GT & Associates - 11/29/10 11:04 PM

Melissa recently accepted a position with Team GT & Associates at RE/MAX West Houston Professionals. She is a Broker Associate and past operator of The Village Realty Group. Since 1999 she has sold in and around the Houston area and now calls the Houston Heights her home.
Melissa received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma with a specialization in mathematics and education. While there she was an honor student, cheerleader and a member of the Performing Dance Team. She is the past Owner and Operator of Westside Cheer, Inc., in Houston and a … (7 comments)

ActiveRain is Coming To Houston on 12-6-2010 for Raincamp! - 11/29/10 11:55 AM
Activerain is touring the country like a rock band and on December 6th they'll be performing in Houston Texas.
Activerain is a social networking website for the Real Estate Industry. There are almost 200,000 members nation-wide, incuding Canada. Members consist of Realtors, loan officers, title companies, home inspectors and even a crowd of home stagers. The ongoing discussion of technology, best practices, and how to improve your business has been a huge part of my business for the last 3 years.
For many, Raincamp is an opportunity to put faces with names. A chance to meet those you've been blogging with for … (30 comments)

New Home Purchases & How Not To Get Bent Over - 11/27/10 11:23 AM
New construction homes are an easy product to sell, especially to first time buyers. Here's a list of ten things you should remember when buying from a builder.
 
1. The builder will do everything in their power to monopolize the transaction. They want the loan, the inspection, the appraisal, the Title Company and they'd love for you to not have a Realtor. These combined factors maximize their profits, not yours.
2. If it's not in your contract then don't expect it to be true. This really happens when sales counselors promise neighborhood amenities and even proposed streets & thoroughfares.
3. … (43 comments)

Pee Pee On The Fence, Daddy! - 11/26/10 08:36 PM

This is what happens when you turn your back on a 4 year old boy in the back yard. On the morning of Thanksgiving our four year old son, Preston went out to feed the dog like he always does. Only this time he decided to pee all over the fence.
One of the things he and I like to do is "kill the weeds." I guess it's time to start explaining that you just can't go pee whenever and wherever you like.
 
That's my boy!
… (15 comments)

Saturday Video Blog - Humor - 11/20/10 10:02 AM
Eventually Xtranormal will be sophisticated, smooth and sweet enough to use for practical marketing purposes. I love their concept, but it's sort of like watching movies on VHS versus say Blue-Ray. Imagine the possibilities, characthers and messages you could send to your potential clients. They already have the ability to you use your own voice for these movies/messages.
You can use Xtranormal for free. It's easy, quick and loads of fun. I like the idea of sending messages to friends & family for jokes, holidays and other events.
Until it's where it needs to be I'm going to continue having a little … (13 comments)

REDFIN SAYS: Professional Photo's Get MORE Money For Listings - BULLSHEET! - 11/19/10 03:29 PM
I saw an article in REALTOR® Magazine today. In it Redfin suggested that homes with professional photo's sold anywhere between $934 to $116,076 MORE than homes that did not use professional photography.
 
That's dollars, not pennies, pesos or poker chips.

I like professional photography - for weddings. Most professional photographers use  NASA like super wide lenses that makes your average room look about 12 dimensions longer than it does in real life. In other words... the rooms don't look the same in person as they do on the MLS. The quality is better, but the depth of most rooms … (17 comments)

Go Away! Go Run Errands.... DO SOMETHING! - 11/19/10 12:09 PM
I called the listing agent & got confirmation that the homeowner would not be present during our home inspections. Me and my buyer met the inspector at the property early in the morning. To our surprise Mister Seller answered the door when we pulled up. There he stood sipping on some coffee with a clipboard in his left hand. At first I thought he might be the termite inspector or maybe even a contractor, as he was wearing overalls.
 
As we approached the door he formally introduced himself as the owner and handed us his business card, which had nothing … (22 comments)

Did RE/MAX BUY PEPSI ?????? - 11/17/10 02:51 PM
 
 

 

 
The above RE/MAX logo is very similar to this newer logo that Pepsi is using. You may have noticed the company colors of red, white and blue are also the same. RE/MAX of course has had the look for far longer.
Maybe RE/MAX and Pepsi are working on some behind the scenes deals. Do you think it's purely unintentional and coincidental?
I've never cared for Pepsi or even Coke for that matter. Once in a blue moon I'll crack open an R/C Cola.
… (13 comments)

5 Questions You Shouldn't Bother Asking When Negotiating A Sale..... - 11/16/10 01:49 PM
1. Why are the sellers moving?
Homes are not cars. And people sell homes much differently than they do their used Pontiac. No listing agent is going to say.. "my sellers are moving because they can't afford the home and they desperately need the equity to survive."
Personally, I don't like making people lie to me. Listing agents usually respond with.. "Job transfer, moving-up or relocating." They'll never tell us what they want to hear as buyers and buyers agents. 
 
2. Will the sellers give me their souls, unborn grandchildren and complete access to their retirement accounts? 
It's still a … (21 comments)

Zillow Says What? - 11/15/10 07:30 PM
Take A look at this screen shot from Zillow.com. It was taken today, 11-15-2010.
 

 
 
According to Zillows' website there have been ZERO homes sold in Houston in the last 30 days. Ba Humbug!
This isn't even close to being accurate. According to HAR, our associations website, 1,193 homes closed over the last 30 days along with 195 Townhomes and 31 Hi-Rise Condo's.
 
Our Associations website doesn't list apartments for rent so I'm not sure why the HAR.COM logo sits to the left of the phrase "3571 Houston Homes and Apartments for Rent."
To be accurate, Houston … (32 comments)

Why You Shouldn't Use All Short Sale Negotiation Companies... - 11/10/10 06:07 PM

Nothing angers me more then when these "short-sale negotiation companies" call me. One of them buzzed me today asking if I had any short sales they'd like for me to "give them" so they could ensure it gets negotiated. They charge $5,000.00 to the buyer and promise to give me $1,000.00 after closing.

A short sale is a situation where the seller is upside down on their home. Both the seller and everyone else involved is hoping to negotiate a deal where the bank will take less. The seller comes to closing with no money and they buyer usually gets … (6 comments)

Are Cameras With WIDE ANGLE lenses Unethical? Hmmm... - 11/08/10 09:40 PM
I really like my camera. I spent about $600 on it last year and I'm pretty pleased with it's overall performance, as are my sellers. It even has a relatively wide angle on it. After I take a picture of a room a consumer gets to see that same room in a true and accurate dimension... very close to its reality.

While surfing the MLS tonight I found some pictures that are begging me to throw in the red challenge flag. In other words.. I'm calling BS on some of these pictures/angles!
 
A 10 x 13 room shouldn't look like … (26 comments)

People With Horrible Credit.... Where The Heck Do They Live? - 11/08/10 01:06 AM
 
Where do those people live? A credit score of 350-600 means you have horrible credit. I cannot think of a single loan available that can help someone in this predicament. Property Managers, Apartment Complexes and Listed homes on the MLS won't be of much luck either. So what does that leave?
 
There are plenty of people with horrible credit that never have a problem leasing a home. They are masters in finding the opportunity and are often in tune with the eviction laws/process.
 
These same people seek out homes that are marketed by the owner. For Lease By … (17 comments)

So Your Home Is On The Market & It's Now Vacant.... Be Very Sure.... - 11/06/10 02:20 PM
 
For whatever reason your home is on the market and it is vacant. You've moved on, literally. Read below.
 
1. Always leave the juice on. Leave the a/c on at least 79 and the heater at least 70. Anything more or less is uncomfortable, annoying and completely unnecessary. It's not THAT expensive to leave the hvac running while you're away. If you have a listing agent who is super cool then you can rely on them to stop by once in awhile to ensure some clown didn't lower the a/c to 60 and leave it that way. Sellers who leave … (16 comments)

Working Seller Prospects By Phone.... Get Ready BEFORE You Call! - 11/05/10 01:32 PM
The floodgates are always open when you work online prospects. You deal with bad emails addresses, teenagers, nosy neighbors, tire-kickers, ex-husbands and even co-workers. You never know what your gonna get. The smart thing to do is treat ALL online prospects the same. Cherry picking can cost you. Most online sellers are interested for more than just the heck of it.

Since 2004 I've probably provided over 3,000 online market evaluations. Each one takes about 6 minutes to perform. Look at the square footage, bedroom number, pool or no pool, and of course make sure you're comparing apples to apples. … (28 comments)

Hard To Believe, But It's True....... - 11/04/10 02:24 PM
Here's a list of current taxes we pay in the United States:
Sales TaxHotel TaxSchool TaxLiquor TaxLuxury TaxExcise TaxesProperty TaxCigarette TaxMedicare TaxInventory TaxCar Rental TaxReal Estate TaxWell Permit TaxFuel Permit TaxInheritance TaxRoad Usage TaxCDL license TaxDog License TaxState Income TaxFood License TaxVehicle Sales TaxGross Receipts TaxSocial Security TaxService Charge TaxFishing License TaxFederal Income TaxBuilding Permit TaxIRS Interest ChargesHunting License TaxMarriage License TaxCorporate Income TaxPersonal Property TaxAccounts Receivable TaxRecreational Vehicle TaxWorkers Compensation TaxWatercraft Registration TaxTelephone Usage Charge TaxTelephone Federal Excise TaxTelephone State and Local TaxIRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge TaxTelephone Federal … (15 comments)

Vacant Open House... No, I Mean Like NO ONE Was Home! - 11/03/10 11:35 AM
Not too far from my house is a home seller who has moved to another part of the state, several hours away. He's  not here to monitor his home or make any observation on the Open Houses his Broker holds.
Coming home from the store I noticed they were conducting yet another open house. I thought it was interesting seeing how they just had an open house the last two weekends in a row. I decided to cruise by the house as my Nosy Nino antenna simply could not resist.
When I got there I noticed no cars were present. Going inside … (91 comments)

 
Profile_180px Rainmaker_large

Greg Nino Houston Texas

Houston, TX

More about me…

RE/MAX West Houston Professionals

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

Cell Phone: (832) 298-8555

Email Me

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


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog

Find TX real estate agents and Houston real estate on ActiveRain.