remax west houston: When I Hear Mozart, I'm Not Thinking Of Your House - 07/02/10 11:25 AM
I was surfing the MLS last night when I ran across a listing that very proudly dispalyed a video of the home. The house I'm speaking about was probably 25 years old, vacant, tired and very crusty. But that didn't stop the Listing Agent from playing Mozart in the background as he walked around filming and stumbling.
I think he was more impressed with his new video camera than he was with the house. Please play the song below and visualize the ugliest house you could imagine and then we can continue....
When I hear this music … (17 comments)
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remax west houston: Hey Mister Seller! Guess what? You're NAKED! - 06/28/10 01:17 AM
Our MLS offers a wide variety of ways to expose a home seller. Most of the critical functions are given to licensed Realtors & Appraisers. Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and the Web cannot provide what we can.
One of my buyers asked me to conduct a little research about a home he really likes. It's listed for $147,000. On the MLS it's heavily advertised as a complete remodel by the homeowner. Upon further investigation I found out the following.
1. The current homeowner actually purchased the home for $123,000 cash from a pre-forclosure.
2. The archive report on the MLS … (44 comments)
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remax west houston: Questions Sellers Typically Ask - With My Responses... - 06/04/10 02:29 PM
I.
1. Having bought and sold 7 homes in my life I have the experience to sell my own home. If I list with you will you reduce the commission if I find the buyer myself?
My Answer:
I could say yes knowing that you have very little chance, if any, to find your own buyer. Rather then tell you what you want to hear, I'll just cut through the bologna and say no. If I'm going to pour myself into this job for which you likely will hire me for then I'll need 100% of your commitment as a seller. … (15 comments)
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remax west houston: You're Not Just Marketing To Buyers! - 03/25/10 02:05 PM
Everyone want's their listing to sell. I typically hear about agents marketing to just buyers. I mean, it seems logical right? One problem, Not all buyers select the properties they want to buy. Often buyers rely on buyer's agents to "pick a list" that best meets their search criteria. Herein lies my blog…
1. Perhaps the buyer and buyer's agent have an arrangement with a rebate on the commission. Is your listing offering less than others when it comes to compensation? Many of you reading this are already thinking about how you'll comment. "Greg, I NEVER select listings based on commission." … (16 comments)
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remax west houston: How To Fail In Real Estate & Take Your Clients Down With You..... - 03/07/10 03:09 PM
Here are 10 ways you can find yourself out of business within 12 months. There are many others, but these are on my mind as of today, Sunday.
1. Use your commission as a tool to get more clients. When you buy your clients you send the message that you may not be as valuable as the competitors. This "reaching" tactic demonstrates you very likely have less $ to grow your business for both you and your clients. After you pay for costs of doing business & taxes you'll find yourself with very little revenue to build your future on.
… (99 comments)
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remax west houston: Put My House On The Market WITHOUT A Sign.... - 02/19/10 01:37 PM
A house without a Real Estate sign is like a water amusement park that is only open in the winter. You NEED to have a sign out front, it's critical. Every once in awhile a seller will ask/demand that no sign be placed out in front of their home.
Here are some actual reasons I've been given.
1. It's trashy.
2. I don't want the Realtor down the street to know that I'm not using him/her.
3. I don't want my neighbors to know that I'm leaving or trying to leave.
4. I don't want my house vandalized because … (54 comments)
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remax west houston: Should Your Local Taxing Authority Have Access To The MLS? - 08/10/09 12:05 PM
A friend of mine has a home. It's market value is 280k. It has a beautiful pool with tons of "interior improvements." When he purchased the house it came with the pool. All the upgrades were done within the last 3 years. The tax assessor currently has the home valued at 205k. It doesn't acknowledge the pool or interior improvements.
Ironically many homeowners jump at the opportunity to protest their taxes protesting that their home "isn't worth that much." When it comes time to sell we almost all agree that the tax records are WAY OFF and that the value of our … (7 comments)
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remax west houston: Personalities of Real Estate... - 06/30/09 09:06 AM
1. help ya Harry - A person who looks at houses on behalf of a relative or friend. This is a regular mistake that buyer's make in my opinion. The interested buyer should be looking for themselves. Aunt Susie or Budy Brad will never know what it is exactly you want. Most Realtors are helping serious buyers & sellers. A serious buyer does the searching themselves with a Realtor of their choice.
2. Joking Jared - A Seller who wants to overlist to see what the market will bare will only grab an incompetent listing agent or agent who quite frankly, … (49 comments)
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remax west houston: RE/MAX West Houston Professionals Has Moved.. - 06/24/09 02:44 PM
After 25 years at the same location RE/MAX West Houston Professionals has moved to its new location. Previously at Hwy 6 and West Little York, the new location is filled with an entirely new look. The new location is located at:
7825 Hwy 6 N Ste 112Houston TX, 77095 Direct: 832-298-8555www.GregNino.comBroker/Owner: Lori Blackmon
Just North of West Road and directly in front of the master planned community - Copperfield in the Copperfield Professional Plaza. The new location brings us closer to 290 and offers us a great opportunity to not only expand our coverage but allow us to better serve new … (4 comments)
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remax west houston: OOPS! Sellers probably should take note...... - 06/17/09 12:37 AM
You don't have to listen...
1. Once I was in a house showing a buyer when the phone rang. The voicemail picked up, it was the listing agent leaving advice about why reducing the sales price was a GREAT idea.
2. Sellers love to leave their mail laying around. Is that your PAYOFF from your bank laying on the countertop? You'd be surprised what a wondering eye can pick up.
3. Last week we saw a calender on the wall in the "study." It outlined the closing process of the sellers new home, with the address. These folks were doing … (14 comments)
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remax west houston: Meet Tony Gonzalez - 06/08/09 11:52 PM
Tony GonzalezSales PartnerRE/MAX WHPDirect: 281-948-8857Email: Sabature@yahoo.com
For the last 10 years of my life I have had a good friend named Tony Gonzalez. Back in 1999 we worked together in different restaurants & hotels holding management positions.
Eventually we opened up First Class Recruiters.A locally owned and operated firm that filled management positions for pharmaceutical, hotel, restaurant and retail positions throughout the State Of Texas. Tony was instrumental in coaching our management candidates and maintaining relations with our current & past prospects. We ran neck & neck with one of the top hospitality firms in our market before finally being bought out in 2002.
… (12 comments)
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remax west houston: Being TOLD 2 Death.. - 05/31/09 01:18 PM
I was looking at a map this morning.On it I noticed the convenient, yet over abundance of toll roads that spiral through our city. The Sam HoustonTollway, Ft. Bend County Toll Road, Hardy Toll Road, Westpark Tollway, and now 2 more proposed! NW on highway 249 and of course the GRAND PARKWAY Toll road.
Is it just me or are these pay to ride roads getting out of hand? It's as if we can't drive ANYWHERE without paying a toll!
We pay tax on our gas, the purchase of our car, inspections stickers, registration stickers, highway building funds and on … (21 comments)
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remax west houston: How Not To Stage Your Home ... - 05/20/09 11:27 AM
Having kids with working parents is one thing. Kids rooms are kids rooms, buyers are understanding about "keeping things perfect."
But what about those people who have NO KIDS? Perhaps their listing agent forgot to explain to them just what exactly staging is.
Here are some actual photo's I took from actual listings this past week:
YUMMY!
As God is my witness this SAME pan was sitting in the SAME spot when we came back for a SECOND showing 2 DAYS LATER! Lucky for these sellers my buyers were open minded enough to look past the days old breakfast … (91 comments)
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remax west houston: "All I Need Is The Internet & The MLS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" - 05/02/09 01:22 PM
I've heard this before and I just heard it again. A homeowner boastfully exclaiming that all they need is their home on the MLS and the use of the iInternet & not a bunch of Hot Air from a Realtor®.
I also struggled on whether or not to make this a public blog.
As you can tell, I decided to make this public....
What exactly is the MLS? In Houston we have www.har.com. It's where over 50,000 listed properties are located. An enormous amount of public and members only data that's available.
What you need to know is that HAR stands for Houston Association … (11 comments)
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remax west houston: Making My Clients Life A Little Easier... - 05/01/09 01:02 PM
Yesterday I signed up with DocuSign. A real estate transaction involves lots of paperwork, signatures, initials & the delivering of these documents to and from all parties involved.
Often, clients do not have a scanner or immediate access to one. A fax machine is easy to use, but almost always diminishes the quality & legibility and sometimes rendering the paperwork not usable.
Scanning is also great, but not everyone has the correct settings or file description causing enormous files that take a very long time to download on my end. Many times I'll receive a document as a JPEG instead of a PDF file.
To make life easier for my clients I subscribed to DocuSign. Endorsed … (10 comments)
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remax west houston: Is Your Realtor Preventing You From Selling Your Home? - 04/26/09 11:57 AM
Communication is a huge part of selling a home, probably the largest part in my opinion.
When a buyer asks me to view homes I have to make appoitments, usually through a facilitating company known as CSS or Centralized Showing Service.
These are dedicated employees who do nothing but help Realtors schedule showings for buyer's agents. They call the seller and let them know that a "showing request" is being made within a 2 hour window.
This is especially helpful when Listing agents cannot always be available to perform the necessary task themselves. Most Realtors are wearing 30 different hats … (13 comments)
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remax west houston: Awesome West University Home For Sale - 04/25/09 11:18 PM
4210 Byron St.
West University MLS # 33046073
$799,500
Description: 5/4.5/2 Est. SqFt 3,500 Taxes: 2.2.4% School Dist: HISD (West U, Pershing, Lamar)
WOW! GAZILLIONS of Updates/Improvements! Garage Apt: Fully Equipped W/Kitchen + Microwave + Brkfast Bar & Full Bath. NEWER: Granite, Appliances, Paint, Lighting, Fixtures, Hardware, 14Seer A-C, Roof, Carpet/Water Heater & More! Gorgeous Rich Hardwood Floors, CuStOm Wood Blinds, Crown Molding, Chair Railings, Recessed Lighting/Cutouts+Built-Ins! Walking Distance To Community Park-Pool-Clubhouse! NEWER WOOD SIDING TOO! Sprinkler Sys,Alarm Sys. SUPERB BYARD! W/Flagstone & MUCH MORE!
Formal Dinning Also Has Access From The Kitchen. Crown/Chair … (11 comments)
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remax west houston: Before You Hire A Real Estate *TEAM* - 04/18/09 05:58 PM
Today is Saturday & I am trying to schedule appointments to view properties for my buyer tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
I called the company that organizes the showings CSS - Centralized Showing Service. They called on one particular property for me that was listed by a LARGE REAL ESTATE TEAM.
Guess what?
The team is CLOSED, as it is after 5:00 p.m. & a weekend (CSS OPEN TILL 8 p.m.)
The TEAM had provided NO showing instructions prompting the call!
As a result, me and my buyers are forced to skip over this listing as we cannot obtain showing instructions.
The property has been … (19 comments)
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remax west houston: Your Value - Simplified - 04/05/09 08:00 PM
Curious how much your home is worth? Who isn't? Everyday I get emails from people curious about the value of their home.
Here are some things to know:
- What homes are listed for are not considered comparables & do not determine YOUR homes value. Tey can however help you strategize your placement on the mls.
- What the Builder is selling homes for, especially brand new is usually not considered either.
- Licensed Real Estate Appraisers usually only go back 3 months when searching for "comps."
- Values are neighborhood specific. Master-planned communities versus communities with golf courses will certainly … (2 comments)
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remax west houston: Understanding A Properties Status - 03/29/09 11:25 PM
Understanding & Using The MLS
The MLS certainly has lots of resourceful goodies to help you navigate your way through the area listings. Here are a few details and examples of some abbreviations you will likely notice.
A - Active, on the market.
OP - Option Pending. A listing that is "under contract" and the buyer & seller have agreed to use the "Termination Option." During this time, (usually 10 days) the buyer will conduct inspections, check for termites and attempt to negotiate all repairs. The buyer also makes the decision whether or not to exercise their right to terminate … (10 comments)
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