paul howard: FHA guidelines still evolving - financing repair costs. - 09/06/08 06:36 AM
I first posted this in May and since then FHA has become much more widely used. As it should. It is still evolving though so another look seems justified.
For those who are not up on FHA it is a good time to look at this type loan. There is … (0 comments)
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paul howard: Dual Agent remorse - 09/04/08 08:37 AM
I got an email through Trulia the other day from a young lady that was interested in a house in a town where I work. She had seen my profile and answers to questions I had given in Trulia. She had looked at a number of homes by calling the number … (4 comments)
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paul howard: Homes in Gloucester county NJ 08012 08081 - 08/17/08 08:32 PM
Homes for Sale in Gloucester Township NJ 08081, 08012 (8/17/2008)
There are dozens of neighborhoods (developments).
Knowing the price range for an area, the median price and the number of homes
for sales doesn't tell you very much does it. Tomorrow I'll fill in the gaps.
If you know the area … (0 comments)
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paul howard: FHA Guidelines evolving. - 05/05/08 03:22 PM
For those who are not up on FHA it is a good time to look at this type loan. There is no reason not to unless you are always above the FHA loan limit.
In 2004 FHA was a last resort for many. In 2008 it should be the … (0 comments)
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paul howard: Feeding the Rain From Cherry Hill NJ - 04/23/08 09:27 AM
Do you want to really subscribe to blogs. Make life easier for yourself.
You've seen the caption over the photo of members that says "Subscribe to blog"?
Click it. What just happened? Aside from it now showing up in your list of subscribed blogs I have no idea. I suspect … (3 comments)
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paul howard: Is the Realtor Code of Ethics REALLY strict - as advertised? - 04/21/08 07:29 AM
Lets take a look at the heading and the first 2 articles: Define: Customer= Define: Client=
As a consumer, do you want to be a client - or a customer of "YOUR" Realtor?
Did you notice that even though the heading is "Duties to Clients and Customers" not one article mentions … (2 comments)
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paul howard: The Verdict: The Ummels Lose - Agent Little Didn't Violate the Law. - 04/19/08 07:01 AM
The Verdict: The Ummels Lose - Agent Little Didn't Violate the Law. Cherry Hill, NJ, April 19, 2008. A jury in the case involving Marty Ummel, buyer of a 1.2 million dollar home in California, decided that her agent, Mike Little, did not violate the law. Mrs. Ummel says she … (1 comments)
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paul howard: Do you have or need a secretary? - 04/11/08 03:30 PM
How many of you have an unlicensed assistant or a secretary. If you do, how do you use them. It seems to me a full time secretary would cost (at least) $30,000 a year. That would be cheap if it didn't result in a reduction of my net income but I … (22 comments)
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paul howard: Client communication, phones, email and fax - 04/09/08 02:44 PM
I have one number that rings all my phones;
celloffice home and now laptop. If I'm with a client, I don't answer and they can leave a voice mail which gets emailed to me. I call them back as soon as I'm free. It works for me. When I leave … (3 comments)
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paul howard: Real room sizes and published (MLS) room sizes - the size of the stage. - 04/09/08 06:53 AM
Did you ever try to match the room sizes in the listing with those in the home. Buyers often do that and come away confused or cynical.
Some agents use the largest wall to wall size and ignore that a closet or stairway or other obstruction takes up a large segment … (2 comments)
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paul howard: Perception: stylish outfit and fancy car - then there is me. - 04/02/08 03:27 PM
How much business am I losing by not being stylish and driving a fancy car. I drive a 5 year old Town and County. Not fancy by any means but it will seat 7 total if I need it to. It is functional. Will a new one get me more business?
As … (18 comments)
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paul howard: Market Stats and Trends, Cherry Hill NJ Real Estate - 03/30/08 01:39 PM
I went back 2 years (April 06 to March 08) and looked at sample listing and sold history. The only month within that time frame that more homes were listed than sold was December '06. I don't think that month is meaningful because listings generally are depressed in … (2 comments)
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paul howard: How long does it take to look at a house? - 03/08/08 10:43 AM
If you are an agent you know that some buyers take longer than others to look at a house. Also, that some homes (a condo) take less time to look at than others (say a six bedroom victorian fixer upper). Some buyers have to get the feel for the house. They … (6 comments)
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paul howard: Declining markets - fannie mae and FHA - 03/06/08 07:06 AM
Fannie Mae recently issued new rules for declining markets. See: https://www.efanniemae.com/sf/guides/ssg/relatedsellinginfo/pdf/declmktsmaxfinfaq.pdf If your client happens to be buying a home in a "declining market" designated area with a 5% down mortgage product they may suddenly find that they will need 10% down to close. In fact, if the mortgage product is … (6 comments)
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paul howard: Government homes may be a good deal - or not. - 03/04/08 07:44 PM
Often HUD and VA foreclosures are a good deal but they should be looked at with a critical eye. Lots of buyers are ready to pounce on them without looking at other homes on the market...Just because someone got foreclosed and the government ended up with the home does not mean … (2 comments)
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paul howard: Buyer Broker Compensation: why all the confusion - 03/01/08 06:06 AM
There seems to be confusion between Listing office to seller issues (a listing ageement with a beginning and ending date and an agreed upon compensation amount)Buyer to seller issues: (beginning with an offer to sell by the seller and then an offer to buy from a buyer)Buyer Broker to buyer … (0 comments)
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paul howard: Honesty is creative? - 02/29/08 06:20 PM
I just read an article at Realtor.org about a guy that listed a fix up property. He said "There was no point trying to cover up anything, so I didn’t try." He decided to be "brutally honest" in his marketing basically because he saw no other options.
When asked what he learned … (0 comments)
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paul howard: Buy now...or wait for the bottom?: - 02/29/08 01:10 PM
There are all kinds of projectins out there:
The bottom is here:
The bottom will be in 6 months:
The bottom will be at the end of the year:
The real answer isn't the same everywhere but no one really knows anywhere when it will be (or has been) for sure.
But suppose you … (2 comments)
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paul howard: More due diligence: What do you uncover before the buyer makes an offer..... - 02/28/08 12:38 PM
In preparing to show homes I generally give my client a copy of the listing sheet, the tax recored, the tax history and whether or not it is in a flood zone. All that is easily available on TREND (our MLS system). When I have it I also give a … (2 comments)
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paul howard: Getting new clients from prior clients - How do I.... - 02/20/08 12:46 PM
I hear a lot of Realtors say that all of their clients or customers become their friends. That makes me feel a little antisocial. I don't HAVE that many friends. Heck, I don't even want that many. Some of my clients I wouldn't want as friends even though I think … (14 comments)
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paul howard: Agent needed: Why do agents move from one office to another? - 02/19/08 05:17 PM
I have a small real estate office and I’m thinking of adding another (full time) agent. I am NOT looking for someone to train that is just out of school. Ideally this person would have at least 5 years of experience in South Jersey real estate (that does not mean just … (0 comments)
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paul howard: Free advertising. Write for your local paper. - 02/16/08 07:16 AM
Here is an article from the Courier Post, a South Jersey newspaper. I can post it because I wrote it. If the courier hadn't printed it I was thinking of sending to a newswire but that is a bit expensive. When the Courier printed it they did remove the last 3 … (0 comments)
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