The Kenosha Korner

Kenosha Youth Sports: Weichert Realtors' PEE WEE STEELERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:15:57 -0600

Kenosha, WI - Sunday November 1, 2009

In a packed Mahone Middle School stadium, the Boys and Girls Club/CYC sports hosted it's 2009 Championship Games.

In the Pee Wee Division the Blue Division Champion STEELERS sponsored by Weichert, Realtors Precision extended their undefeated regular and post season record to 7-0 as they ran past the undefeated Red Division Dolphins with a 33-12 Victory for the 2009 PEE WEE Championship.

Leading the Team in scoring were running backs Tristan Jass with 3 rushing touchdowns and Frank Garcia with 2 rushing touchdowns. Garcia also threw for almost 30 yards.

Quarterbacks Reese Dutton and Logan Ramos executed the plays given by the coaching staff headed up by John Lynn.

Also of considerable mention this game were the tackles/assists/returns and rushed executed by Steven Felber, Taquillan Washington and Jimmy Collins.

Congratulations to all the players, parents and coaches for a hard working season.

FREE REAL ESTATE CAREER SEMINAR

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:08:49 -0500

FREE

REAL ESTATE SEMINAR
Learn The Benefits Of Working In Real Esate

TUESDAY NIGHTS AT 7:00 PM
Weichert, Realtors - Precision
4235 Green Bay Rd., Suite 202
Kenosha, WI 53144

CALL TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT
(262) 656-7171

It's Time to Regain your Momentum

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:19:26 -0500

As we approach the end of 2009, now is a good time to re-evaluate your career as a real estate professional. One of the most important things you can do is have a business planning and goal setting workshop with yourself and/or your spouse.

What types of things should you be evaluating. One of them should be your broker and/or your company. Many brokers in this day and age are nothing more than landlords for sales agents. Are you part of a functioning team, or a mere tenant in your brokers office doing business your own way. What tools does your brokerage provide to help you do business. What safeguards are in place to ensure your co-workers are not doing a substandard job and bringing down that brand in your office. What training, marketing and lead generating strategies does your broker implement. Does your broker take a personal interest in ALL the clients of his/her firm? Are you competing with your broker and/or manager for business?

How can you regain your momentum after being beat down over the past 18 months in the Kenosha Real Estate Market. Weichert, Realtors - Precision may have the answers your are looking for.

Blame it on RIO??!!

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 08:47:21 -0500

All of the hopes for Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics came to a crashing halt yesterday then the Windy City was eliminated in the FIRST round of IOC voting. The question is why?

Many were hopeful, as a decision like this would have spurted an economic boom for the entire midwest. Being in Wisconsin, but close to the border, I truly believe that the Kenosha housing market would have seen a huge boost.

For starters, the United States has hosted many Olympic games in the past. Lake Placid, NY was the site of the 1980 winter games. Los Angeles was the site of the 1984 Summer games. Most recently Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 winter games. Canada and Mexico have also hosted games.

South America on the other hand as a continent has never hosted an Olympic event. The economy of Brazil is growing and is perhaps the newest emerging market that investors are paying attention to. This will be the case NOW more than ever.

But why the first round??? After all, we elected the candidate for president that the world asked us to... and even Oprah graced Europe with her presence. We were sold this bill of goods that we needed a president that the rest of the world would like. The truth is, the rest of the world is still jealous of America. Jealous of our economic power and both jealous and fearful of our military power, even though we have used that military might throughout modern history to save many a people and nation from aggression and oppression. Of all the military superpowers in the history of the world, only the United States of America has consistently exercised restraint from using that power to conquer other nations. And yet... were are still ONLY loved when we are needed for our money or our might.

We need to stop believing this lie that we need a leader more respectable to the world at large and remember, the world at large does not have the best interests of the USA in mind. The world at large generally feels better about itself when America appears weak, therefore they will always meddle in our affairs in favor of a weaker leader over a stronger one. Whether it be something as large as supporting us in our quest for world security by standing united against Iran, or as small as showcasing one of our greatest cities, the world will most often disappoint the United States of America. And to think... they don't even have to blame this one on George W. Bush RIO!

TODAY IS A BIG DECISION FOR ALL!

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:27:31 -0500

CHICAGO 2016 DECISION TO BE MADE TODAY

Todays IOC decision about whether or not to hold the 2016 Olympics in Chicago will have a major impact on the Chicago Real Estate Market, but it doesn't stop there. The impact on Chicago 2016 will affect all the surrounding Chicago markets as well, and it's impact will reach the entire tri-state area including Indiana and Wisconsin.

As an expert in the KENOSHA REAL ESTATE market I am especially excited and anxious to hear about this decision. The lastest real estate recession seems to be coming to an end in the coastal regions of the country, but we are still waiting for some signs of real recovery.

The Olympic Games would directly create some 300,000 jobs in Chicago and generate $22 Billion immediately. Additionally, ancillary providers and businesses would be coming to the area far in advance of the olympics.

If the State Governments of Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana play this smart they could use the positive attention with some attractive tax incentive programs to attract much needed industry and businesses to the area. When it comes down to it, ita all about jobs.

Looking to Kenosha where half of Kenosha's residents commute to work, this would be an economic boom to the Kenosha Housing Market as well as to commercial real estate in Kenosha. I am expecting with the lower cost of living and better schools, for many people with these newly created jobs, do decide to search for a home in Kenosha rather than Illinois.

So regardless of your political leanings, lets all hope that President Obama (and his de facto Olympic Czar: Oprah Winfrey) is successful in this bid.

A GREAT DAY IN WEICHERT-LAND

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:59:14 -0500

I wanted to share what was a great day for my team and my office today in KENOSHA, WI. For one thing, we held our regular i-CALL session on Monday morning. We are just implementing this strategy at our office, but it is used in Weichert offices all over the country on a day to day basis.

An i-CALL session is where all of our agents get together and call our customers and our prospective customers together. As the BROKER/OWNER, I supply the donuts, the coffee, the scripts and some leads. The agents are responsible for creating their own call lists from their spheres of influence, past customers and referrals.

We-CALL every monday morning from 9:00-11:30 and every tuesday evening from 5:00-7:00 as a team. From there each agent is responsible for prospecting on their own throughout the rest of the week. The idea is to get some success and momentum early in the week to set the tone for a overall successful week in the real estate business.

I find it shocking that while most agents complain about the market, few are really willing to work hard. If you put the time into the activities that MUST BE DONE on a daily basis, you will be successful in ANY MARKET.

This is actually a great time to be in this business. It is MUCH HARDER for a home owner to sell their home BY OWNER in a down market. Buyers are harder to find, and financing is more difficult to come by. A qualified competent real estate agent that can give professional advice on pricing, provide superior service in marketing and assist buyers with finding financing is an invaluable asset to a homeowner who NEEDS TO SELL.

Tonight, I will be holding one of my regular CAREER NITE sessions at our office at 7:00 PM. I spend an hour going over:

WHY THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST TIMES TO BE IN REAL ESTATE
WHY WEICHERT REALTORS IS WHERE A NEW AGENT WOULD WANT TO WORK
HOW TO GET STARTED IN REAL ESTATE
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL

Many people have questions, and I spend time answering those questions as well. If you are interested in learning more about a career in real estate, this is a great place to get the answers.

To reserve a spot, call our office (262) 997-0668 or just walk in to our office

WEICHERT, REALTORS - PRECISION

4235 Green Bay Rd., SUITE 202

Kenosha, WI 53144

Links:

Wisconsin Real Estate Classes, Kenosha Real Estate, Kenosha Homes For Sale, Weichert, Realtors Wisconsin

Bernanke's Second Day on the Hill - The Charade Continues

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:53:39 -0500

Today was the second day of Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke's Monetary Policy Report Report to the House Financial Services Committee. I was only able to tune in for a short time, but I was able to also read some of the testimony online.

The report itself seemed to be a re-statement of the obvious. That the economy continued to retract in the first quarter of 2009, that there were some signs that the RATE OF DECLINE was slowing.

Of significant importance was the testimony that the potential wave of defaults in commercial real estate may present a “difficult” challenge for the economy, without committing to additional steps to aid the market. (*1)

Commercial real estate is typically a lagging indicator, this means that the values of commercial real estate rise or fall months and sometimes years AFTER the adjustments in other sectors of the economy. In this case we have seen a 7.6% single month decrease in commercial property values across the board. There are also over $108 BILLION in commercial real estate loans in default. This could mean a whole NEW WAGE of financial institution collapses and a second drag on an economy that already has several weights tied around it's neck as it attempts to tread water.

These anchors include the subprime meltdown, the subsequent cost of the bailout, the automobile industry collapse and the "stimulous plan" which has accomplished it true intented task of using a recession as an excuse to expand government, force small business owners (such as auto dealers) out of business, and give away pork money to the districts and organizations that have helped liberal-neosocialist cause.

Putting that little diatribe away there were additional questions of Bernanke that piqued my intererst.

- One of the topics of conversation was the mixed messages banks were getting about lending money, and the fact that while the federal government has been saying publically that banks need to start lending money, the regulators are at the same time criticizing lenders for making too many loans. Benanke acknowledged that this problem exists, and said the key was in retraining regulators to encourage lenders to make profitable loans to credit worthy customers.

- An item that should be of noteworthy concern is the continued witch hunt of the mortgage broker. Most mortgage brokerage firms are small businesses and do not have a strong lobby to protect their interests. As a result they have been an easy target on capital hill and a scapegoat for the subprime meltdown.

Rep. Chris Dodd (D) grilled Bernanke on the subject of YIELD SERVICE PREMIUMS, (YSP's) YSPs are the fees paid by mortgage lenders to brokerage firms for funding loan applications. These YSP's typically increase as the agreed upon interest rate increases, as a higher rate means more profit for the end lender. Many in congress in both political parties are seeking to end the practice of paying YSPs to brokers, or severely limit/cap the amount that may be paid on any given loan. While some broker's may have abused this practice, this tool was used by many to generate enough income to offset and sometimes eliminate closing costs for the comsumer. What the average Realtor(R) and consumer should also know is that MORTGAGE BANKERS (which are typiclly larger companies than brokers) will not be affected by these proposed changes as they FUND their loans FIRST and then sell them to other lenders collecting a SERVICE RELEASE PREMIUM that is not disclosed to the consumer and not subject to the limits. This means that while the small business owners are being punished, big business gets to eliminate competition. All in the name of consumerism.

Let's face it, while there were some bad players (as there are in any industry INCLUDING ELECTED OFFICE) in the mortgage brokerage industry. Most brokers played by the rules, sought to help consumers, and offered products made available by the lenders.

MORTGAGE BROKERS DID NOT RENDER CREDIT DECISIONS - the lender's did

MORTGAGE BROKERS DID NOT DEVELOP TOXIC LOAN PRODUCTS - the lenders did

MORTGAGE BROKERS DID NOT CHARGE OR COLLECT PRE-PAYMENT PENALTIES - the lenders did

MORTGAGE BROKERS DID NOT SET INTEREST RATES - there merely sold what was available.

There are times and cases where a mortgage broker may have made a larger profit on one consumer than another, perhaps that particular customer required a substantial amount of time and work in order to find the correct product and obtain a loan approval.

At the end of the day, almost a year from the initial MORTGAGE MELTDOWN, lawmakers and journalists alike still don't understand the problem any more than they did a year ago. They want to blame the little guy, because that provides a villian with the least of political consequences.

Ralph Nudi is the Broker/Owner of Weichert, Realtors - Precision in Kenosha, WI

Ralph specializes in Foreclosure, REO, Distressed and Short Sale residential sales, and in commercial real estate in Kenosha, and Racine counties. Weichert, Realtors - Precision is a full service real estate firm with an entire staff of residential real estate agents.

Recruiting in a down market?

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:34:50 -0500

As the market continues to cough and spit and sputter, the fact of the matter is THERE IS STILL REAL ESTATE BEING SOLD out there.

One of the toughest sales is the Real Estate industry as a career choice during this tough market, yet our office is actually in need of agents willing to service the quality leads that we are able to generate on an ongoing basis.

We have listings that are actually making the phone ring, buyers calling and sellers looking to us for serious help in marketing and selling their homes.

I still believe in this industry in spite of our current market, but am having a difficult time selling this to prospective hires.

A recent prospect told me he needs a job that will give him a paycheck "right now". That was in February and this prospect is still looking for employment. By now, if he had been following our proven systems, he would have started getting paid for his efforts.

With the large number of auto dealers being forced out of business, I am surprised that there aren't more people with sales skills looking to get into the real estate industry.

As I look to the existing pool of real estate agents, most are in one of a few categories.

They are either still doing well and don't want to mess with their current formula in this market, or failing and jaded, believing "its the market" that's the reason for their failures and not willing to look for answers internally or externally that could change their fortunes.

Still I work every day to weed throught this pool of prospects to find 1-3 solid prospects every month that are willing to attempt to learn, and to do what it takes to be successful in this industry.

We currently hold a CAREER NIGHT every Tuesday in our office and we offer WISCONSIN REAL ESTATE LICENSING COURSES. This is our opportunity to educate people on the opportunities that still exist.

Stunning Executive Home in Oak Creek, WI $200k under assessed value

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:05:04 -0500

Photo Gallery

View From Front

Garage View

Pier and Pond View

Pond and Shed

Rear from Pier

2 Story Great Room w Fireplace

Kitchen and Dinette

Master Suite

Master Bath

View From Cat Walk

2 Story Foyer

Description

This Magnificent brick home on 2 acres boasts almost 4500 square feet, with a large beautiful first floor master suite, a two story foyer and great room with a cat-walk leading to the 2nd bedroom suite with 3rd and 4th nicely sized bedrooms on the other side of the cat walk. The first floor also has a large eat in kitchen/dinette, a formal dining room, formal living/sitting room and an office. The rear of the home overlooks your own private pond with your own pier. The previous owner used to stock the pond with fish. The property has been foreclosed on and is being sold for HUNDREDS Of THOUSANDS of DOLLARS UNDER ASSESSED VALUE! Property is in need of cosmetic improvements and a few other minor repairs.

Features

Bedrooms:	4
Bathrooms:	3.5
Parking Spaces:	6
Year Built:	1991
Subdivision:	Shangri-La
Lot Size:	1.993
Garage Size:	3+ Car
School District:	Oak Creek
Square Footage:	4252
Agent Name:	Ralph Nudi
Broker:	Weichert, Realtors- Precision
MLS #:	1081573

Location

10630 Shangrila Court Oak Creek WI 53154

vFlyer Id: 2540584

In Lending: Common Sense is Not So Common

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:45:27 -0600

As I talk with my closest friends in the mortgage industry, and we reminisce about all of the old "EXOTIC LOANS" that used to be available, I think about how there is truly no common sense whatsoever in mortgage lending.

If you turn on any channel today, there is another news flash about the latest effort by the Obama Administration to save borrowers who are in trouble. There is also plenty of focus on saving banking with various forms of what is ultimately socialized or government controlled banking. Of course if you want to know who to blame... the media will help you out with that one too. All the blame is falling squarely on the "EVIL MORTGAGE BROKERS"

Let's not forget who really created this problem... Institutional Lenders, Borrowers .... and Government

This is a clip of what lenders USED to tell borrowers:

LENDERS used ABSOLUTELY NO common sense WHATSOEVER when creating such loans as:

NO DOC loans

NINA loans (That is not SPANISH for "Little Girl" but an acronym for No Income No Asset)

NINJA loans (NO...THIS IS NOT A LOAN SPECIALIZING IN BORROWERS WHO WERE ALSO MARTIAL ARTISTS! THIS IS A LOAN THAT REQUIRED NO INCOME, NO ASSET, AND NO JOB VERIFICATION!)

These loans met with the approval, and often times the urging of the government, to get more people into homes!

ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME? NO JOB? IF YOU ARE STUPID ENOUGH TO THINK YOU WERE GOING TO GET PAID BACK - YOU DESERVE TO GO BROKE!

So now... we are in a financial pickle...
The Government has promised us that our TRILLIONS of tax dollars are going to save the world, and will thaw the frozen credit markets....

Meanwhile SUNTRUST mortgage today announced to borrowers that they will not pay brokers do an FHA government insured mortgage for borrowers UNDER a 720 credit score. So these same people who have taken over 1.5 Billion in TARP Money (and yes the same idiots who wrote NINJA loans) are going to penalize a borrower with perhaps a 680 credit score (or perhaps a bit lower) who may have NEVER missed a payment to ANYBODY in his/her life, has a good paying job, has saved a down payment, and perhaps even has some more money in the bank based on a scoring system that inherently flawed and can be easily manipulated.

I have looked at THOUSANDS of credit reports in my lifetime and I can tell you there were many borrowers with 720 plus credit scores who really didn't deserve it. I have seen college students where the only credit they have is the students loans they have not yet begun to pay back, with scores over 720. Then there were multitudes of other borrowers with MID 600's credit scores with NO derogatory credit, no late payments and more cash in the bank than most people I know. Many of them with several mortgage loans pais on time with ZERO late payments

Credit scores were always meant to be a guideline, not a hard and fast rule, or an exception to common sense.
Nobody wants to apply common sense underwriting to lending anymore. These lenders were FOOLISH to create mortgage products that were damned to failure before they even funded. Now they are going to be even more foolish by failing to put GOOD loans on their books to offset the troubled assets they now hold

They don't have to worry about fixing their portfolios... we will bail them out, and then they will look down their noses at the very taxpayers that have footed the bill, and say no thank you to many worthy borrowers.

Nudi For President?

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:37:41 -0500

HARBOR PARK a brief history

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:11:23 -0500

A history of harbor park condominiums is soon to come.

Kenosha Foreclosure Market Update

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:30:38 -0500

Foreclosure Rate Remains Steady in Kenosha County

The foreclosure filing rate in Kenosha County in July remained at a steady rate compared to last year, with a slight increase of 4% over 2007 (a 50% increase over 2006) As an agent that specializes in REO sales and Pre-Foreclosure sales, I have noticed a sharp increase in REO business over last year. More importantly, I have noticed that the REO sales are driving the market in several neighborhoods. This means that homeowners who are looking to SELL their homes are also being affected by the high fore rates.

Home buyers in the Kenosha market are finding INCREDIBLE deals. Just last month, a buyer of mine paid $46,000 for a home in a nice North Side neighborhood in the city of Kenosha where homes rarely have sold for less than $140,000 - $150,000 in the past five years. Currently our office is working with several first time home buyers who are looking to REO properties to get their best value.

The problem for sellers is that they are now competing for buyers with the REO market, and this is driving prices down. Many traditional sellers find themselves in the position of having to bring money to closing in order to sell their homes.

Traditional real estate sales in Kenosha are continuing to slow. Recent MLS statistics show that July 2008 sold real estate units are down 21% over July 2007. Even in this slowing market, there is a demand for properties when they are priced competitively.

The moral of the story is... it's a great time to buy, IF you have the right resources and are a home buyer or a LONG TERM, seasoned investor. If you are a “get rich quick” speculator or a novice investor without financial gravitas... you need to be careful. You don't want to end up being my next short sale client.

Ralph Nudi

Broker/Owner

Weichert, Realtors –Unum Properties

http://www.RalphNudi.com

ELECTION TIME IS NEAR - JIB JAB Pokes fun at all

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:27:16 -0500

Have you seen the new JIB JAB video yet? It seems to poke fun at the whole process. In my opinion, it's ok to laugh at yourselves... it puts things in perspective. Doesn't really matter which side of the political spectrum you are on.. (as long as it's to the RIGHT - lol)

Here is the video... (JIB JAB gives permission to post)

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

What do you think?
Ralph D. Nudi

THERE ARE NO DEALS IN YOUR DESK

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:39:16 -0500

After holding a sales meeting in my office recently, I noticed that most of the agents spent the rest of the business hours that day on activities that frankly, are useless.

These activities included tidying up desks and work stations, re-organizing pictures on computers, re-designing brochures, reading the latest update on whether or not Brett Favre is returning to Green Bay on the internet, sharing jokes, asking the advertising rep from the newspaper if every other office in town was having a bad month (and getting the latest gossip on agents from other offices), deciding whether or not other agents advertising was legal or ethical... the list goes on and on.

Here is the biggest fact you need to remember: THERE IS NOBODY in your office that is going to hire you to be their REALTOR® today. EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE OFFICE ALREADY EITHER IS AN AGENT, WORKS FOR AN AGENT, IS LOOKING TO SELL SOMETHING TO AN AGENT, OR WORKS FOR AN AGENT OR YOUR BROKER.

The bottom line is, you need to get out of your office, and out prospecting. There is certainly not a shortage of methods on how to prospect for business, there is also NOT a shortage of people to prospect, regardless of what the market is doing.

Your job is to identify those prospects, present to them, and follow up with them (over and over again) until you get the results you are looking for... period. The rest is FLUFF. Save the FLUFF activities for your laptop when you are watching TV at home.

Simple advice... perhaps too simple. Sometimes we tend to ignore or forget the most OBVIOUS facts!

Ralph D. Nudi
Broker, Owner
Weichert, Realtors® Unum Properties
Kenosha, WI

A Glimpse of Northpointe - Six Months After the Tornado

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 19:31:40 -0500

It's been just over six months since that fateful day when Northpointe subdivision was one of the communities effected by the the JANUARY 7th tornado's that caught Kenosha, County by surprise.

As a resident of Northpointe, my home was one of the many affected by the storms. While the siren's raged throughout all of Kenosha County, and there were reports of sightings out in Wheatland, WI, I found myself racing home while on the phone with my then-pregnant wife, who was huddled in a corner of the basement with my sons and our dog.

I'll never forget the feeling in the pit of my stomach as I turned down our street and began to see the damage to our neighborhood. My next door neighbor was screaming in fear as she ran into what was left of her home to see if her husband and two children were safe.

In the end, nobody in our family, or in our neighborhood was injured. We were one of the more fortunate families with the damage being repairable, and all of our losses fully insured. Our next door neighbor's home had to be torn down and is almost rebuilt, and the neighborhood church is still under construction.

Six month's later, most in Northpointe, seem to have returned to business as usual. The sound of tornado sirens has been replaced by the melodic rifts of the ice cream truck. And on any given day, scores of neighborhood children can be seen riding their bicycles or playing basketball in a neighborhood driveway.

Overall Northpointe is a great little subdivision in Kenosha. There is a condo complex at the entrance, and the Northside Library is practically in the subdivision, only 2 blocks away and no major roads to cross. Piggly Wiggly is also within walking distance. There are still currently some lots available as well as a few homes for sale. These homes are some of the best values in the Kenosha real estate market. Just to the west of Northpointe, is the Meadows at Hunters Ridge. These new homes are again, part of a short neighborhood walk, with no major streets to cross.

... more pictures

<--Before After --->

Photos from KENOSHA NEWS ONLINE

http://kenoshanews.com/web_extra/index.php?galleryId=951617

Defense Attorneys for Credit Criminals

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:57:13 -0500

A recent post by Richard Smith brought forth thought provoking questions regarding the the validity and ethics of the newest generation of CREDIT REPAIR attorneys. Smith asks when credit repair crosses the line of ethics, and becomes the falsification of a credit report.

I prefer to take another angle on the subject. For years creditors have been able to label a consumer a “credit criminal” without the due process that is afforded to people being accused of crimes. While the American way has always been one of a “presumption of innocence” this is not only not the case with credit reporting, but often times credit problems can become a complete and utter nightmare for a consumer.

Today, more than ever, credit matters. Not only for the extension of credit, but for obtaining insurance, and employment as well. Insurers are using a consumers inability to pay a medical bill as a reason to charge more for insuring their home or automobile as if this raises the likelihood of an accident or fire. Does this make sense?

There are many rules regarding the reporting of derogatory credit items that creditors simply do not properly adhere to. The function of the credit repair attorney is to UNCOVER those rules not adhered to, and when a creditor has not followed the correct steps, force the creditor to remove the derogatory information. IS THIS LEGAL? MORE IMPORTANTLY IS IT ETHICAL?

My sincere belief is ABSOLUTELY. While we all find it reprehensible when a criminal is set free on a technicality, most of us understand that those few and far between cases make the overall criminal process in America one that is the best in the world. It forces prosecutors and police to follow a set of rules that takes into account the rights of the accused. This system ensures we as citizens do not fall prey to an overzealous or oppressive government.

The same can hold true with regard to credit reporting. For years the credit industry has gone unchecked when reporting derogatory information regarding a consumer. Because this type of practice is relatively new, there will be times when legitimately reported adverse credit information ends up deleted. Is this fair? Perhaps not, but some consumers actually DESERVE a second chance. For example, there are people who had an isolated period of instability which caused credit problems.

Some people will go on after credit repair to establish a positive pattern of credit habits, and probably contribute more to our economy than they would have if hampered by poor credit.

Others will have not learned their lesson and will go and ruin their credit again. These people will not benefit much from credit repair firms in the long run.

Perhaps there will be cases where after credit repair, a consumer obtains new credit, only to default immediately. These are added risks to creditors, but in the overall scheme of things, the risk is still relatively low. I think we should give people the benefit of the doubt. People who are willing to invest the time and money into repairing their credit are probably more likely the continue to work hard to preserve their newly acquired credit rating. The last thing we need is to have the creditors lobby the government that we need some sort of new regulation on this matter.

Ralph D. Nudi

Weichert, Realtors Unum Properties

Kenosha, WI

http://RalphNudi.com

http://UnumProperties.com

Ralph is a co-owner of Weichert, Realtors – Unum Properties in Kenosha, WI. Ralph is an expert in Kenosha Real Estate market. In addition to publishing articles on the Kenosha Housing Market and Kenosha landmarks and interesting articles regarding Kenosha Homes, Ralph is also a leading REO agent in Kenosha County and has specialized in pre-foreclosure and short sale homes for several years, closing over 100 short sale transaction in the last 24 months.

REAL ESTATE CAREER SEMINAR

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:41:58 -0500

Are you considering a career in real estate?

Weichert, Realtors - Unum Properties will be holding a career seminar on TUESDAY AUGUST 12th 2008 at 6:30 PM at the KENOSHA PUBLIC LIBRARY at 1500 27th Avenue in KENOSHA, WI

If you are interested in learning more about a career in REAL ESTATE. Come to our free seminar. We will cover:

THE BENEFITS OF A REAL ESTATE CAREER

WHAT TRAINING DO YOU NEED TO OBTAIN A REAL ESTATE LICENSE

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE CLASSES

WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

For more information or to make a reservation, contact us at (262) 997-0668 or EMAIL us at rnudi@weichert.com

Weichert, Realtors - Unum Properties

5017 Green Bay Rd.,

Kenosha, WI 53144

(262) 997-0668

www.RalphNudi.com

www.UnumProperties.com

www.Weichertup.com

Weichert, Realtors® Precision is looking for agents

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:39:32 -0500

Weichert, Realtors® Precision is Kenosha's fastest growing real estate company.

Over the past year we have doubled in agents AND our volume is up over last year in a down market.

At a time in the real estate industry when many agents are asking questions, we are providing answers!

Watch our video, and decide for yourself.

If you are interested in learning more about a career in REAL ESTATE or learning about Weichert, Realtors® Precision please contact us by phone (262.997.0668) or email us at ralph@ralphnudi.com

Or got to www.RalphNudi.com for more information!

The BIGGEST LIAR gets the listing

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:09:09 -0500

OK... So here's the scenario...

You have a home, or piece of real estate for sale. You KNOW that you want to use a real estate professional to help you with your sale, but you just aren't sure who to call. Being the responsible consumer that you are, you decide to follow Mom's advice and interview three agents before deciding who to list with.

AGENT A - Meets with you, and gives you his assessment of what it will take to sell your property. Based on the current slow market, he advises you that it may take 90-120 days to get an offer. He also tells you that in order to compete with the 500 other listings for properties JUST LIKE YOURS, you may need to have a lower price, ESPECIALLY if you need to sell your property more quickly. After a careful analysis, he comes up with a price of $350,000. In your mind, this doesn't sound all that great, after all you were hoping for closer to $400,000. That's what the Jones' got for their house last year... right down the street.

AGENT B - Meets with you next - After a long discussion and a careful analysis on her part... the conclusion ends up being pretty much the same. "WOW - I guess our home just wasn't worth as much as we thought," you say to your spouse.

AGENT C - Comes to your home, takes a look around, and asks you how much you were looking to get for your home. When you tell him $400,000 he lights up with a smile. "That's just the number I was thinking." Finally! Someone who agrees with you. Your sense of want takes over, and suddenly both of the other two agents you interviewed fade from your memory. How is this guy going to market your property? What will he charge? Who cares? He told you what you WANTED to hear. The only question left is "WHERE DO I SIGN?"

We all LIKE being told what we want to hear. Here are some things I would like to hear from the professionals I work with:

My CPA - Don't worry about the IRS, they never audit people anyway, and I can make sure you NEVER pay a dime of taxes on any of your income

My Attorney - Illegal Schmegal, Just do whatever is best for your own interests, and leave the legal questions to me

My Doctor - Don't worry... go ahead and smoke, drink and eat whatever you want, I can cure anything with this little blue pill.

My Financial Advisor - I can guarantee you 120% annual returns on your investments

My Realtor - Sure your house is worth $200,000 more than you paid for it last year

These all sound nice, but they are fantasies. We wouldn't accept these statements on face value from a CPA or a doctor, but our sense of greed always comes in to play when looking to sell our property. Why is that?

The fact is, we are in a tough market right now. Properties are selling for less that what they did just a few months ago in some cases. It requires a professional agent who know's what they are doing in order to get the most money for your property. OVER PRICED LISTINGS will hurt the bottom line for you, when you finally do come out of fantasy land and decide to lower your price, it may be too late. All the newness of your listing will be gone, and at the rate things are going, your property may be worth a little less in 90 days that it is worth today. When you return to Agent A, you will find he now thinks you need to start at $340,000 just to get enough attention.

These unprofessional agents are everywhere, they not only hurt their own clients, but the whole market, by keeping listings on for month after month that DO NOT SELL. I will be happy when these agents finally are no longer able to sustain themselves in the real estate industry, and find an alternative career path, as only then, will this market turn around.

HELP - My lender is going to send me a 1099 for my short sale!

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:07:12 -0500

I often get the question... Will I have to pay taxes on the amount the bank writes off on my short sale?

The answer is NOT a simple one, it depends on the situation. Legislation is currently being proposed that will further simplify the issue, but in the mean time, there are cases where you WILL NOT have a tax liability.

#1 - Not ALL lenders actually issue a 1099 to their borrowers.

#2 - There are rules regarding insolvency. Here is the response from my CPA on this issue:

According to IRS Publication 908, Bankruptcy Tax Guide, income from cancellation of debt can be excluded from income on an individual's tax return if the cancellation takes place when the individual is insolvent, but only by the amount of the insolvency.

Insolvency is when an individual's liabilities exceed the fair market value of their assets. Determine your liabilities and the fair market value of your assets immediately before the cancellation of your debt to determine whether or not you are insolvent and the amount by which you are insolvent.

The amount excluded must be used to reduce certain tax attributes. These don't apply to most people, but they are net operating loss, general business carryovers, minimum tax credit, capital losses, basis in other properties, passive activity losses.

Form 982 needs to be attached to the person's 1040. This shows that the cancellation of debt income is being excluded.

- This of course is intended for informational purposes ONLY and should not be used as a substitute for professional tax advice. You should contact your CPA if you need advice on how to handle your individual situation!

http://RalphNudi.com

Question: RALPH - HOW DO I MAKE MONEY IN FORECLOSURES? * Answer: READ BELOW

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:50:16 -0500

I recently received the following email:

Hi Ralph,
I stumbled across your website as I was searching for information on Stealth Sites for Realtors, and Google brought me to you. Then, I started reading your blog, and I think its FANTASTIC!

We are a husband and wife team in the Twin Cities, and we are struggling in real estate right now. I will NOT count myself as the LAZY you mentioned when you said that many realtors just won't work the system. I just don't have a system!!!

I don't know if you give advice for getting a system, but I sure would LOVE it.

Plus, we watch Boston Legal, and I, too love William Shatner. I really like the idea of the Short Sale Negotiator and Name Your Home Price! How are you using that to attract clients?

Thanks!!!!
DeeDee

HERE WAS MY RESPONSE:

I have a pretty detailed system, everything from the 1^st letter sent out, to the final closing of the transaction. All of the letters come WITH my coaching service. I only have a limited number of coaching clients that I take on, as I am still actively engaged in selling real estate and managing my team. (Most industry "coaches" have never sold real estate) It is because of the limited time I have, that I carefully screen each potential coaching client to make sure you are motivated for the right reasons, have a true desire to help these clients, and that we are a fit for one another. This program entails a lot of work, time, and resources upfront to set up a successful system, but once your system is up and running, you should be able to be highly successful without being burned out. Money is nice, but quality of life is more important, and having an ethical, profitable business and a good name for the long term is most important.

My coaching services include:

Creating a custom strategy for Identifying and targeting clients in foreclosure in your market

Implementing a campaign with 12 Letters designed to make the phone ring
Outbound scripts for contacting potential clients
The Pre-Foreclosure consultation presentation
Tips on creating strategic partnerships with Bankruptcy attorneys and local financial institutions
Listing agreement verbiage needed to be able to successfully sell short sales
Client - short sale information package and checklist (needed for sending in to your seller's lender)
Effective listing strategies
Effective negotiation strategies and properly setting buyers'/buyers' agent expectations
Short Sale negotiation services (for a flat fee) or tips on how to negotiate your own
Closing and Post marketing
Growing your team to a multi-million dollar powerhouse with a 40 hour work week within the first year

There is an initial consultation of 2 hours and weekly calls for the first 30 days, followed by a monthly mentoring call to make sure you stay on track. If you are interested in moving forward please let me know. I can have my assistant Ben arrange for a phone conference to discuss your goals and what's most important to you. If we both decide we are a fit for each other, I can go over pricing and set up a schedule to take your business to the next level.

I also spoke with the Armstrongs on the phone. I invited DeeDee to "The Rain" and strongly encouraged them to POST their first BLOG ENTRY today, and to look for all the FREE RESOURCES our community has to offer!

www.RalphNudi.com

What the H, E "double hockey sticks" is a grumixameira?

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:52:15 -0500

I so desperately needed to know what a grumixameira was when I had to TYPE the entire word in JUST TO POST A COMMENT on ACTIVE RAIN.

I STILL want to know who developed this labor intensive approach to posting comments!!

I know the "official" reason is to keep bots from putting automated posts on thousands of blogs, but for goodness sake... I am LOGGED IN with my user name and password. Could they make it a little easier?

I originally commented on this subject in my post RANDOM FRUITS back in MARCH. Well... it turns out that a grumixameira is nothing more than another RANDOM FRUIT!

.... I did a GOOGLE SEARCH and this is what I found out about the fruit:

Eugenia brasiliensis - Spanish cherry, Brazilian plum, grumixameira

Common synonyms : Eugenia brasiliensis Lam.

Common names : Sp: grumichama; Po: grumixama, grumixameira; En: Brazil eugenia, Brazilian cherry, Grumix-aneira of Brazil; Fr: Bois de nèfle, cerisier du Brésil.

Origin and geographical distribution : Southern Brazil (Parana, Santa Catarina).

Status : Cultivated.

Description : Shrub or tree to 15 m, propagated by seeds. Fruit oblate, 2-3 cm in diameter, purple to black, fragile; pulp orange to red, sweet and acid, with several seeds.

Uses : Pulp eaten fresh, in jellies and jams, or macerated in rum. Home garden fruit tree and ornamental plant.

References : Fouqué, 1972; Martin et. al 1987; Cavalcante 1991; Silva, 1996; Le Bellec & Renard, 1997.

Let me know what you think!!

www.ShortAgent.com

www.RalphNudi.com

President RALPH W. BUSH?... or GEORGE W. NUDI?

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:15:28 -0500

Did you ever wonder what your would look like as a member of the BUSH family? Did you ever wonder what Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hillary Clinton's offspring would look like?

I FOUND THIS WEBSITE and laughed my KEESTER off when I saw the MORPH of myself and President Bush...

I do think there is a liberal bias on this web site though because there were no pictures of the Clintons to morph.

Any way i though of all my fellow rainers and wanted to share this image and the link so that others could have fun as well. Not to mention I thought this would be a great opportunity at a shameless attempt at points and comments!!1

What do you think? Was it worth the CLICK?

(P.S Don't tell Broker Bryant about this one... based on some of his other self portraits... this may be more fun than one man can handle... plus that's just too much of a competitive advantage!)

PRESIDENT RALPH W. BUSH

11% Cap Rate - 20 Unit Apartment Building in Racine, WI

Ralph Nudi (Weichert, Realtors® - Precision) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:33:27 -0500

20 Unit Apartment Building - FIRE SALE (MINUS THE FIRE)

Location: Racine, WI

20 Unit Apartment Building in Racine, WI for Sale. This building has had all common area's and many of the units recently remodelled. NEW BOILER, ROOFS, AIR CONDITIONING UNITS and SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEM installed. This building is ready for the right investor to walk in and take over!

Information

Contact Information

Ralph D. Nudi

262-997-0668

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Pricing and Availability

Asking Price: $610,000

Income: 114072

Expenses: 46653

Cap Ratio: 11.5% (Pro Forma)

Property Location

2408 Jacato Drive
Racine, WI 53404
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Ralph Nudi

Features

Square Footage: 15063

Building Class: Apartment

Zoning: COMRES

Broker: Weichert, Realtors - Unum Properties

Property ID: 958900

Floors in Bldg: 2

Lot Size: .44

Utilities: Seperate Electric

Attributes

Building Amenities

Security System

Fire Protection System

Exterior Amenities

Parking Lot

Near Shopping

Near Public Transit

VFLYER ID: 1356683