Labor Day Weekend - Who's Working? - 08/31/07 04:50 PM
We are coming into Labor Day weekend an in Southern California the thermometer is topping 100 degrees.
Not only is it unbearable hot outside but we have multiple PGA tournaments on television
,
NASCAR,
17 college football games and a multitude of other reasons to have fun.
I am a big fan of open houses but I have a feeling this weekend would be better spent with the family.
I am never disappointed when I hold a house open as it only takes 1 good lead to make it successful.
Adam Brett RE/MAX NOC Fullerton, CA 714.496.8116 800.977.ADAM realtoradam@gmail.com www.realtoradam.com http://activerain.com/realtoradam
… (3 comments)
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Beware the Rental Scam - 08/30/07 06:39 PM
This is for real so take notice. If it pertains to you - take action.
You can check out this story from the Channel 10 News.
http://www.10news.com/news/13962225/detail.html
In San Diego, CA there is a crew of scam artists who have come up with a pretty quick way to make money. They have someone with MLS access search for vacant homes that are accessed by combo lock-boxes.
They post the home on Craigslist or other home rental sites and meet the 'mark' at the listed home. They take the first month, last month and security deposit from the people and are never heard from again.
Their … (13 comments)
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Jury Duty - Does self-employed mean anything anymore - 08/30/07 06:31 PM
I just received a summons for Jury Duty. Now I would love to do my civic duty but I have a newborn and I am the sole provider for my family. As we all know in this Real Estate market any time off can mean lost business.
I submitted I was self employed and any time away from work would create financial hardship. I heard lately this reason is not enough to be excused.
They now have call in Jurors. For those of you who have not heard of this it is: You call in the day before you are scheduled and they … (8 comments)
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My Open House Today - Deep Thoughts by Adam Brett - 08/26/07 04:36 PM
As I sit in my open house with Verizon Laptop Connect powering my blog - I think is it going to be a good day, and is there a potential lead I let go.
Well - they day will bring what it may, my goal is to capitalize on every person stepping through the door.
So, I opened the door at 11:00AM and it is now 2:30. I have had 23 people so far, and 18 of them are neighbors. I don't look at these people as a waste of time, but a great chance for them to interview me. They see … (13 comments)
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Do You Have a Market Conditions Disclosure - 08/26/07 04:14 PM
My brother in law is an E&O lawyer and he told me to start using a Market Conditions and Pricing disclosure. I looked at the C.A.R. form and it is for the buyer, but I am looking for the seller.
To protect ourselves in an unstable market, we tell our sellers we will try to get them top dollar, but the market can change quickly and that is out of our control. Also, about pricing being set by them with our guidance.
My brother-in-law is defending 2 cases where sellers realized less than the were 'told' by their Realtor at the … (8 comments)
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Sunny Hills High School - Facts and Information - 08/23/07 02:13 PM
Sunny Hills High School is a combined public and magnet school located in Fullerton, California, USA. It is part of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District.Sports: Sunny Hills Football 1990 CIF Champions and Freeway League Champions.Sunny Hills Football 1992 CIF Champions and Freeway League Champions. Sunny Hills Football 1994 League Champions.Sunny Hills Football 1996 Freeway League Champions.Sunny Hills Football 1997 Freeway League Champions.Sunny Hills Football 1998 Freeway League champions.Sunny Hills Boys' Basketball 2004 CIF Champions.Until 1992, Sunny Hills Boys' Water Polo Freeway League Champions for 22 consecutive years.Notable alumni: Shane Black, screenwriter and director.Jackson Browne, folk singer. Gary Carter, former … (3 comments)
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Fullerton High School - Information and Facts - 08/23/07 02:09 PM
Fullerton High School is a high school located in Fullerton, California, United States.History: In 1893 a special election was held to create Fullerton Union High School. The school's first classroom, a rented room on the second floor of the Fullerton Elementary School building, was adequate to house the eight pupils, which constituted the first year's enrollment and the 32 books which made up the library. The high school was Orange County's first.In 1908, FUHS's enrollment was increasing at the rate of 18 percent a year. To accommodate the growth, the school was moved to new quarters on West Commonwealth Avenue, an … (0 comments)
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Troy High School - Fullerton's Premier School for Technology - 08/23/07 02:03 PM
Troy High has become one of the Top High Schools in the Nation ranking 19th overall and 1st in Computer Science. Located in Lower Raymond Hills in a beautiful neighborhood, this school is one of the best in Orange County.
Troy High School seeks to provide both a comprehensive liberal arts educational program and a specialized program of study for students of all abilities and backgrounds. At each stage of their development and in each pathway of study, students are being shaped into critical thinkers, effective communicators, good citizens, and lifelong learners. As such, they are encouraged to articulate and pursue a … (0 comments)
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If Grandma Had Listened to These Folkes - My Inheritance Would Be Gone - 08/20/07 11:38 PM
For the Past 60 years, economists, Wall Street Analysts, and other supposed financial experts have predicted the end of Real Estate Appreciation. Take a quick trip through their far-off-the-mark forecast from years gone by:
"The prices of houses seem to have reached a plateau, and there is reasonable expectancy that prices will decline." (Time, December 1, 1947)"Houses cost too much for the mass market. Today's average price is around $8,000... out of reach for two-thirds of all buyers." (Science Digest, April 1948)"The goal of owning a home seems to be getting beyond the reach of more and more Americans. The typical new … (11 comments)
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Facing danger on the job - 08/20/07 11:07 PM
Facing danger on the job
Two RE/MAX Associates recount stories of heroism, action in times of crisis
BY DEBORAH BALL
RE/MAX TIMES ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Adam Brett is skilled at putting out fires in business deals. But it was his training as a reserve sheriff’s deputy that helped him quell a real-life blaze.
Brett, a Sales Associate with RE/MAX North Orange County in Fullerton, Calif., saw smoke billowing up the side of a house. He drove to the scene and his deputy instincts took over.
“The first thing I did was clear people from nearby houses,” says Brett, who … (5 comments)
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How to Stay Out of Legal Trouble - 08/20/07 11:01 PM
My brother-in-law is an E&O lawyer so I frequently ask him why people get sued, and how to prevent it. The most common setup that ends in litigation is an agent who has double-ended a transaction, and 1 party feels the agent did not act with due diligence. He says this accounts for about 90% of the suits he sees. About 90% of these lawsuits are about non-disclosure.
This does not mean if you are not double-ending a deal you have nothing to worry about. Quite the contrary but follow these simple rules and you will steer clear of most trouble.
1. Disclose … (8 comments)
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Does your car make a difference? - 08/19/07 11:10 PM
Realtors are supposed to be these super rich people that drive fancy cars, wear nice clothes, and go out to expensive dinners – right? Well not exactly. Since 95% of the business is done by 5% of the people the majority of Realtors do not have lavish cars – but does it truly make a difference.
What about classic cars, or American Muscle? I have taken clients in 3 cars, and I definitely noticed a difference in 2 of the 3. The first was a 1994 Mustang GT 5.0. Good old fashioned muscle car. Clients loved this one. It was a … (17 comments)
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The Fed - Lowering the Discount Rate and what it means - 08/17/07 01:58 PM
This morning, the Fed lowered their Discount Rate by .50%, taking it from 6.25% down to 5.75%. The Discount Rate is the rate at which the Fed lends money directly to commercial banks, credit unions and savings and loans including large lenders like Countrywide and Bank of America. It is different than the Fed Funds Rate, which is the rate at which banks lend money to other banks. The Discount rate is usually held 1% above the Fed Funds Rate, which makes the Fed a last resort for lending institutions to borrow from - they would generally of course rather borrow from other banks at a … (6 comments)
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Realtor.com - Featured - Showcased - Is is worth paying for exposure - 08/16/07 07:17 PM
Realtor.com is the #1 Real Estate Website in the United States. They had over 9 million unique users in the last quarter and claim to capture 84% of buyers hitting the internet.
They offer 3 different ways to advertise your listing.
The standard listing is given to everyone and contains 1 picture of the home, you cannot customize the text, and the listing agent is not given the right-hand sidebar.
Then there is the Showcase Listings. This package offers substantial benefits to the freebie. You get up to 25 pictures, the option to add a virtual tour, agent picture and contact information … (20 comments)
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3rd Annual HP Real Estate Technology Contest - High Tech Realtors - 08/16/07 04:26 PM
During the months of May through August 2006, HP invited real estate agents to enter the 3rd annual Real Estate Technology Contest. This contest required agents to provide an essay about how they were using technology to be more efficient, serve clients better, or invent new tricks of the trade to market themselves or their properties more creatively. Winners were announced at the NARdi Gras REALTORS Conference & Expo in New Orleans.
Now that the introduction is out of the way - I was one of the winners.
http://www.hp.com/sbso/solutions/real/realtorcontest-06final.html
To Apply go Here:
http://www.hp.com/sbso/solutions/real/realtorcontest.html
I would highly recommend you apply for this contest. It can … (0 comments)
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Local Agent Puts Out House Fire; 'All in a day's work' - How to get noticed - 08/16/07 02:48 PM
The article below details a house fire that I helped extinguish not too long ago.
Sure this is a shameless self-promotion plug but I hope you can also take something else away from it. I have a copywriter who I enlisted to write articles about me on a routine basis. Now this one is extraordinary, but I plan on having her write something once a month.
This is another method of branding without necessarily touting real estate. I have found that people might not want to read about Real Estate as it is getting shoved down their throats at the moment, … (4 comments)
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Fullerton California Short Sale - Highly Upgaded Troy High Home - Foreclosure - 08/16/07 12:18 PM
Short Sale pre-foreclosure in Fullerton, CA. The seller's loss is your gain. Get is before it is a Bank Repo.
This home is absolutely stunning featuring 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with 1,450 sq.ft. on a 9,000 sq.ft. lot.
It has a gourmet kitchen with Granite Counter tops - Stainless Steel Appliances - Travertine Floors - and tons of cabinet space. The bathrooms are highly upgraded with Travertine showers and floors, granite vanities and custom mirrors.
The house has stunning oak hardwood floors throughout with crown molding and baseboard to finish it off.
The lot is massive and beautifully landscaped.
Situated in the Troy … (0 comments)
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How Big is Your Farm - is Bigger Better? - 08/16/07 12:01 PM
I started with a farm of 250 homes. I slowly increased and now deliver flyers to 5000 homes about every 3 weeks to a month.
At what point does the cost outweigh the return.
I think I have a very unique flyer and I plan on increasing my farm as income dictates. I have the flyer die cut around the house with a door hanger hole in the fireplace.
I can print these delivered to my home for 6.4 cents, and the cut costs 1.5 cents per page. I have them hand delivered for about 11 cents. So my total to … (8 comments)
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Bringing your Personal Life Into Your Business - Bonding with your Clients - 08/16/07 11:28 AM
Realtors all too often are strictly business and forget the client is human with similar life experiences.
I used to keep my personal life separate and never share what is happening with potential and current clients. The past six months I changed this. My wife was pregnant and I started telling people I was expecting my first child. WOW! What a response. I had people engage me now that I was more human.
We got talking about children, what to expect, I asked for advice, and it became a topic in which they were the 'expert' and allowed us to bond … (6 comments)
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Market Update for Fullerton CA - 92831 Zip - Charts Facts and Trends - 08/14/07 03:10 PM
As I mentioned in my Market Update for Fullerton, CA We have a very unique demographic that consists of multiple ethnicity, religion, and income levels as well as homes built in the early 1900's to new construction.
Since Fullerton's demographics are so diverse, the housing market cannot be categorized by the city as a whole. This blog will break down one zip code within Fullerton, CA - specifically 92831.
The 92831 zip code is home to Troy High, ranked #19 in the nation and ranked #1 for computer science, home to Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton College, Western Law School, Fullerton High School, Acacia Elementary, … (1 comments)
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Market Update for Fullerton CA - Orange County - August 14-2007 - Charts and Trends - 08/14/07 02:27 PM
in the real estate market. We have a very unique demographic that consists of multiple ethnicity, religion, and income levels as well as homes built in the early 1900's to new construction.
Since Fullerton's demographics are so diverse, the housing market cannot be categorized by the city as a whole. This blog will attempt to do so, however my next postings will be zip codes within Fullerton, which will have drastically different trends than are posted below.
When the media reports astounding numbers of dropping home sales, increasing inventory, and plummeting prices, we have to look at what figures they are trying to … (2 comments)
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Technology that Will Save Your Business - Backups - Portability - 08/14/07 12:28 PM
Homer say's it all.
There are so many simple ways to avoid catastrophic failure with technology, so implement this and you will never worry again about losing data, being down for prolonged periods of time, and should the case arise, port your data wherever you need.
So what is this simple solution - a secondary hard disk used to store ALL data. I personally have 5 of them, but all you really need is one.
Here is what you do - Go to Best Buy - Circuit City - Fry's - wherever you choose and purchase a 500GB internal or external hard disk (They … (1 comments)
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Innovative Ideas on Active Rain - Video Blogs - Reviews - Schools - Restaurants - 08/13/07 08:23 PM
This webspace has given us the unique ability to get our voices heard without spending an arm and a leg to do so. Most people consistently post the same genre of information. Property listings, SEO, and what I consider typical day to day business for Realtors.
Let's take this one step further. How can we utilize ActiveRain to touch more people, educate prospective buyers and sellers, and ultimately make more money. We the obvious term is 'Think Outside the Box.'
Well, I hope that my next couple blogs will do so. I just bought a Sony HD camcorder with the idea of shooting … (4 comments)
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Gimmicks - Do they work - Post your experiences - 08/11/07 01:35 PM
I see a lot of agents giving away gimmick items and have always wondered - does it work?
When I say gimmicks, I mean things like
NotepadsMagnetsFlashlightsMagazinesCustom labeled water bottlesGiveawaysSports Team CalendarsCustom made pens - items with your logoReally anything that is not specifically of value.
I have found people like to take notepads, but not one person has told me that is the reason for the call.
I would like to hear from people with experience in this kind of marketing. I have stayed away because I thought it was a waste of money. I know a lot of people do it - and … (16 comments)
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Going Paperless - Scanning Documents - Email - The machine to do it - 08/11/07 01:22 PM
I have been pretty much doing paperless communication for a while ( scanning executed documents and emailing them ) and have utilitzed mutiple machines to do the job.
I finally found the perfect machine.
I started with HP as they seem to have the best selection of Multifunction All-In-One (Fax, Scan,Copy,Print) with the best price points. The first machine I used was the HP 6310xi.
This was an excellent multifinction until I realized its shortfalls. While the ease of use is incredible, you simply put a document into the ADF and it pops up the menu on your PC's screen, it is very … (23 comments)
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Fullerton California Short Sales - Active Listings - Pre Foreclosure - 08/09/07 06:02 PM
There are currently 15 Active Short Sale listings in the City of Fullerton. These are excellent opportunities for buyers who have some time and flexibility to get a great deal on a home.
For those of you who do not know what a Short Sale is: the quick version - The seller owes more on the property than it is worth. A typical example is a person who bought too much home, let's say for $600,000. He has not made payments in 6 months, and had not paid property taxes as well. this puts him in the hole at $650,000. If the … (1 comments)
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Fullerton California Bank Repos - REO - Foreclosures - As of August 9, 2007 - 08/09/07 05:40 PM
The talk of the town is about Bank Repo's - REO's.
I would like to dispel some myths. The media relentlessly points out the number of homes going into foreclosure. This makes business more difficult as the consumer now thinks there are a ton of bank owned property that they will be able to buy at 60 cents on the dollar.
With that being said, I would like to go over ALL of the bank owned properties in Fullerton California.
The current list as of today stands at 8 properties. I just sold mine at 1201 E. Union Ave.
I will give an … (10 comments)
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The EVIL Media - How do we overcome this plague - 08/08/07 12:38 PM
I constantly have to explain to clients what they are saying in the media is false. First, the media sensationalizes whatever they can. Conflicting reports come out all the time, but the ones that are typically headline news are the Doom and Gloom scenarios.
For Example: Todays Headline on Bloomberg
U.S. MBA's Mortgage Applications Index Rose 8.1%
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=amcA4v4SfFSI&refer=news
The Senior Economist from Wachovia Corp says we have hit bottom and consumers know it.
Impac Mortgage stops funding loans to mid-range credit borrowershttp://www.ocregister.com/money/loans-impac-market-1800777-tomkinson-company
This will tell your buyers they cannot get a loan any more.
All that people see is more lenders going BK - you can check … (11 comments)
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REOMAC and REOWORLD - Which is Better - Any Success Stories? - 08/07/07 10:20 PM
I am rapidly becoming involved in the REO business with BPOs and actual sales of REO listings. I have my first in escrow and am trying to integrate myself into the REO network. I know this is typically and 'Old Boys' network, however I am sure there is a place for a semi-young go getting advanced Realtor that is willing to work had.
There are 2 major REO sites out there for those of you that don't know. REOMAC and REOWORLD. Both are networking sites with REOMAC being the most established. You can attend REOMAC events without membership, but I am hoping … (10 comments)
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Fullerton Home For Sale - 08/06/07 05:06 PM
This home just came on the market and will go soon. The broker preview is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, and I will detail the marketing that goes into every listing.
The pictures below are professionally taken, and the virtual tour does wonders. I feel this is a must .
The property is a 3 bedroom 1 bath home that is a little over 1200 sq.ft. on a 6,488 sq.ft. lot.
I always offer a 3% broker compensation, it is easy to show with call first go direct instructions, and is priced competitively. My clients know that we can set the initial price, … (0 comments)
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Brea California Market Update - Active Pending and Sold - Days on Market - 08/06/07 04:17 PM
Brea is home to a lot of new construction - an incredible downtown area - and a progressive city with well maintained streets, landscaping, and pride of ownership throughout the city.
The media likes to report whatever is sensational at the time. I would like to negate what is fact and what is fiction with RAW numbers for this city.
First we look at the Active Pending and Sold units for the last 14 months.
In looking at a graph like this we have to remember simple economics of supply and demand. The active properties represent the supply, and the demand is shown … (1 comments)
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Farming tools - ListingLight - Be Seen in your Farm during All Hours - 08/06/07 03:58 PM
We are all looking for that competitive edge that makes us stand out in our farm. I have a multitude of tools that I use, but I am going to focus on one that I use in my listing presentations and is a must have if you are trying to capture the market share in a geographic area.
This is the normal sign.
This is the Listing Light Sign.
As you can see it is as simple as giving you 150 more signage hours per month. For those of us that farm, branding is huge. This makes people take notice of your … (4 comments)
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Fullerton - 92831 - Market Analysis and Update for Raymond Hills - 08/04/07 06:59 PM
The City of Fullerton is very unique and this is one of the reasons it defies media reports of a plummeting real estate market. Today I will focus on the 92831 zip code within Fullerton.
This area is very desirable as it is home to one of the Nations most prestigious High Schools, TROY, numerous schools of excellence such as Acacia Elementary and Fullerton High, as well as California State Fullerton, Fullerton Junior College, and Western Law School.
The most expensive homes in Fullerton are within the 92831 boundaries, and is the location with the best views of the city stretching from … (1 comments)
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Fullerton Market Update - August 4, 2007 - 08/04/07 06:41 PM
Fullerton is what I like to call a non-conforming city when it comes to the media reports of doom and gloom in the real estate market. We have a very unique demographic that consists of multiple ethnicities, religions, and income levels as well as homes built in the early 1900's to new construction.
When the media reports astounding numbers of dropping home sales, increasing inventory, and plummeting prices, we have to look at what figures they are trying to represent. Well, here are the RAW figures for the city of Fullerton.
First we will look at the number of Active - Pending … (2 comments)
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