Ar_home_b_search
 



beaverton oregon short sale expert: If time is money, do you want to buy my watch? - 01/12/09 10:17 AM
Time is money. We hear that phrase only after we get our first job, prior to that we don't hear that phrase much, because it really doesn't apply unless it is someone else's time and someone else's money.
So, how does this apply to today's market? Does the time on the market in a short sale or foreclosure really mean more money for the bank? Oh, wait, the phrase means the less time you take to do something, the more money you will make.
This does apply to real estate, but apparently the banks haven't heard this phrase yet. Banks, here … (11 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Landlords don’t make the same mistake this one did - 11/27/08 12:53 AM

One of my clients who owned rental properties prior to me knowing him had one of them he wanted to put on the market because the clients weren't paying their rent. I advised him that if they weren't paying, then more than likely, the property was going to be in less than salable condition when they got it back and that the tenants would probably not make it easy to sell. So my suggestion was to have them evicted prior to putting the home on the market.
He went of over to the property and the person on the lease agreed … (10 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: I’m looking for a home near a good school – Where do your kids go? - 11/26/08 08:44 AM
Well, this is a loaded question, but I can tell you that on my website, I have links to all the area schools and the report card given to them by the state. As for my kids? Well, they are home taught, the teachers are all right, not a lot of kids per class, but recess with dad is a lot of fun.
For more information on home schooling, I suggest you check out Calvert School and you will be amazed at what you read. I know that it isn't for everyone, but I know for my kids, they are better … (6 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: We want to see your home, but, no we can’t come back later - 11/23/08 09:29 AM
This is an open letter to all listing agents and sellers:

This is the letter I think I'm going to send to every agent of a seller that tells me that they want me to come back later. It is very important that sellers understand that when you have a hot buyer, delaying them in anyway will lose the sale. This is why so many automobile salesmen don't want you to leave their lot. They know once you leave you only have about a 2% of ever walking through those doors again, this also applies to looking at a home. … (12 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: If we were to lie this much we would lose our license – So why haven’t they? - 11/08/08 09:43 AM
THIS IS A RANT: If you don't like rants, then I suggest you don't do short sales or read this post! Over the past year and a half I have done many successful short sales, but in more recent times, I feel the banks representatives are being told to lie to anyone who calls. Every time I call I seem to get a different answer and they seem to have no record of the previous calls.

Despite me having a paper trail of offers, they are denying they ever received them even though they have sent me written confirmation of … (28 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: My house has gone down in value, I’ve lost everything – WHAT? - 11/06/08 12:54 AM
I keep hearing this from home owners and I have to say to them, "What are you talking about? Is your house still standing? Are you able to pay the mortgage?" If they answer yes to these two, then you have done nothing but gained!
I'm going to tell you a little story about my parents and how their neighbors and they, all buying at the same time, lost everything, but attitude changed it for one family. (MINE)
It was 1977, my parents were both teachers and were given the opportunity to buy their first home at 9% interest. This was … (25 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: What’s in a number? Apparently some business! - 11/04/08 12:39 AM
18 years ago, when I started another business here in Oregon, I paid for a phone number that I still have today. But, what does that number mean to my business and me? Well, it actually means a lot.
The first thing is that it is easy to remember. 503-524-9494. People seem to be able to remember it without having to write it down and that has helped me many times with clients. Even their kids remember it and can repeat it because of the way I say it, it has kind of a rhythm to it, so it makes it … (17 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Fall doesn’t have to be all bad - 10/29/08 01:55 AM
As the weather turns cooler and the trees start to drop their leaves, it can be a time of frustration as our heating bills go up. But, some people just don't care about that, they only see the true beauty of the season and by doing that, they can bring joy to others.
You see, all the kids in the neighborhood pulled out their rakes and started to rake up a rather large pile of leaves to jump in and have a lot of fun. We had some tree trimmers working the area and they saw what the kids were doing. … (10 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Oregon is just full of giving people this month - 10/28/08 11:37 AM
I have to ask, did Christmas arrive early and I miss it? Last late week, I wrote a post about Santa Claus and his early Christmas present to one of my clients. But, then last night on the news, I hear a story that at one of our local auctions a son and mother team heard a lady crying when they announced a certain house.
They decided to bid on it, won the house in the auction, and then gave the house back to her. Talk about giving! This couple deserves to be applauded for what they did, these people are … (1 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Will all the great agents in the room please take one step forward (WHOA…Not so fast there buddy) - 10/28/08 01:00 AM
Have you ever run in to an agent that thinks they are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but you just want to slap them upside the head and bring them back to Earth? As far as I'm concerned two things make a great agent. First is their clients and the second is dedication.
I was asked by an agent who is in a bigger office what they should do with an agent that is trying to copy her in every way, including her farm areas. She is worried about her farm because this person is a self proclaimed real estate … (10 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: I’ve been put on notice! - 10/27/08 10:59 AM
Over the past two weeks I have spent some serious hours on the phone with the negotiator at Countrywide. I really don't enjoy this, but I do joke with her when we are on the phone. You know, whatever it takes to make the time go by faster, even though nothing seems to be getting done!
Well, Friday my wife put me on notice when I was talking to the home seller, and after 5 hours on the phone to the bank, I accidently called the home seller by the negotiators name. I caught it immediately and the home owner got … (17 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: It is a short sale, why do you care if we offer that much lower than it is worth? - 10/26/08 10:58 AM
Do I slap you now or later? First of all, my fiduciary responsibility is to my seller and I guess in the case of a short sale it really is the bank, so my job is to get them the most money for the house so they lose the least amount of money and not have to foreclose on the property.
But, guess what? I have a seller who doesn't want to do a short sale, but has too! What does that mean to your buyer? My seller is going to turn around and tell you where to stick your offer … (12 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Are we city tour buses now? The feedback I’m getting lately is just weird! - 10/26/08 01:57 AM
Over the past two months I've received some strange feedback on one of my listings. I've also seen similar things on other listings of mine, but this one has gotten the most. I just don't understand why agents would want to be a taxi service to a buyer. Read the feedback from below and tell me if you think these agents are being taxi drivers or agents? With gas prices what they are today, I certainly wouldn't be doing extra stops or driving 60 miles roundtrip out of my way to show a listing that I know they will never buy.
… (6 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Recently remodeled and hey look we covered up a fire are two different things! - 10/25/08 07:06 AM
You read the MLS and it says "REMODELED". It has an amazing price and you call your buyers who get excited and head over to meet you before anyone else has a chance to put an offer in. Now, things get exciting. The house looks amazing, so you put in an offer, it gets accepted and then you order the inspection.

It turns out that remodel was only cosmetic! As the inspector is climbing in and around the kitchen, and the attic above the kitchen, he finds beams burnt through that weren't replaced, and cabinets that still have water damage … (18 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: More and more people are calling me asking how to talk to their banks - 10/07/08 12:16 AM
As more and more people realize that they may have to go in to default, I'm starting to get more and more calls from people asking me how to talk to their banks about how to avoid losing their homes.
The story time after time is that they called their bank and the banks all say, "Sorry, can't help you until you are already in default." Now, I've been able to help a few of these people, but most of the time I have to sit down with them and discuss their options with the HOPE program, talking to a lawyer … (12 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Short Sale, Short Sale, Everywhere a Short Sale - 10/05/08 11:49 PM
As we watch the news, all you seem to hear is how many short sales there are in the market right now and how they are destroying the home prices and consumer confidence. I say let's look at the actual numbers and then decide how bad they are affecting the over all market in Washington County, Oregon.

Today in area 151 which covers Tigard all the way down to Wilsonville, there are 146 active listings that are short sales. In area 150, the Beaverton/Aloha area of Washington County, there are another 182 short sales actively on the market. So the … (14 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Families shouldn’t be forgotten in a short sale - 09/29/08 12:10 AM
One of the toughest things about working short sales is knowing you are helping a family who is in trouble. For some reason, they can't afford to live there anymore. Many times it's because of life changing situations such as divorce, job loss, death, or many other reasons. But, now they have to sell their home and don't have the equity to pay us or what is owed to the bank.

The loss in value in the last two years has made it impossible to sell a house for the same price they bought it for plus 6%-8% to cover … (9 comments)

beaverton oregon short sale expert: Make some extra money before you move - 03/23/07 02:26 AM
You are now about to move and you look around and say to yourself "Where did all this stuff come from?" We all collect things over time, that when it comes time to move that we just don't want to either take with us or just don't want any more.
Most everyone hates moving and that is why so many moving companies exist. We just throw up our hands and say you take care of it. This can cost thousands of dollars and when we get to our new home we are just amazed why we kept this and that as … (0 comments)

 
Helping Families Home is a blog set up to help families find that perfect home for them. I have a family and I understand how hard it can be to find a home that everyone is happy with. Let me help you find that home and help your family home.


Find out why I'm a happy grasshopper




Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog