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Tremendous Technology - 12/28/10 10:43 AM
I'm not sure how Realtor's in the past were able to function without the modern technology that we have today. With the advent of Cellular Phones, IPads, Netbooks, Online MLS Systems, Electronic Signing Companies, etc -- it seems impossible that anyone got anything done in the past.This past weekend I spent time vacationing in Orlando. Just prior to my return home, I received a telephone call from a client who wanted to put an offer in on a property he viewed just prior to my leaving town. I told him I would prepare the contract and send it to him upon … (9 comments)
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Lots of Happy Holiday Greetings Via Email - Are They Appreciated or a Detriment? - 12/23/10 05:26 PM
This year my email inbox has been working overtime collecting all the "Happy Holiday" greetings sent by almost every type of company on the planet. I have received greetings from public officials, Realtors, title insurance companies/underwriters, mortgage brokers, chiropractors, massage therapists, etc. I must have received 200 of such mailings -- and it's not just because I'm a nice guy!Many of the greetings received were from companies I have never done business with in the past, however, they insist on expressing how nice it's been doing business with them over the past year. Huh?While it's REALLY nice to be appreciated and … (1 comments)
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Getting Your Message "Out" via Twitter - 12/21/10 09:08 AM
I recently discovered a service (about 1 month ago) which allows me to create Twitter messages which can be created today and scheduled to be sent out at a later date. To make the service even better, you can also set messages to recur/repeat on a predetermined basis (i.e. - daily, weekly, monthly or yearly). The name of the service is Twaitter and you can sign up, for free, at http://www.twaitter.com.Think of the possibilities:1. If you are a listing agent and wish to market a property you could send out a message, with a link, to the property on a daily … (3 comments)
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The Station House - Deerfield Beach Florida - 12/18/10 05:36 PM
Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me...Last night, my wife and I celebrated my birthday. In celebration, I decided I would take her out to dinner at a popular restaurant known for serving up really good lobster. The name of the restaurant is The Station House which has 2 south Florida locations. I chose the one closer to the house which had recently opened. It is located in East Deerfield Beach, FL.Quick Recap (because this is a long article)1. The bartender and vibrant waiter (explained in detail later) were good. All other staff, from what I saw, are in terrible … (1 comments)
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Huh? - 12/17/10 11:57 AM
We recently processed a short sale for a struggling home owner located in Florida. We obtained short sale approval for the first lien holder who, in turn, agreed to pay the second lien holder $2,000 for a $45,000 balance. The second lien holder asked for a Seller contribution of just under $400 and, in turn, would completely forgive all remaining debt and would not seek a deficiency judgment. This arrangement was put in writing. When the Realtor representing the Seller learned that the lender was requesting the contribution, he went ballistic and tried any/all means of NOT requiring the Seller to come in … (2 comments)
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New Listing! Nicely Priced and Attractive Boca Raton Condo - Near FAU - 12/15/10 09:14 PM
$110,0002650 Greenwood Terrace, G-219Boca Raton, FL 33431
Outstanding lake view 2nd floor end unit. Upgraded kitchen with granite. Upgraded cabinets, appliances and lighting. Covered balcony/patio area is a great place to relax and enjoy the lake views. Hurricane glass. Near FAU.
2 Bedroom, 2 Bathrooms, 935 Sq. Ft.
Call Rick Schuster, Licensed Real Estate Broker561-206-2835
… (2 comments)
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Please Don't Trip Me While I am Showing Your Listing - 12/15/10 08:18 AM
Over this past weekend the Miami Dolphins played football against the New York Jets. As you may have heard, a Dolphins player (Nolan Carroll) was attempting to make a play down field and needed to "run along the sideline" in order to get to his target. Along the way a Jets coach (Sal Alosi) "allegedly" stuck out his foot and tripped the Dolphins player. Now, the NFL and the New York Jets are reviewing the incident.I'M OUTRAGED AS THIS JERK'S UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR!This incident got me thinking. What if I was entering a home that you had listed and you tripped me upon … (13 comments)
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What Advice Would You Give to a New College Graduate? - 12/14/10 12:21 PM
Question:If you had one piece of advice to give to a new college or high school graduate entering the work force, what would that 'bit of advice be?Your comments would be appreciated as I feel that as veterans of the Real Estate Industry, we still have a lot to learn from one another.Comments?
… (6 comments)
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Watch What You Eat and You May Sell More Real Estate - 12/14/10 09:54 AM
Now that we're about 1/2 way through the holiday eating season, I have finally decided that "enough is enough". I can only eat so many cookies, cake, ice cream, holiday bars, fudge, etc. I can only go out to dinner "so many" times in one week and I can only snack on "so many" gift baskets during the course of the day. Turducken (very fattening) -- Honey Baked Ham -- Candy Canes -- Pumpkin Pie ----- wow!STOP THE INSANITY!This year I've decided to do something about this crazy eating frenzy. I am going back to sensible eating and keeping a journal … (6 comments)
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Can a Signature Line in an Email Disable the Delivery of the Message - 12/13/10 04:17 PM
Around 2 years ago I determined that I have too many email addresses and I needed a place to be able to view them ALL in one convenient location. I pondered Microsoft Outlook (which I was using at the time) but decided that I could not "access it from everywhere" like you could with webmail. It was also, at the time, cumbersome with regards to wireless connectivity with a Blackberry device.After viewing several different services, I settled on gmail (Google's Version of Email) because of the Google Documents suite of applications provided by the them.Overall, I really like gmail, especially the … (0 comments)
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Electronic Signing is Easy (And Cool Too)! - 12/10/10 09:40 AM
A few weeks ago I was contacted by a Listing Agent regarding a property under contract which required "new" signatures for a real estate contract and he needed them in a very timely fashion. Knowing it wouldn't be a problem, I called the Buyer and informed him of the request.Cooperative as always, my client responded that he was on vacation and would be happy to sign the documents once he arrived back home in Texas (in 6 days) because he had a computer but no printer in order to sign the documents and he really didn't feel like going to the … (2 comments)
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Waters Edge Elementary Holiday Choir Presentation - 12/09/10 08:05 PM
This evening was the Waters Edge Elementary School Holiday Choir Presentation. The participants included 2nd through 5th graders and, as you may imagine, the venue was standing room only.Not only were the children unbelievably impressive in their individual talents, equally impressive was the attendance of the administrative staff at the school. The Principal, Mr. Slack and his Vice Principal Mrs. Goode, were in attendance along with various teachers and other staff members. Also in attendance were students "supporting" other students -- kinda' cool at this age and a little unexpected as well.The children performed 8 holiday songs recognizing the major holidays … (0 comments)
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The Mathematics Behind Network "Leads" Groups - 12/08/10 08:27 PM
The other day, I received a telephone call from a client who asked me whether I'd be interested in joining a 40 participant BNI Networking Group as their Title Insurance "guy". Knowing that I'd be foolish to immediately turn such an opportunity down, I obtained the contact information of the group leader and contacted her to learn more about the opportunity. Unfortunately, because I am already a member of a Chamber of Commerce Business Leads Group, I did not qualify for membership into BNI.Setting aside the fact that BNI is a very serious organization and this particular group has done millions … (4 comments)
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Safety Reminder - Be Careful What You Post! - 12/07/10 10:05 AM
Unfortunately, I was up at 5:30 this morning -- bright eyed and bushy tailed -- ready to conquer the world.My first feat of the day would be to catch up on my social media. So, I grabbed my blackberry and checked my email first. After viewing a LinkedIn blurb about my last blog (Winterizing Your Home), I turned to Facebook and started reviewing my friends posts from last evening.One post jumped out at me in a dramatic fashion. It was from a very good friend of mine who lives in a safe South Florida neighborhood. The post indicated that it was … (9 comments)
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Should We Winterize South Florida Homes - 12/06/10 05:15 PM
Last year the title insurance branch of our operation closed on a Bulk REO transaction consisting of 105 properties located between the Midwest and the East Coast. Of the 105 properties only a handful were located in Florida. During the closing process I noticed that one of the line item expenses listed on the HUD-1 (still allowable in 2009), showed "Winterizing" as an expense. I didn't think much of it at the time because there were only a few Florida homes included in the package.Fast forward to 2010 -- as one featured blog article headline sates today: "Baby, it's cold outside". … (0 comments)
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Oh No, My Power Went Out ---- Now What? - 12/05/10 04:37 PM
When I pulled into the driveway at 10:30 this morning after 2.5 hours of tennis, I realized that the garage door remote control was not working. Thinking that the switch in the garage may have been flipped off by one of my kids, I let myself into the house via the front door where I quickly learned that the power was out not only in the house but in the entire neighborhood!Immediately, I began to think of all the things I "needed" to do today which required electricity:1. Fix the light fixture in the bathroom2. Trim the trees/bushes with the electric … (0 comments)
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A Little Time Off Pays - 12/04/10 02:32 PM
Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of a "grind" that can be a little difficult to get out of.
Question: How many of you have found yourself working countless hours and seen little or no results? Then, when you are spending a little quality time off you successfully put a deal together!
Is it coincidence? I'm not so sure that it is. You see, I find that while I am most relaxed I am most successful in whatever i am doing -- whether I am working a short sale, putting together a mortgage or negotiating a real estate transaction. I … (6 comments)
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A Little Inspiration Goes a Long Way! - 12/03/10 08:49 AM
During the last quarter of each year (beginning in late October) I always find it a little difficult to focus on the task at hand. The distractions pulling me from Title Insurance, Real Estate and Mortgage are just too daunting. We have Thanksgiving, Holiday Parties, Hanukkah, Christmas, Guests Coming to Town (Florida), Obligations Out of Town (the in laws), Friends, Family and oh yea ---- WORK! All the time pressures can be pretty overwhelming.Realizing this, I decided that this year I am going to be proactive and stay 100% focused on "the task at hand". In order to effectuate this goal … (2 comments)
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The 5 Biggest Short Sale Mistakes a Realtor Should Not Make - 12/02/10 04:08 PM
Through processing over 450 short sales, I figured it would be worthwhile to share some of my experiences relating to the 5 Biggest Short Sale Mistakes a Realtor Should Not Make.
1. Don't Hire an Unqualified Professional to Facilitate or Negotiate with the Bank
I can't even begin to tell you how many times our office has received a request to process a short sale which has been previously "worked" by another individual or entity. When our office receives such a file the first thing we do is check on the status with the bank (after we receive proper authorization). 9 times out of … (4 comments)
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"To Sign the Note" or "To Not Sign the Note" -- That is the Question - 12/01/10 03:41 PM
SHORT SALE TALES
"To Sign the Note" or "To Not Sign the Note" -- That is the QuestionA Realtor approached our title insurance company 45 days ago and indicated that she had been unsuccessful in getting a Seller's lender to agree on the terms of a short sale request. My staff suggested that the Seller allow us to attempt to facilitate an agreement with the lender and the Seller agreed. After several telephone calls, faxes and emails we were able to successfully reach agreement with the Seller's lender. We even got the lender to agree to absorb past due Home Owner Association … (5 comments)
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Short Sale Tidbits - 12/01/10 09:59 AM
Short Sale Tidbits
Home Guardian Title has processed over 450 short sales. http://www.homeguardiantitle.com
… (0 comments)
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As a Licensed Real Estate Broker, Licensed Title Insurance Agent and Licensed Mortgage Broker, Rick Schuster puts together all of the pieces of the Real Estate puzzle.
As a Licensed Real Estate Broker, Licensed Title Insurance Agent and Licensed Mortgage Broker, Rick Schuster puts together all of the pieces of the Real Estate puzzle.
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