Real Estate Investors: How to Create Wealth with Apartment Foreclosures - 06/28/09 11:49 PM
Attention Real Estate Investors:  In the next 12 months, there will be more billionaires made in the U.S. than in the entire history of the world!  Will you be one of the up-and-coming billionaires?
Tune in to this FREE real estate training seminar with Karen Hanover, one of the nation's leading experts on commercial real estate: "How to Buy Apartment Foreclosures Made Easy"
Karen Hanover is a highly successful real estate investor and syndicate with over $32 million in personal property ownership. As an active investor, Karen understands the challenges faced by real estate commercial investors.
DATE:  TUESDAY June 30, 2009
TIME:  … (8 comments)

No More Renters Forced from Homes due to Owner's Foreclosure! - 06/28/09 11:09 PM
New Law Gives Renters Protection During Foreclosure, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.  I've heard too many stories about homeless families because THEY paid their rent on time BUT the homeowner did not pay the mortgage!  I jumped up and down when I read this new law.
An urgent email from the National Low Income Housing Coalition says:
"Important protections for tenants living in foreclosed properties were signed into law by President Obama.  The renter protection provisions took effect immediately and expire at the end of 2012.   S. 896 contains key renter protections, advocated for by NLIHC and … (7 comments)

Rich Levin's Tips on the 4 Skills Needed to Work with Buyers - 06/28/09 10:34 PM
Rich Levin, top real estate trainer, sent me a great article that I just had to share!  It's called "The Four Required Skills to Work with Buyers" and says "there are four distinct skills you need to develop to take full advantage of this tremendous opportunity with buyer leads:"
Contact the leads Convert the leads into appointments Develop and conduct a winning buyer presentation Stay in touch with the leads until they buy from you or you drop them First you need the habit and discipline of contacting enough of the leads that you generate to reach your goals.  Most Agents … (2 comments)

Realtors: Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation - 06/28/09 09:32 PM
The Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) course series is being offered by the The San Diego Association of REALTORS® to help you earn a designation that will set you apart from other agents.
With so many international investors in the U.S. in today's market, this course will propel your business to the next level.
REALTORS® who take this class will:
Join an elite group of less than 1,500 REALTORS® world-wide who hold this designation Help local buyers invest abroad Exchange transaction referrals with worldwide agents Get referrals from the online CIPS Directory Earn elective credits for ABR, CRS, RPS and receive … (1 comments)

Tips for Better Presentations with PowerPoint - 06/28/09 09:09 PM
"The Art, Science, and Story of PowerPoint Presentation Design" was a sold-out standing-room-only presentation by top writer and business consultant Adele Sommers at a recent STC meeting.  She demonstrated the "10 types of design and delivery dilemmas, related mistakes, and a set of corresponding remedies. They can easily apply to any presentations you create with slide software, such as Microsoft® PowerPoint®, Apple® Keynote, or the free Google® Presentations software."
Below are Adele's TOP TIPS:
Tip #1: Text - Display only one basic idea per slide. Place your talking points (your narration script) in your handouts and speaker notes. Tip #2: Graphics - … (7 comments)

Want more comments? Get Featured on our "Virtual Office" Group! - 06/15/09 03:25 AM
Want more comments (and therefore more blog points)?  It's easy!  Just get featured on our ActiveRain Virtual Office Blog.
Just join your fellow AR members here in the ‘Rain!  I will be happy to feature your blog on our "Virtual Office" group.
If you write a great blog and would like it to be featured on our group, please post it to the group, and then send me an email.  I rotate featured blogs several times per week to try to give all group members an opportunity to have a feature here.
The steps are:
Join our AR Virtual Office group: http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice Post … (14 comments)

Add a Twitter Widget to your ActiveRain blog! - 06/15/09 02:28 AM
Recently I emailed members of the Active Rain "Virtual Office" group.  I asked if anyone needed more comments on their blogs, and how I could help them.  I offered to feature blogs in our Virtual Office group.
The response from my fellow AR members was tremendously positive!  Some were requests for information, like my friend Karl Peidl.
"I was wondering if you could do me a bit of a favor. Though I love the social media thing, I'm not very tech savy.  On your blog post you have great widgets at the bottom for Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.  Do you have or … (44 comments)

Got a Problem? Resolve it in a Professional Manner - 06/15/09 01:58 AM
Don't you just hate it when someone posts slander or gossip about you in an online public forum?  Well, if they're professionals, they shouldn't.  Why?
Because professionals have the courtesy to approach others directly.  Professionals, like us ActiveRain members, don't back-bite, gossip, slander, act passive/agressive, be a "sissy" by not confronting people, or whatever you want to call it.
So what do you do when you have an issue with an ActiveRain member or a colleague?  How should you vent your complaint?
Go to the person -- phone works best (email is often taken out of context because there's no tone).  State your concerns in … (12 comments)

What exactly is a Virtual Office? Isn't that the same as a Virtual Assistant? - 06/14/09 11:57 PM
No. 
A Virtual Office? Is NOT the same as a Virtual Assistant.
I'm writing a guide book, even as we speak.  It's called "Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Prosper from your Home or Mobile Office".
When people hear the title of the book, some ask, "You mean it's a book about how to hire a Virtual Assistant?"  Or some ask, "Does the book teach you how to work as a Virtual Assistant?"
No, my book has nothing to do with Virtual Assistants (VA's).  VA's are professionals who assist other professionals, often from a remote location.  Sort of like … (8 comments)

e-Signed docs: DocuSign or Adobe Acrobat Signatures? - 06/14/09 11:56 PM
Both are great ways to sign documents electronically.  Online, that is.  We're talking about paperless transactions.  Working from your virtual office (which can be your home-based business or your mobile office from anywhere in the world).
The great thing about DocuSign is that YOU, the real estate professional, can sign your docs; then put "sticky notes" for your clients to sign; and THEY can read & sign online too!  Without ever printing out a single paper.  On the "down" side, you have to pay a monthly or annual fee to continue using the service.
Here's a sample signature from DocuSign:

At the … (10 comments)

Cool Tool for Homeowners: SafeSlider to Prevent Break-ins - 06/14/09 11:54 PM
I've always known that sliding glass doors are the easiest type of door to break into.  So easy that many burglars know how to manipulate the doors to open from the outside. 
Don't be a target!
"Most homeowners don't realize that even if their sliding door is latched and locked, crooks can still lift the door panel up and over the tracks, remove it and enter the home. We know that there are many "homegrown" solutions to this security issue, but at the price - it really makes sense to take a look at our top rated product.
"This is a simple product that … (4 comments)

Excuse me, What's a NEG AM loan? And how does it affect our Economy? - 06/14/09 11:39 PM
My favorite client "Kenton", a young college grad and shopping for a first-time buyer home, and I were discussing types of mortage loans.
I advised him to steer clear of the "Pick a Payment" types of mortage loans.  What's a Pick-a- Payment???  That's one of those real estate "insider" industry terms.
Well, I explained, Countrywide and other mortgage lenders offer some loans in which the borrower can select their payment every month, and choose between:
Full payment of principal + interest, which is fully amortized and will be paid off in 30 years. Full payment of principal + interest + extra … (1 comments)

Do you have an "Outlet for Retiring"? My Green Parachute does! - 06/14/09 11:16 PM
My Realtor® friend called to tell me some great news.  She shared that she just passed her Broker's license a few months ago, and now will be opening her own real estate office!
But, she said, there was a problem with her career.  She was depending on her real estate investments as her retirement.  Slowly, over the past few years, she has been buying real estate, tucking away her earnings as big downpayments on rental homes. 
Well, we all know what happened to the real estate market these past 2 years.  And real estate investors are feeling the pinch too.  With her income … (4 comments)

Clarification for Realtors: "I AM" = "WE ARE" - 06/14/09 10:37 PM
Last week I posted a blog which started with the title: "I am a Realtor".  It also says that I'm a "Homeowner Advocate", "Neighborhood Housing Expert" and "Community Volunteer".  Here's a link to the blog if you'd like to review it:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1099911/i-am-a-realtor-a-homeowner-advocate-a-neighborhood-expert-a-community-volunteer
For clarification, this blog is NOT about me or any of the great stuff I do.  Because you probably don't care about me or anything I do.  So I do all these wonderful things, but yeah, who really cares?  Probably only my clients.  And I know that.
This blog is about YOU, the professional Realtor®.  Being a salesperson is only a … (0 comments)

The Model for Creating an Elite Boutique Real Estate Brokerage - 06/11/09 09:52 PM
Thinking about opening your own business?  Or a real estate office?  Take a look at some of the things outlined by Ray Corbel in this great blog.  Very thorough outline that makes it simple!
Via Ray Cobel (Cobel Target Marketing):
Why an Elite Boutique Real Estate Brokerage? Why Now?
Yah, the economy is bad. Sales are down. Prices are down. Loans are harder to get. Unemployment is high. Blah, blah; blah blah.
The truth is that the overwhelming majority of people still has jobs and money to spend. In fact, the tougher things get, the more real estate bargains there are. So people who have money are, and will continue … (3 comments)

Sign up FREE: Get Referrals through MyGreen Parachute membership - 06/06/09 01:56 AM
Realtors® and Real Estate Agents:
Would you like to become a member of the My Green Parachute referral system?  It's a special referral program that allows retired real estate agents to refer their past clients to active real estate agents, like you!  Once you join, our retired agent members can contact you directly from our membership roster.
FOR A LIMITED TIME, it's free to sign up!  The $100 initial enrollment fee will be deferred until you receive your first compensation!
Click here for more info:
http://www.joinmgp.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=129&Itemid=31   It's easy to sign up:
Scroll down and enter your name & contact info  … (21 comments)

Attention INVESTORS: Short Sale Webinar this SUNDAY - 06/05/09 11:50 PM
I listened to a real estate investment webinar on TUES night, it had so many great tips that I sent some emails to my friends for THR's webinar... and it was such a popular topic that some of my friends were turned away, the webinar was OVER capacity! 
So they added 1 more webinar date:  THIS SUNDAY NIGHT
The webinar is FREE and it shows how to capitalize on today's real estate Short Sales.  I listened in and learned a LOT of great techniques and tips to profit MORE on transactions.  It's geared to real estate investors but Realtors® and mortgage lenders can … (9 comments)

RIDDLE: How do you know when the REAL ESTATE Market has hit bottom? - 06/05/09 11:04 PM
ANSWER:  After it starts going back up! 

Regina P. BrownBroker, Realtor®, e-ProAuthor of eBook "Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House"Author of forthcoming book, "Virtual Office Guide for Business Professionals:  Work & Profit from Home"Join & post to my NEW ActiveRain group at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice


Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved
  
… (18 comments)

Lenders: Are you in compliance with the RED FLAG anti-ID-theft Regulations? - 06/05/09 12:27 AM
"May 1st was the deadline for U.S. financial institutions and creditors to comply with the "Red Flag" regulations adopted by the Federal Trade Commission - an extension from the previously announced November 2008 deadline.  Every business that furnishes goods or services on a delayed-payment basis is required to develop and implement programs designed to detect, prevent and mitigate the effects of identity theft. Written by Charles H. Kennedy, Of Counsel, Morrison and Foerster LLP, this white paper clarifies requirements of the Red Flag regulations and offers guidance for how impacted businesses can prepare," says Iron Mountain.
For more information, go to … (5 comments)

$8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Rebate Applied to Purchase for Down Payment? - 06/04/09 01:48 AM
I received this email from California Association of Realtors® Newsline today:
"U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan recently announced that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will allow home buyers to apply the administration's new $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit toward the purchase costs of a FHA-insured home. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 offers home buyers a tax credit of up to $8,000 for purchasing their first home. Families can only access this credit after filing their tax returns with the IRS. Home buyers using FHA-approved lenders can apply the tax credit to … (9 comments)

I am a Realtor®, a Homeowner Advocate, a Neighborhood Expert, a Community Volunteer - 06/03/09 01:48 AM
Yes I'm a Realtor®, but that is not synonymous with a salesperson.  Of course I help families buy their homes, families sell their homes, and families keep their homes.  But that is only the paid part of my career.  Here are some of the other duties I perform:
I attend City Council meetings and speak out on behalf of home owners.
I volunteer to build houses through Habitat for Humanity for my low-income neighbors.
I answer many questions from prospective home buyers about every aspect of buying a home.
I stay abreast of the ever-changing real estate techniques, rules, and government … (7 comments)

 
Regina_photo Rainmaker_large

Regina P. Brown, e-Pro Realtor®

San Luis Obispo, CA

More about me…

California Coast & Country Homes, Inc.

Address: California Coast & Country Homes, Inc.

Office Phone: (888) 550-9340

Email Me

Top California Broker and Realtor Regina P. Brown writes articles and blogs about local real estate trends, houses for sale, and tips for home buyers.


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog