Amanda's Blog

Mello Roos Amount by Development or Builder Tract?

Amanda Wheel — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:09:28 -0500

Does anyone know of a resource other than the Orange County Tax Assessor's office to get information about the amount of Mello Roos by housing tract or development?

I have a client who may be interested in homes that have mello roos, but only if it is below a certain amount.

It is easy enough to search the MLS for homes that do not have mello roos, but when I come across a home that does, the listing almost never has the amount.

I know that I can get mello roos information by address from the Tax Collector's office, but I'd rather not have to search for this information for each address.

Any suggestions?

Buyer-Broker Agreement--When & How Do You Get a Potential Client to Sign It??

Amanda Wheel — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:15:11 -0500

I am having difficulty, particulary with internet leads, getting a potential buyer to sign a buyer-broker agreement. So I end up spending hours doing research for them and showing them homes only to have them buy a home from someone else, or in the most recent case from a FSBO.

So I'd like to hear from other agents when you ask a potential client to sign a Buyer-Broker Agreement?

Also, if you have a good script or wording you use to explain why it is in the buyer's best interest to sign one, I'd love to hear that too!

Anyone else have this problem??

Was my $20,000 worth it?

Amanda Wheel — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 04:48:47 -0500

Hello everyone. I'm excited about joining this forum and learning from other real estate agents and webmasters across the country who are tech-savvy.

Along those lines, I've just spent a little over $20,000 on a new website that has custom-IDX and some other cool features. As I spent more than 6 months developing it, I am totally biased at this point and can't tell what needs improvement or could be added to make the website a better experience for the user.

If you have a free moment and could offer your two cents, I'd really appreciate it! The website is http://www.ocrealestateadvisors.com. Also, if you have a cool website I should check out, please send me a PM with the URL.

Many thanks!

A Little Bit About Me...

Amanda Wheel — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:49:59 -0500

I am an Orange County native and have lived in Laguna Niguel since 1980. I know the area well and love it!

Aside from being any ivy-league educated real estate broker, I am also a real estate attorney. So when you work with me, you not only get the market expertise of a broker, you also get the legal expertise to protect you as you make one of the most important financial decisions you'll ever make, namely the purchase or sale of a home.

There is also a huge financial incentive to hire O.C. Real Estate Advisors when you purchase or sell a home in Orange County. When we represent a home seller, we always offer our services on a flat fee. That's right, we don't work on commission and never will!

When we represent a home buyer, we give all of our buyer clients 20% of our commission in cash at the close of escrow. You can choose to spend this money any way you want. You might decide to use it to re-paint your new home, install new carpet, or take a much-needed vacation.

In forming O.C. Real Estate Advisors, my goal was to take my emphasis on client service from the legal realm, where I had worked as a litigation attorney for more than 10 years, and translate that into a real estate company that not only cared about its clients, but looked out for their legal interests as well. What I enjoy most about my job is helping people achieve their goals. Customer satisfaction is very important to me and I take pride in providing excellent results that are specifically tailored to meet my client’s needs.

For many people, the purchase or sale of a home will be the most important financial decision they ever make. At O.C. Real Estate Advisors, we believe that in making this decision, you should be advised by the best legal and real estate minds in the business. And that is what you are guaranteed to receive when you hire O.C. Real Estate Advisors to help you with the purchase or sale of your home.

We also believe that the real estate advice you receive should be objective, independent, and honest. That’s why we follow the strict Code of Ethics of the California Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors, and the Foundation of the State Bar of California.

In addition to maintaining high ethical standards, O.C. Real Estate Advisors’ mission is to provide high quality real estate services at a reasonable cost, one that our clients can afford. We don't believe real estate agents should make tens of thousands of dollars every time a home is sold. That's why we represent home sellers for a low flat fee (instead of a high commission), and give home buyers cash back at the close of escrow.

I have twice been awarded the Bronze Medal by the United States Government for providing outstanding and superior performance in the service of my client’s needs. The Orange County Register has also recognized me as an expert in real estate matters and my real estate advice has appeared in Orange Coast Magazine.

If I can help you with any of your Orange County real estate needs, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by email at amanda@ocrealestateadvisors.com or on my toll-free number (866) 570-9488.

I look forward to serving you!

Amanda R. Wheeland

Custom Website - Good or Great??

Amanda Wheel — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:44:19 -0500

I guess there should be another option there, good, great or not so great.

I've spent the past 6 months in development on a new website and would like to get a fresh perspective on the appearance, usability, and anything else that might need improvement. The website is located at http://www.ocrealestateadvisors.com

Any and all thoughts, criticisms and critiques are appreciated!

~Amanda

Horrible Experience with Template Website Vendor

Amanda Wheel — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:23:41 -0600

I am writing to let you know about my horrible experience with Advanced Access in the hope that it will prevent someone from ending up in the situation as me. I purchased their template website and premium marketing package for $4399. After 10 months of waiting for results, I was disappointed to learn that I only had 30 unique visitors for the previous month. 30 visitors? That is a ridiculously low number.

I was told at the time I signed up for my Premium Marketing Package that the metatags and keywords would be customized for each of my webpages. This was never done. Instead, all of my webpages have the same metatags and keywords. So, for example, when you search in google for my website only one page shows up as having been indexed.

I was also told at the time I signed up for my Premium Marketing Package that I would receive a monthly analysis of my website with personalized suggestions as to how I could add to, or alter, the content of my website to increase my search engine rankings. Despite this promise, the first time I received an e-mail from AA with specific suggestions on how to improve my search engine rankings was 9 months after I signed up for the package. These suggestions were only provided to me after I called AA to find out what was going on with the search-engine optimization of my website. During this call, I was also told that the person who had been assigned to optimize my website was no longer with AA and that I would have to be assigned a new representative. Had I not called AA, I don’t know when you would have figured out that no one was working on the search-engine optimization for my website.

These are just some of the ways in which AA failed to live up to the promises that were made to me when I signed up for the Premium Marketing Package. More than 10 months after I signed up for the Premium Marketing Package with AA, my website still has not been optimized. As the statistics for the last month show, I had 30 unique visitors to my website.

I sued AA in small claims court and obtained a judgment against them for all of the money I paid them. I have not received any of it yet because they are appealing the Judge’s decision. It is ridiculous that AA forced me into the position of having to sue them for their failure to optimize my website, and that they are still refusing to admit this failure by appealing the Judge’s decision.

I strongly encourage anyone who is considering hiring AA to optimize their website to do their homework. Knowing what I know now, I would never choose to work with them again.

Very disappointed,
~Amanda

Horrible Experience with Template Website Vendor

Amanda Wheel — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:21:52 -0600

I am writing to let you know about my horrible experience with Advanced Access in the hope that it will prevent someone else from ending up in my situation. I purchased their template website and premium marketing package for $4399. After 10 months of waiting for results, I was disappointed to learn that I only had 30 unique visitors for the previous month. 30 visitors? That is a ridiculously low number.

I strongly encourage anyone who is considering hiring AA to optimize their website to do their homework. Knowing what I know now, I would never choose to work with them again.

Very disappointed,
~Amanda

Horrible Experience with Template Website Vendor

Amanda Wheel — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:20:13 -0600

I am writing to let you know about my horrible experience with Advanced Access in the hope that it will allow someone to avoid a similar fate. I purchased their template website and premium marketing package for $4399. After 10 months of waiting for results, I was disappointed to learn that I only had 30 unique visitors for the previous month. 30 visitors? That is a ridiculously low number.

I strongly encourage anyone who is considering hiring AA to optimize their website to do their homework. Knowing what I know now, I would never choose to work with them again.

Very disappointed,
~Amanda