Idaho Real Estate >> ID Real Estate Specialist

A letter of love to my nephew

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:33:58 -0600

This is a letter to my nephew Matthew George. He is following in my footsteps and wrestling in school. He has had some good success this year but has lost a few close matches. Below is a letter I wrote to him last night.

Matt,

I wanted to share my opinion about something that I guarantee will help you in wrestling and in life son. What do Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Walter Payton and Lance Armstrong all have in common? Not only are they all considered to be the best in their given sport but THEY ALL ARE OR WERE IN BETTER CONDITION THAN THEIR OPPONENT. This may seem real basic but trust me, it separates winners from losers.

When I was wrestling my best I was in the best condition of my life. I ran more laps, did more pushups, did more pull-ups and did more agility training than anyone on my team. I would stay in the gym longer than anyone else and the results showed. When your mom saw me wrestle and beat state champion Hector Cedillo in 1973 I was in the best condition of my life. When I walked on that matt I believed with my whole heart I could defeat Hector Cedillo and there was no doubt in my mind. I believed this because I knew I had trained harder than anyone on my team. When my hand was raised in victory it was one of the most incredible days of my life. All the hard work and dedication had paid off.

Vijay Singh will hit golf balls until his hands bleed and has been known to finish a golf tournament and head right for the driving range to practice a particular shot for hours that he miss hit in the tournament. There was even a report one day that Vijay's caddy was holding a large lamp because Vijay was hitting golf balls in the dark. Both Vijay and Tiger Woods have personal trainers that push them to the limit when most pro golfers have gone home. When Walter Payton was alive he would go to his old university and train with the young guns. They would run up dirt hills and Walter Payton would always outrun guys half his age and train harder than anyone else. We all know why Lance Armstrong has accomplished what he has. He was simply in better condition than anyone else hands down. There is no magical pill to take and no one can teach it to you. Very few people in this world are blessed with the drive and determination all great achievers have.

I PROMISE YOU that if you get yourself in better condition than anyone else that you will have more stamina at the end of your matches and you will outlast your opponent. This is not a guess on my part but a guarantee! You see son, if you continue to do what everyone else does and continue to do what the coaches tell you to do and no more you will continue to get the same results.

Like Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Walter Payton and Lance Armstrong, if you start running extra laps, do extra sitt-ups, do more agility training than anyone else you will see the results that will make you a stronger, faster athlete. At the end of the last period you will outlast your opponent and have more gas to get the job done. You will have more victories like the one in the photo above and you will be rewarded for doing what most in this world are unwilling to do which is to pay the price that has to be paid and the price that all winners pay.

Life takes this kind of dedication if we want more out of it son. If we do no more than we are told to do we will be average at best. If you train your mind and read more, search more, work harder and never stop learning magical things will start to happen and your world will change.

Know that I love you and will never stop believing in you.

Uncle George

U.S. News picks Boise as 4th best place to live

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:01:50 -0500

Yes, it's happened again. For the past several years some national publication has picked Boise Idaho as one of the best places to live or a great place for business and industry.

In 2008 Forbes ranked Boise the 2nd best place in the nation for business climate and careers. Forbes cited the diverse business climate, strong econimic foundation, diverse culture and the wonderful atmosphere which offers the Boise River runing the middle of the city and impressive mountains in the backdrop.

And now U.S. News and world report has named Boise Idaho as the 4th best place in the nation to live for 2009. The article cites over 2,700 acres of parks, Micron Technologies, Hewlett-Packard and the diverse cultures that are evident throughout the city.

With all the talk about the struggling economy it's nice to know there are places like Boise, Idaho that have many areas that have never even felt the blow of the recession. There is a positive and vibrant atmosphere in Boise and many marvel at what it has to offer.

Posted By: George Tallabas - Boise Idaho Real Estate Agent- Associate Broker
with RE/MAX Advantage, Canyon Counties #1 Brokerage in sales and listings
specializing in Boise Idaho Real Estate and Southwest Idaho Real Estate.

Week 12 Don't want to sound like a broken record

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:06:19 -0500

Yes, I was hesitant to write this blog because I have nothing new to report. It is the some ole, same ole with one long distant potential buyer and one buyer that went out with my buyer agent, sounded like a great buyer only to fizzle away and leave my buyer agent high and dry.

I woulld love to report I have had a sale and that I have a slew of new buyers waiting in line but I cannot tell a lie or my nose will grow leaps and bounds, ha ha!

I shall keep my chin up and hope for greener pastures around the corner. If you want to learn more about Growth Leader click below and good luck to you.

Week 11 Report >> Gotta keep my chin up!

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:02:15 -0500

Yes, last week I reported I had a HOT LEAD which has quickly turned colder than ice. She has not returned any of my calls or emails after having what I thought was a great conversation. One never knows and there may be some things in her life that has kept her from following up but I am not holding my breath. The two leads I have had this week have not left contact information.

On a brighter note, one past lead did go out with my buyer rep last week and this could turn in to something but it is too early to tell. I also have had an out of state buyer contact me on a regular basis. Her and her husband are from Alaska and want to purchase a second home her in Idaho.

If these two leads turn in to something then I could avoid being skunked all these weeks! I will keep my chin up and if you want to learn more about Growth Leader click the link below.

The last computer backup program you will ever need

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:20:35 -0500

How many times have you or someone you know lost important data on a computer and failed to backup or the backup they had failed to restore? I also know too many associates and friends that have a beautiful external hard drive that is full or has never been programed to backup on a regular basis.

Wouldn't it be nice to have your computer automatically backed up and never have to worry about it again?

Wouldn't it be nice if your someone could:

Backup your computer automatically
Have no limit to what it backs up
Is totally secure and safe
Can restore files with a couple of clicks of your mouse
Never take-up room on your personal computer

That programs is now here and is the best backup system I have seen! for only $54.95/year (2 & 3 year discounts available) you can now have the ultimate computer backup system.

Go to Carbonite.com and get started with a truly amazing, safe, and economical backup system you will love!

Week 10 >> Can this Hot Lead be for real?

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:53:45 -0500

After several weeks of lows and near highs that fizzled out I just received a lead this past week that may be the real thing! I spoke to this lead for a good 30 minutes and she seemed like the real deal! She is a first time home buyer and was very interested in Idaho's First time home buyer program and the $8,000 federal tax credit program. I explained both programs in length.

After a lot of tire kickers it will be nice if this lead turns out to be what I believe it is. I won't really know for 3-4 weeks when they plan on being in my area. The wife I spoke to indicated they will contact me a few days before they come to the area to make an appointment with me.

Wish me good luck and if you are interested in finding out more about Growth Leader click the link below and "Go for it".

Week 9 sounds like a broken record

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:39:42 -0500

Sorry, nothing new to announce. The some old same old. I have had one out of state buyer contact me that contacted me 3 weeks ago. They are considering a second home in Idaho and have been pre-approved for a loan with one of my lenders.

Other than that there is nothing new to announce. I have signed up for "Vision 301" for next week in hopes I can find a way to generate more traffic to my site and make things happen.

If you want to find out more about Growth Leader click the link below and good luck.

My 8th week with Growth Leader - No Cigar!

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:38:38 -0500

Visitors to my Growth Leader site love to tease me. About every other week I get a lead that appears to be serious about buying a home. So far, every lead (there has been 4 of them) that initially communicated with me and tells me they want to connect with me have all cooled off as cold as ice! Two leads even called me and scheduled appointments and never followed through.

I feel that I am now starting off at week again one all over but maybe the record low interest rates, $8,000 tax credit to first time homebuyers, the incredible price of homes, and the sunshine spring has brought us will bring out some serious buyers that will follow through and actually show up for an appointment.

To all of those which have had good success with Growth Leader I wish you continued success. Some day maybe your luck will rub off on the rest of us. Good luck to everyone on this gorgeous Easter Day!

Week 7 with Growth Leader > Maybe this time?

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:25:57 -0500

I reported in week 3 & 4 that I had a hot lead but had to report in week 5 & 6 that this lead turned cold as ice and would not return any of my emails or calls. Well, I was certain my luck had turned around in week 5 when I had a conversation with a lead that had made an appointment with me. At last I finally had a lead that would actually get in my car! Well, that soon turned cold! An appointment with that lead last week turned up empty when they failed to honor an appointment!

This last week a new lead came in and she emailed me directly from Vision because she used to work here in my home town and left for 3 years to move to Oregon with her family. Her husband and her have been back in Idaho for a year and now want to buy a home. She recognized me because I did a lot of business with the title company where she used to work. We have spoken twice on the phone and there is an immediate trust. We now have an appointment for next week to look at homes!

Will this be the real deal? I will report next week and let you all know. In the mean time click below to checkout Growth Leader and get all your questions answered.

Week 6 report and I may have a deal!

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:25:53 -0500

Our market has been a tough one and one of the toughest on record. Many buyers are hesitant to come out of the woods because they don't know if they are going to have a job or not. I have been hoping that with record low interest rates, low home prices and the $8,000 goverment tax credit for 1st time home buyers some serious buyers would come out of hiding.

Low an behold one of my leads from week 4 contacted me today and wants to go look at properties this coming week! That long awaited lead that actually gets in my car may become a reality next week some time!

Wish me luck and if you want to know more about Growth Leader and all it has to offer click below and as the old saying goes..."Read all about it"!

Comment your way up the Google Ladder

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:13:41 -0500

Many SEO experts agree that one of the best ways for us to climb up the Google ladder with our websites is to comment on sites that have a high Google ranking. The problem for most of us is which sites do we comment on and how do we know what their page ranking is and if they are a good site to comment on?

A year ago Active Rain member Reil Roussopoulos gave me one of the best SEO tips I have ever been given. Riel told me there is a site out there that will not only allow me to select which sites to comment on but will also tell me what each sites page rank is. Riel highly recommended Comment Kahuna and it has been awesome.

When you join Comment Kahuna and log on you will see a screen like this one below. Before you begin you will have already entered the URL for your website and setup your profile. You then start by entering a key word to search such as "Global Warming". You then select what kind of search you want to do and then select the minimum and maximum page rank for your search. This is the Google page rank of each site you will be shown. You then select a profile which you setup when you signed in to Comment Kahuna. You then click "Search".

After you hit the search button this screen will come up. This shows the blogs and articles that are relative to what you are searching for. To the left of these sites are the page ranks for each site. You can then begin commenting on each site one by one. It's that simple.

Make sure and read the instructions before you start using Comment Kahuna. By reading the instructions you will easily understand all the functions like the "No Follow" button which is a debated topic. You will also want to vary your profile name. For instance, one week you may want to use "Montana Real Estate" and the next week "Missoula Montana Homes", etc. This way you will get the Google Juice for a varity of topics.

Aside from the incredible SEO benefit I can honestly tell you I have learned more than words can say by reading so many articles. I have found anything from a natural cure for arthritis to well written articles that have changed the way I view certain the world.

You can go to Comment Kahuna and play a video that shows you the benefit of the system. You can then sign up for FREE and start commenting your little heart out.

Reporting in for week 5 in Idaho

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:58:54 -0500

O.K. Here we are on week 5 and again I was thinking I was going to have my first week of beiing skunked when two new leads come dripping in the last two days. These two leads came in over the weekend and if I had written this on Friday like I was supposed to (I have never done what I am told to do!:-) I would have been skunked.

One of the two last leads did give a number but it came in this Sunday morning and I refuse to call people on Sunday morning. I will call them late Sunday afternoon, early evening but I respect people's time on Sunday morning.

So far 4 luke warm leads to date and the one HOT lead I had has turned as cold as ice. Again, I am looking for that one elusive lead that I can convert to a written contract. The anticipation is now on. How many leads before I can convert to a written contract? Time will tell and if you want to find out how this sytem works click below.

Reporting on week 4 with Growth Leader

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:56:19 -0500

Just ended my first 30 days with Growth Leader and I though I would have my first week of beeing skunked with no new leads until two new leads came trickling in on the last two days. I keep hearing a lot obout converstion ratios (# of leads that are converted to sales) and I am hoping I can report soon that one of my leads has been converted. So far no cigar on any converstions. My one HOT lead that logged in on week two has suddenly fizzled to "ICE COLD" so I am now hoping that some of the "Retry's" will step up to the plate and show some serious interest.

Our market in S.W. Idaho has gone from one of the strongest economies in the nation to one of the hardest hit. Unemloyment has now exceeded levels of the mid 80's and layoffs have become the norm. Those buyers that are capable of buying are concerned as to whether they will have a job the following month or not. This is likely why my leads are not responding to my emails and phone calls.

I shall keep plugging away and will aggressively purse every lead so that I may hopefully report that I have a conversion ratio. If your market is showing some promise and high unemployment is not an issue you really should take a serious look at Growth Leader. You may be very surprised.

Week 3 in little ole Idaho with Growth Leader

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:54:33 -0500

Okie Dokie, my week 3 has had a total of 27 visitors that actually entered their information to my site BoiseandNampaHomes.com Five of those visitors entered their information after I sent out a massive email to my sphere of influence asking my sphere to take a look at the site and give me their opinion. The one HOT prospect last visited on the 26th of February and has not been back or responded to any of my calls. I'm still waiting for that elusive visitor that is going to raise their hand and say "I Do".

I listened to the conference call with Greg Nino and heard about his success with his site and I hope that his good fortune will rub off on all of use giving these sites a test drive. Many callers on the conference call had a variety of experiences and many questions were answered.

I am looking forward to what week 4 brings and with new visitors to my site growing almost daily I am hoping to see some action that will lead to a written contract. Wish me well and good luck to all.

Take User Names seriously and leads will roll in!

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:05:46 -0500

My good friend and God's angel Karen George wrote the great post Title your pages for Google Success This post was written by Karen to emphasize the importance of using the proper title when writing pages for our websites. Karen was an SEO genious and to prove this Karen's husband Michael once wrote the page Idaho First Time Home Buyer for my site www.SearchIdahoHomes.com and my site shot up to the 1st page of Google within 30 days and has remained there ever since. It has been on the 1st page of Google a year and a half later when you type in "Idaho first time Home buyer". This has been a lead generating machine for me. I receive at least 2-3 leads per month from 1st time home buyers like clock work.

I once spoke with Karen months before she passed on and she gave me one tip I have never forgotten. She said to take "User Names" just as seriously because most people miss this important tip. Your user name is what you use when you signed up for Active Rain. My Active Rain user name is "BoiseIdahoRealEstate". I selected this user name at Karen's recommendation. She said whenever we sign up for any site that requires a user name we should ALWAYS USE A GOOGLE FRIENDLY USER NAME.

I have taken Karen's advice very seriously and I always use a Google friendly user name when signing up for any site. However, aside from the Google juice it will give you, I have discovered, another powerful benefit of a proper user name. For instance, my user name on www.Twitter.com is IdahoRealEstate. I have been a member of Twitter for less than a year and I have already had 3 out of state investors contact me specifically because of my user name. One investor has already purchased an investment property and when the market starts showing signs of improvement another investor plans on buying homes and investing in Idaho real estate on a monthly basis. I had yet another out of state member of Twitter contact me this a.m. She said my IdahoRealEstate title caught her attention. Her dad lives here in Idaho and wants to buy real estate. She also liked my bio and website linked to Twitter and decided to refer her dad to me!

If you look at most of the user names here on Active Rain and Twitter you will see a lot of users using their personal names or some cute name. While this is all fine I can assure you that good things will happen if you take Karen George's advice. Not only will Google pay attention to you more but you just may land a lead now and then. God bless my good friend Karen George! The heavens are rejoicing and and she is surely giving all the Angels awesome SEO lessons!

A recession proof business you must see to believe!

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:12:18 -0600

I never expected this in Idaho but I saw it with my own eyes and all I can say is WOW! I recently purchased a new home and purchased 90% all new furniture. It is the most amazing home I have ever owned and I wanted it to look really special.

A friend of mine from a local title company told me to go check out a place call "Graples". I asked her if what they sold there we eat, wear or ??? She said "No Silly", Graples Home Decor has some of the most amazing home décor items at the most affordable prices she has ever seen which Home Stagers and Home Decorators are in love with!

Graples is open only one day a week, Thursday
Is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Has quality items that you don't see anywhere else
Has hundreds of customers in and out all day long
Has the most amazing and affordable prices
Has new and exciting products every week

I have now been to Graples 4 times and purchased 12 items and still have not spent $200! Every hour on the hour the store is open is like the day after Thanksgiving at Macy's and I am not exaggerating! Every hour on the hour there is a traffic director in the parking lot directing traffic and most of the time it is hard to get in and out of the parking lot! It is always like an "Auction Atmosphere".

There is constantly 6-7 employees on call that are some of the friendliest and most helpful employees I have ever seen. There is ALWAYS a line of people waiting outside to get in and the line is always at least 20-30 feet long. A few minutes before the opening bell a gentleman always stands on a chair and reminds all customers to be courteous and not take anything out of anyone's basket! The items are so incredible that customers have been seen taking things out of another's basket!!!

You must realize that our economy here in S.W. Idaho has taken a big hit. The largest employer, Micron Technologies has laid off over 5,000 employees since last fall and the unemployment rate has sky rocketed. I have never seen so many homes in short sale or foreclosure status in my entire life. Over 4.000 Realtors have left the market since the peak year of 2005.

In spite of all this Graples is a marketing genius that continues to amaze everyone. It was the busiest store when the local economy was on fire and continues to amaze everyone now that most businesses are struggling to remain open. All my friends and I are saying to each other "Why didn't we think of this"?!

You have to see Graples to believe it!

Change your "mind" and change your world

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:07:51 -0600

My good friend Tamara Dorris interviewed me yesterday and asked how Realtors can change their mindset and become more successful in their business. How can they change their work ethic, determination and thier "Passion" for the business which is a huge ingredient?

So how can we as Realtors change our thinking to be more passionate, assertive and have a great work ethic? I compare it to athletics and our physical bodies. When I first started to run for exercise in the 80's I could barely run less that a ¼ mile and I was gasping for breath! Every week I would run a little more and a little more without stopping. Months later I had build up my stamina so I could run 5 miles without stopping and eventually ran 15 miles without stopping! In the beginning I could not see me ever running more than a couple of miles without stopping but by practicing and building my muscles and lung capacity I achieved more than I ever thought possible.

We can do the same things with our minds! If we don't like to cold call or call leads immediately as we discussed in the interview yesterday dedicate yourself to do it a little at a time. We need to force ourselves to do the things we know we need to do but don't like to do. At first it will be hard but later it becomes easier and our confidence will grow. At the beginning my running hurt but little by little the pain went away and I grew to love it. We need to exercise our mind as much as we do our bodies when we do any kind of physical exercise.

I read everything I can get my hands on that has to do with Personal Growth, Search Engine Optimization, Marketing, Business Planning, etc. Publications like Readers Digest and U.S. News and World Report have well written articles that professionals have written. I read and look at their articles. I look at how they are laid out, the white space, titles, content etc. and get ideas for my own writing so that the reader will be more interested.

All of this keeps my mind working and growing. If my mind is not expanding and growing it is remaining stagnant or regressing. Like my friend Elaine Northrop said in an interview: "I gave myself permission to think I can"!

We have two choices as Realtors in today's market. We can quit or we can change the way we have done things for years and start doing the things we know will make a positive change in our lives.

Make the cold calls even if we hate them!
Read as much as we can and grow our minds!
Call our sphere just to see how they are doing and care about them!
Find agents on Active Rain or other sites that can help us with growing our business. ie: marketing, systems, technology, business development etc. These agents are willing to help us because we are not their competition! They are more that happy to help us and we need to be aggressive and email them or call them. If hadn't done just that I would never have a powerful website and a powerful presence on the web.

Growth Leader in week 2 in Idaho

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:37:37 -0600

Week 2 with Growth Leader in Idaho (edit/delete)

Whoa! 16 total leads at the end of week two and constant communication with one HOT Lead that is communicatiing with me on a regular basis. This is interesting because if you type in any key words in to Google like "Boise Idaho Real Estate" or "Nampa homes for sale" my site is no where to be found 20 pages deep but some how some way surfers are finding my site now on a pretty regular bases.

One thing that really impressed me after participating in the Vision 101 training is all the partnerships that Growth Leader has established with some top real estate portal sites in an attempt to draw traffice to these lead generating sites developed for us. These partnerships have to be working because the leads are growing steadily.

I am following the advice given in the training and using the standard emails recommended without altering them in any way and so far so good. I can't wait to see what this next week will bring and how it will all gel together. While my co-workers are struggling in a tough market that has seen over 5,000 Realtors leave our MLS in the last 3 years I feel truly blessed that a steady stream of leads continue to find me through Growith Leader and other lead generating systems I have in please.

To be continued!

My first impressive week with Growth Leader

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:24:23 -0600

Thank you Bob Stewart for inviting me to be a part of Growth Leader and for the development of my new site Boise and Nampa Homes which was activated last Sunday the 15^th of February, 2009. As of this writing my first week of my active site has brought me in 5 new leads which includes 3 very interested buyers and 1 HOT buyer which called me directly after going to my new site.

I have never been a fan of lead generation sites and I didn't know what to expect with this new lead generation site but I am very pleased to report this is what I have seen and experienced:

An attractive and customer oriented site
A great back-end that allows me to see everything a visitor is doing
I great follow-up program that I have never seen before
Awesome support where you get a real person in minutes that is knowledgeable, friendly and humorous.

With 5 new leads in my first week I am anxious to see what the next few weeks will bring. A big "Thank You" to all that have held my hand during this first week and left me excited and anxious about the future of this exciting new lead generating machine.

Keep up the great work!

A cool New Years Resolution

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:05:58 -0600

We live in a hustle and bustile world. Times have changed a lot since I was a young lad and life just seems so busy that we rarely have time to accomplish all the things we need to accomplish by the end of the day.

I was listening to my favorite television program yesterday called "Sunday Morning" and there was a part about how emailing and text messaging have made letter writing nearly extinct. I have to say that I am guilty of that and I hope to do something to change it.

When was the last time we wrote a letter to someone that really made a difference in our life? When was the last time we called someone just to tell them we are thinking about them and that we love them? When I first heard this song I loved it and l love it over 20 years later because it is so awesome when someone calls us not because they want us to pickup a gallon of milk or because they want us to do something for them, but they call us just to tell us they love us.

Maybe this could be a great New Years resolution for many of us. How about picking up the phone tomorrow morning to call someone we really care about just to tell them we love them? Many of those we call may just spill their coffee or fall off their chairs! LOL!

Idaho Short Sale >> sets new record and a great Christmas gift

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:17:32 -0600

I have been dealing with Idaho Short Sales for over 15 years and have dealt with more Short Sales in Idaho this year than I ever had in one calendar year. My average time frame to get an Idaho Short Sale closed has been about 74 days from the date the offer is written until we close and fund.

I now have a short sale that has blown those numbers out of the water! According to the title company I am dealing with my recent approval has set a new record! I have had this short sale on the market for 288 days with an offer finally coming in on the 289^th day. I submitted the offer to Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. on Wednesday the 10^th of December and the package which they requested included:

1) A copy of the purchase and sale agreement

2) Copy of the Employment Contract

3) 4 comparable sales

4) A HUD1

I added:

1) A CMA summary showing the Actives, Pending, Sold and expired listings broken down to include average days on the market, average asking price per square foot, selling price per square foot, etc.

2) 5 Newspaper articles regarding the local real estate market that were published the past 6 months and proves a difficult market.

3) A letter outlining the pluses and minuses to the subject home backed with good data.

On Monday the 15^th of December, 2008 I received an approval letter from Select Portfolio Servicing Inc. which was "without recourse" fully releasing the borrowers from any liability from over $60,000 the bank is writing off and paying a full 6% commission! No BPO or liquidation appraisal was required! We are closing on 12/30/08 and just in time. The home was scheduled for public auction on January 6, 2009! My sellers are doing backflips and are so happy the wife was in tears of joy when I told them we had an approval and would close right away.

I about fell off my chair! A short sale approval in 5 days! I truly think this was Santa giving my borrowers one of the best Christmas gifts one could ever ask for! It goes to show us what can be done if these loss mitigators choose to do so. It does not have to take months to approve a short sale!

She had it all

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:51:50 -0600

I love music and the other day I pulled out an old CD that I had not listened to in years. On that CD was a song by Simply Red called "You've Got It". Everyone that has truly been in love with that one special person has a song that says it all about that one person and that relationship. It seems that when we find that special person there is nothing else in the world that can replace how that person makes us feel. Sometimes we try to fight the feeling and sometimes we don't treat that special person the way we should because of fear of truly needing somone that much.

I have been playing this song over and over since I re-discovered the CD and it says it all about that one person I had in my life that was taken away way too early over 20 years ago. I can talk about it now without crying and can listen to songs like this and remember all that was good about this wonderful woman because "She had it all".

Perceptual Blindness >> What does your perception tell you?

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:47:27 -0500

A friend of mine sent me this powerful video. Please view it and then look at my comments below.

We focus our attention on what the media tells us is reality. Most of us focus on what the media wants us to focus on and we fail to see the opportunity that exists. Today, many Realtors are focusing on fear and uncertainty. When we allow the fear and uncertainty to take control of us it is difficult for our creative minds to go to work and take advantages of the opportunities that exist.

When dealing with our spouses, significant others or co-workers how many times do we focus on ones faults or one event and fail to see the big picture that includes all the good traits of that person?

When someone tells us something many of us take it as gospel and then believe what we choose to believe based on what we have heard. The old saying that there are two sides to every story is oh so very true.

When we go to work in the morning or come home in the evening do we notice the incredible sunrises, sunsets or cloud formations or do we miss them because we are too busy focusing on traffic, our destination or talking on our cell phones?

Let us open our minds and look at the BIG PICTURE. Opportunities just may arise from this new way of thinking.

I am the Greatest Realtor in the World!

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:56:31 -0500

Those that know me know that I love the game of golf for many reasons. Today I witnessed one of the most amazing feats in golf I have ever seen (sorry Tiger) and I have been watching professional and amateur golf since the early nineties.

One of my favorite current golfers is Vijay Singh from the island of Fiji. Vijay is known for his incredible work ethic. He practices his golf swing and exercises relentlessly. He is currently 45 years of age, an age when most professional golfers are thinking more about the champions tour, not competing against and winning tournaments against the top players in the world that are in their twenties.

Vijay is known as one of the best ball strikers on tour, second only to Tiger Woods in that category. The one thing that has plagued Vijay the last couple of years has been his putting which has been inconsistent. Inconsistent putting has kept Vijay from winning even more tournaments. Before the Deutsche Bank Championship started a few days ago Vijay said he was blocking out all the negative comments made about his putting over the past year and was repeating to himself "I am the greatest putter in the world". He kept telling himself and his caddie this each day of the tournament and repeated it many times today on the course.

Vijay became a putting machine! Today alone he sank breaking putts of 35 feet and 60 feet! Sergio Garcia who played with Vijay said it was the most amazing display of golf he had seen and that no one can ever know just how good Vijay played today. Vijay not only won the tournament but also broke the course record!

Vijay won his second tournament in two weeks and earned another $1,260,000 and became the leading money leader for the year and increased his lead in the Fed-Ex cup standings. He won today by an amazing 5 strokes over his nearest competitor, beating several world ranked players in their twenties.

Last week Reece Mack wrote the amazing blog Do You Want To Achieve Success? I'll Let You in on A Little Secret... which spoke about the power of visualization. I know of many cases in which Realtors and other individuals have used visualization to achieve amazing success. Elaine Northrop from Maryland used visualization in the nineties to surpass one million dollars in commissions in one year and buy a condo in Florida that had gone into contract with another buyer hours before Elaine decided to buy it. Elaine took pictures of the condo and "Saw her family having Thanksgiving Dinner" in that condo. A month or so after Elaine returned to Maryland she received a call that the sale fell apart. Elaine purchased the condo and her family had Thanksgiving dinner in their Florida condo that year!

Stop listening to all the negativity about the current housing market. Tell yourself "I am the Greatest Realtor in the World" and beleive it! Write it down and paste it on your bathroom mirror. Repeat it to yourself throughout the day. Convince yourself that you are the best Realtor and go get what is yours!

Conceive it, believe it, Achieve it!
Elaine Northrop

The 4 traits of all successful Realtors

George Tallabas - Idaho Real Estate (RE/MAX Advantage) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:40:00 -0500

I started my real estate career in 1980 and if ever I have seen history repeat itself it is now, nearly 30 years later. In 1983 I sold homes with interest rates of 17 1/2 %. Realtors dropped like flies because the attitude was "I can't sell homes with those kinds of interest rates". Fast forward to 2008 and again Realtors are dropping like flies. Same result as the 1980's.

What separates those that succeed in any market and what is the common denominator for those Realtors that hang up their spurs, leave the business and look for other ways to support themselves and their families? I have decided there are 3 traits common to all successful Realtors that allow them to weather any economic storm that causes real estate markets to change drastically.

The servant attitude

Every truly successful Realtor I have seen have all had what I call a "Servant Attitude". By this I mean that they truly desire to solve a problem or help someone in need. They thrive on finding solutions for any given situation whether it is finding the perfect home for a buyer or marketing a home no one else can market. They are driven by their desire to help someone in need. In contrast, we have all seen those agents that are self serving and are driven by the attitude of "What's in it for me?". They spend every commission before it is earned and all their advertising and actions are about them.

Vision - Every successful company has it

Ford motor and Toyota don't just manufacture automobiles and hope someone buys them. They must have a vision of what consumers will be buying 1, 2, 3 and more years down the road. They try to anticipate what consumers will be buying and why. When the stock market skyrocketed a few years ago there was no foundation for its record upward movement. 2005 was the same for real estate. It was an artificial upward swing with no foundation driven by stated loans and greed. I heard Realtors, lenders and builders make statements that the market of 2005 would last for 5, 10 and even 15 years! These statements had no statistics to back them up; they were all based on the euphoria that was prevalent at the time. These agents "lived for the moment" without any regard for what would follow. The handful of Realtors that recognized this false sense of security were busy preparing for what the next real estate market would bring. Idaho's upper end market is fueled by the California real estate market. When the California market is strong Idaho's upper end real estate market thrives. Through my friends here on Active Rain I kept hearing early in 2006 that the California real estate market was weakening. There were signs that our own market was changing. Whenever I suggested that our Idaho real estate market was changing and shared why I believed this I was told that I was wrong and that our real estate market was healthy and strong. All the signs were there that our real estate market was changing but only a handful had their eyes open enough to see it.

Systems put into place

Because of my belief that the real estate market was changing and my belief that Idaho Short Sales and Idaho foreclosures would sky rocket I created short sales pages for my Idaho Real Estate site that would educate the public regarding short sales and foreclosures. By late 2007 my site was on the first page of Google for the term "Idaho Short Sales", "Short Sales in Idaho" and "Idaho Short Sales Assistance". By early 2008 my site was number one on Google for these same terms and remains number one today. I also have taken numerous short sales classes and in June of 2008 became a "Certified Short Sales Specialist". Early this year Realtors were really struggling and many came in to see me and asked what I was doing different. They asked why I was doing well when so many were struggling. Many of these Realtors had no systems in place and had taken no classes to take advantage of the current real estate market. In fact when I asked many to accompany me to short sales classes in the spring they denied my offer. They were "hanging on" and hoping that the real estate market would turn back around to what is was in 2005. They are still waiting but now many are waiting tables at local restaurants.

Passion

Without a strong Passion for what we do we might as well find another line of work. After nearly 29 years in the business I cannot wait to get to work in the morning. I can't wait to put another system in to place, meet a new client, learn something new. I read everything related to real estate that I can get my hands on and I take many classes every year that are not even required. This is because I am a spong and love learning everything I can. Passion drives me and keeps me excited about my career. I can't believe I get paid for doing what I love so much!

Our MLS has lost over 3,000 Realtors and our own office has lost over 30 Realtors from the peak year of 2005. All this is happening while a hand full of Realtors are having great years.

If you are still surviving in this market congratulations! If you are still in business but struggling look at your own market. What do you see happening and why? What trends are developing and why? What systems do you have in place to take advantage of your real estate market for the next two to three years and beyond? Are you investing in the right classes to take advantage of the real estate market in your area for the next 2-3 years?

Posted By: George Tallabas - Boise Idaho Real Estate Agent - Associate Broker
with RE/MAX Advantage, Canyon Counties #1 Brokerage in sales and listings
specializing in Boise Idaho Real Estate and Southwest Idaho Real Estate.