FRANKLY Real Estate Blog

WARNING: Denise Nayda from 301-442-2968 stole my countertops

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:55:55 -0600

So I thought I would be nice and put my tile countertops on Craigslist's FREE section. I found a taker. Denise Nayda from Maryland. This person agreed to come. In two of the emails it clearly said "just the tile countertops."

Sure enough, Denise came over to the garage where it was located and took the Corian countertops and left the tile countertop. Yes they took the wrong tile. And after 7 voicemails and 3 text messages and numerous emails, all of which are suddenly ignored, I don't think it was an accident.

Especially since my workers said "Are you sure you aren't supposed to take the Tile over there?"

Punk Denise Nayda at 301-442-2968 or (301) 442-4968

Frank

WARNING: Denise Nayda from 301-442-2968 stole my countertops

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:46:57 -0600

Especially since my workers said "Are you sure you aren't supposed to take the Tile over there?"

Punk Denise Nayda at 301-442-2968 or (301) 442-4968

Frank

SPAMMERS! AgentInfoAmerica Avoid! DO NOT GIVE them MONEY!

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:47:06 -0600

These guys are spammers

www.agentinfolists.com

agentinfolists

www.agentinfoAmerica.com

agentinfoAmerica

xmr3.com

They are selling Realtor Email lists.

Currently being hosted by Westhost.com, I have reported them. Lets see if Westhost honor's their terms of service and shuts them down.

Marc Bell, Agent Advisor
Agent Information Lists
6827 Biscayne Boulevard
Biscayne Gardens, FL 33138

I hate spam from AgentInfoAmerica and all other spammers.

Lost the NVAR Board race, yet again!

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:57:13 -0500

I lost again.

Congratulations to the elected winners to the 2010 NVAR Board of Directors.

Merlin Smith- Remax

Scott MacDonald- Remax

Robyn Burdett- Remax

Trudy Severa- Long and Foster

Tammy Bagnato- Coldwell Banker

And "maybe next year" to the 4 that didn't make it (listed in no particular order):

Tracy Comstock- Mega Realty

Delk Hamaker- KDH Real Estate

Sita Kapur- Arlington Premier Realty

Frank LL0SA- FranklyRealty.com

Hum, anybody see a trend in the above named and companies that they are associated with?

Perhaps NVAR needs to drop the popular vote system and go to another system where the smaller companies (that represent 50% of membership) can be heard.

Frank

MailRelease.com Sucks & Loves Spammers

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:13:16 -0500

I hate spamming companies like MailRelease.com that claim to be anti-spam. Well apparently they aren't Anti-Spam, they are actually a spam haven. This one spammer: Lak Vohra who has been shut down by two other mail services, seems to have found a home with MailRelease.com

I emailed MailRelease.com a month about about this spammer, I got no reply.

I chatted online with them, sent them the email headers.

I get a reply that night that says "Just unsubscribe"

Are you F-ing kidding me?

Imagine all those porn spams you get. Do you unsubscribe? Never unsubscribe to a spammer that you never agreed to get his spam in the first place.

And the Mail hosts's response is to UNSUBSCRIBE? Freaking idiots and spam lovers.

I guess they couldn't resist the payout from a spammer.

Please boycott MailRelease.com (Mail Release Sucks)

Frank

"Why stage if homes selling fast and may not even appraise?" Overcoming objections.

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:15:23 -0500

So this forum has helped Realtors overcome typical objections from homeowners and sometimes Realtor objections.

I just got one, and I'd like to get your thoughts on a fair response.

My email: "No staging?"

Reply: "I'm already selling houses higher than appraisers will go for without staging. Why spend more? So we can be further above appraised value? I've also had the worst time in general with the staging. A lot of hassle for very little return is what I've experienced."

So obviously there are two issues there, but lets focus on the first one.

How would you reply to that?

Frank

My Stager Loves Her Staging MINI Netbook for Staging.

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:07:20 -0500

So I love the staging world, but apparently it doesn't love me. I have had two posts deleted from the Stage it Forward group. Is there another staging group that isn't so militant?

My stager absolutely loves her MINI netbook because she can take it on client appointments and not lug around a huge laptop, and for under $200 it becomes a no brainer.

But my 1 hour detailed post on exactly how to get one, got deleted. Remember, we can only post in 5 groups and out of my 40 groups, I wanted to post it here, because Stagers will love this (and no, I don't get a cut for telling you about these).

So we shall see. Maybe this isn't stage worthy. In case you care, here is a post (are we allowed to link to relevant posts FOR STAGERS?)

How to Buy the Dell Mini 10v for $170.

Frank- Shunned twice by Stage it Forward.

How to Buy the Dell Mini 10v for $170.

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:07:08 -0500

Dell Mini 10v refurbished for as low as $170 shipped.

I absolutely LOVE my Dell Mini 10v. I can't tell you how many I have bought for gifts, or for friends etc. So finally I'm going to just write out the steps to get one, so I don't need to be the one buying it for everyone.

Why do I love it? It is 2.5 pounds. It is fast, and even does video/youtube. Built in wireless. 92% keyboard (better than the Mini 12 keyboard actually). The charger is tiny like a cell charger. It lasts 3 hours on a regular battery (don't buy the extended!). You can get it in Purple! Just great for throwing around and traveling.

What it does not do is high end photoshop or other intensive stuff.

Ok here are the steps. It can be a pain. If you don't want the pain, just pay 80% more and get it new for $315 after shipping.

Sign up for BOTH the Dell Outlet Business and Dell Outlet Home newsletter/coupons. The 15% off coupon is only sent out a couple times a month, and you have to sign up 3 days before the coupon goes out.
www.Dell.com/Outlet is the place these are sold. From the front page, go to Laptops> Home Office> Mini 10/10v There you will see the inventory. The inventory changes daily and hourly during work hours M-F 9-10pm. The total available can be as high as 400, and as low as 50. The more inventory, the better lower prices.
Sort by Price! This will show you the cheapest stuff. And for the most part, you don't really need anything more. The cheapest I ever saw was $190 for a black, scratch and dent base model. This is perfect but rare. Usually they are $230, but avoid buying if they are $300 minimum.
Don't buy the wrong thing/features. (more below)

I prefer the Mini 10V because they are cheaper and faster. One drawback is the connection for projectors is HMDI and not the oldschool blue CRT plug that many projectors use.

WHAT NOT TO BUY

- Do NOT get the 6 cell (vs 3) battery. It makes it much heavier which defeats the purpose, and the bumpout is odd and takes up room. If you are in the outlet looking at computers and prices, click on the "View Details ZRBVMXZG" and look for (and avoid) the 6 cell battery.

- Do NOT buy the Linux operating system. These tend to be cheaper (only on the Mini 10). Only buy this if you are a hardcore programmer and know what you are doing. The best option is the Windows XP (Don't get the Vista as it runs too slow on this computer)

OTHER FEATURES

- There are 3 harddrive options. The 120 Gig, 160 and the 16 "SS". The 120 is fine if this is a 2nd computer, and why not keep it cheap. The 16 SS is a Solid State Drive. No moving parts. It IS faster and more responsive and uses less heat and has NO noise. But it adds $30 and can sometimes be "only" $250 (vs $170). I'm trying to get a 16 SS, but it is harder to get, they are rarer. You have to sort by hard drive size to find these.

- Bluetooth. A few have this. I guess would be neat for syncing, but not too necessary.

- Other software can make it run up to $500, that isnt necessary

- COLORS! You can get Pink, Purple, White, blue. But the colors add $30

- Modem. There are 2 modems, the cheapest is the Dell 1397 b/g. For $10-20 more you get the Dell 1510 a/g/n/. This has the "N" channel which only a few modems can use, but in theory is 2x faster (that could be wrong) when it comes to download speeds.

- There are 3 quality computers 1) Scratch and Dent, these are the least expensive 2) Certified Refurbished and 3) Previously Ordered New. I try and get #1, but those are rare. When I do, yes it has a little 1 inch scratch, but I dont care.

OTHER COUPONS Sources

- Ask me. I signed up for like 8 newsletters so I tend to have extras.

- www.Twitter.com/delloutlets they sometimes posted limited offers.

- Dell Outlet Facebook page. If you just missed a coupon, oftentimes people will post the coupon on the wall.

- Ebay , they sometimes sell 15% off coupons for $5 that are emailed to you. Make sure it is for the Outlet Laptops.

Once I get them, I take these steps to get it up and running

- For the Computer name, I skip it

- For the User name, I put Dell or User

- I change the mouse size to Extra large (under control panel)

- I go to pack.google.com and ONLY download Adobe Reader, Chrome Browser, and Picasa Photo editor and nothing else (the firefox is OLD)

- I check the microphone, which by default is on MUTE, which is a pain. Check this by finding the sound recorder program. And also clicking on the dark orange speaker icon in the lower right and look for a Muted symbol. (email me if you can't unMute it)

- I do the recommended updates, but then I shut down the pop ups to check for new updates daily.

- I hate having 15 icons in the lower right, so I "hide" most of them forever

- I remove the annoying Dell docking system (large icons on the front page)

- GO to add remove software and remove unwanted stuff (don't do this unless you know what you are doing)

- I remove all the annoying shortcut icons on the Start button like MSN, Free Tour, etc.

Other software I sometimes put on:

- GetFirefox.org to get the latest Firefox browser

- Digsby.com or Trillian for a cross platform IM chat system

- Sometimes I also get the Safari browser from Apple.

- Sometimes I download OpenOffice.org free version of Microsoft's office suit.

- Virus protection. Google AVG FREE and dont get tricked into their pay version.

- Adaware.com Not as important as AVG,

- www.Mozy.com free online back up up to 2 gigs, and $50 a year for your entire computer to be backed up daily (more on this later, so subscribe!)

So that is it! Finally all the steps down!

Do Miracle Deals Exist? That Haystack Needle?

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:04:46 -0500

Too frequently, I get an email from somebody that has been following my blog and tweets for months and is now ready to buy!

I get the details of this person’s dream home, including number of bedrooms, lot size and location (don’t get me wrong, most buyers still do their own searching). But then they end the email with a catch. “Oh, but the only problem is our maximum is $400k." Meanwhile, homes in this area sell for $550k. What to do with buyers wanting the IMPOSSIBLE?

1) Reply that they are nuts and spend an hour explaining why.

2) Ignore the email or a quick reply saying I’m too busy. (But do I look too busy? Watch Video)

3) Lie. Accept the "challenge," but in reality hoping they would come to their senses. Many agents that are hungry (Anybody see the site Hungryagents.com, how hilarious is that? Do you bring them bagels at each meeting?) will say yes to several of these types of customers, hoping that one will stick. Knowing (lying) that they can not get the client what they want… a miracle.

4) Save a tree and send them a link to this post. If I do send you this and tell you that you are nuts, I'm not trying to upsell you. I'm trying to educate you. Save you from wasting your time (cough, cough*, and mine). Don’t be offended. This route is much better than #3. Homes are expensive. Really expensive. Maybe you should rent. No harm in that (see 2006 video on Buying Myths and Renting Benefits, notice the full head of hair. How many people would have saved $500k by watching that in 2006!)

Whatever gut feeling price target you have, increase it by 10-15%. Again, not an upsell, just our society which tends to have taste buds just outside of our gut feeling “reasonable” price (see blog post on buying a pricier home).

* Make sure when you cough to cough into your shoulder, not into your hands. Stop the spread of H1N1.

5) Still want that miracle deal? Skip your agent (because the “seller pays” doesn’t apply). Go buy a courthouse Foreclosure (see my video at the Courthouse). Not an MLS listed Foreclosure, short sale or REO, but a real courthouse auction. Look through the notice section of your newspaper or search the Washington Post trustee search (which blows since a search for a zip code can bring up hundreds of results if the law firm’s zip code happens to be in that city). People who do this, THEY get homes for $100k below market. Easy money? If it was, I’d be doing it. But wait, there is more! Here are the pitfalls for #5: a) Professionals doing this have 3 employees going to dozens of auctions in hopes of getting ONE property (good for an investor that doesn’t care about getting a “home” but more about a “steal.”)

b) Research 20 homes. No photos. No entry into the house. No home inspections. 100% as is.

c) Only 1 or 2 of those homes will be sold at any decent price. The rest of the 18-19 times the seller reclaims the property in time (think Brady Bunch movie saving the family home from auction) or the bank, which is too busy to get a proper value on the home, will buy it back for the loan amount, which is way over market. d) Oh, and do a title search first for each home. It might have a hidden $100,000 trust or IRS tax levy that is NOT disclosed and you have to pay for it.

e) Win the house and in some states, the homeowner can still get it back. So, I digress. A good agent will help you get the best price possible. A great agent will be willing to lose a couple deals for you (this about that for a second. LOSING a deal can be a GOOD thing) because you came in just under the “price that would pass the seller's laugh test.” A fabulous agent might tell you to read this post because what you want is impossible. If you let it (the customer) free, it will come back (is that how the saying goes?)

See related 2008 video: lowballing doesn’t work

Written by Frank Borges LL0SA- Broker FranklyRealty.com

(NVAR members, have you voted yet? And customers with agents, tell your agent to go to www.ChooseFrank.org to vote me onto the NVAR Board of Directors before Oct 8th 2009)

Nuts by Sergei Golyshev , H1N1 by Guerry, Needle by naughty architect Please report typos.

"Home Inspection For Information Purposes Only" Hell no.

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:38:22 -0500

You've seen them, and maybe you have used them.

The "Home Inspection for Information Purposes Only." (coupled with no home inspection contingency, ie, no back and forth, no walkingg after the inspection)

What the hell is that? It is a trick, is what it is. In my first year, I let one agent do this, thinking it would build goodwill, and it backfired. They did it during the HOA review period and backed out over something stupidly small!

(Sidenote, I was able to keep $3,000 of the deposit for my client. Why? Because the idiot put on my voicemail that he was backing out because they found XYZ. Thing is, with HOA docs, you can get out for NO reason, or an HOA reason, you can't get out for an unrelated matter. The broker said "in my 30 years... I've never...")

Now my motto is "You want that information, great, do it AFTER closing."

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for home inspections. What I am against is agents sneakily (is that a word?) trying to make their contract look more attractive, either to win a bidding war or to win on price (see post on winning on terms).

There are other creative ways to help your client while making your contract stronger (without increasing the price).

Such as:

1) Put in a provision that the buyer will only request items over $2,000 to be repaired. That way the seller knows you aren't going to nickel and dime them

2) Or go higher. Put in a provision that the buyer will only request items over $15,000 to be repaired. That way the seller knows you just want it inspected to make sure it isn't falling off a cliff (which is usually most people's concern)

3) Make it an all or nothing home inspection. That is what the banks do sometimes. I'll get it inspected and I'll walk or I'll buy it. Hopefully this implies that you won't sweat the small stuff.

But don't do the "Info Only" stuff. It is dishonest if you try and do it during the HOA review period with the intent of using the HOA Docs to get out. And if the seller can prove that this was your intent, you might risk your deposit and more. (most people think only the deposit is at risk when you back out of a contract, they are wrong)

And the only thing worse that an "Info Only" inspection is a contract with no home inspection contingency yet the buyer still sneaks in their Home Inspector anyhow, and then they have the gaul to bring one anyhow? No Sir.

Frank- Broker FranklyRealty.com

Wolf pix by manitou2121

Please report typos

Why is every Realtor #1 or Top 1%. Uncovering the secret.

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:38:18 -0500

He's #1, She's #1, Everyone is top 1%! Heck, even I was #1, once.

How is that possible? How can everyone be #1?

Well here is how it works.

1) Consolidation with Teams

This is where a Realtor becomes a "Team." or skips the "team" title but has others working under them.

The agents within this team are instructed to funnel all their deals through one agent (when an agent sells a home, they have to enter in an Agent ID#, instead of giving credit to the actual agent, they put in the AgentID of the team leader).

Why would they do that? Because it helps for marketing. Now each one of those agents, including the one at the top, can all say "#1 Realtor" or "Top 5 Realtor in Virginia."

The scamming of the system got so bad that NVAR, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors stopped giving out awards or titles of greatness. So no more "#3 NVAR Realtor." I think this is great that they stopped this gaming of rankings.

The only REAL way to rank agents would be the 1099 test. He/She with the largest tax return 1099 is the winner!

2) Asterisks. #1 within a smaller group

Then if somebody can't be

#1 in America, they then try and be

#1 in Virginia. If that doesn't work, try

#1 in Arlington. Still no good, then

#1 in your office. Then types of homes

#1 in the neighborhood

#1 in volume (total dollar amount)

#1 is sales (total number of transactions, usually for lower priced homes)

Then you go back up

#1 Firm in America (even if you are just an agent with 3 deals, you can piggyback)

Well what about the Top 1% or Top 5% claims?

Well the thing is, there are about 1 million Realtors in America. The average Realtor makes about $17,000. But the problem with averages is it included weekend warriors. People who might do a deal a year for a relatives. So saying you are a "Top 5% of Realtors nationwide" means "I am within the top 50,000 full time Realtors." I guess that doesn't sound as sexy.

I even did it!

When I started it was kinda hard to compete with all these #1 Realtors so, after my first year I took the title of 2003 NVAR Rookie of the Year (that means #1, well actually they first gave the award to another person. They didn't believe my #s were possible since they were 3x the next Rookie!)

I then went on to be the #1 Agent in the United States under 30, and I did so in my first year! Did I have the highest 1099? Nope. So how did I do it? Well remember all my blog posts on rebating? You know, where I say "I used to Rebate, but then aI got good." Well I was also doing flat fee listings for $100. You'd pay me $100, I'd put your house on the MLS, and when it sold, it counted toward my sales numbers.

Today?

Since 2005 I stopped filling out the paperwork to get my "Million Dollar Producer (oh by the way, whose don't mean the Realtor made $1m, it means they sold two $500k homes). Also the agent within my firm take credit for all their own deals. No padding of my numbers.

And now FranklyMLS.com is working toward making this data public. No other site does this. Now it will show the name of the buyer agent on closed deals. Soon it will separate who was the buyer agent and who was the listing agent.

Bottom line, don't pick an agent just because they are "#1" at something. And as I have seen a few smaller firms claim "We aren't #1, you are"

Written by the #1 Real Estate Blogger in America* Frank Borges LL0SA- Broker FranklyRealty.com

Piggyback photo by Elston

* Not really

(Please report typos)

Riva Sucks Use Koyote for MOV to FLV conversion

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:14:16 -0500

I used to have no problem with the RIVA FLV Encoder 2 but then I started always getting a Failure to Encode error. And their website has no support. But then I found Koyote Free FLV converter 6.6.4 on DOwnload.com (so I knew it didnt have viruses) and it worked great. Now I can make that 700meg file to fit under the 500meg limits for Viddler.com

It compressed a 700 gig 1 hour 320x something video in MOV format in under 5 minutes to a 213Meg file!

It also converts AVI to FLV for easy Youtube uploading!

Thanks!!

Frank

ps. it does add a bar to your browser that you can uninstall. Dealio

YouMail.com should be called YouWOW!

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:05:28 -0500

This is a MUST HAVE. So Don't think "Will I" instead think "How do I sign up?"

(This is not a paid advertisement, though I should get paid.)

YouMail.com Rocks. It is like the ShamWOW of the world of voicemail.

(This is not a paid advertisement, though I should get paid.)

YouMail.com does two main things. One for free and one for $7 a mo.

(Before I get started, the basics of Youmail is you have your unanswered calls forward to Youmail's special number, so it acts as your voicemail)

1) FREE:

Customized voicemails PER incoming caller ID number. So you have a greeting customized for that client. "Yo Bill, sorry I can't make the call, cuz you know I'd run across a busy highway to get your call if I could." THEY LOVE IT.

Also If you put in an offer for a house and are expecting a call... but also heading into a meeting. Change the voicemail for JUST that agent to hear, but make it sound like you changed ALL outgoing voicemail for them. For example "Hello, you have reached XYZ, please leav... oh and if this is Sally, I really wanted to get your call, but I stepped into a meeting, please Sally, leave a message." So Sally will think you she was important enough for you to change all of your outgoing voicemail greetings.

2) $7/MO Transcribe

Your voicemails then get transcribed by live humans. I think what they do is use speech to text and then have live humans spot check it for accuracy. It works great. I went 2 years without voicemail, I used AnswerConnect.com and AppleTreeAnswers.com / Apple Tree Answering Service / which use live operators to answer your missed calls... but it just didn't work well enough. The operators didn't get when my wife called and said "It is his wife" that the operator probably didn't need to ask for her name and email and phone number.

Anyhow, so Google Voice also has the first free custom voicemail, but their second part was not spot checked my a human. Does this matter? Yes. I have Google Voice and vs Youmail it sucks. I got a transcribed Voicemail that really made me think my wife was in a car accident. No joke, it was that bad.

So Youmail.com is a no brainer. It also has an iphone app. It also will email you and text you the transcribed VM and of course let you hear the VM if you are so inclined (why bother).

Frank

P.s. I gave this idea to a banker. Wow, he loved it. All of his clients felt like roaylty with a custom greeting.

P.s.s. Due to the feature, and the replies, I decided to make the link an affiliate link. Now I will get a couple bucks off my plan, hope you don't mind.

Update: Here is a message from Google Voice:

Hi, This message is for and through those. My name is matty and Harry me in a and I, H, E K A R R E N line at 703623488895, up on my distinctly located on at 96 or 3 George. Sounds like you've been great. Box listed now at 3.285 2 friends. If you don't mind to give me a call and I have. I just wanted a lot. Thank you again.

Note that I did not edit the # of digits.

Here is Youmail

Hey Frank, It is 5:15. I'm just leaving school now. I'm exhausted, getting ready for back to school night. Anyway, I think you finish at 5:00 today, so I was wondering if you were on your way home. Let me know your status. Was wondering how your stomach is feeling. Bye.

Again, Google voice sucks (at least now it does).

NationalDiscountVitamins.com was Great! Consumer Review

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:28:01 -0500

Just got my shipment from National Discount Vitamins. I was used to ordering from Amazon, but they didn't have everything I needed, so I found these guys via Google. I was kinda uncertain with the website and used to Amazons super fast delivery.

Anyhow, I got my Standard Process and Medi-Herb supplements today and was very satisfied. Total shipping was only $7 for a $150 order. Also I couldnt find any promotional codes or coupon codes. If you find them, please post them under the comments.

Again, this was a great find!

Frank

tip: if you can't find something under the name Standard Process, also try Medi-Herb, they are the same company

Vote NOW! 4 Frank for 2010 NVAR Board of Directors Election

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:25:02 -0500

Update: Sept 20th, the link to voting is hard to find on NVAR's site, so use this link to get there directly: http://tinyurl.com/NVAR-VOTE

Update Sept 10th. Preliminary results are in! Frank is in 2nd to last place!

Updated Sept 9th 2009: Voting began! (please Tweet/Repost etc) Vote through Oct 8th 2009.

Also here is my 1 hour class from VAR Convention on using Video for Realtors for FREE.

Hello my name is Frank Borges LL0SA, broker for FranklyRealty.com and I'm once again on the ballot for the Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS NVAR 2010 Board of Directors election. The election takes place during the month of September 2010. There are 5 open spots, and 9 people are running.

Want Frank to win?

VOTE FOR ONLY 1 PERSON (Frank). No it isn't anti-patriotic to use only 1 of your 5 votes.

At first it might sound bad to tell you not to vote for 5 candidates. Let me explain. Last time I got a few hundred people to vote. They didn't know who the other people were. They were forced to vote for 5 candidates, but effectively diluting the vote for me by 80%! This year they changed the rules. So unless you really have an affinity to another candidate running, I ask that you make your vote MORE powerful, and...

JUST VOTE FOR FRANK (skip your 4 other votes).

How to vote (yep it is tougher than you think)

1) You need your NRDS #. (Lost it? > Realtor.org Retrieve NRDS, need your license # > DPOR Lookup)

2) Your password on the NVAR vote site http://tinyurl.com/NVAR-VOTE is either your last 4 SSN, OR a password you created. (Beware: Try over 4 times and you get locked out!!)

3) Let me know you voted! And get 5 friends to vote.

Newsflash: Frank won Inman's 2009 Innovator of the Year Award.

For those of you that already read my main blog.FranklyRealty.com , I welcome you to say great things about me in the comments section below.

For those of you that came via www.choosefrank.org (mentioned in the NVAR Magazine), I will link you to some of my most read blog posts, so you can get a better idea for how I view real estate. These views I will take with me to the board and help shape the direction of NVAR for the next two years. A direction that embraces technology, and empowers NVAR Realtors to be more efficient and more profitable, while increasing our reputation in the community.

Here are some of my "best of" blog posts, targeting consumers.

Attn. Market Timers! The EXACT Best Day to Buy!
Go FSBO! Save $20,000! Realtor Tells All!! (34 comments)
Excellence Comes Standard. Frankly Client Bill of Rights,
Exclusive Buyer Agency Contracts. Don't Sign Them... Yet. (don't let the title fool you)

More at Blog.FranklyRealty.com and Youtube.FranklyRealty.com (watch the WHEEL estate cam!)

Here are some blog posts that I wrote to help REALTORS increase productivity & business.

UPDATE NVAR magazine article on Photography (pdf)
MLS Photo Collages & other Photoshop adjustments
Spam, Friend or Business? Email Headers, Why They Matter. -
Save Hours: Switchboard.com The ONLY Route Finder. -
Wide-Angle Point & Shoot 23mm $200/ + 2Hr Free Class -
and many more at www.activerain.com/blogs/franklyrealty

I have also given free classes on blogging and photography at NVAR (ask for a link to the audio and video for those classes).

I hope you will put a comment here if you know me, and feel like saying nice things. If you are an NVAR member and you have a question, feel free to email me directly or post a comment here.

If you are going down to the 2010 VAR convention, I will be teaching a 1 hour class on video marketing.

If you would like to help me win and be a satellite campaign manager for your office, please email me!

Thank you!

- Written by Frank Borges LLosa - VA Broker FranklyRealty.com

p.s. please report typos.

P.s. Here is what happened 2 years ago when I ran. I was 2nd to last! Let's not let that happen again!

Bonus: How to set up an Active Rain blog account in under 10 minutes: (note this was made before they started charging)

And here is a 10 minute video on HOW TO create your Free Facebook page (still free):

How to read blogs with an RSS feed (a system for reading my blogs), a GREAT tutorial (not made by me):

Title One in Annandale, Why Aren't You Green?

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:54:48 -0500

I was disappointed when one of my agents did a closing with Tina Kang at Title One.

Why?

Well this might sound silly to some (and apparently to her), they wanted to charge a $25 wire fee to send over the commission. Not only has no other title company in the Virginia area charged this, it isn't "green." Isn't that the theme nowadays? Save a tree, and go wireless?

They claim that they are charged a $25 fee per wire. I will remove this public google feed post if they show me that fee. Other title companies have told me that their wires are free since their escrow accounts are not allowed to have interest and the banks give them the free wires as a "thank you."

So I made my request. Tina laughed. She thought it was funny. Not a good way to treat a recent client.

I didn't think charging bogus fees was funny. I suggest their clients look VERY carefully are their HUD1s to make sure there aren't any other bogus fees.

Ultimately she agreed to wire me the $25 balance. Oh, and without charging $25 for that wire.

Is your title company as green as they can be?

Frank

Tina Kang for Title One 7535 Little River Turnpike, Suite 100-D Annandale, VA 22003 Phone: 703.750.2345 / Fax: 703-750-0058 Alternate Fax (eFax): 703-880-7444 tkang@mytitleone.com / www.mytitleone.com

Welcome to thew new group

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:47:56 -0500

Note: Posts made directly to a group will not appear on your blog.

Active Rain allows there to be groups. One of the benefits of a group is being able to post directly to the group, in a manner that will not appear on your main blog.

Sometimes I want to do a review of a service, but I don't necessarily want it to be broadcast to everyone, but I DO want Google to pick up on it. So that when people are doing their research, they find these posts.

So feel free to post random stuff here for Google bait.

Enjoy!@

Frank

$8,000 Tax Credit? BUY NOW or W-A-I-T !?

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:25:15 -0500

Are you better off buying AFTER the tax credit expires? Maybe.

Everywhere you turn you read about the $8,000 1st time homebuyer tax credit and how you need to "Buy Now" (anybody remember that NAR ad from 2006?). Gotta hurry up before the Dec 1st Expiration!

(Sidenote: that expiration means you need to CLOSE by then. If you are looking for a short sale gamble, and you want the credit, you better get it under contract NOW. And everyone else, don't be an idiot and schedule your closing on the 1st. At least close a week early. There will be a backlog and hiccups and you might miss your tax credit.)

So Warren Buffet says whenever you see a herd running in one direction, you are supposed to walk the other way.

Oh, and there IS a stampede in Virginia trying to buy a home in time for the tax credit. People LOVE tax credits. Kinda like people love to "SAVE" by going FSBO, when it will likely actually NET them less.

Has anybody stopped to wonder whether this mad dash might be temporarily INFLATING prices beyond the credit that it offers? And the day after the credit expires, might there be an even MORE of a dead winter following it?

Buyers:

If you are buying under the $100,000 price point, sure that $8k credit will likely be better to take now.

If you are buying from $400k-$700k, you have to ask yourself, "Once the flood of buyers evaporates, won't that send prices down?" Maybe.

Am I saying "NOT TO BUY." No, but I am also saying, don't be silly and getting into some crazy bidding war or overpay for a place to get in under the wire.

Kinda like the Cash For Clunkers campaign. How many "Deals" do you think the Dealers were really giving in that last week when their phones were ringing off the hook? They probably jacked prices up. And sometimes that $5,000 credit was in place of a $3,000 valued car. So the net saving was only $2,000! And on a $25,000 car, I bet a month after the tax credit, (after inventory catches up) you can get that $25k car for well under $23k.

Sellers:

Don't get too greedy! You also want to sell into this flurry. Ask for too much and watch the dead Winter-time come (unless Congress extends it, which they might).

Normally I am not an advocate of Market Timing. But for those that like to try and play the game, I just wanted to give some food for thought.

Also please attach comments with links to any other blogs that might question the value of rushing in to get the tax credit (I didn't see any, they were all "buy now").

And stay tuned for a flurry of new posts. I had an 18 hour trip to Africa (see Wheel Estate Cam Below) to write a ton.

Written by Frank Borges LL0SA Broker FranklyRealty.com

Inman 2009 Innovator of the Year

Random Wheel Estate Cam video from Africa:
Please report all typos!

Photo Credits:Tax photo by Aimeesblog, Clunker by ThreadedThoughts, Warren by Tedizen

Dead Animals for Props?

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:41:57 -0500

Walked with a client into a basement of a $1M home and found this. I have never seen such a disgusting prop. It was a REAL stuffed bear sliced opened and used to cover the floor. Up close of the tongue and you can see it's taste buds.

Totally disgusting.

For what it is worth, my client wouldn't go into the room.

What were they thinking?

The morale, when agents try and stage, beware.

Frank- Broker

Save $500. Don't Forget the Reissue Rate on Title Insurance

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:54:58 -0500

In Virginia, there is a substantial savings on Title Insurance if you can get the "Reissue Rate." It can be from $500 to over $1000 depending on the price of your home.

When do you qualify for the reissue rate? If the previous owner bought Title Insurance within the last few years, usually within 10. The seller has to either provide proof of the title insurance, or they have to give you (or your agent) permission to get it from the previous title company, which can be a little bit of a pain.

A buyer agent also might consider making it a requirement in the contract to buy. Otherwise you are asking for a favor from the seller after you are under contract.

One warning. There are some title companies that have partnerships with lenders and offer a "package" deal that can "save" you $1000. Problem is, the savings can NOT be combined with the reissue rate.

In one instance I saw the reissue rate was $1300 and the "package" discount was $1600. Sure that is nice, but in reality the "package" savings was only $300 (but saying $1600 is better for marketing).

Why does this matter? Well if you are comparing lenders and one has a "package" that you think saves you $1300, but really only saves you $300, you might not be properly comparing apples to apples. Does that make sense or is it confusing?

Oh, and any listing agents out there? This could be a nice card to pull out to "save" the buyer $500 to $1000.

Don't miss my previous blog posts on Title Insurance.

Written by Broker Frank LLOSA FranklyRealty.com

How Twitter SAVED Me $80

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:38:32 -0500

The new search engine... TWITTER!

Yep. People don't think of Twitter as a search engine.

What is wrong with Google? It has everything?

The problem... it has everything!

Twitter is REAL TIME. So it shows you recent and updated news and information. I used it yesterday to save $80. I needed a coupon code. I did a search for Dell Outlet Coupon Code on Google and for 1,000 results, all with expired coupons. I logged into my twitter account and did a general search for Dell Outlet Coupon and saved $80!

Easy as that!

Try it for everything from Victoria Secret Coupon Code and any site that you see "Apply Coupon Code"

Frank

VideosByAddress.com 1st MRIS Approved Live Video! Free (for now).

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:42:55 -0500

One of FranklYRealty.com's agents, Ray Hwang was working on a secret project that I didn't even know about until he launched it.

His service is VideosByAddress.com and it is the first (as of this posting the only) MRIS approved Video Hosting company.

During his beta phase, he is allowing all agents in the MRIS area (DC VA MD) to upload real live videos for free. That virtual tour gets added to Homesdatabase.com and all of the lcoal MLS sites that link to the Virtual Tours. (and Realtor.com for extra)

And these are REAL VIDEOS! Not photos flying in and out to annoying music (hey sorry, some people love that, but it just isn't my thing, if you are gonna show photos, people want them BIG AND FAST).

So if I do not like most "Virtual Tours" that are just a compilation of photos panning in and out, so why do I love Real Live Video? Will anybody watch it? With everyone watch it?

NO! No, most people will NOT watch a 3-7 minute video. BUT... and here is the big butt.

Those few buyers that REALLY are considering the house... THEY WILL! And they will share it with their friends and family. Heck, the buyer will watch a 30 minute video if it was available (max is 10 minutes on Youtube and VideosByAddress).

Also your video will automatically get posted to Youtube.com so if people are searching for that address, your video comes up.

Since only 1/2 of 1% of Listing Agents use video... don't you think this might be a nice competitive advantage for a listing agent to offer in their bullet point of services? I think so.

Here is a video of my Mother's house for sale: http://videosbyaddress.com/TA7065182

He also has video tutorials on how to shoot good video on youtube.com/VideosByAddress

So go email Ray over at VideosByAddress.com and get started posting videos for ALL of your listings. I promise your clients will love it!

Did I mention it is FREE! At least for now.

Written by Frank LL0SA- Broker FranklyRealty.com

Pick Your Youtube Thumbnail For Better Video SEO

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:27:33 -0500

Yep there is a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Youtube. Besides the keywords and tags and title, many will want to take it a step further to have the most ideal thumbnail image for the video. The image that users see and decide whether or not to click on it.

Youtube lets the person that uploads a video onto their account pick from 1 of 3 thumbnails. Many have tried to figure out exact HOW Youtube picks those thumbnails from your video clip. Some have said Youtube picks the exact middle frame. Others say it picks from the 1/4th of the way through the video, then 1/2 and then 3/4th.

Well to find out exactly, I did a ton of test videos and uploaded them to Youtube (make sure you keep them as Private, or you will junk up your channel).

I recorded a clock on my desktop for 60 seconds and looked at the seconds hand to see which image Youtube grabbed. (if you do this test take 2 videos, but of TWO different types of clocks, it did get confusing when I had 2 one minute videos of the same clock)

I confirmed that IT IS FAIRLY RANDOM in how it picks the thumbnails!

Why do they do this? Too many peope try to manipulate the system. They edit their videos so a great image flashes during the 1/2 way mark, or 1/4 mark.

So the solution? First of all be generally aware that Youtube is going to pick something near the middle (not exactly in the middle though) and toward the front and toward then end.

1) Upload your video in PRIVATE mode.

2) If you don't like the thumbnail options

3) Delete the video

4) Reupload it.

5) Rinse and Repeat

Other Tips:

- Youtube will not let you upload the same file again, even if it has another filename. You have to either compress it to another format or delete it from youtube and reupload it.

Good luck

Written by Frank

p.s. For those of you in Virginia, check out my agent Ray's www.VideosByAdress.com which is the first MRIS approved Video vender. Soon to be reviewed here. And for now, it is FREE to upload real live Video (vs an animated slideshow of photos) with your MLS listings.

Here is the video demo:

Approved by Cartus?= 40% Please

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:57:14 -0500

Cartus relocation company is a CROC! (that is an opinion, for more opinions Google Cartus sucks).

Actually many "relocation" companies that are supposed to help the employee are just fronts for making profit. And they have such a compelling pitch! How could an eligible buyer actually decide to bypass them? EASILY!

I'll explain exactly why you might want to bypass your relocation company AND how you can use PART of their system to your benefit and ditch the other part.

Why am I picking on Cartus? Cuz I was robbed. I got this email the other day:

Hi, I'm moving to Virginia with my job in a month and my fiance and I are a big Frank fan! {Name Omitted} recommended you to us. We love the website and reading/listening to your blog. And, we'd like to go with your realty firm when we purchase a place in Northern Arlington this summer. Fortunately for us, my company (XYZ) is willing to pay Realtor's fees and closing costs but I need to approve you as a realtor/realty before they will allow us to get started.

I added the emphasis.

1) Fortunately for us. Wow, the company is so gracious. They really care about their employees. Consider it a benefit like healthcare. They will pay Realtor fees and closing costs! (end sarcasm here)

Ok, first of all when you are buying, there are NO "Realtor fees" (sidenote: ha, I wonder if they pay for the bogus Realtor Admin fees which the Washington Post, link, just covered and cited my blog) per se because the Realtor fees are paid by the buyer. But it surely makes for a good BS pitch in the brochure. Why not also add: free keys! As for the "closing costs" I'll get to that shortly...

2) Approve you. Approve me for what? Make sure I'm good? Knowledgeable with people that are relocating? Maybe a quiz or a check for references? No. None of this happened.

I knew the "approve" the agent sounded fishy. I warned the buyer... I said "I bet they are up to something."

Finally Cartus contacts me. I get an email that effectively said: You are approved when you agree to give us 40% of your commission. (actually it said "registration entails a verbal agreement of a 40% referral fee.")

Are you F-ing kidding me? "Referral fee?" Did they refer business to me? Hell no. These buyers found me on their own. They were a personal reference from a friend that felt like they got great service. And Cartus demands 40% to be part of their program. What is this Robin Hood? Take from one to give a another? And keep a little for profit in the process?

So here are the details for their program, I am a fine print reader, so at the end I will try to parse this out for you.

CARTUS HOME PURCHASE CLOSING COSTS

There are numerous expenses associated with the purchase of your new home that vary by state and local custom. You will be reimbursed for buyer’s expenses customary in the new location; which should be discussed with your Cartus Relocation Consultant.

In all cases, only one set of lending fees and one-time closing fees will be reimbursed. Fees and charges most commonly recognized for reimbursement are:

Abstract or title search, Amortization fee, Application fee, Appraisal fee (1), Attorney fees (where required by state law), Certified copies, Credit report (1), Document preparation fee, Escrow fee, Guarantee fee, Inspections that are normal and customary for the area (termite, well/septic),

- Loan origination fee not to exceed 1% of the mortgage amount. If you do not contact Cartus prior to beginning the home purchase assistance program, you will not be eligible for the 1% loan origination fee.

Homeowners title policy for new construction only, Lender's Title Policy, Messenger service fees/express shipment fees, Notary fees, Recording fees, Settlement or closing fee, Survey, Tax service fee, Title examination, Underwriting fee

Isn't it fun making a really long list of fees that are paid? Even though many of them are next to nothing. I just pulled up a HUD1 for a buyer (note that fees can vary by closing company and frequently get renamed and shuffled around).

Here are a few of the next to nothing fees on the list that you get FREE!!: Notary Fee= $0, Messenger= $55, Tax service fee $0, Recording $65, Termite $35, Credit report $14, Title examination=$0.

The fees that have some real value: Survey= $265 Settlement fee=$195 Title Search=$175 Lender's title insurance=$1,800 (on a $650k VA home, reissue rate) NOT present in the list of closing costs: Owner's title insurance= $1350 (except for closing costs) Read more on Owner's Title

Conditional costs. Ie IF, a big IF, you use their "approved" Realtor. You get: Loan origination fee 1%. Lenders have a ton of names for these types of fees. Sometimes they are called "Rate buy down" points, or "Discount Fee." The short hand is just "points." Points aren't necessarily bad (make sure to subscribe to this blog for a full post on when to buy points). More often than not, if you put down 20% there are ZERO POINTS, ie $0 Loan Origination fees. So if you DO use the Cartus program, and an "approved" Realtor, make sure you go out of your way to max out the full 1% point. (ie if the lender was going to charge you no points, they can make up the fee and buy down your rate, as in make your 5% rate 4.75% approximately)

But here is the fine print as I understand it...

BOTTOM LINE: You only have to use their approved Realtor IF you need that Loan origination fee. In other words, you can still pick your favorite Realtor and get all the other fees covered for free by Cartus. (I could be wrong, but that is how I understand their rules above).

Why in God's world would you give up the ability to get a "free" 1% loan origination fee?

Well that is a separate and lengthy discussion on rebating and discounting. Heck, there are several companies that will give you a 1.5% cash rebate. Heck a 1.5% cash rebate is MUCH better than no cash reimbursement for a 1% fee you might not have purchased normally.

WAYS TO MILK CARTUS

1) Have them pay ALL your fees except the 1%, and find your own Realtor that will give you a rebate.

2) Or if you find a Realtor that is willing to be "approved" by Cartus, tell them "hey buddy, you are willing to give 40% to Cartus right? And Cartus will just turn around and refund 33% (1% or 1/3rd of the 3% offered to buyer's agents) of the 40% in the form of a 1% loan rebate, why not just give me the 40% directly?! Cut out Cartus and get 1.2% refunded on your HUD1 vs 1% lender fee repayment and Cartus pocketing the rest.

3) Get your own un-approved agent, skip the loan fee reimbursement, yet accept all the other fees. So why am I telling you the secret path to getting the most cash out of the relocation company and system? Well maybe, just maybe you will then believe me that #3 above might be the best solution for you in the end.

Stop and think about for a second. Cartus demands 40% from a Realtor that you pick or one that they pick. So for the ones that they pick, what kind of Realtors will accept that? Oftentimes desperate ones. Perhaps those that are kinda struggling. You know, economy is tough right now. Weekend warrior Realtors that have nothing better to do? One that will pressure you into a house and hope to get you off their slate as fast as possible so they can make the next 60% deal from Cartus. Perhaps they have to cut down half the time they spend on you, to make it worth it.

So signing with Cartus with an "Approved" Realtor, is not much different than Rebating. I have no problem with the rebating business model. (note: you won't find many other non-Rebating Realtors talk about it openly).

Why do I talk about it? Well as I like to say "I use to rebate, but then I got good." Yep Read: Realtor Rebates. Free Money or Expensive Savings? and more on rebating.

In the end, know you do have a choice. You can get the best of both worlds. You can get Cartus to pay a good amount of your closing costs, get a loan with NO loan origination fees, and get to pick an agent that is working for YOU, and not for Cartus.

Oh, and remember I'm not too busy for you, so email me. See I'm Not Too Busy For You video #1 and Video #2

Make sure to subscribe and comment and debate. Nobody likes a stale blog!

Written by Frank Borges LL0SA

Broker FranklyRealty.com

Owner FranklyMLS.com

Croc image DrBartje Fish image Phillip

ps. My experience was on the BUYING side. Can somebody comment on the SELLING side of relocating? Do they really buy the house at the appraised price and eat any subsequent loss? Now that seems to have some value in this market.

Gmail new feature: Canned Response!

Northern Virginia Homes - FRANKLY REAL ESTATE Inc — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:53:31 -0500

I just stumbled upon a new feature in Gmail called CANNED RESPONSE.

After logging into Gmail, you find it by

1) clicking on SETTINGS (top right) and then

2) clicking on LABS (upper right) and then

3) half way down you need to ENABLE Canned Responses.

Why does this save a TON of time? Well if you get emails or leads from people asking for rentals in another state and you don't want to be rude and ingore them, just write a canned response once. Or if you tend to ask the same follow up questions like "Are you working with a lender" or "What area are you considering" you can write several one liners or multi paragraph responses.

Sure you can save a version in a text doc and open it, but this 1 click little feature is awesome.

Enjoy.

Frank