Orville Ivor's Blog

Attorney backed Loan mods

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:02:04 -0600

Loan Modification-Loss Mitigation Services-Attorney Backed

I offer loan modification and loss mitigation services. All services are negotiated by my attorney's office.

Loan Modification, we renegotiate the terms of your current mortgage. We are getting interest rates as low as 3.5%. We can extend the terms to 40 or sometimes even 50 years. Principal loan balance is also lowered in some cases. We take a financial snapshot of you and fix the deficit in your budget.

Loss Mitigation, if a loan modification is not possible for you there are still options available to you. Short sale, deed in Lieu and even cash for keys situations are possible.

I am set up to do this with any lender nationwide.

Call me know for a FREE consultation or visit my website for more information.

Orville McCallister

951-970-8025

orvillemccallister@yahoo.com

www.orvillemccallister.com

My Fico is way down from mortgage late; can I still qualify for a loan mod?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:18:16 -0600

My Fico is way down from mortgage late; can I still qualify for a loan mod?

YES!!! Doing a loan mod has nothing to do with your fico score. In fact the fact that you are late frequently or are behind on payments is mandatory. It is true, you can use the fact that you are struggling to pay your mortgage to get you an interest rate as low as 3.5%. No credit check needed. Banks are trying to prevent foreclosures. Now is the time to see if you can take advantage of these programs. Call now to find out if your qualify.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options. My Consultation is FREE!!!

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

If I file for bankruptcy how does that effect my eligibility for a mortgage modification?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:03:56 -0600

If I file for bankruptcy how does that effect my eligibility for a mortgage modification?

If a bankruptcy is filed and you include your mortgage in the BK foreclosure is stopped but you are then not eligible for a mortgage modification. Secured loans like mortgages are not eliminated by a BK. After the bankruptcy is finalized or the mortgage is removed from the BK filing a mortgage mod can be done at that time.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

I can't refinance and my mortgage rate adjusted this month and there is no way I can pay my new payment.

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:03:26 -0600

At the time having your rate locked for 3-5 years seemed like a good plan. It seemed so far away and you wanted to qualify for that bigger home. Understandable, values were climbing so fast with no end in sight. Why not, your kids could have their own rooms and a bigger yard. The American dream realized. Now we come to 2009 and values in some areas have plummeted and we really are not at the bottom quite yet. What do you do about that payment adjustment now that your 5 year lock is over and your payment went up by 30% and you are now 60 days behind. You modify your current mortgage. Take action now. I can help you. We are an attorney backed service that renegotiates the terms of your loan. In most cases we can get you a lower rate than your initial rate. We are seeing rates as low as 3.5%. That is a 30 year fixed rate amortized payment. Imagine what that could do for your bottom line.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

Why would my lender be willing to lower my interest rate?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:12:18 -0600

Lenders are just that, they are in the business of lending money not owning real estate. The bank does not want your home back. They would rather you keep it and keep paying them a steady stream of money. Even if that stream of money is reduced it is better than it being cut off. Taking back a home through foreclosure is very expensive for the bank. They have to pay attorneys and all kinds of different fees in order to complete the process of taking back a home through foreclosure. I know I would rather have less money than no money. I work with a highly trained team of negotiators all they do all day long is get people like you out of foreclosure and into a loan that they can afford. We can do that for you too, just ask.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

Do you have past clients in trouble with their mortgage?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:49:21 -0600

I used to wish I could help my past clients solve their mortgage woe's. Now I can and I can also help your clients. Nobody wants to see a client lose their home to foreclosure. I know that I get emotionally involved with the well being of my clients by the end of the transaction. I can help them by modifying the terms of their mortgage. I know lots of agents including myself who sold property using a loan that was fixed for 3 or 5 years. Well 3-5 years goes by quick and here we are in 2009 with adjustments either here or looming. It is possible not only to get the terms back to how they were when the loan was issued but it is possible to get a better rate. Nothing would make me happier than helping your clients keep their homes.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

No equity,,,No problem

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:15:03 -0600

Are you stuck in an adjustable rate mortgage? Have you been denied a refi into a fixed rate because you have no equity? Have no fear loan modification is here. All kidding aside I really can fix this type of situation. When you negotiate a loan modification the fact that you are upside down in your loan actually works to your advantage. Banks are even forgiving part of the negative equity or the payments that have been missed or both. I know that this seems to good to be true. If you have any questions about loan modification please don't hesitate to ask.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

I am behind on my mortgage,, how am I ever going to catch up?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:07:44 -0600

In today's economy how on earth do I catch up 3 months worth of mortgage payments? There are two options. One is a temporary fix and two is a long term solution.

One, you can do what is called a forbearance. Basically what happens is the payments that you are behind get tacked onto the back of the loan and you start with a fresh slate. There are two problems with this. One is that the payment is the same as it was before you were behind. If that payment was truly manageable aside from an catastrophe you should have been able to keep up. The second problem is that if you are in an adjustable rate mortgage this does nothing to lock in a low interest rate.

Two, you can modify your mortgage. With my service the interest rate and duration of the loan are both negotiated. That means that we lower the interest rate and in some cases stretch the term out to 40 years. I have seen interest rates locked at 3.5% with a 40 year duration. This is a permanent fix. This makes your payment manageable and it allows you to build equity by actually paying the principal and not just the interest. In my humble opinion this is the fix that works.

If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage, please give me the opportunity to show them their options.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

If I walk away from my mortgage that's it,,,,right?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:14:58 -0600

Actually it's not that clean. Where major issues occur is when there are multiple loans on the property. When the first lien decides to foreclosure it is up to the second and sometimes third lenders whether or not they want to foreclose also. Example: Billy Bob bought a house on an 80/20 loan in 2000. In the following years Billy Bob took two home equity loans out one to pay his credit cards for 25K and one for 75K to build a pool and remodel his home. When the 80% loan forecloses the other lenders decide if they want to join in. If they do not and the first does not even break even with their costs and liens the other lenders are then free to sell that debt to collection agencies. This debt will follow you where ever you go. They can garnish your wages and harass you until that debt is settled. Billy Bob is still responsible for the 100k in cash out loans plus he is liable for his 20% second. This does not happen in every case this is worst case scenario. But it is all avoidable. I help people negotiate with their banks. In a lot of cases we can save peoples home and in cases like the one I just described we can negotiate this down to nothing or at least something manageable. If you or someone you know is in trouble with their mortgage please let me help.

Orville McCallister

Consultant, Diamond Consulting Group

951-970-8025

www.orvillemccallister.com

How can I avoid foreclosure with a short sale?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:56:04 -0600

It is not an uncommon scenario these days. A family is stuck in a property that they can not afford. They can't refinance or sell because they owe more than the home is worth. What do you do now? The way I approach this situation is to start by trying to negotiate a loan modification with the bank. If I can lower the payment to a level that the family can afford great, if not I can do one of two things. One I can short sale the property and two I can negotiate a Deed In Leiu transaction. Both options are better than just letting the bank take the property back. A short sale is where the bank agrees to take a lower payoff than what is really owed allowing that stuck family to be free of that home and move on. A short sale does hurt a persons credit but not as much as a foreclosure. If you or anyone you know is in trouble with their mortgage please let me show them the options available to them. Thanks.

Orville McCallister

What is Deed in Leiu?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:45:22 -0600

Facing foreclosure? Have you thought about negotiating a Deed in leiu of foreclosure? What is that you ask. It is possible to negotiate with the bank and deed the property back to the bank in trade for forgiveness of the debt. Why would the bank do this? Well I am sure everyone here on the rain has shown a REO listing that got the brunt end of the former owners rage and aggression. Well one of the most important things in this negotiation is the promise to give the home back in good condition. It is a much more civilized way to lose a home. This is not as bad on your credit as a foreclosure but it does still hurt you. Most of the damage comes from missing your payments. The first payment you missed was about a 50 point hit to your credit. Ouch right. If you are facing foreclosure or know someone who is there are options. I help people just like you all day. Giver me 15 minutes of your time to see if there is something that I can do for you. The consult is free and you have nothing to lose,,,,,except your home

avoiding foreclosure with loan modification

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:27:26 -0600

Loan Modification? What is that? Well it is pretty simple, what I do for people is I help them renegotiate the terms of their current loan to avoid foreclosure. In a marketplace where foreclosure is on the tip of everyone's tongues there are options. My service is attorney based and can make all the difference in the world as far as people keeping their homes. If you have clients that bought property on an ARM and are now upside down and behind in payments I can help. There are two major players in the process. The consultant (me) and the attorney. I help people get all of their ducks in a row. We do a complete financial analysis and put together a package to submit to the attorney. The attorney armed with all of the information he could possibly ever need goes to bat for the client with their lender. We are seeing interest rates as low as 3.5% for terms as long as 40 years. This does amazing things for your payment. It is in the banks best interest to give you a lower rate for a longer time rather than take back the property. Banks want loans where the payments come every month. They do not want to own homes. If you or someone you know is in trouble let me help. my initial consult is free and you have nothing to lose,,,,,,except your home

Out of state cashflowing investment property

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:27:46 -0600

I am a Realtor from Temecula California and I have just expanded my business. I don't know how many times I have talked to people who want to invest in real estate but just cant make it work in California. I am now a Real Estate Investment Consultant for a company called Landmark Capital Group. What we do is buy homes in appreciating markets across the country and offer a one stop shopping service to investors in California. I am the Exclusive rep in my marketplace. I jumped all over this opportunity. What a gift to be able to help people expand their portfolio into cash flowing homes across the country. I get to do what I love help people accomplish their real estate goals. Real estate in my opinion is so much more powerful of an investment than the stock market. If you could buy stocks with 10 percent your money and 90 percent someone else's money and then some one would give you 30 percent of their income to take care of it for you and pay it off for you would you do it? Of course you would . The fact of the matter is you can even get a check in the mail for enough to pay a car payment on top of that from each of these houses. As yourself one question. Do I wish that I had bought 20 house 20 years ago? What will you say 20 years from now. Whether you are a season real estate professional or a first time investor we have a product for you. Please feel free to ask me any questions about this and I will gladly provide you with all Performa information.

Faith Into Action

Orville McCallister

Realtor,
Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

Real Estate Investment Consultant
Landmark Capital Group

www.orvillemccallister.com

The paperless movement is here!!!!

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:11:58 -0600

The paperless movement is here!!!

Advectis Inc. has obtained a patent that protects the company's BlitzDocs technology and the collection, organization and retrieval of stored digital mortgage loan documents accessible by multiple parties.

The company said the patent award, granted Dec. 5 for a document management system and method, "broadly protects" BlitzDocs, which Advectis reports is now used by more than 20,000 broker shops, the top seven mortgage insurance companies and three of the top due-diligence providers.

Last month, Advectis said it more than doubled the volume of loans processed through its collaborative document network in 2006.

Advectis conducts an annual survey examining trends in paperless mortgage loan processing. The latest "Path to Paperless" survey found that a growing number of respondents think it will take five years or longer for the industry to reach a threshold where more than 50 percent of all loans are totally paperless. The 2006 survey found 59 percent think the 50 percent threshold will take five or more years to achieve, up from 55 percent in 2005 and 40 percent in 2004.

Inman news

I love the fact that this has begun. I am ready I got a PC Tablet and I am learning to do everything paperless. How awesome that so many brokers are already doing it. We can make life better for ourselves, streamline our businesses and help conserve paper. Talk about a win-win.

It never ceases to amaze me the levels of profitability in the real estate business. All the different parts of the business from agents and brokers to loan officers to all of the affiliated business people we deal with. We as the sales people are the engine of this whole machine. The person who just patented this software is going to make a bloody fortune.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

Finally some good news

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 02:11:50 -0600

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE IMPROVES IN JANUARY
American consumers continued to indicate a higher level of confidence in the nation's economy this month, due in part to a more favorable job market, The Conference Board recently reported. The organization's Consumer Confidence Index increased for the second consecutive month in January, rising to 110.3 (1985=100). Also in January, the Present Situation Index increased to 133.9, while the Expectations Index declined to 94.5. Together, the three indexes suggest moderate economic growth during the first quarter of 2007.

Despite the current level of consumer confidence, consumers' outlook for the coming months is less positive, as indicated by the falling Expectations Index. According to the report, fewer consumers anticipate business conditions or their wages to improve in the near term. "This month's slight increase in confidence was solely the result of an improvement in the Present Situation Index, fueled primarily by a more favorable job market," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "Looking ahead, however, consumers are not as optimistic as they were in December."

This came from the CAR newsline

Finally some good news about the market. When consumers are unsure it is hard to convince them that now is a good time to buy. A lot of people seemed to want to see if the mystical bubble burst. There is no bubble just a natural cycle that has come and past before. I am not a pushy type I am a helping type so I educate and inform about the market and show people what the spend on rent vs. a tax advantaged mortgage.

I love good news so I thought I would spread it around

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

It's not about the market it's about the mindset.

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 17:15:29 -0600

It's not about the market it's about the mindset.

I heard some very powerful stuff at an accountability group we have at our office. One of the top agents in our office was talking about what happens to the market does not even affect him because his mindset is that he trusts his process. If he does the things that he knows brings him business and he does it consistently his numbers are consistent year after year regardless of the market conditions. If you have the mindset that the market is crummy and you are not going to get any results guess what that is what happens. This was a great moment for me I had lights and bells going off in my head. Of course there is a forecast of over 450 thousand homes sold this year in California all I need is about 36 and I will have had my best year yet. I just need a drop of that bucket so crummy market or not I see an opportunity to have the best year of my career. The market has little effect over my business, my mindset determines my business.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

How walking in love has helped my client relations.

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 02:53:20 -0600

How walking in love helps my client relations.

I am a fairly new Christian about eight months but the difference in my life is dramatic. One of the things that truly amazes me is that walking in love with the lord even to the extent that I can this soon. I do not get stressed out by clients anymore. I just look at them and try to understand and be their friend. I want to help them accomplish their goals. Even if they are high maintenance in some peoples eyes it is no problem for me. Ever since I accepted Jesus I have attracted much better clients. For some reason I have just had great clients. I do not know if they are different or I am different all I know is that it is different and much better. I really think this all came from having the faith to take the first steps to walk in his love. Has anybody else experienced something like this.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

Is there any way around the holiday slump?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:10:42 -0600

December seems like a bad month for Realtors.

Most cities and counties in California experienced a drop in median home prices in December compared to the same month in 2005, according to data on new and existing condo and single-family home sales.

Existing single-family home sales in the state fell 15.3 percent in December compared to December 2005, the California Association of Realtors reported today.

Total existing single-family home sales were down 23.6 percent for the full year in 2006 compared to the prior year, according to preliminary C.A.R. statistics, which is the lowest level in 10 years. There were an estimated 477,330 sales in 2006, according to the preliminary statistics, which is the 11th-highest level on record dating back to 1970 and is the lowest annual sales total since 1997, when 446,700 sales were recorded.

I don't feel so bad for not making any money in December. With Christmas and all December has seemed slow for the two years I have been a Realtor. It seems that this time of year no one wants to move. How are you rainers drumming up business in the holiday season. I want to be consistent year round so now is the time to ask these questions. I would really like some feedback.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula

www.orvillemccallister.com

I GUESS THAT WE RAINERS WERE RIGHT IT IS NOT LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:51:02 -0600

I GUESS THAT WE RAINERS WERE RIGHT IT IS NOT LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA

I posted an article two days ago questioning the legality of a tactic that was posted on Inman news. http://activerain.com/blogsview/37549/Is-this-legal-in . Overwhelmingly rainers responded correctly. There were a few that posed comments saying they thought it was legal. In the spirit of being in the Rain I wanted to make sure that those folks keep their licenses and continue to enjoy the benefits of being a Realtor. I also wrote an article about whether or not there was liability on Inmans part http://activerain.com/blogsview/37549/Is-this-legal-in , my guess is there is in some form because they posted this correction.

Inman News received several comments from readers questioning the legality of a real estate flier advertising a $1,000 reward to the person who finds a buyer for a property in the San Francisco Bay Area (see story).

Readers asked whether a person without a real estate license who is not directly involved in a real estate transaction can receive money for finding a buyer for a property.

Federal law clearly prohibits this sort of reward, said a mortgage lawyer.

And under state real estate licensing law, the offer itself is not illegal but it could become a violation depending on the actions of the listing agent who is offering the reward and the person who seeks the reward, according to a spokesman for the real estate regulatory agency in California.

The flier states, "Wouldn't you like to have your friends or family live in your neighborhood and receive a little extra spending money? If you find a legitimate buyer and escrow closes on or before Nov. 30 ... we will pay you $1,000 at close of escrow." The reward notice also includes the listing agent's contact information, and the other side of the flier is a typical for-sale advertisement with property details and color photos.

Mark K. Rabidoux, a mortgage lawyer in Ann Arbor, Mich., said, "From a RESPA perspective, this offer is illegal. It is offering a thing of value (money) for the referral of settlement service business. The agent could offer people money for using his services themselves, but not for referring friends and neighbors. In other words, I can be paid for referring myself, but not for referring others."

He added, "From a real estate license perspective, you have to look at the license statute in the state in which the offer is made to determine whether getting paid for the bare referral of a prospect constitutes performing real estate agent services."

Tom Pool, a spokesman for the California Department of Real Estate, said that the reward offer is not illegal on its face, though it is fraught with potential problems.

The legality depends, he said, on whether the $1,000 is properly disclosed to parties in the real estate transaction and whether the person who finds the buyer violates real estate licensing laws.

Pool said that an unlicensed person could receive the money in this instance as long as that person does not engage in any active solicitation, which requires a real estate license in California. "If Uncle Bob is looking for a house and I tell Uncle Bob to go look for it, I haven't engaged in any solicitation," for example, Pool said.

And payment of a referral fee to a person without a real estate license is OK in the state, he said, "as long as it's disclosed to principals" in the transaction.

But if an unlicensed person seeking the $1,000 reward posts a notice on a bulletin board about the house and directs interested buyers to contact that unlicensed person, this example is considered solicitation by an unlicensed real estate professional and is illegal in the state, Pool said.

"I always caution brokers who want to advertise this type of incentive: You do not know how someone is going to react to that offer," Pool said.

Different states have different real estate laws, and the offer of rebates by real estate professionals to consumers is illegal in some states.

Mike and Eve Alexander of Buyers Broker of Florida commented in the Inman News blog about the reward offer: "In some states (like Florida) you cannot pay a real estate fee to an unlicensed person unless they are a party to the transaction."

Chris Farrugia, a Realtor for VIP Realtors in Southwest Florida, agreed in his blog comment, "I can tell you that in Florida this is illegal."

And Doug Quance, associate broker for Solid Source Realty Inc. in Georgia, commented, "Some agents must enjoy explaining themselves to their brokers and their state's licensing authorities."

Meanwhile, Mark Thomason, a Realtor for Asante Real Estate Group in California's Silicon Valley, commented that he has seen a far larger reward offer -- $50,000 for the licensed real estate professional who refers another real estate professional representing a buyer in the purchase of a $10 million home in Los Gatos, Calif. "Pretty good marketing, I would say," Thomason stated in the blog.

Thanks for all of the awesome response to my other post. Rainers Rock.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

www.orvillemccallister.com

Who do we believe

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:05:55 -0600

Who do we believe?

This is an exert I got from Inman

The peaks and valleys of the 2006 housing market were curious -- perhaps even unique -- but consumers and real estate professionals will probably experience a more consistent, positive environment in 2007, according to leading industry analysts.

National economists and pollsters, even the legendary Alan Greenspan who retired as chairman of the Federal Reserve early last year, also concurred that housing activity should pick up some steam in 2007.

"Most of the negatives in housing are probably behind us," Greenspan said. "The fourth quarter should be reasonably good, certainly better than the third period."

Others, including Steve Murray, publisher of Real Trends, a real estate research and information company, were willing to push a positive outlook further into the future. Murray feels the desire for a home as a residence, or as a recreation or retirement investment will remain strong for the next decade.

Personally I tend to believe Greenspan. Partly because that is what I want to believe and partly because I think he is a brilliant economist. I have great respect for his opinions , I first became interested in his opinions in college economics in 2001. I had many discussions with my professor about current affairs and Greenspan was a popular topic. I like to think positive and if I can follow a favorite person at the same time that is enough for me. What do you guys think I would love some feedback.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

www.orvillemccallister.com

pc tablet questions

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:34:04 -0600

Hey guys I am fairly new to the rain and just joined the group and I would like to introduce myself. My name is Orville McCallister and I am a Realtor with Keller Williams in Temecula CA. I just bought a Pc tablet and I want to do the signatures on the screen but cant figure out how. I downloaded winforms I did the desktop so I did not have to be live on the net to use it. I downloaded docusign but got a thing that you can email forms and they click to sign. Where do I go to solve this problem? What am I doing wrong?

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

Is this legal in California?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:04:01 -0600

Is This legal in California?
Wanted: Home Buyer -- $1,000 Reward

A property flier in the San Francisco Bay Area contains the usual information on amenities and price -- but the flip side carries an unusual appeal: "Find a qualified buyer ... and receive $1,000!"

The flier also states, "Wouldn't you like to have your friends or family live in your neighborhood and receive a little extra spending money?" Given that the list price of the home is over $575,000, it stands to reason that a friend or relative who buys the home might want to share in that $1,000, or would expect to negotiate down the price of the property at least $1,000 based on the willingness to hand out that sum to someone who is not directly involved in the transaction. It's not clear from the flier whether the actual buyer or an agent representing that buyer would be able to claim the reward directly if there isn't a third-party buyer-finder involved.

The "$1,000 REWARD" is subject to a restriction: Escrow must close on or before Nov. 30 in order for the person who locates the buyer to receive the money, which will be paid at close of escrow.

--Glenn Roberts Jr., Inman News

This article came from inman news.

I thought it was illegal to offer a finders fee to non licensed people.

If so how do you disperse the funds out of escrow so as not to pay taxes on it.

Do you have to pay out of your cut or the gross check?

I would really like some feed back as to the legality of this tactic in California.

Orville McCallister

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

Is there any liability here?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 02:05:11 -0600

Is there any liability here?

I wrote a post today showing a headline on inman news. http://activerain.com/blogsview/37549/Is-this-legal-in . It talked about getting creative in a slow market. Their idea of creative was to print a want ad for buyers with a reward of a $1000. I thought that was illegal so I posted it to get some feed back and sure enough it is totally illegal. Is there any liability towards the author of that article if someone was to loose their license for following the suggestion? If so is that liability pointed at bloggers on the rain? Say I am confused about something and I post it and someone does it and looses their license or gets fined am I liable. I live in California and this is a sue happy state, just look at our contracts every April and October they add forms because of legal problems. If you know anything about this I would like to know. Maybe I will start putting a disclaimer in my signature.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

Is being an ecobroker helping your business.

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:07:15 -0600

Is being an ecobroker helping your business.

I really like the concept of the ecobroker. I think that we owe it to our communities and to the world at large to help anyone who wants to be environmentally friendly. I am curious as to the response you get from clients about it. I would really like some feedback from all the ecobroker Rainers.

1. How much did it cost to become one?

2. Is it an official NAR designation.

3. Do you get more positive response from people when you tell them about it.

Please share your thoughts on the ecobroker thing whatever they are. I am 25 and sell in southern California. My dad builds custom homes so I am familiar with all of the technology and am very interested in this because I think I can be a part of the first wave of people to get into it.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley

www.orvillemccallister.com

What is more inportant the client or the commission?

Orville Ivor McCallister (Diamond Consulting Group) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:42:37 -0600

What is more important the client or the commission.

This is a question some Realtors don't honestly answer. Commission is great that is how we pay our bills and put food on the table but commission is the byproduct of good honest service. A few months ago I experienced a paradigm shift in the way I perceived my job. Instead of waking up in the morning and trying to make money I try to help people. The difference that has made in the quality of my life has been amazing. I have made more money than any other period of my life but even better than that the satisfaction I get from helping family's achieve the American dream is even better. This business is more about people than anything else. I love being a Realtor, clients turn to friends and I spend all day helping my friends and I make a good living. I have seen the effect of a Realtor focusing to hard on the commission it leaves a bitter taste in clients mouths. I am so glad I opened my eyes and changed my attitude. I love being a Temecula Realtor and I hope that you can find the same satisfaction that I have by focusing on the important things, your clients not your bank accounts. God bless you and God bless America.

Orville McCallister

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty Temecula Valley