When I used to teach English to college kids, one of the things I did each course was show the movie, Rudy, the story of a kinda small kid who ate, lived and slept Notre Dame football. All he wanted, with all his heart and soul, was to play for the "Fighting Irish."

Unfortunately, Rudy was not big enough to play ball--especially on this revered team. Also, his grades were not good enough for him to come anywhere near admission into Notre Dame. If you happen to be one of those very rare folks who have never seen the flick, here's a video clip.

I am fortunate enough to get to interview the "real" Rudy on my show tomorrow. Yes, the guy that the true story was based on. Rudy walks the walk. Even though many years have passed since that noted 27 seconds on the football field, his life was, is and will always be an example of absolute faith and perseverance. Rudy did not give up when he was told that something was impossible. And really, if you saw the movie you know he was told "no way" a million times. Even his own family couldn't believe it was at all possible that Rudy could even be a bench warmer for their beloved state team, The fighting Irish.

Now let's compare and contrast that with your real estate business (there I go, sounding like an English professor again!).

Sure, the recession and the economy have got some of us down. In fact, Thanks to Active Rain and twitter, I have Realtor friends all across the country and more than a few of them have told me that they've had to pick up part time jobs.

So What?

Rudy had to sleep in the cleaning room and eat what he could find...but those things were SMALL in comparison to the ultimate realization of his dream. So you have to pick up a job at Starbucks a few hours a day. So what? As long as you have a place to sleep at night and enough food to survive, you CAN still sell houses or lend money. Sure, times are tough for some of us, but it's only those of us who take our eyes off the ultimate prize that tend to falter in our actions and effectiveness.

As long as you hold close that dream....selling so many houses you can't see straight, making the difference in so many lives of people you can help, taking good care of your family and making enough money to give to the charities and causes of your choice...as long as THAT is what you focus on, then you will ultimately succeed. And, the "stuff" you have to do in the meantime, whether it's taking on another "real" job, cutting out coupons, scaling back on Christmas or knocking on doors and doing a little cold calling...is all worth it.

In reality, if you post everyday, attend local social networking events and partake in the social media outlets that work for you, you probably won't have to cold call or get another job, but even if you do, so what. As the saying goes, "This too shall pass."

Just think of Rudy.

"You're 5 foot nothin', 100 and nothin', and you have nearly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football team in the land for 2 years. And you're getting a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don't have to prove nothin' to nobody but yourself." --Fortune (as played by Charles S. Dutton) in "Rudy."

Show time: Wednesday October 28th, 10 AM PST time (California) at www.InLoveWithSacto.com 
You can catch the podcast later if you miss the show.

Thanks!
Tamara

There’s a new kid in town and we better pay attention. The Sacramento Press is making headway in a big way and I’m completely sold on the concept. The Press is an all online newspaper that focuses on local news for those of us who reside in Sacramento and the surrounding counties  (Sacramento, Placer, Eldorado and Yolo Counties are covered).

I remember growing up, my mother had a subscription to the Sacramento Union. She said she preferred it to the Sacramento Bee because it was much more succinct and easier to read. Perhaps she liked the political slant, I really can’t say. What I can say, however, is that once The Sacramento Union went under, we were left with one resource for local and national news.

Now make no mistake, I am not bad-mouthing The Bee. Nevertheless, I have always been of the opinion that there should be more than one opinion in the way of reporting news. I stopped subscribing to the paper a few years ago. Too much to read, wanting to save trees and all that jazz. If I wanted to know what was going on, I would go to the online version of The Bee and see what was in the news.

Now I’m bookmarking www.SacramentoPress.com. For one thing, I appreciate that the publication reflects the local voice. One needn’t be a prized journalist to write an article. In fact, The Press is currently featuring a very cool contest where Sacramento folks can enter an article and win prizes (hurry, the deadline is Halloween night!).

Secondly, The Press covers local events that might not be “big enough” news for The Bee. I like the tone of the publication too…easy to read, covers not events, but politics and culture too. Most importantly, anyone can write anything, but let me clarify. First, you must register for the site. Second, you must adhere to The Press’ policy (which are ultra-agreeable). That’s about it. Oh yeah, no state or national news. This is Sacramento, Baby, and we only want stories in, about or that affect our own sweet town.

No go take a look at this new pub and tell me you don’t think it’s the neatest thing on the Net.

Ta ta for now,

Tamara

Catch my local radio show about self help and Sacramento...this week's guest is the "Real" Rudy from the famed movie by the same name. www.InLoveWithSacto.com

If I could count the number of times I heard a buyer say, "...and I don't mind a fixer," I would be a very wealthy woman. Truth is, most of us wouldn't mind a fixer of some kind. After all, it's an age-old real estate truth that the best buy is the worst house on the block. My first broker told me, get the dog of the street and you've got built-in equity.

Now while all this is true, in this market, I think some kind of clarification is due. Long gone are the days when you can buy a piece of land in Carmichael with a shaky shack atop it, with big plans to tear down and start over, all with the bank behind you.

Yep, the bank.

The first and worst problem with "fixers" today is that if you've got to get a loan to buy the house (and nearly everybody does) then you are limited into how much fixing can be overlooked. For instance, with FHA loans, the home needs to be habitable. That means, no broken windows, missing carpet, roofs in need of repair or broken heating and air. That sure doesn't leave much to the "fixer" concept, now does it? I guess some peeling paint might be okay, although if the home was built prior to 1978, you might have lead-based paint issues that FHA would pooh-pooh about.

Of course, there is an FHA 203 loan that is actually a loan for rehabbing a house, but we won't get into that here as it's really a whole other matter.

So take your conventional loan. And, take your fixer upper. Getting the house will depend upon a few things, but most of all, two things: Your loan qualifications and how much fixing needs to be done.

If you've got super shiny crazy-good credit and 20% to put down, well then, you have a good shot at a good loan with a low interest rate and a house that needs some moderate fixing. I will not qualify "moderate" as it can mean any number of things. However, let's just say that the house needs a bit more than repainted and floored.

If you're not in quite such a comfy position, consider houses that are cosmetic fixers. These houses can appear to be real dumps; pink walls, missing appliances, broken floor tiles, missing bedroom doors and strange symbols painted on the ceiling. (yes, I've seen it). In these cases, yards may be a force to be reckoned with and fences may be falling down (which is okay, because fencing doesn't come into the appraisal), and the houses can look really, really bad, but still, it's all only surface repair and update, hence the term "cosmetic fixer." In these cases, you're probably getting a good deal and you'll probably be okay with financing.

However, when the appraiser comes out, and he always will, then any major overhaul works, structural, roof featuring unplanned on sunroof (i.e. holes in ceiling!), you'd better be sure your ducks and financing are all in a row in order to find the funds to buy the house to do the fixing.

Hopefully this brief but well-meaning discussion got you thinking about what you really mean when you tell your agent you are looking for a "fixer-upper," because now you know, financing comes into play and helps you decide how much fixing you really can afford to buy.

The bottom line is this (and it's the bottom line I use so often, I should just make it my default footer): Find a real estate agent who knows what the heck is going on in the real estate market and a lender who knows what the heck is going on in financing. Your goal is to get the most (or perhaps in this case, the least) house for the money at the best rate and terms.

Good luck!
Tamara

PS

Catch my Sacramento Success Radio Show on each Wednesday at 10 AM at www.inLoveWithSacto.com. We chat a bit about real estate, self-help, health and local businesses.

Friends,

I recieved this email from Sergio Siderman, Esq, the president and CEO of NDA (National Disclosure Authority) and thought it was worth passing on. Please read the email below and make a donation if you can, or spread it even further by re-blogging it. You can read more on this page: http://www.ndareports.com. Thanks!

1.        Simply using NDA on your transactions makes a donation! So please, pass this message along to your fellow Realtors. 

2.        You can CLICK HERE to make a direct contribution to the Paul Ellis Family Relief Fund.

I was pleased as pie earlier this week when Allen Lyle contacted me to ask me to be a guest on his and Danny Lipford's radio show, The Homefront Radio Show.  Honored, of course, that a radio show that's nationally syndicated to more than 250 radio stations wanted my lil' ol' opinion on the real estate market at large, but moreover, pleased that I discovered such a great program.

The Homefront Radio Show is something that I think all of us that are homeowners might want to bookmark.

Here's the description on the website:

"Each week, listeners across the country tune into Homefront for useful advice about their homes. The syndicated call-in radio show is hosted by veteran remodeling contractor Danny Lipford, who is also known for his television appearances as host of Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford® and home expert for The Weather Channel. On every show you'll hear Danny, along with Co-Host Allen Lyle, answer questions from listeners about a variety of home topics, and dispense useful tips and information. And you never know what special guest will drop by to share the microphone, a laugh or two, and some home insights as well. Homefront is informative and entertaining fare for home enthusiasts nationwide."

Some of the topics I noted had lots to do with home updating and remodeling, but I found they have a great blog, plenty of excellent resources, and hey, they touch base on the overall real estate market. And, if you can't listen live, catch any of the past shows right from your computer. Check out the site now.

While I'm posting this blog for the many buyers and sellers who read Active Rain, I'm also encouraging agents and affiliates to re-blog (you can edit me out of it :-) and post to Localism as I am since this is a true consumer benefit that your buyers, sellers and community residents will appreciate.

If you want to hear yours truly talk to the guys, that show streams live on their site this Saturday, September 26th at 10-12 EST. Take a look.

Thanks!

Tamara Dorris

PS

If you like self help and Sacramento real estate (my two favorite things in the world), tune into my Internet radio show, Sacramento Smiles.

I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve seen a lot of crazy things, from wild Peacocks chasing me out of a backyard to foreclosed properties with the sink missing. I know when people lose their homes, it’s a very emotional event, and my heart always goes out to them. I guess in some instance, say for example, a homeowner goes to all this time and expense to fix up his or her home, only to find out that they are going to lose that home.

And, in perhaps a fit of escalated emotion, they decide to take out whatever they put into the house. I don’t think it’s for the money as much as it is principle, warped as it may seem to those of us visiting the now-vacant house and seeing, for example, the fireplace mantle or sink ripped outta the wall.

This week though, I gotta tell ya, really takes the cake. I have a deal in escrow. The buyers are the nicest kids in the world. The house is NOT a foreclosures. The house is vacant. So I get a call from the FHA appraiser that the home has no carpet.

Huh?

Of course the house has carpet. It’s new and pretty and I just walked on it last week when I let the home inspector in. Well, not anymore, she informs me. And, there is a broken window in the back.

So let me get this straight.

Some hoodlams, who have nothing better to do, scope out a vacant house and break in to steal carpet? Really? Yep. Someone broke in, pulled the carpet up, rolled it up and took it right out of the house. How bizzar is that?

And this was just a short time before we were to close, mind you.

Fortunately, the sellers had it replaced, but now I’m wondering, will it happen again? How do you protect yourself and your clients from such parasites that would do something that irrehensible. I just don’t know.

I secretly fantazie that I am Wonder Woman and I camp out at the house until the creeps come back for more rug. As soon as they walk in the house, I’ll zap them with my Wonder Woman wand (did Wonder Woman have a wand? I don’t know, but that seems sort of irrelavant at this point). I think about getting a gaurd dog, a camera and a sercurity gaurd.

It’s sad enough that so many folks are losing their homes, but to break into a home and steal the carpeting seems to be a new low. I am sure, somewhere, somehow, there is carpet karma, and I am certain these carpet thieves have it comin.’

Ta ta for now,
Wonder Woman

If you listen to my radio show (and I sure hope you do!) you will hear the first few minutes with myself and my segment co-host, Ed “The Money Man” Wacaster talking about the real estate market. While our focus in on the Sacramento market, clearly the show and out discussions are universal (okay, maybe just national) in nature.

One thing that is going on right now that buyers (and sellers with time-lines) need to be aware of is how difficult it is to get qualified for a loan. While that in itself is enough of a topic for three posts, I thought I would dedicate this one to FICO scores.

Your FICO score can be your friend or your foe. In fact, one entity might give you a higher score than another, so it’s always best, in my opinion, to work with a qualified lender to see just where you are at in terms of your credit-worthiness.

Recognize that there are three credit bureaus that conduct credit scores–and again, they may each have information that is slight different, hence, giving you a slightly different score. You’ve got your TransUnion, your Equifax and your Experian. If you run your own report from each, then you’ll get a good idea what the lender will be looking at, but as I said, if you’re ready to think about buying a house, you can just have the lender pull it.

When you review your scores,  you might find errors. For instance, a few years ago when I ran mine, there were misspellings on my name, and yep, that can cost you points! Also, look for debts that were paid off, debts that don’t belong to you, and liens that should have already been removed. It is kind of a hassle to contact the credit bureau, but listen, it’s kind of a much bigger hassle to not qualify for a home loan!

Once you’ve checked out possible mistakes and made strides to clean them up, make a commitment to never, ever be late on your bills again. Clearly, going to collections is bad ju-ju, but in some cases, it can’t be helped. I know that lenders are a little more lenient with collects that are a result of medical bills, so that’s always good to know. If you miss a payment, make up for it as soon as you can. The creditors do not care about your problems, they just want to get paid what you owe them. Pay them what you owe them and try your best to avoid high-interest credit cards.

Keep your older credit cards in the game. The older the credit card and the better your history of making prompt payments, the rosier that reflects on you. Established credit is what we need to teach our children, not how to get a Macy’s card and be well-dressed for a premium interest rate!

Another thing to remember is that your debt to income ratio will affect things. You’ve got to make enough to show that you can handle your long-term debts AND a possible house payment. Remember too, that there are other expenses involved in maintaining a house besides the payment, such as property taxes and home owner’s insurance.

Finally and almost the first thing I tell my prospective buyers, is DO NOT BUY ANYTHING while you are in the house-hunting process. No boats, cars or computers! Do not charge anything until your escrow is closed! I once had clients think they were fine with their home loan and then they went out and bought a car. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

With credit scores today needing to be at an almost impossible high (750 and up), it’s more important that ever that you do your part to ensure you look as creditworthy on paper as you really are (you are, aren’t you?

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions : 916-482-5834 and please tune in on Wednesdays to listen to all our past pod casts at www.InLoveWithSacto.com

ta ta for now

Tamara

An interesting story to share with you. Twenty-one years ago this Labor Day, I was indeed in labor with my lovely daughter, Nichole. Nichole was definitely not in any hurry to enter this world either! After a very uncomfortable record-hot Sacramento summer and a grueling 18-hours of labor, the poor little kid had her chord wrapped around her neck and was blue. In fact, my mother, who was at the birth, said later on that Nichole looked just like a little Smurf. That was one labor of love I have ever, not even during the terrible twos or the independent teen years, come to regret.

The idea of Labor Day, in my mind, goes hand in hand with labors of love. I think of my mail man, Willy, who hits the Carmichael area I live in with gusto; I think of the staff at so many great Sacramento establishments who make doing business with them so much more enjoyable. I guess the bottom line is that when someone likes what they do, it shows.

I’ve never, ever been a pushy salesperson. In fact, I do not consider myself a salesperson at all. A salesperson is someone who attempts to sell someone something. When I work with a new prospect, someone looking for a home in Sacramento, or maybe someone selling a home in Sacramento, my goal is not to sell them anything.

My goal in working with people is all about service. Service and building relationships. How can I work so closely on something so important to someone and then just walk away? I can’t. I’m part of my clients’ lives now and they are part of mine, if only in the occasional call or greeting card I send them. Mine is a relationship-based business.

Whether I am negotiating an addendum or counter offer, making sure there are no “surprises” easily hidden inside contracts, house-hunting with my buyers (my favorite part), or counseling clients on the best move to make (that training in therapy really did pay off!), the point is that all of it is a labor of love. There are good days and there are days when I could get frustrated IF I forgot, that in the end, it’s not what happens to you, it what you do with what happens to you.

With that in mind, I hope we all can think of Labor Day as a day to reflect, with gratitude, about the labors we’ve been blessed with and the service we provide.

As for my lovely daughter, she’s requested a trip to the wine country for her 21st birthday. I guess there’s nothing wrong with developing a fine taste for wine, so off to Amador we go.

Happy Labor Day!

Ta ta for now,
Tamara

PS

Don’t miss my weekly Sacramento Radio show, but wait! Just because I serve Sacramento, don’t think for a minute our weekly featured guests don’t offer national appeal! Everything from social media skills to feng shui to health and nutrition and more! Tune in live at 10 AM on Weds. at 10 AM PST, or catch the podcast later. Check it out, you’ll love my labor of love. www.InLoveWithSacto.com

So I’m on my gotta-get-away-from-these-phones lunch-time bike ride today at Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael, thinking about real estate (duh!). Just as I’m rounding the corner of the golf course, no more than 20 feet away, I spy two bucks that my hunting-husband would have drooled over. It seems to be that the deer always eat grass from underneath this one particular tree, hence, the buck stops here.

But then I thought about the day I was having, back at the office and why I was frustrated. It seems that a counter-offer that came from the listing agent/asset manager was a multiple counter-offer, but gosh darn-it, that little box indicating it as such was not marked. Clearly, that put my buyer’s in what I would consider a false state of security, especially that we all now realized it was not a done deal.

We all know that the Sacramento real estate market is at an all-time strange place. Lending is nothing short of ludicrous (back-peddling isn’t working, guys), and some out-of-state banks seem a little out of touch (both literally and figuratively). In all of the this it makes me realize how very important it is for those of us committed (and those of us who should be), to stick to our guns when it comes to ethics. To say, “Enough is Enough,” and mean it. To not let our clients lose out on property just because of someone else’s error.

Regardless of the market, it is the ethical agents, the determined buyers and sellers, and persistent lenders who are holding it all together, inspite of trepidation, crazy new time-lines and asset mangers who won’t return calls (you’d be amazed at what leaving 72 voice mails will do).

All that said, I think it’s more crucial than ever for buyers and seller to work with professionals who know their stuff…lenders who won’t drop the ball and agents who are ethical, up to date and educated (and in my case, have eagle-eyes for unchecked boxes!).

As prices slowly creep up and buying is more challenging than ever, remember to find yourself an agent who will put your best interests first, recommend a lender who knows what the heck is going on, and through it all, knows how to say, “The Buck Stops Here!” and gets the deal done.
Ta ta for now,

Sacramento friends: catch my radio show on Wednesdays at 10:00 or listen to the podcast later. We always chat briefly about real estate and then feature a guest who in some way can help you in your business or personal life. Check it out! http://www.InLoveWithSacto.com