How 'Full' Is the Full Service Real Estate Agent?

There are a myriad of ways to approach a career selling real estate. Many have the perception that it's a sales job. It is not. It's a service job. Some don't understand the different or are bound by different motivations but in either case, the best Louisville Realtors serve their clients.

I've told this to clients, "Think of me as your real estate butler."

The reason I bring this up because I was wondering the other day if it's possible to be too service oriented? Is every request (or command) made by my clients one that I should automatically merely jump to and perform?

Real estate can be a demanding tyrant. There are no posted hours, only what you deem to be appropriate. I work about 55-60 hours most weeks, some even more. My phone rings after 7pm regularly and after 9pm from time to time. Weekends are the primary playing field for scheduling showings and Open Houses. I don't even have a day off! That's certainly full service, in my book.

So with all those demands, along with faith, family and friends, how do you keep your life in balance? It's not an easy question nor one with a clear answer but I do believe there must be lines designed at the outset to maintain clear demarcation between "work" and your personal life.

If you don't and the client pool runs you ragged, you'll soon start to see them as the enemy... and that doesn't help them, or you.

________________________________________________________________

Tre Pryor, Realtor e-PRO | TrePryor.com  | LouisvilleHomesBlog.com

Lowballing An REO Property

Let's get one thing straight. In most instances, the days of being able to lowball a bank owned property are over. There, I said it and I mean it. You used to be able to attempt it a few years back when there was a glut of properties and no buyers. Things have changed. Inventory is down by 50% and sales are up by 35%. This means there are much fewer houses to choose from and a much larger number of buyers to compete for what is available.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen buyers lose a property because they refuse to understand this fundamental change in our market.  If you see a house that you think is a great deal, I guarantee there are at least one or two other people who feel the same way. These people are also going to be putting in bids on the home in question. If you put in a low bid, you just took yourself out of the equation. In many cases, the bank will only respond to the offers they feel are the best. Odds are, you will not be given a chance to up your bid. In many instances, your first offer is your best offer. Many listing agents don't even want to get into all the drama of dealing with multiple offers. If a clean, all cash offer comes in, they will just advise the bank to take it as it is a " sure thing ."

In many cases, banks are pricing REO's below value to start a " price war." This strategy is very successful. The bank puts a home on the market substantially below value and watches the offers roll in. They then issue a best and final counter to all parties and take the highest offer. Recently, I had an opportunity to see this first hand. A nice home next to open acreage came on the market at $204,000. My clients loved the house, but I knew it was going to garner a large amount of attention. I advised them not to write an offer unless they were willing to go up to at least $230,000 or so. Since they did not want to spend that much on a vacation home, we didn't write an offer. I saw it closed last week at $255,000. That is just one example of how this system works.

There are a few instances where a lowball strategy can be successful. The most obvious case is where a home is overpriced and sitting on the market. These sellers may be getting tired of waiting and be willing to bend on price. However, you must take into account the fact that the house is overpriced to begin with. Even if you do manage to get a significant price decrease, you are probably only doing a little better than market value. If a home is in really bad shape, and you are handy, you may have a good opportunity to get a deal. Most people are not interested in a home that needs a ton of work and that may present a good chance for you to get a deal.

Keep in mind the fact that these homes are good deals to start with. In most cases, even if you have to go over list price, you are getting a great buy. When you are buying a house for 50% of what was paid for it a few years ago, you have no cause to complain. If you take the time to really put things into perspective, only then can really go about getting a good buy on a bank owned home.

The Texas gulf coast, it's a vacation all year around here!

How To Use Your Smartphone as a Safety Device

If our previous post taught us anything, it is that Active Rainers are definitely passionate about their Smartphones! Smartphones, no matter what platform you are on, are great because of their apps; whether they allow you to upload a video, check in your location or e-mail a client. Considering there are over 200,000 apps in the Apple AppStore alone, it is no wonder many of us spend endless hours searching for the right apps.

But how about safety apps? Having safety apps downloaded on your Smartphone can create great peace of mind for both you and your loved ones. As we mentioned in our previous blog “Amber Alerts on ActiveRain & Tips on How to Stay Safe”, being a Realtor can sometimes mean putting yourself in vulnerable situations. That is why it is important to have the right tools and attitude to empower your safety!

To continue promoting safety within the Active Rain community we created a customized infographic that lists essential safety apps for Realtors. Rather than talk about the uses of Moby as a personal safety app, we decided it would be useful to take a look at other Smartphone apps that can come in handy during emergencies. Please feel free to share, reblog or print this however you would like to.

We created this list as a reference for our fellow ActiveRain members, and in no way are we associated with any of the apps that we have listed.

If you use any other app for your safety please share them with us in the comment section bellow.

 

Take care and be safe everyone!

Moby Team

 

YOUR personal safety service

First time homebuyers information....How to start your homebuying process

If I were a Realtor which Smartphone would I buy?

Phones have become an inseparable part of our personal and professional lives, and it seems that this is especially true for Realtors. In just a few years cellular technology has experienced tremendous momentum; it has transformed from a simple calling device into the Swiss army knife of the 21st century.

Considering how often we change/upgrade our phones, we thought it was a good idea to create a post about the current Smartphone battles that are taking place on the web. To spice up the battle we thought it would be great to see which Smartphone brands the ActiveRain community prefers.

Let’s say we wanted to start a forming a decision on the best Smartphone by searching the Internet. If we were to type “the best Smartphone” in a search engine we would face these three scenarios;

1) 38,500,000 results for Web pages that compare Smartphones.

2) Opinions from die-hard fans, whose sole aim is to convert everyone to their own brand.

3) Read hundreds of results that compare features that are not really relevant to Realtors.

So how do you find out which brands Realtors prefer? To help you out with this process, we created an all-in-one infographic for our fellow ActiveRain members. A Realtors Guide to the Smartphone Marketplace is a compilation of different Smartphone survey results, designed specifically for our ActiveRain Realtors. Feel free to copy, reblog, or link this infographic however you would like:

 

Now the exciting part: “Do these statistics apply to our ActiveRain community?”. We thought creating our own poll would be especially useful for those of you who are thinking of upgrading or changing your phones. Feel free to share your thoughts on which brand/application is best in the comment section.

Results from the survey will be reposted later this week in our Smartphones for Realtors Blog-Part 2: How to use your Smartphones as a safety device.

Take care and stay safe everyone!

Moby Team

Donations Needed for Wildlife Rescue and Recovery on Gulf Coast

The Jefferson Chamber is collecting items to assist the Terrebonne-Barataria National Estuary Program in the rescue and recovery of oiled wildlife.

Photo credit: Greenpeace USA 2010 on flickr

There is an immediate need for some items and two convenient drop off points for all donations. If you can help, please bring your items to:

East Bank Location

Jefferson Chamber Office
3421 N Causeway Blvd
Suite 203
Metairie LA

West Bank Location

Gretna Economic Development Assocation
711 Second Street
Gretna LA

 

The Gulf Response Involvement Team needs:

• Clorox Wipes
• Plastic Measuring Tapes (like ones used for measuring fabrics/sewing)
• Knee-high Rubber Boots
• Duct Tape
• Clear Plastic Storage Bins with LATCHABLE lids
• White Terrycloth Towels
• Solid Foam Camping Mats (for cutting to line turtle cages)
• Yellow Kitchen Cleaning Gloves
• Safety goggles/glasses
• Bug Spray
• Aveeno face sunscreen
• Coppertone spray sunscreen
• Zip Ties/Cable Ties
• Heavy Mil Lawn Trash Bags
• Hand Saws
• Blue Tarps
• Ratchet Straps
• Bungee Cords
• Nets (all shapes and sizes for catching wildlife)
• Ziploc Bags (gallon and quart-double zipper seal for preserving samples)
• GPS Units
• Baby wipes
• Orange soap hand cleaner soap
• Binoculars
• Dry Bags
• Grease Pens
• Mechanical Pencils
• Clickable Sharpies
• Waterproof Paper
• All-in-one Printer & Copiers
• 1" & 2" 3-ring Binders
• Printer mailing labels
• Scissors
• Large Ice Chests
• DC to AC Power Inverters
• Paper Towels
• Disposable Blue Shop Towels
• Bolt Cutters
• Box Cutters
• 3 gallon Lawn Sprayers
• Plastic Folding Tables
• Heavy Mil Visqueen Plastic Roles
• Rope
• Dawn soap
• Large Trash Cans with Lids
• Garden hoses
• Leatherman Multi-tools
• Waterproof Digital Cameras
• 2 GB SD memory cards
• Video cameras
• Pliers
• Mustang Lifejackets
• Rain gear
• Chest Waders
• Nitrile gloves
• Gauze pads
• Forceps
• Mini hand-held propane torches
• 8" x 10" dry erase boards and markers
• Disposable sterilized scalpels
• Clipboards with internal storage
• Letter Sized File folders
• Backpacks for making field kits
• Mini pelican cases
• Aluminum foil
• Small ice chests
• Small hard-plastic swimming pools
• 300 gal Rubbermade Tanks

 

I know we have some of the most generous people in our community and I hope that everyone can make some type of donation, no matter how small.

The good folks at GEDA have agreed to transport all donations to the East Bank location, so you don’t even have to cross the river to help out!

We’ve all seen the heartbreaking photos and news footage of the affected wildlife.  Please give.

 

Originally published at West Bank Living

Foreclosure Vs. Short Sale ~ What happens to your credit in San Antonio, Texas

Foreclosure Vs. Short Sale ~ What happens to your credit in San Antonio, Texas

I originally wrote this post in March of 2009 & found it relevant today so I thought I would bring it back to life!

Homeowners looking to stop foreclosure have opportunities.  One of these opportunities is a short sale.  One of the primary reasons to explore a short sale is to save your credit.  In most cases if this is possible, it is something one certainly should pursue.  Let's look at the facts:

Credit History-

Foreclosure:  Stays on your credit report for 10 years or more & remains a part of public record forever.

Short Sale:  Is NOT reported on your credit history.  There actually isn't a specific reporting item for 'short sale'.  The loan is typically reported 'paid in full, settled'. Your may or may not see the late payments on your report though but you won't see "short sale"

Credit Score-

Foreclosure:  A credit score can be lowered 250 to 300 points in the event of a foreclosure.  You can expect your score to be affected for over 3 years.

Short Sale:  If a short sale is successfully orchestrated on your home only late payments on your mortgage will show (as it is now).  After the sale the mortgage will be recorded on your credit score as "paid or negotiated".  You can expect your score to be lowered by 50 points.  A short sale's affect can be as brief as 12 to 18 months. (Information from www.cdpenow.com)

Choosing to get a Realtor involved and letting them assist you sell your home in a short sale vs. letting it go into foreclosure can save you points on your credit report & years of bad credit. 

***********************************************************************

Kristin Moran is a Realtor in San Antonio, Texas & assists homeowners in finding alternative means to foreclosure.  210-313-7397.

Kristin Moran

Specializing in San Antonio & surrounding cities
-------------------------------
RE/MAX Access - Realtor®/Owner

KristinMoran@Remax.net 210.313.7397 www.SistersThatSell.com

Buy a home from me, use the truck to move for free!

                

Peek at the Corpus Christi (Nueces County) market for June 2010

Safety Steps for Women Realtors - Don't Make Yourself a Target!

                                                Safety Steps for Women Realtors - Don't Make Yourself a Target!

I have not been in the Rain for a while.  After being gone for a while I have to tell you,  what I really want to do is write about how my daughter just took the honors of top student web designer in the nation.  But I felt this was more important.  Oddly enough, there have been many times I started writing this but it just seemed there was always something else more important.  Then it became to close for comfort . . .  .

Whether we want to admit it or not, women are sometimes at a serious disadvantage.  It has nothing to do with knowledge about the intricacies of real estate.  It has nothing to do with the fact that we have to take time off to have babies.  Women, I believe, are pretty much equals with men in real estate with one huge exception.  It was the way God created us, but we are smaller and for the most part will never have the power that a man has.  Unfortunately, there are men out there in the world who will exploit that weakness to their advantage.  I let my guard down last week but ,by the Grace of God, a mistake kept me safe when I believe it could have been horrible.  This is my story.

I have been really busy and I took a call and made an appointment to show one of my listings and continued on with what I was doing without missing a beat.  But I should have slowed down to think about what I was doing.  I AM smarter than this and I have always been really careful, but it didn't even sink in that it was a man by himself.  It didn't even dawn on me to be worried about--it is Hudsonville/Jenison for crying out loud.  Paul Harvey has even reported our area to have the highest number of churches per capita than any other area in the nation.  I am still usually much safer but I was on warp speed mode.

The next day rolled around and I was suppose to meet him at noon.  As I went to walk out the door, I told my son if he wanted a ride to work then he better hurry up and come with me and I would drop him on the way.  We were halfway to his work when I realized I had done it again, thought he had to be at work at noon when he is actually suppose to be there at 1 pm--he missed it to.  So I told him to come with me on my appointment which wasn't that far away.  Now normally he would be driving as he needs drive time, but this time he was sitting in the passenger seat.

We got there at about 5 minutes before noon and pulled into the parking spot in front of the house which was parellel to the road but kind of at an angel. . .  .and we waited . . .and waited . . and waited.  At around 12:15 a guy went by the house slowly and was really rubber necking it--leaning across the seat and looking really hard at the house--or so I thought!  Truthfully, I just thought wow he is really interested in this house.  The house sits about 200 feet off the road so with the angel and everything, he didn't see me watching him.  He could only see my son.  I didn't really think that much about it.  We waited until 12:30 and left--I haven't had a no show in years.  Still oblivious to what had just happened.

When I got back to my desk I called the seller to apologize that she and her family had to leave for no reason.  She asked me when I had taken the call to show the property and I said, "I don't know, sometime yesterday am".  She said there was a vehicle that was stopped in the front of the house talking on the phone at right around 10.  I said, "oh, what color was the truck".  There was  a long pause and she said, "Tami I didn't tell you it was a truck".  Serious chills ran down my spine.  "Oh dear Lord ," I said, "please don't tell me it was a red truck".  She confirmed that it was.  I felt sick to my stomach.  "Did it have a red matching topper?"  Long silence . . . ."yeah it did". 

I hung up the phone and with dread, pulled up the phone number he had given me and called it and listened to the computer voice tell me how this phone was no longer in service.  Dear God in Heaven . . .he had driven by and seen a man with me and had kept going . . . .he had planned on me being alone.  I knew it and my seller knew it.  I called the police and told them what happened and they asked me if I had taken the plate number.  I hadn't because it hadn't dawned on me what was going on until long after I had left.

I let my guard down and I shouldn't have.  Let's face it, most Realtors can't afford to give up a client and that includes women.  But, I have had a plan that I have adhered to for years. . . and I slipped.  I would not have been prepared if I had been in a bad position.  My first plan is to have someone come with me.  When I can't find someone, I have a plan in place that is pretty thorough and I would like to share it with you.

#1.  Find out what you can about him before you meet him.  Where does he work, where is he staying.  Call and verify that what he tells you is true.  Believe me, when you call businesses and explain you are a women and wanted to verify who this man is, they commend you for not being  . . .well . . . .stupid.  Even better, ask who he is pre-qualified with and get their phone and information and call and verify that he is working with them.  I know many of you will say they should be pre-qualified before you even meet them.  On this I disagree,  but I don't want to debate that right now with this post.  I have called several companies when people say they just moved here for a new job--not once have I had anyone refuse to let me know that he did work there or he did have an appointment.

#2.  Before the appointment, call him and ask him for his drivers license number, plate number and the make, model and year of his car.  I have only had it one time that they refused and I had a creepy feeling anyway about him.  Most men are impressed that I am on my toes and thinking.  Tell him you will verify it when you meet.

#3.  Plan ahead and have someone who is keeping track of where you are and what homes you are showing and the addresses of all of them.

#4.  Do not ever meet your male clients in a secluded place.  If you don't know that exact area, pull it up on Google maps and look at the aerial picture.  It will tell you a lot about if the home is secluded or in a subdivision.  If it is in a secluded area, meet them in a busy parking lot first.

#5.  Carry pepper spray.  Keep it in a pocket but don't put it on key chain so they see it--it takes away the surprise advantage.  You can buy it anywhere on line.

#6.  Keep your keys in your hand.  Hold one key through your fingers so if you punched, it would stab.  You should also make sure you have a panic button for your car that will make the alarm go off by pushing a button.

#7.  Have a secret text you can use with your point person to let them know if you are in trouble and a different text if you are ok.  My text that someone sends me 15 minutes after I am suppose to meet him is, "what did you do with the key".  If I text back, "I left it under the flower pot" they know I am ok.  If I don't text back within five minutes, they call the police.  If I know I am in trouble, I text back, "it is under the garbage can".  From there I have to text every 15 minutes.  The next text that my point person sends is, "the key isn't there".  If I am ok then I text back, "check both flower pots".  You get the idea.

#8.  When you arrive at the appointment.  Verify his info, then take his picture and a picture of the vehicle and text it to your point person.  They should be waiting for this.  If they don't get your  info, they immediately send the secret text.  If you don't respond or respond the wrong way, they immediately call the police.

Is this fool proof?  I am sure it isn't-- nothing really is.  But, this sure puts us in a better position!

Pass this around, print it, reblog it, copy it in any way you want.  You never know what women you might save!

THIS IS AN ADDITION AS I THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD INFORMATION

Dawn Maloney had some good advice:

Check out their name on www.pipl.com, google.com or 123people.com - she actually kept herself from showing a serial rapist a home by doing this.  Thank you Dawn!!

Brian Block said:

I'd highly suggest to you, and all women (and men) to read the book "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker. I can't recommend it enough. This book will change your perspective on the world and make you more aware of your surroundings and how you can prevent dangerous situations.