It feels like Christmas morning! I feel like a kid that wondered downstairs to find the presents under the tree. No, it is not a shiny red bike but an email with approval of a Salem Oregon short sale I have been working. It is a great feeling and every time I see one it feels like the first time. It feels like Christmas! 

The best feeling comes from knowing I have helped another family. As much as I cringe when I think about short sales it also can be a life savor for families.

I appreciate the banks and systems they have in place to expidite these deals. Salem Oregon Short Sale do happen and I am happy to help

Knee deep in a FHA 203k Home deal I have been sifting through bids from contractors. While looking at Labor and Materials it made me realize that our business is not entirely different. Real Estate as well as General Contracting is generally vague on what we do. A bid is more concrete than say a listing presentation but both include extensive behind the scenes work. Then once the work starts we don't our clients and tell them we are searching and networking to find them that right home each time we pull up the MLS our preview a home. Contractors also don't call to tell clients they are picking up a hammer and driving a nail.

Here where this could benefit our business though. Next time we go on a listing appointment or talk to a buyer we should be prepared to share a bid of work. Either in-progress or completed. Think about it. How impressive would it be to hand a seller client a 4 page bid describing what systems and tools you have in place and what you will do to market their home. Labor adds up fast this way. We may not have "Material" costs but we do have: dues, licenses, desk fees, commsion splits, CE, advertising, office equipment, cell phones, cars, physical and mental health. You will see the mental health cost if you try to work with contractors on a FHA 203k.

Lastly, some lenders require a Contractor Reference Form. What a great idea for our business. Why not put you last three happy clients on a form and encourage your new clients to call them. We all know referrals have built in trust.

Worth and Trust should be easily gained with this type of transparency. If the government reqires it for FHA 203k Home it has to be right.

Although my blog is sarcastic at times I do see a benefit to FHA 203k Home ownership. What a great way to make affordable housing and better our communities.

I was talking with a buyer of mine and he said he heard somewhere that sellers are padding their home prices because of the $8,000 Tax Credit. I told him sure someone out there might think that could work but most savy buyers agents are looking at the comps and know Fair Market Value. I would have to disagree with an seller that thought this a good idea because your are pricing your buyers out of buying your home.

Further that tax credit is great incentive and the nature of the market is to list high to pad from low ball offers but again when the home is priced right it sells quickly and very close to full price. I often look at the List Price to Sales Price and see a very small percentage differnece. The listings with huge DOMs are the large LP to SP percentages.

Any thoughts on padding for the Tax Credit? Are you seeing it? Is it working?

Thanks for the comments. I took this last summer at one of my listings and I grayscaled it and then reopened another copy and use the color selection tool. Then I copy and pasted it over the grayscaled layer. It took me all of five minutes and I used my Nikon D40. I love how it focuses on foreground and background so well. If you are not shooting with a DSLR, you should.

It feels like Spring. The sun is out the birds are chirping and I am looking for a spring cleaning checklist. I want to include it in my Newsletter and Website but I can't find any online. Can you help me? Martha Stewart has some good checklist but they are not all inclusive. Some other website has bullet points and description on what to do but I am looking for an actual list.

I had an interesting coverstaion at lunch today. Handguns in Real Estate. I was wondering how many agents out there are card carrying members of the NRA? How many of use have handguns? Besides the large hammer I use to pound in directional stakes I have no weapons. Very rarely do I feel in danger at a showing or Open House but I have heard concerns from other agents in the past.

Do you carry? Do you see any dangers associated with carrying into an office setting? Have you ever needed to threaten someone in a real estate setting?

I feel that if other agents are carrying into the office I could be in danger if there was ever a disagreement and the weapon was found and discharged. The walls in our building are two sheet of wallbaord and not much else.

5 years ago I was just a tenderfoot in Real Estate. I was selling a home in a small town to some first time home buyers. All seemed good. The buyer had to jump through some hoops to get the loan and home fincanced one of which was a new roof. $10,000 new and $3500 in dry rot work we were two days from closing. The seller was removed from the home and placed in state medical care and all of the personal property was left in the home. The family hired an estate sale company to get it cleaned out. The night before the sale they were in working till 1 am. As they left they tripped a lamp or did something and a fire started. Built in 1903 the ballon construction and dry timbers, shag carpet, old curtains fulled the fire well. It burned for 3 hours before the fire dept. could put it out. I have looked all over my computer for a photo but could not locate it. Here are a few from the listing agen.t

Moral of the story is you don't get paid until the home closes and the check is in your hand. The buyers were heart broken and out $13,000. Luckily after 3 months they got their money back from the insurance.

So, what is your worst mishap? I would love to hear?

The stress is getting to me. As I was getting in car I spilled my water bottle all over the front seat of tmy car. My six year old son had a backdown because he is sick of buying lunch on Mondays. I was working with two buyers over the weekend and now I have 100 emails most of which are junk and I am a little on edge because I have two BPOs due and an offer to get written but I am not sure what price because the other offer that is already in is above full price. So, instead of doing what I should I decided to blog about it quickly.

Is anyone else out there having these problems? I can't complain as I have motivated buyers I just need about two more hours today. This is what makes this job exciting tough. 

I feel like my 4 year old with his eyes closed and the funny face.