Are you coming to the Austin Real Estate Barcamp? I am! It should be a blast! - 02/28/10 09:15 AM
There is nothing to add!
Jason said it all.
RE Barcamp, March 11th, Austin!

Via Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC):
On March 11th, which is the day before SXSW Interactive starts, Austin will be hosting a very cool RE Barcamp event downtown.  I plan to be there helping with check-in at the beginning, and probably hanging out at the after party, too.  :)
If you don't know what a Barcamp is, you have to come and find out.  Basically, it's a day to network, learn, and hang out as we discuss social media, technology, … (1 comments)

Aggressive Seller Representation - 02/22/10 11:43 AM
Aggressive Seller Representation, sales agreements for listing agents! In the age of agency listing agents rarely write a sales agreement. Listing agents may not even have a sales agreement form in their laptop and if the do they may not know how to fill it out. They may be great at executing counter offers, but writing original offers are simply not their job.
It's a shame because sales agreements used properly by knowledgeable listing agents are a great aggressive tool for listing agents.
Lets look at several areas where the listing agent should originate a sales agreement:
Short Sales: The best … (2 comments)

Professional Best Friends - 02/21/10 04:57 PM
Professional Best Friends, paid companions! Are you traveling through the most trying time of a would be home owners life not as a fiduciary, not as knowledgeable advisor, but as a paid companion, a Professional Best Friends! Acting like an experienced best friend, a yes-man instead of advisor?
For forty years I've been harping about ours being a people business! Regardless of everything else we do, buyers agent, listing agent, Loan Originator, or Stager we are in the people business! No matter how great your real estate skills success requires considerable people skills. Indeed in good times many have succeeded with little … (4 comments)

Bedlam Prevails - 02/19/10 06:01 PM
Bedlam Prevails President Barack Obama today appeared in Las Vegas announcing a one point five billion dollar, that's $1,500,000,000 of our Great Grand Children's tax dollars program to buy Harry Reid's way to reelection!
Now I would like to have seen the Las Vegas area saved! But, what are they going to do with all this money? The houses are already foreclose upon!
I remember reading about a Democrat proposal to tear down huge portions of major cities, could it finally be happening? Could we return North Las Vegas to pristine desert?
It's just a simple question, what are they planning … (12 comments)

Get Motivated - 02/19/10 01:22 PM
Get Motivated. Warning! Get Motivated. Warning! Get Motivated. Warning! Get Motivated! Warning!
" Danger! Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!"

Get Motivated Seminars are coming after you in El Paso they're coming after you in Waco. They'll be picking pockets in Ft Lauderdale. They'll shake down Savannah! They'll defraud the folks from Beaumont!
Almost two months ago . from 4710 Eisenhower Blvd. Suite B-5Tampa, FL 33634 started advertising their Get Motivated Seminars in Houston Brenda and I ordered tickets for one of the two live presentations, they also had two closed circuit presentations. They had some really big name speakers we wanted … (0 comments)

Bribes, Kick-Backs, Betrayal, Fraud - 02/18/10 02:58 PM
Bribes, Kick-Backs, Betrayal, Fraud, Are you accepting them? Are you paying them? Have you been betrayed? Have you betrayed your client? Are you a victim of fraud? Have you committed fraud/s?
Is historic precedent a viable defense?
Is common practice acceptable?
Is being legal sufficient?
Is disclosure sufficient?
Is morality relevant?
Is transactionalism a defense?
Is a disclaimer/s sufficient?
Is perception a problem?
Bribes, Kick-Backs, Betrayal, Fraud

     It's been done this way forever!
Is common practice acceptable?


     Every one does it, it must be ok!
          I don't know any other way!
Is being legal sufficient?
… (23 comments)

The Hardest Thing About Learning - 02/16/10 04:02 PM
The Hardest Thing About Learning is recognizing the problem! The hardest thing to teach is recognizing the problem! The hardest part of life is recognizing the problems amongst the extraneous nuisances and their various nuances! The Hardest Thing About Learning is recognizing the problem!
I was lucky I've had a lot of great people in my life. People that participate in life and never hesitate to give back, to give a helping hand. People that truly believed that it's better to teach a man to fish so he can feed himself than to feed him and make him dependent!
I did … (2 comments)

Successful REALTOR Or Failed Social Reformer - 02/12/10 02:23 PM
Successful REALTOR Or Failed Social Reformer, you can't be both! Social reformers more often than not lack the ability to see the obvious! Those that succeed are so few as to be irreverent to this discussion. Personally, I've ben jousting with windmills all my life, but I'm selective and pragmatic about it! The problem is the perception of wrongs.
Wrongs so often depend upon a particular point of view. Morality is always practiced subjectively! What would be immoral if done to you is often considered morale when done by you! Few have trouble taking from socialism/communism yet no one wants to … (40 comments)

FHA Loans - What you need to know about 3 & 4 unit properties - Purchase or refinance - FHA Home Loans - 02/12/10 10:54 AM
I'm a big supporter of 2, 3, and 4 unit properties for first time home buyers! Brenda and I bought our first duplex in February of 1971 just before we were married. Three of our first four properties were duplexes. More than half my sales the first two years in real estate were 2 to 4 units.
My first development consulting project was to help a builder get financing for a subdivision of 4 plexis. The builder couldn't get a construction loan. My solution was to get the project approved FHA and VA, then presenting a marketing plan for selling to … (0 comments)

A Consumers Guide To Mortgage Brokers And The Evil Yield Spread Premium in 2010 - 02/11/10 02:37 PM
A Consumers Guide To Mortgage Brokers And The Evil Yield Spread Premium in 2010. Kick backs, hidden cost, back points, HUD (Housing and Urban Development) calls it "Yield Spread Premium" (YSP), money paid by the a lender to mortgage brokers outside of closing. Money paid by the lender to the broker for you, because you chose a higher mortgage interest rate. Mortgage brokers are suppose to show this on line 801 of their "Good Faith Estimate" and escrow will show it on the estimated and final closing statements (HUD- I) when closing a loan for a mortgage broker. You'll never see these "YSP" … (2 comments)

Two Entitlements Don't make A Right - 02/10/10 10:56 AM
Two Entitlements Don't make A Right. Remember what Mama Grandma use to say "Two Entitlements Don't make A Right" or was that two wrongs? It doesn't really matter their similarity borders on homogeneity, unearned entitlements are wrongs! Unearned entitlements are evils!
We all know how the home owners were convinced that they were entitled to the banks money, the press told them so. But, do you know how selected bankers became entitled to our tax dollars?
Let's look at just one bank Indymac. Back in June of 2008 Senator Charles Schumer(D-NY) wrote a sears of letters to the bank regulators witch … (2 comments)

The Soviet Story that We All Should Know - 02/08/10 01:00 PM
Jon's is such a clear voice.
"Again, it is not just a history lesson. It could become a grim outlook of the future
If there is an enemy, hiding the head in the sand does not eliminate the enemy, it only creates the illusion, that the enemy is not there.
Do we live by illusions? Have we chosen to live by illusions? Are we OK that our children will pay?"
Personaly, It's all become illusion, sound bytes and hate! We're vulnerable because we've replaced logic with revisionist history, responsibility with entitlement, and journalism with political activism. Keep reminding us!

Via Jon Zolsky, … (0 comments)

Little Understood Terms - 02/03/10 07:32 PM
Three Little Understood Terms. Real estate has a languish all it's own, derived from the common jargon, but specific to real estate and contract law. Real estate, lending professionals and attorneys have a duty to use them properly, but often misuse them through ignorance or deliberate abuse.
Fiduciary: a duty to act in the best interest of your principal/client. It sounds simple, but many that claim or are required to act as Fiduciaries often use lengthy contracts disclaiming all fiduciary responsibilities. Still others ignore fiduciary duties. Then there are those who embellish their position, believing it requires them to be all … (14 comments)

Playing Woodyatake Is Never Professional! - 02/02/10 01:34 PM
Playing Woodyatake Is Never Professional!
"Woodyatake, $147,500.00? Woodya? Woodya? Woodya? I said would you take $147,500.00?"
"NO! I'm asking $177,500.00 not a dollar less!"

Or: "Woodyatake, $747,500.00? Woodya? Woodya? Woodya?"
NO! I'm asking $777,500.00 not a dollar less!"
Or: "Woodyatake, $1,747,500.00? Woodya? Woodya? Woodya? I said would you take $1,747,500.00?"
"NO!  I'm asking $1,777,500.00 not a dollar less!"
The would be buyer's agent is foolish and the listing agent is almost as wrong.
The would be buyer's agent is foolish and the listing agent is almost as wrong.


In a current parallel to my example see: Call … (6 comments)

Calisanity and Forinaside - 02/01/10 08:50 PM
Calisanity and Forinaside.*
Calisanity: The highest degree of insanity. Manifest it self in self-centered self-important celebrity. Like mad-cow it comes from intimate contact with over adoring sheep.
Forinaside: The ultimate self criticisms by an entire state.
Proof: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rain-barrels1-2010feb01,0,1154413.story
The People's Republic is proposing to charge new home owners $13/ gallon of excess rain water running off their lots!
This bill could stop building and major remolding of homes and commercial properties in California.
Cap and Trade could stop the resale of properties nationally.
* It only takes a few politicians to taint every one. 
… (5 comments)

 
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William J Archambault Jr

Houston, TX

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The Real Estate Investment Institute

Address: The Real Estate Investment Institute, 448 W. 19TH St. Suite 245, Houston, TX, 77008

Office Phone: (702) 516-1569

Cell Phone: (832) 259-7078

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