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CALLING MY OWN SHOTS! Plus a Few Others that the AR Gods Missed this Week – 012212

Reblogger
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Home Point Real Estate DRE # 01492725

What can I say.  Donne here is one of the most insightful people on Active Rain.  Every week she picks out what she thinks are the best post of the week.  

Here are her selections for this week.  And two of them are mine!

I do really like her post on this subject every week and am flattered to be on it twice in one week.

Original content by Donne Knudsen


First and foremost, I want to send a big hug and thank you out to my fellow rainers who contacted me this past week to check on me to see how I’ve been doing.  You all were so sweet and kind to think of me and to call or email me to see if I was ok.  You see, I’ve been kind of MIA from AR lately that I missed putting up my weekly “Calling My Own Shots” post. 

Kisses

Last week, I was in computer crash #%!! and ended up getting a new computer.  As for the rest of the time, I’m in newbie madness.  Last month, I started my transition from mortgage loans to real estate sales and it’s been non-stop ever since. 

The past few weeks have so incredibly hectic for me that I have just fallen behind in my blogging efforts. I have a couple of new buyer clients as well as some of my last few borrower clients and I’m just so completely exhausted.  

By the end of the day, I am so brain dead I simply haven’t any functioning brain cells left to blog much.  I have spent a few minutes here and there reading a few blogs but even that’s not up to my usual pace either.  I’m hoping that things will settle down soon to a more comfortable pace where I can squeeze a little blogging in my day.  I miss blogging and keeping up with everyone at AR.

 


So, onto “Calling My Own Shots”, well, this week there were so many really great posts here in the rain by some of my fave bloggers as well as some newbie bloggers that I’ve recently come across. First and foremost, I just want to give a shout out to my fellow rainers for their gold star features that I was happy to "call the shot" on them.

"Buyers Don't Care about your AR Account" by Cara Marcelle Mancuso

This was an excellent posts that had some really great comments, which is one of the best things I love about great posts. With some posts, the comments can actually be better than the post. Check them out.


But there were some other really great posts that I suggested but the AR Gods must have missed them this week when they were bestowing those little gold stars. Check them out and see for yourself.


First there was David vs. Goliath, and Goliath has a lousy work ethic by Andrea Swiedler.  Oh, how I could so relate to this post.  Andrea reminds us that bigger is not always better and in some cases, it's actually worst.

I have dozens and dozens and dozens of real-life experiences of prospects and former clients who came to me with horror stories of how some big, national, retail bank and their unlicensed bank clerk total &^$# up their escrow and loan transaction. 

Furthermore, what was even worse in so many of these transactions and escrow was that many of these big, national, retail banks and unlicensed bank clerks were ones that the buyer/borrower was forced to get pre-approved with in order to even submit an offer.

When it comes to mortgage lending, Goliath has a horrible record for not only failing to get to the closing table but for also leaving total devastation in their wake.  Goliath SUCKS big time!!!


Next was newbie blogger, Brian McFedries and his post, Buying a short sale? Make sure you pick the right lender.  This kind of goes with what I was just referring to about big, national, retail banks and their unlicensed bank clerks not being able to perform.  Brian outlines why buyers need to be so much more diligent in choosing a lender to buy that short sale or REO.

While short sales and REOs are challenging enough to deal with, the last thing a buyer wants to do is hire the wrong lender to originate, process and fund the loan they are getting to purchase their new home.  As Brian points out, the big, national, retail banks are just not capable of performing in accordance with the requirements of many short sale lenders and REO bank properties, even if it's their REO or short sale property.

For buyers looking to purchase a short sale or REO, stay away from the big, national, retail banks.  You won't regret it.


Then there was Why Servers Can Make Rockstar Agents by newbie blogger, Melanie K. Fleet.  As a former bartender (during my college years), I could so relate to how well the skills I learned back then have been so transferrable to my professional career.

While there will always be those folks who will claim that this is what's wrong with the real estate industry, too many waitresses and bartenders turned Realtors but it doesn't really matter what industry these folks (waitresses & bartenders) chose to pursue, the skills and traits they learned in the service industry would be vital in so many other fields and industries besides just real estate.

Well, Melanie outlines so perfectly just why this is so true.  Check it out, you'll enjoy it.  :)


Lastly, there was a double shot by one of my fave bloggers, Gene Riemenschneider, with his posts, ActiveRain – My Real Estate Partner and Content is King – Looooooong Live the King!.  Gene is a great blogger and I really enjoy his blog and this week was no exception; he was on a roll.

Like Gene, as well as so many others here, we don't all work in large offices filled with lots of people that we see and speak with on a daily basis.  Yes, we all work with a lot of the same types of vendors and settlement services but that's not the same as working in a full office.

I gave up the office cubicle years ago for a home office and I don't regret it.  It didn't take long to realize that I am so much more productive on my own than I was chained to a traditional office.  However, some days, I do need to get out of the office so that I can interact with others.  Well, blogging on AR is a lot like getting out of the office for me and for Gene (and I suspect quite a few others), it's like the office water cooler.


With Content is King – Looooooong Live the King!, Gene discusses one of my fave practices, creating blogging series.  I love doing this whenever I can.  As a rather verbose blogger who likes to delve into my blog topics without dragging on and on and on and.....I like to break up my posts. 

As Gene points out, not only does this prevent your blog visitors from losing interest and attention over some long and drawn out post but it also creates anticipation for the conclusion of the topic - it brings your visitors and subscribers back for the rest.  Try it out!  I highly recommend it.

 

As always, I love "calling the shots”. I’m pretty picky and selective about whom I suggest. I intentionally highlight my fave bloggers and then I look for new bloggers or bloggers that aren’t on the feature board every other day.

Anyone can suggest all the popular bloggers but finding the hidden treasures and gems is so much better. I hope you check them out and enjoy them as much as I did.

 

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 Donne Knudsen

Realtor® - CalState Realty Services

DRE#: 01364050 / NMLS#: 249822 

 

805.2069123

 

E-mail   My Blog  

Serving low-medium income individuals and families as well as first time buyers with both their real estate as well as their mortgage needs including down payment assistance

Los Angeles County  --  Ventura County

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Comments (2)

Kathy Sheehan
Bay Equity, LLC 770-634-4021 - Atlanta, GA
Senior Loan Officer

Donne always comes up with great suggestions! 

Jan 22, 2012 06:33 AM
Tracy Oliva
West USA Realty - Arizona - Fountain Hills, AZ
The Oliva Team Arizona Agents

Gene, thanks for the repost. It is great to re read the most interesting. With so many posts it does get over whelming to choose what to "learn" today. Have a great 2012.

Jan 22, 2012 06:34 AM