alex popovic: What your body language is saying during the deal, the 7 deadly sins
- 05/12/14 08:51 AM
We are all fascinated by articulate speakers who have the ability to sell a popsicle to an Eskimo right? Becoming a good speaker is something you should strive for in your professional career, or better yet a great speaker, and continually expand upon. I've been fortunate over the years, from early on while in the Marines as a Force Reconnaissance Marine Scout/Sniper and when I was CEO of my company to have spoken all over the world. I've been interviewed on FoxBusiness News and appeared in numerous articles and magazines over the years, one thing has always held true, I've continually grown as a … (86 comments)
alex popovic: Warren Buffet worried about housing, should we be too?
- 05/05/14 05:12 AM
Ok, so we all know him as one of America's greatest investors, actually, I consider him one of the smartest investors, with some unbelievable foresight about what's around the corner in terms of economics, Warren Buffett just gave his 2 cents about housing. He seems to be confused about the housing market or more importantly sheepish. OK I'll say it, "I've been saying for a long time, this is a depression we're in, and there will be another major crash in the Real Estate industry." Now don't get me wrong I'm a "glass half full guy," but, with quantitative easing (printing … (60 comments)
alex popovic: Internet giants eyeing cheerleaders defamation lawsuit
- 05/01/14 09:01 AM
On Thursday an appeals court heard arguments over whether a gossip website known as The Dirty, and based right here in Scottsdale, AZ, should be immune from a defamation lawsuit brought on by former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader, Sarah Jones. Remember her, the one that had sex with one of her students, to whom she's now engaged, but who was married at the time? She sued the owner of The Dirty, Nik Richie, in December 2012 over posts about her and her ex-husband's sexual history. In July, a federal Judge ruled that Richie (owner of The Dirty) should not be granted immunity for posts … (4 comments)
alex popovic: Free internet is over folks……don't say I didn't warn you
- 04/24/14 05:03 AM
Update. So in reading your comments I think they're might be some confusion. The internet is not free guys, we pay for it right, via Cox, Comcast or some other ISP (Internet Service Provider). What's not going to be free anymore is certain content, the Internet providers have been litigating against the FCC to charge for content and that's what Net Neutrality means. The content is going to be tiered and charged. Please don't confuse that "some sort of free internet" is going away. No such thing The Internet is forever changed as of today. Remember when I blogged about Net Neutrality … (99 comments)
alex popovic: Windows that are also Solar Panels, amazing new technology
- 04/21/14 06:14 AM
A recent breakthrough in Quantam Dot research is paving the way for windows that will double as solar panels, thanks to research conducted at Los Alamos Research Laboratories. Researches synthesized, check this out, Quantam Dots in transparent polymers to capture the suns' energy. What are Quantam Dots you ask? Great question, they are actually a very simple concept of--nanocrystals made of semi-conductor materials--and they're used already in Solar Panel systems which I blogged about here. The key here is what's know as Large Area Luminescent Solar Concentrators or LSC's. Take a look at the diagram and you'll see the edge of the … (47 comments)
alex popovic: Activerain has teamed up with Trulia, OK great, now what?
- 04/09/14 11:48 PM
I've been slowly watching, listening and reading the blogs about the merger between ActiveRain and Trulia. I guess the ebb and flow of the business world is inevitable, and one can either choose to accept it or not. I choose to accept it, it's a facet of life, particularly in the business life cycle of a company such as ActiveRain. Trulia has seen the benefit of Activerain and decided boldly to act on it by moving to merge with it. Now what will it do with it? Some people dislike the move, most are positive and some are neither here nor there. … (9 comments)
alex popovic: Fed to keep interest rates low for now but they will raise them.
- 03/20/14 09:06 AM
After meeting for two days the Federal Reserve announced that it is keeping interest rates at historically low levels for the foreseeable future and is dropping a link between the interest rate and specific levels of unemployment. You can view the Fed Chairs comments here. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said "Unless inflation were a significant concern, we would never dream of raising the federal funds rate target." This is great news for our industry and here's why. As a mandate of policy, as unemployment falls, it fell to 6.5%, the Fed was going to raise interest rates as falling unemployment is a … (2 comments)
alex popovic: Making your home green in celebration of St Patricks day
- 03/14/14 11:08 AM
So you want to make your house more green, but don't know where to start and you want to get the most bang for your buck. Let's face it, investing in "the green" is an expensive proposition to most. That said, most of us are already participating in some sort of green initiative, such as long term light bulbs or recycling. There are several things you can do though that will save you lots of money and make your house value increase when you decide to sell it. SOLAR PANELS I blogged about the benefits of solar panels here. My previous home … (22 comments)
alex popovic: Free money for our veterans to purchase homes. Pen Fed Foundation
- 03/04/14 06:47 AM
In an effort to always give back and particularly to my fellow veterans I'm always looking for ways to help the 1% who served get into the home of their dreams, it's the reason I started Semper Find My Home, we lower our commissions to help offset the VA funding fee or just to help put money back into the pockets of a young military couple. So when I heard about the PenFed program yesterday I had to share it with all of you. It's available all over the US, you should check it out in your area. PenFed foundation is … (2 comments)
alex popovic: As a veteran do I have to take a fixed rate VA loan?
- 02/24/14 11:05 PM
I received a call the other night while working late from a veteran friend of mine. Alex, I've found the house I want, what loan should I get? Kind of a loaded question right? And I'm a Realtor®, friend and businessman, but I'm definitely not a lender. OK John lets work this one out together. I told him to sit down with a pad and paper and we were going to do a pro's and con's based on several criteria we determined were important to him. At first he wanted an Adjustable Rate Mortgage, which is fine, but when it was all … (2 comments)
alex popovic: How do I reuse my VA loan benefit in full in the event of a default?
- 02/23/14 06:36 PM
The last several years have been difficult on all Americans economically, particularly veterans. To have VA entitlement is to have is to have financial backing from the government, which pledges to repay that mortgage in the case of default. Remember that getting released for liability from a VA loan or having a debt waived by the VA is not the same as paying off the loan. In that case you'll have to pay back the government's loss. Once that is done and only then will your benefits be restored. As a veteran you are able to apply for a new home … (2 comments)
alex popovic: I'm a veteran, how can I improve my chances to get a VA home loan?
- 02/22/14 06:02 AM
I'm often asked by friends of mine who are veterans to help them out during the process of purchasing their home. I actually just helped a Special Forces buddy of mine yesterday qualify for a VA Jumbo loan to the tune of $700K, he's now working with Cindy Jones who I referred him to because of ActiveRain. Keepin it in the family Remember my fellow veterans, your VA home loan depends a lot on your Debt To Income ratio, more commonly known as DTI, and just like regular loans they determine whether or not you qualify and for how much. Take a … (4 comments)
alex popovic: 10 Most frequently made claims in lawsuits against Real Estate agents
- 02/20/14 04:29 AM
So in an earlier blog we talked about Litigation 101 and discussed the process by which lawsuits generally proceed, you can read about it here. What are the most frequently made claims that most likely would be brought against you as a Realtor®? THE AVERAGE COST OF LAWSUITS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES First things first, lawsuits can get very expensive, trust me I know, when I was CEO of my company I went through this, both in terms of cease and desist letters, Restraining Order/Injunctions and finally full blown litigation. If you're sued and the party suing you is hell bent on litigating, … (81 comments)
alex popovic: Your buyers don't have an honorable discharge can they get a VA loan?
- 02/20/14 12:26 AM
The nature of your clients' discharge can greatly affect weather or not they can utilize the VA to obtain a loan for the swanky new house they're looking at. The Certificate Of Eligibility (COE) gets even more complicated when one or both of your home buyers were discharged under "other than honorable conditions." The short answer is they are not disqualified from purchasing a home, but they will need to "upgrade the discharge" that will change the character of service on their DD-214 which directly impacts their VA benefits. You can take a look here at the process and information needed. Basically … (4 comments)
alex popovic: Why do most real estate agents not have a business plan? Caution ahead
- 02/18/14 02:46 AM
During my short time that I've been involved in Real Estate, I've met some wonderful people throughout the entire industry. My background is from Military Special Operations as a Scout/Sniper and Corporate America. I started and founded my own hugely successful company from an idea written down on a piece of paper. The road map to that success though all started with a business plan. So why do over 95% of Realtors not have a business plan? Google "number one reason businesses fail," and you'll see the top answer is poorly written or no business plan at all over and over … (60 comments)
alex popovic: I purchased my home with my spouse using my VA benefits & now divorced
- 02/18/14 12:34 AM
Sometimes, stuff happens in life right? What's the old saying? "Plan for the worst, hope for the best and settle for something in the middle?" Two years ago you sold this couple their beautiful first starter home. You just received a call from one of them that they're divorced and they want to buy a new house and use you as their Realtor® but they don't know what's the status of the their VA elibility? So what happens to your VA eligibility if you purchased a home with your spouse using your VA benefits and you got divorced and he/she got the … (0 comments)
alex popovic: Hey Phoenix ActiveRainers, join me for our meet and greet March 28th
- 02/17/14 03:22 AM
So in the spirit of keeping up with the lovely Kerrie LaGuardia who has asked us to set up local Meet and Greets, I've decided to set up a little get together for all of us ActiveRainers in Phoenix and surrounding areas. In keeping RainCamp alive, I've tried to find something centrally located in Phoenix for us all to be able to get to and from. Here's our 5 W's (Who, What, When, Where, Why)...that's the military in me guys Who: All ActiveRainers in and around Phoenix (cmon you can make it) What: Meet to discuss our industry and put … (0 comments)
alex popovic: What if a veteran can't find their DD-214 in the home buying process?
- 02/17/14 01:42 AM
So you've been retained by a wonderful young couple, whose husband just got out of the military. Great.......you set up the initial meeting to go over what it is they're looking for, they tell you he was stationed at Luke AFB in Arizona and would like to live in Avondale, AZ. The house they want is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and has a pool and is by a great school district. We want to spend about $300,000 can you help us Alex? Ok, lovely couple lets first start by getting you pre-qualified with a VA lender we use at Semper Find My Home. … (36 comments)
alex popovic: Who is exempt from paying the VA funding fee in a real estate deal?
- 02/16/14 09:00 PM
When you're in escrow as an agent with a transaction that is utilizing a VA loan, generally, there is always a VA funding fee. However, some good info for you to know as an agent is that some people are exempt from paying the VA funding fee in a real estate transaction. The funding fee is a percentage of the loan amount which varies on the type of loan (1st time use vs subsequent usage) and the veterans military category. More on this below. Here's the funding fee chart for your files and to use in being able to explain this to your … (0 comments)
alex popovic: If I'm a veteran how do I get proof of eligibility to purchase a home?
- 02/16/14 02:58 AM
A lot of times veterans just don't know where to start to look and find out what they rate with the government, particularly when it comes to buying a home using VA benefits. It's really quite easy, here's some quick and easy steps and references. Everything can be done online using ACE or Automated Certificate of Eligibility To get started in the VA guaranty process, you can only have this done by a VA approved lender (keep in mind this system does not work for everyone. Some vets don't have enough info in the data base and are required to fill out … (2 comments)
We are all fascinated by articulate speakers who have the ability to sell a popsicle to an Eskimo right? Becoming a good speaker is something you should strive for in your professional career, or better yet a great speaker, and continually expand upon. I've been fortunate over the years, from early on while in the Marines as a Force Reconnaissance Marine Scout/Sniper and when I was CEO of my company to have spoken all over the world. I've been interviewed on FoxBusiness News and appeared in numerous articles and magazines over the years, one thing has always held true, I've continually grown as a … (86 comments)
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