real estate: Veterans Day 2012 - 11/12/12 07:41 AM
As a “Veteran”, I wanted to write a post today that centered on the sacrifices that all Vets endure to preserve the “American Dream”, and provide the freedoms for all in the uniquely American value of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.  Instead, I will use the words of another from Coldwell Banker, Nick Colletti, who is also a Veteran and who summed up nicely, what I was feeling. – Mike Winkler, Principal Managing Broker - Issaquah
 Taken from Blue Matter, the official Blog for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
 Guest Blog Post by Nick Colletti
 “Appreciate the little things … (0 comments)

real estate: My name is George Roth, and I am a REALTOR® - 11/05/12 03:46 AM
My name is George Roth, and I am a REALTOR®.  It is an honorable distinction to be a member of a strong organization such as the National Association of Realtors®.  I proudly emblazon the logo on my business cards and marketing materials, as well as use their brochures and information in client presentation packets.  Most colleagues I work with do the same thing, and so do most REALTORS® across the country.
Why is it then – that with all the advertising, marketing, merchandising and discussion – would so many people mispronounce the word “Realtor”?  Almost every day I hear someone say … (0 comments)

real estate: Distressed vs. Non-distressed Housing Market - 10/29/12 09:51 AM
Some national reports site that the improvement in the housing market has been in better neighborhoods and for non-distressed properties. There is no question we have a bifurcated market.
Nationally non-distressed properties are down on average 25% from the peak while the distressed property market is down 40%. Numerous charts show the non-distressed segment has shown far more (relative) price stability than the overall market.
Whether you call it a bifurcated market or a market duality it is interesting to analyze the impact of distressed sales on the overall market. When valuing a home I think it’s important to understand what … (2 comments)

real estate: Inspections: Before or After? - 10/22/12 04:29 AM
Our office recently received a referral from an out of state broker.  Since the condition of the home is a challenge, she recommended we have an inspection before putting it on the market.  This is not standard practice in our area.  In fact, even though a home is priced with the understanding there are “issues,” often buyers take the listed price and deduct the cost of the potential repairs.
 
The referring broker indicated that most sellers in her area had the inspection done before listing and provided a copy to all interested parties.  It gives the buyers a comprehensive overview … (44 comments)

real estate: Size Matters - 10/15/12 10:05 AM
In the many years I've managed Real Estate branch offices, disputes over mistakes or misrepresentations of the square footage on a listing have come up every few years.  And while the industry has evolved to alert the buyer of the importance of investigating the size of the home they are purchasing, the process feels cumbersome.
Most brokers use the square foot measurements from the county tax records.  We know those can be inaccurate and confusing.  Tax records don’t always catch up with homes that get remodeled and added on to with, accessory dwelling units, finished basements, etc. 
Listing brokers have … (8 comments)

real estate: What is it About Culture? - 10/08/12 10:32 AM
 
Why has office culture and business culture become the buzz word in our industry?
 
The American Heritage Dictionary (circa 1985) has numerous descriptions for the term culture. My two favorites are:
 
1.    “The act of developing the social, moral and intellectual faculties through education”
 
2.    “Intellectual and artistic activity, and the works produced by it”
 
The culture of a branch is a living, breathing work in progress. It’s the unstated attraction of an environment inviting people to belong simply because it feels right.
 
All the intellectual recruiting in the world will not … (0 comments)

real estate: Worthy Customer - Worthy Broker? - 10/01/12 11:37 AM
As real estate professionals we spend an incredible amount of time managing our Sphere’s and prospecting, always in search of the “Worthy Customer”.  While, there is often great debate about methods, I tend to subscribe to the simple philosophy scribed by Dave Beeson, “everything works and nothing doesn’t’”.  In other words, there are too many who were in our industry, who no longer practice real estate, yet make blanket statements about what works and what doesn’t and surprise, surprise, they typically have a solution that you can purchase to prove their point! Of course, that is a subject for an entirely … (0 comments)

real estate: Mobile Marketing? You May Already Be Doing It! - 09/24/12 02:23 AM
Welcome, and thanks for taking a look at the next installment in a series of blogs by Coldwell Banker Bain Principal Managing Brokers.  I am George Roth, Principal Managing Broker of the Coldwell Banker Bain Anacortes office.

When I was approached about writing for this blog, I was asked to dedicate my story to mobile marketing.  My first reaction was that I didn’t think I was an expert at mobile marketing, but as I began to write down some notes, I quickly realized something – we already ARE doing mobile marketing – and quite a bit of it!  Here’s … (0 comments)

real estate: To Delay or Not To Delay - 09/17/12 08:47 AM
As a listing broker, we are now frequently in situations with multiple offers. It can benefit sellers if they have more than one offer to consider delaying, but there are also situations where it may not be wise.  Here are some tips to help you make a smart decision.Situations where you should not delay the presentation of offers:•    Your first offer is strong, the financing looks good and there may be appraisal issues at a higher price.•    You did not have a letter on file and it was not noted in the agent remarks per MLS Rule 11.•    Some buyers will … (3 comments)

real estate: Real Estate Then and Now………Forty Years of Real Estate Changes! - 09/10/12 10:48 AM
Coming from nearly forty years in the business my perspective began in Bellingham, Washington (1973).  We are in the Northwest corner of Washington State along Bellingham Bay. Bellingham currently has a population of 80,000 however when I began it was just 40,000.  After thinking about Real Estate then and compared to now, three things came to mind.  Prices, the transactional complexities and the influence the internet has had on our businesses.
 
People are always interested in comparing prices, from when I started in Real Estate, compared to today’s values. The best way is to give real examples.  In 1973 I … (5 comments)

real estate: Time for ActiveRain? - 09/03/12 06:23 AM
 A few Coldwell Banker Bain Principal Managing Brokers were recently discussing the idea of blogging as a group about the real estate industry, our company, culture and communities.  One of the group remarked that while we had some video bloggers (more on that later), only George Roth, who you will meet, is currently blogging.  The discussion meandered a bit until George himself said, “What about ActiveRain?”  It was late in the afternoon with a preponderance of low blood sugar in the group and before we knew it we had all agreed to join and participate in ActiveRain.
So here we are! … (3 comments)

real estate: Have you seen all the Coldwell Banker Bain property signs? - 08/27/12 12:54 PM
Have you seen all the Coldwell Banker Bain property signs?
Drive through your local neighborhood and you’ll probably see more friendly Coldwell Banker Bain property signs than you can count on two hands. Take a spin through an affluent community and you’ll see us in the form of Previews International property signs.
It’s like when you’re thinking about buying a new car. Once you have the perfect make and model in your consciousness, you start seeing that car everywhere on the road.
Okay, so you know we’re out there getting stuff done. Lots of people are buying and selling homes, and … (2 comments)

 
CB Bain (Coldwell Banker Bain)

CB Bain

Bellevue, WA

More about me…

Coldwell Banker Bain

Address: 12721 Bel-Red Road #1, Bellevue , WA , 98005

Office: (425) 456-9592



Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog