education: You, too can market your international listings through HAR - Houston Association of Realtors
- 03/22/08 06:33 AM
HAR - Houston Association of Realtors has a great tool for Realtors throughout the US who wish to fully market their international listings. We have a special section on our www.HAR.com web site devoted entirely to the practice of International Real Estate. This web page offers many items: hundreds of listings, consumer information, agent information, educational updates, consular information and more to help the consumer and real estate practitioner better understand the special components involved in a foreign property transaction. HAR is recognized nationally for its user-friendly web site and high volume of visitors, and the International page is certainly leading the way not only on … (6 comments)
education: The Pitfalls of Flipping in the Houston Market Pt.1
- 03/22/08 02:30 AM
Having worked with many aspiring "flippers", I felt I should share the agent's view of the process. First let me say, nothing is like is it on TV. The garden variety show on flipping only highlights the highs and rarely tells the lows of this venture. As an agent, the first thing I would advise is to get your real estate license. Now, I am not a proponent of losing business by telling folks to get licensed and do it on their own, but for flipping purposes, this is truly a cost saving matter. You will need to spend a lot of … (0 comments)
education: Real Estate Perspectives in The Netherlands/ Inbound and Outbound
- 03/21/08 03:27 AM
I had the privilege of attending my monthly FIABCI-Houston luncheon this past Wednesday, March 19th with special guest speakers: The Honorable Geert C. Visser, Houston Consul General of The Netherlands, as well as Mr. Frans Gilebaard, Developer. The Hon. Geert C. Visser began the presentation with the many accomplishments of his country in the fields of transportation, engineering, banking and more. The discussion then focused on the tremendous amount of Dutch foreign investment in the US as well as the remainder of the Americas. What was surprising is that in the past, the Dutch were the # 1 foreign investor in the … (2 comments)
education: How are Foreclosures Affecting Katy, TX?
- 03/06/08 11:57 PM
Our Houston market, and Katy in particular, is very strong and looks to be great for 2008. While we do have certain areas that have a higher than normal foreclosure rate, you will usually see a direct connection between the rate of foreclosures and the problem of overbuilding in the same area. I feel that inexperienced developers and builders are very much a party to the foreclosure mess as they have continued to over-build in certain areas and allowed (encouraged, I should say) unqualified buyers to purchase homes using loan vehicles (ARM's, Balloon Notes, etc.) that the buyers could not afford … (3 comments)
education: A Beginner's Guide - Part 2
- 03/06/08 03:17 PM
Okay, so you have chosen your Broker, now what? The first and foremost thing to consider is whether you plan to have a hobby or a career? Well, that seems to be a stupid comment, right? We all plan to get our license, send out our annoucements that we are in business and BAM, we are Top Producers - living the dream. Sure, it always works lke that. My comments go to those that view real estate as a business rather than something you try to get rich quick. The difference between a hobby and career is simply treating your work like a … (2 comments)
education: Starting from Scratch... A Beginner's Guide Part 1
- 02/29/08 02:41 PM
I have spent a lot of time helping my manager recruit new agents for our office, not for compensation but to help bring in great new agents and to strengthen our team. I always am questioned on the type of brokerage model that they should follow. I offer the following advice: Do you view yourself as an Entrepreneur or an Employee? Do you know the difference? If not, then you must read the this following book, the E-Myth by Micheal E. Gerber (see link to Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204345425&sr=8-1 This book follows the pathway from disgruntled employee with a skill to the pursuit of independence to almost certain failure due … (2 comments)
education: Texas Real Estate Update from the TAR Winter Meeting, Austin TX
- 02/27/08 01:27 PM
We had a terrific TAR (Texas Assoc. of Realtors) Winter Meeting held this past weekend in Austin, TX. For those of you who have never attended the bi-annual TAR event (both the Winter Meeting and the Convention), this is a terrific event for learning more about your profession, our economic forecast and the networking opportunities are endless. Where else can you meet the most dynamic Realtors from other areas who may one day be a terrific source of incoming and outgoing referrals. One highlights of the event was hearing Tim Irvine, Administrator with TREC (Texas Real Estate Commission) speak at the Education Forum, … (2 comments)
education: Katy, TX Real Estate - still hot after all these years!
- 02/21/08 09:42 AM
While good news regarding real estate is rare these days, Katy, TX is still a great place to relocate, especially the area known as South Katy (South of I-10 and East of Hwy 6). For those of you who have never heard of Katy, we are located just 20 miles west of Downtown Houston, TX along the Interstate 10 corridor. One of the problems facing our seller's in the Katy, TX real estate market is that potential buyers are listening to the national media about the real estate woes and assuming that the entire nation is facing a slump. Not so for South Katy, … (0 comments)
HAR - Houston Association of Realtors has a great tool for Realtors throughout the US who wish to fully market their international listings. 
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