There is an old saying that “big doors swing on little hinges.”We have all seen buyers chose one house over another for a fairly minor reason.Back in the day when Continental Airlines had their headquarters in Houston, it wasn’t uncommon for a Continental employee who was trying to sell their hou
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08/25/2015
The late Jim Rohn tells a story on himself that he used to blame the weather for why he wasn’t more successful.Then his mentor reminded him that it rains on the rich as well as the poor.Likewise, we all have things that don’t go our way.This morning, the airline I have been loyal to for 40 years
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08/24/2015
None of us want to return to the stone age of running keys back and forth between offices. Electronic lock boxes are great time savers.But there are a few occasions when it may be worth it to take the lock box off and meet people in person.# 1 Inspections. While it generally isn’t a good idea for
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08/23/2015
Most of us provide a list of comps for appraisers.But I use a second sheet that can be worth thousands of dollars in increased appraisal.In a recent example I listed a house right behind a house with the identical floor plan and square footage which frankly looked better than my listing and was l
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08/23/2015
Several months ago I had this bright idea of writing a book about buying real estate.At first I thought, this will take maybe 10 – 20 chapters JNow at 50+ chapters (some are shorter and some like the inspections chapter are longer) I am getting close(er) to completing it.I’m looking for an editor
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08/22/2015
Just wondering as we gear up for TRID if any of your state contracts are changing because of the new requirements?As the ability to close on time seems to be more in the hands of legislation and lenders than ever, will state promulgated contracts reflect that?What about your in house forms?How ar
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08/20/2015
Let me say upfront that I am not a stager but am blessed to work with one the very best in the business.Real staging is . . . Congruent. Not just a few plants (or dead sticks in a vase) scattered about or just fancy soap and towels in the bathroom.Houses with incongruent, scatter shot staging giv
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08/17/2015
Even though “weeks to close” gets longer and longer, there will always be sellers who need to close fast.They may be willing (or have to) accept your buyers offer if you really can close a couple of weeks quicker than competing offers.Traditionally buyers have inspected, resolved those issues and
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08/14/2015
Especially as TRID becomes the new normal, there will be even less time than ever for snags that have to be worked out in order to close on time. Last minute closing issues never reflect well on our reputations.We typically focus on credit related issues on the buyer’s side. We do our best to ge
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08/07/2015
Here in Colorado Springs we have a regular influx of people coming from all over the country. Some of them are military families but many are people just ready to try the Colorado lifestyle and weather. A very common mistake is to not understand what home features will be important while livi
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05/01/2013
