valarie kubacki: Short Sale the Saga!
- 02/17/11 02:19 AM
I do short sales and my fellow agents think I am crazy. I have to tell you there are times I start questioning my own sanity. I do not judge my customer. I hear other agents talking about oh they can't make their payment but did you see that television or furniture or whatever the item they are talking about. I know that some times bad things happen to good people. You don't know their situation medical, job related or just really things have gone bad. Do I have stories oh I absolutely am shocked when I hear someone talk about how … (2 comments)
valarie kubacki: Superbowl Sunday
- 02/06/11 12:54 AM
Well it is superbowl sunday. I am not a huge football fan I used to be but have found that weekends are the best time to show property. Before I became an agent I never missed a football game on Sunday flipping from one channel to the next to catch parts of the other games.
I used to be able to tell you which players played what and what their stats were. Superbowl was a party for me and I looked forward to it every year. Now I have a superbowl of my own the challenge I give myself … (2 comments)
valarie kubacki: How Do You Keep Up with it All?
- 02/05/11 04:22 PM
I love blogging on activerain but when it comes to my facebook, twitter and linked in it can all become so overwhelming. So I ran across this great thing called hootsuite. It is a one stop shop (and free) for managing all of these. The great part of hootsuite is on twitter you can make a column for search words like "buying a home" "moving to (whatever state). I usually type in moving to Indiana search and then when their posts come up I tweet back where in Indiana? If it is in Northwest Indiana let me know if I can … (11 comments)
valarie kubacki: So What Makes You Different?
- 02/02/11 06:32 AM
We all sell real estate or at least most of us do right? Most of us are REALTORS and most of us belong to a local organization and MLS. So what is it that you provide different from the agent next door? I myself keep up to date on all the latest tehnology and use it to put my clients listings on every available internet site, I also have email and text on my cell phone to respond to any inquiries and I never turn my phone off. If a client says they want a newspaper, magazine campaign I tell them that … (0 comments)
valarie kubacki: Day 31 Oh What Fun!!!
- 01/31/11 02:00 PM
I have really enjoyed this 31 day challenge although I may have caused another problem for myself. Yes I am addicted. I am checking the blog posts almost as much my facebook. This can not be good as my husband already questions how I can be on the computer so long. I have enjoyed some of the controversial posts such as the ones that ask about handing out your cell phone number and other such as one about how wonderful a customer can or can't be. It is amazing how much you can associate your experience with everyone else out there. So … (3 comments)
valarie kubacki: REAL ESTATE BRANDS? Do You Think They Matter?
- 01/31/11 01:40 PM
I have been thinking a lot about this lately as I have been reading about the different companies and their financial problems. Locally we have seen a lot of different companies closing branches and I wondered do brands matter?
I got into this discussion recently with a few other agents and of course if you talk to an agent working for a no name brand office they have the best situation and if you speak with a name brand agent they sell their houses because of the name brand. So I am curious with the internet being where most … (3 comments)
valarie kubacki: Thursday Looking for Friday
- 01/27/11 03:22 PM
Ok weekends are just another work day because as we all know during these times we are a 24 hour a day profession. I mean think about it in Indiana car dealerships are closed, liquor stores are closed but real estate goes on 7 days a week. I guess I am fortunate that I am busy and my last phone call I received last night was at 9:30. I am also fortunate that I am a 4 hour sleeper I go to sleep about 1 or 2 and get up between 5 or 6. I can't imagine how I would … (2 comments)
valarie kubacki: Hump Day!
- 01/26/11 01:52 PM
Well it is Wednesday and it has been a crazy week. I am already exhausted and haven't even hit the weekend yet. I have been showing, writing offers, counter offers, scheduling appraisals, and inspections. I really love this business but this week is catching up to me as I have been going from 8 am and getting home at 9pm since last Friday. Tomorrow will be no different as I have to run to the next county tomorrow night and pick up an earnest money check.
I was concerned in December when it was a little slower and things … (2 comments)
valarie kubacki: Funny Real Estate!
- 01/25/11 02:53 PM
So I had quite the busy weekend topped off by a busy Monday because of course when you have a busy weekend you always spend the next two days catching up. I have a rental so I get a lot of phone calls on that rental and I am always amused by some of the comments because as I have said before I always ask why they are renting instead of buying. I had been working a double shift on the floor yesterday and it was quite a busy floor. Several typical phone calls asking about this house or that house. Then there … (6 comments)
valarie kubacki: January Has Been a Great Month so Far!
- 01/24/11 01:20 PM
Busy! Busy! Busy! This month has been incredibly busy and I can tell you now last January was not like this. I usually carry between 10-15 listings and I am going to have to go out and reload. Thats right I am getting offers and showings left and right. So what do I attribute to this wonderful windfall of customers the mortgage rates have been moving a little and I think that is making some people nervous. I also have some rentals and when people call I always ask why are you thinking about renting? If they say there credit … (2 comments)
valarie kubacki: OK So Another Disappointing Sunday?
- 01/23/11 10:34 AM
I wasn't going to do it I was going to watch anything but the game some how the remote flipped it on and there sat yelling at the television and wishing I wasn't watching the slow death of the Chicago Bears. I want you to know I am one of the few people that still have the superbowl shuffle on 45. I know I live in Indiana and we have the Indianapolis Colts but the area of Indiana that I am in is Bear country. Well we are off to the next season and we are White Sox fans at … (3 comments)
valarie kubacki: E & O Insurance
- 01/23/11 07:22 AM
So the other day I was having a conversation with another agent and he was saying that he just found out that his E & O insurance does not cover him on short sales, cash for key etc... I have my E & O through the company that I work for so I got to thinking I wonder if our coverage works on those kinds of transactions. Then I started thinking about the deductible you know all the things you don't think about until you need it. I do a lot of short sale and distressed properties so I … (4 comments)
valarie kubacki: Pending??? Or Not???
- 01/22/11 07:08 AM
Today I had a buyer i have been working with call me they found a house on one of the websites and absolutely love it and want to see it. I looked it up on the MLS and it said pending I called the customer and let them know that the status is pending and I will send them some more homes. As I sat there scanning through the MLS and looking at what I have notice attracts them I ran across that same house and picked up the cell and called the agent. I said I know that … (4 comments)
valarie kubacki: Lake Station Hometown Hero Wounded in Action Soldier
- 01/22/11 02:26 AM
John Masson was wounded October 16. 2010 he sacrificed 3 of his extremities for our freedom. He has a wife and three children. He proudly served for 11 years in the armed forces. John was employed with Precoat metals in Portage before joining the national guard. Both he and his wife graduated from Edison High School in Lake Station. Please visit his webpage and read more about this hometown hero http://www.johnmasson.com/ the loacl American Legion in Lake Station is doing a benefit for this man and his family he will have quite a struggle ahead of him however John said … (1 comments)
valarie kubacki: Didn't Get Much Accomplished Today....
- 01/21/11 01:17 PM
Well I was in the office all day and I didn't get much accomplished but sometimes that is ok. It started out quiet and just went from there. I was happily typing away on the computer when it suddenly got loud around the office. Well, that is kind of weird as I peeked around the corner. Normally finding an agent in the office on a Friday is an oddity. So as I peek around the corner of my office I see two agents walking down the hall laughing and I could hear more out front. It seemed like the entire office … (3 comments)
valarie kubacki: Bank of America Short Sale Process
- 01/20/11 11:10 AM
Today I watched the webinar on the "new" short sale process and have to say in theory I pray that it works the way they say it will. I have not worked a Bank of America short sale as of yet and have heard the usual horror stories. I have worked Chase and in my opinion there is none worse. There is not another that I have done that can even compare with Chase. Wells Fargo is my favorite so far. But back to the webinar I have to say I was truly impressed that they are at least making … (1 comments)
valarie kubacki: Learning a New Language
- 01/19/11 02:14 PM
OK so I have been eying the Rosetta Stone programs and wow are they expensive but I hear totally worth it. I was in Staples today picking up some items with my husband tonight and as I walked past the display and ran my hand over the top of the box and all but drooled on it my husband looked at the box. I heard this gasp and I turned around and looked and he says just so you know for almost eight hundred dollars I better not hear you even mutter one word of English ever again. I said … (3 comments)
valarie kubacki: Short Sale Issues?
- 01/19/11 01:36 AM
So yesterday as we were sitting at a company meeting another agent brought up a huge problem that he was having with his short sales. The home owners who at first were trying to keep their home out of foreclosure are no longer motivated to get their home sold short. Why would they be? The bank is not throwing them out on the street. The are getting free rent and they know that if the house sells they will have to start paying monthly rent. So how does agent get those sellers to do the price changes necessary to … (3 comments)
valarie kubacki: Working in the Office or Working From Home?
- 01/18/11 01:43 PM
OK so I am definitely more dedicated when I am working in the office. I need to be sitting at the desk working to make any kind of progress. If I am at home I find a million other things going on to distract me. I know alot of people are able to do the home thing and honestly at night while sitting on the couch with my laptop I can do great things with blogging and putting my listings on craigslist. I can even get my zing dings done. Working expireds and follow ups definitely have to be at … (8 comments)
valarie kubacki: The Tools Confusion!
- 01/16/11 11:13 AM
Every day I receive in my inbox email after email. Lead generation for x amount of dollars. Leads to your phone for x amount of dollars. QR code information for x amount of dollars. How to get buyers to call you for x amount of dollars. You as a real estate agent I am sure are getting emails like this. Sorting it all out! What a nightmare a new agent could lose more money then they make in the first year. As you look at all the pay only 19.95 a month for this virtual tour company and that photo … (5 comments)
I do short sales and my fellow agents think I am crazy. I have to tell you there are times I start questioning my own sanity. 
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