Yesterday I had an inspection on a property that I negotiated a contract for last week. It's a very nice 3 unit, in great shape with a very positive cash flow. I was talking to the inspector about it and he continued to comment again and again about how well the work was done in the property and how good the price was. What he didn't know was that we were actually able to get the property at an even better price. On top of that, the property was being mis-managed, with the rents far below market and it was still making money! With the proper management, the building will be a gold mine. I was very pleased with the inspection, which only revealed a few small items that can easily be remedied for a small amount of money.I was thinking, as we were discussing the property, that my client wa... 08/02/2007

                                                                                     A look back at Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania and it's small town city lights one would hardly believe you would find famous Hollywood directors, and screen writers. Yet here in our city we can proudly boast of Herman and Joseph Mankieicz who won an Oscar, and was also nominated for another! Their early years in Wilkes Barre was something the pair never forgot and you could hear our city's name mentioned often in their films.Dinner at Eight   (1933) Pride of Saint Loius  (1952)  A Womans Secret  (1949) The Spanish Main   (1945) The Enchanted Cottage   (1945)Christmas Holiday   (1944)The Good Fellows   (1943)Stand By For Action   (1942) The Pride Of The Yankees  (1942)                                         ... 08/01/2007

 $111,900Located in City: Wilkes-Barre, Zip Code: 1870249-51 Walnut Street Multi-family Property, Area: 1WBC, County: Luzerne, Year Built: 1900MLS#: 07-1337Multi-family PropertyStatus: ActiveArea: 1WBCCounty: Luzerne2 total unit(s)Year Built: 1900Approximately 2720 sq. ft.Heating features: GasInterior features may include: Basement, Wall/window air cond.Exterior features: Porch, Public sewer srvc, Public water supplyUnit 1 has 3 bedroom(s)Unit 1 has 1 bath(s)Unit 2 has 3 bedroom(s)Unit 2 has 1 bath(s)Approximate lot is 40x80School District: Wilkes-Barre  07/30/2007

you can concentrate on packing and moving your stuff, deciding how you want to decorate, even writing out your change of address cards for the post office. You shouldn't have to worry about all of the inner workings of the real estate deal. That's why you hire me. I find myself saying this alot to both buyers and sellers. There are so many things to worry about and take care of when you are buying or selling. Don't you have enough on your plate? That's where hiring a professional Realtor comes into play. If you're selling, I'll give you advice on things to do to sell your home, and then I'll market and sell it. If you need some minor repairs, I have built relationships with certified and licensed contractors who can take care of these issues quickly (and very reasonably) so you don't ha... 07/29/2007

As the market tightens, I believe we're going to see more Open Houses being done. We need to be able to get people into our listings to show them the value that they have. With this in mind, do you do Open Houses? What do you do to prepare for your Open Houses? I do a few things, but would certainly like to know what works for other Realtors. Please add to the list those things that work for you and tell me why they work for you. 1. Make sure the Open House is advertised in all of the places you can. I place ads in the Homes magazine, the newspaper, on Localism (with a blog here, of course) and I announce the Open House on all of the internet sites I already have the ads placed. 2. I make sure this is the Featured Home on my website, www.wilkesbarrehomesales.com, for the week before the... 07/28/2007

I was curious today and decided to check out the stats on how many listings there are in our area for under $60K. There are 135 listings on the MLS at the price range. I find that to be a huge number in an area with average rents of 600-800/month for a single family rental. This is great news for Buyers, especially investors who are looking for positive cash flow. For those "flippers" out there, this is a great market as well. There are alot of older homes that need some updating in order to become profitable. I have been working extensively with investors lately and have found that the market in the W-B is ripe for the picking. If you haven't yet, you need ot take a look at Wilkes-Barre, PA. If you need help locating your next investment property in Wilkes-Barre, PA then give me a call... 07/26/2007

I am a buyer's and a seller's agent. I really enjoy being a buyer's agent because it's just more exciting for me than being a seller's agent, but I still take listings and actively seek them out. The trend I'm seeing is that nobody wants to pay list price today. Not that I've ever had clients who wanted to pay list price, but it's every client now. I don't care if all of the homework has been done and the house is priced at or a little below the fair market value, the buyers still want to get it below list price. "It's a buyer's market", I hear all of the time. The media has certainly helped feed the fire about this. I thought I might give some insight about when it's ok to pay list price. Sometimes, just one of these factors will determine your offer price and sometimes it's a combinat... 07/25/2007

I was sitting at my desk yesterday, actually writing a blog about how new I am to the whole SEO thing when my phone rang. It was a woman and she asked if I was Andrew Trevino. I said yes, after checking my id of course, and she told me that her son had found my name on the internet and wanted me to come list her home. I was shocked to tell you the truth. I get plenty of calls to list people's homes. Those are usually all referrals or at least people I have contacted myself in one form or another. This was a whole new experience for me. The thought that I have created a name for myself in this forum is exciting to say the least. I can't wait to see this grow and just wanted to say, "Thanks AR" for the boost. 07/20/2007

I hear it and say it all the time..."when you're finished showing the house, please call with some feedback." I wonder how many times this actually happens. In my market it seems like we say it alot, but it doesn't always end up happening. I must admit that I have been guilty of it myself. I have finished a long day of showings, gotten home, put my briefcase down and two days later realized I haven't made the calls yet. I kick myself for it because this is one of the things that I rely on when I have a listing to track it's progress and maybe the other agent does the same. On the flip side of the deal, I've only received feedback two times since I started selling real estate. Neither was from a buyer agent with a contract, but the feedback was much appreciated.How about you? do you call... 07/19/2007

I just got the call today. The mortgage broker says we're clear to close on an exhausting deal, both physically and mentally, on Friday. I'm excited that the time has finally come. It's been a long and bumpy ride right from the start, where I couldn't seem to get an appointment to see the house.Then the other agent tried to steal my clients..right in front of me. Recently, he tried to recruit me as well. I still have my clients and their referrals...and I'm not going anywhere.Then it was the nightmare negotiations over who would pay for what on the inspection report, why we had to wait two months to close and how we were going to manage to get the contractors paid at closing since nobody seemed to have any money all of the sudden. Then there were the two old furnaces in the basement. It... 07/16/2007

you get a call on one of your listings and it's someone who wants to totally downgrade your listing so they can tell you they'll give you half price cash today for it? I had a guy give me a call on a listing that I had for $143K. He began by telling me what a dump Wilkes-Barre is and how nothing should sell for over $100K here. Then he told me that he'd be willing to pay $75K cash for the house. I hate having to call my clients for things like this, but I did and of course she didn't want to talk about it. I guess, sooner or later, someone might agree to this kind of tactic so people do it, but it chaps my hide a bit. I sell houses in the Wilkes-Barre, PA area. Our area has been a bit behind the curve for a few years now, but I believe it's making a comeback. We attract alot of people f... 06/22/2007