I am just a Realtor®! I don't wear a black cape or carry poison apples. I don't know any (good) spells. My sword skills are sorely lacking. I have never been convicted accused of kidnapping.

I'm really not that scary!

But I do scare people. I hear from time to time that someone was "afraid" to call/email me. Why is that? How could that be? I mean "little old me"?

Ok.....I get it. Taking that step, talking to a real estate agent, you might end up listing your house or worse.....BUYING A HOUSE. We have a habit of finding great situations for those who want to make a move. We often know how to negotiate terrific terms and know the comps for the area. You might even find out that we will spend time in our cars....using our own gas...to drive you around.

Shoot....it's like a House Chauffeur!!! And my car is a convertible.

But what we can't do is force you to make a decision against your will. We can't force you to sign something, or move forward on something you don't want to do. And I'll let you in on a little secret.....WE DON'T WANT TO.

That's right...we WANT you to wait for the right time, right situation, right price, right offer. We do! Do you know why? Because then you're happy and that makes for happy clients. Happy Clients means referrals. And that means we stay in business.

Sometimes....we spend a lot of time, gas, and energy (so do you) and things get put on hold, or canceled, or just halted. Cold feet? yep....that happens! And when it does, we are also there to unravel things for you. Make sure your interests are protected until the end. That's really the key of what we are....we are the protector of your interests.

No...not like a Troll!!! (Sheesh...we are not scary)

We are mature, adult, advocates for you. As a buyer....you even get to use our services with no cost to you. And don't let anyone tell you that you pay less by not being represented by an agent. The seller is not going to lower their price, they are not going to do extra repairs, they are not going to make sure you don't over pay.....I will!

As a seller.....you need someone to make sure that you enter into an agreement for the right price, with a qualified buyer, and close in a timely manner. We keep tabs of the transaction....you pack. I hold the open houses, I protect your belongings with showing instructions. I ensure that you are not taken advantage of, just because you are ready to move; dotting "i"s and crossing "t"s.

What if you are not ready to buy.....yet? I got a great email just today from someone who was just beginning the planning stages. They need to save and begin the transition to home owner. There are many issues to consider. There is the mortgage..rates and closing costs. (of course some of this will not be known until they are ready to buy....but we can ballpark) They need to save...but how much? for what program? FHA? 20%? There are credit issues....no credit can be as bad as bad credit. Now is the time to build good credit, if necessary. Finally....what is available in the price range they think they want. Sure...over a few years the market does change, but what we have today is still valuable information. It could impact the type of job, the amount of savings, the city. Let's plan now.

Talk to a Realtor® if real estate is something you are considering. Yikes that sounded like a National Association Of Realtor's ad. Let me rephrase: Talk to ME, if you are considering a real estate transaction. Much better...and I promise...I won't bite.

 

 

 Karen Fiddler
Broker/Associate
The Fiddler Realty Team/eVantage Real Estate
Lic # 01494165

www.SearchForOrangeCountyHomes.com

Serving all of Orange County, California Real Estate!
Buyer's Agents, Listing Agents, Short Sales, REOs, Equity Sales, Investors

SEARCH THE MLS HERE

Orange County Home Search 
Orange County Foreclosures
Orange County Short Sales
Buyer Information
Seller FAQs
Contact Us With Your Questions

 

And that's all the Espaňol I'm bringing to this one, but it was way too cool a title to pass up. Please stick around though - the story might interest you.

Mary and I have been using the internet since well before it was the internet. I used to have a user account with Colorado Supernet when there was no web - we used tools like Archie, Telnet, and Gopher, and I belonged to a bunch of Usenet User Groups, including alt.urban.folklore - the precursor to Snopes.com. We used early Macs, dial-ups and 240 baud modems, and cobbled-together bulletin board programs like Red Ryder to set up sharing networks. And in 1987, I designed an early intranet for a division of Control Data Canada.

One day in early 1994, Mary came home from a conference and said she needed a "website". Neither of us had any idea what that was - or even why we needed one - but I started doing some research, got my hands on a copy of Mosaic - the first web browser - and downloaded a copy of the HTML protocols from CERN in Switzerland. Four days later, we had the very first Realtor website in Northern Colorado - and it's been up and running ever since.

Our website - www.maryanddick.com - has had three lives.

Life 1 - We were the first, and for a long time, the only real estate website out there for our area. And since we have a lot of high-tech employers here - and hence a lot of geeks - we got found. The first 2-3 years, we did a huge amount of relocation and re-sale business with engineers and techies moving into or out of the area - we were sending out sometimes 20 relocation packages a month. The website was focused on us - it was a way for us to be noticed and it worked really well as a marketing tool. But it didn't last.

Life 2 - One day we woke up and there were literally hundreds of real estate websites for Northern Colorado. Agents could go buy a template site and have it up and running in a matter of days. Mary & I disappeared in the clutter. Consumers were still doing searches for things like Fort Collins Realtor or Fort Collins Real Estate, but we were no longer the default result. And gradually the calls stopped coming in.

We didn't want to give up on our website, so we re-purposed it. It became a focus for working with our client base - we used it as a place to post our listings, publish our market reports and newsletters, and provide useful links. It was, now that I think about it, an early kind of blog. Our client base did make use of it, and we could link from MLS to our listings, but we weren't getting much business from it. And it stayed that way for a long while. By last year, it had mostly vanished - I doubt that we had 100 visitors in March of last year.

Life 3 - And then we found out about SEO (for those of you who really haven't been paying attention, that's Search Engine Optimization). And that wasn't easy knowledge to come by - for years, I had probably hung up on a dozen telemarketers a week, all of whom were trying to sell me page 1 Google results - you know the drill. But one day last March, I got a call when I wasn't busy from a telemarketer, and I baited him a bit by inquiring if he thought he could get me a page 1 Google result. Instead of the usual garbage, I got an honest answer, enough so that I didn't hang up, but stayed on the phone and started learning a bit about SEO. After a fifteen minute discussion, I went off to do some research on my own and to check out a few links he had given me.

The results were interesting - something was going on out there that we needed to be part of. More phone calls, more research, and Hey Presto! - we had a new website (actually a new sub-domain appended to our old website). It was an indexable IDX site, with lots of neat bells and whistles - but it wasn't quite ready to start providing results.

My new website company had been brutally frank: "If you don't do your part - providing back-links - you're just wasting your time and money". And I learned that meant I had to start blogging. They suggested that I check out AR, and you know that drill as well. I started blogging and learned how to do those back-links the right way from Bob Stewart and AR University, and things started happening.

Since April, 2011, we have been getting a steady stream of leads. We have new buyer and seller clients. We have had closings. In the last 30 days, there have been 3,110 visits and 11,740 pageviews on our IDX site. We're on page 1 on 29 of 31 long-tail keyword Google searches related to our neighborhood and market segment web page categories. And our numbers are steadily trending up. Our web page is back from the dead - and just in time, those wolves howling just outside the door were starting to worry me.

SEO matters. A lot. It brought our business into line with the way consumers are approaching real estate today, opened up new possibilities for growing our client base, and help us adapt to major changes in the market. It can help you too.

As a side note, because their service and results have certainly earned a shout-out, my webpage company is Dynamic Page Solutions, and my main guy there is Dan Revel - 480/820-0630. They have been completely honest, have delivered everything they promised on time and as advertised, and have always been available for questions and advice. And they were affordable. I couldn't be happier with them.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Coldwell Banker - Fort Collins 702-A W. Drake Rd. Fort Collins, CO 80526 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com

Hi folks. Do You Want To Close More Short Sales? Of course you do. Here are some tips that may help.

• Educate the Sellers at time of listing. Make sure they fully understand the process and what is expected of them. Be sure they understand cash contributions, promissory notes, tax ramifications and what happens to the deficiency.

• Price the property at market value or more. Negotiate the cleanest contract you can get with a price that you can defend to the lender.

• Know the type of short sale i.e. FHA, VA, HAFA Non GSE, HAFA Fannie, HAFA Freddie, USDA..... and know why this is important.

• Be sure any major repair issues are addressed at time of listing. These could put limitations on the type of Buyer you are looking for. For example: If it needs a new HVAC system a Buyer will not be able to use FHA financing.

• Be in complete charge of the transaction. Know what you can and can’t do then make sure the lender understands that you know.

• Make sure the BPO agent has the information you need them to have PRIOR to them doing the BPO. And know what that information is.

• Make sure you are aware of ALL liens on the property prior to taking the listing.

• Understand that the Seller is not always the Borrower. That works both ways. Example: Child owns the property but the borrowers are the parents. Or...the Seller assumed a mortgage when they purchased the property but the loan is still in the original borrower’s name.

• Stay focused on the transaction. Don’t let “drama” cloud your vision.

• And most importantly, understand that “Short Sale Denied” means....this time. Find a new buyer and try again. And keep trying until you get the job done.

This is in no way a comprehensive list but it will give you some things to think about. Any questions?

DO YOU NEED SHORT SALE TRANING?

Are you facing foreclosure in Florida?

 

 

 Do NOT be foreclosed on! Avoid foreclosure. Short Sales DO close.

Want to find out more? www.CentralFloridaShortSales.com

***I am NOT an Attorney nor do I play one on TV. Click the button below for my Bio.

Copyright © 2011 http://www.brokerbryant.com/ | All Rights Reserved

Customer Testimonials

Tutas Towne Realty has already successfully negotiated Short Sales with the following Lenders and Investors.

Chase Short Sale,Sun Trust Short Sale, GMAC Short Sale, Wells Fargo Short Sale,Bank of America Short Sale,USA Bank Short Sale,PNC Bank Short Sale,Citi Short Sale,HomeEq Short Sale,Fifth Third Bank Short Sale,ING Direct Short Sale,GreenTree Short Sale,Capital One Short Sale,ASC Short Sale,First Horizon Short Sale,E-Trade Short Sale,Transland Financial Short Sale,US Bank Short Sale,IBM LBPS Short Sale,
Nationstar Short Sale,BAC Florida Short Sale,Real Time Solutions Short Sale,Fannie Mae Short Sale
FHA Short Sale,Selene Finance Short Sale,DTA Solutions LLC Short sale,Flagstar Short Sale,IndyMac Short Sale

******************************************************************
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales,  Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

Tutas Towne Realty and Bryant Tutas just had another successful Winter Haven Florida Short Sale closing with Wells Fargo.

The property:

Investment property. 3 bedroom 2 bath home located in Winter Haven Florida. This home has 2,222 sq ft of living area and is direct lake front with baot house and private beach. It was purchased in March of 2006 for $390,000. It Sold 1/20/2012 for $140,200. That's a decline in value of 64% in just under 5 years! 

Liens:

• 1st Mortgage with Wells Fargo for $295,000

Hardship:

• Loss of rental income. Reduction in value.

Summary:

I placed the property on the market 10/10/2010 for $225,000. After several price reductions we finally found a buyer at $150,000. Unfortunately we then spent almost 4 months trying to get an approval and were finally denied the short sale due to lack of hardship. The buyer didn't want to wait while we resubmitted so.....

.....I placed it back on the market and found another buyer at the same price. 2 months later we had an approval only to find out we lost the buyer due to a major illness being diagnosed. So....

....once again we started over. Luckily we found another cash buyer at $140,000. My son Nathan was working with this buyer so we knew the buyer would give us time to get the short sale approved again.

We received another aproval in about 60 days and closed on the transaction. The 3rd time was a charm!!

Wells Fargo accepted $149,000 or .51 cents on the dollar for the 1st mortgage. 

***The Seller received FULL WAIVER OF DEFICIENCY on an investment property. He did have to participate in the loss by making a $20,000 cash contribution. He was happy to do so to be rid of almost $300,000 or debt.

This transaction was a referral from an Active Rain member. Thanks Judy!! That makes 3 successful referrals.

Do you need help with your Florida Short Sale?

Seller Testimonials

 Tutas Towne Realty has already successfully negotiated Short Sales with the following Lenders and Investors.

• Chase Short Sale
• Sun Trust Short Sale
• GMAC Short Sale
• Wells Fargo Short Sale
• Bank of America Short Sale
• USA Bank Short Sale
• PNC Bank Short Sale
• Citi Short Sale
• HomeEq Short Sale
• Fifth Third Bank Short Sale
• ING Direct Short Sale
• GreenTree Short Sale
• Capital One Short Sale
• ASC Short Sale
• First Horizon Short Sale
• E-Trade Short Sale
• Transland Financial Short Sale
• US Bank Short Sale
• IBM LBPS Short Sale
• Nationstar Short Sale
• BAC Florida Short Sale
• Real Time Solutions Short Sale
• Fannie Mae Short Sale
• FHA Short Sale
• Selene Finance Short Sale
• Indy Mac
• One West Bank
• DTA Solutions LLC Short sale

Can we add you to our list of successful Short Sales?

Are you facing foreclosure in Florida?

 

 

 

 

Do NOT be foreclosed on! Avoid foreclosure. Short Sales DO close.

Want to find out more? www.CentralFloridaShortSales.com

***I am NOT an Attorney nor do I play one on TV. Click the button below for my Bio.

Copyright © 2011 http://www.brokerbryant.com/ | All Rights Reserved

Customer Testimonials

Tutas Towne Realty has already successfully negotiated Short Sales with the following Lenders and Investors.

Chase Short Sale,Sun Trust Short Sale, GMAC Short Sale, Wells Fargo Short Sale,Bank of America Short Sale,USA Bank Short Sale,PNC Bank Short Sale,Citi Short Sale,HomeEq Short Sale,Fifth Third Bank Short Sale,ING Direct Short Sale,GreenTree Short Sale,Capital One Short Sale,ASC Short Sale,First Horizon Short Sale,E-Trade Short Sale,Transland Financial Short Sale,US Bank Short Sale,IBM LBPS Short Sale,
Nationstar Short Sale,BAC Florida Short Sale,Real Time Solutions Short Sale,Fannie Mae Short Sale
FHA Short Sale,Selene Finance Short Sale,DTA Solutions LLC Short sale,Flagstar Short Sale,IndyMac Short Sale

******************************************************************
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales,  Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

I just feel "heavy" on my heart to share this post, although it's not completely real estate related.

Last Thursday, my good friend Leslie Ebersole shared a great article on Huffington Post about raising kids. I sat in the bank lobby waiting to be helped, I can't help but to cry as I reflect on my role as Mama.

I'm so glad to know that someone out "there" would dare say - Parenting is hard. Parenting may not be enjoyable all the time, every single time and motherhood need be blissful like the rest of my friends portray.

I've always wondered, "What's wrong with me?", "Am I not a loving person/ mother?", "Why did God wired me to find this journey long and hard, and yet he made me a "Mother"?

No doubt, there's a huge sense of guilt, especially the first 2 years. And I'm slow too. It took me almost over 2.5 years before I could finally say, I'm beginning to enjoy my son just a little.

Surely, I'm not fit as a mother. I pitied my son for not having a more loving Mom.

The article brought alot of HOPE for me. Explained how to view each day and each moment and what the differences are. I'm so grateful for that.

Until I read the article, I've always known "Chronos" time. It's time that passes by every minute. Time we see pass by on the clock. This is where parenting/ raising kids are hard times. These are the actual times we have to physically care for the children, especially when they are younger.

Then, the article introduced "Kairos" time. Kairos is an undetermined amount of time where something special happens. Kairos's time is GOD'S TIME.

Looking back, Kairos's time for me was the first time I held my son, the time when he just woke up and hugged his dad right before Dad left for work, the time when he laughed hysterically with no reason.

 

So, I do have "moments in Kairos time" that sustains me through the Chronos time that can be tough.

 

I guess life in real estate is ALOT like life in "real life". Our Chronos time can get challenging and fiery at times, especially when we deal with our real estate transactions. But as a whole, if we find moments in Kairos's time - this career is definitely rewarding, no matter what our chronos time would say.

Happy Selling Real Estate this week, Active Rain!!!

 

Scripture of the Week:

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

 

I begin my week here on Active Rain with my God First posts, written every Sunday once a week. My promise to you is that the messages I share will be day-to-day related, often times related to real estate. If these topics are important to you also, I'd love for you to subscribe to my blog.

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CALL TODAY (214) 783-2210 Loreena Yeo lives, plays and works in Frisco TX since 2000. Owner/ Broker of 3:16 team REALTY - a local Real Estate Company. Moving to Frisco TX? The UNOFFICIAL Ambassador of Frisco TX. Search Frisco TX homes now. Position you to become an informed, ready Frisco TX home buyer. Find out how Loreena sells homes in 1/3 of time than the average local Realtor®. Be an informed real estate consumer in Frisco TX. Read raving fans' reviews. Connect via Social Media:

Content & Photography Copyright © 2012 by Loreena Yeo (3:16 team REALTY)
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