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Freddie Mac Paying Realtor Bonus

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Buyer Savvy, News and Announcements  No Responses »
May 232011
 

We just received some important news from our friend in the mortgage business, Albin Ulle, Loan Officer at First Cal. He shares:

Realtors listen up! In a sign of the times, Freddie Mac’s real estate sales unit HomeSteps is launching a nationwide sales promotion for its inventory of foreclosed homes. Operators standing by!  ”The HomeSteps Summer Sales Promotion is offering up to 3.5% buyer’s closing cost and a $1,200 selling agent bonus for initial offers received until July 31 and escrows are closed on or before September 30. This offer is valid only on HomeSteps homes sold to owner-occupant buyers.”  There is a potential two-year Home Protect limited home warranty, along with discounts on appliance purchases. Check out SmartBuy or HomeSteps.

 

 

 Posted by admin at 11:41 am

East Wash Park: 601 S. Race Open House Saturday May 21st from 12-2PM

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Buyer Savvy, Denver Neighborhoods, Events in Denver, New Real Estate Listing  No Responses »
May 202011
 

 

 

Fabulous Tudor on large corner lot in sought after East Wash Park! 3Bedrooms + 4th non conforming. 2 Full Baths. Vaulted Living Room with exposed brick. Custom granite kitchen. 1411 Square Feet each floor. Stamped concrete patio and Full walk out basement…see the Virtual tour.

 

As long as you are in the neighborhood check out my other great listing (not open this weekend) at 623 S. Vine!    3 Bedrooms (2 Masters!) 2 Baths, New Low E Windows, 5yr Roof Cert,Plantation Shutters and gorgeous custom woodwork in remodeled kitchen!

If you are looking for something closer to the Bible Park area – Take a look at 6688 E. Dartmouth Ave in Wellshire East -
Just 5 minutes to Light Rail and I25 and 1mile to Whole Foods + 8 other supermarkets, 5 Theaters and 20+ restaurants!

6688 Dartmouth

 

 

 Posted by admin at 4:33 pm

Baby Boomer kids: Gen Y poised to rescue Real Estate

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Patsy's Pointers  No Responses »
Apr 132011
 

According to a recent article in the Denver Business Journal, Generation Y’s are poised to come to the rescue of a weak real estate market; these children of Baby Boomers are bringing their strength in numbers-some 70- 80 million of them- to the forefront of the real estate market and there is little doubt they will have an impact. So who are these buyers and what kinds of properties are they looking for? Gen Y born after 1980, is the largest generation since the Baby Boomers to hit the streets…they grew up with technology and use it advantageously.“They always have a phone in their hand. They’re always using tech. They have no learning curve with it because they’ve grown up with it,” said Mitch Levinson, managing partner of mRelevance LLC in Arlington Heights.

Gen Y is already generating a huge pool of first time home buyers…  “Gen Y is buying homes at an earlier age than the preceding Gen X, and tends to spend more on their first home,” said Steven Lewkowitz, director of professional services for the home building and real estate group at Atlanta-based CDC Software. So how do these buyers go about finding a home-?…they put their technological skills to work and do online research using the web and social networks. They expect the same level of service from their realtors-instant information that is correct and understandable. According to Brian Buffini, agents who do not keep up with the technological aspect of their business most likely will not be able to take advantage of this pool of home buyers.

 Posted by Patsy Brown at 7:47 am  Tagged with: , , , ,

$75 Dollars to $20 Million:Aspen Home Values Then & Now…

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, News and Announcements, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Apr 062011
 

I just read a newspaper article that said the average sold price for a home in Pitkin County was $5.57 million for the first two months of this year- up some 28% for all of the county last year. The highest sale was for a single family home in Aspen that sold for $20 million – and I wondered what my grandfather would have thought about that.

In July of 1880 DRC Brown, my grandfather, and Henry Cowenhoven had their first glimpse of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley “… we left for Aspen next morning and it took us all that day to make eight miles, which brought us within four miles of Aspen. In the morning we broke camp about 10 o’clock and at 2:30 p.m., in July 1880, we had our first view of the Roaring Fork Valley and, to me, it was the most wonderful sight I ever beheld. ..”. The next morning my grandfather and Mr. Cowenhoven bought a lot on which to build their general store and a house. They paid $75 for it.

Today’s Aspen is a far cry from the tiny mining town of the 1880′s. Celebrities from all over the world arrive in Aspen in  private jets to spend time in gorgeous vacation homes. Time shares have definitely changed the flavor of the city but one thing that has not changed in 131 years is the beauty of the Roaring Fork Valley-it continues to be one of the most beautiful sights to behold.

 

 

 

 Posted by admin at 8:55 am

Avoid Parking Tickets in Denver – Street Sweeping Begins April 1

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Denver Neighborhoods, Events in Denver, News and Announcements  No Responses »
Mar 312011
 

April 1st marks the beginning of a lot of things:

From April through November, Denver residents need to be aware of their street sweeping schedule. Signs are posted near both ends of the block.  It’s a minor inconvenience but it’s just one among many of the contributing factors to Denver being such a gorgeous city.  Here are some helpful tips:

Take a picture of the sign on your street, keep it in your cell phone (create a contact for “parking”)

Enter the no-parking dates on your calendar and set a notification reminder

Follow this link to the Denver Street Sweeping notification and sign up for reminder emails

Even if you have the luxury of parking in a garage, you want to be aware of these dates. Give guests and service providers  a head’s up if they are coming to your home on street sweeping day.

Realtors: be aware of street sweeping dates for all your properties. Providing this information to the Buying Agents showing the property you are representing is an added touch they will appreciate.

Hopefully, by being aware of the street sweeping season, you can avoid getting a citation. In the unfortunate event you get a parking ticket,  you can pay it online 24/7 through the City of Denver’s OnLine Service Center.

Getting a parking ticket on April Fools Day… or anytime…  is no joking matter.

 Posted by Patsy Brown at 2:09 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Do You Use Virtual Assistants?

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Notes, The Real Estate Process  1 Response »
Feb 192011
 

About 2-1/2 years ago a friend of mine (not in Real Estate) happened to mention that she had a terrific assistant and if I was interested, she would share her contact information. The timing was really good for me- I had an active website that I was constantly trying to keep updated and had taken on some extra duties in an organization that was requiring more of my time- in addition to the usual realtor related showings, advertising and marketing needs as well as working with as many buyers & sellers as possible in a challenging market.

So began a wonderful working relationship with Pam Tanino, my Virtual Assistant. Pam didn’t begin as a virtual assistant, she began by coming to my house to work a few mornings a week. Having no previous experience in the world of real estate, Pam enthusiastically tackled learning the language and nuances of the business. She caught on extraordinarily fast and in no time, was in total control of my website. She was a wealth of IT information and a whiz at Excel Spreadsheets. With the advent of better technology, we decided she could work just as well from her home after the first year.

Pam now knows Sharper Agent, Virtual Office from Hillside Software, Advanced Access for websites, our company Kentwood sites and a variety of blog sites. She does Craigs List, Trulia, Active Rain and Word Press, Realtor.com, Tour Factory, Obeo, and Denver’s Metrolist.

If I spring a new site on her, she has it mastered in a matter of hours where it would take me days or even weeks to figure out!

She is creative and always looking for ways to increase my SEO or coming up with new marketing ideas for the website or properties. It was Pam who told me a year ago I needed to change to a blog-based website and was way ahead of the game introducing me to QR Codes.

So if you haven’t tried using a Virtual Assistant, I would really recommend looking into it…as agents we need to be spending more time getting in front of our clients rather than our computers and a good Virtual Assistant will allow you to do that!

 Posted by Patsy Brown at 4:25 pm

A Tale of Two Closings…are Title Companies really that important?

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, The Real Estate Process  No Responses »
Feb 082011
 

To paraphrase Charles Dickens, it was the best of closings and the worst of closings as I started the New Year off this January.  My first closing was with First American Title Co. I was the listing agent so got to choose the title company. I had never used First American before but had been very impressed with their title rep, Tom Martinez and their closer,Patti Vanbuskirk over the course of several meetings. Both checked in with me frequently during the course of the transaction and all paperwork was delivered in a very timely and efficient manner. The day before the closing Tom called and asked if there was anything he could do to make the closing better for me and my sellers. I told him I would love to have some champagne to celebrate once all the papers were signed. I had also requested that the closing take place at ourKentwood Cherry Creek office since that was more convenient for all the parties involved. The big day arrived, we had a flawless, very professional closing with all parties relaxed and enjoying themselves. When Tom brought out the champagne to top it all off, there were oohs and ahhs of appreciation! The last impression my sellers had was a most positive one and they have repeatedly said they would recommend me to all their friends and family.

The second closing was so different in every aspect from start to finish: I was the selling agent representing the buyers so did not choose the title company. My clients and I arrived early for the late morning closing along with the sellers, their agent and an interpreter. We waited almost a full 30 minutes for the closer to make her appearance even though she was  in the building. Her first order of business was to prop herself up on the seat with one leg tucked under and make whoopee cushion noises for no one’s entertainment but her own. She continually tried to talk over both the sellers and the buyers to the listing agent at the far end of the table to inquire about other properties. When my buyer had some questions, she would cut her off and make her feel bad for asking the question saying  that she was a seasoned closer and knew what she was doing. It was by far the most unprofessional closing I have ever witnessed. My buyers were equally appalled and being from out of state, not terribly impressed with their first Colorado closing!

So question answered- you bet the Title Company is important…your title company will determine what your client’s last impression is of you and your company. Even more importantly, if they don’t cross their “T”s and dot their “I”s you and your company could pay the price. Your goal as a realtor is to provide your client with the best services possible from start to finish and that includes choosing a well respected and reputable title company.

 Posted by Patsy Brown at 10:57 pm  Tagged with:

One Selling Strategy that really worked!

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Selling Savvy  No Responses »
Oct 092010
 

Late last week I closed on a home of some good friends who were moving out of state, so when I took the listing in an upscale neighborhood I knew it had to sell quickly. These sellers were awesome, they did all the right things to get their home sold quickly: they painted, de cluttered and kept the house in top showing condition. But probably the most important step they took was to get an appraisal prior to putting their home on the market.

It’s certainly no secret that buyers no longer determine market value- lenders and appraisers do- so it made sense to have that input. When the appraisal came back around $25,000 less than what the sellers were expecting, they were not happy. When I told them they needed to price the home under the appraisal, they REALLY were not happy! I explained that in today’s market, buyers not only want, but expect to get a deal…pricing a property under the appraised value is a sure way to get that point across.

Long story short, the home went Under Contract in 11 days with a cash buyer. My sellers were thrilled and at closing said the peace of mind they had was literally priceless. It allowed them to concentrate on their new jobs and explore a new part of the country. Any doubts they may have had in the beginning were long gone as they said goodbye to their neighbors and the 30+ unsold homes in their area.


 Posted by Patsy Brown at 2:12 pm

5 Reasons Realtors Need to be Tech Savvy

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources, Patsy's Pointers  6 Responses »
Sep 132010
 

Last week Inmann News held one of 12 nationwide Agent Reboot events in Denver. It promised to cover the following topics in a power packed one day seminar:

Topics throughout the day include:

  • Social media – converting fans into paying clients
  • Marketing yourself & your listings online – smarter & faster
  • Turn your web site into a lead machine
  • Making more money now – killer business planning strategies
  • The mobile real estate agent – must-haves for the mobile agent
  • Local market analysis by leading experts…and so much more!

I immediately signed up for the event thinking this is just what I needed….it turned out I was only able to make the afternoon sessions and maybe this was a good thing:  both afternoon speakers- Chris Smith, Co Founder of Tech Savvy Agents and Daniel Rothamel, founder of  RealEstateZebra.com were fabulous -their enthusiasm was matched by their tech savvy. I understood about every other word but came away realizing that mobile technology (iPhone, Droid, etc.) are fast becoming essential tools of  trade for savvy realtors. If you are like me, and are blown away not only by the technological advances in our world but also by the younger generation that operates within that sphere with ease, here are 5 reasons why, as a realtor, you need to be up to date on all the new technology:

1. Your clients – buyers and sellers – are probably using that technology and if you expect to communicate with them effectively, you have to have the equipment to do so.

2. Competition: The Real Estate business, as everyone knows, is highly competitive. Knowing and being able to use the new technology puts you ahead of your competition giving you a competitive edge.

3. Marketing: With so many homes on the market today, its imperative that agents market their listings in creative ways and get them in front of as many agents as possible.

4. Communication: It is absolutely critical for an agent to be able to reach clients, lenders and title companies in a timely manner. You have to have immediate access to all documents and be able to pass relevant information along to anyone involved in the transaction.

5. Closings: Your goal as a savvy realtor is to have a smooth closing – it’s the last impression you leave with your client and you want it to be a great one. Being able to access and send any documents,contracts or lender information  will often times save a closing in these uncertain economic times.

Bottom line: Real estate agents today need to know what internet programs will help them deliver quality service and which mobile devices will facilitate communication and marketing all hopefully leading to smooth closings for their clients.

 Posted by Patsy Brown at 2:20 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Are You Giving your Clients a Real Estate Experience?

 Agent to Agent Real Estate Resources  No Responses »
Oct 122009
 

That was the main question posed by Terry Watson at a recent 3 hr seminar sponsored by Wells Fargo at Denver’s Pepsi Center. With the changing economic and real estate market, he urged realtors to get out of their comfort zone and be creative in the way they did their business. Citing marketing examples such as the Peabody Hotel and their daily Duck Walk, the Doubletree Hotel’s Cookies, Benihanna Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods and Build a Bear for their marketing of “IT” rather than the business itself…all of these businesses create an experience for the customer.

Did you know that Realtor.org has several reports available for free to its members? Check out the 2009 NAR Member Reports, Selling Green Articles, FHA Loan & Foreclosure info and free E Books by well known authors. If you have any questions, Watson advised realtors to contact Judy Perez 1 800 874-6500. There is even a Masters Series of videos to watch and learn from the best realtors in the US.

Terry Watson is a bundle of energy and great fun to watch during his presentations but he always leaves me with solid information  I can put to use immediately pertaining to my website, listing presentation or buyer handbook. I leave feeling it was time well spent on behalf of my clients and hopefully making me a better, more informed Realtor.

 Posted by Patsy Brown at 5:07 pm  Tagged with:
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