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I was standing in line today waiting for a cashier to check out when I pulled up my Twitter account to check what was going on with my twitter friends and one post grabbed me, the question was Blogging dead? I’ve been pondering that for several hours now. This builds from a conversation I had last night with one of my clients over dinner, she is a marketing director for her company and I was asking what could I do to reach more prospects. She was right on the money, this is a relationship business. People are buying one of the most expensive items in their life and if they don’t know and trust me, will that hire me. I know what the answer is for me, no. I want to know and trust that you are going to help me get what I want.
She went on to say that I should spend most of my time and effort on my current clients and asking them to endorse me to their friends and family and ask for referrals. Something that I have recently started, just last month I asked one of my clients to record a video as a testimonial to my work for her, this was unscripted and honestly, there is no way I could have come up with everything she said, I was blown away.
So back to the question, is Blogging dead, no it’s not, I read tons of blogs and I’m happy with those that I read. Is it right for me, probably not, I’ve gotten very few clients from it, I mostly do it to allow people who don’t know me to get to know me before calling me. In the land of Phoenix, where there are over 17,000 agents, and 10,000 of them have blogs, I show up somewhere around page 20 of Google for any type of real estate term. I can’t compete, I’m late to the blogging game. Doesn’t that make me any less qualified as an agent, not at all. Does that mean I can’t market your property, no I use lots of marketing to open as much exposure to your property as I can. Real Estate blogging is becoming too saturated and the noise (and I mean lots of noise) is turning off the perspectives and it’s not helping them to find an agent. Having a referral from someone they trust, that means a lot. So my focus will be towards my current clients, making sure they remain happy long after the deal is done and fresh in their mind so I can help everyone in their world.
The company behind the popular FICO scoring model has published a “What If?” series for common, specific credit missteps. If you’ve ever wondered how your credit score would be affected by a missed payment or a maxed-out credit card, now you can use a look-up guide to assess the probable damage. As published by myFICO.com, here’s a few common financial difficulties and how they affect FICO scores.
Max-Out A Credit Card
- Starting score of 780 : 25-45 point drop
- Starting score of 680 : 10-30 point drop
30-Day Delinquency
- Starting score of 780 : 90-110 point drop
- Starting score of 680 : 60-80 point drop
Foreclosure
- Starting score of 780 : 140-160 point drop
- Starting score of 680 : 85-105 point drop
Not surprisingly, the higher your starting score, the more each given difficulty can drop your FICO. This is because credit scores are meant to predict the likelihood of a loan default. People with lower FICOs are already reflecting the effects of risky credit behavior.
Also worth noting that the above is just a guide — your scores may fall by more — or less — depending on your individual credit profile. The number and type of credit accounts you hold, plus their respective payments and balances make up your complete credit history.
Read the complete report at myFICO.com.
I find myself saying that quite a bit, Let’s get a cup of coffee, really the most ironic part is that I don’t drink coffee, never have and at this point in my life, I’m sure I won’t in the future. So why do I say that? Well, when I start a conversation with someone about buying a home or selling a home, sometimes they are just not comfortable meeting in my office, so it’s a nice neutral location that puts most people at easy. It allows us to have a casual conversation to find things that we have in common. Once we have some rapport, the hard conversations become easier. It’s not that I’m having some caffeine withdrawals, I’m just trying to help you feel at easy when we talk for the first time. Once you open up, I can start to hear about what you want in your next home or your concerns about the process. All of which I want to help you with, but often my profession has such a negative connotation that it takes a while for new clients to feel comfortable sharing with me. Grabbing a cup of coffee helps that process along. So if you hear me say that, just keep in mind that I won’t actually be drinking coffee, water or Hot Chocolate, yes, coffee, probably not.
Every so often (almost daily) I hear:
I don’t care what you do, just do what ever it takes to get it done now…
This is generally made in a frustrated voice and often by a lazy person. Yes, you did read that correct, lazy. When I hear that statement, my mind immediately goes to, what is the problem? What is causing us grief from accomplishing what we want? What is the roadblock? Basically, I want a definition of 1: what needs to happen? and 2: what is preventing us from doing that?
In that one basic step, I find that the solution is obvious, who is apparent, and what needs to happen is right there as well. So the next step is to make a plan, now armed with information, the plan is pretty easy. And the final step is just to do the work (think Nike! here).
It’s that first step that gets everyone in trouble, they are so emotional and angry that they don’t see what needs to get done. We’ve all been there, two of my most frustrating moments include a title agent calling me on a day of closing to tell me they missed a lien. Talk about a nail bitter. The other one was a title company closing up a week before closing. Both times I wanted to scream at someone and just say:
I don’t care what you do, just do what ever it takes to get it done now…
In all reality, I do care, I want my clients to be protected, now and in the future and I personally don’t want to go to jail because someone did something illegal to get it done. In both cases, it fell upon me to define the problem and figure out what needed to get things back on track. Back to my personal experience, after about 4 hours on the phone, I was able to get the lien released and in the second case, I did research and found a title company that would take the closing without losing a single day. It all ended well (and I got to celebrate a little more than usual).
So, keep in mind, you can hire someone who will create drama and stress, or you can find a problem solver. I’ll let you decide who you want on your team!
In today’s Phoenix Market, there are quite a few buyers that are using the FHA financing and sometimes they are surprised by the rules associated with repairs. Today, I’m going to try to describe some of the conditions to be prepared for.
FHA has shifted from the emphasis on repair of minor items and now only requires for conditions above and beyond minor cosmetic repairs or minor defects.
This is an important consideration, especially with the increasing number of Phoenix Foreclosures which are usually sold “As-is”. It is important that the buyer is aware of repairs that will be required by FHA, and if the seller refuses to make the repair, the cost may be passed on to the buyer, if they choose to proceed in purchasing the property.
Minor Property Repairs that will NOT require automatic repair:
- Missing handrails
- Cracked or damaged exit doors that are otherwise operable
- Cracked window glass
- Defective paint surfaces in homes constructed post 1978
- Minor plumbing leaks (leaky faucets)
- Defective floor finish or covering
- Evidence of previous (non-active) Wood Destroying Insects (Termites) where there is no evidence of structural damage
- Rotten or worn out counter tops
- Damaged plaster, sheet rock or other wall and ceiling materials in homes constructed post-1978
- Poor workmanship
- Trip hazards
- Crawl space with debris and trash
- Lack of an all-weather driveway surface
Repairs that WILL require automatic repair for existing properties (list is not all-inclusive):
- Inadequate access/egress from bedrooms to exterior of home
- Leaking or worn out roofs (if 3 or more layers of singles on leaking or worn out roof, all existing shingles must be removed before re-roofing)
- Evidence of structural problems (such as foundation damage caused by excessive settlement)
- Defective paint surfaces in homes constructed pre-1978
- Defective exterior paint surfaces in homes constructed post -1978 where the finish is otherwise unprotected
- Standing water against the foundation and/or excessively damp basements
- Hazardous materials on the site or within the improvements
- Faulty or defective mechanical systems (electrical, plumbing, or heating)
- Evidence of possible structural failure (e.g. settlement or bulging foundation wall)
Additionally, FHA no longer mandates inspections for the following items:
- Wood Destroying Insects (Termites)- in my opinion, all buyers should have this inspection.
- Well – however this inspection may be required per state or local jurisdiction
- Septic: again-may be required by state or local jurisdiction or if there is evidence of failure.
- Flat and or/unobservable roof.
For more information on FHA requirements visit www.hud.gov
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