kah5683

Real Deal: If I choose option 2 - GV# showing - can I then access my account online and see the number that called me?

Thanks Michael! Just wanted to make sure so I don't spin my wheels.

I didn't know you were pregnant, Kevin. OctoMom meet DuoDad! Wise#%@...Guess that would be a wonder of science, though. Maybe I could get a reality show? Usually the first sign of a pain in the ass homeowner. By the way, have you begun your portfolio book of done deals for when this arises again? No I haven't. Good idea. How do you go about doing this? Do you actually contact the previous seller and/or tenant/buyer and get them to say something that you can keep, OR, just keep the pics and and what happened and how long to send to them? Let's see. . .Owner/Agent, wants references, demands above market price and a Stepford Tenant. I assume he has also asked you to work for free? Tell this guy you'd rather hit your thumb with a hammer and move on. And, yeah, use this guy for target practice and shake off the rust, Kev. My sentiments exactly...wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The way the market is, we can afford to be very picky too.

Have had this service since before it was google voice by the suggestion of the people here on the forum. I've searched a little bit but have not found an answer yet... Is there a way to know that a call you are getting to your cell phone through google voice is coming from google voice when it rings? This would be a great feature so that you can use different numbers for different types of marketing, and know when the phone rings where it is coming from. Thanks!

For those working with CA's especially, how has it been finding tenant/buyers the last 6 months or so? Are they still out there, or has this market totally shut them down? I am starting up again, and I didn't want to bang my head against the wall. (where is that banging head against the wall emoticon when I need it?) Have the tactics changed in finding them, or it is still directional signs, bandit signs, and online marketing like CL? Would love to have some feedback on what is working for people now. Also, is anyone flipping the process and looking for t/bers first? Thanks!

Hello All! Been lurking in the background a few months - had twin grandkids and I've been busy. Been reading the forum dutifully every day or so or to see what everyone is doing. I did a couple CA's last year start to finish with Michael's invaluable help. I also had the great support of this forum. Not only with questions answered, but in going back and reading all the responses. Thanks to everyone. That said... Started emailing again. Sent out a bunch this week and have 2 on the line that seem interested. One of the sellers is a retired, older realtor. I didn't recognize that from his ad, or I would have passed. It's his own residence, and he is looking to move into a retirement community. He originally asked me for references, which I by-passed and now after hearing everything, he is interested. The owner/realtor owns the property free and clear on a 14 year old property which looks great inside and out from the pics. He was asking 320M, and after doing some comps, I figured about 315M. After figuring in the option fee and rent credits, I proposed 300M, after showing him he would otherwise net about $287M. The owner said he wouldn't take less than $305M. He then said he wanted someone as a tenant/buyer that definitely would be able to purchase within one year, a non-smoker, and no pets. My question is (which I probably already answered in the topic description): Do I just need to say...NEXT!? This came out of my first batch of 80 emails, so I know I am not to the point of taking anyone. Would I by tying my hands too much in taking on those type of restrictions? Normally, I might've passed when he started asking for recommendations, but I figured that my conversations with him will get me up to speed again talking to sellers...and it has. I was pleasantly surprised when he started talking about option fees, and I told him that's how I get paid, and when he asked about a security deposit, I told him, without blinking an eye, that's for renters, not these "pre-buyers". So I'm glad for the practice to get back into the swing of things. I'm assuming that in this market, sellers are a dime a dozen, so again, I've probably answered my own question. Thanks!

Bev: Just started texting recently. Do you have to put in each text individually, or is there a way to copy and paste or email yourself and forward or some other trick so you don't have to re-enter each text message? Thanks for the suggestions!

Bev: Interesting way of solving a challenge with sellers. Maybe Michael can add to the conversation here. With his CA paperwork, we are putting in there what we are selling the home to the tenant/buyer for, so the seller sees right away what that figure is. I've told the seller their net figure, and that the rent credits and my fee will be added in on top of that to come to the gross figure. Unless they can't subtract, they have what we will be making right there. Bev: I assume you have developed your own contracts or are using a hybrid of Michael's. You don't have the gross amount you are selling it to the tenant/buyer on there? You also mentioned that you have on your property info website the amount you want as an option fee. This works better for you that seeing how much they have to put down, which could be more? Thanks for sharing, as always...

jvmccall: sent you a pm

Thanks Jason for your input. It's not just those listed with agent and on MLS but also those who want to continue marketing on their own. I'm getting both sides.

Hello everyone: I spoke with Michael about this topic and understand his thoughts on this. We are looking for a commitment from our Seller to us and our methods. Not a 6 month commitment, but about 3 months (I go with the 3rd 1st of month going out from this date, or September 1st for today). Using Michael's methods also for looking for tenants, we can handle either or both ends for our seller...why do they need anyone else? I've sent off about 10 proposals this last week or so, and for those that have been interested, the topic of exclusivity came up. They wanted to continue marketing on their own because they needed someone in there paying something right away. They needed to continue with an agent and the mls for the exposure. They are trying to get as much as they can going to move their house, which is understandable. I give them the typical responses about how well this works, how quick it can be, an example where how in the past it did not work well working with a seller and them still being listed. I came back with a tenant/buyer and the seller told the agent, and the agent said they were bringing someone by, so the seller told me to wait. After a few days, the t/b went elsewhere, and the agent didn't have a serious buyer. Another example is where I had a t/b for a place and they searched the property online and saw a different price with an agent, which killed the deal. I'm just trying to figure how best to handle this. Is this just a "next" scenario - find someone else? Is this something where I should have confidence in my abilities and just get a t/b first before whatever else they are doing pans out? Should I just add a cancellation fee, and if so, how much? I just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this topic. Getting back on the horse after a little absence, I'm still trying to feel my way around. Thanks for all input! Kevin

Did you guys have any problems setting up the email? I just can't seem to get it to work. Seems like a big time saver, but unless I can get it up and running...

JR: I tried click2mail.net and got a German website. I'm a little rusty on my German, but I don't think that was the right site. Can you check the addy and repost? Sounds like a site to become familiar with. Thanks!

Hey Doug: Nice ad! Is the ad for SLO's, with maybe a carryover into CA? Or do you do sub2 also?

Rex: Heard in past that putting out HANDWRITTEN signs are good when selling (looking for T/;), but to get pre-printed signs when looking for sellers - more professional. Have you tried pre-printed signs? How are your responses with the handwritten? Do you have problems with the bandit police or theft? Do you put up and leave up, or just do over the weekends - putting up and taking down - limiting the loss? TIA for your response!

Rex: When you get the new listings from CL, is it EVERYTHING new from that section in that town (real estate for sale or apt/housing), or can you filter it for the specific town you are looking for, certain price range, how many bedroom etc.?

Thanks for sharing, Doug! I also noticed even putting things on craigslist in a certain town, I was #1 in that town for rent to own. So every little bit helps. I like the idea of no realtor competition on the fsbo sites, too. :)

Wasn't sure whether to put it here or in "Everything Else" Maybe something we can add to our marketing efforts?????? Condo Company Unwraps Plan For Clothing-Optional Pool COUNTRYWAY -- Swimmers will have the option of wearing nothing at all at the Arbors at Branch Creek, a complex of 390 homes that landed on the idea to help move units in a down market. One pool is being set aside for nude swimmers, sunbathers and hot tubbers, said Christine Pirkle, director of sales with the Web site for the project's developers. It will be several months before the nudity rules are put in place, Pirkle said. Landscaping is needed to keep out prying eyes, for one thing, plus condo owners must approve. But there are few owners among all the developers hold a number of units. Eden purchased the property three years ago with a condo conversion plan in mind. It encompasses 76 acres, half of it undisturbed wetlands, on West Hillsborough Avenue between Race Track and Sheldon roads. Then, said Pirkle, "The market went in the toilet and nothing was selling." Eden came up with a new strategy, "to set us apart from the thousands of other condos out there," she said. "We have two fabulous swimming pools here. We are taking one of them, building cabanas and lush landscapes and completely privatizing it and it will be clothing optional." A legal search revealed that Eden has the right to make the change, Pirkle said, as long as no one in the pool strolls out naked into the parking lot. "We do have public nudity laws that we have to comply with," she said. "We will make sure our people don't violate that. If somebody tries that, we will be the first ones to call the cops." No one younger than 18 will be allowed in the pool area, she said. Rumors spread that the whole complex was going clothing optional, sparked by a provocative posting under Lifestyle at the developer's Web site: "You're going to be very comfortable with our dress code," it says. "Our residents are welcome to shed more than their inhibitions as they enter the gates of Eden. Because when our residents come home after a busy day in the working world, they want to completely unburden themselves, shed the trappings of the outside world ... and be totally free." That's not true, Pirkle said. The language is being tweaked. Some residents of the complex were unaware of the plans. "I think that's something they should probably … let us know," said Justin Gralnick. Resident Leslie Hill agreed. "Every morning this is where the school bus picks up 10 or 15 kids," she said. "They are going to have a European style, clothing optional pool. No, that's not appropriate for the family lifestyle that lives here." Hill will be moving. David Reese, president of the Countryway Homeowners Association, which represents residents of the nearest subdivision, also was unaware of the plans. "My personal position," Reese said, "is that there are some things people do on their property they should be allowed to do and we should not really infringe on it." That view would change if property values fall or crime rises. "I don't know if this will lower property values here," he said, "and it's not like a business that brings in crime. I don't know if we really have a right to tell them what they can do on their own property. WFLA News Channel 8 reporter Jeff Patterson contributed to this report. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Home foreclosure filings in February edged down from January but were a whopping 60 percent higher than a year earlier, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Thursday. The surge in foreclosures from a year earlier indicated that the cycle has yet to hit its peak, the firm said. Home foreclosure filings in February totaled 223,651, down 4 percent from January, RealtyTrac, an online market of foreclosure properties, said in its February U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. The figure is a total of default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions, In January, home foreclosure filings had risen 8 percent from December. RealtyTrac, based in Irvine, California, said the national foreclosure rate was one foreclosure filing for every 557 U.S. households in February. "The 4 percent monthly decrease this February was similar to the 6 percent monthly decrease we saw in February 2007," James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said in a statement. "However, the year-over-year increase of 60 percent this February was significantly higher than the 19 percent year-over-year increase in February 2007, indicating we have still not reached the peak of foreclosure activity in this cycle," he said. Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate in the country, with one foreclosure filing for every 165 households, followed by California and Florida. All three states had been among the hottest U.S. housing markets during the boom years from 2000 to 2005. Default rates and foreclosures have jumped over the past year as the housing market deteriorated. As interest rates on adjustable rate mortgages reset higher, many homeowners who have been unable to sell their homes or refinance existing home loans amid a drop in home prices have been forced into foreclosure. Nevada had 6,167 foreclosure filings in February, up 1 percent from January and up 68 percent from February 2007. Although California's foreclosure activity fell 6 percent from the previous month, it still ranked second highest in the nation with one filing for every 242 households. California, the most populous U.S. states, reported 53,629 foreclosure filings, the most of any state and up 131 percent from February 2007. Florida had one foreclosure filing for every 254 households ranks in February, with 32,447 filings, up more than 7 percent from January and more than 69 percent than a year earlier, RealtyTrac said.

Happy Bday!

Well, I reposted the ad yesterday afternoon, and it is still up. Thanks for that tip Bev!

mojomike: I'm a Linux user: pclinuxos, how about you? If I run across something that would be helpful with networking, I'll let you know, and you do the same. Do you run a virtual machine? You can run xp on the linux that way fully. Better than crossover or wine, even though they work also.

Michael: Why Wednesdays?

Did you really write such a guide, WCG? I could really use it just about now. If not, all our experiences here could be compiled for a big money maker!

Thanks for the support MC and Bev! Wasn't so much getting down, but frustrated. Just when you think you have it figured out, something changes - but that's how you learn, right? Bev, I just was concerned about reposting because I thought I had read somewhere where CL could banish your email address (no biggy) or even worse, your ip address (a little more biggy). I went ahead and resubmitted the same ad, just adding the word "half" to the title, the rest the same.