15 Million Reason$ to Use Social Media for Business
By Anthony Caciopo
In the business world, social media/social networking is embraced by some, disregarded by others, and viewed by many as a curiosity at best.
Commercial and investment property specialist David M. Kaufman is definitely a believer.
Thanks to social networking, David, a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), took part in a $15 million real estate deal in the British West Indies this past June. The Temenos Project is a major development located on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean just north of Saint Martin and 250 miles east of Puerto Rico. The project has an operating Greg Norman-designed golf course and was to include multi-million dollar luxury villas but had fallen into disrepair and was foundering.
David’s roles in the deal were as marketing advisor and auctioneer. His long and accomplished career as a commercial/investment real estate owner, broker, auctioneer, executive and principal made him a natural to take part in the project, but like any partnership it required visibility and a way for those in charge of the deal to find him and connect to him.
How did it happen? “LinkedIn,” he says.
“The mere fact that when someone Googles your name, the first thing that comes up is your LinkedIn profile makes it a requirement to embrace LinkedIn, and your profile had better be sharp.”
“Add to that the ability to get through to someone inside a company effortlessly (nowadays you can't even get an operator on the line, let alone find out with whom you want to be in touch); have interested parties read your recommendations from your satisfied clients and see how smart and knowledgeable you are from answers you have given to complicated questions, which have been chosen by the ‘asker’ as being the Best Answer to their question, etc... you realize that LinkedIn is a very complete, sophisticated platform, indeed.”
Like many businesspeople, David did not immediately take to social media when he first began hearing about it.
“For years, I remember being ‘pestered’ by requests for connections from people who were on LinkedIn while I was not,” he recalls. “By chance, I was reading Forbes or Barons and came across an article on social networking in business. What struck me was a quote from a C.E.O. of a large NYSE-listed company, who said, ‘Anyone who is not on or doesn't know how to use LinkedIn may as well be retired.’ "
“Prophetically, the next day I got an email from a trade association, to which I belong, promoting an all day seminar that they were sponsoring on using social networking in business, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Wow, what an eye-opener that seminar was!”
Direct, engaging and highly personable, David told his social media success story following a meeting with Brian Kuzdas, principal and founder of RealEstateAuctions.com, BankREOs.com and OwnACondo.com at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.
“The Anguilla golf course project was by far the most intriguing with which I’ve gotten involved,” he said, recalling a number of other substantial auction projects including the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. that he sold at auction for $40 million.
David, who currently is a principal at DK Realty Partners, LLC in suburban Chicago, said the Temenos project was more than just an ordinary real estate transaction.
“It was very important to the government because it is a huge source of jobs there,” he explained.
Currently, back in the Chicago area following the deal in Anguilla, David is hard at work negotiating new deals for his companies…with the help of social networking, of course.
“If I had to choose between LinkedIn or my telephone, I'd choose LinkedIn,” he says, adding with a laugh, “and no, I do not own any of their stock.”
Tips to Increase Your Credit Score
By Anthony Caciopo
Like it or not, credit scores impact many areas of our lives beyond just financial considerations. Credit scores are sometimes evaluated by insurance providers and even employers these days. Keeping one's score in the best shape possible is more important than ever. Even if you have no immediate desire to obtain a loan or additional credit, keep up your score. It's vital.
Your credit score can be managed, and managed well. Sure, having lots of money to pay off every bill well ahead of time is one way to ensure you keep a great credit score, but let's see a show of hands among us all who can do that these days. Bueller? Bueller?
Effective credit score management takes time. Nothing happens overnight. Start by obtaining copies of your report from the three primary credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Steer clear of certain consumer services which will provide a report from only one of the agencies, or an averaged or distilled version of all three. AnnualCreditReport.com is the official site sponsored by all three credit reporting agencies mentioned above. It allows consumers to check for free once per year.
After obtaining your credit reports, employ these tips to raise your score:
- Check the reports for accuracy. Credit reports are highly interesting, detailed documents. They might contain mistakes. Review everything, including your birthdate, social security number, names of accounts, credit cards, duplicate items, etc.
- Report errors. Credit bureaus are required by law to investigate mistakes you bring to their attention and report back to you.
- Pay your bills on time. Yep, you knew there was going to be at least a little heavy lifting in these tips, didn't you? Well, here it is. There's no magic bullet or shortcut to a lot of basic things in life, and keeping current with your bills is simply the best way to be financially responsible and increase your credit score.
- Pay down your debts. Don't be too close to the limit on your credit cards. Lenders look at this and may judge you to be near the edge financially.
- Keep credit cards and other revolving accounts open. That may seem counter-intuitive, but closing old accounts you're not using won't help your credit scores and may, in fact, hurt them. And from a lender's perspective, if you are carefully and wisely using various credit cards, without maxing them out or being delinquent in your payments, it speaks volumes about your ability to manage your finances.
If you're looking to purchase a place to live, be it a condo, townhouse or single family home, and you need financing, take that credit report to a lender for a look-see. Lenders will probably be required by their in-house rules to pull their own version of your credit reports in order to make any official committement to you, but generally speaking they can at least use the reports you supply to give you a general idea where you stand and perhaps prompt some additional tips and conversation that can help you. Also, be sure your credit reports are no more than 30 days old. Beyond that, they will be relatively useless, except for your own information.
With your credit reports in hand, you now have knowledge, and knowledge is power. Your credit score is important. Manage it well.
If Renting Makes Sense, We Can Help
By Anthony Caciopo
Real estate agents are fond of saying “Own, don’t rent.” And in many, many situations, ownership of one’s living space is more advantageous than renting, for a variety of reasons.
But there’s no denying that for some people, renting is simply the better option. Again, for a variety of reasons, renting may make more sense based on personal circumstances, the market and the prices/incentives available at any given time.
The condo specialist Realtors® at OwnACondo.com understand this and are ready to help. The rental market in many areas has an abundance of units, which generally means lower prices and/or incentives that are very attractive. Add the current challenging housing market and the result is many people opt for renting---at least for the time being.
In the Chicago area, for example, the homeownership rate in the first quarter of 2011 was 67.7%, down from a peak of 71.2% in 2066, right before the housing market deflated. The reasons include foreclosures, difficulty in obtaining mortgage financing and the general reluctance many potential buyers have for making a purchase with housing values in flux.
In the past, renting almost always meant “apartment,” but these days it can mean condos, townhomes and houses, too. Many property owners seek renters because the depressed real estate market makes it more difficult to sell after the owners have moved on. Rather than have the property sit vacant, owners seek renters to help cover their costs.
And, of course, there are developments of apartments and condos for rent in many locations that offer incentives such as an initial reduced rent, free or discounted parking as well as other amenities.
Contact OwnACondo.com if you’d like to rent an apartment, condo, townhome or house. Rent-to-own options are available, too. Our specialists will get to work for you and find what you’re looking for in your favorite communities. Call 866-696-2266 toll free or drop a line to info@ownacondo.com.
Resale Value and Condos
By Jennifer Alcide
When buying a condo, what holds the most resale value?
A lot depends on why you are buying the condo. Are you buying it for a home or for an investment? There is a difference.
The resale value is always an important factor when purchasing property. If you are looking at your purchase as a home, then make selective improvements that will mostly enhance your quality of living, and not based solely on a possible return. If you are looking to invest, then spend only a minimal amount on upgrades.
Condos with a pleasant view of the city or the lakefront often sell at a premium above similar condos without the view. If a view is important to you, try to pay as little extra as possible. Otherwise, you might not get your money back, as a view may be a deal breaker for you, and an added bonus for someone else.
Since the resale value is an important factor when purchasing, make sure you do not buy in a neighborhood that is already saturated. It may be difficult to sell when the time comes. You should buy a modest sized model, perhaps not always the largest. When determining market value, the surroundings in your area are most important.
In the end, choosing to buy a condo is a matter of personal preferences. This is one of those times where determining your "wants" versus your "needs" can be extremely important.
Want more information about resale value and other topics related to condos? Contact me via email at jalcide@ownacondo.com or call me at 847-414-5349.
Summer Brings Realtors® to BankREOs.com
By Patty Boysen
So summer is here and the sun is shining. People are out and about going for walks, bike rides or playing on the beach. BankREOs.com is not only looking out the windows at the people walking by our beautiful new offices, we are watching them walk in! We are perfectly located, nestled right along the Chicago lakefront at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive and Realtors® are catching on to this quickly. They see opportunity in a place that is in the biggest hotspot in Streeterville. We get foot traffic and drive-by traffic and the location is convenient for people to stop by and see what we are all about.
Any agent who is looking to get into real estate or even veterans looking for a new change, should definitely swing on by and take a look. There is plenty of space for Realtors® to sit down, set up and start making calls. There are also multiple conference rooms and meeting rooms for you and your clients to meet in. This is the place where deals happen. There is an energy here that is untouched!
BankREOs.com is current with the market and sees opportunity in bank owned properties. People want to sell them and buyers want to buy them. There are multiple ways to buy and sell real estate and auctions is one way. The Realtors® here at BankREOs.com can assist you with the real estate auction process so that you are informed as to exactly what you need to know to sell or purchase real estate through an auction.
What’s in a Million? An Awful Lot (of Foreclosures, That Is)
By Anthony Caciopo
You've got to admit, a million of anything is a heck of a lot, even in these days of hyper-realistic, super-sized everything.
A million YouTube hits? That's a pretty darn popular video. A million stars in the sky? Try counting 'em. Good luck. Contact us next summer to tell us how that's going. And how about a million bucks? Well, even though a million doesn't have the impact it used to (consider that financial planners regularly advise people that they had better have at least a million dollars in 401(k) plans, savings and other investments to see them comfortably through their golden years)...yes, despite the fact that even ONE MILLION DOLLARS doesn't buy what it used to, I think most of us would still be tickled pink to get our itchly little fingers on a million bucks, thank you very much.
One seriously sobering statistic in which one million is figured prominently is the number of homes that were repossesed by lenders in 2010, the highest on record. In fact, the total was actually more than one million homes, according to RealtyTrac which publishes the largest database of foreclosures and bank-owned homes in the United States.
With total U.S. population currently standing at approximately 310 million people, you might be wondering how more than one million repossesed homes figures into the total housing picture. After all, 310 million people includes a lot of children and adults who reside together.
The answer is that one in 45 U.S. households received foreclosure filings in 2010. And that's just in one year. The proportion becomes even more alarming when figuring in all the previous years, too.
And speaking of alarming, the experts at OwnACondo.com's sister companies, RealEstateAuctions.com and BankREOs.com, expect that the U.S. will exceed that one million-plus figure for 2011.
Foreclosures typically sell at an average discount of 20 percent. They weigh heavily on the real estate market and tend to depress the value of all homes, even those not in foreclosure.
If you are interested in possibly purchasing a foreclosed property, or simply wish to learn more, be sure to contact OwnACondo.com. We welcome your call at 866-696-2266 (toll free) or drop us an email at info@ownacondo.com.
While I Was Away
By Patty Boysen
I just returned back to work from my honeymoon and so much has changed since I have been gone! I drove in to work, put my flashers on and ran in to grab my parking pass that I had left at work for someone else to use while I was away. It was that moment that I decided to take a look around and see all of the new improvements that OwnACondo.com had made. I took a quick lap around our brand new office at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive to see that most of the boxes were unpacked, furniture was cleaned and pictures were hanging on the walls. I then hopped back in my car, parked it and entered back into work. Just as I sat down to start my day, my co-worker comes through the door. The questions that of course come out of my mouth right away was, “Hello, How are you?” and “What did I miss?”
After a short pause my co-worker says, “Oh, you didn’t hear what happened while you were away?” I said, “No, what?” He goes on further to say that I needed to get up right away and follow him to the conference room. Here I am thinking, oh maybe we got a new table or a new TV for the conference room or something.
As soon as I walk into the room, I immediately gasped! Yes, he explains someone drove into our conference room early Sunday morning. Needless to say there was glass everywhere, blinds broken, windows boarded up, and the bumper with the license plate on it. So my co-worker proceeds to say, nothing much really happened while you were away, just this small mishap!
So, just as OwnACondo.com gets the office spruced up and looking beautiful, a little surprise comes our way. This does not stop anything or anyone however, and work is resuming as usual. We are still recruiting and expanding all over the United States. Let’s just say, a car driving into our office doesn’t even stop us!
Car Crashes into OwnACondo.com’s Lake Shore Drive Office
If the phone rings at 3 a.m., it’s usually not good news. And sure enough, when OwnACondo.com’s Owner and Managing Broker Brian Kuzdas answered his cell phone late Saturday night / early Sunday morning June 5, he didn’t like what he had to hear.
“It was the doorman at our building, informing me a car had crashed into our office,” said Mr. Kuzdas.
The vehicle, apparently heading southbound the wrong way along a frontage street that runs parallel to Lake Shore Drive, struck the southwest corner of the vintage condominium and office building at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive where OwnACondo.com opened only two months ago.
Mr. Kuzdas said he was told the car then backed out of the damaged area and made a getaway heading west on Ohio—again, going the wrong way—but not before leaving behind something very important.
“The car’s bumper with license plate attached was lying in the street,” he said. The pieces were looked at by authorities and eventually removed from the area.
Damage to the building includes broken windows, various structural elements surrounding the windows, furnishings and supplies inside OwnACondo.com’s office and possibly more to be revealed when insurance adjusters finish the investigation.
As of this writing, no information is available about citations, injuries or suspects. And despite the well-known habit of Realtors® to work long and unconventional hours, the OwnACondo.com office was fortunately unoccupied at the time of the incident. Our condo specialists and their colleagues at our sister company, BankREOs.com, had thankfully long since returned home for the night.
