OwnACondo.com Has 95.2% Customer Satisfaction!
It's official: OwnACondo.com has 95.2% customer satisfaction for 2010.
As the year comes to a close, OwnACondo.com's Director of Customer Care, Tim Litchford, released the results of his annual survey and found that not only is customer satisfaction approaching the high-90s mark, but that it has increased almost two percent over last year.
"What I heard most often from our customers is that our agents stuck with them, even through difficult times," said Tim. "Our agents not only provided all the information requested, and promptly returned calls and emails, but also stayed in touch, often over long periods. In some cases, this included periods of unemployment for the customer."
The survey was conducted via telephone and email with all consumers who had purchased, sold or rented real estate using OwnACondo.com during 2010. The satisfaction increase was 1.9% above 2009.
OwnACondo.com agents have frequently earned high praise from consumers. Our condo specialist Realtors® have become standouts for their devotion and hard work in helping people find just the right place to call home. This list of knowledgeable, caring and dedicated associates is long, and it's the primary reason OwnACondo.com has 95.2% customer satisfaction.
Helping build on customer satisfaction in 2011 will be the company's move to brand new offices at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago's Streeterville community. This state-of-the-art space will provide our condo specialist Realtors® with better tools to meet and serve our clients. OwnACondo.com has 95.2 % customer satisfaction in 2010, and we're aiming for 100% in 2011!
iPad in Real Estate
Technology and real estate go hand in hand when it comes to efficiency in your job. There are so many things that agents can use that will not only make them cutting edge but they will perform faster with the convenience of the iPad. For real estate agents interested in getting an iPad to conduct business, it is important to know which applications are necessary to help you perform better at your job.
There are some free applications that you should download right away. The first application that is necessary for real estate agents to download and use is Zillow. Zillow gives you a home search and valuation. You can stroll through a neighborhood with the map feature. You should also download Cable XT. This is a side-by-side calculator and notepad. You are able to make quick calculations on a jumbo calculator and scribble notes in at the same time.
You will also want to download Keynote on your iPad. This is not a free application but a must-have for real estate agents. Whether you use a Mac or PC, you can load, create and share presentations on this application. Talk about “wowing” a client! No need for paper listing agreements and presentations with the DocuSign application. You can digitally sign any document anywhere with the advanced application for the iPad. Photogenie and/or Camerabag are two photo editing applications that offer a full suite of editing tools and also several filters and borders which make the picture all that more attractive. Pages is an application that allows you to make lists, start docs and compose articles. That way you can blog and organize your to-dos from virtually anywhere. Tweetdeck and Twitteriffic allow you to monitor keywords and people to stay current on the happenings around you.
Now that you have the applications on your iPad you need to run your business you can do many things on the fly. You can launch a listing presentation, preview property, provide clients a cleaner, greener listing presentation, share and save important documents and forms and much more. Your business will run smoother, be less stressful and at the same time, look super-professional.
Make the leap to the new technology and make your life much easier. Once you do this, you will never go back to the old way of doing things. It is just important to step out of your comfort zone and try something new that will help you and your career.
Maureen Nesbitt
Fan mail...we get fan mail. Maureen Nesbitt, one of our many condo buyer specialists, is the latest recipient.
Our fan mail comes in the form of letters, emails, phone calls and sometimes even a floral bouquet or a box of sweets with a pretty bow attached. And, truth be told, we ocassionally...but only very ocassionally...get complaint mail. How often? Oh, about once per occurence of Halley's Comet, which means the next complaint letter will arriving in...let's see... the year 2061. We can only imagine what postage will cost in 2061, although by that time, you're likely to hear "Letters? Postage? What are these strange concepts you speak of?"
The latest letter of thanks comes from Ninia S., who recently relocated to a condo in Oak Park, Illinois. The letter was completely unsolicted and it surprised us by its arrival. But knowing Maureen, we're actually not surprised at all.
Earlier in December, 2010, Ninia wrote:
"I am sending this letter to express my sincere appreciation for the hard work and dedication of Maureen Nesbitt. In my opinion, Maureen has gone above and beyond her call of duty.
About two weeks ago, I called the OwnACondo.com office...I was under the gun and needed to see properties right away. Once Maureen knew what I was looking for she began to send me listings right away. She has always been prompt at setting up the appointments and with getting back to me. She literally went through rain, sleet and snow to show me units that she thought would fit my needs.
She never pressured me into deciding on a unit that I really didn't want. She even gave me helpful hints and tips about the area and about being at my desired price point. From the day we met, I felt Maureen had my best interest at heart.
I believe Maureen is a great asset to your company and I wish her continued success."
Her colleagues at OwnACondo.com know that Maureen Nesbitt gets more compliments and thanks than we can shake a copy of a condo decs and bylaws at. But, like customer experiences everywhere, few people are actually motivated enough to compose a letter or an email when they are happy with the service they receive. That's just the way things are in this busy world, which makes Ninia S's letter all the more appreciated.
Maureen is the company's senior condo buyer specialist. She's been with OwnACondo.com since day one, which doesn't go back quite as far as the last appearance of Halley's Comet in 1986, but close (she joined the company in 1997 as its first sales associate). Maureen singlehandedly sold out the first several entire condo projects the company undertook in those days, and she continues helping people buy real estate to this very day.
Maureen points out she simply serviced Ninia the way she deserved to be serviced. "I didn't do anything more than give her my time, my knowledge and my attention, to the best of my ability," says Maureen. We have a feeling Maureen is being far too modest.
OwnACondo.com serves condo buyers with an entire team great condo specialist Realtors. Maureen Nesbitt is the latest to receive praise from one of our many satisfied consumers thanks and she definitely won't be the last. Keep watching this space for more news about our specialists and how they can help you find your dream condo.
A Buyer’s Perspective
A real estate transaction no matter the type can be a complicated process and involves a series of steps depending on whether you are a buyer, seller or an investor. More often than not the buyer’s perspective will be your first foray into the real estate transaction world and it carries a unique flavor of its own. When you are buying a home or condo it is a business transaction, hopefully a mutually beneficial transaction. That’s not to say that buyers and sellers do not become emotional, feel slighted or even get offended but the key to moving the entire process along is an agreement, a legally binding agreement so no questions are ever left unanswered.
The buyer’s perspective can many times be the most stressful due to the purchase of your home or condo most likely will be the most important and expensive investment you will ever make. The process begins very simply but will become more complicated as you go along. It all starts with just making the decision to purchase you home and what areas in which you want to live. Sounds simple right, not so. The area in which you want to live is usually dictated by what is important to you, such as schools, shopping, transportation and many other factors. Knowing what you want is easy but being able to afford the area is a whole different matter. Homes and condos come in all different shapes, sizes and prices so it can be a difficult task to find the right place in the right location. That’s where a real estate agent comes in and finding one can be as simple as asking friends and relatives for referrals or stopping in at an office in the area in which you want to live. Real estate agents can have all types of experience and qualifications so it is important you find one that has as their priority a buyer’s perspective. The peace of mind you receive from knowing your wants and needs are being represented exclusively by your own real estate agent who has no other responsibilities but yours can make all the difference in the world on being happy with your purchase.
Cyber Savvy
How can a cyber savvy real estate agent help me when I am interested in buying a home or condo? Today the world of business is for the most part governed by access to information and real estate is not that much different than other businesses such as brick and mortar retail stores or online shopping sites. The real estate agent who can utilize this information to his customer’s benefit has a leg up on the competition and will be sought out for their expertise. Today there is so much information out there how do you find out what is going to benefit you, the consumer, the most when buying a home. The simple answer is to seek out that cyber savvy agent who can provide you with the information you need, how to understand it best and make it work for you.
So, what is a cyber savvy real estate agent and how do I find one? The first step is to search the Internet for the property you are interested in purchasing and the area. Thousands of results will be provided but the most accessed sites which rank the highest in use will be on the first couple of pages of your search. Open up a few of these sites and get a feel for what each agent or agency is selling. Ask yourself, does the site have the information I need and is easy to find? Are there links to other sites which may be useful to me regarding the property and the surrounding areas, such as schools, public transportation, shopping and recreation? Once you have found a site and agent you feel confident can help you contact them and ask for their assistance in finding your new home or condo. The cyber savvy real estate agent knows where to look to find what you need. I don’t just mean finding properties but all the other information important to you before you purchase. These agents will have a myriad of sites to gather information which will be critical to your purchase, from the Multiple Listing Service for their area, public record information for tax and assessment information to networking sites which offer shared ideas from other agents who are using cutting edge technology to meet their customer’s needs. Real estate sales have changed dramatically to one of the most technologically advanced businesses but not all agents have embraced the technology which can help them and their customers. Before you buy check out your agent and find out if he or she is truly cyber savvy.
Coyote in Lake Michigan
Animal lovers and the simply curious were drawn earlier this week to a story in the media about a coyote in Lake Michigan, stranded on a piece of ice that broke away from shore and began to drift away from Chicago.
A heart-wrenching photo, apparently taken from a helicopter, showed the unfortunate creature on the patch of ice which was not much bigger than the coyote itself, completely surrounded by the frigid waters of the lake. Chicago Fire Department personnel eventually resucued the critter, an effort that no doubt proved valuable rescue training as well as saving the life of the hapless animal.
Condo buyers might sometimes feel similar to the floating, helpless coyote in Lake Michigan. It can be rough and potentially dangerous waters out there. Who is there to help you? Who is standing at your side? Who can keep trouble away before the rescue squad needs to be called?
Buyers can now take their condo search to new levels thanks to the care and trust provided provided by OwnACondo.com. With the help of our experienced condo specialists , real estate consumers won't find themselves adrift like the coyote in Lake Michigan.
First-time Home Buyers
First-time home buyers have much to consider when deciding whether to give up renting and purchase a condo, townhouse, or other property rather than continuing to rent.
While interest rates for mortgages are historically low, and property values have dipped considerably as a result of the high number of vacant properties currently on the market, many prospective buyers are understandably hesitant about wanting to take that final step and become homeowners. This is understandable for many reasons, not least of which is the national focus on job losses and foreclosures, which could cause people to worry about the possibility of becoming another sad statistic.
For instance, although mortgage rates have dropped as low as 4.75 percent—something unseen since the 1960s, people with a few dings on their credit scores likely would not qualify for the best rates. Also, mortgage lenders are becoming more circumspect about giving loans. However, everything is relative, and a mortgage rate under 6 percent is still quite good.
The pressure to buy has abated since the first-time homebuyers tax credit was not renewed when its deadline ran out last spring. Now people can take their time looking without being under deadling pressure, although it would have been nice to get the extra tax rebate too.
Of course, no matter what the incentives are, depending on your individual situation, renting a condo is sometimes the best move for the time being. You have to consider whether you plan to settle down for at least a few years, or move in a short time, because a quick turnover might result in a loss of money. Rental condos are commonly found in upscale buildings in vibrant neighborhoods, and are usually much larger and amenity-rich than an ordinary apartment.
If you are looking forward to being a first-time homebuyer, but are just not in a good financial position right now, you have the option of looking for rent-to-own properties, which can be found all over these days because sellers want to have their properties occupied. Many people aiming for home ownership just have trouble saving enough for a down payment, and a rent-to-own agreement can help with that because part of your rent will go toward the down payment. During the rent-to-own contract, usually between 12 and 18 months, you can also work on repairing your credit score in order to qualify for a mortgage loan. In the meantime, you will be living in the home you are working toward buying, and the seller benefits too, because their property is earning them money rather than sitting empty.
