Politics at the Oscars
The Oscars have always been center stage for politics so it was to no surprise that this year was no different. This year, two award recipients thanked their union crew clearly pointing shots at the Republican governor of Wisconsin, who has made headlines for trying to take away bargaining rights from unionized civil servants.
Another award winner mentioned "I think what's going on in Wisconsin is kind of madness right now," during a press briefing backstage. Earlier, he thanked his "fantastic union crew." It is evident that the words were not chosen on accident as the Oscars is a very publicized event.These are just some of the comments that were mentioned in terms of politics.
Well, just like politics being mentioned in the media, OwnACondo.com has been mentioned on the streets lately as well. The office is moving downtown and word has spread fast. Many agents are looking to start working for OwnACondo.com as soon as the doors to the new office open!
It appears that the office is scheduled to open in March 2011. The old office is packed up and the crew is just waiting for the office to be completed. The new office will be located at 540 N. Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, on the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Ohio Street.
OwnACondo.com is the best place to buy and sell condos in Chicago. The company has agents who specialize in all areas of the city and are educated in all territories. If you are looking to purchase or sell a condo, OwnACondo.com is the place to start.
OwnACondo.com finds a Discovery
Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, went into orbit for the final time Thursday, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era. This is quite a similar journey for OwnACondo.com, which is marking the end of its long-time residence in Oak Brook, Illinois as brand new offices are being prepared at 540 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.
This "discovery" of a new home and appears to be a perfect fit at the perfect time. It is a buyers’ market, plain and simple, so we need to captialize on that and work to help these buyers find the perfect deal. There are deals everywhere but it may be challenging for consumers to find them, so it is a good idea to have a real estate agent assist you with your search, especially if you are interested in short sales and foreclosures. Real estate agents can assist you with auctions which contain foreclosures and bank owned properties.
RealEstateAuctions.com is a great place to purchase or sell bank owned properties for auction. The specialists there can assist you with any questions that you have about the auction process. Auctions are becoming very prominent in this market, because there are a lot of bank owned properties that need to be sold. If you are in a position to purchase property, now is the time. The agents at OwnACondo.com can assist you with traditional real estate buying and selling, and the agents at RealEstateAuctions.com can assist you with purchasing and/or selling at auctions. It looks as though this disovery is worth looking into!
Online Studying
Online courses seem to be the answer for most of the population when it comes to studying for an exam. It is convenient and as some commercials put it, “you can study in your pajamas!” But is online studying for everyone? I don’t believe this to be true. Some people need the discipline to have to show up and attend classroom training. In real estate however, I believe online studying is the key.
Most real estate agents know what it takes to run their own business. They need to be able to work from home and get work done. Granted, some agents do work out of the office, but most do not. The main reason most people do not participate in online studying is because they do not have the discipline to actually study while they are in their home. They are too easily distracted, so they decide to attend classroom study. If you want to be successful in real estate, you MUST have self discipline. Testing your “at home study skills” by studying for a real estate exam is a good way to see if the real estate industry is for you.
Again, this is just an idea, as I am sure there are many advocates of classroom study because there certainly are benefits. It all just depends on the type of person you are. This was just a thought I had and I am curious to know whether or not success in real estate is linked with self discipline and at home/online studying?
Blizzard of 2011
The week-long anticipation for what is supposed to be the biggest storm since 1967 has finally arrived. It's already known as the Blizzard of 2011. Chicago has received approximately 20 inches of snow and it is STILL coming down. The wind is howling and the snow is blowing like glitter everywhere and on everything.
As I sit here working on this snow-filled day, I can't help but wonder why people are actually out in the Blizzard of 2011. It made me wonder how many Realtors® are actually showing properties in this weather? I would like to invite agents and clients to comment on this blog if you were actually braving this storm and taking people out for showings! I can’t imagine if this were true, but this would certainly show true dedication to the real estate profession and your client.
OwnACondo.com specializes in working with buyers and sellers, in rain, sleet AND snow! We make a promise to do our very best to find you the property of your dreams in the timeframe that is desirable for you. The buyer is our main focus and we strive to make the experience as seamless and perfect as possible. After all, we aim to please “you”, so what more could you ask for?
Please visit OwnACondo.com and see what we are all about. If you are looking for a place to live, then “You” are who we are all about! See a list of our specialized agents and allow them to brave the storm with you! Even the Blizzard of 2011 can't stop us!
Technology in Real Estate
The world is ever changing and the technology is advancing right with it. As a client looking for a Real Estate agent to assist with their buying process, looking for a company with technology savvy agents is important when looking for properties. Why might this be you ask? Well let me rebound by asking, do you want your search to be the most efficient, smooth, quick and convenient process? When companies are up to par on technology and the agents know all of the advanced technology services that the client can benefit from, a win-win situation is created.
There are many services that the Multiple listing service offers, but many agents are not savvy in technology enough to utilize the services. One of the services that MLS offers is a transaction milestones feature. This allows the agent to not only add participants to the transaction, but it allows the agent to track all of the progress and have the participants be able to view the progress as well. The participants the agent may want to add would be the seller, the lender and the attorney for listing purposes. Once a listing has a contract on the property, the agent may want to add the buyer, buyers’ attorney, lender, appraiser, etc. The agent then will upload all documents and check off all the progress being made. This way, all of the participants are informed as to what is going on and everyone will be able to see the documents added. This allows for a smooth communication process.
The other bit of technology that the multiple listing service offers is called MRED fax plus. This system allows all the documents to be electronically stored and accessible anywhere. The entire real estate transaction process of passing paperwork back and forth between vendors’ can all be done electronically with this system. The system contains a cover letter that has a unique bar code on it. That barcode is a unique identifier that allows for any transaction being sent via fax or email to automatically go to the appropriate property folder that is created by an agent on the MRED fax plus system. This way the client can access all of the documents within that particular folder anywhere at any time. The vendors just have to make sure that anytime correspondence is being sent, that they have the cover letter attached with the unique barcode identifier.
These two systems are available to all agents, but most agents are not trained properly to be able to utilize it. If you are a client, looking for a property, make sure that you ask whether or not the agents utilize these systems so that your transaction process is fast, easy and convenient.
What to do After the Contract is Signed
The Contract is signed, you have your dream home in the bag and you can finally sit back and relax right? Unfortunately this is not the case. When you sign a contract to purchase a property, there are some important steps you need to know about, that come after signing the contract. You want to make sure that in the time between signing the contract and closing on the home, you have had an attorney review, obtained a loan commitment, handed in earnest money, had the property inspected and you have all your financed in order before the closing.
The first step you always want to take is making sure that you have an attorney review after the contract is signed. Most standard Real Estate contracts include an attorney review period of 5 days. It is during this time that your attorney will either accept the contract as is, or will make some modifications that will ultimately benefit and/or protect you. During this period of time, it is still considered and offer until the attorney review period has ended. If your attorney makes some modifications that the seller does not accept, then the seller has the right to back out of the deal. Every homebuyer should make sure an attorney approves the contract. This will save you time and money in the end.
The next thing you want to make sure you do after you sign the contract is secure your financing. You want to make sure that you qualify for the purchase. It is one thing to be pre-approved, but you need to make sure that you get the loan commitment from the lender. This letter should lock in your rate for a period of time and secure your loan and its terms. Again, most real estate contracts include a financing contingency in the contract that states that the person has to be qualified to purchase. On the flip side, if the buyer does not get approved within a specified period of time, then they have a right to opt out of the contract.
One of the most important steps you need to take before you close is to get a home inspection. The last thing you want is to purchase the home of your dreams just to find out that your purchase was a money pit. The inspector will explain everything that is wrong with the home and everything that needs fixing. This contingency could sway the contract one way or the other. Sometimes the seller will offer cash to the buyer to fix the issues, but sometimes the issues are so large that they buyer has to back out of the deal.
Once the contingencies are met and before the due date, you want to make sure to get a certified check or money order and send in the earnest money to the seller.
Make sure to always follow up with the lender, attorney and sellers’ real estate agent or your own real estate agent, to make sure that things are on track for the close. After you close and the keys are handed over, you can finally sit back and relax and enjoy your dream home.
New Marketing Strategies and Ideas will Dominate Homes Sales in 2010
Opportunities for real estate agents to make a profit in the real estate market could explode in 2010. The right marketing strategies could be just the thing. Agents need to be innovative and think outside the box. What used to work as traditional marketing is out and new strategies have been proven to work. No more can you sit in an open house or sit in a model, or put an ad in the paper and expect to see more people or sell the place faster. This just plain doesn’t work anymore. It is time and money spent with no result.
To dominate your market, you must know what strategies in marketing are working. One way to do this is by participating in auctions. With the new FHA guidelines establish for condos, lenders will now be turning to auctions as opposed to just dumping the homes whole sale. It is important to get to know a good auction company. Market your home or condo in an auction to reach an entirely different market. This could be a great option for a developer that has lost a lot of money on standing inventory. Weigh your costs and see if this is an option.
Another way to help deliver more sales is to make sure your internet marketing is strong. The right internet program can be implemented easily, quickly and without high costs. People search the internet more so than they look at newspapers and other outdated marketing efforts. So make sure to capture your most savvy buyers and have a presence everywhere they look.
Be a local hero in your community by helping an owner save equity or help someone out of foreclosure. Have the person help spread the word about how great your services are. This will reach a large market because people will help spread the word. This way you can create a marketing team at no cost which will in turn create a win-win situation.
The role is simple yet important. It is important to realize that you do not need to become an expert in auctions or internet marketing. Your job is to understand the importance of those efforts and utilize them. This is thinking outside the box on helping sell property without going into foreclosure or risk having your home sit on the market. Know your market and know your marketing strategies and you will dominate in the Real Estate world.
Hiring Illinois real estate agents
OwnACondo.com is hiring Illinois and Florida real estate agents for their Oak Brook, Chicago and Miami offices. OwnACondo.com focuses primarily on representing buyers and sellers interested in condominiums, but have a real estate auction division that sells all types of real estate.
When a bank solicits OwnACondo.com to sell their REO condo portfolio at auction, OwnACondo.com uses their real estate agents to service the listings. The OwnACondo.com Realtor has to get all information on the listing coordinated with the employee staff to get ready for the auction. The listing agent needs to conduct at least three open houses and handle all the leads associated with the condo or townhouse listing. During the real estate auction the agent is expected to be present and help with the contracts and hosting of the event. After the auction, the real estate agent is expected to follow up with the financing process up until the day of closing.
OwnACondo.com is hiring real estate agents to service all the listings coming in from banks and developers. Developers are also turning to the OwnACondo.com auction to finish out their developments and close outs. There are too many listings versus real estate agents currently. OwnACondo.com will be hiring 25-50 agents over the next three months to handle to volume of listings.
If you are a licensed real estate agent and looking for a career opportunity with OwnACondo.com, you can email Brian at BK@ownacondo.com or call directly at 877.627.5543. OwnACondo.com is in need of full and part-time real estate agents, seasoned veterans or rookies.
OwnACondo.com is well known for providing hundreds of leads to its realtors and its World class training programs. OwnACondo.com markets its brand with billboards, search engine optimization, taxi cabs, newspapers and dozens of other lead generation sources. This produces hundreds of buys and sellers a day flocking to the OwnACondo.com website. Once a lead registers with OwnACondo.com, it then gets transferred to a real estate agent that handles the area the client wants to be serviced in. Our real estate agents service all areas of Chicago. If you as an agent want to service one area or all areas of Chicago metro, that's solely up to you. We just want to make sure you service the lead professionally.
OwnACondo.com will also have classes starting in February to get licensed if you're currently not a real estate agent. If you're interested in these classes, call 877.627.543 as well.
Activities Real Estate Agents Should be Doing
All Real Estate agents should have a list of daily activities that they should accomplish, especially if you are a new agent. Getting started as a new agent may be difficult. There are specific activities that agents should be doing to build more business and create a pipeline of clients. Now these are just suggestions, but I have found that doing these activities proved helpful.
It is always a good idea to block some time out of your day to educate yourself. I would always block a small amount of time each morning to read a Real Estate article or blog so that I was up to-date on what was going on presently in the Real Estate market. I would also block time out of my day, perhaps an hour or so, to read a chapter on an educational book. This is a good way to learn more so about techniques and strategies vs. what’s going on in the Real Estate market.
Another activity that is good to do every day is build business. There are several ways to do this but again if you are new, there are certain places where you should start. I would spend some time contacting expired listings and FSBO’s. It is a good idea to have a script when contacting the seller’s to make sure you know how to handle some familiar objections. It is also a good idea to set up a mass email campaign to all of your contacts who you already know and who know you. This is a good way to get the word out in a non-threatening way that you are in the real estate business. Make sure to set up at least a quarterly mass email and send out interesting tid bits to them as reminders.
There should always be some marketing that you do every day. Most agents starting off, do not yet have capitol. It is a good idea to try to advertise at the least cost possible. Emails and phone calls are going to be a majority of the marketing when you first start off. Fliers are another inexpensive way to get your name out and reach more people.
These are just some of the many activities that you can do to consume your day and be productive. It is always a good idea to track your results and have clear ratios when making your calls and sending out emails. If you track what you do, then you have a better idea of what works and what needs to be changed!
Hiring a real estate agent in Chicago
Hiring a real estate agent in Chicago is a very important process that should not be taken lightly. Think about this for a moment. Step back and really think about the amount of money it took to either buy your condo or sell your condo. If it's just simply an average condo in Chicago you're talking about an average price of $400,000. Do you want just anyone to represent you?
Hiring a real estate agent in Chicago should be a step in the buying or selling process that you should take a great amount of care in doing. It can save you thousands and thousands of dollars.
Do you really know how the real estate agents position works? How he or she sells real estate? When you call a real estate agency, a secretary answers the phone and asks you a few questions. She then puts you on hold and gives "the lead" to a person that is sitting in the office waiting for this lead. It's called "floor-time or opportunity time". Who is this real estate agent she just handed the lead to? How qualified is he or she to handle this lead? Is she a part-timer, does she specialize in condos or houses or vacant land? She gets on the phone with you and the relationship starts. She'll make an appointment to meet with you at your property and the whole process gets started.
When you hire a Chicago real estate agent, you're in essence, hiring an independent contractor that has their real estate license hung in an agency. They are not paid by the company. They get paid when they close a real estate transaction. In a normal real estate office, you may find one hundred agents. Of the hundred, twenty are excellent, five are exceptional. Of the remaining eighty, twenty have true potential leaving sixty agents or 60% of the real estate office. These sixty should not be in the real estate business or they eventually will leave regardless.   Â
What agent did you get? Are they a part-timer that just happened to be there the time you called? My suggestion is to interview the agent, not necessarily the company. Ask what their sales volume was last year? How long have they sold real estate? What area of the business do they specialize in? Come up with at least twenty sold questions to see if they are right for the job. This is a huge transaction for you. Take the time and do your due diligence.
