I know it’s been a long time since I posted last- been soo busy, I can’t keep up! I came across this and thought it was hilarious! Gotta love Realtors…

The Phoenix Business Journal took a dig at us Realtors in this article posted Thursday. What cracks me up is that the article has somewhat of a negative tone towards the National Association of Realtors and Realtors in general, as if they’re hypocrites or something. To me, when I read this article, I’m thinking ‘WOW’! ONLY a 1.2% Decline for 2008?  MAN- How are we NOT going to see the bottom of the market this year??? Considering we’ve seen a 12% decline in the past 1.5 years or so, a 1.2% for the entire year is AWESOME! Now, let’s get some perspective here- if your home is worth $300,000, and we see a 1.2% decline- we’re only talking about $3,600 total decline in the price of your home! Considering the hits we’ve seen, this is nothing.

Let’s get some more perspective… if you’re buying investment property right now and are worried about the market dropping after you purchase, this should ease all your worries. Assuming you’re using me to find your deals for you (HINT HINT), I’d be putting you in deals 20-30% BELOW MARKET VALUE. Who cares IF the value drops 1.2%? You just walked into 20-30% in equity!  The market could drop another 10% or more, and you’d STILL have an awesome deal! Additionally, I only put my clients in deals that are good, solid, long term investments and areas. So you can be assured that the values in those neighborhoods are more secure than others out there.

Whenever I’m reading or watching the media hype on all the foreclosures, I see the other side. My perspective doesn’t sell subscriptions or higher priced air time, but it brings me great comfort that there are incredible opportunities out there for everyone. If you are interested in picking up some investment property (REO’s, Short Sales, Foreclosures, etc), please give me a call and let’s find you a great deal or three. I’m finding them all day long, in every price range, every neighborhood. Let’s build your wealth and retirement portfolio together.

I am constantly amazed that most people don’t know this. I inform people of this on a daily basis. Potential clients are always asking me how much it costs them to hire me. If you are buying or renting real estate, it is FREE to hire a REALTOR® to help you! That’s right, no cost whatsoever. The Seller or Landlord is the one who has to pay all agents their commissions. It really becomes a no brainer for you to be represented by a Licensed Real Estate Agent.

The next train of thought I come across is this- "why not hire the REALTOR® who is listing the property to represent you? Won’t that save on fees for the seller, and I can get a better deal"? Well, there’s a few reasons for not doing this.

1. The Seller will still have to pay the same amount of fees
2. The Listing Agent will DOUBLE their commissions- they just get the commissions that another Agent would have received, had you hired one yourself
3. The Listing Agent was hired by the Seller to get them the highest price possible. A Buyer’s Agent is hired to try to get the lowest price possible. Who do you think the Listing Agent will work harder for?
4. A Buyer’s Agent is watching out for your best interest, and no one else’s. They will make sure you are not getting taken advantage of, and that you are protected.

When you look at all the reasons, it really makes sense to hire an Agent to represent you. It’s free, you’re protected, the Agent understands the buying process and can guide you the entire time. If you’re still hesitant, feel free to give me a call and ask me questions. If you’re looking to purchase foreclosures, REOs, Short Sales, Commercial or Investment property of any kind, contact me and let’s find you the best deal possible.

In a meager attempt to get the ball rolling on this blog, I decided to throw together a quick Top 10 list. Really, I could go on and on about why you should use a REALTOR®, and I had a tough time cutting this list down to just 10 reasons. The benefits far outweigh any reasoning against it. Now, I’ll admit, there are MANY ‘unqualified’ REALTORS® out there, who are not investors themselves, have never done a deal, and really have no clue what a great deal is. Obviously, as a buyer of Investment Property, you would search out the Professionals who specialize in Investments and make the best decision possible before hiring the guy who left a magnetic calendar on your front door. Let’s move forward…

10. Trusted Name Reputation
9. Required to Stay Current with Education
8. Knowledge of the local and national markets, and knows what a great deal is
7. Duty to protect their client’s best interest
6. Licensed by the State & Required by Law to Follow Specific Guidelines
5. Access to MLS where the great majority of property is listed
4. Gives accurate, unbiased Fair Market Values
3. Purchase Contracts & Inspection Periods!
2. Solid Network of Professionals in the Industry who refer deals!
1. FREE!

10. Trusted Name Reputation - As a REALTOR® your name and reputation IS your business. It’s a people business, and if you’re not trusted in the Industry, you’ll starve. Yes, it makes me sick to see the business card with the wife, kids, and retriever all cuddled up together, and I wonder how much business they get off of those car-wraps we see everyday on the freeway. But you have to give them credit that if they had a bad reputation, they surely wouldn’t be plastering it all over their car!

9. Required to Stay Current with Education- The State mandates that you have a specific number of credited hours of education every couple years to maintain your license. Beyond that, there’s not a day in my life that I can’t open my email, go to the office, or talk to my Team without hearing about a seminar, education event, luncheon, etc going on. It’s next to impossible to avoid it! Staying educated is just a day in the life. Read the rest of this entry »