Category Archives: Misc. Real Estate

Today’s Kansas City Star reports that the $295 million settlement with Ameriquest is about to begin taking hold and that consumers should start receiving their refunds in April. It seems they were taking advantage of people with their loan vehicles. The article even contains a link that describes in detail the settlement. If it affects you, it might be worth your time to read the links.

My own personal word about sub-prime loans is “caution”. I have had clients that have used them to their advantage. And I’ve had clients (who probably never even should have purchased a home) continue down the path of financial disaster with them. Seek sound financial counseling before deciding whether or not a “B” or “C” paper loan is the way to go for you.

I’m a real estate agent, so you know how this is going to go. But let me see if I can make a compelling case as to why you need professional representation.

People think they are paying their real estate agent to get their house sold. And to a degree they are right. But what is “sold”? When I sit down in my listing appointments and talk with a Seller one of the things that I think is important for them to understand is my general philosophy. I don’t believe I can sell anyone a home. Whether it’s for personal use or to be used as an income property. It’s too big an asset to get sold. People pick and choose their houses carefully based on a very wide variety of criteria. In short, if a Buyer doesn’t like it they can and will move on to the next possibility.

And usually, a home will sell through a co-op agent. Someone else will bring and represent the Buyer. I’m there to market the home in a variety of ways including electronic media, print, word of mouth, signs, mailings, etc. My job is to drive enough people through the house that are ready and able to buy a house to secure a qualified Buyer. And then my work begins.

I tell anyone who will listen a brand new agent can market your home. They can read enough books on how to advertise, hold an open house, etc. But a brand new agent usually will lack the experience necessary to negotiate inspections, hurdle title difficulties, answer an appraiser’s questions, work with mortgage officers and underwriters and their frequent and sometimes unusual demands. Then there are the last minute snafus with the furnace…

In the last month I’ve had several inspections from down under. Massive things wrong and big dollars attached. And not clearly visible without detailed inspections. Keeping the deal together can be daunting and sometimes impossible. But if there is a way, an experienced agent can work it out, get creative, think outside the box. (Are there any other cliches I can throw your way?)

I know many a person who have successfully bought or sold their houses as unrepresented Buyers or Sellers. However, I know many more people who had a contract and the deal fell through. Possibly these two reasons had something to do with it; 1. Lack of experience to know to prepare and/or how to solve the issue. 2. Direct communication between the Buyer & Seller (with their egos involved) may not always be the best path to take. Sometimes, it’s good to have an intermediary.

Earlier this morning I registered the domain name bbqcapital.com. It just seemed that circulating the name http://kansascityrealestateblog.blogspot.com/ was entirely too long and was being mistyped by folks…including myself. So now you can find us either way. If you have already linked to this blog, thank you. The link should still be in operation as I have simply forwarded the new domain to this site. RSS should work, as well. Let me know, however, if you discover a problem. Thanks!

Now for those of you uninitiated to Kansas City the reason for the name is quite simple. Kansas City has the best bar-b-q in the world! Oh, I can hear it now. The Memphis, Carolina and Texas contingents screaming at the top of their lungs “foul!”. But truth is truth.

It was once said that Memphis has it’s style of BBQ. As does Carolina and yet Texas another. But Kansas City is the Constantinople of BBQ. All the styles, including Kansas City’s own, are here. You should plan a vacation to dine at them all. You’ll need a few months to accomplish that. Followed by about 6 months of recuperative exercise training! Occasionally I’ll feature the different BBQs of Kansas City. So look forward to that!

Below you will find an excellent explanation of how to help your credit score. Brought to you by Christina Whipple of Keller Williams Realty in San Antonio, TX.

http://blog.christinawhipple.com/archives/18-Five-Common-Credit-Repair-Mistakes.html#trackbacks

I just got finished reading an article that stated that 1 in every 52 people in California has a real estate license. 1 in 52! That’s incredible. It’s also interesting.

I’m not sure what the breakdown is here in the Kansas City area. But I’ve heard we have 13,000+ agents here ourselves.

But what I really want to know is; How many are working and earning a living?

I run into the same agents over and over again. Here and there I run across a new name for the area I work. But by in large it’s the same names I see again and again. You see real estate is no miracle job. You don’t get rich by passing a two week course and the prescribed exam. It takes work.

10:00 pm phone calls. Canceled weekend trips. Did I eat lunch today? Should I spend my money on marketing or the Worlds of Fun tickets? These are some of the things that you should be dealing with if you are going to rise from the 13,000 here in Kansas City to be known as a producing agent. Heck, even in my own office I think we have 130+ agents and about 20-30 good producers.

If you are thinking of getting your license, give me a call. I would love to discuss this business with you. It’s not for everyone. But it could be for you. I will leave it with this…it is by far the most rewarding and frustrating profession I could have ever imagined…and I’m glad it’s mine!