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Get Motivated

02-09-10
Amy Law
Amy Law: Real Estate Agent in Crosby, TX
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  • Office: (281) 328-8700
  • Mobile: (713) 492-4875

Yesterday my broker paid for everyone in the office to go to a HUGE giant seminar called GET MOTIVATED. It was in the Toyota Center, (where the Houston Rockets play). They also had this event going on in Reliant Center, (next to the Astrodome, where the Houston Texans play football), and at Grace Community Church, (which sits 7000). The event was so over sold that many people from my office did not get in and others never found a seat. That was disappointing. That, however, is a completely different story for a different audience, (get ready Houston Chronicle!)

There were great speakers there, including Sarah Palin, (whom spoke first and we missed because we wereColin Powell 2/8/2010trying to park), Rick Belluzzo (the main guy from microsoft), Colin Powell, Zig Ziglar, Rudolph Giuliani, Tamara Lowe, and 2 great speakers about investing. I don't remember either of their names, but they were the best speakers of all.

One note-They really need to put the names of the speakers as a footer at the bottom of the screens, because if you missed the speaker's introduction, you had no other chance to catch their names, and they were not all listed in the workbook.

What did I learn from this event? That the speakers all travel a lot. All of the time. This makes everyone of the speakers proud to be an American, because America is so great in so many ways and people all over the world are lined up to get in. I agree. Proud to be American

I learned that I can make money in the stock market if I sign up for Wealth Magazine. I didn't sign up for this, but others in my group did. Maybe they will share. You can make money buying real estate at tax auctions and deed auctions, and with self directed IRAs to be able to retire rich--I did sign up for this one, it didn't sound like a "canned thing" that only I could use--but something I could teach my real estate clients.

I learned that all of those speakers are great sales people, and it was very interesting to see and hear them work on such a very huge scale. They had great graphics/power points that did not match their words but supported their words. (I hate it when people read their PowerPoint presentation to you. None of these speakers did this). I have done quite a bit of public speaking, and it was fun to study their technique.

FISH!One thing I noticed about people there is attitude: I studied the bookFISH a couple of years ago about picking your attitude. I have always had an attitude that fascinates people for my professionalism and my love of sitting in meetings and working with others on teams and committees. I try to keep my chin up no matter what is thrown at me, (and I have had way more than my share of $%& thrown at me lately!) But, the book FISH really changed my life, as I realized how FRAGILE a positive attitude can be, and if I am not very careful I can shatter other people's positive attitude.

Once I discovered how fragile a positive attitude is, I became much more aware of not letting others yank my happiness out from under me. It almost happened to me yesterday because the sitting situation was so horrible in the venue. I had to be very careful of my reaction to the events as they occurred yesterday. (We had a terrible time finding seats.) But, I was aware. I did not give anyone else the power to ruin my time there, and it saved me. I had a great time, and I learned lots.

So, I learned so much yesterday from the GET MOTIVATED event, but mostly what I learned wasn't from the great speakers, (don't get me wrong if you were one of those great speakers--I learned lots from you!!!), but it was from the situation:

  • GET TO WHERE YOU NEED TO BE EXTRA EARLY (or you'll miss Sarah Palin!)
  • STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT (to sit down!),
  • DON"T GET DISCOURAGED EASILY OR YOUR DAY WILL BE RUINED!,
  • PLAY ALONG AND YOU WILL HAVE MORE FUN
  • EAT LUNCH BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE by SKIPPING THE SPEAKER RIGHT BEFORE LUNCH, (then take someones seat that wasn't as clever)
  • Be careful and aware of if you are ripping someones rug of happiness out from under them. If you see it starting---STOP!! And, if you're the one standing on the rug of happiness, don't let anyone take it out from under you and knock your happiness down. Do not give them that power. It just takes awareness to keep your happiness balanced on that magic rug.
  • Have a happy day! (And get rich doing it!)
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Income property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Houston, TX

02-09-10
Alf Gizzo
Alf Gizzo: Real Estate Trainer in Evergreen, CO
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  • Office: (303) 679-0634
  • Mobile: (303) 350-9488

Income property can have very stable, respectful and reliable tenants. Houston, TX

Yes, that’s correct! It all depends on product, location and first rate tenant screening. If you don’t have all three, your vacancy rate will be elevated. Let’s talk about product first. We advise our students that they furnish their properties with clean functional items, new linens and art work on the walls. What you are creating is an environment that is very pleasing to the tenant, one that not only the tenant will look forward to coming home to, but also one, through pictures on flyers, web sites and word of mouth, will attract new inquires. We are all for building and keeping a pipeline.

Lots of furnished rooms for rent are not clean and be full of old, thread bear chairs, sofas, and soiled mattresses. Would you want to stay any longer than you had to in a place that does not support a healthy sense of self-esteem? Nicely furnished rooms generate good paying tenants, who stay for extended periods.

Our preferred tenant populations normally do not have their own transportation so proximity to public transportation is necessity.

Key to this equation within our program is good tenant screening, which strangely enough does not include credit or traditional background checks. Our tenants are referred to us, so we gain knowledge about them and their history though direct questioning of people who are familiar with each potential tenant individually. We discover personal background information and work experience. This type of screening done methodically will produce good paying tenants who stay for extended periods creating a stable house.

To learn more about establishing transitional housing, please download our free Ebook from the side bar on our main blog site.

Don't hesitate to contact us with questions. Learn about us. Learn our system. Learn what others have to say about us and our system.

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NASA Shuttle STS-130 to Launch- Scrubbed-Update

02-06-10
Cindy Bryant~Houston's Home Staging & Professional Home Stagers~RVP RESA~ASHSR
Cindy Bryant~Houston's Home Staging & Professional Home Stagers~RVP RESA~ASHSR: Home Stager in Houston, TX
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  • Office: (281) 748-2170
  • Mobile: (281) 748-2170

File:STS-130 TCDT 3.jpg

*Launch was scrubbed due to weather, clouds over launch pad. It will go for launch again, Monday, Feb. 8 at 4:14am EST.

This will be NASA's last night launch of the shuttle, and the first of the last five for the USA's for a while, since the future of manned space flight is up in the air, so to speak. Obama just scraped the "Back to the Moon" program this week. Living in Houston, and working with many NASA employees of all kinds, astronauts, rocket scientists, and engineers, I know they all take great pride in what they do, and rightly so. I've also had the privilege to meet one of the crew members that will be flying on this mission, an extraordinary, person! So I will be watching with great pride for our country and what we have achieved. Not only will it be spectacular in the darkness of the sky, it will be an emotional one for many!

Our prayers are with you on your journey.

From left are Mission Specialists Stephen Robinson and Nicholas Patrick, Commander George Zamka, Mission Specialist Kathryn Hire, Pilot Terry Virts and Mission Specialist Robert Behnken. The primary payload on STS-130 is the International Space Station's Node 3, Tranquility, a pressurized module that will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Attached to one end of Tranquility is a cupola, a unique work area with six windows on its sides and one on top. Endeavour's launch is targeted for Feb. 7, 2010 around 4:40am EST.

For information on the STS-130 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts130/index.htm

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Luxury Home Short Sales In Houston

02-05-10
Susan Bouchard
Susan Bouchard: Real Estate - Other in Houston, TX
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  • Mobile: (281) 796-0536
  • Secondary: (281) 796-0538

When it comes to short sales the Brokers Price Opinion (BPO) is, to state the obvious, the number one determinant of the value the bank assigns to the property. This value determines how much the lender will be willing to accept for the property. Most agents working a short sale do not have the time to attend a BPO. When the agent is absent from the BPO they can only hope the BPO agent being paid somewhere between $50-$100 will take the time to properly assess the value of the home in this volatile market. More often than not the BPO agent will do their job correctly, looking at comps, viewing the property for about 30 minutes, taking snap shots of all the room and assessing a fair value. Although in most cases there are repairs, and other circumstances that need to be pointed out the the BPO agent. Unless a detailed inspection is ordered by the lender (I have never seen this) all the problems need to be known by the BPO agent in order to influence the the BPO to come in at a price that can move the house.

A couple weeks ago I attended a BPO for a luxury home in Carlton Woods where I am working a short sale. Looking at the comps in Carlton Woods, viewing the house, and taking some pictures would bring this BPO somewhere in around $1.6-$1.8 million. That would not be acceptable as we have only been getting offers in the $1.2-$1.3 range. I had to explain to the BPO agent that the house is somewhat unconventional and in need of unseen repairs and that when buyers are purchasing a home of this value they want perfection. This fact was backed up by showing her the number of days the house had been on the market, over 400 at $1,880,000. I explained to her the type of offers we were receiving because the true value of a home is what a willing buyer will pay. The BPO came in where I needed it to and now we are going to be able to successfully complete the short sale.

If you are an agent in Houston and have clients who are over leveraged and are trying to work a short sale then please listen to the next few sentences carefully. Alerst will take over your short sale negotiations and let you list the home at a a lower more competitive price. Now here is the big one, what we do is completely free to the agent and their client and we will buy the property. No more waiting and hoping that a buyer will wait the three or more months it can take to complete a short sale. We are the buyers and we won't flake. Free up your time and do what you do best list and sell houses at competitive prices.

Currently working short sale in Carlton Woods

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Don’t let your rental property become a charity shelter. Houston, TX

02-05-10
Alf Gizzo
Alf Gizzo: Real Estate Trainer in Evergreen, CO
  • view my blog
  • Office: (303) 679-0634
  • Mobile: (303) 350-9488

Don’t let your rental property become a charity shelter. Houston, TX

I just read a blog by Donna in NM, who has had the most dreadful experience with a Section 8 renter. She wrote that she didn’t have Section 8 housing experience and her tenant had 10 years of experience scamming the system. No rent was collected and now she has a squatter and is unsure how to correct the problem. Several good solutions were written in response to her questions and I don’t want to repeat her options here. I can’t imagine that this is an remote case.

Probably not your exact conditions, but even so, many real estate investors, who are holding rental property are making costly mistakes. Depressed real estate prices and the profusion of very good deals on distressed properties are attracting many new investors interested in real estate. The smart ones look for coaching or mentoring from others more experienced. The majority probably feel they can figure most things out for themselves, and then there are areas that they are inexperienced in and can have a negative effect on their net monthly income. Obtaining good mentoring can save money and headaches.

With our method and transitional housing, our landlords and I have never had these troubles. If the rent is overdue by more than 3 days, I just make a phone call or two, rekey the locks and wait for the tenant’s family member or friend to set up a time to pick up any personal belongings. I do not return their damage deposit. Within a few hours or a few days, I have the room occupied by another tenant from my waiting list.

It’s just that easy. It does not require an expensive eviction process and a minimum to no loss of rent. Squatters are completely unheard of, there are no legal fees, no court fees, and no fee made to local law enforcement.

Discover how I can get away with this by downloading our FREE Ebook from the side bar at our main blog site.

Don't hesitate to contact us with questions. Learn about us. Learn our system. Learn what others have to say about us and our system.

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