San Gabriel, CA

I SUCCESSFULLY negotiated a $5000 CREDIT but I did NOT even get it!!

Negotiation is an art that when done right can put you on the pedestal. Recently, I was involved in a purchase transaction where I was assisting a first time homebuyer. We looked at many homes and after about 2 months of searching we landed an acceptance on our offer. Yahoo! or so it seemed. It was a nice Spanish Style home that was partially remodeled. Only the essentials were done like new laminate flooring, new paint albeit flat paint, a few new windows. From curbside appeal, it was not a bad looking house. A few more cosmetic touch ups and it be a great place to call home.

A home inspection was set up a few days after our offer was accepted. There were a few things that the inspector pointed out but nothing major. Everything was looking good so far. The report came back the next day and when the buyer looked at it, he wanted to know if the seller would credit him to do some of the repairs. I contacted the listing agent to inform her if that would be feasible and she stated that her seller said 'sold as is'. I met up with my buyer and inform him what I heard but suggested that we write a request for repairs to see if the seller will bite.

I sent the inspection report along with some explanations of why the $5000 credit was justifiable. We waited a few days and the seller came back with half the figure! Wow! That sounded great and the buyer was ecstatic. Somehow I had a hunch and informed the buyer to see if we can try again to see if we can get the full credit. We had nothing to lose so I sent in a 2nd request reiterating the situation and need for the full credit amount. A few days passed and the seller signed the acceptace of the full $5000 credit! I didn't get the $5000 but someone else did. I say the buyer was just a wee bit excited! :)

So, 'no' doesn't mean 'no' in French, Swahili, or whatever language you speak. You never know what happens in life if you never try to see what the possible outcome can be. Happy selling! :D

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For FORECLOSURE Prevention & all your Real Estate Services,

Contact:

DAVID DEE
(626) 203-5676

"Client 1st. That's the David Dee Guarantee."

Specializing in: (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY) San Gabriel, Rosemead, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Walnut, West Covina and

(N. ORANGE COUNTY) Anaheim, Buena Park, Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and other surrounding areas.

Copyright © 2011 by DAVID DEE. All Rights Reserved. "I SUCCESSFULLY negotiated a $5000 CREDIT but I did NOT even get it!!"

Having a good wife is *key* to having a successful business

With Labor Day fast approaching, we reflect on what we have done so far this year as the 3rd quarter comes to an end. I was having a conversation during lunch the other day with one of my colleagues Jeff. He mentioned that this year is going well so far and that he is out producing last year's figures. Many times this year when I speak or hear other agents talking, they moan and groan that things are not like they used to be in the good old days. This was the same mindset that Jeff had possessed earlier in the year. But something happened that caused this reversal of cycle.

Well, zipping through is a light at the end of the tunnel. Jeff had a miserable start to the year and he was down like Eyor from Winnie the Pooh. Several transactions opened and fell apart and he was left with a donut at the end of the day. You see ... working for free is no laughing matter in our industry and it can be depressing. Then something wonderful happened. His wife became his coach ... at a lower cost than the 'professional coaching' out there. The reason for his turn around was his wife. There were times when things don't go as planned but his wife was always there to instill in him the confidence that things will always turn around. He had always possessed confidence but when you stuck in the box it is another story.

After her pep talk, he kept at it and as things would revolve, everything turn around for him. Being in this business is tough as it is, especially during these trying times as many agents fell off the edge like waterfalls streaming down Niagara. Woosh! Because of the extra encouragement and hope that his wonderful wife instilled in him, he was able to plow ahead and succeeded in accomplishing his goals he had originally planned.

I can see the truth in his sage words. When push come to shove, you need the help of your wife to provide that proverbial boost to keep you going. Incidentally, I read that alot of folks are going through divorce during rough times because of financial reason. Maybe these same folks need to stop and ponder about not dwelling on the negatives and endeavor to see the positive side of the matter. It is the way to nirvana...or at least close to it. Stress can be grueling. So for those with wonderful and supportive wife, hold on to her and don't let her go. They are a rare specimen and hard to find. If she is not, dump her and find another one quickly! j/k, never mind the last sentence. :D

*********************************************************************************************

For FORECLOSURE Prevention & all your Real Estate Services,

Contact:

DAVID DEE
(626) 203-5676

"Client 1st. That's the David Dee Guarantee."

Specializing in: (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY) San Gabriel, Rosemead, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Walnut, West Covina and

(N. ORANGE COUNTY) Anaheim, Buena Park, Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and other surrounding areas.

Copyright © 2011 by DAVID DEE. All Rights Reserved. "Having a good wife is *key* to having a successful business"

We staged this San Gabriel home and it sold in 1 day!

This San Gabriel home had been on the market since December, and in June 2011, Moving Mountains Design was hired to stage it. It had been on the market for 6 months and had not sold. The home was beautifully remodeled and updated, had a pool and was in a great San Gabriel neighborhood. Still, it hadn't sold until it was staged. The buyers had seen the home multiple times before it was staged, but didn't see fit to make an offer until they saw how much more beautiful the home was with staging furniture and accessories. The buyers realized they were about to have a whole lot more competition. They were compelled to make an offer because the perceived value of the home had increased after staging. From the listing agent:

Stunning single family home on a larger corner lot in one of the most desirable locations in San Gabriel. This property has been completely remodeled and is ready for you to move in. It has a new roof, windows and re-finished original hardwood flooring. Beautiful updated kitchen with granite countertops and new Kitchenaid appliances.Crown molding, plantation shutters, and new paint inside and out.Short walk to coolidge elementary school. Enjoy your private yard with a pool and outdoor fireplace. Don"t miss this chance to buy a beautiful home in San Gabriel.

MLS# S643162 If you need help selling your San Gabriel, Pasadena, or Arcadia home, please call us at 626-385-8852. We know what makes homes sell™!

Originally posted on our Los Angele Home Staging Blog

MULTIPLE OFFERS AND PRICE REDUCTION .....BEWARE!!

I had a situation this past week where I had submitted an offer for my client on one of the Bank Owned REO listings. We had submitted an offer 2 weeks prior on this same listing but it went under contract as the bank selected another offer. So, given the state of how the property was priced, it was understandable that the Bank may have presumably accepted another higher priced offer. By the way, our offer that was submitted was 20k OVER asking price as we realized that it was agressively priced below market. We moved on and started looking at other properties.

A week passed and I received notification via email from the lender that the previously accepted offer has been canceled, and the property is now open again for submission of new offers.

"If your client still has interest, please submit your highest and best offer today for the seller's review. We have multiple offers. You will receive notice of the seller's decision by the next business day."

By golly! We might have a 2nd shot at this property and resubmitted our offer status quo to our original offer. We know it is a good offer and feel that this would be it....the cream on the top, the icing on the cake and we can go into escrow!

Lo and behold, that SAME DAY after our offer was submitted, I just happened to look in the MLS and discovered that the price was REDUCED BY 20K!! That's 40k below OUR offer!! What's going on here? Sounded peculiar, doesn't it folks? I called the agent to inquire about this bizarre situation and he stated that it was the bank's decision and he cannot further elaborate and hung up. Huh??

I may not know the full intentions of the bank but REDUCING the price when they had already have multipled offers on hand? This is the first time I witnessed first hand something this odd. The listing agent was curt and abrasive and ended the conversation. This conundrum got me thinking. I was being nice and not chewing on his cabeza either so maybe he just had a bad day but I doubt it. Much to my wide eyed surprise, I found that 2 days later after our offer was resubmitted, the property status was in "back up" again. *sigh* Hmm.....itchy and scratchy where are you???? We move on. Happy showing out there folks!

*********************************************************************************************

For FORECLOSURE Prevention & all your Real Estate Services,

Contact:

DAVID DEE
(626) 203-5676

"Client 1st. That's the David Dee Guarantee."

Specializing in: (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY) San Gabriel, Rosemead, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Walnut, West Covina and

(N. ORANGE COUNTY) Anaheim, Buena Park, Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and other surrounding areas.

Copyright © 2011 by DAVID DEE. All Rights Reserved. "MULTIPLE OFFERS AND PRICE REDUCTION .....BEWARE!!"

OUT OF ORDER: IS IT DECEIT OR TACTICAL MARKETING?

Do you utilitize tactical marketing to get business? One of the primary examples are teaser rates implemented by lenders to get customers in the door. Another example is car dealership advertising a bargain deal in the paper only to say that it was sold when you get there but there are other available in their lot for sale...at a higher price.

Yesterday, I went to get gas and noticed something rather interesting. In grade schools, we were taught the ABC and 123 to place things in order. However, this one gas station must have skipped grade school and decided to do something outside the box. The octane grading is normally placed in ascending order from left to right. As you can see from the picture, the higher grade is placed in the middle instead of the far right at this gas station.

I normally alternate between 89 and 91 octane. I wanted to put in 89 octane this time but in this case, I ended up paying for 91 octane. It got me thinking that this gas station misplaced this intentionally to get customers to pay for the 91 as the majority of the customers would 'assume' the 89 is in the middle. While there will be customers buying the 91, the numbers would not be as great as those wanting to buy 89. In doing so, this gas station will come out on top.

This is deceitful but is also tactical marketing...as a way to increase business. This is quite clever. Remember the rule of thumb, pay attention to details in all that we do and never 'ass-u-me'. :)

*********************************************************************************************

For FORECLOSURE Prevention & all your Real Estate Services,

Contact:

DAVID DEE
(626) 203-5676

"Client 1st. That's the David Dee Guarantee."

Specializing in: (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY) San Gabriel, Rosemead, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Arcadia, Temple City, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Walnut, West Covina and

(N. ORANGE COUNTY) Anaheim, Buena Park, Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and other surrounding areas.

Copyright © 2011 by DAVID DEE. All Rights Reserved. "OUT OF ORDER: IS IT DECEIT OR TACTICAL MARKETING?"