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Home Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia

Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia

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Monday blog about everything

03-02-09
Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia
Monday Blog thoughts
Monday 3-2-2009
Oh my where did the time go !!!!! I cannot even imagine that 2 months are gone from 2009 already. Where did it go ? I have to say I better step up and get more buyers and sellers in to their dream homes fast ! Are you feeling this I mean the market the abundant choices ? I'm currently in Virginia Beach Virginia, or better known as the Hampton Roads area. Our market is picking up it is notorious for this season to make 50% of your annual earnings I think in the next 3-4 months. I have been spending time looking at what I need to o to accomplish this. I just spent the entire morning setting up lead capture pages, emailing buyers and sellers from past and making phone calls. I have to say calls are not my favorite thinks to do but it can produce great results. I was able to make contact with a buyer who was thinking about a home I had and they just might still move on it. ( WOW that would be  a bonus ). So what are your methods of prospecting. do you feel the shift to video ? Or do you think flyers mailers and open houses are the way to go ?
I recently bought a new Sony HiDef Camera as well as a Great wide angle lens for my Nikon. I plan to use these a lot to help get a buyer to "see" the home . I hope it will entice more people to make the trip in the car to come see the home for them self. Speaking of all the digital technology , do you find to much information hurts the listing ? I guess being a very strong GEN X person I love the new way to do business. Hi Def videos' Beautiful photos and video blogs about the home is where is it all at !!!

Local news
So if you read the Virginia Pilot this weekend the business section had WELL COMPENSATED story. do you think we need people that make this much to run a company ? I think about athletes and others that get multi millions for what they do. I wonder its got to be just like everything else in this world its all the little people that pay right ? I mean even in Real Estate someone ultimately is paying the debt. Wow I guess money does make the world go round.

Barter for what you want.
NO MONEY NO PROBLEM. I was thinking I have a passion to create and I love to think out the box. So i guess then I have a service worth bartering if someone had something I needed right ? Craigs list if full of barter ads there us even an association Midwest Barter Exchange. Just be care full the IRS will still have there hand out and will consider barter dollars as real currency to tax reporting . ( CRAZY ) Someone said if the economy goes down the drain well just all barter to make do !!


New Tax Credits for purchases
Dates for sales tax deduction on new cars
2-17-2009 to 12-31-2009 Deduction is limited to the tax on up to 46500 of eligible motor vehicals
Home buyers credit up to 8k
Jan 1-2009 to Dec 21-2009 10% of the homes purchase price up to 8k limit  see www.realtor.org)
Income requirements  adjusted gross income is less than 75k150k if marries or less if you make over 95k or 170k it starts to phase out
( I am not a tax adviser I am only explaining terms that I have read about please consult a tax adviser for full details

The varied price of Groceries

I took time this week to look at all the ads from as many grocery stores in my living area.  Bottom dollar, Food Lion, Kroger, Farm Fresh, Harris Teeter. It was amazing the price difference. I could only compare the sales ads but it sure opened my eyes to how there are teaser prices to get you in and the money is made up on other products. take for example. Bottom Dollar had a 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters @ .47 cents a pound. Another store had the same parts on sale for 1.99 a lb. It pays to take a few moments to look at the sales ads Heck I might even start a group that each person post the sales ad in one excel sheet and we share the information. It remember me of a site I sued in the past called The grocery game. It helped you decided if you should use the coupon in the flyers or wait. It worked great but I got tired of paying for a another service and if I did not use the site that week I might have been tossing money away. Any way you cut it there are ways to save money you just have to be willing to take the time to do it
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Decline in Hampton Roads market again

02-14-09
Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia

REIN stats show the median home sales price for the south side dropped again . In Jan of 2008 we had a median sales price of $224,900 . January of 2009 that price is now $194,000. These are the levels for 2005. Are we at PRE-BOOM prices? Did the bubble bust or was the a slow deflation . In my opnion it was a slow deflation of prices.

If you are in the military and have VA eligibility this would be the best time for you to buy. In 2005 we did not have rates this low and there was not this much to choose from . From what I see your in the best position to get the home you want. Sellers are flexible and inventory is high.

If we look at history we should see some rise in median sales prices as we go in to the summer when demand rises. If your looking this next 30-60 days could be peak time to get a great deal

Sellers I'm sorry to give this bad news. I can only say you must look hard at what is your goal. It is money, time , or getting in to that next home. If you figure out what your main goal is and that goal is attainable via price or terms you must change your marketing to get there. Holding out is not going to get you to the end of the rainbow. Some sellers need a certain net to get to the next level, this I understand all to well. I currently have a few sellers in this position. If that is you then you need to reflect on current market and understand it might not be possible to get the sales price you need. I'm not saying don't try, I would suggest you take a look at the entire picture and decided that the stress of holding out might not be worth it. I have suggested to a few of my sellers to pull the home off the market and wait. I'm sure this seems odd but if the levels of inventory drop demand could go back up. If demand goes back up prices might start to stabilize or increase.

Listen to my podcast on Itunes search Alison Creamer

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Citimortgage Shortsale Experiance

02-12-09
Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia

I have been working a short sale with citimortgage for the past few months. It has been an experience I will never forget. We are to go to closing Friday 2-13-2009 and I cannot express how happy I and my seller will be when this is all done. I have learned some lessons on this topic.

1. Be very patient

2. Make sure you have a flexible buyer

3. Make sure all parties are reasonable

4.Read everything the bank gives you

We received a letter approving the short sale 60 days after submitting the offer. I was calling daily to try to get loss mit on the phone and I think of I had just been a bit more patient I would not have driven my self insane with worry. Once we got the letter there was a number that the bank wanted to net. No on not the buyers agent nor the title company re ran the numbers to ensure base don the contract terms that the bank would net this amount. So we are 48 hours to closing and we get the new finial HUD and it has the seller bringing 7600 to closing to see this home!!!! I was in a panic !!!! After more reading it appears that we should have been more diligent in the pay off and terms before this stage. Today I'm burning up the phones trying to get loss mit on the phone and see that we can do. Now I understand why agents say they will negotiate the listing fee at the last minute. The fact that we over look certain details that might actually have reduced this panic at the end and made all parties aware of "shaving" at the end is a fact of this process.

Stay tuned for 2-13-2009 blog to see if we got it all done and if we closed !

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January 2009 Dream and Goals !

01-07-09
Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia

It is 2009. Amazing how time is zooming by. I keep telling the 17.11 year old living in the house you better enjoy High School. Its all down hill from there. Well I don't really mean that its just sometimes life can get to you. Well not lets talk about Real Estate.

Is anyone else having the Blues with a new year ? Do you consider it starting all over or just continuing with a clean slate ? I for one try very hard to consider it a clean slate. I'm looking at the past as what I did accomplish and hoping and goaling for bigger and better this year.

Dreams and Goals, My paster at Wave Churh again confrmed what I already know. People that write the goasl and visions are more likely to get to them than those that dont write them down.

I'm declaring my goal !! I'm going to make a million bucks this year !!!!! He He okay I could not help but really. I do have my goals and dreams written. I do need to fine tune them but I'm well on my way.

So what is your dream this year. Or what is your goal. What can you do everyday to ensure your moving forward and gaining. Personal and Business Goals are essential.

I encourage you to take time put a few goals on paper and see can you get to them this year.

Alison Creamer
RE/Max Allegiance

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December client gifts

12-17-08
Alison Creamer, Realtor, ABR, CDPE Virginia Beach , Virginia

Hello,

Well its December 17th and all my client goodies have been delivered. It was a whirlwind of 3 days but I managed to get it done. If only I was able to give something to all 345 in my database I would have felt much better. It was tough trying to decide who get and who does not. I did my best to select clients that I closed with this year and clients who worked with me on as a repeat or sent someone to me. Even with that it was still hard not to include everyone. My goodies consisted of Mini Lemon Loaf cakes with a drizzled icing, Pumpkin Cranraisen cookies, Toffee Bar, and an over sized Rice Crispy treat. A few bags did include a bottle of wine. I spent all day on Sunday with my sister cooking up a storm. It was really nice to spend some holiday time with her. After all the baking was done we filled the boxes wrapped them up and loaded them in the car. It too me 2 days to get from Oceana to Portsmouth but I did it.

I love the holidays not for the gift but for the spirit. It is about your heart not about the price of the gift. I was talking with someone the other day about rhetorical gifts. You know the ones you keep wrapped under the tree with no ones name on it. I was saying I hate with you get a gift that someone just gives because they feel guilty. I don’t know most of what I do at the holidays has a lot to do with feeling. I actually do a lot of hand made gifts like knitted baked or digital.

With the economy and the financial crisis this world is feeling I did not want to get overwhelmed with buy, buy, buy so this year I took time to sit back relax and think what can my heart and hands do that is actually a priceless gift.

What are you doing this year? Are you running around trying to pick out a gift for everyone on the list? De stress your self relax. The greatest gift has already been given. I believe that our salvation is a priceless gift all you have to do is receive it. Have you given some one the gift of knowing salvation? Maybe inviting them to services or just spending time with them would be the best gift ever given.

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