Glena Dee

Tip: I had finisihed submitting a short sale package to B of A two weeks ago and I haven't heard or gotten any email, so I went back to check on the Equator to see if they have already assigned a negotiator and I found out that they did. At 10:00 am yesterday, I sent the assigned negotiator an email saying, "Hi, _______! This is Glena with Century 21 Aadvantage Gold. I am the agent representing the short sale of ___________________, Loan # _____ and I just want to say Hi." At exactly 12:00 noon I got one email from her asking me to send her a copy of the hardship letter...the 2nd email came in at 12:02 pm asking me for a copy of the Bankruptcy documents and the 3rd email came in at 12:04 pm and it was to let me know that she has uploaded a counter offer. She has countered for an additional $2,000 above the offer price and she s lowering the commission to 5%. I sent her another email to thank her for her prompt response and how much I appreciate her for doing that and asked her, "What would be the possibility that I can up the commission back to 6% and leave the offer price the way it is" She said to just go ahead and counter back with the same offer and with the 6% commission and she will try her hardest to get it approved. Now, that is wonderful! So far, I have not had any short sale negotiation that lasted over a month in my negotiations with the lender...and I have succeeded in doing this 4 times within the past 30 days. Maybe I am just lucky, but I use the same trick over and over again.

Sometimes, little things like saying Hi can make the difference. It does not always work, but it is worth a try. I have been certified 3 times on how to handle short sale and foreclosed transactions and I have learned that the worst possible thing that an agent can do is sit and wait. Just send a simple email and say Hi to make yourself be memorable to the negotiators and also to send a message that "I'M WAITING, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET MY FILE?"

Selling a home in North Las Vegas

Glena Tupas Dee, C21 Aadvantage Gold, 614 N. ainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89107, 702-217-5241, glenadee@gmail.com

OK, I have taken 2 SFR cetification classes already, but trying to get listed in this big website requires me to get another certification. I thought I already know a lot about short sale negotiations...yeah! Especially since I have succesfully negotiated some very difficult deals. For example: Bank of America 1st and second mortgage, high BPO with Difficiency judgment full waived. The purchase offer was for $158K, lender countered $195K due to high BPO result. After the back and forth negotiations, I succeeded in getting the lender to accept $158K, pay for all the cost and get the difficiency judgment waive on both the 1st and the 2nd mortgage and the only thing that they ask is that the seller pays for the HOA, sewer, garbage and utilities. It is such a great deal that he jumped at the opportunity to get those things taken cared of and get the short sale of his property out of the way.

However, now that I am taking a CSSA certification, I am learning so much more about negotiations that I have not used in the past to make the short sale negotiations easier for me. My last two short sale deals that have been approved were so easy...it took only three weeks, which is not typical, but learning what I know now could position my clients for a better bargaining position. It does pay for an agent to get educated in the field that we practice to make things easier for both the agent and the client, so for those who are struggling in their short sale negotiations with the lender, it is best to stop and get trained or refer your deals to those who knows. Afterall, we all must represent our clients with their best interest in mind, right? If we have very limited knowledge in doing short sales and we are not comfortable in dealing with the lenders, we are not fully-representing our clients because we still lack the skills necessary to fully-represent them. So, get trained, ask a lot of questions and read a lot! Work with someone who has the experience and who can walk you through your first few deals.

I do not know if I can tell you how much time I spend in trying to learn the marketing strategies for Real Estate and discover for myself, what works and what does not work. Because bottom line, when you get a listing from a seller, it does not just stop there. Many fail in this business because all they do is list the house in the MLS and that's that. Well folks, it does not stop there! Many in the know understand that...listing it in the MLS is where it begins! When you get a listing, you have to make sure to commit part of most of your effort in marketing your home listing and bringing people to view the home, while a majority is placed in negotiations (if in the case of a short sale). Whether you are representing a buyer or a seller, having a marketing strategy will make the difference on whether you fail or succeed.

Someone once told me, "Oh, but I am just a listing agent! The buyer's agents will show the homes." That was her marketing strategy. She listed the house in the MLS and sat there waiting for the house to sell...six months later; the house was not sold yet. This was before I even became a Realtor and I knew then that she was not maximizing her marketing efforts. A year later and by now I was already a Realtor, the house was foreclosed on...that house was my friend's house, but bound by the Code of Ethics, I could not approach my friends to relist the house with me. I know that I could sell the house for them.

If you accepted a listing, signed a contract with your clients and do not understand the commitment that you have made when you accepted that listing, then you have failed your clients miserably. A marketing strategy means that, before you even accept a listing, you should already have a plan on how you will list the property, where will you list it, what mediums you are going to use in your marketing effort, how much your budget will be and what goal you are trying to achieve. If one fails, try another and keep track of your results.

My 17 years of owning other businesses have taught me that if I do not concentrate in bringing people into my business or letting people know that my business exists, I might as well close my doors, because I will never succeed and if I ever do succeed without doing anything to market what I have, it would be due to pure luck and the success will not last. The shortest length of time that I have owned a business is 7 years and I still own that business...the longest being 13 years, which I have closed when we moved to Las Vegas from Santa Paula, California. The average length of time for small business is 3-4 years. Survival in business cannot be left to pure chance. You must be able to own it! When you own it, you take care of it.

That beside the point, here are the marketing strategies that I have used in getting buyers for my listings:

•1) Email Flyers to fellow Realtors - works great if you want to drive Realtors to show your listing.

•2) Postcards - targeting residents within the close proximity to your listed house. This is great when you have just listed the property. More than likely, homeowners within that area know someone who would want to purchase a house in that same neighborhood.

•3) Door hangers - this will bring in both buyers and sellers. Shop for the cheapest source.

•4) Flyers & Mailers - not as effective, however, my one mailing has turned into getting a client with 3 properties, all of which were listed with me.

•5) Craigslist - It is free and can drive people to your website.

•6) Feature your listing at your free MLS website and post it in Google. I cannot remember how many people have called me for one of my listings even after it was place on "contingent" status because they have found it through my featured listing via my MLS website.

Aside from the ones listed above, I still believe that the best form of advertising is through word of mouth. If you concentrate in providing the best service possible and always go the extra mile for your clients, you will make yourself memorable to them and they will always remember you. Without asking, your referrals will come in. Keeping in touch with your clients long after the deal is closed is very vital in this business.

Last but not the least, ACTIVE RAIN! Blogging about your listing in Active Rain may bring your more buyers. I have not tried this one in particular myself, but I see a lot more Realtors that are blogging about their listings here. If anyone have any success in that, please let me know.

BUYING OR SELLING A HOME

Glena Tupas Dee, C21 Aadvantage Gold, 614 N. Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89107, 702-217-5241, glenadee@gmail.com

I thought I'd think about a catchy title to the blog as I know many of you feel the same way as I do. I just needed your attention, because what I have to say affects us all and it is happening regularly but I feel that there is nothing a home buyer nor an agent can do about it. This involves big real estate companies who are deceptive in their marketing practices. Yeah, you know who they are! They maintain an online database. A potential home buyer calls their number which is posted on the sign and they will tell that home buyer that there is no offer on the property yet, so they will go ahead and get their information, but in reality, they actually already have 34 offers, yet, the MLS has not been updated to reflect "multiple offer situation exists, because their online database does. On hindsight, I did not go to their database and proceeded showing the property...but why should we be oblige to do that when MLS is supposed to be the primary source of information?

Anyway, I took my client to see one of these listings and I accidentally left the information in the car, so instead of getting it (as it was so hot outside), I went to the window and took their number from the sign and called instead. When I spoke to the person on the other end, she assumed that I was just a client-prospect. She told me that there was no offer on the house yet. Silly me, I forgot to tell her I was the agent and not the home buyer. As soon as she realized that I am the agent, I was referred to call another number. When I called and spoke to someone, I was told that there were already 34 offers in the house. They keep a separate database. This house was listed for many weeks already and 34 offers would not have come in in just one day. I think that their marketing practices is very deceptive. Why would they tell people that there is no offer on the house yet, when there are already 34 offers?

It is frustrating, but who would want to fight them? It is too involved and GLVAR will not do anything unless you face them in a hearing and frankly as do most of us here, I do not have the energy nor the time to waste and If anyone do decide to face them, who would back you up if you do?

The heat is very brutal here in Las Vegas. Never mind the time, effort and your cost in bringing your home buyers to show these houses. These home buyer are hoping that they will have a fair shot of owning the houses that are listed by these companies, but clearly they don't! If they are told that they do not have an offer yet and the house is still available - when in fact, they already have 34 offers, what are their tryue chances? Poor, poor clients!

There is nothing that a person can do about it. I am sure that GLVAR is aware of the situation. I wish that they will do something about companies not posting the true status on the MLS instead of relying on their own online database. Their database is not a part of MLS, so posting their link on the agent to agent remark should not be enough. I also wish that GLVAR will be able to design a system where all offers will go through the MLS system and no cheating, lying companies can go around showing the true status of their listings. These practices are unfair and should be monitored by GLVAR.

Would you believe when I say that these companies would prefer to sell their listings to their own clients? So if you are an agent of another company, chances are slim that you will be able to get the house for your home buyers because they will provide preferrential treatments to the ones generated from their signs? Collect all the commissions, why not? But that would be unfair even to their own home buyers bece not only are they lying to them but also because they have not chance of getting the home and they are led to believe that they do, wouldn't it?

BUYING & SELLING HOMES IN LAS VEGAS

Glena Tupas Dee, C21 Aadvantage Gold, 614 N. Rainbow Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89107, 702-217-5241, glenadee@gmail.com

I do not know how many people believe that they are more important than their clients. When you are in the industry where customer service is involved...and I do not care about what type of service you provide, you have to understand that the most import thing is your client. If you do not have the patience and the common sense to understand that you are serving them and that they are not serving you, then my golly! YOU ARE IN THE WRONG FIELD! Go and find another job!!

I will explain to you why I am frustrated. Aside from being a Realtor, I am also a certified loan document signing agent. I have over 135 client companies all over the country in my database that use my services and most have been using me since 2003. I have worked so hard to get these companies to work with me and when I have succeeded in getting them to use me, I made sure that I am providing them with a 1st rate service. I will go the extra mile (legally) for them to get the job done and that is why I am very memorable to them.

One day, I could not do the signing, so I have asked the title company if they will use someone I know, who I have trained personally as my back up person. They have agreed...BOY, DID i MAKE A MISTAKE! This guy went to the signing...well dressed but with a rotten attitude! The signing went OK until he had to ask for the check because there was a shortfall of $5. Keep in mind it is only $5! The client could not provide a check because he uses his debit card all the time and he does not know where he placed his checkbook, so he gave this guy $5 cash. This guy got upset and told the client that he should have his checkbook and he refused to accept the cash. He then proceeded on calling the scheduler to complain and that he was not going to complete the signing because this guy could not produce a check and he will not go and get a money order for him! What a jerk! Of course the client was very upset.

While he was on the phone with the scheduler, the client was cursing because obviously he was upset and this jerk told the client, "Excuse me! I am on the phone here, you know!" Keep in mind, he is in the client's house. When he left the signing, he called me over the phone, obviously very upset. He thought that I would side with him. I asked him, "Jerk (not his real name), you did not really do that, did you? He could not believe that I am not siding with him on this. He asked me what would I have done. I told him, "There are two things that you could have done: 1) You could have taken the $5 cash and went the extra mile to get the Money Order for him, or 2) Take the $5 and write a $5 check from your account. If it is a small amount, the title company will just accept it as long as you call them first and find out if you can do that." He got upset that I did not side with him, and I got upset that I failed to realize that this person was like this and of course I had to call the title company and apologize for my lack of better judgment. He almost cost me this client.

Lesson learned: If you cannot do it, just do not accept it! Refuse the order and let them find another person. You cannot teach a stupid person to act smart if he decides that acting stupid is his easy way out.

I do believe that most clients are easy to work with however, if your client is totally impossible to work with and is just very difficult, then I would consider it an exception to the rule, but never, ever assume that you are more important than your client. No! If you want more business, you will take care of your client's client, because if without them, you have no business, which means you have no income. So now, he lives with two-four signings a month...broke and filing a BK because no one would use him and I believe that he deserves it too!

As a Realtor®, if I have to refer my client to another Realtor® have to make sure that this person will do a very good job for my client and do it well. I always strive please my clients, however I also know my limits and on circumstances where I know that there is really nothing I could do to please a client, I just let them know that I could not help them further and it is just OK to do that, however, going the extra mile for a client will not hurt your business...maybe hurt your feelings sometimes, but knowing your limits will help you get through it. Preserving your integrity is always, always a must!

Buying and selling homes in Las Vegas

Glena Tupas Dee, C21 Aadvantage Gold, 614 N. Rainbow Blvd. , Las Vegas, NV 89107, 702-217-5241. Email. glenadee@gmail.com